Saturday, June 5

HOLA!!

Thank you for following our blog here in BEAUTIFUL and HOT Guatemala. Today was an amazing day for everyone. Our day started off by meeting for breakfast of a familiar meal, pancakes, scrambled eggs, and corn starch pudding. YUM YUM!! We are definitely not going hungry down here. Pastora Jane takes good care of us like she does her own children.

Our first duty of the day was to clean, organize, and do some chores around the church in Chiquimula. Everyone was assigned different jobs to complete. It is so nice to know we can rely on each other to complete one goal as a team. We all miss everyone back home a lot, but we are truly becoming a family in Guatemala. The guys helped hang some tarps and made a new friend in the process the were are very thankful for and the girls cleaned and organized the church. Language barriers make it tough to communicate but we are all learning to communicate other ways and improving our Spanish too. We have some amazing (and strong) men that act as body guards are make sure all of us girls are taken care of, and you can always depend on the girls to make you smile. I am so blessed to have this wonderful group of people to work with in this country.

For lunch it was a taste of home, a good ole' sandwich, watermelon, and chips. It hits the spot after a few hot hours. Our lunch hour was cut short because we needed to head out to a village that had never been visited before. The ride wasn't long, but in a few miles Guatemala's beauty was revealed. The landscape is astonishing. Some people worked with youth from the church, while the rest crossed a rickety old bridge to reach a river. It was here we all lifted prayer up for the people of the village. Everyone was moved by the atmosphere. After we prayed and sang a few songs it was time for us to split up again. Three people went to teach an English class and the rest of the team entertained the community. There was joy and hope found in participating in pick up soccer games. Both groups were very thankful the experience.

Our day ended much sooner than it has been the past few nights. Our food for dinner was delicious too! We had chicken, vegetables, rice, watermelon, and salad. These people feed us well!! One thing our whole group agrees on is how amazing meal time is together. This is where we are able to really come together and bond.

We are all learning a lot about ourselves, one another, leadership, and how God plays a role in our lives. Thank you for all of your support, prayers, and following us online. Please continue to pray for us.

Cortnea Ralston