Trip 2 Day 8

My apologies for taking so long to fill out this blog for May 21st.
It was quite an adventure of a day; filled with plenty of tears, hugs and goodbyes.
Both trucks drove to the sites, while balancing a metal door, window and paint in each of their truck beds. We were piled in as well. I remember having very mixed emotions about seeing the family for the last time. We were bringing them gifts including the stools, books, pencils/pens, mirrors, New! shoes, food, etc. and a piñata. I was both excited and “muy triste,” very sad.

Knowing that I was going to be holding the children for the last time or the hand of the mother for the last time was an emotional roller coaster. While sitting beside the mother of one of the families, her husband asked Kristen for the names of each of us. Kristen mentioned that he had a conversation with some of the people from our group about believing in God and in thanksgiving for what we helped build for his family. He kept the sheet of paper with our names in a small book and said he’d continuously pray for us. Each time they would thank us, I would be compelled to thank them right back for such an experience.

Once we arrived to the site, we were again greeted by smiles, death-gripping kids :) and tickling. Soon enough we were stirring and painting. I’ve noticed that Guatemala is filled with primary colors, from the Reds, Blues and Yellows of the hammocks we laid in at Casa Sito, to the exteriors and interiors of the houses we painted. Both houses had a blue interior. The exterior of one house was yellow (shout out to “Casa Amarillo!!!”), whereas the exterior of the other house was a vivid red. This Casa Amarillo good luck charm certainly came in handy as our worker group played futbol for the last time against the other worker group after we left the family ;)

Some of us decided to unleash our artistic abilities on the wall and on each other. Before I had even decided to participate in this paint party, I had a hammer fall from the roof onto my head then into my blue tub of paint. My teeth were apparently blue as well. After taking a brake, a few of us continued with this “party” covering each other from our tops to our bottoms with primary colors. Papas looked like he had some kind of growth on his face or a late case of the Chicken Pox. Most of us including the Guatemalan workers could not escape Toran’s red-handprints-of-love on our backs…

Giving the family the keys was by far one of the best experiences of my life. After seeing Adam give the keys to one of the families, I knew it would bring me a heart attack after being chosen to give the other family their keys. The grandmother was crying. I couldn’t take it. I had no idea why I was given this kind of opportunity in the first place or what I should tell them. An interpreter helped translate our words to each other. There were so many emotions and words going on at once, so it’s hard to completely grasp what exactly happened during that moment. When I would say thank you for this opportunity; they would just thank me right back. I know that what happened then was not me, but a compilation everyone’s spirit all pushing their ways to that one moment. I just remember thinking about how much I truly wanted to learn Spanish so that I could hear the words from them instead of from an interpreter.

I couldn’t help but notice that no matter how different the familys’ lifestyles were from our own—it’s practically impossible to not be attracted to one another. We all most certainly were. With a mixture of emotions at the worksite, a piñata and paint party, a birthday night, a high class Guatemalan restaurant later on in the evening, and a live traditional Guatemalan band that played “Feliz Cumpleanos a Trina.” This was by far the BEST birthday of my life (even taking into account a hammer that fell directly atop my head as our crew of Cheeky, Edgar, and Mickey were installing the roof above)…

Every bump and bed-bug bite and new friend helped make this trip amazing. It was one of the best experiences of my life and one of the best examples of how people who, for the most part only know bits and pieces about each other, can pull together and abundantly enjoy each other’s company through the Grace of God.

When I was hugging each child and adult of the family for the last time it was hard to hold back the tears…especially when the leaders of the family—the grandmother, fathers and mothers of the group—had tears in their own eyes.
Shout outs to Sara and Toro, Kreeston, Mango, Papas, Lindsay, Giante, Cindy, Funky Chicken, the beautiful family, and the rest of the crew for the immense amount of God-given teamwork throughout these 8 FULLFILLING days. I’d go to Guatemala again in a heartbeat.
God Bless,
Trinaa.k.a. “Cheena”
a.k.a. “Cheena”

Trip 2 Day 7

Today is Wednesday and the day started out normal for us just as any other day has been here in Guatemala, except for the excitement of not having to make lunch because we were getting pizza delivered at the work site. That seemed to make everyone happy. On our way to our work site I was handing out rosaries to kids and adults. It was so nice to see their reactions to the gift. One girl looked at what was handed to her and exclaimed "Rosario". She was very excited about the gift. In fact all of the people who received the rosaries seemed to like them including our Guatemalan crew.

On the ride in I was in the cab of the truck with Alfonso aka Micky Mouse and I presented him with a Micky Mouse pin which he wore proudly all day. He had to show all of the other crew members the pin who in turn teased him about his nickname - but Micky didn't seem to care.


Once we were on the site we split up into our seperate groups and got to work - well kind of we always seem to find time to have a little bit of fun. In fact this morning while the cement was being mix, Fred decided to make a "Cement Angel" that was a first for me as well as our entire crew. Wish I had the picture of that. Anyway the mixing of cement consists of pilling up in a large mound until everything is incorporated. We had our own little Pacaya Volcano. Fernando aka Cheeky was spreading out the mixture while taking down our mountain and Fred thought it would be fun to have someone flatten out the rest. As you can see I volunteered for that task - not very pretty but it was effective. There was no sign of a mountain after I got through with it.

Our task today was simple but far from easy. The floor was our main project this day; the cement just needed to be spread for the floor of the house. The house may not look that large but I bet that if you ask Fred, Micheal, Kristen, or Trina about it they would have said it seem three times it's size. The room seemed to grow.

In the picture you can see Cheeky, he's probably trying to decide what mischief he can reak on us. And Micheal was the recepient of his humor. Did you notice the slant of the house? Water had to be poured down the slope and Micheal happend to be in the right/wrong place (depending on you view) when it happened. But since it was a hot day a would guess that it just might have been good or not. Right in front of the house there was a stoop added. Nice touch don't you think?



After the floor and stoop was layed/spread, most of our folks went over to assist the other folks with their house. While they were doing that some of the guys went to get the pizza. About that time is when I notice Innoceta over in the corning by her house. She was signing the sign of the cross and started to pray and she started to cry. She was so moved by the house that she took time to thank God for her gift. (at least that's the way I saw it)

It was kind of funny but everything seemed to happen about the same time, you see once the other house as finished - the floor spread, then the pizza guys where back. I call that good timing. After our lunch we got to go. Our day was done.

Up above you can see the big yellow truck with me in the driver's seat. You see what happened was that I jokingly told Micky that I wanted to drive his truck - by the way it's a stick - 5 speed. I'm not sure if Micky was calling my bluff or not but he tosted me the keys. Then Fred made a mad rush for the driver's side of the truck but since I was in the passengers side already I just locked him out and crawled over in the prized seat. Well I couldn't back down then so I had to drive. You can't image the streets here. Most are not paved and alot of them will not allow for two cars on the road side by side. Not to leave out that the stick shift was so badly worn that I could see, nor remember where reverse was. But Michael came to my rescue and I managed to get us on the road and on our way. Well until I had to make a right hand turn that caused Micky to turn pale and I ended up relinquishing the driver's seat. But he did tell me that I was a good driver. I still can't believe I got to drive in Guatemala!

Like I said earlier we had a short day and we were lucky for that because it started to rain about 2 PM and it was nice not to be out in it for a change. As is normal for us once we're back everyone starts to take showers. I was the last one to take my shower and I just wanted to let you know what it's like to be here with all these students. There was a group of them in the kitchen talking and another group was in the hall. Laughter was ringing out throughout the house. I can't imagine a better way to end the day. Even though there was more to come.

We went shopping for the families. We went out in the rain after all and had a great time at the store trying to pick out just the right stuff for every member of the two houses. I'm sure the families will be happy. After the shopping and getting everything back to CasaSito we then made our way back out in the rain for dinner. There was alot of laughter and nobody seemed to mind that we were getting wet. Way a high we were all experiencing.

This is little Ophelia Maria and she's a doll.
Can't wait until tomorrow to see the reactions of both the children and their folks will be. I won't be suprized if all of us ending sheding some tears of joy.

Pax et bonum

(Peace and all good)

Cindy Gravely

Trip 2, Day 6

As we sat in the back of the pickup on the way to work today, some of us realized a little sadly that our time in Guatemala is running short. After everything we´ve experienced over the past week, it´s easy to relate to this sentiment. Not only have we bonded well as a team, but we´ve also spent wonderful times laughing, talking, and playing with the families we´re serving in Santa Maria de Jesus. The From Houses to Homes crew has been a fun and friendly part of our time here, and on top of that, I am inspired by the tireless efforts of the Casa Sito staff and volunteers (Casa Sito is the volunteer house which has rooms for five of us).

Today at work we finished five more courses of concrete blocks on the two houses we´re building. Tomorrow we´re pouring the floor (lots of concrete mixing!), and the day after that we´re finishing up with the roof and the painting. I am very impressed at the precision of the Guatemalan crew we´re working with. Our foremen (Henio and Isaias) have memorized every step of the building process and know exactly how much of everything (such as sand, fine and coarse aggregate) we need and when.

After taking the winding road down the mountain and into Antigua after work, several of us attended a meeting held by Casa Sito volunteers at a cafe downtown. The purpose of the meeting was to inform the audience about an important educational program called EducArte, which serves kindergarten through third grade children near Antigua. An non-governmental organization, EducArte is staffed by volunteers and provides education in the arts and nutrition as well as the traditional subjects such as social studies and literacy. As part of the meeting, many of the students from EducArte performed a wonderful rendition of Snow White. The kids obviously put a lot of work into the production. Their lines were memorized and the costumes were simple yet effective. I especially loved the dwarves´beards, which appeared to be made of cotton and were in various stages of disarray! The meeting lasted only about 45 minutes, but it made a deep impression on me. There is a lot of beauty here--one sees it every day in the spirit of the people and in the efforts of volunteers and workers who want to make a difference.

--Adam Cross

Trip 2 Day 5

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After a weekend of exploring the different scenes of Guatemala, we all went back to work for Monday. Sentiments were mixed about a new work week, but even before we arrived at our house, our spirits were lifted and motivation rejuvinated while driving through the narrow streets of Santa Maria de Jesus. Above us on a hill, a small red house stood out to us. This house, Fred explained earlier, was the house that had been built only a week before by the first trip´s team. Next to the house, we saw a group of tiny figures waving as we drove by. Clearly, the last family was greatly impacted by the From Houses to Homes project. Enthusiasm was in no short supply as we jumped out of the back of the truck only to be stopped by hugs and smiles from our own two families.

The work day was fairly uneventful. The floor had been leveled by the family, and we added five more layers of cinderblock to the house. The door became more pronounced and windows began to take shape. However, the day itself was in no way uneventful. The oldest and most outgoing girl at the site, Favia, spent a few minutes watching and helping before being called into the house for breakfast and then rushed into town for what we understood to be her first communion. We spent time with the rest of the family during lunch, and were able to play more with the boys who are less outgoing than the girls. I was also touched by the joy and gratitude of Innocenta, tho mother always carrying little Victor on her back, who wrapped me up in a big hug as lunch was wrapping up. Everybody joined in a few games before going back to laying cinderblocks.

Before long, the fifth layer of blocks was laid and everybody piled into our little yellow pick-up truck to head to the villiage´s soccer field. No matter how many times we ride in the trucks, the precision of the drivers always amazes us as we drive around seemingly impossibly tight turns between houses and fences, and today--around a horse teathered in the road. We played soccer with the From Houses to Home workers on a relativly small basketball/soccer court for at least an hour while waiting for the second truck to come pick us up. A few people decided to relax on the hill next to the soccer field and were quickly aquainted with what seemed to be half the villiage´s children who came asking for gum and settled for a few games instead.

Back at CasaSito, we wound down the day with a few rounds of Euchre (a new favorite card game,) a debriefing of the day, and a very laid-back dinner with a not-quite-all-there waitor at a resturant/hostel called Kafka. Around 9:30, we dragged ourselves back to our beds and prepared for another day in Guatemala. ¡Hasta Mañana!

-Kristen Zeiler

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SATNIAGO SAN MORA

before we begin, I’ve noticed that the group has not really been introduced.

Adam - "Gigante". a returning vet who got his name last year for his impressive height
Lindsey - the other returner, with Adam she helped organize and lead the group
Cindy - "Berni" a woman with endless positivity and good cheer
Michael - "Mango" name of unknown origins - he is known for his love of jumping on volcanoes
Sarah - a Clemson grad teaches martial arts
Toran - "Torro" named cause know one knows how to say his name (sounds like ripped paper). He is lucky enough to be dating Sarah
Trina - "Chi-Na" known to children and dogs everywhere as that girl that says "Awww" and is silly
Kristin - a dancing fool who's knowledge of Spanish has been invaluable
Potatoes - aka Jonathon - papas, taters, papas fritas, etc...his brother is "meat"
Fred - "chicken dance man" our campus Minster and fearless leader

Our Sunday started with Mango, Torro, Sarah and Berni attempting to attend church, again. However our Fearless Chicken Dancer had his Saturday and Sunday Mass times crossed and sent us there at 8 instead of 9am. Realizing our mistake, and seeing that attending the 9o'clock Mass would leave no time for breakfast, we opted for breakfast. The German place next door offered an impressive "desayuno" that included coffee, oatmeal, eggs, toast, potatoes, fresh squeezed OJ, sausage and some fruit. Everyone being very satisfied, we pilled into a couple of beat up pickup trucks with Fred and Esteema (our German translator) and headed out.

Santiago San Mora is about 30minutes away from Antigua and i'll include a short summary of its history - both sad and inspirational.

Many years ago during feast time when everyone was sleeping a disaster struck the village (we think it was a few generations ago early 1900's). A fire consumed the village and the lake was very low. Many people starved to death and as bodies piled up more became sick. Searching for medicine and assistance, the villagers offered their property to a wealthy coffee grower as collateral for medicine and money to rebuild...they also promised to do one week of labor for him. He and his family have kept the land for generations and every member of the community still does one week of work for him every year...but he has never returned their property.

We were told this story by a middle aged woman of incredible courage and ingenuity. Due to the poor conditions in the village - there was a great deal of poverty, domestic violence and alcoholism; the people are Mayan and because they worked so hard, trying to repay the debt, many children didn't attend school and never learned Spanish - an essential to getting ahead. Our story teller spoke of the abuse and poverty she endured and the inability for the men to get ahead farming.

Amazingly she organized the women of their community and struggled to find a way to better their situation. They contacted the government and got a Spanish tutor for themselves and with the help of non-profit organizations began bringing visitors to their community and sharing their history, cultural and art. Their textiles are amazing and of very high quality. We were shown the various, long and difficult steps needed to create their products. We were also treated to a traditional dance , stalk weaving demonstration and fed local dishes...we even tried coffee grinding the old and difficult way (with stones).

At the completion of this cultural emersion, and a new found appreciation for the amount of effort that goes into their products, we eagerly paid high prices for all their wares. All the money goes to providing schooling and medical care to the community's children - so it’s for a good cause.

Upon further reflection, pretty much everyone down here needs help - so all the money we spend is really going to a good cause.

There was also a bit of ego proving on the side of the males in our party. A certain wooden top was launched from a string – but no one except the maker was able to make it spin and stay up. Many a fruitless attempt was made by Potatoes and Mango…but the action was mostly dominated by Fred, who just couldn’t stop trying until he go it right ( I was almost struck in a very sensitive spot by a stray flying top). Finally, needing to leave, Potatoes just bought it with the intent to master it later.

Returning home, we had some down time to play cards and go grocery shopping for tomorrow’s lunch. Sarah and I decided that we would splurge on some dog food (both being big dog lovers) being very saddened by the condition and treatment of the dogs at our building site. Pretty much all the dogs we’ve seen in Guatemala have been half-starved and mistreated by their “owners”

Before Mass at 7 (we were really hoping we’d actually make it this time), the group met for a reflective debriefing. The condition of those in Santiago san Mora and others in Guatemala were discussed and ideas concerning how best to continue to contribute to their wellbeing continued to surface in all of our thoughts.

It is one thing to spend 10 days down here, and many have had amazing, transformative and informative experiences. We wonder what it will be like to return to our land of easy living. “economic downturn” has a different meaning in the developing world – and having been able to glimpse a little of what real hardship is – many are going to take a new and appreciative look at their lives. Also – we’ve met a lot of interesting people that are giving more and doing more…and many of us are now inspired to step up to another level.

Having worked in Katrina Relief efforts in New Orleans and been part of other trips into underdeveloped parts of the world – I think I understand a little more and less about the world. The cruelty and suffering that is experienced…and the ability of others to be indifferent is more confusing. But having seen first hand how others cope in horrific circumstances has also helped me keep my life in perspective.

Some say “the truth shall set you free”…I have not found that to be true. The truth – when seen clearly and understood BINDS YOU.

Truth demands action! One can not claim to understand the needs and problems of others less fortunate than yourself and not take action to help them. This is the weekend of Love in our Easter season…and reviewing the readings in English before hearing them in Spanish at Mass – we talked about what love/agape really means in the context of God and his commandments. Love thy neighbor! Jesus said that this was the greatest of the Ten. One can not claim to know God without knowing love and one can not claim to know love while turning away from the suffering of our brothers and sisters.

I sat in church thinking that what we don’t have in common is far less than what we all share. Language, cultural, possessions or political outlook are but trivialities in the human experience – things to add color and richness to our interactions and keep it interesting. But there is no Other or “outsider” to hate. God is love an love is God – and when we allow that love to work through our hands and help our fellow human beings…that is far closer to God than I can get in any other way. It is not enough to simply throw money at a problem to buy off our guilt or compensate for inaction. I’m not suggesting that everyone should come to Guatemala and I certainly appreciate everyone who was generous enough to donate so that WE COULD come here. No, I’m suggesting something far simpler – that we should all just go out and touch someone else’s life. In the smallest of ways – be that change you wish to see in the world and feel Gods love moving through you.

Anyway – in conclusion. I think one of the keys to success is the carrying on of momentum. That is one thing we have in abundance – but what further actions we can take to carry that forward is unclear. Suggestions would be great. We would like to continue fundraising for those in need down here. We have also come up with ideas like getting a website for the village weavers so that they might peddle their wears further abroad. Giving talks/presentations on circumstances down here has also be brought up and if anyone has any connections or suggestions we would be very grateful.

Education opportunities down here are very poor and lack of Spanish is a great impediment. We were really impressed that not only were the weaving women paying for tuition and supplies for 450 boys AND GIRLS to attend school, but there was even an English speaking volunteer giving classes. Instruction is in both Spanish and their native Mayan dialect…but giving them access to English will really give them a leg up in the world...but they need more!!!!

Teaching tools like computers are inconceivable to most poor inhabitants and even small infusions of money into communities (micro-loans) have incredible impact on the living conditions of these people.

Sorry for all the rambling – its late and no one told me to shut up and stop ---but now i'm tired. Back to work tomorrow - looking forward to seeing them all again and feeding those dogs.

“Torro” Toran Gordinier

Trip 2-Day 3

The 3rd Day, or the day we went to a volcano and crashed a wedding...

So today was virutally unanimously voted the coolest, jam-packed day of fun that we´ve had so far in Guatemala! Everything we have done so far on the trip (it´s crazy to think it´s only day three!) has been incredibly beautiful and rewarding! After a fun night of dinner and hanging out with our new friends on Friday, everyone was pumped for our volcano hike on Pacaya! The day started out with a long, but pretty ride to Pacaya that only included a few heart attack inducing games of bus vs. even bigger bus chicken (but don´t worry parent´s-our driver´s a professional)! As we went up the winding road on the base of the mountain, it was interesting to see the lush fields of various crops growing on the hillside and every now and then passing a little boy with the proposition of "you want horse?" We didn´t want to mention to the little guy that tour bus > horse when dealing with ten people, but oh well, he´s working out his business plan :) When we got to our destination, we were flooded with even more kids selling their precious cargo-walking sticks! After making sure everyone had their stick, we set up the volcano, eager to see the lava! The hike was challenging but fun, and because it was a rainy day we had a surreal mist to wade through all the way up! When we got to the top, everyone was excited to see the star of the day-the lava! It was a little unnerving being so close to molten magma, but who cares, it was really cool! After a yummy marshmallow roast the group had lunch nearby, and in the view of two volcanos (Pacaya and Agua) some of us took the opportunity to have a little fun with gravity! Many, many jumps and pictures later we had a slippery descent down the mountain and headed back to Antigua!

After a little downtime and rest, the group decided to go to the Saturday evening Mass at La Merced. It is a beautiful, immense church that left all of us awestruck and contemplative. There was a service going on that turned out to be a wedding, and after a little shuffling around we took our seats. What happened in the next few minutes was all of hilarious, incredibly awkward, and permentantly documented! As it turned out, we were not sitting there (in the front rows no less) waiting for Mass to start, we were apparently sitting there waiting for wedding number 2 to start! As we tried to beat it before the bride´s family made it down the aisle to be seated, we tried our very hardest to be respectful yet swift (all the while trying to suppress giggles). Fortunately for us, we had the wedding march to hide our shuffling footsteps! Welcome to Wedding Crashers 2-St. Andrews Style (rated E for everyone and coming soon to video!)
After that experience we decided to have our group dinner at the nicest McDonalds in the Americas and spent the meal buzzing over the wonderful happenings of the day!

It´s only day three of the trip and already it´s been one of the most positive, fun, and rewarding experiences of my life! I feel truly blessed that I could be a part of it with such a great group of friends! Stay tuned-tomorrow we take a trip to the village!

Sarah Grubb

Trip 2 [Build] Day 2

It's Friday, which means it's the end of the workweek (already!). Because we just arrived on Wednesday, there were only two days to start the new houses. It was also a very, very rainy day. As a trip veteran, I would even say it was without a doubt the rainiest day I've seen here. We got drenched on the way to the worksite and then spent a good bit of time in one of the family's houses waiting for the rain to let up (and returned a few times during the day when it got too heavy for work again).

As we found out, there were definite pros and cons to having a rainy work day. On the plus side, being indoors with the families meant that we had extra time to bond with them. The family members were somewhat tentative on the first day, but the kids especially had warmed up to us by today and we had a great time with them. The families don't speak Spanish, so it is sometimes more difficult to communicate with them, but both parties are very patient and tend to get enough of a conversation going.

On a downside, we got very wet and muddy. The houses are being built into a hillside and the rain created quite tricky work conditions. We still ended up quite well for the day, almost on par for where we should be in building, and muddy boots can't slow us down!

After we got cleaned up, we went to a German restaurant where the From Houses to Homes crew met up with us for dinner. I was really happy to have the opportunity to socialize with the workers outside of our work on the house. It's a reminder that we are all regular people who have come together to make something great happen. And it's also a good time, of course!

I have decided to call it a night somewhat early (it is a Friday night, after all) in order to rest up for our hike on Pacaya tomorrow. I am really looking forward to it again. I am also looking forward to seeing everyone else's reaction to being on top of an active volcano. It's a pretty impressive scene!

On a personal note, when I first arrived, I was feeling different from the "noobs" who are here experiencing Guatemala for the first time. I didn't have the rush of being somewhere so differnet like they are experiencing. But now, I am very much enjoying Guatemala in a different way. Much like a movie being watched again, I get to see things I didn't see last time. Also, I get happiness out of watching those who are being bitten by the Guatemala love bug.

- Lindsay Flis