Outtatown - Site 2: Guatemala

To prevent further comment spam, the ability to post new comments on this blog has been turned off.

Thanks for reading our blog, whoever you may be. The students have graduated and gone home now I’m sad to say that the program is over so we won’t be posting anything more. Parents, I hope you’re enjoying the presence of your son or daughter.
God bless you

Love Patricia

Semana Santa is holy week (or Easter week) and in Central America it is celebrated with many processions and el fombras, which are carpets made on the streets that the processions walk over. This week we are living in a convent in San Juan Del Obispo and each of us are spending time sharing with the group about what this year was like and what each person has learned. Then we take time to encourage and pray for that person. On Wednesday we are flying back to Winnipeg for a few days of Graduation. We look forward to seeing our family and friends soon! 

Skylar, Emily, and Lina making carpets that the processions walk over in Antigua

Carpets in Antigua

During this week we traveled to the must beautiful and exotic spots in Guatemala. We visited Tikal, Semuc Chempey, Livingston, and stayed at this spot Finca Ixobel for a few days. Also during this time we were split up into groups and competed in a Amazing Race across the country. We enjoyed the competition because it tested us mentally, physical, biblically, we were challenged to be creative and had to use our Spanish skills to succeed. In the end the Q Tip team won, winning an amazing prize. A scenic flight over the volcanoes! It was the most eventful week this semester and defiantly my favorite.

-Skylar DeVoogd    

Nathan, Lindsay, Kate, Clint and Skylar, one of the Amazing Race teams, completing one of the challenges on top of the mayan ruins in Tikal

The whole group in front of the Mayan Ruins

Beautiful Semuc Chempey

James catching a crab at a beach near Livingston 

Zach, and Kim during the three-legged portion of the competition

The competition heats up while Eric, Phil, Allie, and JF run out of the van to the finish line

I think I speak for most of us, when I say that Semesche, a remote Mayan village we stayed in with host families for 3 days, was an amazing experience.  Some of us may not have realized it until after it was over, but it was definitely like nothing I have ever experienced before. There was no electricity.  It was wet.  It was muddy, and the houses we lived had fires in them in which they used to cook all their food. We were all cold but the people there welcomed us into their homes and blessed us so much.  Most of us guys worked on a cement walkway up a mountain that led to a church.  We worked hard carrying bags of sand up the hill from the cornfield 10 minutes away.  We thought it was ridiculous until we saw the locals carrying bags 20 shovels full.  It put our five shovels to shame, but we connected with the workers and were able to work hard and bless them despite the rain and mud.  We were lucky enough to be able to live with families there as well and even though we spent so little time with them, many tears were shed the day we had to say goodbye.  It was an experience I will always keep in my heart.

-Jared Cropley

Jared caring the bags of sand

Girls shucking corn at a the home Melody and Rebecca stayed at

Skylar, Carissa, Rebecca, Melody, and Racheal, helping the community by plant grasses that prevent the rain water from washing away their corn crops 

Clint, Zach, and Phil hanging out with thier host brothers and “playing” with machetes

Wow!  What an amazing type of week…

The leaders divided us into groups, gave us some money, then left us by ourselves, and sent us off in different directions.  

            James, Rebecca, Emily, and I were placed in the group going to the town of El Tizate. When I first saw the schedule I freaked out a little bit.  James and I were to be working construction every morning from 7:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  And we were going to be doing different physical stuff every afternoon too.  The girls were scheduled to paint every morning while the guys worked on construction.  Needless to say the week was not as hard as the schedule made it out to be.  While we worked, we had opportunities to talk to the locals who were working with us.  This gave us a chance not only to make new relationships and build community, but also to practice our Spanish. 

            My favorite parts of the week were the two times we taught English to little kids.  It was inspiring to see how happy these kids were to learn English.  Of course, it was not so fun when they found out I was ticklish in the first class.  The kids chased me around for about 10 minutes trying to tickle me.

            All four of us grew so much this week.  It is always really motivating to have weeks like these devoted to serving. 

-Zach Derksen

Andrew and Skylar sorting through crocs to pass out to the poor in Guatemala City

Melody playing with the kids at the orphanage

Words cannot describe how AWESOME this week was… well, I guess awesome describes it pretty well.  Anyway, for my service week I was stationed at a little orphanage called “Casa Angelina.”  Over all there were thirty kids, twenty-one girls and nine boys.  The hours were 5am to 9pm (a little bit early, but I lived though it.)  What we did (we being Jess, Zoe, Kim, Brian, and me) was play with the kids, do random chores such as washing the windows with newspaper, and help with meals.  There were so many awesome experiences.  The kids were so great.  It was an awesome time and by the end of the week we were all in tears.  It is awesome to see the work God is doing in that place through the love of the house family.  They are phenomenal.   Good times.

No story yet I only do pics so here you go!

~Bethany

On the way there traffic was soo crazy that we were at a stand still, then we noticed a sugar cane feild so we ran out grabed some and started chewing on the sweet cane (after shaving it).

In the bamboo forest on Antonios farm/finca(where we stayed)

This next week, on Sunday, our site is spliting up going different directions all over Guatemala to do our independent service week without leaders. So keep us in our prayers as we figure things out for ourselves, and work.

*check out older posts as I have added a ton of pics (Monterrico, Womans co-op, and Habitat)

So on our free weekend the majority of us went to Panajachel and yeah. There isn’t really a report on it yet but heres some pictures!!!

This is it Lago de Atitlan! So sorry its sideways tilt your head and it looks normal and beautiful….rrr…I’ll fix it later sorry!

Dirt, sweat, bugs, sunburns, blood, aching muscles, and a FREAKIN’ AWESOME experience.  I have to say that I loved doing construction and getting my hands really dirty, especially since I was not doing it for money but for my big buddy God.  We came to serve other people and in the process other people served us.

When we first started working many of us were frustrated because most of us could not understand our albanils (masons), but as time passed we tended to remember certain words like ‘concreto!’, mas agua, alambre, and tenazas- especially when we were frequently told to get these things.  I personally had the opportunity to be our albanil’s ayudante (helper) and not only learned a lot from him, but also developed an awesome relationship with him.  I felt bad some days because we were goofing off and having CHEESERIFIC (that’s good) water fights and ultimately not getting much done but some days were so hot that we needed to take frequent and sometimes ‘wet’ breaks (ie. water fight breaks). Although we were slackers some days, our relationships grew with the people we worked alongside and with the family we built the house for.  I came to realize for myself that building relationships is just as important as serving God through the physical work.

Phil Baerg 

Skylar, James, and Patricia on the work site. 

Rachel and Casey filling the cracks between the blocks with ‘cemento’. 

Sideways picture of Casey bending wire 

 Allie and Emily shoveling sand for cemento

On our way to the Maya pueblo(town) in the back of pick up trucks.

(Brendan,Phil,Tina,Lars,Rachel)

Mayan woman can carry almost anything on their heads, they asked if we would like to try and Rachel was the only successful one  to balance the bundle on her head and walk with it staying on. Tina almost got it but Rachel was pro! 

The woman at the co-op showed us how they made their textiles and also how they made coffee. There are several steps to each this is the last step to making textiles.

Coming back in the back of the windy pick up.

(Jordan,Lars,Phil,Tina,Rachel,Lindsay,Brian)