By Alex Sherman
Today we started off with a game to get to know the students better, where we circled up and walked in a circle with Music. When the music stopped, we had to introduce ourselves to the person across from us. The Guatemalan students tried to speak to us in English, and we tried to speak to them in Spanish. We then split into classes. I did a science experiment with the kids in which vinegar and baking soda were added to a bottle with a balloon on the top. The mixture made the balloon inflate. We also did crafts, making flowers with pipe, cleaners, and tissue paper. Maddie had the kids do an obstacle course to teach them directions. Then we finished off the workday with home visits. There was a crazy steep hill, but it wasn’t terribly difficult. Today being the day before we leave is bittersweet. While our time here ends, I am hopeful we have had a good impact on the people we have worked with here. I know our group has been impacted in a lot of ways.
By Cody Derner
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” — Colossians 3:23
Today started the same as every other day this week—awakened at the crack of dawn by hundreds of nearby roosters and bulls yelling just for the fun of it. As a class, we’ve been studying 2 Timothy, reading it verse by verse and dissecting each one.
After breakfast we usually get about half an hour to prepare for the school day, where we spend every moment until 12:30 with the kids. Today, I went with two of the staff members, Alfredo and Pablo, to install a wood stove in one of the locals’ homes.
I caught the tail end of the school day afterward and got the privilege of drawing with the kids and helping them work through some math riddles. I completely underestimated the experience. I thought the kids might be behind in their schooling. In reality, these kids have knowledge in history, math, and science that lines up with their respective grade levels in the States. They even taught me some Guatemalan history and had a few laughs at my failed attempts at Spanish.
After school we had an amazing lunch prepared by our incredible cook, Wendy, followed by about an hour of downtime before a team meeting and home visits. Today the home visits were about a kilometer down the mountain toward the lava fields, followed by a 200-meter trek back up the mountain on unpaved roads. We visited three families who all had wonderful children attending the school: David, José, and Hampton, in 11th, 1st, and 7th grades respectively.
It’s incredible how inviting these people are—especially the mothers who have never seen us before. Having four to twelve strangers walk into your home could be nerve-racking anywhere else. It’s also a very humbling experience for us “gringos”.
The joy here in Pacaya is unmatched. What these people may lack in material things, they make up for with an incredible ability to find joy in the everyday. Even the woman whose house we installed the stove in this morning—she was burning trash in the living room of her open-air home, yet she wore the biggest, most contagious smile on her face.
The love and joy here are truly unmatched, and there’s no doubt in my mind I will be back.
LC Senior Go! 