Day 2 in Guatemala was a success! After a restful night, waking up and going to mass was great. I love how the church was so intimate and the architecture is beautiful. After mass we enjoyed a filling breakfast and then headed off to our worksites.
We split up in two groups. My group went to work on a house. We cut wooden boards and nailed them into posts. The sun was beaming down on us, but our hats saved the day. It was a great experience working on the house, especially knowing that the proceeds sold from the Juan Ana Coffee funded the construction of this specific house.
At the construction site there were many Guatemalans passing by, just living their everyday lives. It was very eye opening to see what they living conditions are and the daily activities that go on during the day. It was hard to see, but also empowering to that people are living happily with what they have. I speak some Spanish and I loved talking with some of the locals. They were very simple conversations, but smiles grew from ear to ear from all of us.
After the worksite we walked back to the mission and fueled up with some lunch. We met up with the other half of the group. They said that they worked on road construction and carried many, many buckets of sand. After lunch we went on a tour of San Lucas. It was fun standing in the back of the truck looking out at the city and the beautiful views of Guatemala. It was so cool to see the clouds coming down from the volcano.
Our first stop of the tour was at the Women’s Center. The women explained the strategic process of weaving. It was incredible to witness the creativity and the passion from the women present in the weaving. The Women’s Center also provides education about life skills. Next, we headed to the hospital. For me, the hospital was the most incredible, because I want to work in medicine in the future. Papo, an employee at the hospital, talked about the upstart of the hospital and walked us through. We actually got to walk into the operating room and hear about the surgeries. After the hospital, we visited the Juan Ana Coffee facility. It was awesome to see how the coffee is made and how it supports the mission. Lastly, we went to the school. It was cool to see the people just chatting outside.
We wrapped up the day walking around town and playing basketball in the center of town. We walked back to the mission, ate dinner, had reflection time, and played an intense round of Catchphrase. What a great day! I can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds!
God bless,
Lauren