Guatemala: Day 6

Sunday-a day of [definitely NOT] rest! For breakfast we had *surprise!* Eggs and beans. Today was extra special though because we went to a Guatemalan Mormon church. It was relatively nice compared to other buildings we went into. It had a tile floor and great ventilation with fans and windows. It fenced in, with a lock, due to security issues.

The people were very friendly and we all greeted them at the door when they arrived. We sang hymns in a few languages, but it didn't matter because I knew the tunes and the spirit
still felt the same. It was amazing, especially when we sang "God Be With You Til We Meet Again." It was the most beautiful sound, with the languages blending, the people smiling. It brought tears to my eyes and warmth in my heart.

Kyle was actually able to lead opening song because it was in Spanish. The talks however sounded so foreign. I really had no idea what they were saying until I made a few words like testimony or Jesus. The children were very intrigued by us and peeked over the chairs the whole meeting. My favorite little boy wore a white shirt and khakis with his hair slicked. There was also a cute girl who followed me around the whole morning.

Then the fun was over and we went back to work in San Nicholas at the village with the school. It was LONG, hard day of work, work work. I volunteer to be a painter and Chris helped with some welding tasks and painting too. The day was very hot and sweaty and dirty. We drank water in a bag, which was not very delicious because it tasted like plastic...but it was better than the alternative of dehydration or a parasite from sink water.

After the long day of work, we played games with kids and taught them a few English words like moist (because Katie hates that word and David thought it would be funny, haha). The boys also taught them how to say, "Tada!" "Oh shit." and "sexy time." Thanks to Dave, the children have now been corrupted. But I attempted to make amends and taught them how to say "I love you." It was so cute and sounded like, "I lub you." I got a few videos of it.

I also taught them how to say my name, which came out more as Nadidi. I also tried to learn their names: Elledora, Sarah, Rebecca, Tawan, and more that I couldn't understand. Katie and I did wheelbarrow races and foot races with them. And of course, they loved their picture taken! It never got old for them. They squealed every time they saw their picture on the LCD screen and went nuts for videos. I now have over 2500 pics mostly thanks to them :) haha but I love it. [They even took their hair down for me!]

Chris played soccer with the natives and had two assists. He also knocked one down while going for the ball and all his friends laughed at him. On all of the throw-ins, they wanted him to head toward the goal because he was so much taller than everyone else.

We stopped working a few hours after dark and came home to fried chicken steaks and french fries! ...plus beans and tortillas of course. It was one of the hardest days physically, but it felt good to finally get our hands dirty and see the fruits of our efforts. Their school is now red and yellow, instead of cement gray. I felt exhausted-ly happy and satisfied.

One of my all-time favorite pictures from the trip is this close-up of an elderly man. I love how you can see the wrinkles in his face, see the sun spots, see the hard work and strength in his eyes. I think the definition is beautiful and it speaks of his tough skin and determination. I wish I knew more about him and what he was thinking, but he was very quite and just liked to watch us. But funny thing is... he liked his picture taken too :) I loved these people.