La Primera Semana

So I’ve been here at Hogar de Vida for about a week and a half now. It seems like it’s been a lot longer than that. But it’s also flown by so fast. If that makes any sense.

Last week I was here with the high school team from my church. We went out to three different villages to share testimonies and wash/cut/style hair. In each village we visited schools. The first one had 230 kids! That’s a lot of heads of hair to wash! One of the guys that grew up in the home (Alfredo) is now a teacher and the school we visited is the one he teaches at now. My favorite part of that morning was at the end. After a few of the students from our team shared their testimonies, we announced that we were going to give candy to each kid. We wanted them all to line up, but that idea quickly failed when they mobbed us and our bags of candy. So instead we had them all go back to their desks and sit patiently while we went around and passed out candy. Then, amazingly, they were the most quiet and polite kids you’ve ever seen. All for two little pieces of candy. It just made their day and I enjoyed being a part of that. We also didn’t really have planned who was going to give their testimonies when, so we kind of just sprung it on the students that two of them would have to share their testimonies right there on the spot. We had prepared them in our meetings before we went, but it’s still pretty nerve racking to find out right before that you’re going to have to share. It was awesome to see Kate and Noah step up and be out of their comfort zones to share their stories with the kids. I was impressed.

At our second aldea (village), the kids were a little less rowdy. They all waited patiently for us to do their hair and they listened so well when Livy and Sam shared their testimonies. On our way there I saw a handmade sign on the side of the road that said “Peligro” which means danger. I was thinking “Oh no, what’s that for…” We went around a sharp turn and down a steep hill and then there was the narrowest bridge ever. It was pretty much the exact width of a car and no wider and it was high above a river. We all got out and walked while the men driving took turns slowly driving over it. I’m glad I wasn’t driving! 

At each aldea the guys played soccer and Frisbee with the boys while they were waiting for the girls to be done, because the girl’s hair always takes a lot longer. We were also able to give each school a new soccer ball when we left. Our third and last aldea was the farthest away. It took about an hour and a half to get there. Riding in the back of pickup trucks, by the way. We actually had to drive through a river to get there. The water came up over the top of the hood at one point, but just for a few seconds. There used to be a bridge but the rain and mudslides from another year completely wrecked it and it’s in a bunch of pieces now. The kids at the aldea were great though.  Three more students shared their testimonies that day- DJ, Amanda, and Jaryd. It was so awesome to watch them share and think back five years ago when I was in their same shoes. I remember how scared and nervous I was to share my testimony, but after I did, I realized it really wasn’t that bad at all. 

The other two days that we were at the home were spent doing work projects. The boys and some of the girls (whom we now call BMWs- Beastly Mountain Women-thanks to Jeff) went down in the baranco (ravine/valley) and dug out a trench thing for all of the rain water to go into so that it doesn’t keep going into their soccer field down there. The rest of the girls painted in the shade all morning, while they all baked and sweat in the heat. We painted the walls of the home yellow because apparently the government inspector people didn’t think that the pastel green was a good color for a children’s home. They wanted a warmer, happier color. So we obliged and spent the next two mornings painting it a bright yellow color that makes me think of McDonalds and is actually less soothing and calming than the green color it was before, in my opinion.

Our afternoons were spent doing activities with the kids and just loving on them as much as we could. We made them cupcakes in ice cream cones and let them decorate them. We took them to the pools one day and we tie-dyed pillowcases another. Our last night we had a fiesta, like usual and lots of macaroni and cheese and hot dogs were consumed. I gave all the kids glow sticks and they had a lot of fun with them. As well as Livy, who put them through the gauges in her ears and then continued to add more and more bracelets until they connected at her chin. Her fire dance was also quite entertaining :) The next morning, everyone said their thanks yous and goodbyes and even I teared up a little bit. Mostly cause I can’t stand watching other people cry and I don’t like goodbyes, but also partly because I know what it’s like to leave those kids behind and say bye and not know when you’ll see them next, so I get how hard it can be.

I went with the team to our touristy shopping day in Panajachel and then to Guatemala City after that for debriefing and to drop everyone off at the airport. It was awesome to hear how God was speaking to everyone throughout the week and how he has grown everyone through their experiences on the trip. After everyone got on the plane, I went back on the bus to Hogar de Vida. It was a little lonely that first night and the next day because Norm and Vickie weren’t back at the home yet because they stayed in the city longer for doctor’s appointments and stuff so I was the only gringa at the home. But, today (my second day here without the team) was much better. I spent a long time hanging out with Beny, Manuel and Minque. They are such goofballs and we spend most of the time laughing. I’ve also been doing lots of dishes and laundry and helping out in the kitchen and with getting the little ones all bathed, dressed, and presentable in the morning. They’re so cute that they make waking up at 5:30 am completely worth it. It’s a handful to try to keep up with the hardworking Guatemalans and to try to entertain the little kids when it’s only me and there’s no team to help out, but I’m enjoying it all the same. 

The rest of my week will be more of the same and then a team will come in Saturday night so then I’ll get to do stuff with them. 

Side note: As I was writing this from my room at the home there was a giant bug crawling up the wall and I bravely (or maybe not so bravely) squashed it with my shoe whiling gagging and freaking out the whole time. If there’s one thing I don’t like about this places it’s the bugs on steroids. I don’t need those in my life, thank you very much :)