Day 3 Work Day Number One

Day 3: Work Day 1! Monday 3/9/09
All of God’s people are beautiful! Today we went to the work site in Chontalá which was right next to the church we visited yesterday. We had to park the chicken bus and walk for 20-30 min down the side of a mountain to the site because the bus was too big (imagine the walk back uphill!)
On the way I met the pastor and we got to talk A LOT. He only speaks Spanish or Quiché (their native Mayan Indian language). I have never spoken so much Spanish in my life! I taught him English and he taught me Quiché (which is sooo hard but so cool!).
We got to the site and it was nothing but dirt and clay. We made cement from grinding up rock! I just find it so amazing that we can build a house with these people even though there’s a language barrier. You see, God’s love and the laughter of his people know no languages. We are all one, doing his work, and because of that, things are running so smoothly! I bent rebar with Emily and Leah, hammered poles and held foundation steady. It was hot. It was dirty. It was awesome! We ate PB+J for lunch and then the Vacation Bible School (VBS) team left the site to go to the school (20-30min uphill walk!). Mario, our translator, had to stay at the work site so Amanda and I had to go with VBS to be the translators! It was hard, and tiresome but so worth it. We did the story of creation for them, sang “Jesus Loves Me” and a cool active fun song called “Christ is Alive” ALL IN SPANISH!! I’m just sad that when I go back to Tally I will lose it again. It is so true that you learn best when you’re thrown in.
We started out with 20 kids and by the time we finished we had over 50! We played “pato pato gonzo” (duck duck goose) jump rope, play-doh, sidewalk chalk, coloring and soccer! These kids are a literal joy to be around. They have “nothing” and all they want to do is love on us and provide for us. It is so encouraging. I will never forget the sound of their laughter when we played with them or looked like silly “Canadians” (because that’s what they thought we were). Each child had a distinct personality, Ana Banana had such a free spirit and did as she pleased but in a way that made everyone happy. Big Ana was very reserved but beautiful. Maria, the oldest, wore her best earrings to VBS today (they waited all year for it) and loved to sing and draw. Wilmur Miguel was my tail and was released from his infatuation when Mike asked him if he wanted to try Mike’s guitar! Ophelia was adorable. Carlos was filled with energy that eventually went into bullying that was stopped. Irma liked to draw in chalk anything I did. Claudia was shy and barely spoke but was Leah’s best friend. And, last but not least, Tomasa. My heart aches for her. She is beautiful, smart, and so so so loving. I taught her something in English and 10 min later I saw her write the word “Flawer” on the ground and tell everyone it was “Flor” in English. I can’t wait to see her tomorrow! I’m narrating Noah’s ark and it’s gonna be so good!
I had Guatemalan ice cream! In circle time tonight, we worshiped and spoke about spiritual Gifts God has given us and how He wants us to use them on this trip. It turned into a long encouragement session, testimonies were told, prayers were prayed and our team is getting so fueled with God’s love which is the only thing that will fuel us for our work. Well, I can’t wait, but I need some rest. ¡Hasta Mañana!
<3 Sabie Q.