Tuesday

Today was a day where our group split in two. A majority of the group went to the refuge camp to help paint one of the buildings that had been built for people affected by the volcano eruption two years ago. The rest of the group went to finish up the remaining houses by building the fronts of the houses, the windows, and the doors.

At the crack of dawn a group of four people went down to the school below the mission house to help make breakfast for the kids. This consisted of making eggs, sausage, oranges, beans, and a protein drink. After that, the rest of the group came down and we started passing out the breakfast for the kids in grades kindergarten-8th. The younger kids loved the warm protein drink while the older kids weren't as big of fans. After that we checked out the brand new school that has only been open for two months. We got the privilege of going in the classrooms, answering questions the kids had and participating in classroom activities. Getting to spend time with the kids was a great start for the morning and laid out the footsteps for the day ahead.

We had nine houses to finish up with six people before tomorrow's dedication. When we arrived we had four boys that helped unpack the truck with work supplies for the day ahead. They also followed us around and were willing to help with whatever they could. One thing we were very thankful to God for was that there was a nice breeze that while we were working.

While the first group went to finish up houses the rest of us drove one hour and thirty minutes to the refugee camp. This was located in Escuiuntla. The ride there was unsettling as we wound in and out of the mountains with cliffs on the edges, but God has blessed us with wonderful drivers who got us there safely. Once we got there we talked to Gary Deleon who runs the camp and we were able to ask about the lives of the people living there. The camp consisted of people who's houses and farms had been destroyed by the volcano eruption two years ago. The government funded wooden houses for people to live in while they found them more suitable living conditions. There were four families assigned to each wooden house. After a year of people living there, the government created colorful houses for all the families to live in; however, they still don't have running water or electrical in some houses. Now that the wooden houses aren't in use they are planning on making them a food hall for the school. This is where we come in. We painted the house with teal and green to bring a little happiness to the people of the village. At 1:30 pm, a group of us went to another wooden house that wasn't in use anymore and we conducted Bible school. During Bible school we taught them about the calling of the 12 disciples. Next each grade separated to different rooms and we gave them crafts. The crafts were bracelets that the kids can use to remember the lessons we taught them today. After that a group of us played soccer with a few boys and ended up giving them a brand new ball. Lets just say they were all smiles.

Tomorrow is a very big day for us and the people we have been able to bless. We are all thankful God has given us this opportunity to bless the people of Guatemala.