I hope soon to be able to gather my thoughts to tell you stories about another aspect of this trip that touched my heart in a very special way and to share stories and pictures of the families my family sponsors.
Rena
Monday, November 19, 2007
Pictures of the beautiful ladies I shared this trip with
The stories we have to tell about this trip, and all that we saw will no doubt amaze you. I just wanted to share another aspect of this trip that made it so special, the wonderful and very beautiful ladies I was able to share this unforgettable experience with...Thank you so much Kelly, Julie, Marie, Pam and especially Catherine for organizing this mission and Sarah for putting up with me as a roommate! It was an absolute pleasure to have shared this with you all!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Changed My Life
This trip has changed my life. I was so happy to know I was going home to see my babies but I was so sad to leave my little girl Lesby and the other beautiful children behind.
I landed in LAX and as I was going to retrieve my luggage I began to cry (actually sob) as I had left behind these incredible people and my friends who had taken this journey with me. There is no way to describe the journey and for others to actually understand and the ones who truly know (Julie, Pam, Sarah, Rena, and my scarecrow Catherine) were not there.
I cannot wait to go back. I am in love with the country and the people. I am in love with my friends I experienced this with!
I landed in LAX and as I was going to retrieve my luggage I began to cry (actually sob) as I had left behind these incredible people and my friends who had taken this journey with me. There is no way to describe the journey and for others to actually understand and the ones who truly know (Julie, Pam, Sarah, Rena, and my scarecrow Catherine) were not there.
I cannot wait to go back. I am in love with the country and the people. I am in love with my friends I experienced this with!
Forever Changed in San Jorge
I'm back in action after getting into Logan Airport at about 12:45 am on Wednesday. Our trip to Guatemala was amazing to say the least. We got to Guatemala City no problem and met my friend Marybeth and her daughter, Amelia in the lobby. Amelia is just adorable and has the cutest personality. I wish we had been able to spend more time with them but things got busy.
We were picked up at 9 am on Sunday by Oswaldo, our driver for the weekend. We drove along the mountain edge for three hours in a 15 passenger van PACKED to the roof with suitcases and he kept us safe despite the near heart attacks I had driving on the edges without guard rails. The scenery is just breath taking there, what a beautiful country!
We arrived at Sharon's house (the woman who runs Mayan Families) and were greeted by her and her two daughter's Aleah and Zoe. There were already several families waiting when we got there. One of the families consisted of four children who lost their parents and are living in emergency housing made of boards and plastic sheeting. The head of the household is 17 and she will be getting married soon. This will leave the 15 year old in charge of her two younger siblings. These kids were so polite, so gracious, and SO beautiful. They have nothing to call their own, no means of income, and most importantly, no way to feed themselves. My mom and uncle will be sending them $40 a month from here on out, this will feed them each month and will give them one less worry. They couldn't thank my mom enough for helping them with this. One of them left a beaded key chain that she had made behind for her as a thank you, this meant so much to my mom.
Another family waiting was a woman who lost several family members to the mudslides. She also has no income and in turn, no means of feeding herself and her children. My neighbor and friend, Jane and her family, sent a check down with me to feed this family for a month. They were SO very grateful for this help! Thanks, Jane and family!!
Once we were done we packed up the van again and headed to San Jorge. This was the MOST emotional part of the trip for most of us. As we drove thru the mountain into this small village, the view of Lake Atilan was breathtaking. How is it that God makes such a beautiful place on earth, yet the people there live in complete poverty? A question that will always remain with me. As we drove into the village, you could see the people there have so much need. They smile, they laugh and yet they somehow seem so sad at the same time. Tiny one and two room shacks line the mountain side. Most have only openings for doors and windows, none have glass in them to protect them from the elements. The roofs are made of corrugated tin and most of the walls are either mud brick (mud mixed with straw that is formed into large bricks and dried) or odd pieces of trees and wood. Some of the more fortunate have houses made of cinder blocks but they are far and few between. Most families have only one or two beds (the size of our double beds), if they have any, and sleep up to 6 in a bed. Others, sleep on their bare dirt floors or if they are lucky, straw mats. There is no sewerage system there so everyone has an outhouse. Many have no running water, the ones that do have pila's, which are cement sinks kept outside that they fill to wash clothes, dishes and bathe from. Many families live without electricity. There is no gas so everyone cooks with wood. Those fortunate enough to have wood stoves cook with those, everyone else cooks over an open fire. The smell of wood burning permeates this village. A once pleasant smell for me became nauseating by the end of our trip. The ceilings of many houses are just pure black from the smoke. Nothing there is paved, the roads and pathways to homes are all dirt and rock. There are stray dogs everywhere.
The woman and girls were all dressed in traditional Mayan clothing. The boys and men dress in regular clothing. Shoes are a commodity there and you see many children with threads of what used to be shoes, some had none at all. I don't know that I will ever throw a way a pair of shoes again after this trip.
We arrived at the community building where, the woman's group formed with the help of Mayan families, has their meetings. We unloaded our suitcases filled with things we brought to give our sponsored children and their families as well as things for other families. One by one, the children entered the room with their mothers, to receive their gifts. The look in their eyes will always be with me. The joy, the nervousness, the sadness...it is a picture I see over and over in my head. Beautiful little faces filled with so much wonder, so much disbelief that all they were handed could be for them. As I watched each of my friends meet their families with such love and compassion, I knew that at moment, God intended for us to be there, to experience this amazing day together.
Meeting Irma Cecilia was incredible for me, an experience I find it hard to fully explain. She is such a beautiful little girl who deserves so much in life that she may never have. She was shy at first and looked so sad to me. By the last day, when we were getting ready to leave, she ran up to me and gave me a huge hug! Man, did that make me lose it!! I was able to visit their home before we left. They have a three room home that consists of a small dirt floor kitchen with a wood stove and two bedrooms, one for the parents, one for the kids. Their bathroom is an outhouse made of tree branches stacked side by side with plastic sheeting lining it. They have some chickens and they keep them on the other side of the outhouse structure. Irma and her brother and sister all share one bed in their bedroom. I never got to meet their father but he left me a message with their mom. He asked that she made sure she told me that he thanks me for all I gave them and he hopes that God will bless ME many times over what I have given them!! Imagine that?? All they need and HE is blessing ME!? Needless to say, this too, made me cry. These are people who need so much and expect so little...it is truly heart wrenching. I keep them in my thoughts and prayers and look forward to seeing them again sometime next year.
Before we left to go back to Guatemala City we were able to take all of our sponsored children to the shoe shop in Panajachel for new shoes. Each girl and boy happily tried on shoes until they found the perfect pair. Each wore smiles that light up the world around them, they were so proud of their new shoes!
Our ride home was quite interesting. As we started our trek up the steep slope of the mountain, our driver, on a tip from a friend coming the other way, quickly stopped the van and stared backing down the mountain at FULL SPEED! Once we figured out what was going on, we realized he was avoiding a group of "banditos" that were in the mountain ahead with guns, attempting to hold people up. SO, thanks to our incredible driver who can park a 15 passenger van on a dime, we turned around and went back to Guatemala City the long way. Although it took is about 4 1/2 hrs to make the 3 hr ride home, it was an experience I will forever remember. We were able to ride thru many other villages on the way home and see how each one differs from the next. I got a quick view of Kenza's birth town, Esquintla, which was neat too! Now I'm home and back to my regular life, forever changed by the people I feel so blessed to have met on our trip to Panajachel and San Jorge Guatemala.
We were picked up at 9 am on Sunday by Oswaldo, our driver for the weekend. We drove along the mountain edge for three hours in a 15 passenger van PACKED to the roof with suitcases and he kept us safe despite the near heart attacks I had driving on the edges without guard rails. The scenery is just breath taking there, what a beautiful country!
We arrived at Sharon's house (the woman who runs Mayan Families) and were greeted by her and her two daughter's Aleah and Zoe. There were already several families waiting when we got there. One of the families consisted of four children who lost their parents and are living in emergency housing made of boards and plastic sheeting. The head of the household is 17 and she will be getting married soon. This will leave the 15 year old in charge of her two younger siblings. These kids were so polite, so gracious, and SO beautiful. They have nothing to call their own, no means of income, and most importantly, no way to feed themselves. My mom and uncle will be sending them $40 a month from here on out, this will feed them each month and will give them one less worry. They couldn't thank my mom enough for helping them with this. One of them left a beaded key chain that she had made behind for her as a thank you, this meant so much to my mom.
Another family waiting was a woman who lost several family members to the mudslides. She also has no income and in turn, no means of feeding herself and her children. My neighbor and friend, Jane and her family, sent a check down with me to feed this family for a month. They were SO very grateful for this help! Thanks, Jane and family!!
Once we were done we packed up the van again and headed to San Jorge. This was the MOST emotional part of the trip for most of us. As we drove thru the mountain into this small village, the view of Lake Atilan was breathtaking. How is it that God makes such a beautiful place on earth, yet the people there live in complete poverty? A question that will always remain with me. As we drove into the village, you could see the people there have so much need. They smile, they laugh and yet they somehow seem so sad at the same time. Tiny one and two room shacks line the mountain side. Most have only openings for doors and windows, none have glass in them to protect them from the elements. The roofs are made of corrugated tin and most of the walls are either mud brick (mud mixed with straw that is formed into large bricks and dried) or odd pieces of trees and wood. Some of the more fortunate have houses made of cinder blocks but they are far and few between. Most families have only one or two beds (the size of our double beds), if they have any, and sleep up to 6 in a bed. Others, sleep on their bare dirt floors or if they are lucky, straw mats. There is no sewerage system there so everyone has an outhouse. Many have no running water, the ones that do have pila's, which are cement sinks kept outside that they fill to wash clothes, dishes and bathe from. Many families live without electricity. There is no gas so everyone cooks with wood. Those fortunate enough to have wood stoves cook with those, everyone else cooks over an open fire. The smell of wood burning permeates this village. A once pleasant smell for me became nauseating by the end of our trip. The ceilings of many houses are just pure black from the smoke. Nothing there is paved, the roads and pathways to homes are all dirt and rock. There are stray dogs everywhere.
The woman and girls were all dressed in traditional Mayan clothing. The boys and men dress in regular clothing. Shoes are a commodity there and you see many children with threads of what used to be shoes, some had none at all. I don't know that I will ever throw a way a pair of shoes again after this trip.
We arrived at the community building where, the woman's group formed with the help of Mayan families, has their meetings. We unloaded our suitcases filled with things we brought to give our sponsored children and their families as well as things for other families. One by one, the children entered the room with their mothers, to receive their gifts. The look in their eyes will always be with me. The joy, the nervousness, the sadness...it is a picture I see over and over in my head. Beautiful little faces filled with so much wonder, so much disbelief that all they were handed could be for them. As I watched each of my friends meet their families with such love and compassion, I knew that at moment, God intended for us to be there, to experience this amazing day together.
Meeting Irma Cecilia was incredible for me, an experience I find it hard to fully explain. She is such a beautiful little girl who deserves so much in life that she may never have. She was shy at first and looked so sad to me. By the last day, when we were getting ready to leave, she ran up to me and gave me a huge hug! Man, did that make me lose it!! I was able to visit their home before we left. They have a three room home that consists of a small dirt floor kitchen with a wood stove and two bedrooms, one for the parents, one for the kids. Their bathroom is an outhouse made of tree branches stacked side by side with plastic sheeting lining it. They have some chickens and they keep them on the other side of the outhouse structure. Irma and her brother and sister all share one bed in their bedroom. I never got to meet their father but he left me a message with their mom. He asked that she made sure she told me that he thanks me for all I gave them and he hopes that God will bless ME many times over what I have given them!! Imagine that?? All they need and HE is blessing ME!? Needless to say, this too, made me cry. These are people who need so much and expect so little...it is truly heart wrenching. I keep them in my thoughts and prayers and look forward to seeing them again sometime next year.
Before we left to go back to Guatemala City we were able to take all of our sponsored children to the shoe shop in Panajachel for new shoes. Each girl and boy happily tried on shoes until they found the perfect pair. Each wore smiles that light up the world around them, they were so proud of their new shoes!
Our ride home was quite interesting. As we started our trek up the steep slope of the mountain, our driver, on a tip from a friend coming the other way, quickly stopped the van and stared backing down the mountain at FULL SPEED! Once we figured out what was going on, we realized he was avoiding a group of "banditos" that were in the mountain ahead with guns, attempting to hold people up. SO, thanks to our incredible driver who can park a 15 passenger van on a dime, we turned around and went back to Guatemala City the long way. Although it took is about 4 1/2 hrs to make the 3 hr ride home, it was an experience I will forever remember. We were able to ride thru many other villages on the way home and see how each one differs from the next. I got a quick view of Kenza's birth town, Esquintla, which was neat too! Now I'm home and back to my regular life, forever changed by the people I feel so blessed to have met on our trip to Panajachel and San Jorge Guatemala.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
A trip I will never forget
The market with Sharon, Zoe, Gloria and Julie.
Claudia and her mom and Bonnie's sponsored student Sindi.
This trip has definitely changed the way I will view things for the rest of my life. The trip held so many emotions - I will probably never be able to fully describe everything that we saw and did so that you can truly appreciate it. Meeting Sara, Rena, Catherine and Kelly was wonderful. Getting to spend the weekend with Julie and her mom was also so much fun!!! We headed thru the mountains to get to our destinations of Panajachel and San Jorge with the BEST driver in the world in my book!!! Besides being able to pack a van to the brim he also saved us from armed bandits by driving backwards down a 2 lane mountain with a cliff only inches from the road and at a high speed!!! When we arrived at Sharon's house (The director of Mayan Families) we were treated with so much kindness and warmth by not only Sharon but also from her 2 children and all of her employee's throughout the trip. They treated us to a traditional lunch at Sharon's and translated for all of us and also explained how everything worked, made sure we met all of our children and also brought us back a second time so that we could see all of their homes and made sure we all got to take them to get shoes. They made sure everything was perfect. This group of individuals are truly the most amazing people!! They give of themselves without reservation and they are truly making a difference in the lives of soooooooo many people. They are all truly special.
When we finally got to meet our sponsored children it was unbelievable. I think just about all of us shed a few tears. The little faces were all so appreciative and loving. My sponsored girl Claudia was very shy on the first day that I met her but by the second day she had warmed up quite a bit. When Claudia and her 4 year old brother, Dany came over and each took one of my hands to hold my heart simply melted!!! The kisses and hugs when we left them is something that I will never forget. Claudia's mother was also so appreciative of all that we were doing for them that she made sure to find someone who she knew could translate for her so that she could express her emotions.
The living conditions of most of these families are so sad. There are 5 and 6 people sharing a bed and living in one room. Some of the families have running water and a pila (a place to cook) but not all of them.
Mayan families is making the conditions better one step at a time. They have started sewing classes and are improving the school and also have a pet program as there are so many dogs as pets(they get them spayed for free and also help with food for the animals) they also help with doctors and dentists for all the people in these areas. They do all of this with donations and with the help of the people themselves. I am certainly proud to have met them and talked to them and hope to be able to help in some small way again very soon.
It was such an amazing trip - one I will never forget!!
A weekend to remember
Where to begin? Our trip to Guatemala was just AMAZING!! I don't know if I can explain all the emotions I went thru from arriving in Guatemala City for the first time since Kenza came home, to traveling thru the mountains of Guatemala seeing such natural beauty in the country, and then arriving in Panajachel and San Jorge to see so many wonderful people living in such horrific conditions....words just won't do it justice. My heart is forever changed after this trip. I know now more than ever that we, in the US, are so very blessed to have what we have. Not a day has gone by in my life when I had to go without something I "need", only things I "want" and yet, there have been days that having what I need, wasn't enough. The people of San Jorge smile, they laugh, they love....and they have so much "NEED". I think I learned more about life in two days in San Jorge than I have in 35 years living in the US. I am honored to have been able to make this trip to meet some incredible people and to have shared it with Rena, Kelly, Pam, Sarah, Catherine and my mom. I will write more later when I can process all I'd like to say. Until then, here's a small dose of my time in San Jorge.
A few Pictures from our Trip
A few of the donations brought down to Mayan Families by our traveling GAFI Group:
Backpacks:
Reading Glasses and school supplies:
Beautiful town of San Jorge:
Catherine distributing rosaries donated by her church. Everyone was so happy to receive these and the line seemed a mile long. Most if not all were still wearing theirs the next day:
Meeting families and people of San Jorge at the community center:
Our group with people from MF (sorry Harold that your head got cut off!
School in San Jorge where our sponsored students attend classes. The GAFI group raised $1500 to buy new bookshelves for this school and each classroom received one. Now we just need some books to fill those shelves!
Catherine distributing rosaries donated by her church. Everyone was so happy to receive these and the line seemed a mile long. Most if not all were still wearing theirs the next day:
Meeting families and people of San Jorge at the community center:
Our group with people from MF (sorry Harold that your head got cut off!
Back row: Julie, Rena, Marie (Julie's mom), Sharon, Sarah, Kelly and Catherine
Front row: Pam, Pattie and Selaine
School in San Jorge where our sponsored students attend classes. The GAFI group raised $1500 to buy new bookshelves for this school and each classroom received one. Now we just need some books to fill those shelves!
Home Again in Ky
What an amazing experience... my life is forever changed by my time in Panajachel and San Jorge. I have so much to share but am so tired from the trip... but thought I would post just a few of my favorite pictures.
Our Amazing GAFI Group, now even closer friends...
The view of Lake Atitlan from the winding road to Panajachel
Fristy and Dayli receiving their gifts (are they not beautiful?!)
Dayli and her blanket
An old lady in San Jorge named Caitana who lives in a house built by Mayan Families and a group of Eagle Scouts. We gave her a frying pan and some utensils and cups and food. She lives with her blind daughter and a second severely disabled daughter. She was so very happy to receive these items. We were all able to hug and kiss on these sweet ladies and receive their affection and gratitude back. The food we were able to purchase for them should last for two months.
Robyn's sponsored child, Francia. She is precious, Robyn!!
Francia's baby brother, Marlon...
The school in San Jorge where our sponsored children attend
A beautiful waterfall along the road to San Jorge
The view from Kelly's sponsored child, Lesby's home in San Jorge overlooking Panajachel and Lake Atitlan.
Juan Armando, Dayli, Lesby & Fristy after receiving their new shoes in Panajachel
We have SO much to share... and many pictures. I cannot wait to return!!
Love and FROG!
Sarah
Our Amazing GAFI Group, now even closer friends...
The view of Lake Atitlan from the winding road to Panajachel
Fristy and Dayli receiving their gifts (are they not beautiful?!)
Dayli and her blanket
An old lady in San Jorge named Caitana who lives in a house built by Mayan Families and a group of Eagle Scouts. We gave her a frying pan and some utensils and cups and food. She lives with her blind daughter and a second severely disabled daughter. She was so very happy to receive these items. We were all able to hug and kiss on these sweet ladies and receive their affection and gratitude back. The food we were able to purchase for them should last for two months.
Robyn's sponsored child, Francia. She is precious, Robyn!!
Francia's baby brother, Marlon...
The school in San Jorge where our sponsored children attend
A beautiful waterfall along the road to San Jorge
The view from Kelly's sponsored child, Lesby's home in San Jorge overlooking Panajachel and Lake Atitlan.
Juan Armando, Dayli, Lesby & Fristy after receiving their new shoes in Panajachel
We have SO much to share... and many pictures. I cannot wait to return!!
Love and FROG!
Sarah
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