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FOLLOW THE DAILY ACTIVITIES OF A GROUP FROM SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA AT THE NEW DAWNING SCHOOL.
The news of the current day will appear first, and then the days will appear in calendar order, beginning with June 24
Monday July 7 - July 14
Well, we came back from camp last night at about 8:30 PM. I forgot how tiring pure-exhaustion can be. I slept for about 8 hours during the whole weekend. Camp was awesome and our group did awesome as well. They all had duties to preform some were easy and others like the vomit committee had less fun. Not to mention we were crammed in the trucks very tight. As the truck set out on the 6 hour drive we were all excited. About 2 hours into it we hit the cold and it was cold. We made it through and had a great time with the kids at camp. They got to swim in a pool and dance and put on shows and plays. On Sunday morning the boys woke the girls up with firecracker's and singing. They came in and had a devotion that went for about 45 minutes. I slept in the main hall with the electronics and it was on a table and the rest of the group slept with the kids. I forgot to mention that the group potty break went well and some of the girls even went. I don't think any of our group did. Ha Ha! pays to be a guy sometimes. The camp did have lukewarm shows and the kids from the school took as many as they could. Most have no hot water at all and they loved it. The group jumped in where they could and helped in many ways. God blessed that trip and provided an awesome experience and the kids are already talking about the camp for next year. I don't know if I told you that we as the group payed for the camp. Around 2500 dollars and we let the kids know they should be proud to spend that time with them. I know you all have been waiting for more frequent updates however I forgot that helping lead 29 people is tough and you have to do many things at once and I can't always get to the Internet and when I head over there to log in a child will want to play and I spend as much time as I can with them. I thank everyone for you patients with us, Tom and I are grateful for it. Well I know this is not very detailed but I am sick with a nasty Cold and i am going to continue to rest. Most of our group today is horseback riding. We look forward to coming home this Thursday. ADIOS! This will be the last entry most likely.
TUESDAY, JUNE 24
After 29 hours of travel, it was good to arrive in San Juan La Laguna last night, luckily catching the last boat of the day across the lake after traveling by car, train, bus, plane, shuttle and boat to get here.
June 24 is a special day in San Juan, as the day that they celebrate the day of San Juan, the patron saint of the town. The day was full of activity, and also full of people. There were thousands of people visiting the town from all of the neighboring towns, as well as San Juan itself. There were ferris wheels and small rides, lots of booths selling things, and concerts in the central plaza. It was a good time just to walk around a say hello to people whom I haven´t seen since March. The streets are jammed, and it is very difficult to drive through the town.
Of course, the subject on many tongues is...camp! They are very excited. Since it is fair week, there are no classes. There will be time to prepare for the group´s arrival next Tuesday, as well as visit with friends. Four people have already asked me about climbing the mountain overlooking the town.
Tomorrow the fair winds down, but there will still be plenty of activity and things to enjoy.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25
Today is a good day to relax. I am having to write this in San Pedro, the next town from San Juan, although only a couple of miles away. The Internet is San Juan is closed today...I just saw the son of the family that owns it here in San Pedro, and his dad is dancing in San Juan. So there are more important things to do than open the internet.
Today the fair is slowly coming to a close. The traditional closing is that the older people in the town and those who organize the activities come together and dance. There is a marimba band and lots of people watching. One of the great things about the maya culture is that there are a lot of traditions, and they are very much respected. So there are people of all ages enjoying the dances of the older ones.
Local traditions are very strong in the mountains of Guatemala, and each village has its distinct culture. I had a conversation today with a young teacher who just got married. She is from San Pedro, just 2 miles from San Juan. She said that married life is really difficult, because she is having to learn the culture of San Juan, since she is from another place! Imagine, only 2 miles apart, yet the towns are very different!
THURSDAY, JUNE 26
Days pass very differently when school is not in session. With the local fair this week, there are no classes. Today is a little more normal around San Juan. People have returned to work, and most of the children are working, too. Since it is the rainy season, it is mostly cloudy and a little cooler than usual. I have been trying to do some of the organization for the group,but it is difficult to find people to organize with.
The San Diego group will be leaving San Diego on Sunday, but will not arrive in San Juan until Tuesday. They will have a little time to rest and organize when they arrive at a retreat center in San Lucas Sacatipequez.
Today I have had the chance to visit with a few families here in the village. They have to work so hard to maintain the basics of life. I value the friendships that have been formed here over the past eight years. I have seen small children grow, older children begin their own family, and the parents continue to fight each day to make their life better.
Tonight will be a time to relax. Several of the older kids from the school want me to go to San Pedro with them, because the fair is now beginning there. It might surprise you that celebrations last very late here. They might begin at 8 or 9 in the evening, and continue all night. My evening usually ends when theirs is beginning!
FRIDAY, JUNE 27
Today was a good day to spend with other people.
In the morning the teachers from the school invited me to go on a picnic at the lake. We met at the school, but then I went to San Pedro with Eliseo, the school music teacher, because the parade for the celebration of the patron saint of San Pedro began this week. We saw the parade from several angles, and then went on to the beach, where we had a barbeque and I enjoyed listening to them speak Tzutujil to each other.
In the afternoon I ran some errands for my group with Francisco, the school administrator, and then went back to San Pedro with three of the basico kids to enjoy the fair. These are good days to relax, because I know that when Monday comes there will not be much rest!
In two days my group will be leaving San Diego, in three days they will arrive in Guatemala, and finally arrive in San Juan La Laguna. For them, the journey is about to begin!
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, JUNE 28 AND 29
Saturday was a lazy, productive day. I spent most of the day organizing things for my group. I did have a little time to visit with some people who are important to me. Today was the big day for the fair in San Pedro, the town that is two miles from San Juan, and the air was filled with the sounds of firecrackers, bands, and a lot of noise in general.
It is now Sunday. I am in San Pedro because there are a lot of interesting cultural activities today. One of the most interesting is the dancing in traditional costumes, complete with intricate dress and wooden masks, and hats covered with long feathers. Today is the last day of the fair here, and things wind down in the afternoon. Later today I will finish some planning, watch a soccer game, and go to church in the evening.
While I am doing this, the rest of the group are preparing to leave San Diego. They will meet at Grace Covenant Church at 5:30, jump on a bus and head for Los Angeles. They will catch their planes shortly after midnight, and arrive in Mexico City at about 5am. They will then leave for Guatemala City, where they will arrive at about 1:00. They will then head for a retreat center in San Lucas, Sacatipequez, where they will spend the day relaxing from the trip and doing some planning.
There will be no new entry on Monday. From this point, members of the group will be writing to you, giving you their impressions of their trip. For almost two thirds of the group, this will be their first time out of the US.
MONDAY AND TUESDAY, JUNE 30 AND JULY 1 Written by: Tabitha Stroud Age : 23
So when I decided to join the group to come to Guatemala, I did not know what I was goin to be getting myself into. When first arriving in Guatemala I was very nervous because all of the stories that I had heard, but when I finally got into the country and we started to drive around I felt more at ease. Guatemala is a VERY beautiful country. When most people think of Guatemala I am sure that they think of only poverty. Guatemala has so much more to offer. I was amazed by all of the beauties it has to offer. While driving to Panajachel we had a long car ride through lots of parts of the country, and I could not stop staring out of the window at all of its beauty. When finally arriving at San Juan it was a great feeling to be greeted at the dock by the children who willingly took our luggage up a huge hill, and they did this with a smile. The thing that stands out the most to me about Guatemala is how friendly EVERYONE is to EVERYONE. No matter whats going on´, they always stop to say hello and that is a great feeling. I know that this trip has many more adventures for me to discover and I cant wait to see how God is going to use all of us here in San Juan. Thats all for now!
WEDNESDAY, JULY 2 Written by Tom Palmer, age 58
Today was the first day that we have spend all day working. There was a lot of coordination to do, because we had many things going at the same time. There were devotionals in the morning with each class, a total of 6 different groups presenting devotionals. Thankfully, we have 9 people who speak spanish, so we can do many things at one time. As the school day began, we gave classes in English in six different classes, a crafts class with pre-primary, and music classes with grades one through six, a total of six classes. In addition we had people putting nets on the basketball court, beginning to work on cabinets for each classroom so that the teachers will have personal storage space, and construction on the second story of classrooms. In the afternoon it was a little less hectic: English classes for grades 4-6, as well as the basico students, grades 7 and 8. Work projects took the time of most of the group, as they are preparing rebar before they can put the roof on the second story of classrooms, in addition to continuing with the cabinets.
Being the first day of work, the group was a little apprehensive at the beginning of the day. But they quickly settled into their routine. By dinner they were completely energized, because they felt more confident. They had also been greeted with great love by the people of the school, and the children showed them many acts of individual kindness. People are being challenged, stretched, and re-molded. We have had good times to share. It is now evening, and even though we do not have any activities planned, certainly there will be many visitors to the hotel to enjoy the company of newfound friends. God has blessed!
THURSDAY JULY 3 to SATURDAY JULY 5TH by Adam Moore
Warning I am not the best writer!
Oh my gosh! Well were do I begin? Well we are in our 3rd day of classes and the group is beginning to get the rhythm of things. The first week is always the hardest however things are beginning to smooth out. I have been able to go around to all the classes as they teach and see how things are going and the group is doing awesome. I went in to Pre-K class where they were doing arts and crafts and Tommy was sitting with a small child helping her build her hat. He then has a group of small children that follow him around at the school and he plays games and goes on the teeter totter with them. At the end of the day he passes out. Daniel has been working very hard as well. He has been mixing cement and hauling it up and down to the workers. He has also had to get used to some of the sound and noises that are here. His first experience with firecracker's was very loud and he kept saying he is glad they don't allow them in San Diego. He has picked up a bug and is resting to get better. He went to the restaurant and order a hamburger with no help and when I asked how he did he said fine as if he had been here for years. Dave is doing well and has been working hard doing construction in the afternoon and teaching English with Pat. His teaching has come in handy however schedules are a bit different here and can be a little overwhelming, but he has picked it up well. Sander has been working hard on the construction all day. He begins in the morning and goes to 4 or 5 pm. Kylie, Allison, Brittney, and Kathy have also jumped right in and are working with the kids teaching music and singing with the kids. Codey and Joseph have also jumped in and worked with the contrustion project and classes when they are needed. Sabrina also works with the arts and crafts and does the english for the Bosico in the afternoon. On Friday they all went and played basketball in the rain and watched the lightning storm come through. All of our health is good and we are playing and resting this weekend.
I do not want to give all the stories away so I will save those for the kids to tell you when we get back. On Friday Kylie was put in charge of a silent skit that some of the group put on at the youth event that evening. Others in the group who could sing went with Nicole and myself and choose 4 songs to sing at the church that same Friday. If I could have recorded it I would and it would bring tears to your eyes. I was so proud of them and they all worked to make it good even for having learned the songs 3 hours before they had to preform it. I did not get to see the practice of the skit, but when I saw them preform it it brought tears to my eyes. We then sang a special song called Above All with motions to it. I again had a hard time holding back the tears. It was a very special moment with the group. Codey and Joseph also sung the song with us and I was very impressed. The was the moment when shells were removed and they got more comfortable being uncomfortable. I forgot to mention the RAIN!!!!! EVERYNIGHT!!!! At one point we had to walk up into town to have dinner and we almost needed a boat. I think our shoes are finally dry after 3 days.
About dinner, well we have had spaghetti, bread, tortillas, peanut butter, jelly, fried bananas, hard boiled eggs, pancakes, black beans, fried chicken, regular chicken, mashed potatoes, beef, and pineapple that is awesome.
Saturday morning Codey, Sanders, Joseph, Allison, Brittney, Kathy, Tom P., Jorge, and myself all went to the Zip line. I will let them tell you the stories about that but they had an awesome time and they got to take their first taxi ride and you will see the pictures when we return. We are all now just hanging around and the girls have gone to a home to learn how they weave the clothes. Sabrina and Kylie have purchased authentic outfits and wore them last night and they look great. Well I have to go and we will keep trying to update this as we can however with this many people to keep track of it gets tough. God bless you all and thank you for all your prayers.
SUNDAY, JULY 6
The weekend has been a time to relax. During the weekend people went in all directions. Activities during the weekend included:
Saturday morning at the ziplines. The zip line is the largest in the western hemosphere, with a length of almost a third of a mile and
a drop of 600 feet! It was a great experience which included a 45 minute drive each way in the back of a pickup through the
beautiful mountains of Guatemala.
Saturday afternoon a group went to the home of Ana Coche, where they learned how to weave on a back loom. The women who helped them are widows from the community, and the group not only weaved, but they did a good job purchasing textiles, which is a great help to these women.
After that, some of the group went on a tour of a coffee factory, where they learned how coffee goes from the bus.
Others relaxed during the day, took boats to other parts of the lake, visited friend in San Juan, and even took naps. The group finished the day by going to San Pedro, where we ate at a restaurant overlooking the lake.
Sunday was a little different. A group crossed the lake, hopped on a van, and went to the fabulous regional marketplace in Chichicastenango, a trip of about 90 minutes from San Juan. It is a great place for shopping and people watching, and trying to figure out what it is you are seeing.
Others in the group went to San Pedro to kayak on the lake. Two hours of kayaking, at a cost of $2! The water is warm, and everyone came back wet. San Pedro was in the last day of its fair, and after kayaking the group walked through the ferris wheels, the games, the food, and the other venders at the fair.
We finished the evening by attending church. The service lasted from 7:00 until 9:45, and the benches were not padded! They will never complain again if church goes five minutes over.
MONDAY, JULY 7
One important aspect of a mission trip is that members of a team learn a lot about themselves. It is hard to spend 24 hours a day together without seeing what makes each team member tick. Sometimes we really like what we see, and at other times we see the side of people that needs work. Our group is not the exception. We have been learning to live with each other. We have found out that some people have tempers, some like to sleep more than others, some like to talk, and others have struggles. But today we started to learn what it is to support each other and to learn from each other. We are beginning to become a stronger group, not because we are wonderful, but because we are learning to encourage each other in our weaknesses. Some of our group members will come home changed, and others will come home challenged. For us, this is the personal value of a mission trip. We want to serve those here in Guatemala, but we are also receiving life-changing challenges which will serve us throughout our lives.
Today we have returned to work with renewed vigor. We have 4 days of class this week, and early Friday we leave for camp. We are sending everyone to bed by 10pm, because we are going to need all the energy we can muster for the weekend camp with 200 children and adults!
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