Guatemala- Day 7

We left on Friday morning to drive back to Guatemala City. Before we left, we went back to the church one last time for a dedication ceremony of the bathrooms. The pastor of the church and several church members came for the dedication. In addition, a few of the Potter’s House founders and directors were able to come for the ceremony. 

The finished product- For such a small mission team, we accomplished a lot in four short days. 

Josue, the Potter’s House director in Chiquimula, spoke first. 

Then one of the local pastors said a few words. We were so thankful that Daniel was there to translate for us!

Church members 

Our team leader John also got to say a few words about how much of a blessing it was to be a part of this project.

The entire group

The covered pavilion on the left is the current church meeting area. The community center that was built the week after we left will replace this meeting area. The yellow building on the right is a medical clinic that is open a couple days a week for the families that live in the dump. The families walk a couple of miles just to be seen in the clinic. The farthest door on the right of the clinic is the one toilet bathroom that serves the church and clinic.

Saying our final goodbyes was so hard. The kids in the community did not have school on Friday due to a teacher training, so many of our VBS kids had walked over for the ceremony. It was so fun to see them and get to give them one last hug before we got on the bus!

Parker and Oscar- Oscar was one of the local boys that came to the work site every day. He helped out when needed and played with Parker, Addison, and Robert the rest of the time. He was one of the sweetest boys we met. On the last day, he arrived with a handwritten letter for each of our three kids. The letters told them that he was going to miss them when they left. I know he must have worked all night on them and it’s something I know Parker will keep forever.

Oscar and Jason

After our last goodbyes, we headed back to Guatemala City. The trip was supposed to take four hours but ended up taking six. We passed volcanoes and several small towns on our way back to the city. 

We went straight to the Potter’s House headquarters in Guatemala City for a tour of their community center. We were hoping to help serve lunch to all the boys and girls but the trip back took longer than expected. Instead we had a very late lunch and then got to meet and play games with some of the sponsored kids. 

Early the next morning, we packed everything up and headed to the airport for our flight home. Parker and I were so excited to see Cory and the girls!

This mission trip was truly a trip of a lifetime. Getting to serve the people and children in Chiquimula was a life changing experience that I’ll never forget. I hope that I’ll be able to take Eden and Lily back when they are older.

Guatemala- Day 6

Thursday was painting day.  It wasn't as labor intensive as concrete day but it was still hard work, especially in the heat and humidity.  

Painting the inside of the bathrooms was like painting the inside of an oven.  It was such a small space and there was no air flow.  We were soaking wet by the time we finished.

The kids started the morning off painting but we quickly realized that they were getting more paint on the ground than the walls, so they were officially banned from painting.  Instead, they spent the entire day playing with the local kids who had come to the church.

Before we left for our lunch break, the pastor of the church asked if he could tell us a little about the history of the church and how he got involved with the Potter's House.  He said that he had been praying for bathrooms for the kids for five years.  When the church first started, the kids were going to the bathroom behind a tarp.  A few years ago, a small shed with one toilet was built but they still needed more to meet the needs of the kids/church.  He said when The Potter's House formed a relationship with them, their prayers were finally answered.  He was in tears as he spoke to us and it was such a reminder to me to never stop praying and never give up on God.  God's timing is perfect even when he doesn't provide as quickly as we would like.  The pastor was so grateful for the work we had done and I felt so blessed to be a small part of their story.

Towards the end of the work day, I realized I had some suckers and gum left over from our prayer walks in the dump.  I started passing them out to the kids and they went crazy.  They kept asking for more, more, more!  They could not get enough!  It's funny how simple things that American kids take for granted truly are HUGE treats for these kids.  We even passed out some to the local (adult)  workers that were working on the community center and they were just as excited to receive them as the kids!

More lunchtime fun with Mr. John

Our entire team with our two Potter's House translators (Daniel and Andrea) and the two Potter's House administrators that live in Chiquimula (Annabella and Josue)- They were so much fun to work with and it was wonderful getting to know them better throughout the week.  We could not have made it without them!

The kids with Kin and Steve- They took our kids under their wings and treated them like they were their own.  It was such a privilege to work with them on this mission trip and I hope our paths will cross again some day.  The kids loved playing with them all week and hated to see them go back to Georgia the next day.

Daniel and Andrea- our wonderful translators for the week

On the last night, Daniel presented this plaque to us.  The plaque is now hanging in the new community center that was completed by the mission team that came the week after we left.  It was such an honor to know that we were part of the very first Potter's House project in Chiquimula.  This was the first of many projects and I look forward to hearing about the wonderful things that are happening in this dump community for many years to come.

Our worship time that night was bittersweet knowing that we were heading back to Guatemala City the next morning.  As much as I missed Cory and the girls and was ready to get home to them, I knew I would be leaving a small part of my heart in Chiquimula the next day.  We came to bless the dump community but I left feeling like they blessed me in more ways than I will every be able to describe. 

A Proud Mom Moment

Because Parker woke up sick on Wednesday, he could not go to VBS with us.  Instead he stayed behind at the work site with the other guys.  When he got on the bus at the end of the day, I noticed that he was wearing his flip flops.  When I asked where his tennis shoes were he told me that he found a boy who needed a new pair of shoes, so he gave him his shoes.  My heart immediately filled with pride.  You always pray that your kids will put others needs before their own but I didn't think it would happen at this early of an age.  Ten year olds are pretty self absorbed so for him to see a need and want to fulfill that need without any parental prompting was huge.  

Looking back, it's amazing to see how God had his hand in this day way before we knew it.  On the way to the bus after breakfast that morning, I just happened to be walking through the lobby of the hotel and noticed that Parker's flip flops were on the floor by one of the couches.  Parker had left them there the night before. I didn't have time to take them back to the room, so I just grabbed them and put them in our backpack.  If those flip flops had not been in the backpack, Parker would not have had anything to wear after he gave his shoes away.  God is so good!

The next day, Parker came running up to me excited because the boy was back.  We were able to get a picture of Parker and the boy wearing his shoes.  

I'm so thankful that Parker and I had this opportunity together.  We both left with so many wonderful experiences and memories that we will always remember.

Guatemala- Day 5

Wednesday was concrete day.  We had been told that concrete day was the hardest day so I was a little nervous as we arrived at the work site.  Plus Parker had woken up feeling under the weather with tummy issues so I was worried about how he was going to make it through the day.  Luckily, our work site had a little bathroom with a working toilet so we were able to join the group and didn't have to stay back at the hotel.  

There is a lot that goes into mixing concrete.  We had to mix at least 10 wheelbarrows full of rocks, 10 wheelbarrows full of dirt, cement, and water to make the concrete.  After A LOT of mixing, we shoveled it into 5 gallon buckets and carried it over to the bathrooms for the workers to pour and smooth.  We did this three separate times in order to have enough concrete to complete the bathroom floors.  In the extreme Guatemalan heat and humidity, it was exhausting work!

Parker tried to help for the first round, but quickly faded and spent most of the morning resting and playing with some of the local kids who had come to the church.

We were covered in concrete by the end of the morning!

After lunch, we dropped the men back off at the work site and went to our final day of VBS.  The kids were so excited when we got there and I couldn't wait to see Melisa and give her a hug.  Because there were no bathrooms at the VBS church, Parker was not able to go to the last day of VBS.  He was disappointed but we just could not take a chance with him being so sick that morning.

Diana was a beautiful girl who knew every word to every song.  She was so joyful and I'm so thankful that The Potter's House will be able to give her opportunities that she would have never had on her own in this poverty stricken community.

It was fun to watch the kids play games every day.  There was not a competitive spirit in any of them.  They cheered each other on, helped the little ones, and did not care who won or lost.  They were truly having fun!  And it was fun to watch our American kids play with them even though they could not communicate.  Laughter and play is universal with kids and it was so refreshing to experience.

The kids loved story time with Jonathan.  And we were all very thankful for Andrea- our translator from the Potter's House that went everywhere with us.

It was SO hard to say good bye to the kids we had come to love over the past three days.  It's amazing how God can use kids who have nothing to teach you so much about what's important in life.  They definitely made a lifelong impression on me and I will never forget these beautiful blessings for as long as I live.

Melisa and Diana

The VBS team with the pastor of the church and several of our VBS kids

Parker was feeling much better when we picked him up after VBS and couldn't wait to get back to the hotel to swim before dinner.

We had another great dinner and worship time that night but were very happy to see bedtime arrive after such an exhausting day!