When we arrived at the work site, we learned that the group before us had not finished digging out and leveling the land where Elena's home would be built. Completing this task was a difficult job, since the earth was compacted to the point where many of us thought it was rock. Our youth wielded shovels, crow bars, and picks to remove the dirt to the edge of Elena's property. We also encountered a giant root of some sort that took considerable effort to chisel out of the hardened earth.
...then the frame of the house was put into place.
Loads of gravel and sand had been delivered, but had been left in a pile in the road. Since we would not be using these until tomorrow, they needed to be moved to a different location so as not to block the roadway. It's a good thing we had such strong and willing workers!
 |
| Even the smallest ones helped by filling their own "buckets"! |
At first there was very little for me to do, so Yolanda (our translator, who joined us from Ebenezer Assembly of God) and I set out to make some new friends! First, we met Leslie and her mother, who we called Abuela (grandmother). Abuela invited us into her home, and we felt privileged to be guests in her home. We learned that Abuela is descended from the Mayan culture. She and the other women in her family wear the traditional Mayan dresses (which they call "typical" dresses). As a child, Abuela spoke a Mayan dialect called Q'eqchi (pronounced Kekchi) , and taught Yolanda some phrases in her native tongue. I asked Abuela if she had stories from her ancestors. Her response was that they were all very poor and worked very hard to survive. I also asked about happy memories from her childhood. She responded that she had no happy memories, that her father had died when she was twelve and all she could remember was the heavy water that she carried every day over a long distance. Her comments were heart wrenching. Yolanda and I had difficulty imagining such a joyless life.
For most of the day, there were not enough jobs for everyone in our group. Fortunately, there were kids everywhere, longing to play with the "Americans". Our group brought balls for the kids to play with and wooden toy cars that we distributed to the children. The kids loved to be picked up (especially by the tallest of our youth!) and the children kept repeating, "Otra vez! Otra vez!" (Again! Again!)
In the afternoon, the youth continued with their building tasks, while Yolanda, Haley (a 19 year-old girl from Mobile, AL who had joined our team for the week) and I met other members of Abuela's family. We met a second daughter, Carolina, who also invited us into her house. It was a simple two room home similar to the one we were building. Carolina had 3 children and had lived in this house for one month. Her husband had been killed several years ago and she had been struggling to support her family. She proudly showed the rooms of her house and repeated over and over her gratitude to God for all of his blessings. Her story was a powerful one. Somehow, a single mother of 6 from the U.S. saw a picture of Carolina and learned of her needs through her church. This woman had been intending to build a house for herself, but when she saw Carolina's picture, she felt that God was calling her to build a house for Carolina instead. And so she did.
Carolina talked about reading favorite passages in her Bible. I was a little surprised and asked if she was able to read. She responded, "Si! Yes!" Then she opened her Bible to Psalm 103 and read it to us in Spanish. As she read, tears sprang from my eyes and I praised God for whatever opportunity had made it possible for this woman to learn to read. Carolina was so excited to share the Bible that she walked to her chest of drawers and took out Bibles that she proceeded to give us as gifts. Such generosity from someone with so little! We were overwhelmed.
Then we asked if we could pray with her. Yolanda prayed in Spanish, then Haley and I prayed in English. All the while, Carolina wept and mumbled fervent prayers in Spanish. I'm sure it comes as no surprise that each of us added our own tears to the prayer, as well.
In the evening, we had a surprise waiting for us! Since Americans celebrate Independence Day on the 4th of July, the cooks had prepared an American feast: hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, cole slaw, and red, white, and blue Jello! An American flag was prominently displayed in the center of the room, and a festive patriotic cake adorned with sparklers was brought out from the kitchen. Next, we all jumped in surprise when fire crackers started going off right outside the window. In return for our host's thoughtfulness, the American's joined together to sing our The Star Spangled Banner. Not to be outdone, however, the seminary students responded giving voice to the national anthem of Guatemala! It was an impressive celebration that none of us will soon forget!
No comments:
Post a Comment