Smiling students, concrete, and St. James

Pole climbing, if you make it up you win $500...pole is greased!!

sack races in the park

View from town

Dancing puppets

Arrival of Saint James

Having fun on the green roof!!

FUTBOL!!

On Day 4 the only task at the worksite is to pour the floor.  As this is a short day, all volunteers make a visit to the Escuela Kemna'oj first.  I have gone on about the school for many months now and actually for many years. This is the first visit for many of our volunteers to the new facility. I can never get enough of this place so I am always happy to make another visit, and always excited to hear the opinions of first time visitors to the school.

This week the school is holding a health fair.  The doctor, nurse and staff from the clinic are at the school to examine all the children and their parents. The school is equipped with a doctors office and an office to register the patients as they come in.  The clinic staff works very hard to bring this to the school. They transport the entire pharmacy from the clinic to the school.  After the children are examined they are given any medicine that may need, and any referrals that may be required.

The most common and prevalent issue for these children and their families is upper respiratory infections and intestinal infections as a result of parasites, most likely in the dirty drinking water.  These people do not have running water in their home. Most of the time they go to a common site and lug water back to their home. In Santa Maria de Jesus, where the school is located, you get water for 1 hour every other day. Some people have said that they get it every 2 days. There are "water stations" if you will where you go get your supply. It is mostly women that I observe going to get the water. They use plastic buckets of all sizes and they carry the water back on their head or in a back strap sling hanging off of their head and down their back. Water is very heavy!!  When you drive by the water station you can see people either collecting the water by dipping their container into it and occasionally using a faucet. The other thing you see is dogs drinking from the water station. So you have dirty containers, dogs, and God knows what else dipping into this water. Back at the house the water is left in the buckets sitting in the yard somewhere. These people also collect rain water in large blue barrels. Sadly, I have seen on more than one occasion someone washing their hands in the water barrel and then someone else drinking from that same water barrel. If you think about how much water you use every day and how much water you waste it really hits home when you are in a place like this. Upper respiratory infections are a common and chronic occurrence here. Most of these people cook over an open fire in their cornstalk shack so everyone is inhaling fumes for a large part of the day. It is more common to see a child with a runny nose then not. It is also rather cool up here in the night and early morning. Santa Maria is about 5000 feet above sea level. Then there is the problem of little children with runny noses running around and sharing the germs.

The doctors really have the work cut out for them and are often fighting a losing battle, as the solutions for the obstacles they face are not easy to put into affect. Education is key to these problems and often you are knocking your head against the wall because some of the solutions are costly and these people have little money.  FHTH is committed to educating these families through clinic talks in the community, and the school holds classes for the parents.

As you walk around the school you observe dedicated teachers and engaged students. The children are excited to see the volunteers and when they are on break from class they love to interact through play on the green roof. The school was designed with a play area that is turf. It feels like grass, something that these children do not see, as their yards are mostly made up of dirt. When I was here in April the turf was put down and the next day the children were allowed to play on it for the first time. it was hysterical because they started rolling around on it, doing somersaults, they were just having a ball!! These kids are like any other kid in the world, during recess they let off alot of steam. I love watching them!!

As always, our visitors are highly impressed. One of the most common comments we hear is this, "I expected it to be nice but this is amazing!" More kudos to the architect and interior design students!!

After the school visit it is off to the work site to the pour the floor. It requires mixing alot of concrete of which I have no real strength to do, this is tough work and very heavy. I always laugh when these this rather short in stature Guatemaltecos jump in the middle of the concrete and in their knee high rain boots and mix it so quickly. We are talking about concrete, sand and stone. Next the buckets have to be filled and passed through the bucket lie to be poured on the floor. It is a rapid process!! Sam and Nicole take turns filling the buckets, this is also very heavy work and I admire their strength!!  As we pass the buckets, Juan Jose smooths out the concrete as it is poured. All sorts of funny things happen during this process, concrete gets dropped, concrete gets spilled, and sometimes the rhythm is thrown off because someone is not paying attention...sorry!!!  Floor done and we call it a day!  This also means we are one day away from completion and leaving this beautiful place that I love so much. I love being amongst the families, and interacting with the children. I could spend the whole day here just hanging out!

Today there is a fair in honor of St James. He is the Patron Saint of Antigua. It is a holiday so the town is very crowded to see the parade and a variety of other activities. Went for a walk around town, had a few laughs and took in the sites.

Preparing for the last day of the build we purchased a pinata to celebrate with the family. Also a gift for the new baby, some fruit and a cross for their new home.

Snack time!

Joseline

Learning about the #2

Matimaticas

Sra. Monica-she is our Mayan teacher to promote the study of the culture and language

3rd grade

2nd grade

Joe Juan smoothing the floor

Day 3- Block, block and Felixito!

Cornstalk Shack

New block home!

YUP! When we arrived the block had all been moved into the middle of the house. I knew the Father, bloody leg and all would get this done, I hope he had help!!

Today we will lay 5 levels of block. Of course let us not forget the 2 great Guatemaltecos who are leading us on this build, Juan Jose and felix. They both have nick names, Juan is "Cucci" and Felix is "Conejo" or rabbit.  Apparently he runs like a rabbit on the soccer field, very fast!!  These gentlemen are poor Guatemalans who have a better life because of their jobs. Felix worked in the fields before coming to work with FHTH. We actually built a home and he helped, and Oscar, our Project Director realized what a good worker he was and when we needed another builder he was offered the job. Previously, he had been a field worker. Felix is married with 2 children, one of whom attends our school, I call him Felixito, "Little Felix." He, just like his father, is always smiling!! Juan Jose is one of our original builders in the organization, and is a favorite of many of our volunteers. He is quiet, patient and supportive when guiding you through this process. He is married with a lovely wife, and 2 daughters who he adores.

Felix..always smiling!!

Juan Jose

 These 2 men never stop except for lunch. They work very hard and guide us through the process with the goal in mind that the house will be level and inhabitable.  The amazing thing is that these homes are all built with 2 Guatemaltecos and 6 volunteers. The majority of our volunteers have never had construction experience. It is hard and heavy work, but invigorating at the same time, as you are making a very positive change in someone's life.  

Felix and his helper-notice the volcano in the background!

Nothing stops marissa!!

Marissa was going to town on that scaffold today, helping Felix lay block. She does not let anything get in the way of something she would like to do. I asked Felix if this made it difficult for him to work, and with his usual smile he said, "No problema!"  She is so adaptable, she embraces her obstacles and literally runs with them!  What a characteristic to have!!

Lunch time came so Sam and I took a walk to get some cold drinks. it is always an adventure when you walk through poverty.  Today we stumbled upon alot of evidence of things that are not up to our standard of living...not even close.  Hungry children, who can only afford a small bag of chips, starving dogs, dead rats, garbage, and the beautiful faces of poor women with babies on their backs.  These women are no different then you and I, they wish for the best for the children, and love them with all their hearts. Most likely they do not have enough food to feed them, access to adequate healthcare is a dream, education is available but not always affordable, and the promise of a better life is most likely not on their radar. Have I ever heard them complain, nope!  They amaze me!  They walk along the streets and socialize just like you and I would, they have warm smiles and they accept their life as a gift. Mayan people are very spiritual people and very catholic. Here is an interesting thing happening in this community. These people have always been followers of the catholic church, however, the Evangelicals are moving in fast and furious. Why? They come into these villages and offer these people food. If you had hungry children would you not follow them?  I sure would!! They are building huge cathedrals in the city and many small churches in these villages.  I see them all the time of late. Last week I saw a huge line outside an Evangelical Church.  I am praying, that with this Pope, there is more of a presence of the catholic church in this type of community. They certainly need the help.

After lunch we get back to work. However, there is a distraction..FELIXITO is home from school.  He is a student at Escuela Kemna'oj.  I had always seen this child there, and he stood out because he is always smiling. When  I met his father and he said that he has a child at the school,  he introduced me to Felix, and  it certainly made sense, they are both always smiling!!  I hate to keep saying it but it is true, happy people, lots of love in that family...it is clearly evident!!  the entire group wants to play with Little Felix. He is so cute you just want to squeeze him. Today kate gave him a water pistol and he spent the rest of the afternoon cooling us off, playing with natalie and Marissa and their water guns,  and just having a great time.  He even helped keep Bob in line!!  At the end of the day I gave him a couple of "besitos" little kisses, and said we would see him at school tomorrow.

We have still not a had a baby sighting!  Who would have thought that it would take longer to see this baby then Prince George?? There are baby clothes on the line, we hear crying sometimes, but yet, no baby to be seen.

Evidence of a baby...we have not seen as of yet

So today I dropped a bucket of concrete on Sam's head. Actually, Bob and I achieved that trophy winner together. Apparently, and clearly, were not paying attention when Sam came under the scaffold to enter the house to help. Bob handed me the bucket and I turned and looked away and dropped it on his noggin. Takes me back to last week in Spanish School when my teacher told me to focus. LOLOL...people have been telling me that for years...I don't think it is ever going to happen!!  Poor Sam..his head hurt!!

8th house they have built together

We are building next to the most beautiful garden. They are growing radishes. They are bright red and quite plump!!  They look much healthier then home. maybe the volcanic soil has something to do with it. I am dying to pick one!  I will not because they are not mine and I am not going to steal a radish from the owner. My friend, Nicole wants to pick one also. Her plan is to leave a Quetzale where the radish was that she picks...brilliant I say, however I would feel bad if the owners started running through town, yelling, "There are quetzales in my radish garden!" and then there were none....

radishes!!!

By the end of the day we have a window and a door opening. The house is progressing as we head into our 4th day.  I always feel a bit melancholy as we near the end because I love this work so much. I have found the thing that makes my heart beat with joy. The work is so hard, and does not get easier as I get younger, oh I meant older.....but I love it.




 Tomorrow we will visit the school. Thursday is a short build day because we only have to pour the floor. Some of the volunteers this week have not seen the new school so I am anxious for them to visit it and  see what an incredible place it is.

Day 2...blocks, birthdays and blood!!

This is actually my blog for Tuesday, day 2 of house building.  I was late joining my family at the worksite because Oscar and I showed another project from New Jersey what we do.

We met Betsy and John who have worked with their project out of Chester, NJ for many years near Centro Parque in Antigua. They jumped in the truck with us and drove to SMDJ. First they came to our building site to see how and what we build, and then we took them to Escuela Kemna'oj. It is always a pleasure to take people to the school because the children tell the whole story, they are happy and thriving, and are always glad to see visitors!!  They were impressed with our project and we were grateful to take the time to show them our work.  It is important for charities to work together as we all have the same goal in mind, and that is to improve the life of the poorest of the poor in Guatemala.

When I returned to the worksite our team had made tremendous progress with the house.  It was just about lunchtime so I timed it right, only kidding!!!

We have not seen the Mom who lives in this house today.  We see her sister who is taking care of her, run in and out quite often.  Felix, our worker, who actually lives right behind where we are working, has explained that it is a very cultural tradition for the new Mom to stay in her house with her baby.  My question is this: where is she going to the bathroom?? Seriously these shacks have no indoor bathroom and we have not seen her take a step outside, it's crazy!  She is clearly much younger then me because this old body requires many visits to the "bano" each day...go figger!!

Today we celebrated Dan's 18th birthday at the worksite. His Mom surprised him with a cake and of course in Guatemala if it someones birthday, there are always firecrackers. Even though I  know this is customary I am never quite ready when the blasting begins.  Oh just a side note, I went shopping the night before to purchase the firecrackers. Bob, Sam, Pam and I went to a number of stores. I don't know why the shopping trip was a complete fail. It is quite possible because I could not say firecracker in Spanish, so every time I went to a different store and I said, "Do you have firecrackers? You know, Feliz Cumpleano's, boom boom?"  I really don't understand why they didn't get it. Anyway, one of our guys was able to make the purchase and the whole Feliz Cumpleano's boom boom was a success.

We had lunch and cake and got back to work.  Lots of block, lots of concreta and more block. At the end of the day we make a conga line pour cement into the block that we put down so far.  Concrete, stone and sand are mixed in a huge pile, very heavy work!!  We then fill spackle buckets and pour the concrete into the rows of block that we put down each day.  It is the last thing we do each day and I think the hardest of the work. After we finish that task, we are done for the day.

At the end of the day the Father of our family returns from his job in the fields. I noticed blood on his pants and asked him what happened. He hit his leg with his machete while working. I asked him if I could see it and he lifted his pants. He had made a tourniquet out of a plastic bag. I had him take it off and with Kate's assistance we cleaned it up and put a bandage on it and told him to take it easy.  I am sure this is not possible for him.  This gentlemen most likely leaves his home at about 5AM for the long walk to the field he will work in for about 3 bucks a day. I am sure the farmer he is working for could care less if he injures himself and that is why he did not have the proper bandage on. These people are go getters, they work where they can find work regardless of the conditions or the salary. $15-$20 a week is better then nothing!

  Usually after the volunteers leave for the day, the family will pile the block for the next day inside the house so it is ready for us to get to work when we arrive. I trie to tell him not to worry about this, however I am sure when we arrive the yard will be ready for us to get right to it! Funny thing as we were leaving, he was talking to 2 women and pointing to the block. One of them looked older then me, I am sure she will not even blink if asked to help.  The Mayan people have a deep sense of community and help one another when needed.

Have I mentioned the view from where we are working, I cannot say enough about it..it is incredible.  Towards the afternoon there is often the threat of rain and sometimes a good down pour. It is not so comfortable, but at the end of the day we return to our hot shower, dry clothes and a hot meal. it is rainy season in Guatemala and the people who live in the cornstalk shacks do not enjoy those same luxuries. When it is a very heavy rainy season, there is always the threat that their home may just wash right down the side of this beautiful mountain.  At times the shacks wash away with the families in them.  This is a very sad reality, and the number one reason Joe's vision was to replace the 2.1 million cornstalk shacks in Guatemala. We are almost done replacing 679 of them. Let's just say we are on our way to meet a very big challenge.  Each week we try to replace between 3 and 5 more of them.

Have I said how much I love the work and Santa Maria de Jesus: well I do love being here and doing this work. It is not only a good workout it nurtures the soul!  to quote a young man from Atlanta: "It's the hardest work you'll ever love!!"

Laying block

Feliz Cumpleanos, Dan!!

Incredible view

Smiling while working!!

Notice the giant bottle of pepsi, they make them special for developing countries! 

Sam at work.

Pam our rookie-a natural mason!!

Trowels and concrete make for a good marriage!

Do you believe this view????

So today is day one of building, what will be the 8th house our family has built in Guatemala. We are building in my favorite place in the entire world, Santa Maria de Jesus.  The location of this house has incredible views that people in the United States would pay mucho money to look out at these vistas.  We are on Volcano Agua and the top of the volcano is right above the land we are building on, we can also see Volcano Pacaya which is the one we climbed back a few years. It is a patchwork quilt of every shade of green, it may just give Ireland a run for their green money:)  The soil is so good that the fields around us are growing radishes, green beans, zuchinni, and avocados. This is what I identified today, however I am sure there is much, much more!

We are building with our friends the Viola Family who are seasoned builders with FHTH and we have a new volunteer this year, my good friend, Pam. Our Guatemalan foremen are with Juan Jose and Felix.   Juan Jose has been with the organization for many years and Felix is fairly new to FHTH. Juan Jose has always been a favorite of mine, he is a devoted family man with a lovely wife and 2 beautiful daughters. Felix, has an incredible joyful smile which he has most of the time. He is married nad has 2 children. It just happens that his son goes to Escuela Kemna'oj. I had seen this cute little boy at the school many times and he stood out because he also smiles all the time.  I am familiar with Felix's extended family and they are a very close and spiritual group.  Just a little side note about the kind of guy Felix is. He came to FHTH shortly before Joe left last year to return to the US to see what his health status was. All of our builders were saying good bye to Joe and then Felix came up and and gave Joe a big hug and said to him, "I am having a mass said for you."  Joe told me about that because he was so impressed that this man who he barely knew would do such a kind thing for him.

Our family is small, Juan Jose is the Padre, and the Madre is Elizabeth.  They have a brand new baby, 4 days old. There is no name for the baby as they do not name their baby's for 8 days. We are excited to be here to find out the name.  Apparently they have another child who we have not met yet. The culture states that the Mom and the new baby do not leave the home, which at this point is a corn stalk shack, for 8 days. They do not risk any health threats to the baby or the Mom in this first 8 days. We saw her sister coming and going tending to her today , but we did not meet her until.....the rains came and they invited us in to help us to stay dry which was sort of a joke...we were soaked.  So just imagine this; a bunch of giant gringoes enter your little cornstalk shack and here you sit in your bed with your new baby wrapped up in a blanket.  Remember the house is the size of a dime, it is a traditional corn stalk shack, very small.
 "HI, nice to meet you in your bed with your new baby hiding from us."                         "Oh, nice to meet you also giant gringos!"

The rains came and thank God we had completed most of what we had to do today. So we quickly finished and we were on the way back down the hill to the trucks that had come to pick us up. We will return home to our very comfortable home with hot showers, a hot meal already prepared for us, and all the comforts of home. Our family will stay behind in their cornstalk shack with out many of the comforts of home as we know it, however quite content in their home as they know it, and never a complaint to be voiced.

Black sand beaches...HOT,HOT,HOT!!!!!

Marissa and I decided that we would go to the black sand beaches with the Violas. One of our workers, Julio and his family agreed to accompany us. Julio is married with 2 very cute little boys, they are clearly a very happy family who share much love between them. I think they really enjoyed spending time with us, even though at times there is a language barrier.  We rode in the back of his truck, it was a beautiful ride with views of majestic mountains and patchwork fields.

It took about 2 hours to get there. The closer we got to the coast the hotter it got, even though we were in the truck with the woind blowing in our faces.

Julio took us to a water park called, Agua Magic.  You can see the ocean from the water park. The park was similar to water parks in NJ but just smaller, and not nearly as crowded!!  It was really nice and the water was beautiful. The kids had a good time riding down the slides and Kate and I relaxed in the wave pool...the waves were the perfect size. We did notice, however, as the day went on it got hotter and hotter....and hotter.  We decided to walk to the ocean through the black sand with our flip flops on, but when the sand hit your feet it felt like a first degree burn..it was hot!!  We waded for a few minutes, and then decided to head back to the park. The ocean was beautiful, and we were on a private beach with almost no one on it. You could look down the coast and see very crowded beaches that would remind you of Seaside Heights on a hot summer day. Lots of people swimming, sun bathing and I believe drinking the national beer, GALLO.

We hid in the shade for a bit then hit the water again, and then figured out if we curled up next to the pool wall we were out of the sun...lolol. Did I say how hot it was?? Sunburn was apparent by the end of the day.

When it was time to go we all jumped back in the truck and headed back. We stopped in a small town to buy Ceviche. I would say it is fish stew, and I was not having any. The town was interesting, lots of coconut stands, shark jewelry and small bottles of a golden color liquid which we thought was moon shine, but found out it was shark oil. The oil apparently does something for the lungs.

The wind was battering our faces and we noticed a dark cloud so we put on rain ponchos and hid our faces in the ponchos.  The few times I peeked out my face was pelted with what felt like tiny little pebbles, and lets not talk about my butt sitting in the back of that truck:)

To say it was an attack on all senses is to say the least, however the time spent with good friends is valuable. We had many laughs and made some great memories.

We arrived home and everyone was exhausted, time to rest and prepare for what lies ahead this week. We are planning to volunteer at the school. We are building quite a library at the school and I want to get it organized so children can check out books and practice reading at home.  That is going to be a whole new experience!!!  Looking forward to it!!

Amigos, pelotas, and very crowded van rides!!!

Today Marissa and I got up early for our trip to Santa Maria de Jesus to visit with the family of the student I sponsor. We met the Dickerson family at the FHTH office where one of the men who work for us was there to give us a ride to SMDJ. The Dickerson's were visiting the 2 families they had built for previously.  It is hard to explain the connection you make with the family in just 5 short days. It is a deep one!

Santa Maria de Jesus is located on the side of Volcano Agua. The population is about 20,000 people. The primary language spoken is Kaqchikel and the secondary language is spanish.  If you like incredible views the ride up to SMDJ is for you. Today as we enter Santa Maria there is Norma, one of the children that the Dickerson's built for the first year they were here. She walked down from her home to welcome them. Everyones faces lit up when they saw her. She jumped in the back of the truck and we were on our way. Marissa and I got out of the truck and we agreed to meet back at a certain spot at 11:30.

Maria, Vilma, Marissa, and Catherine

The walk up to the main square is along a street with many small stores offering the same things. As we approach the square we can see it is bustling with shoppers. I am looking to the church for Maria and her family to meet us, I don't see them, but then I realize they are sitting on the left.  I get many stares  because I am a tall gringo in a place where the majority of people are brown skinned and short.  I really stand out!!  Marissa of course fits in perfectly although there are puzzled looks, curious about our relationship, I am sure. Maria and her Mom greet us with big smiles and warm embraces. Her Mom is carrying her youngest son, Henry, on her back and her three daughters are walking, ages 9,7 and 2.  They are all wearing brightly colored native garb. It looks like a flea market with most of the people selling fruits and vegetables. There is an indoor area that has small "grocery store" looking spaces.  I always take Maria's mother shopping when I visit them. I am amazed how many groceries she can purchase for about 25 dollars. We should be so lucky, in that respect.  After she buys the groceries I ask her if she would like some carne or pollo, beef or chicken. She always chooses chicken and we always go to the same vendor.  Marissa and I are a little blown away at the "chicken bin" breasts, thighs, legs, rooster heads, fingers.  I ask her Mom if she eats the "cabeza" of the chicken and she actually reacts just like I do when I look at it. So we have that in common, neither of us eats chicken heads.

I also bought the children "pelotas"(balls) and they played while Maria's Mom and I sat and talked.  Her primary language is Kaqchikel and secondary spanish, and  I speak some spanish...we actually are able to communicate while we watch our children play, it felt no different then when I sit with Mom's in the US and talk about school, kids, homework. It was quite a good time. The kids had so much fun. The smiles on their faces were ear to ear.

We decide to walk to their "casa" (house).  They live in a home built by FHTH.  The walk through the village is interesting. Everything is different from home, the look of the buildings and houses, the smells that are in the air, the whole social situation is different. Children make do with odd "toys" such as plastic bags, broken kitchenware, and sometime you even see a toy or two. These children have learned to adapt to their situation with grand smiles.  Of course, there are more dogs then you count and they are all sickly looking. This is what poverty looks like here, however as you walk through the streets people are very social and smiling at one another.  The one thing I have never heard here is a complaint, and I have made many, many trips here at this point.  As we arrive at Maria's house we turn down a short lane and enter a door that is hidden in a cornstalk fence. There is a chicken coop, and a small kitchen area with an open fire to cook over.  The children are really excited that the chicken laid one egg. They handed it to me, and I have to say it was quite heavy. takes me back to the fact that my Mom only liked fresh eggs and would drive out of her way to get them.  We enter the small block home which is impeccably neat, with 3 beds in it for the 8 people that live here. Maria's family are very content people, they attend church up on the square together every Sunday Morning as a family, and they are also a very handsome family. I got out my IPhone to take some pictures of the girls. Maria's dad and her 2 brothers were working today. Guatemalan children, and sometimes their parents get a bog kick out of seeing their picture on the back of a phone or camera. I then decided to do a little Cam Wow with them...it is an APP on the phone that distorts the pictures.  Well let me tell you, these kids were rolling on the ground laughing, and so was Mom. I actually was a little worried that it might scare them but they got it immediately and had a ball with it. They all tried taking pictures. It was a hoot!!

It was time for me to go. They were kind enough to walk me back to the location I would meet my ride. Santa Maria is like a big maze, I have always thought it would be a great place for The Amazing race.  My ride was not there  because The Dickerson's were having lunch with one of the families they built for, no worries, I decided to hop in a Toyota Van with Marissa.

We had to wait until it was almost filled before we headed down the mountain.....I have to say I was a little nervous. The road is very curvy with spectacular views, however if you have any fear of heights, the views may not thrill you. I was pleased when we headed down the mountain slowly behind a big oil truck.....until we passed the truck..... on a curve...thank God we survived. By the time we got out of that 11/12 seat van there were 21 of us. Some of them hang out the sliding door but hold on inside, this is very common in Guatemala. Of course since we were first in, and now were first out, we had to climb over quite a few people.  Marissa and I are making memories for sure. The rest of the day was meant for relaxing.

Marissa and I went for a walk through town and a number of people approached to express their condolences regarding the passing of Joe. Again, not surprised, but surprised that so many people from so many walks of life down here made mention of his death. Shoeshine boys, Lily, The Newspaper Lady, and of course the young ladies who sell their goods in the streets.  They feel the loss, and they express their condolence with sincere sadness.

 I went to Panza Verde for dinner with some volunteers from Seattle. One of our big supporters, Michael Chansler, had gone deep sea fishing and caught dinner. Tuna and Dorado which the restaurant had agreed earlier in the week that they would prepare it for him. I didn't think that I would like it so I ordered a steak. I had some samples and it was very delicious!! The group that volunteered all expressed the desire to return again next year. As usual, it does not surprise me.

As I reflect on this very busy day I am reminded again how much I love it here, especially Santa Maria de Jesus.  I feel very at home here, no fear, just a feeling of gratitude, and  belonging. At this point I have established a familiarity and it too, feels like home.

Kemna'oj

Today I head to Escuela Kemna'oj first thing. I actually met 2 young ladies who are volunteering at the school this month and went on a van with them.  I was a little nervous riding up that mountain with a driver I didn't know and he actually looked really tired..which is probably why he took the turns so wide...I didn't scream though:))

As I approached the school I couldn't help but think it was April when I was last here and how much has changed since then.  It seems one of life's most important lessons always seem to insert itself in to my thoughts..live life to the fullest each and every day. This is not a dress rehearsal!!

When you enter the school you are in the all purpose room. It is very quiet, there are no children in this room at this time. There is a memorial to joe set up on a table with candles burning and a picture of him. This is where the children had a prayer service on Tuesday, which was the day of Joe's funeral. They sang You Are My Sunshine. They sang that to him at the school dedication.  They are so cute when they sing that in English.
I asked the principal Marielos, the Principal if I could speak to the children. She asked the teachers to bring the children to the all purpose room to meet with me. They lined up and listened intently as I told them that Joe loved them very much and had this school built for them so they could have a promising future. I told them that as Joe got sicker he was not communicating very much, however one of the last things he said to me, as he lay in his bed, was that everyday he would pray that the children of Guatemala had everything they needed. As these little faces looked back at me and listened intently I could only think of how much joy they brought to Joe's life, and he to theirs. They would always run up and hug him when he entered the school. each of them had touched the others lie so deeply.
From Houses to Homes has done alot of work in Santa Maria de Jesus. They have built the most homes here, the school and helped many families with supplying clothes, food and healthcare. Today they had a mass said at 10 AM for Joe in the church that is up by the market. Today was market day so it was very busy. The children and the teachers walked to the church for the mass. The kids walked in pairs holding hands. I was impressed at how quiet they were.

The church in SMDJ is a very old and beautiful church constructed from stone and concrete. There are many small vignettes of Jesus that are very dramatic. the altar is simply beautiful with a wall of statues, and many candles burning. I would like to say the fact the priest was wearing green was to honor Joe's Irish heritage but we all know that is not true. Another mass totally in spanish but I am able to follow it at this point. Church is interesting here; during the mass there were children running in and out from the outside playing hide and seek in the church, there was a little girl parading up and down the center aisle with a very cute smile, very proud of the fact that she was doing exactly what she wanted to. For some reason, it doesn't disturb me here. At the end of the mass some of the children placed candles at the altar for Joe.  When we exited the church there were many people outside who expressed their condolences with tears streaming down there cheeks. I believe this community feels a great loss. Many of the women were the students Mothers, dressed in their traditional Mayan garb which I happen to think is so beautiful. The colors are brilliant!!

We left SMDJ and returned to the office to get some work done. On Friday the volunteers complete the houses they are building that they started on Monday. They are building in Alotenango this week. There is a closing ceremony at the end. A plaque is put on every house that explains who built the house, who the house is dedicated to, and there is a number. Today, homes number 667,668,669, and 670 were completed.  Each group of volunteers dedicated the home to Joe, his work and the commitment that his work would continue. I said to Oscar, "I wonder how many homes will be built in Joe's memory?"  I accompanied Oscar to 2 of the closing ceremonies. They are very emotional, especially for first time volunteers. One of the women from the Seattle area was so moved by the experience she could not stop crying. It is not the first time I have witnessed that. As always many of them said that they will be back. If history proves to be true, like many before them, they will return.

I am looking forward to visiting the little girl I sponsor at the school tomorrow in Santa Maria. I enjoy visiting her family and then taking them shopping at the market. I find the whole experience interesting, as it is worlds away from the environment I live in.

Looking forward to Saturday, and some rest, relaxation and time with friends.