July 30 - Day 5

Hey Everyone!!

We are having a blast here in Guatemala! It's Friday night and we have done so much it feels like we've been here for a month already. For the past two days we've been learning so much about the history of Guatemala and it's people. It's so much better than a textbook because the people that are talking to us have experienced these things first hand! Yesterday we went to FAFG, which is the Forensic Anthropologist Foundation of Guatemala. We were inches away from boxes full of skeletons of people that died unjustly in the civil war, waiting to be processed. It was creepy but very interesting! We also talked about human rights in Guatemala and learned some more Espanol!

Today we went to UPAVIM (Together for a Better Life). It was a non-government organization that funded different programs to help the community in Zona 1 of Guatemala City. They have a handicraft business (which gets sent to the USA and Canada to places like Ten Thousand Villages) which helps to fund a clinic and a preschool for kids in the area. We had the opportunity to eat and play with the children there. It was the best experience, even though they repeatedly tried to pull our hair out!

One of the shy little girls preparing to enjoy some amazing Guatemalan soup!

                      Lucy (One of our CASAS hostess) posing with one of the kids

                                              Frank and his new best friends

After that we went to the house of a Priest that started a radio program about liberation theology and believes that we should try to live like the original communities of faith in combatting injustice in Guatemala and worldwide. Now we're all packing to go to Chichicastenango, which is a town two hours away from CASAS where we'll be for one night.

Basically we're having a great time and enjoying this opportunity to grow so much! Thanks for all of your continued support. We love you all!

Jenny and the Enlace Team

Day 1 and 2

Hey gringos, how's it going? So far Guatemala is absolutely gorgeous. We can see the mountains and several volcanoes from CASAS (where we're staying). It is amazing here.

July 27 was our first full day here and to start our month off with a bang we went to the cemetary and landfill. The cemetary was a little bit creepy but was a really useful way to understand the divide between the rich and the poor in Guatemala. The richest people and families had large, elaborate masoleums and those who were really poor couldn't even afford to keep their loved ones remains in the niche (a hole in the wall) for very long and there were just empty spots. The cemetary gave us our first taste of culture shock.

Then we continued on to the landfill. The landfill was also shocking and somewhat intense for us to see however, we didn't get very close to it. While at the landfill we were suprised by a group of dogs and lots of big crows. After we saw the landfill we hopped into the van. We were all struggling a little with what we had seen but, it was about to get more difficult. We arrived at the mall for a contrast tour. This really disturbed us after the landfill.

On July 28 we went to zone 1 and the ravine. The ravine is the ghetto of Guatemala city. It was weird to see the beauty of the landscape in stark contrast to the rundown houses that were all over this trecherous ravine.

In zone 1 we were treated to a fabulous lunch and went on a tour of the central palace. The central palace is enormous and very elaborate. After seeing the ravine, the palace just seemed completely unnecessary and didn't help with the culture shock either.

After the tour we went shopping in the market in zone 1, this was interesting. There were some weird encounters with the locals. The girls were whistled at several times (which Frank thought was hilarious) and Thomas was called a gringo.

Guatemala has been fabulous so far and we're learning a lot. Please remember to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Enlace team

DAY ONE

Dear Family, Friends and Followers,


After a long flight, some fun in Texas and many delays due to weather, we safely arrived in the land of eternal spring! We got here at about 10 pm Guatemala time, which is about midnight at home. That means we had 22 hours of travelling yesterday!! But we lived, and we are here!!

We woke up this morning to a beautiful veiw of mountains and palm trees. CASAS is a beautiful place!! Yes, the walls are cement... but this place has a rugged beauty.

Today we are going to see the Guatemala City Dump and a cemetary. We are also doing some orientation and some Spanish testing.

We miss home already and already have so much to tell you all!!


Love,

Emily

(for the Enlace 2010 team)

Arrived Safe and Sound!

Hello everyone!

Going to keep this short because we've all had a really long day! Just wanted to let you know that we arrived safely. There were a couple delays with the second flight, but nothing we couldn't handle. We just finished eatting and are headed to bed, eager to get a good night sleep in preperation for our 7:30am breakfast!

- Felipe

20 days until Guatemala!

Hello friends and family!

We are all counting the days until we get to wake up at 4:00am (with smiles on!) and start our great trek to the Land of Eternal Spring! This blog will be where you, our dedicated (and maybe a little worried) followers can check up on us and hear about all the amazing things we have learned and experienced! We thank you in advance for your prayers and support :) They are greatly appreciated! Here is a rough schedule of what our time will look like in Guatemala so you can anticipate when to hear from us:

July 26th – Arrive in Guatemala City
July27-Aug 1 – With CASAS in the city
Aug 2-5 With MCC in the city and at Lake Atitlan
Aug 5- 14 With MCC in San Marcos (limited to no internet access)
Aug 15-21 With MCC in El Salvador
Aug 21-23 With MCC in Guatemala City
Aug 24 Homeward bound.

Please pray with us in our anticipation and preparation to depart!

Blessings,
Hannah and Felipe (Enlace leaders)