Day 1: The Growth Edge

Olivia: I'm so happy to be back in Sibinal. It feels like that warm, content sigh you let out when you've reached the home of a friend you haven't seen in a long time. As we made our way up the mountain, I couldn't help but think of a teeter-totter. My emotions would tip back and forth between excitement and longing for the familiarity of Sibinal and the nervous anxiety that comes along with the unknown of new adventures, new projects, and new people.

 

I think that teetering sensation between fear and excitment signifies that I'm at my growth edge, that point where I step out of my comfort zone towards something that's going to grow and stretch me into a different - hopefully  better - version of Olivia.

Despite the comforting feeling of familiarity, this trip is already significantly different from the time before. We have a different crew made up of more incredibly different, skilled, kind, funny, and generous people.

We have different weather e.g. winter in Sibinal = cold, rain, rain, fog, and more rain compared to the warm afternoons and cool evenings of December. We have a different itinerary, filled with different families to meet. I'm thankful for these differences, though, because they encourage growth.

Growth has definitely been a recurring pattern I've noticed since returning to Guatemala. For instance, our Guatemalan teammates have expanded their team by more than double - which is really exciting. There's something very powerful about seeing a group of ordinary yet motivated people giving of themselves to improve the lives of their community members.

 

 

 

I also saw growth in the families we visited today. The teams had the opportunity to visit two families who benefited from Project Genesis II in December. One of which was Doña Estela. There was was so much literal growth in the form of beautifully green corn fields swaddling their new home and outdoor kitchen where only cleared ground was before. It went from being a partially constructed shell of building into a tidy and flourishing home. The transformation was truly incredible!

Growth is definitely in the air here in Guatemala; I'm excited see what other transformations are in store for our team, our projects, and the families we serve. Thanks again for following us on this next journey.

 

 

 

 

 

Emily: Today was the first day that we formally combined the new and old members of Project Hello and Generación Magnificat.  What I find interesting is that last year we held our meetings in people's bedrooms and now we have filled a whole meeting room! There was approximately 20-25 people in the room! ai bueno! It was great to meet  the new members, especially the local contractor named Eduardo. We were side by side most of the time and he was just so easy to talk to! I admire the work that he does.

 

 It was also super fun to see the old members again. During the meeting, Fely kept gesturing something to me--we both laughed, but to be honest I had no clue what we were laughing about. Later, she told me she was referencing the "Mannequin Challenge" that we did last year. Fun times!

We then headed up to Doña Estella's home and boy---was it it different! The flat land now consists of maize fields, a home, and numerous animals. This was an amazement to see a project from start to finish and the growth that it has had.  

 

 

 

We climbed the mountain to visit Don Joel next. His wife was home and she is doing well, we provided a stove and cement floors. What really makes my heart happy is when Pedro asked "Is there anything else that you need?", she replies "no--I have everything that I could ask for". The team members looked around the room and notice that she needs a more stable wall--I personally challenged myself to live and be happy like her. We take granted for so many things, when there are families who have the bare minimum and are content. That moment will stay in my heart. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then had lunch with a group of women from Canton Tojpac who started an embroidery group. In their homes, they had made a loom from scratch! There are six that were made total and seeing the craft in it was amazing! They asked us if we can help them sell their products because most of their market lives in extreme poverty. 

They also empower women in education because all the women who are in the group has had no education. "Just because you don't receive an education, doesn't mean that you're not smart". I also felt comfortable with this group because I can finally apply my knowledge of business. Sometimes I feel out of place because  I am not a social work major but here, i'm happy and excited to dig deeper and help the women.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch, we had two more families to go but it was pouring. The whole team was wet and it was a tough climb to reach the first two homes, so we decided to cancel the last two. Jasen rode in the back of the truck while it was pouring and he is a trooper! But i'm glad someone else likes to ride in the back of trucks like me!!! 

I rode back with Eduardo in a Tuk-Tuk and we talked more about climate change. He said where he works (4hrs away by car), it is way hotter there... I told him I was jealous because being damp for the last 3 hours sucked! 

Well, tomorrow is a new day and hopefully is doesn't rain so much. Thanks for following us and nos vemos!