Introduction
Welcome back to
Project Humanitarian Efforts Lifting the Lives of Others (HELLO). On this
humanitarian campaign you will have the opportunity to follow our journey as we
visit 15 Mayan families living in extreme poverty in the Guatemalan mountains.
These families have been selected by our sister team of volunteers who are
native to this specific region in Guatemala. The main purpose of this trip is
to carefully evaluate all 15 families by both the Guatemalan and US teams to
ensure we are meeting the needs of the families. With each family’s consent, we
will share pictures, testimonies, and the items each family will receive in
December 2018 with the help of your donations.
You may donate and view our past humanitarian work by visiting our official website at: ProjectHello.club
You may donate and view our past humanitarian work by visiting our official website at: ProjectHello.club
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Cessation of the Body; Not the Spirit
Written by: Franco
On our way
up the mountains, less than an hour before arriving to our final destination in
Guatemala, I received a text saying a close friend had passed from cancer and
her suffering had finally come to an end. I had known about my friend’s
terminal illness for more than a year and that she had been placed in hospice a
few months ago. Still, as I embarked on this humanitarian trip to Guatemala I
secretly and selfishly hoped she would wait until I returned home.
As many people who
have experienced the expected death of a loved one often mention, “There isn’t
any one thing to prepare us for that final moment.” Such has been my experience
too. After I read the text message about my friend’s death, there was a surge
of emotions inside of me. A mixture of anger, sadness and relief swept through me.
I asked the driver
to stop at the highest point of the region we were currently in. Overlooking
the mountains and clouds, recollecting the memories my friend and I had shared,
I honored her existence and the transition into her next journey. The memory
which kept coming to mind over and over was an acronym my friend often used
during our conversations and via text: YOLO.
“YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE,”
she would often say to me, “So make the best of it, Franco.” These are the words
I’m carrying with me on this humanitarian campaign. With all of my heart and
soul I dedicate this trip to my dear friend. You will always live in my heart. Love you.
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Photographs of our ascent into the Guatemalan mountains.
Franco - Thank you for sharing about your friend who has passed. I had not had time to catch up on these October posts and, while I should be grading papers, each post propelled me to read the next and the next and the next! It must have been difficult to hear of your friend's death when you were so far from home. My sincere condolences. I am sure that she was and will continue to support you in spirit as you move forward and do this important and life altering work in Guatemala. Reading through each of the fifteen families' histories and stories this a.m., along with your incredible pictures, has transported me and I feel as I am right there with you and Olivia, Diana and Eleazar and Aldo and everyone! Perhaps someday, although physically, the altitude and ruggedness would be a challenge for me. In lieu of that - I am so grateful to be able to be linked via your blog, the website, FB page, and go fund me page.
ReplyDeleteQue todos estén protegidos mientras trabajan duro esta semana. Espero ponerme al día en persona cuando regrese a los EE. UU. ¡Mi día se ha iluminado! Mientras tanto, sepan que están todos en mi corazón y oraciones. ~Lindee