Hi. Two days ago I spent about 25 minutes writing a message and when I sent it the computer lost internet. It has been harder to get access to the internet this time around so you may not get nearly as much email from me this year. We have had rain most afternoons and the internet goes in and out when the weather is like that.
Our group arrived on the 12th of May after a long day of traveling by plane and bus. I immediately felt at ease due to the familiarity of being here last year. Our team is working on two houses. One is in town and the other is about a 15 minute bus ride away. Both houses are in the beginning stages and we have done a lot of digging, concrete mixing (by hand), sand and gravel hauling, and punching holes in cinderblocks. Our work day starts with breakfast at 6 30 am and then to the work sites at 7. We start early to beat some of the heat. It gets very hot and sunny during the day and then most afternoons around 4 it has been thunder storming. We have all been tired by the end of the day and some are dealing with minor blisters and soreness.
The team in town goes to the restaurant (Angellos) for lunch and those at the out of town site have the lunch delivered to them. This is different than in the U.S. Here the owner of Angellos and his wife drive the food to the trail that goes to the house. Then they haul it by hand the half mile up the trail and up the mountain to the home site. They are huffing and puffing by the time they arrive. Today´s lunch was beans in a beef sauce with chunks of beef (like stew beef). To add to it we were given white rice with corn and home made tortillas. It was delicious!
Our team of students has become very close. In fact they are currently playing cards and laughing loudly. Each of them has been pushed out of their comfort zone in one way or another. They are experiencing good growth as am I.
Tomorrow (Saturday) we are working a half of a day (which is actually 3/4 a day since we start so early). Then we have time to hike to the top of a mountain with Mayan temple ruins and to visit a museum in town that is about the civil war that was here about 15 years ago. Sunday we go to Bio Topo Quatzal which is a National park. It is about 2 hours from here. Monday we return to work. It is hard to believe we only have 6 days left.
The people in town and everywhere have been very nice. We are stared at everywhere we go because we stick out like a sore thumb. People greet us with Buenos Dias and Hola and other greetings just as we do back to them. We do our best to communicate as some of us have great Spanish speaking ability and others not so good.
The town of Rabinal itself is very rural. It is build in a system of squares. There is a very large Catholic cathedral in the middle of the square right were the market is. The Cathedral is large but in poor repair. Everything is dirty. There is trash all over the street edges. This is due to poverty here and not much of a trash removal service. The people though are not dirty or filthy in anyway.
Last night we went to look for Ingrid, a woman whose family we built for last year. We had already looked for her twice with no luck. She runs a Taco Al Pastor stand in the market. Jennifer and she became close last time and they have exchanged letters. She was there last night and she and Jennifer were reunited and enjoyed visiting as Ingrid worked. Some of us sampled the tacos (which are nothing like what we call tacos) and they were delicious.
Well, there is much more I could tell you but it is late and we need to get up at 5:30 am. If I can write again I will. Thank you all who have supported us in prayer and financially. You are changing lives (ours and others) even if you are not here with us. We have all been blessed.
The Wesley Foundation
