Bienvenidos and thank you for visiting our site. Here you'll find the journal of our Guatemalan adventure -- 17 perspectives on one journey. You can also check out some of the many, many photographs we took.
Our team is flying from all over the I took a midnight flight from
Wow! Walking into the airport I felt like a movie star- the lines of people starring at us (some lights & cameras would have made it complete). I am so excited to be back in
American Flight 983:
Shortly after landing in
The wave of blue shirts welcoming each other with open minds & hearts. Each of us coming for some of the same reasons & some different but all anxious & excited. I am thrilled to be part of this group & looking very forward to getting to know everyone.
We’re enjoying dinner at the Hostel del Centro in Jutiapa, our new home away from home. It was a long day, beginning at
Waking up in
Meeting the families I was amazed at what they have to go through to survive. One of the couples hardly gets to see each other because they take turns doing 12 hr shifts at the hospital! During most of the introduction to Jutiapa I played with Ashley, the daughter of the other family. In doing this I also got to talk to the mom. I truly admire her for her aspirations of wanting to go to college in a few years while working and raising Ashley, who’s only 7months right now!
The team of volunteers are so interesting & diverse, a testament to how full they live life. Everyone is so genuine in their excitement to be here. The families are hard working & seem very worth candidates of a home. I am excited to get started on Monday seeing their dreams come true. Thank your to our organized & generous guides- David, Dena and Sylvia.
Excuse my penmanship; my best class in dental school was how to write sloppy. Seriously, I am loving all the people and personalities on the group. Looking forward to talking more with the families we’re working with.
Wow, wow, wow! What a fantastic group of people! Its day one of the build and I can already tell that no one is a stranger to hard work. From digging ditches, to handling concrete to breaking up rocks with a pick axe. One of the main reasons I came on this trip was to meet some wonderful people. I have no been disappointed. I am so proud and honored to be with you all on this build…and this is day 3…
Today was our first day on the site. My first impression was that we are truly in the middle of nowhere and starting this project form scratch. The highlight of the day was interacting with the children. I wish I knew more than just a few Spanish words, but even my broken conversations, gestures, and translated words with the kids were a true joy..
Today the work was hard but fulfilling. We dug, lifted, missed and wore ourselves out. Thanks to Advil we can start all over fresh tomorrow.
Lost of fun but hard work today. I will not forget Dena’s quote to Sam right after his near catastrophe falling into the ditch with a bucked of concrete” “You were the kid with the rings around his neck”
I love this country. I feel like I’m home, a more tropical home, but home none the less.
Today was almost overwhelming. We got to the worksite and the ditches were hardly dug for the foundation. We started off having to remove the muddy water from the rain the night before, then dig many 4in deep squares which proved much more difficult than it looked because of the rocky terrain and the extremely sticky mud. I thought this alone would take all day! However, after lunch we started putting re-bar into the ditches and by the time we left we had mixed and poured a little concrete into the foundation. I left completely satisfied that that kind of hard work and heavy lifting we did today isn’t the kind of you can ever get at the gym because it was full of heart, soul, & purpose.
Taking a glimpse at our worksite this morning I thought- here we are in a cornfield! Then when we ate lunch in the patio & the chickens came to visit us, I really thought there is no division between outside and inside, and it felt really good.
Today I fell in love with the people of 
Although a lion’s share of the work fell at first to our amazing team of men- Mark, Sam & Chris. I was so moved by the strong women we have- it is still a wonder to me so much was accomplished today. I am also so excited that everyone is jumping right in with Spanish- we are all learning new words all the time.
Telenovela Section
Episode One
What an amazing day! Who would’ve imagined, as we were knee-deep in mud, that a love was blossoming from afar. It was love at first site for Wilmer, a 17-year—old at our worksite, when he spotted Carley. Within the first few hours he has already told me that she was the one he was going to marry. He knew she was the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen, he had the ring; all he had left to do was learn her name, a task that took almost all day. I will say that I was having quite a bit of fun myself playing matchmaker for the two, through I’m not sure how married life would be considering that he forbids her to work and wants her to stay at home- unless she threatens to leave him. If what he says is true though, he’ll do pretty much anything she asks. He was really shy about talking to Carley, but I harassed him all day to talk to her- without communication who else would a marriage work? He would always tell me that he didn’t want to talk to her because she didn’t understand, but it was really him that didn’t understand when she spoke to him in Spanish. Despite the language difference, he tried his hardest to learn English for her like key phrases such as “Kiss” and “my love”. Though his English was limited they did share a few tender moments in which words were unnecessary. He followed her around all day, mixed cement at her side, and helped her carry a bucket of concrete to be poured. Other times, he enjoyed watching her hard at work while reclining on the rock pile in the shade (despite the fact that he wanted her to stay at home while he worded). His rest was only broken when Carley posed for a photo with Christ and put her arm around him. He knew right away that they must be dating; why else would she have put her arm around him? After learning from several reliable sources, including Christ himself, he realized that Carley was still available and his broken heart mended. With newfound conviction, he stepped up his game, chatting quietly with her alone by the fence and asking for her phone number at the end of the day. It’s a wonder this feat to so much courage considering that earlier in the day, he asked Carley for a kiss. “Maybe Thursday” replied Carley “you have need to know more besides my name and that I’m pretty.” Reminding him that time was of the essence he only had a week to win her heart, I urged him to take advantage of his opportunities with her. He decided to take his chance and prove his love by choosing to be with her over going to school. While he was cutting class, he attempted to impress her and prove his masculinity by sitting on Isidro’s motorcycle for long amounts of time. Will he impress her tomorrow? Will he remember her name? Will he get his kiss? Find out next time on Amor Sin Fronteras, the story of Carley and Wilmer.
The day started out with a perfect scene- David running after our van. No, our driver wouldn’t stop for him, so Valerie yells- go back- and we drive the loop and go back to join him at the hotel. Then we got on our way to work as a complete team.
Amor Sin Fronteras, Part II
Today was a day of high hopes and heartaches for Wilmer. Dressed in one of his finest shirts, he was anxiously awaiting Carley’s arrival when we pulled up to the worksite. Not reading any encouragement, he greeted her and begun his pursuit anew. Much to our disappointment, however, he left shortly afterward to work, eagerly learning in order to prepare for his life that waited in Carley. Once he returned and was reunited with his love, Wilmer tried once again to win her heart, first by a subtle blown kiss and later by longingly gazing at her of a romantic lunch of PB &J with a side of Guatemalan Fritos. Again he didn’t want to go to school, as it would tear them apart for several agonizing hours, but he went at Carley’s request, aiming to please her in any and all ways. Returning in a new crisp white shirt with the few English phrases Mark had taught him “Carley is Beautiful” and “My name is Wilmer”, he was ready once again to prove his devotion to Carley. However he realized in a quite and earth shattering moment that his devotion was not reciprocated by Carley. There she was on the far side of the house completely enthralled in conversation with Isidro. With his broken heart reflecting in his sad, brown eyes, he walked dejectedly back to the rock pile, as Carley had clearly chosen Isidro over him. As he sat on a rock, head buried in his hands, paining for his lost love, he confessed to me that he wouldn’t be returning for Carley the following day. After all he had only come to see her, but what was the point if she didn’t want to see him? He stepped aside to let her be with Isidro. Putting her happiness before his own, he made the great sacrifice in the name of love. Will he win her love t
omorrow? Will he even return to fight for her? What will his future be without Carley by his side? Find out tomorrow on Amor Sin Fronteras.
If you wake up at 5am and need something to do, check out our roof. The building blocks the sun so you can’t actually see the sun ride. But the sky looks amazing, and it’s so quiet that all you can hear are crickets, roosters and the occasional firecracker.
Post Script: Tomorrow is Pattie’s birthday!
Today David’s team visited the local school. The children were a bid shy, but warmed up during our visit. We brought them some supplies: notebooks, colored pencils, rulers, paper and some posters. We gave them to the grateful teacher who shared them with the kids. We colored some pages from a coloring book, the kids were so eager to please us and were so happy to give us their completed pictures. The kids only go to school for ½ day and only 3 days per week. Education isn’t as valued in
This team is incredible! Everyone has worked so hard the past 3 days, I am so impressed and so happy to be a part of this! Today the weather was a little cooler, which was nice. I think our masons are getting more comfortable with us, they have started joking and laughing with us. Here’s to 2 more days of great work and may more happy memories!
~Felize Cumpleanos a Patanator!~
We celebrated Patties Bday yesterday at the karaoke bar. It was fun, but I’m feeling it right now- we went to bed at 10pm! To late for an early morning of starting work. We’ll manage…
It’s my birthday! The three things I wished for came true: and adventure by myself with meaning. The added bonus was being surrounded by fascinating wonderful people. Last night at the local restaurant I was serenaded by the local Karaoke singers: the restaurant staff & the Habitat Choir. Nora sang a solo that translated to “you are a cheating butterfly, “ Erica was singing and translating “Hotel California”. We finished with a slice of coconut birthday cake with candles. It a fine birthday.
I am starting to feel more and more at home at our site. Three things stood out yesterday. First, we are now experts at creating rebar – 20 feet in less than four minutes. Not bad for a bunch of Gringos. Second, Narim has warmed up to us a lot. It is clear that he will be talking about the crazy Americans he managed for a long time to come. Third, I played with Renaldo, a 3-year-old nephew of our family for quite a while. It is striking how happy and content the children around us are with very little material wealth.
Today was a great day. I truly felt part of our community today. We worked really hard today and it was seamless. We finally knew how to do most tasks and could anticipate what came next. We celebrated with the family at the end of the day, their gratitude for our time and friendship was genuine and plentiful. We felt grateful for their open minds and hearts. I can’t believes the week is over it has gone so quickly. I am so happy with my experience and it has exceeded my expectations. The team members are so neat and interesting I just can’t say enough. Till tomorrow.
Another incredible day in Jutiapa! This has been such an unbelievable experience, and while I am excited for our time in 
