Guatemala Journal Entry for 6/22/01

Woke up around 6am and asked Gary what time it was; he looked at Claudio’s watch and replied 5:05, to which Claudio spoke up and said that it was 6:05 because his watch was an hour behind.

We lost the room key either this morning or last night.. not sure where it went

Devotional – Heb 10:25. Listed to a story about a German dude that left his country, went to church and experienced great spiritual grown, but returned because if he felt that if he didn’t act on his faith then it meant nothing… he went back and eventually was killed for his faith because he wouldn’t lose his love

Joked a lot after darting downstairs and before the drive over, because the roomies were searching for the key

Breakfast – beans, eggs, French toast, tortillas

Carried wood and nailed together some pieces for the bridge concrete form
Played with the kids: team freeze tag, relay races, hop scotch, hacky sack, soccer, slap hands

Lunch – pork chops, bread, rice, rice milk

Played more with the kids, then carried more wood and ended up on the roof tying rebar. Shared my story with MaeRose and Ninette, and we discussed it. Me questioned if I wanted to go to Cambodia with her. Mike asked a question that really made me think, concerning what I was going to do about this now. The rooftop experience was very personal and reflective.

Played more hacky sac with the kids and the left the build site. Kids got in trouble for touching the bus.
I spoke with the person at the desk and gave him 10 Quetzals for a new key

first person in the shower again
Went to the mall – couldn’t believe that this elegant mall was relatively in the same place (45 minutes away) from all the tin shakes people lived in. How can people spend millions of dollars on something when so many others are dying of mal-nutrition just across the street? I met Gloria’s daughter there (Valentino) and she was snobbish and very uppity. I guess I made a mistake in referencing Quatemala as a "third world country", and that set her off. I had a wonderful talk with Victoria about her life here and the similarities and differences; she has a wonderful heart and is only 21.

When we got back, we all lined up and made craft “goody” bags for the kids, in an assembly line format. I was asked to be a clown for tomorrow.

Late to bed again because I wanted to write my journal entry... G’night!

Next entry: 6/23/01
Back to Missions Trip to Guatemala