Sunday we went 30 minutes further up the mountain to attend church in Seritquiche, where the Branch President had asked us come and work with the Primary. During Sacrament meeting we sat next to a sweet little girl, about 10 years old who shared our hymnbook with us and kept comparing her hand to mine. It touched me uniquely when at one point she lifted my hand and arm up to her face to smell my skin. Guess I must smell very different, not living in a house where the wood smoke permeates the world.
We found out when Sacrament ended that he wanted us to do all of Primary. Luckily we had prepared! There were 24 children in their primary, quite a large number for a small branch and we had a wonderful time working with them. We filled out a nametag for each child and talked about how important it is to guard the integrity of who we are, by choosing the right. They were excited by the name tags and of course singing time included Head Shoulders Knees and Toes in English which is always hilarious the faster it goes. I had one package of crayons with us and a package of notebook paper, luckily there are 24 crayons in a box! We gave them each a crayon, then every few minutes we had them change crayons with each other, saying how Choosing the Right meant sharing. They did fantastic, and then when we had each of them show what they had drawn it honestly surprised us how they just glowed as we called out their name, pointed out their work and clapped for each individually.
After the meeting we spoke with the Branch President and discussed the importance of having a Primary President and a Teacher to work with the children on a weekly basis, that is when we hit with the PROBLEM. What does a Branch do when they don't have enough people who can read to teach the classes? We go back up this Saturday for a District Training meeting with them, to work with their Relief Society and hopefully to help them address the problem. Maybe they have a few youth that have attended enough school to know how to read. Monday morning we helped the District President work on a missionary file for a young man from the same branch, the 18 year old boy has completed the equivilent of the 7th grade in the USA. Monday morning we also went to get the supply list for the 2 little boys up the mountain. We are working so hard with the Mom and Grandmother to get them started in school this year. Traditions that do not place emphasis on an education are hard to fight!
Tuesday morning we started doing Housing Inspections and working with the Elders along the way on their goals for English. Some are doing fantastic, and some we challenged to improve. We also stopped in a town called Tamahu as we came through, to see about trying to establish Missionaries there. It is a love little town surrounded by 36 Aldeas, has a beautiful central Park and concrete boulevards leading into it - which is very strange since the roads leading up to the boulevards are all dirt and gravel! The people were very friendly, everyone smiling at us, many introducing themselves to us. One lady where we ate lunch at her comedor later saw us enter the Municipal Building where we had been advised to ask about the availability of renting. While we were sitting and waiting she came in and sat by us and asked what we were doing there. When we told her she explained we didn't want to go through the Municipal, because they would charge us more -she then offered to help us find a house, I think she knows everyone in the village, took us to see one place, then introduced us to a family that has a house that might really work out well. It was neat having someone that cared and wanted to help so much. I had always liked the town when we were driving through, but walking around and having people smile and talk to us made me like it even more.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Monday, December 31, 2012
Gratitude....and a little fear
IN Senahu is a housing area called "The Colonia" to get to one part you go up a very steep concrete trail, take a right turn, go a ways further then climb straight back up on another concrete part, quite a ways above the concrete basketball court/soccer field down below. This morning we went up there to visit a couple of families. The families, once you get off the concrete path, live down another dirt trail, then the path to their homes are both small steps cut into the mud. It rained last night and misted and rained all morning, just barely stopping before we went out. The trails were slick, and we were being careful because I had strained my back last week, overdoing things. Coming back to the main trail from the first home Elder Spradlin teasingly told the little girls they needed to help him down their stairs. They then turned and helped me, down to the last stair, where we let go hands, I took a step - out went my feet and down I went. Falling is not real unusual here and I was not badly scratched. We went on to the next home and had a lovely visit. Coming back down to the main road on the top concrete trail, about three steps from the bottom of it where there is a drop off down the mountain to the soccer field - I slid, lost my footing. Elder Spradlin was in front of me and if I slid forward at all we would have both taken a tumble. Behind me was the concrete, the rim of the step I had just come down, I ended up with a slide step to the side trying not to run into Harold. On the side where my foot landed, was just pure slick mud. I was grateful for the Angels that were watching over us and stopped my feet.
I feel very grateful for the protection we have had throughout the last year as we have traveled this beautiful land. I have always had a fear of heights and am grateful that has not limited our work. Tomorrow evening we have an appointment right back up at those homes and I can truthfully say that I am feeling fear and will have to use a lot of prayer to get past it. I do have rubber boots, was not wearing them today because it wasn't still raining and they are heavy. Tomorrow I will wear them and pray for better traction.
My younger brother sent small presents to hand out to the children for Christmas and they did not come in till Saturday so we are getting to have an extended Christmas as we share his and his family's love with our sweet children here in Guatemala. We ask the children to sing for us, telling them of my brother and his family who have sent the gifts. Each time so far we have heard, "I am a Child of God" sung with great faith by pure voices.
I feel very grateful for the protection we have had throughout the last year as we have traveled this beautiful land. I have always had a fear of heights and am grateful that has not limited our work. Tomorrow evening we have an appointment right back up at those homes and I can truthfully say that I am feeling fear and will have to use a lot of prayer to get past it. I do have rubber boots, was not wearing them today because it wasn't still raining and they are heavy. Tomorrow I will wear them and pray for better traction.
My younger brother sent small presents to hand out to the children for Christmas and they did not come in till Saturday so we are getting to have an extended Christmas as we share his and his family's love with our sweet children here in Guatemala. We ask the children to sing for us, telling them of my brother and his family who have sent the gifts. Each time so far we have heard, "I am a Child of God" sung with great faith by pure voices.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Missionary Christmas!
What a wonderful whirlwind of days here in Senahu and Seamay! Sunday with Church, visiting a couple of familys and showing the Christmas video, then helping with music in the afternoon. Monday morning early I got up and went looking for yeast to make my cinnamon rolls, asked at one of the bakeries where we normally buy bread, and they said they didn't have any. (that did seem a little strange!) Went on up to Corina's to help with her tamales and we worked a little on them, I left to go back looking for yeast. I stopped by Rosie's family's bread store and asked where to get it. Her mom said, "oh if you had called this morning I could have brought you some down!" That means her two little ones went with me up to where they bake the bread, and I definitely mean up another mountain! Whew! Afterwards took them back to the tienda and got to tend Rosie for a little bit while her mother tried to catch up with all of the customers she had walking in. Walking back home through the market I had my little penguins to hand out to kids, so much fun to watch the smiles. One of our other dear sisters in the market stopped me to give me tamales for Christmas.
When I got home we decided to get the benches and blankets up the mountain to our family because the nights have been cold. We asked our neighbor boys to help carry stuff up and up we hiked. Elder Spradlin started off with one bench over his back and head and the neighbor teenager with the other. Part way up Elder Spradlin mentioned he hoped he didn't have a heart attack over this. That point being taken, I stayed with the bench he was carrying and he went up helping with the other the rest of the way. The family then sent their children down to help carry the other bench up, and the rest of the blankets I was carrying. This is pretty straight up a dirt trail, and they live at the top of it, not exactly an easy hike without a load!
We then put together a small Christmas for another family with things we had collected, school supplies, colors, a ball, a dress, a jump rope, a couple of pillows and a small nativity. and got to take it to them. Since it was Christmas we gave out candy, pencils, stickers, pony tail holders and penguins throughout the day to a lot of the little kids - and a few adults. Each family we visited got a bag full of cookies I had made. It was so much fun! Normally here we don't give out things to people, because then it becomes very difficult with them asking for things, since this is such a poor community. One of the hardest things for us sometimes is knowing that we can only help fill a few needs for some of the people, when there are so many with very great need. But this was Christmas!
In the afternoon we were scheduled to go meet with one family in Seamay and go with them to their Brother to show our Christmas video to everyone. We are able to show it to everyone on the computer, so since it is battery charged we can do it without electricity, plus we have a good set of speakers. We got to the first family and had to stop for tamales they had made, then went to the next family and after the video were served more tamales. These are not little like stateside, Elder Spradlin guesses they weigh in at almost a pound each. Luckily we had a lot of walking to do afterwards.
Christmas Eve we helped with the music for a Branch Christmas Party, after that back to Corina's to eat one of the tamales we had made that morning. They then went with us to show another home to us that had invited us over, it was about 9:30 or 10 almost, but on Christmas Eve everyone stays up till at least Midnight. Luckily the last family offered us the tamales in such a way that we could politely say no, just leave our cookies and visit for a few minutes. Walking back home again we got home about 11:00 or 11:30 so stayed up to watch the Midnight fireworks, everyone was out celebrating so staying up was the easiest option!
Christmas Day I got up at 5am to make cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate for the Elders. They were supposed to be here at 8am, but ran late. Funny was when two older brothers, one freom the bakery that had given me the yeast, showed up at the door and told us they were here to eat the bread we had made. We invited them in, fed them and heard their amazing stories.
The brother said that when the missionaries first came to the Senahu area about 34 years ago he had seen and heard about them. He decided he wanted to hear what they had to say, so went looking for them on the streets. He went out to find them two days in a row, each time though he got nervous and went back home. His wife asked him why he hadn't found them yet, so on the third day he found them and asked them to come teach him and his family. At the time there was no bakery here, no white bread. One of the Elders, whose mom had a bakery stateside, taught him how to bake, and later another Elder taught him more recipes. His bakery has done well, and supported him, his family and his sons going on missions.
The Elders showed up for their cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate and we really enjoyed having them, after they left we prepared our chili dinner for the family up the hill. It was so great having them in our home! I had written the youngest two's names on plastic chairs we had gotten for each of the two smallest, when they realized their names were on the chairs and they went to sit down in them with such excitement!
When they had left and we cleared off the table Natalie skyped us so we left the floor for later and came in to visit with her and Justin. I went back out into the Dining room and a chicken had come in and was walking around eating the scraps off the floor! It was so funny!
One more visit to a lovely family in Seamay, of course with more tamales, and the end to an amazing day by talking with more of the kids over the internet.
When I got home we decided to get the benches and blankets up the mountain to our family because the nights have been cold. We asked our neighbor boys to help carry stuff up and up we hiked. Elder Spradlin started off with one bench over his back and head and the neighbor teenager with the other. Part way up Elder Spradlin mentioned he hoped he didn't have a heart attack over this. That point being taken, I stayed with the bench he was carrying and he went up helping with the other the rest of the way. The family then sent their children down to help carry the other bench up, and the rest of the blankets I was carrying. This is pretty straight up a dirt trail, and they live at the top of it, not exactly an easy hike without a load!
We then put together a small Christmas for another family with things we had collected, school supplies, colors, a ball, a dress, a jump rope, a couple of pillows and a small nativity. and got to take it to them. Since it was Christmas we gave out candy, pencils, stickers, pony tail holders and penguins throughout the day to a lot of the little kids - and a few adults. Each family we visited got a bag full of cookies I had made. It was so much fun! Normally here we don't give out things to people, because then it becomes very difficult with them asking for things, since this is such a poor community. One of the hardest things for us sometimes is knowing that we can only help fill a few needs for some of the people, when there are so many with very great need. But this was Christmas!
In the afternoon we were scheduled to go meet with one family in Seamay and go with them to their Brother to show our Christmas video to everyone. We are able to show it to everyone on the computer, so since it is battery charged we can do it without electricity, plus we have a good set of speakers. We got to the first family and had to stop for tamales they had made, then went to the next family and after the video were served more tamales. These are not little like stateside, Elder Spradlin guesses they weigh in at almost a pound each. Luckily we had a lot of walking to do afterwards.
Christmas Eve we helped with the music for a Branch Christmas Party, after that back to Corina's to eat one of the tamales we had made that morning. They then went with us to show another home to us that had invited us over, it was about 9:30 or 10 almost, but on Christmas Eve everyone stays up till at least Midnight. Luckily the last family offered us the tamales in such a way that we could politely say no, just leave our cookies and visit for a few minutes. Walking back home again we got home about 11:00 or 11:30 so stayed up to watch the Midnight fireworks, everyone was out celebrating so staying up was the easiest option!
Christmas Day I got up at 5am to make cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate for the Elders. They were supposed to be here at 8am, but ran late. Funny was when two older brothers, one freom the bakery that had given me the yeast, showed up at the door and told us they were here to eat the bread we had made. We invited them in, fed them and heard their amazing stories.
The brother said that when the missionaries first came to the Senahu area about 34 years ago he had seen and heard about them. He decided he wanted to hear what they had to say, so went looking for them on the streets. He went out to find them two days in a row, each time though he got nervous and went back home. His wife asked him why he hadn't found them yet, so on the third day he found them and asked them to come teach him and his family. At the time there was no bakery here, no white bread. One of the Elders, whose mom had a bakery stateside, taught him how to bake, and later another Elder taught him more recipes. His bakery has done well, and supported him, his family and his sons going on missions.
The Elders showed up for their cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate and we really enjoyed having them, after they left we prepared our chili dinner for the family up the hill. It was so great having them in our home! I had written the youngest two's names on plastic chairs we had gotten for each of the two smallest, when they realized their names were on the chairs and they went to sit down in them with such excitement!
When they had left and we cleared off the table Natalie skyped us so we left the floor for later and came in to visit with her and Justin. I went back out into the Dining room and a chicken had come in and was walking around eating the scraps off the floor! It was so funny!
One more visit to a lovely family in Seamay, of course with more tamales, and the end to an amazing day by talking with more of the kids over the internet.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)