Meeting the Families

Our first full day here in Guatemala has brought a chance to meet new people as well as reconnect with previous friends and connections.  Our day started with church services at La Resureccion Lutheran Church (in Spanish, of course!).  After, we were able to meet with the families that will receive the homes we are building this week and enjoy lunch with them.  Each family has 4 children and are eager to move into their new homes!  After lunch, the group toured the new building sites and spent some more time getting to know the families.  The highlight for many of the group members who were on last year's trip was visiting with families who had received homes on the last mission trip.  Rosa, who can be seen in the picture greeting Bruce and also standing proudly by her stove, literally ran down the hill to hug Gayle upon seeing our arrival! She was proud to show us all the improvements she and her family had made to her home including an awning over her stove, a new chicken coop, fruit trees, and vegetable plants.  She greeted each of us (even the newbies) with warmth and enthusiasm and asked after the group members who were unable to come this year.  It was a wonderful reminder of why we are here and how great an impact our work can make.  We spent time after dinner reflecting upon God's work in our lives and how blessed we truly are. Tomorrow brings the first full day of work and promises to be challenging both physically and spiritually! We think we're ready!

Photos:
Two are of Rosa, a recipient of a home last year showing off her stove and greeting the group.
The other is a child whose family will be receiving a house this year.  He was excited to have a bottle of water - sometimes it's the little things that can mean the most!


~Kristy