Shannen's After Thoughts.

Happy Wednesday everyone! I am not even sure how one is suppose to know the words to describe how my spring break was.. so I will just say some of the words that come to mind.

Guatemala is beyond beautiful. Life there is just simple. Life is hard, but so simple and filled with much faith. The transition from being on a mission trip in Guatemala and coming back home is difficult.. but for me I headed from Guatemala straight back to college. Where people constantly are saying they are "poor" and that they need this and need that -- I'm not saying that is never me, because we are all guilty of being greedy at times. But it is hard trying to get back into the college life schedule.

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME. ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD. 

I don't understand how there is so much poverty in the world, and probably never will. If I could do anything in the world, it would be to help every single people in the world. Who's with me?

My relationship with God has strengthen tremendously during my time in Guatemala and I pray this continues. He has blessed with a absolutely wonderful family and friends. As I was in Guate I met so many children, adults and elders. And every time I saw them all I could think of was, "What if I was born here? What if I was this person?" Take a moment to think about that. 

The people of Guatemala that I helped are very poor and they look at us as rich. But because of this trip, I have realized those "poor people" that everyone labels are the richest people inside; especially because of their faith in God, though they have many struggles.

 

"Be the change you wish to see in the world"

Take a moment to be thankful. To be thankful for the clean water you drank today, for the food that you probably tossed away today, for the closet full of clothes that was hard to decide what to wear today, for the bed you have to sleep in, for the job you have whether you enjoy it or not... be thankful for every single thing in life. 

 Spending my spring break helping people in poverty was thee best decision of my life -- it was not easy by all means but it was well worth it. (A HUGE thank you to Jeremy and Andrea Gibbs) As everyone of us that went on this trip can say also I'm sure, this trip was life changing. But it is not over... honestly I will take those ten days with me wherever I go throughout my life.

God blessed me with many new friendships and two great new "brothers," PJ Anderson and Jimmy Mitchell... you both are such great role models. Thank you to all of you who read our blog and prayed for us. The prayers are truly appreciated. If you have even the slightest interest in going on a mission trip, do it.

  Don't forget to say your prayers before bed tonight, because God is good  :)

-Shannen Dietz

Steph's After Thoughts

Living in the country we do, we tend to take for granted everything God has blessed us with thinking we're entitled to have things we don't need. The little world we're living in is ruled by material possessions and power defined by social status. But the world God created for us is MUCH bigger than the little world we're living in, and traveling to Guatemala has awaken me to this fact. Some teenagers complain that they need a nicer car, and some parents complain about a few bad days in the office because we all tend to think that we deserve more. But the kids in Guatemala are working in the market for 10 hours a day, and their parents are waking up at 4 am each day to go to work so they can barely get by supporting their families. How do they react to this? They praise God. They work hard every day never asking "Why me?" They thank God for everything they do have, instead of asking for the things they don't. When they do ask God for something, it's not for an iPad or an expensive vacation, it's for the health of their family or education for their children. Traveling to Guatemala was a beautiful opportunity for me to not be distracted by the material possessions, drama, and entitlement that often rules our lives. God's grace was able to slow down the world around me just long enough for me to discover the complete beauty in the Earth he made for us and the love for Him and His people. I can only hope we were able to make a difference in the lives of people in Guatemala (especially at the school we helped to fix), but what I do know for sure, is that they changed my life forever. And I hope I get a chance to experience the simple love for life in Guatemala again in the future.
-Stephany

Hallie's Final Thoughts

Hallie's Final Thoughts

Towards the end of the trip Andrea posed this question to us: How are you going to explain this trip to people when they ask? You only have a minute or two of that person's attention before they move on - certainly not enough time to explain an expedition like this! 

Honestly, I haven't found the perfect answer yet.

It's instinctual to reply with, "It was amazing!" or "It was so much fun!" But those statements are so meaningless compared to what I experienced in Guatemala.

First of all, my relationship with God has been strengthened x1000000. We got to participate in praise and worship every night through music, my favorite form of prayer. PJ Anderson is a wonderful musician and I feel very fortunate to have been able to meet him and sing with him (even getting to hear exclusive, unreleased music!). I saw God every single day in the people I met - both Guatemalan natives and mission participants. Jorge, a shop owner in San Lucas, was not satisfied when all of his handmade skirts were too short for me. So, he had me choose a fabric and told me to come back the following day at 3:00; sure enough, he had sewn a beautiful skirt overnight that was custom-made just for my long legs. As he called me his "amiga" and hugged me goodbye, I was moved beyond words by his kindness.

I took this picture on the top of the Pacaya Volcano. The view was truly awe-inspiring - never have I seen anything like it! Things like this undoubtedly prove God's existence.

Throughout this trip I have realized the obsessive materialism that dominates our country. We encountered a Guatemalan family at the top of a mountain hike, and when I took out a container of bubbles, the children were immediately absorbed in the popping game, laughing with pure joy the entire time. It's startling to think that in America, children find this type of joy from iPads and cell phones. Everything is so much simpler down there. I met a girl in San Lucas one day and she pulled out a deck of cards, starting a game of Memory with me. The cards were covered with dirt, some ripped and some missing. Here, those cards would be considered trash, but those cards are probably some of the girl's only possessions. Despite the poverty, these are some of the happiest people I have ever met.

With great leaders like Andrea, Ann, PJ, and Jimmy and an amazing all-girls travel group, this trip has turned into one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life. There were many times where I was out of my comfort zone and there were definitely some challenging moments, but if I had the chance I would go back to Guatemala in a heartbeat.

All I can say for now is that my Guatemala Mission Trip experience has been simply indescribable.

Hallie O'Neill

Maggee's After Thoughts

      After being in the beautiful country of Guatemala for one week, I realized the true beauty of our earth and the people inhabiting it. Every view I saw, whether I was looking out from the top of a mountain or down the street in San Lucas, was breathtaking. The seven days God took to create this amazing world for us were days well spent. Seeing the mountains, volcanoes, and everything else in Guatemala reminded me how much our Lord loves and cares for us. If he can create a world as beautiful as ours, he can do anything.
      God's presence and strength was not just seen in the land surrounding us, but in every person I met. Despite having nothing in the eyes of Americans, the Guatemalans have everything. They are the happiest people I have ever met. Every person I came into contact with said buenos to us, smiled, and showed their appreciation for our presence. While taking a walk with Hallie one afternoon, a young boy was working at his father's store. He did not appear to be annoyed that he had to spend his afternoon selling clothes. He showed us a shirt he had embroidered after learning from his mom. He was so proud of his work and ecstatic to show it off to us. Talking to him made me realize how beautiful life his if one just takes what he is given and makes the most of it.
      Not only were the Guatemalan's beautiful people, but so were all of the people who took this life-changing journey with me. From Q&A in the van with Jimmy to joking around at meals, every moment I spent with them was amazing. Every single person taught me so much about how to live my life, deepen my faith, and strengthen my relationship with our Lord. I am truly blessed to have been able to experience this adventure with such and amazing group of girls and insightful leaders.
      Thank you to everyone who supported me, prayed for me, and sent donations with me for the mission. I will never forget this trip and the people I was with.

Maggee Becker

Emma Z After Thoughts

"The life without Me isn't life" 

As I rode the plane home yesterday night and ate a four dollar bag of whoppers candy, it really struck me for the first time of the whole trip how lucky and blessed I am. If you can afford to travel somewhere on an airplane and buy food at an airport, you are one of the most blessed people in the world. The people in San Lucas, or San Andres, or Panajchel, or Santa Cruz (where the photo above was taken) may never leave their country, or go to college, or have a big beautiful home, but somehow, unfathomably, their lives are fulfilled. One day while we were hauling buckets of cement, a chaperone from another school was talking to a group of little boys hanging around. He told them that we had come here to serve them and learn about their culture- to learn about what life is all about in Guatemala. So then he asked, "What is life in Guatemala all about?" A little boy answered him, feliz. Happy.
How could someone with so little say that their life was happy? It's incomprehensible to someone with everything. He doesn't have material things, he doesn't have money... so could it possibly be that God is enough for him? People said it and said it and said it but it took me until the plane ride home to understand that most of the people in San Lucas have nothing. God is their everything and all that they need.
As Americans I know we like to think that we're progressive and innovative, and the rest of the world just follows our lead. But... maybe we should look down from our pedestal and take a page out of Guatemala's book, and learn (try to learn) to accept the fact that things don't make us happy, things don't fulfill us, things don't bless us, things don't love us, things don't matter... but God does. A life without God isn't life.
I feel SO blessed to have gone on this trip, and I'm especially thankful to God, my parents, and the people that sponsored my trip.
Thanks to all, peace and blessings,

Emma Zvanovec

Random pics

Here are some pictures that sum up our 10 days! 

Donations: thanks to all who donated. We stocked the shelves in the donation room totally full for the time being. Katie and the other long term volunteers will distribute the items as needed to the families of San Lucas in the weeks after our departure. 

Adventures on top of the church :) So when the gate is unlocked, you are sure to find someone who has snuck up those scary narrow steps for a few moments of quiet to take in the view of town and the lake. This is the most peaceful place to be in all of San Lucas! 

We loved traveling by boat ride. The lake was breathtakingly beautiful for our rides to Santiago, Pana, and Santa Cruz. 

We miss you already Brady!

PJ's travel size guitar came with us everywhere! 

We loved our visits up to the smaller communities surrounding San Lucas. Sometimes for sponsorship visits through CFCA and sometimes for daily Mass. Either way we were blessed to meet some amazing people. 

Panajachel was again a highlight for many of us. The hospitality from Divine Mercy's sister parish (St Francis of Assisi) was profound. Fr Victorino was so sweet and generous and we are very grateful for our day with him. 

Freash fruit for the whole group while Emma translated my list of questions for me to the two padres. 

Notice the statue of St Francis below. A real bird is resting on his hand!

The printed out google earth photos of lake Atitlan showing the parishes under the leadership of Fr Victorino and his two associate priests. 

Egg cartons used on classroom walls to help with noise control. 

Later today we will have some of the kids update the blog about our Volcano camping experience and day in Antigua. Off to breakfast now before our drivers arrive at 8:30am to take us back to Guatemala City for our flight home. 

Jesus, Mary and Joseph pray for us. 

Andrea

Thursday work day update!

On Thursday while a group went to Panajachel, the rest of the group stayed in San Lucas Toliman and worked! We finished off the school's floor, which needed to be redone.  Our work consisted of filling gallon buckets with chunks of old concrete and rocks from the ground, passing them down the bucket brigade line and dumping them out. Then new cement was created and layed down. The children were in school in other rooms at this time.. Well they were supposed to be. But with quite a bit of commotion going on because of us, they weren't that interested in school that day.  (Sorry to the teachers!)  

(Insert by Ms. Christy here...Actually, they were learning, just not what the teacher had planned that day.  In addition to English, I think were teaching them to work hard and to remain playful into adulthood.)

In the afternoon we headed to the reforestation project! It was a nice walk through the town, and then we started work again. We spent our time there filling up bags with dirt.  Later, they will plant trees in them. This was small work, not hard labor at all (Besides the wheelbarrow... Thanks Ann and Jimmy!) but the work had to be done, and we were glad to help! 

Simon: I get to answer your question lil brother!! :) "What is the strangest thing you've seen on the trip?" Hmmm.. Good question Si Si. The dogs are one of the strangest situations for me here. I LOVE dogs. But the thing is, here they aren't dogs, they are animals. Guatemala has people who are literally starving to death, so feeding stray dogs is not even close to being a priority for the people. Which makes sense.  It is just very strange and hard to see. 

This trip has been nothing less than amazing. Completely life changing. But I do miss my family, friends and my puppies Ruby and Pearl :) See you all in a few days!

-Shannen