Pictures!!!!

Sorry that these last few blogs had to be photo-less. Now I plan to remedy that. Thanks to Allen, by the way, for making CDs with everyone's pictures on them. I've selected a few pictures, and divided them into specific categories.

Where We Went

A pretty good representation of the streets of Solola in general. The little red car-like things are called "tuk tuks". They are like taxis. The kids were begging to ride in one all week. They got their chance Tuesday,

after we went to the market.

This is the view from Eagle's Nest. Volcanoes, Lago Atitlan, towns down the mountain, and razor wire.

This is a view of another town in the mountains that we passed a few times. The really colorful part at the bottom? That's a cemetery. Not kidding. The brightest, least gloomy graveyard I've ever seen. These Guatemalans sure love color.

This is a view of Lago Atitlan. It has been called the most beautiful lake in the world. I'm not arguing.

This is a photo of one of the volcanoes. Between our team, I think we must have at least a thousand pictures of this particular slab of earth, in varying conditions of light and clouds.

What We Did

We met a single mother named Maria. She came on Sunday to show us all the beautiful jewelry and weaving she makes. We bought a lot of stuff; it was like a Guatemalan tupperware party. Throughout the week we got to know and love Maria.

Jeff's company donated a bunch of nice shoes and hats and socks, and we brought some t-shirts too, for these construction workers at Eagle's Nest. They were so happy! It was quite touching.

We spent a lot of time with the kids at the orphanage, who are adorable! Here their attention is captivated by something down in the yard. I never saw them all stand so still and quiet. Also, you may notice that the kids are dressed alike. This day was apparently "denim day".

Here's some of the orphanage kids again. Zach and Chad liked pulling them around on this wagon. That day was "green day".

Our major construction project at Eagle's Nest was digging a couple of holes for a septic tank to go in for the new church building. Here's Anna in the hole.

Here's school number one, Monday morning. We estimate about 250-300 kids here. You can see Anna, Aaron, and Pastor Neddy.

School number two, Tuesday morning. A small, private Christian school. This is the one we thought was a high school. It turned out to be mostly elementary-age kids. This was definitely the best organized school event we did.

School number three, also on Tuesday. The kids were age 3 to 6. It was crazy trying to give the kids structure.

The news came when we were at the "park"! Anna and Pastor Neddy talked. We shared the gospel with an even larger audience!

We spent a couple of nights like this, preparing the strings for the salvation bracelets we would explain and make with people the next day. We estimate that we made about 700 bracelets.

Just For Fun

On Saturday we took a boat tour of the lake.

Imagine all the fines for this in the US... then think about how in Guatemala people do this every day.

The universal sign for greasy food. We went to McDonald's three times in Guatemala.

The Stokes and Donna all got to try on traditional Mayan outfits in Santiago. This one's for the mantle!

Aaron's birthday was Sunday the 26th. We each made him a card, on paper ripped out of a notebook.

We went on an amazing zip-line on Wednesday afternoon.

Here's the hostel where we stayed on Thursday night. Home of one shower and the 4 AM shampoo lady.

There was a marimba band in the Guatemala airport. No joke. They didn't even have a tip jar or anything.

We had a bit too much fun practicing with the balloons one night...

I have never seen so many bananas. Ever.

So that wraps up our photo blog. This is only a very small sample of the hundreds of pictures everyone took in Guatemala for your visual enjoyment.

Back in the USA

After the longest travel day of my life, we're home.

Most of us didn't get quite enough sleep at the hostel, thanks to the lady who came in at 4:00 AM asking for shampoo. Somehow I slept through that, though no one else did.

We had planned to leave for the airport at about 8:30, but we were all up and ready by 7:45, so we left early. Consequently, we got to the airport about five hours early. They told us we couldn't even check in until 9:30, so we looked for breakfast (and found a Pollo Campero). When we finally did check in, we learned that our flight to Atlanta, scheduled to leave at 12:30, was delayed until about 1:40. This was the first domino in a long chain of delays. We were worried about making our connection, so we tried to switch to a later flight from Atlanta to Raleigh. We didn't all make it onto the same flight – the Kendalls and Margaret were switched to an even later flight.

Finally, after about three hours of standing at the check-in counter, we trudged down to a little shopping area in the airport where we ate breakfast and bought more souvenirs, before going through security. My mom's bag was searched because she had fingernail clippers with a one-inch nail file (how dare she!). Anna's bag was searched because she had dried fruit, that she bought at Costco. In America. I have mixed feelings about airport security procedures.

We ate lunch in the airport (are you counting? that's two meals so far), then we got on the plane to Atlanta. We arrived at about 7:15 EST. After we got through the chaotic customs and immigration process, we got the bad news. The second domino had fallen. The flight that most of us were on, scheduled to leave at 9:45 was delayed until 11:05. As far as we knew, the other three's flight was on time, at 10:50.

Allen Kendall (who commutes to Boston, remember? He spends a lot of time in airports) directed us to the best food court for dinner (three meals in airports). We found our gate early, because most of us hadn't been assigned seats yet. Then we got more bad news. Our flight was now delayed until 11:50. (That's delay number three). We played cards, we ate Cinnabon, we got coffee, we waited in line. Finally, we got on the plane which left at about 12:20 (thanks to delay number four). By the grace of God, for some unknown reason, Mom and I and Gabrielle and Zachary got to ride in first class.

We finally arrived in Raleigh at a little after 2:00 AM. Then we caught the news of delay number five: the flight that the Kendalls and Margaret were on didn't leave Atlanta until 1:00 AM. Chris's wife Teressa and son Timothy met us at the airport.

Next we spent a good hour or so at the baggage claim, trying to find all our thirteen checked bags, which were scattered among three different flights. We found all of them but one (a Pinon bag, which is coming from Atlanta today).

Finally, weak and weary, we climbed onto the minibuses at about 3:00. We got to Westover at about 4:30. I finally made it back to my own bed at 5:00 AM. My parents woke me up at 1:00 this afternoon.

So that, my friends, is the epic saga of the delayed flights of doom. Thanks for reading.

More to come: trip photos!

Almost Over!

Right now we are sitting in a hostel in Guatemala City called Los Volcanes. I didn´t get a chance to blog yesterday, so let´s do a little re-cap.

Wednesday
It was an amazing day! Everything went so well, though not quite according to plan. In the morning we went to the park... we had expected courts for volleyball and basketball, but no such luck. We came to a lovely garden-style park. Then the pastor talked with the mayor, and we were directed to a small covered porch-type area across the street. So, we adapted our activities. We set up bracelets, face-painting, and balloons. We could not have anticipated how well it went. At first it was a little slow... a couple of kids and that was it. But then, when we started blowing up balloons and making animals and hats, people from the street started streaming in. Not just kids, but adults too. The pastor was working the crowd, passing out salvation tracks (in Spanish of course). Lots of the adults made salvation bracelets. God used an unexpected situation to reach a much wider audience.

In the afternoon, we went for our fun outing. We went to a fantastic zipline that goes all the way down the mountain. We had so much fun! Donna was the only one who couldn´t do it, because of her recent surgery. They give you a harness and a helmet, then gloves. One glove has a pad of leather. You use the pad of leather to slow yourself down on the zipline, like a kind of brake. My shoulder is sore from braking that way. Everyone had a great time.

What a wonderful day!

Thursday
This morning we brought a bunch of stuff to the orphanage, and said good-bye to the kids. There were no kidnapping attempts, although many of us were tempted.

Later we drove to Antigua. It´s a historical and touristy city. We shopped for a couple of hours, and ate lunch in the most beautiful McDonald´s I´ve ever seen. This afternoon we climbed back in the schoolbus and drove to Guatemala City. We finally arrived at this hostel, close to the airport. We´re about to eat pizza!!! Yay for cheap, greasy, American-style food!

More schools, more schools!

Tuesday
Today we worked at two schools back to back. The first school, which we thought was a high school, actually was a bunch of younger kids. We had to adjust our activities for younger students, but it was fine.
We did relay races of various types and we made bracelets. The kids were suprisingly organized.
At the next school, we worked with kids age 3 to 6. It was a little hectic with all the little kids, but we managed. We did the parachute, bubbles, more relay races and we read a story in Spanish, called "Tu Eres Especial" (You Are Special) by Max Lucado.

This afternoon most of the team went to the local market. They really enjoyed this cultural experience. The guys are going to go finish the hole they were digging yesterday for a new septic tank.

Also, Aaron got sick yesterday. The good news is that it´s not a stomach thing, like from the food, but he had a fever. He had to stay home this morning, but when we got back he was feeling better.

Tomorrow we plan on going to the park in the morning to play games and share with local kids. Keep praying that we can touch the hearts and lives of the kids and others that we meet.

Parachutes, Bracelets, Bubbles (Oh my!)

Monday
Today we went to a local school. Everyone had so much fun! We don´t know how many kids we had, but we think it was more than 200. We had various stations for the kids.

At one station, Margaret and Donna were blowing bubbles. The kids loved it. Another group had jump-ropes

I was working the parachute station with my mom. I got hoarse from yelling instructions in Spanish, but we had a lot of fun. The kids really seemed to enjoy it as well.

Finally, a group helped the kids make "salvation bracelets". They have five colored beads that represent God´s plan. Chris Lewis explained it, and Anna translated, and shared verses in Spanish. In this process we shared the gospel with hundreds of kids, plus a handful of teachers.

The pastor from the church here at Eagle´s Nest helped us with this a lot. He arranged for us to visit the school, drove us there himself, and stayed the whole time helping with the bracelets.

It was a little bit chaotic dealing with so many kids, but it went more smoothly than we expected. At one point, though, the kids swarmed Margaret, looking for bubbles. In Jeff´s words, it looked like they were about to carry her off like ants carry food.

This afternoon we distributed some supplies to the construction workers at Nido. Jeff´s company donated hats, t-shirts, socks, and some really nice quality shoes. The guys´smiles were precious.

Right now our guys are digging a ditch for a septic tank. The kids and most of the women are playing with the orphanage kids.

Tomorrow we have a full schedule. On the tentative calendar are two schools plus the park in the afternoon. Keep on praying for safety and health and sleep.

Here We Are!

So we haven´t been in touch in a couple of days. We have just been so exhausted after long days. So here we go: three days in one blog.

Friday
We awoke, dark and early. We drove an hour in a bus to Raleigh. We checked sixteen bags in no problem (Thank God!). We flew to Atlanta, then on to Guatemala City! We had miraculously few problems once we arrived. And, better yet, all our luggage got here at the same time we did!
In the evening, we spent some time with the adorable children in the orphanage. There are about 15 or 18 kids under 2 years old, then four older girls. Everyone had a great time with the kids

Saturday
We left Nido del Aguila at about 7:30, in an impossibly small bus. We took a boat-tour of the lake and a few surrounding villages. We started in Panajachel. Then we went to Santa Cruz, and walked up a mountain. I´m not exaggerating here folks... we walked up a steep winding cobble-stone staircase to a small village called Santa Lucia. We learned to make tortillas. Next, in San Juan, we ate lunch in a restaurant that is run by an association of Guatemalan women. Next we went to Santiago, where we shopped in the market. We had a great time making deals and buying hand-made souvenirs. We had dinner at a fabulous restaurant in Panajachel. The food was amazing, and the service was great too. The waiter brought us chocolate cake for Aaron´s birthday (actually today, Sunday) and had the band sing happy birthday.

Sunday
We slept in today, and then went over to the orphanage. Then we went to church (on the property) with the older girls. The service was in Spanish, of course, but it was still an interesting experience. We had lunch with the pastor, and planned (tentatively) our week. This afternoon we are going to a grocery store.

Keep praying for us as we start our ministry. Pray that we all get enough sleep, and that no one gets sick. Pray that we have an impact on the kids at the school we are visiting tomorrow.

What are we doing, anyway?

Before we leave, I'm going to take the chance to describe what we plan to do with our time in Guatemala.

We will be staying at an orphanage/conference center near Solola Guatemala, called "Eagle's Nest", or "Nido del Aguila" in Spanish. We plan to help the orphanage with a few projects.

We are also planning to give a VBS/sports camp for the local kids in the village. (Pray for that: sixteen Americans, a handful of translators, and hundreds of Guatemalan children speaking Spanish.) We have soccer balls, basket balls, beach balls, jump-ropes, bubbles, a parachute, craft supplies, and some ideas for Bible lessons.

So that's basically our back-story. We leave tomorrow "dark and early"... 4:30 in the morning. Pray that we all get to bed early tonight. The next time I write, we'll be in Guatemala!

Packing Party

Tonight we gathered for the last team meeting, to pack equipment and supplies. We carefully filled suitcase after suitcase with deflated soccer balls, jump-ropes, toothbrushes, and bubbles. We inventoried everything in each suitcase, and labeled each bag with a bright yellow "Westover" tag, and a number. We also weighed each bag to make sure it met airline requirements of "under 50 pounds."

After that, we pulled, carried, and dragged all ten heavy suitcases through the church, then ran back. It's amazing how much fun packing can be...

Who are we?

Before we leave, I think a little exposition is in order.

First of all, our Guatemala team is special. We are specifically a "family" team. This means that we have with us five children. Westover teams do not generally include children under 15.

The best way to break down this team is by families:

Stokes

Aaron is our fearless leader. He is interning at the church this summer. His wife Anna is our most fluent Spanish-speaker. She works as a Spanish teacher.

Pinon

The Pinons are our largest family, with five team members in all. David and Gabrielle lead this family. Their children are Alexandria (age 13), Anastasia (11) and Zachary (9). Together the Pinons have collected mountains of jump-ropes, matchbox cars, and other donations for our team.

Kendall

Allen and Donna make up another segment of our team. Donna teaches pre-school, and Allen commutes... to Boston!

Barber

Margaret has a special connection with Guatemala. She and her husband adopted their son from Guatemala a year ago.

Kubis

Jeff and his son Chad (10) also join our team. This dynamic duo is also referred to as "Chad and his Dad".

Lewis

Chris, a Westover pastor (well-known for his sweater-vests), is providing Spiritual leadership to our team. But this man is multitalented: not only does he teach the truth of God with great skill, he also plays the banjo and makes balloon animals! He brings with him daughter Anna Ritchie (8), the youngest component of our team.

Reitz

Last but not least, Beth is the administrative assistant to the global missions office at Westover. And of course, yours truly, Melissa. I am 16, so I attempt to bridge the gap between kids and adults. And I have been designated as chief blogger.

So there you have it folks, the Guatemala Family Team of 2009 in a nutshell.

Our Team
Row 1: Zachary Piñon, Anastasia Piñon, Anna Ritchie Lewis
Row 2: Anna Stokes, Beth Reitz, Melissa Reitz, Gabrielle Piñon, Alexandria Piñon, Chad Kubis
Row 3: Aaron Stokes, Margaret Barber, Allen Kendall, Donna Kendall, David Piñon, Jeff Kubis, Chris Lewis