Day 9: Go, and Set the World on Fire

We broke into two groups today, rather than three, so while one team headed to the construction site to build the house, the other remained at the Coll School to continue helping out with the teachers. During the morning's work around the house, the guys had to deal with an unfortunate buildup of water, which they promptly found a way to drain. The fun didn't stop there, because there was still concrete to be smashed and trenches to be dug in order to allow for the extension of the foundation. Our man Josh Irwin walked a precarious line on the roof in order to move a collection of various objects into a different location. Don Lolo and Julio, with our own Mike Bennett in tow, laid down some SERIOUS foundation work.

While this team was giving of their blood, sweat, and tears (although mostly sweat) around the house, another dapper group of young men had quite the morning at the Coll School making new friends and gloriously reuniting with those they had already met. Our work was similar to that of days prior: aiding teachers in controlling their generally rowdy (but good-natured) students, singing and dancing along in the music classes, coloring stunning masterpieces, and constantly pushing the limits of our knowledge pertaining to the Spanish language. Andrew Layman even taught an English class by drawing simple classroom objects on the board and writing the Spanish-to-English translations next to them. Boom. Also, Isaac Rogers played some mean games of patty-cake with his amigitos. It was all magnificent.

Although each day thus far has been incredibly unique, today definitely put into perspective for us the magnitude of our actions. The first step to this was our participation in the schoolwide farewell-ceremony / fiesta / pizza party (for sure) that began around 11:30. Sister Esperanza kicked it off by calling up each grade individually to perform solid dance routines for us, which were clearly rehearsed to the point where we felt inferior to their mad skills. The first grade to go up was, ironically, the first grade, and their performance even included Jon, Vamsi, and Ben, who surprised everyone by matching almost every move. Following that, the students from San Juan Jesuite were directed to line up in front of nearly 300 people to receive their thanksgiving in the form of a short speech by Sister Esperanza, as well as a song and several gifts.

We attempted to return these immense favors by narrating a speech, composed by Shohan and Bennett and orated by Layman (and his whimsical Spanish accent). Apparently that went well, because we received a good deal of "muchas gracias" and their applause. This was succeeded by an outstanding performance of the Cupid Shuffle by the team, and by the end of the song half the school has joined us. THEN WE ATE DELICIOUS PIZZA (woohoo!). 

After the party, the children had to pack up and leave to go back to their homes, while we had more work to do... The hardest part now had come: saying goodbye. Over the past five days, our whole lives have been centered around the bright and shining faces of these children, and it is safe to say that silent tears were shed as we watched them file out the door. Tears will continue to be shed, in all honesty. 

We returned to our respective worksites to finalize our progress over the following few hours. Our hardest efforts were put forth throughout this week to complete these projects, and WOW what a heck of a lot of work we've put in. As the workday came to a close for the final time, we looked back with genuine satisfaction and amazement, along with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment, on how far we've come. Our journey back to the retreat house had a contemplative and somber air to it, and the reflection process that ended our night brought about much joy as we reminisced upon the incredible surplus of fond memories that we will continue to cherish for the rest of our lives.

How does one describe our time here? It is hard to say for sure, but one aspect of it is certain: each of us is here because God has called us to be here. He has given each one of us a mission that is unlike any other in the world, yet still one that works towards a similar goal for us to, in the words of St. Ignatius of Loyola, "Go, and set the world on fire." Despite our sorrow in leaving, we are incredibly firm in our belief that the memories we have made, the experiences we have shared in, and the lives we have touched will forever be imprinted upon our hearts. God's work for us is never over, and this trip has only been a mere stepping stone in this life's journey. Once we return home, we plan on continuing to express in our everyday lives the amazing level of love and compassion found within these beautiful souls, and we know now that our hearts are forever changed for the better.

Sending our love to family and friends, we will return home soon.

– Isaac Rogers, Josh Irwin, & Andrew Layman

Day 8: Forging Ahead

Today marked our third full day of service here in Zone 3 of Guatemala. Again, the group split up into three groups, each going to the site of the house, the nursery, or the Fransisco Coll School. The day overall went very well; both the house and the second floor of the Coll School saw a ton of progress as everyone worked extremely diligently and efficiently. This efficiency can be attributed to everyone being healthy and well, besides a couple stomach aches that are being subsequently treated. 

Today I decided to change it up and go to the Coll School instead of working on the house. I was pretty nervous about what would happen today and how the kids would react to me being in class with them. When we got there, we were all put into different rooms and I was assigned to be in a fourth grade class. As soon as I entered the class, I felt a little awkward being the only person to speak english in the room. However, I was soon comforted by a little girl who got right up from her seat, moved all of her things to another chair, grabbed my hand, and insisted that I sit in her old seat. I sat down and instantly was swarmed by kids all over asking for my name and age, so I asked everyone for their name and age as well, which was pretty much the extent of my spanish. The kids were so cheerful the entire class and so well behaved towards the teacher, and the teacher was so caring towards all of the students. 

Around 10:30 in the morning, a couple of donors for International Samaritan arrived and all of the kids performed skits and songs in the courtyard for them. It was such a great experience to see all of the kids so happy and so excited. When we were outside, this was a very awesome moment for all of us at the Coll School because each of us had one or two little kids who attached themselves to us and kept pulling us around and sitting with us while we watched all of the action. Although we had such a small amount of time outside, we were all able to form these strong relationships with the kids. It was so powerful to see these relationships form so fast even with a language barrier and a minimal exchange of words. 

Following the end of the school day and our lunch break, around 12 of us proceeded to work on cleaning out the second floor of the Coll School. We spent hours scraping dried plaster off of the ground, dusting everything, moving boards, and breaking down scafolding. We worked so well and got pretty much everything done that we wanted to. We all got to see the true power of teamwork and manual labor. Although we were all tired, we fought through and got done what we needed to do for the day. 

- Ben Clark

Today Jon, Jake, Bilal, Rob, Bennett, Shohan, Vamsi, Josh, Steve, Mr. Dane, Mr. Kelly, and I spent our time working on the house that International Samaritan is funding for a family of 12. The house will be 2 stories but approximately 10' by 20', which is scarily similar to some of the sheds back in the States. 

These past few days, we have been working on constructing the foundation, which has proved to be a very challenging task, especially without many of the luxurious tools that we are so used to in the US. The concrete is mixed by hand, and the trench for the foundation is dug out using a pile driver, chisels and mallets, shovels, and a pick axe. Our guys have been working very hard at this task, which has helped us to develop a profound respect towards Don Lolo, the foreman, and his assistant, Julio. Concrete is hauled in buckets and space is very limited on the construction site because a family of 12 is living in the house that we are replacing with a new one.

We have been strategically demolishing just enough of the old structure to chisel through the old concrete and asphalt layered floor, construct the rebar backbones, pour the new concrete foundation, and lay the base rows of cinder blocks. Every single possesion of the family is piled under the portion of the roof that we left intact. This leaves very little room for the family to sleep at night. I am very certain that right now 12 people are laying almost on top of each other on the dirty concrete floor that years ago was an active dump. To further stress the importance of getting this shelter finished, the mother of the house is very pregnant. Our motivation is clear and I truly believe that the zeal in the work that we have put forth is proportional to our emotional desire to see this family live more comfortably than they are now as soon as possible. 

I would also like you to consider the working conditions that our guys have been pushing through. Raw sewage and trash are dominant smells in the majority of the neighborhood. Space is very tight on the small lot with the remaining structure, making tasks like using the pole driver and pick axe very difficult. The team this week has overlooked so many conditions that would never be overlooked in the US in order to accomplish a task that will make an immediate and strong impact on a deserving group of 12. 

We have also discussed how fortunate we are to have the people who serve us on this trip, in turn allowing us to make an impact on the people that we are working so hard for. We are very fortunate to have Olga, a woman who lives in Guatemala City and is willing to translate instructions from Don Lolo to us. Her presence has allowed us to work and plan ahead, and has saved Don Lolo from having to demonstrate every task, considering that he would not be able to verbally communicate them to us without her. Several Guatemala City police officers have also been willing to remain with us during every minute of construction, as well as to lend a hand or advice where they could. Our three chaperones have not only given up more than a week of their time off, but have helped us along every step of this trip. We also have our guide, Andres, our extremely patient drivers, and the overwhelming support of a community that has every reason to be hostile to a group of comparatively wealthy people whose trash forms the foundation of their homes. 

Though we will likely only finish the foundation of the house tomorrow, I believe that the admirable work ethic demonstrated by the team this week will prove to be extremely beneficial to the family of 12, Don Lolo and Julio, the reputation of International Samaritan in the community, and the community as whole through our desire to show them our empathy. 

Mike Bennett

Update

Hi all!

The team is fine, but our blog entries are taking a little longer to write since the students are spending more time on them.

Rest assured that we are fine and doing well.  Day 7 is coming soon!

Adam 

Day 7: Working for Change

Today was the second full day of work.  Again, we had to complete the same three jobs as yesterday. The people assigned to the construction of the house continued to work on it because they already knew how to build different things.  

Today I helped build the house for the second day in a row. After yesterday's work, I feel very comfortable with being in the dump community.  The people that we are working with and encountering each day have accepted us and treated us so well that they have enabled me to feel at home even though I am thousands of miles away in a foreign country.  If one simply looked at the conditions of the neigborhood that we worked in, they would immediately have concerns about safety, insects, germs, and so on.  But after a short period of time working with these people, I was able to feel at ease in the harshest of conditions.  The way we were able to communicate with Don Lolo, our foreman in charge of the construction, even though we could not understand each other verbally, was incredible. Spending all this time with the people in this community has given me a new perspective on both the world and the less fortunate. I have learned a number of life lessons in my experience so far and I have been able to learn a large amount about the person who I am and the person who I am striving to become. #theoldmeisdeadandgone

-Jake Barnes

Early in the morning, Shohan, Sagar, Vamsi, and I were dropped off at the nursery to begin our work for the day. After some of us were dropped off at a couple of the classrooms, a few continued to the cafeteria where we were immediately swarmed by a multitude of kids, and welcomed with hugs and kisses. This set the mood of happiness and laughter for the rest of the day inside the nursery. The nursery is extremely updated compared to the rest of zone 3 and provides the kids from the dump a great opportunity to learn in a way they would not be able to otherwise, similar to that of the United States. I learned throughout the day that it is much harder to comminicate with the little kids here compared to those from the Coll school. Speaking to the people here has made my experience so much more enjoyable though, and figuring out what the kids are saying is one of the fun parts. So after playing and having fun at the nursery, we were dropped back off at the Coll school in order to continue our work on the technology lab. We were given the assignment of preparing the rooms to be turned into a computer lab. We grinded out many tasks including sanding the floor (much more difficult than it sounds), plastering some of the walls, sweeping up all the dust, washing the beams and floor, and much more. Overall it seemed to be a very succesful day for the team.

- Bennett Miller

Day 6: Making a Difference

Today marked the first full day work. Our day started off fairly early. The night before we were assigned three different jobs, either working at the construction site, the local school, or the nursery.  

Today I was assigned to work with the children at the local school. I enter the fourth grade classroom a little nervous at first, but I was greeted with warm welcomes from everyone. The students began asking me thousands of questions and didn't hesitate to start climbing all over me. The classroom was filled with huge emounts of energy, which is quite different from our classrooms at home. Shortly after I arrived we were dismissed for recess. I took part in a very serious game of tag with a group of girls. It was quite difficult to communicate with them at first but shorty after I found my stride and it got much easier. Later that afternoon the teacher asked me to teach the class an English lesson. She told me to work on pronunciation and handwriting skills. It was an amazing sight to see all the students so excited to learn from me! I look forward to this week with great enthusiasm. I love communicating with the people and making friends with the students.    

-Andrew Melick

Today I worked at the construction site where we are building a new home for a woman and her family, and things were a little different. The woman was greatly in need of a new house and had quickly asked us to help build one, and we happily took up the task with open arms. From mixing concrete in the streets to chipping away at the ground with a pickax, we definitely gained a sense of appreciation for simple things like having a roof over our heads. Although beyond the physical quality of the work, relationships were forged. While some enjoyed the company of the incredible builder Don Lo Lo, others relished time spent with the young and energetic Estevan and Kaylee. This allowed us to transform our mission by creating a genuine care for those whom we serve. Over the course of the next few days, we hope to build not only a house, but a sense of hope and optimism in both ourselves and those surrounding us. 

-Mario Markho 

Today I went to the nursery to work with the children, most of whom were between the ages of 3 and 6. I was very surprised at how excited the kids were to see me; as soon as I walked into the classroom, several of the kids immediately ran up to me and greeted me with smiles and squeals of excitement. Throughout the day, this energy and joy from the kids never stopped. I don't remember a time when there weren't several of them surrounding me, asking me to play and telling me about themselves. From spending my time with them solving puzzles to running around at recess, I found these kids to be just the same as kids from back home, despite their backgrounds back at their homes. As a whole, being with the kids was a fantastic feeling; they immediately gave me their trust, and I can only hope that throughout the week I can know I'm giving them the same joy throughout their days as they gave me today.

-Bilal Yassine

 

Day 5: Eyes Opened

Dear esteemed parental society of the St. John's Jesuit High School and Academy Guatemala mission trip group,

Today was the first day of a life-altering experience. On this day we were introduced to the five day mission that we have been waiting for. Moving forward, the trip will encompass a full immersion into zone three, the poorest part of Guatemala. We will work at a nursery for infants and toddlers, as well as a school for the first through sixth grades. The trip also consists of the construction of a much needed house as well as a technology room for the elementary school. 

We started the day with a fantastic meal of pancakes and yogurt. We then went to visit various sites in zone three and began meeting the people with whom we will be working. We first went to the Fransisco Coll School, the elementary school, and were invited with an extravagant passage of children singing and giving us beautiful hand made bracelts as well as a beautifully handmade wall decoration. 

We met a few teachers and after visiting the school, we experienced one of the most difficult parts of the day. 

After the school, we went into the neighborhood that makes up zone three. The zone was very similar to the Favela in Brazil, and was all kinds of unfathomable. We were invited into three different homes which ecompassed the size of a living room or kitchen. The house, which was barely four walls and a ceiling, was made up of essentially one room with a bed and housed an average of eight people.  We were invited to two other houses, which were very similar to the previous house. 

After the neighborhood, we stopped by a nursery which took care of kids between the ages of 1 and 7. This nursery was a great step-up from the Coll School, having been built and founded a few years ago from the efforts of others donations. We were introduced to the staff and shown the facilities that we will be working with for the remainder of our trip. 

After we visited the nursery, we went to a cemetary that held several large tombs dedicated to the specific families of those who were buried. When we reached the back of the cemetary, we were shocked to see the garbage dump. The dump was essentially an enormous ravine dug into the ground, filled with piles upon piles of waste and building material. What shocked us the most was that for the citizens of zone 3, this was their livelihood and their employment. 

We returned to the Coll School to do some contruction on the second floor technology lab. We organized building material and cleaned up previous messes. We also set up the supplies necessary for our construction work later this week. 

We then went to the building that houses the Paso y Paso program, which was a part of the International Samaritan program. At the "high school," we met the members of the Paso y Paso program (which means step by step). The program is designed to assist zone three children in their studies and provide them with the best oppurtunity for a sustainable job. We interacted with the students despite some language barriers, learning about their lives.

Upon arriving back at the retreat house, we had a nice dinner and a long, deep reflection about what we experienced today and what we can do moving forward.  We are anxious to get immersed in the work and hopeful that we can complete what we need to before we depart in a few days.

- Sagar Agarwal and Bilal Yassine

Mid-trip Update

Good morning, all!

Our Day 5 blog entry will be uploaded later this afternoon or evening because the students needed a little extra time to write.  Monday was a very eventful and emotional day for the team because we finally visited the dump community of Zone Three, so there is a lot they want to communicate to you. 

We are finally starting to experience some interesting and exciting digestive issues.  A few of the guys have discovered the woes of eating too much foreign food, accidentally drinking the water, and coping with new environments.  

Just kidding!  Please be assured, there is nothing serious floating around and most of the affected students have already worked through the discomfort.  In fact, they are really excited to jump into the work.

Please stay tuned for our Day 5 and Day 6 reports!  Thank you for reading our accounts and sharing in this experience.  As always, we send our love to those we miss in Toledo.

Hasta luego!

Mr. Dane