May 29th 2011

Hello everyone,
I appoligize that this is coming so late, i've already been here 2 1/2 weeks.
I actually wrote a blog about a week ago, but apparently it didn't get posted.
Not sure what I did, but here is another one and hopefully I saved the other
and can repost it. We are officially halfway through our 1st team which consists
of some Greenville College students and students from all over Canada. It's
been a pretty fun group, but I must admit it's nothing like last years group
from Canada and Greenville. There are 3 people at my agriculture site and one
is a 7Mo pregnant lady. I was a little weary when I heard she was with Ag, but
she is definately in good shape. I think she has more energy than I do most days.

This whole past week has been super busy for us summer staff. Even though there
are more of us, Seth (the boss) said that we all needed to participate in
everything with the first team. It's been really hard because we are all very
tired from working in sites, attending team activitie, and staff activities.
I am thankful that next week we may have more breaks. Yesterday for example,
we went to the ecological park, which is up the mountain about a 2 hr hike,
sometimes straight up. It was beautiful when we got to the top, but it was
very cloudy so hard to see things.The resteraunt that makes food for us every
evening hiked up with our lunch and we grilled out. Not hotdogs, but Carne asada
which is really thin steak plus potatoes, refried beans, guacemole, rice, and
tortillas. Everyone was very hungry by the time we got to the top. It took about
30 min. to get to the bottom and that was much more fun. I'm glad I went once,
but I hope I don't have to go again, just too much walking. Then we had about
a 2 hour break, dinner, and then a movie documentary about a really bad
part of Guatemala city that a few people have really started changing. It
was a very interesting documentary, by that time we got home it was 8:30 and
I was definitely ready for bed.

Lots of my family and friends have been e-mailing me and I really appreciate
reading them in the mornings from my ipod, but because my ipod is so small
it is difficult to write back, so I want to use my computer to write back, but
the only time I really have time to do that is at night at my home where the
only place I get internet is the roof and lately it's been raining at night.
So that makes it difficult. We are going into Antigua today so the teams can
do some shopping and looking around. I deinitely welcome the little break.I
think all of the summer staff have devised a good plan: McDonalds, market, and
then the Bodagona (which is like a small walmart). I am hoping to use the wifi
in walmart to reply to some unanswered e-mails.

I am happy to report there have been no natural disasters yet. Last year at
this time we were receiving a year's worth of rain in 3 days. It didn't rain
for the first week and a half we were here and farms here were suffering, but
it finally rained Friday and has been raining a little every days since (which
is normal for this time of year).

Many of you know that last year I had encouraged each of my teams at the Ag
site to donate a little money at the end of their trip and buy extra chickens
for the chicken coops we were buliding. I have run into a bit of a challenge
this year, because we aren't buliding chicken coops. We are actually pouring
concrete to make foundations for the animals to stand on when it is muddy
from the rain. We haven't started the project yet with this group, but one
of my goals is to push the teams to give in ways they may not have expected.
I'm just not sure what to challenge the teams to do in this case.

Well so far it's been a good 2 1/2 weeks and I am looking forward to the next
team from California. Mario said there are 8 people in our site, which
I am very thankful for, because we have lots of bull castrations scheduled.
We have a couple pigs scheduled for this week and with 3 people it will be
difficult. Well, breakfast is almost ready so I had been get going. Please
keep praying for me, it's taken a lot of strength, endurance, and patience
to keep up with this team and it's only the 1st one. I miss everyone at home
and I am jealous of the BBQs and scrabble games that are happening without
me. Thanks for your prayers and support!