counting down

It's been a while since I'be written, big suprise I know. I guess I have just been caught up in what is going on here and haven't had much to write about. We picked up this new team last Monday, I can't believe they have already been here a week, It's gone by so fast. It has been a blessing having them here, I know many of them from last year. I especially enjoyed the leader, Pastor Will, who came last year and is here this year as well. He is a co-pastor of a large church in California and he is always encouraging the staff and summer staff and giving words of wisdom. Last year I was able to meet his wife and children and that was really great as well.

We spent the first few days of sites working with animals. We visited one horse in particular who had last all skin on the front leg. The family said a metal pole stuck into the side of the horse's leg and the weight of the pole pulled all the skin down with it. It was a very sad thing to see, because most of the skin was dead, but they had tried to sow it up anyway. We saw it a couple days in a row, but to me it looked like it was continuing to get worse. Horses here are an interesting concept. I have noticed a change for the better in the size of them from last year to this year. I see more horses with more muscle and lighter loads. Horses here are used soley as pack animals. Up the mountain every morning, maybe an hour hike, and then bringing down loads of fire wood or grass for the other animals to eat. They aren't well taken care of like horses in the U.S.

Friday we began another pig pen for a man named Mojito. I have an excellent group with 3 men and 2 women who all work very hard. They are all from the same church and take a trip to mexico every year to build houses, so buildling a pig pen was easy for most of them. It was nice to have a little break, especially today when they were doing most of the work mixing and pouring the cement floors. Mojito lives about a 10 minute walk from Mario's (our site leader) house, but it is almost entirely uphill. Today his wife hiked from their house in the city, up the hill to where we were working to bring us lunch. She prepared something called Hilachas, which is a red soup with some beef and potatoes. It was really nice to have a good meal after working hard today. We sat around and talked to Mojito and his wife about why we chose to come to Guatemala. Then we asked about his family. He has 6 children, 17 grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren and he's only 65. It is normal for children to get married at 17 here and start having their own children right away.

Mario also told us the story about his wife, Ingred's, childhood. When she was 13 her mother told her to gather all her clothes and took her into the city to a resteraunt where she workeed from 5AM to midnight or 1AM, cooking and cleaning. All the money she earned went to mother to help take care of the family. She lived this life until she was 18 and her and Mario got married. This is the story for so many young girls here. It's very sad to see families using their children like this. I had so many opportunities and experiences because my father bought all of my necessities. The children here is a very sad issue, but one that I see improving as the years go by. In years past, children would go to school through 6th grade and then drop out to help their parents make money. Students International has a child sponsorship program that has helped a few kids get to 7th grade and higher, because they help out financially.

My roommates Allie leaves this Saturday. It's kind of a rude awakening that time for all of us is coming to an end. I think I am ok with it. I know that I want to return, but I also know that I am going to have other responsibilities that I also need to focus on. I am realizing that goodbye this time will be a more extensive goodbye than last year and that makes it difficult, but I have definitely been missing my family so much I am ready to be home and relax for the remainder of the summer. I am looking forward to having this weekend to relax and hang out with the other summer staff, and also looking forward to the following weekend when we stay a couple nights in a hotel in the city and wind down from our summer and discuss our transition back into the states. I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July, Mario set off some fireworks for us, so I was able to see a few. Nothing like Farina's fireworks, I definitely miss those. Please keep praying, only a couple weeks left.