Every year each of the high school classes goes out into Guatemala to do various service projects.  As a sponsor of the class of '10, we went to Xela, Guatemala, to work on the construction site for a future Bible seminary and school. 

Xela is notorious for its colder weather.  It is also famous for the more European design of its city.  Thankfully the weather cooperated and we had mild temperatures and a brisk wind to get really, really, dirty in.  This is my third trip with the same class and as another sponsor and myself observed, they have matured and learned how to work!

Though we only had two days to accomplish some major tasks, we actually completed more work than the director had planned for us to do just on the first day!  He managed to find plenty more work for us to do on the following day.  All the kids (and sponsors) ended up with blisters, sore backs and legs, and mild sunburns. 

Some of the work included back filling around the foundation of the school, carrying bricks to the second floor, beginning work on the third floor, and chipping excess cement off the walls on the first floor.  On the last day of work, about thirty children came to hear a Bible story, get candy, and play soccer.  The pictures below should fill in the blanks.  

Carrying bricks

Eventually the school will have three stories.

Digging and hauling dirt to do back filling 

Some spectators from the nearby village

The "manly" men on the top floor. 

Good natured Carlos being "beaten" up by the girls. 

Two of the girls digging and the man on the far left is John Ramos, the director of the project. 

The whole group

Ammi and Ana telling the story of Noah.  Matt Haesecke was playing Noah. 

Time for futbol!

Our outhouse

Celebrating a job well done

Here are some snapshots of Christmas in Guatemala

Staff Christmas party.  We played a scavengar hunt/dress up game.  It was hilarious and quite fun. 

Elementary Christmas Concert.   They did such a cute, good job!

The high school band and choir Christmas concert.  They did an excellent as usual. 

Heather and I threw a Christmas party and invited a bunch of people over to our house for an Asian dinner, Christmas carols, chocolate fountain, and Secret Santa gift exchange.  We  had a great time. 

I was able to go home for Christmas.  The following pictures are from that time.  It was an extra special time as my parents were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary.   I surprised mom and dad and flew in three days early.  I was on the last flight they allowed to land at O'Hare on the 23rd because of the heavy snow and ice. 

Christmas day sledding party

Sharing birthday cake with my cousin on the 27th.

I got to see my best friend on my birthday!

The framed picture below was made by my sister Topaz. 

Below is the ring dad designed for my mom!  It has eleven diamonds representing each of her children. 

Yet another surprise.  We're going to a waterpark and hotel for the night. 

Me and my nieces about to go swimming. 

The water park. 

Slumber party with the girls at the hotel. 

Now it is back to teaching!  Today marks the third day of the spring semester.  So far it's going very smoothly.  World Literature is reading "The Song of Roland".  American Literature is reading "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn".  British Literature is studying postmodernism by watching "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead."  Honors English has just begun "The Merchant of Venice".  

Happy New Year to you all!

These are pictures of children in villages nearby the Capitol of Guatemala where I live.  Please remember them in your prayers this Christmas season. 

The Thanksgiving Holiday is not celebrated down here in Guatemala.  Yet CAG gives two days off of school in its honor.  It comes at the perfect time of year.  Exhaustion is beginning to set in, and time inside and in the City is wearing thin on everyone's nerves.  For the past two years I've celebrated Thanksgiving with my CAM missionary family but this year I escaped the smog of the City for the Sun of Rio Dulce and the Carribean breezes. 

Before leaving the City we did make a feast and introduced several Guatemalan friends to the tradition and its history.  These pictures were taken on Tuesday night. 

Thanksgiving morning we drove to Ixabel, an area of Guatemala on the Carribean side.  We stayed at the Hotel Banana Palms which was located right on Rio Dulce.  Rio Dulce (Sweet River) is a beautiful river that takes you right out the Carribean.  The group (twelve of us) rented a small boat for the day and spent the entire day on the river and soaking up some rays near the city of Livingston (a unique town because of its location and largely black community).  Saturday we returned to "real life" back in Guatemala City and resumed the teacher's life of grading, writing finals, lesson planning, and trying to find some hours to work on accreditation responsibilities. 

View of the river Heather, Becca and myself on the stairs Watching the sunset   Utraditional delicious Thanksgiving dinner "Salud"Sunrise over Rio Dulce

Lily pond  On the boat! Livingston On the beach!"Suffering" by the pool!  :)  

Now the intensity begins!  Christmas here in Guatemala is celebrated all month long.  Which means that imbetween wrapping up a semester worth of teaching, preparing kids for finals, and grading papers, there are Christmas cookies to make, decorations to put up, parties to give and to attend, and gifts to be given.  Christmas is really a month long holiday for the Guatemalans; they have off of school, work, and all employees are given a bonus the equivalent of an extra month's wage.  Thus shopping and gift giving are a huge part of the holiday.  It's a lot of fun, but hard to keep up with at times.  For example, this Saturday I'm proctoring the SAT, tutoring three students, attending the Staff Christmas party and going to a cookie exchange!  It will be a fun and VERY busy day. 

This last Tuesday night was the annual Handel's "Messiah" at the Teatro Nacional.  This was the fifteenth year celebration of the performance in Guatemala and it was a beautiful event.  This is my third year going, and though the performance is in English the words being sung are printed in Spanish in the bulletin.  I'm proud to say that I could read the entire bulletin without a problem.  My Spanish is improving.  But it might help that most of the Messiah is based off of Scripture verses that I have memorized in English.  But the verses did call to mind the real meaning behind the majority of our busyness during this time.  Jesus Christ!  As I taught my girls in small group today, He is the reason we live and move and have our being!  Until next time, Grace and Peace.