We met our families!!!

Caravan to Santa Maria de Jesus

So we head off to work in our beautiful matching T shirts. I have to say we looked good!! We walked to the From Houses to Homes office. We meet the men we will work with. Each building team consists of 6 volunteers and 2 Guatemalan men.  We have 2 young men working with us also, Nick and Zach.  We are working with Juan Jose and Edgar.There are 4 homes being built so we pile into 4 pick up trucks to make the climb up to Santa Maria de Jesus, one of my favorite places in the world. Santa Maria is 6700 feet above sea level. Santa Maria de Jesus is located on a volcano called Volcano Agua. It is called that because it erupted water back in the 1500's. Nothing since then. We are so close to the top of the volcano this year that I have decided I have now climbed a second volcano, because believe me we are up there. We can clearly see the top of the volcano. After the truck dropped us off today, we walked up a very steep hill, made a turn and then went a little higher.  The view is incredible.
Day one is so special because we meet the families that we will build the homes for.  We are all located very close to each other and are building for 3 families that are all related.  That makes it really fun.  We are building for a family of 4, the Dickerson's are building for a family of 5, and the Nelsons are building for a family of 4.  It appears that there are many other family members in the area.  When you arrive on the property it is important to remember that you just walked into someones home, even though you are outside. There is a brief moment of "getting to know you" if you will. Understanding the boundaries is important. The Mom in our house shows us where we may put our belongings.   This woman's father in law is getting the house next door which is being built by the Nelson family. He quickly tells us how grateful he is and he hopes that God blesses us. I almost wish I could speak Spanish fluently to explain to him that the gift is ours, we are the blessed ones for having this opportunity to impact some one's life so deeply.
We are building for the Oron-Chex family. Edwin is the father who is 25 and has a 6th grade education. The Mom is Nicolasa who is 30 and has a 2nd grade education. Christel the daughter is 7 and is currently in the 1st grade. Pedro is  their son and he is 3 years old. The daughter  is at school right now.  Nicolasa, is very busy doing her laundry and tending to this very busy toddler. They do their laundry in a "pila" which is essentially a concrete sink. It is then hung on the line to dry.
Today we are digging the foundation, and laying 1 row of concrete block. First we must fill a wheelbarrow with sand....20 times. We then add 8 wheelbarrows full if stone which again, we must shovel.  Brittany and I get right to that job. Zach and Nick are hammering a hole in one part of the concrete block that will fit over the rebar. Sam and Bob are lending assistance to both. Juan and Edgar are setting the boundaries with fishing line and rebar in the corners. It is important not move the fishing line as that is our guide. I know that because the first year we built I moved it all the time before I realized it had an important purpose. I just kept saying to myself, "who put this string in the way?"  (Just a side note as I sit and write this blog in the lobby of the hotel I am looking out at the beautiful blue sky and listening to a number of different church bells ring...soothing)
 Marissa has fallen in love with a small puppy. She found it the minute we arrived and has been holding it ever since. She never has any difficulty feeling comfortable here, she just moves right in, but that's Marissa right?!  She is laying with little Pedro and keeping busy, she did hammer one block also.  Nicolasa has finished her laundry and is taking a big bowl of corn to the tienda to have it turned into tortilla dough.  Marissa has decided to tag along.  Marissa arrives back with the Nicalosa carrying her son Pedro, who is crying in her arms and her now very heavy bowl of dough is on her head..it amazes me every time and I will say it again...we Americans are not really using our heads to their fullest potential.   She is now going to make tortillas which Marissa loves to help the woman do. Nicalosa has given Marissa a small bowl of water for her fingertips as her job is to flip the tortillas and then take them off the stove when they are done.
Mom is forming the tortillas in the palm of her hand. These women are very quick at this, they make many tortillas every day. Usually between 50 and 100.  It is a main part of the diet here. Christel the daughter arrives home from school and guess what...Marissa has found a best friend....thick as thieves! So cool!!


All 3 families seem to be progressing nicely on their homes and getting to know their families. It does not take long to feel comfortable and welcome. Lunch time comes quickly. It is a chance to sit, relax and socialize with each other and the workers that do such a great job of guiding us through the building process. These men are incredibly gifted,  They are uneducated poor Guatemalans who cherish their job, as jobs are so hard to come by. They are husbands, fathers, and sons. They are very dedicated to their families, and take pride in the work they do.  We all have alot of laughs on our lunch hour. I take a walk around to see what is happening and see how many kids I can find...I love to play with the kids.  While looking at a chicken in the cage the woman who owns the chicken walks by and says I have 2 rabbits also...she leads me into her property to show me the pretty white rabbit. Whats most interesting is that her husband is on the ground carving a quetzal out of wood with a machete. The piece of wood is about 6 inches long and he is using this giant machete to carve with.  it is really intricate and beautiful, I plan to watch the progress of this all week. Very cool!
Lunch ends, and it is back to work. We have about 3 hours of work left. The sun is shining brightly, I can see the top of the volcano clearly. Sunburn is starting to find a home on many of our necks. There is a beautiful breeze, and the corn sways slowly like a fan to cool you off. Maybe that is what a Guatemalan fan is...swaying corn. It is lunch and beautiful here. There are some incredible flowers growing. I don't know all the names but there is a beautiful Cala Lily, Daisy's and what looks like an Impatience plant. There are also peach trees all around this property. Our men are really enjoying eating them.
Foundation dug, block laid, concrete carefully inserted in between each block by the unskilled volunteers who manage to get there masonry skills going. We are done, and all feeling pretty tired and achey. These men do this every week, and I must say I hear no complaining just a lot of laughing.
As we finish the wind picks up and it gets quite cool. We have that long trek back down that big hill to get to the trucks that will pick us up and bring us back to Antigua.
Of course, I have some treats for any child I see on the way down the mountain. I spot a group of kids and decide to engage them in a game of Simon Says. They never really get the game but we have alot of laughs. I don't know who enjoys it more...yes I do.



 We jump in the trucks and head back down the mountain. The view is always so beautiful and today, Volcano Fuego decides to cough a little and smoke appears and it is always amazing to us what that looks like. To Guatemalans it is just another day, they barely notice.
We had a great day and back at the hotel there is so much chatter about our families. It seems everybody is excited and as always amazed that they are actually building a house.
For me, building my 6th house...one word...bliss.