Monday, April 7

Hello All!

This might be our last post until we return to Calgary; we may not have internet access in Antigua.

Check out the past few days, as new posts have been added.

Sorry there have not been pictures added as we have had difficulties uploading photo's onto the blog site. We will add them once we return to Calgary.

Hasta luego!

Buenos Dias BCS! The following is the blog for April 3, 4, and 5. Due to the fact that I am extremely tired at the time of this writing it may be slightly incoherent and short for a blog covering the last three days. I will try my best though!
On the night of my last blog (April 2nd_), Jordan and I found the puddle in our room unbearable so we asked permission to switch rooms to which we were allowed to do. So now we have a considerably nicer room with much better beds and more space. The next day we visited yet another school in which we formed a large hug line and took many a photo. Very special moments, yet fairly hard to describe the magic that was happening.
After this we took a large break at the guesthouse in which I played cards with the guys. We then took a trip to the nearest hospital for an experience that I may have been the only one prepared for. We split into groups and began praying for different children with their families. Several were shook up by this especially with the sad look in each of the kids’ faces. The one that choked me up the most was when I prayed for a girl with a horrible case of coughing. She looked to be in pain from the near nonstop coughing and this disturbed me. Several were in tears from the children they had to pray for and needed consoling. After this we visited the maternity ward where we saw babies that were just 20 minutes old! After a prayer for all those in the hospital we left for supper.
The next day was our first day of children’s ministry and it was extremely fun! I was a little apprehensive about what I could do at the children’s ministry for I am not that good at sports and I often goof up at crafts. But when I arrived at the school to start there was this one little girl in a green dress that I decided to tickle a little. She then began hiding behind the pillars of the school and was just begging to be chased. I must have chased her for 30 minutes before a dozen other children began chasing and tickling me!
After children’s ministry ended for the day we went to Les Peters’ house for a rushed lunch. We then began loading bricks onto the back of a truck in which a most unfortunate event occurred. While I was passing one of the bricks to someone, this person proceeded to drop the brick right onto my left foot. The bricks weighed nearly thirty pounds and to have one dropped onto my foot was not fun. The perpetrator has apologized several times and hopes to remain anonymous. After taking a break to let my foot heal, we went to a new work site where we unloaded the bricks while some of us worked on digging a trench. For many of us this was quite boring but there was special highlight on the trip to the worksite for Danielle, Trevor, Ashley, and Donald. When it came time to get in the bus to go, these four convinced the driver of the truck with the bricks to let them ride on the back. The rest of us were quite jealous, but they only rode on the back for five blocks and then they had to get on the bus.
That night was a special night for many, for when it was time to wind down and get ready for bed, a marching band came out in front of our guest house to perform. Many of us gathered on the roof to watch, while others crammed into the front porch. The performance was spectacular complete with beautiful dancing and bombastic drumming. When the performance was over the conductor of the group told us that they were celebrating the 15th anniversary of a Christian school nearby and that they were honored that we decided to listen to them. I went back to the hotel that night in a good mood despite the fact that while I was on the roof my leg clipped a steel pole that left nasty scrapes on my right knee and ankle. That night, while I was sleeping, Jordan felt a little sick and threw up on the floor, which I somehow slept threw as well as the hotel manager cleaning up the mess.
The next morning we did children’s ministry again while Jordan stayed at the hotel. This posed a problem as we had to do our drama for the kids and Jordan was a central part. Along with this problem was the fact that I have not practiced the drama since three weeks ago. However everything worked out in the end as Mrs. Litorco filled in for Jordan (actually she filled in for Eric, for Eric took Jordan’s part) and the drama went quite smoothly. We then sang with the kids and did some crafts which included face painting, balloon animals, and making paper snakes. After this we said a big goodbye and went to get some lunch at Les Peters’ house again.
We than spent the rest of day visiting our sponsor children. Although I did not have any sponsor children, it was still a very cool experience to see my fellow students faces light up when their sponsor child gave them a big hug and expressed how grateful they were. Anthea, Mrs. Goosen, Jordan, Beatrice, and a few others all got to see their sponsor children and would then pray for them with Zaak translating. After this was done we had a unique meal where we went to Guatemalan family’s house where we made our own tortilla like dishes which involved us rolling dough around in our hands, making it into a circle, stuffing cheese in the center, and then rolling the dough over the cheese. The family then deep fried the dough, served it with two choices of sauce (spicy or non-spicy), along with a unique beverage made from milk, rice and cinnamon. After this meal we did a prayer for the family and then left for the guesthouse.
Well that is the events of the past three days! By the way, I began this blog on April 5 but carried it over to April 6, so I am no longer tired or incoherent. I apologize for how inconsistent my blogging is, but it is very hard to find time to write for we are always traveling somewhere. The only time I get a chance to write is when it is time for bed, but by that time I am so tired that I can’t write a single straight thought! I will attempt to start a new blog for tomorrow and I apologize in advance if I am not able to. Adios amigos!
- Adam Sylvester

This is for Sunday, April 6th.

We got to sleep in a little bit today. Breakfast was at eight and Jessica arrived to explain that mornings activities. It was market day in Tac Tic and we were to go on a scavenger hunt throughout the market. In groups of five, with a list and one hundred costal in tow we set off. The market was stampede of Guatemalans, all five feet tall moving through the narrow streets. All the stalls in the market had overhangs to protect them from the sun. But of course this being Guatemala all these tarps and overhangs came to our neck height, so throughout the day we got clothes lined like a dozen times. Since our list was in Spanish and none of us can put a decent sentence together, except for Scott. We struggled for an hour getting as many items as we could. After the hour was over we returned to the guesthouse to tally our scores two groups tied for first and the third team was close behind. Lunch was at Les’ house, it was Carmella’ birthday (Carmella is Les and Rita’s cook) so we all sang and had cake. After Lunch we pilled into the vans to visit a coffee plantation up in the mountains. This coffee plantation has no human hands ever touch the coffee other than the picking process everything else is done by water. The beans have their husks removed and are soaked in water to remove their slimy coating. We beans are sorted by quality, based on size and density. A large, dense bean is of high quality. We beans are laid out to dry and are then bagged to be shipped to roasters around the world. We traveled back down the mountain to go to church. Again at church it was a extremely moving service many of us had the same experience that we had at Les’ house the day before. After the service we returned to change for soccer. No Canadian team has ever scored a goal playing against the Guatemalans. At the start of the game it wasn’t pretty. Canadians were going off in the first few minutes. But once we had teams in place we had a record of three turns without going off and ten goals in the two hours we played. The game was pretty impressive considering we have never scored before. It was ten o’clock when we finished and everyone was exhausted. The group returned to the guest house and hotel for bed.
- Chris Horback