Greetings!
I made it home Friday night after a great week in Guatemala. I had a great time with my friends, Rachel and Gary, and made some new ones! Last weekend we went to a city called Antigua which is a city at the base of a Volcano. It is a very tourist city with lots to see and do. So we shopped in the market, ate some really great food, walked a lot, and saw one of the ruins (which was where Gary and Rachel got married).
During the week I was helping out with Vacation Bible School. There is around 900 kids in this school, so they split up the VBS by doing different grades each week so its not too overwhelming for the teachers. We sang lots of songs, did crafts, Bible lessons, and games. There are 2 very memorable moments I had at the school. The first one was on the first day, all the teachers had to go up front and the director introduced us and said what we would be doing that week. Then we had to sing a song with motions. The song was in Spanish, so of course I didn't know it, but I just went along with what everyone else was doing! I am very thankful for my friend Karla, who is the English teacher at the school, she helped translate a lot of what was happening, so I wasn't completely out of the loop.
The second most memorable moment, which is actually the most memorable was on Wednesday when I was playing games with the little ones and we had the 7.5 Tremor from the earthquake that had hit the coast of Guatemala. I don't think the kids actually realized what was happening, cause we just kept playing. But for what seemed like a really long time, I felt like I was on this giant swing that was swaying back and forth. I actually felt a bit nauseous afterwords. Most of the damage was on the coast, 30 people died so far, and there was 100 people missing. There was a little damage in Guatemala City in the poorer areas where stuff wasn't built as well.
After spending 5 and a half weeks in Spanish speaking countries, I have a huge respect for people that come to America and know English. I would love to become fluent in my Spanish to really connect with the people and children in these countries. I have learned so much while I was gone. The main thing that got me through most of the days was that God was in control, and He was going to teach me whatever I needed, even if it was way out of my comfort zone. I had to trust that whatever happened was what I needed. One of the hardest things to get used to was the laid back culture. Relationships are everything to them, and often I feel like we put a lot of things before our relationships. I had to let go of my control of time and embrace the people I was spending the time with, even if I had no idea what they were saying.
I am very thankful for all my awesome hosts while I was in Honduras and Guatemala City. I would love to go back again when the time works out!
Below are some of my favorite pictures from my trip!
I made it home Friday night after a great week in Guatemala. I had a great time with my friends, Rachel and Gary, and made some new ones! Last weekend we went to a city called Antigua which is a city at the base of a Volcano. It is a very tourist city with lots to see and do. So we shopped in the market, ate some really great food, walked a lot, and saw one of the ruins (which was where Gary and Rachel got married).
During the week I was helping out with Vacation Bible School. There is around 900 kids in this school, so they split up the VBS by doing different grades each week so its not too overwhelming for the teachers. We sang lots of songs, did crafts, Bible lessons, and games. There are 2 very memorable moments I had at the school. The first one was on the first day, all the teachers had to go up front and the director introduced us and said what we would be doing that week. Then we had to sing a song with motions. The song was in Spanish, so of course I didn't know it, but I just went along with what everyone else was doing! I am very thankful for my friend Karla, who is the English teacher at the school, she helped translate a lot of what was happening, so I wasn't completely out of the loop.
The second most memorable moment, which is actually the most memorable was on Wednesday when I was playing games with the little ones and we had the 7.5 Tremor from the earthquake that had hit the coast of Guatemala. I don't think the kids actually realized what was happening, cause we just kept playing. But for what seemed like a really long time, I felt like I was on this giant swing that was swaying back and forth. I actually felt a bit nauseous afterwords. Most of the damage was on the coast, 30 people died so far, and there was 100 people missing. There was a little damage in Guatemala City in the poorer areas where stuff wasn't built as well.
After spending 5 and a half weeks in Spanish speaking countries, I have a huge respect for people that come to America and know English. I would love to become fluent in my Spanish to really connect with the people and children in these countries. I have learned so much while I was gone. The main thing that got me through most of the days was that God was in control, and He was going to teach me whatever I needed, even if it was way out of my comfort zone. I had to trust that whatever happened was what I needed. One of the hardest things to get used to was the laid back culture. Relationships are everything to them, and often I feel like we put a lot of things before our relationships. I had to let go of my control of time and embrace the people I was spending the time with, even if I had no idea what they were saying.
I am very thankful for all my awesome hosts while I was in Honduras and Guatemala City. I would love to go back again when the time works out!
Below are some of my favorite pictures from my trip!
 |
| Genesis and Mariana |
 |
| Heydi and I |
 |
 |
| Emie (which is pronounced Amy there!) |
 |
| The girls at VBS and their home for the butterfly (mariposa) |
 |
| Jenny and I in Tegucigalpa |
 |
| Nap time! |
 |
| Gary, Rachel and I |
 |
| Reading time! |
 |
| Teaching English! |
