So I Went to Guatemala...

I'm not sure if I mentioned it here or not, but last month I had the opportunity, along with three other ladies from church, to go to Guatemala for a few days.  Our church has connections with a couple of missionaries in a village in Guatemala, who each run schools in a village.  Julie, Vicki, Gina, and I (and baby Julia)went to spend time encouraging these missionaries, and visiting the schools.  Our quilting ministry at church quilted 52 quilts for us to take and gift to the teachers and staff of these schools, as sort of a "thank you for all of the hard work you do everyday" sort of thing. 

Um, it was the funnest trip ever.  I mean, it was horribly hard and taxing and with great sacrifice I boarded that plane to Guatemala.  Not exactly.  I went on a four night trip with three good friends, where we spent time hugging children and eating and talking and shopping and talking and laughing and giving people presents and going to church and (hopefully) encouraging and eating and talking.  GREAT SACRIFICE.  Clearly I was born for mission trips. :)

Families at our church sponser about 100 children at one of the schools, contributing monthly towards the cost of tuition and supplies.  This is my little Alex that we sponser:

He's still talking about the huggy white lady.

And wondering what the heck this logo is on his new teddy bear.

One of the schools has a marching band consisting of 4th, 5th, and 6th graders, and wouldn't you know, it was picture day on the morning we visited.  

I had visions of my father and memories of many picture days, as I watched the staff assemble the kids in their bright and shiny uniforms.

I have no idea who this kid is, but I almost brought him home with me.  Seriously.  If for no other reason than to watch him squirt yogurt through that gap in his teeth.  

Never mind.  I don't know any kids who squirt yogurt through the gap in their teeth.

We brought with us pictures of kids from our church to pass out to the kids in Guatemala, and they LOVED them.  At one point, we turned around and the girls were swapping cards like trading cards.  It was pretty fun.

I desperately wish we had a copy of this poster on the wall to use in the ER to help us diagnose illnesses.

Excuse me, sir.  I see you are lying on a bed with a blanket over your lap.  You must have la hepatitis. 

Passing out the quilts to the hard working teachers and staff at the school was very rewarding.

The Sunday before we left, our church prayed over the quilts, and prayed for their recipients.

The boys LOVED their "guy quilts".  Some of the quilts were less flowery and girly, so we gave them to the guys, who promptly turned them into Super-hero capes.  Because some things transcend cultures.

This is Gina with Lori, who runs one of the schools we were visiting.  Gina first went on a mission trip with Lori in the early 1980s, and it was a sweet, sweet reunion for them.

At the second school we visited, we were escorted classroom-to-classroom, and had a chance to hug every single student at the school that day.

And again, we got to pass out quilts to all of the teachers and watch them swap with each other for their favorites :)

(I have a few more pictures from our trip, but it will have to wait till later.  I am tired of blogging tonight...)