Guatemala 2012

As many of you are already aware, Syd and I went on our second missions trip to Guatemala last month. I would like to thank everyone who helped us get there, both through Huffleblossoms purchases and through direct donations. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!

There are so many things I can tell you about, I don't really know where to begin! Our team had sent money down there before we went, so some local workers had already laid the block for the house we were building. When we got down there, the team put the roof on and poured the cement floor. The women on the team walked down every street in the village and stopped at every single house. We were looking to see who needed medical attention and we invited all the ladies in the village to a get-to-know-you type of meeting with all of the women from our team. We also took part in a church service, held a medical clinic, did activities with dozens of children, and so much more. After all of that, we even had a day to just be tourists in the city of Antigua (where I not-so-secretly want to live!).

Since we did such a variety of things, I had a hard time narrowing down the 500+ pictures I have of the trip. So I apologize in advance for this very photo heavy post, but hey...at least I got it down this much! :)

This is what the new house looked like when we got there

Adding the roof

What the majority of the houses in the village looked like

The village's Presbyterian Church

This guy became one of our meals, prepared by the ladies of the village

Duck Soup! It tasted AMAZING!

I fell in love with this little guy

The kids had a blast playing with Syd! Tag is just one of those games that transcends language barriers

Clean water - tear open a corner and insert a straw :)

The ladies preparing yet another delicious lunch

Organizing clothes to be given away

Helping the kids string beads to make salvation bracelets...over 70 kids made these with us!

Medical clinic

Because sometimes you just have to make faces at the camera

Syd made HUNDREDS of balloon animals for those kids!

I loved coloring with the kids

Syd and the other 12 year old on the team had a herd of little ones following them everywhere they went

Another medical clinic

Another team member and I prayed with every person who was seen in the clinic

These boys played together in that puddle for almost an hour. They were adorable!

This little girl, Mari, practically became Syd's shadow while we were there

Me and one of my new buddies

A herd of cows blocking the road is just a way of life here

Kids were literally hanging on Syd. :D

Being 12 doesn't get you out of physical labor

A playful moment between Syd and a new friend

Tearful goodbyes. It's so hard to leave!

Gas prices...lol! (it equals just over 4 US dollars per gallon)

Limonada...as fresh as it gets! :D

Heading out for a day of shopping in Antigua

Standing on the rooftop deck of a coffee shop we wandered into. Beautiful!

So there it is....a brief overview of our incredible 8 day adventure. If you have any questions or want to know more details about anything, feel free to ask here or on our facebook page!

Oh, I almost forgot one more detail. The day after we got home, I put the change from my pocket onto the counter. Syd asked if she could have it. I asked why she wanted it. Her answer? "To start our fund for the next trip." Another missions trip is definitely in our future!

Be blessed!