Sunburns & Siestas

Hola!
Our second day in Guatemala wasn't packed full but it sure seemed like it! We started off by heading to church at Lo de Carranza, a small town approximately 1 hour from the City. This is the site of our first work project and one where a portion of the funds raised through Pennies for Poverty will end up. The service was full of lively singing and an invigorating message even though it was all in Spainsh. The group prepared some songs and a dramatic reading to add to the service.

Once the service had finished it was only a matter of minutes before people had changed from their Sunday best into their soccer gear to have a match. We had been told last year that the Guatemalan team showed up in their complete uniforms and this year was no different, except that they had some t-shirts left from another group to donate to our team as jerseys. After a round of introductions, it was game time. One and a half hours later, the teams finally called it to an end with the offical score being 4-1 for the Guatemalans, even after we aquired a few of their players.

Those who didn't play enjoyed the day and played with many of the children from the town.

We continued to celebrate together with a delicious lunch hosted by the church. After we were full of mashed potatoes, rice, spiced chicken, tortillas, tamarine juice and special hot sauce for the brave, we listened to some stories from the founders of the church and teachers of the preschool. We also learned about our building project for the next two days and were excited to hear all about the work we will do together.

All that excitement in the sun brought an overall pinkish glow to the group. We'll remember to reapply the sunscreen more often tomorrow as we work in the sun. After a long day playing and worshipping together in temperatures we're not used to for February, it was the perfect opportunity for ice cream and naps. We'll be fully recharged for our day tomorrow, I'm sure!

Blessings,
Carmen