Mississippi - The First Days

Hi Everybody!
Sorry this is so late, we've been really busy and didn't have access to a computer for the last four days.

Our first two days consisted mainly of sleeping, eating, sleeping, watching movies, sleeping, readjusting, sleeping, and lots more sleeping. In this time period we traveled from RJC to Memphis, TN. Unfortunately on the second day it was unbearably hot because our air conditioner broke down and that made the ride very much more than lukewarm and pleasant smelling.

Day two in the afternoon we reached Memphis and went directly to the National Civil Rights Museum and spent a couple hours there learning about the Civil Rights movement in the US that really wasn't that civil! The museum is located at the spot where Martin Luther King was assassinated and highlights the struggles of the black community in the US to achieve equality. It was sobering to see that black sanitation workers in Memphis in 1968 protested unfair working conditions that included wages so low they still qualified for welfare!

After buying souvenirs in the gift shop we headed on to Graceland to see Elvis and his stuff. We spent a lot more time with the stuff that with Elvis sadly enough. To get a tour it costs "an arm, a leg, and your firstborn." Quoted directly from our own Jim Epp. So instead we saw all of Elvis's lovely gift shops that all looked the same. Still, now we can say that we've been to Graceland.
After that we went to our classy hotel (Comfort Suites- which was extremely comfy by the way) and went to supper at the Bar-B-Que Pit for a traditional southern meal. They had an all you can eat BBQ rib dinner special. Our group ate all of the ribs the restaurant had! Following supper we all hung out in the high twenties weather on the hotel grounds and the adjoining parking lot of LOWE's hardware store.

The next morning we enjoyed a lovely continental breakfast and drove to New Orleans, Louisiana. We parked beside the Harrah's casino and walked into the French Quarter and spent the whole afternoon there buying cool things and eating good food, example: fried alligator tails and catfish. That night we spent at a sweet motel (Knights Inn- no knights, just friendly middle-aged bikers) in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. We sang lots of songs, played more football and Frisbee, and ate ice cream from Wendys.

This morning we woke up to another gorgeous day and drove to Gulfport where we first went to Walmart to buy cheap but nutritious food. Then we went to the docks to get on the Gulf Islander to sail to West Ship Island. We had just under four hours to swim and soak up the lovely sun. We must say that some people soak better than others judging by their wonderful warm glow. We also saw a record number of dolphins.

When we got back on the mainland it started pouring and it still is. We then drove to the Habitat for Humanity site where we'll be staying for the whole week. We received our orientation and had some free time before bed.

Tomorrow we will start our day bright (we hope) and early at 6 am to start work on our assigned house.

Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated.
Much love, your bloggers,
Katie M., Bronwyn W., and Judith S.
p.s. we will send pictures as soon as we figure out how.

Team Building for ALSO Week

After the ALSO Mississippi group left for their week of service in the wee hours of the morning on April 15th, the remainder of the student body was left to finish the school week! On Friday April 16th, the Faith and Life committee planned some team building activities for the Calgary, Winnipeg, Missinipe and Saskatoon ALSO groups during Chapel time. These groups are anticipating an exciting week to come and anxious to get going too!

Ryan Wood with the Missinipe ALSO group. Danika Epp checks to see if her group is ready to catch her in her trust fall.

Luke Driedger-Enns has complete confidence in his Shekinah ALSO group

Torrey Falconer overcomes her fear! No worries Torrey, team Pleasant Hill/W.P. Bates has your back covered!

Cassandra D'Amore has her ALSO Calgary group all tied in knots!

Games of concentration and cooperation.

Rachel Klaassen, Taylor Epp, Heather Epp and Aisha Friesen

Torrey Falconer, John Baker, Brittany Olsen and Brooklyn Perran.

Karalee Kuny with a few members of the Winnipeg ALSO group - Lyle Graham, Josh Lafreniere, Paul Ayres, Adam Rempel and Teresa Friesen

ALSO week begins

The Alternative Learning and Service Opportunities week begins on
Monday, April 19. A bus bound for Mississippi and a Habitat for
Humanity project left on Thursday, April 15. Other student groups
will be travelling to Calgary, Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Missinipe
(northern Saskatchewan) on Monday.

Watch this blog for updates during the week!

Guatemala Slide Show

Watch it in HD on YouTube!

photo recap

Here are just a few of the pictures from our trip.

In Guatemala City (Day 1)

Learning about Zone 1 In Guatemala City (Day 2)

Our first Canada v. Guatemala Soccer Game (Day 3)Inside a classroom built by RJC Guatemala 2009 at Lo de Carranza (Day 4)Cutting rebar for cement supports at Lo de Carranza (Day 4)Mixing cement (Day 5)Preparing the trenches for the cement (Day 5)

Carrying pails of cement (Day 5)

Enjoying a spicy lunch after some hard work (Day 5)Meeting some of the children (Day 5)A view of Lake Atitlan (Day 6)Meeting the children at ANADESA's childrens' group (Day 6)Juan and Paige telling about some of the history of Panabaj (Day 6)

Making crafts with the children at ANADESA's childrens' group (Day 7)Learning to make tortillas by hand (Day 7)Our turn to try (Day 7)En Route to La Vega Del Volcan (Day 9)View from the town (Day 9)Morning after our homestay at La Vega Del Volcan (Day 10)Our second Canada v. Guatemala Game at La Vega Del Volcan (Day 10)At the hot springs near Xela (Day 11)

We're home!

It's early (or late?) in the morning and I think all of us are relieved and maybe even a bit excited to have our feet firmly planted on Saskatchewan soil. I think we'll all sleep very well tonight!

Thanks to everyone for supporting us on this trip; we thought of and prayed for you all the time! I'm sure we'll be extremely excited to share all of our stories with you as soon as we can.

I'll do my best to post some photos recapping the whole trip for you to enjoy. For now, sleep calls.

Carmen

Sunrise at Semilla

I've always been a morning person and usually I feel the most inspired in the early hours of the morning. So I guess it's no surprise that as the sun rises over the trees at our Guatemalan villa I feel compelled to share some reflections of this trip.

Our trip has been a fantastic one. I have learned so much more about the people of Guatemala, the issues they face, the students we took on the trip and more about myself and the role I play in all of this. I have witnessed amazing growth in each of the students that are on the trip. Each person shone in their own way as we saw glimpses into the everyday lives of various Guatemalan residents. Without the students and other chaperones I doubt that this experience would have been as rewarding. I am excited to see how each student unpacks all the information they've received and how they will use the lessons and experiences in the future.

I am constantly assured of how blessed and lucky I am as well. There are so many things that I take for granted that I know I am privileged to have. We live in a country where we feel safe and can trust our government leaders (for the most part). I can't imagine what it would be like to live in a place where I never received benefits from an elected group of people in power. The importance of community have also been cemented into my mind. It's quite amazing to see what a group of people with a common vision and support network can do. We've seen communities bounce back from the most devestating things on this trip, and we've seen the hope that a group of people can bring. Even while traveling through the winding roads that I thought were completely desolate there were houses and communities there. It's an incredibly powerful thing. I think we have all witnessed the importance of family as well. I think it's safe to say that each person on the trip is missing theirs and looking forward to seeing familiar faces waiting for them and welcoming them home in the coming days. I can assure you that each of you have been thought of and prayed for each day. Thank you also for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.

We have one final day together in this country before we fly out. I think that everyone is leaving with mixed emotions as they are glad they got to come on this trip but equally glad to be on Canadian soil and sharing all the events, stories and pictures with our families and friends. Thank you for all of your love and support through this adventure we've had.

Blessings,
Carmen