Our Souvenirs & Memories

With great joy I present to you all my final video. This video is a cumulative look into our year with footage from both first and second semester. I hope it gives you but another insight into our year and our team, with all of our quirks and memorable moments. It was an unforgettable year, one that I know we will not forget. Our stories are continuing to unfold even though the year is done. Enjoy the video it was made with joy, anticipation and love.




Ladies and gentlemen, this is the end of this blog from my end. This is the end of these stories and recaps of our year. You can always come back here to rediscover and remember our story.

I bid thee all a farewell, and a blessed future.

Raymond

Our Homestay Town

Hi all! I'm keeping with my word and posting a video from this past semester. We had the wonderful opportunity to spend six weeks in host families in a little town called San Juan. We lived, laughed, loved and learned here. It was our home away from home.  Here's a short video peek into the place we called home.



Yes, that slightly obnoxious noise near the beginning is intentional, it was part of our life in San Juan! During any or all hours of the day a truck would around town making that noise selling propane to the townspeople. Trust me, you grow used to it... Kinda.

Continue to stay tuned, I have another video coming!

Raymond

Once Upon A Time

The fellowship before they depart this beautiful land

Once upon a time there was a group of dusters from all over the faraway land of Canada. They joined together on an adventure that they didn’t realize would change their lives forever. Over mountains and through valleys they travelled together, in cattle trucks, on foot, through protests, in sickness and in health. Three months of tears and frustration, and joy and laughter. They made it through it all – the bus breakdowns, the disgustingly large amounts of tortillas and frijoles, the parasites, and the constant sound of Raymond’s voice on the bus. But when it came to their final week in the distant kingdom of Guatemala, they became hesitant. What would come next? The separation of “the Fellowship” was something they dreaded. The lessons learned and deep friendships were already carved in stone, how could it be over so soon? They had a nice distraction in Guatemala’s annual celebration of the greatest king to ever touch the soil of this earth. They joined the locals (and other white foreigners) in watching the processions of Jesus giving up his life for every human being, beaten and mocked and shamed, and of his mother Mary, who cried and mourned for the life that didn’t deserve to end but was given up so we could live. And then they returned to taking turns each sharing what the journey had meant to them, some creating some more laughs, and some sharing more tears. Emotionally drained and both nervous and excited to return to the now slightly foreign land of Canada, they packed their bags in anticipation. It was the beginning of the new chapter in their lives, where they had to put in practice the things they had learned on their journey. But also to face new challenges, without their fellow travellers near them. Yet the journey had to end, and the Outtatowners must become the Backintowners, following others who have gone before them. And with that, the only thing left to say is… We’ll see you in Canada! And a-be-be-da-be-be…that’s all, folks!

Caution: Please do not try this at home. This could cause unexplainable changes in behaviour and/or thought processes, and a strange excitement for anything related to God. This may also cause people who have not experienced it to misunderstand and be confused by any strange side effects of this journey.

 - Kaycie (With input from Christina)

Not The End Yet

Outtatown is fast coming to a close.  This year, everything it is and was is ending. We're reeling with the change that is coming and the separation from the community that has strengthened us. While Outtatown is almost over and this blog will come to serve as a reminder of pieces of this year, I would like to encourage you to stayed tuned for another month and a bit after this year does end.

If you remember over the Christmas break I shared a video introducing you to our team. If you keep following this blog I will post other videos here for you to watch. Hopefully the videos will give you a bit more of a glimpse into our team and what we experienced and some of the joy we've encountered this year.

Keep following our story even after it ends. For this end is just the beginning of another adventure.

Cheers!
Raymond

Breakfast Time!

Travelling With Sights To See

Last week we said goodbye to our host families in San Juan for the last time and hit the road for a week of traveling through Guatemala. Our first destination? Lanquin, a little Maya village close to the beautiful Semuc Champey. We spent our Monday exploring a cave in the heart of Semuc Champey, swimming in the beautiful turquoise colored pools, and tubing down the Cahabon river. The next day we were off for another long day of travel to a town called Flores. Time there was spent swimming in the lake and visiting Tikal and all its Mayan Ruins. Those who were brave enough got the opportunity to hold a very large and very real tarantula as well as climbing some of the most beautiful Mayan Ruins in Guatemala. From there we traveled to Finca Ixobel where we spent a few days relaxing in hammocks and playing some Ultimate Frisbee. With wind blowing through our hair and the sun on our skin, we made our way to our final destination, Denny's Beach on Lake Isabel. Swimming in the lake, Canoeing, mud fights in the water and laying in hammocks over looking the water are just a few of the things that we did at the beach. It was a great end to our week of travel. Now we are headed back to Antigua for our last week in Guatemala. Time is flying by like crazy! We are excited to see our family and friends back at home but it's hard to think that our time here in Guatemala and our time together as a group is coming to an end. See you in one week Canada!

Semuc Champey

Tikal

Hanging Out At Denny's Beach

In The Cave

Independent Service Week

Last week we split ways; we parted company and traversed various distances.  Our fine group of thirty broke off into mighty fellowships of four to six people to be but simple servants.  In these groups of comrades we set off to help out various NGO’s and missionaries in the surrounding area.  Unaware of what we were getting into we went with open hearts and minds ready to help, ready to be.  These are our stories. 

Back To Pana, Ya’ll!

Dominic, Adam, Kevin, Laura, Sandy and Ally

Last Saturday, Dominic, Adam, Kevin, Laura, Sandy, and Ally were given cash for a week of groceries and were loaded on a shuttle bound for the city of Panajachel. We worked once again with Solomon’s Porch, the organization with which we built the basketball court only three weeks earlier.

     Deprive a group of university students of familiar food for three months, and you get a mixed bag of cravings – or should I say a mixed pot. We cooked and ate spaghetti and stir fry, fresh fruits and veggies, homemade burgers and home fries, ice cream and sprinkles, peanut butter, a lot of yogourt, and cold milk with our cereal. (Please take note, parents.)

      Solomon’s Porch founders, Lloyd and Melanie Monroe, welcomed us back to Pana on Sunday at their weekly worship service, but we were also given a warm Southern welcome by another group on a missions trip for the week, from Tallahassee, Florida. So nahs to meet y’all… and yer accents!

      From Monday to Wednesday, we worked passing cinder blocks, sand, and gravel in San Gabriel, building a house for a large indigenous family. The first morning, however, we dug the house’s foundation and impressed the Tallahassee group so much that we garnered the title of “the legendary Canadians,” which Dominic reinforced the next day by digging a 3-metre deep, 1.4-metre wide hole for the drop toilet. Tuesday afternoon, Kevin also had the chance to pull a couple of rotten teeth as an assistant to a volunteer dentist. (Give him a call if you’re due for a root canal...)

Dom and his hole

     On Thursday and Friday, the six of us were transferred over to a different work site to work on duplex for the family of Solomon’s Porch employee, and our friend, Luis. Day one involved a lot of wheelbarrowing sand and gravel, and day two we mixed and passed buckets of concrete.

     We re-experienced the value of behind-the-scenes work this week, the kind of work that is appreciated immensely, but isn’t as heartwarming as feeding someone or as heartbreaking as working with kids. But as Luis’ brother told us as we left, they will think of us every time they step foot inside the walls we helped to fill with concrete. And that feeling of satisfaction is one you can’t get from sprinkles, peanut butter, or yogourt.

 - Ally

Feeding Centre in San Lucia

Elysha, Carlie, David, Joel, and Luke

This week 5 brave young folks worked with Hilmar in San Lucia at Hilmar’s feeding centre. Monday consisted of cleaning the chicken housing area. Hilmar and his friend Alli raise the chickens themselves so that every so often they can serve chicken to the 100ish children who come for a good meal and vitamins twice a week. After we had cleaned the chicken zone and fed the chickens we attempted to make some bookshelves (key word being attempted). 15 uneven cuts, 20 broken screws and 30 minutes of laughter later we completed two things that resembled modern art more than bookshelves, however both were indeed capable of supporting books.

     Tuesday we had the pleasure of making tortillas for the meal we would help serve later. (apparently a person is not ready to be married until they can slap a near perfect tortilla. Heads up Carlie, Elysha and I (Luke) are now ready)We were given the opportunity to perform a couple songs in Spanish for 60 high schoolers from Arkansaw then again for the 100 or so kids it was a grand old time. After the meal the students from arkansa washed the feet of all the kids then gave them all brand new shoes, it was really cool.  

      On Wednesday we made 47 solar lights using 2 liter pop bottles and tin roofing. Hilmar will install these when he sees the need in local houses. Basically you stick the bottle through a hole in the tin silicone the edges to seal it from the rain, fill the bottle with water and a little chlorine, stick it in the roof and it provides 55 or so watts of light (during the day) to what would otherwise be a very dark room without any lighting or windows. Afterwards we experienced a little taste of heaven in the form of home barbecued hamburgers and homemade brownies compliments of pastor Gee and his wife. (missionaries from Ottawa who have partnered with Hilmar)

      On Friday we got up nice and early and headed for the mountains, two bus rides and a ride in a pickup truck through a beautiful more forested area we arrived at our destination. We ate a second breakfast then headed off to the local school to teach a little bit of English, but mainly just have fun with the kids and give the school some supplies. After we finished at the school we were given a brief tour of the local church Hilmar works with. Then we went swimming in a fringed river for some fun and laughs and hypothermia.

This week was awesome; it was great working with Hilmar and living with his family. It has been a blessing to see and take part in such a meaningful ministry. God Bless

 - Luke

Boy’s Home

Kelsey, Kaycie, Maleah, Danielle and Whitney

Kelsey, Kaycie, Maleah, Danielle and I all got the privilege of going to a children’s home this past week.  This was a Christian home made up of 18 boys that ranged from age 8 to 19 and 6 girls who were siblings of boys in the home.  When we first arrived at the home we were overwhelmed with how welcomed we felt as we were swarmed by kids with countless hugs.  We were no longer seen as “gringos” but were invited to become part of the family for a week.  We painted and worked alongside kids, helping with washing dishes and others chores around the house, and were scolded if we didn’t get there soon enough!  It wasn’t long before those kids became our friends who we joked around with, watched movies with, had intense races on Mario cart for Wii and competitive late night games of UNO.  Things became a lot more real for us when we hear some of the stories of our new friends before coming to the home.  The annoying kids, who are constantly passing by trying to sell us bracelets, were no long the kids we wanted to get rid of, but these kids are now our friends.  The abuse stories we had heard about in Guatemala were a part of these kids past and put a face to the stories.  This week was such a blessing and has definitely been a highlight.  These kids have made an impact on our lives and will be in our prayers.  Leaving the boys home was very hard, unwanted goodbyes are never easy, but it was a week that we wouldn’t have traded for anything!

 - Whitney

Mana De Vida

Beth, Julia, Cayenne, and Jess

This past week Beth, Julia, Cayenne and I had the amazing privilege to serve in a Christian Inner City School named Mana de Vida.  This school, solely funded by donations, runs Monday to Friday, 7-2 and on Saturday runs a VBS Bible camp, for not only the students of the school but for other kids in the community!  The school provided breakfast, snacks, and lunch and school supplies for each student!  Located in the hot city of Escuintla, Mana de Vida ministers children who come from rough and broken homes.  Many of these children have poor families therefore the food they eat at the school is something all they got. 

      Arriving at the school us ladies were amazed in how welcoming and loving they were, greeting us with many hugs and kisses.  Straight away they welcomed us into their community and were not afraid to put us to work!  We were able to serve in many different ways for example: helping serve meals, cleaning, teaching English, organizing games for the kids, supervising during assemblies, playing with the kids at recess and more!  We felt so blessed to serve in any way we could but the one thing we really enjoyed was being able to build relationships with the kids and spending time giving them the attention they often don’t receive at home.  Mana de Vida is helping them grow and learn and develop in the relationship with Christ.  During the week the kids were very patient with our somewhat good Spanish!  They loved to ask us millions of questions, teaching us songs and games and even sharing personal stories with us.  They love the camera spot light but enjoyed taking pictures even more. 

      For most of us this week was a highlight, helping us remember why came on this program to serve others with loving hearts, building relationships, digging deeper in our faith but to also support others in their faith journeys, but most importantly to be open to learning from others.  This week did exactly that for us when working with the staff and students in Mana de Vida.  They will forever have special places in our hearts.  We saw the face of Christ this week and learnt so much.  This is one week we will never be able to forget.

 - Jess

Love Guatemala

Natasha, Soyeon, Christina, Maria, and Evan

For our service week we had the honour of working with an NGO called Love Guatemala in Jocatenago led by Judy and Phil Bergen, a Mennonite couple from Canada.  While with them we were treated to some uniquely Guatemala experiences, but one welcome change was the delicious Canadian food that they cooked for us.  All our cravings were satisfied as we ate lasagna, chicken, soup, macaroni, spaghetti, salad, sausages, pupusas, bread WITH BUTTER, crepes and pancakes; and that’s just some of it.  If you’re not jealous yet, you should be.  Canadian cuisine was but one of our experiences, however.  We also went to a Macadamia Nut Farm to learn about agriculture and get facials.  As well we went to Pastores a town comprised of at least 25 shops all selling leather cowboy boots, and experienced our first ever Mariachi band who oddly enough is now in San Juan as we write this.  

      As for our work?  Don’t worry we did plenty of that too, we helped clean up an old warehouse by moving wheelbarrows full of bricks and marble as well as by painting the walls to ready it for its intended use as a market for the local community.  In the afternoon we worked at the school “Casa de Nivios” renovating and often returning there in the evenings to serve soup and play with kids.  In the late evening if we weren’t too tired, we occupied our time by playing competitive poker with M&M’s and by pranking calling other groups with the Lion King soundtrack.

      Throughout our work weeks we meet and were befriended by lots of great people, like Christina, Manuel, David, Tito, Marvin, Jorge, Judy, and Phil.  In many ways they did more for us than we did for them, accepting us, attempting to joke3 with us in Spanish, and just in general looking out for us.  We are all grateful for the opportunity to have worked with them and not only for the food, but for the chance to Love Guatemala in whatever way we can. 

 - Natasha

Roca De Ayuda

Clara, Carly, Lex, Jutters, and Raymond

This past week we learnt a lot.  The five of us went into Guatemala City to work with an NGO called Roca de Ayuda (Rock Of Help) we learnt the idea of being rather than doing.  Your presence can sometimes be more important than the amount of work you do.  During the week we painted, cleaned and organized a room.  We did a lot of measuring and packing food for families like soap, beans and rice.  

      On some of the days we served kids lunch.  One of those days we visited a community surrounding the garbage dump and served lunches to the kids there.  This was a great experience because we got the chance to sit down and have conversation and laughs with the kids… Or get made fun of our Spanish accents.  We had the opportunity to really get to know the staff at the organization as well as the pastor of the church.  They were very gracious and loving to have us there and they tried their very best to make it a great work week.  We were made aware of the problems and issues the people in the organization face.  We will always be remembering them and praying for them.  We were blessed to have this experience and hope to have more like this in our lives.

 - Clara

P.S.  Remember that impressive basketball court we built back in Panajachel a number of weeks ago?  Guess what?!  It’s looking mighty and marvelous now.  After we left the town put some finishing touches on the court, painting on the lines, erecting the final net, and the most important of them all, playing on it.  The group that visited Pana had the opportunity to return to the court where the kids ran out to greet them in giddy remembrance and show them the finished project.  In marvelous excitement they gave the court a proper Outtatown stamp of approval with an excellent jump photo on the court.  

Ladies and Gentlemen, family and friends, thank-you for the financial donations that you gave, this is where a difference was made.  This was where lives were changed, we may have been the ones hauling pail after pail of concrete, but we couldn’t have done it without you helping to provide the concrete.  Kids have a place to laugh and play, and the community has a court that they will put to use for many, many years.  Thank-You.

 - Raymond  

Transitions

We are noticeably coming to the end of our Outtatown journey as we finished our Spanish classes and home-stays this week.  We also wrapped up our Tuesday Service Days this week.  This week seemed to fly by as we studied for our final exam and finished up our shopping in Antigua markets.

Friday morning we got early and climbed Volcan Pacaya.  It was about a 1.5 hour hike although some of us rode horses partway up.   Unfortunately we didn’t get to see any lava, but we did get to roast marshmallows over volcanic heat pockets.  The view from the top was absolutely beautiful.  

This week Deanna came out to Guatemala and also brought us our much anticipated mail.  This week was also Impact San Juan week.  In our PMG groups we were given the task of coming up with a way to impact our host community of San Juan.  I think we all enjoyed creatively coming up with different ideas.  Some of the things groups did were picking up garbage, giving a cake to our hard working Spanish teacher, and playing with kids form the community.  I think it was a really great experience for all of us.  

This next week is Independent Service Week, so we are splitting up into 6 groups and heading off to different locations.  There are a few construction projects, some inner-city projects and a group going to work at a boy’s home.  Keep us in your prayers as we head off to a week of service and loving the people we com into contact with.  Look forward to our next blog post telling about each different service project.

- Kelsey

A Story To Tell

The following takes place between the fifth and eleventh of March.  All events, names, and places may have been changed to protect the individuals involved.  Proceed at your own risk.  This message may cause worry, concern, anguish, passion, fear, fainting spells, humour, tummy rubbing, romance, random laughter, babies crying, vomiting and diarrhea.

The trials began when the beast arose in the classroom bearing a new face with a new challenge and a new learning curve.  The students knew from the start that they would have to apply themselves heavily to this matter.  The beast however consistently proves to be necessary in the environment in which the students have been living.  The beast is Spanish class.  With great gusto the brave students put forth best efforts to learn and use this ability and beast.  Slowly but surely they have learned the ways of Spanish and how to conquer the beast.

The real trials began, when the fellowship parted ways.  The souls with heart, strength, determination and perseverance knew that the upcoming weekend would be critical to the group.   It would change the fate of their lives.  Thus it began, placing one foot in front of the other over and over again.  The brave champions had their task; few knew if they would make it to the top.  Even less knew if they would ever see home again.  What they did know was that slow and steady wins the race, that the last are not the least, and that there is hope higher up the mountain.  As the climbers clambered upward it became clear that the mountain, the grand volcano of Santa Maria, would succumb to the group’s endless effort.  They climbed higher and higher and at each rest point gained a greater view of the surrounding terrain.  Nearing the top the air began to cool and came as a relief to the hikers; they knew and feared that it would get much colder as the night progressed.  Upon arrival at the top each soul rejoiced and each celebrated at the worthwhile view.  

From here they set up camp, rolling out tents, air mats and sleeping bags.  Over the little camp stove that could they cooked their meal in an elated mood.  Nothing could stop these champions.  Long after the sun had set and the moon had begun to rise, did the adventurers scamper over to the viewing point of the nearby volcano.  Raging and bursting with steam, Santaguito, was a waiting game.  There they sat waiting, cuddled and huddled together in their puffy down jackets, eyes peering into the darkness.  Miraculously on the queue of one of the group the volcano blew, sparks of red flew through the air, plumes of smoke rose as the volcano released its fury.  With joyous laughter and amazement the group stared on, amazed at what had just occurred.  Enticed by the eruption’s destruction they knew they had to see it again.  They waited, huddled and chilled as they were; they made a point to see two more of the grand eruptions.  Not long after with the cold setting in, they crawled into tents and snuck into cozy sleeping bags.  Despite the apparent cold some were most certainly warm blooded and sweated the night away as the tents continued to warm in temperature.  

 Being as they were on a mountain top, where the view can be so clear, they rose early to watch the sun rise above the line of clouds that made for the horizon.  With the beauty of the rising sun and the clear view they ate breakfast with gusto and packed up their tents and bags.  In good time and no rush at all they enjoyed the view and the awesomeness of the creator God.  As the time did pass, they headed back down the mountain.  Easier than going up, but a timeless challenge it still proved to be.  The altitude had certainly hit many of them (they were 3,772 metres up after all) and were looking forward to getting down the mountain.  Downward they went each climber amazed at their accomplishments.  Just like they began they placed one foot in front of the other, convincing themselves the end was near.   The bottom was a welcome sight and so the group crashed and collapsed and made it to the end.  Hardcore climbers they were, with stories to tell and views to share.  While the climb was difficult it was well worth the mile and the strenuous effort.  They did after all climb a volcano.

  

However, meanwhile the other approximate half of the fellowship traveled to a lake, to a moderately small town called San Pedro.  It was there that they spent their weekend.  Little could be said of the group, who spent much of their time passing time.  Enjoying the cold water of Lake Atitlan and comfortable hammocks they spent much time in one another’s company.  Literally they were “hanging out” in hammocks.  While little might have been said of the group, it is certain that they have stories to tell.

Still yet there was another group, notorious for doing something different, they stayed back in their homes, or put themselves up in quaint hotels.  Their time was spent in yet another manner, some wandering the city, the markets, the avenues and the ruins.  

While the fellowship of the group was split and the challenges that arose varied, it was with smiling faces and many stories that they reunited that fateful Sunday night.  A fateful night it was, only because the future lay ahead of them, just like it always had.  Each moment in life, is just as a fateful as the next.  So make it a story, make it a tale, make it a life you’d be happy to tell, your life is a story more powerful than any fairy tale.  Don’t stop here our story is not done, go imagine and create.

You stay classy San Juan del Obispo 

Love Jutters, David, and Raymond (aka the Pretty Man Group)

Written by: Raymond

Because it’s a story and because we have great fun, we may have embezzled and stretched a word here or there, fabricating out of truth the story you read here.  Don’t you fear it’s fabricated from truth, we all did quite swell, and are happy to have stories to tell.  So enjoy, imagine and know we are safe, our limits know no bounds.  

More And More Concrete

Completely covered in dust and concrete, we barely even noticed the firecrackers being set off in honour of the completion of the soccer/basketball court we built in a week.

We started the week off with a nice relaxing day to the restaurant on the edge of Lake Atitlan, taking some gorgeous pictures and eating the greatest brunch that was ever made. But little did we know what lay ahead. The plan? To lay out half of the soccer/basketball court in a week. The reality? Finished the entire thing easily in a week. We worked blood, sweat and tears from about 9 to 4 every day, and usually by the end of that we were so tired and covered in dust and hardened spots of concrete to care what happened next. Our team has never worked so hard, nor has there been a team that worked harder than our team did this week.

There's no way to single out any one person, because everyone worked to the extent of their abilities. Some even continued to work through some minor injuries and sickness. No lack of encouragement or smiles on that construction site. We mixed concrete, poured concrete, passed bucket after bucket, and just kept on going. Throughout the week, the community joined us and helped complete the court. We didn't build it FOR them, we built it WITH them.

It was a great week full of hard work, concrete burns, bug bites, and the satisfaction of completing an entire soccer field. In the words of Luis (a translator/worker with Solomon's Porch), "They work, they funny, they strong...it's good.”


-Kaycie

Adam

Ally

Beth

Carlie

Carly

Cayenne

Christina

Clara

Danielle

David

Dom

BlogThis!

Wednesday, 7 March 2012

Tuesday Service

“But what matters is a faith that expresses itself through love.” Galatians  5:6 GWT

Every Tuesday as we head out to our service projects the hope is that our love will be expressed to the people that we work with. While we are in San Juan we split into 6 groups and head out to different service projects every Tuesday afternoon. We’ve already had 3 Tuesday Service days and we have 2 left. These service days present us with both challenges and good times. They are definitely providing us with a great learning experience. We thought you’d enjoy hearing what all of us are up to at our service projects so someone from each group has written up a short description/story about their project. Enjoy!

-Kelsey

Casa Jackson Hospital

(Kevin, Whitney, Christina, Justin, Cayenne)

When I found out I was put in the group that was working with malnourished infants, the thought of it scared me. I’ve attempted to help in a hospital that cared for malnourished children before; it was a very difficult and heartbreaking experience. I feared for the worst, with very hard conditions, screaming kids, and a general feeling of helplessness. It takes a lot of responsibility to care for healthy kids, let alone malnourished ones. As I started to put my worries behind me, God gave me new lenses to look through rather than just pain and misery. The first time we went to Casa Jackson we sanitized toys and played with some of the kids. Our second time we folded laundry and were given the challenge of changing some of the kids, they sure didn’t make it easy! The third time we went I ended up playing with a baby the whole time. As I fed him and played with him, flying him around, juggling, reading and playing peek-a-boo smiles reached both of our faces. By the end of the day we were very attached, and as I put him back in his crib and started to walk away he started to cry and reach out his little arms hoping for me to come back. I found it very difficult to leave, and now I can’t wait for my next time at Casa Jackson. I’ve opened myself up to some new experiences that I was not sure about, only to find a lot of God’s love in precious faces.

-Kevin Atsma

Santa Lucia Service Group

(Soyeon, Evan, Danielle, Maria, & Adam)

Every Tuesday we got to a church near Santa Lucia. We work with a dude called Hilmar who started the church in the village. Two years ago with the help of a church in Ottawa they built a beautiful new church building. Hilmar works hard to care for the people in the community, especially the children. The kids are served two meals a week at the church. When we have gone to the village the last few weeks we have played a lot with the kids of the community, and there are plenty of them! Puzzles, balls, skipping, and flowers. It’s been great! We also have visited a bunch of families in the village and toured the church. We are excited to perhaps teach and English class and help install floors in the future weeks. You never know what type of excitement we’ll get up to with Hilmar. It’s been quite the adventure.

-Maria Dirks

Nuestros Ahijados

(Ray, Kaycie, Dominic, Julia & Carlie)

Julia, Dominic, Kaycie, Raymond, and I (Carlie) go to San Philipe every Tuesday to volunteer at a school called “Nuestros Ahijados” or “Our Godchildren”. This school is just one part of the organization’s mission to reach out and build up the community around them. The school commits itself to educating 200 children a year in efforts to break the cycle of poverty among the families in the area. Each week when we volunteer at the school we are there to help in whatever ways they need us to, which usually means just hanging out with the kids and creating relationships. It has been a lot of fun and we are excited to continue getting to know these kids in our next two afternoons there!

-Carlie Heagy 

Hermano Pedro Service Group

(Clara, Beth, Luke, Laura, Natasha)

Every Tuesday I am with a group that volunteers at the Hospital in Antigua. We work with the children who have cerebral palsy. From 2:00-4:00 we feed the children and play with them. We give them all of our attention. I believe that it is so important to just be with these children. Sometimes we are allowed to take the children in a wheelchair out into the courtyard. Every week I have spent most of my time at the hospital with either Omar or Jessica. I feed Omar twice each time and I just hold him and talk and sing to him. He is non-verbal and doesn’t really move but I love to spend time with him. Also every time I hang out with Jessica I take her for a walk in her chair into the courtyard. She is a little verbal, but we mostly just play with a ball or with our hands. I also love to talk and sing to her. She loves it when I sing, her smile always gets wider. Overall this experience for me is very enriching. I feel that I take a lot out of each time. Learning how to be and act around these children, and how to feed or help or just treat these children, which is with all the love you can give. I have really loved volunteering at the hospital and being with the children! This has been an experience I will keep with me forever.

-Clara Hoover                                                    

Valle Verde Service Group

(Ally, Maleah, Joel, Elysha, Kelsey)

Our group works with Luis Carlos, who has been involved with Outtatown for many years. We work in a high school called Valle Verde and teach 4 classes on Values and Principles every Tuesday afternoon. Luis Carlos is part of an organization called Nuevo Generacion that teaches classes on Values and Principles in many different schools in Guatemala. They also offer Bible Studies to students who are interested in learning more. Our first Tuesday we introduced ourselves to all the classes and played a game with them. The second Tuesday we started teaching classes, and this last Tuesday we got a break as it was Valentine’s Day and we got to watch a talent show at one of the schools Luis Carlos works at.

-Kelsey Friesen

Orphanage Group

(Sandy, Carly, David, Jessica, Lex)

[Raymond's Note: Sadly due to camera card incompatibilities we don't have a picture of this group.]

Every Tuesday our group of 5 travels to Santa Tomas to help at an orphanage. There are 5 children there at the moment. We either play with the children, or help around the place doing whatever needs doing. We have done things like sweep, rake, paint, wash windows, wash cars, and mow the lawn with an old fashioned lawn mower.

-Sandy 

Friday, 2 March 2012

This is University?

The past week has been a tough week for us Outtatown students as we had to spend the entire week in El Salvador hard at work on our tans. Our free beach weekend started Friday afternoon with many groans and complaints as we were forced to spend time either by the pool or on the beach. Many of us spent hours in the water either getting completely owned by waves or surfing with some El Salvadorian locals. But we managed to survive and make it to ‘Knowing Yourself Week’. 

Pool at our hotel in El Salvador

Through the week we had classes on our love languages, spiritual gifts, marriage, and we also took the Myers Briggs personality test. We were challenged to dig deeper in truly knowing ourselves in a better way and also getting to know each other in a better way as well. 
During the week our amazing group of Outtatown guys put on an ‘girls appreciation’ day where we went on a scavenger hunt for some piñatas and then had the honor of smashing them to pieces a short while later. The piñatas not only held a ton of yummy candy but more importantly they held some very encouraging letters from all the guys. We are truly blessed to have such an amazing and thoughtful group of guys on our site. Love you guys! 


At the end of the week we made our way back to Guatemala to a place called Antonio’s Farm. We spent two nights there recuperating from our crispy-newly burnt again skin and taking a tour of the beautiful farm. We are now all experts on farming coffee, macadamia nuts, bamboo, and much more!

 Macadamia Nuts

 Coffee Beans

Massive Bamboo Plants

 To end off the strenuous week we made our way to Xocomil waterpark where we man-yelled and tubed down some sweet waterslides all day. Oh the University life is tough, but we Outtatown students are somehow managing.

 Next week we’re off to Panajachel to work with Solomons Porch to build a basketball/soccer court for a local community. This is due to the support and donations we received from friends and family of Outtatown students. Thank you for all of your support!

-Christina

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Blog Archive

• ▼  2012 (17)
  • ▼  May (2)
    • Our Souvenirs & Memories
    • Our Homestay Town
  • ►  April (3)
    • Once Upon A Time
    • Not The End Yet
    • Travelling With Sights To See
  • ►  March (6)
    • Independent Service Week
    • Transitions
    • A Story To Tell
    • More And More Concrete
    • Tuesday Service
    • This is University?
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  • ►  January (3)

• ►  2011 (13)
  • ►  December (1)
  • ►  November (3)
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  • ►  September (4)

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