Hi Everybody,

I wanted to get you guys an update on the week before your leadership team meeting on Sunday!  I'm looking forward to our next get together, to talk about what wonderful experience Kevin, Gina and i have all had.  This week has been part retreat, part work team - a perfect combination to be able to absorb some of the things we are seeing.  We had a beautiful couple of hours at the orphanage in Patzun and played with the kids, and then went on to Panajachel.  Our second day here started with a tremor at 4am - that was exciting.  and again at 9 - i liked that one better because i was sitting on the ground and could actually feel it move under me, rather than panicking in the middle of the night trying to get the door open!     It's been pretty hot here, but i guess you don't want to hear too much about that... no sympathy from you guys for sunburn.

All 3 of us are equally impressed with Habitat for Humanity, and also with St Camillus' running of the week.  We're all very grateful especially to St. Camillus for including us in their group so we could how to run a week in Guatemala that is challenging, reflective and joyful.   Habitat has done a great job with all the logistics of moving 19 people around different areas.  Kevin and Gina were in a different work site than i was - 45 minutes into the country from Panajachel.  I was supposedly going to a city site, but it turned out to be a beautiful pasture facing the volcano and Lake Atitlan.  A team of 6 others and myself worked on building a cinder block house - we went from the foundation to 7 layers of block this week!  along the way we played with the neighborhood kids, got to know 1 indigenous family who were farmers of onions, beans, chives, and broccoli.  all the kids are involved in planting and harvesting, taking care of the kids, washing clothes and dishes.  daily life subsistence.  Kevin and Gina's site was similar in building stages - kevin invented a contraption that helped make pouring mortar in between the blocks an easier task!

I talked with one of the Habitat people who gave me a contact of someone who is in charge of chicimula -(i think that's how you spell it), the state that ipala is in.  they apparently have projects going on around ipala as well, so it's another thought to consider as the team continues the process of deciding where to place the energies.  We're off to antigua tomorrow and then to Guat City on Sunday and home sunday night.  Looking forward to sharing more details and lots of pictures!  God bless,

Beth