Bethel Youth Mission 2019: A busy day.

Today we had a full schedule. We visited the homes of two students in very different settings. We visited the home a a student named Zuladey in Jocotenango. Jocotenago is a very croweded urban area, with many small appartments crammed in very tight spaces. The neighborhood was high on a hillside, reached by steep narrow cobblestone roads that seem impassable to the American eye. Yet Hannah, our guide strained the transmission, not quite to the breaking point, to reach our goal. Zuladey’s father is an out of work carpenter. Carpentry and drafting tools hung on the walls of their kitchen, mixed in with children’s artwork. The family incomes comes from selling snacks from the home, though they don’t consider it a “tienda” (shop), as it is informal, and only profits about a dollar a day.

Next we visited Michelle, about forty minutes away, past Volcan Aqua and Volcan Fuego (the volcano of water, and the volcano of fire) in a village called San Miguel. Michelle’s neighborhood sat on a mountain top, with impossibly steep planted fields along its slopes. The closest spot accessible by car (even with Hannah’s formidable skill, and the van’s solid, if long suffering transmission) was about half a mile from Michelle’s home. Michelle and her mother live in a home a bit larger, but no more well appointed than Zuladey’s. Michelle’s mother is also out of work, and gathers firewood to sell to pay for food and house hold expenses. Michelle is one of the top students at Escuela Integrada, and will receive a scholarship to go on to receive a full high school education.

Next we visited Cerro de la Cruz, a park on a hill above Antigua featuring a large cross, and spectacular views of the city.

After lunch, we installed another eco-stove in a location (and I’m not making this up) high up on a mountain. Today we carried that stove well over half a mile, up a hill that made Monday’s stove install look easy. Happily, we had a lot more hands to contribute to the carrying this time around. The team installed the stove, and chimney, much to the delight of the family, who seemed eager to begin cooking on it as soon as possible.

Next, the group split, with one team shopping for the evening’s events, and the other group visiting the Girls Empowerment Program. The team that went shopping had the adventure of riding on a “chicken bus”, with one of our local partners Victorino. A chicken bus is a form of public transportation, consisting of an out of service U.S. style school bus which has been outrageously decorated.

Finally, our team hosted a family night for 12 school families. We created wind-chimes with the families, servers them pizza, and taught them about our “faith five” program. The students did a wonderful job, and you all should be extremely proud of them.