Kisses.

To explain the title, our team has decided that we have received more kisses on the cheeks the past couple days than we ever have in our entire lives. The people of Guatemala greet and say goodbye by giving you a sweet hug and a kiss on the cheek. It is by far the cutest thing I have ever seen! And since my love language is touch, I am just loving this! I get to love on kids all day long. I am a very lucky girl.

Is he not the cutest? 

Today, we started our first day of work with the Mother/Daughter Team. I will post that later on since so much has happened. But, the team is awesome! We have bonded so much already and I cannot wait to see what is in store for their group the next few days with us. For now, I will share with you our work in the community of San Jose Pinula on Monday and Tuesday of this week. San Jose Pinula is about a two hour car ride away through the windy mountain roads for us. The community is very poor and Buckner has set up a Community Transformation Center there for the community. When we get to the community, a line of children waits for us outside the Center near their school. There are about 40 students per class. Each morning and afternoon, we had a different class.

Our VBS Lesson on the Days of Creation. They loved this!

Our first class on Monday went wonderfully! We taught our VBS lesson, made crafts, played games, and loved the children. Children LOVE bubbles! Fact for the day.

Craft time. Every one of them wanted to show me their picture of their favorite day! Mom, those supplies are really coming in handy! Thank you so much! 

After teaching our first group of students in the morning, we were taken to their school. I have never seen anything like it and especially a school. We walk down a dirt road (all of the roads are like that in this community) and are lead to a tall gate. As the gate opened, I see more and more kids just running around a giant free area of dirt. There was a small playground at the end of this huge field. On the sides, there were classrooms made of cinderblocks. There were hundreds and hundreds of kids running around everywhere. Each teacher has a class of about 40-50 students. And very small classrooms. Reminded me of the movie, Matilda, at their school. As the students noticed that a group of "gringas" was walking through the gate, they all came running towards us. Almost fell over that is how many kids came running for hugs and stares. As an individual who wants to teach one day, it broke my heart to see that this was the school where hundreds of kids attended every day.

A glimpse at the school.

We brought a beach ball to play games with the class we were with, but of course we lost them as soon as the rest of the students found us. So, we went ahead and played hot potato with the kids around us. Guess who got to be the first one in the middle to sing a song. Oh, that's me. Needless to say, I entertained the kids and definitely put a smile on their faces with my terrible singing and dancing.

Oh yes, I am singing and dancing. In Spanish.

After our first day in the community, we sat down for dinner and discussed how we saw God that day. How did I see Him? How do I choose just one instance from one day? Joy. These kids had smiles that light up a room and a contagious joy about them. It amazes me to think that right outside those gates of the Community Transformation Center is extreme poverty, their homes, their school. But, for those two hours, we are there showing them God's love in everything that we do. They have so little... yet they are so full of joy. When we let them take bubbles with them or even the crafts that they themselves made, they smiled and acted as if that was the most meaningful thing. In America, if we were to give a child their age a bottle of bubbles as their present, they would most likely complain. It amazes me and humbles me to think about the joy of the people in this community.

The walk to the school. These girls grabbed my hand to walk with them.

Tuesday, we went back to the same Community Transformation Center in San Jose Pinula and taught lessons on how God is our shepherd. We taught all of the children that God loved us very much and cared for each and every one of us. I loved this lesson. We played games that involved following a leader blindfolded and we got to lead the kids around the play area.

Love spending my days with these kids.

I have already fallen in love with Guatemala. Especially with some of the kids we have already been with. It is very hard for me because I get very attached and invested in children. It is hard to see 40 in the morning then a whole new 40 in the afternoon each day. I want to build the relationships and show them that I care for them and that I want to know and love them. The first day that was discouraging to me because I am so used to Cozumel where I get to build on the same relationships every day. But, after I prayed, read, and thought to myself, I knew that God had bigger plans for me than what I can see right now in the present. I know that God is bringing in new kids all the time to show them love, each and every one. I know that He is putting me out of my comfort zone and making me trust in Him through all of this and that gives me comfort. The children are so beautiful, each and every one. And they all just stare at us like we are the coolest things to ever walk the planet. Everything that I say, they laugh at. Even though I know I am saying the right thing! And everything we do, they want to do. I fell in love with one girl especially at the Center on Tuesday. She would stare at me as I was teaching the group. Then as we did the craft and played the games, she came up and continued to hug me over and over. As if she knew that I was there to love her, even if only for a couple of hours.

As soon as one kid comes up and asks me for a picture, a crowd forms. Happens every time. Yet, always taken by surprise.

I will try and get back on as soon as I can! With the groups here, we don't have much time at home. Just late at night. So, I will do my best to keep you updated on our work with the Mother/Daughter Team this week! Thanks for all of your support!

Photos courtesy of Kaitlyn Whitley. She snapped this while I was doing my favorite trip leader duty... finances. Sarcasm? I think so. 

P.S. I have only uploaded pictures through Monday onto my computer so Tuesday pictures will be in the next post!