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Crew Returns from
Guatemala
Recap by Ginny Hultquist
Hey! I can mix cement by hand! I’m pretty good at it. Can I carry two
cement blocks? Sure-not a problem. I even know words for three kinds of
concrete mixtures-in Spanish! These new skills are all part of learning
during a Thrivent Builds trip to Guatemala that my husband, Art, and I
took in April. We participated in this project with 81 other people from
around the US, some of whom had already been to Guatemala before
(including Art). For many of us it was a new experience. Pete Dumpis,
President of the Cherokee-Pickens Chapter and his daughter, Becky were
part of our team and were terrific assets.
Beyond the skills learned, we were privileged to work alongside the
family for whom we were building, Mario and Julia Terrazza and their
daughter, Allison. Both are teachers, Mario for what we would call
junior high and Julia for literacy. By the end of the 5 day build, we
knew much about each other and our team left vowing to return someday to
see the village of safe and affordable housing we helped create.
Art was able to visit the village where he had been part of two builds
before and found “his families” thriving and well. Also, we visited the
school in the same village, San Juan La Laguna, located on Lake Atitalan
which is ringed by dormant volcanoes-you just had to be there to take in
the beauty. We found the school struggling to open additional classrooms
to meet the needs of the children in that village. Then and there we
vowed that we would help raise the $12,000 needed for this school that
is making such an impact on the village.
This trip made other vacations seem boring, not only for the sense of
accomplishment we felt, but for the relationships that were built with
the people we worked with and the families we served. We’re going again
next year—are you with us? |