Security Overload (featuring Juan Antonio and a gigantic machine gun)

Our adventure to Volcan Pacaya began bright and early with a 6am pickup at our hotel. By 7:30am, we had arrived at the base of the volcano and rounded up our guide.  In August, I had hiked Volcan Acatenango without security, and was later told that I was fortunate that nothing had happened to me. As the information about when and where recent banditos were operating seemed inconsistent, I thought I'd error on the conservative side, and make special arrangements for a couple of officers to accompany the team. However, our security personnel were nowhere in sight.

So, in the absence of security, we recruited Juan Antonio, a national park officer with a ginormous machine gun, to join us on our hike. At approximately 5'10" tall, Juan Antonio exhibited a great big smile, even spaces between his upper teeth, a healthy size belly and a willingness to adventure with six American women to the top of a volcano he had yet to see.

Once we'd purchased walking sticks from a young boy, our journey began on a trail comprised of rich, dark, volcanic soil and lava rocks from the recent May 2010 eruption. Our entourage continued to grow, as three horses and their riders and one dog escorted us as well, in hopes that we might need their services.

Soon our path consisted of nothing other than a field of lava rocks, and with each footstep the temperature varied as heat emanated from behind certain bolders. At the end of the trail (we weren't actually going to summit as steam poured out of this active beast), we stopped to roast marshmallows over a small, narrow crevice. The highlight was entering a large steam vent, cave like structure. To the few of us who regularly enjoy hot yoga, this humid space felt like home. After snapping a few pictures while striking our favorite yoga poses, we ventured out of the cave and down the mountain.

To our surprise, half way down the volcano, we were joined by our two missing police officers! Apparently, their vehicle had broken down and they were late to the meeting point. Since they insisted on escorting us, our company had now expanded to six American women, one guide, one Juan Antonio with a giant machine gun, one rabies infested dog, and two police officers.

The story only continues to get better, as we loaded up our van and began our journey to a thermal spa for part two of our day. Approximately 40 minutes into our drive, we noticed that two police officers had been following us since we left the volcano. Our driver commented that this was quite strange, although he didn't look concerned. The police proceeded to follow us into the spa parking lot and parked.

Five hours later, we emerged from our thermal pool circuit, eucalyptus steam bath, relaxing massage, and cocoa/coffee bean body scrub into the parking lot. To our great dismay, the police truck was still sitting outside the spa, near our van. Our driver quickly dispelled any fears, by telling us that he'd spoke with the officers and we were not to be alarmed. With a great big smile spread across his face, he told us that the chief of police had ordered the men to stay with us the entire day and not to leave our vehicle until we had returned safely back to our hotel in Antigua. It was one of the strangest things our driver had ever seen.

As we began to make our return to the hotel, the police truck promptly followed us and used his lights and sirens anytime traffic stalled or it looked as if another vehicle might pull out in front of us. The 45 minute adventure back to Antigua culminated when we came upon an accident. Another police truck happened to be sitting perpendicular to the street on which we were stopped. The police vehicle behind us flashed his lights at him in apparently some kind of secret code and now, we had police escorts at our front and our rear. Shortly, one of the officers exited his truck, approached the accident, and motioned for a large bus to move. When the officer returned to his vehicle, the lights and sirens danced and sang again, and we moved seamlessly past the accident. We all cheered and couldn't believe our good fortune, as the backup looked as if it'd last for hours.

Furthermore, the previous Saturday evening, as we were leaving the airport in Guatemala City late at night, we also noticed a police truck following us. As we pulled up to our hotel at almost midnight, a policewoman stood guard outside our van, as we unloaded our personal luggage and many bags of donations. This was also seen as quite strange by our Safe Passage escort, and she later found out our airport escort occurred as a result of being mistaken as French tourists.

Were both these situations mere coincidence and just plain luck? I don't know, but I do know that many friends and family back home were praying for our safety. Personally, I view my journey in life through a lens of divine mystery, and I don't believe in coincidences. Either way, God certainly had his hand of protection over us on this trip and it made for quite an entertaining adventure!

Falling Through Space Into Our Favorite Things

When we began preparing back in October for our volunteer week, one of our main objectives was to develop a classroom project. Our activity was to be suitable for elementary age children, as well as teenagers. We were to teach for 3 hours total for each age group. After weeks of brainstorming, we settled on an art project, in which the kids would trace their hands and feet; and transform their drawing into a self-portrait by adding a head and body in between. The image looks a bit distorted, as the hands and feet seem unusually large in comparison to the rest of the body; and with a slice of imagination, the person could appear to be falling backwards into space.

Our project came to life on Tuesday in two separate classrooms here in Guatemala, at the Safe Passage Educational Reinforcement Center. We had the kids make a list of the ways in which they are unique, the things they like to do and ideas about what they might like to do in the future. To Kelly's delight (our team firefigher,) there were quite a few future bombero's (firefighters) amongst the younger classmates. Many others expressed interest in becoming doctors, veterinarians, teachers or secretaries. Today, all of their interests and characteristics, which make them special, were incorporated into their self-portrait, by using oil pastel crayons, and watercolors. Each paper was filled completely with bright, vibrant colors and images such as musical notes, soccer balls, flowers, rainbows, and a volcano. The pictures turned out to be beautiful expressions of each child falling into space, surrounded by their favorite things.

Each night, we have an hour drive back to the safety, charm, and cobblestone streets of the colonial town of Antigua, where we enjoy lovely dinners at quaint restaurants, far different from the life the children return to after their day at Safe Passage. On tonight's drive home, I reflected on our past four days working with the children.  It's been really fun to watch how each member of the group has adapted and interacted with the kids, as we as a team, are all unique as well. Viki loved chatting and handing out bracelets and the kids instantly warmed to her with her fluid Spanish. The young girls enjoyed inquiring about Lindsay's makeup and fashion sense; Heather with a sparkle in her eye and Spanish seemed to constantly be surrounded by kids; Kelly was always prepared to teach a new, interactive game; D'Ova, as an experienced teacher, thrived at the front of the classroom, and Lavina related so well when the kids began to talk about their favorite pop culture music. And I was most content relating through my camera lens, which sometimes drew children to me and other times, allowed me the space to observe.

Today, however was different. It was our second day, in which we were divided up to assist the English teachers. The continuity was rewarding as we entered the same classrooms in which we had assisted the day before. In both classrooms, a small group of girls called out my name and motioned me over as we entered the room. One looped her arm through mine and the other laid her head on my shoulder as we sat in a circle and participated in the English lesson. Soon our 30 minutes had elapsed and we said our good-byes. However, in the second classroom, one of the young girls wrote my name and her name together in a big heart on the back of her paper. We hugged, took a few photos, and once again our 30 minutes was up. As we prepared to leave the class, she said, "see you tomorrow." I began to tear up. "No, no. I won't see you tomorrow, but I will hold you in my heart and in my prayers." There was something special about this little girl, something inside our human hearts that recognized each other and exchanged love. This little girl found me once again at the end of the day, and ran to the open window in my classroom to take a photo of me on her old cell phone. I gave her one last round of besos and abrazos (kisses and hugs) through the window and she she ran back to her class.

I have so much respect for the many volunteers at Safe Passage who spend months, one year, or many years dedicating their lives to investing in these precious children. I now understand the minimum requirement of a 5 week commitment (outside of being part of a one week support team) to volunteering, as it seems too difficult to make connections and then tell the child you have to leave. I am so thankful for the opportunity we've had to experience the beauty of these children and the safe haven of Safe Passage that shines so brightly in contrast to it's surroundings.

However, we still have one day left to spend with the kids, as Saturday we will be taking our older classroom of teenagers to the Pacific Ocean and a water slide park, so stay tuned! Tomorrow, we're off to hike an active volcano . . . :)

Saving Lives?

As we gathered in a small upper room in the Safe Passage office, we were met by a passionate Guatemalan named Freddy. This former professional soccer player seems to have transferred his fire from the field to the streets of the slums outside of the garbage dump. His first words to us were, "Do not think, that by coming here for one week that you are changing lives," (dramatic pause) "you are saving lives." He then proceeded to explain that the kids are motivated to come to the program for food and love; their education is secondary to them. Education is not the answer to the cycle of extreme poverty, but restoring one's humanity is. By spending our week with Safe Passage and loving on kids, we were restoring their humanity. Without hope, education is useless.

Our first morning began with a drive through the national cemetery, which sits high on a hill overlooking the city dump. Hundreds of vultures circled above and sat on the cliff ledges and tombstones. We could see the people working below and sorting through the trash for recyclable goods. Hospital waste, human waste, dead animals, etc. are all dumped in the same place, as there are few regulations here. It was quickly apparent which truck was from a wealthier community as many raced alongside, keeping one hand in contact with the vehicle, staking a claim and a place in line as the waste was dumped. Perhaps food or other items of use were on board.

Over the past three days, we've been so impressed with the work that Safe Passage is doing within this community. It's amazing the programs and infrastructure that have been established here in just 12 years. As part of our comprehensive tour and week volunteering, we've met with the Executive Director, the health department, the adult literacy department, social services, sports, and the art and music department. Their holistic approach is quite extensive and their primary objective seems to be to build relationships with and provide opportunities for the whole family. They've found that the kids who have parents in school and see them studying, are more successful. The literacy program and the jewelry making coorporative provide such avenues to promote parental support and success.

In addition, two years ago, Safe Passage opened an all day school for children ages 2 - 6. They found that often older children weren't able to attend school because they were needed to stay home and care for younger siblings. The Guarderia was the answer to that problem. We had the opportunity to spend today playing with the kids and assisting the teachers with the little ones and were thoroughly impressed with their care and discipline. I was in a class of two year olds and entered during singing time. When it was time to leave for English class, each child was called by name, stood up, put his or her chair away and waited in line by the door. Huh? These kids are two! The English class was so fun, as the 9 kids sat in a circle, sang songs, played with finger puppets (brown monkey, yellow bear, green frog), and counted bean bags. We were all big fans of the munchkins! And what a blessing for those kids to have that experience before they transition into the main Safe Passage program (called the educational reinforcement center).

One of my favorite experiences was assisting one of the English teachers as we rotated between 5 different classrooms. We played a song from last year's world cup and gave the kids lyrics printed partially in English and partially in Spanish. They had to look up and define a list of the words found in the lyrics and then listen to the song and fill in blank spaces. It was such a fun way to practice English!

A couple other team highlights I'd say have been our chocolate covered bananas and chocolate covered pineapple we purchase on the street after lunch and the "Gasolina" song we listen to on the hour long drive back to Antigua each night with our driver Jorge (although we recently found out it doesn't mean putting gas in your car, like we thought it did . . . oh well :))

I better close off and head to bed now, as we're up at 6:30am tomorrow. We leave our hotel in Antigua each morning at either 7:30am or 8am.

Buenos noches!

Chichicastenango

This is the view from where we sit and eat breakfast each morning at our hotel. Volcano Agua stands majestically in the background.

The market in Chichicastenango is held every Sunday and Thursday. On the steps of the church, the Mayan people burn incense and carry out Mayan rituals, which they integrate into their Catholic faith.

The local people, as well as tourists, frequent this market.

Lavina and Heather strolling the market. We all made our share of fabulous purchases yesterday.

Good Morning!

We arrived safely and besides one piece of missing luggage (Heather's a great sport) our travel was seamless. After full plates of scrambled eggs, melon, beans, and platanos (my favorite) we're off to a Mayan market in the mountains of Chichicastenango. Our work begins tomorrow!

17 hours Till Takeoff!

We've been meeting almost weekly since October and now we're 16 hours away from departure. Our weekly meetings have consisted of getting to know one another, communicating logistics, developing and fine tuning our team lesson plans, and coordinating fundraising for the kids at Safe Passage; and all of our hard work is about to pay off!

This week, most of our time and energy went into collecting tangible donations, which we will be bringing with us on the flight. 310 pounds (oh yes, all weighed) of bath towels, diaper wipes, socks, underwear, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, computer paper, markers, art supplies, etc. are now packed and ready to go! In addition, cash donations allowed us to be able to purchase a digital camera for the school, as well as leaving us $170, which we will use to purchase powdered milk once in the country.

Safe Passage was thrilled when they heard about our generous donations, and were especially excited about the camera, as it has been high on the wish list, yet low as a priority when requesting donations.

We are so thankful to be a part of such a giving community!

What Do You Get When You Cross A Passionate Philanthropist With . . .

a fire fighter & EMT, two retired school teachers, a reporter & fashionista, a Gates Foundation HR professional, and an international business consultant, fluent in Spanish? The answer: Team Eastlake in Guatemala! Well, that and a well stocked first aid kit, accurate translations, and someone to report on our travel attire.

But seriously, to the many of you who participated with us at our Black Out Poverty event; contributed toothpaste, deodorant, powdered milk and diaper wipes; are holding us up in your prayers; and/or are just following our adventure; we consider you an extension of our team. May your hearts be open to transformation as well, as you journey with us from a distance.

Top row: Kelly, Heather, Lavina, D'Ova

Front row: Lindsay, Tammy, Viki

Psalms 113:7

"He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump." NLT