Today was SUPER crazy!!!!!! We all woke up around 3:30 or 4 in the morning to catch our first flight to Mexico City. The flights went very smoothly and we were in Guatemala around 4 P.M.!!!! And it. Is. INCREDIBLE down here. There are mountains and a volcano that we can see from where we are staying, and it was absolutely beautiful from the plane! Jason and Tressa (the missionaries who are putting up with us being down here!) are very hospitable and they've been wonderful to us!! We've had a lot of fun getting down here and all getting to know each other better.
    One thing that has really struck me today- is the poverty here. I'd seen pictures JUST like this, but for some reason it never actually CLICKED until I looked out off of the balcony here at the mission compound and saw it with my OWN EYES. Apparently, about ten people live in each "house" around here. (houses being sheds made of tin and whatever else is there to use... all of them look thrown together sort of... you can even see HOLES AND CRACKS where the sheets of metal don't line up!) A house near the compound has a TARP for a roof with rocks holding it down. JUST PLAIN OLD ROCKS!!!!!!!!!! the places look dirty, and they are TINY. I don't know how one person could live in one of those shacks (especially in the rainy season in Guatemala) and I can NOT imagine how 8, 9, or even 10 people can share such a small and dirty place.. and call it home. Rows of shacks like these line the streets.. and they're so close together they are all practically on TOP of each other! Stray dogs roam the streets... they are EVERYWHERE. I have never seen anything like this place. The streets are crowded with cars driving down the narrow streets and kids playing in the street. If seeing what I've seen today doesn't break a person's heart, then I don't know what will. Please pray for these Guatemalans and their horrible living conditions. I wish we could spend time helping people build actual HOUSES down here, but we are spending our time helping more with VBS and fixing up some schools down here (which will still be AMAZING!!!), so we'll have to build houses on another trip or something! Please pray that we'll make a difference in the lives of these people! Thanks!!!! (and GOODNIGHT!!!!)
                                                                                                                      -Erica E