Tuesday June 22, 2010. 5:25 P.M.
One of the primary rules we have been required to follow is"blessed are flexible because they are not bent out of shape." Following this has been vital to our work over the past two days. In the afternoons, we have been doing multiple projects. These include painting schools and digging out a large area of dirt and foliage at the airstrip to make room for a food distribution center. The latter has gone through a number of tactical changes. Beginning yesterday (Monday), we had the intention of dumping the dirt and shrubbery that we removed into a nearby landfill. After the dumping of one load (out of an extimated forty), we were told that we could no longer leave our waste their, as the man running the dump was concerned about the potential of being ticketed for allowing us to put dirt there. After some searching, we finally found a place where we could dump the dirt, with help, but at four times the original price. Again, this was changed, and we decided to do the work completely ourselves, saving money.  Without being open to these changes, a seemingly impossible task would not have been possible. Through hard work and cooperation, we have been able to make much progress in clearing the area of not only dirt, but large trees and other obstacles. Today, our work was hindered by rain in the late afternoon. We worked on for a time, but were forced to cease. 

Our other project has been to run a Vacation Bible School (V.B.S.) for the children here in Guatemala City.  This, like much else here, has been a process. We hit a few snags yesterday, being less prepared for what was to come than we may have wished, and not having any experience with running V.B.S. in a foreign language. Things moves much less smoothly than we had hoped, with transitions between activities taking far too long. The event was still positive overall. Today, learning from the mistakes of the day prior, we were able to create a much more engaging and enjoyable experience for both the students and ourselves. As our V.B.S. segments only run for two days, we all said good-bye to the children we had worked with. Although they did not share a language, communication did not have to be verbal. For those with some Spanish knowledge, communication was easier, but it was possible for all. We connected very deeply with the children here and were sad to say "adios." Overall, the V.B.S. has gone extremely well.

We have also had many moments of humor. These have included people running into sliding glass doors, and leaders getting their pants filled with fire ants. There are many aspects of life here which differ greatly from that in the States. The transportation system is far more hectic. Drivers do not believe in following safe driving procedures, and no regulations are enforced. It is surprising that so few accidents occur. The scenery and people here are amazing. We have seen God working in many ways, and are looking forward to see our amazing Lord continue to work through us.

Marshall S.