3 People, a Pinata, and a Box

Hi again! We have another day under our belts here in Guatemala, and the entire experience just keeps getting better and better! It's not that the work is easy, because it's not. It's also not because we are being treated so well, with good food and nice accommodations, although we are. It has to do with God's hand being so evident in all of our experiences down here, and the fact that we still have several days left to be here and make a difference in the lives of so many people.
Today, our work consisted of preparing floors for cementing to make the homes we are building cleaner and more comfortable for their new owners. Mixing cement here is vastly different from what we are used to where we live. Sand, gravel, and cement are put on a pile on the ground and a hole is made in the middle, making it look like a volcano. Water is poured in the middle and then the whole thing is mixed with shovels. It's hard work, but less expensive to do it this way so the cost of the new house can remain reasonable. After everything is mixed together, we carry the cement into the house in five gallon buckets where the local workers are waiting to level it into a remarkably flat and smooth floor.
The two families we are building these homes for are truly our motivation for working hard. Candida Ramirez lives with her daughter and grandson in a home right next door to where her new home is being built. She has been spending her days with us, hauling water up from the river in a bucket on her head, a walk of about a half-mile. The water is needed for the cement mixing. Candida is less than five feet tall, but is a tireless worker. You can see the joy on her face as she sees her new home take form. They live on about $213 per month and presently reside in a shelter made from tarps, old wood, wall board, and a tin roof.
Rogelia Ventura is a 59 year-old single woman who lives with her daughter and grand-daughter. She spends her days making tortillas to sell, and this brings in about $173 per month. Her old home is also right next to her new one, and we get to see her crafting her tortillas as we work. She has a sixty year-old grinding stone that she uses to prepare the corn, and her "oven" is an upside down barrel that she feeds fire wood into and cooks the tortillas on the bottom of it. Robin, Kirin and Laura tried making tortillas. Lets just say that they will leave that work to the experts next time!
It was much cooler working today with a high of 92 degrees, but some cloud cover really helped keep us from getting overheated. Praise God for small favors.
Our VBS today saw about 65 plus children in attendance. The entire thing was centered around Jesus calming the storm on the sea of Galilee. The kids made noise makers by putting beans in a cup so they could simulate the noise of the storm as Jesus slept in the stern of the boat and the disciples showed their shaky faith by being afraid. It was a lot of fun, we acted out the scene as the story was read in English and Spanish from the book of Mark. We talked with the children about times we are afraid and that we need to remember that Jesus is with us always. We gave them a snack of a juice box and a granola bar which they loved and ended our time together by singing Jesus Loves Me. The thought of doing a VBS after working hard all day at manual labor seems at first thought rather exhausting, but it really gives us a lift when we see so many children attend and participate with such energy!
As for the title of this entry: we have been observing the use of motorcycles and scooters down here. It seems that for many it's their main transportation and many people really put their machines through their paces. Today we saw on a small scooter, three people, a pinata and a large box, a record number of people and items on one two-wheeled vehicle so far. We'll let you know if the record is broken tomorrow!
God's blessings and thanks for reading. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.