Day 6 - March 29/09

This morning the boys woke up bright and early to empty out a container of school supplies donated by a Cochrane school. The girls were supposed to go with them, but circumstances allowed all of us to sleep in instead. After the boys got back, everyone had some free time to visit the “Tienda” for snacks and pop-in-a-bag. The Tiendas make money when they recycle their glass pop bottles, therefore, when we bought glass bottles of Coke or Pepsi, they pour the pop into a plastic bag and give you a straw to drink it with.
After we got our sugar fix, our group engaged in a cultural activity. To get a taste of what it is like for a missionary trying to buy groceries in Guatemala, our leaders composed a Spanish grocery list for us to get at the local market. We experienced troubles with not only communicating what we wanted, but also getting everything on the list in an hour-and-a-half. My group ended up coming in third in the competition. The group who were able to move the fastest and make quick decisions ended up winning. It was very evident that speaking at least one official language in a foreign country can be key if you want to get your groceries!
Next, we went to an indoor soccer field to play soccer against some Guatemalans. The rest of the night was a blast as the Canadians tried their hardest to score against Guatemalans. In the end, nobody really knew who won, but the fun we had was better than a win. As well, after eating dinner at the soccer field, we lighted some firecrackers in front of the soccer field. Each one of us got our own firecracker to light. Some of us accidentally threw the firecracker too late and burnt our hands a little.
Today was a very full day and we got back fairly late. Tomorrow will be our last day in TacTic and none of us are ready to leave yet. Hopefully tomorrow will be another amazing day.

Karlynn

Hey!

The boys’ day started bright and early with the arrival of a crate carrying tons of desks, tables, computers, and lights from Canmore. It was packed so tightly that there was no more room for anything, and I mean anything, to fit in. Les told us that if we unloaded the crate in less than 2 hours, he wouldn’t get charged extra for an overnight cost. The girls had the opportunity to sleep in a little more than the boys, but we all eventually met up to experience the street markets of Tactic!

Rocky and Karen developed a scavenger hunt for us so that we could experience the culture and insanity of the street markets. We had to find several unknown objects and complete some outrageous tasks in order to finish the race successfully. It was a lot of fun and the team who gathered the most correct items for the least amount of money won the hunt.
Lunch at Les’s followed the market activity, and after that, we drove up an extremely steep mountain in order to reach the coffee plantation. At the plantation, we saw how the coffee beans were grown, kept, roasted, and manufactured to make the best tasting coffee possible.
Church started at 4 o’clock and it lasted until 6:30. Within that time frame, we had the opportunity to worship God and listen to Les and Rita speak. We also had the opportunity to sing two of our own songs and share some testimonies to the Guatemalan people. It was very encouraging to see people tear down the walls of fear and just go and share about God has been doing in their lives.

After the testimonies, Les spoke an incredibly passionate and challenging message with the whole church. It had to do with not being content with “ok” but rather striving for greatness and full surrender to God. He offered for anyone to come up and receive prayer. The front of the stage was packed with people both from Bearspaw and Guatemala, all united in need of prayer. God spoke through children’s undying acts of worship, the words of songs, and the touch of a caring friend and brought so many of us to tears. It was an amazing experience that we will never forget.

Following a very emotional and spiritually altering church service, we scuttled off to the soccer facility to play against the local Guatemalans! The battle was fierce, but the Guatemalans definitely came up on top in the end. It was great to spend time and learn more about many of our new friends in Guatemala.

Buenos Noches!
Phil