The Small Things in Life

Hola a todo de nuestra familia y amigos en los Estados Unidos (Hello to all of our family and friends in the United States)! I am so happy to be able to write our first blog post from Guatemala. For those following our adventure here, this is Raven posting. I visited San Lucas last year with a different ABST group, so I thought it would only be fitting to let everyone in on a little secret: there has been TONS of progress and I could not be more excited for the beautiful people here! There's plenty of new projects underway, improvements to existing vehicles, and the town is as lively as ever. 

Today was an exciting one as the whole group was able to tour neighboring towns. We all loaded up on a boat in Lake Atitlan and set sail. There was more than enough excitement to go around. Today was not only our day to settle in, but it was a day to begin learning. Here in Guatemala it is so important to learn: learn about the culture and language, but about the history offered in every street as well. We have been realiizing that it is the small things that matter most. It is the fact that you are greeted with an eager wave and hello, it is the appreciation for you trying Spanish, and it is stories shared. As our first full day unfolded I am happy to say that this will be a great week, but sad to say it will probably be a quick one.

I say it's the small things in life that matter because today was a little personal for me. San Lucas mission receives hundreds of volunteers monthly, so in choosing to come back and lead this year, I never would have imagined any of the locals remembering me. But, above in our photo are Paulina and Ana...they remembered me! I cannot express in words how much that made my entire week. In a way, this was a small confirmation that the relationships we build do matter. It was even better seeing our group build relationships with them as well. We were blessed with a boat ride back to San Lucas with both of them. We conversed and shared stories; we tried their native language (Quetch or Mayan), and we laughed. It is the small occurences each day that make a difference. We may all be different, but we all possess the capability to turn someone's day around.

I look forward to sharing more as the week unfolds.

- Raven