Rise Up! (Team 2)

Early bird gets the worm...again!

This morning the entire group decided to parttake in the morning hike to see the beautiful sunrise. We left the hotel at 4:30 a.m. and powered through the struggles of being out of shape. Coming together as a group, we somehow managed to make it to the top and saw the beauty of creation. Thankfully the way down was much easier than the way up!

After the hike, we immediately went to set up the dishes and start breakfast as we prepared for our service. We then shared a delicious and healthy breakfast, and group bonded while washing all of the dishes. Hailey spent her morning with some of the students from group one working at the school. The remainder of the group took a lengthy drive in the back in the truck to help move bricks at the site of a new house. The warm sunshine, gentle breeze, and beautiful mountain views made for a perfect day of service. 

We then returned to the mission to fuel up on some lunch. Not long after that, we all headed to the Juan Ana cafe to learn more about the coffee making process in Guatemala.  Father Greg started this coffee business in his parents namesake as a way to bring some economic stability to the Guatemalan people. They purchase coffee beans from Guatemalan families for a fair price, dry and roast them, and then package them to sell. One of the workers provided an interesting demonstration of how to roast the beans and prepare this rich coffee in two different ways. The best part was the taste test! We then got our hands dirty and spent some time separated the best coffee beans for use. 

By this point in the day, a lot of us were sun burned and sleepy. We luckily got a well needed couple of hours of downtime to rest. After this, we all headed over to the church for an Ash Wednesday mass done by our very own Father Michael! It was a culturally enriching experience filled with music, the chatter of children, and the tangible emotion of the Guatemalan people. 

After this, we all headed to the top floor of our hotel for a cozy bonfire and some delicious pizza. Simply enjoying each others company and reflecting on the beauty of our day in front of the burning embers was the perfect end to a wonderful day! 

Please enjoy some pictures from our beautiful sunrise hike! 

The View is Worth it (Group 1)

We started the day bright and early at 4:30 this morning. We drove to a nearby mountain and hiked up it. The hike took around an hour to complete and was moderately strenuous. But once we got to the top, we were able to see the sun rising over the mountains. We enjoyed the scenery and then headed back down the mountain. According to our group member’s Fitbit, the hike up and down the mountain was 2.6 miles total and the equivalent to 76 flights of stairs. 

We then headed back to the mission for breakfast. For our morning service, most of he group went to help at a stone house tying rhubarb and making a concrete floor. A few members of our group went to a nearby school and did some lite construction work there. After this, we headed back to the mission for lunch. 

In the afternoon, we learned about the process for making coffee from locals. They showed us how coffee gets from the plant into the drink. The process was more in depth than we expected. We learned that dark roasted and medium roasted coffee get roasted at the same temperature, but for different amounts of time. Most of the group was surprised to learn that dark roast coffee has less caffeine than medium roast coffee. As part of the presentation, we each got to try a sample of the coffee that we had just watched be made from start to finish. After the presentation, we headed next door to sort coffee beans for an hour. 

Later in the evening, we attended mass for Ash Wednesday with Fr. Kesicki as the celebrant. Those who wished to receive ashes had the opportunity to do so. There was a large group of people crowded outside the back of the church, as Ash Wednesday is an important day in Latin American culture. From mass, our group picked up pizzas from a local shop that we had preordered earlier in the afternoon. We took the pizza back to the mission to share with the other Gannon groups present. The fourth floor, or roof, of our hotel has a fire pit on it. The staff at the hotel started a fire for us as we sat around and enjoyed each other’s company. Since we had been awake since 4:30am, our groups headed the bed relatively early.  

What will you do? (Team 2)

What will YOU do?

Another day of service, another day of exploration and reaching out into the community. We are growing so much closer as a group as well as with the San Lucas community.

After another delicious breakfast, the group was split up into two different work sites. Kishan, Grace, and Father Micheal were delighted to go back to the same wood house building project as the previous day, getting to further their relationship with Rene. Resilient in pouring concrete and shoveling throughout the morning, the group enjoyed a gracious snack and orange soda from the family. The moment with the family touched our hearts. We held a special moment with the community when Father Michael was asked to bless the new house we were working on by the family and we gathered to do the blessing ceremony. The rest of the group drove deep into the mountains, enjoying the incredible Guatemalan landscape from the bed of a pickup truck to serve at a block house. As they mixed and laid down cement, they were constantly distracted by the adorable and friendly little girls that lived in the home. We played catch and tag initiated through hand gestures because of the language barrier, but just as we learned yesterday, our smile resounded through the language barriers and our other nonverbal communications landed us in an understanding of what was needed.

After lunch, a very friendly long term volunteer named Cecilia took us on a mission to find the best ice cream in San Lucas, Brownimos. We got to experience the hustle bustle of the market, especially busy due to the Latin American holiday, Carnival. During this day, people run around cracking confetti filled eggs on strangers’ heads, and our group was no exception from this tradition. The competition in Jon and Kishan truly came out during the fun and games of Carnival. Then, we got back to the mission just in time to hear the history of San Lucas through the amazing story telling skills of Andres. He informed us about the way the Spanish took over the Mayans, the civil war, and the way Father Greg changed their lives.

To continue learning about the mission and how it came to be, we watched a video about the story of Father Greg. We better learned his impact, his visionary lifestyle, and the state he found and left the community in. After, we got into vans and headed up the mountains to experience something truly fulfilling. From the great height, we watched the sunset behind the distant mountains across the beautiful lake Atitlan.

The beauty of the country truly astonishes us as we go through day by day. Our groups are invested into the community and feeling the love of the Mayan culture oozing into us. As we’re moving towards the rest of the week, we look forward to continuing to develop our relationships. What we will do this week is continue our service, our passion for learning, and living the mission of San Lucas.

Laying Foundations (Group 1)

 

We started the day with a delicious breakfast of fresh eggs and beans. The food here is so natural and is so delicious! It’s so amazing to see how other countries prepare food, and how flavorful and tasty it is. We were on dish duty this morning, so we washed dishes following breakfast. Since it was Mardi Gras today, it is tradition in Latin American culture to break egg shells filled with confetti over people’s heads for good luck. Before heading to the work site, Justin grabbed one of these eggs and broke it over Fr. Kesicki’s head. After this, it was time for work. Half of our group went to the blockhouse, and half went to the wood house. At the wood house, half the group was able to get numerous amounts of work done, and almost entirely finish the house. At the wood house, we helped mix concrete and poured cement for a floor of our a house. After, one of the women invited us into her home and prepared a snack for us to thank us for our work. It was great to see that hard work pays off with such great teamwork. While walking to each site it is nice to see how the people who live here go about their lives. As we walked, we walked past a field of children playing soccer with others cheering them on. It was exciting to see all of their happiness. 

After work, we had lunch. At lunch there was fresh fruits which was a great surprise because who doesn’t love fruit?! After lunch we had our cultural activity which consisted of learning more about the San Lucas area, as well as Father Greg, and all he has done for this area and the mission. As a group we were so Intrigued to see how much has changed within a short period of time. Illiteracy has been at an all time high. Only about 4% of people were literate fourth years ago, and now almost 80% are! Father Greg had done so much to help this community, and it warms our hearts to see it all and how grateful the people are as well.

The last activity we had done as a group was going to see the sunset. We drove about 25 minutes to get to our final destination that had an amazing scenic view. We were surrounded by grand mountains, and the calm lake. The sunset was beautiful and showed Guatemala’s great beauty. We finished the day by eating dinner. It consisted of flavored green beans, warm bread, noodles with veggies, chicken breast, and the best part CAKE! One of the long time volunteers at the mission was leaving the next morning. He had been here for 6 months, and this was his sweet good bye.  Today was a great day and we are excited to see what the rest of the week brings.

The Road Less Traveled (Group 1)

Today our morning started off with a delicious homemade breakfast of oatmeal and beans. After that, we all headed off to our work sites. We were split up in different groups, each assigned a different work site. Some of us worked on leveling dirt to build the foundation for block houses. This site was an incredibly scenic half hour drive on the back of cattle trucks. Once at the site, we used a pickaxe to break up the dirt and then we shoveled it into buckets until we had created a level surface. Other groups worked on building wooden houses at a different site, which included digging holes for the posts and beginning the construction of walls made of wooden panels. Another group worked on building sustainable stoves at a different location. The purpose of these stoves is so the locals can cook without producing as much smoke as a traditional stove. The smoke has caused lung problems among the population. The stoves built are an incredibly important part of the work that is done here.

After we had finished our work for the day, we enjoyed another delicious lunch and then headed off on a tour of San Lucas. We stopped at four places: the women’s center, the hospital, the coffee factory, and the school. The women’s center is a place where the local women can learn how to sew, weave, and cook, as well as some other things. We learned about the very intricate weaving process and the different styles of patterns. For women who regularly weave these table runners, it takes around 15 days to complete. After this, we headed off to the hospital. The hospital was started by the founder of the mission, Fr. Greg Shaffer. In 1990, Fr. Greg was holding a sick child in his arms when the child died. He wanted to create a community where the children no longer were dying. We were all blown away by how much good the hospital does for the community. On average, they see 73 patients a day! In 2018, the hospital saw 26,000 patients. They provide a multitude of medical services for the local community, such as emergency care, optical care, dental care, as well as having a labor and delivery wing. Multiple times a year, the community welcomes doctors from other counties who perform much needed general surgeries on those in need of them. These surgeries are done for free, but many who undergo them donate 200 Quetzales to the hospital, which is roughly 26.30 in U.S. Dollars. Several weeks ago, one group of American surgeons came and preformed 120 surgeries in under 5 days.

After the hospital, we stopped at the coffee factory. Here we learned the process of how the coffee is harvested and roasted. We also learned the positive impact the coffee business has on local families, who supply the raw coffee beans from their own farms. From harvest to packing, the coffee process takes 15 days. After this, we traveled to the school. The school provides an invaluable education for the local children. However, the school teachers are greatly underpaid. 

After we were done with the tour, we enjoyed another delicious dinner, and then explored the town a bit more. Our group reflected further on being present to the needs of the community and how we can best encounter them. It was an incredible day that we learned so much from. It is truly an honor for us to be able to work alongside the Guatemalan people.

Getting down & dirty (Team 2)

Hola familia!

Guatemala: Love. Pretty. Community. Warm. Fulfilling. Ice Cream. Our group members defined their experience of the day in one word with the words above. We finally started getting our hands dirty (literally). Hailey took lead and finished a stove project to fine-tune her skills while enjoying snacks with the family they were supporting. The kindness of the community and genuine nature of the local people truly showed throughout the smallest of acts.

The rest of the group journeyed to lay flooring on Doni’s house. We learned to make concrete, sifting, and how to smooth each layer of flooring. René, one of the construction workers, let us use a speaker to jam out to music, we had conversations with Doni and introduced ourselves, ages, and had some jokes. Our group formed relationships with ourselves, Cecilia (a long-term volunteer), and the community of San Lucas as well.

After a fulfilling lunch with some delicious fruits, the girls took a journey to pick up their bracelets at Señora Maria’s store. We met again with all of the Gannon groups present to go on our cultural excursions of the day: the women’s center, the coffee storage, hospital, and school. The women’s center provided an educational background on how the friends of San Lucas were teaching useful weaving and stitching classes as an alternative source of income. Ariel bought the best pants in the market and our entire university will be jealous of her style now! Thereafter we visited the hospital where the health majors engrossed themselves into the ability to help. After Father Greg held a child in his arms and the child passed away, a vision was born to make a hospital for the community to never let a child die. The hospital opened under Father Greg’s supervision after 10 years of construction that has thrived ever since it opened. It has rapidly grown from originally being marketed by Father Greg going door by door in the community to serving over 74 patients daily. Our excursion to Juanana Coffee provided insight on the process of coffee and the opportunities it provided the families to continue to progress as a community. Our last visit of the day was the school. Here we learned the innovative ways of teaching the students how to be holistic individuals. Not only do they provide an education that requires dedication and teachers going the extra mile, but they provide cooking classes and expect proper manners from their students to be better stewards of the world and each other. We agreed as a community that the teachers that are responsible for building the leaders of the next generation and the central column to growth of our world were underpaid in the schematic makeup of professional jobs.

Reflecting on the various projects we entered, it struck us with the thankfulness each individual we interacted with had for our presence. Unable to communicate in the most efficient ways possible, we communicated our appreciation for the community to dedicate their time in educating us and welcoming us into our new homes.

Continuing our trip, we recognize the frustration in the language barrier and our wishes to do more. However, one resounding statement that we all agreed upon that was communicated to us at our school visit hit home. We may not be able to communicate in our language, but the one thing that allows us to know all is well is our smiles. So, as we journey along this week excited for each experience to come, memories to be made, and lessons to be learned, we will do so with a smile in solidarity with our Guatemalan community.

Thank you for the prayers, thoughts, and journeying along with us, see you tomorrow!

Boat Day (Team 2)

¡Hola los amigos y familia de Los Estados Unidos!

Today was our first full day in Guatemala!  We started off our day having breakfast at the San Lucas Mission.  After breakfast we began our “tourism” day.  

We took a boat tour to two different cities where we admired the beautiful scenery.  Our first stop was San Antonio, where we learned how the community makes pottery.  We had the opportunity to support the local business and buy coffee mugs, crosses, bowls, owls, and much more! Afterwards, we visited a textile shop.  While there, the ladies gave us a demonstration on how they make dyes for their cloths and how the clothing and accessories are made.  Some students purchased some authentic Guatemalan clothing. All of the products were beautiful and the time and dedication that went into each craft was unlike anything a lot of us had ever seen before. 

Our next stop was to Santiago where we started our stay visiting a memorial for Father Rother. His story inspired all of us because of his compassion and dedication to the Guatemalan people. He touched the lives of many, and is still remembered fondly for his love. Later on, we had lunch at a nice little restaurant.  We also had the opportunity to visit the markets and vendors, and interact with many of the Guatemalan people.

We ended our evening attending mass at 5 o’clock. It was an amazing experience for all of our members with different faith backgrounds to take part in one of the central aspects of Guatemalan culture.

After the end of the day, we had our dinner and started playing card games. Let’s just say, Jon takes his card games seriously. As we’re writing this blog, the group is bonding and having our “late knight conversations.” 

We are prepared to take on our first day of service tomorrow and make the most of each opportunity!

Beauty Within and Around (Team 1)

Today was filled with fun adventure and exploring the culture of the Guatemalan people. We woke up, had a short reflection before our breakfast at 8, took our turn doing dishes, and then we were on our way! The first thing on our agenda was our boat tour. We boarded our boat, Crystal, and were given a breathtaking tour around the lake. We saw various styles of houses, limitless mountains, and even a volcano. Our first stop, was at the town of San Antonio. While admiring the town for its beauty, we were all given a tour of a ceramic and pottery factory. They taught us how they make their pottery from scratch and we got to see many of their works after. We then were brought to a weaving store, where we were taught how they gather natural materials to make their products and how much time and effort goes into what they do. They showed us how they pick the seeds out of the cotton plant, separate the material, and dye it. All the dye is made from natural materials. The cotton only needs to be dyed for a maximum of twenty minutes and the color can be made deeper based on the temperature of the water. After that, we boarded the Crystal again to be brought next to the town of Santiago. Father Kesicki gave us some information on the town and the religious importance of one of the churches that we got to visit. A priest, originally from Oklahoma, was assassinated in this city years ago. The priest, Fr. Stanley Rother, has a relic of his heart contained in a church in the town. While exploring the town, we were truly immersed in the culture. We shopped til we dropped and got to taste some yummy food (especially the guacamole) at a local restaurant for lunch. After lunch, we boarded our boat and were back to San Lucas in about fifteen minutes. Shortly after, we got to attend mass in which Father Kesicki was the celebrant. It was so powerful and uplifting to see how much faith the Guatemalan people have. The church was filled and people were literally out the door and on the streets. Once mass concluded, the local priest took over and transferred into adoration. Adoration following mass was a special occasion that only occurs the Sunday before lent. The priest walked down the isle with the monstrance and people would walk out from their seats to throw flowers on it, touch it, or kiss it. After mass and adoration, we had a delicious dinner and then we were off to our reflection! We talked about the importance of knowing the true effect of our work, entering into a spirit of solidarity, and injustices in poverty. Today was such an amazing day, we just cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings us!

New Horizons (Team 1)

The wait is finally over! Our group met at 1am this morning to depart for the Buffalo airport. We got through security without a hitch. While we waited for the first flight, we had an intense conversation about the Jonas Brothers getting back together. Our faculty accompanier Chad took a siesta during all of this. Our first flight from Buffalo to Miami left at 6:15am. While some of the group was anxious for flying, all agreed that it was a positive experience. From there, we had a layover in Miami and departed for Guatemala City at 12:13pm. After we arrived in the airport, we had a 3 hour drive to the San Lucas Mission. On the drive, we saw many vendors selling merchandise on the road. The drive also included curvy roads and some driving maneuvers that were different than anything we had ever experienced before. The culture in Guatemala is so unique. Once we arrived at the mission, we met some of the long-term volunteers and got settled into our rooms. We spent some time looking at the beautiful views from our hotel, which oversees mountains and a lake. Then shortly after, we had a delicious home cooked meal for dinner. Every single person in our group ate the food that was prepared, even though we had some fears! The night concluded with a reflection on our full day of travel, our first noticings, and all that we are looking forward to. It was a long day but it was all worth it in the end. We’re all excited to see what this week holds and can’t wait to catch up on our sleep tonight!

Early bird gets the worm (Team 2)

12:45 a.m., bloodshot eyes, a nap-ridden Jon, and a group excited to take on a life-changing experience. Departing in a bus to Buffalo, some of us decided to cuddle up as we traveled with the other Guatemala group and the Merida group.

2 hour bus ride, 3 hour flight to Miami, and Kishan and Jon barely making it in time to board our final flight to Guatemala City due to their hunt for a Wendy's in the airport in their two hour layover. Unfortunately, this flight also led to the one and only casualty of the trip, Meghan's beloved neck-pillow. But all losses aside, we finally arrived in Guatemala City around 2 p.m. as Clara braved her first flights! Clara and Ariel supported each other on the flight, and we successfully eased through customs with no issues. At the tail end of this flight, we were finally reunited with Father Michael whose presence we missed throughout the middle of the journey. We took another three hour van ride through Guatemala where we saw the beauty of the country. Although we were shaken by the poverty we saw, we appreciated and discussed the colorful nature of the Central American culture and the breathtaking views. Our team needed to have their trust in our driver knowing that he knew what he was doing as we listened to some Spanish music until we finally hit a stretch of singing along to some hit American pop songs together. Hailey told us throughout the trip the stuff she remembered and her past experiences while answering our questions.

Arriving at the hotel, we had dinner and our first full group reflection in Guatemala. Excited and blessed to see the views that we saw and going through our orientation. Welcomed by Fabio, our half-German, half-Italian guide that knows basically any English you ask and we met the rest of the long-term volunteers. Tomorrow we are ready to go on our boat tour to continue to see the beauty of the country and our community while looking forward to immersing ourselves into the culture. We are excited to be in the solidarity of our community partner. Our journals are ready (Grace has two of them), our minds ready to learn, and our hearts thirsting to love and be loved for the week! Stay tuned as we continue to meet our community and gather our experiences.

Here are some pictures from our journeys, we hope you enjoy and see you tomorrow! Stay cute;)