Villages of Guatemala- Part I

When we were in Guatemala, we were able to travel to four villages that are part of CFCA’s 65 subprojects. There are over 81,000 children sponsored through CFCA in Guatemala alone, so we only met a small number of the families. One of the couples in our group has traveled to Guatemala four times and visited sixteen completely different projects! The residents of the villages consider it a great honor to host sponsors, but due to the number of subprojects, do not get the opportunity very often!  

Our first village visit was on Sunday as we traveled from Guatemala City to our main location in San Lucas Toliman on Lake Atitlan.

As our bus pulled up, we were met with crowds of people, firecrackers, shouts from the young boys, and more hugs than I can count!

It was hard to believe they were so excited to see US- we came to see them! They welcomed us with signs, confetti, parades, pine needle carpets, costumes and bands. Day after day we were treated like celebrities at the villages- everyone wanted pictures with us, were cheering for us…it was incredible, unbelievable and humbling!

(Also, while walking in the parades with the families, we quickly realized that we felt like giants! Most of our group towered over the locals.)

At each village we would be able to listen to families who have been helped by CFCA’s programs. The kids would dance (or read a poem or perform a song) for us, and then they would come grab us and we would join them. Yes, even I (Bethany) found myself on the dance floor multiple times. Unbelievable, I know!

In this particular village, a few of the moms got up to show us items they have been working hard on- soap and the wall hangings you can see in some of the pictures.

The project would treat us to a local meal—we ate a lot of chicken, tortillas, cooked vegetables, and rice throughout the week! Afterwards, we had some time to visit with the local residents, which for most of us non-Spanish speakers meant pointing to our cameras, saying “foto?” and the kids responding ecstatically with “Si! Si!”

                                                  

A local boy and his cow, likely purchased by CFCA and/or his sponsor to help supply his family with beef/milk

Until next time…