Guatemala Mission Trip 2024: Update #3

I woke early Monday morning and sat in the courtyard of our cozy hotel. As I sipped my coffee, birds chirped and mist blew over the mountains surrounding San Juan La Laguna, our beautiful home for the week. After a hearty breakfast, we set off in tuk-tuks to build our first stoves in the neighboring town of San Pedro. Our group was to work together that day to build two stoves for related families living next door to each other.
Their living space was modest, with only a couple of enclosed rooms, an open-air kitchen with just a roof, a shared sink and a primitive bathroom. So, there was little room for the eleven of us from Union Church and the several people from Dreams and Hopes to maneuver equipment and supplies and build the stoves, but somehow, we managed.
We learned sand sifting, cinder block measuring and cutting, cement mixing, brick soaking and everything else needed to make a stove. It was hard physical work but with so many of us pitching in we made quick progress. By lunchtime, we had finished two new wood burning stoves for the very appreciative families.
Exhausted but inspired, we made our way to the Dreams and Hopes community center for a delicious lunch. Late in the afternoon some of us visited a Mayan women’s weaving cooperative.
It was an incredible first day. We learned how to make stoves, got to know each other and learned about Guatemalan culture. Little did we know that so many amazing days were to follow.

Written by Jane Grimm