The Finshing Touch

The last day of building is so difficult. When you arrive at the site on the fifth day, there is no question that this is going to be a difficult one. It is so hard to explain the emotional connection you develop with these families in 5 days. It is really intense.....on both sides. The last day you paint the house, install the door and window, and you have completed what you came here to do. Our Mom chose yellow for the outside and blue for the inside. Sun and sky. Those happen to be my favorites of the color choices. I think they are very happy colors.

Samuel

Reuben

The moment we add water to the powdered paint to begin the task of painting the kids make a bee line to help, it takes about 2 minutes and they are covered in paint. Samuel had blue specks all over his little brown face in minutes, he looked so cute and his smile was from ear to ear. Reuben took this task very seriously, as evidenced when he squeezed into the side of the home that was about a foot wide and began painting that section, I honestly did not think we would be able to paint that side because of the narrowness between that and the cornstalk shack they will leave up to use as their kitchen. He squeezed in there so I thought it only right I follow and I squeezed in there with a small bowl of paint, (following his example), and we painted. I admired his determination to paint as much of his new home as possible. We stood side by side in this narrow area and when I would need more paint on my brush I would have to reach over my head from left to right and dip the brush in the paint. It was very good excercise. Painting is always fun, as it is the cherry on the sundae of the project.


 While we are painting, Maria is preparing lunch with the help of some of her neighbors. They are preparing a very traditional dish called Pepian, it is sort of a pureed vegetable soup. They were serving a piece of beef and some rice with it. Marissa was working in the corn stalk shack making and cooking tortillas.


Tortilla time!

 She really was pretty good at it and the women loved having her work with them.There were some neighbors helping Maria make the meal. I was happy to see she had such a strong support system. I don't know how you would make it here if you did not have a support system. I am so grateful for this gesture, however I wish the family would not do this as it costs them money which is something they have very little of. It is a very beautiful act of gratitude on their part.

Pepian

We finished painting the house, the door was installed along with the window and the laminate roof. It was time for lunch. we had lunch inside the new home, the first meal. Many of the people that had helped prepare the meal ate with us. I raised my glass and offered a toast to the first meal in the new home. It was a joyous moment. Everyone enjoyed the meal and we had a lot of laughs. Only one of the family and their guests understood spanish and Kechiquel, so we had a lot of translating going on. The conversation was one of asking many questions of each other about out different lives. The Guatemalan people that we build for are always fascinated with the fact that my children are adopted from Guatemala. At the same time I am fascinated with their life. It is an interesting exchange done with mutual respect for each other.

The whole group.

After lunch Oscar had planned the closing ceremony to be done as a group at the other property where our group was building, however the keys would be presented at the individual homes. We went to the property above us where the Dickersona nd Sibinas Family's were building 2 other homes. We all gathered together to hear Oscar speak to the families. Oscar speaks to the families in Spanish and then translates for those of us who do not understand. The basic premise is this. The home is a gift. We do not expect payment, we ask you to live in the home with pride. Keep it clean and take care of it. The only thing we ask of you in return is to help your neighbor, we know you cannot do it finacially, however there are many ways to help a neighbor. After Oscar speaks the family usually will say a heartfelt thank you. It is very emotional. Most often the men will speak for the family, and they get very choked up. Beautiful words that are spiritually driven are shared through tears and grateful smiles. It is a beautiful moment. We all return to our respective homes to present the keys and give the gifts we bought for our families. Maria Cristina was so grateful she could barely speak. She did manage to say a few words which Henio translated for me, and  made an attempt to thank her for allowing us to step into her life and recieve us with open arms and hearts. Our real feelings were exchanged with a simple hug and the knowledge that both of our families lives were changed this week.

Sam presents Maria Cristina with the key to her new home

 When Sam handed the key to Maria I was very touched when he said to her, "This is a gift from our family to yours and we are one family now. I was" so moved by his words and honestly, I did not expect that from my 16 year old son, I was so touched, it just added to the moment.

Pinata Time

Of course we bought a Pinata that provided alot of fun and excitement. I always get amazed when the elders jump after the candy also. Eveybody wants some.  We bought each of the children a small gift, the ohter volunteers and I chipped in on a bag of groceries. $30 buys a family a month worth of groceries. I also bought the mother a clothesline and clothes pins. I am hoping that will help her and she wont have to hang clothes over the fence to dry any longer. Our family had bags made for all of us with our name embroidered on them. Another lovely gesture. Judy is a very simple name but In Guatemala it is quite a challenge for the people. Most of the time I am Yudi but here at this house I am "YURI" and that is what me bag says. LOLOL.

Just laugh!!!

Time to say good bye to another wonderful family. This is such an incredible expererience. This was our 5th house we built, they all have their own special story and I enjoy getting to know what it is. When you pull up to the work site in the morning the children are waiting for you with a huge smile as their greeting.. As we leave today Samuel has tears in his eyes as he says goodbye to my Sam, Christy gives me the hug of all hugs, Reuben has a huge smile and a wave and Maris Cristina gives me one more hug and a smile and we exchange one last glance of gratitude and friendship.

Our gang who built our house.

Finished