This past summer, I took an adventure down to Antigua, Guatemala. While we were there we built homes, ran clothing distributions, worked at orphanages and malnutrition centers, gave food to the homeless, and preached on the streets to those around us. I didn’t expect much to change for me. I knew I’d have a greater appreciation for my life back home in the US, but I wasn’t prepared to be shaken so dramatically by what I experienced.
I was put into a group with four other people to build a house for a small family who lived at below poverty level in Guatemala. Just to clarify, our poverty level in the United States is classified as just a bit above average in Guatemala. The family we worked for consisted of a mother and father, along with …show more content…
She is a curious, bubbly, and mischievous two year old. She was always in our business, and even wanted to test out the cement we made by jumping in it like it was a water puddle. She made those three strenuous days of building a little bit easier with lots of laughs and many, many hugs.
One day, during our lunch break, our crew was short a meal. Now this wasn’t the worst thing to happen, yet building a concrete based house for ten hours straight, in an elevation of about 5,500 feet, in the blasting sun wasn’t something my body was used to. I was dizzy and weak from exhaustion, yet I knew my job had to be finished by the end of the day. I had a granola bar in my bag that I brought to the work site; if you could’ve seen their faces as we sat down to eat lunch, you would’ve given away your granola bar too.
As I was sitting down watching everyone eat their lunches, I tried to focus on the fact that I would get dinner in a couple hours unlike our family. The little girl Amelia saw I wasn’t eating lunch so she ran into her small shack she called home. She emerged with a piece of bread and offered it to me. This little girl has nothing compared to me. Yet, she is willing to give me a piece of food she could’ve easily eaten herself. I graciously thanked her for the offer, yet asked if I could share the piece of bread. With her agreeing to share, we sat down and ate our lovely lunch while
I was put into a group with four other people to build a house for a small family who lived at below poverty level in Guatemala. Just to clarify, our poverty level in the United States is classified as just a bit above average in Guatemala. The family we worked for consisted of a mother and father, along with …show more content…
She is a curious, bubbly, and mischievous two year old. She was always in our business, and even wanted to test out the cement we made by jumping in it like it was a water puddle. She made those three strenuous days of building a little bit easier with lots of laughs and many, many hugs.
One day, during our lunch break, our crew was short a meal. Now this wasn’t the worst thing to happen, yet building a concrete based house for ten hours straight, in an elevation of about 5,500 feet, in the blasting sun wasn’t something my body was used to. I was dizzy and weak from exhaustion, yet I knew my job had to be finished by the end of the day. I had a granola bar in my bag that I brought to the work site; if you could’ve seen their faces as we sat down to eat lunch, you would’ve given away your granola bar too.
As I was sitting down watching everyone eat their lunches, I tried to focus on the fact that I would get dinner in a couple hours unlike our family. The little girl Amelia saw I wasn’t eating lunch so she ran into her small shack she called home. She emerged with a piece of bread and offered it to me. This little girl has nothing compared to me. Yet, she is willing to give me a piece of food she could’ve easily eaten herself. I graciously thanked her for the offer, yet asked if I could share the piece of bread. With her agreeing to share, we sat down and ate our lovely lunch while