Day 5: Last Day of Work

Today we were challenged to finish all of our 77 stoves. How wonderful it would be to finish 4 days worth of work in only 3 days! Our 20 team members have worked hard and worked well together this week. We have pitched in when things needed to be done. We also have played hard and enjoyed each other during quiet times. I have overheard and been a part of so many incredibly meaningful conversations. Not confrontational, no one trying to get the upper hand, no one letting arrogance or pride get in the way of a loving friendship. So Max challenged us to finish the stoves today. We challenged ourselves to finish just after lunch. Since we were working almost 2 miles away, we decided to take lunch with us rather than walk the additional 4 miles to come to the church for lunch. 2-3pm was our goal.

This is a good time to talk about hygiene. it's not something that comes instinctually to people in Pabeya or in rural Guatemala in general. There aren't designated trash locations, so trash is tossed wherever it is convenient. On the ground, on the trails, in the woods, in the road. Incredible storms roll through almost every evening during rainy season (rainy season is nearing its end), starting about 3pm. The trash from the ground is swept this way and that in the flash flooding that always follows. It starts with dark clouds and within minutes the slow, steady rain begins. Then it picks up quickly. Within minutes, the sky goes from blue skies to black clouds and rain and back to clear skies. I digress.

Back to the topic of hygiene. We can't drink the water. We carry hand sanitizer with us everywhere. We purse our lips tightly in the shower and immediately spit spit spit if water touches our lips. We try not to touch our faces. Only a few people have fallen prey to GI issues. 5 of 20 people so far isn't bad odds.

One of the "afflicted" was working with Kelly Boy on the chimney team. The run the pipes through the ceiling, mount the upper pipe to the wall and the ceiling, put the "hat" on the pipe outside, add a mesh protective sleeve to the lower pipe, and then caulk the hole inside and outside. The firebox teams were making quick progress and then sitting for quite a while between jobs, so Max re-assigned Sydney and me to help the pipe teams. With Kelly Boy's partner sick, I stepped in to fill his shoes. I enjoyed working on Team Kelly-squared. After our work was done, the stove was complete, so I was glad to be able to see the finished product. The work was multi-step and quick-paced, so we didn't get to interact with the people as much. That was OK though. I have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from this community. I don't know if I could possess another day's worth of experiences.

So our challenge to finish at 2-3pm was way off. Instead we finished at 11:30am. It was satisfying to finish 4 days of hard work in only 2 1/2 days. That means, we will do the stove and water filter training in the morning.

In the afternoon when school is out, we will have our "play day" with the children. That will be chaotic crazy but fun! And we will be able to visit the Mayan ruins on Friday. Tonight I'm assessing my packed clothes to see if I can find another pair of somewhat clean pants or shorts. Just one more pair would have been nice, but this trip is a great lesson in minimizing what I think I need. I've discovered that I can do so much more with so much less than I ever thought I could. We had chicken nuggets and watermelon for dinner.

Tonight was also Dan's 63rd birthday, so we celebrated. And he had just retired last Friday, so we celebrated. Nicho, Raul, and others from the community arranged for fireworks. I have video but no photos of Lidia's song, the fireworks, the prayer and hugs for Dan that followed.

Fireworks for Dan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyklyvCcrlg&NR=1

Lidia's birthday song for Dan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2RO_riqugs&NR=1

Below are photos from the rest of the night: