Los Esperamos!
Today was the first day we did vacation Bible school. It started at 3:30 p.m. after we had been at the school doing other activities earlier in the day. There were three groups: the music players, the actors for the drama, and the artists making the posters. We prepared for this yesterday, and we were very excited sending out invitations to the neighbours saying “Los esperamos!” (Translation: We’re waiting for you!) There were about 45 kids that came from the neighbourhood. A song was written by one of the leaders. It was called La Creation. The MCA music team practiced long and hard for this song. Little did we know that the singers would sing in a completely different key than we practiced. It was really unexpected and proved to us Mr. Fuller’s emphasis on being flexible.
Earlier in the day, the clinic was very busy. We were able to see 80 patients. Josiah managed the spirometer. It is a medical device that measures lung capacity. Patients had to breathe into the machine as much as their lungs allowed, then inhale. This can be very difficult for some patients and a lot of them had to do it several times. This station required a lot of patience. Josiah found that making it fun and having a smile lessened people’s nerves. The purpose was to do overall health checks for the students and staff, and this was accomplished today. More in the days to come.
Dylan was involved with setting up Wi-Fi for the school. Compared to yesterday, we did three times more tech work. We installed 9 access points so far. This improved the signal and connection quality in the school, and the staff were very happy. The staff said that before the installment they only had Wi-Fi in their office and some classrooms but couldn’t use it to teach in other classrooms. Now, they can use Wi-Fi everywhere!
Other activities included painting the school’s new science building and doing a home visit. The painting entailed cutting in around the edges of two science classrooms with white paint, and taping windows and doors. The home visit entailed delivering food to the mother of two students from the school. MCA students had the opportunity to make meaningful conversation including learning about living routines of most citizens of Guatemala. It was a very humbling experience that taught us about the great privileges we have in Canada, and all the stuff we take for granted.
-Dylan, Bethany and Josiah
*Note from Mr. Fuller: Dr. Liem needed to go to a local pharmacy for more medications for the clinic. The team spent an additional $2,250 for essential medicines and other treatments. He’s finding many health concerns within the community that we have the opportunity to help with. If you feel moved to contribute, this would be appreciated greatly. Please e-transfer Jen Grainger, MCA’s bookkeeper, with the note “Mission Trip.”
