Semuc Champey and a Night as a Tia

This past weekend, the other interns, Betsy, Sarah, Rebecca, and I decided go on a trip to Semuc Champey, a beautiful area in the north of Guatemala. Traveling by ourselves through Guatemala, and putting all our outdoor skills to the test was an adventure for sure!
Semuc Champey is about an 8 hour bus ride away. We were picked up at a gas station in San Lucas. The bus was packed full, so Rebecca and I ended up sitting on those little half seats for 8 hours. It got very uncomfortable, as the last two hours of the ride was a dirt road!
We stayed at El Retiro lodge, a youth hostel composed mainly of straw huts. Our room was in the loft of a straw hut- without a door, but with plenty of bugs! After thoroughly spraying down everything in the room with deet, we felt safe enough to sleep.
The next day, we discovered that Guatemalan tourism is very different than tourism in the states! We started off the day white water TUBING. Following this, we were given a candle and taken into the dark abyss of a cave. We spent the next hour and a half swimming through the cave, climbing dark waterfalls and jumping off cliffs!
After that, we hiked a mountain and were greeted by an incredible view from the top of the mountain springs below. It was an incredible weekend!

When we got back to the Oasis, it was time to embark on our second adventure: TIA-ING. All of the tias (house moms) left Monday for a night out, so Sarah, Betsy, Rebecca and I stepped in! We decided to have dinner late and then organize a movie for the girls to watch together. It turned out there was no need for that. I discovered that Guatemalans have a constant and very time consuming past time- cleaning! After dinner, they washed the dishes, swept the floor, mopped the floor, and disinfected the floor, all without being prompted by me. In the morning, we had to get up at 5 for breakfast. Every morning so far, I have wondered what these girls do between 5:30, when breakfast finishes, and 7:30, when school starts. On Tuesday, I discovered the answer- they clean. They sweep, mop, wipe, disinfect, tidy, and organize, for two hours every morning!

I can't believe how quickly time is passing. I turn around and realize I have only four weeks left here! God is continuing to teach me during my time here. He is opening my eyes to so many needs here below the surface- the need for love, for friendship, for affirmation, and for healing. He has taken my heart and has broken it for the girls of the Oasis: for Sara, a twelve year old in my house who is still in kindergarten. She was found on the streets four years ago after being deserted by her parents while on a picnic. She suffered so much from malnourishment that now she is suspected to have brain damage. Every time she gives me a hug and says "te quiero mucho" ( I love you a lot)I struggle to understand how anyone could not want her. My heart breaks for Mary, who month after month waits for a visit from her parents but never receives one. It breaks for the three sisters who are hear after suffering gruesome sexual abuse. I am slowly realizing that behind every attitude here, and every wall and every pretense, there is a girl who is struggling to come to terms with the thought that someone, somewhere, hurt them or didn't want them. God is showing me the immense need these girls have of love. Please pray that God will use me to show these girls their value in Christ, and that they will be able to see how much he truly loves him.