Today was bittersweet. It was our last day at Anini and our last full day in Guatemala. We were very productive today and were able to look at some chairs in a room not previously seen by last year’s team. We were also able to fabricate a chair for a “favorite” who we felt we had not previously done justice yesterday.
We can’t believe how quickly this week has gone by! We were able to squeeze in one more visit to San Jeronimo orphanage before heading to the airport, and it was the perfect way to end the week!!
Today was a reminder of the enormity of the need in Guatemala. We visited an orphanage called Anini that is home to 66 kids with special needs. The TEAM spent one day at this orphanage last year, and felt that more time was needed. So this year we are spending three full days in hopes that we can help these children as much as possible.
First off, we survived our first Guatemalan earthquake last night. All of us felt it except for Carol, but we like to make it more dramatic by saying, “The earthquake left Carol unconscious.” In all seriousness, we are totally fine and safe. Thankfully, Tio Juan had informed us about the frequent earthquakes earlier this week, and told us that tremors are pretty common and typically not a big deal. So, when our beds started literally shaking in the middle of the night, we knew we were probably fine.
We got an early start this morning, and headed straight to the village where Mama Carmen’s farm is located. Our TEAM went there last year and worked with a few kids that can’t afford to go into the city for assistance. We were able to follow up with every child from last year, and it was so great to see the progress they have made in just 9 months.
There’s so much we want to share about today, but it’s almost midnight and we’re exhausted, so we’ll do our best to share a few highlights!