We missed a couple of days. Sorry about that! “Pardone me!” A lot has happened in the last few days.
Friday we visited a village about a fifteen minute drive from Rio Azul, up bumpy, muddy, roads. We traveled to Xonca (pronounced “shonka”) to meet with the village leadership there, and to see the village in an earlier stage of the FH relationship. In Xonca there is no running water, and there were no flush toilets at the school. The example that Rio Azul is setting has been an inspiration to the people of Xonca, and they want the same for their children.
We returned from Xonca to Rio Azul for the gratitude ceremony at the school. Carmen was presented a banner recognizing our work on the two classrooms this week. Afterwards, we supported the local women by buying their crafts, which included candles, bags, and scarves. It felt good to contribute directly to the craftspeople of Rio Azul.
In a quick side-note, Arlene found it quite interesting how some of us were able to enjoy lengthy hot showers, while others, oddly, found it necessary to keep their showers short. Hmmm…
Friday night we had another game of intense soccer with the FH staff – which again ended in a tie! It was close, but with the help of a few ringers we kept pace. Special thanks to Marc from Guelph Ontario and Edwardo from our hotel (if anyone asks – he was born in Edmonton).
Saturday morning started with a 5:30am van packing and a 6am departure from Nebaj. We arrived in Antigua for a gentle ‘re-introduction’ to modern culture. What a beautiful city! The hot showers, water pressure, beautiful coffee, musicians and colourful market were a sharp contrast to what we had experienced earlier in the week. Arlene noted that some of the more youthful, agile, energetic of the group got up to dance to a live band playing indigenous latin American music, after a stellar dinner Saturday night. “It was awesome,” Hannah added.
As a team we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to be able to engage the community of Rio Azul, to be the face of FC. We thank you for your prayers and support and we are excited about the journey our community is walk with the community of Rio Azul.
Water: anything that God uses in and through us to make the world better. How are you bringing water to your world today?