Itinerary on what we will do!

We are a little over 30 days from departure.  Last week we had our first call to discuss the details for our upcoming trip.  I must say the details discussed on the call made me a little more nervous than I had been.  I guess I realized that this is not a "vacation" to a resort...it is truly a "service" trip in which we will be working in the villages among the people.  While I find this to be deeply rewarding and interesting, it also means there are some risks and concerns.   Safety and security was of primary importance in our discussions.  Since we all won't arrive into Guatemala City until 7pm, it was determined that it would not be "safe" for us to travel to Antigua that evening.  And so we will spend the first night in Guatemala City.  We discussed that conservative dress for women is important (no shorts or tank tops).  Iphones are not a good item for display in public markets.  Food and water need to be consumed with caution.  There are tricks to using ATM's and not having your PIN# stolen. And, I need to get my immunizations taken care of!!

So, I felt a little nervous after the call!

And then, today I saw the itinerary and some of the details of what we'll be doing!  And, again, I was reminded of why I signed up to do this!  To make a difference!!

Our itinerary for now looks like this:

June 4 - Arrive in Guatemala City & remain there over night

June 5 - Spend the day at Mateo's orphanage and travel to Antigua

June 6 - Return to Mateo's orphanage for the day

June 7 - Morning - Spend time with families in Pueblo Nuevo and feeding program prep for the evening; Afternoon - children's ministry in Pueblo Nuevo

June 8 - Morning - free time in Antigua; Afternoon - Water filter distribution in Pueblo Nuevo.

June 9 - Free Day at Lake Atitlan or time in Antigua

June 10 - Return to the U.S.

Additionally, we'll be buying groceries for the orphanage and having shoes made locally for the children!  We'll be having a party with the children including face painting and crafts and a trip to the zoo!!!  

I'll be posting more information about the area we are visiting, and the projects we'll be doing like distributing the water filter systems.  We'll actually be going door-to-door to teach people about the importance of clean drinking water.  

If you'd like to contribute to buying shoes, books, crafts, or other necessities for the mission trip, please let me know.  I'll be posting a link for how you can donate to show your support.

With Gratitude,

Sondra