Day 1: Monday : Word of the Day: Dirt Our first workday started when the lights in our sleeping rooms came on at 6:00 am. After the initial shock of the early hour, we went to breakfast (Biscuits and Gravy plus scrambled eggs) and got prepared for our day. We then drove to our worksite in Biloxi. The quickest way to get from Ocean Springs to Biloxi is across a bridge that was rebuilt after the hurricane. The bridge has a great view that we have yet to become tired of. The house we are working at is just a few blocks from the main coast and the casinos in Biloxi. After a brief tour of the building, we got our assignments and started working. One group consisting of Morgan, Scott, Kelly, Susan and some AmeriCorps ... read more

Yes...in case you were wondering... We're still alive! And surprisingly healthy to boot! Again... sorry for the delay in the updates. We have just all been working hard, and there has been so much to do that we hated to take time out of the workday to go to the internet cafe while others were slaving in the hot sun. Although we've been busy, I can probably give you a quick summary of what we've been doing since the completion of the school desks: Bending steel Cutting rebar Twisting wires Digging holes to China As usual, Mami's backyard has been transformed into a noisy, dirty workshop... I often wonder where she gets the patience to have all of us Gringos come in and take over her home the way we inevitably do. The woman must be ... read more

Greetings friends! First of all, we want to apologize for the time delay in our updates. Finding internet here in Retalhuleu has been slightly more difficult than we expected…not to mention finding time with all the hard work everyone has been doing! On Sunday, we left Guatemala City early in the morning and headed south towards Reu. On the way, we stopped to spend the afternoon with our farm family. We first met the farm family about three years ago, when our old school bus broke down along the side of the highway. Many members of the team were extremely sick, and we were out of water. When Diane went up to the bare cinderblock house to explain what happened and why we were stranded literally in this family’s front yard, she was shown hospitality beyond ... read more

¡Hola amigos! Can you believe that we leave for Guatemala in less than 24 hours?! It hardly seems possible! As a matter of fact, it wouldn't be possible at all if it wasn't for the support you all have given us. Thank you. You have contributed your time, donations, dollars, thoughts and prayers. Without these gifts, our mission this year would not be possible. As most of you know, this year's trip is especially exciting because we will be breaking ground on a new school called La Escuela de los Santos, or the School of the Saints. This school will act as one component under Pastor Diane and Estuardo Dardón's new nonprofit, Caminos de Esperanza, or Journeys of Hope. Although beginning construction for the school will be our main project this week, there will be many ... read more