Guatemala Blog (Eagle's Nest Orphanage) December 29, 2013

Today was an incredibly tiring but fulfilling day. After a delicious breakfast, we began the morning activities. The morning schedule was similar to church camp, with the children rotating through English class, music class and outdoor activities. At times, it was slightly chaotic, but it was wonderful to see how excited the kids were to have some extra attention and to learn new things.

Following another filling meal, we started in on the work project. The work project is refurbishing the desks at the school on the property. The desks had a lot of writing on them as well as scribbles from markers and scratches. Today we worked on sanding down the 176 desks, and we will soon be staining the wood and painting the other surfaces. It was a lot of work, but several of the boys in the orphanage wanted to spend time with us, and helped us out sanding the desks, sweeping the floor, and even helped us mop at the end. They were so enthusiastic and eager to help, with a seemingly endless amount of energy.

The orphanage is high on a hill, and the view here is incredible. We can see Lake Atitlán as well as numerous volcanoes from our dining area. That evening I was able to see a beautiful sunset with a volcano in the background. It was absolutely incredible. The pictures aren't able to do it justice.

So far, this trip has been an incredible experience, and I am so happy that I am sharing this experience with other young people in the church. Not only are there 12 Americans participating in this project, but also 3 Guatemalans and an Australian. It has been wonderful getting to know everyone better, making new friends as well as reconnecting with people I met at past church activities. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to connect with other church people to serve the children here.