Day Seven - Sunday, April 1

April Fools Day!!

Mr. Werth played a little fools joke on some of the boys. It got them up & moving quickly, which was the point. Payback left Mr. Werth locked outside in his pajmas for a few minutes. Boys will be boys.

This morning, we participate in a market activity. The group is divided into 6 teams. Each team is given 50 quetzal (Guatemalan dollars, roughly equivalent to $8.50 Canadian) and a list of 14 items for purchase. The challenge was that the list was all in Spanish, the teams had to travel in groups through the market seeking to purchase all the vegetables, fruits & spices on the list. Extra points were awarded for getting the best price, and for the having the biggest of certain items. The teams had only 1 hour to accomplish the task & must return to the guest house carrying their produce on their heads. Sunday is market day, so it was crowded with people making their weekly grocery purchase. We are the only caucasians threading our way through the market, between people & around stands brimming with produce, clothing, blankets and such. Some of the teams got ripped off with their purchases, some of the teams couldn't find all they needed, and one team in particular moved so quickly they forgot to keep track of their purchases. But in the end, we had done the shopping for Carmella our cook for a variety of upcoming meals.

After lunch, some of the team raced off to finish visiting sponsor children. Those who weren't able to meet their families in San Antonio had good luck today. Another group went off to Chicoy & Mochon to meet sponsor children from last year & this year.

Then, it was back to Tactic for the church service at Beerseba Chamche. There has been another missions team here from Living Water Christian Academy in Spruce Grove, and we finally got to meet them at church. The service was one of testimonies, dedication of leaders, a message & 10 baptisms. A 3 hour service! Following the service we were treated to hot chicken tamales & coffee/tea. Tamales are made with corn meal, a few spices, tomatoes & chicken, all wrapped in a banana leaf and boiled for 4-5 hours. Interesting consistency. Some of the team had a couple, a few waived the privilege.

Our boys were invited to a soccer game against some of the local Guatemala boys. The girls are dissapointed that they can't play, but they come along to cheer & sing their support. In the end, our boys play hard, but realize the reality of being defeated by boys who have played daily since they were about 3 years old.

When we finally get back to our guest house, we are greeted with a snack of fajitas made from barbecued beef & loads of delicious sauces. Today was truly a Guatemalan experience, not one quickly forgotten.