Today we enjoyed a “late” breakfast at 7:30 before heading to the Shalom school. On the bus ride over there, Jeff and Parker (missionaries with the Shalom Foundation) loaded us up with bags of candy to give to the school children. When we arrived, all chaos broke out! The kids swarmed around us, their hands reaching out and their faces shining with excitement. The children aged K-4th grade were enjoying their recess period when we arrived with all the treats. After every pocket had been emptied and many pictures had been taken, we headed inside the church to hear the day’s plan from Mark Smith, American missionary/headmaster of the school. The children pressed against us as we left them, giving us warm hugs.

For the next few hours, we were the honored guests in several classrooms. In the first class, we were hosted by students soon to graduate from high school. They have been working on a project designed to help them better understand patients with terminal diseases such as AIDS and cancer. In preparing for us to come, they took up a collection so that they could give us each a bottle of water. What a thoughtful thing for them to do! We were SO grateful for their kind sacrifice (and for the pure water!). With Sheila leading the way, our group shared with them from our knowledge and experience concerning AIDS patients. Several from the group shared experiences, and everyone was blessed to hear Sheila share a more personal story of an AIDS patient which she cared for over several years. The Guatemalan students had many questions which we were able to answer for them, and we were able to provide them with information they may otherwise not have received.

Later in the morning, we visited a couple of seventh grade Bible classes. In these classes, Rebekah and Heidi spoke to the children on behalf of the group to share their own faith and to bring them encouragement and hope. We were also blessed to visit a computer lab where the children were eager to show us what they were learning. It was especially wonderful to see both Mariela and Liliana (whose house we visited on Sunday) in the classes we visited.

For lunch, we enjoyed a special treat at Pollo Campero (the Guatemalan equivalent to KFC) before arriving at Manos de Amor, translated “Hands of Love”. This is the medical clinic directed by Sr. Alvarez, the pastor of Shalom Baptist Church. Through this clinic, many Guatemalans receive discounted medical care, including obstetric, optometric, pediatric, and dental care. They are planning to build addiitonal space, and we were told that because of our visit this week they are now considering building a physical therapy wing!

From the roof of the clinic, we enjoyed a panoramic view of the city, which included the area affected by a recent sinkhole. This sinkhole was 4 blocks long and over 300 feet deep near the center of the city. A woman at the church lost her husband and two boys in the tragedy.
After an exhilirating game of ultimate frisbee back at the seminary, the Shalom Foundation took us to dinner at a nice restaurant up on a mountain side where we could see the entire city. The city lights were beautiful, softening the harsh reality below. We enjoyed a great meal and great fellowship before gathering in an upper room for a time of prayer and devotion. We heard from Jared, an American college student spending a year with the church in Guatemala, as he shared his personal testimony of God’s pursuit and faithfulness. We finished the evening by sharing in a special prayer over all of Guatemala City and its beautiful people.