We are home. With some mixed feeling I might add. I'm thrilled to be home, relaxed in my own space, with the people and things I love nearby. It is nice to be surrounded with the familiar. But oh it was hard to leave.

I have a million stories in my heart and I'm not sure that I'd be able to translate that into the written word. We'll see. Each night before bed we went through everyone and did a "Best/Worst". So maybe that's where I'll begin...

WORST: ummmm.... the ride to the Volcano - I'll expand a little here. No road in Guatemala is straight or flat. The whole country is a mountain and so it is a ride filled with ups (as in WAY up) and downs and switchbacks. Our ride to the volcano was with a young macho driver, who, even though we told him that we get sick on the twists and turns, chose to speed up as we went around corners.....on the side of a mountain......5000 feet up......with NO guard rails. After the road ended, we went another 45 min. on a gravel road with pot holes bigger than our vehicle, mud and yes, more twists and turns. All the while we are listening to some horrible spanish rap - the same song over and over. Later Jeff, who understood the lyrics to the song, told us it was a song about "dancing in the fires of the volcano, dancing with Satan in the fires of lava..." over and over. Can I just say ick?

BEST: Okay, almost everything else! Honest. I guess if I was very specific it would be meeting our sponsored child. What an honour for us. We actually loved every visit. The kids, the families - they live in extreme poverty. But they were not ashamed. Not the way we would be. They loved that we would bother to come see them. For the Guatemalan culture - people are important. Relationships are important. Not the stuff that does or doesn't surround them. That said, it was hard to absorb the poverty. Mud/dirt floors. No running water. No electricity. Beds that were at best a raised board with a mat.

We took over a 1000 pics. Literally. I'll try to post a few over the next little while. We'll start with our Sponsor child and his sisters. His name is Dani. And he's 6 years old. His oldest sister cares for the family and no longer goes to school. The middle sister is also sponsored. So between her and Dani, they are provided with education (all the way through college should they want), a big healthy meal and medical attention. The whole family benefits. $34.00 per month to change this lovely family.

What a gift for us.