We have been to a few "projectos"-what the locals call ministry opportunities-this week. One was a boy's school and medical clinic, called "God's Child. They provide firewood, food, and free medical care for the families so the boys would be able to go to school, and not work. The other ministry was in an outlying village(pueblo), very poor, and had more horses than vehicles for transportation. We were shown how to build stoves to replace wood burning fires for the Mayan women. The stoves provided a healthy environment for them to cook, through use of a chimney to vent the smoke. The women die young due to respiratory illness and have eye health issues.
We were able to ride a "Chicken Bus" which is the main public transportaion. They take old school buses from the states and reformat the seating to fit around 75, and increase the capacity even more with standing room. The taxi system here uses "Toque-toques" which means "toot-toot or horn" in English. They are 3 wheeled open aired vehicle and I have included a picture.
Visited an awesome lake last weekend called Lake Atitlan and is a must if you visit Guatemala. There was a boat taxi system that transports from village to village on the lake, and lots of hiking between the villages. Our hotel was eco-friendly and had solar showers(which meant we had to shower between noon- 6pm or nada).
Next week is our last week of school before heading home to Clearwater. We are having a good time but are also looking forward to coming home. See most of you soon!
