News from GRACES
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Going on a mission trip a ‘bucket list’ item for 80-year-old volunteer
Donna Wetzel is 80 years old, and she is in Guatemala volunteering with Escuela Integrada this week. She always wanted to serve on a mission trip, but was not able to until now. This year, she and her youngest daughter, Jody, signed up with a group from Emanuel United Methodist Church from Baraboo, Wisconsin, where Jody is a member. “When I told my husband I wanted to go, I don’t…
Life after Fuego in a developing nation
From the roof of the house where I am staying, I can see two volcanoes — Agua and Fuego. They are the giants that surround this small city, and they make up many of the postcard images of Antigua, especially the dormant Agua, which rises a few miles from the south end of the city. Fuego’s eruptions shocked the small communities of El Rodeo, San Miguel Los Lotes and Escuintla. The death toll…
Give a kid your lunch!
The children who attend Escuela Integrada are hungry. They live in impoverished homes where food is often scarce or not even available. It is hard to learn when you are hungry. A child with an undernourished brain is more likely to be lethargic and cannot easily process information. They may become moody or unable to focus and are generally unable to learn on an empty stomach. Without adequate food, children…
Class of 2017: First in school’s history to have all students pass, graduate together
Escuela Integrada’s 9th grade class received their diplomas on Thursday, Nov. 9, at Hotel Real Plaza in Antigua. This is the first year in the history of the school that all of the students in the class passed their grade and graduated. In previous years, at least one or two students did not pass. “This is a group of kids who have achieved an important goal in their life as…
The end of a decade, a return to Guatemala, and the meaning behind my new tattoo
The stove smoke pierced my lungs at first breath outside the airport, the air heavy with pollution and the struggle to survive on what little resources exist. I found my name on a sign, held by Sergio, and he walked me to the small car of his cousin. Sitting in that car as we pulled away from the airport, I was uneasy. I was in another country — a country my uncle…
Home visits provide new perspective for mother, son who won trip at Quetzal Gala
Elizabeth Cole and her son, Taylor Steele, came to Guatemala for the first time the week of November 5. Cole’s bid won the all-expenses paid trip at the Quetzal Gala earlier this year. She hails from Salisbury, North Carolina, and elected to bring her 29-year-old son to experience the trip with her. Together, they participated in Escuela Integrada’s first Vision Trip, along with five other attendees. The purpose of the…