I went to Guatemala to build my first house with FHTH in January 2009. My friend, Tim Summers, had been going for several years and had spoken about how life-changing an experience it was for him. There were four of us in our building group. That’s really too few, so we had some extra help from “the boys”. We built side-by-side with another group from the Ottawa area who were there for the first time as well. The houses were in Pastores, where the medical clinic is now. Our sites were up the mountain, a rigorous climb first thing in the morning, and the houses were actually one in front of the other rather than side-by-side. We had a family with two children, as I recall, and a dad who worked in town. He left every morning on his bicyble dressed in nice pants and a clean white shirt. The family was responsible for hauling water up the mountain each day for the build and they also had to move the concrete blocks from where they were unloaded off the truck, up the mountain to the building site before we arrived. Apparently, this was completed with the help of family and friends who formed a line up the mountain and passed them, hand to hand. That’s about 1,500 blocks for the two houses!!!
I was shocked by the poverty, By the way they were living, by how little they had. But they worked so hard to make a good life for themselves and took such pride in what they had. Even though they lived with a dirt floor and mudslides in the rainy season, that dad went to work every single day in a pristine white shirt!
Back then, the house took seven days to build. Mostly I think, because we didn’t “butter” the blocks before they were laid, but tried to pack the mortar between them afterwards. A very time-consuming process. But it got done and the family was so excited. We hauled up groceries and stools and cookware and clothing to them that last day. The kids were so excited they couldn’t wait to see everything. That last day, the family made us sandwiches for lunch and bought big bottles of soda. We had all been warned not to eat the local food—hygiene issues—but what do you do? They had spent money they couldn’t really afford and taken time to make us lunch. So we all ate the sandwiches, with lettuce, and no one got sick. The dad had taken the morning off work for the handover of the keys and to thank us for our work. We all cried when we set off down that mountain the final day.
How do you describe the feeling of giving a family a step up in their life? Of giving them a roof over their heads, and protection from the elements? It was the most amazing feeling. And one I wanted to have again.
I have been to Guatemala every year except one since then; some years I went twice. I didn’t always build houses; sometimes I built school furniture with Planting Seeds, another amazing experience. But every time I go I come home looking forward to the next time. The country is beautiful, the people are warm and friendly with big smiles and an amazing work ethic. Every visit is a little different, but always heart warming. And the people that I volunteer with have become like family. Some of the best people I have ever known, with generous hearts and an abundance of love, and a desire to make a difference in the lives of the poor in Guatemala.
Debbie Bell — September 2022
