At Guacayvo {Spring 2013}

We were all grateful when we finally arrived at the mission around 1:30am. We were welcomed warmly by the missionaries there and then headed to our sleeping quarters hoping for a good nights sleep before awaking to a new day of adventure in Guacayvo, Mexico.

Dad and Mom's cabin that they shared with Doyle and Deb

After a refreshing night of sleep in our cute cabin, we were awakened by the sounds of the canyon village and the sunlight shining through the slats of our cabin wall.

The cabin where Brian and Heather, two other girls and I stayed.
The girls were on the top floor.

From our cabin, we could look out over the canyon, bathed in the morning sunlight, and see the mission building nestled on the hillside. Out front our cabin there was an orange and some other fruit trees just beginning to blossom. Though I had been there before, the immenseness and beauty of the canyon, had me standing and marveling at it's splendor once again. It was magnificent.

Here you can see the roof of the mission building,
looking down from our cabin



 Before I begin telling you about the work and activities we did during that week, let me give you a little tour of Guacayvo.

The main mission building, which holds the kids' dorms, dining hall
and kitchen, bathrooms, and staff sleeping quarters

The dining area



The kitchen area (part of main dining hall)

The girl's dorm, located on the top floor of the main building;
The single guys stayed here since most of the kids were with family
for Easter week



The school building - down the hill from the main building; in the back
left you can see a portion of the main building under construction



The kids' playground (just past the school building)

The greenhouse and farming area located on the slope above the mission
(You can also see our cabin through the trees at the bottom of the picture)

The spring up above the mission that provides water for buildings and
homes in Guacayvo through those black pipes that you can see in the picture
This spring is indeed a blessing!

Hopefully this gives you a basic idea of Guacayvo and the lay of the land there. While we did some major projects during the week, in between we had a little time to do activities with the kids who were in Guacayvo. (Most of the kids went home to be with their families for the Easter week).

Here we're doing paper folding with some of the kids

Mom giving out bracelets

 

Ben making a bracelet with Roberto

Raessa and Hannah with Tito and Sandrita

To read about the bigger projects that we did during the week, continue on to read the  "Construction Project" post. This will give you a better idea of the main building and expansion work that is being done on it. (In my post, "Girls' School Project", you can read about the work that the girls did in the school.)