Day 9: A Fitting End To An Amazing Experience

Waking up today, we could sense that there was a different aura among the group as we entered into our last day of service. It was a day that was filled with emotion, with each person coming to the realization that this really was the end of our trip. Over the course of the past week, the group has continued to create bonds with each person that we have been blessed to meet. Some spent the mornings at the nursery, while others worked with and taught children at the Francisco Coll School and the Korea All-Girls School. Regardless of where each person worked, everybody was able to make real connections with the children with whom they worked, and it was for that reason that we woke up today with such a bittersweet feeling in our hearts.

We started the day as we normally do, with a quick reflection and a delicious breakfast prepared by the Retreat House Staff. We then took off to the dump area to begin our service for the day. Given that the Francisco Coll School students had a day off for National Teacher's Day, all 14 of us headed to the nursery to help out on our final day. We were separated into pairs, and each pair was assigned to a different room to help the teachers with whatever they required. For me and Cameron, we were assigned to help out with the babies, from 3-9 months old. Initially, it was very hard for us to interact with the babies, as they seemed to be really scared of these new people they had never seen before. As the morning progressed, however, we were to able to really began to grow close especially with two of the babies in particular, Zoe and Hilari.

The teacher let us take them out in a twin stroller around the nursery, and we really were able to practice our dad skills as we took them outside, sitting down occasionally to play and interact with them. After our little recreation time, we brought them inside and washed them up in preparation for lunch. The workers even allowed us to feed them ourselves, which was an amazing experience. Zoe was willing to eat almost anything, while Hilari vehemently refused to eat anything but the biscuits and napkins. Our short attempt at feeding the babies allowed us to really appreciate how hard it is to be a parent, and it felt great to make a connection with the babies and help out the workers at the same time.

When our time at the nursery came to an end, a lot of the raw emotions of the group really began to come out. Many members of our group who had formed deep connections with the children found it extremely difficult to say goodbye, and tears were even shed by several of them. As we went to eat lunch, there was a dead silence among the group, as we came upon the realization that were probably never to see these children ever again. After lunch, we went to work with Don Lolo and Don Julio, and this served as a way for many of us to keep our minds off of the emotions we felt earlier. Most of the group worked with Don Lolo to finish up laying down concrete for the sidewalk, while the rest of us went with Don Julio to finish plastering one of the new houses in the dump community. As we worked with the plaster, we were able to interact with the family of 12 that lived there, especially the youngest boy, Jonathon. Interacting with the people that we were serving directly was amazing, but it also was saddening to see the conditions that they had to live in.

After we were done, Milano decided to use some of the money he had remaining to buy food and drinks for all the children that were living in that area. He spent 100 Quetzales to buy 32 bottles of soda and some chips, and we passed them out to all the people in the area, even the young men that Andres suspected to be gang members. It was a really nice way to give something small to such a poverty-ridden area, and it was inspiring to see how a bottle of coke and a piece of gum made the children jump up and down as if they had just won the lottery. When we are all finished with our work, the time came to say goodbye to Don Lolo and Don Julio. As a way to honor how dedicated they are and express our gratitude to them, we presented them with bags of gifts from our donations, and Charlie and Dan even wrote a letter to Don Lolo with a significant donation for his son's college books. Lolo had told Mrs. Cabrera that he was trying to find a way to pay for his son's books, and Charlie and Dan took the initiative to try to make that dream a reality. Don Lolo and Don Julio were very emotional and thankful, and solemn goodbyes were exchanged.

Having finished our service, we hopped on the bus and went  back to the Retreat House to relax for an hour before dinner. Dinner was delicious and included grilled chicken and fries alongside a variety of vegetables and potato patties. After dinner, the chaperones gave us 30 minutes to pack our bags early to make it easier tomorrow morning. As a tribute to the group's hard work and good behavior throughout the trip, the chaperones decided to provide us with a treat, as they took us to the theater to watch a movie together as a group.

In a fierce battle between the Finding Dory Fan Club led by Alex White and the Conjuring 2 Supporters spearheaded by Mr. Cabrera, we finally came to the decision to watch the Conjuring 2. The chaperones conveniently bought two rows of tickets, so that they could sit in the back and watch us get scared witless. Almost everyone enjoyed the movie, while some were too scared to even watch, covering their eyes and holding on to the people next to them (Bo and Franklin). The movie was a great way to cap off a great trip and everyone was laughing and joking on the way there and back. After the movie, we headed back to the retreat house to try and catch some sleep before our 4 o'clock wake up (while me and Cameron decided to start working on this blog).

Overall, we had a packed day full of deep sadness and genuine joy, and it turned to be the best way that we possibly could have ended this amazing journey. As we end this blog series, we find ourselves as different people than the ones that hopped on the plane last Thursday, and we can truly say that we have grown and bonded as true Brothers (and Sister). We all miss our families back home, and we can't wait to see you all tomorrow.

Written by Aghiad and Cameron