What you could miss....

I think last month was the first time in 22 months that I have been here that I did not make a post. I want to think that I have good reason but in all honesty I don’t. So here is the update…

Winter is in full swing here. Yes, you geography buffs don´t start to question your knowledge, Guatemala is in the northern hemisphere but we only have two seasons, rainy and dry, instead of the glorious four you find in most of the United States. The rainy season, or winter, came about a month early this year. To relate this to terms most might understand it is like it snowing in early October in the Midwest, ahhh. I normally do not like the rainy season but this last dry season was so dry that by the end I was suffocating on the dust.

This past month was rather busy with work and pleasure. I finished more stoves, went on a 25 mile hike through the mountains of Huehuetenango and Quiche, had the first General Assembly of the cooperative and had one of my best friends visit from the States. Throughout the next few blogs I will catch you up with all of my activities.

Finishing the stoves was a great feeling. All the women who I am close with now have brand new, smoke free kitchens which leaves me feeling elated. I came here thinking I was going to help change the world but soon realized that it was impossible to change the world but it was possible to make a difference in a few lives Through these stoves, with the help you, my family and friends, I have been able to make a difference in a few families lives. I believe that the helping of another person brings one of the purest forms of happiness known in this world. Learning to give myself for the benefit of another is something that has truly had an impact on the way I view the world and myself. Realizing that no matter how much education one has or how much knowledge one has acquired the experience of putting yourself in another shoes is more valuable than anything a book or classroom can teach you. Open yourself up to what the world has to offer because if you don’t you might just miss something that can change your life!