Hello from Day 4! | Women's Social Work Site

Friends and loved ones,

As we continue our time here in Guatemala, each day has been filled with new experiences, learning opportunities, and time spent with the wonderful people here at SI and around Magdalena. I am helping at the Women’s Social Work site which is located in the nearby village of San Miguel. Every morning the wonderful site leaders, Sheny and Hannah pick me, Lauryn, Nicole, and Attie up and we head to the site. Sheny and Hannah facilitate a variety of activities throughout the week, each intended to serve, train, and disciple the women and children who attend. Wednesday, our first day at the site, also happens to be children’s day at the site. Here in Guate, children attend school either in the morning or the afternoon, so the site is available all day for them to come either before or after their studies. When they arrive, they are provided with the materials to make bracelets, which SI then sells in their tienda. They also get a snack and coffee and a short Bible lesson or devotional. We got to learn how to make bracelets with them and then help the younger children with theirs, and for the afternoon group, Nicole got up and shared a devotional about heaven, which she delivered in Spanish, which impressed us all. 

Thursdays at the site are when the women come to work on sewing projects. Sheny runs this part of the ministry, which equips women with the skills to make and sell different products which can then be sold for a profit, bringing additional incomes to their families. They spend all day from 9-4 at the site, so they are also provided with a snack and a devotional. It was a joy to watch them work diligently and see the bags, aprons, pants, and many other other projects come to life. There is a traditional woven fabric here in Guate called huipil that they use to make many of the products, and the bold patterns, colors, and texture of this cloth—along with the careful craftsmanship of the women—makes for some beautiful products. That morning I also had the privilege of sharing some of my testimony (also in Spanish!) and received such attentive feedback and much encouragement from them in return. Our team mostly got to observe and help around the site with various odd tasks, getting to know the women a little bit along the way. 

We then packed up all the latest pieces they had made and headed back to the community center, where SI was hosting their tienda, or store night, for us. Each ministry site had a table set up where they sold products made at those sites, and we got to go shopping! Women’s Social Work had the biggest table, as there were dozens of items made by the women and children available for sale. Each item is priced and the women receive 50% of the profits if they used SI’s materials, or 90% if they used their own materials. The rest of the money made goes back to the site and is used to purchase materials. On Wednesday we got to witness the kids receiving their little envelopes with the quetzales they had earned from people buying their bracelets, and the pride and look of accomplishment on their faces was amazing to see. Needless to say, we joyfully pored over the products, choosing items for ourselves and our loved ones that would remind us of these amazing people and this beautiful place. Other sites also sold greeting cards, wooden spoons, coffee, and t-shirts, and we all walked to our homestays last night decked out in our new treasures. 

Please continue to pray for us as we move into this weekend. Here are some things to pray specifically for the Women’s Social Work site:

-provision of materials and support to keep the site running well

-for Sheny and Hannah as they pour into the women spiritually and vocationally

-for open hearts to receive the devotionals and teaching each day

And some things for LIFT and SI in general:

- good health—so far so good, but please pray that no one would get sick or injured!

- humility and open hearts as we face new and different sights, smells, sounds, etc. every day

- unity and good relationships among staff and our teams

Hasta luego!

Giullia