After 9 long months of waiting to return to the village of Aceituno, Guatemala, finally, I was there. The women and I had been communicating over the phone and with letters. Others had brought back bracelets they made and some were sold. But, I was finally going to see for myself. Were they happy with this program? Was it making a difference? Or was it just a diversion from the everyday difficult life they were facing. Soon it was clear. The very first faces to greet me outside the airport were women from the village. They rode in the back of a pickup for 1 1/2 ours to be there when we arrived. They carried hand-made posters with the same bible verses I had sent them in my letters. They were more than happy with the program, they were transformed by it. What an awesome moment. It was amazing to realize all that God could do with me, when I became willing.
My friend Susan came along on the trip in Nov. 2007. She was a great help. She spent a day with the women working without a translator. I had to go to the u.s. embassey to acquire a new passport after mine went missing. The trip was a difficult one, a suitcase containing a new serger was also missing. It wasn't until 3 days before we were to return that the airline tracked it down.
We dedicated much of our time in Aceituno to sewing. It was our goal to start a line of children's clothing made from guatemalan fabric. It was frustrating to realize that the woman we had been paying to teach sewing lessions, knew very little herself. By the grace of God, by the end of the trip, the women could make a dress, a skirt and a pair of pants. Thanks to fundraising and some generous donations, we left them with more than 130 yds of fabric to make clothing.
