Our Last Day in Aguacate and Hicatee

1/13/23

DAY 7: Father Bob gave an early mass at 6:00 AM at Nazareth to the Sisters, and then we went to the Aguacate village. We spent the first part of the day at Aguacate Sacred Heart School. We started with mass. Father Bob did an excellent job and kept it fun for the kids by involving them in an activity about guiding someone to Jesus.

The “Tree People” brought 150 sapling trees that we purchased through an All Saints fundraiser. Each family got one to take home, and we left several at the school.

We kept with today’s theme and did tree related arts and crafts. Afterwards we played with the football (soccer ball) for a bit, and the kids LOVED it.

The principal at Aguacate was very generous and served us a delicious lunch of caldo, Cho Cho, and a hot cacao beverage.

Just after Blue Creek we stopped to get ice cream from the Mennonites, who own a dairy farm and sell ice cream by the pint or quart.

We stopped by the Hicatee Church to see how much progress they made, and it was impressive. Before we know it they will be able to have four times as many people in the new church as they have in their temporary one.

Our construction crew filled us in on today’s thank you ceremony. They were all gifted handmade items including a monkey cloth, placemat, several bags, and a Mayan clock. It was heartwarming how kind and welcoming everyone at the Hicatee Church was.

We finished early for the day, so a small group went to Nim Li Punit Archaeological Reserve. It was really nice to learn a bit about Maya history and see the ruins. There were a lot of stairs, tombs, and freestanding engraved pieces. It was interesting that some were not even discovered until 2015.

Overall, this was a very rewarding experience and we are grateful to be able to help the people in the villages as much as we are able to. We hope that you enjoyed reading the blog and have a greater understanding of what Barefoot Children Ministries does and of the amazing people in the villages.

*Written by Alison Masson