Some of us are here!

The wake up calls and alarms went off at 4 o clock this morning--Nan and Claire, Morgan and Deb, Charlotte and Alex, and Stacey were at the Minneapolis airport before 5;30. Our plane took off at 6;50 and our trip down was pretty uneventful. Flew to Houston and then to Guatemala City. The air was a little bumpy over Houston. Charlotte's driver met us and bought us to Antigua where we.re in a beautiful old hotel at the edge of town. We walked into town for supper at Pollo Campera--Alex.s request and did some browsing in shops. It rained for a while this evening--we were told this is the rainy season. It's humid, but not especially hot, especially since the sun's gone down. We´ve felt really welcomed to Guatemala. Charlotte's familiarity with Antigua, the culture here and the contacts she´s made are really helpful.

Getting ready to leave

We're almost ready to go! Nan, Claire, Morgan, Deb, Stacey, Alex and Charlotte are heading for Minneapolis on Thursday and will fly to Guatemala City on Friday. We'll be carrying down school supplies collected from folks here in Duluth--Kenwood Edison Elementary School did a great job of collecting for us! Bridget, Joanie and Sarah will fly down on Sunday and we'll all meet up at Common Hope. A few weeks ago Kristen Hunter, from Common Hope, visited us and answered loads of questions. We had a "packing party" to get the school supplies inventoried and ready to go. Wish us well--some of us are a little frazzled from the last minute rush to be ready to go. And all of us are excited to be part of this adventure!

School Supplies for Guatemala

There's still room in our duffel bags for school supplies for Common Hope, a community development agency in Guatemala, dedicated to helping Guatemalan children get an education. They can especially use colored pencils, safety sissors, rulers, protractors and compasses. Drop off your donations at the church, 2310 E. Fourth Street, Duluth, MN. Many thanks!

Vacation Bible School

Vacation Bible School will be held for children age 4 through 5th grade, August 3-7, at Peace United Church of Christ. Check in the church office for registration forms. Cost, $15 per child. Teen and adult volunteers needed as well. Come for a week of fun--9:00 a.m to noon each day!

Pilgrim Work Trip to Guatemala

Ten Pilgrims will travel to Guatemala in August to work with Common Hope, a community development agency. Common Hope provides resources and assistance to more than 2700 children in 17 villages near Antigua and Guatemala City. Families whose children are enrolled in Common Hope become eligible for a wide variety of services, including medical care, dental clinics, vented stoves, vocational and literacy training for the adults in the family, etc. More information about Common Hope's work can be found at www.commonhope.org. Watch for more information at Pilgrim's group gets ready to go! They'll be learning a lot about Guatemalan culture and history while they're volunteering with Common Hope.