“Friendship” Bracelets

Hola everyone…I hope that everything is going well for you all back in the States. I am missing everyone…hugs and kisses….

So, my experience here in Guatemala has been super sweet so far. I’ve feel like I’ve had a plethora of types of experiences…from the ones that made me want to cry, to the ones that made me so thankful to be here , to the ones that have just made me LOVE people even more. I took French is high school…which is NOT what they speak here, whoops…so the whole communication thing has been a little non existent…thank goodness for hand motions and “GRACIAS”….cuz that’s about all I’ve got…

Today something totally sweet happened that I would love to share with you…

I began making friendship bracelets a couple days before I left the States. I envisioned tying them to little children’s wrists and making new “friends”…as the name entails. I prepared many bracelets and many more pre-tied strings to be made into bracelets on the long plane ride here. In the airport many of the other girls asked if they could make one…to myself I said, “HECK YA YOU CAN…make seven!!!!! There is way more than just a few adorable children in Guatemala…”. Before we even made it to LA, all my pre-tied bracelets had been made and the girls were asking if I brought more string (which I totally did…). Today that “hard” work on our part totally paid off….

Several bracelets were tied on wrists yesterday…which was awesome…but this morning was something even more special. A couple of the girls and I were in the courtyard after breakfast and I had just tied a bracelet on the one little girl with the women washing clothes. After a minute or two the women washing clothes came over to us and said the Spanish words for “us too?”. Thank goodness one of the other girls new what the heck they wanted cuz it would have taken a lot of pointing before I would have been able figure out what they were saying. We tied bracelets on all the laundresses, cooks, and women cleaning at the mission. Everyone got a bracelet tied around their wrists and for the first time since we arrived, I felt like we were all on the same level, united by a few strings of embroidery thread….awesome….

Who’d a thunk a camp counselor skill would have come in handy in a place thousands of miles from home. It may seem a little corny but I really believe that I was able to use those silly bracelets to connect to those women…smiles come easier now, as do attempted conversations…I’m so thankful. Today, I saw Christ as a few strings tied around a woman’s wrist…thank you God…that was sweet…

Brit McMahon