Miguel Vargas Association :)

Our trip to Guatemala this year was dang incredible.

Here's a summary version of everything that we did!

Day 1. We arrived in Guatemala on a Sunday, so we just had a big family dinner, and we worked out with the fam what would happen over the next couple of days. We started assembling the kits we were going to be giving to the children at the two schools, and to the girls we'd be having a chat with. 

Day 2. We showed Brooke and Manuel around Guatemala City. We hit up some historic spots like the National Palace and Cathedral, and showed them where the Guatemala City Temple and the MTC are. At night, the whole fam went out to dinner to celebrate the signing of the official documents for the Association. 

Day 3. We wanted to give Manuel and Brooke a good sense of the country without going too far, so we took them to see the ruins of Iximche', which are pretty close to Lake Atitlan and the awesome city of Panajachel. We ended up getting lost on the way, so we didn't get to spend much time at the lake, but we loved the ruins. We learned a lot about history and our guide's explanations about the culture were so close to what we've learned from the Book of Mormon that we had our testimonies strengthened.

Day 4. We took off to Cahabon bright and early. We arrived in Coban at around 1 pm, and we picked up the rest of our crew. By this point, we had 12 people in the van: all of us, plus two other dentists, and three volunteers. We were pretty cramped with all the equipment that we had to carry, so the next fourths hours in a cramped van on an unpaved road were a tad uncomfortable, but we made the best of it.

Day 5. Our work began! We woke up early and went to the health center, where we would be doing the dental portion of the project. We had to figure out what to do because it'd rained quite a bit the night before, and there was no power! With the help of our volunteers the clinic was set up, and Dad decided that since there was no power, they'd only do extractions that day. That set things back a bit, since there were people waiting in line since 5 am, and many that were there for fillings were asked to come back the next day.

The education team left to go to the first school, while the dental team stayed at the health center. The first school was about an hour's travel by car out of the village, and there were 160 children. This was an adventure as well, as the river had overflowed into the dirt road. We had to wait for a while for the current to go down. When we finally got to the school, we did a small presentation where we taught them the importance of oral health and the importance of staying in school and gaining an education. We delivered the school kits to the children and they all loved them!! They were so happy to receive an incentive to do the things we'd taught them. 

When we came back from education trip one, we went to help at the health center. Melissa, Manuel, and I joined Dad and the two other dentists, and we helped to anesthetize and do a few extractions. 

Day 6. This one was by far the hardest day. The education team left pretty early. We did about at hour ride by car, and then about a 40 minute hike up a mountain to reach the school. It was really hard because it was really steep and it was muddy, and we were carrying all the supplies for the school. We truly gained an appreciation for the sacrifices that these students make every day to reach their school. Our community contact, their teacher, told us that many parents walk to school with their children, since there's jaguars out early that could harm the kids. JAGUARS!!!! 

We did oral health and education talk and then gave them their school supplies pouches and sang songs and played games with the 16 children. We taught them "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" and played Red Rover and Duck, Duck, Goose. For these 16 children we also brought ponchos for the rain. The teacher had asked for these specifically. Since the children have a hard walk up to school everyday, anything that could make that trip easier helps. Many of them get really wet when coming to school, since the area is pretty rainy.

To thank us for the supplies and our time, the parents pulled all their resources to make us the traditional Cackic and calá with fresh tortillas and cacao drink. 

We made plans to come back and help them with a few other things; two of the little girls have eye problems, so we want to have them properly diagnosed and provide them with eyeglasses. 

That afternoon, Brooke, Melissa, Mom, and I did a conference for young ladies ages 15-18. We talked to them about being united and kind. We chose that topic because we were told that there's animosity between the native Mayan girls, and the mixed race girls (ladinas). We wanted them to know that no matter our race, as women we are all sisters and we should all build each other up. Brooke talked to them about Malala Yousafzai, and about how she overcame great odds to become a help for her people and for women all over the world. 

We gave the girls personal care kits. Each kit had lotion, shampoo, body wash, hair ties, nail polish, lip gloss, and a bracelet. Most, if not all of the items in each kit were donated by Relief Society women in our wards. The girls loved the kits and were so grateful!

Day 7. The dental team did a half day at the clinic and we closed shop. They worked so hard! In the two and a half days there they logged in about 25 hours and were able to help about 150 patients. They were resourceful and truly showed their versatility by working with little power to no power at times, in a cramped, very hot and humid room. They would've all liked to help more people, and we were so sad that we had to turn away many because of lack of time.

We thanked our family in Cahabón that were so kind to host us, as well as all the community contacts that helped us realize the project. 

At night we traveled to Semuc Champey. We went straight to sleep so we could go adventuring the next day. These pictures are the team that worked so hard with us, as well as our family's helper, that cooked for us and helped us with anything that we needed, especially getting dressed up in the traditional huipiles. Cecilia was the best!!! 

Day 8. We woke up and went to the pools of Champey. They were gorgeous!!! Who needs Bali, when you have Guatemala :). At night we traveled back to the city. 

Day 9. We were pretty beat from the adventuring and driving, so we used our last day to be tourists in Antigua and have dinner with the fam. 

We are so thankful for the money, supplies, and time that were donated to help us with our first trip as an official organization. My parents and the community worked so hard to have it all be possible, so thank you for all the help!!!! We know that what we can do for now is small and maybe insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but we have high hopes and dreams for the organization in the years to come. 

For more information about our organization or to get involved, send us an e-mail! 

coronadohumanitarianoutreach@gmail.com

Preparations.

Ok, today's the day I talk about my parents again... and about some really exciting things that we get to be a part of in a few days.

So, both of my parents were born and raised in Guatemala. And once again, no, haha, Guatemala is not in Mexico. It's its own country! Here's a picture of a map to prove it:

And no, we do not speak Guatemalan there; we speak Spanish (They do speak 26 Mayan dialects there, but the last people in my family who spoke any of those are my grandparents; we never learned--I wish we had, though!). Anyway, both parents heard and accepted the Gospel when they were fairly young, and they both had the incredible opportunity of serving missions. Mom served in Honduras, and Dad served in Costa Rica and Panama.

After their missions, Dad's family moved to the capital, and his family lived a house away from my mom's family's house. They went to YSA activities together and eventually, Dad had the courage to ask Mom out. Mom's two years older than Dad, so he was kinda intimidated by her. Well, they eventually got married and had both of us. A few years ago, Dad received the great opportunity to come to the U.S. to come to practice dentistry in California. After much fasting and prayer, Mom and Dad decided that moving to the U.S. would be a great opportunity for our family, and we moved to the States.

Over the years, Dad has taught us that everything we have comes from our Heavenly Father. He is such a hard worker! He loves to give back to the community, and he loves our people in Guatemala. Starting in 2008 we began to do what people here in the U.S. call "humanitarian" trips. We like to call it "remembering our roots." We travel to a village in the interior of Guatemala and Dad and Mom have found ways to connect with the local schools, where we've gone to talk about the importance of education. This village is a place with little resources. People are very poor. Most children drop out of school before 6th grade, because they must help their families with income, so they begin to work. Dropping out of school creates a poverty cycle in the community, and few, if any, ever break out of this cycle and gain a profession. Since Dad's a dentist, we also talk about the importance of oral care, because poor oral health can lead to painful infections and can affect overall health. Here's a few pictures of our projects over the years.

Well, these past few months, Dad and a few lawyers have been hard at work to create the Miguel Edelio Vargas Canahuí Association, which, pretty soon will be an organized and legally recognized NGO. The organization hopes to strengthen and promote education in Guatemala, and we will pool all of our family's talents to try to help our people, in the ways we can. Dad's education and practice as a dentist will be one of the talents and resources that we will primarily use. Dad has helped with the construction and setup of a small dental clinic and pharmacy, and we hope that one day, this establishment will grow into a community hospital.

Well, our next trip is coming up in a couple of days, and here's the plan.

We will be doing dental work for the community as well as educational talks in schools. Dad has worked really hard to establish all connections in the community, and they'll start advertising the free dental work on the week that we arrive. We also had the idea of helping with the empowerment of women in the village. Women are such an important part of a community, and in this specific community (as well as much of the world, of course) women are often put down, assaulted, and used, and their education is often dropped when they become pregnant. We will be doing a talk with high school girls, and we'll emphasize education, self-esteem, and self-image. We've been putting together little gift bags for them, which include hair ties, a cute and simple hemp bracelet, and we'll add some personal care products in each bag.

On this trip, our family friend Manuel Zamora and his wife, Brooke Zamora, will be joining us, and they have helped with the collection of materials. Manuel and Brooke will also be helping us with the dental work and educational talks; we're excited for their participation, and we know that this will be an incredible and unforgettable experience for them as well.

We're so grateful for all the donations that people have contributed; we'll put up pictures as soon as we can. For more info on our humanitarian efforts, here's the family blog:

coronadohumanitarianoutreach.wordpress.com

It's not a complete blog yet, and it's a work in progress, but as for now, it tells the beginning of our story.

Anyway, I'm stoked!!!

That's the future. But here's a bit of an update one the past couple of months:

MAY

I went rock climbing for the first time... Holy freak dang I was scared. But I did it! You can't really tell from this picture, but it was about a 35- or 40-foot wall. 

 Dear Velma passed away. Her funeral was a beautiful service. I learned so much during my time as her caregiver. She truly made a difference in my life.

 Payson temple Open House. 

 Took Mom and Mel on the Bell's Canyon hike. They loved it!

Em came to visit and we had an awesome night of seeing Daniel's talented work on the house he designed up in Lehi and latin dancing afterwards.

I'm wearing, shorts, I promise. My satchel just covers them. 

JUNE-JULY

 Kel's bridal shower!!!! 

Kel's Bach party... haha she'll kill me if she sees this.

Kel's wedding day!!!

Photo cred: Nicole Madsen. She's an incredible photographer!!!

Cristel and I used Kel's wedding as an excuse for a road trip and went to SF and Carmel. 

Sometimes , I leap like a gazelle. Nbd.

 Fourth of July fun.

My family amused my love for exploring and joined me for a hike to Donut Falls.

I love how Dad fosters my exploring spirit. He Spider-manned all the way up to the falls with me. Haha, he wouldn't get in the water for the picture though. He said it was too cold :)

We went to the Zac Brown Band concert. I confess I knew nothing about them til the night before the concert. But, they converted me to country music. They were sooooo good!!!! And we had a blast. Video credit to Mike :)

Cristel and I loved helping out as interpreters at the Junior League Care Fair in SLC. Events like these are what motivate both of us to seek higher education, in the hopes that one day we can use our many blessings to help our people. 

We went to see J. Alvarez in SLC. He was a diva and didn't come out til 1 am, but he was great. 

Well, like I said, I'm stoked for the upcoming trip! Pics up soon.

<3, Christel.