I have come to the conclusion that stating the “today was incredible” will become quite redundant so I will just get to it.

Today was the first day that we had the opportunity to really connect with the local residents that are helping out.  This morning we finalized the training we will be doing and then spent the second half of the morning with our translators.

It was quite the site to see over 150 local translators enter our room to a standing ovation.  The local residents and Government have done nothing but show us an immense amount of gratitude and appreciation since we arrived.  It was our turn to show our appreciation.

You could see the emotion in their faces as we honored them for their efforts and willingness to give of themselves in this massive effort.  As we paired up and began to go over the procedure for coordinating the same message in two languages, we could not help but inquire into their story.  What brought them into this process?

As you can imagine, they all had different stories that brought them “into the room” this morning.  These volunteers ranged from professional translators to 17 year old high school students that have been prepping for this huge task for weeks.

I was surprised at how well almost all of them spoke English and the young man, Rodrigo Hernandez, that I connected with was no different.  Rodrigo is a 23 year old college student studying to be a surgeon.  He has been translating at his church for a few months and works at a call center at one of the local telecommunication businesses.

I listened intently as he shared the journey that put us together.  His mother, also a translator,  has been translating for several years and I wish you could have seen the look on her face as I told her how impressed I was with her son.

I found it very interesting that the common theme amid these bi-lingual partners was not that they were concerned about translating our words, but translating our emotion.  I understood immediately as Rodrigo described what life has been like for him growing up in Guatemala.

This country is so incredibly passionate about the potential change about to take place and the next three days. I believe it will be unlike anything most of us have experienced before.  I won’t pretend to know what it has been like for the people we will be speaking to but they will know that I believe in them and in their cause to change a Nation.  They will know that as well before I head home later this week.

The day ended with an eye-opening trip across town to the Presidential Palace.  About 400 people, including our team, gathered to hear from Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina, Guatemala Próspera President Manuel Espina and John Maxwell.  The atmosphere was intense as a picture of transformation of a Country was painted by these three men.

We were able to view a good portion of the palace and the rich history of this Country only reinforced our desire to make a difference.  It was almost surreal, at least for me, to be an acknowledged guest to such a momentous occasion.

This day is engrained in my memory for several different reasons but I think something the President Pérez Molina said put everything in perspective for us.  He closed his speech by making the following statement; “The best way we can say thank you is to show you the transformation.”

Take a minute and think about that statement coming from the President of Guatemala.  He wants to say thanks to us by improving his Country.  That is what I call leadership!

• Click here to read Day 1
• Click here to read Day 2
• Click here to read Day 3

***********************************************************************

Don’t miss a single post from Building What Matters by subscribing at the top left of this page. 

Help support us by clicking here and Liking our facebook page

Barry Smith    6/12/13   photo by author  © Building What Matters 2013