Journal July 1-7

Sunday, July 1, 2007

If Sunday is suppose to be a day of rest, I THINK I GOOFED UP SOMEWHERE. Actually the problem all started because I rested a bit to long. It is amazing how much sleeping in just an extra half hour can affect one’s day. Normally the 5 of us could have eaten and made it to church with time to spare but I had promised Moises and Byron that we would stop off at the orphanage and take them along to church and then to my house for the day. As I now look back on the first part of my day I realize that how up tight and children are, is in direct proportion to the adults (or in this case adult) that they are with. By noon I had managed to get them so up tight that that nearly all of them had ended up crying at least once. The last episode was when Calin started crying because I told him to slide over and let the other kids into the car. With in seconds Abner’s crying out did Calin’s crying. Calin had slid over as told but when he slid over he shut the car door behind him. Fortunately Abner’s finger was not broken but it does appear to be a bit flatter than the others, and being Abner he made the most out of it. It was then and there that I decided it was time to take a deep breath and relax. Yes we had gotten ready for church in record time. We had even gulped down breakfast in 10 minutes. I had made it to Antigua in one of my fastest times ever, and even managed to convince the nurses to help us get Moises and Byron dressed. We even got to Church on time. Now that I look back on it though, was it worth getting all up tight over? I love our church services but had we walked in 10 minutes late would the world come to an end? Perhaps the kids and myself would have been relaxed enough to really pay attention to the service. At the very least some of the kids would not have had hurt fingers or feelings.

After a relaxing lunch the kids played around the house for the rest of the day. I didn’t get as much done as I had planned this afternoon but the kids sure enjoyed the games that we played and Byron had the time of his life exploring new territory with his power chair when I took him for a walk. When I finally looked at my watch it was past 4 PM. I had told the nurses at the orphanage that I would have the kids back by no later than 4. I got everyone into the car and we took a leisurely drive back to Antigua. I was an hour late getting them back but no one seamed to mind, especially not Moises or Byron.

Yours in Christ: Dick


Monday, July 2, 2007

I once again spent a few hours this morning, trying to pay my water bill, electric bill, telephone bill, and my rent. I guess 2 out of 3 isn’t bad. The line up at the electric company went all the way out of the door and half way around the building. I didn’t want to stand in line for hours so I decided to take my chances for a day or 2. With that many people owing them money I can only hope that they are a few days behind in shutting off peoples electricity. As far as the water bill is concerned, since I received it more than 5 days ago (7 to be exact) the security guards out side of the gate would not let me go into the bank where it is paid but told me to come back in a month. Oh well, at least I have a roof over my head, a telephone, and something to write about in my journal. I am not 100% sure about the telephone though because when I went in to pay this one they told me that I owed them only a fraction of the amount that was on the bill.



After the fun stuff was over I went to the wheelchair shop and gathered up a few wheelchairs and some other equipment and then headed to Hermano Pedro. I got there to late to take any of the kids out to lunch so I went right to work. I had intended on fitting a few kids into new wheelchairs until I noticed that once again Byron was not in his power wheelchair. The nurses told me that it had stopped running earlier in the day. I shouldn’t say that I doubted them but after hearing the same story once or twice a week I had my suspicions. I had to bite my tong not to say anything to the nurses but walked over to the chair and flipped the switch. To my surprise the chair did nothing. This time the chair had actually been taken from Byron because it didn’t work. For the next few hours I worked on Byron’s chair. I could see the nurses gloating but I took it like a man and didn’t shed any tears in front of any of them. Unfortunately I was unable to repair Byron’s chair and it may be down for a few days until I can locate the parts that I need.

Normally whenever any of the kids are taken out of the orphanage they have to be back at Hermano Pedro before 4 PM. Today I received special permission to take Moises out for a birthday dinner. He and I went to Piccadilly’s and had pizza. Even though he and Byron had just been to my house yesterday he considered this a real treat. Most of the kids in the orphanage have nothing done for them in the way of a birthday celebration.

When I got home I quickly took 3 of the boys into town for haircuts. I told them that next time they would have to pay for their own so they made sure to get their hair cut extra short this time. I think that they figure the longer it is before they once again need a hair cut the better their chances are that I well forget that I said that they will have to pay for them. I am one step ahead of them though because I wrote a note as a reminder to myself. Now if only I could find where I put that stupid note.


Tuesday, July 3, 2007, 5:25 PM

I am home but the kids can’t find me. Actually my car stayed at home today because Gordon and I used his pickup to bring some corrugated tin to Ronny’s house. Last week Ronny’s uncle had told Ronny’s father that he was taking the tin off from the house that he was allowing them to live in. This is not a cool thing to do to a family of 8, especially during our rainy season.

We had some used tin in storage from when the new roof had been put on our shop, and had decided to bring it down to where they lived.


They were extremely thankful and asked if I could return next Saturday for a big dinner that they and Ronny’s teacher have been planning. I promised that I would do my best to be there. Once again our visit there was great but we finally had to say goodbye.

Our next stop was in the village where Juvenie’s family lives. They are still having a rough time dealing with Juvenile’s death but wanted us to take his power wheelchair and give it to someone who could use it. I promised that we would take a picture of whoever ended up getting his chair. After we had loaded the wheelchair into Gordon’s pickup I went back to the house to say good-bye to Juvenie’s mother. As I walked up to her she handed me the game boy that a friend from the states had me deliver to Jovoni nearly a year ago. As she handed it to me she started to cry. I knew how much this game boy had men tot Jovoni. I gently handed it back to his mother and told her that I wanted it to stay with their family. She gave me a big hug and thanked me. Even though it still looks like new, I don’t know if anyone will ever again play any games on it, but I know that just looking at it and thinking about the joy that it and the power wheelchair had brought to Jovoni will help to bring a smile to the face of his parents.

11:00 PM

Since my car has been at home all day the kids had no idea as to when I got home so I actually got caught up on a bit of computer work before revealing my presents. Ever since I opened the gate at 7:30 it has been wall to wall people. It is now 11:00 and only Calin is left. He is bedded down on the floor and is already fast asleep. I think that I will hit the hay and have little doubt that within a few minutes I will be snoring louder then he is.

Good night,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Wednesday, July 4, 2007, 10:39 PM

A few days ago I talked with Pedro, a friend of Chris who is not a lawyer but has a business of taking care of legal paper work for people. The paper work to the Nissans that I sold over a year and a half ago has never been changed from my name and I have been worried that if the present owner ever has an accident with it I could be held responsible. Pedro informed me yesterday that he made contact with the present owner and was told that he would only transfer the title into his name if I were willing to pay his sales tax, licensing of his car, and all other fees that were involved. I some times think that some Guatemalans see nothing but dollar signs when they look at Americans. For far less than this man wanted me to spend Pedro is getting all of the paper work signed by a judge who will see to it that the car is no longer under my name. I am afraid that the next time the new owner is stopped at a traffic check he will find that perhaps he would have been better off being legal and putting the car into his name. Then again if everyone here did that the licensing department would have to get about 10 times the staff to take care of things. Guatemala actually has some pretty good laws. It’s just that almost none of them are obeyed or enforced.

Before heading to Hermano Pedro I stopped off at Candy’s house. She had called saying that she was having problems with the power chair that we gave her last week. I discovered that the battery charger that we had given her was not working so everything should be going well as soon as the batteries are charged.

When I finally got to Hermano Pedro Carlos met me at the door. He told me that yesterday evening the police had brought in a boy who had been abandon in front of a nearby church. They had seen his wheelchair sitting in front of the church in the morning but figured that his mother was perhaps inside of the church so they did nothing about it. Later in the afternoon they noticed that the little boy was still sitting outside of the church in his wheelchair and it was now raining. They looked around but found no one that seemed to know who he was or who had left him there so they took him to Hermano Pedro.

Fortunately the orphanage had one bed free and took him in. Carlos told me that the boy, who appeared to be about 7 years old, was in a specialty wheelchair when they had found him and wondered if perhaps it was one that we had at one time given out. I quickly went with him to see the boy and the wheelchair. I right away recognized the boy as a child that we had given a wheelchair to. I could not remember where or when but I knew that I had seen this boy before. He seemed to recognize me to because he gave me a big smile. Something that according to the nuns that were there he had not done since showing up yesterday. Even looking over the wheelchair did not help in remembering where I had seen this child before but I knew that I had. I took some pictures of him and his wheelchair and told the staff at Hermano Pedro that I would show it to the others at the shop and also look through our files. We take pictures and keep records of each and every person that we give wheelchairs to so given enough time we could probably find out who he was. If only the chair still had the number that we give each wheelchair painted on the back of it. Unfortunately it had evidently been a year or 2 since he had been given the chair and the number seemed to have faded away. I decided to move the chair out into the sun and once again see of there were any sign of the number on it. Sure enough there on the fabric of the backrest was a faded number, but in the bright sunlight we could just make it out. I quickly called the Carlos (very common name in Guatemala) who is the bookkeeper at the wheelchair shop. About an hour later he called me back saying that he had not been able to locate any file with that number on it. Had we possibly copied the number wrong? I told him that I would look once again and see if that was indeed the correct umber I would come into the shop and we would start the tedious job of trying to find a wheelchair form that had a picture that we could match up to this boy. As I was rechecking the number on the wheelchair I received another call from Carlos. The first thing that he said was, “Walter.” “Walter?” I asked. “Yes his name is Walter Andres Perez!” Carlos exclaimed. He had found the paper work with the correct serial number on it. Carlos quickly faxed all of the information that he had to the office at Hermano Pedro. They are going to wait until tomorrow to contact the authorities because I am going to go to the shop in the morning and copy the pictures of him that are on the paper work that we have. The hospital wants to be 100% sure before they notify the authorities. They also assured me that if the parent or parents did indeed abandon him they would be willing to keep him at Hermano Pedro.

I know that things need to improve at many of the orphanages not only here in Guatemala but in a lot of other countries as well but for unwanted kids like Walter they are often the difference between life and death. Please pray for the safety of the kids and for ours as well. Just yesterday I received this report.

-Embassy of the United States of America
Guatemala City, Guatemala

July 3, 2007

Dear American Citizen:

The following is a warden message concerning rumors of child stealing.

Particularly virulent rumors of child stealing and of murder for organ harvesting have recently surfaced in two separate areas of Guatemala frequented by American tourists. On June 15, 2007, a Guatemalan child from Camotan, Chiquimula (near the border with Honduras, on the main road leading from Guatemala to the Copan Mayan ruins) was found dead and mutilated. Three local women who allegedly acted as go-betweens for foreign adoptions were accused by a mob of kidnapping and killing the girl. One of these women was killed by the mob and the other two were severely injured. Locals burned a police car in nearby Jocotan, and forced the police out of Jocotan and Camotan.

Since late May 2007, rumors have been circulating in the El Golfete area of the Rio Dulce near Livingston, Izabal of babies being stolen from neighboring villages by armed men. Local authorities did respond to villagers' reports, but were not able to confirm any such cases. Despite that response, residents of small villages in the area remain mobilized and suspicious of all outsiders, including foreigners.

Another incident in Cunen, Quiche resulted in a local riot with travel on the road from Cunen to Santa Maria Nebaj temporarily interrupted while the PNC re-establishes control. Americans are advised to exercise caution in these areas.

Rumors of child stealing have resulted in the lynching deaths of several Guatemalan citizens this year. Although no foreigners have been reported to be the victim of such attacks recently, Americans are reminded to avoid gatherings of agitated people. Avoid close contact with children, including taking photographs, especially in rural areas. Such contact can be viewed with deep alarm and may provoke panic and violence. -

A good part of our ministry is in rural areas and with children. We know that we are where God wants us to be, so we could not be in a better place. We also know how much power prayer has and covet yours.

Yours in Christ: Dick



Thursday, July 5, 2007, 9:15 PM

The pictures that I picked up at our wheelchair shop this morning confirmed that the abandon boy is indeed Walter Andres Perez. I gave the information to social work at Hermano Pedro and now it is in their hands. I hurt for his mother knowing that she had to be desperate in order to make a decision to desert her 8 year old son but abandoning him in front of a church is not the answer.

Today I brought in a new wheelchair for Melvin. Although he appears to be a child and even stays in the children’s ward Joviar is 28 years old. Melvin has spent all of his life lying flat on his back. His legs are permanently crossed and stick out from his body in opposite directions. Since he was 22 when we started working with him little could be done to straighten him out. In spite of his condition Melvin is always smiling and has a great sense of humor.

The char that he laid in for as long as I have known him looks more like a stretcher on wheels than a wheelchair so today when he received one that resembled a recliner with wheels he was extremely excited. I had to do a lot of modifying to accommodate his legs but he is now lying there like a king. The chair can also be tilted to more of an upright position so that he does not have to spend all of his time gazing at the ceiling. This makes him very happy because we often have visiters tour the orphanage and Melvin is a real girl watcher. I guess that is how he got the nickname Romeo.

No other volunteers were around at lunchtime but I decided that making one kid happy was better than none so I took Minor out to lunch. He totally enjoyed himself and scarcely stopped talking the entire time that we were out. Unfortunately every thing that he said was in his Mayan dialect and I understood none of it.

Before going home I stopped off at the grocery store and restocked on groceries. I even bought 2 baked chickens figuring that once the word got out that I was not serving junk food for a change my usual number of dinner guests would double. It did, in fact 2 of the kids that came late did not get any chicken. Fact is 2 of the kids that arrived early Abner and Lady didn’t get any either. Not that there wasn’t any food while they were here but I had to enforce the no fighting rule. Any hitting and you are out for the day. Lady went home but Abner stayed just out side of my gate for a few hours. He is doing better though. After about 2 hours I went out to talk to him and it appeared that he had not even been crying. I told him that I was not picking on him and the rules were the same for everyone. That is why lady who only got one good swing in had been sent home to. Abner said that he understood and asked if he could come in just long enough to phone his mother who is in the United States. I gave him a hug and told him that I loved him and then said, “No.” He looked at me and grinned. “How about tomorrow night?” he asked. “No problem,” I said. As he headed for home I called out “I love you.” “Me to,” he replied. I think that in another 30 to 40 years I may have this parenting thing down. Perhaps then I will start looking for a wife. Remember though that I only said perhaps.

Good night,
Yours in Christ: Dick



Friday, July 6, 2007 6:34 PM

Close your eyes for a minute and think what it was like when you were 17. (Now that I think about it perhaps you should keep your eyes open or you will not be able to read what I am about to say.) (If you are not yet 17 think about what you would like things to be like when you turn 17. If you are 17 you are probably out doing some school activity or just hanging out with your friends and not reading this any way. Any way now imagine what it would be like if you had a 13 year old brother who was paralyzed from the waist down do to some mysterious infection and it was your responsibility to care for him 24 hours a day. This is what the young lady that I met today has done for over a year and a half now. She has done this not only in her home but for the past 6 months has stayed with him day and night in the hospital ever since he was removed from his home by court order. May I add that the hospitals here are not at all like those in the USA. There are no clean rooms but instead large dormitory stile rooms that smell from urine and unattended bedpans and unbathed patients. You see, here in Guatemala unless a friend or a family member stays with some one who is in the hospital they get no care. It is the family members full responsibility to feed and care for the patient. If like in the case of Nary, the 13 year old boy that I met today, you are physically unable to use the rest room facilities it is the responsibility of the relative that stays with you to diaper you and clean you up when you have an accident. How many 17 year olds would stick it out a week or even a day? Nary’s 17-year-old sister not only sticks it out but also counts it a privilege to be able to care for her brother. The evident bond of love that this brother and sister have for each other blew me away. Strange to is the fact that this young lady radiates with a beauty that comes from within. How many of us strive most of our lives to be well liked or popular? I doubt that this girl has ever had the time to think about that but she is the model of what so many people would love to be. Could it be that her Christ like servant attitude has given her this inward beauty?

Matthew 20

26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.





Kate, a nurse that I know who lives up north in the Butan region of Guatemala had brought Nary to my attention back in February when we were doing a wheelchair distribution with Joni and Friends and Vine international. At that time Nary was to sever to leave the hospital and be fitted for a wheelchair. By court order he had recently been taken from his home and put into the very hospital where he had gotten the 4 bone deep bedsores in the first place. Just a year earlier he had been admitted to the hospital with a urinary infection and while there the infection managed to move to his spine leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. The pictures that Kate showed me in February had me wondering if Nary would even live long enough that we would ever put him in a wheelchair. Yesterday Kate, her 5-year-old daughter, Nary’s Sister, and Nary took a 13 hour buss ride and arrived in Antigua. This morning I drove down to Antigua and picked them up. I examined the bedsores and found that they had been treating them with honey. Honey actually helps but is extremely messy and we have access to things that are much more effective. Also even though Nary’s sister had done an excellent job of keeping the bedsores clean there was some dead flesh that needed to be cut away. At least there was no smell of infection that can make cutting away dead flesh from some ones back side a down right unpleasant job. (I hope that you are not reading this at the dinner table.) Since there was only a public bathroom and dormitory stile room at the place where they were staying in Antigua we decided to take him to my place to clean him up and work on the bedsores. We were afraid that perhaps there would be the odd person that would get squeamish if they saw what was being done. Once Nary was bathed I showed Kate and Nary’s sister how to properly care for the bedsores. His sister watched intently with tears in her eyes but willingly helped with scrubbing at the dead flesh. About an hour later we had the wounds packed and bandaged. Nary’s sister sat there for quite some time with her arm around her brother. She was even a bit hesitant when I offered to carry Nary back to my car but finally told me that it was all right. When we got to the shop I went and got a wheelchair that I had set aside for Nary the day that I heard that they were bringing him down for one.





It took nearly 5 hours to get him set in a position that I was satisfied with. He should not sit or lye for more than an hour with out being moved to a new position so I had to make the chair so that it could be adjusted into several positions none of which put much pressure on the 4 bed sores. Any of the time that I did not have Nary in the wheelchair his sister either sat next to him holding his hand or held him on her lap. When we were finished everyone was pleased. It had taken 3 Roho cushions. (You can ask any physical therapist or seating technician what they cost.) And a lot of improvising but Nary now had not only a wheelchair that will help improve his health but also one that he can manually operate either lying down or in a seated position.

We stopped off at Burger king on our way back to Antigua and once again Nary’s sister allowed me to lift him out of the car, but only under her watch full eye. When we got to where they were staying she made sure that she was at his door to take him out of the car before I even had the key shut off. Even though she is not that much bigger than he is she still felt that he was safer in her care. I managed to convince her to put him into his new wheelchair once I unloaded it from the car though. We had to first wake up Kate’s daughter who had climbed into it and fallen fast asleep on our ride to Antigua though.

When we got inside of the place where we were staying I said good by to everyone. Both Kate and Nary thanked me over and over again. When Nary’s sister came up to me she threw her arms around my neck and started to cry. I always try to tell the people that receive wheelchairs from us that they are a gift from God and we are only the delivery boys. Today I could not do that. Even though I opened my mouth the words would not come out. Did you ever have one of those times when you are just to choked up to talk. I seldom have that. Well at least not more than once or twice a week. Kate is going to let me know as soon as she finds a teacher for Nary. I haven’t talked it over with Chris yet but I am sure that we can find sponsorship for one more student.

Well I told the kids that I would let them in at 8 PM and it is now 7:57 if I do not get to the gate within the next 3 minutes there probably will no longer be one. Round 2 coming up in 3 minutes.

9:50 PM

Round 2 lasted only 2 hours and 45 minutes. It only felt like 8 hours. During that time 20 hot dogs, several bags of chips. And 6 liters of juice were consumed by 15 kids. I have had fewer kids eat nearly twice as many hot dogs on other occasions but tonight I simply ran out of them. I know that this was another one of those junk food meals but you have to remember last night we had chicken. Besides that bad food beats no food. I am happy to say that there were no fist fights tonight so no one was sent home early. I managed to get one more broken window but Fernando told me that it didn’t count because it was already cracked. When I asked him how come I never before noticed that it was cracked he told be it was because it only got that way last night. Oh well if it takes 2 hits with a soccer ball to completely break my windows instead of one I will possibley start buying only a half dozen new ones at a time. The nice thing about having soccer games in my yard is that when I go to the glass store, I am always greated by name, never have to give them the measurements, and get a frequent customer discount.

Well it is time for round 3, BED. Unfortunately even on the rare chance that this one goes the full 8 hours it will likely only feel more like 2 hours and 45 minutes.


Goodnight.
Yours in Christ: Dick


Saturday, July 7, 2007

It was Fernando’s turn to be my interpreter today. I didn’t have to do any arm twisting to get him to come along with me. Tuesday, when Gordon and I brought the sheets of tin to Ronny’s home Ronny’s teacher invited me to join her and Ronny’s family and go out to the Ocean for the day. She said that lunch would be provided. All I had to do was provide the transportation. Fernando and I left home at 8 AM and arrived at Ronny’s house at 10. Ronny’s family had invited a few of their realitives along so soon 13 of us were on our way to the beach. Ronny’s entire family was extremely excited. Even though the Ocean is less that an hours drive from where they live none of them had ever been there. About a half hour’s drive down a dirt road we arrived at the town where the teacher lived. When she came to the car I was a bit surprised that she had not taken any food along with her. It had been my understanding that we were going to have lunch at the beach. I knew that neither her nor Ronny’s family could afford to eat in a restaurant. After Ronny’s teacher got into the car she asked if I could make one more stop before leaving town. When we stopped the car she invited me inside. I was told that this was the town clinic. It was a good thing that I was told though because there was not much inside of the building that would have given me that impression. I have more medicine in my house than they had in the entire clinic. I was introduced to the 2 people that were running the place. One of them was a gentleman that later joined us for lunch. The other was the mayor’s wife. They told me that there were a lot of medical needs in their town and they wondered if I would be willing to take the time to look at some pictures of people that were in need of wheelchairs. I then realized that my lunch invitation had ulterior motives but I didn’t mind. This is why we are here and having the Guatemalan people show us who needs wheelchairs and medical help only makes our job easier. I have seen some severe cases both here in Guatemala and in other countries but a few of these pictures broke my hart. One was of a little boy with CP who I was told was 9 years old. He could not have weighed even 20 pounds. Another was of a lady that had a tumor on her leg that was unbelievable. Still another was of a child who had a tumor on his lip. There were more, most of them needed wheelchairs others needed far more than that. I figured that they had searched the countryside to find this many people that had such great needs. To my surprise I was told all of them lived within an hours drive of the clinic. I gave them some wheelchair forms and told them that I would soon be back to personally look at some of the worst cases. I also promised that I was going to talk with Hermano Pedro about getting the lady and the child that have the tumors in for surgery. I also plan on checking with a few organizations that I know concerning medical supplies, vitamins, and other medicines for their clinic.

The mayors wife told us that the lunch that we were having today was on them, and soon the carload of 15 of us were on our way to the beach. It was still nearly a half hour’s drive but I considered myself fortunate in that I had one of the smaller children on my lap. I guess they figured that one of the larger children or adults on my lap would make it hard for me to drive. As it was the driving was a bit of a challenge, especially since the little guy that was on my lap was having the time of his life trying to help me drive. I had earlier feared that since it was Saturday that the beaches would be crowded but it was obvious from looking at the dirt roads that we were driving that this place was not on the tourist maps. I chuckled to myself as I remembered just receiving the report that had been sent out by our state department.

-Residents of small villages in the area remain mobilized and suspicious of all outsiders, including foreigners. Rumors of child stealing have resulted in the lynching deaths of several Guatemalan citizens this year. Although no foreigners have been reported to be the victim of such attacks recently, Americans are reminded to avoid gatherings of agitated people. Avoid close contact with children, including taking photographs, especially in rural areas. Such contact can be viewed with deep alarm and may provoke panic and violence.-

I was trying to be as inconspicuous as possible but it is hard to drive through a number of small villagese without drawing attention to yourself when you are the only Gringo within 100 miles and have 14 Guatemalans that are hanging out of all of the windows of your car who are screaming and laughing at the top of their lungs. To add to the hysteria my co driver had discovered the horn button of my car and was so proud of the fact that he was helping steer my car that he blew the horn at anyone that was not already looking at us. My only hope was that one of the 5 adults in the car with me could quiet the kids down long enough to explain to any angry villagers who wanted to string me up that these were screams of joy.

We finally reached a river but there was no sign of the ocean. I was told to park my car at a house that was at the edge of the river. It seemed that we were in the middle of nowhere. Other than the people that were at the house where we parked the car and a few people that would occasionally come by in canoes the place was deserted. It was beautiful but my stomach and my backbone were begining to have close fellowship and I was beginning to wish that I had eaten more for breakfast. I was then told that the people here traveled by river and a launch should be by at any time. Sure enough about 15 minutes later the local taxi showed up. It was an open boat that had a small outboard motor on it. We all piled in and headed down river. I thought to myself, “If I am being kidnapped they are certainly going through a great deal of effort.” It was a beautiful ride though and everyone was having a great time. After about 20 minutes we rounded a bend in the river and were able to see the ocean. There on a peninsula that appeared to be little more than a large sand bar stood a bamboo building. I was told that this was our restaurant. There were a few other small structures there but most of them were toppling over. It looked like nothing had been maintained in years. The place was quite interesting though. You had the river on one side of you and the ocean on the other. Ronny’s manual wheelchair was useless on the sand so we had to carry him. Even the floor of the restaurant was sand. I got a big laugh from everyone when I sat down and the legs of my chair sunk nearly a foot into the ground. I guess that is why they make most Guatemalans short and light. After ordering our meals the kids went and played by the river that was only a few feet away. We had one exciting moment when one of Ronny’s sisters fell off a rock into the river but Fernando came to the rescue and pulled her out. She was frightened but unhurt. I had not intended on swimming but after holding this wet muddy little girl on my lap for the next half hour I thought that perhaps diving into the ocean after lunch would no be a bad idea. It took long enough for lunch to be served that the little girls tears and my clothing dried out completely though. The fact is that it took over an hour to get served but no one seemed to care. As we visited Fernando kept busy translating whatever they or I did not understand. When the food was finally brought out everyone was served except for me. Everyone laughed and said that possibly the owner of the restaurant had seen how far I had sunk the plastic chair into the ground when I sat down that he had thought it would be best if I didn’t eat anything. I had ordered shrimp and the waiter explained that they had run out and one of the other workers had gone out to get some. When we asked how long before he would be back the waiter told me that it depended on how good the fishing was. Oh well, at least I knew that my shrimp was going to be fresh. Fishing must have been fairly good though because only about an hour passed until I was finally served. As soon as our 2 and a half hour lunch was over we headed across the narrow peninsula to the ocean side of the beach. Nearly everyone wanted to swim. I am not sure if it was out of courtesy for this some what modest gringo or what (Although several years in Guatemala has changed that to a degree that would shock most Americans), but everyone found at least one article of clothing to swim in.


Granted it still somewhat resembled a nudist camp by American standards but at least they tried. The waves were high and the undertow was strong so none of us ventured to far out into the water but for the next few hours we all had a blast. At first Ronny who had never before seen the ocean sat in his wheelchair about 50 feet from the water and simply watched. I tried a few times to coax him to at least come and get his feet wet but he didn’t quite dare. About an hour before leaving he finally gave in. I helped take off his sox and shoes and rolled his pants up to his knees. I then carefully carried him to the waters edge and placed his feet on to the wet sand. He looked a bit startled when the first wave came in and he suddenly found himself standing in knee-deep water. Soon he was enjoying it though and didn’t even seem to mind when an occasional wave would get his clothing wet. His brother, sisters, and parents all gathered around him and seemed to get as much pleasure in seeing him have a good time as they did in having one them selves. A few of the kids sat down next to him and would let some of the waves go over their heads. I asked Ronny if he wanted me to carry him to a spot where the waves were not as high and set him down in the water. To my surprise he said yes. The first few waves left him sitting in only a few inches of water and he seemed to enjoy it. Suddenly a much bigger wave came in. I quickly covered his nose and mouth with my hand but he still managed to get a little water in his mouth. I quickly lifted him up and told him that I would take him to where the water was shallower but he gave me a grin and asked me to set him back down where he had been. For the next hour he had a great time and didn’t mind the water hitting his face as long as I covered his mouth and nose with my hand. When it was finally time to go everyone had as much sand in his or her clothing as on the out side of it. This proved to be no problem for anyone but me though, because eveeryone else simply jumped into the near by river took off what ever it was that they were wearing and washed it out. This modest gringo went behind one of the partly tumbled down buildings to change into some dry clothing. I even made sure that I took long enough getting dressed that everyone that had jumped into the river was once again dressed by the time I returned. I guess that I need a few more years hear in Guatemala. Actually their way proved to be the better way because on the way home I was the only one squirming around due to sand in his shorts.





The boat ride back up river ended all to soon but to my surprise no one had broken into my car while we were gone. I had to set off the burglar alarm when I opened up the doors to my car though. It seems that those small electronic remote control key rings are not waterproof. At least I had remembered to take my cell phone and camera out of my pockets before swimming. I guess that is another advantage in what most of the Guatemalans who live in villages wear, or should I say don’t wear when they swim. No pockets, no forgotten car keys. Then again how many villagers have car keys to worry about?

As we headed for home a few of those that had been near the bottom on the way down moved up a lap or 2 but for the most part all 15 of us sat where we had sat on the way down. On our way back home the screaming had died down to a miled roar. Even the honking of the horn on my car quit once my co driver fell asleep. I still worried a bit though when a villager would look up and see a car load of what appeared to be passed out Guatemalans driven by a Gringo go by. What really worried me was that the little boy who was on my lap had fallen asleep with his head hanging half way out of the drivers window, and appeared to be unconsious. An hour later Fernando and I had the car to ourselves. Our friends stood at the door of their one room dirt floor tin shack waving good by. We didn’t change the world today but we had at least helped to improve one day in the life of a beautiful family.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal June 24-30

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Sunday, June 24, 2007, 10:34: PM

We ate breakfast at home this morning because Juan, my neighbor talked me into helping him buy a different pickup truck and the man that owned it was bringing it to his house this morning. I don’t like making a habit of giving or loaning money to my neighbors but without a truck Juan cannot feed his family. Unfortunately here in Guatemala used trucks sell for a lot of money no matter what kind of shape they are in. Once Juan bought the truck 6 kids and myself headed off to church. They had a Pizza and Chicken feed after church for all those that were in anyway involved in Sunday school. I was not going to stay for it but was told that I had to stay for an award. It was a certificate for being the family with the most kids. I was glad that they didn’t ask for any birth certificates or adoption papers. I think that next time they invite my crew to stay they will likely bring more Chicken and pizza though. Of course I doubt that they figured on my kids taking enough food home with them to feed their families for a week.

I guess 6 kids is not enough because mine insisted on going to the orphanage after church? Even though it was early afternoon all but a handful of the kids were in bed for the day. Alex was the first one that I took out of his crib. He was already soaking wet. I can’t imagine what he will be like when they take him out of his crib after being in there another 17 hours. If he was not sleeping there is a chance that he got changed at around 5 PM but no guarantees. Byron was still up but his power wheelchair was nowhere to be found. I finally found it in a storage area. When I asked why he was not in it I was told that it quit running a day or 2 ago. Strange thing though it sprang to life for me when I turned on the switch. Tomorrow I am going to once again take his manual chair to our shop. One of the rubber grips on the handle that you push it with appears to be a bit loose. I am going to ask our mechanics to try and fix it as slowly as possible and then put it into storage until I remember to bring it back to the orphanage. With my memory, that could take forever. Poor Byron, it looks like he will be stuck with nothing but a power wheelchair for quite some time. We can only hope so.

I discovered that one of the girls that does the house keeping at the orphanage speaks Ketichecal (Spelling). With her help and Calin’s I had a good talk with Minor, the older of the 2 brothers that just came to the orphanage.

He has been trying to tell the nurses when he needs to use the bathroom but the housekeeper told me that either they do not understand or don’t want to bother with taking him to the restroom when he asks and keep him in diapers instead. While we were talking he told me that he needed the bathroom and I understood exactly what he was talking about. Perhaps it is English that he is speaking. Any way I took him and if no one listens to him the next time he asks they may be in for a surprise. I some how forgot to diaper him when I dressed him.

Jason and Michelle asked me if they could go up to the malnutrition ward and see the babies. When we got there I discovered that Antonio’s father had come for him and taken him home. I know that it was going to be any day now but was hoping that he could stay a bit longer. This11 year old boy has nearly doubled his weight since he came into the orphanage less than a year ago but you have to remember that he weighed only 21 pounds when we brought him in. I am going to see if Julia and her husband will hike me into where he lives this coming weekend. Julia is the teacher from Rabinal that first discovered Antonio after taking a dirt bike in for over 2 and a half hours and then hiking for another 2 hours. Since it is now the rainy season our walk could be much longer than that. I want to get back in there though because we have been told that there are around 1000 people there and many of the kids are starving. On this first trip in I want to take a water filter, vitamins, worm medication, and some asthma medicine for Antonio. Hopefully once we see what the needs are we can get other organizations involved. I have already been in touch with a clinic that can provide more medicine and a friend of mine who can likely supply more water filters. The first time it is best though not to go in with more than one or 2 Americans. It seems that just lately the belief that Americans are coming in to kidnap Guatemalan children has once again sprung up. This has even happened in places where Chris and I have been in with in the past few months. Please pray not only for our safety but that the people there will trust us enough that they will be willing to receive any help that we can offer. One big plus is that Andréa’s family lives there and they know that Andrais would not be alive today if he had not come with us to Hermano Pedro.

Tonight the kids that had come along to church were still munching on the pizza and chicken that they took home with them from Church. Those that had not come along to church settled for cold cereal and sandwiches. I managed to buy some groceries this evening so the meals should once again be improving. At least tomorrow night they will have a choice of what kind of cereal they want for dinner.

Well it is once again almost midnight so I think that I well head off to bed.

Yours in Christ: Dick



Monday, June 25, 2007, 5:54 PM

I finally discovered a way to get my work done with out any kids ringing the doorbell. I am hiding out at the wheelchair shop. I feel a bit guilty not being at home to make supper for the kids but I am sure that they will still be waiting at the gate when I get there. Especially considering that they saw me come home with a carload of groceries last night.

This morning Calin and Alex came with me to Hermano Pedro. Would you believe no school again? This happened both Monday and Friday of last week as well. That makes it 3 days off and 3 on in the past 6 school days, and it is only Monday. I got a bit of wheelchair work done at the orphanage while Calin and Alex played with the kids. Our stay was a short one though. I stopped off at the wheelchair shop on my way out of town and was met by a family who had been unable to show up at our last wheelchair distribution. Their little boy needed a specialty wheelchair so I fit him before going to Antigua.

I always know that they are fit well when they come to us crying and go home fast asleep in their new wheelchairs. We stayed a few hours at the orphanage but then I had to get back to Chemaltenango. Chris and I had been invited to have lunch at Candy’s home. She wanted to thank us for her new power wheelchair. She has been through some rough times lately but continues to try to improve her life. She is now working on being a travel agent of sorts right from her home. We are going to try to help her find the necessary things that are needed to make this work for her.

We have received some great news about Erica. Her parents called and told Chris that the lactate Cream that we brought her a few weeks ago is doing wonders for her skin condition. Thanks to a good friend at present we have about a half-year supply on hand for her but are looking for some place where we can get it for a better price. It is presently costing $6 per 140 g tube. She uses 1 tube every 2 days. I will be checking with the drugstores here in Guatemala but if anyone knows of any other recourses please let me know.

Well I guess that I have hid out long enough so I well head for home.

Yours in Christ: Dick


Tuesday, June 28, 2007

Chris and some of the crew from the shop headed out to Rabinal today. Due to heavy rains about 25 people were unable to make it out to the last wheelchair distribution that we had there. Hopefully they will be able to make it in tomorrow. I seldom miss distributions but had made a previous commitment of taking about 15 people through Hermano Pedro orphanage today and tomorrow. When it is a group that is as enthusiastic as this one I do not consider it a commitment though, it is a privilege. Andrew Scott and the group that the brought with him, showed nothing but love for the kids at the orphanage. After showing everyone around and getting them acquainted with the kids half of us took 8 of the kids out to Camperos while the other half stayed at the orphanage and helped feed the kids that were there. Tomorrow we plan on doing a reversal with the other half of their team and totally different kids. Not that I need to get fattened up but I will be the only one doing a repeat performance to Camperos. I am considering ordering a salad tomorrow but will likely change my mind once I open up the menu and see the pictures of the fried chicken and French fries. Fattening or not we all had a great time and none of the kids threw up today.

This afternoon I met with Jessica to see what could be done about the nurses refusing to take Minor to the rest room. The nurses told her that they did not understand Ketichell (spelling) so they had no choice but to diaper Minor instead of taking him to the bathroom. I stepped in and said that even though they had been unable to learn any Ketichell, Minor had learned Spanish and twice today had asked me to take him to the rest room. From the reaction that Jessica gave when she heard this I have a feeling the nurses will suddenly start understanding Minor a bit better. It is nice to win a battle every once in a while.

Orphanage # 2 was waiting for me when I got home tonight. I first told the kids at the gate that I had to do a few hours work and would let them in after that was done but six or seven kids giving you that puppy dog look is more than I can take. I have already warned them though that tomorrow night is a work night for me so they better fill up on fun and food tonight. Now if only I can figure out a way of getting into my house tomorrow night with out looking any of them in the eyes I can perhaps stick to my word. They were all great about helping with chores though and we actually got a lot of yard work done before supper.

Calin has been a bit down lately and I sense that he wants to talk about a few things so he is staying the night.


Wednesday, June 27, 2007, 10:24 PM

It was as I thought. Some of the kids have been teasing Calin about how heavy he is. He is such a neat kid but like so many that only hear negative from their families his self-esteem is easily crushed. I did not try to convince him that he is not overwheght but dwelt on all of the things that he has accomplished over the years that I have known him. We did not get into any discussion about him once being the neighborhood thief but I commended him on his honesty and how proud I was of the way that he took care of my place for me the last time that I went back to the states. I told him that there were very few people that I would ever give the key to my house to. We also talked about how he had gone from never being in school to being one of the top students in his class. He asked me if I still thought that we could give him some work at the wheelchair shop during school vacation. I told him that we were counting on him. Calin told me that after buying school clothing he was going to give what ever he earned to his mother. I am sure that he meant it. When he walked out of the door this morning he walked with his head held high. Today he is going to ask his teacher if he can take tomorrow off from school to come along with me into a few villages to be my interpreter. I figure it won’t hurt for him to miss just one day. Besides that there is always about a 50 50 chance that there will be no school anyway.

We had another good day at the orphanage and group # 2 did just as well as group #1 did at Camperos. Thanks to the group that came in during the last 2 days 16 kids had the time of their lives and 15 adults had an experience of a lifetime.

Chris called me this evening. He had talked to the teacher in Rabinal and her and her husband cannot get free to go in to where Antonio lives. It is perhaps for the best because this Friday Chris and Donna are heading for the States for a few weeks. I will really miss them but the have to do some business there and also plan on seeing their new granddaughter.

When I got home tonight only a small hand full of kids were at the gate but only to ask if I still intended to work tonight. They were pretty good about it when I said yes and even the puppy dog looks were not as sad as last nights. I guess that not everyone got the message though because in the past few hours the doorbell has rung no less than 8 times. Fortunately though it is dark outside so I do not have to look the kids in the eyes when I go out and tell them that I have not gotten caught up on answering e-mails and writing in my journal yet.

Well once again bedtime has snuck up on me.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Calin got permission from both his teacher and his mom to come along with me today. We went into Antigua and picked up 4 of the people that I had been showing around the orphanage for the past few days and headed off towards Ronny’s place. He had called me a few days ago and told me that his teacher wanted to see me. Since I had to return Erma’s sowing machine to her I decided to make a day of it. This would also give my 4 friends who had not seen much of Guatemala other than Guatemala City and Antigua a real opportunity to see what most of Guatemala is really like. About an hour out of Antigua my car started heating up so we pulled and discovered that my alternator had loosened up and when the one of the belts came off it ate up the other 2 as well. Fortunately I have learned over the years that spare belts are something that you carry and about an hour late we were once again on our way. I was none to clean but stopped at a restaurant about 15 minutes down the road and bathed in their sink. We still managed to make it to Ronny’s home shortly after 11:00, which was a good thing because his school gets out at 12:00. His father took us down the trail that led to his school that was only about a half mile away. Ronny’s father told us that Ronny usually takes his power wheelchair to school but a section of the trail had been washed away and there was a narrow spot where Ronny was afraid that he might go over the edge. Ronny’s father was going to do some work on it though and told us that by tomorrow his son would once again be able to take his power chair to school. As we were going down the trail we were met by Ronny’s mother, who gave each of us a warm greeting. She turned around and joined us. When we reached the school we were surprised by its size. It was nothing fancy but there were several classrooms and each small room had 40 or more students in it.

Ronny’s mom walked straight into Ronny’s classroom and motioned for all of us to follow. We were greeted by a friendly hello from all of the 43 students that were crowded into the tiny classroom. Ronny’s teacher quickly motioned for us to come to the front of the classroom. With the help of Calin and one of the ladies in our group that know some Spanish we had a good visit with the teacher, Ronny, and the other students. I later found out that this important meeting with the teacher was nothing more than Ronny wanting me to meat his teacher and to see his school but I was glad that we had come. In a culture where handicapped are still looked down on and are often not even allowed into schools this wonderful teacher has not only excepted Ronny but her positive attitude has radiated to the kids in her class room and the entire school in such a way that Ronny is not only excepted but genuinely loved by his class mates and the other teachers in his school. We had a great time getting to know several of the kids and the magic rings that I had taken with me were a big success. By the time I was asked to do a repeat performance there were as many students and teachers leaning in the windows as there were in the classroom.

When school was over we walked back to Ronny’s home with him and his family, but not until I was asked to do a few more magic trick for all of the students that had gathered in front of the school. I must admit though that I feel sorry for one little boy. His classmates are likely still looking for more coins in his ears. The kids and adults always love seeing the magic tricks but in places like this where there is still a lot of witchcraft I am always careful to tell my audience that there is no magic involved but they are only tricks that I am doing. Generally I reveal the secret to at least one or 2 of them so that they understand the difference.


On our walk back from the school we stopped off to see Ronny’s Grandmother. I wanted my American friends to see what a true Guatemalan welcome was like. Tomorrow a few of us may have to find a chiropractor. That lady gives some mean hugs. When we got back to Ronny’s house his father proudly showed everyone his battery powered lights and how he charges them and Ronny’s wheelchair batteries using the solar cell that we gave them. Ronny’s family seem much happier where they are now living and I am sure that when the team comes in February to build them a new house they will be even happier. Father told me that he hated to bother me since he felt we were doing so much for them already but his stepbrother who owns the shed that they are presently living in told him that next month he is taking the tin. This will leave the family with nothing but a wooden frame. I told him that I would contact Chris and we would figure out something. Grandmothers house has almost no tin on it. It is mostly covered with only black plastic but this is no way for a family of 8 to have to live. (It is no way for an old grandmother to live either but hopefully we can soon tackle that project as well.) Before we left Calin went to my car brought out a duffel bag of Beanie babies that my friend Mike had brought down last week. We told the kids that they could each have one. Ronny asked if he could also take one for his grandmother and one for his teacher as well. When it was time to say good by most of our crew had to put down one of the children that they were holding. I guess brothers are the same all over the world because when one of the ladies that was with us said in Spanish that the little girl that she was holding was so cute that she would love to take her home her brother quickly replied, “Go ahead and take her.”

Upon reaching the first sizeable town we stopped of for some lunch. Calin and I had tried to convince our crew to stop of and get some deep fried chicken at a roadside stand that I have often eaten at but they were afraid that the oil that the chicken was being fried in had not been changed in the past 3000 miles. I don’t think that I would have recommended that they eat there anyway because it takes a few years to build up immunity to some of the food here. Of coarse eating my own cooking helps to further build up any immunity.

I should possibly entitle the rest of today’s journal, NINEVEH or possibly JONAH’S CLONE. Even though I had Erma’s repaired sowing machine in my car I was not all that eager to go and see her. Our visit with Ronny and his family had been such a positive one that I feared that visiting Erma may be a real let down. When we visited with her only a few weeks ago she was so depressed that it seemed to rub off on us for a few hours. Lately she has been calling Carlos and he even told me that her calls get to him in such a way that some times he refuses to answer his telephone fearing that it might be her. Both Carlos and I have feared that perhaps she was getting addicted to prescription drugs and spending what little money she had on them instead of on food for her family. I knew that she had to be confronted about this but I did not want to be the one that confronted her. During lunch I told the group about the backcountry road that led past Ronny’s old house. If we were to go that way it would be much more scenic. I was sure that they would love going that way instead of the way that we had come. Unfortunately that would mean that Erma would have to wait for her sowing machine until another day but then those thing can’t always be helped. I am not sure whom I was trying to convince, the five people that were with me, or myself but it worked. I must admit that I took a look back over my shoulder when we left the restaurant and felt a little twinge of guilt for not bringing the sowing machine to her, but then perhaps I could get Carlos to bring it to her this weekend. About 45 minutes up the dirt road that led away from Erma’s house and towards home we came up on 2 cars and 3 busses that were blocking the narrow road. This was unusual because that is about all of the traffic that uses this road in a single day. We soon found out that a buss had broken its driveline earlier in the day and the road was to narrow for traffic to get by. He had broken down in a portion of the road that was so rugged that there was no way that anyone could toe him out. People from some of the busses were digging at the side of the bank trying to widen the road enough for traffic to get by so I decided to wait for a while. If I turned around it would mean that I would have to stop off at Erma’s house. Finally the road was widened and buss # 2 tried to squeeze by buss # 1. I guess no one had a measuring tape when they widened the road. We now had 2 busses stuck side by side. It still took me another half hour to admit defeat but when a thunderstorm moved in I decided that it was turn back towards Erma’s house or spend the night. As it was it was hard enough to get turned around and then get past the trucks and the busses that had come in behind us but we made it. About an hour and a half later we were pulling into Erma’s road. Erma seemed to be in a better mood than last time but as we were visiting she asked if I could drive her into the nearest town that was about 20 minutes from where she lived. She also asked if I would help her pay for some medicine that a drug store was holding for her. Carlos had already told me that she had been getting some type of injection that was suppose to be helping her with a her stiff neck. Once we started talking though she confided that her neck was not all that bad but if she did not get these shots she would get the shakes. With the help of a sympathetic interpreter we shared with her that we truly loved her and that was why we were not willing to help her get these drugs. We talked for quite some time and I told her that I wanted to see her well but felt that many of the pills and shots that she was taking were not helping her at all. To my surprise she agreed with us and also agreed to my setting up an appointment for her with a real doctor at Hermano Pedro. Please pray that this will be a step in the right direction for her. We asked her if we could pray for her and she said that she would like that but wanted to share something else with us before we prayed. She has received word that some men that live in that area may be thinking about kidnapping her daughter Rosario and forcing her into prostitution. Please pray for Rosario’s safety as well. We left saddened by the situation but were all happy that we had stopped and at least given a ray of hope.



Friday, June 29, 2007, 10:04 PM
I got a call at around 9 AM asking if I was willing to take another group of people through the orphanage. I am beginning to feel like a tour guide at time but if it makes even a hand full of people aware of the needs that are there it is well worth it. No matter what parts of the orphanage I take people through I always try to end up at Sam Sam’s crib. As we walk up to his crib he is always rocking back and forth or slamming his head on the steal bars of his crib. I am always asked if he that is all he ever does. I tell those that I am showing around that Sam is labeled as autistic and autistic kids are in their own little world and do not want to relate to people or be held. I then lower the sides of his crib and hold out my hands. The results are always the same. Sam Sam reaches out to me and I hold him for a while explaining that the reason that he is kept in his crib is that he hates being tied into his wheelchair and that he can open the latch of the gate that leads into the area where he stays. I then lower him to the ground and show people that Sam is perfectly able to walk. The next question that I am asked is always the same. “But if he can walk why is he locked in his crib all day?” Some day I hope to have an answer for that question. As we walk away there is always at least one person in tears, me.

It seems that the needs are sometimes endless. Within a span of less than an hour 2 beggars approached me, one of the nuns at the orphanage told me about someone that desperately needs schooling, and a lady told me about 2 kids who can not walk but have never owned wheelchair. I feel bad that we cannot help everyone but am happy that God gives us the opportunity to at least help some. Every night there are a lot of people going to bed hungry all over the world. Tonight I made sure that the 8 kids that left my house did not.

Hebrews 13

1 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. 2 Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!

Yours in Christ: Dick


Saturday, June 30, 2007, 2:24:41 PM

So far it has been an extremely unusual day. NOT NEARLY AS MANY UNUSUAL THINGS HAVE HAPPENED AS USUALLY DO IN ONE DAY.

Six kids showed up for breakfast. Nothing was spilled on the table or the floor. COME TO THINK OF IT THAT IS UNUSUAL.

I went to town to pick up some new fan belts for the car. They had the belts that I needed in Stock. NOW I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT WAS A BIT UNUSUAL.

I also tried to pay my electric, telephone, and water bills. All 3 of the places were closed. NOTHING UNUSUAL ABOUT THAT.

It was nice and sunny so I decided to get my car washed. We are now having a heavy thunderstorm. NOTHING UNUSUAL THERE. (I think that I could make it rain in the Sahara Dessert if I brought my car there and washed it.)

Kimberly swept and mopped all of my floors in the house. 5 kids came in with muddy feet 10 minutes later. THAT WAS UNUSUAL. (Normally it is 10 kids in 5 minutes.)

It is only 2:40 PM and all of the kids say that they are hungry. TOTALLY USUAL. (By the way the other 5 showed up 10 minutes later. That was about the time that I was done re mopping behind the first 5. I think that I will wait until the third mopping until tonight when they all go home.

Well I think that I will kick back and watch Shrek 1, 2, and 3, with the kids. I bought all 3 for only 20Q (about $2.60). Normal you would have to pay up to $3 for 3 videos. NOTHING UNUSUAL HERE. The man that sold me the videos knows that I am Dutch.

Yours in Christ: Dick

True Christianity *click here to see slide show*

unto%20me%20s.mov

Journal June 17 - 23

Rule # 174 – Never work on your journals for more than 2 hours without hitting the save button at least once.

Rule # 175 - Never hit the delete button when you have your entire journal highlighted, especially if you have failed to do rule # 174.

Rule # 176 - If you unintentionally hit the delete button make sure that none of the kids in your house trip over and disconnects the power cord of your computer before you get the chance to hit the undo button.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007, 7:09:39 AM

NO, this is not Tuesday’s Journal; it is my second attempt at writing Sunday’s journal.







Sunday, June 17, 2007

Five of the kids came along to church today. After a fantastic service we went to Hermano Pedro and played with the kids there for a while. We then went to eat at Martha’s Café. All 6 of us filled up on chicken, steak, potatoes, rice, vegetables, and a lot of other good things. My total bill was under $20.
I’m sure that I did a lot of other things on Sunday but unfortunately my brain has not retained them any better then my hard drive.

Monday, June 18, 2006

Since this was only yesterday I can perhaps recall the happenings of the day a bit better than Sunday’s.


I picked up Mike at his hotel and the 2 of us headed off to Hermano Pedro. (Oh now I remember! Sunday Calin, Abner, and I went in to Guatemala City and picked up my friend Mike from the airport. Oh well back to Monday.) Anyway he came along with me to Hermano Pedro. There we met up with a brother and sister who are here from the States. They were more than eager to join us in taking 4 of the orphanage kids out to lunch. As usual we took Moises and Byron, but also took the 2 new brothers, Minor and Elmer.
Let me tell you these are 4 sharp kids. They had the time of their lives at Camperos. I don’t think that Elmer nor Minor had ever been in a restaurant before but they loved it. Even Byron who is a fussy eater finished off all of his food. I think that Minor ate a bit to fast though, or perhaps it was the flan that he had for desert, because he upchucked his entire lunch all over himself just as we were finishing up. Fortunately the nurses had used a large bed sheet to tie him into his chair with. Minor does not have to be tied into his chair but the sheet worked great as a giant washcloth and we had him cleaned up in no time. No, the sheet did not go back to Hermano Pedro with us. After we got Minor cleaned up we took the kids on to the playground equipment.


Other than Elmer’s pants falling off every time one of us carried him up the ladder to the slide everything went quite smoothly. When we finally got back to the orphanage the nurses put the kids back inot thier beds while I took my friends around to see the other sections of the orphanage.




It was rather late when we finally got home but the kids from orphanage #2 were eagerly waiting.


Tuesday, June 19, 2007, 10:57 PM

It is a bit late but I really want to get at least one of these written on the day that it happened. Today was a great day though so I don’t think that I would forget it too soon. Carlos drove up from Antigua and left his car at my house. He, Mike and myself then headed out to San Pablo Laguna. This is a small Mayan town that is about 2 ½ hours from here. I had gone here for my first time about a month ago with my friend Paul. Paul had been helping a native pastor there in building a house for a widow lady and her children. Paul had to return to the States for a few months but had left his tools with the Pastor. I had promised that I would pick them up and keep them at my house once Pastor Anton had finished the work on the house. I had wanted to see Pastor Anton again anyway because I had left some blank wheelchair forums with him the last time that I was there. At that time he had introduced me to several people that needed wheelchairs and assured me that he could find more. Today he told me of a 17-year-old girl who had spinal bifida. She was a beautiful young lady who was in her senior year of high school. Not only was I surprised to here that since she was in a wheelchair she was in school but Anton also told me that she had been voted high school queen. It was 1:05 pm when we reached her home. We feared that we had missed her because she goes to school from 1 PM until 6 PM. Fortunately she was still at home. She was sitting in an old rusty wheelchair that was totally worn out. This beautiful young lady shared with us that tomorrow was the big calibration when she was to be crowned as high school queen. She said that she had been praying for a new wheelchair because she was worried that the one that she was in would break at any time. Looking at it I thought to myself that it’s time had already come. I told her that I would measure her and see what we could do about getting her a wheelchair in the near future. That is when Carlos asked me if the Chair that was in the back of my car would work for her. “What chair?” I asked. “The one that is in the back of your car.” Carlos repeated. I guess forgetfulness has its blessings. Yesterday I had picked up 2 wheelchairs at our shop. I had promised Edger, one of the teens at Hermano Pedro, a new wheelchair. I had decided that the other wheelchair of the 2 would be the right wheelchair for him and put this one back into my car. Since I needed room in my car for Paul’s tools I had full intentions of dropping this chair off at the shop this morning. Why then was it still in my car? Like I said forgetfulness has some advantages. Why I had ever considered this particular chair for the boy at Hermano Pedro remains another mystery. It was bright purple! Not exactly a macho color for a teen-age boy. However it was the perfect color for a teen-age girl who was wearing a purple sweater that matched the wheelchair perfectly. All she could say was that she had been praying for this chair and now her prayers had been answered. She and her family tried to thank us but we explained to her that the wheelchair that she had been praying for was truly a gift from God and we had simply been the delivery boys. By the way the wheelchair was not only her favorite color but it fit her perfectly. We didn’t have to adjust one thing on it. It was as though this chair had been made special just for this young lady. Then again perhaps it had been.


Tomorrow she will be able to go to her coronation ceremony in stile. In the short time that I met her I have no doubt that she will share with her classmates and their parents how God answered her prayers.

I was tired when I got home tonight but there was no way that I was going to lock the kids out. Today was report card day and Mike had supplied me with a new supply of stuffed animals and various toys. I sorted out the toys into 2 piles. One pile had the more expensive toys like harmonicas, dolls, baseballs, and larger stuffed animals in it. The other had some of the smaller toys and stuffed animals in it. Every 100 on a report card was a big toy. Every grade above a 90 was a small toy. No marks below 80 another big toy, and no marks below 70 another small toy. Almost all of the kids went home with something. Alex was the only one that went home empty handed but he still has not received a grade for PE. I am considering a point system for most improvement next time report cards are given out but don’t feel to badly for Alex because he is capable of doing much better but has not been trying to hard in School. Thankfully he has quit working at the car wash and will now have more time for his studies. So far Calin is in the lead with 3 large toys and 1 small one. A few of the kids have not yet received their report cards but I am sure that they will be at my door as soon as they get them.

Well it is one minute before midnight so I guess that is all that I can write about today’s happenings.

Good night, Whoops I mean; Good morning.
Yours in Christ: Dick


Wednesday, June 20, 2007, 11:07 PM

I got a bit of a late start this morning but Mike and I managed to pick up Paul a young man that has been volunteering at Hermano Pedro and make it up to the School in Santa Maria Dejesus by around 11:00 AM. Amy Deyoung had called me and told me that a few of the kids there needed some repairs done on their wheelchairs. While I repaired the wheelchairs Mat and Paul toured the school.

Later this afternoon we went to Hermano Pedro and worked on some of the wheelchairs there. We didn’t get a great deal of work done because of all the little helpers that we had. I was appalled to see that Minor, the new boy was now in diapers. I was told that the nurses had decided that even though he is toilet trained it is faster and easier to diaper him than it is to take him to the rest room. Like I said I have to pick my battles at the orphanage. This happens to be one that I am picking. If bringing this to the attention of some one who is in charge gets no results I am considering locking the door to the nurse’s rest room. I will then place a case of depends in front of the door with a sign on them that reads, “This is faster and easier.”

The kids were having so much fun helping us that it was hard to go home but at about 5:30 we finally said goodbye. I am not sure how the kids knew that it was pizza night but my house filled up with kids much faster than usual. The 4 large pizzas that we had ordered were soon nothing more than memories and empty pizza boxes. Before bringing Mike back to his hotel the kids that did not receive their report cards until today added up their grades and claimed their prizes. Calin’s record fell to Lady whose grades allowed her to claim 3 large and 3 medium presents. At around 8 I told the kids that I had to bring Mike to his hotel and that it was time for them to leave. I am not sure why but it seemed to take an extra long time to get the house cleared of kids tonight. They seem to be so at home here that they look at me like I am telling them to get out of their own house when ever I tell them that they have to leave. I wish that they would move a bit faster when it is time to go but I am glad that they feel so at home here. As I close the door I looked back at my refrigerator that is covered with father’s day cards and was reminded of just how blessed I am.

Tomorrow Mike and I plan on going to the home of Stephen and Sheryl Osborn. If you think that I am blessed you ain’t seen nothing. They have over 30 kids. Not bad, considering that 2 years ago they only had 2 kids.

Well some how the day has once again ended all to soon so I well say goodnight.

Yours in Christ: Dick



Thursday, June 1, 2007, 9:37 PM

Mike and I got out of the shop at around 11:00 PM. We had intended on leaving earlier but I stayed for a while and helped make a back cushion for a boy whose parents had brought him in to receive a wheelchair. We had a few stops to make before heading to the city to see the Osborn’s. Our first stop was at the home of a teen-age boy who had been paralyzed in a diving accident a few years ago. We had given him a power wheelchair shortly after his accident but a few weeks ago the motors burnt out on it. The guys at the shop had given him a totally different wheelchair but it was extremely slow. Within 10 minutes I had it reprogrammed and we were on our way.

Stephen and Sheryl Osborn were not at home when we arrived at their house but most of their 30 kids were there to greet us. No, at the Osborn’s they are not all locked up in cribs. Several ladies who help the Osborn’s with the children were caring for them. The atmosphere is 110 % more positive than what I often see at Hermano Pedro. All of the Osborn’s children seem happy and well adjusted. We got 2 of the children there seated in new wheelchairs and I plan on returning to their home soon to seat 2 more of them. Even though the 2 homes that Steve and Sheryl have are filled to the brim I could not help but tell them about Elmer and Minor, the 2 new boys that are at Hermano Pedro. Why is it that those who are the busiest serving God are also the ones that we call on the most to help us out?

After a great time with the Osborn kids Mike and I headed for home. On the way back we stopped in to see Candy. This is a lady that lives only a mile or 2 from my place. Four years ago we gave her a power wheelchair after her boyfriend put a gun in her mouth and pulled the trigger. He did this because she found out that he was married and told him that since she was a Christian she was no longer going to see him. The bullet blew out most of her teeth and exited out of the back of her neck leaving her paralyzed for life. This man never spent as much as a day in jail and is still a practicing lawyer in my town. Candy made a living by operating a small store but was recently robbed of all of her merchandise. When Mike and I went to see her we were told that since she owed money on the items that were taken from her store the man that she owed the money to has taken her power wheelchair away from her. Not only that but her Father has kicked her out of the family home and she is now living in some small rooms behind a house. You would think that Candy would be the bitterest person around but that is not the case. When you meat her you are immediately uplifted by her positive attitude. We promised Candy that we would repair the manual wheelchair that she was in but I was thinking Power wheelchair.

Supper for the kids was a simple one. I will not even say what it was for fear that some of you health nuts will send me more nasty letters, but promise to try and do better tomorrow night. I love these kids every bit as much as the Osborn’s love theirs it’s just that Sheryl is a far better cook. Three of the kids are spending the nigh. I guess they know that I have stomach medicine.

Any way if I don’t head off to bed soon I may be the one that ends up on the floor. So Goodnight.

Yours in Christ: Dick


Friday, June 22, 2007.

Today was stand in line day. This happens about once a month. This is when I try to pay bills and also withdraw money out of the bank. I will not bore you with the details of standing in line to pay bills because it would take me an hour to explain just what went on during those 2 hours of paying 2 bills. I will try to explain though just what you have to go through to withdraw a couple hundred dollars from your savings account here in Guatemala.

9:00 AM - Show up at the bank.

9:15 AM - Leave bank figuring that they are not going to open because it is likely one of about 100 holidays that only Guatemalan bank employs know about.

9:16 AM - Go to Camperos for breakfast. (Fortunately Camperos is just across the street from the bank.)

9:46 AM - Ask for bill

9:58 AM - Get bill (those of you that have eaten at Camperos will realize that waiting 12 minutes for your bill is nothing.

9:58:02 AM - Reach into your wallet and realize why you wanted to go to the bank before you ate.

9:58:06 AM - Look around Camperos to see if there is anyone you know there that will lend you enough to pay for your breakfast. (Where are your friends when you need them?)

9:59 AM - Look out of the window and see that the bank has finally opened. (Fortunately Camperos is just across the street from the bank.)

10:00 - 10:17 AM - Try to explain in English to your waiter, the manager, and numerous interested customers none of whom speak any English, that you have no money to pay your bill with but will have if they let you go across the street to your bank and get some. (Fortunately Camperos is just across the street from the bank.)

10:18 - 10:23 AM - Try to explain to Fernando who had come along with you for the day because he once again had no school, that his life is not in danger. They only want him to stay there until I return with some money.

10:24 - 10:27 AM - Further explain to Fernando that crying won’t help and also tell him that it should not take to long. (Fortunately Camperos is just across the street from the bank.)

10:28 - 10: 31 AM - Explain to the guard outside of Camperos that there is no way that you can move your car because you have a kid inside that is being held for ransom and if you were to drive away the employees who are watching you from the window will get angry and Fernando will go hysterical.

10:32 AM - Finally get to the door of the bank. (Actually about 5 feet from the door. They are pouring a new concrete sidewalk in front of the bank. This is the only entrance to the bank. I quickly discover that with a full stomach I cannot broad jump 5 feet. Fortunately one of the guards at the bank has a towel that he lets me use to wipe off my shoes. The towel already has wet cement on it. I am not the banks first customer.)

10:38 AM - Get in line behind a lot of people.

10:41 AM - Move forward 2 feet.

10:45 AM - Move forward 2 feet.

10:49 AM - Move………….(You get the point)

11:15 AM - Get to the window of the bank teller. (She looks at my bankbook, which is a single piece of paper that has about 20 lines of information written on it. She gives me a withdrawal slip but tells me that there is not room for 21 lines on my bank book.)

11:17 PM (I mean AM it only seems like PM) Go get into another to get a new bankbooks.

11:21 AM - Move forward 2 feet.

11:39 AM - Moved forward far enough that I am now at the head of this line.

11:58 AM - Finally get to the desk of the lady that makes out new bankbooks. (Unfortunately the customer ahead of me also needed a new bankbook and they were out.) (Fortunately it only took them 15 minutes to print up some new ones.) (Fortunately in Guatemala no one takes a lunch break until 1:pm)

12:04 PM - I am given a new bankbook. (I look over at the even longer line that leads to the window of the teller who originally told me that I needed a new bankbook.) I don’t know if it was the tears in my eyes or the sobbing but the lady who gave me the new bankbook tells me that I can go to the front of the line. (I receive a few stern looks from the people that are in line, especially from the man in the very back of the line who got a new bankbook just before I did.)

12:16 PM - I get to the tellers window. (Even being at the front of the line you still have to wait until the slow customer at the window leaves.) (The lady at the window then tells me that it is bank policy that the teller who gives me the withdrawal slip cannot be the one that gives me my money.) She smiles and points to line # 3 that leads to another teller’s window.

12:21 PM - I walk out of the bank with my money. (No I didn’t rob the place although the idea crossed my mind. I took the liberty of crashing line # 3 without asking anyone for permission.) By the looks that I got from the other customers, especially the other guy with the new bankbook who was still near the back of his line, I was glad that there were 3 armed guards in the bank.

Rules # 177 - Never count your money while walking out of a bank. (Not only could there be some one watching you who wants to rob you but also if you don’t watch where you are going you are likely to walk right through some newly poured wet cement.

12:22 PM - Back at Camperos. (Unfortunately Camperos is just across the street from the bank.) (I had to walk around in circles for a while to get the wet cement off from the bottom of my shoes.

12:26 PM - To my surprise Fernando was doing well and all of the employees at Camperos were smiling. (Fernando Later told me that they were all watching me cross the wet cement both going into and coming out of Camperos.) (Fernando even asked if we could stay and have lunch there.) (I told him that I didn’t have enough money for Camperos. I had to save what I got from the bank for a new pair of shoes.)

Just a few days ago a missionary friend of mine told me that when ever some one talked to him about coming to Guatemala as a missionary, the first question that he would ask them was “How good of a sense of humor to you have?” Perhaps it is not vital but it will help make it possible if you plan on staying here longer than a week.

After lunch, not at Camperos! Mike, Fernando, and I headed to Candies place. She was not at home but we later found her and a girl that helps her about 6 blocks from her home. The girl had been pushing her down the bumpy road in her wheelchair but they had stopped to rest because the girl was getting tired. When I told her that we had a new power chair for her she could not believe us. Mike and Fernando quickly pushed her home while I delivered the chair there with my car. When we got to her house I called Chris and he explained to her that in order to keep the man that had taken her last wheelchair from taking this wheelchair away from her we were not giving her the chair but simply loaning it to her for the rest of her life. What a way to quickly forget about a not so smooth morning. Candy was in tears and we were not far from it.

This evening I brought Mike into Guatemala City. He will be spending the next week with some friends who are flying in from the States. The plan on installing some hospital equipment in a clinic that is located near the El Selvidor border. Mike told me that if next week is half as good as this week was he would be thrilled.


Saturday, June 23, 2007 2:22:57 PM

Most of my day has been spent in getting caught up with this journal. Some how I once again managed to get several days behind. Just think how long my journal would be if I had written everything down while it was fresh in my mind. Then again perhaps you would rather not think about that. The kids have been locked out for hours and are nearly going insane. I have tried doing my writing while they are in the house but that is not easy. It is easier for all of us if I can give this my full attention for a few hours and then give them my full attention for the remainder of the day. Selfishly these journals are not written solely for your entertainment. Although I want to inform as many people as possible as to what missionary life here in Guatemala is like I have many other reason for writing. I think that # one is for my own reflection what God is doing down here. As I reread each journal before sending it out (Hard to believe considering all of the spelling and grammar mistakes) I can see how God is answering and has answered so many prayers. This Journal also helps me to be accountable for what I am doing down here. I often get feed back from something that we are doing or have done and this is good. (I must admit though that I would love to hear from a lot more of you, even a sentence or 2 would be great.) Of coarse I always hope that these journals help stir up some one who the Lord is calling to get more involved in His work. There is also that prayer thing. With out it we would not be here. Please keep praying for those we serve and for us.

Please remember if you are fully content with whom you are and what you are doing perhaps it is time to take a good look at your self. There are people physically and spiritually suffering and dying all over the world. If God has put you in a position where you can reach out to even one of them and you are not doing so something is wrong.

Yours in Christ: Dick