Journal December 2-8

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Sunday, December 2, 2007, 8:25 PM

The fake Christmas tree is up, there is a $2 string of lights hanging over my doorway and another $2 string on the cement wall that surrounds my house. My extravagant Christmas display is the talk of the neighborhood. It would perhaps be the talk of the town if it were not for the Gallo Christmas tree that stands in the town Square. Gallo is the largest beer company here in Guatemala and they have provided our town with a giant fake Christmas tree, not with out a little publicity involved though. In place of the usual decorations and a star at the top the decorations are all Gallo beer banners and emblems. I guess it cold be tackier, at least they are shaped like Christmas wreaths and not like beer bottles.

The wall and tree lighting ceremony here at my house took place after we had gone to church, the orphanage and then out to eat. I had not been able to spend much time in the orphanage during camp so it was good to get back there today. All of the kids that will be going home for Christmas have now left so some of the wards have move their remaining kids into other wards. The remaining teen age boys have been split up. Some of them are in with the younger children while others are in with the older men.

Sam Sam’s crib is now stuck way back in a corner where in it nearly impossible to open in order to get him out. I guess the nurses don’t mind though because this way it is easier to just forget about him the entire day. I took him out for a while but had to first change him so that I could hold him without getting soaking wet. He seemed to be in good spirits once I got him out. Perhaps he thought that he was getting to go to camp again. Fortunately I did not have to put him back into his bed as another volunteer who had not realized that he was allowed to be out of his crib offered to watch him when I went up to the malnutrition ward. The malnutrition ward still has nearly every bed filled and most of these kids are awaiting surgery or are to fragile to go home. Manwell and his sister Tomisina are not yet walking with out the aid of walkers but are doing well. I met their parents a few days ago and was delighted to hear that they are already signed up for school. I promised the parents that we would provide them with a walker or a wheelchair if they are not walking by the time the go back to their home. Jennifer, the little girl who we made the special bed for a few weeks ago appears to be doing better but still arches backwards to the point that her feet nearly touch the back of her head when she is not strapped into her special bed. Perla the other new little girl seems to have the same condition as Jennifer but her health is so poor that I am afraid that she is not going to make it. Tomorrow I am going to see if we can come up with something that helps keep her head from bending back so far. This should at least make it easier for her to breath. Byron, the boy who was brought into malnutrition a few weeks ago is now out of isolation. He is still very skinny and looks more like a 5 year old than a 13 year old. Tomorrow I also plan on seeing if there is any way to keep him lying in a more comfortable position. Carlos, my friend who spends a lot of time volunteering with the older kids came up to malnutrition for a short time today. Even after 3 years of volunteering at Hermano Pedro he told me that it is still very hard for him to come up there and see some of these kids. At times it is not easy for me either but it only takes a few minutes of spending time with any of these kids and the love you develop for them seems to make any sickness or disfigurement seem insignificant.

Even though some of the kids from my neighborhood are gone for a few days my house is far from empty. It seems that when ever 2 or 3 of my regulars are not here a few new kids show up. Just where the 3 new boys that wondered in tonight came from or how they heard about my house is not clear to me but their shyness was soon overshadowed by their appetites. By the way that they inhaled their supper I have a feeling that they will be returning tomorrow night.

Well all of the kids that are going to leave for the night have left so I think that I will say goodnight and head off to bed.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Monday, December 3, 2007, 9:23 PM

After gathering up some supplies at the wheelchair shop Fernando and I headed off to Hermano Pedro. Carlos joined us in taking 3 of the kids to lunch. The 3 that we took today do not get out often and 2 of them can not eat solid food but their excitement in just getting out of the orphanage was apparent to anyone who was with in squealing distance. I am afraid that their enthusiasm in Camperos was not appreciated by everyone but they had a wonderful time.

When we returned to Hermano Pedro I met with Jessica and we looked at Perla and Byron, the 2 new kids who are up in Malnutrition. Both of them are so twisted up and so fragile that we hardly dared to pick them up. We started first with Perla, the little 5 year old girl who’s head is twisted back so far that she can scarcely breath. To our surprise after holding her a few minutes her body relaxed enough that we could get her into a seating position and once we got her head into a straighter position she relaxed even more. Tomorrow I am going to try to fit her into a special chair that will hold her in a relaxed position. It is going to have to be something that is highly modified to fit her size though because she only measures 6 inches across the hips and I doubt that she weighs 20 pounds.

Next we went and looked at Byron, the 13 year old boy who was also admitted into the malnutrition ward only a few weeks ago. He also appeared to be so fragile that we were nervous about handling him but it was obvious that he can not survive if he continues to lye in such a twisted position. Jessica carefully untwisted all of the tubes that are connected to him while I gently lifted him up and held him. In much the same manner as Perla, within a few short minutes Byron started to relax and in a short time he was lying in a position where for the first time since I had met him he seemed to be comfortable. It looks like I have my work cut out for me tomorrow but seeing what a difference positioning made in these 2 kids I don’t care how long it takes to make them comfortable. I know that getting them into good wheelchairs is not a guarantee that they will stay alive but it should greatly improve their chances of recovery. I think that the only thing that would do more good for each of them than a good wheelchair would be a good set of arms to hold them but it seems that there are not enough of them to go around. In fact I think that today was the first day that they had been held since they arrived a few weeks ago.

Only 8 of us for supper tonight and 3 of those were the new kids. I think that I will have to stock up on more groceries soon though. Abner called me last night and said that he will soon be back from visiting his relatives in Guatemala City. I am not sure how long the 3 older boys who are working in the city will be gone but it sounds like they will be back before Christmas.

My house has now emptied out. Not with out a little coaxing but it is never the less empty. So I think that I will just relax for a while. Unless of course I fall asleep first.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Tuesday, December 4, 2007, 7:53 PM

Today was one of those bitter sweet days. Calin accompanied me to the shop this morning and we located wheelchairs for Bryan and Perla. Next Calin and I went to Hermano Pedro to give them their wheelchairs. Due to the severity of both of these kids it took over 3 hours each to get them fit properly but by the time we had finished both children looked much better than I had even hoped for. Byron who had shown almost no response until I held him yesterday was now looking all around and even smiled a few times. Today I found out that I was wrong about his age. I had been told that he was 13 but looked much younger. Byron is not 13 years old he is 14. I looked over at Calin who is 1 year younger than him. Calin has to out weigh him by 100 pounds. By the time we had finished seating Byron he had nearly fallen asleep. This is always a sign of a satisfied customer. He looked very relaxed and was no longer struggling for every breath.

Perla was even more of a challenge to seat. First of all I could not find a chair that would narrow down to only 6 inches wide and secondly Perla’s head bends back so far that it at times closes off her air way and chokes her. After several attempts with various head rests we finally managed to hold her head straight with out causing her any discomfort. She also managed to give us a grin.

Jessica came in to see how we were doing and was extremely pleased with the way the 2 kids looked. I could see in her eyes that something was wrong though so I asked her what it was. She told me that Gaspar (Not the Gaspar that I often talk about who was our first camper from Hermano Pedro, but another little boy who left malnutrition a few months ago.) had died at his home. I remember getting a phone call the day his parents came to take him home. I had been asked if I could modify the wheelchair that I had given him when he arrived at Hermano Pedro because he lived on extremely rugged ground. The hospital felt that he was still to sick to leave and should stay there a bit longer but his parents wanted him home. It is hard to say what is best for these kids because in most cases they deeply miss their families and their families miss them. During the years that I have been in Guatemala I have seen far to many of these kids that return to their homes die though.

Well it sounds like about a dozen healthy kids are nearly knockings down my gate so I think I will close for now and let them in.

Yours in Christ: Dick


Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Since so many of the kids are still in Guatemala City Calin was once again the one that spent the day with me. Carlos and I had promised Carlitos, one of the teens at the orphanage that we would take him and a few of the other teens out to lunch in celebration of his birthday but I figured that I would spend a few hours doing some work around here before heading to Hermano Pedro. My house has not had the outside of it painted the entire time that I have lived here and from its looks it hadn’t been painted in a few years when I moved in. Here in Guatemala everything gets so dirty that you can not tell what color it use to be with in a year or 2. My house was no exception. Yesterday I asked my land lord if the original color was Gray, or brown. She told me that it was white. She smiled a bit when I asked if it had been painted a dark white. Calin and I decided that it would be fun to see how long it would stay white so this morning we started repainting it. At 11 we got cleaned up and headed for Hermano Pedro. Carlitos, Fidel, and David were waiting for us. When I asked where Carlos was they told me that they had not seen him. I gave him a phone call and discovered that he was not feeling well and could not make it in today. Carlitos decided that he wanted to wait until Carlos could join us so we are going to see if he is feeling better by Friday.

I figured that if Calin and I headed straight back home I could get a good part of the house painted today but since we were already at Hermano Pedro I wanted to quickly look in on Perla and Byron to see how their new wheelchairs were working out for them. While we were there the nurses told me that Manwell and his sister Tomisina will be going home this Friday. They are both still verry skinny but have put on a lot of weight since arriving at Hermano Pedro. They are also both able to now get around using walkers. Something that they were not able to do when they arrived at Hermano Pedro. I am going to let them take a walker home with them and I am trying to come up with some type of a wheelchair that they can both fit into since their parents are looking for a way that one of them can get both kids to and from school. Since they will be going home in a few days I am going to have to work fast. Also since they would be leaving soon and absolutely love going to Camperos I decided to once again get my priorities straight. The house painting could wait.

Both of the kids had a great time with us. Manwell has been quite outgoing right from the moment that he came to Hermano Pedro but Tomisina took a long time before she would have anything to do with anyone. Today however she was every bit as outgoing as her brother and the 2 of them were absolute clowns. I am happy for them that they will soon be reunited with their family and am praying that their parents will be able to keep them healthy when they go back home.

We got back home at around 3PM so we managed to get more of the house painted. One advantage to having 14 foot walls all around your house is that it only leaves you with 2 sides of the house to paint. By dark we were well over half done and expect to be able to finish the painting some time tomorrow morning. Quite a few of the kids wanted to help paint but I figured that 3 helpers would be plenty. Daniel did a great job of painting. Calin didn’t do to bad but managed to get about as much paint on himself as he did on the house. I kept kidding him by telling him he was beginning to look more like a white man than I did. Fernando was a willing worker but still needs a few painting lessons. I managed to find enough odd jobs for him to do that he didn’t get to do much of the painting. I didn’t make any supper tonight but took my helpers out for pizza instead. It’s OK because Calin and I both had salads for lunch. I figure that half good meals and half junk food make for a well balanced diet. After we got back from supper I opened up the house to the rest of the kids but told them that the cook was on strike tonight.

All of the kids that are going to leave have now left so I guess I will say goodnight.

Yours in Christ; Dick


Thursday, December 6, 2007, 8:48 PM

We finished up on painting the house at around 10:30 this morning. Other than a few white flowers that were once red and polka dot grass and cement surrounding the house I must admit that the house looks nice. My helpers were also pleased when I paid them even more than I had promised. They deserved it because they really stuck to it until the job was done. I wish that I would have taken a picture of them when they matched my lawn but I didn’t want to take any chances on having my camera painted. At any rate they were all quite proud of themselves and after a half hour shower I could even recognize who was who. When they finally got out of the shower I had a big breakfast ready for them. They had reminded me that it is in this cooks contract that he can not go on strike for more than one meal a week. Even a few freeloaders who had done little more than offer suggestions while we were doing all of the work got to reap the benefits of a big breakfast. I had promised my 3 helpers that I would give them first chance if they wanted to ride along with me to pick up Angelica, the lady who needs a plate put in her leg. Daniel, who is one of my quieter kids chose to stay home but Calin and Fernando jumped at the opportunity. They knew that I was also planning to stop off at Ronny’s house today and they love going along and playing with all of the kids there. Not only that but there is a stretch of gravel road near Ronny’s house that is rather straight and wide and I often let the kids take turns steering my car when we go there.

When we arrived Ronny’s brothers and sisters came running to the car. Ronny was not far behind in his power wheelchair. Ronny’s mom came walking towards the car but she was moving very slowly and did not look well. She told us that she has been running a fever for several days and finally went to see a doctor yesterday. He prescribed some medicine and asked her to return today but she did not have enough money for the medicine or another visit. All she needed was around $4 but to her that was a fortune. Her husband is working in the sugar cane harvest but it will be a few days before he gets paid. I gave her some money and she promised that she would buy medicine with it. From the looks of things the family was nearly out of food as well. Tomorrow when I bring Angelica back to her home I plan on dropping off some groceries with Ronny’s family as well. It is always hard for me to get Calin or Fernando to leave Ronny’s house. Having both of them there at the same time didn’t make things any easier. Both of them have such a love for kids, especially kids who are less fortunate then them. It doesn’t matter if it is at my house, at the orphanage, or in a village, these 2 boys are kid magnets. They love the kids and the kids love them. Just yesterday Calin had an incredibly hard time saying goodbye to a little girl in malnutrition that he was feeding a bottle to. When he finally laid her back down in her crib she would not let go of his finger that she had a grip on with her tiny little hand. Its funny how some of these kids who have been shown so little love by their own parents seem to recognize the need for love in those that have even less than they do.

We finally said our goodbyes but both boys are begging to come along when I return tomorrow. Before leaving Fernando asked if he could have one more ride in an old hammock that is tied between 2 trees. The kids had been swinging each other in it and at times had almost gotten it to make a complete revolution like a lupe-de-lupe at a carnival. I told Fernando that I did not want anyone to get hurt but if he promised to hold on tight I would try to get him upside-down. Guess what. Someone ended up getting hurt. I guess it had something to do with the twisting motion that I did to get him upside down but I must have pulled a muscle in my back because the entire car ride home was pure agony. I am doing a bit better tonight but this is about as long as I can sit with out lying down for a while so I will say good night.

Oh, we got Angelica her daughter and granddaughter to Antigua. Her husband lifted her into the car. Her daughter lifted her out of the car. In the morning the cab driver is taking her from the place where they are spending the night to Hermano Pedro. If I can walk I am planning on going in and seeing how she is doing later in the morning.

Well I think that I will crawl off to bed now.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick



Friday, December 7, 2007, 8:47 PM

I didn’t get to Hermano Pedro until around 10 this morning because my back was still giving me some pain. I called Hermano Pedro earlier and asked them to tell a family who was coming in to get their little girl’s wheelchair refitted that I was running about an hour late. Angelica and her daughters had taken a cab in from Casa de Fe and were still waiting for their 9 o’clock doctors appointment when I arrived. By the looks of the lineup of people that was in front of them it looked like they would be fortunate if they saw the doctor anytime today. The family with the little girl was patiently waiting for me. Calin had come along to interpret and also to help me work on the wheelchair. He is getting to be my right hand man. The little girl who had only received her wheelchair a year ago had grown so much that there was no way that I would be able to make her present wheelchair large enough for her. Fortunately I was able to trade chairs with one that was at Hermano Pedro and with in an hour and a half we had it fitting her perfectly. The family was delighted with the trade and with knowing that the chair that their daughter is now in can be adjusted to last her for several years.

My back was not bothering me to much but I wanted to take it easy so after confirming that Angelica would likely be waiting most of the day to see the doctor Calin and I went up to the malnutrition ward. Calin immediately went over to the crib of the little girl that he has fallen in love with and started playing with her. She is every bit as attached to him as he is to her and cries any time he walks out of the room. I went over to Jennifer’s bed and was sad to see that even though she was properly positioned in the bed that we had made for her she was having difficulty breathing. No matter what I did to try to improve the position of her head she still struggled for every breath. I am fearful that her lungs are filling up with fluid. I finally undid her feeding tube and took her out of her bed to see if there was some way that I could hold her so that she could breathe easier. Nothing seemed to help in fact moving her caused her to vomit. Fortunately I had her lying on her side when it happened. Unfortunately I had her aimed towards me. It didn’t do much for the white tee shirt that I was wearing and since I had come to Antigua in a borrowed car I did not have my usual change of clothing with me. My mane concerns was Jennifer and not the way that I looked or smelled though so it didn’t really bother me at the time. It was only after she had fallen asleep that I could lye her back on her bed. When she sleeps her muscles seem to relax and her breathing improves. Carlos had come in to talk to me while all of this was going on but after seeing her and then seeing that Perla was also having a rough day he left with tears in his eyes. Calin and I stuck around until we were sure that Jennifer was OK. Then I got cleaned up a bit and after that we walked to Camperos for some lunch. We brought some food back to Angelica and her daughters because they didn‘t want to risk missing their turn to see the doctor. I also brought one of the kids from the malnutrition ward and asked Angelica if she wanted to feed her. She absolutely loved it. As things turned out she did not get in to see the doctor until nearly 4 PM and then had to meat with social work to do some paper work. After their meeting Angelica and her daughter looked a bit disturbed. When I asked what the problem was they told me the lady that they had spoken with had informed them that the surgery to put a new plate in was going to cost 5000 Q (nearly $700). That is more money than this family has ever seen and to them it felt like they had been told that they would not be able to have the surgery unless they could come up with the money. I quickly went back in with them to talk to the social worker because I knew that it was Hermano Pedro’s policy to never turn any one away. Calin came along with us and did a marvelous job of interpreting. The Social worker informed me that this was indeed what the operation would cost but that if the family could not pay the entire cost, the operation would be done any way. We finally told them that we would try to come up with the equivalent of $275. This is still a lot of money for these people to come up with but I told Angelica that if they could come up with half of the money I would see to it that the rest was taken care of. Angelica’s worried look had once again turned into a smile. It looks like in just a little over a month Angelica will have her operation and will once again be able to walk.

Since it was getting so late we decided that it would be best if we did not bring Angelica and her family home until morning so we received permission to once again have them spend the night at Casa de Fe

My house was wall to wall kids until 8 PM then I told the kids that I needed a bit of time to myself. It is now 10 PM and time for bed. I haven’t had much time to think about weather or not my back is still hurting but I think that it is doing a lot better so perhaps I will get a better nights sleep than I did last night.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Saturday, December 8, 2007, 7:14 PM

Well my nighs sleep was a bit better but by the time 4 AM rolled around my back let me know that I had laid on it long enough. Actually I enjoyed the 3 hours of quiet time because my self appointed house guests didn’t wake up until around 7. Since my car is still not out of the shop (going on 7 weeks now) I am still having to rely on Chris and Donna for one of their cars. They have gone out of their way to provide me with a car nearly the entire time mine has been laid up but daily vacation bible schools is starting up at their church so starting Monday they are going to need every vehicle that they can get their hands on. Toyota told us today that my car should be out of the shop on Monday. This is their forth promise in as many weeks so I guess that I will just have to wait and see. Today Saul and Hanna let me use their Chevy Tracker but they will be needing it back as well.

Calin once again joined me in taking Angelica her daughter and daughters friend back to their home today. There were other kids that wanted to come along but I only had room for one and needed some one who could interpret for me.

It takes nearly 2 hours to get to Angelica’s home and I was a bit worried about havning to take the Tracker because there is not enough room for Anglia to lye down in it but the ride went well for her. Even though she still needs surgery in order to walk again, thankfully her leg is no longer giving her much pain. When we got to where she lived we saw a large pile of coconuts and yuccas lying in front of her house. Her husband and some of her children told us that they were a gift for us. Some times it is difficult to accept food or gifts from families who have so little themselves but I have learned that they are giving from the bottom of their harts and to say no to such a generous offer would deeply hurt them. I promised that I would return on January 3 so that I could get her in to Hermano Pedro for a final blood test before her surgery on January 19. Why that blood test could not have been done yesterday is beyond me but I was told that it had to be done on the 4th of January. We are all happy though that Angelica is able to have the surgery done at a good hospital and that she will not have to wait very long to have it done.

Our next stop was at Ronny’s house. Ronny’s entire family was at home but his father told us that he would be leaving for work in about an hour. He is thankful that he has work but told us that it takes him an hour and a half to get there and that the job that he is now doing is extremely hard work and is very dangerous. He said that yesterday the man working next to him got run over by one of the sugar cane trucks and is now in the hospital with 2 broken legs.

Ronny’s birthday is coming up in about a week and since I was not sure that I would be able to make it back out to his place before then I suggested that we celebrate today. Since his father had to go to work and 2 of the kids had to stay home so that no one would rob the place while we were gone I was able to squeeze the 7 of us into the car. Calin, Ronny’s mom, and 2 sisters squeezed into the back. Ronny his little brother and I sat in the 2 bucket seats in the front. I had once before taken Ronny and some of the members of his family to the Camperos in Santa Lucia but for the 2 youngest this was a first time experience. Looking at the amount of food that everyone put away I think that taking the family out to lunch was a wise decision. We managed to save a few pieces of chicken for the 2 girls that had to stay behind and even one of the ice-cream cones sort of survived the hour ride back to their home. By the time we reached their home most of the kids in my car were asleep. Just like the kids that I fit into wheelchairs it seems that all of my satisfied customers fall asleep on me.

Calin and I got home at around 5 and we spent the next 15 minutes supplying the neighborhood with coconuts and yuccas. For those of you who have never tried eating yucca, DON’T! Actually they say it isn’t too bad if it is prepared right. I guess that means that all of the times that I was given yucca it simply was not prepared right. I actually like coconuts but always seem to break a finger nail trying to peel them.

Since this suppose to be send out the journal night and my neighborhood is well supplied in coconuts and good tasting yucca I have decided to lock the kids out for the night. I may open up for a few minutes a little later just to hand out some Alka-Seltzer but other than that I am going into hibernation until I get this journal out.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal November 26 - December 1

Monday, November 26, 2007

Even though 3 of our campers showed up on Saturday night adult camp officially started this morning. Calin, Lydia, and I went to Hermano Pedro at around 9 am to pick up the 3 adults and the 1 care giver that are coming to camp for the week. I didn’t personally know the care giver but had been assured that he would be waiting for us at Hermano Pedro when we got there. After waiting for about an hour an a half we decided to load the campers into the van and if the care giver had not shown up by then we would take them to camp and wing it on our own if he never did show up. Fortunately just before leaving I ran into Lesley, a friend who has been at Hermano Pedro for a number of years and she pointed across the street to a man that had been sitting on the curb ever since we had arrived and told us that this was our care giver. I am not sure if he is just shy or wanted us to get everyone lifted into the car before he introduced himself. I had been told by several people that he is a good worker but only time will tell.

A good part of my day was spent repairing a few power chairs but I managed to have lunch at the camp grounds. We seem to have a very enthusiastic group of adults this year and at last count there were 76 wheelchair campers. Many of them brought more than one companion so we are bursting at the seams.

As long as things go smoothly at camp I am going to try to spend more time at home this week, because other than the 1 or 2 kids that accompany me each day my kids from the neighborhood have not seen a lot of me this week. Tonight they were delighted that I was home early and did not make them go home until around 10 pm.

Some of the volunteers from heritage Christian Services had a shoe drive and brought along a bunch of school shoes for the kids. Even though I am not giving any out until school starts in mid January, tonight I let each of the kids pick out the pair that they want me to save for them. Some of the parents even came over to help their children pick out their shoes.

Calin and Abner declared themselves to be house guests and are already fast asleep. I am half way there myself so I will once again say, “Goodnight”.

Yours in Christ: Dick


Tuesday, November 27, 2007, 6:48 PM

I started off my morning by making breakfast for a few of the neighbor kids and myself. Next I headed to the shop to fix a few things and get some supplies. Abner and Alex were at first going to come along with me but the are a bit frightned of Alturio, an older gentleman that works in our wheelchair shop. Alturio is a good man but can some times seem a bit cross. I actually think that he gets a kick out of acting that way but some of my kids take him seriously. Alturio even growled a bit at me this morning when I told him I had lost the key to one of our power scooters. I got him to laugh a bit though when I handed him a knife and asked him if he wanted to use it or if he preferred that I find him a gun so that he could shoot me. As he handed me a new key he grinned at me and said, “I will let you know if I want the knife or the gun if you loose this one.”

I then went to camp and saw that they had plenty of help. When I mentioned that I was heading over to Hermano Pedro Lida asked me if she could come along. On our way there we picked up Abner and Alex. I had promised them that if I went to the orphanage they could come along. We did not arrive until a few minutes after 12 but since the kids had not eaten yet we quickly signed 4 of them out for lunch. We took Minor and his brother Elmer out to eat. It looks like these 2 may not be going home for Christmas. I am not sure just why because I know that they have a mother. We also took Roberto (Bobby). He will likely be going home for Christmas but his mother always picks him up about a week after the other parents do. Estardo also accompanied us to lunch. He has a mother but she has a restraining order against even visiting him. From what I have been told the reason that Estardo can not walk or talk is because of abuse that he has received from her. Even though he had very little response or emotion when he firs arrived at Hermano Pedro a little over a year ago he is now showing more response and even smiles from time to time. I am praying that he will some day dare to come out of his own little world. Today both Lida and I saw a few glimmers of hope.

As we were pushing the 4 kids through the park on their wheelchairs today we were approached by a lady who knew no English. I could tell that she was trying to enquire about the wheelchairs so I called to Abner who was about 50 feet ahead of us. Good old Abner, he always knows the best time to get into one of his moods. He flat out refused to interpret anything that the lady was saying to us or anything that we were trying to say to her. I could tell that she was desperately trying to ask us something about wheelchairs but could not understand what she wanted. Just by CHANCE a Guatemalan gentleman was standing near by who know fluent English. We soon discovered that the lady worked with 35 disabled kids in a town that is several hours from here. She told us that she desperately needed specialty wheelchairs and since the kids that we were with were in wheelchairs she was hoping that there was a CHANCE that we know where she could find any. She was a bit taken back when I told her that I was a seating specialist and Chris handed her one of my cards and also a card from Bethel Ministries and told her to contact them about her needs or even the possibility of a wheelchair distribution in her town. I was glad that we had HAPPENED to decide to come in to Antigua right during the middle of camp. Then again perhaps this had been another GODINCIDENCE.

Lunch went fairly well but 2 of the kids did a lot of crying. I have little doubt that it is hard for them to see most of the other kids go home for Christmas while they have to stay at the orphanage. I had originally planned on going back to the States for a few weeks in December but have now changed my mind. So I do not have much scheduled but I think that I will try to get into Hermano Pedro as much as possible. Even an hour or 2 of getting out means so much to these kids.

Speaking of kids, I have a bunch of them gathered at the gate. I promised that I would finish up on tonight’s Journal in time to fix them some supper and then spend some time with them.

Yours in Christ: Dick


Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Today was the day that the adult camp had their outing. I had given some thought to staying at home and getting caught up on things but got a call from Chris at around 6 AM telling me that they were going to need the van. I got up and was out of the door before 7. It was not Calin’s turn to come along with me but none of the other kids were over yet so he got to come along again today. Since we have run into so much construction lately we decided to take some curvy back roads to the lake this time. Some of the hair pin curves proved to be quite a challenge for the busses but about 2 hours after leaving Chemaltenango we all arrived safely at the lake. I am not sure what the exact count was but there must have been close to 200 of us on the boat. We thought about having a drawing to see who got to use the one and only life jacket if the boat went down but it looked like it was water logged and likely didn’t float anyway. When we reached the far side of the lake we unloaded everyone so that they could do want ever the wanted to do for about an hour. Some of the gang wnet into the nearby village while others just relaxed by the beach. Calin and a few kids that had come to camp with their parents decided to go for a swim. David one of the boys who’s father is attending camp had a bit of a scare when he jumped off a dock into water that he had thought was not over his head. Fortunately an older boy saw him and quickly jumped into the water and gave him a big shove towards shore. David swallowed a bit of water and was quite frightened but with in a half hour he was once again back in the water. This time he made sure that he didn’t go in much deeper than his knees though. Our hour stay on the far side of the lake turned into a 2 hour stay due to a few campers who returned an hour late. No one said much to them about being late but after looking at the faces of everyone who had been waiting for them I doubt that they will pull that stunt again.

One of the reasons that we had wanted to leave earlier was because at this time of year fog often sets in after dark. That is exactly what it did tonight. Fortunately it was not foggy all of the way home but unfortunately it was foggy on the section of road that is under construction. It consists of about 15 miles of curvy dirt road that has no lines painted on it. In many places there is no sholder to the road but only a 3 to 4 foot drop off where they will eventually add another lane. Since traffic in both directions has a tough time figuring out exactly where their side of the road is when it is rainy or foggy I have made it a practice to find a large truck that has working tail and brake lights and follow it through this part of the highway. Some times I have to let a dozen trucks go by before I find one with working tail lights but tonight I hit it right and got behind one right away. I guess that I should have checked to see if he had working head lights though because it soon became evident that the driver was having a difficult time seeing where he was going. He kept getting closer and closer to the drop off at the edge of the road. When he suddenly drove off the edge I decided to quit following him. How he managed to go over about a 4 foot drop with out rolling the truck is beyond me. How he is ever going to get his truck out of there is an even bigger mystery. Soon we found another truck to follow. He had working headlights and tail lights. A few miles down the road, when he had to quickly apply his breaks for a car that was coming at him in the wrong lane, we were happy to see that he had break lights too. It was a fun day but everyone was happy to be safely back at camp. After getting everyone and everything off from the busses and out of the van I headed for home.

Tomorrow will be our last day of camp so I plan on helping fix some of the wheelchairs that the campers have brought to camp.

Good night,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Thursday, November 29, 2007, 5:18 PM

Fernando has been helping me fix wheelchairs today. Our shop is also full of workers who are getting everyone’s wheelchair back in shape so that they will hopefully last them until next years camp. This is always a big undertaking that mostly goes on behind the scenes during the entire 3 weeks of camp. Some of the older kids at camp even pitched in today helping to change tires or lending a hand in any way that they could. I think that they realize how important a wheelchair is to their parent or family member who is in one.

9:55 PM

--------- I went back to camp for a while but didn’t stay long tonight. The sound system in the gym is not the best so I was unable to understand much of what was being said by the campers. I know though that they are all grateful for the camp and it means more to them than we will ever know. Even a trip to the lake like the one that we took yesterday is often a once in a life time experience for many of these campers. It makes all of the loading and unloading of campers to and from busses and boats well worth it. I must admit though that I was a bit of a slacker this week as far as work goes. A few too many lifts during the first 2 camps has left my back in a bit of a tender condition. Thankfully though we had a wonderful group of Guatemalan and USA volunteers and everything went smoothly.

Going home early tonight did not prove to be all that restful though. Granted camp has 76 campers plus who knows how many family members but at least it has lots of volunteers to pitch in. The day campers at my house tonight reached some where near 20 people, and for a change the girls outnumbered the boys. They all pitched in and cleaned up after supper though and even left with in 15 minutes after being asked to. They all asked if I was going to be home tomorrow night and promised to be here if I was. If being a bachelor is as lonely as they say it is. I am glad that I am not married. If married life is evne less lonely then this I am not sure that I could stand it.

I’m tired so I will be heading off to bed soon but not before thanking the Lord for allowing me to be here to serve these wonderful people.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Friday, December 30, 2007

This morning all of our campers headed back to their homes. Some went by buss, some by car, and many of them in the back of pick up trucks that were hired to take them home. All of them were sad that camp had once again ended for another year. It was a great year of camp and even though the amount of volunteers that helped out this year were fewer their team spirit and willingness to help out where ever needed was fantastic. A big thank you to all of you who were involved! With out you 200 wheelchair campers and their families could not have had the experience of their life time.

Liz and I took the 3 men from Hermano Pedro and the helper that we had hired back to Antigua first thing this morning. There were no tears but there were a lot of hugs and thank yous. It is likely that none of them will get to leave the confines of Hermano Pedro until next years camp.

After returning to Chemaltenango I picked up Chris and Donna’s daughter, Lezete, Georges wife, Fernando, and 5 of the volunteers that had come from the States and we headed out to see Maria, the lady who’s husband had been killed by a hit and run driver a few months ago. Maria’s husband had been working for George, who owns a banana truck. Early one morning as he was walking across the road here in Chemaltenango he was run over by a speeding semi. Maria who is in her mid 20s lives in a one room dirt brick house with her 4 children. We are in the process of building her a prefab house but she will need an income in order to survive. She has never been more than a few miles from her home and has no education. Right now she is making an embroidered sweater that she hopes to sell but it will take her 2 months to complete it and at best will bring her $80. That is just a little over $1 per day for her labor. Maria was quite nervous having so many Americans at her home at one time but did well at explaining her situation to us. We told her that we were willing to help her find a way to make an income but wanted her input on what she thought would work for her. Someone had mentioned trying to have her get a education but she needed an income now besides that she had 4 children to care for, and here in Guatemala an education is no guarantee that a person will ever find a job. Several ideas were discussed from raising chickens to opening a small store in her home. When we suggested helping her buy a pregnant sow and helping her build a fenced off area in her small yard her eyes lit up. She told us that at one time her and her husband had raised a few pigs and that she knew how to take care of them. Gorges wife agreed to look into just how much it would cost to buy one or 2 sows, build a good fence, and supply her with enough feed for the pigs until she had sold the first litter of piglets.

It was amazing to see the transformation that had taken place even during our short visit. Children who were crying because of fear of the Americans were now smiling while we were holding them. Some of the other kids were having a time of their lives on a make shift teeter totter that Fernando had constructed for them, and Maria had a glimmer of hope in her eyes. Lida one of the volunteers that came along has offered to sponsor 2 of Maria’s older children so that they will be able to go to school now. It is amazing what love and a few dollars can do for a family that seems to have no hope. Before leaving we gathered in a circle with Maria and some of the people that live near her and had prayer. We also left her and her family with some groceries. It is always best to teach some one how to fish rather then simply giving them a life time supply of fish to eat but we have also found that it is hard to do any fishing when your stomach is empty. Hopefully this will be a start in helping Maria and her family provide for them selves. Either way we are committed to be there for them.


Bedtime once again.
Goodnight,

Yours in Christ: Dick


Saturday, December 1, 2007, 7:00 PM

Chris took the early run to the airport and just before lunch Calin, Lady, and I brought the last of our volunteers to the airport. I had intended on heading straight home and getting some much neglected house and yard work done but when I discovered that Lady had never been to the zoo in her entire life, I decided that I had better get my priorities in order. For Calin and myself it was almost a repeat performance of last Saturday but neither of us minded at all. After a big unhealthy lunch at one of the booths at the zoo we headed out to see the animals. Of coarse since the amusement rides are right along the path to the grizzly bears we could not help but stop off for a few bumper car rides. I held my own until our final ride when a bunch of people that I had been running into the walls decided to gang up on me and make me feel like a ping pong ball. It was all done in good spirits though and when we left the zoo my back was actually feeling better than it had in days. The bumper cars seemed to do as much good for me as any chiropractor could have ever done and they were a lot cheaper

When we got back home all of the kids helped me finish up on the yard and house work that we had started on this morning and by dark a lot more of it was finished than I had anticipated.

I was going to put up my Christmas tree tonight but many of the kids are gone so I may wait a few days. Abner is spending a few days with some cousins in Guatemala City. Alex, is also with some cousins for the week end. Elmer, Edward, and Chino are working in the city for a few weeks. They have an aunt who owns a clothing store and she needs extra help this time of year. The pay is not all that great but it good for them to be able to help their aunt out.

It has now been 6 weeks since my car was brought into the shop. The Toyota garage told us earlier this week that they were quite sure that I would have it by today but I have heard nothing from them. I imagine that since camp has finally ended and the trips into the city, and the need for a car is not as great it will likely be ready soon. We actually did quite well considering all of the driving that had to take place during camp but between Chris, Donna, Gordon, and myself the entire 3 weeks felt like we were playing musical cars.

I am going to close for now because I want to try to get this journal sent out yet tonight. I always try to run my spell check program in the evening when it is cooler that way it does not over heat my computer when it is trying to correct all of the mistakes.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Sam Sam at orphanage & at camp

Journal November 20-25

. . . . Kid's Camp 2007 . . . .

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Last night I stayed at camp with Calin and 3 of the kids from Hermano Pedro. I was ready for a sleepless night but the kids were all tired enough that they fell asleep within an hour after being put to bed. One of the care givers from Hermano Pedro is once again coming in each night to help with the kids so that really helps. This morning she got Mercedes and Sonia showered and dressed while I did Moises, Byron, and David. Actually I had the boys finished before any one else got up. It seems that they were all slept out by 5 am so I took advantage of the empty showers and had them ready before the rest room filled up with other campers.
After a delicious breakfast I worked on a few powered chairs while the kids separated into groups and started some of today’s activities. Mathew, one of the volunteers who has come from New York for several years now approached me and said how happy he was that 5 of the kids from Hermano Pedro could come to camp this year. He said that he could not help but think about some of those that do not get to come to camp though. Especially those that have no families to go home to at Christmas time. Ones like Christina, who sit in their wheelchairs tied to the wall with their hands bound the entire day. Or ones like Sam Sam who are seldom allowed from their cribs. If only they could experience camp. if not for the entire week, even a few hours would be great. Mat and I looked at each other. The campers were all being well taken care of by the other volunteers. What if he and I went and picked up Christina and Sam Sam and brought them to camp for the afternoon. I was not sure that the hospital would allow it but it was well worth a try. Christina has not been out of Hermano Pedro in all of the years that I have known her and Sam is fortunate if he gets out more than a few times a year. Soon the 2 of us were on our way to Hermano Pedro.
Mat later told me that he had prayed the entire way to Antigua that Christina would be allowed to come to camp. Over the years he has established a real friendship with her. Christina who often times bites and scratches at herself and anyone that gets to close to her calms down any time Mat is with her. When we got to Hermano Pedro I went in and talked with Jessica, as expected she was for the idea but we still had to get permission from Social Work and from Father Jose. Less then an hour later Christina, Sam Sam, Mat, and myself were driving out of Antigua on our way to camp. I had called ahead and asked if they could save some lunch for us. The others had already eaten but that was perhaps for the best because both Sam Sam and Christina do better when there is less commotion. The ride to Antigua went great. Sam Sam sat next to me and was so calm that I immediately removed the helmet that he wears day and night. Christina sat in the back seat with Mat. She simply loved the car ride and looked in wonderment at every thing along the way. After lunch we took the 2 of them into the soccer field near the chapel. Most of the other campers had just gone into the chapel to hear Candy give her testimony. We felt that so many people in one building would be to much for Sam
Sam and Christina so we stayed out side in the soccer field. A few of the families who had younger children did the same. The next 2 hours had to be the best hours of Sam Sam and Christina’s lives. Christina was content to sit with Mat and enjoy what was going on around herand she was happy and smiling the entire time. She looked so happy that it was hard to believe that this was the same girl who is often screaming and biting at herself and others. Sam Sam had the time of his life. He played with several of the others adults and kids who had remained out side and was smiling and laughing out loud most of the time. Every now ant then he would come running to me for a reassuring hug but would then go back and play or simply wonder around exploring this new world. The afternoon went all to fast but it was one that none of us will soon forget. When we got the 2 of them back to Hermana Pedro I almost forgot to put on Sam Sam’s helmet which had been lying on the floor of the car the entire day. Unfortunately it was needed the second that the nurse put Sam back into his crib. We said our good byes and headed down the long hall way. Christina had been put to bed with her hands tied, and the bang, bang, bang of Sam Sam’s head against the steal bars of his crib echoed down the hallway attempting to drowned out the memories of an unforgettable afternoon.

Yours in Christ: Dick


Wednesday, November 21, 2007, 10:00 PM

Another outing on the lake today.
Everyone had a great time. I’m tired.

Goodnight,

Yours in Christ: Dick


Thursday, November 22, 2007

I pretty much stuck around camp today. Tomorrow kids camp is over so I wanted to be with the kids as much as possible. I managed to work on a few wheelchairs but with all of the willing helpers that I had it took a bit longer then I had expected to get anything done. Jason, a boy that use to live at Hermano Pedro, and Moises were both determined to be my chief helpers so the competition gat a bit out of hand at times. In their enthusiasm to hand me tools they managed to dump the entire contents of my tool box onto the ground several times. Have you ever seen one of those tool boxes that has a tray built into the lid that has dozens of individual compartments that hold hundreds of various size nuts and bolts? Chris and Donna bought me one like that for Christmas last year. I loved it at the time but after having nearly every kid in the orphanage and several of the kids at camp open the lid to my tool box with out first closing the lid to the nut and bolt tray I am considering writing a letter to the company that made it telling them what a stupid idea it was. It was a great day though and in spite of having nuts bolts and tools scattered from one end of the cam to the other we managed to get a lot of wheelchairs fixed. Myrna a little girl from Santa Maria Dejesus was especially happy that we made the seating system of her power chair larger so that she could once again drive it.

This was our final night of camp so after a big dinner we had a closing ceremony. Each camper and their parent or care giver is given a gift bag and the opportunity to say something, if they want to. Several of the kids simply said thank you but the smile on there faces said it all. Others express their feelings in words that brought tears to many of our eyes. One that really stands out in my mind was Erica, the little girl with the skin condition. She not only thanked everyone in Spanish but also in English then she gave a big hug to many of us. She has been an absolute delight all week. Everything that she does is done with so much enthusiasm that it is contagious and so is the smile that is continually on her face. It is hard to believe that this is the same little girl that Chris and I found cowering in a corner of her home when we met her a few short years ago. Was this camp a success? YES!! Even if Erica had been the only one that attended it would have been well worth it, but she was not the only one that attended, nor was she the only one who was beaming from ear to ear. Over 50 other kids with disabilities and many family members had experienced 5 days of camp that they will not soon forget.

Yours in Christ: Dick


Friday, November 25, 2007

Right after breakfast we gathered up the Hermano Pedro kids to take them home. Mercedes, who can not speak with words was fully communicating to us how she and so many of the other campers felt about going home. Mercedes is usually nothing but smiles was in tears, and for nearly an hour there was not much that we could say or do to keep her from crying. Even though there were tears in many eyes I guess that I felt the most for Mercedes because she does not have a family to go home to. The other 4 kids that had come to camp from the orphanage at least had families that were going to let them come home during the Christmas holidays but the closest thing to family that Mercedes has ever known are the people that at camp that have come to know and love her. She cheered up a bit when I told her that I was not going back to the States for Christmas and that even though it likely would not be right on Christmas day I was going to take her out for lunch. Sonia also got a little terry eyed on the drive home but managed to keep from crying. When we reached Hermano Pedro and I opened the door to the van she let out a squeal of delight. Her father and a brother and sister were there to take her home for the holidays. Moises was equally as happy when he discovered that his family was also there to take him home. David and Byron’s parents were not there for them but should be with in a day or 2. Hermano Pedro will empty out a bit for the next 2 months but the kids that stay will be the ones that have no relatives so I am going to try to see to it that at least some of them get attention.

As soon as I got back from the Orphanage we loaded up Ronny, his sister, and his grandmother. Lillian, (another camper) Lillian’s mother, her sister, and 5 of our volunteers from the States also joined us. This was the first time that these 5 volunteers had ever been to Guatemala so being able to see where some of our campers actually lived was quite an eye opener to them. Lillian’s home is a simple 2 room block house but her mother has a way of making their simple dwelling look so inviting that I think many of us could have moved right in. Everything in the house is kept spotless and the entire yard is full of flowers. The family served us rice milk and then gave us 2 live chickens to bring back to Chris and Donna as gifts. Both gifts were appreciated but a few of our volunteers were apprehensive about drinking the rice milk because it was likely made from water that was not filtered. I graciously drank mine but have for the most part developed an iron stomach after living here all of these years. I must admit though that the thought of having 2 live chickens with us in a warm van for the next several hours was not up there on my list of favorate things to do. Never the less there was no way to refuse such a generous gift.
Our next stop was at Ronnie’s house. This was the real eye opener to the group that had accompanied me. Unlike Lillian’s house there were no flowers, only damp mud. Not just in the yard but also in the tin shed that this family calls their home. Ronny’s entire family was overjoyed to see him, his sister, and his grandmother. They were also glad to see us. Here we were offered no food because they had none to give us. Ronny’s other grandmother who had walked over from her house to say hello told us that she was completely out of food so I gave her some money to buy some. I seriously thought about giving them the chickens who’s ever present aroma was becoming more apparent the longer they stayed in the van, but I knew that Lillian’s family wanted them to go to Chris and Donna. Soon we were saying good bye and with in an hours we were sitting in a restaurant having a good meal. One of our team members actually ordered chicken. I made sure that I sat on the far end of the table from her.

We got into Antigua at around 5 pm. This gave the volunteers about an hour to shop. Pastor Bill and some of the others who had not come with us to bring the 2 families home met us there. When thye commented about their ride from Chemaltenango to Antigua on the Chicken buss I told them that they would feel right at home on their van ride to Chemaltenango. As much as I dread shopping I had chosen it over sitting in the warm van that was beginning to get down right ripe.

I have now had a shower and given the van and the chickens to Chris and Donna so I think that I will be able to get some sleep.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Saturday, November 26, 2007

Chris took six of the volunteers to the airport early this morning and then picked me up with the van at around 7:30. The chickens were no longer in the van. Evidence that they had been their was still lingering. After meeting with the rest of the teem for breakfast at Camperos (the chicken place) I drove the van straight to the car wash.


The rest of my day was spent bringing people to and from the airport. Several of my neighbor kids traded off in coming along. On our firs trip we had about 2 hours between drooping a group of and picking one up so Abner, Calin, and I spent some time at the Zoo. We spent most of that time driving the bumper cars. It is always a good way to stay in practice for normal Guatemalan Driving. I always make sure that I am at the airport before a team arrives because coming into a foreign country not knowing the language and seeing only strange faces when you walk out of the airport can be a frightening experience to even the seasoned traveler.

10:00 pm

I just dropt of the last of our volunteers that flew in from the USA. Monday will be the beginning of our third and final camp of the year. We are expecting over 80 campers. Each of them will likely bring one or 2 family members along with them so I think that this will be a record breaker. We are looking forward to it though and are praying that this camp goes as smoothly as our last 2. They were fantastic. All of our campers had a wonderful time and many of them gave their harts to the Lord.

Yours in Christ: Dick


Sunday, November 25, 2007, 8:54 PM

This morning most of the USA volunteers accompanied me to the church that I attend in Antigua. Fernando and Jason also came along. Most of the other kids went to the water slides with a church group from the church that Calin’s grandmother attends. After church we went to Hermano Pedro. Most of the kids who have family members have now gone home for the Christmas holidays but those that were at Hermano Pedro were glad to see us. They are the kids that have no family and are hurting the worst because of lack of someone who can spend time with them. We stayed for a long time but finally had to say goodbye. For some reason I had an especially hard time leaving the orphanage today. Partly because some of the kids seemed so sad. I think it was because they knew that the others had familys to go home to and they did not. Another reason that it was hard to say good bye was because of 2 kids that are in malnutrition who are not doing well. They are the 2 kids that I mentioned in my November 7 journal. When I looked in on the little 5 year old girl I was shocked to see that she looked much worse than she did when she was admitted in to the hospital 2 weeks ago. I fear that nothing short of a miracle will keep her alive much longer. 14 year old Byron (not the Byron that I usually write about) looked a little better but is still not out of the woods. His arms and legs are not much bigger around than my thumb. I wanted so much to hold these 2 children but was afraid that if I did not pick them up correctly they would possible die in my arms. The nurses in the malnutrition ward are trying to give them the best care possible but some times even that is not enough. Please pray for these 2 children and many others who have no hospitals to go to. Pray for us to. It is hard to see these children suffer but it would be harder yet not to be here for them.

Yours in Christ; Dick