Journal February 29 - March 7

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Friday, February 29, 2008

We all welcomed the cooler weather when we woke up. The dogs woke most of us up before we wanted! The Hotel Rancho Grande Inn was very nice with a garden setting. We all had breakfast at the Rancho Restaurant, with the best pancakes that tasted like sweet biscuits! We went sidewalk shopping where the vendors attacked us and would not let us go, until we purchased their goods. I still don't know who had the best time, the vendors or those of us who were shopping? On our way back to Chimaltenango we stopped at Juan's home and met his wife and 4 children. Juan was lead man on our house building project. He is a local pastor and his church is in front of his house. The church seemed to be quite new. Very nice inside, much better than some of the houses around by far! We are on the move again to see the Mayan ruins. This area has Mayan Indians dating back to the early 1500. This is an area where Mayan people worship their gods, which are many. There are many large mounds of rock and mortar. At the end, there was a ceremony going on with candles, smoke and fire and also the smell of meat being sacrificed. We returned to Chimaltenango, where we had stayed the first night and had lunch/dinner at Comperos. Comperos is known for their good chicken. We brought our luggage to our rooms and then went to the wheelchair shop and warehouse where the wheelchairs are brought and fixed. Many of the chairs come from Hope Haven out of Rock Valley, Iowa. About 1000 chairs are given out yearly in this area. Chris and Dick shared from their hearts. We were moved by the Holy Spirit to pray for their ministry and our involvement in it. We then went to Dick's home to meet some of the kids in his neighborhood that hang out at his place. After a few minutes all the kids and adults felt at home and had a ripping good time! As you can tell we had a busy day traveling! We saw lots of vegetable gardens, many were terraced type.
To God Be the Glory!

(Ralph Lautenbach)


(Saturday) March 1st, 2008

Today is day 10 of our 11 day journey in Guatemala. We started our day with devotions in the parking lot of our hotel. Len quoted the familiar verse of Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you....". Well, today we all knew the plan was to visit the orphanage, but I'm not sure any of us knew what to expect. We had breakfast at Campero's, here in Chimal and then drove to the orphanage in Antigua. I have lost my sense of direction, but it seemed to be right in the middle of town, a very busy town!! It is part of a hospital and very large. We were greeted at the entrance by 2 boys/men in wheelchairs, who were so excited to see Dick! Dick continued to show us thru the whole orphanage. The different divisions we visited were children, teenage girls, teenage boys, babies and the malnutrition children. All with physical or mental handicaps. Dick was so at ease with all of them, he brought so many smiles to children that you may think don't understand, but they obviously did. Some kids you could just mention their name and you could see the joy on their faces. Some we held, some we walked, some we played ball with, or played in the playground with. We helped feed lunch to many of them. I could go on and tell you several names or stories, all of which are very heartfelt, but it would take too many pages! These are all God's children and they will stay in our hearts for a long time. I am so grateful for people like Dick, who volunteer several days each week to show these children that they are cared about and loved and treats them as God's children. We then went to lunch at a Burger King, it was just like any B,K. you would see in the States. After lunch, a few people went and spent more time with the kids at the orphanage. I think Steve V.V. had to take the extra time to hold each baby there! The rest of us went with Chris and walked thru the town. He pointed out places to stay away from and the places that were safe. We saw many things, people sleeping on the streets, people with no legs, horse and buggy drivers talking on their cell phones, some very old churches, and we also walked through one. At about 4pm we headed back to our hotel here in Chimal. Some of us went for a drive to visit Chris and Donna's home. What a wonderful family they are! We then went for dinner to a restaurant called "56" and sat outside and had a great meal for our last dinner here. I think those that were feeling ill the last few days are now feeling better. Tomorrow will be a big day of travel, We need to be up by 3am. I think we are all ready to see our family and friends again. Deut. 33.:27 The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.

(Kim Gatterman)


(Sunday) March 2nd, 2008

We set the alarm for 3am - John went around to everyone's room with a wake up knock on the door. Chris and Dick came around 3:30 am to take us to the airport. Today is the day we will be going home again. We had mixed feelings......feelings of sadness to be leaving Dick, Chris & his family, and all the other friends we had bonded with over the past few days. But also looking forward to going home to be with our loved ones. We had feelings of praise and thanksgiving to God our Father who made it possible for us to come and share His love with all the people we met here in Guatemala, and also for all the blessings we received from it. And we had feelings of hope and peace, knowing God is in control of all things. We pray He will continue to bless Dick and Chris & his family and their ministry here. That He will give them strength and clear guidance in the work He has planned for them here in Guatemala. And we pray for the people here -that they may find their hope and joy in the Lord Jesus Christ, even though they live in desperate situations.

We were all ready to go by 3:30am. We gathered together for devotions and a group prayer and then headed for the airport. Our flight left at 7:15am to Houston and from there we arrived in Seattle at around 3:30pm. Lisa, Heather and Sandi and families were there to greet us. The rest of us rode home in "the bus" driven by Dan Kuiper - we kept reminding him he wasn't in Guatemala anymore! We arrived safely at the church parking lot at 6pm.

Thank you Lord for watching over us and protecting us! For giving us the opportunity to be a "small light" in a dark world. For making us aware of how blessed we are and how important it is to share what you have so graciously given to us. May our hearts be forever changed! Open and willing to do whatever you have planned for us.(Jeremiah 29:11)
We ask this in Jesus name, Amen.

(John & Arlis)


Sunday, March 2, 2008, 4:31 PM (Written by Dick)

My alarm went off at 3:20 AM. I can’t say that I was fully rested but I had to get to the motel where the group that has been with us for the past 10 days was staying at. They were flying back home at 7:00 AM so we had to have them at the airport by 5:00. They were all up when I arrived at the motel but I can’t say that they looked much more awake than I did. It has been a marvelous 10 days of house building, wheelchair distributing, visiting, and faith sharing but we are all tired. Would any of us do it again if we were given the opportunity? I think that I am speaking for all when I say, IN A HEART BEAT! I have little doubt that most if not all of our friends from Washington State will be back with in a year if not sooner. Thanks gang for giving it your all and then some! I hope that all of your cuts, bruises, rashes, and stomach problems will soon be forgotten and you will come back soon. We will miss each and everyone of you. I will especially miss those who made my week much easier by writing the journals that I published while you were here. I think that I will ask other groups to do the same when they come down.

We had a great time on the road but it is good to be back at home. I missed the kids and I think that they missed me. It seems that a few of them are displaying their disapproval of my being gone for so many days in a row by acting out a bit. The kids here at home seem to be a lot louder and livelier than usual and even several of the orphanage kids showed that they were not happy that I had not seen them in nearly a week and a half. One neat thing about the orphanage kids is that they are quick to forgive, and given the choice of calming down or going home most of the neighbor kids quickly settled down to a quiet roar. 4 of them came along with me to church this morning, and then to lunch. By the way that they put down the food I have little doubt that what ever I feed them the next few days I will here no complaints,

Well I am going to try and catch a bit of a nap before I once again let the kids back into the house so I will close for now.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Monday, March 3, 2008

You would think that I had enough of the hot weather by now but today I once again found myself at Ronny’s house. Rusty, a friend from church will be going to Belize for a few weeks on Tuesday so this was the only day that he had open to put a cook stove into Ronny’s house. Actually there was a lot more involved than just bringing in a stove and installing it. Rusty actually builds the stoves right at the homes from cement block and brick. Usually he has whoever he is building the stove for gather up all of the supplies before he comes in and constructs it but since I was on the road all of last week that did not happen. The first thing we did this morning was run all over Eltejar and Santa Lucia gatherings all of the material that was needed. Fortunately a truck was already bringing in some cement blocks so we did not have to try to fit 30 of them into my Toyota along with the 40 bricks, 5 sacks of white sand, 2 sacks of cement, stove top, stove door, chimney, tools, and other assorted parts. By the time we got to Ronny’s house and actually got started on the project it was past noon. Ronny’s dad helped us out for a while but then had to go to work. That left us with Rusty to build the stove while I hand mixed cement and carried bricks and blocks into the house. Had I known that it was going to be another 100 degree day I may have hidden the return tickets of the group that was here last week so that they would have had no choice but to stick around for another week. I must admit though that much of the work was done by Ronny’s younger brothers and sisters. I can’t believe the amount of work that they did. I am sure that if they were in the USA child labor would have been after us but none of them broke their backs and all of them seamed extremely pleased that they could help. When 5 PM rolled around we still had a small amount of work left to do on the stove but figured that the men who are finishing up on the house could finish it another day. I think that Ronny’s mom is going to be happy with it. She will still be cooking with wood but Rusty says that it should only use about a third as much wood as the open fire that she has cooked on in the past. All of the smoke will also go up the chimney in stead of going into the house. This had been and still is a big health problem for many Guatemalans who still cook over open fires.

The shower is still not hooked up in Ronny’s house so the kids got cleaned up by either pouring water over them selves or climbing into what ever buckets or wash tubs they could find. I think that Ronny’s mom had heard some where that Americans have this thing about modesty though, because she made some of the kids put some of their clothing back on until we left.

Even though the house is still in need of windows and doors Ronny’s family is moved into their new house. I don’t think that they will ever get the good housekeeping award but the are all verry happy. Now that Ronny has a cement ramp going into the house and a cement floor to drive on he is getting a lot more use out of his power wheelchair. The batteries are also holding up a lot better now that his wheelchair has a smoother surface to run on. I guess progress has a few negative drawbacks, because now that they have electricity they have been given a TV set from some relatives.

Ronny seems to do fairly well during the day but continues to get high fevers at night so we decided that it would be best for him to come back with us to see the doctors at Hermano Pedro. Since his dad is working and his mother is pregnant it was decided that Ronny’s grandmother would accompany us. Tonight she and Ronny are staying at Casa DeFaye in Antigua. I gave them cab fare so that I don’t have to pick them up and bring them in to Hermano Pedro at 6:30 in the morning.

I got home late so I let the kids stay a bit longer than usual. They played soccer and only broke one window. I didn’t figure that was much of a problem until I discovered that some one had dropped something on the 6 spare windows that I have. Oh well it is a warm night and I seldom have a problem with bugs around here.

I Guess that I will head off to bed now.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Tuesday, March 4, 2008, 10:01 PM

I actually got a few thing done around home before heading to Hermano Pedro this morning. When I got there Ronny was just finishing up on a few blood tests. At first the doctor wanted his grandmother and him to stick around another day but decided that they could give me the results tomorrow and I could relay them to Ronny’s family.

One of the people that was here last week left some money with me for Ronny’s family so before bringing Ronny and his grandmother home I stopped off and bought some groceries for the family. I had seen what they had to eat yesterday and knew that groceries were needed. When I got to Ronny’s house I also gave them a large picture that I had taken of their family a few days ago.

On my way home I stopped off at a new barber shop that is in town. Had I known that their prices are a lot higher than the one that I usually go to I my have gone there instead. Can you imagine the nerve of some businesses to ask such outlandish prices? I must admit they did a good job considering what they had to work with, (some how that didn’t come out the way I wanted it to.) but $2 for a hair cut and another $1.25 for a shave is outlandish.

I didn’t get home until close to 7 PM but the crew was waiting for me. I think that I am going to have to figure out a better place for the kids to play soccer though because even though no windows were broken tonight my flower bed took a real beating. I also discovered that those expensive 10,000 hour light bulbs are no match for a soccer ball.

The kids got tired of waiting for me to cook them supper so they are whipping something up on the stove. I sure hope that they aren’t making what I think they are making because we are out of Ketchup. Although I must admit nearly half the kids are getting use to having syrup on their French toast.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Wednesday, March 5, 2008, 8:24 PM

I had to catch up on a lot of work so I told the kids that they could not come in this evening. I think that the only ones that liked that decision were my flowers and my lawn. Funny thing how I always wish for more quiet time when the house is full of kids but once it empties out the silence becomes deafening. I think that I will suffer through it though because having 10 or 15 kids in a 3 room house can get a bit overwhelming at times.

This morning I went to the shop and helped Alturo figure out what was wrong with a power wheelchair that he was having problems with. Once we got it running all of the other workers thanked me. Not necessarily for fixing the chair but for helping get Alturo out of the bad mood he was in from trying to figure out what the problem was. Don’t get me wrong Alturo is a great old guy but every now and then it is best to stay out of his way.

I got into Hermano Pedro in time to take Moises and Byron out for lunch. Byron is getting to be a real show off with his head controlled wheelchair and really hams it up when we go through the park. As hard as they try most people that see him can not figure out how he is driving his wheelchair. Often times they look at Moises, who is always being towed behind Byron’s power chair, expecting him to be holding a remote control transmitter of some type.

Today when we returned from lunch all but a small hand full of kids were once again locked in their cribs until tomorrow morning. Jessica has told the care givers several times with in the last few weeks that they can not have the kids in bed 20 hours a day but it seems to go in one ear and out the other. I took Ervin out of his crib, left him in his pajamas, put him in his wheelchair and took him to the far end of Hermano Pedro where the nuns and the father superior have their offices. It did not take long for us to be noticed because they do not like the kids to be out of their rooms unless they are dressed and have shoes and socks on. When I was asked why Ervin was not dressed at this time of day I explained that I had taken him out of his crib because he didn’t like being in bed from noon until the following morning. I was thanked for bringing this to their attention and promised that they were going to have another talk with the careless givers.

The rest of my afternoon was spent repairing several wheelchairs. I really have not had much time to refit or repairs many of the wheelchairs since the kids got back after they went to their homes for Christmas.

Before heading for home this evening I took a few new volunteers up to the malnutrition ward. 9 year old Julio is putting on weight and must be nearly 20 pounds now. They gave him a hair cut so he no longer looks like Mogly from The Jungle Book. Byron and Perla are both putting on weight and Perla is no longer being fed through a feeding tube. I still wonder how they will survive if and when their parents decide to take them home. There are a few new kids that look quite frail but over all most of the kids that are in malnutrition are doing quite well.

Well I think that I will close for now and just sit and listen to the silence. Although to make it completely silent I would have to poison all of the dogs and roosters in the neighborhood and also disconnect my doorbell.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick
Thursday, March 6, 2008

This morning I met with some people from Prairie Bible Institute for a few hours. They are pioneering some programs where some of their students could be plugged in to various ministries for a few months of the year. I shared with them some opportunities such as some of the orphanages that we are involved with, house building, schooling, and the wheelchair ministry. I then took them to our wheelchair shop and introduced them to everyone that works there. They are still in the planning stages but I think that they saw that the needs are endless and it gave them a lot to think about.

I had wanted to visit with a few families for several days now but Mario and his daughter have been sick so he was not able to accompany me today. He thought that perhaps he would be able to come along with me in a day or 2 but wasn’t sure so I decided to wait until the kids got out of school at around noon, and take a few of the boys along with me instead. It took a while deciding who would come along with me but it was finally decided that Calin, Fernando, and Alex would go. I was glad that Fernando and Calin were with me because I had a lot of important things to discuss with some of the families and these 2 boys are becoming excellent at interpreting. Alex’s English is not all that great but I figured that the opportunity to come along and visit some of these families would be a good experience for him.

Our first stop was at the home of Maria and her 4 children. She is the lady who’s husband was killed when he was run over by a truck a few months ago. Maria told us that she is overjoyed with the new prefabricated house that we put up for her. She said that the insulation helps keep it cool during the day and even though they live at an elevation of over 7000 feet the family stays comfortable at night. Since we now have the finances we are also moving forward on getting a pin built and then giving her some pigs to raise. Maria’s older children are delighted that they can now attend school and both of them proudly brought out their school work for us to look at. Maria’s sister who lives next door to them has not been feeling well ever since she had a baby a few weeks ago so we gave her some money so that she can go to Tecpan and see a doctor.

Next we walked over to a home that is located only a little ways up the hill from Maria’s house. This is the home of a mother who has 3 children, 1 of whom is blind. Her husband deserted her and the children just over a year ago leaving them with nothing but a shack to live in. Last time we visited I told her that we would do our best to get 2 of her children into school. The 11 year old girl had gone in the past but had to drop out shortly after her father left because mom did not have enough money for needed pencils and note books. Mom told us that her kids were so excited when we told them that we could possibly enroll her 6 year old son into school and get her daughter back into school. that she went from neighbor to neighbor promising them that she would pay back the $9 that was needed to enroll them if they would lone it to her until we returned, so to our surprise both children have been going to school for the past week. It was good that we showed up when we did though because the neighbors who have next to nothing themselves were asking when she would be able to pay back her debt. The kids were still in need of school supplies, books, and PE uniforms so we are helping them out with that. They were also delighted when we handed them back packs that some friends of mine had brought in from the States. I wish so that the pubic schools here could be truly public. So many kids are going unschooled simply because their families can not come up with money for school supplies or uniforms. It is even harder to see most of the children who are in wheelchairs denied an education simply because they are in a wheelchair.

After having a good visit with these families we drove to where Isabel Maria, Fidel, and their grandmother live. Fidel is still alive but I do not know for how long. The medicine that we brought in on our last visit is helping some for the pain but his grandmother told us that he has stopped eating. He still recognized me and gave me a smile when I sat down by his bed. Isabel Maria is still getting around with the use of her walker but I can’t help but wonder how long it will be until she is bed ridden. The cement has been poured for her new house so now all we have to do is find the time to come in and put up the house.

The main reason for today’s visit was so that I could look over the cement work and then pay the contractor. Even though we had agreed on a price Isabel’s cousin Geronimo told me that the contractor had tried to convince Geronimo into lying by telling me that the job had taken him 3 days instead of 2. Since the contractor was not at home I gave Geronimo the agreed on amount plus the bonus that I had promised the contractor if he completed the job by a certain date. I then told Geronimo to remind him that if the job took 3 days instead of 2 he had to have gone past the due date so if that was the case I would be back for the Q20 bonus. For some reason I don’t think that we will be hearing from this man again. Nor will he be hearing from us because we will not deal with him if he is dishonest.

We took a different rout on the way back home because Fernando’s aunt had been visiting relatives in San Marteen so we picked her up there and brought her back home. Even though the 5 of us stopped off for supper before going home there were still plenty of hungry kids waiting out in the alley by my house. Once again 3 of them insisted that lodging came with the free meal and being to tired to argue I now have overnight guests. Well I am tired even if the kids aren’t so I am heading off to bed before it gets taken.


Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Friday, March 7, 2008, 10:15 PM

Today I was only able to take one of the kids from the orphanage to lunch because there were no other volunteers that wanted to come along. Carlos is always willing to help out when he is around but this week he has been doing some interpreting for some doctors that are here from the USA. Taking only one kid out was perhaps for the best though because I had promised Ervin out to eat. When I arrived at the orphanage this morning Ervin had not yet been put back in his crib for the day. Instead he was tied in his wheelchair and the bed sheet that he was tied with had been run through the spokes of his wheels so that he could not go anywhere in it. If you get this journal by e-mail please go to my web page and look at the movie that I made of Ervin today. The diffrance you will see in Ervin when playing at Camperos and then locked back in his crib at the orphanage is heart breaking.
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. . . . . . . .^ (View Movie of Ervin)

Lest you forget, you may want to take another look at

SAM SAM MOVIE . & . SAM at CAMP MOVIE
^ (To view click titles above ) ^

I left the orphanage a bit early so that I could stop by Judy Kerschner house and help her out with her web page. As soon as she has it set up to her liking I will include a link to it on my site so that you can see some of the marvelous things that are going on at her school in Santa Maria Dejesus.

When I got home I repaired the broken lock on the drivers side door of my car. Yep someone tried to break into my car again today. When I am in Antigua I always try to park it as close to the orphanage as possible hoping that someone who works there will here the alarm go off and possibly frighten off any burglars but today there was some road work going on so I had to park about a block down the street. I was fortunate that nothing was stolen because I had taken my computer along with me and left it under the seat of my car. Nothing was taken so all I can figure is that the alarm scared them off once they got the door open.

The dinner crew numbered some where around 15 tonight but we still had leftover spaghetti. It was not that the kids didn’t like it but Marcos who was my Chef’s assistant misunderstood me when I told him how many packages to open. I never did see exactly how many packages were made but this was one of those rare occasions when I allowed the kids to take food home to family members who were not here. Marcos is more and more becoming one of my regulars. His father died in a drowning accident a few years ago and just a few months ago his mom died from a leg infection.

Tonight’s after dinner soccer game clammed no windows, flowers, or light bulbs but it did have a few protesters. I moved my car up against the house where the games normally take place and had the boys play out near the front gate. The reason that they don’t like playing there is they get less of an audience to show off to. Back when they were smaller I was the audience but now that many of them are approaching their teens they are trying to impress the girls that are often in my house doing home work. Granted the new play area has its drawbacks but the girls are having far less of a struggle concentrating on their school work. And the boys are not needing to be patched up nearly as often now that impressive dives and back flips are no longer done in an attempt to impress someone.

Well it is that time again so I will say goodnight.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal February 22-28

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We have been building houses and doing wheelchair distributions with a church group from Washington State this entire week. It has been a busy but very rewarding time. However finding time to keep a journal has been next to impossible for me. Besides that I figured that it is about time you get a perspective of life here in Guatemala through someone else’s eyes. So this week some of the volunteers who are down here from Washington State are going to share some highlights from the journals that they have been keeping. I think that you will enjoy what they have written. I know that I will enjoy a few days off from doing the writing. I know that I have already published Journals for the first 2 days. (Friday, February 22, and Saturday, February, 23) But I have included those 2 days as well because I thought that you would like to see someone else’s perspective of the same days. I hope that you will find this week’s journals, that were written by various people, as interesting and informative and I have.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Friday, February 22

We woke up this morning in Chemaltenango. Some of us went for a short walk from the hotel. As we walked down the street, we were passed by horses being led to the market. About a block form our hotel, we stopped and looked down at the area below. It was the first look for many of us at how many of the people here live. Pieces of the tin siding patched together filled the approx. ½ acre area. They did not have power or water and the smells of garbage and dead animals filled the air. What an eye opener! At 8:00 a.m. several showed up with vans. We piled in and made a short drive to a restaurant for breakfast. Then we hit the road, headed for the hotel closer to Ronny’s family. We checked in quickly and headed to Ronny’s place. The drive there took us past fields of sugar cane and lots of ran shackled homes. We pulled up to the work site at about 11:00 a.m. and unloaded the tools. We said a prayer and then Dick took us to the family’s current home to meet them and see the conditions they are living in. I think we were all shocked at the living conditions. It gave us motivation to get to work and so we walked back to the jobsite and got started. With the help of two local block layers we added to the walls, moved dire into the building in preparation for concrete, dug ditches for power and water. We all struggled with the heat & humidity. But all in all a good day. I think we are thinking about how blessed and fortunate we are.

(Lane Stremler)


Sat., Feb. 23

A few impressions
Most popular means of transportation – walking; 2nd – bikes; 3rd motorbikes; 4th – old school buses; 5th – anything with Toyota written on it.
Weather: typical climate – HOT! Typical house, corrugated tin and cement block.
Typical family size – way too large.
Speed limit – none. Result…. Use your imagination.
The homes are very small with dirt floors, no glass windows. The family we are building for has seven children, the mother is 34 years old, pregnant – very friendly and loving!
Typical dog – sick looking and skinny.
Typical horse pony size.
The cattle are mostly Brahma with ribs exposed. We are so blessed in our country. The children come around every day – we give them toys and such that we brought along. We give them some of lunch each day – cookies, oranges or anything extra. Today we walked to Grandma’s house – she was a very nice lady. Her sons all live on the lane and she will give each a portion of the land legally. The more the children – the more divisions. We are so fortunate to have what we have. I don’t think I will ever complain again in my whole life.

(Don & Tres Kamphouse)

Sun., Feb. 24

This is the day the Lord hath made. Not only did we remember our church and church family today, particularly, but Jay & Debbie remembered our wedding as we celebrated our 17th anniversary. En route to our third day of house building, we stopped at a dirt floor hardware store. We were definitely in the minority as only a small handful ventured past our 4 armed guards, past the machetes for sale and the man sewing to the inside. Arnie purchased a plumb-bob and our crew chiefs (Chris, Dan & Jay) picked up the other misc. items. No one spoke much as unloaded our vans of people, protected tools, water and food. We knew the day would be full and the tasks ahead seemed burdensome. Our worker bees came alive, however, and forms were pulled, nails pulled, boards cleaned, new forms, block laid. Periodic breaks are necessary as the heat (over 95 degrees), humidity, sun & other factors drain our energy. The only physical injury today was poor Kim – when a piece of scaffolding fell on her head. By lunch time we were ready for a good break. We all ate our full & then shared our “5 loaves & 2 fishes” with the poor hungry mothers (2) and their children (approx 10-12) that were amongst us, but never begging. After lunch, most of us women went with Dick to visit a few neighbors. We shared candy, toys, clothes & love. The dirty faces of the sweet children completely light up when their photo is taken on a digital camera and then shown to them. One woman we visited had a broken femur – the doctors had put 2 plates in, but incorrectly and the nearly 10-12 inch incision was badly infected. It is amazing how one photo, one piece of candy, one item of clothing or one toy is a gift beyond words for these children. The children crave attention – they want to be near us. The girls love having their hair fixed and braided. They want to help, even spreading dirt or straightening nails. We journeyed to a second home – at one place a jump rope was given to the children. They had no idea how to use it, but were demonstrated to by Kim… the children were thrilled. On to visit Gabrielle who has spinal bifida. He is such a darling little guy – the one with the large soft-ball size tumor at the base of his spine… then back to the work site to pitch in. Meanwhile, this writer was still pulling burs from her under clothing from a walk in the weeds to water the horses. Never again!

Jesus had a heart for the poor! In John 2 and Mark 11 we read how Jesus was angry when there were those who used the temple as a place to inflate the $ the poor had to pay for the doves they would sacrifice. These instances were some of the few when Jesus showed a side not typically seen by Him – when oppression and/or hurt were inflicted on the poor. As the afternoon work picked up pace again, I silently prayed these people would not and will not be oppressed by those seeking to do them harm. Crime and jealously are rampant because anything is scarce and all are terribly poor! The afternoon finished with a flurry of cement pouring – columns, more brick laying – even more, the first cement floor in the house was poured. Nearly everyone was involved in one way or another as the mixer made several batches – then wheelbarrow load… one after the other were run up into the house (elevated because of flooding). Our Guatemala Team is most certainly a team. We are working – and working hard, but we are having fun bonding and putting our actionable and practical love for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ into action. (Matt. 25: 35-36) May His name be praised!

(Debbie & Jay DeJong)


Monday, Feb. 25

After breakfast & our morning ritual of push-starting the security guards’ car we were headed back to the house. There are so many people walking – usually almost on the road, on motorcycles – many times with 2-4 people and sugar cane trucks – bursting at the seems. We were pretty excited when we got to the house b/c the trusses had all been put up, which made it look more like a house and more importantly it meant that we could put the tin on the roof and be able to work in the shade some of the time. This was very important to us because it was 97 degrees in the shade and 107.5 in the sun. Everyone is working so hard to try to stay hydrated but we have to admit we are pretty new at this working in the heat thing. So today the roof got put on and cement was poured in 8 (ocho) rooms leaving 1 room and the porch to go for tomorrow. Ronny’s Momma & Papa & seven siblings spent a lot of the day with us – even Grandma came to see. They are almost speechless, they are just overcome with happiness at what they can now see will soon be their home. We took family photos at the end of the day in front of their new casa. Also today we had Ronny’s school class come for a tour. So many (30 I would guess) happy kids! They all wanted to get down in the dirt and help dig through the sand to pick out the rocks. We took lots of pictures with them & exchanged words in English & Espanola, needless to say they learn a lot quicker than I do! They all wanted to drink some agua from our jug & cup and then they each got a sucker. I think it is a good thing that it’s illegal to take these kids home! We ended up taking Ronny & Orlindo (his little brother) back to the hotel for a night, this will be quite an eye-opener for them I think.

(Deb & Dan Kuiper)


Tuesday, February 26

What an eventful day it was. The day started with breakfast at 6:15 a.m. Then some of the guys left early so that they could get the supplies from up by Ronny’s old house, so the whole team could start at a run to finish what we needed to. Once the frame had arrived the droning noise of the cement mixer started and the first batch of concrete. We had to finish the “dining” room floor & the porch. We also had a crew that stripped form boards off the columns. Then we had a crew setting up form boards for the wheel chair ramp off of the front porch. And then the electrical crew. We finished all the concrete work in time for Ronny’s class to stop by and sing us Guatemala’s national anthem. It takes at least 5 minutes to sing. We came to the conclusion that it would not survive in the U.S. Once the concrete was laid as smooth we wrote NVRC and 26-2-2008 because that is how they read dates. We decided to write NVRC because it was the church who donated to make it possible for us to build the house. We then had Ronny press his hand into the concrete as flat as he could get it. Then we gathered around with the family & the school kids and teachers. Chad said a prayer in English while the teacher said a prayer in Espanola. Once done with the prayer the teacher said a few words, then Chris & Ronny’s mama, and I don’t think there was a dry eye when it was over. We then went around & said our goodbyes to all the people we had grown close to. We then had 2 soccer balls to give away & couldn’t decide who we wanted to give it to. So we finally decided to give it to Alex to keep for the neighborhood kids to play with. And then we gave the other soccer ball to the teacher to donate to the school. The school children were so into the dedication that they bought string & balloons to decorate the outside of the house. So we were finally able to break away from them and head back to our hotel. We were able to eat there. We then packed up our bags and headed into Mazatenango where we will be doing the wheel chair distribution. Along the way, we saw road widening construction like the Guide Meridian & concluded OSHA would have a fit down here. We finally reached Mazatenango where we saw a saddle shop. Once we had dropped our stuff off at the hotel (12 of us) went and checked it out. There wasn’t much there but the quality was good. There was also a taxidermist so they had a horse head that was mounted which we found interesting. They also had snakes they were skinning there. We went back to the hotel & saw that they had a cool water slide into the pool.

In Christ, (Brent, Bruce & Kelby Stadt)


Wednesday, February 27

We once again woke up to the rooster crowing. Pretty sure he was walking back and forth on the walkways crowing! Our breakfast here in Mazatenango was more than most expected - buffet with eggs cooked to your liking. After breakfast, we loaded into the vehicles and headed to the wheelchair distribution.

My expectations are vague at best. What will I do? How should I act? Honestly, if I really got honest with myself – will I be uncomfortable?

Once inside, we unleaded the wheelchairs out of the truck and laid them on the yard. In the front of the building is a small court area where Guatemalans are gathering to receive a wheelchair. At this time they were only getting a number.

I find it strange how the brain will listen to emotion when intentions are good. God was working in me and preparing my hands to work – work in a way they have never worked… only at this time I was not yet aware of it. How should I know, we were working?

After unloading the wheelchairs, we gathered around Dick while he gave us a “crash course” on adjusting a wheelchair to fit each person. This took about ten minutes and we proceeded to the courtyard where the people were waiting. Chris asked that we lay a hand on a family or person while he prayed.

Feelings of extreme joy followed by valleys of despair. I seemed to be losing a “grip” on my emotions as I watched parents cry to God for their child or elderly praying with thankfulness. Voices, prayers, tears, weeping were heard in the courtyard, and I felt God broke down any perceptions I had in that moment. I was ready.

Chris and Juan prayed and our team excused themselves to begin preparing for the people. A small group worked on the more specialized wheelchairs for the children, while the larger group fitted wheelchairs for adults.

there are moments in my walk with Christ that I feel completely in His will. As if noise, busyness, temptations and greed all melt away and there standing in front of me is God with his hand out to me – showing me the way. I felt this, not literally, but in this moment – I knew this is what God wanted from all of us.

The adult wheelchairs took about 15-20 minutes to fit; however, the kids could take an hour or more. The people are thankful and we are too. After about three hours, the adults are all fitted and out the door.

Sometimes I use work as a distraction – a way of postponing a short term problem. I used it today. I even wondered if what I was observing, what I was experiencing, what I was doing, was too sacred or too intimate to share with someone. Or could I even get myself to say a word?

The children took another two hours to finish. Chris’s family directed us in the proper fitting and piecing together of each wheelchair. This organization takes extreme pride in making sure every part fits each child perfectly. At the end of our time together at the distribution center, a woman gave her life to Christ!

God is it this simple? Food, water, a chair brings a soul to you! You can make mountains move and yet you choose a chair to reach a lost woman. Jesus Christ smiled through those children and adults today. I felt it! We all felt it!

(Chad Van Ry)


Thursday, February 28, 2008

It’s Thursday, I think. Hard to keep track of days when it’s just been go, go, go. Today was our first day off really, so before I get into that I want to talk a bit about the wheelchair distribution yesterday. I didn’t think there would be anything as gratifying and emotional as when we left the building site. I was wrong. I only worked on three chairs, but what a blessing. The gratefulness of the people was incredible. The smiles of the kids and the joy of the parents knowing that a burden has been lifted from them by a single piece of equipment. It was as tough to leave there as it was to leave the house we helped build.

As far as today, part of the group went to see Erica and bring her some medicine (I’m sure someone will write about that). The rest of us drove about 3 ½ hours past some smoking volcanoes, motorcycle accident (miracle if the driver survived) Chris’s erratic driving, overheating and near misses. I had the fortune of riding with Dan in the pickup. We finally arrived safely by the Lake in Panajachel. Once there, we ate lunch and went to look at the street vendors goods. This is where Luke learned the fine art of bartering from “the negotiator” aka Don Kamphouse. It’s hard to believe we are only a couple days from returning home. This trip has been an incredible blessing for all of us - just in the realization of how blessed we are at home with homes, food and support from family and friends – not to mention…. No scorpions. I feel that for myself, and speaking for others, I have truly seen God at work on our trip and our lives will be changed for it!

(Len Smit)

Thursday, Feb 28 (second group)

After a great breakfast we separated from the group that went direct to the lake. We headed West toward San Sabastian with 12 people crowded into a 9 passenger van and immediately were caught in the first of many traffic jams. Eventually we turned north to Xela where we dropped off Liliana and Juan Davis to catch their bus home. Liliana is a friend of Debbie and Jay DeJong, they are helping her obtain a work visa to return to the US to join her husband. Liliana had lived in one of Jay and Debbie’s rental houses for a few months 14 years ago. Debbie received a Christmas card from Liliana this year after not hearing from her for several years. Debbie was able to contact her in time for her to meet us at the hotel in Mazatenango. Liliana and Juan Davis joined us at the wheel chair distribution, Liliana was a great help interpreting for us and encouraging the families that could only speak Spanish. This was a Godincidence, as Dick would say!

Three hours later after many construction stops we were in San Francisco. Yes, there is a San Francisco in Guatemala. Only the spelling is different, the town is much the same with narrow streets and steep hills. We took a few detours since we were too heavily loaded for some of the steep streets. Finally we were at the end of a street where the slide took out Christopher’s house three years ago. This is where we start the hike up to Erica’s home. We transferred Erica’s medicine to backpacks, put a rock in front of the van’s tire on the steep hill and headed up the half mile trail. We were greeted by a couple of Erica’s brothers on the way. We were overwhelmed with their friendly welcome! They quickly invited us into their cement block home (the sewing room area) making sure we all had a chair to sit on. Erica’s mother then came in with a tray of cups filled with something and we all looked at Dick, what do we do??? He said, “it’s okay, it’s just Pepsi”. Whew!!! As we all got settled in, (with Ben translating) they told us how thankful they were for all of us and the medication that we brought. We told them that it was from God and not from us and the grandpa responded with “it is from God, but you are His representatives”. It was a moving moment! We greeted a smiling Erica. What a pleasant change after eight months on the medication! (a year ago she stayed in a corner away from everyone). Someone carried in a 17 year old boy who had CP who lived 3km away from Erica’s family. He was quite bent over and crippled and could not walk. Dick held him and measured him and went over some motor skills with him to see if he could use a power wheel chair. With Ben translating Dick was able to determine if the area around their house was smooth enough for a wheelchair. In the end, Dick decided he would be an excellent candidate for a power wheel chair. Once again the parents thanked us over and over again! Chad offered a prayer of thanks, praising God for His Presence with this family and allowing us to show our love to them in return for the incredible gift He has given all of us through His Son.We then went outside to take pictures and give them gifts from the employees at Fairway Drug in Lynden where we have been getting the medication at a huge discount. With smiles and giggles they accepted the lollipops and toys that Debbie had also brought along for them. We left them with hugs and good byes and went down the trail a different way to Christopher’s house (Dick found Erica by mistake when he had come to visit Christopher but missed his place and ended up at Erica’s) which was a Godincidence as Dick would say.

Christopher was home from school and happy to see us. His grandfather saw us going up the trail to Erica’s home so by the time we arrived his whole extended family was there along with neighborhood children (they heard about the gifts and suckers!) While we were visiting, there was an older woman shucking dried corn, which caught Arnie’s attention right away! He asked if he could help, she nodded. Soon Arnie and Steve were busy helping her and Christopher’s grandmother offered them a small bag of corn to take home for their garden. That put a big smile on Arnie’s face! We handed out more gifts and lollipops, took some pictures, accepted their gift of bananas and then said our good byes. We headed back down the trail and were happy to see the rock still in front of the tire and not through the window!!

We left San Francisco for the lake where the other group was enjoying a leisurely afternoon of sight seeing and shopping, (we wouldn’t have traded places for anything)! On the way we stopped at a service station for a wonderful lunch of ice cream bars, munchies and sodas! As we ate our lunch outside the service station we shared with a little boy who was begging.

We drove through many villages with beautiful farming areas all terraced on the hillsides with fruit and vegetable stands along the road. We were thankful to survive the aggressive Guatemalan driving and arrived at the lake after 5pm.

What an awesome day! One we will never forget! We felt God’s Presence and saw Him work in the lives of these people and in the hearts of all of us. To witness their love and gratitude for God was an experience that is hard to explain. A very emotional one at that!

To God be the Glory!
John & Arlis


We have truly seen God at work in everything that has been taking place here this week.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal February 17-23

Monday, February 18, 2008, 8:37 PM

Some days are not as easy as others and today started out that way. I woke up at around 5 AM and could not get back to sleep. I kept thinking about my friend Bonny lying there in the national hospital. I could not help but think how alone she must feel. I felt bad that I had not visited her before yesterday but had not realized that she had been hospitalized until then. At 8:05 I called over to our wheelchair shop to see if we had a few items that I knew Bonny needed. I knew that she didn’t have much money but that she was a proud lady and trying to give her anything would be hard but I had to try. Less than an hour after later I received a phone call from Jessica. She told me that Bonny had died early this morning. She also told me that since Bonny had none of Bonny’s relatives had any intentions of coming in from the States the funeral was going to be this afternoon. I thought about staying at home until it was time for the funeral but decided to do something that Bonny would have wanted me to do. So I went and spent some time with the kids at Hermano Pedro. Calin and Fernando came along with me since they had no school today. Why no school? Good question.

I enjoy going there on Monday mornings because that is the day that some of the kids get to go into the pool for therapy. Today however we got there only a short time before they were finished so I didn’t even get a chance to get into the water. Actually they were suppose to have kids in and out of the pool all morning long but for some reason they decided not to. A few days ago I took Byron’s manual wheelchair to our shop for some repairs that could be completed in an hour or so but told the mechanics to stall on it for as long as they could, hoping that since his power wheelchair was the only one left at the orphanage the nurses would put him in it. That one backfired though because when I arrived at around 10 the nurses had him in bed.

I have come to realize that I have been using the word nurses all to loosely. A nurse is a highly trained professional that is taught to make her patients as comfortable as possible. I am trying to think of a better term to use for a few of these ladies but nothing comes to mind. Caregiver would not work for several of them because it has the word care in it. Even the word worker would not be correct in the case of some of these ladies. Don’t get me wrong there are some good ones that I take my hat off to but there are also some that are more concerned about convince than they are about the children.

Tony and Marcia Banks were at the orphanage so I figured that between them, the 2 boys that came along with me, and myself we could each take a kid to lunch and at least make the day a bit brighter for 6 of them. Now I have always prided myself in being able to do algebra in my head but today my head was spinning. It was not until I had the kids nearly signed out that I realized that there were only 5 of us taking 6 kids that were in wheelchairs out to lunch. There were some other adults around so I asked Tony and Marcia if they would find someone who would like to come along with us to lunch while I finished up on the paper work. When I got back they told me that everyone else had other plans or simply did not feel comfortable taking any of the kids to lunch. I looked over at the ladies that are suppose to care for the kids who were sitting at a table having coffee and jokingly asked if one of them wanted to come along with us. To my surprise one of the younger ones said that she would come along if she could get permission from the head lady of her department. Do you know what? I think that we are on the start of something here. Not only did she enjoy herself but she seemed to enjoy the kids. I must admit that see seemed a bit taken back when I ordered Chicken for a few of the kids that she had never seen eat anything other than the mashed up food that they are given at the orphanage but she soon realized that they were loving it and not choking to death on it so she joined right in on feeding it to the kids. After lunch she even smiled a bit when she saw that the kids who were generally in bed all afternoon had a better time and were more well behaved when they were on the playground equipment having the time of their lives. I am hoping that she conveys some of what she saw to the other caregivers. (Notice that I am gradually working my way back to calling them nurses. It may take a few days though because I am still upset with them.) I do think that taking different ones of them along from time to time will be a positive thing. At least they will see that I don’t hate them It is just that I dislike some of their work ethics. I think that taking a few of the therapists along to lunch would not hurt anything either. Once they see Ervin, who usually refuses to take as much as one step for them, climbing the ladder to the slide on his own, they may come to see that therapy could be a lot easier if a bit of fun were included.

Shortly after we got back to the orphanage Jessica, one of the nurses, and myself got in my car and drove across town to a small funeral chapel to attend Bonne’s funeral service. Counting the priest who conducted the 5 minute service there were 10 of us. I am sure if the patients of Hermano Pedro had been allowed to attend the building would have been filled. I don’t think that it mattered much though. Bonny, Nancy, an I did a lot of talking yesterday. Bonny knew that she had lots of family here in Guatemala and a Heavenly Father that cared.

The kids are fed and to my knowledge all of them have gone home for the night. I am tired. It has not been one of my easier days. Do I ever get discouraged? Occasionally but not often. Am I ever sorry that I came here to Guatemala to live? Never! I know that this is where God wants me and that makes it the perfect place to be.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Click on pictures to enlarge
This morning 5 adults and myself went up to the school at Santa Maria Dejesus. Judy and Amy showed us around and then we had 12 large pizzas delivered to the school from Antigua. I am not sure how the motor bike that delivered them made it up the hill to this town that is located at the foot of Aqua volcano but the driver arrived on time and was tipped well. All 7 students and their teachers were grateful because pizza is a rare treat for most of them. The group of people that visited the school with me were verry impressed with the school and the dedication of the Christian teachers, several of whom have to ride a number of busses up to 2 hours each way just to get to the school.

After our visit we went back to Hermano Pedro and visited with the kids there. After discovering that nearly every kid was in bed and although Byron was in his power wheelchair they had him sitting in a room with the switch turned off, I had another talk with one of the people that is in charge of the care givers. She went in and had a talk with them but I don’t know if they will listen to her. Unfortunately they have the attitude that even the people that are in authority over them can not tell them what to do. Some times I think that they are right.

I headed back to Chemaltenango a bit early because Carlos had called me from the shop telling me that someone had brought a power wheelchair in that needed to be reprogrammed. If anyone knows of some one who would like to move down to Guatemala and work on power wheelchairs please let us know. I don’t mind doing it but as our ministry expands I simply do not have the time. As we give more and more of them away the need becomes greater. We need not just someone who can repair them in the shop but some one that is willing to go to the homes of the people that own them to work on them there.

When I got home Fernando came running to my car. He told me that Etiline had just fallen of from a ladder and landed on the cement. Her aunt was not at home when it happened but had arrived back there just a few minutes before I had returned home. I quickly walked over and discovered that Etiline had a large lump on her forehead and had hurt her arm. At first it appeared to be a sprain but after examining it I thought that it was very likely broken. I made her a make shift splint and loaded her and her aunt into my car and headed off to the hospital. Hospital visits here in Guatemala are usually a long drawn out ordeal and even some one who needs emergency care can often wait for hours before being tended to. Tonight we were fortunate though because the emergency room was nearly empty. In less then 2 hours Etiline was on her way home with a plaster cast on her broken arm. The x-rays had confirmed my suspicions but showed that even though the bone was broken it was in place and did not have to be set. Etilein was in some pain but not a great deal so I gave her aunt some aspirin and told her to call me if the pain got worse. Most of the hospitals here don’t think about things like that.

Even though it was nearly 8 PM by the time we got back home I still had a house full of hungry kids with in 15 minutes. I told the kids that I would make spaghetti but that everyone had to pitch in and help. 9 out of 11 of the kids got right in there and helped. Abner and Chino were busy on the computer and acted like they did not hear me. 9 of the kids had a good meal but Abner and Chino were told that they were not eating at my place tonight. I have an idea that they will be offering to do the breakfast dishes in the morning.

All but one of the kids have now headed for home and that one is fast asleep on the floor. No one will miss him at his home so I will let him stay until morning.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Today Tony and Marcia Banks, Nancy Darby, Mario, and myself, after loading up on groceries, did some visiting in the back country. Our first stop was once again at the home of Fidel, Isabel-Maria, and their grandmother. Even though we had visited them a few days ago we wanted to stop by again because we had some medicine for the 3 of them. We also brought it a foam mattress for Fidel’s bed. Every time I go to their home I wonder if Fidel is still alive. Today he was actually looking a bit better than he did a few days ago when he was moaning with pain. We are hoping that the pills that I brought him will help ease some of his pain and am quite certain that lying on a mattress instead of a wood plank bed will be more comfortable for him. I am also planning on going back in with some bandages and medication for his bed sores and will show his grandmother how to treat them. His grandmother told us that he turned 28 a few days ago. She said that they usually try to celebrate by butchering a chicken for dinner but this year they could not afford one. She said that they managed to buy one piece of chicken from some one and give it to Fidel. One lone balloon also hung over his bed. They are getting good use out of the bathroom that we built for them and the storage tank that is on the roof provides them with water for showers and laundry 24 hours a day. This is a pleasant relief from having water for only a few hours a day once or twice a week.

We were hoping that the cement for their new home had been poured but the man that was going to do the work was not quite sure of the exact measurements so we drove down to see him after visiting a bit longer with Fidel and his family. We could not get the car all the way in to where this man was working on another house but thanks to the good old cell phone which seems to work in even the most remote areas of Guatemala, we were able to give him a call and he came out to meet us. I was glad that Mario had come along with us, not just for his Spanish but we had built Mario and his daughter a house that was identical to the one that we were going to put up for Maria Isabel. With in a few minutes Mario had explained to this man exactly what we wanted. Originally we had thought that some of Maria’s relatives would be able to help this man with the cement work but we were told that during this time of year after school they have to pick corn. This meant that we would have to pay for a helper as well as the cement worker so we settled for 100 Q per day for the 2 of them. That is roughly $12.50 per day for both men. The man that we were dealing with apologized for the high price but explained that since Maria’s family would be unable to provide him and his helper with lunch he had added 10 Q ($1.25) each to the amount that they were being paid. I know that $6.25 per day is not much to pay one man but As Americans we have to be careful not to pay more than the average Guatemalan pays or it can create problems, but you should have seen his eyes light up when I told him that if he were able to complete the job by this coming Saturday we would give him and his helper and added 20 Q ($2.50).

About an hour on down the road (Not what my passengers called it) we got to the home of another Maria. This is the one who’s husband was killed by a hit and run driver a few months ago. She and her 4 children are now fully moved into the house that we put up for them. The 2 older ones are also happy that they are now able to go to school. While we were there we also gave some groceries to 2 other families that live nearby. One family is a mother and her 3 children who live in a dirt floor house right ext to where Maria and her children live. I had always thought that this lady had a husband that was perhaps out working when ever we were there but was told today that he deserted her and her 3 children a year ago leaving them with nothing but the shack that they lived in. This lady as 2 daughters, one that is 14 years old and another that is 11. She also has a son who is 6 years old. The older daughter is totally blind and has to be led around by the mother or the other children. The mother told us that her 11 year old daughter use to go to school but has not gone for the past year because they could not afford school supplies or the fee that is charged to enroll her into the public school. Her little boy should have started school this year as well but she had no money to send him either. We are praying for a sponsor and told his mother to check with the school to see if the children can still be enrolled even though the school year started about 5 weeks ago.

It was hard to say goodbye to these warm and friendly people but it was getting late and we had promised the kids in my neighborhood that we were going to have pizza tonight. Even though she protested I set down the little girl that I was holding and said good bye. I thought back to a few short months ago when this child and several of the others would run away crying when ever any of us would arrive. Now they were all laughing and begging to be held. As we drove away we looked back up the hill at all of our friends who were standing there waiving goodbye.

Our time of solitude with out having kids hanging on to us was short lived though because about an hour and a half later we were pulling into my alley with 8 large pizzas in the back of my car. To my surprise there were only 2 kids standing out side so I thought that perhaps I was going to be eating left over Pizza for the next week or 2. With in about a half hour I was proved wrong as we opened up the box containing the last pizza. Some one told me that they got a head count of around 40 people but the kids never stood still long enough for us to get an accurate count. I guess the word had gotten out because some of the parents even showed up. It was a fun time though and the kids had a great time with some jump ropes that Marcia banks had brought for them.

For some strange reason I am once again tired tonight so I am going to head off to bed. I will do my best not to step on any of the 3 kids that are fast asleep on the floor.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Wednesday, February 22, 2008

A good part of my morning was spent doing what has lately been a once a week ritual of taking my car in to my mechanic. This week’s episode was new wheel bearings. Actually only one of them wet out yesterday but I figured that I would play it safe and have both sides replaced. This brought my bill up to nearly $50 for parts and labor but I was thrilled that the mechanic was able to find new bearings right hear in Chemaltenango. This evening I had dinner with Marcia and Tony Banks. They took me to one of the fancier restaurants in Antigua where some of the meals ran up as high as $12. We had a wonderful visit and a wonderful week together. They will be heading back to the states tomorrow. I will miss them. After dinner I drove in to Guatemala City where I met up with Chris, Saul, and Benjamin at the airport. It took the 2 vans and one pickup truck that we brought with us to bring the 19 people that came in from Washington State and all of their luggage back to Chemaltenango. Today’s journal is actually being written tomorrow because that is when we arrived back home. That is why I am saying Good morning,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Friday, February 22, 2008, 10:07 PM
After the picking up our 19 visitors from their motel and then having breakfast we all headed to near the coast where Ronny lives. We plan on spending the next 5 days working on the new house that we are building for his family. When we got there today I discovered that Ronny has been running a fever for the past several days but it did not keep him from going along with me to get one of the tires of his wheelchair fixed. After getting his wheelchair fixed I decided that I better help with the house building but didn’t even pick up my first brick when Luke, one of the teens that had come from the States with his father, had cut his hand on a piece of rebar. I cleaned the wound and tried to butterfly it shut but the hot humid air made his hand so damp that there was no way that I could get the tape to stick to it. I finally gave up and simply put a bandage over it and then drove him to the clinic that had told me about Julio a few weeks ago. The doctor at the clinic told us that he did not have what was needed to stitch the wound but that there was a national hospital in town that could do it. I was a bit apprehensive about taking him to a national hospital but when we got there I discovered that even though their emergency room looked like something out of the 1950s it was clean and the staff there seemed quite professional. We were also happy when we found out that they used a new needle to stitch up his hand. Other than some Antibiotics that we had to get at a nearby drug store the entire procedure cost absolutely nothing. The cut stitched up nicely and Luke is doing fine. We arrived back at the work site just in time to help pack up and head home. The entire crew had a good time but they are tired and a few are not feeling the best because of the heat but I think that they are all planning on going out again tomorrow. If any of them do not feel up to it they can always stay behind here at the motel. It is a nice place and even has a swimming pool. Barring any sick kids, broken wheelchairs, or cut hands, perhaps tomorrow I will actually help do some work on the house.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Saturday, February 23, 2008, 9:12 PM

Today the crew spent the entire day working on Ronny’s new house. A good part of my morning was spent trying to get the air-conditioner of the Kea van going so that the group would have a more comfortable ride home but it looks like the pump is freezing up so I guess that we will have to put up with the dust that comes in through the open windows while driving some of the dirt roads. It was extremely hot this morning which made it difficult for the crew that is working on the house, but in answer to prayer some clouds and a light breeze moved in this after noon so it made the working conditions a bit more pleasant.

Ronny was feeling a bit better today but his mother, who is pregnant with her 7th child, got quite sick before lunch and it looked for a while like I have to make a repeat trip to the national hospital. Fortunately one of her kids went and got a lady, who appeared to be in her 80s, who is a mid wife. She seemed to have a lot of respect from everyone and was even chauffeured to Ronny’s house by her granddaughter, not by car however but by bicycle. Before leaving the old lady assured me that Ronny’s mom would be all right and that no doctor would be necessary, then her and her granddaughter disappeared down the trail on the bicycle. She seemed to know what she was talking about because by this evening Ronny’s mom was feeling a lot better.

After a picnic stile lunch most of us walked down past the tin shack where Ronny lives to another tin shack that his uncle and aunt live in along with their 6 children. They are every bit as much in need of a new home as Ronny and his family are but right now we can make them no promises. I am praying that will change though because the home that they presently live in has rusted holes in it that you could nearly crawl through. We then walked a bit further to where Ronny’s grandmother lives and visited with her for a while. We had been hoping that we could put a cement floor into the prefabricated house that we put up for her a few months ago but there is still a lot to do before we are done with Ronny’s house so that will have to be put on hold for a while.

Seeing the conditions that these families live in was not easy for the group, in fact some of them told me that they had already had a tough time sleeping last night after seeing the poverty that Ronny and his family live in. I think that it was good for the group to see this though because so often we take the blessings that God has given us for granted.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Not only did I see building going on as far as houses were concerned today but the building of new and better friendships was also very evident.



I watched as some of the ladies in our group took some time out to comb and braid the hair of several of the girls. I also saw one of our men who did not know a word of English take the time to show one of the older boys what he was doing and get him involved in some of the work that was being done. There were also men and women who were working along side of each other who in less than a day had become friends despite the fact that they could not understand one another. I am not sure weather or not the house will be completed by the time we leave on Tuesday afternoon, nore am I concerned about it. Friendships are being built and even though there is a language barrier these people are witnessing the love of Jesus in action. I said it before but I think that it bears repeating. No one cares how much you know until the know how much you care.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick