Journal May 16-22 2009

Rodrigo
February 2006 - May 2009

I just received the following letter from my friend Rolland Elf. Rodrigo is a little boy who’s home we visited and gave a wheelchair to last January. Both Rodrigo and his mother were in poor health due to a severe beating that Rodrigo’s mother received from her husband while she was pregnant with Rodrigo.


Hi Dick,

Rodrigo son of Francisca; on Monday I received the very sad news about our little friend Rodrigo. I offered to take him and his mother Francisca, the week before to Antigua, when I was going with mother Rosaria and her son Freddy and Mauricio and his son Giovanni. I gave Francisca money to help a little and she and her brother said that they were going to think about my suggestion that I could bring Francisca and her son to Antigua. .......... He was having fever and coughing and I think he had a convulsion before he died. I hope I can find a scholarship for Francisca's little sister Rosa, to help their family a little; I will keep on searching for Rosa.

I am sending you some of my photos I took in January when he received his wheelchair; one is with him with you and Pat. Perhaps you want to write a little about him and his mother in your journal. Rodrigo is now with God

God bless; Roland

Galatians 6:9

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

"Tonight I am weary."

Matthew 11:28

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

"I am so thankful that I have a Heavenly Father Who holds me tightly."


Goodnight;
Yours in Christ: Dick





Sunday, May 16 - Thursday May 21, 2009


It has been another busy week. A teem of medical students has been with us since Sunday and we have done wheelchair distributions, home visitations, built a house, had a pizza party at my house, and many other things. One thing that I have not been doing for the past several days is writing in my Journal. I considered spending my entire day at home today, getting caught up on my journal but I have to many other things that I have to get done. So the first 5 days account of this week’s journal is going to be highly condensed and consist of a lot more pictures than words.


























































































Yours in Christ: Dick


Friday, May 22, 2009, 7:48 PM



Today Cesar came along with me to the wheelchair shop. Actually all of the kids were out of school. (Why? I have given up on trying to figure out why.) I let Cesar be the one to come along because I was going to try to put the finishing touches on Mirna's power chair today and Cesar who had been the one that helped me work on it a little over a week ago had taken a real interest in working on it so I wanted him to help complete it. I had hoped that we could deliver it to Mirna today but we simply ran out of time because I had to run to Antigua to get a list of chairs that we are going to try to repair tomorrow.

Hermano Pedro orphanage is still closed to volunteers because of fear of swine flue. I personally think that most people are over reacting. However I do believe that there are a few people who should perhaps be a bit more cautious.

(Click on any picture to enlarge,)

(but only if you really want to.)

It took special permission to get the group of medical students allowed into the orphanage with me tomorrow but only after I assured the administration that none of them had traveled through Mexico on there way to Guatemala and that none of them had recently kissed any pigs they finally gave their OK. We will not be able to take any kids out to lunch but at least we can get into the orphanage and repair some wheelchairs. I have already briefed the group on allowing as many kids as possible to help out as mechanics. Yes that will slow the repairs down to a snails pace but the repairs are not what it is all about.



Since I will be busy with the group tomorrow and plan on heading up to Mazatinago on Sunday, we moved our weekend soccer game up to this evening. We had a good turn out tonight, fifteen of us in all. After the game the kids told me that they were hungry so we went to my house and filled up on bologna sandwiches. After our gourmet supper I told the kids that I needed a few hours to myself so that I could get this journal finished. All of them have now gone except 3. Those 3 are playing so quietly that I am going to act like I forgot to tell them to leave as long as they keep the noise down.



Actually I think that over all, now that the kids are getting older they are a little more mellow than they use to be. I have not had to replace a window in over a week now. Then again I did have to replace my motion detecting yard light yesterday. Evidently it did not detect the motion of an oncoming soccer ball in time to get out of the way. I have also made a sign to remind the kids that soccer is an outdoor sport.

Well the clock on the wall says that it is once again time to say, "Goodnight."

I thought about buying a new clock,
but this one still works.

Yours in Christ: Dick