Journal, September 6-10, 2010

My Mack is still in the shop and I am not a Windows fan so this weeks Journal may be a bit of a challenge for me. Since it has taken me 4 days before I figured out how to turn on this Non Mack computer I am going ot have to play a bit of catch up. Don't expect any fanch frames on any of the pictures because I haven't figured out how to do that either. To my knowledge neither has Bill Gates. Well after that great introduction if any one is left that wants to read this weeks journal here goes.

On Monday, none of My kids had school. (????) so a few of them came along wiht me to the orphanage. The kids and I rounded up a few more volunteers and the group of us took several of the kids to lunch. During the past few weeks most of the kids have not been allowed out of the rooms that they sleep in because someone has decided that any time it is cloudy it is to cold for the kids to be out in the court yard. This is a real bummer because we have 6 months of rainy seaslon and even though the tempratures average 75 to 85 degrees and it seldom rains before 3 or 4 in the afternoon most of the time there are at least a few scattered clouds. Funny thing though even though the kids can not go out into the court yard when it is cloudy the care givers have no problem allowing us to take the kids out to lunch. Sort of an out of sight out of mind thing I guess. At any rate the kids that did get to go to Camperos had almost as good of a time as those of us that took them.

I had planned on being back out on the road this week giving out more invitations to camp but most of the roads remain closed due to mud slides. I think that I may be able to get into Robinel in a day or 2 but for now I am staying put.

On Tuesday I spent most of my morning a the wheelchair shop going over the list of campers that still have to be invited to camp and then headed off to Hermano Pedro shortly before noon. Esben wanted to go along with me but his story of having no school today seemed to have a few holes in it. When I told him that I was going to call Victor to see if he had really given Esben permission to come along with me Esben suddenly decided that he did not want to go. Fact is it may be some time before he does get to come along with me again because as I suspected he was skipping school. I wanted to take Henry along to lunch yesterday but he was unable to go so I took him today.

Pat has had a bad cold for the past few days so she has not been able to come in to Hermano Pedro to see the kids. This has been hard on her and the kids because she loves them and they love her. I wanted to get a few more kids out but could not find any one else to help me so Henry was the only one that I took. It was well worth the effort because yesterday he felt really bad that he was unable to come along with us. I spent the rest of my afternoon visiting with some of the other orphanage kids. Lionel who has been quite sick seems to be on the mend. He absolutely loved it when when I called Pat on my cell phone and they were able to visit. Since Lionel does not talk Pat did all of the talking and Lionel just laid there and laughed. I took the phone around to some of the other kids and they loved it as well. I think that this made Pat miss the kids even more but I think that it was good for both her and the kids.

This evening my house once again resembled Hermano Pedro orphanage. I told the kids that I am planning on heading out to do more camp recruiting tomorrow so I think that they all wanted to get one good meal in before I left. Actually the food is not the only reason that they come over. Most of them just like to hang out here. Simply having an adult that will visit with them and take the time to listen to them seem to mean a lot to them. These kids are great, I just wish that more of their parents would recognize that and take the time to let the kids know it.

Fernando is going to come along with me tomorrow. He has permission to get out of school early and has no school on Thursday (It's true, I checked) so if they have school on Friday that is the only day that he will miss. (His teacher told him there is a chance that there will be no classes on Friday though. ????) Several of my other kids wanted to come along with us as well but they are scheduled to have school so given the chance that they may actually have school I told them that they would have to wait until a different time to come along.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Tonight the 3 of us are in Saloma. I know that I said that Fernando was the only one that was traveling with me this time and that is partly true. Fact is there were only 2 of us up until this evening. The roads were not to bad so we made it here by 4 PM. After getting settled in we decided to visit one camper who lives only a few miles from here. A few years ago Lusvin's mom brought him in to Hermano Pedro because Lusvin who has muscular dystrophy was loosing weight and she was worried about him. During his 4 month stay he and Fernando became good friends. That is one of the reasons why Fernando was anxious to come along on this trip and also why we did not wait until tomorrow to visit him. I still don't know how I got talked into it but after a nice visit with him and his family the 3 of us headed back to the hotel. I have stayed at this hotel in the past and one of the rooms is actually air conditioned. Since it had to be 90 degrees out side and even hotter inside I had decided to dish out the extra $5 and be comfortable. This room which has no outside windows was extremely hot when we moved into it but earlier this evening but we figured that since we had turned the air conditioning on hight before going out to visit Lusvin's family that we would be returning to a nice cool room. Wrong! We found out that $5 gave you a room with an air conditioner but not necessarily a working air conditioner. The owner of the hotel was fair though and told us that he would give the $5 back and move us into a a room that had fan and a window. Not a big improvement but a 90 degree room is better than one that is 105 degrees. I am not sure if it was all of the water that he drank or the excitement of stying in a hotel but having to get up every hour to carry Lusvin to the bathroom gave me a good work out but little sleep. Would I do it again? In a hart beet! Lets make that a few heart beats. It would be nice to get a little sleep before our next slumber party but seeing the fun that these 2 boys had and not knowing how long Lusvin will be around to enjoy fun times like this made it well worth while.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Thursday, September 9, 2010

After breakfast we brought Lusvin back to his home. Mom had gone to the market to buy some food so we stuck around until she returned. When she got home Lusvin told her that he had decided to come along with us for the day but I had to tell him that it would not work out this time. Some of the people that we planned on visiting today lived quite far from any place that we could drive to so there was going to be a lot of walking and the trails were to steep and narrow for his wheelchair. Lusvin took it well and told us that he would see us at camp, then we said goodbye.

Today was another hot one and some of the hikes in to see the people were long ones but each visit was a good one. The people are so appreciative that we are inviting them to camp and that we have come so far to visit with them. One of our visits was with Margette a young lady who spends her days sitting in front of her home weaving belts. She told us that it takes her 15 days to weave a belt that she receives about 50 Q ($6) for. That comes to 40 cents a day.

Mario another camper that we visited with today attended camp last year. While at camp he learned how to make jewelry. He is now doing this at home and selling it in the market.

Fernando and I were bit hesitant when we met up with a bull

that did not look like he was that enthusiastic about

sharing the trail that led to Julia's house with us.

Fortunately 2 little girls came to our rescue

and chased the bull off from the trail for us.

Fernando told me today that he loves this kind of work and we talked at some length about him continuing to do this when he gets older. He is so good at it.

I have never seen a young man that is so at ease no mater what the situation. No mater where we go he instantly makes friends. Within a mater of seconds he is either holding a child or has a soccer game going with a group of kids. The adults love him as well as he is very courteous to them and he does an excellent job of translating. Today when I thanked him for what he was doing he told me that he loved doing it because he loves his people. As long as there are Fernandos in this world places like Guatemala have a brighter future.

Goodnight,

Yours in Christ: Dick

Friday, September 10, 2010

Today we drove back home from Robinel. I prefer going cross country on the the back roads but many of them are still closed due to land slides so we stayed on the main roads. Traffic was heavy especially in the city so the drive home took us close to 6 hours. I would have liked to have stayed home this evening but it was youth group night at the church that we go to in Antigua and I had promised several of my kids that I would take them if I got home in time. Those of my kids that are not yet old enough to attend youth group tried talking me into staying home but the older kids won out. That is why this is being written in the cafe that our church operates while I am waiting for youth group to get out. Some days you just can't win though because 2 of my boys didn't get to go because of a mix up in when we were leaving. Morcos is usually quite easy going but tonight he was mad that he got left behind. He called me on the phone and said that he is never coming over to my house again. I'll give it about an hour before he gets over it but I still feel bad that he did not make it to youth group tonight.

I enjoy being out on the road visiting those that come to camp and their families but really miss the kids when I am gone. I am thankful that there are times like this week when Fernando or some of the kids that hang out at my house can come along with me and I try my best to spend quality time with them on the week ends but we do miss each other when I am on the road so much. I also miss the kids at the orphanage when I am on the road but now that Pat is here that has been somewhat easier. Because even when I am not there she makes sure that the orphanage kids are loved.

The following was written by Pat.

Back in the Swing of Things (Sept. 9 & 10)

FINALLY, my cold is over and I'm back with the kids. Yesterday I started out slowly, or planned to, but the kids had other ideas. It brought me to tears how excited they were I was back, and we spent quite a bit of time just visiting. I got to hold Leonel for the first time since he and I had both been sick, and it was sweet. After a while, though, the other kids got bored and I put him back in his wheelchair but sat him at the table working with the kids. He loved watching, and I finally thought, what the heck. He usually doesn't use his hands very deliberately, but thought we'd try.

Once again, I was amazed by one of the kids. He "came alive" with work to do. His hands are pretty weak, but he had great fun pulling clothespins off a container and putting them inside. I was dumbstruck by the control he had over his hand. I guess he hasn't done much with his hands before because there wasn't much to do with them. I don't know who was more proud, Leonel, me, or the rest of the kids who were applauding for him.

I'd planned on spending time with Carlos this morning, but he was in therapy when I arrived, and Leonel just about jumped out of his chair when I walked by. We found a quiet corner by ourselves, and he worked and worked and worked. I'd brought small plastic animals with me, and he LOVED them. He would reach out in different directions to grasp them. You can see how hard he has to concentrated to get his hands to open and close at will, but he manages. He also managed to grasp, rotate and stack small cups today. Now do I sound like a proud mama, or what? Seriously, I am realizing just how much I've underestimated not only his desire to do meaningful work, but his ability, too. I need to remind myself what someone wrote to me a while back--that ALL of the kids are more than tears and smiles.

A friend from the city was coming for the weekend, and I was going to meet her in Central Park. After putting Leonel through his paces this morning, I figured we both needed a treat, so I signed him out and took him walking with me. Since it was about lunch time, I wanted to get him something to eat, but he doesn´t do too well eating chicken from Camperos. So we went to a "real" restaurant, and I ordered the fruit plate to share with him, and he had a vanilla shake. Man, did that kid love smashed fruit! Especially papaya (sorry, Dick, but it's true). We had a great time just visiting. Though he doesn't speak in words, Leonel's eyes, face and smile communicate volumes. This was one of the most fun lunches I've had here in Guatemala. And for dessert, we had the best flan I've ever eaten.

Our timing was perfect, as we finished lunch just as Elizabeth's shuttle arrived from the city. The poor girl had waited over an hour for the shuttle to be full enough to leave Guate City, but appeared no worse for wear.

Elmer showing off on his horse

Henry doing his "wild man" impersonation

We went straight to Hermano Pedro, and she went straight to work with the kids, though she had never met them before, and hadn't had any lunch yet. They fell in love with her as soon as they saw her sweet spirit and her genuine interest in them. It was really cute the way Elmer and Henry wanted to "show off" for her, refusing to sit in their wheelchairs, and wanting to sit independently on the stairs while they worked with her. They had a great time doing puzzles with her, and even let Ervin join in a little.

By about three o'clock I figured I'd starved the poor girl enough, and we reluctantly packed up and headed out to get her something to eat. As much as I love working directly with the kids, I think I enjoy it just as much when I see someone like Elizabeth open her heart to them so easily. I think I'm sometimes so much the "teacher" that it's good for them to have someone just come and play! Thanks, Elizabeth, for jumping right in and not holding back your love from the kids one bit! What a great afternoon!

Pat

Guess that's about it for now. Tomorrow is the weekend so other than driving down to Tecpan early Sunday morning to pick up a lady and then bringing her in to Hermano Pedro for Surgery, I plan on kicking back and and spending some quality time with my kids.

Goodnight,

Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal, August 31-September 5, 2010

Death is not extinguishing the light from the Christian;
it is putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.

Although Jojo's death seems to have taken up most of our thoughts this week. I know that you are more than likely interested in knowing what else went on during this our first week of camp recruiting.

Dick

Dick takes me to
the nicest places.


Written by Pat Duff

It’s been sort of a standing sarcasm between Dick and me, because of many of the roads we’ve traveled here, that he takes me the nicest places. This trip has caused me to revise my statement slightly. He DOES take me the nicest places. . . even though getting there sometimes stinks. While the roads we've been on the last few days haven't been the most dangerous we've ever traveled, they sure have been the most interesting. From drop-off where the road has been washed out by storms (Melissa there was only one bridge washed out!) to driving through heards of cows, to trying to avoid potholes where there is no avoiding them (this makes Dodge Street in Omaha after the winter look like a superhighway in good condition), to traveling through mud holes whose depth you only discover when you are in the middle of them, the travel the past few days has definitely been an adventure. I have learned that Dick does not exaggerate about road conditions as much as I thought he did. Sorry for doubting your integrity, my friend! I gotten to go camp recruiting with him in the coastal area. I have met some of the most amazing people. While I can’t possibly share all the contacts we’ve made, I will give you “highlights.”

Tuesday, we began in the Escuintla area, stopping first at the home of Carlos. This man is getting around quite well, although he now only has one usable crutch. Dick promised him a new pair at camp. Carlos also agreed to help by getting camp invitations to two of the people who live in his area. As we were leaving, Carlos’ 23 day old grandson woke up, and his wife hurried to the car to hand him to me to hold for a few minutes before leaving. This shows how much these folks trust Bethel and Dick, that they would hand a brand new baby to a gringa they’ve never met before, who was sitting in a truck ready to leave—all this in an area where rumors still circulate about North Americans kidnapping children. I felt greatly honored.


Our next stop was at Maria Magdalena’s. While she wasn’t at home because she had gone to therapy, her grandfather warmly welcomed us. He took great pride in showing us the pictures of them from every year she had attended camp. These were kept with other important papers in a special place and handled almost with reverence. The tenderness of this moment almost reduced me to tears. I saw first hand how right Dick has been when he talks about how much camp and these personal visits mean to the people. We left with a large sack of “limones” (limes). Sure hope Dick remembers to take them out from behind the seat of the truck when he gets home.




We also stopped to visit Rony’s family who lives in the area. While Rony is becoming too weak to really enjoy camp, and his parents can’t figure out a way to get him there anyway, Bethel wanted him to know that he was wanted. Also, Dick and I had talked with the kids a few weeks ago about some type of “field trip” as a reward for good grades. At that time both Orlindo and Estrellita had “reds” (bad grades). Today I was absolutely thrilled to see that this grading period all of the children had passing grades. Estrellita couldn’t wait to show me her work this time, though she had hidden it last visit. We had had a long talk about school then, and I was overjoyed to see the improvement.

When we visit, I really try to key in on the girls in this family. This is one family where I can really see that, though they love all their kids, the boys come first. Whenever there is a problem with schooling, the family looks at taking the girls out of school. I was pretty outspoken with the parents about this on this visit, and was afraid I might have overstepped my bounds with them. Dick assured me though, that the girls need to be stood up for, and this family knows me and accepts me well enough that they are not offended by my opinion. I have loved these girls from the day I met them in 2008—and first heard their dreams for the future. I pray they hold on to these dreams in a land where women, especially among the poor, have a hard time following dreams.







After agreeing that Dick and I would return as soon as possible to take the kids for an outing to a hotel with a swimming pool, we were on our way. I’m excited about this, because, in the past, the boys have been able to have over-nights with Dick, but the girls have been left out. They are so excited to come spend a night with me. . . I hope we will sleep as well as visit, but, what the heck. They’ve never experienced anything like this, so maybe it’s a good thing if we stay up all night.



The next few days become a blur, so I think I'll just introduce you to a few of the people we visited through pictures:






Irma is a single mom and grandma, who Bethel built a house for a few years ago.















Jason is a little guy who used to live at Hermano Pedro and now is home with his family. He loves Dick (leaping out of his wheelchair to "attack" him with hugs) and you can see the feeling is mutual. We're looking for a teacher to tutor him at home, since he is no longer allowed in school.









Sergio, has a sponsor and attends school, but has not been feeling well enough to go to school in over a week.















Lillian is a young lady who is non-verbal, but who has eyes which speak volumes.











Leslie, who at 22 is in the 4th grade, receiving teaching in her home. She could not wait to share her work with us.












Owen, who, on his way to his business school graduation on his motor cycle was run off the road by a buss. While he has a electric chair to enable him to get around town, he seems to prefer using his walker. A bright young man. While I don't have a picture of him, I also met Frolian, a young man with spina bifida, who was lying in bed reading his well-worn Bible when we came in. He would has graduated and would like to work in marketing. Unfortunately, both these men live in remote areas, where the likelihood of them finding meaningful work is slim.




I learned a lot on this trip, realizing first hand how important not only camp is, but the visits Dick and Chris and Donna make yearly to invite people to camp personally. I focus so much on children, that it was very good for me to meet Owen and Froilan, learning how much camp means to these men. One of the first things Owen asked us was for the phone number of a friend he'd made in camp the year before. Knowing how isolated the homes are where many of these campers live, the friendships made a camp are even more vital.


I also learned that, when someone tries to "help" me in climbing a steep hill, I tend to lose my balance even more (it was a nice thought, Dick), that my Spanish is becoming more "passable" daily (I love it when Dick orders something in a restaurant, and the server looks puzzled, and I repeat the same thing, and they "get it"), that there is such a thing a sitting too much, and finally, when one is walking in areas of mud, it's a good idea to make sure your shoes are tied tightly. It's been quite the trip.







Yes, Dick takes me to the nicest places, even if the way there is a bit of a challenge.

Pat

Friday, September 3, 2010

This morning we headed for home. I would like to say that it was a leisurely drive but it rained all of the way home. This was no ordinary rain but a downpour. I was glad that the wiper blade that broke yesterday managed to stay together and that the allen wrench that I used as a splint worked out so well but as hard as it was raining it was still difficult to see all of the hundreds of pot holes that were in the road. When we finally reached Esquentla we discovered that the road to Antigua was closed. In the past few weeks several cars have been washed over the cliff due to the heavy rains and it sounded like that may have been the case again today. The rout that we took home is usually a much better road but today it even had a lot of mud slides that were threading it's closer. We finally made it home though and I have now heard that the road that we were on is also closed. All in all it was a good trip and we had a good time visiting with the people that we invited to camp. Next week I plan on heading out again because it will take nearly 2 months to contact everyone that we are inviting to camp and our first camp starts on November 15.


Saturday, September 4, 2010

Today was a stay at home day. Well I did get out a bit but I never did get more than a mile or 2 from home. The kids and I talked about going a few places but they seem perfectly content to hang out hear at home so other than renting a soccer field for an hour we pretty much stayed at home. I don't have a TV but I did let the kids talk me into buying a video and actually sat down with them and watched Karate Kid 4. Here in Guatemala you can buy most movies before they are even out in the theaters. The cost for a movie is staggering though. some times you have to pay close to $1 to buy a good one.
Well the kids are fed and those that have some where to go have left so I think that I will call it a night.

Goodnight, Yours in Christ: Dick


Sunday, September 5, 2010

After church the kids and I went to the orphanage for a while. This was my first time back to the orphanage since Jojo died and I must say that it was hard on me. I do not know what hit me the most Jojo's empty crib or the fact that all of the other cribs had someone in them. It was early afternoon and all of the kids were locked in their cribs for the rest of the day. The Boys and I took several of them out and played with them while we were there but having to put them back to bed when we left an hour later had everyone on both sides of the bars in tears.

My mane reason for heading home a bit earlier than usual was so that I could make plans for heading out on the road to do more camp recruiting in a few days. That was until I received word that around 40 people had been killed in landslides yesterday. I think that it may be wise to wait a few days before heading out on the road again.

This mud slide killed at least 12 passengers and injured 25 who were riding in a buss, happened about 15 miles from where I live. Please keep us in your prayers.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Jojo

March 1998 to September 2, 2010

On August , 30, 2010 Pat wrote the following.

Yesterday I found Leonel was now on a feeding tube, because he was not eating enough on his own (He originally came in to the malnutrition unit 2 years ago, when he was 9 years old, weighing 14 pounds, so you can see why this is a concern). He looked so weak and frail lying in bed. When I picked him up to hold him though, we rediscovered his smile. He even drank about 2/3 of his bottle for me today, though it took about an hour to do so. I love this little guy like a grandson, and it is so hard to watch him struggle. I'm hoping prayer and time will bring him back to normal. I think Leonel is partly having a episode of "failure to thrive" as his dad had just visited last week, and I know Leonel gets homesick when he leaves. I think the hour or so I spent holding him was the best, and hardest, hour of my day.

Jojo, on the other hand, really has me worried. For a number of reasons, Jojo continually has breathing problems. Right now he is so congested he can hardly force the air in and out of his lungs. When I first saw him today, he was crying inconsolably, but, because he was receiving a breathing treatment and was on oxygen, I was hesitant to take him out of his chair and hold him. A while later, when he was in bed and Dick was visiting him, he really had a lot of respiratory distress. He also was burning up. At Dick's request, I asked the charge nurse about calling the doctor for him, and she explained to me, as if I was a bit dense and just didn't get it, that Jojo had congestion, and that they were treating it.

Now, I may not be a nurse, but I am a mom, and I know the difference between congestion and not being able to breathe. I had to walk away for a minute to "regroup" and keep from saying something spiteful. . . when I was back under control, I went back to the desk and said I understood they were treating him, but that Dick thought he was getting worse. Would she pleeeeaaaasssee call the doctor. And she did. I think this was as much to humor me as because she believed anything was wrong.

When the doctor arrived, however, things started happening quickly. An IV was started (after multiple attempts to find a vein and stabbing the poor kid a bunch of times), another breathing treatment started, the nursing supervisor came in to help, and Jojo was surrounded by people finally paying attention to his medical needs. Everyone, except Dick, seemed to forget, though, that this was not an unresponsive life-form being treated, but a scared little boy. The nurses, and even the doctor were so intent on helping him that no one spoke to him, no one told him what was going on or what they were going to do.

And then I looked up and saw Dick, stooped by Jojo's head, gently caressing him and gazing into his eyes. I thought my heart would break--seeing two guys I care for both in so much pain. But Dick didn't pull back from his pain, hide from it. It was almost as if he were "willing" that Jojo's pain become his own, to take some of the burden off this dear little one. And I know he did.

Eventually, Jojo was more stable, and we left. Walking out last night was hard, really hard. I was filled with pain and anger and frustration and confusion. I was angry at the casualness with which the nurses treated Jojo´s distress. I was frustrated wondering how long it would have taken them to notice that Jojo had a problem if Dick had not been there. And, for the first time in a long time, I was ticked at God for what I saw Him allowing one of His little ones to go through. I didn't even know how to pray for Jojo except to say, "Come, Lord Jesus."

As I write this a day later, I realize Jesus answered my prayer--this time through the hands and heart of Dick as he cared for Jojo. Okay, God, I get it. . .if we want to be Jesus, we have to embrace the suffering of the cross as He did. . .thanks, Dick, for another object lesson. . .

Pat

The above took place on Monday August 29. It is now Thursday September 2. JoJo hung on for a few more days but early this morning he went home to be with the Lord. Friends have been telling me that he will now have a new body and will no longer suffer. I am happy when I think about the no suffering thing but have a hard time picturing him looking any different than he did when he was here with us. Those of us who were fortunate enough to really get to know and love him know that he was already one of the most perfect little boys that God has ever created.

,,,,,,,,,.....,,..,,,,,Jojo

.......I know that you are now in a better place,

..................................................,,,,..,........but I will miss you.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal, Auguast 25-29, 2010

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

I am starting to feel guilty about posting more of Pats journals than my own but taking a bit of a break from journaling every day has felt pretty good so I think that I will live with the guilt and once again post several of Pat's journals along with a few of mine.

(Click on any picture to enlarge). . . . . . . .. . .

You will find everything that Pat wrote written in Blue

Mine is the Gray.

If neither of us want to take credit for it, we will choose a different Color.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Today, Wednesday, I spent the morning playing secretary for Dick as he measured folks at Hermano Pedro for new chairs. We went into areas of the hospital that I didn't know existed. A team of therapists from the US is coming in a few weeks to help build chairs and seat kids in the children's homes, and we wanted to have the information ready for them when they get here.

Since Bethel Ministries invests approximately $70, into each adult wheelchair and $180 into each specialty child's chair, I figure Bethel needs close to $2500 in sponsors for wheelchairs for the kids that we saw just this morning. Not bad though considering just one new specialty wheelchair would cost far more than $2500 in the States. Looking at these pictures of some of the folks in their current chairs, and the pictures of the kids that have no wheelchairs, I think it's a good investment.

I got up into the Malnutrition Ward for the first time since I moved down. I could easily spend all my time "hiding" up there, just cuddling kids, but still think the kids downstairs need me more. Hardly even talked to any of "my" kids today! Tomorrow a small team from Kentucky is coming in, so a number of kids will get to go to lunch.

Pat

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Today a small team from Kentucky was visiting the orphanage. These folks were great with the kids, and we were able to take 6 of them to lunch. This team was great. Not in a hurry, willing to take time playing with the kids, letting them go at their own pace. They seemed to enjoy the lunch together, and even hung out with the kids at the orphanage after we got back. They were a marvelous team to tag along with. Thanks for letting me come.

..........Henry ready to go.

Elmer, looking cool

Jason, one of Dick's kids,.......
getting into playing with Henry.

I think I've written about the concern on the part of the orphanage staff about the kids getting sick. Well, keeping them cooped up in a non-ventilated room has not seemed to help much (go figure). Today, two of the kids very close to my heart are very ill. Both are very medically fragile, Jojo having hydrocephalus and dwarfism, and Leonel continuing to struggle with malnutrition. I ask prayers for both of these dear ones. Leonel, especially, looked very weak to me today, hardly responding when Chris visited him.

Pat

...............Chris visiting Leonel

Dick holding Jojo..................

I recently came across this song and the video that goes with it. It really spoke to me. It is less then 4 minutes in length. Please take the time to watch it. Ir

Was what you saw disturbing?

With a click of your finger you can turn off this web page and act like you never saw this, but the fact remains that every minute 21 children die of malnutrition.

That over 25,000 children in Uganda have been kidnapped and forced to join an army and fight in a civil war.

In the past year alone I have personally held at least a dozen children in my arms who are no longer alive.

They are calling for us.... isn't it time we heard them and did something about it?

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Friday, August 27, 2010

This morning I stayed in Chimaltenango and did a few things. I tried out a new Barber but this guy is really expensive. I had to pay $1.50 for a haircut granted he trimmed my beard as well but I never expected him to charge me $.50 extra for that. I perhaps would have taken it better but I had just gone in and payed my light bill and my water bill. Would you believe this month my water bill climbed to over $2 and my electric bill reached a staggering $30 for the month. At that rate you would think that they would be able to keep the water on all day or at least run it to the inside of my house for me. Then again if they did it wouldn't do me much good because I don't have a sink in my house. II understand that there are people in the States that do though. If I remember correctly some people even have their bathrooms in their homes. Disgusting!!

Since they had no school (??) Esben and Elder spent the entire morning with me but by noon I was ready for some adult company so I brought them home and headed to Antigua. I picked up Pat and we had lunch together. We had a nice lunch and visited for over an hour then decided that we had our fill of no kids and headed to the orphanage.

I will let Pat tell you about the rest of our day.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Spent the afternoon just "relaxing" at the orphanage. When I got there all the kids were in bed, so I snuck into the room housing the littler kids. I've not spent much time with these guys lately, since the older ones want to do work the minute they see me. So today, I would concentrate on this half of the unit. Leonel still looks very weak and now has an IV running. Am really concerned about him. Jojo, though, looked a bit better today.

I haven't seen much of Julian lately and yesterday a therapist with the team gave me some suggestions on things to do to help him focus. So, I went to his bed and worked with him for a while. When I put up the side to go and ask Dick something, Julian began SCREAMING at the top of his lungs. I've never seen him cry before. So, instead of doing any exercises, we rocked for about an hour. He was so calm during this time, and I enjoyed the cuddling, too. He's a neat kid, very bright, with no communication. Makes very little direct eye contact, but LOVES his back rubbed. Today I was working with his legs quite a bit, trying to get some resistance when I pressed against his foot. It's hard for me to tell if he has any muscle strength in his legs, because he doesn't like this and keeps bending his knees. I'd love to see him be able to use a walker. Anyway, after an hour of rocking, he willingly went back to bed, and I moved on to the Malnutrition Unit.

I've not spent much time here. I've almost been avoiding it, and am still not sure why. Part of the reason is I guess I've been concerned that I would lose my focus from my main work. Today, I not only lost my focus, but lost my heart once again. Gidy is a beautiful, smart, mobile, verbal five year old, who is back in the hospital because of malnutrition. She looks perfectly healthy to Dick and me, but one of the therapists explained that much of her size is just swelling. She is a darling.

When I walked in she immediately rushed up to me, hugged me and gave me a kiss. Yesterday I'd told her I'd be back, and this is one young lady who will hold me to my promises. We played outside with toys for a bit, and then she just wanted to cuddle.





She was enthralled when Dick took out his camera, so I went and got mine and she took some pictures to show you all what the porch area of malnutrition looks like. She really did a good job for never having used a camera before.

All too soon it was time to leave, and she didn't cry, just told me I couldn't go. Not in a demanding way, but with a firm "No!" each time I explained I needed to leave. I promised to come back, either tomorrow or Monday.




After extracting a promise from me that I'd come to see her tomorrow, she finally agreed to let me go, after filling my face with more kisses. I don't know much of her story, but expect I will be spending quite a bit of time being loved by this little one.

Pat

Pat was not with me this evening so I guess it would not be fair to have her write about what went on at my house.

Question - How to you get 35 people into a small 3 room house?

Answer - Let 2 or 3 of the neighborhood kids know that 5 Americans are showing up at your house with Pizza.


I must admit though that it was a lot of fun and that I am very thankful that I do not have any carpets in the house. The kids and I would like to thank the Teem that is here from Kentucky for a fun night. Well I guess I will go out and get the garden hose so I can clean the floors. Then again I better wait until morning because it is 9:25 and they will be shutting the water off in 5 minutes.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Saturday, August 28, 2010

Hay I am on a role, 2 journal entries in a row written by me. Then again it is the weekend so I will try to keep it short. The kids and I started off our day by going to a soccer game that Abner and Cesar were playing in. Marcos is on this teem as well but he injured his elbow playing basket ball at school yesterday and will not be able to play for a week or so.

Alex, 1 of his sisters and 2 of his brothers came in from SanMartine for the Pizza feed last night. Actually I had invited Alex because he had a birthday last week but had no celebration because his family could not afford one. We also celebrated Fernando's birthday last night. Fernando and Alex were 2 of the 3 kids that I actually invited. I figured that they would get the word out to the others and they certainly did. Anyway after this morning's game I offered to drive Alex, his sister and 2 brothers back home. Seems like going some where is almost as exciting as having a pizza party and not unlike a pizza party you only have to tell a few people about it and you end up with a mob. Soon the 12 of us were jammed into the borrowed pickup truck (Still no word on when the mechanic is going to have my car fixed) and heading down the road to SanMartine. I knew the kids were hungry and figured since Alex's mom and his other sister had missed out on last night's festivities that we would stop off and pick up some food before we reached their house. Wow talk about inflation. Pop, chips and enough roasted chicken to feed 14 of us set me back $14. That's a dollar each.



Alex and the rest of the kids in his family still miss living in Chimaltenango but my kids really enjoined getting out into the country. When I finally had to tell them that it was time to go home none of them wanted to leave. I wanted to get back home before dark though because the road between SanMartine and Chimaltenango is in bad shape do to all of the rain that we have been having. Here in Guatemala they do not put up signs where sections of road have been replaced by hundred foot cliffs.

We got back home at about 6 PM. Fernando's uncle and aunt had invited me to their house for a birthday dinner that they were having for Fernando. Knowing that everything in Guatemala runs on Guatemala time I showed up at 8 PM. I was an hour early.

Well that's about it for my Saturday so I will say "Goodnight."
Yours in Christ: Dick


Sunday, August 28, 2010

This morning only 3 of the kids came along with me to church. This is an all time record low but several of them and other things going on and a few over slept. We had a wonderful service and 4 people who had recently been saved were baptized. After church the 4 of us went to Subway (Yes Antigua has a Subway) for lunch and then we hiked up to the cross that is on the hill that overlooks Antigua. Our hike was cut short though because as soon as we reached the top of the hill it started to rain. By the looks of the sky this was going to be more than just a shower so we quickly headed back down the hill to where we had parked the pickup truck. When we reached the truck it started to pour. We were glad that we were off from the mountain because it soon turned into a full fledged thunder storm.



Shortly before 5 the rain tapered off enough that I let the kids talk me into renting a soccer field and even though things were anything but dry it sure beet spending the rest of the day in the house. I manged to stay dry but that was only because I stayed under the tin roof of the bleachers while the kids played and I also stayed clear of the wrestling match that a few of the kids had in a large mud puddle after the game.

WOW ! I just went over and took a look at Pat's web page. Since I have already finished today's journal I am going to post it but I can't help but wish that I had once again copied Pat's. If you want to read something really inspiring please CLICK HERE.

Well that's about it for now so I will once again say "Goodnight."
Yours in Christ: Dick