Guatemalan Journey

Why Not Me?

2011-12-31T19:09:00.000-06:00

What would have happened if David said, "Not Me!" when he saw the vision for building God's temple? Or if his son Solomon said, "Not Me!" when given the opportunity to fulfill that vision. Nehemiah did not say, "Not Me! I am the cupbearer to the king," when he heard that the walls of Jerusalem were falling down, he risked speaking to the king about the situation and in return was blessed with permission and provision.

What would happen in our homes, churches and communities if each person made a conscious choice to NOT say, "Not Me!"

What if the reason you see the need is because it is to be you?

What if you washed the dish and put it away? What if you served on that ministry team, went on that mission trip, taught that Sunday School, became a deacon, planted a church, or took that meal? What if you shared Jesus with your neighbor, colleague or checkout clerk and didn't leave it up to someone else? Maybe, we might have fewer dirty dishes and more saved souls. Both make for cleaner environments!

Let's make it our New Year's resolution to get rid of the "Not Me's" in our vocabulary and take the time to pause and pray, "Is it me?" Then just do it for the glory of the LORD! Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom. Ecclesiastes 9:10

Simply, Tara (Rye)

I read the above in my friend Tara' blog this morning and immediately felt compelled to share it with you, my friends. I searched for something to write as my wish for you for the New Year, and discovered I could wish you nothing better than to heed Tara's words. . .I encourage you, when faced with a need, to ask, "Why not me?" At times God makes it clear we should not become involved, but often I think He invites us to join His work through the people he places in our paths. It's so easy to say, "It's not my job," and not really consider what He might be inviting us into. Some of the greatest blessings I've received have come from being involved in something that wasn't "in my box" to do.

Remember, it really isn't about the doing. . .it's about responding to His leading, and bringing Him glory in the process. I pray He invites you to great things this year.

Happy New Year from Antigua, Guatemala!

Christmas Day, a la the Fulp Family

2011-12-29T17:11:00.000-06:00

Daryl and Wanda Fulp graciously invited us to spend Christmas Day with them and their remarkable family. Since Daryl has beaten me to the punch in posting about the day, I decided to borrow his journal entry. (I'm sure he won't mind. . .I think he won't mind. . .he probably won't mind. Guess I don't care if he does mind! LOL)

This family, including nine of their ten children, moved to Guatemala about a year ago and are planning on opening a children's home for kids with disabilities. Today convinced me even more, that this is their special call--not just as individuals but as a family unit. Take some time to check out their blog, Hope Fulfilled.

Now, here's Daryl:

Iam taking some time off to rest and enjoy the holidays with my family, but I wantedto take a few minutes to tell you about our first Christmas in Guatemala. Whilethis year has been very different for us, it has also been one of our bestChristmases ever as it has fulfilled a dream for us.

Someof the differences this year are as follows:

Temperaturesin the mid to upper 70’s (No need to check the forecast for a white Christmas)
But the song “White Christmas” playing in Spanish from the local Catholicchurch
Christmas shopping in Guatemala City (Not a pleasant experience)
No traveling to visit family (We miss the family, but not the driving)
Fireworks, lots of fireworks

Christmas here begins at midnight on Christmas Eve as people set offfireworks. We stood on our roof and watched the show as they were shot off fromall over the community. Imagine a 4th of July grand finale that lasts for 20minutes, only this one covered an entire town. It is the Guatemalan way ofwelcoming Christmas and is quite awe-inspiring.

Manyfamilies then go door-to-door bringing food and greeting their neighbors andthen return home to open presents. Our family, however, decided to go to bed.

Thenext morning our family arose early and started our day as we always do, withthe story of Simeon from the book of Luke. This tradition started whenBrittney, Krishauna and Carissa were very young and has continued. We thenopened presents and had a great time together.

At around 9:30 am, Dick Rutgers, Pat Duff andDave Black showed up with four of the kids from Hermano Pedro. Dick had checkedout Louis Andres, Julio, Carlitos and Leonel to spend the day with us. Thiswas, by far, the high point of our Christmas! To see these kids celebrateChristmas in a real home and receive presents along with a home cooked mealmade our entire move to Guatemala worthwhile. Several times I found myselfoverwhelmed with emotion as I looked around our home and saw the smiles on thekids faces.

This picture of Brittney and Leonel is my favorite. He seldom
smiles and it was wonderful to see him laugh!~~Pat

Weopened presents and enjoyed a wonderful meal prepared by Wanda. (The food and the company were wonderful. I'd been craving corn casserole since Thanksgiving, and have to admit I "pigged out" on Wanda's!~~Pat)

Somehow we wereable to move the furniture in our living room and put two large tables togetherand fit everyone around them. Everyone enjoyed the food. Brittney was even ableto get Leonel, who will not eat and is on a feeding tube, to eat six good bitesof cheddar mashed potatoes.

Theafternoon was spent playing and, (Daryl and Dick had a couple of spirited [competitive?] matches of ping pong on the Fulps' new table. I was a little worried I might have to intervene, but Dave Black was the official scorekeeper and managed to keep everything civil!~~Pat) all too soon, it was time to take the kidsback to HP. Once again, I was overcome with emotions. This time it was becauseI looked around and realized how many more children there were who spent theday in the wards. I have a dream of seeing more and more families who live hereand work in HP open their homes to the children and adults who reside there forChristmas each year. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if some day every ward was emptyand the nurses could take the day off?

(I was pretty overcome with emotion, too, when we took the kids back, but it was bittersweet. I had to remind myself and Daryl that we can only do what we can do. It didn't make the day any happier, though, for the kids left behind today. It was beautiful, though, to see the tears in the eyes of Dahlila, the head nurse, as she thanked us repeatedly for taking the kids out for the day. It would not have been possible without her help, and we felt like we should thank her. I pray with Daryl, though, that more children will be invited to more homes next year!~~Pat)

Iwant to thank each and every one of you who pray for us, support our ministry,and enable us to be here. It is the greatest privilege we have ever known.

Thereare more pictures below. Have a very happy New Year!

Daryl,Wanda and the Crew

Thanks, Daryl, Wanda, and Crew for an amazing Christmas Day. We thoroughly enjoyed every minute we were with you.

Christmas in Guatemala in pictures. . .

2011-12-27T20:21:00.001-06:00

Customize your own slideshow

Dick said to tell you if you have a MAC, you may have to wait a few minutes for the slide show to start once you get a black screen (but according to the MAC fanatic, it will run better on your MAC once it does start). Hope it works for you. Smilebox seems to be more PC friendly! LOL

Christmas Eve Guatemala Style

2011-12-27T15:44:00.014-06:00

My day began early as I got up to put the finishing touches on some costumes for the children's Christmas presentation at church in the evening. I think I've been seeing, crowns, beards and angels’ wings in my sleep.

About 10 am Mari called to ask me to help her with a last minute trip to the market. Like in the US, the "stores" are crowded with last minute shoppers.

By 3:00 I was at church, helping set up for the Christmas Eve service. (I'm part of the children's staff now at Iglesia del Camino! At least for a while. . .) I loved how everyone pitched in. At right, Antonio, who recently graduated seminary, vacuums the stage area.

Before the service, Pastor Mike (in the suit coat—a first!) gathered all the staff together, under the setting sun, for a time of prayer and reflection.

As we prayed, I looked up and saw a lone star in the sky, and couldn’t help but remember the Star of Bethlehem.

And here are some of our kids, preparing to present the Christmas Story to the congregation:

Our Angels

Our Shepherds

Our Kings

Maria Dolores, our children’s ministry director, did an amazing job sewing most of the costumes.

Just as we were about to begin, there was a power failure—only on the street where our church is located. With emergency lights and cell phone flashlights, we started our service. As Pastor Mike reminded us, there was no electricity the first Christmas.

Pastor Mike and Luis holding their cell phones to shine the light on our shepherds.

The lights were off and on throughout the service, but did stay on long enough for the kids to sing two songs for the congregation.

And our Carols and Candlelight were just the ticket with unreliable power.

When church was over, we made a quick stop at my house to pick up tamales, ponche (a Christmas punch loaded with pieces of fruit), and cookies and headed up to Dick’s house in Chimaltenango to meet a bunch of his kids who had had to work late.

With Esbin’s help, Dick played Santa. (Maybe now that Christmas is over, he’ll cut his hair and trim his beard?)

Dave Black, a friend from Canada, joined us for the evening (though I think he came mostly hoping to get some chocolate peanut clusters!)

About ten o’clock, Dick brought Dave and me back to Antigua where I joined the Hernandez family for their traditional dinner of tamales at midnight. (And to think that I used to groan about having to attend an eleven o’clock Christmas Eve service at home. Of course, no snow makes traveling much easier here!)

At midnight, the sky here lights up filled with fireworks from every direction, welcoming the birth of Jesus. It always brings tears to my eyes as I see Don Leo going room to room with a pan of incense, inviting the newborn Jesus into each corner of the house.

One of the sweetest moments of this Christmas Eve, though, was given to me by Natalie, Leo’s granddaughter. I would not be spending Christmas Day with the family this year, as we would be taking some of the Hermano Pedro kids out to Daryl and Wanda Fulp’s for the day. Natalie couldn’t understand why I was leaving them, so her mother, Julie, explained that these children have no families to care for them on Christmas. At this news, seven year old Natalie burst into tears at the thought of children without families alone in orphanages, especially at Christmas. Oh that we all could have her tender heart for the least of these. . .

Lunch with Doña Mati

2011-12-27T14:06:00.001-06:00

While most of what I do at Hermano Pedro involves the children’s area, I have gotten to be friends with some of the older folks who also call Obras Sociales “home.” (They house approx. 120 children and an equal number of adults.)

One of my all time favorites is Doña Matilda (Mati to her friends). This lady has suffered a stroke which has left the right side of her body paralyzed, but her mind is still sharp as a tack! I have known her over a year now, having met her when she was sitting out in front of the orphanage in her power wheelchair.

When describing her, the first word that comes to mind is elegant. Though she wears donated clothes, has an institutional hair cut, and few of her own possessions, she emits a serenity and peace that has drawn me to her. This month, for the first time, I was able to take her out to lunch with the help of Alejandro (Leo’s grandson) and Mari Estelle (Mari’s daughter). Mari joined us to round out the foursome.

After completing the required paperwork, I looked all around the older women’s unit and couldn’t find Doña Mati. I finally discovered her in the corner of one of the dormitories, primping like a young girl going out on a date. The nurses said she had been excited all morning, getting ready for our outing. Though we were actually a few minutes early, my heart broke when she softly said, “I was afraid you’d forget me.” I assured I had not, that in fact I had brought some of my Guatemalan “family” with to meet her!

While she had the opportunity to chose anywhere in Antigua to eat, she selected Pollo Campero. As we walked there through the park, Doña Mati came alive, in much the same way I see the kids blossom when they go out. She shared that she has only gotten to leave Hermano Pedro once or twice a year since coming there to live.

After her stroke, her daughter didn’t feel she could care for her, and brought her to Hermano Pedro. Unfortunately, her daughter is worried that if she comes to see her mother, the institution will ask her to pay for her care (not true), so Doña Mati hasn’t seen her daughter since the day she arrived. She also has a sister who lives in Guatemala City, but never visits her. So she is quite alone.

During lunch she told some of her story, and I discovered she had been a cook and housekeeper for a number of Americans in the past. She said she wishes she could still cook now.

As we visited, I watched a friendship begin between her and Mari, who loves cooking more than anything. They chattered on like two schoolgirls about their recipes and experiences with Americans. I had secretly hoped this would happen when I invited Mari to join us, and was happy to see the friendship unfolding. Mari has promised to return to see Doña Mati on Sundays, as her church is just down the street from Hermano Pedro.

As we walked back to Hermano Pedro, it was almost as if I could see the energy draining out of Doña Matilda. While she had enjoyed her time with us, it was hard for her to return to institutional living. She helped me understand a bit more how even the best institution cannot hold a candle to a home setting.

And I realized that just as our children need attention and stimulation, the older folks need companionship and activity, also. Many volunteers come for the children. Few are willing to spend time with the adults. I pray God will send more helpers with a passion for the elderly to work alongside us. . .for a week, a month, a year, or a lifetime.

A Divine Appointment Walking Down the Street

2011-12-27T12:04:00.003-06:00

As I was leaving home one morning, I passed this couple on the street. After greeting each other, we continued on our way. After I had gone about half a block, I hear the gentleman calling, “Seño,” the local greeting for a woman when you don’t know if she’s married or not.

I went back and he asked me if there was any way I could help them pay the fees so their fourteen year old son could go back to school. He quit school last year to help support his family by working in the fields. This year, though, his parents really want him to complete his education.

I usually don’t work with kids who do not have a disability of some kind, but there was something about this couple that drew me to them. I took their information and said I would ask in my journal if anyone was willing to sponsor him. And, really, I sort of forgot about them.

About a week later, they came to Mari’s house looking for me. (Though they didn’t know where I lived, it wasn’t too hard to locate the only “gringa” living in my neighborhood.) We invited them in, and Mari, the ever gracious hostess served them breakfast. We visited, and I learned more of their family and their lives.
It just so happened that these folks were Christ-followers, and shared with me that they believed God had told them to ask me for help. I told them that while I still did not have a sponsor for their son, I would try to find one (I would remember this time!). I noticed that before they ate, they each individually prayed over their food. . .and, before they left, the father, Francisco, asked if we could pray.

He and his wife, Consuelo, prayed the most beautiful prayers over me, never praying for a sponsor for their son, but praying forcefully that God would protect me, strengthen me, and bless my work. Afterwards, they told me that they had been praying for me each day, and would continue to do so, whether or not I was able to help their son, because I was working for God.

You can imagine the shame I felt for wondering initially if they had told me they were “evangelicos” as a way for trying to “hook” me into helping them. I was humbled by their simple faith and powerful prayer. I resolved to look for a sponsor, but wanted to meet their son first to see how serious he was about studying.
During the next few days they stopped by a couple of times, not to ask if I’d found a sponsor, but because God had given them Scriptures to share with me. I discovered that Francisco seems to carry his Bible with him always, and reads quite well. Consuelo has confided that she cannot read, because her family didn’t think girls need to learn to. (I hope to bring her a “Proclaimer,” an audio Bible, the next time I return to the States.) And we would pray together, with their focus continually on God blessing my work.

After one of these prayer times, I knew we would sponsor Isaac, even if I had to do it myself, and shared this with them. If you would like to be a part of this by sponsoring Isaac, please email me for more information. The cost of his sponsorship will be $35/mo. All that was left was to meet Isaac.

Last week Francisco and Consuelo brought Isaac to the house. (Unfortunately, when I went to take a picture of him, my camera battery was dead!) This is a quiet young man, who appeared almost embarrassed that his parents were asking me for help. He did want to study, however, and had no other idea how he was going to pay for it. I found that he was in “Segundo Basico,” the equivalent of eighth grade, which, since he was only 14 was a pretty good indication that he was a good student, and his parents had started him to school on time. Many fourteen year olds I meet are only in second or third grade.

The clincher came, however, when I asked him about his life with God. He said, honestly, it was so-so. He had a hard time believing that God really loved him, or even was aware of him. It was such a joy to share with him that I KNEW God did, because that was why God sent his parents to me. That was why, while I don’t work with kids who don’t have disabilities, I felt the Holy Spirit telling me to make an exception.
He looked a bit startled at my surety of these things. I asked him if he had ever read the Bible, and he said no. So I simply presented the “Good News” of Jesus to him. (It was really neat to do this right before Christmas!). While he was not ready to make a decision to follow Christ, he wanted to know more.
I gave him a copy of Josh McDowell’s book, More than a Carpenter, written in Spanish. I’ve found that many here have an easier time understanding his plain talk than than do understanding the somewhat complicated language of the Bible, so thought this was a good way to start. (Remember, for many here, Spanish is a second language. I struggle to read the Bible in Spanish, and the only thing that helps me is that I usually know what I am reading in the English version. That’s why, even with those who can read, the Proclaimer is such a good tool.) Isaac promised to read it and return to discuss it with me. It brought tears to my eyes to see him flipping through it while I visited with his parents.

I am firmly convinced that my friendship with Isaac is not only about his education, but about his eternity. We will continue to talk and I’ll look for the “Holy Spirit moment” when he is ready to join us in following Jesus. I can hardly wait!

Visiting Families in Tecpan

2011-12-12T11:13:00.002-06:00

I left Antigua early this morning to take the bus up to Chimaltenango where I was meeting Dick, the boys, and Liz, a volunteer down to help with camp. After a quick breakfast at Camperos, we headed to the Bethel shop to pack food bags we would be taking to six families living outside of Tecpan.

This area is one of the most beautiful in Guatemala, and if I were to move to a village area, I think this one would be it. (Dick reminds me, though, the people in this area are still not too fond of us gringos, but I do love the area and the people I know there. The problem for me is, I often forget that I’m a gringo.)

When we arrived, we discovered that Maria Son was not at home, but was a few miles away at her parents. Maria was Bethel’s first contact in this aldea, and this young widow with four children is one of my favorite Guatemalan women. We visited for a while with Maria’s sister, Josefina, and her family, though.
Josefina’s oldest daughter (I think named Gloria) has not been in school the past few years since the family could not afford to send all the children to school. As in many areas, the families choose to educate the boys, sometimes at the expense of an older daughter. This girl is somewhat fearful of returning to school since she is about 14 years old and only in the second grade. She really wants to at least learn to read well though, and we promised to try to find her a sponsor. School in this area is relatively inexpensive, so, if you would like to help sponsor Gloria for $25 a month so she can return to school and learn to read, please email me and I’ll give you further information.

Gloria spends hours every day weaving “huipils,” the blouses worn by Mayan women, and often purchased by tourists. She will spend a month working on one blouse, and will learn less than $100 for the finished product. This money goes to help feed her parents and her five brothers and sisters.
We were shortly off up the hill through a corn field, to visit another family in this immediate area. Magdelena lives here with her four children part of the year in a metal house built by Bethel ministries. Her oldest daughter, Rosa, works in Chimaltenango, and when school is in session, they live there so the young children can attend school, and Rosa can work and still care for her mother. Mom is bed-ridden, and we are currently trying to get some medical tests done to see what her problem is. (This is one of the things we do with our medical fund.)
Silvia, Magdelena’s daughter, is blind, and spends her days sitting in the house, basically vegetating. She has a “Presenter,” a hand-crank and solar powered audio Bible, she loves to listen to. She also loves Christian music, and has been wanting a CD player for a long time now. Through Liz’s generosity, Silvia now has one and can listen to music to her heart’s content.

Adelina, the youngest daughter in the family, just graduated from sixth grade and will be beginning “Basico” (jr. high) through the kindness of a sponsor. If you are at all interesting in sponsoring a child like Adelina for the upcoming school year, which begins in January, please email me for information.

Adelina carrying a bag of groceries on her head, which I could not lift with both hands. Even Dick’s boys complained about how heavy the bags were, and she carried it without a word.

We set off down the trail to the next family. This family only receives food periodically. There is a father in the family, but they obviously are very poor and need help. Mom and the 19 year old daughter earn money weaving. We’re not quite sure what dad does, if anything, and don’t ask too many questions. Dad does not like “gringos” coming on his property. Unfortunately, we need to pass through their land to get to the next two widows we would be visiting. Today, dad was not at home, and we had a chance to visit with the family before moving on.

Our next stop was Samuel’s family. Samuel’s mom is yet another widow with five children. Not that long ago, Samuel was not in school because he was working in the fields to earn about $10 a week to feed his family. While the younger children were going to school on sponsorships, and even though one was available for Samuel, his mother could not afford to give up this small income for food. Hearing this, his sponsor increased their donation by $40 a month and now Samuel is in school and loving it. An added benefit is that he can still work the fields during vacations and weekends. We didn’t get to see him today, since he was out working, but had a wonderful time visiting with his mother, grandmother and siblings.

Our last stop was at the home of Maria José. She is an extremely frail widow with eight children who live in a two room adobe house. We were invited in today, and were astounded by the poverty in which they live. One room is a kitchen of sorts, with no more than a fire pit and some crude shelves. The other room had a single bed. We asked where the children sleep, and were told on the bumpy dirt floor—without blankets.

This time of year it gets cold at night, and both Dick and I felt our hearts break at the thought of these children sleeping huddled together to keep warm on a floor so uneven I had a hard time walking on it. And this woman has never asked us for anything. She has only recently begun receiving food assistance after her family was discovered almost by accident.
I have a few donated quilts left, and between them and the blankets the camp volunteers graciously left, these children will at least have warm covers this Christmas.

As we were getting ready to leave, Wilmer, one of Maria Son’s sons ran up to us from the field where he had been working, excited that his mother had come home to see us. So once again we were trekking up the steep path for a visit.

When we got there, Maria brought out a children’s huipil she had been saving for me. She’d thought I had a granddaughter and that I might like it for her. Unfortunately, no granddaughters, but the huipil was so beautiful I could not turn it down. It will be a beautiful wall hanging, and I might even get it framed. The only problem was that when I went to pay Maria for it, she only wanted to accept a third of what the weaving was worth. It took a while talking to her about the fact that while I appreciated her friendship, it would not feed her children. Finally she accepted a bit more, but still gave it to me for far less than she could have sold it in the markets.

When it was time to go, the crowd of children and adults following us had grown shockingly. Dick would have to turn the car around to get out from where we had parked, and we were not quite sure how to keep all the kids safe as he did so. I think Dick wanted to strangle me when I suggested he let all the kids ride in the truck as he turned around, but it would keep them out from behind the back wheels. Dick reluctantly agree, and we discovered you could easily (?) fit more than 20 Guatemalan children into a Land Cruiser.

I know I’ve written a lot about this one trip, but this area is very dear to my heart, and each family here has a wonderful story to tell. At times people challenge me as to why I am Guatemala while there is so much need in the US. These stories explain why. . .not just the poverty I see here, but what I don’t find here. I seldom see hopelessness, entitlement, anger, or any of the other things I have been taught are the side-effects of poverty. Each visit I learn more from my friends living here about living life to the full.
These families have a joy that only comes from their firm faith in Jesus, and their strong sense of community. While we took food to six families, there are probably sixty more who are in just as much need who we pass on the way into the aldea. There is no jealousy or resentment shown by those who are also in need. They often tell us of needs of other families in the area, but seldom their own.
They welcome us as long lost friends, and it fills my heart to bursting when children whose names I cannot even remember come running up to my shouting, “Paty, you’ve come back.”

Thanksgiving

2011-12-08T17:39:00.001-06:00

This morning Dick picked me up and we headed over to Hermano Pedro to take a few more kids out to camp. These were kids who couldn’t stay overnight, but we thought would enjoy a day trip.

After some confusion about which Christina I had gotten permission to take to camp (we ended up taking both after Christina #2’s cries touched Dick’s soft heart!), we were on our way.

What I had not anticipated, though, was how much the kids enjoyed just riding in the van! Christina #2 sat in the front seat, waving at everyone we passed, for all the world looking like a “queen” riding through the streets acknowledging her subjects.

This three week camp is a joint project of Bethel Ministries and Hope Haven Ministries from Rock Valley, Iowa. Pastor Bill VanDyken is the driving force behind the camp. We had worked together a bit on projects in Omaha, and since Bill had had some medical problems this last year, it was especially good to see him.

While we were there, the campers put on a number of skits, including a number of the kids from Hermano Pedro. Bayron was the “magic mirror” in Blanca Nieve (Snow White).

Henry “interviewed” a number of campers and did an excellent joy. He loved being the center of attention.

We had a great lunch and I got a chance to visit with some of the kids from villages who had come in for camp. I’d met a number of them on trips, and it was fun to catch up. Also, the kids from Hermano Pedro who were staying at camp were excited to see us.

After helping change diapers for a number of kids, we headed out to the grassy area to spend some time just rolling around on the ground.

Ervin was a bit anxious at all the freedom, and kept “walking” over to the van, ready to get back to the security of the orphanage. The best part, though, was that he was WALKING with minimal help.

One of the best things about camp is the freedom it gives the kids to just be kids. Moises, who has trouble even pushing his wheelchair himself, enjoyed showing off for the camera.

Moises showing off for the camera.

Returned home to Thanksgiving dinner with 20 friends and family. I had done most of the cooking yesterday (since I knew I was going to camp) and Mari did the turkey.

Buffet before. . .

Buffet after. . .

And, in true Guatemala fashion, the evening ended with a marimba dance fest!

For not being a holiday in this country, we sure lived it up!

I thank you, God, for most this amazing day. . .Nov. 21, 2011

2011-11-27T20:17:00.001-06:00

This line from an e. e. cummings poem sums up today for me. It was the kind of day I dreamed about having before I moved down here.

Many of the kids were going home today to spend Christmas with their families. While I’m always sad to see them leave, I couldn’t help but rejoice with them in their excitement to be going home for a few weeks. I got to visit with a number of their parents, and enjoyed talking with each one of them.

I also got to see off the kids who were going to the Bethel Ministries/Hope Haven camp in Chimaltenango this week. The kids have been looking forward to this and talking about it since August, and were beyond excited to be leaving with Dick and two of the volunteers, Matt and Jackie, who had come to pick them up.

And there were those who were sad to be “left behind,” either because they have no where to go, or because their families are not able to come yet. Ervin, especially, would sob inconsolably every time I walked away from him. Since I’m just getting over another cold, I had not planned on staying very long, but how could I leave him? Julio, while less vocal about his sadness, sat outside looking totally lost.

So we got out the bubbles, one of Julio’s favorite activities. It always takes him a while to be able to blow a bubble, having to work so hard to coordinate the muscles of his face, mouth and lips. When he finally got one, he was so excited. Ervin was more interested in playing in the bubble solution, but enjoyed himself as well. Miguel joined us, and managed to blow a few bubbles, again struggling as hard as Julio to do so. When I started “catching” a bubble on my wand for him to break with his hand, we has ecstatic, and it was great practice for him in using his hands in a controlled manner.

When they were all sufficiently wet from the bubbles, we switched to some activities requiring them to take turns and cooperate with each other. Even Ervin stuck with us this time, and the kids did a great job of working together. This is one of the things that bring me the most pleasure—seeing them interacting not just with me but with each other.

Finally, we went to the table and the kids helped me reorganize the foam puzzles. I’d forgotten that Bobby was inside, and one of the nurses brought him out since she saw he wanted to work with us. So the kids helped put the pieces into the puzzles, and again we worked on eye hand coordination and control. The best part was, the kids didn’t know they were doing “therapy,” and had a ball playing with the materials.

While I can tell you a couple of “educational” goals I worked on with each of the boys, what gave me the most pleasure was seeing four sad and lonely boys playing together and enjoying each other’s company. I’m so glad I got to share this with them.

Don Leo’s Birthday, November 20, 2011

2011-11-27T19:18:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was Leo’s 70th birthday, and his son, Leo, had invited the family, including me, to go out to dinner after church today.

We drove to Esquintla, about 45 min. from Antigua, hoping to eat at a restaurant which was a family favorite. When we got there, though, we discovered that it had closed since the family’s last visit. So we headed to the highway looking for somewhere else to eat.

We found a “cervicheria” that looked pretty good and went in. It was a most interesting place. While we waited for our food, we were serenaded by a small band which was playing for and visiting with a man at the next table. It was quite interesting to watch them, especially when one of them got their shoes shined while continuing to play without missing a note. Numerous peddlers came to our table, selling everything from pirated CD’s to nuts.

Before

When the food finally came, we were not disappointed. Leo had ordered “Caldo de Mariscos” (shellfish soup). This was enough to feed two or three of us, but Leo, who has not been eating much, took great pleasure in polishing off the entire bowl.

After

On our way out of town, we stopped at McDonalds for ice cream (though I passed; after my garlic shrimp I couldn’t eat another bite). As I watched Douglas, Mari and Leo’s youngest grandson, play on the equipment, I suddenly became intensely homesick for one of the first times since I’ve lived here.

Douglas is the same age as my grandson, Zach. One of the “Grandma-Zach” traditional outings is going to McDonalds so Zach can play. As I watched Douglas, I couldn’t help but wonder what I was missing out on with Zach. I profoundly felt the loss of those special times with him.

But, as I sat there, I reminded myself about why I’m here. I do miss Zach and Nate. And I also know that those two little boys are well loved and taken care of by their parents. I love the times I’m in Omaha and can lavish attention on them. These two kids don’t want for anything.

Then I thought about the kids at Hermano Pedro, who this very afternoon where probably lying alone in their cribs. With no one to play with them or give them attention unless they were lucky enough to have a few volunteers working with them today. While physically well cared for, the social and emotional needs of the kids here are sorely lacking. And I missed “my” kids here in Guatemala.

And I looked at Alejandro (age 11) and Douglas (age 5), and was very grateful to have them part of my life here. I looked at the rest of the Hernandez family, and thanked God that He has placed them in my life. At the same time that I sorely miss my biological family, I have been welcomed into the heart of my Guatemalan family. I am blessed. . .

Adrian and His Grandma

2011-11-27T19:11:00.003-06:00

I "borrowed" this one from Dick, though he doesn't know it yet! We're both behind on our posting, though, so I'll take his "help" whenever I can get it!

Most of our wheelchair distributions take place in large buildings where 50 or 60 wheelchairs are given out and fitted in a single day. Although I enjoy these very much I must admit that some of my favorites are the days when we go out and give out just one or 2 wheelchairs. Today was one of those special days. Fact is today we brought the average down a little bit by giving out 0 wheelchairs. I know that 0 is not an impressive number but I still consider it a very valuable day. Let me explain.

About 2 weeks ago I received an E-mail from Joel Vandyke. Joel told me about a gang member who was in prison in Guatemala City who told him that he had a 9 year old son who needed a wheelchair. Adrian, lives with his grandmother in one of the red zones of the City. Red zones are places in the City that are considered unsafe for outsiders to go into. However they are also places where there is much need. Since they are not the best places for strangers to be asking for directions Pat, Elsa (A therapist who works with Hope Haven International), Sarah (A therapist who is here working with Bethel Ministries for the week) , Calin, Kevan, Cesar and I arranged to meet Adrian and his grandmother at a McDonald's in a better part of the City. Edwin, the prison Chaplin had agreed to drive Adrian and his grandmother there.

Edwin and his wife showed up with the little boy and his Grandmother right on time. (Actually they were about an hour late but that is about as close to being on time as things get here in Guatemala.) Shortly after meeting them grandmother told us that the the wheelchiar that I had brought with me was no longer needed because her grandson had received an identical wheelchair at a Hope Haven wheelchair distribution just a few days earlier. She apologized to us for making the trip to the City for nothing. We all looked at each other. I think that we were all thinking the same thing. This had not been a wasted trip. Even though we had just met the 2 of them we were already in love with them both and even though Adrian apparently had some form of bran damage and could not walk or talk, he was one of the friendliest kids that we had ever met. And it was immediately apparent that his grandmother had a deep love for him. Grandmother told us that she had been working with him a lot and that she felt that he would benefit from a walker. After examining him I agreed. After talking with Grandma Pat felt that she would be able to figure out a way for him to communicate as well. We told grandmother that it would be easier for us to assess what type of walker and communication system would be best for him if we knew a little more about his environment though. 10 minutes later Grandmother, Adrian, Pat, Elsa, Calin, Kevan, Cesar and I were in my car and driving to where this family lived.

It took about a half hour to reach their home and most of Grandmother's time was spent holding him and looking out of the window of my car while naming things to her grandson. Even though his mother had deserted him, his father was in jail and he did not live in the best of neighborhoods it was apparent that Adrian was not starving for love. When we reached their home we were greeted by 3 more kids whom we were told were cousins of Adrian. We were told that both of grandma's sons are in jail. This was not one of the safest neighborhoods that I have been in but Grandma was doing her best to make her house a real home for these 4 kids. It was hard to say goodby but we promised that we would be back soon with a walker, some food, some communication ideas and some more Christian love. Had this been a wasted day? Perhaps so if we had been looking at how many wheelchairs we had given out, but I do not believe that is what it is all about.

"There are people in the world so hungry
that God cannot appear to them
except in the form of bread."

Written by Dick

VBS—Guatemalan Style, Nov. 14-19

2011-11-27T19:09:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago, Maria Dolores, the children’s director at IDC (Iglesia del Camino) asked if I would help with Vacation Bible School. (We are in the midst of the kids’ “summer” vacation; they go back to school in January.)

While I’ve been teaching the school age girls’ Sunday School since last January, I was a bit hesitant at first to agree, knowing the amount of work that goes into VBS (apologies to Westside). I’ve been away from Children’s Ministry for more than six years now, and am six years older and six year slower than when I worked in preschool. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep up with the kids, and I think I’m the oldest person working with the kids here in any capacity.

After much prayer and trying to convince God I was too busy with the kids at Hermano Pedro to add one more thing to what I am doing, I finally obeyed and agreed to teach. I’m so glad I did. (As far as “abandoning” my HP kids, I had a cold most of the week and wouldn’t have been able to go into the orphanage anyway. Guess God showed me!)

We used a curriculum adapted from the Wordless Book from Child Evangelism Fellowship. We teachers traded off teaching the different ages, so I got to know many of the kids at the church. Since we taught in both English and Spanish, things took a bit longer than what I was used to, but we managed. The most difficult thing for me was remembering which language to stick with so I didn’t confuse my interpreter!

“Snack” here had a whole different meaning from the sweets usually served in the US. Guatemalans traditionally have their coffee break (“refaccion”) at 10:30, and it is as substantial as their breakfast. All the snacks were made by women in the church. This week we had taquitos, cuchitos (at tamale like food), and tostadas. The food alone was worth working VBS!

One of the favorite times for the kids seemed to be the missionary story at the end of each day. I found this very interesting in our context, where I am considered a missionary. The story was about a missionary in India and a child he impacted. The kids loved it, and loved asking us if we (the North Americans) were really “missionaries” or just here because we like Guatemala! This led to many interesting discussions about just what is a missionary.

We ended the week with a family outing on Saturday to San Miguel Duenas, which is at the foot of the Fuego and Acatenango volcanoes. I had a great time getting to know some of the parents of the kids that I’ve been teaching in Sunday School all year.

Congratulations Esbin and Jason!

2011-11-27T19:06:00.001-06:00

This year two of Dick’s boys “graduated” from the equivalent of Jr. High. Esbin graduated from a public school, and was so excited that we were able to come up for the graduation ceremony.

For Esbin, school is quite a challenge, and we’re so proud of him hanging in there and graduating. His determination to stay in school is especially remarkable considering that he has been abandoned by his mother. He was taken in by another family, and shortly after he moved in with them, the father of the family drowned. A few months later, the mother died from an infection on her leg. This “blended” family is being held together by the young adult son and daughter, who have continued to care for Esbin and his brother, as well as their biological siblings.

Jason graduated, with honors, from a private Christian school he has attended. This is remarkable for the young man who, a year ago, was missing and we feared dead. After Dick received a call from a pastor in Guatemala City and convinced him to come home, he began going to the same school as Cesar and Fernando, thanks to the generosity of a sponsor in the U.S. This seems to have made all the difference for him, and he has excelled academically and socially. He truly is a work of God. Jason has become one of my favorites of Dick’s kids, and I was very disappointed to miss his ceremony since I was sick. Dick provided me with photos, however.

Jason receiving his class ring from his parents
as a proud Dick looks on

Both of these young men will be continuing their schooling in January. Jason wants to study tourism, though recently, after working with the Hermano Pedro kids at camp, is considering teaching or nursing.

Dick with Jason and Cesar. Cesar didn’t graduate, but received an award for his excellent grades.

We are especially proud of these young men, since many stop their studies and go to work at this point. I can’t help but think that this is in large part due to Dick’s influence and his constant interest in their schoolwork. Way to go, Guys!

Graduation at New Life, Santa Maria de Jesus

2011-11-09T22:15:00.001-06:00

During this past school year (January through October in Guatemala) I’ve had the privilege of spending some time with the students at New Life School in Santa Maria de Jesus. Today I got to join with them in celebrating the graduation of ten of their sixth grade students.

This graduating class was special to the school for a number of reasons. First, it is the last graduating class that remembers where the school started, not in the beautiful facility they now call home, but in a small house in the community. This group has watched their school grow from a few children to more than 90. They have a special appreciation for the legacy of New Life.

Blakey addressing the Sixth Grade graduates
as her mother looks on

Today was special, too, because it marked the end of Blakey’s studies in Basico (the equivalent of our high school program). Blankey was the young girl who first inspired Judy Kerschner to begin educating special students in Santa Maria, and was the only student when the school began that first year. Next year, Blankey will be joining the staff while working in the office.

To celebrate this occasion, there were a number of musical performances but both students and teachers. This reflected well the community which is New Life School.

The critical role the parents have played in their children’s ability to receive an education was honored when the parents accompanied their graduates to the “stage.”

In addition to receiving their diploma, each student also received a Bible and prayer from either Judy or Amy DeYoung, who also supervises the school program in Santa Maria. This was a most special and sacred time.

When the graduation ceremony was over, we were treated to a scrumptious lunch prepared for the staff and visitors by the parents of the graduates. It is an honor to be considered part of this community of students, teachers and more importantly, followers of Jesus Christ.

Westside Team, Oct. 8-15

2011-11-09T21:37:00.001-06:00

One of the reasons I wanted to make sure I was back in Guatemala on time was to be here to greet the team for Westside Church in Omaha (my home church) which came down in early October to work with Bethel ministries. I had been looking forward to their arrival since VBX at Westside last June. The kids had raised over $14,000 to be used for ministry here in Guatemala, and I was grateful to get to be a small part of what they would do here.

I was especially excited that some old friends were in this group. Of course, there was Caleb Smagacz, the Children’s Pastor at Westside, and Mike and Wanda Kearns were also coming for the first time. Mike and I worked together in Care Ministry at Westside, and Wanda has been one of the ladies faithfully sewing diapers and sending children’s vitamins to us. I was so excited to introduce them to “my” kids. A last minute addition to the team was Kelly Toole, who works in the Preschool at Westside. She had been down here with her daughter almost 5 years ago, and I was so anxious to show her how the kids had grown up. In addition to these old friends, I made some amazing new ones this week.

Sunday we met the group at Hermano Pedro after church. I stood amazed as many of these folks who had never been exposed to children with severe disabilities fell in love with and loved on the kids. Dick and I saw would be the case immediately, when we began the tour in the older girls’ area. Usually groups stand in the middle of the ward kind of shell shocked. It brought tears to my eyes to look up and immediately see this group spread out in every part of the ward, talking to, touching, loving the girls, in spite of their language differences. I was like Jesus was all over the room. . .and He was through these loving people. It was hard to get them to move on to the next area.

We spent most of our time in the Annibel, with the little kids. It seemed each person found a “special” kids to love on, and you could see on their faces how the kids were affecting the people on this team. I will always remember Ron, a “gentle giant” of a man, hold Paulo, one of the kids who tugs at my heart the most. Paulo has little if any vision, and frequently spends his afternoons crying alone in his bed. I often come and sing to him, but am unable to hold him because of his size. This wasn’t a problem at all for Ron, though, who scooped him up and cuddled and just loved him. This is the first time I have ever seen anyone hold Paulo, and he just melted into Ron.

The next few days the team dove into housebuilding, in spite of the torrential rains. I didn’t accompany them to these builds, as I had other commitments, but did spent the nights at the hotel in Chimaltenago with them. Each night I got to know them a little better, and by the time they left, felt close to each one of them. Their companionship and friendship blessed me greatly, and I pray they will continue to be involved in our ministry and perhaps return here again. I’d love to host any of them!

Estrella’s Broken Arm, Sept. 10, 2011

2011-09-10T19:32:00.000-05:00

I’m borrowing some of Dick’s journals from this week. For one thing, my camera is acting up so I don’t have any pictures. For another, as I am getting ready to head to the States I’m finding less time to keep up with my writing. So this story comes from Dick:

After being on the road from Sunday through Friday I was looking forward to having a quiet weekend at home. Those plans didn't last long though because as I was ending my 6 day road trip and pulling into the alley where I live I received a phone call from Ronny's mom. Ronny is the 16 year old boy whose family we have worked with for years who passed away a few months ago.

Ronny's mom told me that her daughter Astrilla (spelling is not even close) had fallen from a tree and broken her arm. She told me that did not have enough money to get her to the doctor yet alone pay the cost of a doctor or x-rays. When I asked mom how long ago Astrilla had broken her arm she told me that it happened 2 days ago. A short time later I had Pat call to see if we could get more details and perhaps talk to dad who does not seem to dramatize things as much as mom. A few years ago mom had made called to tell me that another daughter was hysterical because she had fallen into a pond and almost drowned. It was only after a 2 hour drive to their home that dad told me that his daughter had fallen into a mud puddle and started to cry because she had gotten her new dress dirty.

However after talking to dad this time we were convinced that Astrilla's arm could really be broken so early Saturday morning Pat, 3 of my boys and I headed down to the coast to see if we could find a doctor that we could bring Astrilla to on a Saturday. Oh yes there was always the option of going to the national hospital in Esquintla but after some of the experiences that I have had with National hospitals I much rather pay for a doctor.

To make what is becoming a long story a bit shorter I will condense things by saying. We got her to a doctor. X-ray's were taken. Mom claimed that we were taken as well because the visit with the doctor, the x-rays and the cast that was put on the arm that was indeed broken came to a whopping $80 American. I wish that I could get taken like that in the USA. Anyway Astrilla is now back home and doing fine.

Her broken arm does not seem to be slowing down Estrella too much. We stopped for lunch at Pollo Campero in Santa Lucia before taking the family home. Estrella managed to pack away quite the food, and still had room for ice cream. (Ice cream makes everything better, doesn’t it?)

Surprise Phone Call, Sept 6, 2011

2011-09-09T19:34:00.000-05:00

Esmeralda visiting with Carlos as her teacher looks on

Dick is up in the Huehuetenango area with Chris Mooney and Carlos from Bethel Ministries. They are visiting the families Bethel serves in the area, both with school and nutritional support. The families here are some of my favorites in Guatemala, and I was a bit disappointed I could not accompany them.

Esmeralda talking to me on Dick’s phone

Imagine my delight when I answered the phone today, and it was Dick telling me he had someone with him who wanted to talk with me. It was Esmeralda, a beautiful young lady who I had met almost a year ago when we took her to Guatemala City to see a neurosurgeon. She had asked why I had not come, and jumped at the chance to visit by phone when Dick offered to call me. We had a wonderful visit catching up with each other.

This simple gesture reminded me once again how important the relationships we develop with people are. Esmeralda seldom can leave her home, even to go to school. I think I sometimes fail to realize how much friendship means to these children who are so isolated. Lord, make me more aware!

Santiago Atitlan, Sept. 2, 2011

2011-09-08T18:57:00.000-05:00

Before heading back to Antigua, we needed to go to ADISA, a special school in Santiago which was started by a Guatemalan lady named Argentina. One of her students needed the speed on his wheelchair adjusted, and this would give me a chance to finally meet this incredible woman who I had heard so much about.

I was not disappointed when she came to our hotel to meet us to take us to the school. She has more energy than I have ever even thought of having, and is one of the most knowledgeable people I have met in Guatemala regarding the laws affecting the education of persons with disabilities in this country. We became fast friends, and before I knew it, she was not only inviting me to spend time at her school, but stay in her home when I do. Unfortunately, since I’m heading to the States later this month, I probably won’t be able to do this until at least January. School dismisses for their “summer” vacation in mid-October and doesn’t resume until after the Christmas holidays. This will give me something to look forward to in the New Year, however.

Our first stop was at the home of a young man Dick had given a power chair to in the past. He had received a new one, and his father wanted Dick to pick up his old chair, in case someone else could use it. While this may not seem like much to us, you need to realize that this chair could have been sold and the money pocketed by this family who surely could use the money. They care more, though, about another child receiving the gift of mobility than the do about the cash the could earn from a sale. Once again I am humbled by the generosity of the Guatemalan families we serve.

We were soon on our way to the school to meet Alex. While Dick adjusted Alex’s chair, one of the teachers gave me a tour of the school facility, as well as told me the story illustrated on the walls of the school building. School was not in session this day, but if the facility reflects the quality of their program, I can’t wait to see it in action.

Since we had to get back home before dark, we were not able to stay and visit too long. I look forward to the day I will get to come back to spend some time with the teachers in the school, and support the excellent work they are doing.

Freedom at Fourteen, September 1, 2011

2011-09-07T18:59:00.001-05:00

Imagine what it would be like to move independently for the first time in your life at age 14. Today, we were able to make this dream come true for Nery Alex, a young man living in San Lucas Toliman near Lake Atitlan.

On a trip to the lake a few weeks ago, Dick was introduced to Nery by Argentina, a woman who has worked with special needs children in this area for many years. Nery has been attending school, is an excellent student, but has little use of his hands. The regular wheelchair he had been using was old and worn, and he needed to be pushed everywhere he went by one of his family members. Dick knew a power chair would be just the ticket for this young man, and found one he hoped would work on the steep hills Nery must climb to get to and from school.
When we arrived at the house, his mother told us that each day Nery would have his family wheel him out to the road to see if it was the day Dick would be returning with a chair. This emphasized to me how much the people we serve pin their hopes on the promises we make. I fear too often Americans who come in for a short time make commitments which are quickly forgotten when they return to their busy lives in the States, never realizing the discouragement this brings to those depending on their help. We try very hard never to promise anything unless we are certain we can make good on our word. Even though this was just a few weeks later, it had seemed like an eternity to this boy who had been praying for a power chair literally for years. (He had driven one when he had been hospitalized one time, and fell in love with it.) What a privilege it was today to be part of God’s answer to Nery and his family’s prayers.

After unloading the chair from the Land Cruiser, the first challenge was to test and see if it would, indeed, climb the steep hills. Esbin who had come with us on the trip, was only too happy to take the test drive, and to Dick’s delight, the chair went up the hills without slipping or straining at all.

Next, Dick put Nery in the chair, and, after making a few adjustments, it was time to teach Nery to “drive.” Cesar and Esbin were excellent interprets and teachers for this part of our task. It was truly a joy to watch these two young men from Dick’s neighborhood take part in the ministry. They have grown so much under Dick’s influence, and are a valuable part of our team here. Today they outdid themselves in their effectiveness and kindness to this family.

Soon Nery was off, driving the chair as if he had been in one all his life.

I can only imagine the impact this freedom will have on Nery and his family. One thing is sure. They know first-hand that God has heard and answered their prayers. I think that’s more important than the chair. . .

Hurrah! Jessica goes home. . .

2011-09-05T20:44:00.123-05:00

September 14, 2010

September 3, 2011

Today I got to be a part of one of the happiest times we have here in Guatemala. Jessica Vanessa was released from the malnutrition project at Hermano Pedro. In the past year we have become very close not only to her but her whole family as well.

A year ago I wrote:

Tonight I met Jessica Vanessa and her mom. I am always shocked when I actually hold these little ones. . .there was literally nothing to this child. Our guess is she is somewhere between 15 and 19 lbs. at age six. And she's beautiful. And she has more energy that anyone in her condition should have, and she has the sweetest smile. (to read the rest of the journal from Sept. 14, 2010, click here.)

Dick had encountered Jessica when her mom brought her to a Hope Haven distribution in Mazatenango to get a wheelchair. One look at her and he knew that if she didn’t get help she would not live to use a wheelchair.

It just so happened that there was a news team from Missouri covering this distribution. They felt compelled to tell her story:

We spent a day in the clinics, before Jessica was admitted to the malnutrition project. Since that time, Mom has called me Jessica's "abuelita" or grandma. Not only Jessica, but her entire family has become part of our family.

This trip was the first of many we have made back to visit the family. In January, 2011, Dick returned with a few friends and built a new house to replace the make-shift shack the family lived in (shown above).

Virginia, a widow herself with six children to care for, has become an advocate for other families in her area who have special needs children. It seems that whenever we visit, she has found another family to take us to who is in need of help for their disabled child.

It’s hard to describe the transformation that has taken place as Jessica grew stronger and healthier, and even a little bit chubby. The pictures say more than my inadequate words ever could.

Jessica upon admission, September 14, 2010

October 7, 2010

November 24. 2010

December 8, 2010

January 20, 2011

February 20. 2011

August 6, 2011

Jessica on her way home, September 3, 2011!

Were her brothers and sisters happy to have Jessica home? You decided. . .

So it was a real treat to go with Dick as Jessica returned to her community of “La Benedicion” (the Blessing) after a year of her being away. When I first came to this aldea, I was struck by the irony of a place of such desperate poverty being called a blessing. A year later, I finally understand. . .those who live here are the blessing and they have surely blessed our lives.

Rosa’s Family

2011-09-04T14:35:00.001-05:00

While visiting Maria’s family in Tecpan, I finally met Rosa, the sister of a young blind girl. Bethel has built her family a house only a few feet from Maria’s. This was the first time I’ve visited this family, since usually no one was at home when we were here. This time, Rosa had return to Tecpan to get guisquils (a squash like vegetable) to seel in the market in Chimal. She was very eager to have me see their house here.

Rosa’s mother has been ill, and right now the family is living in Chimaltenango so that the youngest daughter (age 14) can care for the mother after school. Rosa asked if we’d like to visit the family today when we returned to Chimal, and we decided to give her a lift back to town when we would leave Maria’s.

When we arrived, we walked into a large building which seemed to have many rooms. I soon discovered that a different family lived in each room. We climbed a number of stairs and made our way to the family’s room at the rear of the house. This space was a vast improvement from where the family had lived the last time they were in Chimaltenango. Their previous dwelling was a room in an abandoned building, with no electricity or water, and boarded up windows. This place has those “amenities” and is warm and dry at least.

We made our way to Rosa’s part of the house, and found her mother, 2 sisters and younger brother waiting her return. Sylvia, another daughter is blind and unable to do much around the house. The youngest in the family is a boy of about 10 years.

It appears Mama is almost bed-ridden, though we’re not quite sure why. She says she gets too dizzy to walk whenever she stands up. It does not seem that she has seen a doctor, however. They have been receiving food assistance from Bethel ministries, and survive on what little Rosa can earn selling vegetables, doing laundry and doing other household work when she can find it. Today the youngest brother was also sick in bed with a high fever.

The biggest concern, however, was that the fourteen year old girl would be finishing “sixth” grade this October and would need to move on to “Primer Basico” (middle school, sort of) in January when school resumed. The problem was, this is much more expensive the primary school. This young lady (whose name I can’t remember, sorry) loves studying and is a good student. Dick tells of how she literally jumped for joy when she was told she would be able to attend school with the help of a sponsor.

Now she worries that she will have to quit school. She beamed when we told her we would try to find her an additional sponsor to help with the extra cost of continuing to secondary school. If any of you would like made a monthly donation to enable this bright young woman to continue her studies for another year, please email me and I’ll give you the details. Lately we have been feeling a significant burden over being able to keep the girls studying past the most elementary grades, and this is one young lady with a lot of potential, who hopes one day to be a bilingual secretary and earn a wage to help her care for her family. We would love to be able, with your help, to see her dream come true.

Memorial at Maria’s—August 30, 2011

2011-09-04T14:24:00.001-05:00

Maria and her family

Today Dick, Chris Mooney, Brian, Carleen and Esbin set off for Tecpan. We had been invited to a memorial service marking the fourth anniversary of the death of the husband of Maria, one of the four widows in this community.

Four years ago, Maria’s husband left for work, as he did each day, to deliver bananas with Jorge, one of the Bethel Ministries workers. As he left, his mother said, “Be careful, son, your family needs you.” Maria’s husband replied, “Don’t worry. If something happens to me, God will care for my family.” A short time later, he was killed when he was hit by a truck crossing the highway to meet Jorge.

Jorge, of course, shared this story with Chris Mooney, the director of Bethel, and they went to see what they could do to help this family. Maria was barely more than a child herself, and now had four children to care for alone, the youngest a newborn baby. She spoke hardly no Spanish (only Katchikel, a Mayan dialect) and had never been more than a few miles from her home. This visit began a long time friendship between Maria’s family and those associated with Bethel.

A sponsor as found, and Dick began bringing food into the family once a month to help out. Soon, Bethel built them a new house, on a dry, raised cement foundation (only a short time after this, an adjacent building was blown down by a storm and the new shelter kept the family safe). An attempt was made to help Maria raise pigs to become more self-sufficient. This failed, though, when feed proved to be too costly and one of the momma pigs ate her offspring (yuck!).

My first encounter with Maria was shortly after the death of her husband, when I visited her home with on of the first Guatemala mission teams from Westside. We had brought food to them, and saw their “new” house. This experience deeply touched many of the members of this team. Whenever I would come back, I did my best to visit this beautiful lady, her family, and her amazing neighbors.

About a year ago, Maria needed surgery, and we were able to help her get it at Hermano Pedro. Bethel frequently has brought teams out to visit, and Dick and I visit when we can. I really is one of our favorite spots to go, and we sometimes make a trip here when we feel like we need to be refreshed a bit. (See Aug. 11 posting) This family and their neighbors are as much a blessing to us as we ever could be to them.

Now, the youngest of the children is four years old, the two oldest are in school, and the little girl who used to run hiding under a basket when Dick would come is now one of the first to greet us. This family has become our friends, and I was honored to be included with Dick and the Mooneys in the invitation to this “culta” (prayer meeting) honoring her husband and praying for Maria, her family and their future.

We arrived a bit early (actually on time, but by Guatemalan standards, early) and I was able to visit the home of Rosa, another widow who Bethel has built a home for and been serving in this area. Rosa, who has been ill, is now living with three of her children in one room back in Chimaltenago, but her oldest daughter had come to the home in Tecpan to get “guisquil” (a type of squash popular here) to sell in the market in Tecpan.

Shortly we were called back to Maria’s the service began. We were met by the elders from Maria’s church, who led us in praise and prayer for about an hour. These eight or nine men share the responsibility for the local church, and they rotate the responsibility for preaching among them. Their prayers were beautiful and heartfelt, and I’d love to return some Sunday to worship with them.

After the prayer time we were treated to a delicious lunch of a type of stewed chicken and rice. I felt somewhat awkward, as I was the only woman eating with all the men, but the Maria insisted that I do so.

After we ate I did slip into the other building where the women were cooking and eating and visited with them for a bit. They took great pleasure in trying to teach me once again how to wear a corte, the traditional skirt worn by Mayan women. I think they are beginning to agree with me that gringas need four more hands to be able to hold up the skirt while trying to wrap a long belt around their waist and pull it tight to hold up the skirt. I still fear I will walk out of mine, and am experimenting with ways to use velcro to help secure the garment.

Recent Reflections

2011-09-04T08:38:00.001-05:00

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and praying lately about the place of desire in our lives. More than anything else in my redeemed (circumcised) heart, this area seems to get me into trouble, for I mishandle my desire.

I have tried to ignore my them, pretending they aren’t there, and find myself frustrated. I’ve tried to kill my desires, and find myself feeling dead inside. I’ve tried to get what I desire in my own power, through effort and grasping, and find myself empty and wanting more. Why, I ask, do I have to desire anything? Why can’t just the present moment be enough?

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and praying lately about the place of desire in our lives. More than anything else in my redeemed (circumcised) heart, this area seems to get me into trouble, for I mishandle my desires. I have tried to ignore my them, pretending they aren’t there, and find myself frustrated. I’ve tried to kill my desires, and find myself feeling dead inside. I’ve tried to get what I desire in my own power, through effort and grasping, and find myself empty and wanting more. Why, I ask, do I have to desire anything? Why can’t just the present moment be enough?

In Scripture, God promises to give us “the desires of our hearts” (Ps. 37:4) yet so often I get into trouble when I set out to pursue what I think I desire. My grasping for what I want still leaves me frustrated, wondering why now that I have “made it happen,” I still feel so empty.

We have a choice in how we face our desires—will we try to make them happen, orchestrate our lives around them, or surrender them to our Father? After all, the purpose of my life is not to pursue what I want, but to follow Him, serving Him, and bringing glory to His name. So why do I have to desire anything but Him? Is the very fact that still have desires sinful?

As I've studied this issue, I've come to believe that our desires are not wrong—they come from the deepest parts of our heart. The problem is, we see them clouded by our flesh, so we often don’t interpret them correctly. Our appetites (flesh) contaminate the Godly desires He created in us. We don’t interpret our desires correctly, and therefore often get into trouble when we pursue them on our own, trying to make them happen. We may be able to get what we think we desire through our own efforts, only to find ourselves just as wanting as we were in the first place.

When we take theses same desires to God to interpret for us, and surrender them to Him, He can then meet our authentic, legitimate desires, for it was He Who put theses desires in our heart in the first place. He alone knows the real desire of our heart, so He alone can meet them.

“Trust in the Lord and do what is right; make your home in the land [by turning from evil and doing good—cf. v.27] and live secure. Make Yahweh your joy, and He will give you the desires of your heart!”—Ps. 37: 3 & 4

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Update on Our Kids at Hermano Pedro

2011-08-29T16:20:00.002-05:00

Sam-Sam Estuardo
For those of you who have been reading either my or Dick’s blog, you will remember Samuel de Jesus. Sam was one of the main reasons I returned to Guatemala, because he tugged at my heart strings with his untapped potential. Before I moved down, Sam was moved to an institution in Guatemala City, and I have wanted to see him ever since. A few months ago Estuardo, another “mobile” child with autism, was also moved to the same facility, and in July Dick, Laura and I went to visit them, accompanied by Heidi, one of the nurses from Hermano Pedro. We found them healthy, happy, and with more freedom and stimulation that they had at Hermano Pedro. While still an institution and far from perfect, we came back feeling that this had been a good move for both boys.

Sonia recently had her 17th birthday which we celebrated with fried chicken at a party in the Bethel classroom. Sonia continues to attend school at a “colegio” (private school) here in Antigua and is earning great grades.

Moises is also attending the colegio with Sonia. Though not an avid student, he is making good progress. His strong will is being put to good use in “forcing” himself to do his distasteful homework. He’s been somewhat withdrawn lately, but recently has begun teasing me again when he sees me.

Bayron continues to work with Nineth, the Bethel teacher, and his speech is greatly improving. He tools around the orphanage in his power wheelchair and is a favorite of visitors at the orphanage. He is anxiously awaiting the arrival of a laptop computer which has been donated to the classroom for his use.

Elmer is one of the kids in whom I have seen the most growth since I’ve been here. While he will still sometimes go into a pout when he doesn’t get his own way, he seldom tantrums as he did in the past. I am working with him and Nineth to help him get ready to start school.

Jessica has adjusted well to living at Hermano Pedro, and loves attention and trips out to Camperos. While we are still working on getting her to perform tasks when requested, she is making great progress. Her living here continues to be a struggle for her mom, who visits her regularly.

Leonel is becoming progressively weaker and more frail. He is now refusing to eat and is being fed through an nasal-gastric tube. His smiles come less frequently, and even his dad’s visit didn’t seem to cheer him up. Please keep him in your prayers, as we fear he is losing any will to live.

Alfonso seems to be adjusting to life at Hermano Pedro. His aggressive acts have greatly diminished, and he no longer “clears the table” at Pollo Campero’s. He’s actually become quite the gentleman when we take him out to eat. He greets me each day with his version of “hey!” and two thumbs up—imitating his name-sake, Fonzi from Happy Days.

Veronica is a sweet fourteen year old who is trying to figure out just what she wants in life. She has been studying in the Bethel classroom, but is beginning to think she would rather stay in the ward and help fold laundry. She is having a hard time envisioning more than an institutional future. Please keep her in your prayers and she adjusts to being a teenager.

These days Ervin is seldom called by his former nickname of “Monster.” He calls “Maaa” whenever he sees me walk into the ward. While he can be quite a handful, requiring careful supervision, he has definitely captured my heart to the extent that the nurses call him my “hijo” (son). After I had been away for a while, when I returned to Hermano Pedro he called me over, took my face in his hands, and planted a big, juicy kiss right smack dab on my mouth!

Jose Antonio has returned to the Malnutrition Project at Hermano Pedro after only a few months at home. He has some type of a digestive disorder which limits the foods he can eat, and his mother has had a difficult time caring for him. While only weighing in at 14lbs, this soon-to-be five year old has more energy than the nurses know what to do with. Seeing this tiny little guy walking around the unit and talking his head off is more than surprising. While he’s pretty selective about his friends, he has begun to warm up to me—except of course when Dick, his favorite, is around.

Jessica Vanessa continues to grow both in size and strength. While a few months ago she was arching backwards so strongly she was hard to hold, she now is sitting up with limited support, and can “hang” over a tube while kneeling on her knees. It is a treat whenever I work with her.

And I’ve saved the best news for last. . .

Valentina, who six months ago was a three-week old in danger of starving to death because of her cleft lip and palate went home to her family this week. She has received her first corrective surgery, and will need to grow a bit more before the roof of her mouth can be repaired. She is well on her way to becoming “fat and sassy!”

Valentina Goes Home

2011-08-29T14:46:00.001-05:00

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Dick writes:

It is not often that I repeat myself. It is not often that I . . . . . . At least not intentionally, but I posted the following just 6 months ago. Actually I am not repeating myself I am repeating what Pat wrote back then. Those of you who have good memories and want to skip over reading about the Godincidence that led into getting 3 week old Valentina into the Malnutrition ward of Hermano Pedro before she died can skip over the ~~Blue~~ black writing and start reading the ~~light black (or dark gray depending on your web browser or your eyes,)~~ green to see how how things turned out.
Yours in Christ: Dick

(The following was originally posted on February 24, 2011)
Pat wrote

Up the drive came a lady carrying a small baby. She had heard Flori was visiting Marcos, and had come hoping she could help her get surgery for her 20 day old granddaughter who also had a cleft lip and palate. We talked a little bit, and while the baby seemed tiny, grandma said she thought Valentina was heavier than she was at birth. They knew she had to gain at least 10 lbs. before the doctors would consider the surgery, and were waiting for that. (Grandma is Valentina's primary care-taker, as Valentina's mother, has a severe seizure disorder and mental illness. Grandma said she is afraid to leave the baby with Mom for fear she'll kill her. Talk about a difficult situation. . .)

Then, Dick asked to hold her. The look on his face when he picked her up sent my heart into my stomach. He said, "I don't think she weighs 5 lbs." We gently began talking with grandma about the malnutrition project at Hermano Pedro, and she was interested immediately. We asked her if we could take a picture of Valentina without all the clothes she was bundled in, thinking she could come to the clinic the 22nd of February when others from her area would be coming to Antigua.

I think both Dick and I caught our breath as soon as Grandma removed Valentina's cap--somehow she hadn't looked quite as tiny wearing a hat, and we could see that her sparce hair had already lost color from malnutrition. As we removed her sleeves and pants, we could see that, despite the best efforts of Grandma and Dad, this little one had wrinkles betraying how much weight she had lost.

We began talking about the possibility of bringing her in to Antigua when we return next week to build Bayron's house. The more we talked the sicker each of us felt, fearing she didn't have a week to spare before getting help. And, she's healthy now. No fever or diarreah, so could be admitted immediately to malnutrition. In her weakened condition, we didn't think that would be the case in a few days.
We asked Flori if there was any way she could get them in sooner. . .we were committed to Walter already, and he had waited more than 6 months for this appointment. I think we both felt a little helpless. Flori reluctantly said she would be going to Antigua tomorrow, but they were leaving at 4 am and there was no way they could possibly pick up this family in such a remote place.

Immediately it was decided that, if they were willing, we would bring Grandma, Dad, and Valentina back with us to our hotel, which would be on Flori's way to Antigua tomorrow. Grandma agree instantly, and was off to call Dad and get ready to come with us.

So, tonight we had a lovely dinner in the hotel with Grandma, Dad, and this darling little girl. For as tiny as she is, she's so alert, and makes such great eye-contact that she's stolen both our hearts. I'm proud to say that Dick and I didn't fight over who would hold her more, but shared her attention pretty well. I got tears in my eyes watching my bachelor friend walk the floor with this crying baby, looking for all the world like he had done this his whole life. What a sweet moment.

I have to admit, I feel somewhat sad that I can't just drop everything and go with them to Antigua tomorrow. I'm learning more and more, though, that I don't have to do everything, only my part. And tonight our part is just to get them to where Flori can meet them tomorrow. I'm so honored to have Guatemalan friends and colleagues here who are competent to help their own people, they only need our support.

Was it a random thought that made me ask Dick to go to visit Marcos? I'm sure it was the Holy Spirit, and for once I heard His voice, even if somewhat reluctantly. Just like it wasn't a coincidence that today was the day we visited them, that Grandma just so happened to bring Valentina while we were there, that Flori just so happened to be going to Antigua tomorrow, or that our hotel was on their way. I sit and marvel at seeing the finger-prints of God all over these events, and am humbled to be a small part of this.

How many days can you say you got to trade an afternoon of leisure for being a small part in saving a life? Thank you, Jesus, for today, and be with them tomorrow as they travel.

Pat

Dick writes:

In the past few years we have brought several malnourished kids into Hermano Pedro not knowing for sure weather or not we were getting them there in time to save them. Some of them did not make it and it broke our harts. Others made it and it made all of our efforts well worth while. One thing we knew was there was no way that Valentina could last more than a week or 2 if she did not get some help, so we at least had to try. Valentina survived the night with us at the hotel and survived the ride with Flor to the hospital. However after she was admitted into the malnutrition ward of Hermano Pedro her condition did not seem to improve. She remained in isolation and for at least a month her weight stayed at 6 pounds. The doctors and nurses did their best and there were a lot of us praying for her but we all know that if she caught as much as a cold she would likely die. Pat and I vised her nearly every day but saw little change but as week as she was she still recognized us and let us know that she rather be held then lye in her crib. Then it happened slowly but surely Valentina gradually started to gain weight. A few weeks later she was released from Isolation and then put on the pounds even more rapidly.

A few weeks ago her mother and grandmother came to visit her and they could scarcely recognize her. Even though at one time mom had wanted her dead I could see that she really loved her daughter. Both mom and grandma were thrilled when they were told that Valentina had gained more than enough weight and was now strong enough for the surgery.
Last week Valentina had her Cleft Pallet surgery and all went well. She is now eating even more than ever and some of the nurses have affectionately nick named her "Gordo" (Fatty). The day before yesterday her family came and took her home.
Please pray for Valentina and her family. Her mom still has convulsions but seems mentally stable. Dad and grandma love her dearly so we pray that all goes well. One thing that I am certain of is that the same God that orchestrated us finding her, made it possible that she get into the malnutrition ward hospital in less that 24 hours and brought her from being a skin covered skeleton to a plump little girl in 6 months is capable of looking after her even though she is now a half day's drive from us.

Like Pat said, "Thank you, Jesus, for today, and be with them tomorrow."

Trip to Santa Rosa—August 22 & 23

2011-08-29T14:36:00.001-05:00

(Once again Dick says I agreed to do the journaling for our trip—how else do you respond to, “You’re going to write this one, aren’t you?” However, he has graciously given me his pictures to use, which is why they are all in pretty frames!)

After a week of being sick a week of being sick, I decided it was time to get back into the swing of things. So Monday morning Dick and I planned to go to Guatemala City to pick up my passport from Immigration. It’s been there about 20 days to get approval for a 90 day extension on my visa.

When Dick arrived, he hesitantly asked what I thought about going on to Santa Rosa since if we went straight from the city it would cut about 2 hours off the trip we had talked about taking later in the week. After a couple of minutes of thought, I agreed (two hours off the highway here in Guate is well worth packing quickly).

So, after a quick trip to my house for some clothes we were off to the City. Our first stop was to buy dog food at WalMart—which I seem to be doing more and more often as Yogi and Booboo grow. I also wanted to get some repairs done on my computer under the extended warrantee—but was told I had to call first for an appointment.

Next we went to get Dick’s hearing aids adjusted, and were pleasantly surprised by the competency of the young woman who helped us. (Dick is no longer saying he can hear better without them!) Our next stop was to pick up Dick’s computer at the Mac repair place (it would be way too simple if we could both get our computers fixed in the same place).

Finally we made it to Immigration, just in time for their lunch break. After waiting more than an hour for the lady with the passports to return, I finally had permission to be in the country again. Days like today kill any romantic ideas I still have about life as a missionary. Most of it is plain old every day living stuff that can suck the life out of you if you let it!

We were finally on our way to Santa Rosa, and arrived in Cuilapa in time for supper and some rest. Running errands sure tires me out more than it used to! When I unpacked I realized that I had packed everything I needed except blouses! So, tonight I am sleeping in my pajama pants and the blouse I wore today. Tomorrow I will be “styling” in my old t-shirt I brought with, planning to sleep in. Any vestiges of vanity are being stripped away by life “on the road.”

The night was made complete when, about 10 pm, we had a 4.4 “tremor” whose epicenter was only about 15 miles from our hotel. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to feeling the earth move under me, especially when sitting in a hotel room which is literally built on the side of a mountain! (I guess it’s better to up the mountain that at it’s base, though, in times like these!)

Tuesday morning I placed a call to Anna, Bayron’s teacher, who we had come up to visit. (Bayron is a little boy who is deaf who is taught privately through sponsors with Bethel.) She was just about in Cuilapa on her way to Barberena where she teaches. Did we want to meet her at the park and go the rest of the way with her? After managing to find the park (by ignoring the directions we were given at the hotel) we were soon on the way to the school where she teaches.

We arrived and were warmly welcomed into the building which serves as the school for roughly 800 children. As Dick put it, we have surely acculturated when we think nothing of a school being housed in a building that would most likely be condemned anywhere in the US. But the staff was warm and friendly, and the principal immediately gave permission for Anna to leave her class and accompany us to visit Bayron and his family. This flexibility was a difference from the States which did not fail to surprise me.

On the way, Anna told us that Bayron has been a bit of a pill—not wanting to work, and sometimes not being at his house when she comes to teach him. We all decided it was good that we were coming to see him together.

When we pulled into their yard we were immediately greeted by Edgar jumping up and down like a monkey. This has become almost a tradition when were come here. He did not have school today for some reason (here in Guatemala, we seldom know why, only that kids have a lot of unscheduled holidays). We visited with Grandma, and with the help of Edgar, Grandma, teacher and our made up sign language, we made it clear to Bayron that he needed to buckle down and get to work. (It has more to say about Bayron’s raw intelligence than our skills at communicating that we were able to get this across. How much he manages to understand without hearing or speaking continues to amaze me.)

It was good to see this family enjoying the house which was built by a couple of guys from my home church and the Bethel folks. There are probably about 8 adults and 5 children living in the new house and some old buildings adjacent. It was also good to hear that Grandma likes using her new Onil stove because it doesn’t take as much wood.

Bayron then showed us his work, and also demonstrated how he is learning to imitate sounds with the help of his excellent teacher. After visiting with the family we soon needed to take Anna back to school. We did promise to return later in the afternoon to take the kids out to eat—where else but Pollo Campero!

Our next visit was to the family of Wilmer and Walter. Wilmer is being tutored through a Bethel sponsor, and a few months ago we had taken Walter in to see the neurosurgeon in Guatemala City. We wanted to check on how the were both doing.

Arriving at their house, we were surprised to see that one of the buildings had been torn down. We were even more surprised to discover that the family had moved. (Note to self: check with Carlos at the Bethel office before setting off on these trips to see if anyone’s moved!) After calling Wilmer’s mom, we were given directions to their new home in Anonillo—a place we had never heard of. Not to worry, Mom said. Her older son would meet us at the highway.

So we back-tracked to what we thought was the highway she was talking about. After calling her we discovered that we had gone quite a way too far. Only then did it occur to us (to Dick, really) that the young man who had waved to us as we were traveling down the dirt road to get to the blacktop was probably Wilmer’s brother! I’m still learning Guatemala-speak. Never in a million years would it have occurred to me to call a narrow dirt road a highway, but here in Guate it was (especially after we saw the roads that led off of it!)

We started back tracking again, this time through town, only to get stopped behind a van which was next to a car going the wrong direction down the two lane road. Imagine our dismay when the van threw it in to reverse and back up full speed into the front of Dick’s new Land Cruiser! I prepared myself for the worst as Dick jumped out of the truck to talk to the driver of the van.

Fortunately, the van driver admitted his mistake. (Other Guatemalans might have thought we were at fault for not backing up when we saw his non-existent reverse lights!) As we were discussing the situation, up came Eric, a local man who owns a bicycle repair shop in town and had originally led Dick to Wilmer. With his help we negotiated a fairly good repair price (for the driver at fault) and Dick left with a grand total of about 75 Q (roughly $10) to repair the “cow catcher” on the front of the Land Cruiser. Eric was also kind enough to accompany us to Wilmer’s and with his help managed to make the right turn up the mountain. (Yep, it was right where we had passed the “friendly” young man who had been waving at us!)

We traveled up a dirt road which became a trail which became two ruts, which ended rather abruptly. As we were sitting there trying to decide what to do, a little girl came up to the truck and said, “Dick!” It was Wilmer’s little sister. She pointed a short way up the hill to where we saw Wilmer’s mom waiting for us holding Walter. They had moved to this isolated area to be near her oldest daughter who was married with two children. Wilmer’s dad was building a block house for them, which promised to be quite nice. Now, however, they are living into a lean-to which is no more than some wooden walls covered by metal sheeting. We were welcomed in immediately though, as Momma talked about her dreams for the new house.

Wilmer was up the mountain at his sister’s house, and we hiked up to see him. I have to admit it was a bit of a challenge as we seemed to go straight up, but I managed to make it without either falling or having a heart attack so it was all good. Wilmer’s mom had found him a new teacher, and he was already receiving lessons in his new home. We were also very pleased to see the water filter which we had left on our last visit in use. Chalk up two great home visits and some good team work on the part of Bethel!

We returned to Bayron’s to take the five kids who live there to an early supper, only to be greeted by a number of other children who had come to “visit.” As hard as it was, we stuck to our original commitment and just headed off with Bayron, Edgar, Vanessa, Oliver, and Maria Jose. (Oliver is a little guy on crutches who runs faster than most able-bodied kids, and Vanessa and Maria Jose are his sisters. Their mother, Bayron’s grandma’s sister-in-law, had died a few months ago, and Grandma is helping her brother raise his children now, as well as Bayron and Edgar).

Our time at Campero’s proved to be about the most entertaining meal I have eaten in Guatemala. The kids drew and played tic-tac-toe while waiting for their food. When the drinks came there was the mandatory straw shooting (begun by Dick, of course), and much teasing and joking. It soon became apparent that the kids were entertaining not just us, but most of the restaurant. It was fun to watch the servers laughing as the entered their orders in a near-by station. Again, it amazed me how Bayron could communicate with us so well without speaking or hearing a word.

As we were eating our ice cream at the end of the meal, we were approached by a man who said he was a pastor. He said something about making a donation, and I assumed he was asking us for a donation to his church. I was astounded when he explained that no, he wanted to make a donation to us to help pay for the kids’ meals. I was more surprised when he said he was not from this area, but lived in Guatemala City and had his church in Xenacoj, which is only a short way from Antigua. This encouragement from a fellow Christ-follower was like a kiss from God to top off a rather remarkable day.

Two more teams

2011-08-29T13:32:00.001-05:00

I don’t spend a lot of time with teams who come to Guatemala, as most focus on food distribution, house=building, etc. I’m really trying to maintain my focus on working with kids with disabilities, so sometimes I do link up with groups doing wheelchair distributions, but I’m really trying to focus on Hermano Pedro more.

This past month, though, we have had two teams at Hermano Pedro who have not only worked to benefit the children, but have helped provide further training for me in better serving the kids. Their presence has been a great shot in the arm for my enthusiasm and my hopefulness that things can and will change, however slowly.

The first group was sponsored by Four Friends for a Difference. These are four high school students who have made a commitment to provide 1000 hours of cumulative community service during their four years of high school, and are on a campaign to encourage other students to do the same. I love their unique idea, and encourage you to visit their website to learn more about what they are doing. Two of these young women came down to Guatemala with Nancy who is a feed specialist who has been here a number of times.

Those of you who read my blog know the struggle I have with how the children at the orphanage are fed, especially with the size of the wholes in the nipples of the bottles which are used (way too large). Nancy has been coming for years, slowly trying to impact this problem, and this year I was excited to meet up with her and take advantage of her expertise in feeding children with special needs. I learned a lot from her while she was here, and she is making a training video for the staff (and hopefully volunteers) about the best practices to use with the children. I hope to have a hand in training future volunteers in this important area of care for our children.

In addition to Nancy’s expertise in feeding, this group brought many supplies and materials to be used in sensory stimulation with the kids. The orphanage has recently opened a sensory stimulation room, but only some of the kids are using it, and then only once a week at the most. These materials will help volunteers provide sensory input on a regular basis, especially to the kids who are either deaf and/or blind. A great contribution. . .

The other group which had a direct impact on my ministry was a group of therapists from the University of Texas in El Paso. In the past the University has sent down teams for Physical and Occupational Therapy students with their professors. This year Connie, a professor in the area of Speech/Language came down with one of her students. I was able to connect with her, and partner with her as she worked with those receiving instruction in the school program offered by Hermano Pedro. This has been a great introduction into working with the teachers hired by the orphanage. Claudia, one of the teachers, is especially interested in using Picture Communication with her students (most of them adults), and I hope to work with her in the future.

I also was able to take Connie and Dan (I think!) to visit New Life School in Santa Maria de Jesus. There is a critical need for someone to work here in the area of communication, and though I have tried to get up there regularly, it seems it just hasn’t happened this year.

We are hoping that in the future maybe someone from their program will do a type of “internship” with the school. We had a great visit with Judy Kerschner, the founder of the school, as well as the teachers and students. I hope this will give Connie some thoughts on future ways of involvement here in Guatemala.

Thanks to both groups for not only serving our kids here, but also encouraging me and challenging me to see better ways I can minister to the kids we are working with. I hope both your groups will come back and would love to serve with you again!

Trip to Tecpan, August 11, 2011

2011-08-28T22:32:00.001-05:00

We had been wanting to visit the families we know who live near Tecpan, and since both Dick and I felt like we needed a break we decided today would be the day. Laura sure didn’t mind, either, getting to see a totally different part of Guatemala from where she had been.

Though Tecpan is only about an hour and a half from Antigua, it is like walking into another world. Most of the families here live in adobe houses, and the climate is rather cool. The area we visited is nestled in a valley in the mountains, everything is green and lush and the ground extremely fertile. Some of the best fruits and vegetables in Guatemala come from this area. And just when you think this place cannot be more idyllic, in the late afternoon praise songs float across the valley from the local church. It almost seems to be too good to be true! Just the kind of place I might like to live when I retire. . .

But life is not easy for the families who live in this little community just outside the town. Today we visited four young widows who are struggling just to keep food in the mouths of their children. Even the families with daddies struggle to survive. It is definitely one of the poorest communities we have visited. Yet it is one of the most joyful.

Our first stop today was at the home of Samuel. Samuel is an 11 year old, who, up until about a year ago, was the sole support for his family of five. He worked in the fields each day, earning about $10 a week. Thanks to the generosity of his sponsors, he now attends school and is quite a good student. This was the first time I met his mom, Maria, and grandma, who welcomed us into their home. What a neat family. Here we met a young man who seemed to take quite a shine to Laura, and even brought her a bag of strawberries to take home with her! (Dick teased her that accepting strawberries from a young man in Guatemala holds the same significance as accepting a ring in the States. Don’t tell her he’s fibbing!)

We next stopped at Maria’s (it seems everyone in this community is named Maria!) Only recently has her family begun receiving help from Bethel. Again, she is a widow with young children who is struggling just to survive.

Our next Maria was a neighbor of the first two Maria’s. She too is a widow, but manages without assistance at this point. Visiting her I was able to watch her daughter as she wove a huipil (Mayan blouse) on a backstrap loom. It was absolutely gorgeous. She will work daily for about two months to complete one garment, which she will sell for about $100.

Finally, we arrived at the home of Maria Son. Maria’s husband was killed about four years ago, crossing the highway while going to work, and leaving her with four children. Dick says that the first time they came into this family’s yard, the children hid crying in fear of the gringos. Now the children in this whole community flock to us when we come. Many times teams come here bringing shoes, clothes, school supplies and other items. Today we came bringing only ourselves and our love, and were just as warmly received.

As we drove home, we talked about how today could be seen as a vacation day. But it was also very much a day of ministry. Maybe we ministered to the families we visited, bringing a reminder of Jesus’ love to them. I know for sure, though, that they ministered to our hearts and blessed us beyond measure with their welcome and their love. It was a good day!

Camperos, August 6, 2011

2011-08-28T21:31:00.001-05:00

Today I had planned on meeting a couple of people from church and taking some of the kids to Camperos. They couldn’t come at the last minute, and since I had already signed out three kids (no small feat on a Saturday!), I didn’t want to disappoint them. I went scouting around the orphanage looking for help, and was lucky enough to find some of the Fulp kids in playing with the older boys. They agreed to come with us.

What had been planned to be just a routine outing for lunch ended up being anything but routine, thanks to the Fulps! For one thing, it was the easiest lunch outing I’ve ever been on, since Taryn, Brittney, Karissa, and Jay are as skilled with the kids as any adult I’ve seen.

But more than their skill, today I appreciated their youth, energy and enthusiasm. The reminded me of how much fun the kids can be when we (adults) don’t take ourselves too seriously. They are amazing with the kids, and for the kids, and it was good for my soul to spend the day with them! The pictures say it all!

Brittney and Taryn with Julio

Jay and Karissa helping Delmi take a “dip” in the fountain

Brittney, Karissa, Teisha (who joined us in the park) and Taryn “sitting” on Julio’s lap

Brittney and Teisha helping Julio and Elmer “dance” in the park.

August Birthdays: Sonia, Pat and Henry

2011-08-18T20:28:00.001-05:00

One of the things I enjoy most is getting to celebrate birthdays with kids at the orphanage. We don’t manage all of them, but do “party” with the ones we are closest to.

August 2 was Sonia’s birthday, and we had plans to take her, Veronica and Moises out to eat after Sonia and Moi returned from school, about 1:00. About 12:15 it started clouding over, and soon thunder was booming. Almost simultaneously, Dick and I got the brilliant idea of getting “take out” from Camperos and having our party in the Bethel classroom.

Dick an Laura set out to get the chicken, and they no sooner had left that a downpour began. I, foolishly, had assumed they were taking Dick’s truck to the Campero’s by the market. When they returned a short time later, soaked to the skin, I discovered they had walked to the Campero’s by the park. (I’m still trying to figure out what made Dick think they could “beat” the rain, when the thunder was loud enough to rattle windows. Guess I’ll just chalk it up to the differences in how we think--I’m not sure Mars and Venus are far enough apart to do our differences justice!). Anyway, Laura was a good sport, and the chicken was dry, so we went on with our party.

I almost liked our classroom celebration more than I do when we go out (of course, I had not gone for chicken and was dry!). Nineth had arranged the desks as a dining table, and we had a great time visiting and teasing the kids (and them teasing us).

The next birthday on the list was mine—my second in Guatemala. This year Mari and Leo decided to take us to dinner at a restaurant in San Juan del Obsipo, about 10 minutes outside Antigua. This place is usually only open weekends, but the chef is a friend of Mari and they opened tonight for us. The food was delicious, the company great, and the cake Laura bought yummy. It also served as a great facial—though they didn’t carry out the Guatemalan tradition of pushing my face in the cake, both Dick and Laura enjoyed painting
my face with frosting.

Henry turned 8 August 7th, and since that was a Sunday, we took him, Byron and Alfonso Camperos the to celebrate on Friday. The kids have discovered the chicken sandwiches, and feeding them has become a new challenge, but they love it. Henry sure enjoyed his time out with us today.

And, unlike our last trip to Camperos when Alfonso cleared the table of food and dishes, today he was a perfect gentleman, and proud of himself to boot!

Hello to Laura, July 30, 2011

2011-08-18T17:59:00.001-05:00

The morning of July 30, I set off rather early to pick up Laura Foster at the airport. (I was a bit worried that we’d be late, since it took us more than 45 minutes to get out of Antigua due to parades the various political candidates were having, but we made it just in time.)

Laura is a young lady I have had the privilege of watching grow up since almost pre-school. In April of 2009, she along with two friends came with me for an Easter trip down here to Guatemala. This past May, she graduated from Concordia High School in Omaha, and, as a graduation present, her parents have given her a two week stay with me in Antigua.

Before you start thinking that I am now running a vacation and tour service, let me assure you that Laura is very serious about serving here for the glory of God. In place of graduation presents, she asked that her friends and families make donations to the Josiah Foundation which will be used to provide wheelchairs and other needed items for the children at Hermano Pedro. Now she was coming to “shadow” me and spend time with the kids once again.

Two weeks with Laura flew by. She spent a good deal of time at Hermano Pedro, and really enjoyed taking kids to her favorite Guatemalan restaurant (and theirs)—Pollo Campero.

She also helped out in numerous ways at a Hope Haven wheelchair distribution.

Laura accompanied Dick and me on a couple of trips into the villages, visiting two very different communities. In Cerro Colorado, near the coast, she visited the Vincente Hernandez family and went with us to take the school age kids to lunch in Santa Lucia to celebrate their good grades. Here she saw just how hot Guatemala can be!

We also took Laura to visit one of our favorite communities, just outside Tecpan. Maria, a young widow with four children, and her extended family live here in a small community with other impoverished families. These people are some of the most gracious and welcoming people I’ve met in Guatemala, and we wanted Laura to meet them. This climate here is very different than the coast, since this area is in a mountain valley which sits at about 7400 feet. Much cooler and more comfortable here. Much more traditional life-style, too, and we visited in adobe block houses.

Laura became very independent in her work here—even going alone to Hermano Pedro one day when I was involved elsewhere.

While she loved the kids with disabilities down in the Anibal ward, this trip she fell in love with the little ones up in the Malnutrition Project. (This time she was old enough to go up there and spend time!). She quickly became a favorite with the kids up there.

In addition to just loving on the kids downstairs, Laura got some practice “teaching” especially working with Elmer. She has a natural knack for this, and the kids enjoyed working with her.

She reluctantly returned to the US August 13th, already planning her next trip back here. It will have to work around her studies this fall at Metro Community College in Elkhorn. She plans to continue on to study to become a special education teacher in the future. I sure know kids she can try out her skills on!

Good-bye to Katie, July 27, 2011

2011-08-06T10:31:00.003-05:00

After nearly two months here in Guatemala, it’s finally time to let Katie go back to her family in Omaha. She’s been joking that she wanted to stay, and, when we got to the airport only to discover that her passport was still in my house in Antigua, it looked like she just might get her wish.

After a quick phone call to Mari, and an even quicker drive from Antigua to the airport by Manuel, she managed to make her plane with about 10 minutes to spare. (I’m still not sure how Manuel managed to make it to the airport through rush hour traffic—and am probably glad I don’t know!) It was a hard and tearful good-bye, but I’m pretty sure Katie will be back one day.

I hope her time here was as valuable to her as it was to us. Whether she was at home playing with Anita’s girls, at the orphanage, at a Hope Haven wheelchair distribution, having lunch at Camperos, or traveling, it was clear that Katie was a “natural” to the ministry here in Guatemala.

Dancing with Gracie

Giving Rachel a piggy-back ride

Working with Azucena at New Life School in Santa Maria de Jesus

Visiting at a Hope Haven wheelchair distribution

With Bobby at Pollo Campero

She was as much at home in the houses of the families we visited in the villages as she was dining at one of the better restaurants in Guatemala.

Visiting on her first trip to Las Palmas

Stopping to enjoy fresh coconut milk at Cerro Colorado

Waiting for lunch at Lake Atitlan

There’s no doubt she is an absolute kid-magnet, and her sweet and gentle spirit touched everyone she came in contact with.

Holding a baby in a village home

Swinging with Melissa, one of her favorites at Hogar de Vida

Paulo laughing as Katie hums to him

Thank you, Katie, for all you did while you were here. Praying you come back soon. We miss you!

A tearful good-bye to Elmer at Hermano Pedro

Visiting La Limonada, July 26, 2011

2011-08-04T23:59:00.001-05:00

La Limondada is the largest slum in Central America, with over 60,000 people crowded into a deep ravine which runs in front of the Olympic Stadium. I heard about this barrio of La Limonada about a year ago when I first saw the documentary Reparando. And through the film met Tita, who has spent the last 15 years ministering to the people who live in what some call “this God-forsaken place.”

Today I got to meet Tita in person, and saw just how present God is in this most unlikely place. A mutual friend of one of the women living in Mari’s house, Lynn, had arranged the meeting. It was truly a holy time walking the steets of this slum with Tita. Many had cautioned us not to go into the area—it is considered the most dangerous in Guatemala. Tita was our “safe passage,” her reputation and the love the people of this neighborhood have for her our protection (not to mention the Holy Spirit who we could feel taking each step with us).

Our first stop was at one of the two schools Tita runs in La Limonada. Here the children are loved, fed healthy meals, and provided with scholarships to attend formal school in Guatemala City. As we walked through the building, it was beautiful to see the way both children and staff greeted Tita with love and admiration. It was even more impressive to see the quality of the program being offered these children. Sponsors are needed to continue this program. If you would be interested in supporting one or more of the children in Tita’s program, please email me and I’ll put you in touch with her.

I had prayed before coming that God would show me one thing I could do to help Tita with her ministry. I found my niche as we descended the steep, narrow stairway (all the stairs in the building are—it’s built on the side of a ravine) to what Tita calls the “I Need a Break” room. The horrors these children and teachers face on a daily basis can sometimes overwhelm them and they need a safe place to process it all. That’s what this room will be used for when finished. . .a place to safely vent the emotions that run so high when you live in a ghetto where gangs, and drugs and murder are common place. So, I am taking this on as my project—to “outfit” this room with a variety of ways to express feelings: physically, verbally, artistically. Again, if you would like to help with this project, please email me for details.

Leaving the school, we walked down into a ravine through narrow alleys nestled among slum shacks cobbled together by rusting corrugated tin, rotten wood and concrete. Once again everyone seemed to know Tita, and it seemed we were stopped every few feet as one person or another needed to talk with her about something.

Our first stop was at the home of an elderly couple. There couple of rooms are at the rear of a large building housing I don’t know how many families. The 84 year old lady of the house was out shopping, but her blind husband welcomed us as if we were old friends. She returned shortly and had a wonderful visit and time of prayer, as she told us of her life and challenges living here.

Along the way we stopped to visit with Herman, an elderly man who sits each day in the door of the hovel he calls home. Talking and praying with and for this dear man, as he reached out and took my hand with such tenderness, was the highpoint of this day for me.

After visiting the second school run by Tita, we were asked to visit Irma, woman with chorea, a disease in which causes continuous involuntary muscle movements. We were tearfully greeted at the gate by 45 year old woman who looked to be 70, and was literally skin and bones, not weighing more than 60 lbs. As we visited with her, Tita looked up at me, asking what I could do to help her. My heart sank to my knees at the overwhelming hopelessness of this dear woman’s situation. What could I do? I don’t have the slightest idea. But I said I would do some searching and talk to the social workers at Hermano Pedro for ideas. I don’t hold much hope that they will take her in, since she can walk, but it is a place to start. And we have to do something before this lady starves to death.

As we walked away from Irma’s home after praying with her, I was convicted that the least I could do was provide her with one can of Ensure a week. After all, I spend at least that much feeding my dogs each week. I would ask those of you reading this to prayerfully consider if God might be inviting you to donate the amount equal to what you spend on your pets in one month to help feed this starving woman. There is a responsible neighbor we have found who will look in on her and made sure she has food if we can provide it until we find a facility in which she can live.

It was time for us to return to the Burger King where we were to meet our driver and return to the comfort and relative safety of Antigua. While Tita returned to the school for her car keys, she insisted that we go into one of the homes where we would be safe until she returned. Again, we were welcomed into the meager house in which five people lived. They “entertained” us with stories of their family until Tita returned for us, and invited us to visit again.

I thought that I had become accustomed to seeing poverty, traveling to the remote villages we do. I was so wrong. This concentration of people subsisting one on top of another was beyond anything I’d ever imagined. More overwhelming that any of the “projects” I had seen growing up in Chicago. It was evenmore overwhelming when I looked up the ravine and saw the steel and glass high rises of the wealthy no more than five blocks away—totally oblivious to those starving so near them.

The darkness of this ghetto was palpable. The light Tita brings into this darkness was just as apparent. Please pray for this dear sister as she returns here each day, to minister to her “congregation.” While she is the first to say, “I’m no more than a human being who is walking with Jesus,” she is a remarkable person from whom the Spirit of God radiates in each moment.

She shared with me privately, though, some of her struggles as she works here each day. At times her life is threatened by one or more of the gangs who call La Limonada their territory. She is tired each night as she returns home to raise her own eleven year old son, Moses. As my friend Lynn said, reflecting on the experience, “We get to go home.” For Tita, and 60,000 other Guatemalans, this is home. . .

Hope Haven Distributions—the Resurrection Team

2011-08-04T21:29:00.001-05:00

We get many teams who come to Guatemala to work in various capacities. Most have a desire to “bless” the Guatemalan people. Some, however, go over and above in getting involved with and loving individuals they meet. One such team is the group from Resurrection Lutheran Church in Spring, Texas. This group worked with us at Hope Haven for two great days of wheelchair distributions.

Many of the folks on this team had seated people in wheelchairs before, and their competence was greatly appreciated.

Mike, working with Hope Haven staff member Gustavo,
building a specialty chair.

What stood out in my mind about this team is their willingness to just “be there” for the children and their families, to just share the love of Jesus through their attitudes as well as their actions.

Every time I looked at this lady (whose name I unfortunately can’t remember) she was loving on somebody.

The members of this team had an unusual sensitivity to the children and their needs and responses.

Dr. Tim rolling up a tape measure for Dulce who had been upset.
He was the only one who could figure out what she wanted--
because he had been watching her with loving attention.

They were not afraid to take time just to get to know the kids and have fun with them!

Team member Jennifer laughing with Esmeralda, one of the happiest little girls we’ve had at a distribution

Personally, I was welcomed and affirmed by this team beyond what I ever would have expected. They came not only to change the lives of those they served, but to have their lives touched and changed by God in the process of serving. I sure hope they come back!

Hope Haven Distributions—The “Clients”—It’s not just about the kids. . .

2011-08-03T22:24:00.003-05:00

I have gotten to participate in a number of wheelchair distributions at the Hope Haven workshop here in Antigua. I never really know what I’m going to be doing at these distributions, but I know I want to be there. Sometimes I get to play “secretary,” others interpreter, other times there are children who need communication systems, and sometimes I find that my role is just to love on the people who come for chairs and their families. I do know, I never leave one of these distributions wondering why I have come. . .the people I meet here touch my heart and my life greatly.

Oliver

Oliver is a delightful eight year old boy who we were told was blind. After playing with him for a while, it seems apparent to us that he has some residual vision and is able to walk with assistance. He captured everyone’s hearts, especially those of a couple of therapists on the Rotary Club team. Dick and I will be following up with him—Dick to give him an appropriate walker, me to see if we can get his vision re-evaluated and to help him begin to use whatever vision he has. He is not in school, and I will try to work with him in this area, also.

Just “any chair” won’t do

I am far from being competent in seating people in wheelchairs, but I am gradually becoming able to recognize an improper fit when I see one. The young woman above came in for her first wheelchair at age 31. Initially, she was seated in a cloth chair, and needed significant harnass support to stay upright. When they finished her seating, I looked at her, and just knew something wasn’t right with the way she was sitting. Since I might recognize a problem, but still don’t really know what to do about it, I asked Dick to come over and take a look.
He immediately decided she was in the wrong chair and took her out to sit her on a folding chair. Imagine our surprise when she sat straight and sure without any support, only because the folding chair had a hard seat. Off Dick went to find another chair in the warehouse, and start the seating over from scratch. She left with a chair that fit her properly, and which she could even propel somewhat on her own.

I share this not to be critical of the first set of techs who seated her. They are good people who usually do good work. I share this, rather, to show just how complex this process is. Good enough is NOT good enough when it comes to a wheel chair. So many people who work with wheelchair services in Third World countries bring in “one size fits all” chairs, and in reality do harm to the people they seat. (See “Free Shower Chairs” on Youtube.) These chairs are the worst I’ve seen!

That’s why I believe it is so important to support ministries such as Bethel in Chimaltenango and Hope Haven here in Antigua. These ministries don’t just come down and do a “quick hit” distribution and move on. They know first hand that just giving someone any old wheelchair can do more harm than good, and refuse to give those living in poverty anything less than would be given to someone who needed mobility in the US. They treat people who cannot walk, even if they are in a Third World country, as first class citizens, and I love them for this.

These two groups have an on-going commitment to the people of Guatemala, and stay around to see the results of their work—both the good and bad. Hope Haven is continually reworking the design of their children’s chair to make it more comfortable, durable, and ergonomically correct. They have therapists and seating specialists at each distribution, and the staff of their shop is continually receiving in-service and on-the-job training from professionals in various fields. I am honored that they have invited me to work along-side them.

Edgar

This six year old who cannot walk manages to roll around to get himself where he wants to be. While the guys were working making adjustments on his new chair, he flipped over and grabbed their box of nuts and bolts and a wrench, and wanted to help them out! Once he was seated, I was able to give him a simple communication book which he instantly understood. It was such fun watching him “talk” to his mother with it. I think she was a thrilled as he was to have it!

Jennifer

I first met Jennifer when I went outside to see who was screaming as if being beaten to death. Jennifer is 14 and extremely aggressive at times, a real challenge to her single mother. Many folks from this team tried to “comfort” her in some way, only to make her more agitated. When I spoke with her mother, she apologized for the commotion, saying Jenny frequently hits, bites, and scratches her. She seemed ashamed that she could not “control” her daughter better.

I recognized at once that my ministry here was not to find a “behavior management approach” that would work with Jenny. Her mom basically had one, it just didn’t always work. While I might have been able to make some suggestions, I would not be spending enough time with her to do anything of real value, and would probably just make her mom feel even more inadequate.

So I visited with mom about some of my experiences teaching severely disabled children. I shared with her not my successes, but my struggles and frustrations. I told her I could only imagine how tough her life is caring for her daughter, and how much I respect the obvious love she has for this difficult girl.

As we talked, I could see the relief flow into her face. Someone understood—she was doing the best she could. She didn’t have to apologize for her daughter, but could talk about how challenging her life is caring for her, without fearing being judged. (Thank you, God, for all my frustrations and failures over the years. They reminded me not to play the “expert” but just listen.) She cried and talked and hugged me, and it was what I consider to be a “holy ground” moment in this week.

Dick and the therapists helping him had quite the challenge seating this young woman, but they managed to do their usually excellent job. Once she was finally in the chair, she calmed significantly. She even began working willingly with mom using the communication board I gave her.

Will her life change significantly because of what happened today? Maybe not. But I think her mother will always be able to know that someone understood her struggles and is praying for her.

Sonia’s son

I don’t know the name of the last little guy I want to share with you. Again, this time, I found myself mainly supporting and ministering to his mom. This was a tough one though. As many of the team members were “ooooh-ing” and “aaaahhh-ing” over her cute little boy, Mom stood aside, almost looking confused.

Sonia shared with me how she and her husband had waited fifteen years to become pregnant. In this time, they had adopted two children, but longed for one of their own. She also told me how their dreams died when they found out their child was disabled.

“Why,” she asked, “would God make me wait so long for a child and then give me ‘this?’” as she burst into tears. My heart stopped at this comment. I could see she wanted to love her son, but was really struggling to do so. At times like these, I regret that my Spanish is not more sophisticated. I couldn’t give her the pat answers we so often here, “It’s God’s will.” “God never gives you more than you can handle.”

I could see that the question here was deeper than her son’s disability. It penetrated down deep into her heart, where she was struggling to know if God loved her. How could I explain that the desire of her heart for a child had not been somehow twisted into a punishment?

And I found myself saying just that—that I could not explain God’s ways. That, while I don’t understand why God allows children to be born with disabilities, I know that He loves them—and their parents. That I know He has an eternal purpose for their lives, just as He does for ours, though we can’t always see it. I found myself saying that, rather than believing disabled children are a punishment from God, that I believe He gives them to those people He knows will have hearts big enough to love a child who is less than perfect. (Aren’t all of our children less than perfect.)

And the words rang hollow in my ears even as I said them, praying the whole time that I wouldn’t make life worst for this hurting lady. But, evidently they spoke to Sonia’s heart. She sobbed and sobbed and sobbed as she let out her hurt, disappointment, and sadness. I ached for her, wishing I could do more than just hold her as she cried. Talk about feeling useless and inadequate. . .

Once again, however, God proved to be more than adequate. As she was leaving Sonia hugged me, saying she would never forget what I had said. . .and how we had loved on her son as the most precious child in all the world.

Reunion, July 20, 2011

2011-07-29T00:50:00.001-05:00

Today Dick and I, accompanied by Katie and Heidi (a nurse from Hermano Pedro) finally make a trip to visit Sam-Sam.

Sam left Hermano Pedro about two and a half years ago, to move to a psychiatric facility in Guatemala City. Sam was one of the reasons I decided to move to Guatemala. Sam is also very special to Dick. We had heard conflicting reports about the place he was moved to, and frankly had been apprehensive about seeing it for ourselves. If we thought it was not a good place for him, both Dick and I knew there was nothing we could do about it. How would we deal with that?

What finally tipped the scales in favor of going was my desire to check out this home as a possible placement for Francisco, the little boy with autism who I met recently at the National Hospital in Quiche. I was hoping maybe this home would have an opening for him. So we have come. . .

When we arrived (unannounced) at the gate of the home, we were warmly welcomed by Marcia, the facility social worker. When we explained that we were from Hermano Pedro, and knew Sam, Estuardo, and Mohammed she immediately took us to see them.

The kids were just finishing lunch, and my heart dropped to my knees when I saw Estuardo sitting in a wheelchair with his arms covered by a sheet. Marcia must have seen the look on my face, because she immediately explained that the doctor had ordered this partial restraint for Estudardo because he would otherwise refuse to eat and bat at his food.

The staff brought Sam and Mohammed to us, telling us we were free to take them to play in the large play area. Estuardo soon joined us. (All three of these boys are able to walk—a large part of the reason they were removed from Hermano Pedro.) The boys looked healthy, happy, and it was apparent that at least Sam and Estuardo were much calmer than they had been at the orphanage in Antigua. Estuardo had obviously gained a substantial amount of weight, too, since moving to this home almost a year ago.

Dick was immediately drawn to Sam, and they walked away hand in hand. Shortly, Dick came back with tears in his eyes. He said he had bent down and Sam had stroked his beard (as he had so often at Hermano Pedro) and suddenly planted a “big juicy kiss” on his face. After all this time, Sam-Sam had remembered his old friend. I could see that this moved Dick to his very core. If he ever wonders if what he is doing here makes a difference, this should prove to him that he makes more of an impact than he knows. It brought tears to my eyes watching these two old friends get reacquainted.

I was especially pleased to see how much calmer Estuardo is. At Hermano Pedro he often screamed in a pitch that could shatter the strongest eardrums. Today, he was “clucking” and making his “happy noises.” He made no attempts to head-butt or bite as he had in the past. It was a joy to see him able to run freely in the grass, coming over every once in a while for a hug before he was off again to explore on his own.

We played together for quite a while, just swinging, and running and hugging. I was touched to see Heidi just sitting holding Sam. I am grateful to her for her help in bringing us here. She is now working in the malnutrition area of Hermano Pedro, but continues to love on the kids in Anibal. For her, working with these special children is more than a job, and she has become a good friend to us as well. It was good to see her enjoying being with these boys again.

Marcia returned and offered to take us on a tour of the facility. Our first stop was a visit to the office of the director, who sat and visited with us, and explained some of the needs of the home. Though it is run by the government, we could see that these folks care about the children they serve. We could also see that they are lacking many resources, though make the most of what they have.

As we began our tour, we discovered a little boy sitting outside the “day room” area, all by himself. Marcia explained that he had just arrived at the home at 1 o’clock this morning, having been found alone on the streets of Guatemala City. He appeared to be somewhat shell-shocked, not responding when talked to and sitting huddled on the curb. Dick immediately sat down next to him, and I told Marcia I knew he would stay with this little guy while we continued the tour.

This place was much better than I had expected. It was clean, bright, and the staff friendly. We were introduced to the physical therapist, occupational therapist and some of the teachers, including some students doing their practicum from a local university. What impressed me most, however, was seeing, posted on the walls in the school/therapy area, pictures of the various children, along with a page stating the strengths was well as their needs. I don’t think I’ve seen this anywhere else that I have visited in this country.

We returned from our tour to find the newest resident walking hand in hand with Dick. Soon he was on Dick’s lap, responding more and more to the love Dick was offering him. Watching them together, I couldn’t help but think of Jesus and the children. Today, Dick was Jesus to this frightened, lonely little boy.

Did I like everything I saw here? Not in the least. There were some beds without mattresses. We had been told about this by the director—some of the kids tear at the mattresses until they are in shreds and they don’t have the resources to replace them, so the kids sleep on a number of blankets piled on top of each other.

What has bothered me the most, though, is the “day room” where the residents just wander around aimlessly until someone comes to take them out to work with them individually or in small groups. The facility is severely understaffed. Marcia explained it is hard to find people willing to work with these patients, who sometimes can become aggressive. I know I will be haunted by these children and young people calling out and reaching through the windows—longing for some measure of human affection and attention.

Do I believe these folks care about the people they care for? I do. Before I pass “final judgment” I’d like to see more of this place. We were invited back any time we want to come. They have a volunteer program—though only have a single volunteer who comes in regularly.

I do think, however, that this would be a better place for Francisco, and spoke with the administration about the possibility of him coming here. While they are already overcrowded, the director encouraged me to have the hospital in Quiche contact them. I’ll be following up on this shortly, and hope to go back to Quiche the middle of August to try to begin working with the staff in helping them care for Francisco.

And I do think that Sam and Estuardo are happier here than I had known them to be a Hermano Pedro. While we will continue to miss them, I believe being here is in their best interests. It was good to see them here, and I hope to come back to visit them in the future.

Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward. (Mark 9:41)

Young Thespians in Guatemala, July 19, 2011

2011-07-28T21:35:00.001-05:00

Three of Dick’s kids who I know pretty well were having a play at their school today, and invited me to come along. While this may not seem like a lot, I was thrilled that they wanted me there. When I moved down here I was afraid that they might resent the time I spend working with Dick. It seems now I’m becoming “one of the guys.” (I think that’s good!)

What really made my day, though, was that Elder, who usually is pretty stand-offish, crawled up on my lap without any coaxing, and seemed comfortable staying there for the rest of the play—even during the intermission time. Elder is the youngest of all the kids who hang out at Dick’s regularly, and though he’s quite mature and independent, Dick and I both have worried about him. His mother, who lives only a short distance from where he is living with another family, wants nothing to do with him. I was grateful today to be able to give him whatever “mothering” I could. And I was even more grateful for the affection he was willing to give me.

Guess I’m sharing this, not because it’s a big thing, but to remind all of us that most of missionary life is made up of the “little things.” Relationships, friendships, sharing the everyday experiences of life. Guess this isn’t really that different from what I was called to do back in the US. What in reality we are all called to do each day—to the glory of God!

July 15, 2011

2011-07-27T12:49:00.001-05:00

For a day for which we had no plans, this is one of the longer journals I’ve written—however, shortening it would not have done justice to a marvelous day. . .

This morning we had planned to do a little bit of computer work, then return to Antigua/Chimaltenango. First we decided to have some breakfast, though, and that changed our whole day. (Funny how small decisions we make can do that. . .)

As we were paying our bill, our waiter (who had served us most mornings) very shyly asked if he could ask us a favor. He had seen Dick in a village near his home on a previous trip, and today noticed the wheelchair we had tied on top of the Land Cruiser. He had a cousin who needed a wheelchair. Could we help?

I have to be honest. Inwardly I groaned. Not another one. . .Thankfully my spirit won over my flesh, and I began asking him the questions that have become all too familiar to me in these situations: Where did they live? What was his disability? Could he sit up? Could he use his hands?

We told him we could give him a wheelchair application and he could send it, along with a photo, to the Bethel shop. The man would be included in the next distribution. The only problem was, Rocky, our waiter didn’t have access to a camera to take and print a picture. Could we go with him at 3 when he got off work and see his cousin?

We talked some more, and Dick thought he would be able to find the general area if someone would meet us at the main road. Rocky called a friend, and it was arranged. We would go out ourselves this morning.

After breakfast Dick and I began discussing how to handle our day. Should we see the man quickly and then head home? Should we check out but ask them to hold our room? Finally, we decided to stay another night—we could see the man and take a water filter to Amanada, a local woman who often helps us.

We did some work on the computer, I got a map from Rocky, and we set off. When we arrived at the home we discovered that Bartolo, the man we needed to see, was not there. Oh, man. . .we’d rearranged our day for nothing! We salvaged the visit as best we could, filling out what we could on the application, showing Bartolo’s brother how to take the needed measurements, exchanging phone numbers, and finally, taking pictures of pictures of the man. We would call tomorrow to get the measurements and then could at least turn in the application for the next distribution in the area.

Dick realized that the house was near where Silsa lived. I’d met Silsa about two and a half years ago when I had visited this area. We have been wondering about how she was doing and decided to visit her. Two and a half years ago, I’d written about her:

Silsa is a beautiful, shy young lady of 13 who, about six months ago, lost the strength in her legs. She also began having severe seizures. She would be coming with us to find out if the doctors at Hermano Pedro could figure out what is wrong with her, and give medication to control the seizures. Her family has already spent all their money on local “doctors” who have not helped Silsa, and now refuse to see her because the money has run out.

Silsa and her mother were some of the first people I helped navigate the clinics here, and I have felt close to them ever since. Over time, Silsa’s seizures had increase to where they would last an entire nighttime, yet her father had decided not to bring her back in to see the neurologist at Hermano Pedro. He preferred the witch doctors he had been “consulting” on her behalf.

She had weighed heavily on my heart because of this. . .not only a physical infirmity but a spiritual one was plaguing this beautiful young lady. I had known that Gordon, Donna Mooney’s father, had been visiting her and praying with/for her, along with some local pastors. He thought she was getting better. As we approached the house, Sylvestra, Silsa’s mom, came out to see who was there and was ecstatic to see we had come to visit.

Today, we witnessed the result of Gordon’s prayer. Not only is Silsa seizure-free, but she is now able to walk up the hill to her grandfather’s house if Mom helps her balance. While the “miracles” I wrote about yesterday can be explained away as “coincidences,” this is definitely a work of God in answer to prayer. Both Dick and I were brought close to tears by His goodness and mercy to his beautiful young woman.

Silsa had one request—she wants to resume her studies. She was beginning fourth grade when her seizures began, and craves to learn more. While she is still too weak to attend regular school, we would like to provide her with a tutor.

If you or your small group would be interested in sponsoring Silsa by providing $35/month to pay a private teacher to work with her about four hours a week, please email me and I’ll fill you in on the details.

After a wonderful snack of warm tortillas and fresh cheese that Sylvestra makes and sells, we reluctantly left. Visiting this family today was an amazing blessing to both them and us.

Our next stop was to take a water filter to Amanda. Unfortunately, she was not at home, so we stopped and had lunch. Returning to our hotel, we were surprised to see none other than Amanda standing at the gate waiting for us. I have to admit, this was the second time today my flesh responded, “Oh, No” in response to God’s invitation to serve. Thankfully, Dick had better sense than I and we agreed to drive her home. We were a little surprised when she directed us to a different house. She explained her niece lived there, and wanted to talk with us.

Feeling more than a little “set up,” we hesitantly agreed to talk with her. (Another, “Oh, no” moment)

We found a meeting of their community organization was in progress, and about 10 people were waiting for us. This group attempts to help the poor in their area, and wanted to talk to us to see how we could help. After explaining to them that we work with children and families with disabilities, they were very excited when Dick offered them some children’s vitamins they could use with some of the children in their area who were malnourished. We also dropped off some food packets from Kids Against Hunger. As we talked further, Dick and I looked at each other, thinking the same thing.

Would this be a good place to give a water filter? When asked, Clara, one of the leaders of the association, became very excited, promising to not only use the filter for her family, but to share the water with the other families in her group. Dick assembled and demonstrated the water filter and Clara’s step daughter could not wait to “sample” the purified water.

As we left, we both were convicted of the fact that indeed we had been “set up” but not by Amanda, but by God. It was not hard to decide, therefore, to accompany Amanda when she asked us to visit a little girl they knew who needed a wheelchair.

We soon were meeting Esmeralda, and were appalled to find her sitting in a contraption that is supposed to substitute for a wheelchair. While I don’t doubt the good intentions of the group that manufactures these chairs, a plastic garden chair attached to a frame is a horrible excuse for a wheelchair. They not only are uncomfortable (have you ever spent a whole day just sitting in a plastic chair? Ouch.), they also cause pressure sores. In this country, far too many people die from these sores, and we don’t need to put anyone in a chair that might cause them.

Dick measured her, and it just so happened that for some “unknown” reason he had felt led to take along on this trip a folding wheelchair some therapists had given him. He thought it just might work. After retrieving it from his car with the help of some local boys, he tried it out. He had not even finished setting Esmeralda in the chair when she burst out with “calidad!” (“quality”) Even this thirteen year old knew a real wheelchair when she saw/felt one. She was beaming from ear to ear, and the chair needed only one minor adjustment in a footrest. Almost as if the chair had been made just for her. . .Godincident for sure. . .

It was hard to leave this amazing young woman, but it was getting dark and we wanted to get back to the hotel before dark. Not a bad day’s work for a day in which we had planned not to work.

Surrounded by Miracles and Coke Bottles, July 14, 2011

2011-07-27T12:25:00.001-05:00

Today we set off up the mountain, stopping at Maria Garcia’s to pick up her daughter Blanca Rose, who would serve as our interpreter today. Since most of the families we would be visiting today spoke only Mam (a Mayan language), her help would be indispensible today.

On our way to take Rudy his new leg, we stopped to visit a family who lived just up the hill from his house. This single mom has two children who are in wheelchairs, as well as a couple of other boys she has taken in because they have nowhere else to go. One of the wheelchairs needs a new footrest, and we will have to return with this part at a later time. Dick was able to adjust the brakes, however, and as we watched the young man walk about the area hugging the wall for balance, we discussed the possibility of bringing him forearm crutches to help him balance. When asked if he would like these, he became very excited. He manages to get around quite a bit despite his inability to walk alone, and we hope these will give him a further level of independence.

We hiked down the steep hillside to Rudy’s and Dick wisely suggested that we go inside to fit his new leg. A group of children from the area had followed us down the hill, probably to see what the North Americans were up to. Removing and replacing a prosthetic leg demands some level of privacy, so we went into the dimly lit house.

As Dick unpacked the new leg, it was immediately apparent that it had been made too long. Things became even more complicated when Dick went to try on the leg, and discovered that the leg cup was way too small for Rudy’s leg. We’re not quite sure how all this happened, since Dick had sent specific measurements as well as a plaster cast of the leg to which the prosthesis was to be fit to the specialist making the leg. Whatever the reason, we were faced with an impossible situation—there seemed to be no way to make the leg work for Rudy, and his old one was too small to use without damaging his back and hips.

I can’t tell you how many times I heard Dick say, “Come on, Dick, THINK!” He stared at both legs, mentally matching pieces that just would not quite go together. We talked about the possibility of finding a hacksaw and shortening the tube on the new leg, but that wouldn’t solve the problem of the too small leg cup. We both were praying, unknown to the other, that somehow God would intervene. We had to do something for this precious little guy. Finally Dick took the risk of removing the foot from Rudy’s old leg to see if somehow that leg cup could be used with the new leg bottom.

It was immediately obvious that the pieces would not fit together. Dick cobbled and MacGuyver-ed as best as he could, but nothing worked. I know he worked more than an hour without any apparent progress. It looked hopeless. We talked about putting some kind of “lift” on the shoe of the old prosthetic leg, but ruled that out since shoes wear out too quickly in this rough terrain for that to be a practical solution. We were soon just out of ideas. . .

Rudy’s mom thanked us for our efforts, but saw the new leg would not work. Here she was, trying to make us feel better about the fact that the leg wouldn’t work. She even sent one of the children out to buy us each a Coke—our first of the day. We were stumped and Dick was ready to admit defeat.

As he started to pack up his tools, Dick glanced down one last time at the old foot. What would happen if he took the connector out of that foot, and tried to use it to fit the new foot to the old leg with the two fasteners? This would give the needed added length if it could just work.

After taking out the piece, Dick discovered that the coupler would not fit inside the fastener. There was a square piece of metal on the top, preventing it from going into the tube. How could we get it off?

After asking if there was any type of machine shop nearby which might have a hacksaw we could use, we thought we had struck out once again. Maybe there was a metal file in Dick’s tool bag. . .What he found was a detached hacksaw blade, which he managed to put in a vice grips pliers—and suddenly we had a make-shift hacksaw. Now, would it cut the metal.

Dick painstakingly sawed at the metal piece, with the help of Rudy’s brother and mother securing the foot and the stool. It was hard work, and Dick was out of breath and sweating, but finally he was able to break off the offending piece. We all just about burst into tears when the pieces came together. This was an engineering task far beyond even Dick’s abilities. We knew that we had experienced divine intervention on behalf of this little guy. Our first miracle of the day.

Everyone got into the act of making the final adjustments—even Rudy took his turn wielding a wrench!

As we were preparing to leave, I asked Rudy’s mom whether or not the boys (Rudy, age 7, and his brother, age 13) were attending school. Neither were, due to lack of funds. Mom explained that the older son would be in 6th grade, and that Rudy was always asking if she could find someone to teach him to write. I promised I would try to find sponsors so they could both attend school. If anyone is interested in sponsoring one or both of these wonderful young men, please email me and I’ll send you the details. The cost would be approximately $35/month for one, or $70/month to enable both of the boys to get the education they both so desperately desire.

Next we set off further down the road to meet Alvarado, who Dick had been told needed new wheels on his wheelchair. Since he lived quite a way up the mountain, his family had packed both him and his chair down to the road so we could work with him there.

When we arrived, we discovered that the wheels were, in fact, falling apart. We also discovered that they were an unusual type of wheel, and, as Dick said, it would be another miracle if any of the wheels he had brought would fit this chair. We were looking at a couple hours of work at the least. Dick tried each of the wheels he had brought, and each would not fit. At about the same moment, both Dick and I thought about the Hope Haven chair we had brought with. Would those wheels somehow work? Dick tried them, and the holes were the right size, but the connecting bolt too long. The wheels would wobble.

If only we had some washers to take up the slack, but after looking through his tool bag, Dick came up empty handed. The wobbly wheels would have to do. As he started to pick up his tools once again, Dick discovered that, in a bag of bolts he had picked up at the shop a few days earlier, there just so happened to be a handful of spacers—and these would work perfectly. Our second miracle of the day. And our second bottle of Coke, once again provided by Alvarado’s grateful parents.

Our last stop of the day was to visit Rolando. Rolando is a twenty-three year old young man who Bethel Ministries had been providing a tutor for. A few months ago, Rolando had become so weak that it was decided to use the funds to provided extra food for him. It was obvious this had been a good decision—Rolando actually looked a bit robust today. And a bit discouraged—they had been looking for a teacher for him for a while now, and none can be found. We promised that we would ask for prayers that someone would step up to work with him, so I am asking you to join us in praying for a teacher for this ambitious young man.

After a quick glance at his wheelchair, it was apparent he was desperately in need of the new one we had brought him. The one we had fit him perfectly, and he was soon seated comfortably in a solid, safe wheelchair. As Dick worked on seating Rolando, one of his sisters brought us each a can of apple juice, a wonderful change from all the Coke we had been drinking. Rolando’s mom also insisted that she wanted to make us lunch. We gratefully accepted her invitation—it was after two o’clock, and we had not eaten since breakfast.

She prepared a rich egg dish with a fresh tomato sauce that was delicious, along with some of the tastiest tortillas we have eaten in Guatemala. As we were each given another bottle of Coke, Dick and I looked at each other somewhat hopelessly. Just how much Coke can one person drink in a few hours without exploding? Today we would find out, as we drank our last Coke of the day.

After visiting for a while, it was all too soon time to leave. We needed to be on our way back to Huehue before dark, and we still had to take Blanca and her son Everett back home.

As we drove back to Huehue, Dick and I talked about the Godincidents we had seen today, and joked about all the Coke we had drunk. God had blessed us with being able to accomplish things we could not have done in our own power. The families we had come to serve had blessed us with their gratitude and with Coke. A small thing to us, a bottle of pop. But to these families living in deep poverty, a bottle of Coke costs a lot, and is a tangible way they show us their appreciation. I’ve never known drinking Coke to be such a humbling experience.

Afternote:

We didn’t know it when we got back to the hotel, but God had one more “miracle” for us yet today. Dick was working on answering email, and suddenly, his computer just shut down on its own. When he restarted it, he discovered that his I-Mail account had somehow disappeared. All his email was gone until he could somehow repair this glitch. He worked on it without success, and finally we decided to go to dinner. We both continued to pray that somehow Dick would find a way to reconnect to his email server. Within a few minutes of returning from supper, our prayers were answered when he discovered the “missing link” that enabled him to connect. Thank you, God, for answered prayer. And thank you, Father, even more, that all his files were still intact in the server and he was able to access them.

Were these really “miracles” we had experienced today? I think so. . .in fact I think we walk among miracles all the time, and fail to recognize God’s hand in helping us on a daily basis. Maybe I’m wrong, but I’d rather err on the side of thanking God than ignoring His gifts to us—natural or supernatural.

Could it be that a coincidence is

when God performs a miracle,

but decides to remain anonymous?”

Surprise Encounter and Visit to Old Friends, July 13, 2011

2011-07-23T18:04:00.001-05:00

In return for me doing most (ALL) of the journaling on this trip, Dick is allowing me to use most of the pictures from his postings. (Not sure if he knows this yet, but he will!) Please don’t get too used to the pretty borders—unless I can get him talked into doing all my pictures. . .hmmmmmm….

We had planned to go to Rudy’s today, but, after seeing how much rain fell last night, Dick thought maybe we should try to go up to La Libertad to take a wheelchair to Samuel, who we had met more than two years ago. I love traveling to the area around La Libertad, though the roads there are some of the most difficult we drive. I was a little concerned setting off up the mountain since we had not been able to contact anyone up there to let them know we were coming. We decided to chance it anyway, trusting that we would find someone who could help us find Samuel.

I also was hoping we would have enough time to stop in and visit the Perez family. I had met this family in January of 2009 when we brought them and their daughter Lisvi into see a doctor at Hermano Pedro. Lisvi was the first child with malnutrition I had seen with my own eyes and held in my arms, and she changed me greatly in the few days we spent together. She died a few months after we met, and I felt like seeing her parents would provide some closure for me, even years later. More than two years ago I had written about her:

As Dick was measuring Noe, I walked over to a lady with a “baby” on her back. I hesitantly asked if it would be okay for me to hold the “baby.” Mom gently placed her in my arms. This was my introduction to Lisvi Escalante Perez, and her mother Francisca. Lisvi, however, is not a baby, but a marvelous little girl of SIX who could not have weighed over fifteen pounds. I thought I was familiar with starvation, but as I held this precious little one in my arms, my heart sank to my feet, and tears welled in my eyes. Lisvi will forever “haunt” me. This was not some abstract, starving child in an ad, but a flesh and blood little girl God had permitted me to hold.

The trip up to La Libertad was fairly easy, though we still had to travel some muddy, rutty roads. It was only sprinkling, and the new car was holding the road well so we kept on. When we reached the turn off from La Libertad to go to the aldea (village) where Samuel and the Perez family lived, we had to stop for a pick-up truck/”bus” that was loading passengers.

When I looked up, I thought I saw Sr. Perez, Lisvi’s dad, getting into the back of the truck. Surely, I was wrong, but I couldn’t help but look again, and asked Dick, “Is that Lisvi’s dad?” By this time, though, the truck had started moving, and I thought we’d missed our chance to find out if it was him.

A minute later, though, the pick-up stopped, and Dick was able to pull along side. He rolled down his window, and I asked the man in the truck, “Do you know this man (Dick)?” After a minute of confusion, Sr. Perez recognized Dick and immediately jumped from the truck. We pulled over and had a great reunion on the side of the road. I just about burst into tears when I asked him if he remembered me, and he said, “Yes, you’re Sra. Patricia.” I know he probably has not spent too much time with North American women but I was totally honored that he remembered my name.

Another gentleman also walked up to us from further down the street, telling us he also knew Dick, since he had given his son a wheelchair on a previous visit. It felt like old home week in the mountains. When Sr. Perez asked where we were going, and I told him, “to your house,” he was very excited. So, the three of us piled into the front seat of Dick’s truck (the back was completely full of wheelchairs) and we were off.

After once again traveling these steep and winding roads, this time in the rain, Dick grew in his appreciation of his new vehicle, and I grew in my appreciation of his driving. (Today, though, was the first time I’ve known Dick to break his word. The last time we were up here, he told me he would never drive into this area if there was even a drop of rain. Today there was much more than a drop, but he skillfully managed the roads without incident.)

When we got to the Perez home, Francesca, Lisvi’s mom, came out to see who was driving into her yard. I got out of the car, and she came over and hugged me for the longest time, neither of us saying a word, but both of us dissolving into tears, remembering the last time we had seen each other, shortly before Lisvi died. After warmly greeting Dick, the Perez’s took great pleasure introducing us to two of their grandchildren.

Inviting us into the house, Francesca began cooking up a storm. Of course she would feed us. This always amazes me here in Guatemala. No matter how poor the family, or how little food they have, they almost always feed us a meal of some sort when we visit. It feels somewhat uncomfortable to us, sort of like we’re crashing their dinner, but we have learned to accept this gift with due appreciation. Today we had the Huehuetenango version of pepian, a rich chicken stew which is typical of Guatemalan food.

While she was cooking, and later while we were eating, we caught up on developments with their family since the last time we were here. They now had 3 grandchildren, and the activity that filled the house seemed to be a healing element for them in their loss of Lisvi. Sr. Perez had bought the two older children twinkie like cakes and they were devouring them as they waited for lunch. It was so sweet to see him with his grandchildren. He adores them, and it was obvious they feel the same about him.

Beside our visit, today was a landmark day for the family. Their son has been in the US working for the last 7 months, and was, in fact, returning today to the Guatemala City airport. They were very excited to have him home again.

After lunch, Sr. Perez offered to go with us to Samuel’s home to show us the way. This was not as simple as it sounds on the surface. To find the exact location of the house, he had to scale a very steep, muddy hill, and returned telling us he had found a way we could drive almost completely to the house. This took us over more mud and fields, and involved him jumping out of the truck a couple of times to open and close gates for us. He did this all enthusiastically, enjoying the fact that he was able to help us out.

This picture was taken from inside of Dick’s Land Cruiser.
We were thankful that Lisvi’s father ran down the hill and opened the gate for us, because we’re not sure we could have stopped!

When we got to the house, Dick discovered that he had already brought Samuel a chair and walker quite a while ago! He takes so many chairs to so many people in so many places, I can easily understand this minor lapse. The family was over-joyed by our visit, and we discovered that one of the footrests on Samuel’s chair had broken. Sr. Perez jumped right into helping Dick repair the chair, and in short order the chair was once again in working order.

It started to rain rather hard, and Dick decided we better head out before we could not get out. We did find out from Sr. Perez that there was a better way out than the way we had come in. Since Dick had never driven this road, he insisted on accompanying us part way to make sure we found it okay. We tried to encourage him to return home out of the rain, but he wouldn’t give in. After we were on our way on the right road, we were able to drop him off right above his house. I’m sure his trip down the mountain on foot was no picnic in the rain, but we could not help but be grateful for his enthusiastic help.

As we drove back to Huehue, Dick and I discussed the Godincident of running into Sr. Perez in La Libertad. If we had been five minutes earlier or later, we would have missed him. We only went today because Dick had a strong feeling that we should postpone visiting Rudy and head up the mountain before there was more rain. This morning I had prayed for God to arrange divine appointments for us today, but in no way did I expect to see His hand so clearly. I’m sure He knew how much we would be blessed by our time with the Perez family. I pray now that they were blessed by our time with them.

Traveling to Huehuetenango, July 12, 2011

2011-07-23T17:46:00.001-05:00

After seeing off Katheryn when her shuttle left for the airport, Dick and I set out for Huehue. When I returned from the States in April, I brought back a prosthetic leg for a Rudy, a little boy who lives near Huehue. More than two years ago I brought down Rudy’s first artificial leg, which he’s now outgrown, and I’m looking forward to seeing him again.

The trip down was absolutely beautiful. Dick took a route I’ve never traveled before, and I think we passed through some of the most beautiful parts of Guatemala on our way up here. I also saw some of the largest landslides I’ve seen here, but thankfully, all the roads had at least one lane open. More than once, we’d come around a blind curve to suddenly find one lane of the road unexpectedly blocked, and a car coming towards us in the other lane. . .I have to admit, though, I was glad Dick was the one doing the driving.

When we arrived in Huehue, we stopped at the shopping mall to buy shoes to take with us to Rudy. Dick talked me into taking the prosthetic leg with us into Payless to find a shoe to fit it. It was very interesting walking through a mall in Guatemala carrying a child’s leg. (There are rumors in this part of the country about North Americans kidnapping kids for body parts—and here I was walking around carrying a “leg.” You gotta laugh.) The interesting thing was, no one seemed to pay any attention to what I was carrying!

The man working at Payless was very nice and understood our dilemma trying to figure out if the shoes we were buying would fit Rudy’s real foot. He told us we could buy a couple of pairs and return the ones that didn’t work. It was really funny watching Dick try on the shoe on the foot we had with us!

Playing “Tourist”

2011-07-23T17:03:00.003-05:00

Though I’ve lived here over a year, I have yet to see a number of the sights that tourists usually visit when they spend only a week here. Since Katheryn and Katie are with me this week, I’m using them as a good excuse to do so.

I’ve been up to Cerro Santo Domingo before, and thought they would enjoy the view from there, so we headed up for Saturday breakfast. While it’s a little bit “ritzier” than my usual haunts, I love the view from up there and because it is so far out of town, the prices are pretty reasonable.

To get there we walked about a mile and a half to the Hotel Santo Domingo, a beautiful old monastery which has been converted into a luxury hotel and museum. From there we took a open air shuttle, reminiscent of “Jurasic Park.”

While in the past it seemed like this was a place for rich Guatemalans to get away from the city, today it seemed like there were more local folks here just enjoying the beautiful Saturday morning. We enjoyed our meals, and even had time to walk around to see the sculpture garden, aviary, and chapel. It really was beautiful. Despite its elegance, this seems a good place to go to just get away with God
.

Monday we set off to take a walking tour of the cathedral, which turned into a walking tour of Antigua. Last year when I first moved down here, Donna and I met Oscar, a man who gives tours at the cathedral. I’d promised to return one day to take his tour, and finally would keep that promise.

While I’ve lived here a year, and seen most of the places we went, it was wonderful to have a guide with us knowledgeable of the history and lore that went with each place. And while I had often passed these buildings, I never had stopped to admire the amazing detail in architecture of these churches, most of which were built between the 15th and 17th centuries.

My favorite stop on our tour had to be the church of San Francisco the Greater, and the museum of Hermano Pedro which is housed there. Without getting into a discussion of the Catholic veneration of saints, I have to say that all I have heard about this monk who lived in the early 17th Century inspires me. He was Guatemala’s Mother Teresa, taking the starving and dying into his home and caring for them. The legacy he started lives on in the multitude of hospitals and social service agencies that bear his name.

Cakes, Camperos, and Baby Showers, July 7, 2011

2011-07-23T16:22:00.001-05:00

Heading to the orphanage today, we stopped by Hollandesa, a chain bakery they have here in Antigua. I have avoided them, because the cakes in their window look absolutely sinful. Today I was stopping because I’ve been invited to a baby shower for Anna, one of the nurses at Hermano Pedro and said I would bring the cake.

Anita had seen a darling cake in the window, and thought it would be perfect, so we all stopped on our way to Hermano Pedro. I was right—the cakes there are irresistible, and unfortunately they sell single serving pieces. . .I managed to resist, however, by buying a snack for Rachel and Gracie, on the condition that they let me have a bite of each of theirs (can’t quit sugar cold turkey, you know!) Grace obviously liked hers!

Katie, Katheryn and I made good on my promise to take Henry to Camperos, and I think he enjoyed being the one and only kid along. I had forgotten how much fun it is to only concentrate on one child and really have time to dote on them. And dote we did, especially Katie. We even stopped next door at Marco Polo’s for ice cream!

I returned to Hermano Pedro after the kids had been fed dinner (a real privilege for a volunteer to come back after 5 pm) after picking up the cake. I was glad Mari had offered to drive me, because I couldn’t believe how heavy the cake was—I’m not sure I could have carried it all the way walking! I was not disappointed in it at all.

Though I’m not a big fan of showers, I had been honored to be invited, and enjoyed getting to spend some social time with the nurses I work with. They are a great bunch of ladies, and I enjoy getting to know them on a more personal level.

The shower was held right in the smaller children’s ward, and the cribs had been decorated.

The shower was surprisingly similar to those we have in the US—except the focus seemed not to be on games as it is back home, but on FOOD, and lots of it. We even had 2 cakes, and were given generous portions of both. (Glad now I didn’t succumb to a treat at Holandesa this morning!).

A custom I really enjoyed was that each woman who attended the shower was asked to make a wish or pray a blessing over the baby.

Each day I feel more and more welcome and accepted by the nurses, and being included in this celebration was a confirmation of their growing friendship with me. I am grateful.

Katheryn and Camperos, July 6, 2011

2011-07-23T13:48:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I spent my morning in Guatemala City, doing some shopping at Wal-Mart. Yes, Wal-Mart has now come to Guatemala, though they still don’t have all the US products I’d like, it was kind of like a touch of America. (Actually, Wal-Mart has owned Hyper-Paiz for years and just finally changed the name, but also some of the products.) Chocolate chips, though, are still too expensive (more than $4/lb.) Can someone tell me why chocolate costs so much in one of the countries where it is grown?

After shopping, we headed to the airport to pick up Katheryn Casebolt from Omaha. She has been down here twice before with teams, and decided this time to venture down by herself. Of all the people I’ve picked up at the airport, I think Katheryn holds the record for the shortest time clearing customs and immigration—she was standing outside the airport waiting for us when we arrived!

After heading back to Antigua and having lunch at Mari’s, we headed off to Hermano Pedro for the afternoon.

Today we decided to take some of the kids out to lunch. It’s always hard to decide who to take, but Katie really wanted to take “Fonzi” so I figured we might as well take Jessica, too. We met Dick and Gary (who is visiting from Washington State), and Dick really wanted to take out Byron, and Elmer rounded out our team.

Dick wrote of our trip:

Gary and I were joined by Pat and 2 of her friends and the 5 of us took 4 of the kids from the orphanage out to lunch. Alfonzo a new boy gave Pat and myself a bit of a run for the money but we sort of tag teemed and trading off a few times gave each of us a breather and the strength to keep up with his antics and by the end of the meal he was doing great and had even finished up on all of the food that he had not earlier thrown on the floor. Don't worry Gary treated us to the meal but I left a tip that was nearly as large as the bill so I think that we will be welcomed back.

Actually, I think Dick minimized the challenge Alfonso posed. After he threw everything from the table for the third time, (and splashed his ranch dip across the floor), I headed with him toward the door to take him back to Hermano Pedro. Dick caught up with us before I made it to the street, however, and convinced me to let him have a try with Fonzi. Alfonso has not been eating at the orphanage, and I wanted to see if it was just that he didn’t like the food, or wouldn’t eat at all. When he refused Camperos nuggets (by tossing them) I had my answer. However, I realized that it would be a good thing if we could get him eating, and was glad to give Dick a shot at it if he thought he could do it.

Dick put Fonzi far enough to the table where he couldn’t throw anything, and began offering him one piece of food at a time. When he refused, Dick put it back on the plate and resumed eating his own meal. After a number of trials, Fonzi actually began eating and made it through the rest of the meal without clearing the table. So we did find out that Fonzi’s refusal to eat really IS a control issue.

I had thought that maybe he was put out with me, but on the way back to the orphanage, Alfonso kept reaching out to me and blowing me kisses. I have heard that he’s begun hitting people, even the nurses, and am wondering after seeing how he responded to Dick if he might not do better with male staff? His mom visits him frequently, and I’m also wondering if part of the reason he’s at Hermano Pedro is that he had gotten aggressive with her at home. When I get to know her better I ask her.

I helped Bayron eat, and he downed all his food, including the flan we’d ordered for Elmer that he didn’t want. Dick managed to get him up on the slide a few times and he loved it!

Elmer was a perfect gentleman, eating almost totally independently, and then enjoyed time playing on the equipment.

Jessica totally enjoyed her time with Gary, and he is amazing with the kids.

Byron on the slide,
thanks to Dick’s valiant efforts.

Elmer managed to climb
to the top of the long
circular slide, all on his own!

Jessica loved riding the car
under Gary’s loving care.

Alfonso loved just hanging
out with Katie
(I think he has a crush on
her—but you didn’t hear
it from me!)

We got back to Hermano Pedro to find all the kids in bed. I haven’t spent hardly any time with Henry, so asked him if he wanted to go in his walker or be held for a while. I was pleasantly surprised when he chose just to sit with me. Just when I thought the day couldn’t get any better, Bayron came over and Henry asked him about what he’d eaten at Camperos. As Bayron told him, he appeared genuinely happy for his friend. When we told him Bayron ate not one but two portions of flan, Henry said, “Good for you.”

Needless to say, this unselfish young man will be accompanying us to Camperos tomorrow!

Fourth of July in Guatemala (July 4, 2011)

2011-07-23T13:24:00.001-05:00

Since this is my second “Independence Day” away from the US, I decided to bring a bit of American to Guatemala for the day. Since we have a number of students from the United States staying at the house, this won an overwhelming vote of approval.

I offered to cook the evening meal, and decided we would have picnic fare—all before I checked the local market to see if what I needed was available.

The hotdogs weren’t too difficult, though I’m really not sure what is all in the “salsichas” they sell here. Buns were a bit more of a problem, though. We substituted “pirujos” which are LARGE oval shaped rolls, fat enough to fit two hotdogs. One of the guys said that was the most bread he’d ever eaten with a hotdog. Fortunately, the quality of the bread made it worth eating. The various rolls and breads here are rich and soft and chewy—a food in themselves, rather than just something to hold the “real” food. (Yes, that is Coke in returnable glass bottles!)

The potato salad was a bit easier to find ingredients for—though the pickles I bought were more like cucumbers soaked in vinegar that what we consider pickles. Needless to say there were no pickles in the potato salad, though the ones we put on the table were all eaten.

Baked beans proved to be the challenge of the day. . .especially since I had not planned far enough ahead to cook dry beans. I managed to find canned “frijoles colorados” (“colored” red beans with bacon and chorizo) which I managed to doctor up with hickory smoked barbeque sauce and sugar. They looked nothing like baked beans, but it was the consensus of those at dinner that they tasted pretty close to the real thing.

The crowning glory of the evening was “some-mores” which were the easiest to make—once I figured out which of the local crackers were similar in taste to graham crackers. I think they were the hit of the evening. It continues to make me wonder, though, at how expensive chocolate bars are in a country that grows chocolate!

After dinner we partied and danced and just generally enjoy each other. This group of students is really a great bunch—especially two med students from Rush in Chicago. They have proved to be excellent big sisters to Anita’s two girls (along with their more “permanent” adopted big-sister, Katie).

The only thing missing from our celebration this year was fireworks. “Bombas” or large and small fire-crackers are available here year round, and are set off very early almost every morning for one reason or another. Real fireworks are hard to find (except at Christmas!), and look as I might, I could not find a single sparkler!