Susan Blount

I can’t believe that we have about 10 months to go and things are already getting started for Team Guatemala 2009, February 14-27. There has been so much interest, I had to get the brochure done already. One veteran team member is asking about dates for 2010.

Susan, Any chance you could choose another week for 2010 that would not overlap school vacation? Whoa! Let me take it one year at a time, please.

Dear Susan,

Mike and I are discussing joining you on your Feb. 2009 Guatemala trip. We just received your brochure and info packet.
Please let us know, as specifically as you can, how we might best serve there, if we were to go. Or if our gifts and talents might be more effective on a different trip you might be planning for 2009. We are willing to serve in any way needed,

Dear Susan,
Thanks for the info. I’ll send it on to Mike. We are not considering 1 mission trip only. I hope to go to the WOTH retreat this summer, regardless of what we decide on Guatemala. I’m hoping, having a C3 to give to, will encourage my major donor types to give more, now.
They’ve been hesitant before, because of no tax deduction for their gifts.
Much appreciation. What other couples considering going? Do we know them?

If you ever send out emails regarding missions and what not, you could add me to your list. Gabriel

Today my daughter called to ask for information for a young lady praying about going to South Africa for a mission trip this summer. I sent out some helpful resources that i like. Hope she finds them helpful.

And such is the life of a mission team leader… so far in May of 2008.

Here is some text from our 2009 brochure:

Why Should I Go?

We are passionate about Guatemala and God’s plan of salvation for its people. It’s our mission to provide you opportunities to build relationships with Guatemalans and share the Gospel with them.

We’ll partner with local Guatemalan missionaries who have been operating their ministries for about 15 years.

Each are effectively reaching communities with a hands-on demonstration of Jesus’ love.

God will provide good works for us to do so that the people will know that He exists, that He loves them, and that He will be glorified.

If you have never left your footprint on Guatemala’s soil, your touch on its people and prayer under its skies, we invite you to join our outreach.

If you have, come back with us as we work for the Kingdom of God in Guatemala.

Am I Qualified?

Do you have:

· A testimony as a dedicated disciple of Christ?

· Enough maturity to behave responsibility in sometimes trying circumstances?

· A desire to serve others?

· A respect for authority?

· An ability to do a lot of walking?

The best teams are the ones that

prepare in

advance.

We will get together to share our love of God, to get to know each other, and to plan fund-raisers.

Going to Guatemala is not just a trip to a developing nation—it will be a spiritual journey, which will be a landmark in your relationship with God.

Young people under age 16 must be accompanied by a responsible adult. Prior approval must be obtained from the team leader.

Though the actual outreach is two weeks long, you will begin your missions experience from the time you apply.

As you prepare for outreach

· Your faith is strengthened

· Your prayers take on new meaning

· God becomes more real

When you return you are challenged to integrate the lessons learned into our life back home.

When I think of our outreach back in February, I find God is spelled in many ways…

MISSIONS: It’s hard to explain what a mission trip does to you. The One who has saved us, has called us – not because of our works, or education, or religious systems, or our politics and position in life – but because of His holy purpose. (2 Tim 1:9-10) Missions reveals how really inadequate we are without His enabling.

PRAYER: Thank you for praying for us. We sensed the difference that it made as we watched God use us, keep us relatively healthy and always safe. It’s not cliché to say that prayer is the foundation of all that we do for Him.

DISTRACTIONS: We always have them before we leave. This time it was Sarah’s mom battling advanced cancer, Luke and Judy’s finances, and Marie (89). I am Marie’s guardian and her health has been unstable since last fall. Luke tried many different fundraisers, but none were successful and he was discouraged with so little time left. God was faithful, and Luke ended up with more money than he needed. Judy didn’t know where her funds were coming from with her husband volunteering for a missions trip to Mexico at the same time. Without any intentional fundraising on her part, God wonderfully provided for both trips.

DONATIONS: We love everyone’s generosity and filled 13 roller bags with stuff. We never know what we’ll need, and are always blessed to see how God uses the items that we bring.

VOLCANOES: We serve a God who is near. We just need to point Him out to people, - show them His creation. It is His testimony to us.

BLESSINGS: So many blessings so little time, but here are some of my favorites. Dean’s 6 week Spanish course; successful team fundraising; having my sister, sister-in-law, daughter, and daughter’s family there with me; celebrating Dean, Melissa’s and Carmen’s birthdays; hosting the missionary ladies’ luncheon with 100% attendance; seeing old friends like Blanky, Petronellia, Eby and Juan, the Sprechers, Francisco; and meeting new friends like Murlee and Ruth.

GIFTS: We donated a keyboard to a school, and had money to get Luis’ glasses fixed, buy Macardia a stove, sponsor a child and give extra towards the ministries of Dan, Luis, Hector and Margarito. Thank U, Lord.

PIZZA: How grateful I am for my friend Lori who connected me with Temple Academy about ten years ago and suggested I make pizza lunches once a week for the school. It has been a blessed partnership and enables me to finance my ministry as team leader.

HOPE: When I first met Margarito and Florinda 8 years ago, they did not know God personally. Short term missionaries introduced them to Jesus’ love and they became committed Christians. Their hope in Christ was tested last October when their 48 day old son, Bryan, became ill very suddenly. They took him to the hospital to see what could be done but it soon became evident that he was dying.

Without hope, they could not have had the conversations that they shared that night. God was asking them to give their baby back, and they understood what it was He was asking of them. Tearfullly, Margarito and Florinda were able to pray, “If you want our baby, you can have him.”

Hope is knowing that God has a plan for their good, even though they can’t see it. Hope is knowing that one day, they will see Byron again and enjoy him forever with God, who is always near to them as they wait for that day. They are still sad, but much stronger in their faith and as a family.

How do YOU spell God? But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9-10

For some reason I didn’t get much sleep last night, but I feel very rested - like an adrenalin rush that won’t quiet down. I hope it lasts. I’ll need strength for today’s journey towards home.

As I finished packing and cleaning up my room, I couldn’t help but think of my electric blanket at home. The mornings and evenings have been cool and I could have used that blessing.

I emptied shelves and coat hangers and wondered, “Didn’t I just unpack?” The time goes by so quickly. By the time I get home I’ll wonder if I was ever here.

Jeff came by about 7:15 and I settled up with him to pay for our hospitality meals… extra meals that we had for invited guests.

The students made a breakfast casserole that was delicious. After, some of the Fuego students headed off for Antigua; Ruth was off for an Elizabeth Bell tour of the city and Justin will be deciding if he is going home or not.

He discharged himself from the hospital last Thursday and overdosed on the meds they gave him. He was following their directions but the dosage made his heart begin racing again. Dan called Dr. Oscar, an old friend of ours, and he readjusted the meds and Justin seemed to do better with that dose.

Bob, Dan, Melissa and I met to discuss what he should do. In the end the decision was made to quarantine him to keep the illness from infecting anyone else. This did not work out, as Justin is too social and didn’t want to comply.

I gathered the team around the tables and we went over our re-entry handbooks and discussed how we would spend our left over team funds. We decided to sponosor a child, and distribute the rest to Hector, Dan, Margarito, and Luis. With our team shirts on, we posed for an official team picture.

By 10:30 Tito, Melisa and their two boys arrived for lunch with the Walls. Tito’s mom (recently widowed) and his sister came with them. We had fun looking over Melissa’s old pictures from outreaches of the past before Tito and Melisa were even married.

Hector came around 11 and within a half hour the bus arrived to drive us to the airport. The goodbyes began. Alicia was very sad and Faith gave me a long hug. I looked around and could not see Eli. Someone told me he was off crying. I found him on the couch in their living room. He was tossing and turning and saying through his heavy sobs, “I’m so sad. It went by so fast.”

My heart broke. “Please don’t cry, Eli.” I begged. “Don’t you want to see the bus leave? Here, come with Nana,” I said grabbing his hand. “I want to wave to you from the bus.”

Everyone was loaded and waiting for me. I said goodbye and got on. As the door closed behind me I looked for Eli so I could wave. He was gone. Later, Melissa told me that Faith and Eli cried for about a half hour before they went off to do other things.

At the airport, things went smoothly. We even ran into the couple we had met at the processional. They were heading home to Ohio after visiting her sister.

We arrived in Charlotte on time, picked up our luggage, went through immigration and then made our way towards the shuttle bus that would take us to our hotel. We couldn’t get a flight to Portland until the next morning.

The Risingers met us at the baggage area. Carrie and Rachel weren’t feeling too good but I was glad they could come.

Jeremy and Heidi Jo surprised Judy and stole her away to Heather’s for a few days.

It wasn’t easy to get us and all our luggage to the hotel. On the way, we noticed what seemed to be an accident and lots of police cars. We later learned that it was the result of a police chase and the man got away.

Once at the hotel we had problems with room keys that wouldn’t work, and the one that did opened up to a room with people in it. As a result, we got spread out on two floors.

Bless Michele! She brought us food. Chicken salad sandwiches, popcorn, water, chex mix, whoopie pies, and human puppy chow. It was 10:30 PM by the time we got to eat, so we were so thankful for food that we didn’t have to order or pay for. But, we couldn’t find the chex mix. Carrie had brought it in, but we couldn’t figure out where it went. The next morning as we were checking out, it was sitting right in the center of the lobby floor - right where Carrie had left it. I couldn’t believe that someone hadn’t taken it. They didn’t know what they were missing. We took it as plane food.

I had the desk call the rooms to wake everyone up, but they missed the Bureau’s. Good thing I did a room check. They had overslept.

I had given the desk a head’s up about our early departure, but they still didn’t have a van big enough for all of us or our luggage. So, they had to call a small taxi to help. We finally all made it and enjoyed the quick check in.

Our plane took us to Regan Airport in DC. We switched to a small four seater for the ride home. A Maine celebrity, Gary Crocker, became friendly with Josiah as we waited to board. He gave him a book about the Red Sox first World Series win a couple of years ago.

I used to hear Gary on radio once a week. I’ve always enjoyed his simple Maine humor. You can hear some of it on his website: http://www.garycrocker.com/

We got seated in our cramped seats and the flight attendant handed her microphone over to one of the passengers. “Is anyone going to Waterville, Maine?” We, of course, raised our hands. She looked pleasantly surprised. “Could you give me a ride? I’m going to Colby college.” We were glad to do it.

Once we were up in the air, Gary came back to visit with us. He has this theme that he does about “livin’ in the trailer with motha.” With Crysten sitting across from me I couldn’t resist. “Gary, this is my daughter and she lives in a trailer. Tell her about living in yours with motha.”

Crysten was mortified, of course, not knowing about Gary’s connection with trailers. “Actually,” he confided quietly. “I always talk about motha as if she’s a lahge woman. Well, she’s with me today and she’s not so lahge, so I’ll be quiet about that.” Motha is really his wife and she’s a very attractive woman. He went on to entertain us with funny stories. He was trying out a few new ones for an upcoming event that he had planned while he had been away. Gary is also in the Maine State Legislature.

We got into Portland right on schedule and our faithful drivers were there to take us home and I began to think, “Was I really just in Guatemala for two weeks? It seems like I’ve never left.” Thank you, Lord, for everything.

Friday, Feb 29

Primary text written by Kathy Bureau, team journaler
Text in parenthesis ( ) written by Susan Blount, team leader

Our last full day in Guatemala. We visited all the worksites as a team. We started in Rejon and Toni got a chance to visit and evaluate Ambrosio, the 6 year-old boy that has never walked. She gave the mother a few tips on stretching and told her to watch out for cuts and sores because he has no sensation in his legs and feet. Mission Impact is going to give his name to a gentleman that has wheelchairs.

We visited Escula Vida Y Esparanza, Wally’s private school. What an awesome school. The difference between this school and the public schools is striking. The classrooms are clean and colorful. In the public schools, there is trash everywhere and there is nothing on the walls.

(I was pleased to arrive at the school and find Pastor Francisco waiting for me.  I met this precious man on my second trip to Guatemala and we have been friends since.

Pastor Francisco lives in Magdelena.  I had hoped to get up there this time, but it didn’t work out.  I was glad to deliver some money and pictures to him from my friends George and Kathy.

Debra translated for me so I could catch up with news from Magdelena.  I’ve made a number of friends there and it’s disappointing not to see them.  I was very sad to hear about Adrian’s daughter, Lidia.  Of his four children, Lidia was the most faithful to attend church.  Now she is very ill, and I’m afraid it’s demonic.  She has to be locked in a room for her own protection.  Francisco has tried praying with her, but she just throws things at him and is out of control.  This is not the Lidia I know and my heart breaks to think of what is going on in her life.

The team finished their tour and I had to bid Francisco adios.  It seemed that he understood that I needed to go.  But, as I neared the gate, one of his friends stopped me.  “Where are you going?” he asked anxiously.  “The people in Magdelena are waiting for you.”

I didn’t know what to say.  Did Francisco misunderstand the message that our visit would take place at the school?  I was confused.  There was a communication breakdown somewhere and I didn’t know what to do about it.  I explained that I had to leave with my team.  Mr. Estrada did not seem happy by that.  “Then you must bring a team to work with Francisco,” he pleaded.   I would love to do that.  It would be weeks before I could stop thinking about the people waiting for me in Magadelena.  Especially Lidia.  I think I could make a difference if I could have visited them.  If not for Lidia, I think it would have encouraged her family.  I don’t know if this can wait for another year.)

Then we went to Proximos, a private school for girls in Santa Maria de Jesus. Pastor Rodwell’s daughter is the director and also teaches. Here, if a girl doesn’t start school at five she loses her chance to ever attend school.

Proximos is for girls 6 and older who can’t attend public school. It is another nice school - clean, colorful and cheerful.

Dean and I had a special treat. We sponsor a student, Olga, and were able to meet her and her mother. We met Olga at school then went to her house and had a very nice visit with her mother. Before today, we had only known Olga through pictures.

(While Dean and Kathy were off to Olga’s house, the rest of us got a tour of the cistern.  The public school girls have been oohing and ahhing over Dan and Luke every day, so it was quite comical when they got all excited when Josiah walked in.)  For lunch we went to Margarito’s. His wife, Florinda, made rice, chicken stew and of course, tortillas. It was delicious.

(The dish is called Hilachas

(Guatemalan shredded beef in tomato-tomatillo sauce)

Yield: 6-8 servings

METHOD

Basic Steps:  Simmer ? Shred ? Sauté ? Simmer

1. Bring the beef, water and a big pinch of salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until beef is very tender. Remove beef and cool, reserving broth. When cool, shred beef well with your fingers and set aside.
2. While beef is simmering, place onion, tomatoes, tomatillos and chiles in a food processor or blender and puree well. Add a little water if necessary.
3. Heat oil in a large pot over medium flame. Add onion-tomato puree and cook until the puree is reduced down and darkens, about 10 minutes. Do not burn.
4. Add beef and about 3 cups of broth to the onion-tomato puree, season with salt and pepper and simmer about 15 minutes
5. Add potatoes, onions and a little more broth or water if necessary. Simmer till potatoes and carrots are cooked through. Thicken the sauce if necessary by adding the breadcrumbs. Stir in the chopped cilantro and adjust seasoning. Serve hot with tortillas or rice.)

She has a desire to teach the woman in the village how to cook. I guess their cooking is limited to a few things.

Margarito told this story. He said some people went to visit a family and brought them some carrots and the family fed them to the horse. The people asked them why they didn’t eat the carrots themselves and they said they didn’t know how to cook them. The visitors told the family they could make a cake out of carrots and the family didn’t believe them so they brought them a carrot cake the next day.

Margarito and Florinda would also like to teach the people how preserve fruits and vegetables. Carmen and Shirley made us a delicious “good bye” meal. The tables were nicely decorated with Guatemalan runners, candles and hibiscus flowers.

Carman made a traditional Guatemalan dish that is only served on special occasions like weddings.

(The recipe is called Mayan Chicken Fricassee (Pollo en Pepian Dulce)

I must end my blogging.

You wouldn’t believe how rowdy the team is right now! They are singing, playing games and laughing. I need to join them. See you Sunday!!! Posted by Kathy Bureau

Primary text written by Kathy Bureau, team journaler
Text in parenthesis ( ) written by Susan Blount, team leader

(I had gotten to bed last night and around 11 someone came in and asked if Luke could go with Dan and Jason to the hospital. I wasn’t sure of all the details, but as long as Dan was good with the idea, it was fine with me. I knew he would be in good hands.

I got up early this morning and went to check on him. He was still in the hospital. Dan had come home during the night.

Jason was a student at Fuego college. He has acute asthma, as well as other chronic health issues. For several days he was struggling more than usual. It’s a long story but worth telling as it shows the intricate ways that God cares for us.

Murley had come with another team at the beginning of Feb. He decided to spend another week with us and was to go home over the weekend. He chose to extend his time for yet another week.

His room was reserved for Professor Ruth, so he moved up into Luke and Josiah’s room. Bob wanted them to add a bunk bed over Josiah, but Luke thought they could both sleep in the queen sized bed and let Murley sleep in Josiah’s bed.

After a couple of nights, Luke realized he wasn’t getting enough sleep. Much to my surprise Bob and Dan agreed to allowing Luke to move to up to Jason’s room. That night Jason urged Luke to pray for him. “I’m in trouble, Luke.”

When Luke went to put his hand on his shoulder to pray, he felt Jason’s racing heart.

“You need to get to the hospital, Jason.” Luke has asthma, and he recognized the seriousness of Jason’s symptoms. In spite of Jason’s protests, Luke went and got Dan and convinced him of the urgency of getting Jason to the hospital.

Thankfully, Dan allowed Luke to stay overnight with Jason. It is more than unusual that any team member would be allowed to do the things Luke was able to do in this story. But, God knew why Luke was needed.

He tried to sleep on a bench in Jason’s room. “I’m in trouble again,” Jason called out to him in the dark. When Luke looked, he realized that the IV drip had malfunctioned. He ran to get help.

In spite of the seriousness of Jason’s condition, none of the hospital staff came into his room during the night except for that one time when Luke asked them to. Perhaps they didn’t feel the need with Luke there… but

When I realized that Luke was still at the hospital I rode in with Bob to see how he was doing. If he hadn’t slept all night, I wanted him to come back to campus. He didn’t look any worse for the wear, and wanted to stay so I let him. By now he and Justin were pretty bonded. I was relieved to know he had gotten a few hours of sleep during the night.

Jason ended up with complications due to bronchitis and mono and had to return to Canada and will not be able to finish his semester.

When Bob and I returned to campus, everyone was gone. I called Jeff to see if I could get a ride up to Margarito’s site. In no time, Debra and Peggy picked me up.

The team was pouring a cement cover today. The school put on a presentation of song and dance to show their appreciation for the team. The teachers presented diplomas to each one, and a typical lunch. It was so sweet and heart felt. Some of the students had written letters of love and read them allowed.

Margarito shared his testimony with the students and explained how he had always wanted to help make Santa Maria a better place as he grew up. He shared how Jesus changed his life and encouraged them to serve their community. It was powerful.

Janelle, Crysten, Sarah and I also shared our testimonies. I was sorry that Luke had to miss this. Before we left, the teachers asked us to sign their daily school journal.)

Last day at the worksites. Today was Murley’s turn to stay home sick. The cistern is done. Kathy Gower, Judy and Toni went into Guatemala City with Luis. They said it was a great way to end because the public school they visited was very nice and the kids sweet.

In Rejon, we finished painting the public school and had a health presentation. Once again I couldn’t tell what Hector was saying but I know he talked about the importance of brushing teeth and washing hands. He had everyone’s attention and the students liked him. We handed out bags with toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, and a few school supplies. The teachers were pleased and told Hector he is welcomed back anytime. In the evening, we had our banquet at a local restaurant with all the Mission Impact missionaries and their families. It was very nice. Posted by Kathy Bureau

Primary text written by Kathy Bureau, team journaler
Text in parenthesis ( ) written by Susan Blount, team leader

Dear Family and Friends, I am petering out but I would like to at least do a short blog for each day. Still no reports from the other sites. In Rejon, we started painting two classrooms (inside and out) at a public school. The kids helped and you all know what it is like when kids help paint. My first thought was, “This is crazy.” But, it didn’t take long before I saw the value in Hector’s decision. It helps them to take ownership and to learn some skills - painting, working together, following instructions, etc. We ran out of paint and will finish tomorrow.

In the evening some people from Green As It Gets Coop visited us. There was Franklin, a (I think Canadian) volunteer; Miguel and Freddy, brothers and coffee farmers (They inherited their coffee farm from their grandfather.); and Francisco, a Jade artist.

The coop was formed to help the poor people in Guatemala market their products. They know how to grow coffee and how to make jade jewelry but they don’t know how to market it. Green As It Gets has seven volunteers like Franklin who work down here, and two in the states - an accountant and a salesman. Currently, they are working with 12 artisans.

The green coffee fruit only goes for 12 to 13 cents a pound. A coffee roaster will sell this same pound for up to $9.00 a pound. Dunkin Donut brews it and this same pound makes them $80. There is a lot of added value with coffee. So the coop has made it possible for the farmers to roast their own coffee, package it attractively, and get some of that added value for themselves. They do this by helping the farmers share cost, equipment, coffee bags, labels, etc.

Francisco was the Guatemalan who discovered jade in eastern Guatemala in 1974. This discovery put him on the cover of National Geographic. He has personally discovered 32 different shades of green jade plus black, green black and gray black. The only place you will find jade is along a fault line. Jade not only needs the right temperature and pressure to form but also a shearing motion. There is a lot of fake jade out there. There is no such thing as purple jade. What they try to pass off as purple jade is amethyst and quartz. It is pretty but it isn’t jade if that is what you want. A pocket knife won’t scratch jade. Only diamond will scratch it. If you go to a vendor and he has all the different shades of jade for the same price, it is probably not real jade. Jadite, the jade found in Guatemala is also found in Germany and Burhma. Chinese “jade” is actually nephrite.

One thing the coop is doing for Francisco besides helping him to market his product is supply him with drill bits. One bit cost $40 which is a steep price for a poor Guatemalan. The coop has an arrangement with some dentist in the states. Instead of throwing their drill bits away, they save them and sent them down every once in a while.

One interesting thing Francisco said concerning the ancient Mayans. He has all this modern equipment, but he has never been able to make anything as pretty as them. Posted by Kathy Bureau

(Unfortunately, Dean did not feel well this morning and stayed back from his site. He slept most of the day.

My missionary friend, Judy, picked me up. We drove up to Nueva Vida to see all the improvements at the school. To my surprise, Blanky and Petronilla were there. These girls have graduated from Nueva Vida but are now doing correspondence classes there to further their education. Blanky’s mom, Daliah is still working daily at the school.

After our visit we drove to Guatemala City. Judy needed a new washing machine for her apartment and her landlord was willing to have her shop for what she wanted.

We enjoyed a delicious lunch, found exactly what she was looking for, had it loaded into the back of her truck, picked up some chocolate for the Three Amigas to use as prizes at school, and got home.

Amy picked up the Three Amigas after lunch today and took them to Santa Maria. They were able to visit Nueva Vida and do a home visit. They witnessed some of the worst conditions that Kathy and Judy had ever seen. Toni was able to use her physical therapy skills on the child in the home. The girls were overwhelmed by the family’s hospitality and it was sad when it came time to leave.

The Rejon team came home early today with Lily and Murlee not feeling well. The entire Rejon team seems to be a little under the weather. There is a lot of air pollution in the town and it becomes pretty severe when the winds blow, which is often.

Melissa’s phone troubles have been compounded. She kept dialing it and finally someone answered. It was a family known to Juan who lived nearby. Their son had found the phone and they wanted Melissa to pay to get it back. Juan was upset by this, but Melissa is praying about what to do. She really wants that phone back.)

Primary text written by Kathy Bureau, team journaler
Text in parenthesis ( ) written by Susan Blount, team leader

I apologize for not keeping up with the blogging but it has been very busy. You think America is a busy place, you should come to Guatemala! I can’t report on the other worksites because we didn’t have an evening meeting. I have asked people to slip me a little info once in a while so that I won’t be just talking about my site all the time, but no go.

In Rejon, one of the ladies wanted to share a few needs in the village with us. We walked a considerable distance up a steep, dusty path to visit Ambrosio. He is an adorable five year old boy who has never walked. We did notice that he moves his feet. Friday when we visit all the worksites as a team; Tony (a physical therapist) will take a look at Ambrosio and hopefully be able to evaluate his condition.

In the afternoon, we did a children’s outreach. One of the ladies in the village let us use her porch. When we arrived she supplied us with boards and cinder blocks for benches. We had 80 children show up. We sang songs; had a litter pick-up contest, gave out prizes, did a drama, gave a message, prayed and finished off with balloon animals. It was something, but overall the kids behaved and had a great time.

When we were finished, the lady didn’t want us to take down the makeshift benches because she wanted us to do it again the next day. Hector told her he would do something again in three weeks.

We didn’t have an evening meeting because Pastor Rodwell and his son, Gerber (pronounced air-bear) shared with us. Pastor Rodwell grew up in a Christian home. His father was one of the first Christians in his village. (He worked with the translator Cameron Townsend, founder of Wycliff.) When Pastor Rodwell was in the military he knew that any day could be his last. One day he was taking cover behind a tree and he asked himself, “Is my name written in the book?” That was his day of salvation. He was with Wycliff Translators for 24 years. Now he ministers in Ixcan with his family.

Ixcan is a very poor area in northern Guatemala bordering Mexico. During the long civil war, many Guatemalans fled to Mexico. When the war finally ended, they moved into the Ixcan area and the government settled them in random groupings. Life has been very difficult in Ixcan not only because of the extreme poverty, but because the people have been disconnected from their cultural and language groups.

There is no infrastructure, like running water and sewer, so there is a lot of sickness due to unsanitary conditions. Pastor Rodwell and his team are building latrines, etc. to help the people in practical ways, but they never forget their need to know Jesus personally. Posted by Kathy Bureau

(I didn’t go to a site today. Instead I joined Eli, Melissa and Lily for lunch at Eby’s home. I had been last year, but it was a first visit for the rest.

We took the bus into town and had enough time to visit some Spanish schools. Lily would like to come back and take some classes. We stopped by Higher Grounds (for some drinks before meeting up with Eby and her family at the market. We all squeezed into their small car for the trip to San Francisco.

Even though their three story home is high above the town, volcano Fuego towers high above where they live. The views from their decks are spectacular.

We enjoyed a typical Guatemalan meal that Eby had prepared ahead of time. Eli and Jonathan were great buddies all afternoon. They had a huge raccoon that someone gave them. We wouldn’t think of making a pet out of one here in Maine.

The girls and I were fascinated to watch their worker making jewelry. Melissa had never realized the many steps that go into each piece. No two pieces are alike.

Melissa and the kids have been caring for a neighbor’s pets this week. Melissa has somehow lost her phone coming and going to their house. Their dog is pretty sick, and the phone is the only place with the owner’s phone number, so Melissa is stressed about what to do.

Today was a looooooooooong day for the “Three Amigas” – Toni, Judy and Kathy G. Toni’s niece had a healthy baby girl born back home. Teryn Ruth is 6 lbs. 14 oz.

One of the things I caution our teams about is bringing home unwanted souvenirs in the form of parasites, etc. Dan D. has some worms in his foot that he is treating. It wasn’t hard to get them, either. Never go bare foot in Guatemala.)

These tipica outfits were given to the girls by one of the market ladies.  They had been saving their money to buy them, but God made special provision and they couldn’t be happier.  They wore them to church the very next Sunday.

Primary text written by Kathy Bureau, team journaler
Text in parenthesis ( ) written by Susan Blount, team leader

(Eli slept in this morning, but woke up feeling fine.)

Everyone went to their worksites again. Susan joined Kathy Gower, Judy and Tony with Luis Carlos in the schools and shared something very interesting tonight. I had told you about the outreach to the young people on Saturday. It turns out that 90% of the young people made decisions for Christ that morning.

Susan questioned Luis and asked him if he felt they were sincere in what they were doing or just stood up because their friends stood up? Luis said he made it very clear that he did not want them to stand up if they didn’t mean it; and today there was evidence that the young people were doing business with God. Many of the kids that are in the schools that Luis works in were there on Saturday and made decisions. Luis said he could tell a difference in the schools, today. He knew there was a change in the young people by the questions they were asking. It certainly appears that young lives have been transformed. “So that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new!” 2Co 5:17 Praise God for this and keep Luis and these young people in your prayers.

(Our school today was formerly a vocational school for Mayan boys. They still outnumber girls by about 10 to 1. Tuition costs about Q20 a year. That’s about $3. The problem for the poor is the Q40 that it takes each month for uniforms, snacks, papers, books, etc.

“Something has broken here,” Luis commented as the first class left the room. The meeting over the weekend was already impacting the school. Praise God. Oh for fruit that remains!

Nueva Generacion is growing faster than Luis can keep up. He needs a meeting place and more helpers.

When classes were over we loaded up in his small car and talked about where to go to have a team meeting. “We could do coffee at McDonald’s,” Luis suggested. He spoke of another place that he liked but is closed on Mondays. “I bet Santo Domingo’s is opened,” I suggested.

He looked at me through his rear view mirror as if he was wondering if he heard what I had said – or maybe he was wondering how he could afford to go there. I love this 5 star hotel/restaurant built within the earthquake ruins.

“Lunch is on me,” I answered his look. A big smile came over his face and he drove post haste to our destination.

Luis wanted to share his vision of ministry with the girls. Back at the school he pulled me aside to see if I thought it would be okay. “It’s perfect,” I answered.

Certainly our surroundings were perfect. Lunch was delicious and our time together very special. I only wish his wife could have joined us.

Melissa had recommended the Black Bean soup when we talked earlier about this place. They had stayed here on Super Bowl night. When I placed my order for it Luis remarked, “Black Bean soup is a festival for the stomach.” Let’s hope not.

When we finished eating, he brought out a notebook and began to share his ministry and the financial needs of his family. Raising funds for ministry is not too difficult, but it’s not easy for a Guatemalan to raise funds for personal expenses. Local people, and even some North Americans think that because Luis is a national, he can get work to support himself. “This is my work,” he tells them, though they don’t always get it. Recently he lost a significant supporter so the need for funds is even greater than normal. They live over an hour away from the schools that he works in, so they are praying to relocate and save some money of traveling expenses.)

In Rejon, we finished Macardia’s kitchen and shower so our work for that family is completed. We had a little “good bye” ceremony. There was a bit of a crowd because the neighborhood kids that had been coming everyday joined us. Dean brought his guitar and we sang some songs. Lily and I (with the help of the children) made some wordless bracelets in the morning. We gave everyone a bracelet and Hector shared the gospel using the gold, black, red, white and green beads. Then we gave Macardia a few gifts: a Maine mug, a framed picture of her family and an illustrated children’s Bible that we wrote in and all signed. We shared our testimonies and other things with Macardia and her family as the Spirit led.

Macardia also shared with us. She said that some years back she and her husband went to church. Unfortunately, her husband started drinking and he stopped going and got angry when Macardia went. So she stopped, too. Her husband died of drinking, but after he was gone she didn’t return to church. Hector did an excellent job ministering the truth to her Of course, I couldn’t tell because it was in Spanish, but Dean said he did.

When Hector was talking with Macardia, Amilca, her son that is around 10 or 12, said that he wanted to go to church (Say special prayers for Amilca). Macardia told Hector that she is going to have a “family meeting” to talk about what he said to her. (This is a strong part of the Mayan culture. They practice very little individualism. Families are very close and would not make any decisions without consulting with all the members of their family.)

Please pray for Macardia and her family. We know that the enemy wants to keep that precious family in bondage and destroy them. We need to do battle on their behalf. It was not easy for us to say good-bye. We said good-bye physically but we can stay connected spiritually through prayer.

The Appropriate Technology team, Janell, Sarah, Crysten and Luke are proving to be hard workers. Margarito, their site leader, shared this story with us. (Margarito and Florinda brought their three youngest for dinner tonight. Afterwards he shared with us including the story of their little boy, baby Byron, who died in November after only 48 days of life.) He said there are two male teachers at the school where the cistern is being built. They asked Margarito, “Why do these young girls come here and work so hard and we wait for you to come to us and do the work to help our people instead doing it ourselves?” Seeing Janell, Sarah and Crysten work so hard brought conviction upon them concerning their responsibility to do things for themselves. This story excludes Luke, but it goes without saying, he is pulling his own weight.

Even before he became a Christian, Margarito’s heart’s desire has always been to help his village of Santa Maria de Jesus. Recently, Margarito has had a desire to focus on the schools. He said the children are the future and he hates to see them suffer because he knows what it is like to be suffer in poverty. It is a great hardship when schools don’t have an adequate water supply. Some schools ask the children to bring water to school each day to help fill the reserve. Sometimes, when there isn’t enough water to flush the toilets, they send the children home to go to the bathroom and they do not always make it. At one time Santa Maria de Jesus had natural springs. A large one that ran close to the village provided enough water. A severe earthquake in 1976 changed the landscape. Now there are no natural springs in Santa Maria. The work our AT team is doing is a great blessing to the children. Posted by Kathy Bureau

Primary text written by Kathy Bureau, team journaler
Text in parenthesis ( ) written by Susan Blount, team leader

(When the Sunday of outreach arrives, we might as well have our bags all packed for home. The second week goes by in a nano second.)