At our last team meeting we had two members celebrating their birthdays… Toni and Janell are birthday buddies. To celebrate I got a Dairy Queen ice cream cake plus drinks and turned it into a team building exercise. 
With their hands tied to each other, they had to find a way to serve the refreshments to one another. It was all in fun. 
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
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INGREDIENTS |
PREP |
AMOUNT |
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Beef, skirt steak |
cubed |
2 lbs |
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Water |
5 cups |
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Oil |
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2-3 Tbsp |
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Onion |
chopped |
1 each |
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Tomatoes |
chopped |
1 cup |
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Tomatillos |
chopped |
1 cup |
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Chiles guajillos |
warmed over a flame, deseeded, and chopped |
2-3 each |
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Salt and pepper |
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to season |
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Potatoes |
chopped |
1 lb |
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Carrots |
peeled, chopped |
2-3 each |
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Breadcrumbs |
1/2 cup |
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Cilantro |
chopped |
1 bunch |
METHOD
Basic Steps: Simmer ? Shred ? Sauté ? Simmer
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)
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INGREDIENTS: |
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3-1/2 to 4-pound chicken, cut into serving pieces |
2 cups chicken stock, about |
1 tablespoon sesame seeds |
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1/2 cup pepitas (Mexican pumpkin seeds) |
3 red bell peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped, or 5 canned pimientos, chopped |
3 medium tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped |
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1 medium onion, chopped |
2 cloves garlic, chopped |
2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil |
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1/4 cup Seville (bitter) orange juice, or use two-thirds orange juice and one-third lime juice |
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice |
salt, freshly ground pepper |
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1/4 cup seedless raisins |
butter |
1/4 cup chopped almonds |
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1 |
Put the chicken pieces into a heavy casserole, pour in the stock, adding a little more to cover, if necessary. Cover and simmer until almost tender, about 30 minutes. In a blender or food processor grind the sesame and pumpkin seeds as fine as possible and shake through a sieve. Set aside. Put the peppers, tomatoes, onion, and garlic into a blender or food processor and reduce to a coarse puree. Mix the puree with the ground sesame and pumpkin seeds. Heat the lard or vegetable oil in a skillet, add the puree, and cook, over moderate heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes. Drain the chicken, reserve the stock, and return the chicken to the casserole. Add to the puree 1 cup of the stock, the Seville (bitter) orange juice, allspice, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to mix, and pour over the chicken. Cover and simmer gently until the chicken is tender, about 15 minutes. Add a little more stock if necessary. The sauce should be thick. Soak the raisins in cold water to cover for 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly. Heat a little butter in a skillet and saute the almonds until they are golden. Drain. Transfer the chicken and sauce to a warmed serving dish and sprinkle with the raisins and almonds. Serve with rice.) |
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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.)
I met an interesting lady at breakfast, Ruth. She is an anthropology professor from Trinity Western University in Canada. She is here for two weeks to teach a course here at Fuego. Trinity is a private Christian college which has earned an A+ rating. A higher rating than McGill University which is the Harvard of Canada. Her branch of anthropology is cultural. She studies culture to learn how to communicate effectively. She has been coming down to teach for the last nine years sometimes twice in one year.
(Ruth was a wonderful person and enjoyed by all but… we discovered there seemed to be a bit of a disconnect between textbook knowledge and practical application. We were all surprised when she didn’t know even basic Spanish, and needed help to get around the market. The team assumed she was a newcomer. They were so much more prepared than she for the experience.)
We divided up and went to three different worship services. Juan Carlos (Bob and Shirley Adam’s son-in-law) asked Dean to play bass at his church. It turns out it was an anniversary celebration which meant a long service plus all in Spanish so Josiah and I decided to go to Jeff and Terri’s church along with Kathy Gower, Judy, Lily and Toni.
The name of the church is New Life and Peace. Pastor Victor is American and preached in English and a lady translated. She was remarkable. Like Terri said, it is more than just knowing both languages. It is a special skill. An international feel was created by different national flags flying. The ones I recognized were Guatemala, United States and Canada.
Pastor Victor and his wife, Chici, run a Drug & Alcohol Rehab Center, two girl’s homes and one boy’s home. His spoke of the gospel not being about miracles, although miracles are great, but about development. Developing into the character of Jesus Christ.
(In addition to the rehab center that they started years ago and the church that he pastors in Antigua, Victor and Chici Barbella have this boys’ home. They created a family with 12 boys, from 6 to15 years old. There are several Guatemalans who have dedicated their lives and time to be “parents” to these boys in their day to day life. The family moved into this beautiful new home in 2005 and Victor and Chici now have their new addition on top and are able to live right there with the boys.)
Susan, Crysten, Janell, Sarah and Luke went to church with the Wall’s. (The church is call Camino. The grandkids love it even though Sunday School for them is all in Spanish. The service is by-lingual. Even the choruses are sung in both English and Spanish. It’s a great way to learn the language.
Before church, one of the Fuego students, Justin was introducing Crysten to a young man named Steve. The intro was heavy on the matchmaking, which did not go over well with Cry and I felt sorry for Steve. Justin was having a great time with it. Dan D attends the church as well, but arrived late today due to the processionals that interfere with traffic.
Ruth, Dan, Justin, and - to Crysten’s dismay – Steve walked with the rest of us over to Mono Loco’s for lunch. This is one of the most popular places for the town’s Gringo set, almost exclusively full of visitors. It has big screen TVs downstairs that feature New England Patriot Football, and Red Sox baseball when in season. It is owned by someone from Boston. Upstairs there is a more spacious tarpaulin-roofed area for dining. Good food is always available, including the best plate of nachos in town.
Dan W. got slowed up walking with the children and ran into Kathy G and her group. Kathy decided to join us.
During lunch I sat across from Steve and discovered that he had been in Antigua for 2-3 months studying Spanish “just because”. He had no idea what he would do with this education.
After lunch, Kathy and I parted ways with the group and found ourselves back at the market. There we met up with Lily and then Murlee. I showed them a map of the processional that I had picked up at the park and we decided we wanted to try and find it.
By now you are probably wondering about these processionals. Below is a great video to show you what they are like. There is nothing like them that I have ever known. They are rich in tradition and ritual and are reserved for Lent, the Semana Santa week, and times of honoring saints.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWCphBTf9cc&feature=related
Easter week is called Semana Santa (Holy Week) in the Hispanic world. It represents the peak of the season in which we remember Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection. On each Sunday of Lent, the five weeks before Easter, processionals are held through the streets of town. The crowds drawn to Antigua make it the largest Easter celebration in the Americas. In the weeks preceding Good Friday different villages close to Antigua are given a Sunday to plan a processional to remember the 7 stages of the Cross.
Hundreds of people take part in each processional. Each one is decorated a little differently, but very similar. The procession begins at a Catholic church with Roman Soldiers with trumpets or flutes and drums to announce the processional.
Following the soldiers are about 200 men dressed in purple gowns leading the way for the Anda.
The Anda is a wooden structure dedicated to carry religious statues. Each procession will have 4-5 different Andas. The statues are very very old.
The first carries Jesus. It is quite large, and can weigh up to 7000 lbs. It will be carried by up to 80 men in purple. Some of the men walk alongside the Anda while others are carrying it underneath. They will carry it for a few blocks before a new group of men will take over.
Behind the first Anda will be more men in purple and a band playing funeral marches. It all sounds very sad and depressing. Interspersed in the processional are men in purple carrying pots of burning tree resin, which fills the area with smelly thick smoke.
Behind that will be another Anda which carries Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is carried by women who are dressed in white clothes with black lace head scarves.
In front and in back of this Anda will be other women who will also trade off carrying the Anda. Behind them might be some other Anda’s with saints, possibly another band. Finally, behind all will be men with shovels and buckets, as well as a dump-truck to clean up the remnants of the Alfombras.
These processionals will last 12 hours, so you see why it causes travel delays for people trying to go from point A to point B. They start around noon, or earlier, and will continue until mid-night when they return to the church from which they started. An Alfombra is a carpet-like design made from saw-dust and/or flowers to decorate the streets. If a processional is in front of your house or business, you and your neighbors will work, many times all night, to create an Alfombra in front of your house. Many times the Alfombras are finished just before the processional comes. While the Alfombra is beautiful, it is short-lived and will soon be trampled by the processional. Each Alfombra is totally unique and each year the family works to create a new plan for this year’s Alfombra. People have a lot of fun working together to make them, but they are also a serious task. They are an offering for Jesus as He goes to His death. No one steps on the alfombra until the Anda carrying Jesus marches over it. Sometimes small gifts, like a basket of flowers or figures, are placed on the Alfombra. These are picked up by the Anda carriers as an offering.
Often the Alfombras have biblical themes such as the miracles of Jesus, the last supper, and of course the cross. Sometimes they have Guatemalan themes depicting indigenous life and textile weavings.
When I saw my first processional, I was amazed to see the streets and sidewalks packed with people. Everyone was quite sober, and many were sobbing as the processional passed by.
Today, it was much different. It was more like a festival. Behind us, in the park, were concession stands selling food, drink, and non-religious trinkets.
In front of us were people talking and sometimes barely noticing the solemn reason for such a gathering. Some of the men carrying the Andas, had Coke bottles in their hand. Others were listening to their Ipods. One man was carrying an infant dressed in the purple robes, had his Ipod in his ear and was talking on a cell phone – all while carrying the Anda!
As the procession finally passed us, there were vendors carrying trinkets to sell to the crowd. They were the kinds of things you would find at a carnival here at home. Cheap and nothing relative to the religious nature of the event, unless “cashing in” has a religious tone to it.
What I have always noticed when I’ve seen these processionals and when I’ve walked into the Catholic churches there, is that there is no emphasis on the resurrection. No wonder these events seem so dark and heavy.)
The church that Dean played at was big - at least 600 people. It was an anniversary celebration and they had tables of eight set up for the entire crowd. When you walked in, you got a number and sat at that table. In the center of the table was a small cake with the number 13 on it and one candle. Everyone blew out the candle together than used the cake for communion.
A lady named, Peggy (Jeff Sprecher’s cousin), joined us for lunch. She is a retired nurse and her husband is a retired dentist. They spend three months operating a mobile dental clinic here in Guatemala and three months back in Tennessee.
We headed for the market after lunch and returned to the compound at 5:00. At 6:00 we had another delicious meal. Carmen is the cook here and she does an amazing job. Not only is the food delicious but safe. None of us has gotten sick and I think it is because of the way Carmen and Shirley handle the food. All fresh fruit and vegetables are washed and soaked in bleach water for 10 minutes. Strawberries are cleaned and soaked twice. Lettuce is cleaned leaf by leaf and soaked. Dishes are washed and rinsed in bleach water. They take extra care with us Gringos and we are thankful. Posted by Kathy Bureau
(Kathy, Lily, Murlee and I missed Jeff’s ride at the park at 5. We called him and said we’d take the Tuk Tuk’s home. For about $3.50, they drove the 15 minutes to took to get back to San Pedro. 
Tonight Dean planned a time of worship and prayer for us. To everyone’s delight, he had formed the Wall kids choir. They sang – with gusto- “I Am A Promise”
I am a promise
I am a possibility
I am a promise with a capital “P”
I am a great big bundle of potentiality
And I am learnin’ to hear God’s voice
And I am tryin’ to make the right choice
I am a promise to be anything God wants me to be.
I can go anywhere that He wants me to go
I can be anything He wants me to be
I can climb the high mountains
I can cross the wide sea
I’m a great big promise you see!
I am a promise
I am a possibility
I am a promise with a capital “P”
I am a great big bundle of potentiality
And I am learnin’ to hear God’s voice
And I am tryin’ to make the right choice
I’m a promise to be anything God wants me to be
Anything God wants me to be!
Dean is a great example of God’s equipping. He has never led worship music before, and he NEVERS sing when he plays… until Guatemala, that is. We were blessed almost every morning by his willingness to do both.
While we were waiting for someone to suggest a song, Eli piped up that he wanted to sing “Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord” in Spanish “because I know it,” he insisted.
We had sung it at Camino this morning and he liked it. He tried, we tried, but no one could remember it enough to finish. Nice try, Eli.
Poor boy. No sooner had worship ended, but he fell to the floor and complained of a headache. He could hardly get himself up to bed. Not sure what happened, but by the next morning, after sleeping in late, he was fine.
Primary text written by Kathy Bureau, team journaler
Text in parenthesis ( ) written by Susan Blount, team leader
Today was quite a day. It was not a workday. We went into Antigua and did a number of things.
(Today is the day most teams have packed their bags and headed home. Just when team members are beginning to hit their cultural stride; just when team members are starting to settle into their assignment, they’ve already left the country… I could never do, nor recommend a one week outreach – especially for newbies. All that planning; all that work to get there – God would hardly have time to begin His work in us and it would be time to go home. Frustrating. I love to leave when team members are still longing for more, but before culture fatigue sets in.)
Our first stop was Higher Grounds Coffeehouse. Luis Carlos, the site leader that Kathy Gower, Judy, and Toni have been working with in the schools, had an outreach to young people. The room was packed. I am not sure where the kids came from but they kept pouring in. There was a band that opened (nice and loud for the young folks). Then they had a group activity and Luis finished with a message.
I don’t know what he said because it was in Spanish but he had everyone’s attention. Luis employed an interesting visual. One of his helpers tied him up with rope before he started speaking and he stayed that way until almost the very end. Once again I wish I could have understood what was being said.
(This event reminded me of a Word of Life Rally. Luke lost count at 200 when he was numbering the students as they left. We were packed in there like sardines. I later found out that the students were asking to do this every week. There was only one negative comment from a Catholic dad, who was upset that his son had been in a protestant church. The only thing “church” about the location was a sign outside the coffee shop. Luis will have to search for another location because he doesn’t want this to be a barrier to attendance in the future. Antigua is a predominantly Catholic community.)
After that we went to Hermano Pedro, a hospital and orphanage.
(On our way into the building Dean was overheard to say, “I don’t do hospitals.” Little did he know that this was no ordinary hospital. I didn’t say anything and kept walking. He followed reluctantly.”)
It is a multi-service facility providing a home, and care for the elderly and orphaned, the mentally challenged and chronically ill. Over three hundred people ranging in age from a few days to over ninety live at Hermano Pedro permanently. The facility takes up an entire city block close to the center of town. Susan said the first time they visited the hospital many years ago, it was a single building.
We volunteered for a good hour. We played with the severely handicapped children. Most of them are in wheelchairs so we rode them around. Leslie, a lady that has been working at the hospital for seven years, said they love to be touched and that it sends good signals to the brain, so we made sure to do plenty of touching. They loved being touched and getting attention. There were lots of smiles.
Some of us fed our little charges because we were there at lunchtime. The children are clean and well fed. The hospital is spotless.
The sad part was when we had to leave. The smiles disappeared and Luke’s new friend cried. Luke volunteered at the hospital on his last mission trip. He said it was his favorite part of being in Guatemala. Isn’t that something coming from a teenage boy. He has proven to be an outstanding young man. Janell and Josiah were also very good with the children. They really engaged them and looked completely comfortable. I think the children can tell if you like being with them or not.
Dean’s little friend Alex was too cute. He has a genetic disorder where he cannot digest proteins so he is tiny with very little muscle mass, but he smiles and laughs at the drop of a hat. Dean wasn’t too sure about going to the hospital but he was amazing with Alex. He found creative ways to interact with Alex and sang to him in Spanish. It was hard for us to “park” the children and see the smiles melt away and leave. We fought back the tears.
We were given a quick, wordless tour of the facility and I noticed an English phrase painted on one of the walls, “Faith in Practice”. That is certainly what is happening at Hermano Pedro.
We went to Campero’s for lunch. It is Guatemala’s version of KFC.
(There are two right within close proximity of each other. We ate at the one by the famous Arch. The Walls and Justin were there to join us when we arrived – later than we had planned.)
There were no empty tables so we did take-out and ate in the park. We must have been quite a sight. There was a fountain about 10 feet in diameter that had fallen into disuse, so we sat on the edge with our feet on the inside forming a closed circle. It might have looked odd but it worked good. We could easily share the food and converse.
(We even had leftovers and were able to share them with an Indian lady and her daughter who were selling tipica things in the park.)
Then we broke up into small groups and went to the market.
(Dan took Eli and Emma home. Murlee went with them. Melissa, Faith, Alicia and I did some shopping. Melissa was able to buy some more hand blown blue glass tumblers with her birthday money, Faith got a pocketbook she has been saving for, and Alicia got something, too. Faith got a great buy on her bag and couldn’t wait to put her Bible and other things in it when she got home. Keeps everything right where she can find it.)
We regrouped at 5:00 and returned to the compound. Jeff and Terri invited us to their house for supper. They served us several varieties of homemade pizza, toss salad, ambrosia salad and brownies with vanilla ice cream. We felt important. All in all, it was quite a day. Posted by Kathy Bureau
(We live close enough to walk to the Sprecher’s. For some, it was their first time to explore the neighborhood a little bit. Some of the younger folk left early, so those of us who were left walked Debra home. She doesn’t live far from any of us, either.)
Nearly anywhere you stand in Antigua, you can look south and see Agua Volcano. A seemingly gentle giant, the 10,000-year-old volcano, which looms 12,333 feet above sea level, has not erupted in modern history.
In contrast, you have to sometimes work your way around, peering through branches or between buildings, to catch a glimpse of the slightly higher, 12,342-foot Fuego Volcano.
Fuego has erupted more than 60 times since 1524, making it Central America’s most active volcano in modern history. In 1974, Fuego grumbled for 10 days and shot a cloud of ash more than 4 miles above its summit. Just a little more than two months ago, on Sept. 5, the volcano erupted and sent a 2,600-foot column of ash and smoke into the air; on Sept. 21, Fuego spewed a large cloud of ash, causing officials to issue an “orange alert” and consider evacuating nearby residents.
Agua is the gentle giant whose eruption sent water flooding the countryside, thus its name which translates into “water.”
Fuego is the testy titan whose ash and smoke reminds you why he’s called “fire.”
By Buzz Trexler
for The (Maryville, TN) Daily Times, November 2000
Obras Sociales del Hermano Pedro
by Emma Childers
Opposite Parque de la Unión in Antigua, adjacent to the Church of San Pedro, stands the hospital complex of Hermano Pedro. It is well worth your time to tour this labyrinthine structure and experience the good works being accomplished there. If the recently canonized Hermano Pedro, for whom the complex is named, could see the modern-day fruits of his 17th century labor, he would surely smile in gratification at the number of sick, abandoned and poor people cared for in this institution.
The hospital complex, which includes a child care and a senior citizens facility, is under the care of the Franciscan Order, directed by Fray José Contran. The work and services of the institution are continually expanding while renovation and modernization of the enormous complex, damaged by the 1976 earthquake, slowly continue.
Supported in part by donations from all over the world and in part by the government of Guatemala, the hospital is home to between 220 and 250 mentally and physically impaired patients. Hermano Pedro does not discriminate on the grounds of ethnicity, language, gender or economic status and provides care for people from all over the country. More than 230 employees provide service to these patients, and volunteers from Guatemala and other parts of the world assist with their skills and time. One such volunteer is eye surgeon John Cheatham from the United States, affiliated with a private foundation that provides medical and surgical assistance to needy patients in other countries. Cheatham spends time every year in Antigua performing ophthalmologic surgery at HermanoPedro on patients with eye conditions such as cataracts and glaucoma. Other volunteers read to elderly residents in the geriatric wing, help with physical therapy exercises or assist wheelchair-bound patients on excursions in Antigua.
In addition to ophthalmologic surgery performed in the hospital’s well-equipped operating room, there is general gynecological, plastic, ENT and orthopedic surgery. Doctors and other medical staff also participate in a full diagnostic service to evaluate and treat genetic, neurological and psychological disorders. For walk-ins with health problems, the hospital maintains an outpatient and dental clinic, and a complete laboratory and pharmacy serve all patients. Needy families who qualify are given food once a month under the food-distribution program, and there is a day-care facility for children. Donations of second-hand clothing are accepted for the thrift shop; the proceeds help support the hospital.
The nutrition center is a special place. Here are row upon row of cribs holding babies with a variety of health problems that cause malnutrition, cleft palate being one of the most prevalent. Babies born with this malady have trouble suckling and often cannot get enough nourishment. They are brought to the hospital underweight and lethargic, but within months of corrective surgery and other care, they begin to thrive. The babies are then returned to their grateful mothers, encouraging workers and volunteers to sustain this vital program.
Primary text written by Kathy Bureau, team journaler
Text in parenthesis ( ) written by Susan Blount, team leader
Our typical daily schedule was in play. Once again I can’t report on the worksites because we didn’t have a meeting. Instead we had a birthday party for Dean and Melissa. There were 42 people here. Special guest included Ebby from the market and her husband, Juan, and their four children and Mission Impact missionaries Jen May, Amy DeYoung, Lauren Pupchik and Dan Divelbiss. We had lasagna and cole slaw. Of course, there were decorations, a piñata for the kids, a bonfire and games.
The first day that Dean, Josiah, Lily and I went to our worksite in Rejon it rained until early afternoon. Our site leader, Hector Flores, told us that it is unusual for it to rain in February. He said they call February “el mes loco”, the crazy month, because you never know what the weather will be like - cold, rainy, hot, dry? Hector explained that the people around here believe the same of those born in the month of February - loco. We had a good laugh over that. I’ll let you be the judge. Posted by Kathy Bureau
(Today was Fuego’s day off. I debated about going to another site today, but felt I needed to stay back and organize for tonight’s birthdays bash. I would get home too late and be squeezed for time otherwise.
Went into Antigua with the Wall family. After shopping for the needed items, including cakes that were to die for, we had lunch at my favorite spot: Café Condessa. Go here to see some great photos of the place. http://www.aroundantigua.com/dining/condesa.htm
It was nice to come home and have plenty of time to organize and decorate. It’s like being a house mother. I would love that job.
Crysten was hoping to get everyone involved in some games, but we all had such a nice time at the bonfire, many went to bed before the games came out. You can always count on Melissa, though, and before the night was over quite a few played a rowdy game of Apples to Apples. The Sprechers and Debra were included in most of the festivities. I overheard Dean say it was his best birthday ever. He’s really liking Guatemala!)
New Atheism (word did not exist until 16th centry)
1. Richard Dawkins - believing God is a virus of the mind
2. Christopher Hitchins - belief in God = sexual repression + restricts human freedom
3. Daniel Dennent - evolutionist: need for man to believe in God no longer necessary
4. Samuel Harris - belief in God is evil because God is evil
Bart Ehrman - Religious studies @ U of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
God’s problem - Bible fails to answer “Why people suffer.”
No resurrection/ no after-life
The Belt of Truth: Ephesians 6:14
First weapon Paul mentions
1. No tolerance of other gods: Exodus 20:3 + 2
2. Teach God’s law and character for your survival and your children’s survival
Deuteronomy 6:7 + 24
Responsibility of the King Deuteronomy 17:18-19
Reading the Law Deut 31:13
Erosion of Truth:
Question (doubt)
Compromise
Reject
Don’t base your interpretation of Scripture by experiences. Base experiences on interpretation of Scripture.
Our Response
Be saturated in truth
Confident but not arrogant or proud - NOT SHAKEN
Walk in truth - validate Word by our lifestyle
Diligent + disciplined in our study
Intentional about our growth
Teach others what you have seen and heard
Oriental Shrimp Salad
Shred 1 head of lettuce (in Guatemala we wash each leaf in bleach water - just a tad of bleach)
slice 4-5 scallions
1 lb. Maine shrimp (or 1 can salad shrimp)
Crush 1 pkg of Ramen noodles and brown them in 1 TBLS butter
Dressing:
Mix 1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 TBLS Accent (MSG - sorry but I’ve tried this without it and just not the same flavor)
salt and pepper to taste
Pour dressing over salad just prior to serving and top with noodles. Serves 8-10
Broccoli Chowder
This recipe comes from Marjorie Standish, Maine’s most famous cook. For years she wrote a cooking column for newspapers called “Cooking Down East.” “Maine is soup and chowder country,” she writes. “This is our way of life, and with great pride we call up from the past and present old standbys and simple up-to-date recipes to whet the appetites of all ages in the future.”
Pour 21 1/2 oz. chicken broth into heavy saucepan.
Add 4 cups chopped broccoli and cook until tender.
Add: 3 cups milk
1 cup cream
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
1 cup chopped ham
1/2 stick butter
Cover and simmer 5 minutes, stirring frequently
Do not overheat.
Limonade con soda
1 1/2 cup sugar
Juice of 8-10 lemons
12 c liquid (Start with 1 liter Lemon/Lime soda - add water to taste
Primary text written by Kathy Bureau, team journaler
Text in parenthesis ( ) written by Susan Blount, team leader
THURS: (Today is Melissa Wall’s birthday day and it is turning out to be a very stressful one. There was some misunderstanding between students and leadership and it will take a number of meetings to try and bring resolution.)
Another workday but it was short for some of us because Susan planned a luncheon for the missionary ladies at 2:00. Kathy Gower, Judy, Lily, Toni and myself didn’t go to our worksites at all because they are too far away and it wouldn’t have been worth it. We helped Susan set up for the luncheon and prepare the food.
Crysten, Janell and Sarah went to their site and worked half-a-day because Santa Maria de Jesus is close by. Susan planned a very nice luncheon. She wanted to bless the missionary ladies and she certainly did. She started planning at home and brought the table covers, napkins, plates, candles, vases, favors, tulle and two books for gifts: Tea for Friendship and signed copies of To a Shepherdess. The tables also had fresh pink roses on them.
(This idea came to be when I realized we were bringing a gifted women’s speaker with us. Judy has been in ministry for most of her married life. She knows the ups, the downs, the ins, the outs, the excitement and the disappointment of ministry life. I knew we had women on staff who have been hurt and disappointed in ministry, too. I knew Judy would be a blessing and encouragement to them.
I wanted this to be a very girly time. I had the idea of Victorian” in mind for the decorations, but never really set out to find them. God found them for me as I was “walking in the way”. The table covers found here, the matching plates found there, etc. even when I wasn’t looking. “Good price for you”, too. I am always amazed that God cares about the details. The event seemed to be lovely for everyone. There was 100% attendance…22 of us in all. Good times.)
We served Oriental salad with Maine shrimp, cream of broccoli soup, assorted breads, fresh limonade con soda and cheesecake with coffee for dessert. The breads and cheesecake were from local bakeries and were outstanding.
Judy Gower was the featured speaker. She skillfully told stories about being in ministry with her husband, Brian. We laughed and we cried. She had my undivided attention and even though she was there to encourage the missionaries, everyone was blessed.
We didn’t have an evening meeting so I can’t report on the worksites. Instead we all went into Antigua to the YWAM Coffeehouse, Higher Grounds(clever play on words, don’t you think?). Every Thursday night they have a worship service (called Soul Patrol). Antigua is a transient city because there are short-term language schools, mission teams coming and going and tourist. People can get connected at the coffeehouse.
At the end, the speaker named four different churches that people could attend. The speaker gave a teaching on four atheist who have sold thousands of books and have influenced untold numbers of people. The two I can remember are Daniel Dennet and Richard Dawkins. Dawkins believes that faith is like the Aids virus only more dangerous and harder to eradicate. He also believes that religion is a form of child abuse. The speaker only talked about these atheists to remind us Christians that we have to be grounded in the Word of God and know what we believe and why we believe it. Posted by Kathy Bureau (Our team joined the Fuego students and rode in with Bob Adams. After the meeting Bob asks cheerfully, “What should we do next, Susan.” I suspected he would prefer to go home and get to bed, but was willing to take us to our favorite place for ice cream – Doña Luisa’s. They were celebrating their 30th anniversary so we enjoyed the huge flower displays, decorations and live music. I can still smell the delicious bakery downstairs. http://travel.nytimes.com/travel/guides/central-and-south-america/guatemala/antigua/restaurant-detail.html?vid=1154675178282
)
Primary text written by Kathy Bureau, team journaler
Text in parenthesis ( ) written by Susan Blount, team leader
WED: Our second workday. This is our typical daily schedule:
6:30 Wake up & Dress
7:00 Music and Worship
7:15 Personal Worship
8:00 Breakfast and Group Discussion and Make Lunches
8:45 Leave for ministry sites
4:00 Return to mission house for free time.
6:00 Dinner
7:00 Team Meeting/Activity
10:00 Prepare for tomorrow
10:30 Lights Out
(It’s not easy to tell independent adults what time to get up and what time to go to bed. It’s all about living in community. Some like to get up earlier – some want to stay in bed later. This is the happy medium, I think.
The rule is, if you prefer to get up before 6:30 AM you must use a flashlight and be absolutely quiet so others can stay asleep.
If you want to stay up after 10:30, you must be in your bed. A head light or flashlight can be used for journaling if you remain quiet and do not disturb those who need to sleep.
Anyone who wants to go to bed early needs to understand that it may not be quiet, and the lights might be on to accommodate others who do not need as much sleep. Not everyone is cheerful about some of this, but it seems to be fair and works fairly well for most of us. Jesus gives us an example
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 1 John 3:16-17)
Appropriate Technologies: The cistern is all dug. Next the cement work. This is one of the hardest sites labor-wise and Janell, Sarah, Crysten and Luke still seem to have energy at the end of the day. Awesome team! Crysten asked me to say something nice about her. This is it, Crysten.
(I went with the AT team today. Margarito has purchased a van for transportation, now. Before we would all pile into the back of his pick up truck. Last November, Margarito’s 48 day old son died unexpectedly. He share the story with me today. Very sad, but quite typical of life on Santa Maria de Jesus. Some foreign missionaries are big on encouraging the poor not to have a lot of children, but because death is always so near, the women want to have babies just in case they should lose some.
Someone else has said that when babies are being born, it’s a sign that the culture has hope. Babies are a gift from God and He tells us to be fruitful and multiply. There were no added clauses, such as “if you can afford it.”
“I stay busy,” Margarito told me, “so I don’t think about it.”
Murlee is a man in my peer group age from WI. He came down with a team two weeks ago and can’t bring himself to leave yet. He has a landscaping business so he has some time in the winter to volunteer on projects like ours. Crysten threatened not to let me come on site again because she said I talked to much to their best worker – Murlee. Talk works both ways.)
In Rejon with Hector: Macardia’s kitchen walls are almost done. Today holes were dug for the post, post and frame put up and the roof (corrugated steel) and most of the walls (corrugated steel) attached. All this is done the old-fashioned way with hand tools. No chop saw here. Next: finish walls and build new open-fire stove.
Josiah interacted a lot with the children. Luke gave us a soccer ball and the kids wore Josiah out playing soccer. I enjoyed hearing the kids call out his name. He made a friend named Freddy. Freddy wanted Josiah to go up the hill to his house to meet his mother which he did. I was very popular because I had a digital camera. They love to see their picture (just like all kids). Everyone made a concerted effort to remember the children’s names. I said two Spanish phrases often: Como se llama? What is your name? and Puedo secar un photo? Can I take your picture? Lily’s and Dean’s Spanish made it possible for us to communicate better.
School visits with Luis Carlos: Kathy Gower, Judy and Toni returned very excited. They went into the public schools and were able to share the gospel. In one high school, the teachers and principal sat in the hallway to listen because the room was packed. The students were attentive and afterwards asked questions. Judy shared that it felt weird because this could not happen in an American public school. She asked the principal a couple of times if it was okay.
(“We’ve had a defection,” I told Jeff at dinner tonight. He looked somber as he asked, “Really? Who is that?”
“Toni. She doesn’t want to go to Amy’s site next week.”
Jeff smiled, “Well, that’s the kind of defection we like to have. I don’t think it will be a problem.”
Toni used her expertise as a physical therapist to work with Amy at the handicapped school last year. She had offered to help again and Amy had said she would use her next week. What Amy forgot was that the school would be busy with exams next week and it would not work to do appointments with Toni. So, it all worked out.
Tonight Jeff stayed with the team and shared with us his vision for Mission Impact. Team members shared what they had seen and learned about MI and were able to ask questions.)
Primary text written by Kathy Bureau, team journaler
Text in parenthesis ( ) written by Susan Blount, team leader
TUESDAY (It’s hard to explain to people what a mission trip does to you. You feel related to missions. It doesn’t always come this early, but I can sense the team is already feeling it. You are called with a holy calling, not according to your works – education, $, position, personality, political/religious systems – but according to His purpose and grace.)
Today was our first “workday”. We left for our worksites after breakfast and a little orientation. Crysten, Sarah, Janell and Luke are working on Appropriate Technologies with Margarito, his brother, Domingo and Dan, a young man from Ohio. They are building a cistern for a public school in Santa Maria de Jesus which is not too far from where we are staying. They made great progress today. They dug down 8 feet! The goal is 10 feet. It is hard work and Susan has wisely put the youngsters on that team.
(I sat in on a site orientation with the girls and Luis Carlos. None of our previous team members has worked with him, so I wanted to see what things were like.
I don’t always fit in where sites are concerned. My primary ministry “site” is the team itself. I travel around and visit each site during our time here. I feel more like a visitor than a member of a site, which is okay. I still enjoy meeting people and working with the team. I just don’t get to establish the same depth of relationships that the team members do who visit the sites and work together every day.
After Luis’ team left, I spent more time in the donation closet. Donations are much needed and much appreciated, but logistically spaking they are my least favorite duty.
First, the donations arrive here and home and I have to find a place to store them. Then we pack and re pack them trying to maximize our space and weight limitations as we do. Then we weigh them once, weigh them twice, sometimes three times, etc. Then we carry them to the airport and from the airport to our destination upon arrival. Then I unpack them, sort them, bag them, deliver them, and see to it that everything has found a home before we leave.)
Toni, Judy and Kathy Gower are working with Luis Carlos. Luis goes into the public schools and teaches a values curriculum. He did all the talking today and the ladies just introduced themselves, but tomorrow things are going to change. He has turned the lessons over to them and they seem up to the challenge. Judy shared that she couldn’t understand what Luis was saying but she could tell that he was a gifted speaker. I guess the public schools are quite noisy and a bit chaotic, but when Luis was talking, he had everyone’s attention.
Dean & I, Lily and Josiah are working with Hector in Rejon, a 100% Mayan village up in the hills. Hector has been working with a widow, Macardia, with 8 children. Her adult daughter is also with her and she has children too. We are building a new kitchen.
What they call a kitchen is a separate building with an open-fire stove inside. Macardia’s kitchen had corn stalk walls and a corrugated metal roof. With an open fire, the cornstalks can catch on fire. When we arrived, there was a pot of beans and something else I couldn’t identify cooking on the stove. The ladies came in and removed the pots and took them elsewhere and scooped out the fire so that we could start working. They found another place to cook the beans.
We removed the roof, took down the walls and removed the stove which is basically cement blocks and dirt. On the way back to San Pedro, we stopped in a larger town and Hector ordered the supplies we will need. They will be delivered tomorrow.
Carmen prepared another delicious meal, enchiladas and salad. It was her birthday and the ladies made birthday cakes.
(When Dan and Melissa were ready, we went into town to shop for the ladies luncheon on Thursday. After lunch with the Fuego students, I got out the birthday decorations I brought and the Wall kids helped me decorate for Carmen’s birthday supper. Today is her birthday day. We convinced her to eat dinner with us, helped her blow out candles on the cake made by the students, gave her some gifts and then let her shop the donation closet afterward.
Jen May stopped by this afternoon and we invited her to stay for supper. She was picking up all the donations for her school that Wally couldn’t fit in his car last night. Dan stayed for supper, too. Melissa thinks he should stay every night. Finally, I explained to her that we are careful about invitations because we don’t want to stress Shirley. I try to check with her before extending our hospitality to visitors.)
We had a short meeting to share about our first day on our sites. It sounded like everyone had a positive experience. I am impressed with the nationals that are heading the teams, Hector, Margarito and Luis. These gentlemen are smart, friendly, hard working and want to see God work in their country of Guatemala. Posted by Kathy Bureau
Primary text written by Kathy Bureau, team journaler
Text in parenthesis ( ) written by Susan Blount, team leader
MONDAY Breakfast at 8:00 (I was up long before anyone else to unpack and sort the donations that we brought. Thankfully there was a closet with empty shelves that I could use. That way, staff and team members could come in, see what we had and distribute it where needed most.) Devotional: We had a very nice worship time. Dean played guitar and we sang worship songs in Spanish and English. Susan handed out Abide in the Vine by Howard and Bonnie Lisech. We each found quiet spots to do Day 1 “Above All Things” Ps 138:2 “for You have been exalted above all things, Your name and Your word.” We regrouped and discussed the study. ( Dan Divelbiss joined us for breakfast. It was good to see him. He’s lived at the school off and on transitioning from one living place to another, so he’s known to everyone on campus. Shirley thinks he’s pretty special – the son she never had, I think.)
Orientation: Susan put together a very informative pamphlet (Field Handbook Team Guatemala 2008) with general information for community living; tips on journaling, prayer and maneuvering in this new culture.
Jeff talked to us about Guatemala. He said he has been here for 17 years and he still has a lot to learn. He said the best attitude is one of always being a student and always walking with humility. (He gave us some note cards and asked us to write our objectives for our trip. Later we posted them on the board. I can see God is already at work. Something has already happened in the team members, and I think these cards have triggered it. They want to know God better, encourage the staff, find direction for their future, etc. Can’t wait to see what God has in mind.)
Guatemala is a democracy and has 22 states. We are in the highlands. Toward the west, they drop down to the coast where sugar cane is grown. This industry provides 200,000 jobs and the workers earn about $4-$5 a day. On the Caribbean side of the highlands, bananas are grown. In the highlands, coffee is the number one crop. Guatemala is the size of Tennessee. A third of the population of 12-13 million live the Guatemala City valley. There are 33 volcanoes and 4 or 5 are active. The one that towers over the school compound (Fuego) is active. It was puffing out dark grey smoke during our worship time.
The #1 issue during the recent presidential election was personal safety. There has been a series of public transit strikes because bus drivers are getting robbed and killed. Gangs are a dangerous problem and there is corruption at every level of government. It is said you can get anything done with a bribe. The airport we flew into is undergoing renovations but the work has stopped because major corruption was discovered and millions of quetzales have disappeared.
Four main families control 60%-70% of all wealth and maintain monopolies. For instance, a cement company tried to come into Guatemala to do business but it was stopped. Current trends include cell phones, mopeds and motorcycles and a desire to work in the United States. The only way to do it is illegally. There are 1 million Guatemalan illegals in the US right now and they send 4 billions dollars back to their home country.
Spiritual strongholds include alcoholism, witchcraft and adultery. The greatest need among Christians is discipleship. Mission Impact starts their ministry outreach with health care and education. Guatemala is one of the most illiterate countries in the western hemisphere. It is comparable to Haiti. You don’t have to be here long to realize the people are not “stupid” just uneducated. They seem very bright and capable. They have more of a concept of personal responsibility then Americans because the government is not going to bail them out.
(Lauren, who administers our Sowing Hope program, joined us for lunch. She just plain fun to be around and drove some of the girls to the market in her “party mobile”. That’s our Lauren! She’s already booked Crysten to be in her wedding – whenever she finds Mr. Right and he pops the question.) We went to the market to experience buying something from a vendor. We all had to buy some fruit to make a fruit salad for dessert. The market is massive - about 4 acres. There is lots of competition, lots of people selling the same things. Some of the smells are good and some are bad. Some of us decided to ride the chicken bus back. This reminds me of something Eli Wall shared. He said one of the things he liked about Guatemala is that he doesn’t get sick on the chicken buses. Poor thing has been known to get carsick on the way to church back home. (It does seem that Eli is doing somewhat better with travel sickness since being in Guate. Praise God. Melissa came with us for the market and helped us navigate the bus going back. Before we left we walked over to see Eby and Juan at their selling booths. Melissa seems them quite often.)
The chicken buses are the public transit system. They are retired American school buses still bearing the familiar Blue Bird name and emblem. Some are still yellow while others have been colorfully painted. Inside long luggage racks have been attached to each side and two pipes are on the ceiling for adults to hang onto as they walk to the back of the bus. While you are sitting and waiting for the bus to fill and leave the market, vendors come onto the bus selling everything from peanuts to cilantro. Beggars also climb on. They stand at the front and tell their story then walk down the aisle hoping some were moved to give. I only wish I could have understood what they were saying. Susan says everyone needs to experience a ride on the chicken bus at least once. Now I know why. It was very interesting.
After dinner, Wally from Vida Y Esparanza (a Christian school in San Lukeia) came with three of his teachers and shared with us. They are all young men on fire for the Lord. It was wonderful to see their smiles, their hope and their enthusiasm. The school has been operational for 10 years and has 238 students. Wally says his teachers are outstanding. They want to please God and they have hearts for the children. This year God has given them a new vision for the school and they are expecting great things. They want Vida Y Esparanza to be a light in Guatemala and the world. They are planning activities for the community like concerts. They believe God will use the students to show the community God’s love. Those at Vida Y Esparanza feel they have received much from God and want to give back. They are also planning activities for the parents like working at an orphanage and with Aids children. Wally and his fellow teachers want to help make positive changes in their country. They appreciate missionaries coming down and helping but they feel that it is their country and their responsibility. One thing they will be doing toward this end is teaching the children and the parents to be persons of character. To be people that honor God in all they do and do all things with excellence. They want to teach that Christianity isn’t just going to church on Sunday but a way of life. Wally’s story puts a smile on your face. Years ago a YWAM team went to his village and he got saved as a barefoot boy. Then our great God gave him a vision to open a school and look at the lives that are being impacted! (Before we left, Lily had convinced her family to give up the keyboard that was packed away. “If you don’t find someone to take it, I want it back,” she instructed when she dropped it off. Dean was kind enough to pack everything that went with it into one box for the plane. As the men shared their passion for the music program at Esquela Vida, I was watching the box as it sat right behind them. After, I asked Lily if she would mind offering it to them. She did. They were like kids at Christmas with the gift. They had to open it right then and there and get it all assembled.
While they played around with their new gift, I had a chance to catch up with my old friend, Wally. He was recently diagnosed with diabetes and is feeling much better now that it is under control. He insists that he is not working as hard and even taking more days off. With the new plans for building on their land that they are buying, I don’t know how he can be taking life easier. I hope that he is, though.)
Primary text written by Kathy Bureau, team journaler
Text in parenthesis ( ) written by Susan Blount, team leader
It was 3:22 AM when I got up. Before long, the Woods arrived. Then, our driver/Luke’s dad was next. “Who will bring Luke to my house at 4 AM Sunday morning?” I asked Peter when I saw him at church. “Who do you think?” he asked. “Well, since you’ll already be up, would you mind driving us to the airport?” He did not hesitate to say yes. It was a team of 12 but we were supported by many people – it takes a “village” to get a mission team off the ground. Praise God, we’ve always had a huge support team to partner with us.
Kathy B has been such a good sport to journal the trip for us. I am going to add some of my own observations below and will put them in ( )s. One thing she forgot to mention was that she left her money at home the morning we gathered to head to the airport, and had to go back to get it. We waited. “Can you understand why I got great satisfaction in knowing that we had to wait for you this morning?” I asked with a smile. She nodded. She understood. On our trip to SA, I had really goofed up when I had my carry on stolen – with my passport in it. Thankfully, it was recovered and after that Kathy watched my stuff like a hawk. I deserved her “no confidence vote of attention”, but was pretty embarrassed by all the trouble I’d caused… now, it was Kathy’s turn to show her failings. We’re even.
Weather in Maine: Sunny and cold (-1). Left for Portland from the Blount’s 4:40am. Peter Vashon drove us down in the Foshay’s 12 passenger van pulling Uncle Dean’s van with all the luggage. Michael Foshay came along to keep Peter company on the way back. Janell’s Mom and Dad (Victor and Pat) drove her down in their car.
Judy and Lily met us at the Portland airport. Everyone took one personal piece of luggage plus carryon and one donation bag (24 bags checked in). Dean brought a guitar. Left for Charlotte, NC 8:00am on US Air. A small jet with two seats on each side of the aisle. They had to deice the plane before takeoff. Judy expressed everyone’s unspoken thoughts: “I guess it is good that they are deicing so that we will have a safe flight, but do we want to fly when deicing is necessary?” Arrived in Charlotte safely. 45 degrees and sunny.
Left Charlotte about a hour late on US Airways (12:30pm). We had to wait for the FO (flight officer) to arrive from Boston.
By coincidence, Pastor Bill Cripe was on the same flight going to Charlotte for a conference. Janell and family, attend his church (Faith Evangelical Free Church) and were surprised and happy to see him. At first Janell thought he had made a special trip to the Portland International Jetport just to see her off. It was an endearing moment. (Most of the team have a FEFC connection of some kind. The Woods have moved to Canaan and attend the Calvary church there now. Janell is till connected to the youth group.)
Josiah Begin’s first time on a plane. Toni is into her third day of fighting a flu bug but thankfully on the mend. Luke had a hole in his suitcase and his shirts are now dirty. In true Mainer style, he repaired it with duct tape. The chocolate has come out. (The airlines are no longer serving meals even on international flights. I’ll have to put that into the budget for next year. It costs $5 for a snack and $7 for a snack sized meal.)
Flying into Guatemala City was awesome. It sits in a valley and the volcanoes that surround seem as high as the clouds. From the air you can see how rugged is the terrain. The absence of bodies of water is quite noticeable to someone from our part of the world. It seems like we have water everywhere. The Guatemalan passengers have a cute tradition - they all clap when the pilot lands the plane safely. There were two other missionary teams on the plane. One from Illinois and one from New York. During her final announcement, the stewardess asked God to bless all the missionaries that were on the plane and to bless our work in Guatemala.
(The airport, that has been under construction for several years, is now showing signs of being almost finished. It’s quite modern. I hardly recognized it from a year ago. There is immigration to stamp visa’s into our passports, but no customs to go through. Love that part.)
Jeff picked us up with a nice size minibus. It is like the KV Cap buses at home. Jeff and wife, Terri, are Mission Impact directors. A national drove the van. (Fortunately, Jeff and the driver were able to dodge the long processional that was taking place from Antigua to Guate City today. Bob and Shirley and the students were not so blessed. They went to church in the city today to hear a special visiting worship leader. They were stuck in traffic for over three hours. Poor Shirley, she arrived home late to get supper started for us. What a stressful way to start out with a new team. As if that wasn’t enough, the power went out several times, too. That’s typical for Guatemala.) Guatemala City is the largest city in Central America (3-4 million people). There are the very rich and the very poor. We hadn’t reached our destination yet. We climbed out of the valley and headed toward Antigua which is in the next valley over. We went through San Lucas and Antigua and arrived in San Pedro to the Fuego Christian School, headed by Bob and Shirley Adams from Canada. (This would be our home for the next 13 sleeps.) The facility at Fuego is very nice. It is surrounded by a wall with coiled razor wire along the top and a locked gate. We are quite safe inside and the only noises are the ones we generate. They served us a fantastic supper (mashed potatoes, carrots, cabbage salad, and baked chicken in a barbeque sauce). There are nine students here. All from Canada. Bob Adams’s son-in-law, Juan Carlos, has a worship group that includes Alex on acoustic, and Mario on the drums and himself on electric. Dean sat in and played bass. We had a great time of worship and praise.
The Wall children were quite excited to see their grandmother and aunts. It was really cute to see their faces light up when they saw Grandma, Aunt Crysten, Aunt Kathy and Aunt Judy. (The kids have all grown. Even Emma, who has been the sickest of all of them. She was asking for Papa. It seemed strange to have them so familiar with the place and people that I have been coming to for years.
Melissa looks like she’s put on a little flesh - a good sign that her stomach is improving at times. Dan has a little Ty Pennington going on under his lower lip. Debra, Jeff’s new assistant, was there to greet us as well. Before long Terri and girls came to join us for supper.)
Teams are never created without distractions. It’s one of the first things I tell them… there will be distractions. The enemy will see to it, and God will allow them to see what we’re made of – how committed we are to doing the work He’s assigned to us. This trip was no exception. Judy had such a difficult one just prior to leaving that she almost canceled. Sarah’s mom was diagnosed with an advance stage of cancer and went through some tough chemo treatments, Kathy B’s mom is elderly and quite dependent on Kathy, who lives right across the street. Luke’s distraction was the money. Toni has some big decisions to make with her 14 year old cat who was ill. Dean and Kathy had to leave the business in the hands of their staff, and a lot had to be done just prior to leaving. Same with Kathy and Crysten. Crysten’s housemate decided to move out just as we prepared to leave. My main distraction, other than team details, is 88-year-old Marie. Distractions or not, we all boarded flight 1807 to Guatemala City.
People often ask me what I do to put a team together. I pray and that’s about it. I don’t intentionally recruit, and I never have. People hear about our trips through word of mouth. God puts it in their hearts to come. The day people stop applying is the day I know my work is done. People have joined from Canada, Texas, Illinois, Iowa, New Hampshire, and from many different churches.
The 2008 team consisted of three family members: Crysten (my daughter), Kathy (my sister), and Judy (my sister-in-law). Kathy is probably the closest I’ve come to recruiting. I’ve been working on her to join me for years. Crysten has been coming since 1997 and joins my teams whenever she can. We were at the parsonage in NH for Thanksgiving when Judy said, “Someday I’m going to join your team, Susan.” We all jumped on that encouraging her to make this the year since there were so many family involved, including Melissa and Dan who are working down there. “But, I don’t know if we’ll have the money. Brian is signed up to go to Mexico. When are you going, Brian?” Turns out he would be gone the same time we were going. Now, Judy had another reason to go. A month later, she made the commitment. A few days later, a man offered her $400 towards her expenses. The next month, someone offered to pay Brian’s trip to Mexico, so the money he had saved was applied to Judy’s trip. Then, just before we left, someone else offered to pay the small amount that was left. Just like that… without sending out a mission letter, without asking anyone, Judy had her trip paid for. How’s that for confirmation?
Kathy helped me do pizzas each week at Temple Academy. That’s how I raise money for this “habit”. In the end, her church took a very generous offering that covered most of her trip. Pizza money paid for the rest.
Crysten and Kathy are business partners. They own a Curves in town and the ladies are quite enthusiastic about supporting them. They buy things that they sell (Guatemalan things that we bring back with us), collect bottles, and hire them for various jobs. Crysten had already worked hard to raise over $2400 for our trip to South Africa in October 2007, so it came as quite a surprise when her Guatemala money came in within a few weeks, thanks to the generosity of her Curves members.
Kathy and Dean have done four outreaches over the years, but never together. They own their own health food store and have been very generous with the prosperity they have enjoyed. They developed a fundraiser with one of the vitamin manufacturers that they do business with. Dean also volunteered to teach a basics 6-week Spanish course for the team. He spent hours in preparation for us. Kathy became our team photographer and journaler. It was a blessing not to have to take one picture or write one blog while we were on the trip.
Sarah has wanted to do missions for a long time. She’s been a friend of Crysten’s and Luke’s for a number of years. Now that college is behind her, this was her year. She works for an architectural firm.
Luke has been to Guatemala and South Africa, so this was his second trip. He tried many ways to raise the funds – mission letter, selling hockey tickets, selling Christmas trees – but for some reason, those things didn’t produce enough. Within the last week, his account grew to the point that he had $630 left over. Sometimes, God waits until the last minute, but He always fully equips those He has called. We count on it.
Toni has also been to Guate before, and she went to South Africa in October. She’s single and a trained physical therapist. She is committed to volunteering more for short term missions.
Lily hasn’t been to Guatemala in four years, even though she has been four times before. She went on our South Africa team in March. Her church is great at providing donations such as tools, school supplies, etc. They also give her money to use for whatever need God puts in her heart while she is there.
Janell has wanted to go for some time, but the rule is that students have to be 16 to go without a responsible adult. The Foshays were going to bring her, but their schedule didn’t work out so Crysten agreed to be responsible for her. We both agreed that Janell had been a model team member. It would be unfair for her not to be on the team. She was faithful to fundraising and meeting attendance. That’s the way to a team leader’s heart.
Josiah was our “stealth” member. I noticed he kept coming to Dean’s Spanish class, but since he home schools, and Dean is his uncle, I assumed that was why he attended. It was a while before I realized he planned to join the team. Because of his age, he needed his aunt and uncle to agree to be responsible for him.
Now it’s the day before… A little more packing to organize, some house cleaning, and then I should be ready to go. I’m always amazed at the myriad of details that have to be done to pull everything together. I am in a good place this morning compared to the South Africa trip, and for that I am so thankful. I was adjusting the packing right up until the last minute on that trip with no time to put anything away when I finished. So glad I don’t have to repeat that scenario.
Yesterday I drove to the bank early. With a dusting of snow overnight that covered the ice that was on everything, the drive down the Oak Grove road had the rare and unusual feel of a crystal palace. Trees were bowed over both sides of the road, and I felt like royalty driving under them. An amazing site. I am always marveling at the creativity of God.
Talked with Jen last night. Haven’t heard much from them in a couple of weeks so it was good to catch up. Ed was in a near accident yesterday that landed him, the two boys, and the Saab in a ditch of deep snow. Jen came upon “her car” as she was driving Katelyn to meet them. (By now Ed and the boys had walked to the farm awaiting a truck to pull them out). A driver was pulling out of his yard and did not stop to look to see Ed coming. Ed had to veer. Thankfully, no one (even the Saab) was hurt. The kids were on their way to do chores at a neighbor’s barn. The sheep are lambing, so they love that. Now Jen has another “Saab” story to tell.
We leave at 4:30 tomorrow morning for two weeks in Guatemala. Please pray for us. We’re not exactly sure what we’ll be doing there, and that is making some a little nervous. You can check this website for occasional updates. I know how much “inquiring minds want to know” when we are on trips like this, but it’s not always possibly to spend our time writing. We’ll do our best, though.
I have just returned from a 19-day outreach to South Africa. There were 18 of us on the team, in an age mix that I always find very satisfactory. There was Bob and I (grandparents); a young family of 6; a mom and her two teenage sons; six single career women; and a married woman. Children have such an easy way of relating to people, and Faith, Eli, Alicia, and Emma were no exception. We all loved having them on the team.
This outreach was one of the hardest ones yet. Many things about it seemed like such a struggle. I missed the familiarity of working with Mission Impact. I missed the pre-determined team fees that cover all our field costs. We had to create our own budget and carry $16,000 into the country with us to cover our field expenses.
Before we left, I met with our February Guatemala team twice. September/October is always the time to gear up for the winter outreach. I never recruit for team members. I’ve never had to. I set the date for the outreach, I put out a brochure, and then I wait to see who God sends (if He does.)
I don’t want to miss how each one becomes a part of the team. Josiah will be coming with his aunt and uncle. He works with his dad and has enough in his savings to pay his own way. He’s only 14.
Dean has been on another team. His wife, Kathy, has gone to Ireland and South Africa. Each has come home to share about the people that they’ve met with the other. They decided they want to share the same people this time. Already God has used Dean in ways that have been a big blessing to me. He taught a six week introductory Spanish class, and is now heading up a fundraiser.
Toni is just now returning for the South Africa trip. She went to Guate with us a couple of years ago. She is a physical therapist and really enjoys teaching that skill on the foreign field.
Ann and Bob have both been to Guate, but not together. With 10 children (7 still at home) it’s a big step for them to be gone for 13 days. Although a number of their children have gone in years past, it’s just mom and dad this time.
Sarah has been a friend of Crysten’s for a number of years. She has just finished college and taken a new job. She is ready to take the mission trip she has wanted to do for a long time… and work has agreed to giving her the time off.
Lily has been on a number of mission trips with me. She wasn’t sure about this one until two friends decided they wanted to go. Pat went one other time, and Pam will be new to us.
Luke is always ready for a mission trip. He’s 17 and hopes to finish high school this year. He’s always in a rush. This will be his second trip.
Janelle will be coming with the Foshays and has never been on a mission trip before.
I can’t remember how many times our daughter, Crysten, has been to Guatemala. Now that her sister is moving down there with her family, she is more excited than ever to go.
Kathy is my younger sister. I’ve been trying to get her to do Guatemala with me forever. At last, this is her year. She’s helping me with my weekly pizza fundraiser to raise monies to go. Otherwise, you can find her at Curves. She and Crysten are co-owners.
Doreen’s husband went last year and volunteered his dentistry skills. She has shown interest in joining the team, but haven’t heard for certain is she will yet.
Mark is a missionary who helps churches organize short term mission teams and provides intense training for team members. His desire is to provide this service for Mission Impact. He would like to join our team for one week and get a first hand knowledge of what we do. We’re trying to work out some financing for him.
Alethea got her mom to our introductory meeting. She is a home schooled senior and desperately wants to go on a mission trip. Her pastor dad had some reservations about it, and looks like she won’t be on the team. I was sorry about that. …to be continued.
I didn’t always think that blogging was for me. After all, I’m the one that still has email in my Inbox from early 2006. But, for several months now I have been blogging for my family and God has enlarged my vision for ways that it can be profitable.
Perhaps my thoughts can help some others who are leading short term mission teams. I have been doing so since 1989. But, wouldn’t you know… just as I was getting started today, I had major issues with the wireless technology to access these pages. Isn’t that just like the enemy to thwart a good, something that can bring glory to God, thing?
Still, God has enabled me to get a small start. I am looking forward to journaling about my experiences.
I will be posting stories here about my work with Mission Impact. Stay tuned, and feel free to leave comments!
