Meet Rodrigo Jr.

Rodrigo Jr (RJ) was purchased in California for $300 by Steve (on the right) with the idea that he wanted to bring it here for us to use. RJ is a full size 1987 Ford Ranger. His friend Mike joined him for their adventure that started in California early on Friday March 13th. 3,200+ miles later (and >80 hr behind the wheel), they pulled up here in Guatemala on Sat March 21st at 5pm. They describe the trip at fun and full of adventure. However, they described crossing the Mexico/Guatemala border as horrifying and very stressful. We'd all heard horror stories and even the possibility of being detained for weeks and having to pay high fines. As it turns out, they came across an English speaking Guatemalan, (Byran)who helped them thru the various hoops at immigration. Mike and Steve said there is no logical order of when and where to stop...the variuos stations are not marked, yet at each station you have to process a particular piece of paper before you can continue to the next station. He said there were thousands of people all standing in the area where he had to drive, many of them hung onto his bumper or onto the hood. The truck was full of other donated items for us, and lukcily a tarp was tied across it. If the people had seen the items, I believe they would've been robbed. As it was, people were lifting up the tarp and trying to see what they could reach. I belive Byron was literally a God send. Later, they got lost in Guatemala, and again they came across an English speaking Guatemalan who hired himself out to the guys to get them to Guatemala Rodrigo Jr (RJ) was purchased in California for $300 by Steve with the idea that he wanted to bring it here for us to use. RJ is a full size 1987 Ford Ranger. His friend Mike joined him for their adventure that started in California early on Friday March 13th. 3,200+ miles later (and >80 hr behind the wheel), they pulled up here in Guatemala on Sat March 21st at 5pm. They describe the trip at fun and full of adventure. However, they described crossing the Mexico/Guatemala border as horrifying and very stressful. We'd all heard horror stories and even the possibility of being detained for weeks and having to pay high fines. As it turns out, they came across an English speaking Guatemalan, (Byran) who helped them thru the various hoops at immigration. Mike and Steve said there is no logical order of when and where to stop...the various stations are not marked, yet at each station you have to process a particular piece of paper before you can continue to the next station. He said there were thousands of people all standing in the area where he had to drive, many of them hung onto his bumper or onto the hood. The truck was full of other donated items for us, and luckily a tarp was tied across it. If the people had seen the items, I believe they would've been robbed. As it was, people were lifting up the tarp and trying to see what they could reach. I believe Byron was literally a God send. Later, they got lost in Guatemala, and again they came across an English speaking Guatemalan who hired himself out to the guys to get them to Guatemala City. Of course, Mike and Steve knew there was a chance this was a set up, that this Guatemalan could have led them anywhere, but it all worked out fine. Again, I think this is entirely due to the Lord being in control and I thank all of you who prayed during this time for the safety of Mike and Steve, and the safe delivery of the truck and its contents.

We were amazed at all the things they packed tightly into the truck. It even included a Lay-Z-Boy recliner, a large wood coffee table, a ladder, and the desk which I'm using right now in my room. The recliner is the first piece of furniture in this house that has a cushioned seat...actually the first piece of "real" furniture period. We're very excited! There were many many many more things as well. As a matter of fact, we're still unpacking stuff. Mike and Steve flew back to CA early Monday AM. I don't think they'll ever know just how much we appreciate them, their efforts, the truck, and all the stuff they've brought us.

This is Rodrigo

This is Rodrigo.
Rodrigo is a 1984 Volkswagon Truck. The odometer, speedometer and shocks are broken. The back cargo space is 4ftx4.5ft.

Rodrigo stranded us in the midst of a sugar cane field last week. Thus, the picture. We were 2 hr away from home in Buena Vista. We finally got onto the paved road, and coughted and sputtered and backfired repeatedly as we limped down the road. We actually had a guy on a bicycle pass us if that tells you anything.

Having Americans in the back of a pickup truck is dangerous because we can be seen, and are therefore easy targets to be robbed or worse...particularly a female. Obviously, having Americans stranded with a broken down vehicle is really not good. That's why when the truck down the 2nd time on our way home, I hid my backpack behind a rock, hid back in some trees, and called my mom to gain additional prayer support. Not only were John & I targets, but we were also endangering our Guatemalan team-mates. Manuel was able to again get Rodrigo limping down the road just in time for us to encounter a rain shower, then Rodrigo died again. This time Manuel couldn't revive Rodrigo and it was near nightfall, thus we did the only other thing we could do...we hopped onto a public bus to get back into the city. This too is way dangerous for anyone, espcially Americans.

God is good and He got us back home safe and sound. We were very appreciative and quite relieved. We're expecting a truck from California soon, maybe today. Steve purchased the truck and his friend Mike is going to be his driving buddy to bring the truck (filled with other things that have been donated) here for us and then fly home this Monday. However, while a dependable truck is great news...it still isn't really what we need. It still has us riding for long periods of time out in the open and rainy season is around the corner. So, what we really need is a good used van. We're praying God shows us the right van for the right price very soon.


This is what we've recently done for protection (from rain, dust from dirt roads, and whatever). This is NO fun whatsoever. Fumes and dust from the road got inside and then were trapped inside with us. I actually got sick to my stomach from the fumes while we were driving in the city. So, they pulled up the sides a little, and it helped, but not much.

I really hope we can find something better to use soon. There are 10 of us and our lunch and supplies that we need to take on the road every Tues, Wed and Thurs. We simply don't fit. I can't wait until I send you a blog that celebrates the perfect vehicle that the Lord brings to us.

Check this out!!

Yay! The website for Groundwork Guatemala is up and running! Randy has done an amazing job of putting together the website and he continues to update and tweek it. Just go to this website: www.groundworkguatemala.org

Just fyi...Randy and his wife Rachel (the daugher of Kevin and Ginny) are missionaries and a vital part of our ministry team. They state in the states to handle all sorts of details that are best handled in the states. We miss not having them here in Guatemala with us, but we know they're serving Him and us in the USA.

Boy do we need better transportation!

See....I told you we needed better transportation!

OK...so maybe we're not really using a mule to get around. But when we were broke down in the middle of nowhere Guatemala last week, I would've seriously considered a mule.

Here's the deal. We thought we'd found a 2000 Chevy S-10 4 door 4x4 truck to buy. The owner is a friend of Manuel's (the guy who lives in our house with us and his family...and he's the guys on the mule in the pic). Just before we purchased it, the owner found that it was having transmission problems in addition to other problems the mechanics had already discovered. The owner was amazingly honest and told up about the problems and gave us back the money we'd already put down as a down payment to hold the truck. That was a blessing to discover the problems ahead of time! Now we have several donations, about $7000 in hand, with which to buy a used vehicle. What we really need is a good used van. Preferably the 14 passenger kind so that we don't have to rent vans for $100/day when teams come. Also, a van would allow us to cart around the 8 of us (w/o any visitors) and our stuff w/o out the hassle of rainy season which starts (in theory) in May and ends 6 months later.

In the meantime, Steve and a friend left their home in California early last Friday (March 13th) to drive his truck here to us. He purchased it for $300 and he's donating it to us. Now that's a servant! Today he's staying at a friend's house in Mexico and he hopes to get to the Guatemala border on Saturday. Our neighbor, who is a lawyer, says that getting through the border can take weeks and even a month to get all the paperwork processed. (Not to mention that the border is a dangerous place to be.) You can speed up the process, but of course this comes with a hefty price. So, we're trying to figure out exactly what to do and I promise you that we and all those here on our ministry team have been praying for the Lord to bring to us or show us the vehicle He has planned for us. And, of course, we've been praying daily about Steve and his friend arriving safely and all the details that surround the border crossing. Please join us in prayer about these things.

By the way, I know somebody in Virginia that is seriously considering donating their truck and/or van to us in Guatemala. We'll know more about this process once we get Steve here, but if you know a person who would feel led to drive to drive a vehicle from Virginia to Guatemala, please let me know. This trip would be extremely dangerous, especially for an American. And I'd strongly suggest that the driver and/or passenger be Latino and able to strongly hold their own in Spanish.

I'll post pictures of this new truck on the blog once it gets here.

49 degrees in the back of Rodrigo

I couldn't believe it! When my alarm clock rang at 5am, the outside temp was 48 degrees!! 2 hr later, when we all piled into the back of Rodrigo, our borrowed truck, it had gone up 1 whole degree! Yippee! I resembled the kid in The Christmas Story. I had on a short sleeve shirt, a long sleeve shirt, a hooded zipper up sweat shirt, a thick warm jacket, and rind/wind coat with a hood. It's amazing I could get the last jacket to zip! It worked! I stayed quite comfortable, and was very happy to peel out of the top 4 layers when we got to Buena Vista since it was in the 80's.

Luckily, we only had one more chilly morning before it returned to normal...about 58 at wake up time and mid to low 70s during the day. I'm so glad it's still dry season. Rainy season is supposed to start in May, but we've had short but strong rain showers the last 2 afternoons. Each day the clouds seem to be thicker; a sure sign rainy season is coming (for 6 months).

Home visit leads to unexpected baptisms

On this particular day, like every day we're in Amatitlan, we did "home visits" in the morning before our adult and children's activities in the afternoon. Home visits is pretty self explanatory. We simply walk through the neighborhoods and visit with various folks we see along the way, and usually check in on those who we know are sick and/or may need some encouragement. We've learned that visiting a person in their home is extremely meaningful and powerful in this country. Unlike the USA, we're gladly welcomed. They stop what they're doing and bring us something to sit on if they have it...even if it means that they remain standing. We're truly treated like guests most of the time.

I was surprised to see people at this particular house that had been previously vacant. There were 2 ladies, sisters, who each had 5 young children. The team from Trinity church of Wiscoinsin was with us and I was really glad that God arranged it for the one and only ordained minister and the only person who was allowed to have a camera (me) were on this same team together. After talking to the moms for just a few min, the moms asked us if we'd baptise all the children. Our Guatemalan team mates asked some basic questions to make sure that we were all on the same theological page for the baptisms to be done, and we decided this was a divine appointment set up by God himself. We walked to their well, and had a wonderful yet simple baptism service for all 10 of the children. I took a group photo of Pastor Mark and the kids and moms, and then presented it to them a couple of weeks later so they can specifically remember the day and it's significance. What a absolutely amazing opportunity!

Rosa's visit 3-15-09

I generally try to write blog entries in chronological order. This is going to be an exception. I have several blogs entries in my head that I haven’t yet written, yet I feel I must write about today's visit...maybe for my own sake.

Remember Rosa? She's the gal with wacked out diabetes that I met at The Servants Heart (TSH) here in Guatemala last November. With the help of a physician’s assistant back in the USA, I was able to change and adjust her medicines last fall so that her glucose levels decreased significantly. When I first arrived, her glucose levels were consistently very high; often higher than the machine could read (which is over 500). To make things worse, Rosa is unable to read or write, and she is extremely poor and lives in a very dangerous neighborhood.

Now, as you know, I'm not with TSH, but Rosa is. Rosa has come here to our new ministry just about every Sunday afternoon since I've been here for me to check her glucose levels and see how she's doing. Since my arrival, her glucose readings have always been over 450 (the medicines I left with her last fall ran out long ago.) She needs 2 medications, and I have about 2 more months left of 1 of those medicines (glyburide). The other medicine (metformin) I don't have. Sure, I can buy enough medicine to get her though this week, this month, next month...but this is a lifetime issue, so we (at Groundwork Guatemala) need to think through this carefully ahead of time. We'd like to see the other ministry, where Rosa works, to take some responsibility. Rosa is a little over 3 months pregnant and today she weighs 110 pounds. She's fights with nausea nearly every morning, and sometimes she is dizzy. Today she tells me about some other pain and I was able to determine that she has a urinary infection. However, the antibiotics I would normally use are not recommended for pregnant women. Additionally, it seems she has pink eye.

Having recently watched 2 "normal" Guatemalan families go through the delivery of a newborn, I've learned some things. For example, if the mom can get to any public hospital then she can deliver at the hospital with little to no cost, except for the medicines she will need after the baby is born. No visitors, including the dad are allowed in the delivery room. Only 1 visitor is allowed at a time, which includes the dad. Visiting hours are strictly upheld...even to the point of not allowing Julian (dad) to be in the hospital when Lucy (his wife) delivered the baby near 5am because visiting hours started at 8am. The moms share a ward, usually about 6 to a room, thus no room for a lot of visitors. The mom normally goes home the day after delivery if all is going well. Guatemalans usually live in the midst of a lot of family members. Often mom, dad, siblings and their wives and children and grandparents all live in the same house. Usually the wife goes and lives with her husband's family. Therefore, there are usually plenty of hands to help the mom when she comes home.

Knowing all of this caused me to ask Rosa who was going to help her after she delivers...which is anticipated to be around Sept 8th. Rosa said she didn't wasn't going to have any help. Her mom died, she doesn't see her dad, and her sister lives too far away and has several small children. She told me she didn't have aunts, nieces, cousins, etc. to help. Here's the clincher...just recently the dad (not legally her spouse) that lives with her and her 2 children, said that the child is not his and therefore he has no responsibility. I doubt Rosa even knows about DNA testing, and she couldn't afford it anyhow. Rosa claims there has been no other man in her life, and he is the dad. She said this has caused her home to be particularly stressful these days. And obviously she is not anticipating any assistance from him. She also said that this same guy claimed that Rosa's 12 yr old daughter (who was sitting beside her during the conversation with me today) was not his either. As a matter of fact, he would not take this young girl to the doctor this week (bronchitis), nor would he buy her the necessary medicine. Rosa missed a day from work to take her to the MD, but found that the medicines would cost her nearly a week’s worth of pay, so she didn't get it. Thanks to God above, I had the antibiotic that the child needed. I was glad to finally be able to do something to help this lady who had become my friend.

Ultimately I asked Rosa and her daughter if they were Christians, and they replied yes. I told them that I believed Jesus Christ was in control of everything and He has a plan for each of our lives, and then I prayed with them. Now I just have to remind myself that I have given this to Him and He will guide me and Rosa in the things we should do. Please keep Rosa in your heart and in your prayers, and pray that I would clearly understand how I can best serve Rosa

It takes a certain kind of special person to...

...scrape paint off of peeling bathroom walls (made of CONCRETE)so that the layer of black mold under the paint can be exposed and treated...espcially when 2 entire walls of paint needs to be scarped off, and portions of the other 2 walls.

If it wasn't for the Wisconsin team, I'd still be in the bathroom scraping the wall. We had one good scraper and several butter knives to start with, then by night #2 we scrounged up 2 more putty knives to add to our arsenal. By night #3 of scraping we had one more putty knife. It seemed like a never ending job, and several members of the Wisconsin team joined me for hours and hours of scraping. When we realized it was black mold, we put on masks and we lifted up prayer for our protection. Every night we were covered in dust from scraping the concrete. It's amazing how well you can get to know a person when you spend that much time in that small of an area with a person. I've scraped off paint before, but never before have I needed to remove absolutely all the paint on a wall...much less 2 walls. On night 5, with much determination, we finished the scraping and 2 brave souls washed/scrubbed down the walls with 100% bleach. Unfortunately we ran out of time before we could paint the bathroom. However, the team purchased special mold resistan paint, and John finisehd painting the bathroom today. Yay John! It's so nice to see it finally done!

Visit to Mother Teresa's Nursing Home

Ginny is responsible for teams, and she does a great job. It seems to me that going to a nursing home is good way to give new people on a team some exposure to Guatemala on their first day. I had no idea that Mother Teresa had established a nursing home in Guatemala. If you've studied Mother Teresa or seen her movie (which I thought was excellent), then you'll recognize the color and pattern of the clothing worn by the Sisters (even though it's partially hid by an apron in the picture).

Our entire purpose for visiting the nursing home was just to bring some joy and love into the lives of those who live there. We sat and/or walked with them, put lotion on their dry skin, applied fingernail polish, sang, colored, played games, and generally just tried to show them we cared. One of my favorites was a cute deaf/mute guy (see my pic with him below). I must add that the home and each of the people who live in this home seem to be cared for very well.

After the nursing home we took a drastic transition when we went to the overlook of the dump. If you've been following my blog, then you read my first impressions and saw pictures last Nov. This experience, as expected, left many people with their jaw dropped open and heart broken for those whose daily reality is the dump.

After lunch we took the team to visit a couple of homes where some of "our kids" live...meaning that these kids receive scholarships to go to school. Seeing the meagerness of the homes, the lack of space, light, and running water, the dirt floors, and the tin walls and roofs leaves some people re-evaluating their own lives and priorities. Visiting homes is a major part of our daily ministry here, and it never ceases to amaze me that these people generally don't complain about their circumstances, but instead are often thankful to God for what they have.

Wisconsin team to the rescue

After flying all night, a team of 12 from Wisconsin landed in Guatemala around 7am on Saturday Feb 22nd. John, who's been here a few weeks, is from Wisconsin and was part of this same team last year. Each person on the team packed their own belongings in a carry-on bag, thus freeing up 24 stuffed suitcases to help this ministry. It looked like Christmas as things were unpacked...24 white sets of Corelle dishes, 15 sets of bath towels, 15 air mattresses and sheet sets, 15 handmade quilts, flatware and other kitchen utensils, glassware, and towels, a larger mixer, numerous Ziploc baggies, office supplies, medications for the clinic, tools and supplies necessary to build 10 bunk beds, and a bunch of other stuff that I can't even remember. As I understand it, 4 people from this team’s church donated money for us to buy our refrigerator the day before I arrived. And just before the team left, a week later, the team purchased a clothes dryer for us...what an unexpected and precious blessing! This will make a huge difference for us once rainy season starts!

Even though they had flown all night, the team got straight to work at making bunk beds and painting the whole house. John, as the point man, had purchased paint and lumber ahead of time. By Sunday evening almost the entire inside of the house had been painted. Starting Monday they had a full week of ministry, which I'll blog about a little later. Some of the men stayed here at the ministry house during the week in order to complete the beds. By the way, these are no ordinary beds. These beds are super sturdy and extremely heavy. Just yesterday I wanted to move my bed about 3 ft and it was all I could do to push each end a few inches at time with all my might. I'm convinced that these beds will probably still be around when Jesus comes back, and if there's an earthquake, I think hiding under a bunk bed is probably one of the safest places.

Every day when we'd come back from a day of ministry, we'd find some new surprises. One day I found a bunk bed in my room. Yay! No more getting on and off the floor from my air mattress! We'd anticipated only bunk beds for the 2 team rooms. Another day I found that the handle on my bedroom door had been repaired. Now my door no longer opens and closes when somebody opens a window or door somewhere else in the house. The closet doors were adjusted so that they slide, and my dresser drawers repaired so that they could be opened and closed without Herculean efforts. These might sound like small things, but they are big when you deal with them day after day. After all the bunks were made, the left over lumber was used to make numerous shelves. Two 6ft and one 3 ft shelf was made for the medical room. Several 2 ft shelves were made as night stands beside beds. I was thrilled to get one in my room. Just think of all the things you put on or in your bedside table! Other various shelves of various heights were made as well. And to top it off, the team purchased a very nice queen size bed for Ginny and Kevin.

As awesome as all these tangible things are...it was the intangible that bought us (missionaries) to tears of gratitude. This team loved on us, encouraged, laughed, sang, and prayed with us. It was as if I was enveloped in warm hugs by friends all week. Every time I thought that they could not do more, that they couldn't possibly demonstrate love to us more...they somehow came up with more. They gave more than 100% at all times. They worked up to the last hour before they left at 5:30pm on Sunday March 1st. Although they are now gone, I see their faces and feel their friendship every time I look around and see all they accomplished. I can only believe that God must be very pleased as He too knows of their work and sacrifice. I doubt the teams know just how much we appreciate all that they did and how much of a difference they’ve made in our every day lives here…and therefore equipped us to serve the Lord and His people all the more. I send my sincere thanks and love to the Trinity team from Wisconsin if any of them are reading this.

Francisca

This is Francisca. She lives in Amatitlan directly across from the outdoor concrete basketball court where we provide our children and adults ministry programs every Thursday. I met her last fall as she helped lead the recreation activities at vacation Bible school. She always greets me with a huge hug and genuinely warm smile. I've loved her from day 1.

Almost every day we pack some bread and peanut butter to make sandwiches for lunch. Nearly every Thursday morning we park at Francisca's house and greet her, and later we return to her house to eat lunch where we're out of the wind and blowing dust. Each time, she has food ready for us. And each time we show her that we already have lunch and we nicely try to keep her from giving away the little bit of food she has. She's a widow that has 2 young adult daughters (in their 20s?). One is named Ingrid, and I'm quite fond of her and her 2 yr old Otoniel, especially since her husband committed suicide last Nov.

On Thur Feb 12th, Francisca offered us beans, rice and tortillas to go along with our PB sandwiches. She stubbornly declares that we are her family and it is a blessing for her to share her food with us. A day or two later she finally has an appointment to have a painful tooth removed. The dentist gave her a prescription for an antibiotic 3 times a day. She only has enough $ for 5 pills (which would cover less than 2 days). 4 days after her last dose of antibiotics, we arrive for our weekly Thursday gathering. She slowly answered the door, her face was somber and swollen. She was obviously in agony from what appeared to be a bad dental infection. If she had not of fed us last week, she may have had the money to buy the required antibiotics. Our hearts broke for her. We prayed for her and then advised her to lie down. We told her we would do all that we could to find medicine to help her. A few calls were made to the US to determine what medicine would be best (since none of us knew anything about dental stuff). Ultimately my mom contacted her dentist and he gave me 3 options. 4 pharmacies later, I found one that had one of the antibiotics that was suggested. I knew I had put a 100Q bill in my pocket that morning...more than I would usually carry. When I pulled it out, I found there was a 2nd 100Q bill folded inside my first 100Q bill. I have no recollection of doing this, but I'm sure God had this planned out all along.

We happily and quickly returned around lunch time to give Francisca the antibiotics and some Advil that we had in our backpack. As we sat inside her house and began to make PB sandwiches, she bought out a dozen boiled eggs, some beans, and Ingrid came in with some fresh hot tortillas that she had just purchased. A dozen eggs would last her family for several days, yet once again she insisted on serving us, even though she was in obvious agony. No doubt if it had been me, I'd have been in bed. But not Francisca....not this precious woman who serves with all she has.

By the way, just 2 hr later, she was obviously feeling better. One week later, she was her jolly, loving, smiling self and couldn't stop thanking us and the Lord for His unending provision and blessings. What a woman! What a God we serve!

Not just a bucket

These may look like ordinary 5 gal buckets to you. But in my first couple of weeks here in Guatemala, I've found more uses for them than I ever imagined.
For instance, buckets can create a chair and desk (as pictured). Several buckets around a table provides for ample seating for a meal. It's also a step stool that it very easy to move from place to place. A trashcan. A laundry basket. A mop bucket. A bedside table...just to name a few. Hmm...who knew something so simple could be so versatile and useful?