Journal June 22-27

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Sunday, June 22, 2008

This morning only 4 of my neighborhood kids came along to Church. On our way there we stopped by the orphanage and picked up Moises. He spent the entire day with us. During the service I kept waiting to be called out of church by the Sunday school teacher of the older kids but I guess Kevin kept his promise to me and did not let anyone see the white rat that was hidden under his shirt. After Church we all had pizza at Piccadilly’s with some friends and then went and played around on the hill that overlooks Antigua. When I got home I sent all of the kids home so that I could finish up on my journal and get it onto my web site. That was an extra chore considering that my Internet service is still out. Thankfully I managed to sneak off to Camperos with out being spotted by any of the kids and managed to get things finished while I sipped an ice tee. The waitresses didn’t seem to mind that I occupied a booth in the corner for 3 hours. I guess as often as I am in Camperos with the kids they figured that I had paid my rent. Several of the kids showed up when I returned home so we all played soccer for a while.

I seem to be getting a bit better at keeping my weekend journals short but I sure hate leaving out all of the funny things that happened during the day.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Monday, June 23, 2008, 7:42 PM
Today Calin and Fernando accompanied me to Hermano Pedro. Since there is no school the entire week (?????) the kids are going to take turns coming along with me. I probably should have thought things over and taken some one else because these 2 kids are my easiest and I would be more likely to need easier ones as the week progresses. I thought about taking Abner and Etiline along tomorrow but decided that both of them at once would do me in for the entire week. The boys and I were hoping to be able to swim with the orphanage kids this morning but they never do pool therapy with the kids when it is the least bit cool. Even though it felt rather warm out it was perhaps for the best because I had to work on getting 10 of the teen age girls signed out for lunch. I think that the hardest part of doing this is deciding who gets to come along for lunch and who stays back with tears in their eyes. In fact since only 8 volunteers were joining us I was originally going to sign 8 teens out. All it took is one look at the faces of 2 of the girls that were not on my list and both Calin and Fernando offered to help out with pushing their wheelchairs to Camperos. About 15 minutes before we were scheduled to take them out it started to rain. This was not a little shower but one of those heavy rains that usually last for several hours. I told the girls that were going to help take the teens out that it looked like we were going to have to cancel because there would be no way that the nurses would let the teens go out in the rain. They told me that they didn’t think that the rain was going to be a problem because they were all praying that it would stop by the time we took the girls out. I felt that since I was the one that lived in Guatemala that I knew the weather better than them but I said nothing. 15 minutes later as we were taking the 10 girls to lunch I was glad that I had kept my silenced because I always have a problem digesting humble pie. It is always a lot of work getting all of this organized but if you could see how excited each one of these teen age girls gets when they can leave the orphanage for a few hours you would agree that it is well worth it. This was a first time experience for the 8 girls that volunteered as well but they did great with the girls from the orphanage and everyone had a great time. When we got back to the orphanage I took a few of the volunteers up to the malnutrition ward for a short visit and then spent most of the afternoon working on wheelchairs.

Still no Internet tonight but I think that we are making progress. After, I don’t know how many phone calls to my internet provider they are finally convinced that I am having a problem and agreed to send someone out to investigate what is wrong within the next 24 hours. I think that if I said that my Internet has worked half the time the past few months I would be exaggerating. I know that no one in the USA would put up with that but here it is the only show in town.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Tuesday, June 24, 2008, 10:27 PM

Yesterday the pastor of my church phoned me and asked if I could take a teem that is working with our church through the orphanage this week. Since I was planning on being there anyway I told him that today would work out fine. We decided that since the group was a rather large one that half of them would come this morning and half this afternoon. It made for a busy day but a fun one for all of us. This group had a lot of young people in it and they all made friends with the children in a very short time. Since the weather looked a bit threatening we decided not to take any of the kids anywhere, but this certainly did not dampen anyone’s spirits. Both groups ended up spending most of their time at the orphanage simply loving on the kids and the kids loved it. Lately it has been more difficult to show new people through the malnutrition ward but to day I was told that I could take groups through as long as they didn’t pick up an of the kids. That may sound like a strange rule but I understand why it is there. Some times people come in and pick up one of the kids for a minute or so and them put them back into their crib and pick up another child who they do the same thing to. By the time they leave they have picked up and held a dozen kids and most of them are crying their eyes out from being put back into their cribs so soon. Once we did the walk through the girls sat down in a fenced in area just outside of the door and I brought out a few of the kids for them to hold. I purposely took out kids that I knew, so that we would not end up with any that would cry when I returned them to their beds 15 minutes later. Let me rephrase that. I tried my best to choose kids that in the past let me put them back into there beds with out having them cry. Today’s average was about 50%. The nurses seamed to be OK with it though. If not I will hear about it tomorrow.

This after noon was a repeat of this morning with the only difference being that it was the other half of the group from our church I showed around the orphanage, and the other 50% of the kids from malnutrition that turned out to be the criers.

I some how anticipated that tonight’s group of kids that were going to show up at my house was going to be a bit larger than usual so I picked up 2 roasted chickens and 2 loves of bread at the grocery store. Some how the 2 loves and the 2 chickens managed to feed all 15 of us but there were was not a crumb left when we had finished supper. One of the neighbor dogs even got into my garbage can and finished off all of the bones.

Calin is spending the night. His mom has set a new record because she has been separated from Calin’s step dad for over a month now. The other 3 times that she moved out on him this year they were back together within a week. Knowing this man and the grief that he has caused Calin’s family I cannot help but hope that this time the separation is final. Tonight I got a bit of a lump in my throat when Calin came up to me, put his arm around me and asked me if I could adopt him.

Well it is getting late so I will once again say goodnight.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

After going to the wheelchair shop and picking up 4 new wheelchairs and a bunch of parts I returned home and met with the man that came to repair my internet. This was his second visit in as many days, and about his 6th in the past few months. This time he seemed baffled as to why it was not working. He told me that perhaps my modem was burned out and that he would bring a different one tomorrow but asked if he could use my phone to call the Turbonet headquarters in Guatemala City to make sure that they had a new one there. When he got off the phone he told me that I did not need a new modem because the problem was not at my house but that last week they had accidentally turned off my Internet at the headquarters in Guatemala City. You would think that they would have checked that out before sending some one 30 miles 2 days in a row to fix a problem that did not exist but I shook his hand and thanked him for getting me back on line.

After getting that problem solved I headed to Hermano Pedro with Abner and Alex. I had a lot of wheelchair work to do so I told them that if they did a good job I would pay them. These 2 are not 2 of my most self-motivated kids but with continual coaching they helped me get 4 of the teens into new wheelchairs. A few weeks ago some one gave Hermano Pedro several wheelchairs that are nothing more than plastic lawn chairs with a light weight steel frame that has wheels attached. I wish that the person that thought that these made decent wheelchairs would have sat in one for a few days. All but 2 of the young men that received one of these so-called wheelchairs had already chosen not to use them any more. The 2 men that were still in them after 3 weeks had sore backs and their legs were hurting from not being able to reach the non-adjustable bar that was suppose to serve as a foot rest but it was either use them or stay in bed. Today with only a little coaching my 2 12 year old neighbor kids were able to properly seat these 2 men and 2 others into properly fitting wheelchairs that will now give them comfort instead of pain. After lunch Abner and Alex played with the orphanage kids while I worked on some more wheelchairs.

Some girls that are staying with Chris and Donna for a few days asked if they could treat the kids that hang around my house to pizza tonight. Since bad weather and broken windshield wipers had prevented us from having last weeks pizza party, the kids and I were all for it. Fact is even if last weeks Pizza feed had happened as planned we still would have gone for it. You have to remember I have my kids trained to believe that going out to Taco Bell is like going out to a gourmet restaurant and that Burger King is a health food store. I did not get a head count but I know that 8 large pizzas equal 64 pieces of pizza, and that a few people got left out of having a second piece. It was a lot of fun though and the rain held of long enough that moat of the crew was able to eat out side. I sort of wish that the soccer game that followed would have been rained out though because I was out of new windows. Oh well I guess that I will have to wait a day or 2 to replace the 2 that were broken.

Bryan and Kevin who just started coming along to church a few weeks ago told me that they had relatives visiting so there mom wanted them to find some where other than their own home to sleep at tonight. I found this hard to believe so I had Fernando phone their home for me. To my surprise they were telling the truth, their mom had asked them to stay somewhere else tonight. Since they knew almost no English I had Fernando stay as well. Kevin’s pet rat stayed here as well but much to the dismay of both Kevin and the rat, it is spending the night in a box instead of roaming around my house. The 3 boys have no school tomorrow (?) so I told them they could stay up for a while longer. I am heading off to bed though.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Thursday, June 26, 2008

Had I known that the kids were going to set the alarm for 5:30 I may have reconsidered my offer to let them spend the night. I had told them that I had to head to the shop at around 8 so they wanted to get up early and play before I sent them home. Either they played quietly or I was extra tiered because the next thing I knew it was 8 AM. How I slept through 3 kids playing in the house is beyond me but I did. After getting them fed and out of the house I headed of to the shop to help Alturo work on a power wheelchair that was having some problems. Just before lunch I went to Hermano Pedro and met with a friend for lunch.

I think God puts things in our path for reason even if we can’t figure out what that reason is at the time. Not until today did I know that stinky feet would be one of those things. I have mentioned in my journals from time to time that when some of my kids remove their shoes at night the smell is so strong that it actually makes my eyes water. There has even been a time or 2 when the wind was right that I could tell that they had taken their shoes off even though they were at their homes and I was at mine. Today I realized that God had simply been preparing me for what I was about to do. Last night I received a phone call from the family of the man who lives in the back of a small bakery, that Father Bernardo had taken me to see a few weeks ago. Last week a medical teem from the USA went in with me to see this man to determine weather or not his leg could be saved. The doctor that examined it determined that there was a possibility that the leg could be saved if someone was willing to go in and replace the dressings at least once a week and make sure that any dead tissue was removed every time the dressings were changed. I had thought that my EMT days had pretty much ended when I left the Mt. Baker Ski Patrol many years ago, but moving to Guatemala has proved me wrong. Last night the man’s family told me that even though it had only been 6 days since his leg had been treated, the smell was getting intense so they wondered if I could come and change the dressings. When I got to their home I discovered that they were write about the smell but fortunately it was not any worse than Abner’s feet. So I made it through the hour ordeal of changing the dressing and removing some dead flesh with out losing my lunch. Before putting on new bandages the man’s mother cleaned his leg with soap and water while I got a breath of fresh air. After his leg was cleaned up I examined it more closely and saw that it was looking much better than it did just 6 days ago. I honestly think that there is a possibility that it will not have to be amputated. Before leaving we had prayer with the family and then the kids mobbed me. I don’t know if they simply like Americans or if they are relieved that something is being done for this man but I certainly got my share of hugs. Pat Duff who had come along with me to interpret got her share as well. Some of the adults in the house were crying and they thanked us over and over again. We reminded them that it was God that was doing the healing and that it was His love that we were sharing. I was able to say that with the utmost confidence because I know that it was only by God’s power that I was able to work on this man’s leg with out getting the least bit squeamish.

Yesterday I told the kids that since we had chicken 2 nights ago and Pizza last night that I would not be making dinner tonight. Funny thing though how 2 or 3 kids who are standing at your gate asking for food when you get home can quickly make you give in and find them something to eat. It is also funny how the word gets out and by the time dinner served the numbers have doubled. Oh well 6 dinner guests is still a lot less than the 30 + that were here last night.

After dinner I set my foot down and told the kids that they had to go so that I could get a bit of work done. That lasted all of 5 minutes because I received a phone call from Chino. He told me that he had a school assignment due that required the use of a computer. How can you say no to a teenager who wants to do home work? I told him that he could come over as long as he came alone and worked quietly because I had a lot of computer work to do myself. With in a few minutes he and his younger brother, Elder were at my door. Chino apologized for taking Elder along but explained that their mother was not at home and there was no way that Elder could stay home by himself. He told me that elder would be ok if he stood outside where Chino could keep an eye on him through my window. Ya right! Besides that it only took a few minutes to find something that Elder could do quietly. After that I managed to get a bit of work done but only a bit because Chino notified me that my printer was not going. A half hour later the printer was going and 10 minutes after that Chino had finished his school assignment and he and Elder were out the door. Now for some peace and quiet. This time the silence lasted for 6 minutes. I had forgotten that I had promised 4 of the kids that had not brought their report cards along with them last night that if they brought them over tonight I would take a look at them and if their grades were good I would let them choose a small toy from my rapidly dwindling supply. I know adults that can decide on a new car and do the necessary paper work in less time than it took these kids to decide on which match box car they wanted but an hour later they were on their way home with the prized treasures that they had earned for doing a good job in school. This time I didn’t even get the gate closed behind them than Calin, Abner, and Fernando showed up. They asked me why I had told them that I was not allowing any kids in the house tonight but everyone that they had talked to had been here. I was to tired think of a good answer so I invited them in. I am heading off to bed. They have promised to turn off the lights and lock the door after getting something to eat.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Friday, June 27, 2008, 4:46 PM

Abner and Fernando evidently found their way out of the door last night but I found Calin fast asleep on me floor. It was not long before Fernando was back as well. I had promised both of them that they could come along to Hermano Pedro with me this morning. We had to be there by 9 AM because there was a YWAM group showing up that I had promised to take through the orphanage. The group consisted of mainly married couples that had children of their own. Seeing some of their kids that were the same age as the kids that they had at home was almost more than a few of them could take. One lady said that her 2 year old weighed more than 9 year old Alex who is having a rough time recovering from pneumonia. This group did great with the kids though and they quickly discovered that their loving arms meant far more to the kids than some toys that they had brought for them. When it was time for them to leave a few of them asked if they could join Fernando, Calin, 3 of the orphanage kids and myself for lunch at Camperos. It only took me a couple of minutes to get a few more kids signed out. Today we took some of the more able bodied kids so after lunch they had the time of their lives playing on the playground equipment at Camperos. It used to be a real struggle convincing some of these kids that we had to put them back into there wheelchairs and take them back to the orphanage when it was time to go but they are getting better at it. They have learned over time that Dick remembers who gave him a hard time the last time we went out, and they are starting to catch on as to why they are not invited along the next time that it is their turn.

We did not get back to the orphanage until after 2 PM so I decided that instead of working on wheelchairs we would head for home and I would try to get some of the work done that did not get done last night. So far so good, but then again it isn’t quite supper time yet.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal June 15-21

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Saturday, June 14, 2008

Today Saul and I each took a car to Guatemala City and picked up another group of people from the buss station. This group came all the way from Panama. They have been doing mission outreaches in various countries for several months now. For the next week the men will be helping out with putting windows and porches on several of the homes that we have built, while the women will be spending most of their time at the orphanage.

This evening we once again had our own orphanage here. I lost number of the amount of kids that were here for supper but it had to be over a dozen.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Sunday, June 15, 2008, 7:34 PM

A great church service today, followed by lunch out with the 7 kids that came along plus 4 adults that flew in from the states last night. At lunch the kids spotted one of the professional soccer players that are on Guatemala’s national soccer teem. Even though they were disturbing his lunch he was very patient with them and autographed one item of clothing that each of the kids was wearing. Some of them had to dig a bit deep to find an item of clothing that was light colored enough to autograph but since this man is himself from Guatemala he did not seem to get too embarrassed. I can’t say that about a group of American tourists that were sitting a few tables away though. After lunch I showed them and a few others around the orphanage while my kids played with the orphanage kids.

This evening I was invited to Calin’s grandmother’s house where we had a birthday party for Walter. Funny thing is Walter has been in the United States for several years now. Oh well I guess that it is the thought that counts. Besides that I never turn down a free meal especially when there is cake for dessert

The kids all came to my house after the party so I am going to keep this short and spend some time with them.

Yours in Christ: Dick


Monday, June 16, 2008

For several years I have been praying that more volunteers would come to the orphanage. Today I was wondering if perhaps I had prayed a bit to hard. In my 8 years of coming to Hermano Pedro I don’t think that I have ever seen this many volunteers. I guess it is good but it gets a bit crazy at times especially considerate that this is the week that they are celebrating Hermano Pedro’s anniversary. Any way the kids are getting a lot of attention and that is good even if it is temporary. One of the groups that is there this week is a group of therapist and therapy students, several of whom I spent time traveling to different orphanages with last year. I am glad that they are here because several of them are experienced in seating children in wheelchairs so it looks like they will be able to whittle down on an ever-growing list of kids that need to have their wheelchairs refitted or replaced. Today I felt like a bit of a cop out because after showing them what the needs were I, for the most part, deserted them. I had promised 2 married couples from the USA that I would spend some time with them so the 5 of us took 4 of the kids to lunch.


During the summer months so many teems come in that a person can some times get so involved in spending time scheduling things for them to do that I have to stand back and focus on wither my mane focus is on the teem that is here or on the Guatemalans that I came here to work with. I think that both can be done and those that come her to serve for a week or 2 get more out of it if we keep our true focus and they are allowed to join in on the things that we normally do. I pray that I do not cross over from being a servant to becoming a tour guide.

After lunch I brought my 4 friends over to the warehouse in Antigua where Hope Haven is starting a wheelchair factory. Tomorrow they plan on spending the day there doing some dry walling and building some work benches. From there I returned to the orphanage to see how things were going there. The group of therapy people that are there were making good progress on the list of kids that needed things done to their wheelchairs.

Tonight several of my neighbors had a birthday party to go to on the other side of town so I brought a car load of them over there but did not stay myself. When I returned home my house quickly filled up with kids that had not been invited to the party. They soon had a soccer game going and more or less had a party of their own. I am so thankful that even though my yard is small I at least have one. So many of the homes in my neighborhood have no yards and front doors that open up directly onto the alley. The kids some time play in the alley but lately with all of the rain that we have been having the alley has been so muddy that you can scarcely even drive a car down it. I guess that is why so many kids end up at my place. It isn’t Disney Land but any other choices are few.

Well all those that are going home are gone for the night so I think that I will head off to bed.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Tuesday, June 17, 2008

It was another full day today. After feeding breakfast to the kids that didn’t leave last night I headed over to the wheelchairs shop and picked up a list of supplies that the group that is working on wheelchairs at the orphanage gave me. From there I quickly headed to Antigua where I picked up the 4 Americans that were going to work at the warehouse today. After dropping them off I went to Hermano Pedro were I gave the wheelchair supplies to the therapy people from the USA. I then worked on Byron’s broken power chair for about a half hour but got a phone call before finishing up on it. The phone call was from six of the 12 people that I had picked up at Guatemala City on Saturday. The young men from that group are helping us put up some prefabricated houses this week, while the young ladies were here to get signed up as volunteers in the orphanage. I showed them around and also introduced them to the lady that registers all of the volunteers. When I got to her office I discovered that there were all kinds of Americans there. I don’t know what is going on but it seems like this week half of the USA is in Antigua and ¾ of them are wanting to volunteer at Hermano Pedro. Most of them want to be with the littler kids though and these girls said that they would help out in the section that has the teen girls that are about their age in it. The teens will be delighted because the seldom have any one that spends time with them.

After getting this group settled in I went back over to the kid’s section of the orphanage to see how the therapists were doing. They were doing well but had one extremely difficult case. Hugo, a little boy who has been in Hermano Pedro for a few years now is getting more and more deformed. His poor little back is so crooked that there is almost no way that he can sit up. The therapy students had set up a great little chair for him but it still needed a carved backrest in it. Some times it takes me hours to get one carved out to where it fits the child properly but today things went smoothly and with in an hour Hugo was sitting straight and tall.

Chris and Donna had invited Fidel to their house for his birthday so after quickly finishing up on once again getting Byron’s power chair running I checked Fidel out of the orphanage, loaded him and his power wheelchair into my car, and we were on our way. Every time I drive the extremely bumpy dirt road in to Chris and Donna’s house I wonder why any one would want to live way back there, but every time I get out of my car and see the peaceful country setting that they live in I wish that I lived there. 9 years ago I would have told you that you were crazy if you said that I would be living where I now live but God has a way of changing us and I could not be happier. I must admit though, every now and then, especially on weeks like this when things are going 90 miles an hour it is nice to get out into the country. Thank you Chris and Donna for having us over. Not only was it relaxing for me but seeing how happy Fidel was made it even more special. It is not often that he gets the opportunity to race around on some ones yard with his power wheelchair, or to pet a horse, or to have a family birthday party. Cool thing was he didn’t even mind that the lunch greatly resembled a meal that I would make for my kids. I didn’t mind either, when you are with friends hot dogs taste better than steak.
Speaking of junk food, 4:00 rolled around all to soon. I had promised the orphanage that I would get Fidel back by no later than 4:30. Besides that I was suppose to pick up 12 people from the group of therapists so that they could come to my house and have Pizza with my kids. Most nights I love having people over for dinner, especially when they are the ones providing the dinner but tonight I just could not get into it. Perhaps it was because I had left the house in a mess. The fact that a thunderstorm had moved in didn’t help things out either. I kept wondering how I was going to fit over a dozen adults and up to 30 kids in my house since there was no way that we could be out side. Besides that I had fears that I would not be able to get the Americans back to Antigua after the party because Fidel and I were already driving through over a half foot of water on our way back to Antigua. I kept wondering if I should call the place where these people were staying and see if we could hold off until we had an evening with no rain. About 2 blocks from Hermano Pedro I got my answer. As I was driving through one of the heaviest rains that I have ever seen the windshield wipers of my car broke. Not only was I not going to be able to pick up my friends and take them to my house for pizza but I now had to figure out a way to get myself home. Steve Osborn had been in Antigua today and since he had not yet gone home he took me home. It was perhaps for he best that our pizza night had been put off for a few days because it was raining so hard that only a hand full of kids showed up at my house for supper. They were disappointed that we did not have Pizza but did not complain when we made a large pot of spaghetti. If things work out we will try to move the pizza thing to Friday night.

Tomorrow and Thursday I plan on being on the road doing some visiting and delivering food, medicine and wheelchairs to a number of people. I don’t like pulling the kids out of school but since Calin and Fernando have no school on Thursday, (??) I figured that missing one day would not hurt them. The 2 Married couples that are here from the states are also joining us. It was actually Abner’s turn to come along with me this time but he does not like going anywhere if there is the possibility of there being any work involved and I had told the kids that I was going to use them as interpreters so he decided to let Calin go in his place.

Well we have a lot of things planned for tomorrow so I am going to head off to bed.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Wednesday, June, 18, 2008

Chris came by with the Kea Van at around 8:00 and picked us up. He then road along with us to Antigua and took my car back home. We had decided that it would be better to take the Kea because it had more room and that way I did not have to wait around for the windshield wipers on my Toyota to be repaired.

After picking up our 4 friends that were going along with us today we headed off for the Esquentlia area. About a half hour out we stopped off for some breakfast and then went to a store where we bought groceries for 2 of the families that we would be visiting. Our next stop was at the home of a family that Chris and I had just visited last week. This was where Carlos, his 2 sisters, and his mother lived. Carlos is the little boy who’s mother saw no way out other than to put him into an orphanage because she could not afford to buy him the medicine that prevented him from having frequent seizures. She was also having a difficult time carrying her 9 year old son around because she did not dare to use that old adult wheelchair that she owned since Carlos had fallen out of it several times. Wouldn’t you know it? Just by CHANCE, the 4 people that came along with us today had taken 3 wheelchairs along with when they came from the USA a few days ago and it just so HAPPENED that a kids specialty wheelchair that they had brought along HAPPENED to be the perfect chair for Carlos. It’s funny how things just seem to WORK OUT that way. I guess we were really LUCKY to have a COINCIDENCE like this happen. Then again I wonder if it could have been one of those GODINCIDENCE things? I doubt it though because most people that I talk to tell me that if there is a God he certainly no longer does miracles. It’s sure strange how these things keep HAPPENING to us though. Another STROKE OF LUCK was that just the day before yesterday a friend from the States wrote me and said that she wanted to take care of paying for Carlos’s medicines for the next year. Boy, were we LUCKY or what? After seating Carlos in his new wheelchair and sharing the good news that his mother was now going to be able to get her wish keep her family together we had prayer with Carlos’s family. His mother wanted that because she is uneducated and a bit old fashioned and actually thought that all of this GOOD FORTUNE had come from God. I guess that we should have been a bit mad that God got the glory instead of us but looking at this grateful family still made it worthwhile.

Seriously though if any of you that are reading this do not think that God is very much alive and well, I challenge you to come and travel with us for a week. You may just get LUCKY and see some of the GODINCIDENCES that we have been seeing.

Our next stop was at the home of Ronny and his family. Now that sugar cane harvest is over they and many other families in this area are finding it difficult to put enough food on the table so we gave them some beans, rice, and other staples. Most of the family is doing well but Ronny’s 4 year old sister has been running a fever for a few days and Ronny’s mother had nothing to give her for it. I told Ronny’s mom that I would take her to the nearest drug store after we had visited Ronny’s uncle and his family. This is the family of 8 that live in a ramshackle tin structure just a short distance from where Ronny’s family lives. We gave this family some groceries and talked more about the prefabricated house that we hope to put up for them within the next few months.
Next we headed west to Mazatenango. About an hour before arriving at our hotel it started to rain. The boys were a bit disappointed because they were hoping to swim in the hotel pool but there was no way that I would let them swim in a thunder storm. When we arrived at the hotel we were all hungry so we decided to have supper before even getting cleaned up. The rain had let up by the time that we finished supper and there was no longer any thunder and lighting so most of us went swimming. Being the oldest in the group has its advantages because after about an hour of playing catch with the kids I excused myself and went to my room. Playing catch with Fernando is not all that tiring but trying to lift Calin over your head and throwing him to some one is rather exhausting. The kids did not mind too much when I went to my room because Bill, who is one of the men that is with us, was still tossing the kids around when I went to my room. All 4 of the people that are with us are really enjoying the boys.

The kids are now back into the room and are watching TV. My eye lids are getting heavy so I am going to head off to bed. This is one of my favorite hotels to stay at but I still can’t figure out why they decided to make all of the beds out of cement.

Goodnight, I hope.
Yours in Christ: Dick


Thursday, June 19, 2008

Calin woke me up at 5:30 and asked if he and Fernando could go swimming. I said that it was OK with me but I was not going to join them. It was not until we were at breakfast that Bill and Kathy told me that the boys had come to their door to ask if Bill would come out and swim with them. Bill politely declined.

After breakfast we went to Donya Marie’s house and picked her up. She took us to visit 2 old ladies who were sisters. They were both in need of wheelchairs. We had taken an extra folding wheelchair along with us and since they were both the same size and seldom go any where the son of one of the ladies told us that only one wheelchair would be fine. After dropping Donya Marie off at a place where she could catch a buss back home, we headed to Xela. It was on our way there that Kathy started feeling sick. It started off with a stiff neck but soon her stomach was bothering her as well. When we reached the orphanage in Xela she decided to stay in the van and rest while the rest of us went inside. Even though I had not visited there in over 6 months the kids were excided to see me. They quickly made friends with Cindy, John, Bill, Calin, and Fernando. We did not stay for long but while we were there I got a list of wheelchairs that need repair and promised the mother superior that runs the orphanage that we would return as soon as possible with all of the parts necessary to repair the wheelchairs.
Before leaving Xela we stopped off and got some lunch. Kathy was still feeling sick so she once again stayed in the car. After lunch we drove up to San Francisco (Guatemala) to see Erica. Kathy was not feeling any better but I had to get the medicine in to Erica. Her husband Bill, and Calin decided to stay with her while Cindy, John, Fernando, and I hiked in. It was raining hard but fortunately John and Cindy had brought along rain parkas and Fernando and I each had an umbrella. About half way up the trail we met Erica’s mom and younger brother. They were on their way to San Francisco but told us that they could go later, so they turned around and hiked back to their house with us. Erica was happy to see us and even though her skin still has thick scales in places she and her Family are delighted with the results of the medicine. Her mom reminded us that before using it she could scarcely walk. Every time I see her I find it hard to believe that this outgoing happy young lady is the same girl that only a few years ago hid a corner and cried because she was so ashamed of the way that she looked and so frightened of strangers. Erica’s mom served us some coffee and bread and we visited for a while but then we excused ourselves because we wanted to get back to the car and see how Kathy was doing.
The rain had let up so our walk back to the car was not as bad as the hike in. Kathy was not feeling any better so I asked if she wanted us to go back into Xela and stay for the night but she said that she rather get back to Antigua so we headed for home. The drive back was not to bad because there was no construction going on due to all of the heavy rains. I had to keep a sharp eye out for unmarked detours and numerous small landslides though. We also had to make a number of unscheduled stop so that Kathy could throw up.

As we neared Chimaltenango it became apparent that the had gotten heavy wind and even more rain than we had encountered. Quite a few trees had blown over and I was later told that some houses had been destroyed by land slides. I am not yet sure of the extent of the damage because my Internet is out but we did drive by a few places where it looked like they had rescue crews working.

After getting Kathy, Bill, Cindy, and John back to Antigua and having some supper the boys and I headed for home. There was no wind damage at my house but I wish that I had closed my windows before I left because my floor and some of my furniture were soaked with water. Evidently the winds were high enough to drive the rain into the house even though I have a large overhang on my roof.

All of the kids have left after claiming their rewards for each good grade that they got on their report cards. Each grade over an 80 gives that kid the opportunity to pick a gift out of a suitcase that is filled with things that fiends from the USA have brought in. Tonight the match box cars were a big hit and Calin had top honers walking away with 9 of them.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Friday, June 20, 2008, 5:20 PM

This morning I met with a medical team that is here from the USA. They have been spending most of there time at a clinic that is located a few hours from here but had agreed to meet with me so that I could take a few of them to see the man in Antigua that Father Bernardo introduced me to a few months ago. I wanted a second opinion on weather or not they thought that his leg could be saved. A doctor, nurse, and an interpreter came along with me. First the doctor looked at the brother of the man that has the leg that may have to be amputated. The circulation in both of his legs is poor as well and the doctor told him that with out proper treatment he can easily end up like his brother in a few years. The doctor gave him some pressure socks that should help and also showed him several things that he can do to improve circulation. We then went into the room where the other man was. How he still manages to walk on this leg and why gangrene has not set in is a mystery. Both of his legs are bad so the doctor treated the better of the 2 first. He used a medicated bandage that is called a uniboot. The doctor explained that both men have good circulation going to their legs but the blood pools up there because the return flow is bad. The uniboot is similar to a tight fitting medicated bandage or cast that helps push the blood back up to the hart. Every 7 days it has to be cut off and replaced. The doctor then went to work on the mans other leg. It was a slow process removing dead flesh from a leg that appeared to be more dead than alive. I watched closely because this the doctor was leaving for the states later today and from here on out the responsibility of treating this mans leg would be mine. I have worked on a lot of bed sores but none of those people had any feeling from the waist down so they did not feel what I was doing. This man felt everything that was being done to him. Even though it hurt him a lot he told the doctor to continue, knowing that it was the only way that his leg could possibly be saved. About an hour later the uniboot was applied to the leg that had been cleared of most of the dead tissue. It is still very uncertain weather or not this leg can be saved but the doctor thinks that it is worth a try. I will stay in close contact with him and send him pictures so that he can decide if the leg can be saved. I think that I will refrain from posting the pictures on my web site though, because I don’t want to lose all of my readers. Before we left we had prayer with each of these men. As we started to leave one of the younger children ran over to me and gave me a big hug. Her sisters and brothers quickly followed and did the same. As hard as it was for them to watch what we were doing not even the youngest child had left the room. I think that they were so grateful that someone cared enough to do something that they were not bothered by what we were doing. Fact is they were all so grateful that I am looking forward to next Friday when I go back and work on this man’s leg.
After bringing the doctor, his nurse, and our interpreter back to where the rest of their team was, I went and spent a bit of time at Hermano Pedro. I feel like I really neglected the therapy team that was there this week but they showed me what they had accomplished and they have done a great job. For the first time in a long time I feel like we are getting caught up with most of the kids at Hermano Pedro that needed to have their wheelchairs readjusted or replaced. Thanks team for a job well done.

I left the orphanage at around 2 PM because a man had been waiting for me all day, at the wheelchair shop. He was having some problems with his wheelchair that I knew could be taken care of in less than an hour but I simply could not get to him before 3. He had been very patient though and told me not to worry when I apologized for making him hang around all day. After finishing up on his wheelchair I went around town paying my water, electric, and telephone bills. It is now 6:40 and time to head for home. I am here at the shop using their Internet. Mine should be back on by tomorrow. Next month I will try to pay my bills a few days earlier.

Yours in Christ: Dick


Saturday, June 21, 2008, 4:57 PM

It is Saturday today so I went to a park that is located about 10 miles from Antigua and spend a good part of the day relaxing. I think that the only thing I could have done differently to make it more relaxing would have been to not invite 3 of my neighborhood kids, 2 orphanage kids, and 2 volunteers, along with me but then I would likely have gotten board. Actual as it turned out only 7 of us ended up going because Moises had a stomach ache and could not come along with us. The 2 girls who are here from the States went for a walk with Byron and myself while Abner, Alex, and Elder swam in a wading pool that is at the park. After that we hung around the pool for a while and even though we had the kids along it was still a relaxing day. I was hoping to have a quiet evening at home, finishing up on this weeks journal but my internet is still out, so I am either going to have to go over to the shop or go to Camperos and have a 5 hour cup of coffee while I post this along with all of the pictures. I sure wish that I had paid that phone bill on time but I am never sent one and when ever I drop in at the phone company to see what I owe they tell me that I am up to date on my payments only to discover that my phone gets turned off later that day.

I think that I will go and take a hot shower before heading to town. Any way I hope that it is hot but who knows they have perhaps shut off my electricity as well. Then again perhaps instead of the electricity being off I may find that they have once again shut off my water and removed the meter. The last time that happened to me, it was less then a week after I had paid my water bill. I am not bellyaching but I do sometimes get a headache trying to figure out Guatemalan logic.
Have a good weekend.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Just a quick prayer request.


A few days ago this picture of Alex and me was taken. Only a day later he came down with pneumonia. He was put in the hospital for a few days but now is back at Hermano Pedro. He is doing some what better but is still on Oxygen. Please pray for his recovery.



.....................................................
I am not sure weather or not I already mentioned this but Jefferson, who had been back whit his family ever since Christmas. His parents returned him to the the orphanage a few weeks ago. He seemed to be OK, but a few days ago he passed away in his sleep.

Journal, June 7-14, 2008

(Click on any photo to enlarge.)

(You may notice that there are not journal entries for Saturday June 7, or Sunday June 8. All I can say is “Yep”. Some days just don’t have enough hours in them to allow me the luxury of sitting in front of my computer to reflect on my day. This weekend Spending time with the kids, going to church, attending birthday parties, and doing a hundred other things took priority over journal writing.)

Monday, June 9, 2008, 8:55 PM

This morning I went to the shop to meet with a family that was bringing their little girl in for a new wheelchair. I had not seen any pictures of her but was expecting someone that was going to be a difficult fit. As it turned out she had some hip deformity but she was not all that difficult of a person to seat in a wheelchair. Her and her mother were delightful though and since mom spoke English we did a lot of visiting while I worked on her daughter’s wheelchair. More and more I am meeting families here in Guatemala who are not ashamed of their disabled children. This little girl was her mother’s pride and joy. The love that her mother had for her radiated through both mother and daughter. They were both especially happy with the wheelchair that the 10 year old girl got because it had a try on it that would allow her to stay in her wheelchair while at school. Up until now she had to be transferred from the large adult wheelchair that she owned into a school desk and with her hip condition it caused her a lot of pain. All to soon we had finished and I once again had to say goodbye to my newfound friends.

After grabbing a quick breakfast at none other than Camperos, I headed to Antigua. Before going to the orphanage I stopped off at the warehouse where Hope Haven is starting a wheelchair factory. Mark Richard is here for a few days and he had some therapy supplies that had been donated to them that he wanted to show me. He showed me a wide assortment of specialty feeding supplies that I was sure many of the orphanages would love to have. When I left the warehouse I brought along some of items to show to the therapists at Hermano Pedro. Needless to say they were delighted with them and even more delighted when I told them that there were more where they came from. I was delighted to because with the used of these specialty cups, plates, and eating utensils more and more of the teens and children will hopefully be able to feed themselves.

Both Gaspar and Davis have outgrown their present wheelchairs and I have been meaning to put them into larger ones for a long time now. They have both been patient with me because they knew that there were others who needed more specialized wheelchairs and their needs were even greater. Today however when I walked into the orphanage with 2 wheelchairs and gave them both a big grin they knew exactly whom the wheelchairs were for. Gaspar was a bit frightened of his wheelchair when I first put him in it because it sat much higher than his old one but soon he was as happy with it as David was with his.

Since I had eaten a late breakfast I had skipped lunch but at around 3 PM my stomach was growling. Moises had been helping me work on Gaspar and David’s wheelchairs most of the day so I asked him if he wanted to go out to eat with me. As you well know the kids at the orphanage love nothing better than going out but generally I take several of them at one time. Going out with just the 2 of us was an extra special treat for Moises. I was thinking that my Spanish was improving until the waiter brought out a large pizza for Moises instead of the kids Pizza that I had ordered for him but he managed to chow down on nearly half of it and was delighted to have food to take back to the orphanage.

Even though I had already fed 1 kid and eaten myself this was just the start of things because when I got home the kids came out of the woodwork. I even had one of the teens show up way after the others were fed. When I asked him why he and not already eaten at his home he told me that his family had no money for food. Some times I start thinking that the kids just come here because they like my cooking better than moms but then I am reminded if I didn’t feed them they would possibly go to bed on an empty stomach. Besides that if I really thought about it, no matter what kind of a cook there mom was how could they possibly like my cooking better.

Well it is getting late and the house is still wall to wall kids so I guess that I will give the 5 minute warning.

Good night.
Yours in Christ: Dick

Tuesday, June 10, 2008, 10:50

There were several groups of people that I had promised to take through the orphanage this afternoon but none of them were scheduled to be there until after 1 PM. This gave me time to catch up on a few things at home and still make it to the orphanage in time to take 3 of the kids out to lunch. 2 girls that are presently volunteering at the orphanage and myself took Roberto, Elmer, and David out to eat. I could not believe my eyes today. Roberto who usually ends up wearing more food than he eats has suddenly become Mr. Neat and Tidy. Even though he still had his favorite, French fries with a half dozen sauces to dip them in, he was meticulous in the way that he dipped his fries in the sauce and made sure that he did not spill a crumb. If you don’t think that this is unusual for Bobby check out his picture in my May 20 journal. He and everyone else seemed to enjoy themselves though. My only worry was that as clean as Bobby was when we brought him back to the orphanage I have my doubts that the nurses believed that we fed him.

Shortly after we returned to the orphanage group # 1 showed up. This was a group of around 15 people, actually there are 30 in the group but we divided them and the other half are coming tomorrow morning. I showed them through the orphanage starting with the adults and then going to the teen section. When I got to the children’s section I discovered that there another group of around 20 had come in while I was giving the tour. Never in the 8 and a half years that I have been at Hermano Pedro have I felt that there were enough volunteers there. I must admit though today came very close. One thing that added to the confusion was that this was the day that the nurses had picked to clean one of the 2 rooms that the children sleep in. Put 40 kids into a room that is crowded when it has it’s normal 20 kids in it, add 35 to 40 volunteers plus 8 or nine nurses and what do you get? Confusion and Kayos. I led most of my group out into the courtyard and started collecting kids out of their cribs and handing them to the next available set of arms. Before long most of the kids were being held and most of the members of the group were falling in love with some one whom they had just met. I think that they all enjoyed them selves but cannot honestly say because before I could catch my breath I got a phone call from the front desk that the people that I had promise to take through the orphanage at 3 PM were waiting at the door. I hope that group # 3 will forgive me because as I walked them through the orphanage I honestly could not remember weather I was repeating my self to them or if what I was sharing with them was something that I had told a previous group. Some where in the middle of this I was supposed to meet with 2 different staff people from the orphanage. One of them I managed to meet with the other I met in the hallway an hour after we were suppose to have had a meeting. She recognized that I was a bit swamped so we agreed to meet at the end of the day. It is now 11:30 I guess I could still call her but hopefully she will understand if I meet with her tomorrow instead.

When I got home this evening I took Lady out to eat for her birthday. Since Carlin and Darlene are sort of like her brother and sister they came along as well. When I got home the house once again filled up with hungry kids. They took one look at me and announced that they would do the cooking tonight. They are starting to know me well enough to recognize the difference between tired and TIRED. Abner has moved in for the night but to the best of my knowledge all of the others have gone home. Oh guess what? No school for the rest of the week. Why? No one seems to know. Some times I wish that I were a teacher here in Guatemala. They seem to get plenty of rest.

Goodnight:
Yours in Christ: Dick


Wednesday, June 11, 2008, 9:05 PM

This morning I took the other half of the group of 32 people that are here from the USA through the orphanage. Just like yesterdays group they were a bit nervous at first but is did not take long before they quickly warmed up to the kids. A few of them even went up to the malnutrition ward with me. I wanted to spend some time there because I was told yesterday that Byron (not the one in the head controlled power chair) will be going home on Friday. I am not sure that sending him home is a wise decision but I understand that his parents really miss him. It is still hard to believe that this frail little boy is 14 years old but at least he has put on some weight during the past few months. He still has a catheter due to bladder infection and also gets most of his food through a feeding tube so I am not sure how his parents will deal with that but I am glad that they love him enough to want him back. At 11:20 the group left and I had about 30 seconds to catch my breath before group # 2 showed up. This was another group that is here from the USA that I promised to check out some of the kids for, so that they could take them to lunch. Yesterday they told me that all 20 of them would be going. I told them that would not check out more than 9 kids because 30 of us showing up at Camperos could be a bit overwhelming. Not just to the Camperos workers but to the kids. I was a bit surprised today when this group of 20 showed up with another 10 friends but since I had already done the necessary paper work on all of the kids and the nurses had already gotten the kids ready to go to lunch I was committed. Fortunately the leader of this small army had stopped by Camperos before coming to the orphanage and warned them of the invasion. Over all things went well and most of the kids did well and had a good time. All of the commotion was a bit much for Jo Jo though and he did not handle things to well. I seriously considered taking him back to Hermano Pedro because he was down right miserable. The only problem was that I had signed all of the kids out so I did not dare to leave. That is when Carlos rode in to the rescue. Actually he waked in. After helping feed some of the older kids at the orphanage he had decided to come and join us. Since he is on the volunteer list at Hermano Pedro I was able to let him take Jo Jo back while I stayed with the others. Carlos told me that he would be more than happy to oblige and soon both Jo Jo and I were feeling much relieved. On our way home we took the kids through Central park and even let a few of them get a bit wet by splashing in the fountain.

In spite of all of the busyness at Camperos all but one of us got something to eat. That is why I stopped of for a leisurely supper all by myself before heading home. This evening the number of kids that have been in my house at any one time has been a bit lower than normal and now only Fernando is left. I think that he is taking up residence tonight but am not quite sure. I know that I am tired so I am going to quickly go and lay clime to the only bed in the house.

I just received an e-mail

Those of you that have been to one of our camps here in Guatemala undoubtedly know Amy Deyong. Amy moved here from the States several years ago and along with Judy Kerschner operates a Christian school that is located in Santa Maria DeJesus, which is located about 15 minutes from Antigua. About 6 months ago I wrote about her boy friend, Willie's brother Sony, being kidnapped and asked for prayer for this family. You may remember that Sony was miraculously found tied up in a cave by some of his family members but the problems for this family did not end there. On several occasions shortly after his rescue strangers came into this small town looking for members of Willie's family and even threatened employees of Willie's family.

For the past few months things have quieted down and Willie's family thought that perhaps those that had done the kidnapping had given up on trying to retaliate. Unfortunately it does not look like this is the case. Just a few minutes ago I received this e-mail from Amy Deyong.

Dear family and friends, We need you to be praying. Willy's mother was kidnapped early this morning. We don't have much more information other than that we know this kidnapping was specifically planned and targeted for her (when Sony was kidnapped last July 4, it was a random act). She rides the bus that her son, Fredy, drives to Guatemala City every morning. The bus leaves Santa Maria every day at 3:00a.m. and arrives in the bus terminal in Guatemala City where Willy's mom sells vegetables most every day. What I understand is that at some point in Guatemala City, the bus was stopped and the kidnappers got her off the bus and took her. I don't know if they got Fredy off the bus at first or not, but he was not kidnapped. He called home as soon as he could and said that she was taken. The kidnappers were armed, and I imagine the bus was full of people. Kidnappings of adults for extortion purposes are not uncommon here in Guatemala. Please pray for justice to come in this country and for Willy's family. Willie's Mother's name is Felipa, but most people call her Salinda.

Amy

Just this morning I was with a friend who just returned from a funeral of a lady that was murdered this week. The lady we murdered because her neighbors felt that she was a witch and that she had put a curse on them that caused one of their cows to die. Last week a man was shot in the back right across from Calin's house. This was the 7th shooting with in a few blocks of my home in the past few months. This was also the 2nd shooting that members of Calin's family have personally witnessed. Crime here is on the increase and it is getting more and more organized. Are we hiding in our homes or trembling in fear? No way we have some one on our side who is much stronger than the enemy. We covet your prayers though. They are so important to us. Please remember to hold us up in prayer as you pray for Willie's mother and family.

James 5:16 b

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Thursday, June 12, 2008, 9:00 PM

Ten hungry kids for supper tonight. Several of them have been doing the cooking lately so I figured that I better take a turn at it tonight. Most of them played a memory game with some picture cards while others did their homework. I am not sure why they had homework because they all told me that they had none the night before last and now there has been no school for the past 2 days. Oh well at least they get a little schoolwork in this way. (Wow we just had an earthquake. A few of my kids have big eyes but it wasn’t a bad one.)

Our day started out by Chris and myself picking up 3 people that are here from Washington State. They are Kevin and Kathy Davenport and their son Christian. Kathy visited Guatemala with a mission group about a year ago and she was so impressed that she talked her husband and son into coming along to Guatemala this year. Today the 5 of us drove to Rio Bravo, a small town that is about a 2 hour drive from here. We had done a wheelchair distribution there about 4 months ago but wanted to return so that we could deliver power wheelchairs to 2 individuals. One of the power chairs was going to Axle. Axle is the man that helped arrange that distribution. Even though a traffic accident left Axle nearly totally paralyzed he is a very active person in his community. Axle has been fortunate enough to own a power wheelchair for several years now but it has seen better days. If it were to give out completely he would be devastated because he spends so much time out in his community serving his neighbors. Today we were able to give him a power chair that Hope Haven international shipped to us a few weeks ago. Not only does it look and run like new but it has a power tilt on it so that Axle can automatically recline it and rest his back whenever he wants to. Just like Axle’s old wheelchair this chair is also set up with an automatic locking system that allows him to drive it into an old converted mini van that he owns and actually drive the van from his wheelchair using hand controls.

We had intended on delivering a second power wheelchair to a young man that Axle took us to see a few months ago but he had gotten sick and was in the hospital. Since he was sick we decided not to go and see him but left his power chair with Axle. We seldom do that because we always want to make sure that any wheelchair that we give out is fitted properly, fortunately when we met him a few months ago I had taken a lot of measurements and a lot of pictures and adjusted the chair accordingly. Axle also knows enough about how a wheelchair should be fitted that he will call us if anything needs adjustment once the young man that is receiving it returns home and tries it out. We asked Axle if he thought that the young man would be happy with it and he laughed. He then shared with us that not one day had gone by since out first visit that this man had not phoned and asked him if he had heard anything abut the wheelchair. I guess If I had been shot and had no way to move around for 4 years I would be a bit anxious myself.

I didn’t get back home until around 7 PM but it did not take long for the house to fill up with kids. Since they have been so good at helping me lately I told them that they could once again play while I made supper. It seems that there is always at least one kid who wants to stick around and help though. Tonight it was Cesar. Cesar is not one of my regulars but he and several cousins have started showing up more and more lately. They are all well mannered kids and I have had no problems with them so far but I do keep an eye on his cousin Esbin whom I have been told has sticky fingers. It was spaghetti night tonight and that went over big. If any of these kids get spaghetti at their homes I doubt that it often has hamburger in it. After supper most of them went out side and played soccer. While others stayed in the house to do some home work. Thats right, no school for the past few days, but home work. ??? Tonight I stayed in the house most of the time because I got a few stragglers that were hungry. I didn’t let them leave hungry but I think that the kids that had spaghetti were happier with their meal than these were with there corn flakes.

I have been receiving e-nails form Amy Deyong all throughout the day. The people that kidnapped her boyfriend’s mother have contacted the family several times today but so far nothing has changed.

Well most of the kids are gone and it is once again getting late. Calin is my only overnight guest tonight and he is already fast asleep. I think that I will go and do the same.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

As I was about to turn off my computer this e-mail came in.

Dear Praying Family and Friends, I don't really know details, but Willy told me that one of their friends went to turn over the money and he is back safely now. We praise God for this!! The amount that they paid (...if what I heard was accurate, because I don't know how much they really want me or anyone else to know right now), was only a tiny fraction of the amount they were first told -- it was a do-able amount that was accepted, which we are very thankful for also. At least one of his brothers left to go get their mom. They were told that she was dropped off by the people somewhere in a different town about an hour away. Willy didn't know how or where they would find her there, but he was so relieved that his brother was on his way to get her and bring her home. He is going to call me when she gets there. Whoever reads this before I write again, please be praying that they will get back home safely. There are so many unknowns, and things here are not done the way we imagine they should be for safety and security purposes. (Also it is in our American nature to ask so many questions; here they don't typically). Our hope is in the LORD; we know that HE is sovereign and is in control, that HE is with her, and HE is our rock and our firm salvation.
11:30 PM

I just received another e-mail from Amy.

She just got home! It's 11:00p.m. She is safe and okay!! Oh, how we praise You Lord Jesus, God Almighty, El Elyon! Hallelujah!! Thank You, Father, for protecting your servant Felipa. Thank you all for your prayers. I will write more tomorrow. We love You and rejoice in Your greatness and sovereignty, Lord God! Love, Amy

Now I really am going to head off to bed,

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Friday, June 13, 2008

This morning Chris and I once again picked up Kathy, Kevin, and their son Christian and headed down towards the coast. Since the kids once again had no school (I Know!) Fernando and Alex also joined us. Our first stop was at the clinic that we have been working with. We did not stay there long but wanted to tell them that today we were going bring this months supply of groceries to Julio’s family. From there we went to visit Milton and his family. Milton is looking about the same as he did when I brought him home from the malnutrition ward of Hermano Pedro last week. It seems that it is a bit easier for him to straighten his back than it had been and when we asked his mother if she has been working on having him lye in less of a curved position she told us that she has. We were hoping to leave a stroller with the family but it was not big enough for Milton to lye in so I promise to bring something different the next time I am in that area.

Next we went to a groceries store and purchased groceries that were mostly geared to young children and then headed to Julio’s house. Julio has been back home for nearly a month now and what we saw encouraged us. Back a few months ago before taking him in to the malnutrition ward of Hermano Pedro it seemed like the family of this 17 pound 10 year old had given up on him. Today however, we witnessed a lot of love being given to him by both his mother and his brother’s and sisters. He had just been given a bath and the members of his family were taking turns holding him. Julio was smiling and looking very content. This family of 8 seems a lot happier than they did when we first met them. Having a new home to live in, clean water, a healthy child, and some one that is willing to help them get on there feet has made a big difference in their lives. I am not sure where they are at in terms of their walk with God, but they know where we are at in ours and in a lot of these poorer areas it seems that actions speak louder than words. I know for a fact that shortly after taking Julio to Hermano Pedro many of the neighbors came and visited Julio’s parents and told them what a mistake they had made and that they would never see their son again. Now I am confident that these same people would gladly allow their own children to be taken there if the need arises.
Next we headed cross-country to where Anglia lives. I had been this way once when the doctor from Cuba was with me but was not sure that I remembered the way. Even though I had accidentally erased the dirt roads that led to her house off from my GPS it showed where Anglia lived so every time we got to a fork in the road I took the dirt road that headed in that general direction. I am not saying that my choices were always right so we had to turn around a few times but we slowly made progress. We had one tense moment when we rounded a corner and saw a tractor and a fallen tree blocking the one lane road. About 6 or 7 men were standing by the tractor. I kept my hand on the gearshift lever figuring that I could quickly back up and turn around if there was any problem. I had encountered a similar situation a few years ago when about 25 men with machetes had the road blocked with a truck. They told me that they wanted money for using the road. That day a lot of praying got us out of what could have been an unpleasant situation. Today the men never approached the car nor did we get out and talk with them. About a minute after we stopped one of them got on to the tractor and moved it. I think that they had simply fallen the tree across the road to cut it up for firewood but cannot be sure. All I know is that we were all praying that we were not on a dead end road because we did not want to have to return on this road while they were there.

Anglia is still fighting an infection in her leg but it looks like it is slowly getting better. The last time that I had visited, her daughter had wanted to take me to a family that had a child that needed help but it was getting late so I promised them that I would return as soon as I could. After having a prayer with Angle’s family her daughter and her daughter’s baby got into the car with us and we drove to the home of this other family. There a mother and her children, one of whom has Cerebral Palsy, greeted us. The boy with the Cerebral Palsy was a bit frightened by all of the Americans but he calmed down enough that I could measure him for a wheelchair. While I did this Chris visited with the mother and she told him that she wanted to put him in an orphanage. After measuring the boy we talked more with his mother it was obvious that she loved her son so we wanted to know why she did not want to keep him with her at home. We discovered that with out the proper medicine he has one or 2 seizures a day. Mom showed us the old adult wheelchair that her son uses and explained to us that he could not tolerate setting in it because it fit him so poorly and that he had often fallen out of it. We told mom that the wheelchair issue would be an easy one for us to solve and then asked her what the medicine that he needed cost. She showed us an empty box that had the price written on it and it came to around 75 cents a day. We then stuck our neck out a bit and asked mom if she would rather have us see if we could get her son into an orphanage or supply her with the medicine so that she could keep him at home. Her answer was instantaneous. “I want to keep my child with me.” She said. I seldom mention any needs for money in my journals but around $30 per month would allow this mother to keep her son and not only supply the much needed medicine but a little extra food as well.

After dropping Anglia’s daughter and her baby off at home we headed down the road about a mile to where the twin girls that the doctor had taken me to see a few weeks ago lived. Their mother was at home this time so we visited with her and gave her a year’s supply of children’s vitamins to give to her children.

From there we went just a few hundred yards to the home of the old lady who has a 28 year old daughter that is mentally handicapped. I wanted Chris, who knows a lot more about building construction than I do, to look at the house that they were living in. Chris said that he felt we would be better off putting some new tin on their present house than building them a new one so we will try to do that in the not to distant future.

(Ronny's new brother)

Our next stop was at Ronny’s home. It is so neat to see the change in this family since they have moved into their new home. Mother who has never been the worlds best house keeper is now taking pride in their new home and the family has also planted a lot of trees and flowers out in their yard. I think that up until now they had been living in such poor conditions that they simply could see no way out. Ronny’s grandmother has been having some health problems so we left some money so that she can see a doctor.

We had hoped that Ronny’s uncle and aunt, who live near by were at home but only their children were at home. We are going to try to help them out with a pre-fabricated house because their present dwelling is ready to topple over.

It seem that the needs are endless but it also seems that God leads us to certin families. Please pray that God give us the wisdom in knowing who to help and how to help. It is so hard to tell a hurting individual or family that they are going to have to wait or in some cases that we simply cannot help them because the dirt floor home that they live in looks like it will possibly withstand a few more storms before it topples over. It is difficult to tell a mother that we can not help her out by buying her family food simply because she still has a small sack of corn or rice in her home but because the needs are so great we sometimes we have days when we have to do that. Today was once again one of those sometimes days.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal June 1-6 2008

(Click on any photo to enlarge)

Sunday, June 1, 2008

This morning I stayed home from church and worked on getting my journal sent out. The hours spent getting these journals written, picking out and preparing the pictures, and then getting everything set up and published are sometimes not available to me during the week. I know that a lot of people like to read them and it is a good way to keep everyone informed on what is happening down here, but sometimes it gets a bit overwhelming. I wish that I could figure out a faster way to do this but until I learn to spell better even spell checking each days work is very time consuming. I guess I should be thankful for spell check but hate it when it keeps asking me to give it a hint.

Actually the main reason that I did not go to church in Antigua was because we still have a team of about 18 people here from Iowa and they all went to church here in Chimaltenango. At noon Fernando and I joined them and we all went to Burger king for lunch. From there we went to Antigua and spent most of the afternoon at the orphanage. About a third of this group from Iowa is children and with the help of Fernando and Benjamin they quickly made friends with the orphanage kids. After taking most of the adults on a tour of the orphanage the adults got right in there with the kids just like the younger ones did. The malnutrition ward has become a bit more fussy on allowing adults in to see the kids but the head nurse allowed me to take 2 of the men it to see these kids. Both of them quickly fell in love with the kids that were there and they found it difficult to say goodbye when it was time to go. At around 3:00 PM Chris took a few of the people to the Jade factory. They wanted to shop for some of the more expensive junk. The rest of us stayed at the orphanage for about another hour and then went to the markets to shop for the cheaper junk. Shortly after we got there we were joined by the others evidently they wanted some cheep junk to go along with their expensive junk. I have been told that I have an attitude about souvenir shopping. I can’t imagine where anyone came up with that. Actually I don’t mind it as long as it isn’t me doing it. My garbage bill is already $3 per month and I simply do not have the storage space for hammocks that I have no trees for or clothing that I would not be caught dead wearing in public. For those of you that have loved ones that were in this group act excited when they give you these trinkets though because it is the thought that counts.

Chris, Donna, Pastor Bill, and a few others had a camp meeting to go to this evening so I kept the van and took the rest of the group to dinner. We had a very nice meal at one of the restaurants in Antigua. This group is a lot of fun and we had a good time.

When I got home I found that all of the kids except Fernando, who had gone along with us to eat, were hungry. Chino, who is one of the teens that often comes over around supper time, was the first to ask me what was for supper. He is a good kid but definitely not one of the more eager ones to help out with any work that is to be done around here. He gave me a bit of a strange look when I told him that tonight it was his turn to cook while the others played, but he told me that he would try it as long as I showed him what to do. After a few misguided attempts at flipping pancakes he got the hang of it and by the time he had finished some of them were recognizable. I don’t know that he will ever admit it but I think that he actually enjoyed cooking and was quite proud of the fact that he made most of the dinner by himself.

Wow, I just looked over at what I have written so far and realize why these journals take so long. Not only do I have to learn how to spell but also I have to learn how to be less long winded. It is fun though, because it is a good way to remind myself just how blessed I am to be down here and what a blessing it is to be able to work along side of such wonderful people. I am not only talking about the people that live here but also the teams that come down. They are all great even if they do like to go shopping.

The following is only for the wives that have husbands that went along on this trip.

If I were you I would ask your husband why some of the husbands brought home expensive jade necklaces for their wives, while you ended up with a soccer shirt or a hand made purse that resembles a gunnysack. Oh well, like I said it’s the thought that counts. Besides that it’s only 2 days until garbage day.

Good night,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Monday, June 2, 2008

Since this was the last day that the group from Iowa was here we decided to take the day off and go to the ocean. Little did we know when we decided this over a week ago that there was going to be a tropical storm just off coast and that the ocean was going to try to come to us. When we arrived at the motel this morning to pick up our guests I asked Chris if we should resort to plan B. Chris gave me a funny look and reminded me that there was no plan B. After stopping off in town for some breakfast we headed out for the beech. One of the girls in my car got a bit sick on the way there but after stopping so that she could upchuck her breakfast she felt much better and we were once again on our way. With as much water as there was on the road we are still trying to figure out wither she had gotten carsick or seasick. There were times that we were driving in over a foot of water. Most people would have called it a tropical storm or a flood, but since we were heading to the beach to relax in the sun we simply called it heavy humidity. We had a good time driving to the beach though, especially on a 3-mile section of dirt road detoured around a washed out bridge. Even though it was raining hard the temperature was quite warm so the people who were in Chris’s van that was in front of us kept their windows open. Do you have any Idea how much water and mud a Toyota Land Cruiser can splash into the open windows of a van when it passes it on a muddy road that has close to a foot of water on it. All I know is that none of the passengers on the left side of the van got their windows up in time. Those on the right side that stayed dry thought it was great until I spotted a wide spot in the road that had an even muddier left shoulder that I was able to pass by on. When we got to the beach everyone got out of their wet clothing and into their dry swimsuits. Even though it had been raining hard it had stopped just a few minutes before we got there and we all had a great time swimming and relaxing.

About 1 minute after getting into the cars to head for home the sky once again opened up and it poured all of the way home. I behaved myself on the way home because everyone was now wearing the last of their dry clothing. Besides that splashing the van wouldn’t have been much fun because no one had the nerve to leave there window open.

All of the kids have headed for home except for Abner who has fallen asleep on the sofa. I have toget up at 3 AM so that we can pick up the team at 3:30 and take them back to the airport so I am going to say goodnight as well.

Yours in Christ: Dick


Tuesday, June 3, 2008, 9:28 PM

Today was a stay in town day. After getting back from my 3:30 AM trip from the airport I did some work on the computer until my eyes would not stay open any longer. After a 2 hour nap I headed to the shop and worked on some power wheelchairs. This evening I let the kids hang around until around 9 and then sent most of them home. Nancy and Kimberly are still here sweeping and mopping the house. By the size of the piles of dirt that they are sweeping up I am surprised that there id any left in the alley. I think that I will have them use the dirt to fill in a few potholes. Well I have to get out of this room so that they can mop.

Yours in Christ: Dick


Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Today is Nancy’s birthday and since School was canceled on account of rain I took her and a few of the other kids out for breakfast. Funny thing though, how we had no problem getting to breakfast but the teachers figured that the rain was reason enough to cancel School. We had a good time at breakfast and for a change the girls outnumbered the boys. One of the reasons was that Abner told me that he didn’t want Etiline to come along and that if I invited her he would go. I guess that was suppose to be a punishment of some type for me but I think that it backfired, because I had plenty to eat while Abner went hungry. Next time I will have to once again remind everyone that they cannot order more than they can eat. I don’t mind taking the kids out to eat but when they take home enough food to feed the entire family (for a few days) it gets a bit expensive. I guess the good side of it is that Camperos gives you a card that works something like green stamps and at this rate I should be able to trade it in for a free restaurant by the end of the year.

When we had finished our breakfast the waiters and waitresses brought out a cupcake with a candle in it and we all sang happy birthday to Nancy. I think that she could have lived whit out that happening but she was a good sport about it and took it well.

After breakfast Abner, Alex, and Fernando accompanied me to Hermano Pedro. I some times think that it would be much easier on both Abner and myself if I sealed him in a wooden barrel and fed him through a knothole with a straw. Although I must admit that on days like these I would have to pray for patience or I would likely plug the knothole. When we got to Hermano Pedro he was in one of his Abner moods and it was rubbing off on Alex. Fernando was doing great and having a good time with the orphanage kids but Abner and Alex decided that they were not going to do anything. This lasted for about a half hour but even though Alex often mimics Abner I could see that he was getting tiered of being a ???. (Oops! Sorry missionaries are not suppose to use that word) Any way he was beginning to see that Abner was acting like a ???. (Well any way you get the point.) I looked over and asked Alex if he wanted to help me work on one of the wheelchairs. I didn’t exactly get a big enthusiastic yes but he did manage to get up out of the hammock that he was lying in and even took the wrench that I held out to him. About 30 seconds later he was fully into fixing the wheelchair and had a grin on his face that I hope Abner will someday have. From there on out there was no stopping him. We took a break at around noon so I went up to the malnutrition ward to see how Melvin and a few of the other kids were doing. When I returned I found Abner still lying in the hammock that he had spent most of the morning in. Fernando was in a hammock but he was buried under kids that he was playing with. I did not see Alex so I went in to where the children’s beds were. There was Alex feeding one of the more severe kids. He had a look of satisfaction on his face that is hard to describe. I think that he had possibly caught the vision of servant-hood. At any rate he looked like he was at peace with himself and the world. It is a look that I see more and more in many of the kids that I work with. Even though they have so little to offer in the way of material things they seem to be learning more and more how to give of themselves. I am praying that it is contagious and that one of these days Abner catches the bug.

Goodnight:
Yours in Christ: Dick


Thursday, June 5, 2008, 10:06 PM

Today, after stopping off at the wheelchair shop for some supplies, I once again went to Hermano Pedro. This time Calin came along. He had been told that there would likely be school today because the rain had pretty much quit but I guess last night’s shower was enough to keep most of the teachers home. Before he came along with me he went to school to check but came back with in a half hour and told me that he could come along with me. It was not until we were half way to Antigua that he told me that his teacher was there when he got to school but she told him that most of the teachers and some of the students had not shown up so they were not going to do much of anything today so he just as well come along with me. Had it been any of my other kids that had told me this story I would have gone to school and checked myself but coming from Calin, who loves school, I knew that it was true.

We arrived at Hermano Pedro to late to sign any of the kids out for lunch but after seating a new boy in a wheelchair and repairing a few other chairs we took a couple of the kids across the street for cokes.

This evening Calin and I stopped off for a hamburger. I could tell that he wanted to talk. Step dad has not paid rent on their house for several months so Calin, Lady, Daniel, and his mother have moved backing with his grandmother. Calin tells me that his step dad has left for good but I think that may just be wishful thinking on Clan’s part. I think that he and Calin’s mom have separated at least a half dozen times in the past few years but as cruel as he is to her and the children she always ends up taking him back. I am sure that he will show up as soon as his ex-landlord quits looking for him.

Tonight Abner offered to make supper. Yes you heard me right, ABNER. Well actually it started off with Abner asking me what I was going to make for supper. When I told him that Calin and I had already eaten he asked if he could make himself something to eat. I said “sure.” But then suggested that if he was making something for himself why not make something for everyone. At first he gave me one of those Abner looks but when Fernando quickly offered to help him he went for the Idea. Wow, Just when I was thinking about buying a cork for that knothole! Nancy stepped in and helped cook for the second influx of kid and everyone else chipped in with setting the table and doing the dishes so I got bye with out doing anything more than re-sweeping the floor that Etiline had rearranged the dirt on before leaving for home. I guess that it is the thought that counts but her floor sweeping skills still could use some work. Just before we ate Abner and one of the other kids got into a bit of an argument so for reasons that only Abner can explain he refused to eat supper with us. About an hour after supper he came to me and told me that he was hungry. I put an arm around him, told him that I loved him and that I would be more than happy to give him some food but he was going to have to wait until breakfast time to get it. Some day Abner will realize that he is his own worst enemy. Funny thing though he can be a really neat kid when he wants to be. I just wish that he wanted to be more often.

At 8:00 I told the kids that I was going to send them home at 8:30. At 8:15 I reminded them that they would be going home at 8:30. At 8:30 I asked the kids to leave. At 8:35 I told the kids to leave. At 8:38 everyone that had been in the house or out in the yard had said goodnight and had left. At 8:40 I discovered that 4 of them were still in my bathroom taking a shower. At 9:04 I said goodnight to the last of them. Since it s has been a bit colder than usual lately I gave them enough time to gat dressed before sending them home. (Yes Abner was one of them.)

Well it is getting late and I have checked out all of the favorite hiding places and am fairly confident that I have the house to myself so I am going to say goodnight and head off to bed.

Yours in Christ: Dick


Friday, June 6, 2008, 7:48 PM

Today was another one of those days where every picture that I took with my Camera seemed like one of those special ones that I could not wait to post in my journal. It was not until late afternoon when I went to look at my pictures that I realized that I had once again forgotten to put the memory chip back into my camera. On days like this I feel like my own memory is about 1000 megabits short of a gigabyte, or at least one french-fry short of a happy meal. Thankfully though the doctor that was with me part of the day had a built in camera on his cell phone, so we at least got a few pictures.

Fernando came along as my interpreter today. Yes there was school, but his aunt has gotten so tired of sending him to school every day this week just to have him return because his teacher was not there that she told all of the kids to stay home today. Of course Abner who would gladly skip school any other day defied her and went anyway. Fernando on the other hand is always so happy go lucky that it is almost contagious. He loves people but even when he is by himself he can entertain himself by singing or by just being Fernando.

After paying Hermano Pedro for Milton’s medicine and 2 month stay, Milton, his mother, Brother, Fernando, and I were on our way to the coast. I guess that I can’t complain about the cost though because I have heard roomer that had I paid for a 2 month stay in an American hospital I would likely not have gotten any change back from the $100 that I gave the Hospital. Milton’s mother seemed to be happy that her son was coming back home. I think that she realizes that he may not be around much longer and wants to spend as much time as possible with him. His brother was also excited to see him. I am not sure how his father feels but at least he was allowing him to come back home. Before dropping them off at there home we stopped by the clinic that is in their town. The have a drugstore there so I figured that I would buy what was needed for Milton there. The Colombian doctor and the mail nurse that operate the clinic had most of the medicines that Milton needed but refused to take a dime for any of it. Before leaving they told me about a family that lives near Ronny. They were told that they had 2 year old twin daughters that were starving. They said that they would be willing to go and see the family with me after I had taken Milton home so after doing that and grabbing a hamburger at a not so great looking hamburger stand Fernando and I went back to the clinic to pick them up and then headed out to see this family. There were a lot of patients at the clinic when we left but the Doctor simply told them that he was going to be gone for a few hours and that they would have to wait until he returned. To my surprise they all nodded in agreement and none of them got up to leave. I guess that they are so thankful that they have a doctor in this town that having to wait a few extra hours isn’t all that bad.

Thanks to the medicine that they were given on our last visit Ronny, his brothers, and sisters no longer have the skin infection that they had they had gotten a few weeks ago and the sores that they had on their arms and faces are nearly gone. Our timing was good because they were once again out of food. Sugar cane harvest has ended so most of the men will be hard pressed to find any work for the next several months. I promised the family that I would return and visit longer as soon as I could, but told them that the doctor and patience waiting for him at the clinic.

As it turned out the twin girls lived down a dirt road that is less than a mile from where we built Ronny’s new house. I had never been on this road before, and by the looks of it not many cars have. Nearly everyone uses it like it was there front yard. We had to stop at times for mothers to move there small children or for the men to move cows or pigs out of the way before we could make it a hundred feet or so to the next obstacle. A few kids that were playing marbles thought it was funny when the tires of my car buried some of their marbles in the soft mud. When we got to the house of the twins I was surprised to see them up and walking. The little girls were extremely afraid of us and there was no way that the doctor could examine them with out scaring them even more, so we kept our distance. There is no doubt that they are malnourished but I know that they are not bad enough that the malnutrition ward of Hermano Pedro would accept them. Their 12 year old sister told us that her mother and father have found work so now there was food on the table most days. We arranged to bring in some vitamins and the doctor agreed to monitor their progress but I think that as long as the parents have jobs the girls will be all right.

The entire time that we were at this home an elderly lady (about my age) stood on the road watching us. It was not until I had turned my car around that she approached us. She seemed a bit shy at first and apologized for bothering us but told us that she had a 28 year old daughter that was sick and wanted to know if we could see her. I asked the doctor if he had to get back to his patients but he said that they would have to be patient patients. I once again turned my car around and followed the old lady down the road. She actually made better time than we did because I could not fit my car between all of the pigs, cows, and kids with out having some one once again move them. When we reached the house we discovered that it was nothing more than some corn stalks and rusty pieces of tin that were held together by a rotting wooden frame. In front of the house sat the 28 year old daughter of this lady. It was obvious that this rather scary looking individual was mentally handicapped. When she got up she frightened Fernando and he quickly jumped behind me. She quickly walked over to me, grabbed my arm, and tried leading me back to my car. I don’t know if it was because I forgot to put on my deodorant today or what, but this was the third young lady in a row that didn’t seem to want me on her yard. This young lady appeared to be a hand full for her mother, but mother was very patient with her as she helped me pry loose the tight grip that she had on my arm. The older lady told us that this corn stalk and tin shelter often gets a foot or more of water in it during the rainy season. The condition of this home is right up there with the house that Julio’s grandmother is presently living in. We didn’t make any promises but I am going to talk to Chris about the possibility of us building this lady and her daughter a prefabricated house as well. Judging by the looks of other homes in this neighborhood this is just the tip of the iceberg but we have to start out somewhere.

If it were not for the grace of God, seeing so much need day after day could easily cause a person to throw up their hands and give up on trying to do anything to help, but that is not what God wants us to do.

Galatians 6:9

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

I seldom post things that are written by others in my daily journals, but this one seems to hit the nail right on the head.

The starfish

Once upon a time there was a philosopher who would walk along the beach every morning, thinking about how to help the world. One day as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a small figure moving back and forth. He began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a little boy. He was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean. When he got closer he called out, “Good morning! What are you doing?”' The little boy looked up and replied with simple joy, “Throwing starfish into the ocean.” The man looked puzzled and said: “I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?” “The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die.” “But, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!” said the man. The young boy listened politely. He then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea past the breaking waves and said with a smile... “... but I made a difference to that one”.

James 1:27

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Journal May 25-31, 2008

(Click on any image to enlarge)

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Eight of the kids came along with me to church this morning then we all went to Martha’s Cafe and had a big lunch. Calin once again stayed home so after church I sat down and talked with him. He told me that the reason that he has not been coming along to church is because Abner has been bugging him a lot lately by calling him names and hitting him some. Funny thing is Cline is twice the size of Abner but is not nearly as aggressive. Abner picks on a lot of the kids. He seems to take great pleasure in seeing how much he can frustrate some of the other kids.. I have found that Abner likes to pick on the kids that complain the most. Fernando is one of his big targets because Fernando hollers the most when he is being picked on. I am not quite sure what to do about it but I think that it is time to sit down and have a good talk with Abner. The only problem is he will think that I am picking on him and even though he picks on others he cannot stand it when he thinks that some one is not treating him fairly.

After bringing the kids home from Church I headed down to where Steven and Sheryl Osborn live. The have moved their orphanage to a beautiful wooded area that is located just this side of Guatemala City. All 50 of the kids that they have are very well cared fore. Dave Penner, who is a friend from the States, his 2 daughters and 5 of their friends who are medical students, have been staying with Steve and Sheryl for the past few days. and they were now going to come to Chimaltenango to work with us for a few days.


Monday, May 26, 2008

Today we had another wheelchair distribution here in Chimaltenango. Close to 40 people, many of them children showed up for wheelchairs. The 9 people who joined us from the States enjoyed working with us as we fitted each person into a wheelchair that was carefully adjusted for their specific needs.

Two cases that stand out in my mind were a little girl that Chris fitted into a wheelchair and a little boy that I fitted. Both children were quite severe so we carefully picked out chairs that had all of the necessary bells and whistles to make these children as comfortable as possible. There was only one problem with each of the wheelchairs though. Evidently each of the wheelchairs had previously been owned by individuals who had one leg that was longer than the other so a section of the seat had been cut away to accommodate for the shorter leg. When the men that work at our wheelchair shop run across wheelchairs like this they are suppose to put in a different seat because the CHANCES of the person that this chair is going to be given to having one leg shorter than the other are slim to say the least. Today when Chris and I picked out these 2 chairs we chose them not for the staggered seats but because the rest of the chairs looked perfect for each of our children. It was not until the kids were put into their wheelchairs that we noticed that both of our children had legs of unequal length. My little boys left leg was about an inch shorter than his right one. Chris’s little girls right leg was 2 inches shorter than her left leg. Both chairs fit the children perfectly. CHANCE? If so I am going to start playing the lottery. This was another one that you can chalk up to GODINCIDENCE.

We finished up at around 1 PM and then after a quick lunch our 9 guests, Calin, and myself went and bought some groceries for the 3 families that we wanted to visit today. Calin gets out of school at 12 so as soon as he got home he took a tuke tuke across town to meat up with us. I had asked him to come along so that he could interpret for us when we visited these families. Our first stop was at the home of Maria, the lady whose husband was killed when he was run over by a truck last year. Dave was especially excited to see her because he had been instrumental in getting the funding for the pig that we had purchased for her. We also visited with and gave groceries to her sister and her family. Both families were happy to see us and thrilled with the groceries. Maria’s 2 older children are now attending school because of some financial help that we have given the family and they are doing well. I promised to return with some shoes the next time I visited though because theirs are worn out. As I looked around at our group and noticed that nearly everyone was holding or visiting with one of the children I could not help but think about those first few visits that we made to these families only a few short months ago. Back then most of the children ran and hid when we showed up. One little girl inparticular would always run away screaming when she saw us. Today Dave was holding that same little girl in his arms. She had come running to him when he held out his hand to her. All to soon it was time to say good by and head back to Chimaltenango.

We had one more family to visit when we got back into town. This was the lady who had a son and 2 daughters one of which was blind. Up until a few months ago she and her 3 children had lived in a small dirt floor shack right next to the homes of Maria and her sister. About 2 months ago she and her children moved into Chimaltenango because they had nothing and she felt that perhaps the chances of finding work were better in town. A few weeks ago Calin, who had talked with this ladies daughter in school, took me to see this family, who lived in a boarded up room of a deserted building. Today we returned with some food for them. The girl that had told Calin where they lived greeted us outside of the building and led us up a flight of stares that led to the room that her family lived in. As we walked into the unlit room with the boarded up windows we found mother in bed with a fever. She told us that she gets fevers often and had been in bed since yesterday. Her little boy was lying in bed by her and her blind daughter was sitting on another bed that was in the room. When mom saw the groceries she thanked us. She told us that she and her children had been without anything to eat for quite some time. We gave mom some medicine and I told her that if she is still felling sick in a few days that I would get her in to Hermano Pedro to see a doctor. Before leaving we had prayer with her and her children.

The group wanted to have supper in Antigua this evening so I ran home to get cleaned up after dropping them off at their motel so that they could do the same. I had intended on taking 1 or 2 of the kids along to eat but several of them started arguing with me over whose turn it was to come along, so I made a hasty executive decision. As I drove out of the alley waving good bye to all of them they stood there with a look on their faces that told me that perhaps they will not argue with me next time.

When I got home from supper none of them were waiting at my gate. They have obviously come to an agreement to boycott my place. That has happened before. In fact one time they all stayed away for a whole 10 minutes. Woops, there goes the doorbell. No new record. That one only lasted 6 minutes. Guess I better go and let them in for a while before heading off to bed.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Today we went to Hermano Pedro and spent the entire day with the kids. After giving the group of premed students that were with me a tour of the orphanage we spent the rest of the day loving on the kids. This of course included taking 9 of them to Camperos. Today we took a mixture of teen-age boys and younger kids out to eat. The group that was with me did great with the kids and everyone had a great time. On our way back through the park we got a little to close to one of the fountains and one of the less mature adults decided that it would be fun to splash a little water on a few of the kids. That is the last time that I will do that because I got it back twice as good. With the help of the group of premed students several of the kids got close enough to the fountain to retaliate. Fidel who was driving his foot controlled power chair really got me wet when he put his foot into the fountain and then kicked water all over me. The only problem with it was that the foot he used to splash me with is also the foot that he drives with. It must have been the water that ran from his leg to the controller because something shorted out in his wheelchair and it went dead. Boy did I pay for my foolish act of splashing a little water on the kids! Not only was I wet but I was going to have to explain to the nurses at the orphanage why several of the kids were wet as well. Not only that but I now had to push Fidel’s power chair all the way back to the orphanage and then repair once we got there. That was if we did not get hung before leaving the park because when we looked around at some of the people that had gathered around to see what all the commotion was about there were a few of them that looked as though they thought that we were picking on these poor defenseless kids.

As it turned out Fidel’s wheelchair sprang back to life about an hour after getting him back to Hermano Pedro. All it took was a bit of time for things to dry out. This afternoon I managed to get the group up into the malnutrition ward. We even managed to take a few of the kids out side and so that they could get a breath of fresh air. Milton seems to be the only one who is not improving. He continues to run a fever, is loosing weight, and they have moved him back into isolation. I went in and held him for a while but he hardly responded. The hospital has run all kinds of tests on him but cannot seem to find what the problem is. I am afraid that he will not be able to hang on much longer. His parents finally came to see him a few days ago and I think that they are aware that the hospital is doing all that they can but that their son is in very bad condition. They are considering taking him home as soon as he is off from some antibiotics that the hospital is giving him. I hate to say it but perhaps that would be for the best. At least that way he would be with his family.

At around 4:30 I took the team back to Guatemala City where they will be doing some things with Steve Osborn for the next few days. From there I headed straight to the airport where I was suppose to pick up several people who were coming in from Iowa, and New Jersey. Their flights were late so most of the people that I was picking did not arrive until close to 10 PM. That was when a group that Chris was picking up also arrived. It was midnight when I got home so it has been a long day. That is why I am saying, “Goodnight.”

Yours in Christ: Dick


Wednesday, May 28, 2008, 9:11 PM

This morning 25 of us got into 4 vehicles and drove to Coban. After about 6 hours we arrived here.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Thursday, May 29 2008, 8:03 PM

We just finished up with a big wheelchair distribution here in Coban. Over 60 wheelchairs were fitted and given out to people that have needed them for a long time. 20 of the people that received wheelchairs today were children most of whom have up until today never owned a wheelchair. The team from Iowa that is with us really took to working on wheelchairs and everyone enjoyed themselves.

We had taken 2 power chairs along for the distribution because we had 2 applicants that had written down that they needed them. Before leaving Chimaltenango, Chris and I had looked over the application form of a 13 year old boy and questioned weather or not he truly needed a power chair but finally decided that since we had one that was the size that he needed we would at least take it along with us, but if we felt that this boy would do all right in a manual wheelchair we would not give it to him. Upon seeing him today we both came to the conclusion that even though this boy would undoubtedly be in a power wheelchair if he lived in the USA he had enough strength in his arms that a Manual wheelchair would work out for him. I guess that old saying (The squeaky wheel gets the grease) is true though because a very persistent mother convinced us that her son really needed this wheelchair to get to and from School. After seeing how excited her son was once we got him seated into the chair we were happy that he got it but still feel bad that we do not have the man power to maintain many more power chairs and thus have to say no to so many people who’s lives would be enriched by one.

We finished up at around 3 and some of our group went and explored some nearby caves. I was one of the party poopers that stayed back at the hotel. Tomorrow we will head for home. The group that came along with me in my car would like me to take them home on back roads. We will have to wait and see what the weather is like in the morning though because it is raining this evening and if it continues through the night we may have to stick to the paved roads.

Calin just called to see when I would be back at home. He and the other kids know how important these distributions are and that being gone from home part of the time is necessary but they still hate it when I am not there.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Friday, May 30, 2008, 8:58 PM

It was a rainy drive back home from Coban so we stayed on the paved roads but all went well. Instead of heading straight home 5 of us headed for Antigua. One of the members of our group was an American doctor, and he told me that he was willing to look at Milton and at the man in Antigua who has the badly infected leg. He, 3 others and myself went to Antigua while Chris, Donna, and the other members of the team stayed in Chimaltenango and did some shopping for a food distribution that we are going to have tomorrow. Our first stop was at the orphanage. Before seeing Milton I showed my 4 guests around and introduced them to several of the kids. After that we went up to malnutrition to see Milton. Milton is doing no better and after the doctor examined him he said that there is little that we can do for him. I am afraid that I will have to take him back to his home in a few days but we are still praying for a miracle.

Next I went and found Father Bernardo. I told him that I had a doctor with me that was willing to go and see the man that he had taken me to see who had the highly infected leg. Father Bernardo told me that he had mass at 5:30 and wondered if I would get him back to Hermano Pedro in time. I told him that I would do my best but could not promise anything. He said that he felt this man’s life was more important than making it to mass so he would come along and if we were late we were late. When we got to the man’s home he showed us his leg. As I had suspected the doctor told me that the leg was going to have to be amputated if the man wanted to stay alive. He looked at the other leg, which is also infected, and told me that it could be treated. The treatment that he prescribed was much like the treatment that I use when treating bed sores on other patients so I promised that I would return with the proper medication and bandages and then show one of the family members of this man how to treat his leg. The next step will be to find a doctor that is willing to amputate the leg. I am hoping that some one at Hermano Pedro will do it but it sounds like the last time this man saw them they sent him home without doing much of anything. I have seen several hospitals do this with patients who are so severe that they have a chance of not making it even though there is still a strong possibility that the surgery can save their lives. Please pray that we can get this man the help that he needs. We managed to get Father Bernardo back to Hermano Pedro in time for mass, but while we were at the home of the man with the infected leg Father Bernardo kept reassuring us that it was OK to take our time because he felt that this man’s life was more important than anything else. Before heading for home we stopped off and had supper at a nice restaurant in Antigua.

Even though I got home quite late Calin has discovered me and he is spending the night.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Saturday, May 31, 2008Calin and I met with the group at Camperos, then after breakfast about 22 of us headed to Tecpan where we met up with Pastor Elmer and his family. Pastor Elmer lives in Tecpan and knows a lot of needy families there. He and his wife took us round to meet several of them. Many were widows with large families, some were people that had been injured in accidents, or paralyzed in shootings, and all were hungry and hurting. Going into dirt floor homes that were no bigger then some of their walk in closets was quite an eye opener to our American friends. I am sure that seeing around 20 Americans in their homes had to be a bit frightening. Many of these people seldom receive visitors yet alone American visitors but they all seemed happy to see us. Thanks to the diligent work of pastor Juan and his family most of these families were already Christians although one man accepted Christ while we were at his home today. It was a moving experience to be able to share Christ’s love with these people by giving them food, visiting, and praying with them. Many of the adults that are with this group from Iowa have brought along some of their children and they are praying that what their children have experienced during the past few days will have a lasting impact in their lives. These kids have great and much like their parents they have pitched right in with helping out with the wheelchair and food distributions, and what ever else we did. After the food distribution part of our group went to see some Mayan Ruins while others of us went to another aldea and put up a swing set. On our way to the aldea we stopped off and picked up 3 more of the kids that hang out at my house. Tomorrow we plan on taking the entire group to the orphanage. Some of the things that our visitors see may be a bit hard on them but I have a feeling that they will be interacting with the kids at the orphanage in no time at all.

Well I have several kids here in my house that are hungry for a little food and lots of attention so I am going to close for now.

Yours in Christ: Dick

What Would Jesus Do?