* GUATEMALA * * * * * * * * Dick Rutgers *

Journal, Februry 1-4, 2010

2010-02-04T23:16:00.001-07:00

About 1000 out of 2000 of the pictures that were on my side bar and in previous journal entries have mysteriously vanished.

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Blogger is making some changes that may mean that from time to time you will not be able to view parts of or possibly any of my journals. A good friend is helping my make the changes that are necessary to once again get things working right. I am hoping that we can have this problem fixed within a few days and praying that my 2 1/2 year collection of more than 1000 pictures that have mysteriously disappeared from many of my journal entries can somehow be retrieved.

Thanks: Dick

(click on any picture to enlarge)

Monday, February 1, 2010

This week I am planning on spending as much time as possible at Hermano Pedro orphanage. Nearly all of the kids that had homes to go to are back and lots of them need repairs made to their wheelchairs so this week I am hoping that I can get a good number of them fixed. The problem is the first week back at the orphanage after spending nearly 2 months with their families is always one of the hardest for the kids so they seem to need an extra dose of attention. Have you ever tried to do something like fixing a wheelchair when you have no less than a half dozen little helpers that all want to help you at the same time and another dozen or so that care less about helping but still crave your attention. It is even harder to do when you would much rather be giving your full attention to the kids than fixing their wheelchairs. I usually try to divide my time up fairly though by giving about 10% of my attention to what is being done to the wheelchair that I am working on and the other 90% to what is being done for the children that are working with me. With out a doubt this slows down the amount of wheelchairs that get repaired in one day but you ought to see what it does for the kids.

Thanks to Fernando, today I was able to bring up the productivity of my wheelchair repair efforts verses loving on the kids to a higher percentage. Fernando and the other kids that attend the public school here in Chimaltenango were suppose to start their new school year last Friday. The kids made it to school but the teachers didn't. Today everyone made it but the kids all returned home within an hour. I guess that the teachers didn't want to get too stressed out the first day. Any way Fernando ended up going along to the orphanage with me. Thanks to his giving the kids 99% of his time and only about 1% to a wheelchair that he quickly installed a new seat belt on, I had a few times there where I was able to give the wheelchairs 70% of my attention and the kids only about 30%. I know I still have a ways to go as far as productivity goes. Or do I? As I looked over at Fernando I wondered which one of us was being the most productive.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

All of the kids made it to school today so I actually ended up going to the orphanage by myself. I did pretty good though. It was another 70% 30% day. The only difference was that 30% of my time went to working on wheelchairs and 70% went to hanging out with the kids. I am still not quite up there with Fernando's 99% but am starting to once again get my priories straight.

The last few days have been bitter sweet. It is great to see all of the kids again but I often wish that most of them could remain at their homes. Ever since Ervin has returned they have pumped him so full of drugs that he is an absolute zombie. Behavior management they call it. Some one would have to manage my behavior as well if they kept me locked up in a crib 18 hours a day. The kids are taken out of their cribs at 8 AM and all but a hand full of them are put back to bed at 1 PM. Nap time they call it. Laziness is what I call it. For the majority of them that nap lasts until 8 AM the following day. Don't get me wrong I am grateful to Hermano Pedro for the good that they are doing but there are some changes that are long over due. I wish so that each care giver was put in charge of 6 or 7 kids instead of 7 or 8 nurses all having the same 40 kids. That way the ambitious ones would not be taken advantage of and the lazy ones would soon be recognized. I have seen that plan put into action in other orphanages and it works great. The kids that are cared for by the same 1 or 2 individuals soon bond to the care givers and to each other, and the care givers soon bond with them. Soon there often becomes a healthy competition between the care givers in seeing who has the cleanest, healthiest, and happiest kids. OK I will climb back down off from my soapbox but some one has to speak up on behalf of these kids, some of whom are smarter than you and I (Well smarter than me anyway), even kids that are up into their teens that are confined to there beds 3/4 of the time simply because they can not walk.

Since I did not have any of my kids with me today I took only Henry to lunch. Henry kept telling me that his mother was going to come tomorrow and take him back home for good. Fact is he told me the same thing yesterday. I can remember him telling me that he would not be returning to the orphanage when he went home for Christmas break as well. I am glad that Henry has not given up. I pray that his mother hasn't.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

This morning Chris and Donna's son Benjamin came along to Esquentla with me. My friend Mario had intended on going with me but called early this morning to tell me that he was a bit under the weather. I was not sure if Benjamin would be able to go because he is home schooled but after thinking things over and knowing how much trouble I can get myself into with my limited Spanish Donna decided that he could go. On our way to Esquentla we stopped off and picked up Larry. Larry who is from the USA and has been volunteering the past several months at Hope Haven's wheelchair factory decided that it would be nice to see some of the country.

Our first stop was at the home of the family that we will soon be building a new house for. Ever since finding a sponsor for them we have been able to supply them with food on a monthly bases. They were excited to hear that the teem that is coming in from the USA to build their house will start on it next Tuesday.

Next we stopped off briefly at the clinic in La Gomara. The workers at the clinic were instrumental in helping us locate the land that we bought for this family. They will also have some families picked out that we hope to give water filters to when we go to the coast next week to build the house.

Our next stop was at the land where the house is going to be built at. We wanted to be sure that the water and electricity had been put in as planned. One out of 2 isn't bad. actually both have been put in but only the water worked. A neighbor informed us that in this town the electricity has to be paid for ahead of time.
Next we backtracked a bit and then took a dusty dirt road in to where Julio lives. Julio's family was happy to see us and even happier to see the groceries that we had for them. Julio's dad told us that even though the sugarcane harvest is in full swing there are simply more workers than there is work so the work has been spotty. Although they are over it now most of the member of Julio's family have also been sick and Julio has lost even more weight. I asked his parent if they wanted me to try to get him back into the malnutrition ward of Hermano Pedro for a few months and after thinking it over they said yes. I told them that I would postpone taking a new wheelchair to Ronny if one of them would accompany me in taking their son to Antigua today but since they had both just gotten over being sick and still felt week they thought it would be best to wait until next week. I think that Julio is in good enough shape that he will make it but had he been my kid I would have taken him today no matter how I felt.

One of my favorite families to visit is Ronny's. This family always greets me like I am a long lost brother. What made this trip even more pleasurable than the one that we took to see them about a month ago was today we did not encounter any robbers along the way. Ronny had called me a few days ago telling me that his power chair had run away with him. Seems it suddenly got a mind of it's own and away it went with Ronny in it. Fortunately Ronny and the chair ended up in some bushes and other than a good scare Ronny was not hurt. Ronny had pretty much outgrown this chair anyway so I brought him a larger one today. Don't worry no one will receive his old wheelchair until it is refurbished, and a new computer is installed. By the way Ronny, his brother and 4 sisters were not in school. Their school is on strike.

Well I am back at home and I just received some good news. Actually the news that I heard was not all that good but the results of what happened made me proud. After hearing a loud crash Esbin came into the house followed by about 5 of my other boys who were outside with him playing soccer. Esbin told me the had accidentally broke the mirror of my car with a soccer ball. He told me that he was sorry and even offered to help pay for a new one. Fernando quickly jumped in and told me that he and the other boys would help pay for it as well because even though Esbin was the one that broke the mirror all 6 of the kids had been playing so he felt that it was only fare that they all chipped in to help. To my astonishment all of the other kids nodded in agreement. Wow those kids have sure come a long ways. It was not all that long ago that most of them would have never told me what had happened and if they did it wolud have only been to rat on some one else so that they themselves would not get into trouble. When tears came to my eyes I had to explain to them that the tears were not because of some silly broken mirror (Although I do wish that it had not been an electric one,. Those buggers are expensive). No I was getting teary eyed because I was so proud of them. I gave them all a hug, I then told them to be more careful, brought out a chair, sat down and watched them play soccer.

Tomorrow the boys and I will go and get the mirror fixed. I told them that this one is on me but that the next one will be on them.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Today Fernando, Bryon and Elder accompanied me to the orphanage. That's right no school. I guess that after 2 days straight the teachers felt that they deserved the day off. Shortly after getting to the orphanage we met up with 5 Americans that I had promised to show around. Not only did the boys and I show them around but they even bought lunch for us and 6 of the teen age girls that live at the orphanage. We had a great time and the only down side was seeing that nearly all of the other kids were in bed when we returned at 2 PM. OK, I promise that I won't get up on my soapbox again but . . . . . . . . !

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal, January 25-30 2010

2010-01-30T18:42:00.005-07:00

Monday, January 25, 2010

Tonight I am sitting in a motel room in Xela. This is a trip that I have put off for 2 weeks partly because I simply had too many other things to do but mainly out of stubbornness. Two weeks ago Erica's mom phoned Bethel's wheelchair shop telling them that Erica had run out of medicine. I have repeatedly asked Erica's mom to let us know when they were down to about a 2 week supply instead of waiting until they ran completely out of the medicine that helps control her skin condition but it never seems to sink in. It seems like Erica's family just expects me to drop everything and make the 3 to 4 hour drive at the drop of a that. This time I asked Chris to call them back and tell them to send one of their family members by buss to pick up the medicine themselves. After all I wasn't their servant. Or was I?

Last night I started thinking. (I guess it's about time.) What was I doing? Was I actually jeopardizing the health of a 12 year old girl simply because I was feeling a bit used by her parents. Even if they didn't have a legitimate reason for not coming to Chimaltenango and picking up the medicine themselves, did I have the right to try to teach them a lesson at the expense of their daughters health. So what if I was feeling a bit like their servant hadn't I come to Guatemala to serve these people. After all isn't that exactly what Jesus had done for me?

Today as Eric's mother explained to me that they simply did not have the money to send any one to Chimaltenango by bus as she held onto my hand and thanked me for bringing Erica's medicine I wondered to myself why I had not done this a few weeks ago.

Mark 9:35

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."
While we were in the area we also paid a visit to Christopher and his family. Christopher seems to be in better health then he had been in for a while. His mom told us that he is having far less seizures the past few months and his overall health seems better. The family had some sad news to tell us though. A 12 year old cousin who lives next door to Christopher suddenly got sick and died within a few days.
Those of you that Have been following my Journals undoubtedly remember reading about Florinda a little girl that my friend Roland and I visited at her home last June. As you may recall 3 and a half year old Florinda had been perfectly healthy up until a year ago but then mysteriously started having occasional seizures that gradually worsened to the point where she was continually seizuring and in constant pain. In a few short months she had gone from a happy and healthy little girl to some one so frail that she was close to death. We managed to get her into the malnutrition ward of Hermano Pedro where she put on some weight but the seizures and the pain continued. The doctors there did all that they could to figure out what was wrong with her but neither they nor the specialists that they consulted seemed to have the answers. The doctors at Hermano Pedro made a decision to temporarily move Florinda out of Hermano Pedro for a short term stay at the national hospital in Antigua for some treatment of an edema that was on one of her knees. Florinda's mom had been OK with having her daughter at Hermano Pedro but shortly after she found out that her daughter had been moved to the national hospital mom panicked and took her daughter home. Both Rolland and I were devastated because we were not sure that Hermano Pedro would take her back since mom had taken her home without consulting them and they were the ones that had admitted her into the national hospital. In what seemed to be a last ditch effort to keep Florinda alive Rolland consulted a neurosurgeon in Guatemala City and some how convinced mom to take her daughter to see him. To make a long story a little shorter, the neurosurgeon immediately recognized the problem as hydrocephalus and offered to operate and put a shunt in for free. He told Rolland and Florinda's mom that it was uncertain how much damage had already been done and only time would tell how much permanent brain damage had been done and how much Florinda would improve after the surgery.

The following is part of a letter that I received from Roland today.

(Yes the 3 pictures above and the 3 pictures below are of the same little girl.)

Hi Dick:

. . . . .. . . .Florinda smiled!

On the 15th of January 2010 I traveled again to visit little Florinda to give her medicine and her economic support from Liz. I was in the little humble adobe house for about 20 minutes when it happened; Florinda smiled a beautiful smile. I tried to quickly get my camera to take a photo of her smiling but I was too slow. But the photos I did take clearly shows how much better her health is now. After awhile, she became tired and made a big yawn and fell asleep. It was so wonderful to see that she can now sleep good . Florinda keep on smiling several times each day now, I talked to her elder sister recently. A big change has happened the last weeks. Her mother had tears in her eyes when she was telling me about that she has started to smile the last weeks, this happens each day now they told me, but she does not talk. Her arms and legs are now softer I felt no tension like before and she was relaxed during the several hours I was at her home. No convulsions, crying or screaming like before and by her own force and effort, she suddenly turned around a bit to the other side! She also moved her head like I never have seen her before which is just incredible. I have never seen Florinda smile before since I came to know her in June 2009 when she was close to starving to death. A big step has been taken but still there is a long way left for her recovery and she needs a lot more help with food and medicine. I pray I can continue to coordinate the help she needs each month. The medicine I have traveled to give her since October is to alleviate convulsions that were caused by the pressure to her brain because of Hydrocephalus. Perhaps she may need to take that medicine several months more. She has a shunt now that takes away the liquid that caused the pressure she had on her brain. This week I hope to travel with Florinda and her mother and sister to the neurosurgeon to the capital so that Florinda can receive a new exam and also probably a new tomography of her head so that he can see how the development is. The doctor has to check how the shunt is working.

God bless you
Roland

Matthew 25:37-40

Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?"

The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Tonight we are still in Xela. Yesterday after visiting with Erica and then Christopher the boys and I stopped off at the orphanage in Xela. Much like Hermano Pedro orphanage in Antigua this orphanage only takes in children with disabilities. All but a few of the 72 residence there are in wheelchairs. We try to go there every 3 or 4 months to repair and replace warn out and outgrown wheelchairs but this time it had been much longer than that. I am not sure what they are feeding their kids but many of them have really grown. I was amazed at the number of kids that had outgrown their wheelchairs. Both yesterday afternoon and all day today the boys and I did our best to re-size and repair as many wheelchairs as possible. I guess we made a small dent but there are still many chairs that have to be repaired or replaced. Both Jason and Marcos worked hard but they do manage to get off task a lot easier than the kids that helped me last week. I am discovering that teen age boys can teach you a lot when you are on the road with them for several days. How much patience you have, for instance. Just in case God is actually trying to teach me patience or some other lesson by having these 2 with me I think that I will say this little prayer before heading off to bed.

"God grant me the serenity to accept the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know it's me."

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

The boys and I had another busy day today. We left Xela at around 9 AM and arrived in Cimaltenango shortly before noon. Not bad considering the trip use to take nearly 5 hours. Something that has improved a lot over years here in Guatemala are the roads. Granted there are still a lot of places that can only be reached on foot or by 4 wheel drive but many of the major highways have seen significant improvement. Much of the highway between here and Xela is now 4 lane. Now all they have to do is convince the slower drivers that the left lain is the passing lane but that is hard to do considering the right lane often has people, dogs, horses or broken down trucks and cars on it.

Our stay in Chimaltenango was a short one. We only stopped long enough to get a bite to eat and then headed to Antigua. Last week there were a few people that did not get wheelchairs at the distribution that Hope Haven did near the coast, so today they came to Antigua to receive the wheelchairs that they had been promised. I had intended on dropping off Jason and Marcos here in Chimaltenango and going to Antigua by myself but the boys begged me to take them along with me.

This young lady fit nicely into the smallest size wheelchair that is made at Hope Haven's wheelchair factory in Antigua. She is 26 years old.

21 year old Sylvan was also delighted with this new wheelchair. This is the first wheelchair that he has ever owned.

Now I am back home and the house is quickly filling up with kids. Those pictured here sitting at the table are waiting for supper. These are the eager ones. There will be more kids at the table once I actually start cooking some food, but first I have to once again get out the first aid kit. Esbin's leg took a bit of a beating when he fell off from his bicycle.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Would you believe another wheelchair distribution today? This distribution took place in Guatemala City. Chris and Donna, about a half dozen of the Bethel Ministries crew, 3 members of a rotary club from my home State of Washington, 2 of my boys and myself managed to give out around 45 wheelchairs in about 4 hours. That may not sound all that difficult but each wheelchair was carefully adjusted to fit whoever it was given to. In some cases that can be done in a matter of minutes. For some of the more severe patients it can take several hours.

After Chris had seated a young man who has muscular dystrophy into a manual wheelchair he called me over to see what I though about setting him up with a power wheelchair. His hands are to week for a conventional joystick but after running a few tests I decided that he was the perfect candidate for a chin controlled power wheelchair. When we explained how this worked to him and his mother they both lit up like Christmas trees. I told them that it could be a month or 2 before I found the time to put one together but knowing what it will mean to them, I will do my best to get it done within a week or 2.

We got home at around 3:30 and the kids pleaded with me to rent a soccer field. I finally gave in and even agreed to play goalie. I still believe that goalie is the Guatemalan word for target. All I can say is some of those kids can kick a lot faster than I can get out of the way. There is a 3 inch by 4 inch spot on my left arm that is not bright red and throbbing. The rest of my body is.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Friday, January 29, 2010

This morning 2 of my boys and myself went to Hermano Pedro and visited with the kids. Most of them are now back from visiting their families during Christmas break. It was good to see them all again. At noon Dave, the boys and I headed out and Picked up Dave's wife Lou. I will let her take over from from here and tell you about the rest of our day.

Dick

The following was written by Lou.

At noon today Dave and Dick (as well as two of Dick’s boys) picked me up outside of Casa Jackson and we headed off to visit Alex, a young teen that Dave and I are sponsoring for Christian schooling. First things first though, Dick had to stop off at home and switch kids. We dropped off two and picked up four more. Only in Guatemala would that be called an even trade.
The ride was only about 40 minutes but it was straight up. I’m sure that had the road been any steeper or twisted, we would have dropped off.

(I'm glad that Lou has never been along to the places where I have to put the car in 4 wheel drive. Dick)

When we arrived we were greeted by one of the nicest families that I have ever met. They have recently moved to this new home with a beautiful piece of property. Mom keeps this place spotless. When we arrived both Mom and Sister were painting the outside walls while all of the teenage boys were playing... I wonder why that is.

(Actually as we rounded the corner I saw them quickly switch places, but failed to mention this to Lou. I guess in this case a picture is worth a thousand words. Dick)

Mom immediately stopped to make us juice from fresh oranges. That speaks for itself, sooo tasty! We learned a bit about Alex’s new school and then Dick took the time to give Mom a new water filtering system which will ensure that their water is safe to drink. If you are thinking that this is a little late as we have already had our drink, don’t worry. Our drink was made from purified water.

(At least that is what we told Lou so she would not panic. By the way do you notice who is doing all of the work on the new water filter.)

Being true Guatemalans the family could not send us off without a gift of their own to us so they suggested we visit Grandmas place which was “really close”. A short drive, a blocked road, a 15 minute trek down a mountain path, through the forest, past some dogs and across a creek....sounds like “over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go”...we arrived at the home where Alex’s mom was born. Here Grandma and two aunts were earning a living by harvesting corn. As it turned out we had been brought here to receive our gift of fresh oranges. In fact we knocked them off the tree with a long bamboo stick. After filling a large bag, eating some of the oranges and receiving a tour of their place, which included the murky source of Grandma’s drinking water, we headed back. Mom decided we should take a short-cut back to save us some time. This simply meant using a less traveled path up the forested hillside. I was very proud of myself for keeping up with everyone until I realized that I was following a grandmother plus I’m pretty sure that they were being polite and had slowed down to keep pace with Dick.

(I thought that perhaps Lou would have thanked me for being a gracious host and walking slow enough that she could keep up, but will post this blog the way she wrote it trusting that the readers will know who is telling the truth. Dick)

What a gracious family. Once again I have to say that I had one of the best days of my life.

Your Sister in Christ:
Lou

I guess if I want to keep Dave and Lou as friends I better be truthful and admit that Lou's account of what really happened today could possibly be more accurate than mine. After all I am getting that age where I get up in the morning and say, "The face is familiar but I just can't think of my name." Thanks Lou for writing this, and my personal thanks to you and Dave for sponsoring several of our kids.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Tonight I am doing my own writing. For some strange reason after yesterday I could not find anyone to volunteer to do my journaling for me.

Today 4 of my boys and I met up with Dave Black and 3 of his friends and the 9 of us took 8 of the kids from the orphanage out to lunch. (No, Lou is not boycotting going places that I go she simply had other commitment.) All of the kids that we took out today were ones that had gone to their homes for Christmas so it was good to see them all again. I just found out yesterday that Gaspar's brother Filipi died while he, Rifina and Gaspar were home during the Christmas Holidays. It seems that almost every year at least one of the residence dies while they are at home. Gaspar and Rifina worry me because they are slowing down a lot. When I think back to how they were a few years ago I can see a big difference. I guess that is one of the reasons why I enjoy taking a bunch of the orphanage kids out like we did today. We can never be sure weather or not we will be given another opportunity to make their lives just a little brighter.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal, January 19 -23, 2010

2010-01-24T01:04:00.007-07:00

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Yesterday I had the privilege of going to the opening ceremonies at the school that Cesar will now be attending. Cesar's father and I placed our hands on Cesar as the pastor from the school prayed over him and the other students that will be attending this small Christian school that has welcomed Cesar with open arms. What a contrast compared to the 2 public schools that turned Cesar away for no legitimate reason. After the prayer Cesar's dad looked at his son with tear filled eyes. I could see that his sons education meant a lot to him.

It was not until today that I realized just how much it meant to him. At 8 AM he and Cesar were at my gate. I had promised to take Cesar shopping for some school clothing and supplies. Even though it meant that he would once again have to pay another man to take his place at work Cesar's father had decided to take a few hours off from work to go along with us. Fernando came along as well because his English is a bit better than Cesa's and I was hoping that I could get more of an opportunity to visit with Cesar's dad. After getting the school supplies and fabric for Cesar's pants I asked Cesar's dad and the kids if they would like to stop of at Camperos for breakfast before going to the tailor shop. Naturally the boys jumped at the opportunity. Cesar's dad was a bit more hesitant but agreed. I have an idea that this was the first time that he has ever been in a restaurant. While we were eating Cesar's dad and I struck up a conversation, with the help of the 2 boys as interpreters. When I asked Cesar's father how he felt about Cesar going to this school I saw his eyes fill up with tears. He told me that he had been praying that Cesar would be able to continue his education but had never expected that he would be attending a Christian school. He then looked down and said. "I wish that I could have had the opportunity to go to school myself." He went on to explain that after the second grade he had to drop out of school so that he could work. He told me that his mother and father had both died when he was 8 months old and his 2 brothers who were scarcely school age ended up raising him. Since he was the youngest they tried to keep him in school while they worked but at age 8 he had to quit school and go to work with them so that the 3 of them could stay alive. Since Cesar's dad can neater read nor write he has never been able to get a job that pays very much. Even though he works 16 hours a day he still brings home less than $200 per month. No wonder he is so proud of his son.
Late this afternoon 5 of the boys and myself went and got haircuts at the barber shop where Cesar's brother Miguel works. Miguel is a great kid and a hard worker. We have a sponsor for him so that he can attend night school. He also spends 48 hours a week at the barber shop but for now is getting no pay because he is in training. While we were there Cesar and Miguel's father came by with a wheelbarrow loaded with fruit that he was trying to sell. When he saw us he stopped and loaded some tangerines into a bag and handed them to me. He then once again shook my hand and thanked me for helping get his to sons into school.

It is days like this that help me see more clearly that we are not wasting our time even if it is difficult to get some of the 64 kids that we are providing sponsors for into school. Thankfully many hands make the work load much lighter. Donna and Hanna, are spending countless hours communicating with sponsors and updating our ever growing spread sheet that helps us keep track of who is sponsoring what child and who is still in need of a sponsor. Carlos is also helping us keep track of sponsors and those that are being sponsored. Little did we know that when we started with a hand full of kids not that many years ago that what we then looked at as a little side line project would be so blessed by God and such a big part of this ministry. We pray that God continues to allow us to minister to more and more families in this way but do not want it to grow so fast that it is no longer personal. At this point I can truthfully say that either Chris and Donna or myself personally knows each child that we are sponsoring. Seems like personally knowing each family has one drawback though. It makes it harder to say no. This month we went out on a limb a little bit by putting some kids into school that we do not yet have sponsors for. Had these kids not been registered last week they would not have had an opportunity to attend school for at least another year. We are trusting God that somehow the $350 per month that is still needed for school sponsorship of unsponsored kids that we have enrolled in school will be supplied.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Wednesday, January 20, 2010
My good friends Dave and Lou plan on being with 3 of my boys and myself for the next 3 days and Lou has graciously offered to do a few days of journaling for me.

(click on any picture to enlarge)

Today we headed out for a wheelchair distribution. We got an early start…the distribution isn’t until tomorrow but the sun is hotter where we are headed. We spent most of the day on the road, Dick, Dave, myself (Louanne…better known as Lou) and three awesome Guatemalan boys, Carlene, Fernando and Brian. Before we left Antigua we stopped in at Hope Haven where they make and assemble the wheelchairs. The work is done mostly by locals, many in wheelchairs themselves. We sorted through parts and threw extras into boxes so that we wouldn’t find ourselves running short when we got to the villages. When we left Carlene was a gentleman and let me have the window seat. I soon found out it was really the pillow seat (I was the pillow). We had a great time traveling with the boys and they seem to feel quite comfortable with us.

Mid afternoon we stopped in Santa Lucia for an ice cream and picked up a few snacks at a grocery store. We then went on to San Bernardino where we visited with Dona Maria and her daughter Deborah who is deaf and mute and is an amazing artist. She mixes painting and embroidery to make the most incredible pieces of art. Apparently Dona Maria is the lady, in this area, who finds most of the people in need of wheelchairs.

After that it was on to Matzatenango and the Bambu Hotel where we drowned the kids…or should I say they drowned us (and I have the red eyes to prove it). The hotel had a great pool with a water slide which we took advantage of before dinner and the boys did again after dinner.

That’s it for tonight.
Your sister in Christ: Lou

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Today I became the perfect wife. My husband is always bugging me about the Proverbs 31 wife. He says that I have it down pat with the exception of getting up in the morning and getting him breakfast. I tell him that the chapter reads that the wife is to get the servants organized to make the breakfast and if he supplies me with servants, I will gladly organize them. Well today he was greeted with smiling waiters and waitresses who provided him, and the rest of us, with a fantastic breakfast….finally allowing me to gain that “perfect” wife status. We left the hotel and headed back to San Antonio where the wheelchair distribution took place. What an amazing process that was. A group from the States was here to distribute P.E.T. chairs which seems to be a cross between a hand-pulled wooden cart and a hand-driven bicycle. Mark was the leader. He had asked Dick to come along to distribute about 13 Hope Haven chairs. That’s where Dave and I and the boys fit in. We are here to help Dick assemble and fit the chairs for the recipients. Well actually, I took pictures while the others worked. Two of the boys, Carlene and Fernando not only did the manual labor (that’s labor for you Americans) but they also do the translation. They really are amazing young men (about 11 - 14 years old). After the work was completed and the grateful locals had left, we were treated to a late lunch.

During the distribution we met a lady whose son already had a chair that needed alterations made to it so that her son could sit more comfortably. After everything was cleaned up, we headed over to her house so that Dick could make the adjustments. While he was working on the chair the mom led me to the back of her house where she had some half-grown chickens. Through Fernando’s translations, she asked me if I had room at my house for a chicken as she would like to give me one. When I explained (or rather Fernando explained) that just wouldn’t work, she took off into the back fields and came back with a bag of freshly picked tangerines. Wow, are they tasty! We still have some left for tomorrow. Following that we went to our hotel, did some more swimming, went for dinner and now here I am.

Have a good night.
Your sister in Christ: Lou

Friday, January 22, 2010

Written by Dick

Today we had another wheelchair distribution in Esquentla. It was not the easiest distribution that I have ever been at but it did result in lots of happy people receiving wheelchairs.

Some of the parents that came for wheelchairs for their children got a bit nervous when they realized that we had not taken along quite as many wheelchairs as there were children. 2 families actually tried to sneak out of the door with chairs that had not been given them but things calmed down a bit when we told the 3 families that we did not have the right wheelchairs for that they could bring their children to Antigua on Wednesday and we would give them the type of chairs that their children needed. Over all it was a good day though and the majority of the families went home praising God for answered prayers.

Saturday, January 23, 2010
Well I am back home and things are pretty much back to normal. Well as normal as a house full of kids can be. With in 15 minutes after arriving back home there were no less than a dozen kids in front of, on top of and inside of my house. At bed time I had narrowed the numbers down a bit but there are still enough kids camping out here that I will have to watch where I walk if I have to get up to use the rest room during the night.

While we were having supper the kids told me that I looked a bit tired, so I think that I will try and get some sleep myself, but first there are still a few band-aids that need to be put on wounds both visible and non, so I guess I will go and see how many hurts I can do something about. Giving enough love and attention sometimes seems a lot like giving out wheelchairs. No matter how much you give there still seems to be a few that are left wanting.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Children have never been very good at listening to their elders,
but they have never failed to imitate them.

Journal, January 12-15, 2010

2010-01-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

(Click on any photo to enlarge)

Many of the kids here in Guatemala will soon be returning back to school. I wish that I could say that they were all going back but there are a lot of things keeping a lot of them from going to school. Just last week I shared about how happy I was that we had found school sponsors for 12 year old Samuel and his younger brother and sister. Today I went up to the village where Samuel and his family live. I needed to bring some money there so that a neighbor lady could register her 2 children for school. While I was there I decided to check in with Samual's mother Roselia, just to make sure that she had registered her 3 children into school with the money that we had given her. Roselia told us that she had registered Ana and Alvaro into school but not Samuel. She then went on to explain that Samuel works in the corn fields every day and that he is the only bread winner of the family, And that the 90Q ($11.25) per week that he makes is the only income that the family has to live on. Mother's eyes welled up with tears as she told us that if 12 year old Samuel quit working the fields the family would starve to death so as much as she wanted him to receive an education there was no way that he could quit his job. Before you all run off looking for your check books I want to tell you that the family that is sponsoring Samuel has already stepped forward and offered to pay the equivalent of what Samuel would be making so that he can go to school. We have a lot of other kids like Samuel who still need sponsors though. On Friday I plan on going back to Samuel's village and present mother with this offer. Please pray that Samuel get to receive and education.

When I got home this evening I got a phone call from Alex who has just moved to San Martin. He told me that his mother when in to register him into the public school there but was turned away. The only explanation that she got was that they were not accepting any more students. Alex mom is not one to give up though and by night fall she had found a private Christian school that is willing to enroll Alex. Believe it or not after all is said and done this private school that has about one third as many kids in each class is no more expensive than the over crowded public school would have been.

Seems like when it rains it pours. Many of you undoubtedly remember me writing about Cesar and the battle we had trying to keep him in the public school in El Tejar after he missed a week of school when he was sick last year. After several days of camping out in front of the door to his principals office we were finally told by the principal that Cesar would be allowed back into school if we got a signed letter from his doctor stating that he was indeed sick. We got the letter that day but is was another 2 weeks before the principal would meet with us and then 2 more weeks before she informed us that the doctor had used the wrong kind of stationary to write his letter on. More time passed and we had to finally let the principal known that she had won. Cesar was out of school for the year. We did manage to have one more meeting with her. We wanted to be sure that we had everything in line for getting him back into school this year. That meeting was a short one. The principal informed us that since Cesar was no longer in school he was considered a dropout. She said that her school had a reputation to maintain so they did not accept dropouts. Cesar would never be allowed back into this school.

For the past few months Cesar's dad has been stopping in at the public school here in Chimaltenango asking when he can register Cesar. Up until today he has been given the same answer. "We are not registering students yet please come back in a few days." Today, just one day later, He got a new answer, "Sorry we are full, You should have registered him a long time ago." Please pray that we can some how get Cesar into a school some where. He is a sharp kid and he wants and deserves an education.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Today it was Jason's turn to come along with me. Usually I take 2 or 3 kids at a time with me when I go some where but there are a number of reasons that today it was only Jason.

Reason #1 - Keeping Jason in line can at times be more difficult than a hand full of any of the other kids.

Reason #2 - Jason is not always appreciated by my other kids. I have though about talking to them about learning how to be more accepting of Jason even though he can be rather annoying at times but I figured that I better learn to practice what I preach before doing this.

Reason #3 - My friends Dave and Lonna Black were also going along with us and since we were going to take Ronny and his family school shopping I figured that we could likely end up with a dozen people in my car. (I only missed it by 3. How was I to know that Ronny's grandmother and 2 cousins were going shopping with us.

Nevertheless the 15 or us had a great time and the Camperos in Santa Lucia was tickled to see us.

Six of the kids in Ronny's family will be attending school this year. Ronny's oldest sister had talked about dropping out of school but has finally decided to stick with it. Ronny is having a bit of a rough time in school. He is doing OK grade wise but a few school bullies have been giving him a rough time. From the sound of things one of these bullies is his teacher. The lady that use to teach him was wonderful but is now teaching in another town. Ronny's parents want shim to continue his schooling but are worried about bandits along the trail that leads from their house to the school. They are afraid that they may target Ronny because he can not fight back and his wheelchair is worth money.

Well 4 of the kids are spending the night so I better claim a bed while there is one left.

Oh by the way. Jason was awesome today. He did a great job of interpreting for us and was a down right pleasure to be with. I guess all that time I spent on my knees praying that I would not try to strangle him before the day ended payed off.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Today Cesar and Bryan came along with me to Antigua. David had called me from Hope Haven a few days ago telling me that 4 kids would be coming in this morning for wheelchairs. We managed to seat all 4 of them into the wheelchairs that Hope Haven manufactures but a few of them were real challenges.

Last night while thinking about Cesar's situation with trying to find a school that would take him I started thinking about Alex's mom and the Christian school that she had found for Alex. I knew that it was a miracle that she found one because most private school have a waiting list that is several years long. Why not try though. After all does God have a limit on the amount of miracles that He can preform? I made a phone call to Mario, a friend of mine who's daughter attends a private school. It just so happens this school just moved to a larger location and is starting their new school year on Monday. Cesar will be one of 7 sixth graders attending this school. Quite a change from his old school that had nearly 50 kids in one class room.

Well about 10 kids are asking me if we are going to have supper tonight and chances are that another half dozen will show up before it is cooked so I better say, "Goodnight."

Yours in Christ: Dick

Friday, January 15, 2010

Great news! I just received word that Pastor Juan talked to Samuel's mom yesterday and Samuel will be starting school on Monday. Hopefully an education will mean that he will not have to spend the rest of his life working for $11 a week like he has been doing.

Since Pastor Juan went in and talked with Samuel's mom yesterday I decided to postpone my visit there until another day and went to Hermano Pedro instead. Miguel and Marcos accompanied me. After showing another group from Spring Arbor University around the orphanage the boys and I took 3 of the orphanage kids out to the park. The boys were a bit disappointed that we could not take Josey out of the malnutrition ward but there was a bit of a breeze so the doctor in charge told us that another day would be better. Josey is doing well though and is now up to 13 and a half pounds. Not much weight considering he is 3 years old but not bad considering the fact that he weighed exactly 5 pounds when he was admitted into the malnutrition ward less than a year ago.

^ Josey Now.............

Josey >
11 months ago.

After returning from the park the boys and I spent the rest of the afternoon repairing several of the orphanage wheelchairs.

Tonight I am fighting a cold so I sent all of the kids home at 8 PM. Surprisingly they were all pretty good about leaving. Then again it may have helped that I fed them before sending them out the door.

I think that I will actually take advantage of this rare quiet time and just relax so I am going to quit writing and just kick back for a while.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal, January 5-11, 2010

2010-01-11T21:16:00.001-07:00

(Click on any picture to enlarge)

I know that I just published a Journal a few days ago but you may have noticed that most of it was done by my friends Judy and Pat and had little to do with anything that took place here at home. That is why I thought I would bring you up to date on some of the things that have been going on here at home. Don't worry I will keep this one short.

On Tuesday Cesar, Marcos, were thrilled when the head nurse and the doctor that work up in the malnutrition ward gave us the green light on taking 3 of the kids from that ward out the park. Taking any of the kids that are in the malnutrition ward out of the orphanage is usually a no no but the staff there is starting to recognize how well my boys do with these kids and I think that they are starting to realize that happy kids do a lot better health wise than ones that are sad.

On Wednesday when 2 of my other boys and myself returned to the orphanage Jose headed straight for the gate thinking that he was going to get to go to the park with us again today. We immediately let him know that we had simply come to play with him but had no intentions of going to the park. He immediately let us and anyone else that was within crying distance know that if we were not intending to take him to the park he was not going to play with us. Jose may be small but his temper outweighs that of any of my kids.

On Thursday I took 10 of my kids swimming at a place near San Martin. This was sort of a going away party for Alex and Elder. Although Alex and his family have talked about moving to a small 1 room house that Alex's Grandfather has given them for quite some time now, but up tell now they have not moved out of their rented house here in Chimaltenango. Mom finally decided that the $88 per month rent that they are paying here in Chimaltenango was more than she could pay, so on Friday Alex, Gladys, Windy, Chino, Elder and their mom will be moving to this small one room house that is located in a rather remote area about an hour from here. Alex's dad left for the States over 6 years ago to find work. He keeps telling his family that he will soon be returning but I am beginning to wonder if he has perhaps started a new life in the States that does not include his family that is here in Guatemala.

On Friday we loaded up a large truck and my car with all of the belongings of Alex's family and headed off down the road. None of the kids want to move but if they move they will no longer have to pay rent so mom feels that it is something that they must do. I think that transition is going to be a rough one for the entire family. Please keep them in your prayers.

Friday was also my birthday but I did not plan on doing much in the way of celebrating, especially after spending most of the day loading and unloading furniture. When I got back home from helping Alex's family move my house slowly started filling up with kids though. Nearly each one showed up with some sort of small gift that they had either bought or made. None of the gifts could have cost over a dollar but believe you me I wouldn't sell any of them for a million. Calin even gave me a birthday cake. Let me tell you it is hard to cut up a cup cake into 12 peaces but no one complained about the size of the piece that they received. Fernando and Cesar were the last to arrive at my house but I could tell that some thing was bothering Fernando. Cesar presented me with a small gift but Fernando held back. His tears did not hold back though. He then explained that he and Cesar saved up to buy me presents and had taken their bikes to the mall and had each bought me some thing. However on their way home Fernando fell off from his Bicycle and the picture frame that he bought for me had broken. A few Kleenex and a tube of super glue later, Fernando and the picture frame were as good as new, well almost new. I convinced Fernando that not all picture frames have to have glass in them. When I asked the kids if they had eaten they said no but they did not feel that I should have to cook for them on my birthday. I then suggested that they take me out to Burger King for supper and got a few startled looks until I explained that I would foot the bill. I don't think that the Burger King staff is used to singing happy birthday to their customers but my kids some how talked them into it. I was even presented with a free hamburger and a hot fudge sundae. The manager apologized for not having birthday candles but I told him that the straws that were polkaing out of my sundae were quite original. In 63 years this has to be one of the best birthday parties that I have ever had.

When we got home some of the kids decided that they would supply the evening entertainment by putting on a talent show. Elder won top honers with his impersonation of Rambo.

I think that tomorrow I will take Elder shopping for underwear. His older brother's underwear does not seem to fit him all that well.

On Saturday I took the 7 kids that I did not have room in the car for on Thursday swimming. Unlike Thursday's group I took this group to Esquentla which is about 6000 feet lower and 20 degrees warmer than San Martin.

Deja-vu

I think that tomorrow I will take Elder shopping for a swimsuit. His older brother's swimsuit does not seem to fit him all that well.

On Sunday (today) we went to church and then I took the kids out for a relaxing hike.

Actually the kids
did most of the hiking.

I did most of the relaxing.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Monday, January 11, 2010

This morning Marcos and Bryon accompanied me to Hermano Pedro Orphanage. I had promised 2 groups of students from Spring Arbor University that I would take them through the orphanage, one group in the morning and another in the afternoon. Unlike many groups that visit the orphanage this group did not ask me ahead of time what they could bring the kids in the way of tangible gifts. As it turned out they ended up bringing what the kids needed the most. They brought their love, and the kids loved it.

Thanks gang!

"Happiness is not so much in having as sharing. We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal, January 8, 2010

2010-01-08T20:45:00.009-07:00

Last week I received the following e-mail from a good friend of mine who runs a school up in Santa Maria Dejesus. Lately there have been an alarming number of kidnappings in this village so when I received the flowing e-mail I expected the worse.

Judy Kerschner wrote

AN URGENT PRAYER REQUEST!

I received notice that one of our New Life students has gone missing. Her name is Azucena Coroy and she is 10 years old. She is socially very developmentally delayed. This makes her more vulnerable. She has been missing since Wednesday Dec 30th. Her parents have involved the police, fire dept, everyone they can think of. They have even checked the morgue in Antigua. Please ask your Sunday school classes and church families to pray. Please pray for her protection and to return home safely.

WITH CHRIST'S LOVE
JUDY

A few days later I received this e-mail from Judy.

This is just a short note to say that Azucena has been found. It's a miracle of God! He had placed her in a safe situation.

This photo was used for a flier. The New Life staff had attached more than 100 (to anything & everything) in Santa Maria then Antigua when she was recognized.

As Paul Harvey would say "Stand by for the rest of the story".

Thank you for your prayers!

Judy

I could not wait to here the rest of the story but had no Idea that my friends Pat and Bill Guillermo whom I met with the following day had been a big part of it. I stood in aw as Pat shard with me "The rest of the story."

Here is the Godincidence that Pat shared.

WHAT BEING IN THE MIDDLE OF GOD'S WILL CAN ACCOMPLISH!

You know, sometimes what seems to be something less than it could or should be turns out to be exactly right. Like when you don't get to a task when you want to, or when other commitments keep you from doing other worthwhile stuff. So here is a true story that will forever keep me glad to serve a living God! How wee details and big problems can be part of such an amazing happening. We got to go to los Estados Unidos for a visit, had an outrageously wondermus time, and returned to Guatemala exhausted AND with lots of stuff our friends and family in the states gave us to give to some of our young friends. Stuff like underwear, socks, and blankets. Well, because we were so wiped out when we returned AND because we got back just in time to prepare for Christmas, we didn't get to Rosa's de Amor, a loving home run for kids who have been removed from dangerous living situations, until Dec. 31st.

Here's a foto of some of the kids with some of their new gifts. A GREAT BIG, HEARTFELT THANK YOU TO EACH OF YOU WHO DONATED ALL THE AMAZING ITEMS, BY THE WAY!! But wait; there's more. It gets even better...which is saying a LOT after we gave them such practical and necessary stuff. Hope you can see the little girl in the front row, 2nd from the left, with the white shirt. The one NOT smiling....this is Azucena..pronounced Ah-su-cena; beautiful, isn't it?). The police brought Azucena to Rosa at 3am this same day, the 31st, having found her in the streets nearby, all alone. She would or could only give her first name, that's all; not her age, where she lived, her parents' names, nothing. I tried talking with her, she was so sad; it was not possible to keep her engaged, and even the other kids couldn't get her to talk with them.

TAKE TWO....

So that was last Thursday. We didn't get to church Sunday, but we were told that they prayed for a missing child from Santa Maria de Jesus. This girl has special needs which leave her unable to communicate well, among other things. She went missing on Thursday, Dec. 31st. Sta. Maria de Jesus is about 7 miles south of Antigua, way, way up on the side of Volcano Agua. Rosa's de Amor is on the road to Guatemala City, at least 10 miles in the other direction from Antigua. We live in San Felipe de Jesus, oh, 2 miles or so in yet another direction from Antigua. I had english class this afternoon at my house, but only 2 of the 4 girls came. When it was time to walk the girls home, we discovered that there was a funeral was walking down our street....did I tell you we live on Callejon del cementario? And yes, they were walking..that's how they do funerals here in Guatemala, even if it means walking down one of the main highways! Anyway, as we were walking down the main street of our little town, here comes my friend Amy, and she has on rubber gloves, and she looks very intense in her work. And since she lives nowhere near us, and because of the gloves, really, this is really why I asked, I asked what she was doing in our part o' town. She and a friend were hanging posters for the missing little girl from Sta Maria De Jesus. So I ask to see one, and this is what I saw.

YEP, IT'S HER!!!

Azucena, the sad little girl at Rosa's. So I get to tell Amy I know where she is AND that she is OK!

Look at some of the IFs in this.

If we didn't have any gifts to give to Rosa, we probably wouldn't have been at her house on the 31st...gives giving a whole new meaning!!!

If we had gone to Rosa's any earlier than the 31st to give the gifts, which was what I wanted to do but didn't have the energy for, then we wouldn't have met Azucena.

If the funeral procession didn't go past our casa, or if the other girls had come to class, which would have meant we would have walked them home another way, we would have missed meeting Amy on the street.

If I wasn't so nosy, remember the gloves?, then I wouldn't have seen the missing poster.

If Amy and I weren't out just doing what we heard God ask us to do, simple stuff, walking girls home and hanging posters, then we wouldn't have been given the privilege of connecting lost and found!

GIVES BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME A NEW LEVEL OF SIGNIFICANCE!

All this adds up to what our friend Dick Rutgers calls a Godincidence vs. coincidence, and we agree with him!

Now I know you remember as you read this that we are indeed in a 3rd world country, where the police and legal machines just don't function as they do in the US. There are no Amber alerts here. And thankfully, the police DID bring Azucena to Rosas. These police operate out of Chimaltenango, which is even farther away from Antigua than all the other places aforementioned...oh how I wish I could draw a map of all this for you :) And when her parents tried to file a missing report, being New Year's Eve, I guess, the police dated it 12/2010. Mom and dad even tried to file a report in Antigua, but the offices were moving, so they were told to come back on Monday. Azucena is 10 years old! Any guesses on how long it would have taken the wheels of justice to figure this one out?

So back to Amy and the gloves, which she got to take off as she wouldn't need to glue any more posters to poles, etc. She called the parents immediately, OK, as soon as she stopped crying, and arranged to meet them in Antigua. Then she drove them to Rosa's for a reunion. She will also help them work through the legal stuff (Remember the police brought her to Rosa's) so Azucena can go home hopefully tomorrow. It may never be known exactly how she got so far away from home, but they were able to determine that she wasn't abused in any way on her dangerous journey. And out of this, the special needs school is going to be working on getting ID bracelets for many of their students.

I like this job!

Pat Guillermo

Thanks Pat and Judy for making this week's journal a breeze for me, and thank you Jesus for watching over this precious little girl.

Here is something to think about.

"The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: 'If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?' But ... the good Samaritan reversed the question: 'If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?'"

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal, January 2-4 , 2010

2010-01-05T07:02:00.007-07:00

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Today was another good one. This morning four of my older boys and myself loaded up my car with shoes, back packs, and medicine and headed up towards Tecpan. Those of you who have been keeping up with my journals possibly remember reading about the widow and her five children that Pastor Juan, his family, some of my boys and I went up and visited last week. I mentioned that we were able to tell them that we would be building them a house in a month or two. Those of you who read my journals also know that I try not to ask for money I don't even have a magic red button that you can push to donate money to this ministry. Fact is if a person wants to help sponsor a child's schooling, medical expenses or anything else he or she has to e-mail me to find out how to do so. However last week I mentioned that none of the three children that were school age were going to school because their mother simply could not afford to send them. Guess what. Today when the boys and I visited with this family we were able to tell mom that her kids would be attending school this year. Within a day or two after publishing my journal four people offered to sponsor one child each from this family. Now I went to school back in the old days before they had the new math but if I am not mistaken that is one more sponsor than necessary. This is the first time that I know of that we have ever had to contact some one that wanted to sponsor a particular child and ask them if they would either consider sponsoring another child or consider letting us use their sponsorship money to help provide some groceries to this family on a monthly bases.

Do you want to here about another Godincidence?

The lady that is going to sponsor Samuel, the oldest of the five children did into decide to do so because she had read my journal but because she had been here several months ago and I had taken her and some other people up to the village where Samuel lives. Even though I did not remember meeting him at that time this lady had taken a picture of him and last week she just happened to send me that picture asking me if I knew who this boy was. In her e-mail she went on to say that God had laid it on her hart to put this boy into school if by any chance he did not already attend. Talk about God's timing. I had not known that she was looking for Samuel and she had not known that I had just written about him and his family a day earlier.

Today we were also able to visit other families who have children that are being sponsored, and supply them with shoes and back packs that have been donated to us. It was hard to tell other families in the area that we did not have shoes for their children but by the time we gave them out to the kids that are being sponsored there were only a few pare left. We gave the last few pare of shoes to whom ever they fit but there were still a lot of children left with out anything on there feet.

(Click on any picture to enlarge)

We got back home in time to attend Etiline's birthday party. Even though she has never seen her father and not seen her mother since she was a baby, she at least has an uncle and an aunt who take care of her. She received quite a few presents but I think that the highlight of her night was getting to come over to my house to visit with her mother over Skype. True seeing each other over a camera is not as good as being there in person but Etiline, Fernando, and their relatives had a good visit with Etiline and Fernando's mom.

Well it is getting late so I think that I will say, "Goodnight".

Yours in Christ: Dick

Sunday, January 3, 2009

Some may call it a bribe but I call it an incentive. No matter what you want to call it I am going to keep doing it because it worked. Telling my boy that I would put 2 Q (25 cents) into a kitty for each one of them that took notes on what Pastor Mike preached about this morning and later using the money to rent a soccer field seemed to work wonders. Never before have I seen a more attentive and well behaved group of teens sit through an entire church service. Actually Pastor Mike had already printed the notes in the bulletin but had left out a few words here and there that needed to be filled in. I am not sure that he had my boys in mind when he did this but after seeing how well they listened to the sermon I would not be to suppressed if next week he offered some of the older members of the church a cash incentive for filling in the blanks in the bulletin.

After church the boys and I hiked up to the cross that overlooks Antigua. I figured that if I tired them out enough they would perhaps be willing to put the soccer game on hold for a day or 2. Silly me, all it did is built up enough of an appetite that I had to feed them lunch before we went and played soccer. I actually played for the entire game but must admit that I felt more like a target than a goalie.

More food
this evening,

....and now it
......is bed time.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Monday, January 4, 2009

I recently ran across the following statement.

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

That may be an exaggeration but I know what God says in the Bible about simply patting some one that is going hungry on the back and telling them that you will pray for them and then doing nothing about their physical situation.

James 2:15-17 tells us,

¹⁵Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Today Chris and I spent the day down near the coast. No it was not a day spent lying on the beach. Fact is much of our time was spent in courthouses and lawyer's offices. The end result was more satisfying than a day at the beach though. In about 4 weeks we will be having a teem of men come in to help us build a new house on the parcel of land that we purchased today. No longer will Rosa and her children have to call the ramshackle shack that they have been living in their home. As an added blessing for the first time in their lives they will have electricity, running water, a stove to cook on, and instead of 2 beds for 7 people each one will have their own bed to sleep in.

Are we going to witness to this family while we are building the house? You bet we are! And I would not doubt that as we are sharing the love of Christ with them that God will even give us the opportunity to use words.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal, Janurary 1, 2009

2010-01-01T16:35:00.003-07:00

I am frequently asked what I would do if I were held up at gun point here in Guatemala. Knowing that it was likely to happen to me some day I have done a lot of praying about it. I know that statistics here in Guatemala show that you are less likely to get shot if you hand over everything that the robber or robbers ask for, but they also show that even though this improves your chances of survival it is no guarantee that you will walk away in one peace. Now before any of you that are considering coming here cancel your plans and put your tickets up for bid on e-bay let me remind you that I spend a good deal of time in the back country and this is where most of these robberies and ambushes take place. Never the less even the best parts of Guatemala are far from being Disney World so if you are not prayed up and are simply thinking of coming here for a holiday there are safer places to be. I may also remind you that I have been here for 10 years now and although I have run into a few tense situations this is the first time that I have rounded a corner on a dirt road and been greeted by 3 masked men with guns. Anyway in praying abut what to do if, and in all likelihood, when that situation happened God seemed to tell me that He would give me the wisdom to know what to do when it did happen. As I sit here looking back on Tuesday's experience I realize that there was not much wisdom involved on my part. It all happened so fast that I really never had time to think about anything. I think that my approaching car startled the robbers as much as they startled me. At any rate they jumped out of the way and simply stood there looking at me as I drove by. As I looked back through my rear view mirror I saw them step back out on to the road but none of them shot at me or even aimed their guns at me. They just stood there watching me drive off down the road. I guess that I can thank the Lord that I did not have to think about what to do. I think that He had it all figured out and that it was a good thing that I did not try to use my wisdom in trying to handle what could have been a bad situation.

Sorry I didn't get any pictures of the bandits because some Guatemalans
don't like to have their pictures taken while they are working.

2 Corinthians 12:9

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

Was my trip to Ronny's house worth it? You bet it was. I had promised Ronny who's physical condition prevented him from attending this year's cam that he and his little Brother Arlindo could spend a few days at my house and they have been looking forward to that for over a month now. Ronny has muscular dystrophy and it is doubtful that he will have many more opportunities to do something like this. For 2 days Ronny and Arlindo, have been having the time of their lives. Ronny is getting so week that he can scarcely sit up in his wheelchair any more and every hour or 2 someone has to get up and reposition him when he is sleeping but my kids have been helping out with this, with feeding and even toileting him so I am actually not having to do all of the work. I know that I do a lot of bragging about the kids that hang out at my place but it is hard not to brag when they are so incredible. It never ceases to amaze me how kids like Esben who's own mother will have nothing to do with him can show so much love and compassion to some one like Ronny.It is now Thursday and we just brought Ronny and Arlindo back to their home. I took a different road this time. On the way home I stopped off and visited another family. They asked me why I was taking this way home. "Didn't I know that there were sometimes thieves on this road?" I guess I could stay locked up in my house. I am sure that nothing bad ever happens to people who stay at home.

I do covet your prayers as I continue to serve here in Guatemala, but please don't send letters telling me to be careful. I have already made a new year's resolution to be more careful, careful that I continue to be exactly where I know God wants me to be.

1 Peter 4:19

So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

Goodnight and Happy New Year,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal, December 26 & 27

2009-12-27T11:50:00.007-07:00

Click on...
any photo
to enlarge

Saturday, December 26, 2009

It's like Deja-vu, all over again.

I know that we celebrated Christmas yesterday but
for Fernando and Etiline it came the day after Christmas.

Neither Fernando or his sister Etiline have seen their mother since she left to find work in the States ten years ago. Tonight we arranged for their mother to go to the home of a friend who has a computer, and thanks to modern technology, the marvels of internet and 2 small cameras, for nearly an hour Fernando and Etiline got to visit with their mother face to face. Can you imagine finally being able to see your 11 and 12 year old children who were 1 and 2 years old that last time that you saw them, or seeing your mother who you have not seen since you were a baby? Needless to say a lot of tears were shed but the visit was a healthy one for both mother and children. I am going to do my best to see to it that these visits take place on a regular bases.

I am hoping to give some of my other kids the same opportunity but needless to say some of them are bitter that their parents left them in an attempt to make a better life for them, and are not sure that they want to make contact with them. Fernando, Etiline and their mother were ready for this reunion. I think that a few more of my kids would like to do this as well but we are taking it one step at a time.

Christmas also came a day later than usual for this widow
and her 5 children that we visited earlier today.

A few weeks ago while visiting 2 other widows that Bethel Ministries have given homes to I was told of this lady, her 5 children and her elderly mother who lived in a shack that was made out of corn stalks and mud. When the boys that were with me and myself visited her house we could not help but wonder if it would fall down before anyone could get anything done about getting a new one built for them. On Christmas day I told Chris about this family and he told me that we could make this family a priority so today I went back to see them.

This is the inside of their home. . ..........

Before going there the boys and I went and picked up Pastor Juan and his family. Pastor Juan who lives in Tecpan which is less than a half hour drive from where this lady lives helps Bethel with the construction of a lot of the homes that they build. With in a half hour after introducing him to this lady and her 5 children (None of whom she can afford to send to school) we had everything discussed and thanks to some short term mission teems that will be coming in to help us build some homes, we were able to promise her and her family a new home within the next month or two.

While we were were there Juan, his family, the 2 boys that came along from my neighborhood and I challenged the village kids to a game of soccer. Had we seen the village soccer field before we asked about playing we may have changed our minds. The field (if you can call it that) has to be on a good 15 degree incline. Saying it was a bit rocky is deffinatly an understatement. Some of the rocks were boulders that the opposing players often hid behind. Two sticks that were stuck into the ground at the high end of the field served as the up hill goal.

I usually like to play goalie but we had the low end of the field and and a 10 foot deep pit served as the down hill goal. Step back to far while protecting this goal and you were a goner. Never the less we all had a good time and good number of spectators had gathered by the time we finished the game.

. . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . ^ Click button to play video

After the game we visited for a while with the families of Maria and Rosa. These area the 2 widows in this area who we have already built houses for.

When I got home this evening my kids and I rented a soccer field and about 15 of us had a game on a field that was level and had no boulders. Granted the surface was cement and not grass but that is kids stuff compared to what I played on earlier today.

Goodnight and Merry Christmas all over again.
Yours in Christ: Dick

Sunday, December 27, 2009

I know it is Sunday and I know that I said that I was going to take some time off from writing in my journal but how can I brag about my kids if I can't write about them. No, mind you they are far from angels. They just proved that to me tonight when I rented a soccer field for $3 after all 15 kids promised that they would help clean up my yard after the game. Some how 15 kids dwindled down to 9 by the time we reached my yard, and some how only 6 of the 9 that made it to my house remembered that they had promised to work. I must admit though that it was almost worth seeing the expressions on the faces of the kids that I left behind when 7 of us drove off to Burger King after the yard was cleaned up.

Any way where was I? Oh ya, I wanted to do a bit of bragging about the kids that came along with me to church this morning. After Church I told the kids that I wanted to stop off at the orphanage for just a few minutes to see if some friends of mine happened to be there. As it turned out my friends were not there but a few minutes turned into something like a few hours. Not that I minded but every time that I mentioned that we should be heading for home all of my kids begged me to stay longer. None of them wanted to put the child that they were holding back into his or her crib. It did not seem to matter to them that most of the children that they were holding had severe deformities. Some had heads the size of basketballs, others had feeding tubes inserted int their noses and many of them were wearing diapers that needed to be changed. Some how my kids didn't seem to care. They saw a beauty in each of these children that I have seen many a visitor to the orphanage fail to recognize. I can honestly say that my kids are more and more seeing the orphanage kids and others that we visit in the villages as Christ meant for them to be seen, His children that He created in his image.

Why is it then that some of these same kids that I was so proud of only a few short hours ago are the one's that did not get to go along to Burger King tonight? Like I said they are far from perfect, but we are working on that. Meanwhile I still let them know that I love them.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal, December 22 & 23, 2009

2009-12-24T17:04:00.003-07:00

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

I'm taking a few days off from journaling.

Merry Christmas
From Dick and the Crew.
(Here in Guatemala we are still allowed to say that.)

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

I know that I said that I was not going to do any writing this week but I wanted to write about the Godincidence that took place just a few hours ago while it is still fresh in my mind.

Yesterday David who works at Hope Haven's wheelchair factory over in Antigua asked me if I could come in and fit a wheelchair for a little girl who's mother would be bringing her in today. I told him that I could do it and asked if it would be OK if I brought along a little boy that I had heard about who needed a wheelchair. David told me that they would love to give this this little boy a wheelchair, so this morning I picked him, his brother and his mother up at their home and then headed over to Hope Haven's wheelchair factory.

After seating the 2 kids David showed me a few boxes that had my name on them. He told me that they had arrived yesterday on a container of wheelchair supplies and he had no idea what was in them. I first though of just throwing them into my car and not checking their contents until later but something prompted me to look into one of the boxes. Before I had a chance to check out any of the other boxes David called me over to one of the garbage bins that are just outside of the building.

A little boy was rummaging around in the garbage trying to find some thing of value. This is not all that uncommon here in Guatemala but what caught David's attention were the shoes that this little boy was wearing. They were an unmatched pare of ladies open toe shoes. The little boy seemed quite amused that we had taken an interest in his shoes. He told us that they were the only shoes that he owned. Not only were they in terrible shape but they kept falling off from his feet. This was especially bad because this little boy spent most of his time scrounging around in the garbage bins where there is a lot of broken glass and other dangerous tings to step on.

Now here is where the Godincidence of the week came in to play. Hope Haven Antigua is a wheelchair factory and not a shoe store. Nearly every container that arrives there is filled with wheelchair related items. Shoes are not wheelchair items. What do you suppose was in the box that I had just peeked into? A few minutes later David was fitting Luis Andreas into a brand new pare of shoes. I am quite sure that this the very first Christmas present that Luis has ever received.

Have a Merry Christmas
Yours in Christ; Dick

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Galatians 6:14

Journal December 12-18, 2009

2009-12-19T07:46:00.012-07:00

Saturday, December 12, 2009

I think that I may have accidentally gotten up on the wrong side of bed this morning. Then again perhaps it was a good thing that I did. Otherwise I would likely have stepped on one or more of the kids that claimed my floor as their bed last night.

(Click on any photo to enlarge)

Breakfast went quite smoothly considering that the number of kids had more than doubled by the time we sat down to eat. Oh yes one or two cups of hot chocolate managed to make it onto my floor instead of into the mouths of some of my younger guests but that almost always happens. It didn't matter much though because it just sort of mixed in with the Pepsi that had been spilled there during supper last night. Usually my floor gets swept 2 or 3 times a day but last night the kids convinced me that playing a few games with them was more important than sweeping the floor or doing the dishes. Now I sort of wish that I had let them do their chores before sending them out of the house today. I don't do that often but one argument to many sent me over the edge. Actually 2 of the kids had what you might call a little more than an argument because arguments do not usually draw blood. Never the less once I got the tears stopped I announced that our plans to go swimming were on hold for a few days and then ushered the entire troop out of the front gate. I was surprised that there was not more weeping and gnashing of teeth but they all took it quite well. It does not happen often but I think that they have learned how to read it in my eyes when I truly need a day off, or at least part of a day off. I told all but the 2 of them that had been fighting that my house would be open to them later this evening.

Now I had a big decision to make. What was I going to do with an entire day all to myself? Suddenly I got a terrific Idea why not head on down to Antigua and spend the day with the kids there. I know, I know! but the kids at the orphanage never fight with each other. Then again I guess it is impossible to fight when you are all locked in separate cribs. I had full intentions of going to the orphanage all by myself but when I opened my gate I discovered that Calin and Fernando were out there staring at the ground and kicking rocks.

When I told them that I was heading to the orphanage to love on the kids there they reminded me that there were far to many kids there for one person to love on by themselves. They also reminded me that they were not the ones that had been fighting. Two minutes later the 3 of us were on our way. I know, I know! but there was no way that I could take 3 orphanage kids out to lunch all by myself.

I must admit that at first my hart was not in it nearly as much as it usually is but it only took one magic word, (Camperos) and the excitement that was on the faces of Fidel, Bobby, and Lionel made me forget about the chocolate milk, coke and blood that still had to be mopped up at home. Besides that the 2 boys that came along with me are professionals at showing the orphanage kids unconditional love.

I had intended on heading straight home after bringing the 3 kids that we took out to lunch back to the orphanage but Calin and Fernando convinced me that the kids up in the malnutrition ward needed some loving as well. Yes, the malnutrition ward is off limits to kids, but the nurses there know my boys and have no problems with me sneaking a few of the orphanage kids to a fenced off area just outside of their door. Any way that is how I spent a relaxing day away from the kids.

I've got to run. I think that the crew is gathering at my gate.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Closed for the weekend.
(Went on a picknick with the neighbors and forgot to take my Camera)

Monday, December 14, 2009

Took 4 of the kids along with me to Hermano Pedro where we met up with 2 ladies from the States. We then took some of the orphanage kids out to lunch.

The girls have a saying around my house.

............................"The Boys Rule"

Not tonight though.

It does not happen often but for a few hours this evening the girls out numbered the boys.

I think that a few of my boys
may have actually felt
a bit intimidated.

Fernando hung in there,

but

most of the others reluctantly gave up the computers until the girls left.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

On The Road Again

Tonight 3 of my Boys and I are in Coban. This is the first day of what will likely be a 6 day road trip. Our main objective of this trip is to get into the remote area abut 2 hours north of Plya Grandi to visit with 5 families that have children that we have been sponsoring or plan to sponsor this coming school year. Although this is primarily a work oriented trip the boys and I have full intentions of making it a fun time. Believe it or not I think that it will be a relaxing time for me as well. One thing that I am grateful for here in Guatemala is that most motels charge by the amount of people and not by the room. Don't get me wrong I love these boys but after spending all day riding in a car with 3 teen agers a bit of peace and quiet are more than welcome. Tonight the boys are in room #8 and I am in room #2. I can still hear them but having 5 rooms between us at least muffles the noise somewhat. I asked for rooms 1 and 9 but they were taken.

Today we opted for cutting off close to 100 kilometers by traveling dirt roads instead of staying on the main highways. Some people think that you have a better chance of getting robbed if you travel the back roads but I personally believe that any bandit would starve to death just waiting for a car to come along on some of these dirt roads. Some of the roads were extremely bumpy but we took our sweet time and even stopped off at a river for a swim.

Most of the people that live in the back country have no wells so the rivers are used for washing clothing, bathing, collecting drinking water, and some times as rest rooms. That is one reason that we always try to swim a bit up stream from where the the villagers hang out.

..................No this is not my crew.
...................We brought our swim suits.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Wednesday, December 17, 2009
Today we had planned on relaxing a bit and spending the day at Semuc Chanpey. Champey is about a 2 hour drive from Coban. The first hour is on paved roads but after that the road changes to dirt. The 2 hour drive is well worth it though because it has to be one of the most beautiful places in all of Guatemala. There is one thing about jungles though. Rain! Not only was it raining there today but it was a cold rain. We had 3 choices, stay there and get wet, backtrack 2 hours to Coban, or cut cross country on a road that made anything that we traveled on so far look like kids stuff. We took a vote. It was unanimous. What are Land Cruisers built for if not a bit of a challenge? Besides that retracing our steps back to Coban would only allow us to be on pavement for a few hours and then we would still have to drive on 5 hours of dirt road that was comparable to this before reaching Playa Grandi. I must admit the next 7 hours were some of the bumpiest that I have ever driven. I am not sure how my car kept from shaking apart but other than a few new rattles it seems to be OK.

We did have one experience where we had to do some fast talking. Some men who were filling in some pot holes (Talk about job security) told us that we would have to pay them 100Q to use the road. Between my lack of Spanish and Calin convincing them that we were poor missionaries, they finally backed down and let us go on without paying. It was dark by the time we reached Playa Grandi and we were ready to get out of the car and into our motel room. The clerk at the desk of the motel was very courteous but politely told us that there was no room in the inn. He told us about another hotel that he thought would have room so we went there and checked it out. No hot water but the had a single room and a triple and the 2 rooms were a good 50 feet apart. How was I to know that the people in the room next to mine had teen agers. Oh well I think that I will wad up some Kleenex, stuff it in my ears and try to get some sleep.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Thursday, December 17, 2009

This morning the boys and I drove another 2 hours to a settlement simply known as Nuevo Pueblo Número Cuatro (New Village Number Four). Some of the larger rivers along the way actually have bridges that you can cross once you adjust the remaining planks to your liking.

Many of the smaller rivers have no bridges.

................
...................^ Click button to play video
..
Nuevo Pueblo Número Cuatro is one of 4 settlements near the Mexican border where the Guatemalan government relocated Guatemalan's who had fled to Mexico during the civil war, which took place here in the seventies and eighties. It took several hears but the government finally followed through on their promises to build small homes for at least some of the people that relocated here once the war was officially over. Other than a few people who have been able to purchase solar cells that charge one or 2 old car batteries during the day none of the people have electricity. The nearest town is Playa Grandi and that is 2 hours away by four wheel drive. There is a public school in the village but it does not allow anyone to attend if they have any type of disability.

Onias, one of the kids that we visited today lived at Hermano Pedro orphanage for about 2 years. He was one of the first kids that we ever got a sponsor for so that he could attend school. About 6 years ago his family took Onias home for Christmas and never did bring him Back to Hermano Pedro. His leaving Hermano Pedro was bitter sweet for both Onias and for those of us who spent time with him at the orphanage. He was a neat kid and we would miss him but we knew that he wanted to be with his family. They loved him and he loved them. I guess one of the hardest parts about seeing him leave was knowing that he would no longer be getting an education. Even though Onias could not talk he was exceptionally bright and loved going to school. Nearly a year went by but I was still haunted by the fact that Onias Could not go to school. I discussed this with Chris and Donna and they felt the same way. That is why early one morning Chris and I packed up the old 4 wheel drive van and headed out to Plya Grandi, a town that was not even on the map. It took us 2 days to get there and once we arrived we realized that we still had no idea how to locate Onias. When we found a hotel we asked the manager, who appeared to be slightly inebriated, if he had any idea where Nuevo Pueblo Número Cuatro was located. He told us that he had been there once but it was still a 2 hour drive and trying to explain how to get there would be next to impossible. When we told him why we wanted to go there he said that he would go along and show us the way in the morning. I was glad to hear that the generator that at that time operated the lights to Playa Grandi shut down at 10 PM because that would mean that the bar that our room was attached to would also close down at that time and so would the jukebox that was separated from my bed by only a thin wall. This would perhaps also give our self appointed guide time to sober up a bit before we headed out in the morning.

That was five years ago. During that time not only has Onias been able to receive an education but so have 3 other children whom the public school in Nuevo Pueblo Número Cuatro would not allow to attend. Today I had the opportunity to once again visit with each of these kids and their families. The teacher that they had last year will not be able to work with them next year but we have located another one that is willing to go to their homes and teach each one of them privately twice a week.

One of the people that we visited with today was Mario. Mario is a spirited 12 year old boy whom thanks to a sponsor has been receiving private tutoring for the past few years. Mario who loves school is not allowed to attend public school because he uses a walker and crutches to get around.

Abner relaxes in a hammock

as he interprets for Mario's mother and myself.

Miceala is a very shy little girl who is confined to a wheelchair. It took a long time for her last teacher to gain her trust. I am praying that it will not take too long for our new teacher to gain her trust.

I hurt for Filipi. He is a sweet little boy who has suffered just enough brain damage at birth that he can't quite fit in at a so called normal school. His parents had thought about once again asking the principal if he could attend the public school but it is located a long way from where they live and walking any distance at all is difficult for Filipi.

Maria is a bright little girl that has CP. Although I met Maria and her family nearly 2 years ago, this will be the first year that we will be providing a teacher for her. Last year her mom and dad worked with her using some books and school supplies that we provided. Maria is still in need of a sponsor.

Onias's mom also took me to visit the home of a 5 year old girl who has downs syndrome. Since she is only 5 I told her mom that we would visit again next year but that I could make no promises. This little girl would be a real challenge to teach. Our new teacher will already be spending 30 hours a week with the 5 student that he has and we do not want to overload him.

Before heading back to Playa Grandi we returned to Onias's house where his mother served us lunch. While we were there Onias's father returned home from working the fields that are an hour away by horse back. Both Calin and Abner jumped at the chance when he asked them if they wanted to ride his horse.

Marcos politely declined after seeing Abner's attempt to get on the horse and Calin's not so graceful dismount.

Onias did not attempt to ride the horse either. He was having too much fun with the new walker that we had brought him.

It has been another long day.

but a good one!

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Friday, December 18, 2009

Rainy season is suppose to be over but some one has evidently forgotten to relay that message to mother nature. We needed four wheel drive just to navigate the streets of Playa Grandi so we had a pretty good idea what the normal 5 hour drive back to Coban would be like. I have seen lots of pot hols here in Guatemala but I would consider some of the ones that we encountered on our way home to be sink holes rather than pot holes. We did not see many cars or trucks on our way to Cobon and most anything that was not four wheel drive was either stuck in the mud or pulled over to the side of the road until things dried out a bit. Who knows that could be days.

In spite of the mud and rain we stopped off in one little village. About a year ago I had brought 3 wheelchairs there after Saul and Hanna who were with me a few weeks earlier happened to see a warn out wheelchair sitting out in front of a house. This turned out to be a real Godincident because the visit with the owner of that wheelchair resulted in us being told about 2 other people in the village that were in need of wheelchairs. Today we decided that we would pay a visit to these 3 people just to see how they were doing.

Our first stop was at the home of the man who's warn out wheelchair had led us to himself and 2 others. Today he was sitting in an old wooden chair but he told us that he uses his new wheelchair a lot. He shared with us that after his old wheelchair completely wore out he was virtually a prisoner in this wooden chair for several years. His wife who id quite feeble would manage to set him in it in the morning and then get him back to bed each night. He told us that his new wheelchair has given him a whole new lease on life.

Our next visit was at the home of Alberto. Alberto has brittle bone disease and up until we brought him a wheelchair last year his bed was his prison. Alberto lives in a dirt floor house that has chickens running all around in it. If this were the USA I am reasonably sure that the humane society would come in and remove the chickens saying that this dwelling was not a fit place for them. In spite of the poor living conditions and the poverty that surrounds Alberto he is a delightful man. Even though he has never been to school a friend has taught him how to read and Alberto who is a Christian spend most of his time reading his Bible.

We had planned on seeing one more person who we had given a wheelchair to last year. This was a little girl who lived with her family in a one room house. I feel bad because I can not even think of her name. I do remember though how grateful her family was that some one had cared enough to come and see them yet alone give them a wheelchair. I am reminded as well that we have a Heavenly Father who cares far more than any of can ever imagine. Not only does He know us by name but he even knows the number of hairs on our head. More than that he loved this little girl so much that He gave his only Son to die for her so that she could spend an eternity with him. Today we were told that this little girl is no longer confined to a wheelchair. Two months ago she went home to a loving Heavenly Father who calls her by name.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal December 6-11, 2009

2009-12-11T22:30:00.006-07:00

"Life is what happens, while you are busy making plans."

(Click on any picture to enlarge)

Sunday, December 6, 2009

This morning Fernando, Esbin and I headed out for a 4 day road trip to Huehuetennago. This is the first time in Esbin's life that he has ever gone on anything more than a one day outing. Needless to say he was excited.

Even though it is only a 5 hour drive to Huehuetenango we headed out at around 9 AM because we wanted to take our time getting there. Since we got such and early start we considered going to the lake at Panajachel and spending a few hours. Thankfully we changed our minds because we later discovered that there was a riot there today and 4 police cars were overturned and set on fire. We made several other stops though and had a great time along the way.

Monday, December 7, 2009
This morning we left our hotel room early and headed for the home of Jose and his family. Jose is a boy that we have known for quite a few years now. Even though he is in a wheelchair and lives in a rather remote part of Guatemala his family has seen to it that he attends a school that is located over a mile from his home. Up until a few years ago his younger brother would have to push him there and back home in his manual wheelchair. Considering the hilly terrain this was no easy task. On a visit to that I made a few years ago I personally pushed him part of the way home from school. I quickly decided that he was in need of a power wheelchair, but at this years camp Jose told us that the power chair that we had given him had quit working. Today we brougt Jose a new power chair to replace the broken one. To say that he and his family were happy would be an understatement. They insisted that we stay and eat some cooked squash with them. This was all that they had cooking and likely the only meal that they would have today. We must have visited for a few hours before finally saying goodbye. Several of Josey's family members walked back to my car with us and before we left I printed up and gave them some pictures that we had taken of their family.

We then drove to the home of Lionel's family.

I was hoping that I could convince Lionel's family to take him home from Hermano Pedro during Christmas but discovered that his father and the 3 oldest children had gone to the coast to find work and were not expected to return for at least 2 months. Not only was mom left by herself to take care of the younger children but there had been a new addition to their family since my last visit. It appears that Lionel will be spending Christmas at the orphanage.

This afternoon Roland Elf came up from Xela and joined us. We were also joined By Maria Garcia and a man named Domingo. Both Maria and Domingo are Mayan people who live in villages close to Huehuetenango. They offered to take us to see Patricia, a young girl that lives about an hour and a half out of Huehuetenango. Patricia and her family know very little Spanish so it was great having them with us. Roland had previously sent me me some photos of Patricia's Legs which had large open sores on them. The nurses that we had at camp had given me some medicine so I wanted to clean and treat the wounds and was also hoping that I could show Patricia's mother how to treat them. I had also taken a wheelchair along to give to Patricia. She can not walk and the wounds on her legs are the result of her dragging herself along on the ground her entire life. Roland had warned me that Patricia was an extremely shy girl and I quickly discovered that he had not been exaggerating. It took a while but finally I gained enough of her confidence that she let me examine and treat her legs. I also showed her mother how to treat the wounds but am not 100% sure that she will follow through with the treatment. Roland will check back with them in a few weeks to see how things are going. I would really like to get her in to see a doctor but I don't think that will happen. I think that the wheelchair that we gave her will help a lot though because she can now move around without dragging her legs through the dirt.

There were more people that we wanted to see today but it was already starting to get dark. By the time we got Maria Garsia and Domingo back to their village and then ourselves to our hotel in Huehuetenango it was nearly 7:30.

It has been a great day but a long one so I am going to say, "Goodnight."

Yours in Christ: Dick

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

This morning Rolland, Fernando, Esbin and I headed back up to the area that we had been at yesterday. I had taken a walker along from Bethel Ministries shop in Chimaltenango that I wanted to give to Ernisto a boy that I had visited while recruiting for camp a few months ago. Due to his own deteriorating health Ernisto's father was unable to bring him to camp this year. His wife died about 4 years ago and now he is left to raise Ernisto by himself. It is quite a hike into where Ernisto lives but Fernando and Esbin willingly took turns carrying in the walker that we had for Ernisto. On my last visit I watched Ernisto take a few steps while holding on to the back of his wheelchair but could not have imagined in my wildest dreams how well he would do with the walker. It was love at first site. Ernisto who is usually very shy sprang to life. For the next half hour we could not get the kid to stand still. I just hope that his dad will be able to keep up with him now that he has his wings.

Our next stop was a a home that we had not originally planned on stopping at. We had left Chimaltenango on Sunday with 3 wheelchairs and this mornin I had every intention of giving Ernisto our third and final wheelchair however upon examining the wheelchair that we had given him several years ago I discovered that other than being extremely dirty it was in near perfect shape. Besides that now that he had his new walker I had my doubts that he would be wearing out his old wheelchair very fast. That is why we decided to drive on up to where 11 year old Esmeralda Carrillo Hernandez lives. Esmeralda is a highly intelligent girl who is unable to walk up until today she has had to either crawl or be carried around wherever she went. While we were seating her I asked Rolland to ask Esmeralda if she went to school. She and several of her family member looked up at us in astonishment. Why had I asked such a stupid question? Hadn't I noticed Esmeralda could not walk? I went on to explain that we know a lot of kids that were in wheelchairs that were now getting schooling here in Guatemala. I told the family that I even knew some that we have helped with schooling who have now graduated and are now teachers themselves. To make a long story a little shorter it looks like Esmeralda will be getting an education. You can't imagine how fast things fell into place. Or was it another one of those Godincidences? It looks like we have a teacher lined up that will home school her a few days a week. I am confident that a year or 2 down the road we will likely be able to have her attend her village school. This is so often the case once the local school sees that some one in a wheelchair can actually learn something.Just a quick footnote to let you know that someone has already stepped forward who wants to sponsor Esmeralda. Just in case you already had your check books out I do want you to know that we have a lot more Esmeraldas and Juans waiting for an education. If you have any questions on how to go about sponsoring a child just drop me an e-mail at dick@dickrutgers.com

We still one wheelchair left so we decided that we would try to locate a little girl that was suppose to live somewhere further up the the dirt road that Esmeralda lived on. Yes I know we had taken only 3 wheelchairs along with us from Chimaltenango and this would be the fifth wheelchair that we were giving out but this one has a logical answer. We had given 4 year old Rodrigo who lived quite close to Maria Garcia a wheelchair about a year ago. A few months ago Rodrigo died. At first Rodrigo's mom could not give up her sons wheelchair because it reminded her of some of her sons happiest days. Yesterday Maria Garcia told us that Rodrigo's mom had informed her that she was ready to have another child have her sons wheelchair. Little did she or any of us know that it would be some one that lives only a few miles from where she lives. Fernando had taken Rodrigos death quite hard because he had become quite attached to Rodrigo when he helped me seat Rodrigo into his wheelchair a little less than year ago. I think that it was very therapeutic for him to be able to be the one to seat Matilda into Rodrigo's old wheelchair this afternoon.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Wednesday & Thursday, December 9 & 10, 2009

Even though the drive from Huehuetenango back to Chimaltenago normally takes no more than 5 hours the boys and I managed to stretch it out to 2 days. We had intended on leaving for home at around 8 AM but some did not manage to get out of our motel room until around 11. An e-mail that I received from a friend just before heading home asked me when I was going to take a day off and just relax. Actually it suggested that I take a few weeks off but I figured that I better break my self in slowly. At any rate the kids were thrilled when we stopped off at nearly every river along the way and even more thrilled when I asked them if they wanted to stay the night in Chechecastinango, which is located only an hour and a half from home. Let me rephrase that. The 2 kids that were with me were thrilled that we stopped for the night. Those that phoned me asking why I was not home yet were not all that tickled that I would not be home until Thursday.

I finally got back home at around noon today and it took all of 10 minutes before it was wall to wall kids. I had earlier given some thought to going to the orphanage but decided that I would hang out at home for the rest of the day. Some of my kids wanted to simply hang out and visit while others put up my Christmas tree and hung Christmas lights outside of my house.

Friday, December 11, 2009

This morning Jason, and Cesar accompanied me to Hope Haven's wheelchair factory in Antigua. Mark had called me a few days ago asking me if I could come in and seat 8 or 9 kids that were scheduled to come in for wheelchairs. As things turned out the village that had intended to bring in most of the kids had to cancel out because a number of the kids were sick. As it ended up 2 of the kids that Mark had scheduled made it to the shop and a little girl whose parents had phoned me a few days ago also came in for a new wheelchair. Knowing that we only had 3 kids to fit gave me the opportunity to let my boys do most of the work. Not that I don't like fitting wheelchairs but I love it when my kids can get some experience doing it. The first 2 boys went fairly easy and the parents were well pleased. In fact one mother broke down and cried when her sons wheelchair was finished. To my knowledge this was the first wheelchair that her 11 year old son had ever owned.

The girl who had outgrown the wheelchair that we gave her a few years ago was a much harder person to fit into a new wheelchair so I actually had to do some work. It took the 3 of us several hours but everyone was happy with the end result.

After lunch the Boys and I headed over to Hermano Pedro and spent some time loving on the kids. About three fourths of the kids have gone home to family members for the Christmas holidays but most of those that remained behind are true orphans and needed some loving.
Fidel was looking really down in the mouth so I visited with him for a while. From what I understand the lap top computer that Chris and Donna presented him with for his birthday has been taken away from him. The powers that be at Hermano Pedro have decided that it uses to much electricity. If that isn't enough he and the other 3 people that have power wheelchairs at the orphanage are now only allowed to charge the batteries a few hours a week. Not only is this killing the batteries but it is killing the spirits of the owners of these wheelchairs. Over the years I have learned to carefully pick my battles at Hermano Pedro. That is why Monday I plan on going to war. Actually I am planing on showing them paper work of how little power these wheelchairs take and then offer to pay it. If that does not work I guess I could always borrow Benjamen's gun from him. No! it is only a BB gun but I figure if I shoot out 2 or 3 of the dozens of lights that light up the front of Hermano Pedro at night it would more than make up for the electricity that Fidel's computer and the 4 power wheelchairs use. Seriously though please pray that this problem can be resolved. For Fidel, Byron and some of the others these wheelchairs mean life.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal November 29 - December 5

2009-12-08T20:00:00.002-07:00

Here is a quick review of some of the things that took place this past week.

Many of you are perhaps wondering why nothing
was mentioned about adult camp in my last journal entry.

(Click on any picture to enlarge.)

The fact is I was so busy doing other things that I spent almost none of my time at our last camp. Thanks to a marvelous group of volunteers from both the USA and Guatemala I was able to do other things with out feeling too guilty. That is not to say that Chris, Bill and others who were there for all 3 camps are not tired but everyone certainly did their part to make these 3 weeks of camp a big success.

Even though I bowed out of the last camp I still managed to stay busy and like the others I am tired. Trying to remember exactly what I did each day is sort of a blur but then again at my age everything that I do is often a blur. Thankfully my camera has a better memory than I do so I am going to let last week's pictures do most of the talking.

My Boys and I managed to spend a bit of time at the Orphanage.

Fernando and Bryan are not old enough to be allowed into the malnutrition ward but they do have a knack for coaxing some of the kids to come out to where they are.

It is still my wish that they someday come to their senses and put 12 year old Fernando in charge of this place.

Later that day we visited with a beggar girl who was in need of a wheelchair.

She and her grandmother live in an 8 foot by 8 foot room that they rent for $50 per month.

Several of my days were spent visiting people
who were in need of food or medicine.

Later this week we plan on moving Rosa and her family out
of this vacant building and into the new home that we built for them.

Some of the people that came to volunteer at camp were able to visit several families with me.

Maria's 2 sons and their friends were thrilled to see that a soccer ball
was included with he food that we brought in for their family.

Maria who's husband died a few years ago, tries hard to support herself and her 4 children. It will take her 3 months to complete this weaving. She will receive less than a dollar a day for her efforts.

As we were about to leave Maria's place a neighbor came over
and asked us if we would take a look at her home.

She and her 5 children live in a one room shack that is made out of dried mud and corn stalks. Just like Maria, this lady also lost her husband a few years ago. I plan on handing her name in to Bethel Ministries but the waiting list for people that are in need of homes is staggering.

A few days later we headed to the coast and visited with another family that we hope to build a home for in a few months.

Unlike Maria and the other lady that we visited a few days earlier this lady's husband is still alive. Unfortunately a few months ago he walked out on her and his 8 children. The 2 girls that are pictured here have brittle bone disease. A third girl who was admitted to a hospital that is several hours away has the same disease. Mother has not seen her in several months and is not sure weather or not she is still alive. She does not have the money to go and see her. Even if she had the money she would not dare to leave her other children home alone.

More stops were made at homes of families
who have children that are on the verge of starvation.

I brought Julio in to the malnutrition ward of Hermano Pedro a few years ago. After a few months Julio gained enough weight that he was able to return home. In spite of the monthly supply of groceries that we are providing, Julio continues to loose weight. If he looses a few more pounds I will have to try to persuade his parents into placing him back into the malnutrition ward.

When we reached the home of Carlos and his mother we discovered that he was almost out of seizure medication. Thanks to a sponsor we see to it that Carlos does not have to go without this much needed medication.

Our last stop of the day was at the home of Ronny's family.

This is always one of my favorite families to visit because over the years we have become really good friends. It does not seem like it was all that long ago that some of these same children would run and hide when ever I came on their yard. Now the littler ones almost get in a fight to see who gets to sit on my lap.

As you can see by the picture Calin accompanied us on this trip. I am slowly starting to let him do things with me again but he knows that he is being watched and that it is going ot be quite some time before I will fully trust him again. He has such a hart for the ministry and I love the kid, but I have seen little remorse and I am not sure that he will not steal from me again if given the opportunity. Please pray for Calin. Pray also that God gives me wisdom in how to deal with him.

Now that the school's are out for a few months my own house closely resembles camp. In the picture to the right several of my kids are calling relatives in the States. Thanks to a fairly stable internet provider and a program called Skype I can let them talk with family members in the states for only $3 per month. Some of these kids have not seen their parents since they were babies but at least now they are able to talk with them.

A few of my kids did me proud a few nights ago.

Alex, his sister Gladis and a few of the other kids brought 4 kids over to my house to see if I had shoes for them. Even though they know that the amount of kids shoes that I have is limited and not all of them will be receiving new ones this Christmas, my kids felt that it was more important that these 4 kids who are extremely poor, be given shoes. It brought tears to my eyes as I watched my kids kneel at the feet of these kids giving them what they knew they needed themselves.

During the week I managed to get into the wheelchair shop and got
the finishing touches done on Gustavo's head controlled wheelchair.

On Saturday a few of the kids and I brought it to the orphanage where he lives in Guatemala City. He has impatiently been waiting for it ever since he was able to try it out at teen camp. I am praying that he does not run into anything or any one with it because the mother superior that runs the orphanage is still not thoroughly convinced that he should have it.

On Saturday evening the kid and I rented a soccer field.

I played for a while but for some strange reason
I was tired so I sat out for the last part of the game.

On Sunday December 6 Fernando, Esbin
and myself headed to Huehuetinango.

We have spent the past few days here visiting people in various remote villages. A lot of really neat things have happened but I am still 3 days behind on my journaling so it will likely be a few days before I get those days published.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal December 4, 2009

2009-12-04T14:20:00.009-07:00

Some friends came down a few months ago and spent most of their time at Hermano Pedro orphanage. Today they sent me the link to this "You Tube Video" that they put together. Since it goes so well with "Delmi's Story", that I posted a few days ago I asked them if I could post it on my Blog.

.....^ Play video............................Click box to watch in full screen mode ^

Thanks,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal December 1 2009

2009-12-01T06:32:00.014-07:00

Hi, my name is Delmi.

I live at Hermano Pedro Orphanage. I am the ugliest child here. Oh, it's alright for me to talk about it, everyone else does. Most of the people that walk by my crib where I am locked up most of the day don't actually say it with words but they still tell me that I am ugly. They say it with their eyes. Most look away and quickly walk on to other cribs but I still here what there eyes are saying.

They rather spend their time with the beautiful kids, kids like Jo Jo who has dwarfism and a beautiful round head that is bigger than a basket ball. I know that Jo Jo is beautiful because he gets a lot of attention from the visitors that walk through the orphanage. Oh yes there are a few people that walk by Jo Jo's crib and quickly look away but most at least stop and talk to him, some even reach out and touch him. Oh how I wish that God had created me perfect like Jo Jo.

Once a man named Daryl came and visited the orphanage. Daryl actually stopped by my bed and looked at me. He even reached out and touched me. When Dick asked Daryl which of the kids he wanted to take along to lunch at Camperos Daryl actually chose me. After lunch he even brought me to the park and put my feet into a pool. When I looked into the pool I saw a reflection that told me that I was no longer ugly. When I looked into Daryl's eyes they told me that I was beautiful. I will never forget that day. For a day or two I actually believed that the pool had made me beautiful but within a few days that beauty evidently faded. I could once again see it in the eyes of the visitors that would glance at me and then walk on to one of the perfect kids like Jo Jo.

It has now been several months since that wonderful day when Daryl took me to lunch, and up until today I was starting to wonder if perhaps I had only been dreaming that I had been beautiful for a day but then it happened again today. Dick dropped by the orphanage today. Dick sometimes makes me feel beautiful for a minute or two but there are so many kids that he seldom seems to have much time for me. Today Dick took two of the boys from his neighborhood along with him though and one of the boys named Fernando asked Dick if he could spend time with me. Fernando even asked if he could feed me. I was amazed because no one ever wants to feed me. At first I thought that Fernando had something wrong with him. He didn't seem to see my ugliness. I wondered if perhaps Fernando was blind. When I looked up into Fernando's eyes I saw my reflection. It was the same reflection that I had seen in Daryl's eyes a few months ago. It was the reflection of a beautiful little girl, some one nearly as perfect as Jo Jo.

Was this really happening or was I only dreaming? If it was a dream I never wanted to wake up. It felt so good to be beautiful. I wanted it to last for ever. When I looked back up into Fernando's eyes my reflection was gone. It didn't seem to matter though because I suddenly saw an even better reflection. It was the reflection of Christ.

2 Corinthians 3:18

"So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image."

Delmi's story was narrated to me by Delmi. Although Delmi can not talk she spoke every word of it to me through her eyes.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal November 19-26

2009-11-26T17:32:00.002-07:00

I mentioned in my last Journal entry that during the 3 weeks of camp my journal entries were likely to be hit and miss. Fortunately 2 more of our American volunteers have come to my rescue. So here is what Amie and Anne wrote.

(4 pictures were necessary just to get all of the teen campers to fit in.)

Camp in Chimaltenango Guatemala

Week One Teen Camp

Amie Spriensma wrote

God has used this week to reveal more about His love in any language. Edgar Garcia and many others have blessed me with their beautiful smiles. Marvin writes and recites such passionate poetry, he should write a book. He definitely has a good word for the people of his generation. Debora cannot hear and her speech outside of sign language is limited; nonetheless, her vibrant eyes and patient touch have spoken volumes to my heart. Rene David likes to draw in his spare time, but he has difficulty making people’s noses look realistic in his drawings. Every person with a disability also has abilities and a unique story to be discovered. It has been my true pleasure to see the joy of our Lord revealed in all different spaces, faces, and places these past few days. I wish I could give this special camp experience to everyone I know at least once! It would give each one of them many great memories to cherish and delight in as they face every day that is yet to come!

Amie

Anne Longo wrote

What an amazing week! We met many people with disabilities at the beginning of the week and said goodbye to those same people as friends at the end of the week. God moved mightily in the hearts of the campers and the staff. The staff were united with one accord as the Scripture says; as you give to the least of these you give to Me. Most of the campers were not only disabled but poor. But I came to realize that we were the ones who were poor; poor in spirit. They prayed before they did anything. Beautiful hearts; the Guatemalan teens who volunteer for 3 weeks were loving; giving and caring a wonderful example of the compassionate heart of God. The America staff were here as servants of God’s hands and feet doing and performing as needed.

Anne

We had a banquet and closing ceremonies on the last night of teen Camp. I was honored that Ascension who has been my friend for nearly ten years, saved her last dance for me.

Dick

I must admit though that we had one highly talented person at camp that outdid any dance that Ascension, myself, or any one else at camp attempted to do.

...........
...............^ Click button to play Pastor Bills rendition of Swan Lake.

Please pray that Pastor Bill still has a job and a wife after this video is posted.

I am not sure if it was just a pastor thing or what, but during the weekend Pastor Chris got a bit flaky on us as well. On a visit to the orphanage he did little to stifle the superstition that Americans eat Guatemalan children. Although Lionel who is thoroughly enjoying Chris's antics may help to convince them otherwise.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Week 2 Kids Camp

Between airport runs, kids camp, the kids in my neighborhood, and everything else that has been gong on I have not had much to time to do any journaling this week but this morning I will try to take the time to write about some of the highlights.Most of Saturday was spend bringing some of last week's American Volunteers that helped out at teen camp to the airport while picking up new ones that were coming in to help out at this week's kids camp. This week we have right around 18 American volunteers here at camp. There are also close to 15 Guatemalan teens that are volunteering their time to make sure that those that attend the camp are well looked after and that they have a wonderful time. I can not say enough about the dedication of all of our volunteers. With out them we would not be able to have a camp.

I have been managing to keep myself busy as well. Mat Smeltzer and I are rooming with 6 energetic boys that are here from 2 different orphanages. They are a blast but they are definitely keeping us busy. Nearly all of them are taking medications that have to be administered several times a day and only 2 of them are potty trained. Fortunately even though Mat and I are the ones staying with these boys there are lots of volunteers so several of them come over and help us out at bed time and when we get the kids up in the morning.

I have been letting a few of my neighborhood kids come along to camp and help out as well. I do not want them to feel left out. Besides that they know a lot of the kids that attend camp and do a great job of helping out with them.

Tuesday afternoon 3 of the American volunteers and myself left camp for about an hour to meet up with 15 of my neighborhood kids for a soccer game. Torrey Babb and his wife met us at a soccer field that we had rented. Tory and his wife have ministry called The Mission Ball that involves sharing the gospel and giving out Soccer balls that have scripture texts written on them, to kids all over the world. My American friends were amazed at the talent that many of my kids have when it comes to playing soccer. We had a great time and the soccer balls that were given to my kids were greatly appreciated.

On Wednesday we took all of the campers to a park that is about a half hours drive from here. This may sound like an easy task but loading up 3 buses and one car with kids, family members, volunteers, wheelchairs, food, and (don't forget the) diapers involves a bit of work. A great time was had by all though.

I think that the highlight of everyone's day was the horse back riding. Although some enjoyed just hanging out and making new friends.

The sleeping habits of some of these kids leaves a little to be desired. Tuesday night Henry had a rough night so I ended up getting about 2 hours of sleep. So last night one of the volunteers took my place so that I could go home and get a good night sleep. I plan on returning to camp later today but want to spend the morning at home getting caught up on a few things like this journal. I am not sure that being at home is all that much more relaxing than camp though because 2 kids spent the night and 4 are now here for breakfast. Oh well at least these 4 are potty trained.

I just got off the phone with Pastor Bill. He told me that they had quite a scare at camp last night. Stephanie, one of our Guatemalan volunteers had a serious asthmatic attack last night and almost died. They rushed her to the hospital in Chimaltenango and then to Antigua where she stopped breathing and had to be revived 3 times. Bill said that she is now doing well and that she is even talking about returning to camp later today.

Yours in Christ: Dick

I saved the best for last. My friend Joseph Starling has also been doing some journaling this week. Joe just handed the following to me. I think that it sums up what camp is all about.

Chilmaltenango, Guatemala Missions 2009

“Living Inside Out"

This is a summary of this week’s awesome missions week here in Chimaltenango, Guatemala. The theme of this year’s missions is “Living Inside-Out” and it was truly shown. God’s beauty and love has been all over this place! Titus 3:1-8 is a prime example of what is good. Sharing and showing God’s love, Agape Love. Not only that, but also using our gifts and talents from a simply smile that shines bright as the sun that shines the Son, Jesus Christ, to saving a life in an unexpected time. Prayers have been answered throughout the week and tears have shed.

James 1:27 says “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep one’s self from being polluted by the world.” We have being obedient to God’s calling by doing His will. We have been Romans12. We are God’s living sacrifice. There has been prophesying, serving, encouraging, contributing, leadership, and showing mercy throughout the week. In some way or another all of these have been done.

Even working with the volunteers from Guatemala has been great and greatly appreciated. The teamwork has been like fresh flowing streams of water from Guatemala, Ireland, Canada and North America coming together as one to do God’s mission. This teamwork is teamwork that only God can create. The body of Christ Jesus, the Church was represented here.

There were families that came from distances from as far as 9 hours away and from near by. Some had to borrow money just to make it here, and some had to use what little that they had just to make it here. They made the sacrifice to take care of that family member that is in need of have medical attention taken care of to receiving a wheelchair. Some haven’t even had a decent meal. Just talking about this brings tears to my eyes.

I haven’t been back since 2003 and I’m so grateful that God opened the doors for me to come back to be obedient and serve. God is awesome in this place! It was great serving side by side with familiar faces and with new faces as well. I’ve made new friends in the process. The people that God put together for this week to happen were so greatly designed. Watching Dick R. and his little and not so little guys just love up on each other and others at the orphanage and here at the camp was so great to see. There was such faithfulness in Dick’s labor and love. The rest of the team that I want to include are Pastor Bill, Pastor Chris and his whole family, Tim, Christian, Joan, Matt, Margaret, Hank, Alice, Anna, Leah, Katlin, Lindsey, Amy, Lauren, Maria, Heather, Helen, Liz and Peyton. There was such servant-hood shown here and it wasn’t for selfish reasons or gains. What’s even more awesome is that I was able to share this whole week with my son Peyton. This was his first missions away from home. I am in total awe of watching him grow up right in front of my eyes. From the fireworks going off at “NO o’clock” in the morning to the roosters crowing and dogs barking in the middle of the night, I wouldn’t trade this week for the world. The Word says in Mark 8:36, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” I’d rather lay down my life to do God’s will and His way than to sink in the quicksand of worldliness and its worldly pleasures. I choose to be transformed whole than to be conformed to this world.

The mission does not stop here at the end of this week. It continues on even when we return home to our families. We must run the race and run it, (life), as a marathon. God is not finished with us yet! It is so good and pleasing to look after the cares and interest of others than those of my own. Just as Jesus said, “I did not come here to be served, but to serve.” It doesn’t stop at the washing each others feet. It’s continuous and contagious for the glory of God. It was an honor and pleasure to do the photos for the campers that were here for the week I was here. It was a blessing to bless the families with acts of love and kindness. Some of the comical tidbits that I want to add are Tim with his black eye and his duck “Quacky”, “Afro-kid”, Peyton, BUffalo Christian, Pastor Bill, Matt, and Pastor Chris dancing, smashed fruit on one of the ladies dorm room door and more.

There is one of the campers out of all the campers I’ve met here this year and had a great time to spend with and serve is Rodney and his family. I enjoy and will miss greatly all of the campers but Rodney is the one that I connected with. His mother allowed me to walk with him, feed him, and just be there for them. The time with them was so precious. Just giving his mother time to eat and take care of her little daughter was much needed for her. Just by looking into Rodney’s eyes told me that God was in him and letting him know that everything was alright and that He was in control. I’m so blessed to be there for them and it isn’t for me but to glorify God, obey God and to do the will of God.

It’s time to take the limits off of what we do in our regular everyday living and thank God for who He is and for the relationship we have with Him through His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. God is getting all the glory for what He is spreading across this land. His love, AGAPE LOVE.

Joseph D. Starling
Tampa, Fl

Thank you Joe, and thank you to everyone that helped to make this camp a reality.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal, November 16-18, 2009

2009-11-18T20:03:00.002-07:00

(Click on any picture to enlarge)

One thing I love about camp is that we try to make sure that our campers do not only hear about Jesus, we also do our best to show them Jesus.

Camp officially started on Monday. I have been promised by a few of our American volunteers that they will give me copies of some of their daily journals so I will try to add pictures and publish them as soon as I receive them. I have not personally spent all that much time at camp yet this year. One of the reasons being the numerous trips that I have made to the airport picking up volunteers. Due to the untrustworthiness of our van one of these trips took 7 hours instead of the usual 2 to 3 hours. This year I am also trying to spend more time with the ever growing number of neighbor hood kids that are more and more considering my home their home as well.

The number one thing that has so far kept me from spending much time at camp though has been a cantankerous power wheelchair that I have been trying to get set up for Gustavo. Gustavo is a 24 year old resident of an orphanage in Guatemala City. Cerebral palsy has left Gustavo with arms and legs that refuse to do what his brain tells them to do. Fact is they have to be anchored down to keep Gustavo from accidentally hitting or kicking himself or any one that comes near him. Even though Gustavo's arms and legs do not work well and it is difficult to understand him when he speaks Gustavo is an amazing tender harted young man. For nearly 2 years now I have been promising Gustavo that I would do what I could to get him set up with a wheelchair that he could drive himself. It seems that there have been countless obstacles though. The first of which was convincing the mother superior who runs the orphanage where Gustavo lives that he should have a power wheelchair and that he would actually be able to drive one if he were given one. Once that less than easy task was accomplished there was the problem of locating the components to build a head controlled wheelchair. New head controllers are very costly and it seemed that any used components that were sent to us were broken or warn out. A few weeks ago Jack Craigs a seating specialist from the United States came down and brought some head control units. While Jack was here we got a head controlled power wheelchair going for a man in Guatemala City that had been shot and paralyzed in a robbery, but Jack's stay here was far to short so even though I had promised Gustavo that I would have a power wheelchair ready for him by camp time neither of us had found the time to work on a wheelchair for him. That is why for the past several days I have been spending my time in the shop trying to peace together a head controlled wheelchair. I don't know why but this particular project has been one of the most difficult hat I have ever worked on. In the past few years I have put to gather several similar wheelchairs but this one was a nightmare. Monday night I finally got it going though and other than a few finishing touches it was ready to go. Guess what. When I showed up at the shop this morning and turned on the switch everything was dead. These head controlled chairs have dozens of components and I know that the problem could lye anywhere. After nearly throwing in the towel I did a lot of praying and finally traced the problem down to the main computer. Alturo and I did an extensive search through our shop and found a used one that worked. Another hour of reprogramming this computer and the wheelchair was finally ready. After all this work I was still not 100% sure that Gustavo would even be able to control a wheelchair with his head. What I did know is that if this did not work for him there would be no other way that he could control a wheelchair and that he would have to spend his entire life relying completely on others for making his every move. I knew that I had to at least give him the opportunity to see if he had enough control of his head to drive a wheelchair.

Were all the hours spent setting up Gustavo's wheelchair worth it?
Watch this video and then you be the judge.

............
.................^ Click button to see video.

I only wish that I had not run out of memory on my camera before Gustavo entered a wheelchair race this afternoon. It didn't matter that he came in well after everyone else, Gustavo is still a real winner!

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal, Sunday, November 15, 2009, 3:35 AM

2009-11-15T04:45:00.016-07:00

Not Enough Unfolded Hands.

I cannot sleep so I thought I would get up and do some writing.

(Be careful because often times when I get up in the middle of the night to do my journaling I say what I think.)

A few days ago I received a letter from a friend who visited Guatemala awhile back. While she was here I took her and the group that she was with through Hermano Pedro orphanage. Over the years most groups that I have taken through the orphanage do quite well with the kids. There have been a few that view the kids as nothing more than a disfigured person from whom they may catch what ever it is that has caused this less than human looking creature to become this way, but most see beyond the disfigurement or illness and recognize the child for what he or she is, a living breathing, human being, a real person with a real hart and soul, someone just like ourselves who craves to be acknowledged, to be held, to be loved, someone who was created in the image of God. During her visit to the orphanage my friend Christie did exactly that. She saw the children as the precious human beings that God had created them to be. She fell in love with them all but one particular little girl grabbed onto her hart strings. Physically Perla is not the most beautiful girl in the world but God allowed my friend to see Perla for what she was and took away any blindness that some of us who look only at the outward appearance of a human being often see. Christie was able to see the real beauty of this precious child and was able to look into the eyes of an angel. She knew that she was having the privilege of holding and loving on one of God's children. A child that had been created in His image.

Here is part of the letter that I received from Christie after she returned home from her trip.

Hi, Dick, I was with the Joni and Friends group that left last week. I saw on your blog the picture of me with Perla Garcia in the middle of the heart. Wow! That really meant a lot to me..... This email is to ask the biggest, hugest favor of you... Because of what Perla meant to me, and because I was able to make her smile, laugh, and giggle... I would like to ask you to spend at least 5 minutes with her any time you go to the orphanage. She has changed my life and I'll never forget her and the children of the orphanage! If you put your face right next to her face or her arms and legs and blow all over her and then gently tickle her legs, under her chin, under her arms and the bottom of her feet...I'm sure that you will be given the immeasurable gift of her laughter ... and knowing that Jesus is dwelling in her.

Christie

I thought about ending today's journal here leaving you with a nice warm feeling but I just cannot do that. I would love to have been able to write Christie back and tell her that ever since I received her letter I have made sure that every time I got into Hermano Pedro I rushed over to Perla's crib, scooped her up in my arms and reminded her that she was loved, but the truth is I have been so busy lately that I have not been able to spend nearly as much time there as I would like. I had to tell my friend Christie that I could try to make her feel good by saying that I would do that, but I could not make a promise that I can not keep. There are over 240 residence at Hermano Pedro. Spending only 5 minutes a day letting each one of God's children that live there know that they are loved would take 20 hours. So most days Perla and over 200 children like her have to spend their day lying in a crib staring at the ceiling hoping and praying that just perhaps another Christie will walk by, pick them up and remind them that they are loved.

Undoubtedly many of you who reed this will be praying for these children and others like them. I thank you for that, but these children need more than just folded hands they need loving arms. Could it be that God is telling you that it is now time to get up off from your knees or what ever part of your anatomy you are presently on, so that you can be His hands and His feet?

Yours in Christ:
Dick

Camp will be starting tomorrow. It is likely that during the next 3 weeks of camp I will not be able to make journal entries every day. I am working on getting some of our volunteers to do a bit of journaling and will post their entries or mine when ever I find the time.

Dick

Journal, November 6-11, 2009

2009-11-12T01:05:00.012-07:00

Friday, November 6, 2009

Once again Daryl Fulp has journaled today's happenings, so once again I am going to take the day off from writing and let you read Daryl's account of what took place.

Another side of Guatemala

by Daryl Fulp

There are some days that are very difficult to summarize in a blog. Today is one of those days, but I will do my best.

This morning, my good friend Dick Rutgers picked our team up from the hotel and, along with two of his little amigos, Fernando and Cesar, exposed us to some of the incredible needs and opportunities that Guatemala has to offer. We drove to the coastal region near the town of San Jose where we spent time with four families who made a strong impact on our team.

Our first visit was with Irma, a lady with whom Dick has worked for several years. She had been disowned by her mother as a child due to her disability and for several years she was dragging herself on the ground from place to place in her village. Bethel Ministries whom Dick works with, supplied her with a wheelchair and she has been an attendee of the yearly camp in Chimaltenango. Today we delivered a new chair to her and spent time visiting with her family.

While we were in Irma’s village we were swamped by children who wanted to see the Gringos and get some of the candy we offered. We planned to give one piece per child, but quickly abandoned that plan and gave seconds!

From there we drove to another home that is about three miles away, as the crow flies, but involved nearly an hour’s drive. There we visited with Julio, a little guy that Dick had found some time ago severely malnourished in a hammock behind the family’s house.

He convinced the family to allow him to take Julio to Hermano Pedro for treatment where he was fattened up and then returned home. With the help of a sponsor, Dick is providing food for the family on a regular basis in order to assure that Julio does not return to his former state. The father is a hard worker who is currently without work and is awaiting the coming sugar cane harvest which will provide him with employment for the season.

We were able to deliver groceries to this family, including the lunch we had packed for ourselves. We decided that we could do without in light of the need we were seeing. Julio was such a wonderful little guy and Kathlin, Rachel, and Bev had a wonderful time holding and playing with him and the little ones.

As we were preparing to leave it was discovered that the rear passenger tire of Dick’s Land Cruiser was flat. It was raining and muddy and we prepared ourselves to get very messy changing the tire. However, a group of men from the village stepped forward and did most of the work. One of them even laid down in the mud to position the jack properly. When all the work was done, Dick and I had dirty hands, but the men who helped were filthy. As we left, Dick told us what a blessing that flat tire was. When he first came to the village to help Julio the men in the village told the family not to trust him. They said if they allowed Dick to take Julio they would never see him alive again. But now, through the relationship he has built with the family and the help he has offered, he is trusted by those same men. It was both wonderful and humbling to see their eagerness to assist Dick in return for the help he has so freely offered.

After we left, we air dried for a little while with the windows rolled down and then stopped for lunch at a roadside burger stand. All the guys ate a cheeseburger, but the women opted out. I think they were a little concerned about food-borne illnesses. The rumbling in my stomach makes me wonder if they were right!

From there we went to the home of Henri, a little guy with cerebral palsy. When Wanda and I came to Guatemala in September we brought along a wheelchair that was donated by our friends the Riffels. We had left it at Hermano Pedro for Dick to use as he chose. As it turns out, Henri was the perfect candidate for the chair, so our team had the privilege of delivering the chair and assisting with the fitting. What a joy it was to see Henri sitting up straight and unassisted in his new chair!

Once again our team was overwhelmed by children as we worked on the chair. More candy was passed out and a good time was had by all, especially Bev who was in grandma heaven!

Our last stop was at the home of a young man named David. David is preparing to graduate after a long and difficult road. He was disabled from birth by spina bifida and his mother fought for his education.

Mother would carry David to school each day on her back, across a stream, to deliver him to school. However, the teachers would leave him in the corner of the room and not work with him. In fact, he was often teased and made fun of by the teachers. Finally his mother withdrew him from school after third grade and he remained unschooled for several years. Through sponsorship Bethel Ministries, whom dick works with, was able to arrange for a tutor and eventually to get him back in school. On Monday this fine young man will graduate and move on. It was a privilege to meet him and the mother that fought so hard for her son’s education.

I am sure by now that you understand how difficult it is to put a day like this into words. While this blog cannot do it justice, I pray that I have at least given you a glimpse of the impact this day has had on me and the team. Thanks, Dick, for providing us with a great day of ministry and memories!

Daryl

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Today I spent my entire day here in Chimaltenango. Once again part of my day was spent putting my car back together. The last trip did in a tire on my car that was just a little over a week old. If your read yesterday's journal you would know that it was the best $100 that I ever spent. Funny how we can some times question why God allows what we consider bad things happen in our lives only to later discover that God used them for something good. I guess that I have to read Romans 8:28 more often.

At around 1:00 Pm I went over to Chino's house. Chino was having a graduation party. There were lots of people at his house to celibate and over all it was a happy occasion but both Chino and his mother started to cry when Chino expressed his wish that his father could have been at the graduation. Several years ago Chino's father left to find work in the States . The family is praying that he will come back home by Christmas. The trouble is they have been praying that same prayer for 6 years now.

I gave some thought about going to Hermano Pedro orphanage after the graduation party but I knew that my kids here at home needed some of my time as well. Besides that I knew that, at least for today, my bases were covered. Not that there are ever too many volunteers there for all of the kids, but my friend Daryl Fulp and the groups that he brings along with him when he comes here from the States does a wonderful job when they are here. Many well meaning groups come into the orphanage and most make a gallant effort of entertaining the kids. Granted Darryl and his groups love to entertain them as well but they have learned that there is something that has to go along with the entertainment and that is loving on the kids. I guess puppets and clowns are OK but what these kids need the most is a real person. A person that is willing to hold them , to play with them, to laugh with them, to cry with them. A person that is willing to let each one of these precious children know that he or she is a real person. These children need people that are willing to show them the kind of love that our Heavenly Father gave to us when he sent his only Son here to earth to be a real person that was willing to die for us.

Dick

The following is what Daryl wrote in today's journal.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

It Keeps Getting Harder

I am sitting in the Guatemala City airport after having said goodbye to the kids and adults at Hermano Pedro yet again. It seems like saying goodbye should get easier, but it doesn’t. In fact, this was harder than ever before.

This is the off-season for tourists and volunteers at HP. The number of people who come in to help with the kids is at the lowest point of the year, so I wonder how often these kids are spoken to, caressed, held, and loved. And when they are, will the person doing it know what each child needs.

Will they know that Estuardo is soothed by having someone mimic the creative noises he makes with his mouth? Will they know that Diego loves to be pushed backward in his wheelchair? Will they know that Leslie is comforted by softly clapping? Will they know that Ervin acts out when he feels abandoned but is a sweet little guy when he knows he is loved? Will they know that Louis loves a gentle breeze on his face and hates loud noises?

The answer to all the questions is, “Likely not.” They cannot know these things because they will probably not know the children. (Just yesterday I had to explain to a group of volunteers that Gloria was nearly deaf and needed to feel the vibrations from their chest and that Leslie was blind and needed their touch instead of their hand puppet.) And this highlights the problem. These children are a part of an institution, not a family.

Within a loving family, a child is known. Their likes, loves, hates, and fears are known by the family that loves them. And that knowledge is used to create a place of safety and joy. And that is why our family is so desperate to get to Guatemala and create a home for these children based on family. So, I return home once again to continue our furious preparations that will enable our move. And as I do, I pray that our house sells quickly, fund raising goes smoothly, and that we reach our new home soon. Children are waiting.

Daryl

Daryl, his wife Wanda and their 10 children are selling everything that they own so that they can move here to Guatemala to serve full time.

Click here to see Daryl's web page.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Sunday, November 8, 2009This has got to be the first time in years that I did not have between 8 and 12 kids come along to church with me but believe it or not this morning I only had one. Some of them were sick, some had football games, and a few went to another town to see relatives. At any rate it ended up being just Fernando and myself. It so happened though that about 8 or 9 kids wondered into church off from the streets and just for a moment there I thought about inviting them along to lunch with Fernando and myself. Like I said I only thought about it for a moment then I thought about next week when my 12 kids would likely be back. 20 kids id just a few to many to handle so I said a little prayer that some one else would take them under their wing. I am afraid that didn't happen though because about an hour later I saw them wondering the streets. perhaps next week I may have to re-think that 12 is enough thing.

After lunch Fernando and I headed over to Hermano Pedro and had some fun with the orphanage kids. Sonia, Veronica, David and Moises,were out in the courtyard. The other 50 or more kids from their section were in bed for the day. Fernando managed to use his charm to convince one of the nurses to allow him to get Henry out of bed and the 2 of them had a great time playing together. Fact is before I knew it Fernando had Moises and Henry in their walkers and had a wheelchair, walker soccer game going in the courtyard. I have said it before but it bares repeating. I wish that they let 12 year old's run orphanages.

While the kids were playing soccer I went up to the malnutrition ward and checked in on a few new arrivals. I got to know a few of these kids when we gave them new wheelchairs a few days ago. At that time Walter, a new little boy caught my attention. I had guessed that he was around 6 years old but my guess was off by 5 years. Walter is 11. He has to be one of the saddest looking kids that I have ever met. As skinny as he is I have little doubt that he would have survived for long in his village but here in the orphanage he appears to be in shell shock. New arrivals are always kept in isolation for a few days but today I convinced the nurses to let me take Walter outside for a little while. Outside consists of an open area that is just out side of the door to the malnutrition ward and although you are still in the confines of the building you can see the sky if you look straight up. Walter seemed to enjoy getting out of the malnutrition ward but never once smiled and would say ma ma to every lady that walked by. When I carried him back to his bed he threw his arms around my neck and refused to let go. It was hard for me to put him back into his bed not that his grip on my neck was all that strong but it was still hard.

When I got home I received a call from Jason. He wanted to know if I could come over to his home and have dinner with him and his family in celebration of his 14th birthday. The 10 kids that were in my house were not all that fond of my leaving but I said that I would open the place back up when I returned and even promised that I would give them supper. Jason, his mother, father, and 3 siblings all live in a small room in the back of their grandfather's house. Mother, father and 3 of the kids stood while Jason, his grandfather, and I got served. We were on the only 3 chairs that were in the house. I offered my chair to mother but she refused. She told me that I was their guest and that they would stand to eat. I felt a bit awkward when I noticed that my portion of food was twice the size of anyone else's but knew that the family would be offended if I offered any of it to any one else. There was no cake and there were no presents just a simple dinner. I wish so that I had brought a cake or a present but I was not given much notice. Jason and his family thanked me over and over for coming. To my understanding this was the closest thing to a birthday party that Jason has ever had.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Monday, November 9, 2009

Ever feel like you have been conned? I can distinctly remember talking to the kids last night and promising 2 and only 2 of them that I would be letting them come along with me to Democratica this morning. Why was it then that there were now 4 kids in my car with me? I could go into a lengthy explanation but I still don't have it figured out myself. Oh well why am I complaining it was only yesterday that I was hoping for 12 of them to come along and only got one.

My reason for the hour and a half drive to Democratica was to have a meeting with Edna a social worker and the Mayor's wife. I called Edna a half hour before we arrived and she told me to just wait for her outside of the clinic because she was going to be a few minutes late. About an hour later one of the workers from the clinic came out and told me that Edna was not going to be there today but that the malnourished kids that I had come to see were there and that the doctor would show them to me. When the doctor and I walked into the small room where the children were we were both shocked to see that most of the kids there looked relatively healthy. I scratched my head and looked over at the doctor who was scratching her head. Oops wrong kids. A quick phone call to Edna confirmed that they had not been able to locate the malnourished kids that she had told me about but she promised that she would do her best to find them and get back to me. Had I been conned twice in one day? I am not sure but I did ask the doctor to e-mail me pictures before I make another trip. I think that this place is on the up and up though because I saw a lot of people there that were in need of medical treatment. I also met a dedicated doctor that appears to be in her mid twenties. Unfortunately her stay at the clinic is only temporary. In December she will be moving to Esquentla.

Since we finished up a lot earlier than expected the boys and I decided to take a more remote road home. There were several rivers to cross but no bridges. Some of the villages that we traveled through were among the poorest that I have ever seen. I am sure that if we had stopped at any of them and asked we would have found that her were enough needs in any one of them to keep us busy for a life time. Perhaps another day but I had already given the clinic in Democratica what ever medicine that I had with me.

When we got back home I took an hour long kid break and then we all gathered up on a soccer field that I had rented. I actually played an entire game with out getting hurt (to badly).

Tonight was just going to be sandwich night for the kids but that was before I discovered that my refrigerator had quit running. The kids and I cooked up anything and everything that needed refrigeration and sat down to a feast. Looks like tomorrow we go refrigerator shopping.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Today was one of those go to the orphanage but don't bring your tool kit days. I need days like that every now and then. I have found that when things start closing in on me and I get the feeling that I will never catch up on everything that needs to be done it is sometimes best to step back and take a deep breath. My breath of fresh air is going to the orphanage and just chilling out with the kids. Oh yes I still got bombarded by doctors, nurses, therapists, and residents that wanted wheelchairs fixed or replaced but I just politely smiled and told them mañana. I told them that today I had simply come to the orphanage to hang out with my friends. Fernando, Esben, and Elder had also come along with me but they were no bother. All 3 are skilled at just hanging out and having fun. The 3 kids that we took to lunch were pretty good at hanging out and having fun to so over all we had a relaxing day. Funny thing is now that the day is over my list of things that need doing is even longer than it was this morning but for some reason it is not stressing me out any more.

1 Peter 5:7

"Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you."

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Wednesday, November 11 , 2009

Today Bryan and Fernando spent the day with me. I usually have the kids take turns comeing along with me but this week Fernando has had more than his fare share of being able to come along with me. Several of my kids are doing quite well at English but Fernando, Calin and Abner are the 3 of my kids that do the bes job of interpreting, so when ever I need a good interpreter I try to take one of these three boys along with me. Problem is Calin has been sick for the past few weeks and Abner has been sting with relatives in Guatemala City. The only one of the kids has not been complaining about how often Fernando gets to come along with me has been Fernando. At least it is giving the others an incentive to learn English.

This morning we got my refrigerator back from the repair shop. I am not exactly sure what they did to get it running but there are now a few extra wires coming out of the back of it so I told the kids that hey have to be careful not to get a shock when they try to dry wet clothing on the coils on the back of the fridge. At least it is working and actually seems to be running quieter than it ever did. That isn't saying much though because now it sounds like a Honda instead of a Harley.

We only spent a few hours at the orphanage today but that was long enough to take 3 more kids out to lunch. Shortly after we got our food 3 girls that are studding to be therapists showed up at Camperos with 3 more of the orphanage kids. These girls have been spending the past month at Hermano Pedro as part of their training. Today they decided that they wanted to take 3 of the kids that they have been been working with out to lunch. Wow! Once they graduate they certainly have my vote if they want to work at Hermano Pedro.

After lunch the boys and I invited 90 year old Father Bernardo along with us to visit 2 people that live in Antigua. Father Bernardo told us that he hated to decline our invitation but had other commitments today.

Our first visit was to a home where another priest had been staying. I had visited him a few weeks ago to measure him for a wheelchair. This man who was 35 years younger than Father Bernardo had suffered a stroke that left him nearly paralyzed. When we got to the home we were told that only a few days ago they had moved him to a home in Guatemala City. I will still try to get the wheelchair to him but since it needs to have some special side and head support I will have to try to find the time to bring it to him myself.

Our next stop was at the home of Cesar. Cesar is the man the Father Bernardo introduced me to About a year ago. At that time 3 doctors had told Cesar that his infected leg would have to be amputated. Father Bernardo does not know much about medicine but he felt that the doctors were giving up on Cesar to quickly. A visit by an American doctor that I borough in to see Cesar confirmed Father Bernardo's suspicions and thanks to a strong stomach and the treatment that the doctor showed me how to do Cesar's leg has been saved. A few months ago the infection flared up again but once we resumed treatment Cesar's leg has once again improved. I will never forget coming back form our firs visit to Cesar's house with Father Bernardo. He told me that he loved what doing this kind of work and that he wanted to work with me. I enjoyed Father Bernardo but felt that I better let him know that even though I spent a lot of time at Hermano Pedro orphanage I was not Roman Catholic. Father Bernardo looked up and informed me that he was not Evangelical but Roman Catholic. Then he said, "Enough theological discussion. Now lets go out and do God's work." Father Bernardo has taught me a lot. No he has not turned me towards Catholicism nor will he sway my beliefs, but he has taught me that we do not have to agree on everything in order to work together.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal, October 30-November 4, 2009

2009-11-05T09:20:00.005-07:00

Jack Craigs is down from the States and working with us this week. Not only have I found Jack to be a talented seating specialist but also a wonderful brother in Christ who on his first time here seems to be falling in love with the Guatemalan people. Jack is graciously allowing me to publish his journals. So once again you will get to see some one else's perspectives of life here in Guatemala.

I usually do not publish my journals until the week end but this one has a lot in it. My friend Jack seem to be the only one that I have ever met that can find even more to write about each day than I do. Please try to take the time to read this week's journal. I don' think that you will be sorry that you did.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Jack Writes,

Our day began by stopping in at an orphanage in the town near where Dick lives. I will not attempt to record the names of where I am working as I would misspell them anyway. The first contact there confirmed for me the authenticity of my host. I had heard many wonderful endorsements from Kathy Mulholland, back in the states about how good Dick was at seating and positioning, however that was not what I was here to experience. The facility houses 240 residents and most appeared to be using wheelchairs that Dick had helped place. Everyone of the kids that we saw just lighted up when Dick arrived. You could tell there was an incredible bond between them. It is enjoyable to listen to Dick’s version of the language. I am undecided as to which is harder to understand, Dick’s dialect or that of the local population. The language that was unmistakable however is the bond that I see expressed in there eyes as he approaches them. Dick seems to have wonderful recall as he describes to me the circumstances that brought him to each child he has helped.

From there we went to the wheelchair shop in town and spent the rest of day one working on some of the equipment that has been donated. I was overwhelmed at the amount and variety of chairs that were being housed. I had no concept of just how many power wheelchairs I would be looking at. I met two other missionaries from Ohio that were here to help. Debbie is a Pediatric PT and her husband Denny helps with chair assembly. Like most volunteers, they have much to contribute and a willing heart. I managed to get a couple of the power chairs functioning and will be working on them again in a few days. The shop is huge and in much need of some skilled organization and direction. I am starting to feel a little bit like Jonah in the Bible and have been dreaming about whales!

I was told by several people that I have met that I was an answer to there prayers to be able to help with the high end power chairs. It is a humbling experience to be told that. I am not sure that anyone has ever verbalized that to me. It has caused me to be more focused in my prayer life. I feel a little bit like those characters in the Bible that were convinced that God could find someone other than them to lead those in need. Someone was with better skills. I am scheduled to see a young man that is a gun shot victim that has been waiting for two years to use a chair that was donated but never set up properly with a head array control. I found myself praying all day that what ever skills I have embedded in my old brain would be at the top of there game when I see him. The more I thought about it however the more I realized I was just someone God had placed in a situation that He could be praised for and any success would be His miracle not mine. That took some of the pressure off.

Jack

Saturday, October 31 2009

The day started early with breakfast with Dick, Debbi, Denny and two of Dick’s posse. I have not as yet commented on the “posse.” At any given time Dick is surrounded by 2 to 10 young boys that he has adopted off the streets that his ministry to them is to be a surrogate father. I must admit at first I was uncertain how that worked but have been amazed to see the love expressed by these young boys toward Dick and his enthusiasm directed back to them. We rarely have a meal in which one or more of them are not included. They all eat like vacuum cleaners but are well mannered and respectful. Dick is no spring chicken and I think the best part of there relationship is to keep him young at heart and optimistic of just what God is capable of when we yield to Him. The “posse” is fun to have around!

We headed back to the big congested Guatemala City to meet with Edwardo and his family to see if the Head Array that I brought could be put on his chair. You need to understand that Dick is one of those “glass half full kind of guys” about everything. On our way into the city we remembered that we did not bring a reset switch that would be needed to activate the head array control. There were some back at the shop but that was hours behind us. Dick was convinced that we could make do with something. He mentioned perhaps a nail might suffice however, I was not so optimistic at that point so we stopped at a local mall that had a retail electronics store and found a stereo switch that I prayed I could some how modify. Edwardo was like so many disabled people in that he was just at the wrong place and wrong time when his car was hijacked and he was shot in the neck and left for dead. The level of his injury leaves him with only head movement and unable to use his power chair to have any freedom of mobility or repositioning while sitting in it. I was told he had become very depressed and desperately wanted to have some freedom of movement. We met with his extended family which numbered 7 and they all had prayed for this event. As it turns out one of his beautiful young children was 11 years old that day and was having a birthday party. Dick and I worked on the chair for an hour or so and the head array was installed however without the reset switch, it was limited as to how many of the functions were activated by head movement but most importantly, the chair could be driven! While I was working on the equipment, Debbi and Denny were able to do some training with Edwardo and his wife about wound care and proper positioning. Everyone in our group that came for the visit was absolutely needed. That included two of Dick’s posse to help entertain the kids in the house while we worked. We loaded Edwardo into the chair and made some minor adjustments with seating components and I began to explain what was about to happen. I have worked with patients for many years now with these type of controls and sometimes they respond great and other times the complexity of the commands are over whelming. As it turned out, with out the reset switch everything was much simpler and fortunately, Edwardo understood enough of my English to know what he needed to do. We cleared out the small living room and let him to do some basic starts and stops and worked up to a figure eight then decided it would be best to go outside and give it rip! The sidewalk and driveway were a little challenging but once we got into the private cud-de-sac Edwardo was off and running. I’d like to tell you that it always works this way but that is not the case. My months of preparation to come to Guatemala, the help I had from others to assemble equipment, the stumbling blocks that I experienced before arriving all flashed before me and I knew at that moment that I was at the exact place on the planet and the exact time God wanted me there and nothing else mattered.

..............

...................^ .Click to see Video

Edwardo driving his new head controlled wheelchair.

I have never before been able to be a small part of such a wonderful birthday gift to a beautiful young Guatemalan girl and her family. Watching her hold her Dad’s hand and walking down the street in front of her grandma’s house was worth the price of everything!

We stayed and enjoyed Pizza with the family and loaded up Edwardo’s chair to bring back to the shop for some final upgrades and will return it back before I leave to come home.

Jack

Sunday, November 1, 2009

After taking a little time to visit some of the local shops in Antigua, Dick and the crew picked me up for church and lunch together. I was able to meet Daryl a missionary from Ohio that I had been emailing back and forth about Guatemala. He is trying to relocate to Guatemala and establish a home based orphanage. It was an enjoyable time.
We then headed back to Dicks village and did some grocery shopping to take some food into the back country for a widow and her children. It was a long rainy drive into the mountains but shortly before arriving the clouds parted and we had a weather break and were able to get to the field where their hut was located. For me, it was a trip into a land that time forgot. No electricity, no plumbing, no roads! We were greeted by a small community of local Mayan farmers that were in desperate needs of everything. Dick knew the importance of bringing several small bags of suckers for the kids and it was like waving cheese in front of mice. Little ones were everywhere. Most were hidden in a corn field at first but slowly emerged. Again I got to witness first hand was a man of God actually looks like in action! Dick takes very seriously the admonition to visit the widows and help provide for the orphans. The simplest of things can be so critical to those in need. The food we brought will help keep a mother and her 4 children alive for a month or so.

Dick told me about what sponsoring kids to keep them in school involved. Sometimes providing a back pack and a pair of shoes was all that was needed. Immediately I thought of all the times that those items in my home were thrown out because they got in the way or were outgrown and here they were the difference between life and death. The smiles on all the children’s faces were a sight I will not soon forget. We heard singing of hymns in the valley near by and were reminded that worshiping God is heard in the remotest villages on the planet.

Jack

This week I am blessed with several friends that are willing to either place entries in my journal or allow me to copy from theirs. Today Daryl Felts and Jack Craigs have both provided journal entries.

Dick

Monday, November 2, 2009

Written by Darryl

Once again I find myself back in Guatemala leading a Hope for Home ministry team. It is so wonderful to be back with the children I have grown to love so deeply! Our team, although small, is great and have embraced the children with abandon and joy.

Today has been both wonderful and challenging. It started out at Hermano Pedro as we spent time holding and playing with the children. Once again, bubbles are in great demand, and the newest hit is the Flying, Screaming Rocket Balloons that I purchased at Wall-Mart for one dollar. You blow them up and release them and they fly around the room making loud, obnoxious noises. However, the noise is usually drowned out by the laughter of the children.

As always, we are fighting the battle to keep the kids out of their cribs during the day. The mindset of the caregivers continues to insist that the children go back to their cribs as soon as lunch is over, so we continue to sponsor “jail breaks” every afternoon. This morning I spent time with David, a little boy in the Anibel ward who continues to struggle with respiratory troubles. Each breath is a battle and his chest retracts deeply each time he inhales. He is on oxygen, but his O2 stats continue to remain low. I stroked his head, massaged his chest, and prayed that he would take another breath. I don’t know how much longer David will live, but I want so desperately for him to experience love and care for whatever time he has left. Please pray for David.

This trip has been a special treat for me as I have been able to spend quite a bit of time with my good friend Dick Rutgers.

Yesterday after church we were able to eat with him and three people who are visiting and helping him with wheelchair seatings. Then today we checked six kids out of Hermano Pedro and took them to Pollo Campero for lunch. What a great time was had by all as they all ate until they were both stuffed and messy!

This evening we traveled with Dick to Chimaltenango and played soccer with some of his crew (a large group of boys who hang out at Dick’s house and assist him with ministry). After about 30 minutes of soccer in the rain, I find myself exhausted and sore and wondering how I will feel when I try to get out of bed tomorrow morning! What a great time we had with them!

Thanks for a great day, Dick!

Darryl

My friends Debbie and Denny Hills were also busy working with the kids at Hermano Pedro. So busy seating kids into new wheelchairs that they did not even take time from their busy schedule to go to lunch. Debbie and Denis also got the opportunity to spend a day at Hope Haven's wheelchair factory seating some kids.

. . . . . . . .Thanks Debby and Denny.

Dick

Monday, November 2, 2009

Written by Jack

I am spending the day at the local wheelchair shop in hopes of finishing up the work we began on Saturday for our young spinal cord patient. The shop is really quite impressive. There is an incredible amount of reprocessing of donated equipment and some very extensive repairs to the countless chairs that have been placed throughout Guatemala. I actually started the day at breakfast and was able to sit and hear all about Bethel Ministries with it current chairman Chris Mooney. I wonder how few people in the states have any idea of the incredible unmet needs that this population has. It seems Bethel Ministries is involved on multiple fronts. The wheelchair effort is very significant but feeding the very poor, providing housing and meeting basic daily needs is among the many things this group of dedicated men and women are about each and every day. I came down here thinking that wheelchair distribution was the main activity and it is just one of the many things that are being addressed.

I worked through out the day looking over the vast amount of power wheelchairs that have found their way down to Central America and are being housed in this wheelchair shop. The need for professional technicians just to service and make operational the vast number of power chairs is very real. The most urgent need is for some organizational support just to sort out and eliminate obsolete equipment. Guatemala is one of the only third world countries to accept and distribute power wheelchairs. I hope to become a part of the initial planning and implementation of setting up a functional power wheelchair distribution system. It is good to see so many seating teams from North America make there way down her to help the many disabled people of this very poor country. I have had the privilege of working with a husband and wife team over the last few days that have served here before and will be leaving shortly to finish up their trip in Honduras. It is amazing what good can be done when we just make ourselves available.

The day was absolutely exhausting and before I knew it the shop closed up for the day. I was able to reprogram and ready the chair for our Guatemala City patient on Wednesday. I spent much of the day on the phone with the great technical service team at Invacare. Still there are many many chairs in need of attention.

Jack

Tuesday November 3, 2009

Today was a great experience at one of the local orphanages that houses around 250 children and adults. The day began with a graduation ceremony for 7 of the young disabled children. With the help of Bethel Ministries these children were provided with a young school teacher to work individually with them and help them to accomplish things they were never expected to do. We viewed some of there work and enjoyed some cake and celebration after the ceremony. It was very awe inspiring.

The rest of my day involved equipment modifications and wheelchair fittings. The first was on a highly involved young CP patient that had very extreme spinal and trunk abnormalities. It was a pleasure working along side of my friend Dick and seeing in him the dedication to these young kids. We then shifted gears and went to what is called the “Malnutrition Wing.” Even the name of this department had me spooked. As it turned out, we worked with two beautiful young boys that had recently been brought into the orphanage and were suffering with extreme malnutrition and under development. We worked with them for several hours and got them both into there first wheelchair and were pleased with the outcome. All and all the day was extremely interesting and very rewarding for both of us. The needs are so very many and the time is limited. As we left we both knew many many more kids were in need of special attention. Tomorrow will close out my first week in Guatemala and I will most likely not be the same man that arrived just looking to see where I could help.

Jack

Thanks to Bethel Ministries and Hope Haven international during the past 2 days Debbie, Denis, Jack and myself were able to set up and give out 10 specialty wheelchairs to children at Hermano Pedro who either had no wheelchairs or were in need of new ones.

Dick

Wednesday November 4, 2009

The final work day has arrived already and as often is the case, the time spent lending a helping hand has just breezed by. The day started with a final breakfast with Debby and her husband Denny as they headed out for there mission work in Honduras. It is exciting to hear about all the great projects that are underway in South America. I finished my efforts at the wheelchair shop early in the day and headed off with Dick and two of his posse boys for the big city in Guatemala. The time spent on the roads here has been an adventure each time we got in the car. I am so very grateful that Dick must have spent a previous life as a “Pakistany Cab Driver” because each trip requires nerves of steel and the patience of Job!

We redelivered our head array driven power wheelchair to our friend Edwardo and his family. After some final adjustments and much family education we left this man with the hope of some independent mobility and more importantly the ability to take rides with his three young children at his side. I do not remember a time when I was more satisfied with the efforts of a few dedicated professionals willing to give of there time to improve the life of someone in such need. As we drove off, remembering the smiles of this family will go back home with me and help sustain my efforts to help others for days ahead.

I had the chance to make one final visit to another orphanage and was able to view Dick at his very best. Each child seems to just light up as Dick and his boys arrive for a visit. We looked closely at one young CP man that like so many has very uncontrolled spastic movement that everyone is intimidated by. So often the ability to capture some purposeful movement, like a stable head and putting that together with a power wheelchair opens many opportunities with these challenging patients. The wheelchair camp is coming up in just a few weeks and Dick hopes to evaluate this young man with one of the many power wheelchairs that are available for use.

I am now in my last hotel room before returning to my home in Phoenix tomorrow. It was hard saying good bye to Dick Rutgers and two of his boys but I am certain that I will be back. This stuff just gets into your bloodstream and always pulls you back to just lend a helping hand. I am grateful for the chance to use some of my vocational skills and I know my work was appreciated!

Jack Craigs,
Assistive Technology Provider
Phoenix Arizona

After publishing this journal on Thursday I received the following e-mail from Debbie hills. Since I have already published this weeks journal it is nearly impossible to incorporate Debbie's journal entries into it so I am going to attach them here. I think that you will enjoy them.

Yours in Christ: Dick

The following is what Debbie wrote.

Sunday 11-1-09

A very good day! We were treated to a bilingual Church service in Antigua today which included the Lord's supper. A real blessing to feast with brothers and sisters from many countries and walks of life. We met new friends and hope to have an opportunity to work with some of them in the future. Although we have eaten at Comparo Chicken for nearly all our meals since ariving last Wed., the company was different and enjoyed getting to know Jack and Darryl as well as Darryl's crew. We also had a number of Dick's boys with us and they thoroughly enjoyed the meal.

The best part of the day though was our trip out of Chimaltenango this afternoon to take groceries to a family in the mountain. It's hard to put into words just how poor these people are and how much need there is all around. I was particularly concerned about all the young children running around a cluster of homes with an open well with sides only about 10 inches off the ground. I keep thinking of the children so at risk of falling into the well. There was so little in the way of food and clothing in the homes. I think of how much I throw away each week, each month, each year, and it is so much more than these people have. It makes me ashamed of the waste, and the extravagance in which we live...while people are going to bed and living many days in hunger.

The funny (peculiar) thing is that these people seem quite happy. As we got out of the trunk on the path to this home, we could hear people singing praises to God from a worship service not far from were we were. We need to catch a little of this joy to use in hard times. These folks seem to really rely on God for everything. There is a beauty in what we saw today that is hard to put into words.

Monday 11-2-09

We had a chance to get into Hermano Pedro Orphanage in Antigua today to seat several children in the wheelchairs we prepared on Thursday and Friday. It was a whirlwind day. The time passed way to quickly. We were able to get six of the kids into their chairs with good seating and time to show some of the nurses how the chairs worked. One little girl of about 3 years of age stole my heart. Brenda's smile was infectious and increased as see settled into her new wheelchair. Some of her stiffness began to decrease after just a few minutes of proper positioning. Diago was also a real heart breaker. He was literally stuffed into his old chair. With proper positioning in his new wheelchair, his head control was better and he showed more controlled movement in is arms. He thoroughly enjoyed the interaction with us as we worked on his chair.

Both of these kids along with several others enjoyed the attention of Darryl and his team as they played, cuddled, and sang to the kids throughout the day.

Dick was able to get an electric wheelchair working for a young man who lives in the orphanage. He was amazing as he quickly learned to operate chair from the joystick for the first time.

There is so much that needs to be done here. I could work here full time and never run out of things to do.

It was a good day. I should be tired, but the work energizes me. I think this is God's economy at work.

Tuesday, 11-3-09

Our last day to work. We were on loan to help with a wheelchair distribution in Antigua. There was a team of PT students and one of their teachers working th seat approx. 20 children. I was asked to be there to help with any problems they had and to help out however we could. they were a great group of young people with a lot of energy. They tackled tough seating issues and with a little guidance, put out great work. Most of the kids had never had wheelchairs before and it is always so interesting to see the responses of the kids and their parents. One Dad in particular, left only after giving out hugs and thanks to everyone in the room. He left actively praising God for his Son's new wheelchair.

It's hard to imagine being a parent of a disabled child and know that you will never have the resources to buy our child a wheelchair. We served an amazing God who brings all the right things together in just the right way, in just the right time. What a blessing to be used by Him. I am humbled beyond words to realize that God can use even me in such a way. Tomorrow we leave this wonderful place to venture into Honduras again with another team to serve the disabled there, but we will not easily forget this time we have spent in ministry here.

Debbie Hills

Thanks Jack, Daryl and Debbie for making this week's journaling a breeze for me.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal, October 24 - 30, 2009

2009-10-30T23:01:00.003-06:00

After being on the road with the Joni and friends teem for nearly a week I spent most of this weekend hanging out with my kids. They understand that what I do involves being on the road quite a bit but still hate it when I am away from home for several days at a time.

(Click on any picture to enlarge)

Monday, October 26, 2009

Today Chris and Donna headed out to do the last few days of camp recruiting. Because of all of the other responsibilities that they have I did most of the recruiting this year. I love doing it but since was happy that they found the time to do these last few days so that I could spend some much needed time staying closer to home.

This morning Fernando Esben and I went to Hermano Pedro. We had figured on swimming with a few of the kids but once again the therapists came up with a reason not to swim. I am not sure exactly what that reason was but it had something to do with the pool not being ready for them. Or then again it could have been that they were not ready for the pool.

We made good use of our day though. the boys played with the kids while I got together with Jessica and filled out paper work on all of the kids that need new wheelchairs.

At noon the boys and I took 3 of the kids out to Camperos for lunch. I some times wish that my kids could run the orphanage. They are so good with the kids. The orphanage kids absolutely love it when they come along to the orphanage with me.

When we got home my house quickly filled up with kids but after an hour I told the kids that I needed a kid break. This does not happen too often but I think that they could tell that I was ready for a break because the minute that I said it most of them quickly quit what ever it was that they were doing and headed for the door. I think that it could have something to do with the fact that I promised to take them all swimming tomorrow and in the past I have been known to forget these promises when the kids chose not to listen to me. Never the less I have the house to myself for a few hours.

I hate to do it but once again I am going to have to searchå the kids when they leave the house because once again some small items have been disappearing from my house. So far it has only been small things but I am going to let the kids know that the punishment will not be small. A few of them still have not gotten the message that it is wrong to take things. It seems that there is a mentality here in Guatemala that if some one has more then one item you have the right to one of them. Tonight it was only candy and a flashlight but I am going to do what ever it takes to see that it stops.

I told a few of the kids that they could come back at 9 so I am going to kick back and relax for about a half hour.

Goodnight,
yours in Christ: Dick

Even though the distribution that we did with the Joni and Friends team has ended, Rachel has added an entry to her blog that I want to publish. The following actually took place about a week ago.

Rolando - From Door on the Floor
. . . . . ., , ,. . ... .to Upright in a Chair.
By Rachel

One man in particular stands out amongst the rest. Rolando was carried in to the distribution center on a wooden door covered with a sheet. He lay on the door on the floor which has been his life for several years after being paralyzed as a result of a kidney operation and infection. The Team diligently worked to adapt a wheelchair for Rolando's use. Cindy Stroup was the seating specialist that worked with Dick to accommodate Rolando:

The mechanics Elmer, Ross and Monte used one of the recline kits that Greg Cowen made very useful. They also made a lap tray so that Rolando can eat and do other work from his chair.

When the chair was finished, the entire team posed with Rolando for a picture, his smile BEAMED. It was as if he felt like a man again, not a beast on the floor. He was holding his head up high and he could see and feel that he was Valued, not only in our sight, but Valued by Jesus. That is the Joni and Friends mission, accomplished.

Rachel

Tuesday, October 27, 2009 Believe it or not today I took another day off just to have some fun with the kids. Since I have been on the road so much lately and camp is Just around the corner I have decided to make a point of sending some quality time with them while I have the opportunity. A new swimming pool has recently been built between here and San Marteen. Actually it is located out in the middle of nowhere. How this location was picked for a swimming pool is beyond me but the price is right and it is only a 15 minute drive from here. I don't think that this facility would exactly be OSHA approved but if you don't mind ducks and geese in the dressing room and survive the walk over the river on the not so new suspension bridge the pool itself is actually very nice. Although a few of my kids who had head colds did not swim all 15 of us had a great time and the kids asked me when we could return again.

After returning form our swim I ran a few errands, or at least I tried to run a few errands. Not until after I had signed a fairly large check did the clerk at my bank inform me that the banks computer was down so there was no way that I could deposit it. Not wanting to carry a signed check in my pocket I decided that I would get cash for it then hopefully make it across town with out getting robbed and pay a few months rent with the money. Then the clerk informed me that with out their computer there was no way that she could give me cash either. She told me that she could keep the check and my bank book and deposit the check for me when the computer came back on but knowing the track history of Guatemalan banks I decided that I had less of a chance of loosing the check than the bank did.

It has been a little over a month ago that I had my my new car alarm installed. After about 6 attempts the place that I bought it from actually got it working properly the only problem has been that they only gave me one transmitter. Guess why I bought the new alarm system in the first place. After loosing one of my old transmitters I was worried that I would not be able to start my car if I lost or broke the only transmitter that I had. The man that sold me the alarm system is very nice but for the past 30 days I have really gotten to know the true meaning of mañana. Since it has been nearly a week now since he told me that he would have a second transmitter for me and since he sounded even more sincere then he did any of the other 20 or more times that I stopped by, I actually had my hopes up today. Silly me, perhaps mañana.

Then again I could go back to my original car alarm,

but dog food is getting expensive.

Well the kids are fed and all but the 3 that are staying have headed for home so I guess I will call it a day. More mañana.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

This morning Calin, Miguel, Cesar and I headed out to see some families that live near the coast. This is The first time that I let Calin come along to interpret for me since I caught him stealing from me several months ago. Hopefully though it will not be his last because Calin has a real hart for his fellow Guatemalans. On a recent water filter distribution a lady from that area told us about several children that appeared to be starving. She told us that Dominica, the small town that she was from had a small clinic but told us that they did not have much medicine and they were not equipped to help kids that were severely malnourished. Her plans today were to meet here at the clinic to meet with the mayor's wife and the doctor. When we arrived I saw several people outside of the shabby building that served as the clinic. At first I thought that they were waiting for it to open but once I stepped inside I saw that there were so many people waiting to see the doctor that there was simply not enough room inside for everyone. (Sorry no pictures but since this was my first time here I did not want to take out my camera.) We were led to a small room in the back of the clinic. That served as the doctor's office, drug store, and examination room. The room could not have been more than 8 feet by 10 feet and the drug store was nothing more than a few small shelves that had medicine on them. We were introduced to the doctor who was a lady that appeared to be in her twenties. She told us that she had recently graduated from medical school and that she had only been at the clinic for a few months. I asked her how many other doctors worked there and she told me that she was the only one. She went on to say that there were severl families that had brought in malnourished children that were severe enough that they should be admitted into a malnutrition center. She had herd of Hermano Pedro in Antigua but did not know how to go about getting any of the children admitted there. I told her that I was fairly certain that we could get these kids into Hermano Pedro and that I would gladly help them do that. I was hoping that we could go and visit some of these families but was told by the social worker that she did not have clear directions as to where they lived and that it would take a few days to locate them. I am planning on returning on November 9 and am praying that it is not to late for any of them.

The picture above is of 8 year old Julio when we found him not to far from this town a few years ago.

A five month stay at the malnutrition ward of Hermano Pedro made a big difference for Julio. Please pray that the children that we were told about today can receive help as well.

Last night I got a call from Ronny and his family asking me when I was going to pay them a visit. They were delighted when I told them that it would be today. While we were on our way there I received a call from Ronny's mom telling me that Clara, one of Ronny's sisters had just fallen and broken her arm. I told mom that it would be still be a few hours before I could get there but if she could not find transportation to a doctor before we got there we would help get her to one.

When we arrived at Ronny's place Ronny's father told us that mom, Clara, and another daughter had already left by buss for the National hospital in Esquentla. I can only imagine what an hour and a half ride on an old school buss down bumpy dirt roads feels like when you have an unsplinted broken arm.

Our trip was not a wasted one though because we had a good visit with dad and the kids. We also discovered that the family was out of groceries and in need of medicine. Besides that I have sort of fallen in love with this family.

Our final visit of the day was at the home of the family that we are trying to relocate. I guess I can actually say the family that we are going to relocate. Thanks to a generous sponsor we are in the process of purchasing a plot of land near the coast and in February a teem is coming in to put up one of the prefabricated homes that we have been building.

When we arrived six of the kids were there but they told us that mom was doing layndry for a family that lives in a village about a mile and a half away. Up until now I have not seen any of the kids show any emotion but after visiting for about an hour I actually managed to get them to laugh while I was taking a picture. I won't say what I did to get them to laugh but I was sure glad that I was not the one that was having his picture taken.
When I got home my house quickly filled up with kids. I let them stay for a while but then told them that I was taking only Abner and Alex out for dinner. They both graduated from 6th grade today so I had promised to take them out to eat to where ever they wanted to go. I figured that since there were only 2 of them I could afford to take them out some where besides Camperos. Besides that I was looking forward to a good meal. How was I to know that they would choose Burger King? Oh Well it was fairly inexpensive. When we got back home I discovered that the entire group had not moved from my front gate. At least Abner, Alex and myself got hamburgers. Tonight I fed the rest of the kids corn flakes.

It is getting late and I still need a shower. Hopefully the 3 kids that are in it right now are water logged enough that they are ready to get out. I sort of figure that an hour long shower should be enough for anyone.

Goodnight'
Yours in Christ: Dick

Thursday, October 29. 2009

Today was pretty much a stay at home and get caught up on things day. Esbin, Elder and Fernando, stayed over last night and this morning they made it quite clear that they wanted to spend the day here as well. However after breakfast I told them that they would have to go home for a while so that I could get some book work done. I told them that I would let them back in after I had finished but that would likely be about three hours. Three and a half hours later I opened my gate and found the 3 of them sitting there waiting to come back in to my house. I asked them when they had returned and they looked at me and said that they had never left. I may have to reevaluate just how important it is to have the house to myself when I am writing these journals. Especially when there are kids outside that are not welcome in there own homes. All three of these kids have uncles or aunts that they stay with but Fernando has never met his father and has not seen his mother since he was a year old. Esben and Elder went back to live with there mother after the lady that was caring for them died but after a few weeks mom decided that they were a nuisance and kicked them back out of the house. This after noon I scrapped my plans to go to the orphanage and flew kites with the kids instead.

This evening I had to go to the airport. Esben and Elder's uncle had sent Marcos over to tell them that he wanted them to come home and do some work but Fernando was still hanging out here. I knew how much he wanted to go along but I had already promised 2 of the other boys that they could ride along with me. I told Fernando that I didn't think that I could take him along because the person that I was picking up was coming with a lot of luggage and I was not sure how much room I would have. Fernando said that he understood but I could see the tears building up in his eyes as he walked towards the door. As it turned out Fernando, Cesar, and Kevin had no problem fitting in with the luggage and I am glad that I let all three of them come along.

Jack Cregs, the man that we picked up from the airport plans on staying for a week. Jack who is a wheelchair specialist brought a power wheelchair and a number of head control units along with him from the States. During the next few days he and I plan on getting a number of head controlled power wheelchairs going and hopefully deliver three of them to people that have been waiting for far to long.

I am actually writing this on Friday. Jack's plane arrived in Guatemala 2 hours late so the boys and I did not get home until close to midnight. When we got home I decided that sleep was more Important than writing in my journal so I put that off until 6:00 AM. Come to think of it that is only 6 hours of sleep. Think I will close for now and see if I can catch another hour of sleep before the kids wake up and turn on their rap music. They keep insisting that I should like it because it is Christian rap but I still have not acquired a taste for it. I guess I could tell them all to go home for a few hours but they would probably just tell me that they are at home.

Good-morning,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Friday, October 30, 2009
For the next few days we have the blessing of having not one but 3 seating specialists here from the states. Since we do not have any large wheelchair distributions planned we plan on using their talents setting up delivering some wheelchairs to several people that have been waiting for quite some time for wheelchairs that are specially designed for their specific needs. Most of our day today was spend in Bethel Ministries wheelchair repair shop getting some pediatric wheelchairs and head controlled power wheelchairs set up.

Seven year old Elder did most of the cooking tonight. Alex seldom complains but did mention that his french toast tasted a bit funny. I guess he must have gotten one of the peaces that Elder dropped on the floor.

Tonight's dish washing crew also consisted of 3 of the younger kids. Unlike some of the older kids the younger ones never have to be asked to help out with household chores. I think that is because no one has ever told them that work is not suppose to be enjoyable.

Tonight some of the girls actually managed to get the computers away from the boys.

Well that's about it for now. Thanks for your prayers.

Yours in Christ:
Dick

Journal, October 17-23, 2009

2009-10-24T12:55:00.012-06:00

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Four of the kids that hang out at my house were among those that were chosen to represent Chimaltenango in a soccer championship that was held in San Lucas today. Five of the kids that did not play and my self went to watch them play a teem from Antigua. They played a good game that went into overtime but the lost by one point. They were a bit disappointed that they did not win but still considered it an honer that they had been chosen for the teem.

This evening Chris, Saul, and myself drove 3 different vehicles to the airport to pick up 18 people and a lot of luggage. This is a teem from Colorado who have come to do a Joni and Friends distribution with us. Since some of the members of this teem also journal I am going to pretty much take a break from journaling and post their accounts of a very exciting week.

Hope that you enjoy what they write.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Rachel Blake Wrote

Our 2 1/2 hour trip to Sacapulas ended up to be almost 5 hours. A mudslide hindered our progress for a time, and after we cleared that obstacle, heavy fog set in as we traversed the hairpin turns, and steep graded mountain road. I was one of 9 riding with Cris Mooney at the wheel, and I always felt that he was driving safely in spite of the tough road conditions. We stopped mid-way for fuel and these girls in traditional dress were selling colorful baskets.

Rachel

Monday, October 19, 2009

Rachel Wrote

God can use anyone...as long as they have an available heart, and use you in ways that might be unexpected. Meet Mike Foy, an orthodontist by trade who has used his talents on missions trips, but decided this time he wanted to do something "different". Here is a picture of Mike with a gentleman he helped to "seat". The man's family were thrilled with this particular chair because the footrests elevate, and he needs this for his illness.

Cunen....many in need, the first time the Mooneys have distributed chairs here. One of their ministry partners, Marcos who is wheelchair bound and helped to start BMI, was born in this town and was proud to have brought 40 chairs and 3 sets of crutches to his people. Here is one who is shown at her home.

I gave up the "LambChop" puppet I carried with me from the Springs (Thanks Dawn) to Alexander, one of our 3 children recipients because he lit up when he saw the lamb. Hopefully one day, he to will know the Lamb of God. He was seated in a Hope Haven chair, one that is manufactured here in Guatemala, by disabled workers since there were no JAF chairs that were just right for him.

40 Wheelchairs were distributed, 3 recipients accepted Christ and 30 children prayed with Pastor Don and Donna Mooney to accept Christ after they were told the Gospel story via the evangelism bracelets.

Rachel

Tuesday, October 20, 2009
More from Rachel

We were able to "sleep in", leaving the hotel at 8:30AM for breakfast, then a quick stop at the wheelchair restoration shop for loading chairs and supplies for tomorrows distribution. Devotions at the shop, then a 7 hour drive to Coban.

Stefanie Kellemeyn, who is on her first Wheels trip and is a pediatric nurse in Colorado Springs, does some nursing on the roadside. Harrison, a physical therapy student received some bug bites and……why does that require a tongue depressor?

Our group of 18 has 3 sub-teams, and also Prayer Partners, consisting of two people. Here is part of our group paired with their partners and getting ready for a "Prayer Circle", a time of prayer and celebration before a distribution. Yesterday

Mary just blew me away.... She always has a ready smile and loves to "love on" people. This pre-school teacher has a way of making people feel welcome and valued, a true example of Jesus mandate in Luke 14. Here she is with some local Cunen boys as she makes up gift bags. This is Mary Jeans third Wheels for the World trip; twice to Brazil, and now Guatemala. She has a ready and willing heart and does everything from making pancakes and distributing beverages to team and recipients, to running registration, making up chair cushions and preparing gift bags. Thanks MJ!

Rachel

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Dick wrote

79 year old seating specialist Mary Jane points out a few modifications that she would like to see done on a wheelchair that her and Benjamin are working on. Mary Jane does not let a little thing like cerebral palsy or being confined to a wheelchair keep her from going on wheelchair distributions. Fact is Mary Jane has been on over 40 wheelchair distributions all over the world. Sort of makes you wonder how she has found the time to write several books and start a school for disabled people in Africa .

This Joni and Friends teem has been incredible. Each member of their teem has pitched right in and done everything from making pancakes for the people that come in to receive wheelchairs, to seating and fitting some fairly complicated cases. I scarcely have time to do much else but seat people into wheelchairs during most of our distributions but this week this well trained teem has made it possible for me to be able to have enough free time to just wonder around from work station to work station and observe all of the different ways that God's love is being demonstrated to the people here in Guatemala.

Thanks Teem,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Today we had our third and final wheelchair distribution of the week. Here are some pictures.

Donna brought the family pictured above to my attention. Father walked out on this mother and her 4 children leaving them penniless. The clothing (likely donated) that they are wearing may lead you to think otherwise but not only does mother not have enough money to send her children to school but the family more often than not goes to bed hungry. We are looking for a sponsor for this family.

There were tears but it was a good day.

Yours in Christ: Dick

Rachel wrote

We all serve the Lord in different ways. He can use us if we make ourselves available to him. Trevor Needham never thought that making pancakes would be a way to serve the Lord. But he proved indispensable this week. He and Christie Ramshur spent many hours making pancakes and serving the families at the distribution, as well as team members.

Rachel

Friday, October 23, 2009

By Dick

Today we were able to take the Joni and Friends teem that has been with us all week through the orphanage at Hermano Pedro. Since there are only 24 hours in a day and I have already used up about 23 of them I will once again let the Pictures do the talking.

Need I say More?

Thanks Teem!

Your love spoke much louder than words.

Yours in Christ: Dick