A more-than-middle-aged mom of four, moving to Central America. . .as my kids say, "What's up with that?" I invite you to travel with me as I attempt to understand the movement of God in my heart and in my life. It promises to be quite a ride!
Back to San Juan we went, only to find Manuel's new batteries okay, but the brushes in his motor needing new springs. This ended up being a half day,s work, as we visited I think 4 or 5 tiendas, electric shops, grocery stores et al! looking for a close resemblance to what we needed. After finding a couple of springs that would work, we then had to find someone to solder one of the brushes also. At least we discovered how to get around San Juan - actually a very nice town.
Yes, this is an actual picture of Dick's GPS. . . the road is full of twists and turns, but also beautiful scenery.
Manuel doing algebra
In the end , it was well worth all our efforts, as we heard from Bob, an American helping at a school for the disabled , how much this chair had changed Manuel's life. He is now in 1st year Basico, does paintings with his mouth, and gets around with his chin controlled motorized wheelchair.
( I will let Pat tell about the wonderful school there )
Centro Maya is one of the best schools I have ever visited, either in Guatemala, or the US. While a stand alone special school, the atmosphere is welcoming and inviting, and the quality of instruction marvelous. In the single classroom, taught by a teacher who herself is only 18 yrs old, I found students actively engaged in appropriate activities, ranging from a child putting four cut out puzzle pieces in a board frame, to Manuel who was working on Algebra. The calm and tranquility of the classroom amazed me.
Classroom with a volunteer from Holland
Infant and toddler classroom Today learning "sweet" and "salty"
Teacher helping student on the computer
The children here not only get academic instruction, but physical and occupational therapy, as well as the services of a psychologist. Each child's goals and activities (covering six basic domains of special education instruction) are posted on the walls of the classroom for easy reference, and the variety of types of materials and activities were impressive.
The director of the school is a Guatemalan woman, who herself is the mother of a child with disabilities. She has a passion for this work on both a personal and professional level. As we talked about the excellence of their teacher, she responded that she interviewed 22 candidates before the current teacher, but knew immediately that this teacher was "the one." What I saw proved her to be right.
A little one working on fine motor skills
Competence in daily living skills is also emphasized
The director has invited me back to work with their staff on communication systems, and to let me learn from their experience the most effective way to approach some of the issues related to special ed. I look forward to spending time with them in May.
After visiting all these families, it struck me that we have the same kinds of parenting skills in Canada and the U.S. - SOME GOOD, AND SOME NOT SO GOOD. I believe that we must have Jesus first in our own hearts, and then at the centre of our families
Thank you Dick and Pat for the great trip. Dave B.
Again, today, Dave Black has shared his thoughts on our day. Of course, I continue to have to add comments. (Dick would probably say I want to have the last word!)~~Pat
Some of the kids in Julio's yard
Today we took some food to Julio's mom and dad. Julio is in the malnutrition ward at Hermano Pedro, and Dick wanted to talk to mom and dad. Fortunately, dad was home from working in the sugar cane fields. This job has to be one the worst - about 90 F, and fields of cane on fire also. Dick says they make about Q 60 I(maybe $8) for a 12 hr. day., and the work only lasts for 3 or 4 months.
Before the sugar cane is cut, the fields are burned. The workers leave covered with soot. I can only imagine what their lungs look like. . .
We then took Orlindo home, and found out he had missed only Monday for school. Apparently the teachers had a meeting of some sort. He was pretty happy to be home.
Dr. Will, who left a successful medical practice in Seattle to come to Guatemala to care for the people in San Lucas
Off to San Lucas we drove, to meet with an American doctor there, William Boegel, who had found a little girl who needed a wheelchair. Mom and Dad brought this girl in for physio treatment 3 X A week,, and you see how much they loved her. Quite a difference from the families we had met the day before.
Unfortunately, the chair we had brought was too big,. So Dick is going to bring another soon. Dr.Will and his wife had moved down here from Seattle 4 yrs. Ago, , and bought some land outside San Lucas Toliman, where they bring women and children to escape mostly abuse. Will also works 2 days a week at the local hospital, where he also brought down most of everything for an operating room !
Then we drove to Santiago Atitlan, to drop off some walkers to Michelle, an American lady who is working with elderly people.
Though I'd been up to the Lake before, this was the first time I had traveled by car to the "back" side of the lake (away from the more "touristy" Panajacel), and loved the new experiences. We had been told that the road was considered "dangerous" yet could find no one who had actually had problems traveling it, so we did.
One of many stations along the road where workers bring the coffee they have picked to be weighed into 100 lb. bags
This remote area does not have chicken buses. Workers are transported by over-loaded pick-ups.
We drove around Volcan San Pedro to visit Manuel ,a young man in San Juan La Laguna, whose motorized wheelchair was npt working properly. Dick changed the batteries, and said we would be back tomorrow to check on the new ones.
Dick working on Manuel's chair in the fading daylight
We spent the night in San Pedro at a very clean and nice hotel for Q100 ea. (about $12.50)- quite a bargain. Pat looked pretty comfortable in the hammock there.! (Guilty, as charged. I think Lake Atitlan is one of the best places on earth to renew and recharge--even if only for an evening. I can't wait to go back!)
Dave with some of the children in one of the villages we visited
Dave Black, a friend from Canada, who has spent the winter here in Guatemala with us, joined us on our trip to Lake Atitlan, and graciously offered to blog this trip. Of course, you who know me, know I will make comments, but Dave, I really appreciate you taking on this task this week.
Today, Dick, Pat, Orlindo ( Ronnie,s 8 yr. old brother ), and I ( Dave ) headed to La Gomera ,near the Pacific coast, to check on a family, and also some water filters given out last year .
Before leaving Antigua, Pat attempted to use her ATM card - to no avail. After contacting her U.S. bank ( 3 or 4 times ), she found out it had been compromised , and the bank had blocked the use of it.Her bank told her the block was removed, but after trying 3 or 4 different ATM,s, it still did not work. (There have been a lot of "cloning" of ATM cards, and my bank was being vigilant in shutting down my cards. Of course, that doesn't help a lot when you are 1900 miles from your home bank! They will issue new cards, which will have to be sent down here from Omaha. . .)
Then we ran into new bridge construction for another delay. Oh well, one thing I have learned here is patience!
We picked up 2 social workers, Luvia and Carla, in La Gomera, and went to visit a sponsored family near there. We delivered some food to them, and also checked their water filter. It was plugged, and they had lost the syringe to clean it. Dick had a syringe , so he cleaned it , and it worked, but apparently not fast enough for mama to fill a big pot to cook with. (This is the Reyes/Montanegro family that some of you are helping to sponsor.)
We ended up checking about 4 or 5 more, and found only one working. Maintenance seems to be a problem , and even knowing WHY to use them. The water table here is about 4 feet below ground, so these filters are definitely needed. But I am not sure the families see this need. (It is so hard to change the way people have lived for years, even when it would improve their health to do so. This trip, I learned, that many are not convinced that their contamined water is why so many of them are sick. . .again, a different way of thinking I'm learning, slowly, to deal with.
We talked afterward, and think maybe the filters should be given to community leaders first to show the other people why and how these are needed. (We were able to give one to one of the women, Norma, who had showed us around today. Though she had no water filter herself, when they were given out, she said she thought they should be given to the "poor" so did not take one for her family. So often I see that the very people (Guatemalans) who help us help their people ask for, and take, nothing for themselves.)
Some of the children we visited on this trip!
While going from house to house checking on these filters, we somehow lost Pat. We knew she did not have any money, so she could not be far . Low and behold, we found the party girl at a house celebrating a young girl's something! (I never did figure out exactly what was going on--only that it was some kind of religious ceremony for women, and seemed to be a mix of Catholic and Mayan religious traditions. Dave, I think this is the first time I've been called a "party girl" but think I could live up to the label if given the chance!)
Orlindo riding with me in the back seat-- checking out the latest news!
We DRAGGED her out of there, (now you see why the guys weren't invited in!) and after dropping off the social workers, headed to a nice hotel with a pool - it was quite hot down here. Orlindo loved the water, jumping in to Dick and I. I found out he also likes wrestling on the bed. As Dick noted, he thinks this was a good trip for Orlindo to help get over his brother's passing.
While I enjoy being invited into homes more readily than the guys, there are some drawbacks. These fruits, called, Jocote mareñon, are popular with the people eaten directly from the tree. I, thoughtlessly, asked what they were called, and was immediately given some to try. I'm not really all that adventurous with foods, and had some concern about the cleanliness of the water in which they were washed, but tried them anyway (as they guys stood waiting for me, I think chuckling at my dilema.) I took a bite and discovered they were not horrible, but definitely not my favorite, having a flavor that somehow dries out your mouth. I could not help but finish it, though, as the other ladies were continuing to enjoy theirs and were excited to share this new food with me!
My favorite parts of these trips continues to be the time I get to spend with the children. Here the children started out very shy, but warmed up quickly. The little guy below is one of my favorites. His name is Diego, and when I said, "like Go-Go Diego" he immediately sang the whole theme-song for me. (For those less well-informed: Go-Go Diego is a children's cartoon show, popular both in the US and Guatemala. My grandson, Zach, tells him mom I'm living in the jungle with Diego every time the TV show comes on! Lindy, you can show him the picture of the "real" Diego, though he doesn't quite live in a jungle!)
I have now gone to my first missionary conference here in Guatemala. I wasn't sure what to expect, and was even less sure I really wanted to go, but my friend Judy Kerschner encouraged me to, so I thought I'd give it a try. Intermissions is designed to be a spiritual retreat as well as an opportunity for networking for missionaries whose first language is English and who have come from outside of Guatemala. It was all it said it would be and more!
I traveled to Panajachel, on Lake Atitlan, with Judy, and two younger friends, Amy (who is an occupational therapist who works with Judy at New Life School) and Naomi (who works in a children's home in Parramos, near Antigua). The ride was a great opportunity for me to finally meet these two young women who I had heard so much about. We even had time for lunch on the lake before going to the hotel to check in for the conference.
We were lucky to get rooms in the main hotel, Porta Hotel del Lago, a high rise hotel right on the lake. We were only on the third floor, but the view was astounding. The rooms were bright and comfortable, and the shower was the best I've experienced in ANY country. I (almost) felt guilty living in such luxury while so many so near to us were starving. I really struggled with this throughout the weekend.
I surely would not have paid for this opulence, but the conference was subsidized by donations from the servant teams who supported the conference. This was where they had chosen. I decided to accept it as the gift it was and quit over-thinking the whole thing. I guess Jesus did dine in the homes of the rich as well as the poor, but it was a little hard to get used to.
After the first evening session, though, I knew I'd made the right decision in coming. The main speaker was Pastor Paul Taylor from Liberty Church in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. His topic for the weekend was to look at what The Lord's Prayer teaches us about what Jesus knew/believed about God. The theme for the weekend was God is: Present, Purposeful, Provider, Powerful.
It was good to reflect for a time on each of these attributes of God, not just in the abstract, but as to how they impact my life as a missionary here in Guatemala. I discovered that I had no trouble experiencing God as present and purposeful. This weekend challenged me, though, to more fully surrender to Him, in His power and His ability to provide for all I need. I can say honestly that I don't worry about my support, or my ability to carry out what He has called me to do. Too often, though, I allow "what if's" (such as what if the economy gets worse; what if my health gets worse; even what if there's an earthquake here) to distract me from praising Him for all He has done and provided.
See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
So it was a good weekend to consider these things, and grow to trust Him more deeply, not just for my daily bread, but with my future. I was reminded that God only allowed the Israelites to gather enough manna for a single day (except for the Sabbath) to keep their eyes firmly focused on Him as provider. I think He is asking me to do the same.
Today we (Caleb, Thor, Dick, Dave and I) spent the day at Hermano Pedro. The original purpose of the visit was to film what I am doing here each day. Fortunately, this did not end up happening too much.
I say fortunately, because instead of filming, Caleb and Thor immediately got caught up with the kids, and spent a good deal of time just loving on them. Thor even lent his hand to helping adjust some wheelchairs. Caleb seemed to find his niche in malnutrition. I can't begin to describe what it did to my heart to watch these two friends from the States fall in love with "my" kids. They may not have much film to show, but I'll bet you they can describe first-hand why I am here, because they, too, have now fallen in love with our kids.
We even took a few to lunch!
While we were here, I spent my time doing what I usually do here, with a few extra diaper changes thrown in for good measure. With as much as I've been on the road, I'm cutting the kids a good bit of slack in letting them do their favorite tasks. Today I was especially pleased to see how much Ervin was willing to work, even in his crib, and how well he cooperated with what I asked him to do. He's such a big boy that when he doesn't it can be quite the challenge.
The nurses even enjoy some of the new puzzles-- they make animal sounds when the right piece is inserted.
A couple weeks ago, Hope Haven Internation had a wheelchair distribution where a number of our kids got new wheelchairs, and they all received lap TRAYS. While I know that in the past the kids had received these with their chairs, they would somehow mysteriously disappear almost immediately. This time was different. The therapists had stored these in their therapy room, because, they said, they know I would use them! This was important on so many levels, but expecially shows that they recognize my desire to support the work they are doing with the kdis. Now it is much easier to work with the kids, as they have a "table" at the correct height and position. These trays also are very important in helping the kids maintain good posture in their chairs, which increases their overall health.
We still take the kids to lunch when time, money and weather permits. It's hard to decide who to take, because the verbal kids are always asking to go, and I know some of the non-verbal ones benefit just as much, though in a different way perhaps. Recently Dick and I had a "discussion" about taking Saul. In the past, Saul has "freaked out" at Camperos, or at the very least seems just to tolerate it. My opinion was Saul has matured in this area. What do you think?
Almost all of the kids are back from vacation, and we have a few new or former residents who came back to us. Brenda, who I spent a lot of time with when I was down here a couple years ago, has returned after being at home with her family for more than a year. Her mom has a new baby, and could no longer care for Brenda adequately. She seemed much weaker and skinnier to me, but her smile is still the same. You can hear the angels sing when she smiles.
Brenda 2009
Brenda 2011
One of the "new" kids is an "old" friend of mine. Miguel Angel (Miki) is the little boy I met in Patzun at Christmas time who needed a wheelchair. We took him one just after the first of the year. Now, he is living at Hermano Pedro. While I really love this kid and am overjoyed to be able to work with him, I was somewhat sad that he was moved. The orphanage where he was living cared for him so well, and the other "normal" kids loved on him and helped him so much, that it was always so uplifting to visit and find a place where "full inclusion" was really working. Pray that he adapts to the more institutional environment at Hermano Pedro without too much pain. I do believe it will be difficult for him.
Other kids contine to do well. Valentina's grandma calls me about once a week so see how she is doing up in malnutrition. She has adjusted to being in the hospital, but sure does like it when we go up and hold her. She is so alert and attentive--her eye contact is fantastic for a one month old.
While Valentina seems tiny, her roommate in isolation is even moreso. This little guy is 5 months old, and about the same size and Valentina, and does not have a cleft palate. He is just precious, and I can't resist holding him whenever I go in to spend time with her.
There is a new twelve year old in malnutrition, Luisa. She is "non-reponsive" from all "outside" appearances, and has an extremely contorted body. But when you look in her eyes, it's heartbreaking. It's like she's pleading with you to help her get out of the prison which her body has become. Her gaze is piercing. I've started spending time by her bed, stroking her hair (I'm actually afraid of hurting her by holding her, she's so contorted), and she usually falls straight to sleep when I do. I need to spend some time with Dick and the therapists learning what I can do to make her more comfortable.
I know I'll be traveling again soon, and I'm sad to leave the kids once again. Every time I go on the road, I struggle with being away. I've been praying through this alot, and still don't seem to have a good answer to whether or not I should be doing these trips. I do know, however, I have yet to make a trip where I've returned feeling it's been a waste of my time. I think it boils down to the fact that I like being with the kids more than I do on the road.
Then, I look at a map of Paul's journeys and wonder why I complain!
