November / December 2018
We had a great November and beginning to December. The Lord has really blessed our time here in Guatemala as we get deeper involved with the indigenous Mayan people and their culture. The month started with Health Talents and Clinica Ezell. We had eye surgeries this month and it was such a blessing to have the patients come in to the surgery clinic, some with no sight, and leave with sights they have not seen in years but most importantly, they left with the Word of God and a knowledge that Jesus died for all of us. We had a great month in Santa Maria de Jesus with the feeding center. As we become more and more ingrained with the people and the culture new opportunities open up to us each month.
Santa Maria de Jesus
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| Children at the feeding center playing in the field behind the center before lunch is served. |
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| The alley at the feeding center where the children line up prior to the lunch meal |
In addition to working with the children, because of the support given we were able to tend to Fermina's medical needs. She has cooked for the children for 8 years at Campos de Suenos. She was having bad tooth aches as well as headaches. We were able to take her to the dentist where she got three teeth removed. We then took her to the doctor for the headaches. After several lab tests and appointments she was finally diagnosed with the inflammation of nerves on one side of her face. She has taken medication now for two weeks and is doing much better. The doctor feels she can get off all the medicine in a week or two if she is still improving.
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| Fermina - lives in SMDJ and has cooked for the children for 8 years |
Construction
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| With donations from One Child, we were able to help a team build a house for Guillermo and Angelica and family. They were having to move out of the place they were staying which had a dirt floor and leaked in the rainy season. It was not healthy for the baby nor the family. They are now in a dry home that they now own. Best of all, we were able to share the Gospel with the family and pray over their family and new home. |
Tomasa Pio had a lean-to of scrap tin that she cooked under to try to stay dry. With your help we were able to build Tomasa a small kitchen as well as give her a Chispa wood stove to cook on. Before we left, we prayed with Tomasa and her family, gave them a bible for their own and we will be following up with Tomasa and her family in the weeks to come. She is the aunt of one of the young women (Ana) that we work with each day at the feeding center in SMDJ.
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| Tomasa |
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| The cleared area for Tomasa's new kitchen |
Tomasa and her family with a new kitchen and stove
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In addition to building a kitchen and giving a stove to Tomasa, her sister Elvira was needing a stove.
With donations received, in addition to build a kitchen and giving Tomasa a stove, we were able to install a stove for Elvira as well. |
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| Elvira and her extended family |
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| When we return in January we hope to be able to give Oditia (Elvira's sister) a new stove to cook on. Right now she is cooking on an old half barrel outside. |
Volcano Fuego Relief
In addition to clinica, the feeding center, and the building of kitchens we were honored to partner with Health Talents and build two homes for Moisés and his family.
Moisés and his
family, parents, and extended family lived in San Miguel los Lotes
prior to the eruption of Volcano Fuego in June of 2018. Moisés
was able to escape with his family as the lava and pyroclastic flow
moved down the mountain in to his village of San Miguel los Lotes.
With the initial eruption he loaded the family in his red truck to
escape, however, the truck would not start and eventually it was
buried in the flow with other cars piled on the top of his. He took
his wife Elizabet, carried his twins Madelin and Yeisy and with his
son Ander and daughter Midvian running behind him they started down
the volcano. His mother Catalina and father Pascual were just behind
him. As they were running down the mountain his parents were
falling behind. Moisés
put the twins down and they ran with their mother and siblings while
Moisés went back
to help his parents. He was able to carry his mother down while his
father followed behind. Pascual was severely burned in the
escape attempt. He was later interviewed by Guatemalan television
about his experience (the video can be see
here).
Pascual eventually succumbed to his burns and died 28 days later.
In addition to his father dying, he had several cousins and an uncle
perish as well.
Moisés'
family was living with his father-in-law's family in Alotenango and
his mother was living with with her sister-in-law in Esquintla. The
family attempted to return to retrieve anything they could find.
Moisés was able
to get the engine from the truck and two wheels. That is all that
was left of their possessions. He took a video of the site where his
house use to be and it is covered in 4 mts of volcanic matter. The
video shows his walking where his house was and a small sink hole
that was created over where his kitchen use to be. (The video can be
seen here).
Moisés
is trying to find work currently as a mechanic's helper. He used to
make money using his truck to haul trash, dirt, block, or anything
else he could get hired to haul. That is no longer available to him
and his family.
Moisés
has a small plot of land (10mts by 17 mts) on the mountain in
Alotenango. His children are attending school in the village as
well. With funds donated by Health Talents International and several other donors, a house for his family and a house for his mother was built this past week. In addition a house blessing was given of not just food, but pots, pans, and other kitchen items. In addition, a kitchen was built with wood burning stoves and solar panels were installed in both homes as well as several items of clothing for the family were donated. Moisés
and his family are believers in our Lord Jesus Christ and know there
is a time for them in the future where there will be no more sorrow
or suffering.
With the help of Health Talents and several others that donated specifically for volcano relief, we were able to build two small
houses on the plot with fuel-efficient wood burning
stoves, two sets of bunk beds, Tiva water filters, a kitchen for both homes and solar panels in each house with three lights and a phone charger. Pictures below show the construction and the help that was given to Moisés family this past week. At the end of the build, during the house blessing and prayer for their new lives, Moisés told us that after the eruption, they did not know what they were going to do. Many organizations said they were going to help and a relief center was set up where they could get a meal but with all those that promised to help, help never came until our team showed up. We are so grateful for the funds given by Health Talents and so many others to make this family a home. While they have suffered much loss, Moisés said they rely on God for all their provisions. We are so thankful you were able to help us provide just a portion of those provisions.
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| Unloading of the house material on construction day |
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| Rick and Robert (both with Health Talents) helping Cary with the middle roof beam for one of the houses |
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Placing the middle roof beam
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| Health Talents personnel demonstrating the installation of the Tiva water filter |
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| The two houses completed getting ready for the house blessing |
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| Moisés and his family in front of their completed home |
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| The road up to Moisés' home |
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| Beginning installation of the kitchen |
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| Installation of the solar panels |
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| Working on the kitchen construction using the generator which was very useful in an area with no electricity. |
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| The two house completed with the kitchen under construction and Fuego in the background |
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| Twins Madelin and Yeisy watching the construction |
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| Kitchen nearing completion |
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| Fuego erupting the day after the house and kitchen build are complete as seen from the road to their home |
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| Fuego on a calm Sunday morning |
Finally, with the close of November some very good friends of ours who have been missionaries here for 4 years moved back to Tennessee. We have come to know and love Bill and Kaye Woods, spending much time in work, fun, and prayer with them over the last few years and our hearts are saddened with their return to the States but they will continue to work with their ministry, Building Guate, state side and come back to Guatemala during the next years to help further work with their ministry but, we miss them dearly already.
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| Bill and Kaye with us on their morning of their departure |
Prayer Request
Please be in prayer for us as we get ready to implement what God has in store for us in 2019.
1. We have started the process of planning a women's and men's bible study with the Mayan Indians that live in Santa Maria de Jesus whose children attend the feeding center. We pray for God's guidance on all that will take place for His glory through the studying of His word.
2. We are also becoming more involved with the families in Santa Maria and their is much need. Kitchens and stoves are desperately needed to get the smoke out of their houses where their children breathe it in every hour of every day. An article can be found in National Geographic from last year of a study completed
here in the Panchoy Valley of Guatemala where we work every day. We install the same stoves that are in this article as well as build a kitchen outside their home to prevent the smoke from entering their living area. If you would like to specifically donate towards a stove and kitchen, the cost of the stove is about $175 and we can build a kitchen for about $100.
3. We have visited many families who have no electricity. Their homes are dark, the children cannot study for school, there is very little family interaction after the sun sets. We have four families at this point that would like for us to install solar panels if the funding is available. If you would like to specifically fund a solar panel with three lights, we are able to purchase them in the States for about $50 and then we get them brought to Guatemala in luggage of friends we may know that are coming down.
4. Our continued health and stamina to do all that is required for the work with the Mayan Indians and their continued hearing and believing of the Word.
Finally, we return to the States later this week for a couple of weeks to visit family and friends. We are ready for the return to the States but will be missing our calling in Guatemala while we are there. We hope to see many of you during our few weeks but if we do not get a chance to tell you, MERRY CHRISTMAS and thank you so much for all your prayers and support this past year.
Blessings, Cary and Rita
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