December 29,  2009

Sounds Through the Night

• Rooster walking and crowing on the tin roof
• Dogs barking
• Dogs howling
• Pigs snorting
• Gunshots? Firecrackers? At 3:00 a.m. . . .

As the horizon brightened, the smell of woodsmoke as the ladies are talking low, starting our breakfast. As I step out the front door of the church with my tooth brush, I notice the ladies arriving with baskets of food carrying them on their head. Locals passing by on the road on horseback. Children helping by sweeping the dirt with an old broom.  Pigs out in the field “marking” the soccer field for that day’s play.  Neighbor lady going through the same routine for her family (her little girl plays with all the children at the church).

Talked with Bev and Tim about U.S. Border control, immigration policy, a little politics, making me think a little about about my view on these issues.  Reflecting on the Guatemalan people I have met, they are a proud,  gracious people who seem concerned about how they come across to us.  Example, Esmillio “My house is all of yours house” We all took showers there and used the toilet instead of the outhouse at the church.

Fuente de Vida is roughly 30 to 40 people, 15 families or so, with not all necessarily member’s of the church, but involved with the church and it’s activities, prime example, the man next door and his children.  Scholarships offered by the church haven’t necessarily help boost their numbers, but the scholarships are in demand by the members of the community.  The church definitely has a positive impact on the community and it is a much better place because of it.  The second day we are definitely becoming closer to each other, not nearly as over whelmed today.  The first meal all of them stood off to the side while we ate.  This morning, as soon as we got up, they took our seats and ate.  Table full of children eating.  They are getting more comfortable with us. Awesome.  We all feel awkward being served, would like them all to join us, I’m sure after another couple of day’s, this would be possible.

With Becky  leading the charge, we wanted to help them.  We all took turns pressing tortillas and trying to put them on the grill without destroying them (not as easy as you might think)  The rock star won out with Tim a close second.  Both are a big hit on the soccer field and Tim with his guitar and singing.  Also getting closer to are two translators, Mariam and Airiaana, more on them later.  Both are fitting in real well and making friends with us as well as the church members.

Walked the land with them after breakfast.  It is adjacent to the church and is roughly 50 yards long and two and one half football fields long, It was used as a corn field the last harvest.  It has a slight incline up hill.  With hand tools, tilling and planting this field would be a huge undertaking, hopefully the rancher across the road, would at least plow for them, but, not able to find this information out.  They would use the land for themselves as well as rent portions to the community for income.  Seems like a good piece of land and a very worthwhile investment, but, most importantly provides hope for the future.  I also think our assistance strengthens the bond with us making our partnership stronger.

Next up, visiting the sick.  We left the church walking up the road to visit 2 elderly frail church members.  The  first thing you notice is the road itself.  Large rocks were placed down  first in the tire tracks, this was down by the government Carole said, then the community layed down all the smaller ones, essentially forming a cobblestone road, can’t imagine the amount of work involved doing this in roughly the mile stretch of road.  The next thing you noticed is how the whole community has noticed and is watching us move up the road.  The neighbor next door to the church stops us and greets us and invites us in his home.  I understand he is not a member, but is obviously involved in the church and a friend of the church.  He asked if we were going to see the beach and the ocean. I got the impression he is proud of his country and wants us to see all of it.  As we walk up the road, everyone has come out of their houses and is watching us make our way to the first ladies house (I cannot find her name)  She has obviously been waiting on us and welcomes us.  We set with her in a circle and talked through Mariam, Becky led us in prayer with and for her.

Up the road and around the corner, we came to the next ladies house, her daughter greeted us and again we sat around her.  She appeared very frail, had broken her arm several times and had stitches on her arm.  On her wall behind her was several pictures of her family a Winnie the Pooh poster, and a plaque “Filipenses 4:13       ToDo Lo Puedo En Cristo Que Me Fortalece”    I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

Observations and Reflections on the Time Visiting the Sick and Seeing the Community

• The neighbor we met first joining the men of the church walking behind us the whole time “keeping and eye on us, protecting us.”
• All the houses had electricity, with a few bare bulbs and plugs, all had an outside cooking area with the same wood fire set up like the church uses, all had outhouses, all had various assortments of barnyard animals running around, all seemed to be concrete slab, tin roof, concrete block walls, most covered with stucco and brightly painted or white.  Noticed a lot of outside showers, and outside concrete sinks they did laundry in.
• Funny moment when a “Frito Lay” truck came bouncing down the road, a young man got out and sold Airanna a big bag filled with chips, doritos, cheetos, etc.
• All houses have the running water like the church (except one) with a single tap of cold water.
• Community is important as it never seems to matter whose child is where and with whom, they all look out for each other
• Some under employment? As there is always a lot of people everywhere, all the time (hanging around, it seemed, but this was a week of vacation and school was out)
• Met one lady on the way back, home is a wooden lean to shack of a bare piece of dirt, she was asking for help as she was a widow and had no family.   Carole explained any help goes through the church,  encouraging her to be involved with them.  Becky led prayer with us for her.

Arrived back at church for lunch, a Guatemalan Chow Mein that was excellent.  A pasta with onions, peppers, celery, carrot, squash and chicken.  Tortillas , chile, pico de gallo, cold papaya drink, cooled with ice in bags.   After lunch played with the children some and then church service.   The men of the church set up a “PA” system with the loudspeaker on the roof, it was loud and all around the community could hear it.

The church service was very moving.  Opened with hymns.  All speakers thanking us for our support and friendship.  (should be the other way around)  Manuella led the sermon with the gospel lesson, Mateo 22:36-40  She was very powerful speaker with emotion.  Powerful message about putting God first in your life and loving your neighbor as you love yourself.  We sang our song’s, with Tim on guitar, and then Becky preached on the same verse as Manwella.  Powerful as well with “amens” at all the pauses for translation.  Next was the offering and doxology,  Becky led the benediction.  The church service showed me what I had already figured out, these people are very spiritual and take their relationship with the lord very serious.

Two puppies showed up at  lunch time.  No one claims them, so no one acknowledges them or cares for them.  Black with white feet and the very tip of their tail is white.  I worry about their fate.  It’s now supper time with hibachi style beef, seasoned real well, tortillas, pico de gallo, cucumbers and onion, fresh squeezed lemonade.  Served on china. (They had been serving meals on styrofoam containers, like the butcher uses at a US grocery stores, and washing them, we have a feeling the overheard us making a comment about this??  more on styrofoam later)

After dinner, youth got together with the Rock Star and Emily getting to know each other with Airanna tranlating.  They talked, sang songs, played checkers, etc.  The rest of us met with Manuella and Myra and various other church members at times discussing scholarships, health concerns and the lady we had met earlier in the day.  Also discussed them coming to Trinity for the next visit.  This meeting lasted quite a while and I won’t try to go into the details here as I know the other members will bring back the health and sanitation concerns with them.  The most glaring is the barefoot children playing in the same yard as the animals with the feces, potable water, access to health clinics, etc.  Discussed the styrofom, how it never discenerates, and is a harbor for bacteria.  Also discussed the need of a library at the church to keep books and school supplies for all children to use.  I know all team members have their own idea’s and memories of these topics (and more) and I will let them express them.

My thoughts on the day and what we might should do different next time:

The Hiper Paiz and the grocery store we stopped at just before Fuete de Vida, both has school supplies, books, toys, air mattresses, candy, etc.  Maybe we should buy these items once we get here instead of packing our suitcases with all this type of stuff and at better prices.  Pack and bring only things we can’t get once we get here.  Definitely things like pencils and paper.   Toys like balls, yoyo’s, checkers.  Hard plastic cups, glasses, plates, silverware.  Bring Spanish/English bibles and books from home.  Personally I will bring Dog biscuits and cat treats.   Possibility of hymnals for the church?   Present leather bound with zipper bibles to session members?  The one I saw seemed to be a prized possession.

I also would like to see us design and make a banner on each trip to present the church and hang in the church to build a bond and help decorate the bare walls.

–Mikl Cook

December 28,  2009

Sounds Through the Night

• Guatemala insects (katydids)
• Spanish being spoken by security guards
• Roosters crowing
• Howling and barking dogs
• Pigs snorting
• Radio next door blasting mariachi music very early in the a.m.
• slowly sunlight
• the smell of woodsmoke

Woke up to 4 ladies over the 3 wood stoves preparing our breakfast with chickens and pigs scurrying about.  Noticed a lot more of my surroundings this morning: corn field next door, to the other side a house with an outhouse, outside laundry area, outside cooking area with their own barnyard animals scurrying about.

Breakfast was served with juices, eggs, queso, friloes and tortillas.  After breakfast we helped fix the tin roof over the cooking area. Michael and Tim held wooden boards up to support the boards the tin was nailed to, as Ellisio walked on the roof above, removing the rusted tin.  I was bringing the tin to him through the openings, I had my new hat on, so he started calling me “Tex Grande” and “Mucho Tex Grande”;  the name stuck, and almost everyone called me that the rest of the week.

Some quick observations: the children well mannered, played great together, no fussing, no temper tantrums, no crying. Considering how many of them there are, I found this surprising.  Met an 8^th grade scholarship recipient, wants to be an architect.  Played jump rope, soccer with the kids.

Next was a Session Meeting with Samuel Estrada, Juan Hernandez, Myra and Ellisio, the pastor Wilfrido Lopez, Ava Fuentez,  Rueben, Marian (pronounced Medium) and Manwella,  Following are my  notes of the meeting (Carole and Bev have a detailed report of this, I’m sure):

• Land purchased 9-12-09 for 97,500 Quetzels, land is 400 sq, meters
• Misc. expenses brought the total to 100,890Q  with a balance owed of 2310Q (roughly $300)
• Deed to National  Evangalical Presbyterian Church, lawyer working on it, to be complete first of February.
• All praised and thanked us for helping with the land, especially Samuel Estrada
• Talked about scholarships, with about 12 kids wanting them over and above what we are currently offering. They asked about ways to get kids to Sunday school (hey, just like us).

Other needs are to complete replacing all the tin over the kitchen and dining area (we did roughly one third of it today). Eva got up and asked us to pray and support her grandson to go to high school 15 minutes from the church.  The look on her face, the searching, pleading, staring piercing eyes, damp around the edges, really got to me–the human emotion of wanting a better life for him.  Carole explained the help must go through the church. I was prepared for these types of requests, but it’s hard to stick to the policy.  I wanted to give her the money right there on the spot.  Meeting closed with prayer.

Had a great lunch, of chicken broth with potato, green bean, carrot, squash, turnips and meat. Along with some great fried rice, tortillas, queso, and pico de gallo.  Met with the scholarship kids in the afternoon.  They were dressed neatly, hair combed–you could tell they were proud of their accomplishments.  Heard their grades, what they wanted to do later in life, took their pictures with their parents.  Afterward, we handed out the hard candy we had brought. Also handed out the pumpkin bread Carole had brought.  Broke out the soccer balls, with one for the older boys, girls and one for the younger kid’s, and the party was on.  I found out first-hand, handing out the candy, you have to have enough for everyone, and if you don’t that definitely causes a problem.  I ran out, and the finger pointing was immediate: “So and so got two, I didn’t get any,” etc.  Had some more in the suitcase, so problem solved. This does prove the point Carole has been making, that we need to be aware of being fair, consistent, and not cause problems especially as everything we do or say is magnified in this situation.

Watching the children play soccer was great; they are skilled and play hard.  Michael was quickly becoming the favorite of the youth, for his soccer ability (and his looks with all the girls). Tim dubbed him a “rock star,” and that describes it better than any explanation I could come up with. Played with the youth until dinner.  Dinner was chicken and carrot patties (fantastic, like crab cakes), black beans, queso, tortillas, green chile and pico de gallo.

After dinner, shower at Emillio’s: cold, but fantastic to shed the sweat and dirt of the day, especially after playing soccer.  Talked into the evening about problems getting visas to come to the United States, and how it relates to the political issues back home about immigration.  The community is close to Mexico (15 km or so) and the community is just off a main road, so drugs and drug dealers are a problem.  Emillio kept security all night tonight as we slept, so he’s starting the day with no sleep.  Talked until 8:30, then lights out and our audience of peering faces were gone.

–Mikl Cook

December 27,  2009

Up at 6:30a.m., drive about one hour, breakfast at an awesome place in Escuintla, roadside restaurant, with a beautiful back garden area. Breakfast included: fresh squeezed orange juice, tortillas, frijoles, huervoes, green chile, fried plaintains, queso(white creamy cheese)  Cost 277Q, about $40 for 9 of us.

Observations out the Window along the Way

• Sugar fincas, workers cutting cane by hand
• smoke belching volcanos
• children/women walking along road hand in hand, some with baskets on their heads
• men carrying bundles of tied firewood
• skinny horses and cows
• women/children selling fruits on side of road or at the many speed bumps
• tables on the side of roads with meat getting grilled over open fires, fruit getting cut
• lots of people walking and standing along the road, waiting for Chicken buses, which are everywhere in every direction
• road condition so far very good but seems to switch to single lane, to gravel suddenly
• Policia in blue pickups with yellow lettering stopped on the side of the road or, it appears to me, to randomly stopping vehicles.  (They have blue uniforms, and are armed with automatic rifles, AK-47, or sawed-off shot-guns.)
• Working in fields by hand with sickles and hand tools
• brightly painted buildings, sheds, lean-tos, barns with tin roofs
• rich, tropical, lush plants and trees
• traffic passes on hills whether or not they have a line of sight
• men working fields on a side of a mountain, straight up and down
• American fast food everywhere
• a cow tied to a telephone pole on the side of the road
• pickup trucks filled with people like cattle
• lots of street vendors in every little town we pass peddling food and drinks
• old tires stuck on top of pole for sign
• singing songs with Tim on the guitar

Picked up a mother and daughter for our translators, Miriam and Arianna, then to Finca Santa Elena, a coffee plantation.  Had an awesome tour of their operation then lunch.  Coffee being the main crop, also, all kinds of tropical fruits (tangerine, lime, oranges), coconuts, pineapples and bees.

Lunch was a salad of a thick slice of fresh pineapple topped with shredded carrot, cut dried banana and mint,  very tasty; chicken leg, rice with a light green chile sauce, sauted carrot, broccoli and cauliflower, sugar cookies with coffee from the finca. Saw a large Seiva tree, a large protected tree in Guatemala (like live oaks in the South, only taller and larger)–looks like pictures of “the tree of life.”

Late afternoon, off to Fuente de Vida.   Cloudy, not that hot, probably in the mid 80′s, a real rough road with lots of traffic and chicken buses.  Lots more cows tied to poles along the way.  Right before getting to the church, we stopped at a grocery store to get rice, beans, eggs, oil to give to them.  At this stop I went to another store to get a hat.  I  had 2 choices, an Arizona Diamondbacks ball cap, or various straw cowboy hats. I went with the cowboy hat, but I didn’t know where to pay and kept getting pointed around the store. Two teenage girls were at the register, giggling themselves silly, asking me something, which I had no clue as to what–I just kept saying “No Espanol,” which made them laugh harder. Finally I paid $22Q  (roughly $2.75)  for the hat and left with them laughing hysterically.  I figure I either bought a women’s hat or overpaid.

Arrive Fuente de Vida late afternoon; they had waited all afternoon for us. Three men met us at the main road and escorted us down the long rock road to the church.  Approximately 30 children, 20 adults, and 4 dogs greeted us.  Realized immediately my Spanish was inadequate.  All very gracious, fascinated I think by the eight Americans who suddenly appeared out of that van.  The whole greeting by all was overwhelming, to say the least. Very emotional.  Little faces watching us everywhere we go, noticing every move we make.  They watched through the windows as we blew up our air mattresses and set up our sleeping quarters for the night in the church.  It was dusk as dinner was served. Tamales wrapped in banana leaves stuffed with pieces of chicken and dates, and lemonade.  They watched us eat and served us, but none of them ate.  We all wanted them to join us, but they said no as they waited on us.  Finally, after we were done, they ate.  They sang and prayed for us, thankful for our safe journey to them, and were excited about sharing their lives and fellowshipping with us.  Children ran and played in the field in front of the church, shot off firecrackers. They had seen one of the soccer balls we had with us when we unloaded the luggage and wanted it badly–so hard to say “tomorrow,”  the look on their faces was so sad.  Two men stayed up all night as security for us just outside the church.  We slept on the floor on air mattresses we had brought from home; Carol, Bev, and Mariam stayed just down the road at Ellisio and Myra’s house.

The church is roughly 30 by 60 , concrete block walls stuccoed, tin roof, wrought iron over the windows, metal doors, tiled floor. Up front the floor is raised with the pulpit, with a painted mural on the wall behind and the “Juntos En Cristo” banner like the one at Trinity.  There is a large grassy area in front where the children play, with a concrete block out house in one corner. Adjacent to the church is the cooking seating area, dirt floor with a tin roof over it, 3 stucco cooking boxes with a wood fire. One has a smoke stack but ends below ceiling level; the others are just open fires, so there is lots of smoke at times. Also a concrete two-compartment sink, with one PVC pipe coming up with a valve and cold water coming out.  At the end are two rooms with a concrete floor; one is where there is a straw bed for the pastor to sleep if necessary, and the other is where the kitchen supplies are kept.  Two bare light bulbs burn overhead; the church has 3 bare fluorescent light bulbs.

Off to bed, with little faces peering through the open windows and doors at us.  An exhausting day–and I am completely overwhelmed at meeting all of them and nervous about what is to come.

–Mikl Cook

Following is the first installment of Mikl Cook’s Guatemala Mission Trip Journal. A team of eight Trinity members and friends–Mikl, Carole Ball, Emily Stanley, Beth Miller, Becky Stanley, Bev Luzadder, Tim Kuykendall, and Michael Kanupp–went to Guatemala last Christmas to further our congregation’s partnership with the Fuenta da Vida Church. Look for other installments, which will be posted on a regular basis over the next few weeks. Enjoy!

December 25,  2009, Midnight, Ramada Hotel Atlanta Airport

Trip to Atlanta was uneventful, group met briefly, Bev handed out group money for all to keep and give to her as needed, not safe for her to have it all on her person.  Everyone seems excited and ready to go.  We all seem to have a good sense of humor, should make the trip interesting and help us in any difficult situation.

December 26,  2009

Up at 6:00a.m., good flight, arrive in Guatemala City around 1:00p.m. Exchanged all our group and personal money at the exchange in the airport; this took about 1 hour and the eight of us are off with our massive amount of luggage.  Walked through a throng of people outside the airport, which was a little scary since we all have all this money on us, and since we just slightly stick out in this crowd. (This is an example of my sense of humor.)  Met our driver, Ovidio, who speaks not one word of English.

On the way out of Guatemala City we stop at El Pollo Campero (Guatemalan KFC).  The meal was like, well, KFC, except they had pizza, which Emily got since she is vegetarian and the cheese pizza was about the only thing fulfilling that request.  After lunch, Carole had forgotten socks, so we stopped at Hipa Paiz (Wal Mart in Guatemala). In the parking lot the van made a grinding noise and died.  After trying to restart several times and the van responding with more metal grating noises, it was obvious we were not going anywhere soon.

Ovidio spent a long time trying to repair (couple of hours) with us trying to help, pushing van around the parking lot trying to jump-start it.  Carole was getting frustrated that this was fast becoming a bad situation with the language barrier and the sunlight dwindling: these 8 Americans with all their suitcases on top of the van in the luggage rack needed to get out this parking lot before dark.

To help you understand this, I need to put my first “Observations” out the window  of the van here.  Guatemala City is a big dirty city, this part definitely not a tourist area: there are lots of walls topped with razor wire, lots of traffic and people, and armed guards at every entrance of this store and the parking lot is fenced in.  Overlooking the parking lot are raised observation towers, similar to what prisons have, with  armed guards.

While Carole was busy with Ovidio, trying to reach Presgov, rent a van, taxi, something, . . . Bev and I went towards the store and noticed a guy in a “Matt Kenseth” racing hat; he spoke some English, and Ovidio and our new friend started over again trying to fix the van. Meanwhile Bev was off to the store to try to find help, find a phonebook and rent a van; I tagged along so she would not be alone.  Once in the store Bev and I finally met a very nice man on the management staff of the store who spoke English and he helped us.  We tried a rental place first to get a van to get to the first city on our itinerary, where our reservations for the night were, but it seemed real expensive and they were trying to locate a driver. Then the man from the store said he had a friend with a van who could take us.  Meanwhile, dusk is settling in and we have to get out of here.

Our new friend in the Matt Kenseth hat has offered to take us toRetalhuleu in the back of his pickup, which was a Toyota Tacoma by the way. But at night on the road is not a safe place for tourists, and I personally don’t think the 8 of us could have fit in that truck, let alone our luggage and for a two hour trip, no less.  Carole made the decision with Bev to have the man’s friend come with his van and take us back to Guatemala City for the night.  As the last few rays of sunlight left the sky, our new best friend  arrived, we loaded up, and were on the way to the “Spring Hotel.”  The hotel had a beautiful open courtyard filled with tropical plants.  Rooms sparse, but clean, with a shower; we were grateful to be safe, our first challenge overcome.  Dinner was pizza from Pizza Hut; we shared some cuervas together and off to bed.

My first animal experience was here also, as a calico gotti was in the courtyard. And yes, a cat will eat a piece of pizza when it is hungry.  By the way, Carole did get her socks.

–Mikl Cook