Friday, May 28, 2010

Pacaya Volcano Erupts

This week a volcano in the area that the GS Team recently visited, hiked and roasted marshmellows on the lava, erupted.  For photos and an update on the activity, please visit the link below.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/afp/100528/world/guatemala_volcano

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Post-Trip Presentation

We would like to invite you to join us on Monday May 31 from 7-9pm to meet the GS Mission Team, peruse some pictures, sample authentic Guatemalan Coffee, see traditional fabrics, and the process of weaving and much more. 

We have been so blessed with the support of the community, the prayers of the congregation, and the donations from family and friends to make this trip possible - we would like to share with you where your donations went, and how your financial support impacted the Guatemalan community.

Please join us for a time of sharing!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Home Again, Home Again

For the GS Team, we arrived home shortly after 3am on Monday morning.  A long and greuling trip home, as some were still battling the "bug" and others just battling exhaustion.  Our trip home began yesterday at 5:30am. 

I must say, that I am so grateful to have such a wonderful team of individuals who were so willing and capable to help the people of Guatemala in ways that we couldn't even predict would be needed.  Our team was insightful, intuitive, and showed great initiave in the impoverished villages of Parramos, Parrojas and Parraxaj. It was truly an honor and blessing to be amongst the children and families of these remote communities and to be able to build relationships with them.


In summary, the team was able to work on 8 Adopt A Homes, provided medical clinics all week in Parramos, Parrojas and Parraxaj, 5 Animal Projects, 4 Agriculture Sessions, painted 4 classrooms in Parrojas and 1 school (classroom and outside) in Parraxaj, built 4 Stoves, provided games and crafts to approx. 400 children in 3 different villages, distributed clothing and shoes in 2 of those villages, distributed soup to over 600 families, distributed food hampers to over 70 sponsored families in Parrojas and Parramos, delivered mattresses and bedding to an 3 families in addition to the 8 Adopt A Homes who also received beds, bedding, pots, pans, cupboards and wardrobes, attended the grand opening of the Parraxaj school and washroom facility which had been provided to the community during Loving Arms' Oct. trip, held 3 Sewing Workshops and provided donated sewing machines, conducted 2 Women's Workshops providing much needed nutrition and hygiene information, built a home for one of the most needy families in Parrojas, provided a playground with a swing set, slide and teeter totter for the Parraxaj school and dug trenches and erected walls on Loving Arms' newly purchased property.

The GS Mission Team is a group of selfless individuals, who search not only for the betterment of self, but the betterment of the world around them.  Guatemala is a far off place for many, but after our first ever third world mission, it is a place that will live in our hearts forever.  I only pray that we left as great an impact on the people of Guatemala as they have left with us.

It is with great respect and admiration that I give thanks to the team for their support, hard work and self-less attitudes.  I would also like to thank the many who supported our fundraising efforts, those who donated items and supplies to support the self-sustaining programs we initiated, and to those who prayed for us while we were away.  I would like to extend a personal thank you to my parents, who loved and provided for Tim and my children so that we could lead and participate in this Mission - it wouldn't have been possible without them!

Many thanks for your continued support and interest in the work of the GS Mission Team!

Juli
Mission Coordinator
Greenbank United Church

(trip summary adapted from Linda Conghlin, Loving Arms www.lovingarms.ca)

Day 9

Day 9 began peacefully and quitely in the town of Panachel at our villa where all 37 team members lodged together.  It was a grab and go kind of breakfast as many of us were off on a boat tour this morning around Lake Atitlan.  First stop was a little remote town of San Jaun to walk the village and see how they create their own threads, fabrics and products.  It is so labour intensive -w e all could really appreciate their hard work, and many of us bought our souveniers from the ladies of this town.

Next stop was the hot springs of Lake Atitlan!  The water was so hot that it would burn your skin!  It was a really bizzarre sensation though, I must say, as waves of cold lake water would come in and mix with the heat and give you a bit of a shock now and then!  The hot springs are created by the intnese volcanic gases put off by the surrounding volcanos around Lake Atitlan.  It was absolutely rejuvenating, and none of us were ready to leave.

Back to Panachel for lunch and then some went off to the market, to barter and buy, and others went fishing or rather harpooning for the afternoon.  The weather was fantastic, which was great as it made up for our lack of success harpooning dinner.   Good thing there were restraunts in this town for supper!

Our last night, with a dozen people still down sick, we had dinner out as a team to celebrate our successes and committment to the people of Guatemala.

Our night was a fairly early one, as departure time for the airport tomorrow is 5:30am.

See you all soon!
Juli

Day 8

Day 8 began bright and early, we had to be packed and loaded and out of the hostel by 7:30am.  We left Antigua for Chimaltenango Hospital, where a painting crew uplifted a room, a team went to Pediatrics, the play center, surgical and to the Maternity Ward.  Each group experienced something different.  What I can share is where I visited, the Maternity Ward.  Here there were about 30 women with infants less than 24 hours old.  These moms were all in one large room and the babies swaddled lying with each mom.  2 women had lost babies in the night and they were recovering amongst the women with babies.  You could feel their broken hearts.  Jane and Betty spent time holding their hands, singing and comforting them during this time.  Angela, Lisa and Charlene massaged all the women, their feet, hands and legs.  Others washed their feet and faces, brushed their teeth  and combed their hair.  Joan, Kathleen and myself assessed each baby and put together packages for each infant, a cloth, reuseable diaper, an outfit or two and a blanket, booties and a hat.  The mom's were so grateful, as often they take their babies home in simply a piece of cloth, or nothing at all.  It was quite emotional, but also very rewarding.

Of all places to eat, we had lunch at the local "Booger Kin" (Burger King) before starting out on the 2 hour drive to Lake Atitlan where the team would have the evening and the next day to relax and reflect on our work and experiences.

Bill, Wes, Lisa, Rachel and Jon prepared supper for everyone - beef kabobs, chips and salsa ... very tasty!  Unfortuantely a wave of illness swept through the villa dropping a dozen team members to thier knees in the banos.  We cannot attribute it to the cooking, or water, as yesterday we saw a number of very sick little kids with stomach ailments.  Who knows what it was, but it was violent and nasty!

Exhausted, those that weren't sick turned in for the night around 11pm. 

Thanks for another awesome day everyone!

Juli

Monday, May 10, 2010

Day 7

Well today was truly one of celebration. We awoke to the beautiful sunshine once again, refreshed and ready to go. We arrived the the small mountain village of Parraxaj, to the sound of a band playing and excitement in the air. Today was the official opening of the village school and the people were ready with great anticipation. They delayed this celebration until the Loving Arms team arrived so that we could share their excitement and joy. A tent was set up for shade and streamers and baloons were everywhere. The mayor arrived, along with the new Parramos ambulance, then the festivities began. Each class put on their own bit of entertainment, much to the delight of the parents and visitors alike. Speeches were made and gifts of appreciation were exchanged.   The GS Team commited to build a stove for the school, as the moms of the village prepare lunch for the children everyday over an open flame fire pit.  This will be built in the weeks ahead.  A delicious soup was served to all the guests by the village women and then we headed back to Parramos.


The afternoon found us in two adopt-a-home projects, medical and dental clinics, clothing drives, food distribution, games, crafts and the team putting in their final hours of labour on the property site. Thirty yard of cement has been mixed and poured, and the foundation laid. It is so exciting to see what was a dream becoming a reality. The adopt -a-home projects continue to humble each one as we are invited into the home of these dear people, who have absolutely nothing and yet are so happy. It was wonderful to see the families supported by the sponsors back home, but we were also extremely aware of the desperate need for more.

The clothing drive was especially moving for many members who surrendered the shoes off of their own feet to give to those who didn't have any, or to those who's shoes were too small.  Dave sat and washed children's feet as others fitted them with shoes.  It was quite emotional to experience.

The father of one of the adopt a home families made a speech at the food distribution about how grateful he was for the support and the love he recieved this week.  He is a widow with 6 children, and works very hard to support his family the best he can.  That very day, a family member of his passed away, and he adopted or took in their child too.  Now he is responsible for 7 children, all on his own.  Thankfully, team members have sponsored this family and they will now recieve ongoing support. 
Tonight, we ended the day with an appreciation dinner for all our Guatemalan volunteers who have helped so much, not only this week, but each and every day.

“To everything their is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven.” We have been priviledged to be a part of this season and time in Guatemala, and continue to look forward to being a part of God’s purpose in the days and years ahead.

This will be our last entry and we look forward to sharing with everyone when we return home.

Adios from the team.

Joan and Juli

Day 6

Day 6 began an early day...but a "shocking" day for me.  My fingers were slammed in the door of the van, and were stuck until someone came to the rescue to open the door for me.  It was pretty scary, as we thought that they were broken.  Luckily, there was cold water close by, and prayer always helps, we were able to control the swelling and the pain.  It looks like I will lose my fingernails, but it could have been worse! 

We dropped the Property crew off to being their work day, and continued on to Parraxaj where we held medical and dental clinics.  Built a playground for the school (it was hard to keep the kids off of it until the cement footings were dry), Kathleen and Charlene ran a sewing workshop for 5 women, a group led crafts, games and football outside while the school classrooms were being painted, a team went to clean and furnish a home (cornstalk hut) and another team went to build a stove for a family in need.  We also had a crew out in the agriculture program weeding and planting, beautiful and perfect rows of peas, cabbage, squash, corn and tomatos.

This was a great day for everyone - especially Tim and I who bonded with a family, actually the family that recieved the adopt a home program earlier in the day.  The children are precious with infectious laughs and their presence in the world simply brightened our day.  Thank goodness that Tim speaks spanish well enough to carry on conversations!

After our team dinner, most went to a beautiful monestary which is illuminated in the evenings.  Absolutely breathtaking!

Will post more soon.  Thanks for reading and supporting!
Juli

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Day 5

Day 5 has been an awesome day!  Stove program, piggy program, sewing workshops, dental and medical clinics, property maintenance, agriculture ... clothing distribution, food distribution, presentation from the children of the community.  It was a really great day.  Everyone is extremely tired today from the heat, and a few are sick and spending a lot of time in the ¨banos¨.  We are having an early night.  Will update tomorrow.  Hope all is well at home!

Juli

Monday, May 3, 2010

Day 4

Woke up to the rooster crows this morning. For breakfast, we had a nice plate of fresh fruit. We headed for the town of Parrojas, and stopped off at Parramos to pick up Alicia. We didn´t quite make it up the hill to Parrojas, as the vans couldn´t handle the steep incline. Some of us walked the rest of the way up the hill, and , some got a ride up, and some even ran up. The view walking up the hill was amazing, mountains, volcanoes, and farmers fields, like nothing we see in Ontario. We were able to stop off at the new school being built. They were saying it will take about 8 years to be finished. The government is paying for the construction of the school, but will only give money a little bit at the time. There are some cinder blocks at the base, with rebar as supports and that´s pretty much all that has been completed so far. We made it the rest of the way up the mountain and found that it´s much easier and a better view if you walk uphill backwards. We were greeted by the people in the town as we arrived at the community center, which was a simple cinder block structure with surprisingly beautiful tiles. As we separated into our groups for the morning, some went off to the Adopt·A·Home programs, some went to help with the dental and medical clinics, and others were helping with the children´s rotations.  The rotations included crafts, hockey, soccer and games. The kids loved going to the different stations, and when they were not at a station, they were entertained with ¨Follow the leader¨ and ¨If you´re happy and you know it!¨All those who were helping truly enjoyed building relationships with the children. We helped to put on a soup kitchen for the school children. They were also given apple snacks and a loot bag. In the afternoon, we were split into different groups again, going off to work on the property, paint classrooms, mom´s workshops, and more Adopt·A·Home and Animal Programs. For the Adopt a homes, we brought furniture, linens, pots and pans, hygiene kits and clothes and games for the kids. Some of the houses were a little difficult to get to, but the families were so grateful for what they were given. In one of the homes, as soon as they put the bed in the whole family jumped on the bed, and could not be more happy. For others, as soon as they were shown what the cupboards were for, they immediately filled them with clothing and anything else that would fit! Some of the ladies were shown how to use the sewing machines, and how to create a drawstring bag. The end of the day came quickly and we made our way back to La Antigua. Some stopped at the market, and got some steals. Bonny is the person to be with if you need to bargain. Had a fabulous supper at the Oakville team´s hotel. A group of us went out in search of a good coffee shop and some ice cream and were surprised to find two in one shop. We enjoyed cappaccinos, milkshakes, ice cream and crepes. Slowly made our way back to our hotels, and enjoyed the night air.

Kathleen

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Day 3

Great breakfast!  Black beans and eggs shortly after the rooster crowed.  Our first stop of the day was in Parramos at the new piece of property that Loving Arms had recently purchased.  This property will be used for ongoing dental and medical clinics, training trades center and eventually a children's home for orphaned and abused children.  We did a ground breaking ceremony with photo's with the contractor and mason that will be assissting our team this week as we begin construction.

We ventured up the mountain to the little town of Parraxaj where we were greeted by about 10 families.  We brought with us a bed and linens for the "host" family who has been sponsored through Loving Arms.  It was so rewarding to move the bed in, assemble it and make it for them.  The two other beds in this home had blankets, but the base was made of tin and no mattress.  The children were so excited to lay in the bed - they were all smiles!

Carmen Sanjay toured us through her crops of peas, cabbage and corn, that were planted up the side of the mountain.  We hiked the mountain appreciating the work of hand planting all of the crops in perfectly cared for rows.  The children ran along side us so proud to show us their crops and lifestyle.  We then went to the local school where the bbq was being prepared.  The main school house was made of cinder-blocks, and the second school house was dirt floors and corregated tin.  The children learn both in Spanish and English and their work hangs proudly on the walls.  A group immediately started playing football (soccer) and another group played bubbles and taught the kids to fly a kite and we colored on the tarmack with sidewalk chalk.  The children were so grateful for the attention and the goodies - but their excitement EXPLODED  when we hung up the pinatas!  Such a joy!

They served a traditional lunch of chicken, rice, salads, tortilla, and fresh vegetables.  It was absolutely delicious! 

We went to church at 4pm in Parramos, where we sang Jesus Loves Me in Spanish and If You are Happy and You Know it, and performed a skit for the kids.  Linda spoke, Charlene shared a beautiful message and Bob led in prayer.  The congregation celebrated both Bob and Juli's birthdays and they served cake and a drink to about 200 people.  This congregation was invited to come to visit us on Thursday at the clothing drive that we will be hosting.  The children ran and sang and played with us for a long time following the service. 

The day was absolutely incredible.  You can't even describe the connection that you can make so easily with people who you don't know and don't share a language with.  The locals are so friendly, and outgoing and eager to meet and spend time with you.  Today was an awesome day, and we are really looking forward to tomorrow when the real work begins!

Edgar made lasagna, salad and bread for us for supper, we broke into small groups and called it a night.  Looking forward to tomorrow - stay tuned for our latest updates!

DAY 2

Day 2 began at 5am with a Guatemalan wake up call courtesy of Tim "Wake up you lazy Canadians!" as be banged on pots and pans.  Breakfast at 5.30 and then off to hike a volcano.  The journey was a little longer than we anticipated, one of the two vans broke down and we had to wait for a replacement.  Once we arrived, we were each given a bag lunch and a hiking stick to begin our trek.  We all protected Caitin from the horses that followed us up the mountain as she has a severe allergy.  The climb was 2300 meters and it wasn't a winding path.  Straight up.  No kidding, it just about killed us!  We had multiple people so short on breath we thought we were going to lose someone.  As the air got thinner, the lack of oxygen was replaced with volcanic gases.  After climing to the base of the lava rock, we  had lunch and then continued up another hour hiking on the rock to the lava itself.  This volcano has been active for the last 2 months, and as we got higher, spots of heat and gases rose from the rock beneath our feet, and we had to keep moving so that our shoes didn't melt.  Good thing our guides brought marshmellows, we all got to roast some at the top over the red hot lava!  Pretty incredible experience! 

We hiked through several climate changes.  It started off hot and humid, then we got into fog and a mist of rain.  Then we hiked through cool, wind and rain, then it cleared for an incredible view, then as we got to the top of the volcano we experienced torrential downpours, high winds and extreme heat rising from the earth.  As we climbed back down, we climbed out of the rain and wind and fog, and the sun was shining for our trek down the mountain.  This was an experience that none will soon forget.

Exhausted, we all headed back to our hostel, where some drifted to explore Antigua, some went to experience a Mayan Massage at a local spa, and some napped!

We finished the evening with a team dinner prepared by Edgar, and turned in early for the night.  A great end to our "free day"!

Today we venture off to Parramous and Parraxaj where we will be participating in a community bbq and leading the church service.  We will definately be updating our experiences with the locals so stay tuned!

Saturday, May 1, 2010

WE HAVE ARRIVED!

We arrived safely to Antigua last night, after an hour delay in Miami.  72 of our 74 suitcases of supplies arrived with us.  Dianne, Bill and Tim drove us from the airport in Guatemala City through rush hour traffic, in what is supposed to be 3 lanes of traffic, which was more like 5 lanes of traffic.  It was very stressful keeping all the vehicles together, watching for the motorcycles weaving in and out of the stopped lanes of traffic.  If ever there was mayhem - we experienced it last night!!

After arriving we were treated to pizza and then we were off to sort.   We sorted all of the suitcases into daily activities and supplies for the clinics. Everyone was extremely tired, so we retired by 10.30. 

The people are extremely friendly.  This morning we were up at 5 am, breakfast at 5.30 and off to a volcano hike for the day today.  Rainy season has arrived, but it is warm and humid about 70 degrees.  The time change is 2 hours behind home. 

We are staying at a very primitive hostel, 4 bathrooms for the 15 of us.  Hot water on occasion, no electrical outlets and rooms only big enough for a bed.  Doug is thankful for the coffee - as it is very GOOD!  Casa Jacaranda is very clean, very friendly  and very kind to have coffee and tea for us first thing in the morning.

Everyone is extremely excited to explore, and get to work.  There is a lot of anxiety and excitement - our work week starts tomorrow! 

Thanks for reading - will post more later!
Juli