What a fantastic morning! Nancy, Amber and I started walking at 7:31am sharp from our Respite home in Aylmer. Later that morning we arrived in St. Thomas. Not only was it a great walk but a great time to chat about Everything! the walk, the challenges of, the blessings we have, the privilege to be involved in this crazy idea etc......
Next Test Walk?... stay tuned.... Date to be announced!!!!!!
DP
word spread! we had some visitors along the way and got apples, juice and water delivered, It was great!
it is 6 am and im just about to head to Aylmer to meet up with Nancy and Amber. They are joining me today for a test walk from Aylmer to St. Thomas. It is currently 1 degree out, wish it was warmer, but it will bet a bit better over the morning. Nancy and Amber are both joining me on this journey (the big one in May).
It is hard to believe that we are now packing up and getting ready to head home.
Today we were at the work site just after 8 am again. we managed to clean the edges of the cistern hole, make a re bar cage to go in it, mix cement and pour the floor of the cistern. That has to set a day, so not much more we could do on it from there. Over all we accomplished much more than we set out to. we prepared the cistern, created a dirt drive ramp out the back of the property, dug foundation trenches for two walls. Amazing.
It is mind boggling to think of what will be happening at this location and the impact it will have on this very challenged community in the months to come. Bible clubs, economic development, sponsorship growth and much much more.
In the afternoon we did the one touristy thing that was on the schedule, actually there were two touristy things, but we, as a team, decided that we wanted to forfeit the other event so we could continue to work on the center.
Our time this afternoon was spent in the ancient town of Antigua. A shop and market filled town with alot of history and excitement. We all got some wonderful souvenirs and reminders of out trip and we are also coming back with some great items for some silent auctions that are happening in Ontario in the months to come.
Upon returning home to Guatemala city, we were greeted with a fantastic traditional meal of bean, tortias, fried plantane and rice, it was amazing! we exchanged some gifts, and some parting word, which were very hard to do. This trip has impacted us all in ways that will continue to be hard to explain. but certainly they would we themed around the blessings of the Guatemalan people, the ministry of CH and Rudy and Sully in this area, the blessing that we can be as we share what God has given us, and a fresh perceptive on the body of Christ stretching far beyond our political borders and the boundires of ethnicity we often impose upon ourselves. I know I'm the only one that will be inspired to live and to view life in a slightly different manner upon returning home.
We would all like to thank everyone for your prayers, your encouragements and your support for Gods work not only in Guatemala, but everywhere where God is calling us to partner with. It is much more a privilege now to me that it was a burden in the past.
Hi, Let me introduce to you Colleen, She is a member of our team that had an opportunity to participate in a very special visit. Read her experience below.
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Visit to Campanero Guatemala
On Wednesday March 11/09 my childhood dream came true.
I had the opportunity of a lifetime when I set out to Campanero Guatemala to visit Esbin, the little boy I sponsor through Christian Horizons.
I was greeted by Flores the sponsor coordinator in this community.
We then walked a steep hill and into the area where Esbin lived.
His mother and little brother were in the near distance looking quite excited as was I.
But what captured my heart was the little boy I look at every day on my filing cabinet in my office, it all felt surreal. There he was, my heart leaped within me and an overwhelming cascade of love flowed from my being.
We embraced and without having to say a word a bond was formed, I could feel it through his embraced, I did not want to let go.
He was very excited with the presents I brought him from Canada and so very grateful.
I was invited into their home.
It was a small two room, very humble abode.
One room partitioned by a sheet to separate a bed and a make shift kitchen, the other room had two beds where the four siblings slept.
The walls were made of concrete, the roof of tin and when it rained the water poured in through the cracks and holes to create a mud floor as there was nothing to walk on but dirt and rock.
My heart broke into a million pieces and many of those pieces will remain here in Guatemala.
We played, prayed, cried and talked together for quite a while, it was awesome.
I will never, never forget it or him.
I can truly say I have seen the Lord,
I have seen His Glory, I have seen His Greatness ,I have felt His heart and I sensed His compassion.
There is a rawness and wonder to life.
Hear the voice of adventure, God’s adventure
Follow god’s impulses
Sponsor a child, change lives, make a difference.
It will put your life into perspective.
The Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need.
Colleen C.
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Construction Update
Today (Thursday)
the Cistern hole is all but done, I can't tell you the excitment we felt when we finally reached the goal. All that is left now is to clean up the edges and lower the reinforcing bar cage and the concrete can start to be poured on the bottom. We also completed the trench for the wall foundation as well as made major headway on another foudation trentch that we didn't even know was needed.
Tomorrow we finish off the the small things in the morning, then enjoy an afternoon in a market.
Finished!
Rudy and Sully in the Hole, They Rudy is holding the ladder, cuz they caught on quickly we were trying to leave them in there.
The Moon over Guatemala City tonight
Having fun with Dutch Blitz, A game that transends all language barriers!
Good morning, as I start to write this it is 5am GUA time. the rest of the team is still sleeping, not sure why I'm not, all our bodies are sore, very sore from the digging, shoveling and moving brick debrie.
Yesterday was a very productive day. we started an hour earlier than the day before, we found that taking advantage of the cooler tempature was a good thing. great progress has been made on the hole as you can see by the pictures. The foundation trench is also coming along nicely.
Our Guatemalan foreman is very helpful and really knows his stuff. We are all in awe of not only his skill level but an incredible work ethic. Guatemalans are a hard working people. We see that in the CH home here in GUA as well. Up early and they just keep going, there are no 8 hour shifts at this home, it is live in. I think we are all learning a lot from what we see here.
With each day it becomes clearer and clearer why we are doing what we are doing. now that we have been at the site for three days in a row, we are starting to see some of the same faces in the neighborhood during our breaks, It is good to build these relationships and familiarity, but I am sure it is nothing compared to the impact that this center will have when it is fully operational. We are also learning more and more what will be happening at this location in this community. Bible clubs for kids, after school programs, teaching and technical training (providing skills so people can create their own employment opportunities) during school breaks there will be bible schools and much much more. It is so exciting to be a part of it.
I can't separate this place from the Dash of course. I am more motivated than ever and more excited than ever to start this walk and to ensure that the funding is there to complete this project. It is constantly amazing to reflect on all that has happened and that will be happening in May and how it, in very real and practical ways impacts the lives of many here in GUA. Thank-you all for your continued support, prayers and encouragements.
Dave
PS for those of you who read David I’s. post 2 days ago and caught the type-o of what parts of me were sore….I am very sorry, It is now fixed.
The foundation trench
Christine and a Local Puppy
Lunch break in the steet with some of the local kids
Making progress
Mr.P is taking another break from his blog tonight, probably because his arms, legs, back and body are sore from the hard work today. I'm David Ibrahim, another CH worker on this incredible journey that is Guatemala!
One word for today: Construction.
We travelled back to Lake Amititlan today to start on the construction of the new centre. A dark concrete room would be our home for the next 8 hours. Sledge hammer in hand, shizzel ready, we attacked that 10 foot concrete wall like it was going out of style! I must say I was pretty impressed at the utter strength of some of the ladies on this trip! A true sign that some pent up anger and frustration lay deep down somewhere.
The wall came down like an old lady on ice!! Next on the agenda... a giant hole needed to be dug to make way for a cistern. 3 inches of concrete covered the earth beneath it, with the tools we had, it was like being in barbaric times.... but the process began! After inhaling a lot of concrete dust, and sand, things started to get a little dillusional! We began creating nicknames for each other, Bruce Almighty, Dashing Dave, Demolition Dave, Mighty Mike..... at one point, we all broke into song! Disney's the Little Mermaid was first on the playlist! We established that you're never too old to love disney, and definetly not too old to know all the words by heart!
The digging, hauling and transporting started to slow down as we started to lose some juice.... so in true north american tradition, we ate! Sitting on the steps of a neighbouring house, the team was noticing that all the girls walking by would only answer if I said hello.... if anyone else said something, they simply carried on their way no doubt making fun of us in their language! But, once again, being egyptian comes in handy. I guess with my dark complection and dark hair, they assumed I was one of them.... this sounds good in theory, except when they start speaking to me as fast as possible and are surprised to find I can't respond. hm.
After lunch, we assumed our post in the dirt hole, more digging, picking, hauling and shizzeling. Either our bodies weren't having it, or the soil was having it, but the deeper we got, the harder the soil became... but that didnt stop us from getting it done.
By the time we left for the day, only to race home, and pick numbers out of hat to see who attacked the shower first- we managed to get the whole wall down, and left the hole at about 2 1/2 feet.
Construction continues tommorow, as the hole needs to be about 7 feet deep. A secondary trench style hole needs to be dug to make way for the new wall, so we'll have to break through some more concrete- but i have every confidence that the Lord will give us the strength we need to persevere through it.
We arrived back at the home and devoured the delicious pasta dinner Sully and friends had prepared for us. Then just spend the evening lounging around and comparing blisters! Colleen (another memeber of this team) had an incredible opportunity this evening which really broke her. She had a chance to travel with Gabby and Alfredo to a town about 15 minutes from here and meet her sponsor child. She hasn't really shared with the team her experience yet as she was rather moved from it, but from what I can gather, it was an incredibly humbling experience for her.
The night is upon me, and as I hear the slumber of my team, I am reminded that I need my strength for tommorow. Prayers for safety and perseverance tommorow are greatly appreciated. Maybe tommorow night, Dave P will have enough strength to blog it up!
Dave Petkau has taken a leave of absence from his blog tonight and has asked me to post for him. My name is Christine Cote and I'm from the East District. I am one of the 9 that have been on the trip these past few days! I have been posting notes to my friends and family back home so this is a little taste of what I have been writing!
So we are coming to the end of Day 5 and it was another great one... So the morning started with another great breakfast... After breakfast we started to get stuff ready for the day. Dave P, Dave B, and Alfredo went to take the van back after it was cleaned out from the trip. We were a little bit nervous because there were some scratches on it from going through the bush... We still aren't sure if we have to pay extra, we'll find out tomorrow... keep that in your prayers! As they were gone the rest of us were getting lunch together and what not.
While we were waiting to go to Lake Amititlan we pulled out some of the craft supplies that we had purchased. We got some of the bracelet making kits and made shell bracelets with the ladies that live in the CH home here. It was such a blast! It was so neat to be able to interact with them and have a great morning despite the language barrier. The girls made some beautiful necklaces and bracelets that they have been showing off ever since :) It was such a blast! Bruce and Jill made some windmills out of paper with the girls too and they thought that was just great as well! Amazing how something that we perceive as being so small they take such appreciation for it! Once we were finished with the bracelets Rudy & Sully arrived at the house and we were getting ready to go start digging in Lake Amititlan... digging the BIG cistern that will be the first step to building the community center and home for the sponsorship family. That was the initial plan but there was a slight change. In the end we went to Lake Amititlan after having lunch here for the opening ceremony and a VBS type presentation for about 25 kids in Lake Amititlan. Lake Amitilan is only about a 25 minute drive through crazy roads... Atleast not through the bush :)
When we got there we were shown around the place that we are going to be digging the hole. We thought that we were going to be digging outside but it is actually inside and through cement! Luckily it is not that thick... Only 1 1/2" to my understanding. We had the "floor plans" so to speak posted on a wall there that we could look at so we could get an idea of what the finished product is going to be.
Shortly after that, and spending some time with some insanely cute kids in the village the kids on the bus for VBS showed up! They were great! We had such a blast with them! some of them knew a little bit of english so you could have a very brief conversation with them. Lots of french-english-spanish dialect coming from us Canadians, I think that it proves to be entertaining for the kids!
The VBS program was great! We did some Memory Verse Recitals in English and in Spanish and we sang a Spanish song with the kids and us Canadians sang a couple of songs in English and taught them the actions to "Jesus Loves Me" It was such an awesome thing to be able to do this and interact with them. In addition to the VBS the coordinator of the sponsorship program in Lake Amititlan, Paulina, gave her testimony. Sully translated for us Canadians to be able to understand. Her testimony was amazing. She has been through incredible things in her life and still has such a strong faith in God. Through everything she went through she said that she finally realized that she is important. She is important because of her kids, because they need her and not because of the work that she does. What an amazing thing that God has done in her life!
After the VBS program we played a bunch of games with the kids that involved tires... races, tug of wars, and basketball with tires. Leave it to DJ (one of the guys on the trip) to think of something so creative! To see the look of joy on the kids faces was just incredible.
There was little girl Andrea who was so sweet. I was sitting next to her in the VBS program. She can speak some english and is a very smart girl. Through our conversation I found out that she is turning 11 in September and will come to the Christian Horizons Lake Amitilan when it is open in September. So exciting! When I was talking to her Rudy was translating a little bit for me. She told him that she liked me because I had beautiful dark hair and eyes just like her.... It was enough to just melt your heart!
We had the official "Ground Breaking" ceremony of the Lake Amatitlan site... Dave P did the first dig and of course lots of pics were snapped! We packed up a bag of the soil to bring back to Canada... Just a reminder of what we did when we were here and what we are working towards. We played around with the kids for a little while longer before we said our goodbyes... We saw them onto the bus and then we all headed back to the house to clean up for dinner.
When we got back here the staff had made us a fantastic dinner yet again... I think that it was, for the first time, that we had a fairly quiet meal. People are getting tired and we were all hungry! We were all focused on food! We had a great conversation around the table about our favorite summer jobs...next to CH of course!!! It was interesting to find out that people had worked in Pulp & Paper Mills (me), Fish Factories (Joyce), Catching chickens in the middle of the night (Dave P) and many others... After dinner a group of people did the dishes and started to get some things ready for lunch tomorrow... Prepping fruit, freezing water bottles etc...
Dave P had a FANTASTIC idea to play Dutch Blitz after supper. We grabbed the deck and went downstairs to play with the kids and the staff here at the home. It was awesome! It was great that it is a game that you do not really have to explain a lot... They all learned by watching a few rounds and started playing when they felt comfortable. I was totally cleaning house and winning almost every round... I have a slight competitive spirit!!! Then Raoul started getting awfully confident in himself and he started smack talking me... Keep in mind that Raoul is mute and deaf... Let me tell you, he beat me and he beat me BAD!!! It was such a great night and a perfect way to cap off the day!
So tomorrow is a big big day! It's our first official dig day. The temperatures are really hot so it is going to make it difficult for us to work in this kind of heat. We are staying hydrated with lots of bottled water but tomorrow will most definitely be tiring physically.
Again, thank you all for your continued prayers and support... it is so appreciated. Today I really gained a better understanding of what it is that we are doing here and it is HUGE, it really is... For all of you who are praying, thank you... You are part of this mission as well and the team here cannot thank you enough!
Until the next post.... Christine for Dave P
** I'll leave you with a new verse today, It was the memory verse for the VBS today with the kids and I find it to be most fitting. Proverbs 31:8-9
Saturday and Sunday we were in EL Zapatillo. the journey took us about 7 hours, of which the last hour was on gravel roads through the country side / bush. The road was very difficult in spots, including crossing a river, getting out to lighten the load on the rental van so that we didn't take the oil pan out. The last part of the road was fresh gravel that has only been in existance from September. the road itslef is a result of CH's work in the area to empower the people and develop their village and give opportunity.
Rudy and Sully have been invloved iwth this community for the last 7 years, building a church, creating economic opportunities, planting a school and literacy programs for adults and spreading the Gospel of Christ. They have journied by boat and walking for most of that time until the road came.
Our time was spent in a childrens program, providing some care packages to families in the village and visiting some very needy families.
One example was Anna, she is a 14 year old girl with a disfiguring termal tumor on her face. She has been able to have 3 surgeries, which involved the villages carrying her on a stretcher down the mountain to waiting boats. However none of these surgeries have worked and now she is either home to experience healing or waiting for her passing. And that is exactly what the familh has asked that we pray for her healing or passing. Needless to say it was a very difficult situation, But it was also a situation filled with hope. Anna expressed her trust in God and we talked of being with her in Glory! Wow, what an experince. To add to this difficulty, this family lives an extremely improverised existance, living in a home that we would equate to a barn, possibly less.
In the evening we enjoyed worshiping with the people of El Zap. approx 150 people packed the church. Thought the language was diffrent, we certainly shared the same purpose. The service in total was over 4 hours long. But that wasn't a problem, no one got bored and left, the kids only curled up at their parents feet and slept, and the singing and praising was spontanious and continuous. Among the most touching was a group of teen age girls that passionatly wanted to continue to bless the church in song as well and lead others in worship.
Some other highlights of the service were a presentation of new bibles that have been provided by the partnership between CH Global and the Bible Leauge. what a blessing to put Gods word into their hands. Another highlight was that we Canadian sang a song in their local Cachee language, Our hosts taught us well! We were also blessed with gifts that the local members of the church made for us, carvings and basket work.
The church members have also provided us with a request to bring back to canada, more like a plea actually. More on that later.
Late in the evening it was to bed. The women in a local house (i use the term lightly) and the men in the church. A hard rain forest rain pelted the tin roof in the middle of the night and we wondered if we would actually be able to leave the next day with crossing the river and all.
The day was long and heart rentching so sleep came easy and deep, so deep that sleeping in was easy. So some of our group rounded up the local childern and came bursting into the chruch with cans full of rocks and pots and pans clanging and banging. Needless to say, we were up in a shot. I'm so glad that their first plan of fire crackers didn't work out.
After a quick breakfast and continuing to be with the people we shared good-byes, blessings and prayers together. I had the opportunity to give some gifts from sponsors in Canada to their sponsored child and families. Sponsorhip has had, is having and will continue to have such an increadable impact on this community it is hard to describe.
We made it out of the area via the same road that we got their on, the river wasn't too high and we only had to push the van out of the mud once. but getting in and out of the van so it could navigate deep ruts and high rocks took its toll on the van, Red mud, much like clay all over the place.
Enjoy the pictures.
tomorrow starts the construction work in Lake Amatitlan. We are so excited.
Bruce giving gifts to the men of the church
having fun with David I. the van while he naps Colleen, in trouble with the Law! Send Money so se can bail her out! I got to drive a motor bike accross the river
With the Xo family (sponsored)
The Candian Team with the kids of the Church
Doing crafts with the kids The New Road to El Zap God promises - True in El Zap that is for sure! Getting ready for the Kids Meeting! The Red Mud A letter written from the El Zapotillo Church to Canada - A request for help!
Short Blog tonight. We spent time preparing for our two day trip to El Zapatillo (sp?) A village of Mayan people, where CH Global has been very influencal in creating education, economic and evanglistic opportunites. I will write more after some first hand knowledge after this trip.
But today we spent purchasing items to support 15 families there. Rice, Beans, Cooking oil etc... What a blessing to put this all together.
We reviewed our plans, childrens programs, crafts and sports we will be doing as part of a bible club event we will be holding. And we practiced a song in the local Mayan language (did you know there are over 20 different Mayan languages in Guatemala?) that we canadians will be singing at a church service on Saturday night.
we also spent some time just goofing off with the kids here at the home and some friends, playing kick baseball, dodge ball and lots of photo posing! Enjoy
I woun't be able to post any more until sunday night at the earliest.
word spread! we had some visitors along the way and got apples, juice and water delivered,
Walk'n Along!
This shot was clearly BEFORE the walk!
