PAC Guatemala January 30 - February 13, 2010

Friday, Feb 12th & Saturday 13th

2010-03-01T13:07:00.001-08:00

In our devotional Friday morning Henry shared with us from Robert Morgan's book "The Red Sea Rules". One phrase impacted me - "View your current crisis as a faith builder for the future." Little did we know we would be putting these words into practise much sooner than expected.
We had arranged our boarding passes at a local hotel on Friday only to arrive at the airport Sat morning bright and early to discover that 12 1/2" of snow in Dallas/Fort Worth is causing all sorts of travel changes. The Alberta crew will now travel home via Los Angeles and Vancouver, while we will be travelling via Miami and Toronto. Apparently Hawaii is the only State not experiencing the white stuff.

A tearful goodbye to four hard working, joyful men who were so appreciative of everything we did for them.

¡Nos vemos en el cielo Domingo, Narciso, Araldo & Amilkar.

BEFORE

The before and after pictures give you an indication of the physical work we accomplished on site but the transformation that ocurred in each of us is undescribeable.

AFTER

Wed Feb 10th & Thurs Feb 11th

2010-02-11T20:53:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, February 10th we begin the day by cleaning up the worksite. Then the usual task of mixing concrete and building the block wall. 600 more concrete blocks arrived shortly before lunch so we began the task of hoisting them 2 at a time on the pulley sytem to the third floor. There will be some pretty sore muscles tomorrow, but it does beat shovelling snow!!

On Thursday, February 11th, Pastor Costof (on the right in the beige shirt), President of the Guatemalan Alliance Church, had lunch brought to the worksite for all of us, including Pastor Joseph Lee (in the orange shirt). It was an emotional time as he thanked the team for our service, support and love shown to the Guatemalan people. What an amazing God we serve!

Pastor Jake presented Pastor Costof with a gift of money to be used for further supplies so that the workers will be able to continue the project after we go back to Canada. (Thanks PAC for supporting our Christmas pudding sales as that was a portion of the money presented.)

At the end of the day as we headed down the stairs for the last time we glanced back over our shoulders and see what 2 weeks of awesome fellowship, hard work and service for the Lord had accomplished. Each of us will return to Canada with a bit of Guatemala in our hearts.

Tomorrow we will be going to get our boarding passes and then returning to the worksite to say our goodbyes to Domingo, Araldo, Amilkar & Narcisco. The rest of the day will be shopping at the market, packing our bags and having one last night of food, fun & fellowship with our Alberta & BC friends. HASTA LA VISTA!

Mon Feb 8th & Tues Feb 9th

2010-02-09T15:12:00.000-08:00

Monday, February 8th

Monday we dragged ourselves back to the worksite. A few of us had aches in places we didn't know we had places. After about an hour we were back into the swing of things. Henry, Bruce & Andy mix mortar the Guatemalan way.

Gail puts the finishing touches on the block wall by filling the spaces between the blocks with mortar and tamping it down .

Tuesday, February 9th

Therese stayed out of the sun today and got the job bending rebar into 'C' shapes which would be used later on in the day to hold long lengths of rebar in the concrete blocks.

Steve and Amilkar used the power angle grinder with the 'new' extension cords we brought down to cut the concrete blocks.

Joy is chopping the sawn portions out of the blocks which were used for the last row on the wall. The 'C' shaped rebar that Therese made was used to anchor the rebar pieces together that fit into the block wall .

Jack spent most of the day hanging out over the 3rd floor removing the forms from the outer side of the building.

At 4:30pm our day is over and the Guatamalan workers say goodbye. They will stay there continuing to work for several more hours busily mixing cement to pour into the block wall. These men are so appreciative of the help they are getting from the Canadian Team. We too also receive a special blessing from them as we watch these hard working men who have such hearts for the Lord as they complete their daily routines in such primitive, but effective ways. Their humble, quiet natures are an inspiration to us all.

Sat & Sun Feb 6th & 7th

2010-02-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

Saturday we left at 7am for a couple of days of R&R. We drove 3 hours to the camp where a few of the team had been 2 years ago working on a construction project. It was great for them to reminisce and for the rest of us to experience the Guatemalan rural way of life. The children were so appreciative of the things we gave them. It is so very hard for us to imagine this way of life and yet they are so happy and content with what little they have.

Sunday we had our own Praise & Worship Service in Las Buenas Nuevas (The Good News) Condo where we were staying. We then took a 60 km boat tour of Lake Atitlan stopping at San Pedro and San Tiago. While in these towns we were able to browse the open markets, visit the churches and again experience the life of the Guatemalan people.

What an awesome team God put together for our Guatemalan mission trip. We are able to share our stories, pray for each other and form bonds that will last a lifetime.

Friday, February 5

2010-02-05T18:36:00.000-08:00

Today some of us went to the Oasis Orphanage at San Lucas which is sponsored by Kids Alive. Thanks to everyone who donated clothes, school supplies & toys.

Since last year when we visited the orphanage the school has been completed. This is an example of one of the classrooms.

Helen (our host missionary) took this opportunity to visit the orphanage for the first time since returning to Guatemala from Vancouver. They are here on another 2 year assignment. The children were full of hugs for her. Therese's suckers went over very well. Tanya (in front) ate part of hers and then hid it behind her back. She remarked "Yo no tengo!" (I don't have one). She was trying to trick us into giving her another one. It worked. They are such happy children, inspite of all the past hurts they have experienced.

Most of the men went to the worksite today and started laying the cement blocks for the third storey walls. It was a VERY hot day on the rooftop which was evidenced by their sunburns.

We are fortunate to be able to have the weekend off for some R&R. We would appreciate prayer as we venture out into the rural areas of Guatemala. We will be visiting a camp that some of Alberta team helped build a few years ago. They are excited to be able to share with us some of their past adventures as they reminisce. This will also give us a chance to shop in the open air markets and distribute more of the toys to the local children.

Thursday, February 4th

2010-02-04T15:30:00.001-08:00

Araldo, one of the Guatemalan National workers loves to joke around and have his picture taken. It is amazing how we are able to communicate with them using hand signals and the bit of Spanish we do know - thank you Julie for our Spanish lessons.

This one is for you Michele. If the picture was taken up closer you would notice Steve as a redneck with a racoon mask (sunburn).

The children were overjoyed with the toys we gave them. Gracias, gracias, gracias they said. They love getting their pictures taken and then giggle when shown the results.

A picture is worth a thousand words!!! The men on the ground loaded the bricks on a platform and the women provided the power to raise them three storeys up (well at least for a few loads).

Tuesday, Feb 2nd & Wednesday, Feb 3rd

2010-02-03T18:19:00.000-08:00

Therese teaching Carlos French and he teaching her Spanish was enjoyed by both of them. Carlos is the son of the President of the Alliance in Guatemala, Pastor Castof. He has been helping out and translating on the work site between his University classes.

A lot of materials needed to be hoisted three stories up so a rudimentary pulley system was hooked up and pails of rock and sand made their way up to be unloaded for use in cement mixing and mortar. A hot and heavy job but well done by our diligent, hot and sweaty team.

See Gail in the swing of things out on the street, making sure the pails go where they are suppose to. She also took time to hand out toys with little Bible messages to the children who passed by.

Therese and Joy were shoveling and sifting sand so that the finer sand could be used for mortar while the other part is used for cement.

Perched on his two by four over a 25 foot drop, Amilcar, ties grande and pequeno rebar squares to the upright columns which will eventually support the roof of the third floor.

At the end of the day Wed., this is the view across the roof top. Tomorrow we will continue the work when the bricks and cement blocks arrrive manana en la manana.

We are here! Day 1 and Day 2

2010-02-01T16:00:00.000-08:00

We are all here and in good spirits. Flights went well and arrival delayed by only one hour. Nicely settled into the dormitory above the Chinese Alliance Church. We visited a Guatemalan church yesterday where the service was translated to English so we appreciated that. We gave out the small toys to the children there.

Spent the afternoon in Antiqua which is a most beautiful old city. Then we had Chinese supper at a nearby restaurant and came back to hit the sack and catch up on sleep to be ready to work

We were so pleased to see the progress that has been made on the building in the last year. It has really taken shape and is now possible to see what a great place it will be for the national Guatemalan Alliance pastors and leaders to work from and advance the work of God and the Alliance in this country.

Today we did a lot of cleaning and organizing at the worksite, building saw horses, rebar bending station, setting up a pulley system, sweeping and getting rid of garbage. In the afternoon we began to move ahead with the work that will be done during this time. Rebar bending by Bruce and Larry produced over 100 forms, Gail and Therese shovelled a lot of gravel and Gail helped to send it on it's way to the third floor by the pulley system. Shanon swept, cleaned and straightened nails (and rested sore back quite a lot).

So now we are winding down for the evening and glad to be able to get on the internet and sent some info off to you. Thanks PAC for trusting us to represent you in this wonderful city. We enjoyed meeting many of the same workers on the job site as we worked with last year but also had the hard reality of finding out that one of the men who we so appreciated last year has fallen back into drugs and alcohol and so has abandoned his family.

Keep praying for your Pac team! Blessings on all of you!

10 more sleeps

2010-01-20T13:09:00.000-08:00

Are we getting excited?? Are we packed?? Our basement looks like a mini MCC with clothes lined up in sizes 2-adult - jeans, t-shirts, hoodies, pj's, etc. Thank you to all who have so generously donated articles of clothing, school supplies and tools. Just found out today that Transport Canada has lifted the ban on carry-on luggage for people travelling to or through the States. We are now able to take our AMM backpacks as carry-on and not have to pack them in our luggage. PTL.

The only unfinished business we seem to be waiting on is for Therese and Bob's daughter to have her baby before Jan 29th so Therese can see her first grandchild before she goes.

2010 PAC Guatemala Team

2009-12-10T11:47:00.000-08:00

The 2010 PAC Guatemala Team is now in place. It consists of Bruce & Gail Lee, Larry & Shanon Weselake and Therese Etherington. We will be joined by a team of 7 from Alberta. We will be leaving January 30, 2010 to spread the Love of God to the people in Guatemala. For the 2 weeks we are there we will continue the work of the 2009 Team on the Guatemalan National Christian and Missionary Alliance Office and Guest House/Training Center.

Friday, January 30

2009-01-28T20:51:00.001-08:00

We finished on the job site at noon today and it was a tearful farewell as we said goodbye to five of the most determined and dedicated men you will meet. These fellows are building 10-12 hours per day, sleeping on cots, cooking over a fire, often not knowing where their next meal will come from. They work in sandals and without gloves or hard hats. They live 4 hours away by bus so they only go home every second weekend as some need to stay back to guard the building site. They work in simple conditions with simple tools but their attitudes are amazing, their laughter is contagious and their love is evident. We were able to leave food, clothing and some cash for them. We had a good chance to pray together and to bless them before we left. But they were more a blessing to us as they model humility and faith and joy that have nothing to do with circumstances.

The president of the CMA Guatemala then took us for lunch to a Latino restuarant which was a thank you from the national office. They food was good and a treat to be in a restaurant frequented by the local people.

Now it is time to pack and get ready for the day of travel tomorrow. We will have memories that will last for years and as we sort them all out and sort out the ramifications of being involved in this project we ask God to guide and direct as to our involvement as a group and as PAC church with International Projects. Opportunities abound and we need His wisdom to proceed from here.

We will all appreciate prayer for the trip home. Shanon is travelling alone again at different times and route than the rest of the group so asks for prayer for that journey!

Thanks for tracking with us these past weeks. Jo and Maryanne will be giving a short report on Sunday morning at PAC and the Lees and Tom and Shanon will give reports on the following Sunday. Thanks to those who supported us through prayer and financial gifts. The project will need continued support until the costs are covered. It is fully tax deductible and can be given at PAC marked "Guatemala" on the envelope. The needs here are great and we are certainly thrilled that your gifts are helping to build a place that will minister to many.

Wednesday, January 28th

2009-01-28T20:51:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Antigua to give our tired muscles a rest. We toured a coffee plantation. Antigua has the 3rd best coffee in the world.
We stopped at a monastary that had been destroyed in the 1976 earthquake and has been restored to a 5 star hotel.

Oasis Orphanage

This is a picture of one of the den mother(in the green) and 5 of the 44 girls that live in the orphanage where some of the clothes that we brought to Guatemala will be distributed. It was a very touching experience to be able to see where they live and hear some of their stories. The rest of the clothes will be taken up into the hills to a satelite soup kitchen orphanage. The girls there live in straw huts, caves and carboard boxes.

This is a picture of the homes where the girls live.

After a long day of shopping and siteseeing Tom is trying to help Bruce get the swing of things.

Monday Worksite Pictures

2009-01-26T21:07:00.000-08:00

January 25th and 26th

2009-01-26T20:20:00.000-08:00

January 25th - Sunday

Up at 6am to begin the 2 hour trip to Taxisco to attend the service at the Alliance Church where Domingo and Edgar, two of our on-site workers go. We discovered that dispite the language barrier during praise and worship we serve the same awesome God. We sang our hearts out in English and they in Spanish when they layed the familiar "Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord". Jake, our team leader, with the aid of Jose, our interpreter and driver, preached a sermon from Daniel, Chapter 3. After the service the ladies served us a delicious traditional Mexican lunch. The pastor then suggested that the Pacific Ocean was only 30 minutes away so guess what we did for the afternoon? Roasted in 98 degree weather on the beach!!

In the evening we attended the Chinese New Years Eve celebration with Joseph and Helen, and most of the congregation from the Chinese Alliance Church that is our home away from home. Sun neen fie lok or Happy New Year to each of you back home.

January 26th - Monday

We had thought that we would be constructing the second floor of an Alliance church for the national Guatemalan people. Instead we are building the Guatemala Alliance National Church(GANC) office and guest house, which will touch the lives on many Guatemalan people. The pastors from the various Alliance churches in Guatemala will come here for training and then return to their various villages to spread the gospel. Our driver, Jose, was back teaching school today so we had the privelege of being chaffeured by the President of GANC. You can see in the pictures that we have actually accomplished a fair amount on the building. None of the rebar beams were in place when we arrived and before we leave we should have all of them in place for the second floor.

January 23 - 4th Day on the jobsite

2009-01-23T20:17:00.000-08:00

Margeurito cooking his lunch

The five of us spent 2 days cutting and twisting wires used in tying rebar

The locals on their way to work

Guatemala traffic

Where's the safety harness??? Oh that's Marianne's job!!

Marguerito, Gerraldo and Edgar

Our mode of travel for the 14 of us is in a 12 passenger van so we are crowded in like sardines. As we pass the Guatemalan locals they look at us and laugh. Probably they are thinking, "Those crazy gringos!" Yesterday on the way home in busy traffic the back hatch of our van sprung open. Amidst screaching for Jose, our driver, to stop the van, the traffic around us was honking. We are indeed making a great impression on the Guatemalan people. As throughout this whole trip, God has been looking after us - no bags or tools fell out of our super packed van. If it had, by the time we got stopped there is no way the stuff would still be on the road.

On our trip to and from the worksite we see many old, super packed buses, people trying to sell various wares ranging from flowers to phone cards as they walk between the traffic stopped at lights, as well as security guards armed with sawed-off shotguns guarding the various storefronts and vehicle contents.

We are enjoying working with the Guatemalan men on the worksite. It is refreshing to hear the laughter and bantering that goes on between all of us. Although their ways of doing various construction techniques are very different from ours, the outcomes are very similar. They use very basic methods of producing items that we would purchase prebuilt from a local hardware store.

It has been great having Shanon with us the last couple of days. Jake, our team leader, expressed his appreciation of how well our team has melded together and what we have accomplished to date both relationally and project wise.

Tomorrow (Sat) we go to work for a half day and then have the rest of the day to relax and maybe take in an afternoon siesta.

Sunday we will be driving 2 hours south to attend the church of the onsite workers. We are looking forward to seeing the countryside.

January 21 - A Day of Adventure

2009-01-21T19:48:00.000-08:00

Today The Breckmans, Jake, Ron and Henry took an active volcano tour. Bruce, Harry, Joy, Anne and Gail went with Helen Lee, the pastors wife shopping to the main Guatemala market. Shanon arrived safely. Hosea, our interpretor/driver took us to an scenic outlook of the city at night.

January 21 - 2 WORKING DAYS COMPLETED

2009-01-21T06:12:00.000-08:00

Kelly having his afternoon siesta

Jo, Hosea and Gail bending rebar. After bending 244 in 2 days it looks like we'll be on a "four" day bender to complete the job (only 446 to go).

Is my face really dirty?

Marianne and Henry tying rebar

Gail, Hosea and Ron cutting rebar

Kelly teaching the 'older' Breckman boys how to lay bricks

The Team

Computer problems have kept us away from the blog but it hardly mattered. The heat, long days of work and great fellowship left us in bed shortly after supper. Slept hard and hit the job site refreshed the next day. Today is a free day so some of us are going up to see an active volcano while others are going shopping in downtown Guatemala City.

January 19 Tactic, Guatemala

2009-01-19T15:07:00.002-08:00

After four days of sickness, one in bed, two dragging around and one on the road to recovery it is good to be back in a better state this afternoon. I have never been sick away from home before so it was an experience having this happen when I am more or less on my own. (The team here from Regina and Les the Director of the Mission have done very well accomodating and including a sick stranger in their midst.)

I am so glad I got to come to rural Guatemala. I am not sure how my friends are fairing further south but from the pictures it sure looks like they are getting better weather. Today the sun shone for the first time since Tuesday. I wore sandals for the first time but still needed my sweater. All around the country side you see laundry drying on barbed wire or clapboard fences or on bushes. We drove to the smaller villages around here this afternoon to see where the other schools are and to locate our sponsor children. I did not get to meet mine yet as we could not find his home.

I spent the morning with a little girl whose mom was cleaning at the house where I am staying as I was not well enough to attend the teachers celebration of school starting. She and I tried to teach each other spanish and english. She stuck with it for about two hours...amazing. She told me here favourite thing to play is "sweeping" ...seriously! Later I found that her dad was murdered last year when his truck was stolen.

It is hard to describe what it is like here and pictures just do not do justice. The bare feet in the cold, the weaving mats set up on mud floors where women sit and make beautiful tapestries, the children carrying thier siblings who are almost the same size as them, cows and goats tethered here and there, horses mingling (with no riders) among the traffic on roads meant to be used by donkeys, cell phones ringing, people hugging and smiling and stopping to greet and talk no matter the urgency of their travels, groups of people watching a drag line working on the ravine, schools in the midst of construction that are being opened tomorrow where a thousand children will swoop into classrooms with cement floors, no heat and very basic furnishings or none at all. There is so much to see that does not remind one of home. I have so much respect for these quiet and dignified people whose lives by comparison to ours are very difficult.

The church is awesome....started at 4:00 which meant 4:15, Opening prayer lasted 15 minutes, worship singing lasted 1 hour, announcements took 15 minutes and then the testimonies and preaching began, ending with prayer time at 6:45. Could understand little but enough for God to touch my heart. Two little boys about 6-7 years old were in the front row by themselves. They sang their hearts out, imitating the faces and actions of the men leading worship.

That is it for today. I head to the city, Guatemala City, on Wednesday and so may not get to add to the blog until then. Meanwhile, thanks for praying, especially about my health. In all it has been wonderful and I would recommend this to anyone!

Blessings,

Shanon

January 19

2009-01-19T15:07:00.001-08:00

January 18, 2009 Sunday

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Gail missing her grandchildren
Kelly having his Sunday siesta

Views from the rooftop

Chinese Alliance Church

Today was a lazy, restful day. We attended the Chinese Alliance Church service, went for a walk, watched baseball from the rooftop, baked in the sun and went for a meal at an authentic Chinese restaurant. The Breckman family mastered the art of eating with chopsticks, which left more food for the Lees because they could eat faster. Tomorrow is our first day on the job.

January 17, 2009 WE ARRIVED!!

2009-01-17T21:24:00.000-08:00

We arrived safely at our destination - 2 hours late. We were met by Joseph and Helen Lee and the team leaders, Jake and Joy Thiessen. What a great bunch! Our accommodations are great. We will be attending the church service 2 floors downstairs at the Chinese Alliance Church. The service will be in Cantonese, Spanish, Mandarin and English, all at the same time, starting at 9am. Judy, Tom is fine!!

2 More Sleeps

2009-01-15T11:17:00.001-08:00

Those of us who are still back in the deepfreeze of Manitoba have 2 more sleeps until we are headed for Guatemala. Our suitcases are getting packed and the vacuums are busy sucking all the air out of plastic bags so we can bring along a whole bunch of clothes for Joseph and Helen to use for the orphage girls. Thanks to Erica for the e-mail alerting us to that need. One phone call to a member of our church has generated an outpouring of girls clothes size 2-18 years. Thank you to everyone who donated clothes - you guys are awesome. Between the six of us from Portage we can bring 12-50# bags, plus our carry-on backpacks(right Shanon??) so we are busy scrounging light weight suitcases to carry all the extra clothes in. WOW! Our God is so good. See you soon Shanon. Thanks for the update and the great pictures.

January 14 All is well

2009-01-14T14:47:00.000-08:00

Thanks for checking the block. Here are some pictures for you.

Travelling went well with no mishaps. The country is beautiful, very damp and cool. The warm clothes are very needed.

I had a chance to meet with the teachers today and do two sessions with two more tomorrow. I thoroughly enjoyed it and the teachers were very happy to get Spanish documents...thanks to all the help I got at home.

Rita, Director of the Schools and wife of the director of the mission, had to leave today as her brother died suddenly of a heart attack in Denver Colorado. So presently I am here with all Guatemalan people who are being very considerate of this non Latino.....however it is not improving my Spanish all that much.

Many people here are very under resourced. It is different to be in a village rather than a city in a developing country as you see the contrast to the way we live so much more.

I wish you were all here to experience this country and it's people.

Will try to update again later in the week.

God bless!

2009-01-14T13:41:00.000-08:00

This is one of the very narrow streets in Tactic
women working at the market
the dogs know where the meat is!
to market, to market to buy a fat pig...or at least it's head
don't see this at home much

fine young gentleman "Heber" pronounced "ever" who drives me around. He lives with the Director of the mission's family. His mom works at this small shop.
City square in Tactic
Municipal building

The lady who cooks for the family and all the visitors
Les and Rita Peters, directors of IMpact Ministries...they were given a baby six months ago which they will adopt...growing their family from two grown and married children with 5 grandkids, three adopted Haitan teenagers and now a little Guatemalan boy.
I spent the morning with the teachers and will again tomorrow. They are from the six different schools that have been established here in Tactic by the Impact Ministries - Rita overseas all of these.
This room was an outdoor basketball court but was closed in with metal walls on three sides and a roof to be used as a church, gym and general purpose area. Spacious, cold and damp.

Les and Rita's daughter is married to a Guatemalan gentleman and lives nearby. She was my translator today.

The following pictures are from the presidential building in Guatemala City

So where is Guatemala?

2009-01-11T17:55:00.000-08:00

Guatemala is the northernmost country in Central America. Its 42,000 square miles are made up of high mountains, volcanoes, jungles, coastal planis and tropical forests. It could fit into the area of Canada 92 times and yet has a population of 13 million, approximately one third the population of Canada.

Twenty three different indigenous people groups inhabit rural Guatemala. These groups have their own languages, some as many as ten different dialects, and this has lead to cultural, social and economic isolation. As a reslt, the rural, native people of Guatemala have many needs.

The indigenous people have suffered greatly as a result of the 36 years of civil war. Many children have lost parents, witnessed atrocties and grown up in an atmosphere of fear and apprehension. The country's prepocupation with internal conflict has drained its resources and rural medical services and educational facilities are inadequate or non existent.

In the area where Shanon will be, the people are very poor. the average man earns a wage of $5.00 for a 8 hour day of heavy farm labour, dairy work or cutting and selling firewood. many families have 5-7 children and approximately 40% of the children are living in a home with only one parent. Education is seen as unattainable as children are often needed to work to add income to the family. Many have never held a crayon or pencil in their hands.

Impact Ministries offers schooling to the children and arranges sponsorship for them through people from other countries. They have been able to start 7 schools in the Tactic area. Thanks for the gifts of pencils, felt pens, stickers and all the other items that you are sending with me tomorrow. My suitcases are filled to the max with not an ounce to spare.

Bless you!!

Shanon

2009-01-11T17:50:00.000-08:00

Shanon's bit

2009-01-10T19:31:00.000-08:00

I leave for Guatemala on Monday, January 12 and travel all night arriving in Guatemala City at 7:20 a.m. From there I will go to another area about 5 hours north, up into the mountains, to a place called Tactic. After these two days of travelling, I will be meeting with the teachers from the schools that have been started by Impact Ministries in that area. There are about 50 + staff for 7 schools. I will spend two days in Professional Development workshops with them trying to put to use my years of experience in Christian Education. I have received much help from the staff of Westpark School in preparing ideas for them. I have also received countless hours of help from a number of people who have helped with translation, photocopying, assembling materials. Donations of school supplies have also been packed and ready to go. I am so thankful for all of this. I really want to be of use to the teacher's there.

I would appreciate prayer support very much. Travelling alone and entering into a totally different culture and language group is a stretch for me. I know I am dependent on God and the prayers of God's people.

January 3, 2009

2009-01-08T12:58:00.001-08:00

Great 'cinnamon bun' meeting at Weselake's to discuss our upcoming trip. We will be joined on the project by Jacob and Brinda Thiessen, Ronnie Stark and Henry and Anne Van deVliert from St. Albert along with Harry Werenka from Edmonton . We have our trowels, pliers, tool belts, tape measures, levels, etc. ready to pack. Yesterday Bruce & I purchased our steel toed boots - that in itself should be cute. We'll be sure to send pictures. The team would appreciate prayer that God would prepare each of our hearts and minds for this mission trip, for safe travel, good health and for our effectiveness working with the Guatemalan nationals.

December 19, 2008

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Time is flying and it won't be long until a team from Portage Alliance Church join with a group from Alberta on an International Work Project in Guatemala. We fly out of Winnipeg on January 17, 2009 at 7:30 am . We will arrive in Guatemala City at 5:15 pm after a stop in St. Paul and Dallas. I have included our hotmail e-mail address and we sure would love to hear from you folks back home. We probably won't be able to respond due to a lack of time as we will be busy "doing bricks and mortar".