A Picture IS Worth a Thousand Words

 

Few things compare to the blessing of being able to serve others. When the "others" live in a country that, materially, has so little it becomes even more special.  I remember getting chills the first morning I met the children at the Happy Tummies Ministry and the widows at Abuelitos: the beautiful faces adorned in bright colors, the embraces and soft words whispered in Myan or Spanish, the dark eyes filled with wonderment, but especially the smiles. Everything was a picture.


Each evening at dinner, Pastor Luis asked us to tell him why it was a "wonderful day".  Some of us were at a loss for words. Everywhere we turned we were awed ad in wonder. When the words wouldn't come somebody would say, "A picture is worth a thousand words".

There were thousands of pictures taken the week of the St. Andrew Guatemalan Mission Trip it was difficult to select those that told the complete story of our journey. I have picked a few that demonstrate why our experiences were so difficult to summarize in mere words. It is hoped that you will see the pure magic that unfolded in Guatemala.

Now that the dust has settled it is only fitting to write a blog that summarizes the Guatemalan Mission experience.  Stay tuned. It's coming.  In the mean time, it seemed fitting to post images in hopes that readers can form their own conclusions about the journey. It really is true that a picture is worth a thousand words, especially when one is speechless. A special thanks to Charles Scott for helping to capture some of the moments that we can never get back.  What he sees through his lens is a gift.

Mi Casa Es Su Casa

Teamwork!

"If I Had a Hammer" I couldn't build a house in Guatemala.  However, in Guatemala, if you have some mortar, cinder blocks, a machete and a good crew with willing hearts, a house can be built in three days. Our mission team knew when we arrived in Guatemala that there were people who needed our help building "houses", but we had few other details.  Many St. Andrew members have been involved in building Habitat for Humanity houses so that was the only standard for comparison. A beautiful thing about mission work is that you learn to be flexible and no particular skill is required.  You learn as you go.  You walk with others and the destination isn't as important as the journey.  The Impacto Staff told us not to worry about actually completing a house because other mission teams would come along to finish what we had started.  We love the Impacto Staff, but obviously they didn't know the 54 people they were dealing with.


Micah gets a workout

Before our team arrived, the Impacto Ministry had identified three families through the church, Abuelitos and Happy Tummies Programs that were highly in need of some assistance.  Through "generous givers" and fundraisers in Iowa,  the team was able to send money ahead to purchase  supplies that would be needed to construct three homes.  It was hoped that as many team members as were interested would be able to dedicate at least one morning or afternoon toward building one of the "casas".


Pastor Kyle gathers wood for a scaffolding
(don't tell his wife he was using a machete`)



 

 

 

For most of us, when we think of a house, we envision roomy structures with individual bedrooms, a kitchen filled with modern appliances, flat screen T.V's. flushing toilets, chimney's and perhaps even white picket fences. Now,  imagine 5 to 6 people living in a cinder block, one room structure that is not even as big as many of our walk-in closets.  It's the harsh reality in Guatemala.  Families that have this much shelter consider it a blessing.  Many have less. Many have nothing. 

 

Each housing site was coordinated by a construction master or "Maestro" and a translator to explain the process. Each house also had team members rotate in and out during each day.  Some team members were very attached to their family and project and spent the majority of three days at their site. There are no power tools involved, just manual labor, sweat and a lot of love and determination. In three, rather hot days, scaffoldings were built, cinder blocks were stacked, mortar was applied and concrete floors were leveled.

 

Maestro

It was hard to know what to expect when we arrived at the building sites.  Who were these soon-to-be home owners? What were their stories? What would they think about a bunch of people from Iowa coming to help them build a new house?

 

 

Building site three was nestled off a dirt path in a lush area with a view of a volcano. The sky was blue and there was a cooling breeze. Paolina, who owns the land and would soon be a new homeowner,  is one of the strongest women I have ever met. She greeted our team with grace and gratitude. She and her "Papa" worked along side of us as they were required to do.  She pointed out the lovely setting and shared that she was so glad that God had sent "The Impactos" to help with her dream.  Paolina needed to leave her previous house due to an abusive relationship and had been living with friends and relatives until she was presented with the opportunity of building. This small house would be her castle and she would share it with her Papa, daughter, son-in-law and a grandchild.  In the near future she has plans of adding an outdoor kitchen. She hopes that some of us will return so she can prepare a meal for us to show her gratitude.  

A strong woman

 

 Paolina needs no sympathy. She has drive and spirit.  She is trained as a firefighter and has assisted putting out many large fires in the mountains.  While she isn't "waiting" for fires she weaves fabrics to help support her family.  There is one other small detail that should be shared about Paolina and that is her expertise with a machete. Good luck to the tree that stands in her way.  Perhaps that is a metaphor for her life. She will take on any obstacle in her path. I apologized for doing a lot of talking and little work.  Her reponse was, "Do not worry.  You have done so much. You have listened to me". Once again I understand the gift of presence and connection.

 

Who would have believed that after three days of tireless work all three houses would be complete? Although our mission team has been very sensitive to "helping without hurting" (not making people dependent), we could not leave without dedicating each house by taking a few house warming presents in true American fashion.  A shopping crew went to town and purchased fresh eggs and vegetables, cleaning supplies, non-perishable foods and shoes for home owners, family members and workers. As Pastor Luis has preached to our team, to be humble is to express gratitude. Gratitude was expressed today.

 

Each house was dedicated with family and workers present. Blessings were exchanged. Hands were held.  Hugs and tears were shared. Our team hopes that we assisted three families with a new beginning. As we head home in less than two days many of us  might enjoy new beginnings as well. We have been encouraged to remember what has been shared in this country and carry those feelings and beliefs home with us as we return to lives that are very different from the one we have had the past week. We have learned that it doesn't take much to be truly happy, but simply a decision we make as we greet each day.

The Team of House #3



Stories

3-17-2015

At the end of the day it's our stories that connect us, We all have them, regardless of our age, sex, nationality, education, income or religious beliefs.  Today was filled with stories.  Those we heard could fill a book, but you will read what can fit in the blog of one tired but blessed writer.

Our team was asked by Impacto Ministry to hold medical clinics on Tuesday and Wednesday at the Happy Tummies Facility. The medical team, headed by Impacto's Dr. Naturena, included our own physicians, Cecilia Norris  and Ian Law.  The clinic was geared to do health screenings for the Abuelitos and the children at the Happy Tummies Program.  We were told that when  word spread through the community, and it would, we would have others arrive and take advantage of the clinic. How true that was.

Once again, the trust of our "patients" can only be attributed to their faith. Little children were letting complete strangers look in to their eyes and ears and listen to their hearts and lungs. They answered questions about their diets and let us look at their teeth.  Two little guys,  who were probably under eight years old complained of sore mouths.  Upon examination it was discovered that  permanent teeth were growing where baby teeth hadn't fallen out.  Without regular dental care nobody would have seen that their gums were becoming swollen and sore.  Those little guys trusted us enough to hold their hands and tell them how brave they were while Dr. Naturena removed their teeth. With no parent to hold them they tried to hold back their tears.  They were, indeed, brave as they later showed off the empty spaces with big smiles on their faces.

A young village mother came in with her three year old son who was having chronic diarrhea and showed little interest in eating. Through an interpreter Dr. Law explained some options for her son's nutrition. It soon became  apparent that she really needed somebody to listen to her story. She had symptoms of gall bladder disease. In my broken Spanish I translated for him as she held her malnourished three year old and tears pooled in her eyes. As we continued to listen she shared that she had previously been diganosed with kidney cancer, but for many reasons that most of us can't comprehend: childcare, a family dependent on her, transportation, inability to afford treatment and nutrition limitations she was unable to follow through with the treatment. Dr. Law and I became quiet as we searched for words  He told her that he had no medical treatment to offer her, but he could offer to pray with her which she readily agreed to.  We held hands and exposed our hearts and souls in one of those honest conversations that most people don't want to have.  We prayed for healing, or at least freedom from pain. We prayed for safety and care for her children. We prayed for hope because that was the only tool in the medicine bag. She thanked us for our prayers as though we had just produced a miracle.  She told us that she had nothing to give us in return, but that she, too, could offer us prayers for health, safe travels back to the U.S. and the passion to continue what we were doing. By the time we had finished praying we were all in tears. When you strip away everything else we were all the same, just humans doing the best we could do with what we had.... and sharing a story.

..

Later that afternoon another young mother from the village waited in line so that her 6 month old baby could be seen for a chronic low fever. After asking the usual medical history questions she wanted to make it clear that this baby was not hers.  She was providing care because the baby's  mother had recently had surgery for a brain tumor and was unable to care for her infant.  The mother was home, but would return to the hospital in Guatemala City the next day for more treatment. Family members who were trying to make ends meet and had their own children to take care of were trying to see that this baby had a good start in life.  It really does take a village to raise some children.

As the afternoon continued story after story was shared, in Spanish, Mayan dialect and broken English. It made no difference what the language was. There was no magic medicine in the bag. These human beings knew that we had traveled from "America" because we were interested in them and they needed to be listened to.  There was the construction worker who may have hepatitis. He had been working for months with abdominal pain, but he worked through it. He had people depending on him.  There was the young mother, whose was concerned because her 6 month old baby wasn't growing and developing like her other two children. One did not need a medical license to see that her daughter had some sort of birth defect. How do you tell a mother that this baby may never develop like her other children. Her eyes told the story of  the love and pride she had for this tiny child.  There was the "Abuelito", 76,  who complained of foot pain and swelling at the end of each day. It was only later that we came to understand the cause as we saw her walking up a steep hill with only thin sandals on her feet and a very large pile of wood on her head.

When we leave Guatemala we can only hope that we have helped these people in some way. We can't fix an entire population, but perhaps we can validate their existence, hopes, fears, trials and joys by listening.  One story at a time. We might learn something.

Bliss

Bliss. No other word can aptly describe today's experience as our St. Andrew MissionTeam walked with others in Guatemala. During this evening's devotion, after spending many hours together, we were encouraged to spend 15 minutes of solitude reviewing the day. Each moment of reflection created the image of a smile, a hug, a lesson learned and a connection of two cultures that are worlds apart. Pure bliss. Reviewing the images brought goosebumps. An orchestra teacher once said, "If music gives you goosebumps, it must have been wonderful"!  Today was wonderful.

Again, the morning started with a savory breakfast that included frijoles (the best black beans in the history of time), platanos,  eggs scrambled with salsa, tortillas, hot cereal and that energy-sustaining Guatemalan coffee. Pastor Luis, always inspiring, spoke of Daniel and challenged the team to see the virtue in being rich, not in name or things, but in spirit.  We were reminded that our lives become the result of our decisions. We were all happy that we made the decision and took that leap of faith to come to Guatemala.

Activities of all kinds had been planned for the day including the construction of three cinder block houses, moving large rocks to build a wall, a medical clinic and two of  the Impacto Ministry's signature programs, "Happy Tummies" and "Abuelitos". As a group, we have been encouraged to try our hands at many of the activities, but it will be difficult for those of us who have witnessed the love and joy at the Hungry Tummies Facility to try anything else.

The Abuelitos program is designed to give widowed seniors activity, fellowship and dignity as they live out their remaining years. We were greeted by these men and women with hugs and kisses, the universal communication. In truth, it made no difference what our group had planned for these gentle souls. They would have been completely satisfied simply to have our presence. Their smiles are life sustaining and were gifted to us the entire morning.  Who knew that coloring pages from a "Dora the Explorer" coloring book would bring such peace to those who have lived a life of manual labor?  The morning was finished with a chance to try on reading glasses, movment/dancing and medical screenings. We were blessed with such willing participants and  have received so much more than we have given.

He's not heavy, he's my Brother in Christ

 

The day continued with the "Hungry Tummies" program.  This program is designed to provide nutrition, education, healthy living skills,  recreation, Bible stories, prayer and socialization for local children after they finish school for the day, The Happy Tummies Facility takes on a whole new energy as these children enter the building, stow their backpacks and eagerly wait for what is in store. A few aren't so sure of this new group of missionaries,  but others jump in, engaging immediately. It is clear that they are becoming comfortable with these ever-changing corps of missionaries or "Gringos" as we are called affectionately.  They were generous with hugs and willing when we asked their names.  Some were slightly amused at those of us who tried to communicate with them in Spanish, but also forgiving as they helped us stumble through our "palabras" (words). Many even felt comfortable sharing their limited knowledge of  English. Again, it wouldn't have mattered had there been no activities planned. They seemed to be satisfied with connection and affection. 

A lap is a very nice thing

Books!

Happy Tummies is a safe place where meals, shelter and love are a sure thing in their unsure worlds. These children step out in faith each and every day and we would do well to follow their lead. Learning to be flexible and taking chances. They do it well.  Stepping out of their comfort zones they truly live in those moments that are good and true. One can only guess that they have moments outside of this facility that don't nurture their minds and spirits. Beautiful smiles on little Guatemalan faces. These faces will be in our dreams tonight and for many nights to come. Today, many of us learned what it is to walk in faith, to realize our abundance and to understand that something as simple as our presence and touch are priceless gifts. Today we have been forever blessed.  Buenos Noches and be at peace.

What goes up must come down!

Smiles speak in EVERY language



The Three Amigos




What's next?

Time to brush those teeth!