Today we finished our work in Coban. We had breakfast at 7 and then finished our packing and loaded our bags.

We tried to visit the Presbyterian Complex where we worked years ago but the road was blocked by roadwork and we were not able to get through. Here is a picture from our visit in February.

We went to La Gracia for the dedication program for the new water system

This was the best group of students I have ever had. They were enthusiastic and excited about what we were learning.

We closed with prayer, then Reverend Moon offered a tour of the facility.

AMI started a school here 7 years ago. They started with a preschool of 20 children and have grown to 150 students

They add a grade a year – this fall they will add 7th grade

AMI is a beautiful facility with an amazing vision. Their goal is to train future leaders of Coban and to serve the community.

Finally we said goodbye to our new friends with hopes of partnering with them again in the future.

Then we climbed in vans for a long road trip. In a perfect world it would take 6-7 hours to get from Coban to Panajachel but that does not account for traffic. We could not make the trip from Coban to the airport in a day due to the uncertainty of traffic. Lake Atitlan will be much closer to the airport for our flight out.

It took us 10 hours and 47 minutes to make the 6-7 hour drive from Coban to Panajachel, the town on Lake Atitlan where we are staying. The hotel is lovely and we are looking forward to a boat ride on Lake Atitlan tomorrow.

Today we finally got our first glimpse of Lake Atitlan and it did not disappoint.

Lake Atitlan is a huge, ancient volcano crater surrounded by green mountains and volcanoes. We stayed in Panajachel, the largest and most developed town on the lake.

We had a great breakfast in the restaurant with views of the lake. Then we did a tour of the lake by boat with stops at several of the villages.

Our first stop was San Juan La Laguna

They carry the statue of the Virgin Mary around the lake and visit each village with processions and fireworks.

We started by touring a honey store where we learned about different types of bees and honeys. They have some very tiny bees there that produce a thin honey that is used for medicinal purposes and cooking.

Then we sampled wine made from honey

Then we had a little while to explore the town

Then we climbed back in the boat and went to San Pedro

Several of us took a Tuk-Tuk tour of the village

Then we visited our 3rd village, Santiago Atitlan

The we got back on the boat for a very short ride to a restaurant for lunch.

The service was slow but the setting was lovely and the food was fantastic

On the way back we had to wear life preservers

We got back to Panajachel in time to explore and shop for souvenirs

We finished our day with devotions. This has been a fantastic week. We say it every year but this year was the best trip ever! We had an awesome team and we were able to accomplish all of our goals. We had a fun and relaxing day today and now we are preparing to return to our regular lives.

The Presbytery of South Alabama 2024 Guatemala team will be in Guatemala July 11-18. We have 14 team members, some experienced and some new. We have some great projects this year. We will be installing a water purification system through Living Waters for the World at Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal Roca Eterna. We plan to install 48 ONIL type stoves in homes in the area. We are also bringing baby blankets, baby clothes and hygeine kits thanks to some generous donors.

We take for granted that we can turn on our faucet any time and have access to clean, safe, pure water. This is not true in many parts of the world. In Guatemala most municipal water systems lack any sort of water treatment. Supply is often intermittent and unpredictable.

Living Waters for the World (LWW) is an organization whose goal is providing access to purified water all over the world. LWW developed a simple water purification system about 20 years ago and they have improved on it with time. LWW trains and supports volunteer teams so that volunteers do the installation. Over 1000 systems have been installed and over 80% are still functioning. LWW volunteers train at Clean Water U (a week long camp). There are 3 tracks:

101 – Administators – coordinate all aspects of the installation. Most of their work occurs before the trip and we like to give them a hard time about not working as much during the trip.

102 – Educators – train local people to be community educators and teach the community about how and when to use purified water and how and when to wash their hands.

103 – Operators – install the system

Currently, purified water is available in San Antonio but is often expensive and difficult for people to access. A small group of us came down in February to evaluate the site and to meet with our potential partners. We have been very impressed with Pastor Cesar, the pastor of the church. He has been very proactive with getting the water room ready and recruiting people to be part of the water team. We have been communicating frequently since that visit. He is committed to improving the health of people in his community.

We will spend the next week installing the system and working with the newly formed water board. We will also train a group of educators so that they can teach people in the community some basics about germs and hygiene such as how and when to use purified water and how and when to wash hands. We will use a variety of games, crafts, stories, songs, drama and activities to reinforce these lessons. Then we leave material so that they can teach these lessons to people in the community. Finally, we will a group of operators about how to run and maintain and trouble shoot the system and how to run a business to make sure the system is sustainable.

Our other main project is installing stoves in homes in the villages around San Antonio. We work with a great organization called Helps International.When I first heard about installing stoves, I was not ever interested in the project. I thought there would be more pressing needs. But the more I learned the more excited I became. In Guatemala, millions of families still cook the way their ancestors have for centuries – on an open fire in the middle of their shelter. 

As you can imagine this causes a lot of problems. Constant exposure to smoke is not just unpleasant, it is harmful to everyone – especially to developing lungs. 

In Guatemala, 1 child in 5 dies before reaching their 5^th birthday. The leading cause of death is acute respiratory illnesses such as pneumonia which are directly linked to smoke inhalation. This is followed closely by diarrheal diseases caused by drinking contaminated water. 

The open flames are a huge safety concern. Children can crawl or trip into flames. Women’s clothing or hair can catch fire and serious burns are common.

There are also economic issues. Because open flames are so inefficient, families need about 50# of fuel each day. Fuel gathering requires a lot of time for women and children each day, limiting other productive activities (that can generate income) and taking children away from school. 

Finally, there are environmental issues The high demand for wood contributes to deforestation.  The fires also produce a lot of greenhouse gasses which speeds up climate change and global warming.

ONIL stoves are a simple and elegant solution to these issues. These stoves save lives – they are raised, enclosed and vented to the outside, solving many of the health and safety issues. The are much more efficient – families use 70% less fuel. This frees women and children to pursue other activities such as school, gardening, or learning a trade like weaving. Stoves save trees each stove saves 1 tree a month and reduces carbon dioxide emissions. A stove will easily pay for itself in a year, but most families could never afford to buy one. The local Helps coordinator selects families to receive stoves and arranges delivery or materials.

In addition to our core projects, we have some additional projects this year.

Megan Montegue from First Presbyterian Church in Foley made these beautiful baby blankets. These will be distributed to families during our visit to San Antonio. Thank you Megan for sharing your talents and for spreading love to these families.

Thank you also to Edna Watts and the ladies of Fort Valley Presbyterian Church. They have been making beautiful children’s clothes and we are privileged to be able to transport them to Guatemala to distribute to families. I will post pictures of children modeling the clothes later but here is a picture of some of the clothes

We are also excited about the hygiene kits that Trinity Presbyterian’s sewing group, Stitch’n with a Mission, made. We hope to visit a school to talk to young girls and give out these kits. What an awesome way of empowering and supporting women.

When Pastor Cesar found out that we have some medical professionals on the trip he became very excited. He immediately pulled out pictures of projects that his church has been doing with children. He asked if we would consider having a medical clinic while we are there. Thanks to an amazing group called Blessings International we are going to be able to do some medical work this year. Blessings international was fantastic to work with. I was able to purchase vitamins and medication for parasites and a few other items for significantly less than the usual US cost. Their website is blessing.org and I would encourage you to visit the site and see the work they are doing.

Our team got up early this morning to start the trip. We met at Trinity at 6:30.

We had a 5 hour lay over in Miami

We had an uneventful flight from Miami to Guatemala which is great. The next challenge was getting luggage. Incredibly all 26 pieces of luggage made it! We have to bring all of the parts of the water system and all the educational supplies. Thankfully we don’t have to transport stove parts!

The next challenge is fitting all of the people and luggage into 2 vans – one of which is already full of pvc and a large barrel

And the answer is there is no way it is going to fit. Our transportation people have to go and get another van because there is no way to make this work. Did our transportation people know how many people and how much luggage to expect? Yes. After waiting a few hours we decided to get a hotel near the airport and start fresh tomorrow. The other option had us arriving in Mazatenango at 3 am (4 am Cental time). Will this delay us tomorrow? Yes – but we have extra time built into our schedule because we know to expect challenges. Trying to keep a good attitude and stay positive. We are tired but we found rooms near here. We are all ready for a good nights rest!

We felt much more refreshed this morning after a good nights rest. It has been a fantastic day!

We started with a delicious breakfast. The hotel had a great buffet

Then we loaded vans for the trip to San Antonio Sucuitepequez. It was about a 4 1/2 hour drive. First we went to the stove factory which happens to be in San Antonio. We were escorted in by a guard carrying a machine gun. The stove people got to tour the factory. Meanwhile the water group headed to the church to unload supplies.

Helps International has a beautiful, clean facility. Here are some pictures of the process of making stove parts.

Then the stove team had lunch

Jelly sandwiches because the water team did not share the peanut butter!

Then the stove teams visited families and installed stoves

Meanwhile the water team went to the church and unloaded. We made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for about 20 people (that second jar of peanut butter came in handy)!

Then we had an educational session with the water board, educators and operators. We got to know each other and learned about germs and played some games.

The rest of the water team unloaded all the supplies, organized and started installing.

The system is starting to take shape

The educators talked about our families. We attempted to sing some songs. And we began our training

And God said: Eso es bueno

Our main lesson for today was all about germs

Where they are and where they are not

In the middle of the afternoon we had a hug storm with thunder and lightning l, heavy rains and blowing winds. We lost power off and on and had to work in the dark.

We had a wonderful day and can’t wait to do this again tomorrow!

We all met back at the hotel about 7, tired and hungry but all excited about our projects

We had a great dinner and meaningful team time. I think everyone will sleep well tonight!

Today was a long and full day. We got up early and had breakfast at 7.

Water team took one van and went to a store for more bread and peanut butter and jelly. Then they went to the church. Stove team also went to the store and got peanut butter for their sandwiches. Most of them reported that they enjoyed their enhanced sandwiches although Pam said that half of hers was stolen by a chicken

I don’t have many pictures from the water team today. Pablo had class so we borrowed Linda from the stove team. We could not have had a successful day without her.

After the morning session the educators planned their afternoon session. They were responsible for teaching a group from the community in the afternoon.

We shared peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with everyone on site and Noemí share some wonderful corn with us.

In the afternoon a group of about 25 people from the community came.

Our teachers did an amazing job of teaching. They were very enthusiastic and did a better job of the lessons than we did

The 103s said they made good progress in the water room but they had to stop earlier than expected because they need a part. They expect to get it tomorrow so it should not delay final installation

Water team got back to the hotel around 5 and had time to relax before dinner

Stove team had a long day. Without Linda they had only 8 people but they still managed to install 16 stoves. One group installed 6 stoves today. Here are some pictures from the stove team

Stove team did not get back to the hotel until after 7

We had dinner – they have these smoothies with fresh fruit that are wonderful.

Then we had team time and devotional time. Everyone was ready for bed. Tomorrow is church and medical clinic!

Today I woke early to the sound of exotic birds. There was a beautiful golden streaked sunrise over the mountain.

We met at 7 for breakfast.

We loaded the vans at 8:30. We were privileged to be part of the worship service.

I wish I could transport you to the service. It was one of the most worshipful experiences I have ever had.

It started with beautiful music. I did not understand most of the words but I did hear “Dios esta aqu (God is here) And I could certainly feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.

During the prayers the whole congregation participated. it was a different style of worship but very meaningful and we felt like part of the fellowship of believers.

Women lead part of the worship.

Pastor Matt gave a powerful sermon.

We were welcomed graciously

One of the youth had a birthday today. Each member of the congregation came up to congratulate him.

Then we took pictures

We realized that we had some time between the service and the medical clinic (worship only lasted 2 hours instead of 3). We decided to go out to lunch but we had to wait for Jhonny and Carl to get back from the hardware store

We enjoyed a great lunch together. Then 7 of us headed back to the church to work while the rest of the team headed back to the hotel for naps!

Darrell and Carl made great progress with the water system. It is beginning to look like a living waters system

The rest of us did a medical clinic. This was the “waiting room” when we got back from lunch

Joan did vital signs while Margaret did registration with Linda as translator

Frank and Rhoda examined the children and treated what we could

The vast majority of the children had horrible cavities. One had a terrible dental abscess. Many had just nubs for teeth or big jagged holes. We did fluoride varnish and gave out tooth brushes and toothpaste. We did a little simple information about dental hygiene. For the first time in my life I found myself wishing that I were a dentist

I was stunned by the amount of dental disease and hope to be able to address that better in the future

Many parents complained that their children did not eat well which was not surprising given the state of their teeth. Other complaints were stomach aches and intermittent diarrhea and fatigue. When we asked they said they drink purified water sometimes or they only drink well water. We gave every family albendazole for every family member. That will treat the most common type of intestinal parasites.

We also gave vitamins, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and of course prizes (but not candy)!

We treated scabies and reflux and eczema and ringworm and dental abscesses and fevers. Several children were recovering from Dengue fever.

We treated 50 children and a few adults as well. It was a truly awesome experience and we learned a lot about what we can do to improve the health of people in the community. It was a bit chaotic at times but the children’s smiles and hugs made it all worthwhile! We could not have done this without the support of Blessings International. This organization provides medication and supplies at a low cost for mission teams. I was able to get albendazole to treat parasites, antibiotics, and several other medications and well as supplies for the clinic. I look forward to working with Blessings International again in the future. Next time I will have a better idea about what to order. Every time I called or email Blessings International they were very kind and helpful. They even called the week before we left for the trip to make sure that I received everything and to let us know they were praying for us. If you are interested please check their website: blessing.org

We finally made it back to the church about 7 – just in time for dinner.

We have a great group – lots of laughter and fun and gentle teasing at every meal.

We had a great devotional time at our usual spot

Tomorrow will be another full day of work

Today we met for breakfast at 7 to get an early start. Frank defected to a stove team so there were only 4 of us plus the drivers on the water team.

The educators taught more classes. We visited the water room and Luis explained how the system works.

After our tour we started our lessons. We asked our educators to teach us a song and this is what they taught us:

We did a puzzle of putting the parts of the water system in order. They asked some excellent questions and seemed to understand how the system purifies water. They realize the importance of using purified water and they also realize that they have to share the knowledge with their community. They told us that money is tight but people find money to buy Pepsi but say they can’t afford to buy purified water.

If the talking we did was not convincing we had a vivid example. We brought agar plates and on day 1 we had people put various things on them

Pastor Cesar put tap water on his

The educators were horrified to see what they ingest when they drink tap water. we did a hand washing demonstration with finger paints, a germ spreading activity with glitter, bingo, seams, and coloring sheets. Then we gave our educators time to prepare to teach a group in the afternoon

The water operators worked hard on the system all day. They spent a lot of time up on the hot roof

We had lunch and fed about 20 people. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are delicious and go a long way.

One of the stove teams stopped by the church to eat their lunch. Pastor Matt’s sandwich had gotten a bit crushed

After lunch our educators taught another community group

Once again they did a wonderful job of teaching

Stove team had another busy and exhausting day

Margaret and Rhoda got to join the stove team for the last installation today. It was amazing to see it in person and to know that we are able to make a difference in the life of the family

Then devotional time. Darrell gave an excellent meditation on faith.

We met for breakfast at 7. There were a lot of people staying at the hotel and we waited longer than usual for our food. The stove team started off to install stoves. The water team had to visit Dollar City to get cups for the water celebration and frames.

It was Matt’s turn to shine as a 101. He met with Pablo and the Water Board for almost 3 hours.

This is Pablo – our Living Waters for the World Guatemala coordinator. We could not do this trip without him. He coordinates our hotels and transportation and meals and translates for us. He has been great with our large team – we have a lot more going on than a typical LWW team would.

Margaret and I played with children and prepared for our last meeting with the educators and the water celebration.

The water operators finished the system and had time to clean the room

The stove teams had a busy morning

Stove teams finished their morning, went back to hotel to freshen up and the joined us at the church

Margaret and I had one last meeting with our educators. We feel good about this group of educators. They understand the concepts well and understand the importance of educating their community. They already have plans for teaching some lessons

Just before the celebration was due to start the power went out. We did not mind not having the microphone because the sanctuary has excellent acoustics but it was hard to take pictures in the dark

After the celebration the ladies in the church served delicious tamale

It was hard to say goodbye to all of our new friends but we finally got away from the church. We thought we would have a fairly early dinner and have time to pack leisurely. Unfortunately there was a massive traffic jam and it took us over 2 hours to go about 8 miles. We could have walked faster if it had not been raining and dark. We finally got dinner and had devotions. Matt led an excellent meditation on our commissioning vows.

Now it is time to pack so that we can get an early start to Antigua tomorrow

We spent an incredible amount it time in the van in traffic today but it was still an amazing day.

We had breakfast at 7:30. It took a long time to load the vans and check out but we were on the road soon after 9.

We drove to Antigua and had lunch at Pollo Campera. I will share pictures later if I get some from other team members but they have amazing fried and grilled chicken.

Then we dropped our luggage off at the hotel. Most of the team spent the afternoon in Antigua exploring and shopping.

Matt, Margaret, Pam and Rhoda went with Johnny to meet his wife and see his village. It is only 45 minutes from Antigua but with traffic it takes 2 hours to get there.

The vows of Guatemala Ciry on the derive were breathtaking . This is Lake Atitlan which is beautiful but unfortunately contaminated

First we went to the school where Johnny’s wife teaches. The school serves elementary students from 7:30 to noon and high school students from 1-6. There are 4 teachers – each teacher teaches all subjects to her students. Johnny’s Erika teaches 37 students and is the principal of the school. There are only 4 teachers in the whole school and each teacher teaches all the subjects

Erika wanted us to talk to an assembly of the whole school. she asked us to say something motivational.

I think we did well for being put on the spot. The students were incredibly well behaved. They sat and listened attentively.

Then the students put on a performance for us. This is the dance of the giants using giant forms that the students made. It is a traditional dance in this area

After that the boys left and I talked to the girls. Johnny acted as an interpreter which was a little bit awkward at first but it did not take long for the girls to warm up and asked all sorts of questions. Talking about certain issues is taboo in the culture and the girls had a lot of misinformation.

Then we told the girls about the hygiene kits that were made by Mary Burns and Stich’n for a Mission. The girls eyes lit up and they were so excited! Unfortunately there were 52 girls and only 33 hygiene kits. Erika had the great idea to divide the kits up so that each girl could get 2 items There were exactly enough for each girl to get 2 items. When we gave out the supplies each girl wanted a hug.

Then they wanted to hug everyone

And they wanted pictures

Then the boys came back. We were able to give them toothbrushes with toothpaste or a wash cloth with face soap. And we got lots more hugs.

Next year I’m signing Pastor Matt up to talk to the boys. That is if he ever agrees to get in a van with me again without a detailed itinerary!

Finally we left the school. We invited Erika to join us for dinner in Antigua. She needed to drop her car off at their house. While she was parking we had the opportunity to meet Johnny’s mother.

Then we drove back to Antigua and met with the rest of the team so that they could say goodbye to Johnny. Johnny had hooked us up the some very good coffee

Margaret, Pam, Matt and I took Johnny and his wife to dinner. We had a great meal and really enjoyed getting to know Erika. She is doing an amazing job with few resources and it is obvious that she loves her students

Today was an amazing day. Bringing the hygiene kits to the school and having the opportunity to talk to the girls frankly was such a great experience. I learned a lot for next year. I’m going to bring some visuals to make it easier to explain things and I’m going to make sure I have plenty of hygiene kits and kits for the boys as well. These students are the future of Guatemala and it is a privilege to have the opportunity to interact with them.

The trip comes to an end today and we all have to transition back to our lives in the US. I have learned so much this time and I am already looking forward to next year

I woke up early this morning to take a walk because it is going to be a long travel day. I enjoyed the beautiful morning and all of the sights and sounds of Guatemala.

We enjoyed a breakfast buffet together and then hit the road

There was a lot of traffic on the way to the airport but we had allowed plenty of time. Our flight was delayed almost an hour due to excessive weight but we made it to Miami in plenty of time to make our connection. We all made it home with all of our luggage. It will take some time to recover and to process the week.

We had a wonderful team this year. One of the best part of the trip was getting to know each other – laughing together, eating together, spending hours together on vans. We also had great in country partners. Our projects were all successful. The system we installed is producing excellent, safe water. 48 families have safe, efficient stoves. 60 people got fluoride varnish, treatment for parasites and some medical screening. 52 high school girls are better prepared

When I think back on this trip I think about laughter. I think about relationships. You can have some great conversations when you are stuck on a cramped van for hours at a time. I think about service. We had some really meaningful projects this year. And I think about a sense of wonder. Guatemala is a beautiful country, full of contrasts and full of potential. It is a place where we can really make a difference.