The world from the back of a pickup

One of my favorite memories of this trip to Guatemala was riding 2 1/2 hours in the back of a pick-up with our Quetchiquel interpreter Augustine from Panajachel to El Barranco, a small pueblo in the middle of corn fields.

The feeling of warm sunshine on my face, the sounds and smells of the small pueblos we drove through, the smiles and waves from the people we passed by...made me feel so alive! 

Clearing recent landslides (Augustine in the forefront)

It was a huge landslide that blocked the road

View over the cab of the truck

An outhouse in the middle of the fields

Working the fields

The scene of another landslide

A typical home in the highlands of Guatemala

Caught up to the other pick-up - it was having a rough go

Installing Stoves...Making a Home Safer

In Guatemala, the majority of the population lives in extreme poverty.  One of our focuses during our trip was to install safe stoves in the homes of over 40 families.  The families either did not have an existing stove and only cooked over an open fire, or had a stove that was old and decrepit.  Open fire cooking or decrepit stoves put out polluted air that is then inhaled by the home's occupants.

Installing stoves in the homes of the families gave us a first-hand look at the living conditions of most of the people in Guatemala, and allowed us to bring joy and hope to the families who received the new stoves.

Here are some pictures from our groups installing stoves:

A home in El Barranco

The front yard

Getting ready to go in

The youngest of 5 children

The rain coming over the mountains from Xela

The existing stove - the pipe was all corroded and the smoke filling the house

Leveling the floor

The "full" cupboard

All the family's dishes

Mom and baby

The middle child Maria

Tom and Linda constructing the stove

Augustine our interpreter, Linda and Tom, and a very happy mom and kids!

It is estimated 1 in 5 children under 5 years old die, mainly from respiratory issues from having an open cooking fire in a closed in room in the home.  Each stove costs $160. 

If you're interested in donating towards a stove, visit Nuestros Niños.

Back on US soil

I'm back on US soil and home in bed snuggling with my kiddo.  I need a few days to process this experience, but will be sure to post all about it in a few days.

Love to all,
Bethany

A million smiles!

The last two days have been a whirlwind of craziness!

Monday

Monday morning began at Pana Preschool where we worked with 65 kids in an area the size of normal school classroom (broken up into separate areas).  The kids absolutely LOVED playing games, doing the craft activities we had brought for them, and hanging out and just being kids.

Recognize this tune??

We were able to give a new (to them) pair of shoes and a shirt and pants to each of the students, along with a toothbrush and toothpaste.

After working with the preschoolers, we headed back to Mayan Families headquarters where we passed out more shoes than I could count, clothes for all ages and sizes, and we packed 42 food baskets for needy families. Each basket would feed a family of 4 for about a week and contained the essentials (black beans, maize, sugar, oatmeal, rice, cooking oil, coffee, and pasta).  I was fortunate in that I was able to tell the families about each of the families in the US that had gifted the food basket to them.

My own family had sponsored a food basket and I was so blessed to be able to have been here to give the basket to a young mom and her daughter.  I was able to see the family that my family would be impacting.  It was so powerful!


Tuesday

This morning we headed to the village of San Antonio.  This is a village that has not seen much assistance yet, but Mayan Families has really started to make inroads and gain the trust of the people in this puebla.

We started the day at the new preschool where the children were all dressed in their traditional dress.

After spending time at the preschool, Chelsea, Becca, Christie and I headed out with our Ketchiquel interpreter Roberto to install an ONIL stove in a family's home.

It was a family of four, all slept in the same bed in the only room they had, on the main floor while the open upstairs was home to a beautiful loom where the husband and wife wove textiles.

Below are a few pictures of their home:

The upstairs

The bathroom

The downstairs and bed where all 4 slept

The weaving loom

The threads

Above is a video of Roberto explaining to the mother in Ketchiquel (her indigenous language) how to work the stove.  They were excited beyond belief to have a new stove that was safe for their family.

after a long walk up the mountain and 2 more stoves, the day was done.

A million smiles...

Out of the city...where I want to be

Yesterday afternoon, we wandered the streets of zona 9 in search of the elusive Claro kiosk.  In order to get my cell phone to work, we needed to buy a SIM card and minutes from a local shop.  Chelsea and I were on the hunt.  After finally finding a kiosk in the basement of a chic boutique mall, right next to the parking garage, the salesman had to be convinced that the Motorola device I was carrying was indeed unlocked..."libero?"  he would ask us.  "Si, es libero," we would reply...followed by a few moments of silence..."libero?" he asked again..."Si!  Es libero!" we replied. Needless to say, after getting the SIM and minutes all settled, we needed to quench our thirst.  What better place than at:

Chelsea was a big fan!

 We had a few of these:

and ate some of these:
















It was all good!

This morning we took an early 4 hour shuttle ride out of Guatemala City.  As we were driving along, I was looking out the window and the sights and scenes of Guatemala so familiar before came back to me.  The brightly colored chicken buses spewing black smoke and loud disco music were cramming the shoulders of the busy city streets.  Women in their indigenous dress carrying baskets on their heads vying for space among those that had shed their traditional dress in favor of more modern fashion. 

Pollo Campero, McDonald's, and Coca-Cola signs dotting the roadsides every few hundred meters.  Cars and buses and collectivos and motorcycles...all trying to go in the same direction...but making little progress.

 

Finally we got out of the city...and headed to Lago de Atitlan.  Where I wanted to be.  On the way we saw

Beautiful green

Waiting for the bus in the pouring rain

The after effects of a landslide

We spend the afternoon at the Nature Reserve just outside Panajachel where the skies opened up and we enjoyed an afternoon drenching shower.  It was worth it though, because we hiked through the reserve and saw

Cool flowers!

Rushing rivers

Funny monkeys

and spectacular waterfalls

We spent a good portion of the afternoon sorting through the 18 huge (HUGE!) boxes we had shipped down here a few weeks ago and the 20+ large suitcases full of donations.  All in preparation to give out clothes, shoes, toys, medical supplies, sports equipment, and home supplies to the families in the area.  For them it will be like Christmas time...for me it will be amazing to see.

As I listened to Sharon and Dwayne, the founders of Mayan Families, speak about the work they are doing in the villages surrounding Atitlan, from building schools to supporting preschools, feeding and clothing the elderly and providing medical care to the sick and malnourished...and all the help they need and the needs that still could be met including building a shelter for abused women and working to stop child sex trafficking...

I can't help but wonder...is there an opportunity here for me and my family to really make a difference...