More photos of our time in Pana

Checking to see where to make the

hole for the stove pipe

Checking out the laminae


How the family was cooking
their meals.

putting the stove pipe together

Rudolfo explaining how to clean

and care for the stove.

Stephen, Noah, Larry, me and the family

I can't even express, how much these stoves are really appreciated. They will help improve things for them in so many ways.

The first four stoves were installed in homes in San George. The photos I've posted below are of the first stove that was installed. Sorry I didn't get any photos of the beginning of the installation; lots of people crowded into a small space makes it difficult to take many pictures. With this first one, Julio went through and explained as well as showed us how to put the stoves together. Unloading the stove materials

from the truck.

From here the stove materials will have to be carried up the steep path to the homes where, they will be installed.

Some women of San George, doing their laundry,

at the common wash area. In the bottom you can see

the stove materials on the ground

Daniel looking around the outside area

of the home.

Stephen with the stove, almost

finished. Just need to cut a hole for the top

piece of the stove pipe that goes through the roof.

Julio explaining how to connect the stove pipe.

Explaining to the family how to

care for and clean the stove.

They also were getting a fire going in the

stove.

The finished stove, with the family, Noah,

Stephen, and us.

I will add more of the photos later. In the other stove installation I was able to stop and take photos of the beginning work to put them together.

Our last day with Mayan Families

Today we met Patti and went up to Sharon's, along with another family who had collected shoes, to help hand out the clothing we had brought down. There were several women with their children already there waiting. The staff set up tables to put out the shoes the other family had brought and they began to hand them out. There were so many there, so while doing the shoes, because we had a few pairs of very small boys shoes they started handing out the items we had brought also. Once they had went through the sizes and giving the children's clothing out to some of the mom's with babies, they started putting things out on the table and the women started looking through the items to find things in the sizes they needed. Blankets were very much needed and they went quickly. I did get some pictures at Sharon's as well.
After our visit to Sharon's, we headed back into town, had lunch and waited for the driver who was to bring us back to Guatemala City.
I haven't been able to dig out my camera yet so will upload the pictures from our experience tomorrow.
I have to say again this was a great experience; we have been so greatly blessed by being given the opportunity to come here. Anyone thinking of coming to Guatemala to do some type of service trip, should come; you can't imagine what a wonderful experience it is to meet the people and help in some way. God truly blessed us this week.

Our last 3 stoves

Today we were up and off again to install the last 3 stoves donated by Shiloh. This time we were in Panajachel. It was very hot work today due to the temperatures being very warm. I will post photos, and give a little information about the families, most likely when we get to Guatemala City, sometime tomorrow, where I will be able to use my computer to upload the photos. We also met two families who are in need of assistance asking if we would be able to help them. One is for a stove. The other was from a woman, whose husband passed away and she has 4 children. Right now the children are still in school but she won´t be able to afford to continue to pay for them to go to school. The oldest daughter was to graduate but they could not afford for her to go. Two of the younger children are attending school, one in 3rd grade, the other 7th grade. The youngest is 2 years old and not going to school or preschool yet. Tomorrow we will be going to Mayan Families/Sharon´s and hope to get more information about these families.
This has been a great experience so far. We have been greatly blessed.
Until tomorrow, we hope that every one reading this is have a blessing filled weekend.

First day of work

Yesterday we were awakened by the sound of a rooster crowing, very early. Our work day started off at 10 or 10:30 a.m. We traveled to San George, a small town lying just outside of Pana on Lake Atitlan, to install our first 4 stoves. For the first 3 we had to park near the community wash(laundry) area and carry every thing up narrow paths to the homes where the stoves would be installed. In this task there wasn´t to many things I could help carry because the concrete parts of the stove were much to heavy for me. They seemed heavy for the men who were working with us. Daniel played with the children while we worked. He seemed right at home in the areas we were in.
For the first stove the men from Mayan Families showed us how it needed to be put together and then for the second one we all worked together to install it. The stoves seem to go together quickly. We had installed 3 stoves by 1:30 p.m. At that time we stopped to have lunch.
I forgot to mention there were also two gentlemen working with us, who had come to Pana for the same reason to work with Mayan Families, one from Canada and the other was Czech. The one from Czech. spoke spanish and many other languages.
After lunch we walked to the house where the 4th and last stove for the day was to be installed. The kitchen area was very small and I helped Carlos, from Mayan Families with wire screen/protector to shape it like a tube to place over the stove pipe, so as to provide protection, if touched from the hot pipe. We also worked to put the top on the part of the pipe that would be on the outside.
After our work was finished they took us to see Tierra Linda, another small town, where Mayan Families provides sponsorship to many students to go to the school there. They have also done much work to the school by adding rooms and repairing the roof. Here in Tierra Linda they are working on the construction of a community center also. It is partially complete and we were able to see the work that has been done. From there we returned to Pana and our hotel.
Today we will be working in Pana to install the last 3 stoves.
I have taken several pictures and being the photographer for most of our day, I´m not in many of them. One of the workers did use my camera to take pictures of us with the families and there newly installed stoves at all but one of the homes.

arrival

We arrived in Panajachel, yesterday afternoon, after a long day of travel. Our day began at 3 a.m., when we got up and prepared to leave for the airport. Our flight was slightly delayed due to having many passengers to board. We arrived in Houston with just a few minutes to board our next plan but the gate was very close so it was not an issue. Our drive to Pana was 3 hrs from the city. It was a very scenic veiw, much different from the areas of Guatemala we had seen when here to bring Daniel home.

Our journey to Panajachel begins

We have been very busy this last weekend, getting every thing ready to go. Today was our first travel day. We finally arrived in Chicago this evening, for the first leg of our trip to get to Guatemala. We will fly out in just a few hours from O'Hare and should arrive by lunch time for you everyone here in the states, in Guatemala.
Not sure if I will get to blog here tomorrow but I do hope to take a few pictures of our journey from Guatemala City to Panajachel. Will post again as soon as time permits. Thank all of you for your prayers and support a long the way.

2 weeks and counting

In just 2 weeks we will be flying out of O'Hare, in Chicago, to Guatemala. Time seems to be flying by. Over the past few weeks, I've been finalizing all the little details. Also trying to keep every one healthy for the trip. I'm hoping to get the stuff that has been donated, sorted and packed this week.

I'll try to post more about all our final preparations in the next few days.