Mission to Panajachel, Guatemala

Fundraiser news and update

2010-07-11T14:08:00.003-04:00

I have been very neglectful in keeping up with blog posts lately, sorry all of you who follow here.
We are very busy planning for our next trip. We are going at the end of October.
Today we had our first fundraising event after church services. We are once again selling Fair Trade handicrafts from Guatemala. This year we are trying something new; we are taking orders for Fair Trade coffee. So far we are off to a good start with our fundraisers. We got several orders for coffee ad sold a few of our handicrafts.
We hope to work on the Mission Guatemala project, with our new friend Tom, and help him to renovate an old building into a medical clinic.
Tom will be speaking at our church on Aug. 14th, for an evening of coffee and desert, and tell us more about Mission Guatemala.

As I get more details ironed out I will try to post updates....

Mission plans update

2010-05-03T21:44:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone, I know it has been a while since I last posted here but til now didn't have any thing new to write about. Now for the update; we have tentatively set a date of October 26th to November 6th, 2010 for our next mission trip to Panajachel Guatemala. I will be talking with Tom from Salud y Paz this week about the possibility of working with them while we are there. We hope to have more people join our team this time so we can work on a bigger project.
Right now, we are still tossing around fundraiser ideas. If you have any ideas please post in the comments. We are praying that this date will work out because we would love to celebrate our son's birthday in Guatemala with our Guatemala family. When I have more details, I will write more. Until then, El Dios bendicete!

New link in my favorites

2009-10-01T09:27:00.003-04:00

Still working on possible plans for a mission trip in the summer. But wanted to share this link with you: http://freedomthroughfriendship.blogspot.com/ Please check it out; Jody is raising money to purchase land in Guatemala for a Women's Crisis center.

Future plans

2009-07-20T13:20:00.004-04:00

Hope there are some still following. I try to blog a little about how we are still connected to the work in Panajachel.
As for the future, we hope to be able to return to Panajachel or some other place in Guatemala next summer or in the Spring of 2011.
Currently we are researching programs, currently working in Guatemala that are sponsored through the Methodist church. With Anita's help we have found a couple that may be promising but I still have to find out if they are okay with small children coming along on the work projects. I will continue to update has we move a long in the process towards planning another mission trip. If any one is interested in going along with us to Guatemala, please post a comment on the blog with an e-mail address, or call the church office.

student sponsorship

2009-07-09T20:29:00.003-04:00

After our visit to Panajachel; Larry and I talked a lot about what we could do to continue to help. I believe I mentioned in an earlier post about the woman who asked to speak with us; we decided to sponsor her 9 yr old daughter for school. After much checking and gathering of information it was discovered that this child already had a student sponsor. So after a lot of discussion and e-mails; we offered to sponsor the youngest daughter to go to preschool, if the mom wanted her to go. She will attend the new preschool in Pana, that Mayan Families will be opening; should be open in a couple of weeks. Was supposed to have opened a couple of weeks ago but they were informed, after everything was ready to go, that they had to get the go ahead from the board of education. So they are working on that and hopefully will be ready to open soon. I didn't get to meet the little girl, didn't know she was there, but Larry met her. There are so many children in need of sponsors so that they can attend school and have more opportunities when they grow up. Education plays an important part in breaking the cycle of poverty, everywhere.

Receiving Father's day Basket

2009-06-19T21:11:00.002-04:00

In the picture is Don Ricardo the elderly gentleman we met in Panajachel. He and his wife received one of the stoves we installed. In this picture he is receiving a Father's day basket of food for he and his wife. She isn't in the picture because it is to difficult for her to walk to get to Mayan Families. The baskets usually have enough food to feed a family of 10.
We are sending what we can to provide food for them but it isn't enough to supply them with enough for the entire month. We hope those of you reading this will prayerfully consider helping us, helping them to have nutritious food on a consistent basis. You can go to www.mayanfamilies.org and click on donate. To donate food for this elderly couple, scroll down to the Family Aid box and put in the amount you wish to donate. There is also a box where you can type in their names so that Mayan Families knows who you are wanting to donate for. In the special instructions box you can type in "food for Don Ricardo and Dona Maria. On Mayan Families website will also find the U.S. address and mail donations if you don't want to do it over the internet. Thank you for taking the time to read this post. May all who continue to follow this blog be blessed, as well as their families.

photo re-post

2009-06-14T15:15:00.003-04:00

Wanted to re-post this photo. In this photo is the elderly couple, who received one of the stoves while we were in Guatemala. The woman, Dona Maria, cannot see. Her husband, Don Ricardo, goes out every day looking for work. When he gets work, it is usually a hard labor job that does not pay very much. He can not hear very well and his eyesight is fair to poor. When he cannot get work, he has been seen going through the trash in Panajachel, looking for whatever he can find for he and his wife to eat. They have no family to help them. Larry and I have been sending what we can but it isn't enough to provide them with good nutritious food for the whole month. To help this elderly couple have good food for a month the cost would be approximately $75 to $100/month. Please prayfully consider committing to sponsoring this elderly couple for food on an ongoing basis. This is just one couple of the many elderly who need help in Panajachel. Our pray is that we can start with this one couple and hopefully if it is God's will, that there will be such an outpouring of his blessing, we will be able to help others who are of similar circumstances and need. Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I pray God's blessing be with you today and always.

2009-05-30T16:56:00.002-04:00

Since returning home from Guatemala, we have been looking over our budget and thinking about how we could help some of the families we met. After a lot of thought and going over our budget we have taken on sponsoring a 2, almost 3, yr. old girl for preschool. We are also sending what we are able to help with purchasing food for the elderly couple who received one of the stoves we installed. When the man is able to find work, the pay is very little, so is often seen going through the trash, looking for food, to take home for himself and his wife. To provide food for this couple for a month cost about $75 to $100. As mentioned above, we are sending what we can but don't have the means in our budget to cover the cost for providing food for the whole month. If any one is interested in helping to provide this elderly couple, please leave a comment here, with an e-mail so I can send you the needed information. We will continue to do what we can but would be overjoyed to have someone to help co-sponsor this couple, so that they can be provided with food to eat, that is rotted and from the trash. God's blessing be with all of you.
You can see a photo of the elderly couple in my post from April 4th, titled "The last 2 stoves. It is the last photo posted under that title.

Some closing thoughts on our trip

2009-04-04T12:25:00.002-04:00

This trip was a blessing. We met so many people, who were such a joy and blessing to spend time with. Working with the people at Mayan Families was great. They showed us how to install the stoves and were great about telling us a little about each family. They also told us about the many different programs that Mayan Families has to help give a hand up to the people of the Highland area of Guatemala. We met so many families. It is amazing to see so many who have very little, yet they are happy in the life they have. Makes all the things we consider problems meaningless and trivial.
Larry and I want to again thank all of you for your prayers and support in the planning and during our trip. It has meant a lot to us to have the support of our friends, family and church family, with this project.
We also want to thank Patti, Julio, Carlos, Rudolfo, Juan, Fernanado, and all of Mayan Families for letting us come and work with them on installing the stoves. It was a rewarding experience that we won't soon forget.
We pray that this is a trip we will be able to take again in the future.
Lastly, I just want to leave you with some photos of the beautiful Lake Atitlan, lake of 3 volcanos. Enjoy them, though the pictures do not do the view justice. It is so much more beautiful being there to see it in person.

Our day at Mayan Families/Sharon's

2009-04-04T12:04:00.002-04:00

Our our last day in Panajachel, we spent the morning at Mayan Families. The staff was very informative about all the work they do to provide a hand up to the Mayan families they work with.

This is another family, who

was there, giving out shoes

they had collected.

These are some of the women

and children who came to

Mayan Families

on this day.

This woman found some shoes.

This mom found a pair of shoes for
her baby. Shoes we took, thanks
to the donation someone made
to our church and Shelly P.

They are starting to hand out
some of the children's clothing and blankets.

Still handing out children's
clothing.

They have put some things out

on the table for the women

to look through and find things in

sizes they need.

Daniel is hanging out

and watching the activity.

Another photo of the women

looking through the clothing.

Here you can see some of the staff

the one in the photo next to Daniel,

was talking with some of the women.

The last 2 stoves installed.

2009-04-04T11:55:00.002-04:00

Sorry there is only a photo of the completed installation. While we did do some of the work, we were also talking with the family and others who came and wanted to talk with us about there concerns and needs. This was outside an apartment in Panajachel.

The completed installation, the family

and us.

This was the last home. They are taking down the
wooden frame work and metal
laminae, where the family
cooked.

making the hole in the laminae
for the stove pipe.

This is the family who received the stove.

Our second day of work

2009-04-04T11:49:00.002-04:00

this is where the family

cooked their food.

They are working

on placing the stove pipe.

The finished stove, with

the family and us.

Sorry there aren't more photos of the installation. I was helping with the placing of the blocks, and actual construction, so wasn't able to take photos.

2009-04-04T11:30:00.003-04:00

We had to hand the materials

from person to person

to get this one installed.

3 people in this kitchen room

was crowded.

Here is the finished installation

with the woman in the house

and us.

Some children playing soccer

in front of the church,

after school.

This is the school in Tierra Linda.

They have a new preschool here.
There is still work to be done
to finish the building.

Standing on top of the
community center
at Tierra Linda.

This is the community center
that Mayan Families has built
with the help of many volunteers
and donations.

2009-04-02T10:22:00.005-04:00

Sorry it has taken me so long to add more photos. It has taken me a few days to recover from our long day of travel on Tuesday.

Here they are constructing the base of the

stove and beginning on the actual

stove parts.

Larry is on the roof, making the hole in the

laminae for the stove pipe.

This is the family with the completed

stove

Walking to through San George

to the next home.

More photos of our time in Pana

2009-03-30T11:49:00.002-04:00

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.

2009-03-28T15:59:00.008-04:00

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

2009-03-27T23:15:00.002-04:00

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

2009-03-26T17:40:00.002-04:00

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

2009-03-26T10:23:00.002-04:00

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

2009-03-25T11:26:00.003-04:00

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

2009-03-23T21:51:00.002-04:00

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

2009-03-10T12:36:00.003-04:00

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.

Less than 6 weeks

2009-02-11T10:59:00.002-05:00

Time seems to have passed by so quickly. It seems like yesterday that we started planning for our trip to Guatemala but it has been a year. Now as we finalize our plans, we are just weeks away from traveling. Our church is sponsoring 7 Onil stoves to be installed while we are in Panajachel. 7 families will receive stoves, and have a safer means of cooking. Our hotel reservations are being firmed up this week. Our plans in place, we are just counting the days to departure.

Thank all of you who have helped in any way, through prayer, purchasing an item from our fundraiser or donating to the purchase of the stoves. Larry and I feel blessed to be given this opportunity and are grateful for the support of our Shiloh Church family.

Less than 3 months

2009-01-02T17:12:00.002-05:00

It is hard to believe that in less than 3 months we will be boarding a plane and heading to Panajachel. Time has really flown since we started planning our mission project. Now we are waiting to find out how many stoves our Church Missions Committee and Church family are going to sponsor, so we can pass the info on to Mayan Families. That way they can let the company who produces the Onil stoves how many they will need.

Can hardly believe that it will be March before we know it. We are very excited to be blessed with the opportunity to give do something to give back to such a beautiful country and it's people.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-11T09:54:00.002-05:00

Right now we are just counting down the weeks until we depart for Guatemala. Airfare purchased, reservations and transportation arranged. So all the things that can be done, to this point are done.

With that said, I just wanted to wish every one a Merry Christmas and Happy New year!

Feliz Navidad, Prospero Ano y Felicidades!

Muchas gracias every one for your continued support!

Fundraiser wrap up

2008-11-15T12:27:00.002-05:00

We had a lot of fun at the Fall Festival. Daniel really enjoyed all the games. As for our fundraiser; we did pretty well. With the sales from the September event and Fall Festival, I would have to say we had a pretty successful fundraiser. It went better than we had thought.

I just finished boxing the leftover items and getting them shipped back to Melinda at Heart of the Sky. Thank you Melinda for working with us on this.

I can hardly believe just a little over 4 months we will be on our way to Guatemala. Time seems to have really flown by. As the time for our departure grows closer, I hope to have more details to share.

I want to send out a big Thank You to all who have supported us through our fundraiser. Also a Thank You to those who have supported us through prayer.

Fall Festival- coming soon

2008-10-21T10:50:00.002-04:00

Well the hacky sacks and chocolate bars arrived this week. We are very excited about getting to set up a table at the Fall Festival. Thanks Anita and Ramona! We also extended the internet sales fundraiser for a couple of weeks. So you can still go online and shop at www.heartoftheskyfairtrade.com. Don't forget, if you decide to make a purchase, use our promo code 'Shiloh UMC' so our fundraiser gets credit. Just type the promo code into the promo box on the check out page.

As far the trip planning goes, we are in process of trying to decide on a place to spend the night in Chicago before our early morning flight on the 24th.

Thanks to everyone who has given us their support!!

Slowly progressing

2008-10-01T10:38:00.002-04:00

Not a whole lot new to tell. We did pretty good with the fundraiser, so far. We will have a table at the Fall Festival, also. I'm expecting to receive some chocolates and hacky sacks, to add to our crafts, to sell then. The online sales is still going on, you have until Oct. 11th to check out the stuff online and use our 'promo code.'

Last week and Monday, was spent busily searching for the best airfare and getting that locked in. I'm happy to say that we got a really good rate on airfare and will be flying out of Chicago on March 24th to Guatemala. Trent at Velocity Tours has helped us so much in getting our itinerary set. We have rooms being reserved in Panajachel and Guatemala City. The only thing we have left to get set is a room, for the night before our flight out, in Chicago. Yes, we will be driving to Chicago, the airport there had the best deal on airfare, less than half the cost of the other airports we checked.

Hope to see lots of you at the Fall Festival.

Updates

2008-09-20T11:31:00.002-04:00

We are still working out details for our stay in Panajachel. I spent part of the week looking for answers to a question that was asked of me, regarding concern over mosquitoes. I am happy to report, that after talking with several people and finally talking to the right person, I was told there is no problem with mosquitoes in the Highland area, where we will be traveling. The only time this may be an issue is during the rainy/wet season. There are so many choices but we have narrowed our search for lodging down to two places. The details are really starting to come together.

Just a reminder; don't forget to check out www.heartoftheskyfairtrade.com , our online fundraiser is still going on. If you make a purchase, please use our 'promo code' Shiloh UMC, so that it will go towards our fundraiser.

Thank you for all your support through prayer, donation or purchase from the fundraiser!

Good day

2008-09-16T13:14:00.003-04:00

Our fundraiser was on Sunday, despite the weather went pretty well. We will be setting up a table at the Fall Festival, so I will have the stuff available over the next several weeks, if any one would like to look. You can contact me through my e-mail address, listed on the blog. The online sales fundraiser will continue for the next four weeks so you can also go online and check things out. For information on where to go and how to make a purchase, that is a part of our fundraiser see the previous blog post.

Now we continue with the planning for our lodging, airfare, work and all the little details that need worked out. So we continue to move forward little by little getting every thing set for our mission trip. Thank you to every one who made a purchase or said a prayer of support during our fundraiser on Sunday.

Fundraiser

2008-09-12T08:47:00.003-04:00

I can hardly believe that it is finally here. Our fundraiser begins in 2 days. For those online shoppers, on Sunday, you can go to http://www.heartoftheskyfairtrade.com/, use our 'Promo Code' at check out so that they know it is for our fundraiser. Our 'Promo Code' is Shiloh UMC.

Those who will be attending service and/ or the Pork Chop dinner, we will be setting up tables for our Guatemalan Craft sale just outside the dining area. Hope you come and check out the beautiful items, we will have to display and sell.

Pictures of the Guatemalan Crafts

2008-09-05T14:34:00.004-04:00

Pictures of some of the beautiful

Guatemalan crafts that arrived

yesterday

There wasn't enough space on the bed

for them all.

Guatemalan Crafts have arrived

2008-09-05T14:24:00.003-04:00

I know I posted in an earlier post that our Guatemalan Craft Fundraiser will be on September 14th. We will also be having an online sales fundraiser, starting that same day and running for 4 weeks. Just wanted to take time to let everyone know that our Guatemalan crafts have arrived. The UPS guy delivered our box, yesterday. Checking out all the items in the box, seemed to make our upcoming Mission trip more real. We've been planning and planning but it has been just that a plan. Now that we are preparing for the fundraiser, we are doing and planning, so it seems more of a reality. Sorry if it seems I'm rambling.

I tried to post a couple of pictures but there seems to be some sort of technical problem. So I will try to post them a little later.

Here's the latest

2008-08-29T14:17:00.005-04:00

As I posted in my last post, we are going to be having a fundraiser, selling Fair Trade Guatemalan Crafts, on September 14th, after the 10:30am church service. There will also be a Pork Chop dinner going on to raise money for Missions. For those who are unable to attend our fundraisers, we are also having an online sales fundraiser.
The online fundraiser and the crafts I have to sell are from Heart of the Sky Fair Trade. In order to make an online purchase and it benefit our project, you can go to: http://www.heartoftheskyfairtrade.com/, shop and select you purchase. Then go to the check out page, there you will see a box that says 'Promo Code.' In that box you can type 'Shiloh UMC.' That will let Melinda at Heart of the Sky know that the purchase is for our fundraiser and she will set aside a precentage of the sale for us. The online sales will also start on September 14th, at that time the 'Promo Code' will be effective for 4 weeks.

In other mission related news; we are busily working on getting the final details of our travel set and hope to have our airfare and lodging finalized in the coming weeks. Larry and I are so excited to be blessed with the opportunity to go to Guatemala. As we finalize details I will be sure to post.

Review

2008-08-22T10:09:00.003-04:00

Yesterday someone asked about when we were planning to travel. Not sure if I ever really posted a definite date. At this present time, our hope is to depart from the U. S. for Guatemala on March 24th and return on the 29th. We will be having a fundraiser, selling Fair Trade Guatemalan Crafts on September 14th, in conjunction with a Pork Chop Dinner that is being held at Shiloh, to raise money for Missions. The dinner will start around 11:30 with carry out orders starting at 11am, at least that is what I think I remember reading. Along with our Guatemalan Craft sales that day we will also be having an online sales through the site that is supply the Guatemalan crafts. The online sales will begin on September 14th, as well, and run for a month. We will be receiving a promo code, to use so that they know the sales are for our group. As of yet I have not received the info on the promo code but will pass it along as soon as I have it. Our hope is that God's blessing will be on this fundraising event and we will be able to raise enough money to purchase at least 2 or 3 onil stoves for families in Panajachel/Highland area.

Moving along

2008-08-08T16:26:00.002-04:00

Things are moving along. We have a date set for our fundraiser. It will be on Sept. 14th. I have been in touch with the person providing our fundraising items to sell and we are all set to receive our box early next month. We are also planning on doing internet sales with this same group. I will post our promotion code, as soon as I know it but it won't be effective until Sept. 14th. Melinda, at Heart of the Sky Fair Trade, has been wonderful in answering our questions and helping us get things set up for our fundraiser. Has more details are worked out I will update here. I'm am so excited and looking forward to the fundraiser. I am praying that it will be successful and we will be able to provide onil stoves to at least 3 Guatemalan families.

Still working on the details

2008-07-22T09:54:00.002-04:00

As many may know there are lots of details to work out, when planning a fundraiser or anything. I haven't posted a lot of details regarding the fundraiser, in case it all falls through. So, we had a date, which received approval from all required persons. But the date didn't work for the persons putting on the dinner. So, now we will shoot for September or October. Hopefully we will have a set date, for the fundraiser, soon and I can post the details.
This weekend was a great refresher for me, we went to our adoptions agency's annual Celebration of Children Reunion Picnic. The joy and noise, was fabulous, from all the children. It was just a great reminder for me, that this mission, I feel called to, will hopefully help many families and their children.
Sorry for getting off track. There are so many families around the world in need. As many know, Guatemala captured my heart because of my son and the people we met while there. I pray for the people of Guatemala everyday. Though there is more to say, I will end here, not to leave my thought open ended but because I'm having trouble putting into words what it is I wanted to say.

General

2008-07-11T10:31:00.003-04:00

We are still awaiting the final go ahead for our fundraiser, but I just wanted to post some of my thoughts. With each day, I feel more excited about our upcoming trip. It is kind of scary too, since we will be traveling to a part of Guatemala that we haven't been to before. On our previous trip to Guatemala to bring home our son, we visited Antigua and toured Guatemala City. The upcoming mission trip is heavy in my thoughts and on my heart today. In thinking about it, I feel such peace and joy, that we have been truly called to go on this trip. My son's birth mom, also has been in my thoughts. She gave us such a precious gift. I pray that our Father, fills her with peace that our son is happy, healthy and very much loved.
Though this is a bit scary for me, stepping way out of my comfort zone, I know that this trip is what my family has been called to. Since my first visit to Guatemala, I have felt such a connection to this beautiful country and its' people. I can't help but give thanks and praise to the Father for blessing us with this opportunity. We pray that our fundraiser will be successful and enable us to help many families. Also we pray that our Father may work through us to do his work on this mission trip.

Planning continues

2008-06-26T10:07:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone! It has been a while since I last posted anything to this blog. We continue planning for the trip. Over the past couple of weeks, I was researching possible fundraisers. I finally found one, thanks to a very kind person, whom I had contacted for informaiton, who put me in contact with someone else. I have received an e-mail from Anita, saying that we are good to go with this fundraiser. It took a while to find the one that would work for us because we decided to do something a little different. We wanted to have a fundraiser that had Guatemala has it's focus. So now that we have found the fundraiser we want, now the dates just have to be worked out. When everything is worked out with the dates and details of the fundraiser, I will post more.

2008-06-09T11:13:00.003-04:00

children with 50lb sandbag, used

in the installation of an onil stove

a family, from the Highland area of Guatemala

Stoves

2008-05-30T09:17:00.006-04:00

example of old cooking stove

photo of an onil stove

Since we have decided to work on the stove project, I thought I would post photos of an example of an old stove used by some families in Panajachel and a onil stove. With the onil stoves it decreases the risk of burns. They also are more efficient and use less wood.

Decisions

2008-05-23T10:52:00.003-04:00

In my last posts, I mentioned the ideas we were discussing, to do for our mission project. After looking at the estimated costs to build a home, put on a roof, or do a cement floor, we are back to our original idea. Our original idea was to raise money for and help install onil stoves for families who need them. As I said after looking at the estimated costs for the other project ideas, we feel the stove project is the best choice. Working on the stove project, we, I believe can help more families, than with the other projects. I also hope to be able to spend some time helping in the medical clinic.
The more into the planning we get the more we feel that this is the service, we've truly been called to do. Since visiting Guatemala, the country and the people have been very much on my heart. It just seemed to fit, when I started thinking about what area of service He was calling me to, especially when the first thoughts that came to me was 'what can I do to help the people of Guatemala.'

Project Ideas

2008-05-21T11:20:00.003-04:00

We are trying to decide on a project to work on for our mission trip to Pana. I would really like to spend at least part of a day or even a whole day helping in the medical clinic. We are also talking about working on some type of construction/reconstruction project, ie... a home, or putting on a roof, or maybe doing a concrete floor, to replace the dirt floor in a home. Many of the homes have dirt floors which for those families, who don't have beds, it can get very cold at night. Also, it is a very difficult situation for these families, during the rainy season, as many live on the side of the mountain and the rain waters run right through their homes. So that is where we are with making a decision about our project.
As far as researching flights, transportation, lodging, etc..., we are making progress and should have an approximate expense total soon.

Progressing forward

2008-05-20T11:35:00.003-04:00

I met with my church's Outreach/Mission chairperson, last week. We discussed all the things that need to be done. Right now I'm getting information on the hotels that Sharon mentioned to me to decide which would work the best for us. Also, I am awaiting info on airfare from my contact at Velocity Tours. Hopefully they will be able to get us a good deal. The people at Velocity Tours were such a great help to us, when arranging, our very short notice, travel to Guatemala, to bring home our son. So far I have been able to get tons of information from my friend Marlene, regarding transportation, food, and hotel costs. Thank you Marlene! I hope to have an outline compiled of the approximate costs for the trip soon. Once I am able to get my husband still, we will be discussing and deciding on what type of project we want to work on while we are in Pana. I really would like to help out in the clinic at least one day or part of a day. There is also the possibility of helping with concrete flooring for a family or replacing a roof for a family, the possibilities go on and on.... So definitely something we need to sit down and discuss.

On a different note, I want to say Thank you Nikki, for designing this blog! It looks great! Now that we are starting to get our plans together and get a date, for our trip, set, I am really getting excited! When I started thinking about doing some type of service project, it seemed like Guatemala, though very much in my heart already, was placed on my heart even more so. That we will be able to follow this journey, that we've been called to go on, fills my heart with joy. It is such a blessing for us to be given the opportunity to return to Guatemala and do something to help the families.

The planning continues

2008-05-08T14:41:00.003-04:00

So far we haven't had any response to the article in the Faith Promise booklet about the mission trip. So it looks like it could be a family trip after all but still a church sponsored function. I've checked on how it would affect the cost of airfare if we moved our date back to the end of March. Makes a considerable difference and the cost, flying out of Cincinnati seems to be the least expensive. Anita and I are going to get together next week to talk about all the things we need to do. I have also emailed Sharon, per Anita's request, to check on the feasibility of having one of the onil stoves at the church on display. So things are starting to move slowly.

Faith Promise Weekend

2008-04-21T12:27:00.002-04:00

I just spoke with Anita, via e-mail. She is going to put an article in the Faith Promise booklet, that will be given out this weekend at church, about a possible mission trip to Guatemala. The following is the paragraph for my project:

Possible Mayan Family Mission Trip slated for Feb. 2009

Cindy Uhrick is looking at the possibility of putting together a mission trip to help Mayan Families in Guatemala in Feb. 2009. The Mayan Families organization is the one for which we raised money for chicks at Easter time. Cindy and her husband are hoping to go to Guatemala to help with placing much needed small, fuel efficient stoves into homes and maybe do some light home construction. If you are interested in exploring the possibility of going on this type of mission trip, please contact Cindy, Anita Murphy or the church office. Dates and costs are not set yet.

So it looks like we are about to get on our way to planning, Yay! Hope there is at least a few people interested.

Brief note

2008-03-20T12:17:00.002-04:00

Just a brief note. So far our progress has been slow. Anita has been very busy with school stuff so hasn' t had a chance to work on the things we talked about yet. She is hoping to do it over spring break. It looks like we will be shooting for February, as December is extremely busy at MF.

Meeting

2008-03-07T10:04:00.002-05:00

Though the whole family had been sick for a week, I did make it to my meeting with the Outreach committee chairperson on Sat., Mar. 1st. We discussed the many aspects of projects that could be done. A.M. is checking on if there are any UMC activities going on in Guatemala. Also is going over the possible expenses and planning to get some more details from Sharon of Mayan Families. Hope to hear from her soon as to what she thinks the church can do to help. We set a tentative plan of being ready to travel by Feb. '09.

Still working

2008-02-18T18:38:00.001-05:00

Today, I was finally able to set up a time to meet with my church's Outreach Committee Chairperson, to discuss the possibility of the church becoming involved in my mission trip plan.
Hopefully the meeting will go well and I will have church support for my trip.

Update on mission trip planning

2008-02-13T10:47:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to update: So far I have met with my pastor and have tentative plans to meet with our Outreach committee chairperson. There is a possibility this could be made a church project, which would mean we could make it a mission work trip. I have also received some input from my former pastor/friend, who thinks their VBS leadership might be interested in dedicating the offering from VBS to a project to help with my mission. Just had to send him some information to show that Mayan Families is a legitimate organization. I have done this already, so am hopeful that he will present the idea to the VBS leadership. As you can see things are starting to happen. It is difficult to believe that just a couple of weeks ago this was only an idea, I discussed with Larry. We do plan to make a mission trip to Guatemala regardless of the pending decisions of the Outreach committee, it will just be on a smaller scale. Larry and I are planning to do at least a clothing/blanket drive because that is something we feel we can take on by ourselves. But we hope that our church will want to be involved so more people will be involved and we can accomplish so much more to provide help to these wonderful people. As soon as I know more I will update again

Planning a mission trip

2008-02-01T19:33:00.000-05:00

I am in the beginning stages of planning a mission trip to Guatemala. I have been given several ideas of areas that I could work on to be of help to Mayan Families. As soon as I make a decision on what project I am going to work on, I will post an update. I am really excited about the opportunity to be able to help even in a small way, the people of Guatemala. My family has been so very blessed by our son who was born in a small town there. So we want to do something to give back. That's all for now, will post more later, as my plans start taking shape.

New blog

2007-06-19T17:15:00.000-04:00

This is my first blog. My family has grown so much in the last 7 months. We went from being 2 to being 3. D.A. is a busy little one, into everything. Growing and learning more everyday. It is hard to believe 7 months have past already since we brought D.A. home. Just wanted to give this a try. Hope to post more later.