Journal, June 20-25, 2009

Great news! The container of wheelchairs that was being held up at customs has been released. Thanks for your prayers!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Weekends are supposed to be relaxing but this one did not start out that way. Friday night at around 11 PM Alex’s sister Gladys came over and asked me if I had the phone number of the doctor that I had taken Alex to see earlier in the day. I told her that I didn’t and that there was no way that I would be able to get it until Monday because all of the offices at Hermano Pedro would be closed until then. Gladys told me that he was feeling worse and that he was vomiting. I quickly went over to his house to check on him. His pulse was racing and his color did not look good so we decided to take him in to the National hospital here in Chimaltenango. Most of you know what I think of the National Hospitals here in Guatemala but I knew that they had oxygen and was hoping that they could give him something to control the vomiting. Actually they did both for him but I am glad that it was not a life and death situation because it took them 3 hours to do this. I managed to get to bed at around 2:00 AM but woke up early because the kids that were at my house when I went over to see Alex the night before had decided to stay and unfortunately by 7:00 Am they were slept out.







After breakfast, (At least I think that we had breakfast) Calin and I headed over to the wheelchair shop. Before knowing that I was going to be at the hospital all night I had agreed to meet a family who was coming in all the way from Cobon to have their daughter’s wheelchair refitted.









At 4:00 PM the kids and I went over to the soccer field. I had sent one of the kids over to reserve it earlier in the day but when we got there at 4 we were told that they had accidentally rented it to someone else as well so we could not have it until 5 PM. Since I had to be at the airport at 7:00 Pm to pick up a group that was coming in I was not able to play soccer but the kids got to play.


I know that I usually keep my Saturday and Sunday journal entries short but since the group that came in has offered to do most of this weeks journaling for me I figured that I would at least do today’s journal.

Anyway I hope that you enjoy the following journal entries that are done by various members of the 12 member teem that is here for a week.

Yours in Christ: Dick


Ellis wrote,

Wow, I find It hard to believe that Just earlier today I was asleep, safe ; warm in my bed, with my cell phone and laptop available for me to use whenever I wanted, and now I am on a plane, headed to Guatemala, armed with only my IPod nano and books to entertain me for the next couple hours on the plane. Originally my father, Kelly, and I were supposed to share 3 seats right next to each other. Thankfully Emma volunteered to take my Dads place and Sandwich between Kelly & Me. Luckily our trip has had only 1 minor Setback , the plane was delayed 25 minutes. I can’t wait to get to Guatemala now! I know the feeling, it will be like boy scout camp, can’t wait to get there, can’t wait to get home once you get there. I Didn’t sleep well last night, so goodnight, I am going to sleep, Blog ya later!



Emma wrote,

Hello from Dallas Texas!! I miss you all already!! The plane ride is ok. Its kind of boring, but reading makes the time go by! Last night I was at my boy-friends party and slept the night away. I got up at 5:00 in the morning to catch a 10:15 flight. Crazy, huh? Anyway, the plane ride isn’t as bad as usual. We were supposed to arrive at 3:15 in Dallas but the pilot was having some technical difleculties so we are now, arriving at 3:55. Can believe only one more hour till Guatemala? I’m so excited!! I will write back tomorrow. You will be in my prayers!! See you all later!!!


Sunday, June 21, 2009


Ellis Hughes wrote,

This morning Brad, Josh and I woke up to the horrible sound of josh’s foghorn alarm after not being able to fall asleep until about 1 or 2 in the morning, Guatemalan time. We arrived in Guatemala about 8. Customs was quick, and only Cathy was tested for swine flu. Dick and Chris Drove all around Guatemala City to take us to the BK, and wow, I am glad none of us were driving. There are almost no rules! People were getting cut off, and I didn’t see anyone use a blinker. On our way to Antigua we saw a guy lying on the side of the road. Ted asked Dick if we should stop, but Dick said that if we stopped, the police would think we did it.


Sharron Leinweber wrote,

I am sitting here in the open air courtyard outside our rooms watching the rain fall. I am just in awe of the incredible beauty. It was dark when we arrived in Antigua last night so I couldn’t tell how rich and green everything is. All the flowers are in bloom and the colors are so vibrant. Surprisingly I slept really well. I think I was the first one out in our room. Luckily, we are all readers before bed so that worked out really well. I woke up this morning to the sound of beautiful Guatemalan women outside in the courtyard making and selling the most amazing textiles. Good thing I haven’t had a chance to get any small casallas (I don’t think that is how the money is spelled, but you get the idea). Well now I am going to eat breakfast and then be off to church.




Molly Anderson wrote,

Hello ! I wish you could see all of the things we have seen. We’ve been here less than a day, but I already love Guatemala. Even our hotel is amazing. Although it is raining, it is warm and we’re eating breakfast under cover in the courtyard. The food is great; they gave us eggs, beans and fried plantains, as well as the “ best watermelon on earth”. Now I’m not a watermelon fan, but even I thought it was pretty good. I am totally enjoying the company of everyone, especially my “roommates” Marlene, Sharron, and Emma. Oh my goodness, I think we were all a little loopy last night. Emma had a sudden fear of cockroaches after Marlene told her that they are in every tropical country. Emma wanted to leave the lights on all night to keep them away, but we finally convinced her that they weren’t gonna bug her. She swears she heard them moving last night, but I have yet to hear or even see a single bug. Well I guess I have to go get my prayer book, everyone is done with breakfast ( desayuno) and we’re getting ready for devotions out in the courtyard. Adios!
Brad wrote, . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hay haws it going? Today we went to Hermano Pedro (orphanage) and that was one of the hardest things in my life to do. We stand outside and Dick told us about himself and how he got involved and that was cool. Then we went inside and we went and saw some of the kids and then things got hard. We went to the babies and then we were expected to hold them; I could not do that. I don’t know why I just couldn’t. Our tour of the hospital was H... for me!!! The rooms as they go on they get worse. Starting with the adults all the way to the disfigured babies. In the end I “played” soccer with a kid that can kick my..... in a walker.



I’m worried that when we go back on Thursday it will be as hard or harder for me.


Monday, June 22.2009

Brad, Josh and Ellis, wrote,

Last night we had to change our room to a couple rooms down. Apparently the toilets here can’t...…… How were we supposed to know? Anyway, after we moved from room 3 to room 9 because it was “necessary”, we tried to fall asleep. At that time it was about 8:30, and there was to be no sleep for us for the next couple hours, unbeknown to us. The room was definitely the same size, but it felt smaller. Then something happened. Brad started to laugh almost uncontrollably, and Josh and Ellis were so tired, they started to laugh at Brad, ..............

Bill Hughes wrote,

We all rose early this morning to be picked up at 5:45 AM. All of were ready, when Dick arrived but Chris, the wheelchair guy with the van, overslept. Cathy made the executive decision that I would take Ellis, Josh, Molly, and Brad with Dick. Dick had brought along Fernando, an eight year old from his neighborhood. Plus, Dr. Brad was in to provide free medical advice. The eight of us crammed into Dick’s Toyota that can seat five comfortably, and left. (Do not worry. We complied with all Guatemala traffic safety laws, at least the ones that are enforced.)

(Good thing that Bill was not with us the day that I had 21 people in my car. Dick)

As we left Antigua, we passed through a shanty town. I have seen these in pictures, but this is the first time I have seen one in person. THIS is poverty. The drive was beautiful. There is a volcano on the horizon that looks like a textbook volcano. It is spewing ash. Fortunately it is very far away.
(Click on any picture to enlarge)

We drove to Rio Bravo, about two hours out of Antigua. We set up in a covered area with a dirt floor. It is about the size of a skating rink. However, ice would not last more than a second. It was in the 80’s and high humidity. Most of us were uncomfortably hot and were drinking as much bottled water as we could hold. Some of the Guatemalan folks were wearing wool sweaters. We set up plastic chairs for the “patients” and their families. I think that whenever I see a plastic chair when I am in the US, I will think of Guatemala. They are everywhere here. We lined up 35 wheel chairs from a truck. Dick taught us the basics of fitting a wheelchair as the local politicians greeted everyone. What looked like a news crew filmed the process. Only Ted took more pictures.

Dick Rutgers, Ellis, and Brad set up an area for “specialized” chairs. These were the more customized units for more severely handicapped people. We also set up an area for Dr. Brad to meet patients. Father Tom and a local pastor met with individuals at another station. The rest of us broke into four teams of two for the “standard” wheelchair recipients. Chris had distributed pieces of paper with numbers on it.

Cathy and I started working with patient #1. He was an elderly gentleman with crutches. We helped him by picking from the selection of chairs in terms of seat width and height. We adjusted the foot supports to his needs, having to scavenge some pieces and parts. When we were done, he asked to see the doctor. We took his picture with us and wheeled him over to the doctor. The routine was the same, but each individual had his or her own story. One patient that touched me was an elderly lady. She said that she had broken her leg. She really had broken her hip. She is relatively frail, and in her 70’s. Her husband was in his late 80’s. He was really thankful to have us help his wife get around. The love for each other was apparent to me and all of us. Her prognosis is not bright. Dr. Brad gave advice to help her heal in the best way possible. We were able to help them get along in their lives.




Towards the end, Dick, Ellis, and Brad were working hard on a chair for a boy that needed a custom chair. Each time they added a piece, such as a chest belt or a head rest, he would break out in a BIG smile. It was a golden moment each time. He could not speak, but he did not have to.




After we gave chairs to everyone, Axel, our local contact, invited us to his home for lunch. A committee of women made us a delicious meal that we ate local delicacies on his patio. We all chatted about the people whom we served and had touched our hearts. We then loaded up and drove back to Antigua to take a shower.


Ellis wrote,

This morning we woke up too early. Granted, it was the time that I normally would wake up for school, but that night I had fallen asleep around midnight. After waking up, and getting dressed, we saw no one out in the courtyard, and assumed everyone had not woken up. After a few minutes, I saw some other people getting up. When Dick got here, only my dad, molly, josh, brad and I fit in with the gear, and two other people. When we got to the place to do the wheelchairs, brad and I got assigned to work on special wheel chairs.

The first kid that we helped was about 6, and after 3 hours, the chair had been modified and fit the child with Cerebral Palsy and seizures. The father and mother were thrilled, and eagerly learned how to move the angle of the wheelchair and move it around.
The next kid that was brought to us had scoliosis so severe that his organs had started to be destroyed. Brad, Dick and I took his leg, back, and waist measurements, and chose a wheelchair. Because Brad and I had gotten some experience from the previous person, our modifications were a lot quicker, and in less than two hours, the child was fitted and ready to go.



When we strapped him in, his smile almost split his face in half, and even though his scoliosis had almost bent his spine so it was nearly unrecognizable, he sat up strait in the seat. That had to be the highlight of my day.




Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The group will be with Chris and Howie building a house for the next few days. I will continue to post their journals but will also be writing about a few highlights of some of the things that have been taking place around here.

Doctor Brad Kamstra is here for a few days. About a year ago Brad is showed me how to treat the leg of Cesar, a man that 3 other doctors had told that his leg would have to be amputated. Brad had not seen Cesar since that first visit but I stayed in close contact with him and he continued to advise me on how to treat it. Several months of treatment and a lot of prayer proved positive and Cesar's leg is doing well. Today brad finally got to see Cesar again. Cesar and his family could not believe that Brad would take the time to visit them and thanked him over and over again.

Dick

Molly wrote,

Another early morning, and another great day. After showing up almost 45 minutes late yesterday, Chris Mooney decided to arrive to pick us up twenty minutes early today, much to my surprise (I was still in the shower when he pulled up, oops!). Although the hotel usually provides breakfast, six AM was too early for them, so we ate a gourmet breakfast at Burger King. After that deliciousness, we broke into two teams of six. One team jumped into Chris’s van and headed to the hills to build a home for a family with five or six children at home, and two more that are severely disabled and live in an orphanage. They spent the day leveling the lot, laying down cinder blocks, and mixing and pouring cement ( all by hand). They all worked very hard and got very dirty.




The team I was on went on a food distribution. At the beginning of the day, we sorted out several suitcases full of clothes into general age groups and packed six bags of food into the van, and headed out to visit families in need. Every family we visited was one part heartbreaking and one part awe inspiring. The children especially surprised me with their resilience. Even though they have faced hardships much more severe than I can fathom, they were cute and funny and downright joyful. Being able to communicate with them ( I’ve taken Spanish since 8th grade) more than most on the G-team has made it very easy to earn their trust and as Dick says, “Love on them”.


Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Emiliana Tol Vargas and her 4 children live in one room of a mostly vacant building in Chimaltenango Guatemala. Emiliana is unable to work due to poor health. Her oldest daughter works 3 days a week but after paying rent the family has less than $15 per month left for food, clothing, or any other expenses. We have found a sponsor so that the 2 younger children, Iadelaida and Estuardao can go to school and so that some food can be provided each month. Silvia who is blind was thrilled when I took her hand and explained each button of the audio bible that Calin, Cesar, and I brought her today. You should have seen her face light up when she heard the New Testament being read to here.

Emiliana tol Vargas and her 4 children
with their new Spanish audio bible.

Daughter Silvia , who is blind (holding bible) loves listing to Christian Music but up until today she had no way to read her bible.




After visiting Emiliana and her family the boys and I stopped by the shop to drop off some paper work. Our 5 minute stop turned out to be about an hour and a half though because a family that had a little girl that needed a wheelchair was there and there was no one around to fit her. My work was made easy though because Calin is getting really good a working on wheelchairs. Cesar does not have as much experience as Calin but he is very willing to learn.






Since I will be gone with a group on Saturday and Sunday, the boys and I took advantage of an hours break in the thunder storms and played soccer this afternoon.

I spoke with Alex today and although he still has to take it easy he is feeling much better. Please pray for a complete recovery.

Dick

Sharron Leinweber wrote,

Do you ever have those days when you know exactly what you are doing and everything is clearly planned and it doesn’t take you long to realize that God is laughing because you are silly enough to think you are in charge? Today was one of those days for me so bear with me as this may take a bit to explain. We split up again today and half the team began distributing food and clothes early this morning. Like yesterday, the first family we saw had several children without shoes. I cannot tell you how it feels to see these people in the muddy, dirty streets or hauling water without anything on their feet. That being said, I am already working on a way to possibly help alleviate some of this. The rest of the day was similar and we ended up finishing the distributions early. Our last stop was to bring food to the family of the build site. We were excited about helping the rest of the team with the build, but there were just too many people so we were stepping on each other. Some of us ended up taking some of the children for a walk instead, besides, we had a few members with “crummies in their tummies” so we needed to find a farmacia (notice the use of Spanish). We had not been gone long when a thunder storm began to threaten so we headed back. I have good news: the roof of the house does not leak and the gutters work great. Unfortunately, after such an intensive downpour – we could not finish the build. Now, if you remember, we have a few members that found the orphanage to be more than they were ready for and did not have the skills to cope with the feelings they encountered. Tomorrow is the day we get to go back and serve at the orphanage again. Well, here is the part where God was laughing because he saw how much stress this was causing and he already had it worked out. The boys (and Kelly) have to go back tomorrow and finish the build and will therefore be unable to join us on the trip to the orphanage. Wow – who could have planned that rain better? I sometimes wonder why I worry so much and take so long to just trust in the Lord. It sure would save me an awful lot of stress if I could figure that one out! Well, I am now off to bed – Buenos Noches! Sharron


Thursday, June 25, 2009

Today most of the team that is with us this week came along with me to Hermano Pedro. For many of them this has been a real exercise in broadening their comfort zones, but I think that today the group was prayed up and most of the fears of really getting in there and loving on these kids that some of them showed on Sunday appeared to be gone.







At noon we took nine teen age girls to lunch and I don’t know who had the most fun, the girls from the orphanage or the team. Overall I think that it was a win win situation. Everyone ended up with new friends and everyone was a bit richer for it. After lunch we spent some time in the park and a few of the more childish members of our team even had a water fight in one of the fountains. I made a promise to the rest of the group that I would try to grow up and refrain from getting any one wet if we ever do this again.



























We got the girls back to the orphanage at around 2 PM. That is when reality set in for the members of the team. The team members noticed that all of the wheelchairs were sitting empty in front of the rooms where the kids sleep and one of the ladies asked me if the kids were all taking naps. When I told her that they were in bed until 8 AM tomorrow morning they all looked at me in disbelief. “That is 18 hours!” one of them exclaimed. I think that they were still a bit in disbelief until the care givers motioned for them to bring the girls that we were bringing back from lunch to there beds so that they could be placed there until morning. Some of the team members stood by their beds weeping, others retreated for the halls where they could sit in silence. I know that some of them thought that I was a bit pushy when I insisted that they go in and say goodbye to the younger kids whom they had played with earlier in the day but I wanted the reality to sink in. Yes it was hard for them but I know that it would have been harder if they just walked out with out saying goodbye. Besides that, were we there so that we could feel good or were we there for the kids? So many people come and go in and out of the lives of these kids. Some of them refuse to love on the kids because they know it will hurt too much when it is time to say goodbye. Others leave when things get a bit uncomfortable. Thanks team for being there for the kids even if parts of your visit were difficult. I know that you made some of these kids very happy. I have a feeling that the kids had a positive impact on you as well. I wish that I could say that I no longer shed tears when I go to the orphanage. Then again perhaps I should be thankful that I do.


Yours in Christ: Dick


Only in heaven will we see how much we owe to the poor for helping us to love God better because of them.

Mother Teresa

Journal, June 13-19, 2009

This week I have not had much time to write, so my journal entries will consist of a lot more pictures than writing.











Sunday, June 13, 2009 -


On Saturday we manged to get the Lionel's house nearly completed.






All of Lionel's family were excited when they saw us unload a wood burning cook stove from the back of my car. Mom and oldest sister were the most though because they are the ones that spend countless hours cooking over an open fire.













On Sunday morning Howie and Nan headed back to Antigua while Ben, John, Jerry ,and I returned to Lionel's home to put some final touches on the addition to his families home.

While John, Jerry, and Ben installed the chimney I took out my computer and showed the family some of the photos that we had taken during the past few days.




The family liked seeing the photos of themselves and of their house being built but when I told them that I had pictures of Lionel they really got excited. Since most of the family was standing behind me I could not see their faces but Jerry told me that there was not a dry eye in the house. Just 2 days ago, after having prayer with the family and dedicating the house I had talked with them about taking Lionel back home. I explained to them that even though he was getting physically healthier at Hermano Pedro, that he was very homesick and that he spent a lot of his time crying. Mom and dad told me that they knew that he was close to death when we had taken him there and were afraid that the same thing might happen if he were to return to his home. They promised that they would think it over. They said now that they are getting some monthly help with food and 2 of there children's school needs are being taken care of that they were doing a lot better but that they were still worried that they could not properly care for him. They did promise that they would talk it over though.


The remainder of Sunday and all of Monday was spent visitig peole in various villages.







One of our first visits was to a boy that lives only a short distance from Lionells family. I had met this boy several months ago. His 82 year old grandmother takes extremely good care of him but she is very poor ,so up until today he has never owned a wheelchair.






...................

We were also taken to a home of a neighbor who has been bed ridden for several years now. I told the family that the 3 wheelchairs that I had in my car were already spoken for but promised them that I would get one for them as soon as possible. It is hard to make these families wait but we always have far more people needing wheelchairs than we can supply.

One of our visits was to Rolando,
a young man for whom we are providing a teacher.

Another visit was at the home of Rudy. Rudy needed some adjusting on the artificial leg that we gave him a few months ago.





Rudy is now walking well but he is growing fast so I am afraid that he will soon outgrow this leg.











Ben did an excellent job of interpreting for us and he was a big hit with the kids.











On Monday we made the 3 1/2 hour drive from Huehuetennago to the area where Lisvi use to live. The trip there can usually be done in 2 hours but when we were 45 minutes out of Huehue we realized that we had left the 3 wheelchairs that we were planning on giving away back at our motel. We all blamed Benjamin for that one. After all he was the only one of the 4 of us who was not over 60 years old. How on earth could any of us old codgers been expected to remember something like that? Never the less we finally made it up to this aldea that is located up a dirt road that takes you from 3800 feet above see level to 8200 feet above see level in the shortest distance humanly possible.




A few months ago Lisvi's family had asked me to take her back home with them instead of allowing her stay in the malnutrition ward of Hermano Pedro. I must admit that I had a rather sleepless night the night before taking them back to their home. During the trip back and the following day I got to know this family a lot better though and God gave me peace about this little girl going back to the loving arms of her Father. He even gave me peace when her father phoned me only 2 weeks later tell me that she was now in the arms of her Heavenly Father. Today I was able to see even a little more why knowing Lisvi for even a few days was so important. God had used Lisvi to help the people where she lived see that we were there because we cared, because God cares. I am quite sure that we will be seeing these people on regular basis.

John 4:34-36

"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don't you have a saying, 'It's still four months until harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now those who reap draw their wages, even now they harvest the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together."

We had planned on taking a northern rout back to Chimaltenango on Tuesday but on Monday night I received a phone call from Ronny's mother saying that Ronny has steadily been getting worse. She wanted to know if I could get him into Hermano Pedro to see a doctor there. I told the group that it would not be as scenic but explained the situation and asked if it would be OK if we took a bit of a southern detour home so that we could pick Ronny up and take him to Hermano Pedro. They unanimously agreed. The following morning we were on our way to the coast.



While on our way to Ronny's I received a phone call from Vicky, a friend that lives near the lake. She wondered if I could come and take a look at a little girl that had been coming in to a feeding center that Vicky and her husband operate. I told her that I would not be able to for at least a few days but suggested that she have someone bring the little girl in to Hermano Pedro and meet me there that evening. Roland Elf was also scheduled to meet us there with Florinda, the little girl that he and I had met last week.
It is now Thursday after noon. I brought Ronny back home yesterday. The doctor gave his mother some medicine but explained to her that Ronny is loosing strength and there is not a lot that can be done. Ronny’s mom broke into tears when she got home and tried to explain things to Ronny’s father. I have met several kids that have the same disease. None of them have lived to see their 18th birthday. Ronny is 15.






The little girl that Vicky sent in has also returned to her home. Even though she is blind and is hydrocephalic I think that she is going to be all right.













Florinda is not looking well but at least they have admitted her into the malnutrition ward of Hermano Pedro. Thank you Roland for being every bit as persistent as I can be.








A few hours ago I went over to Alex's house. Yesterday I found out that he had spent the weekend at the hospital. 13 year old Alex has always been one of my healthiest and most athletic kids. On Saturday night he woke up with severe chest pains. He is still quite week and cannot eat anything. The doctors at the national hospital are saying that it is his hart but tomorrow I will take him in to Hermano Pedro to get a more qualified doctor to look at him. Please pray for this family. In the last several months 3 of the children have been hospitalized. Pray also that Alex's father who has been in the USA for the past 6 years returns home soon. His family needs him here.




I wish to thank those of you who responded to Pat's journal a few weeks ago. Had it not been for that response I am not sure that any of the kids that I just wrote about would have gotten any medical help.

One more thing that I would like you to pray about concerns a phone call that I got last night. Chris Called telling me that a container of specialty children’s chairs that has been sent from the States is being held at customs. We are not sure but is sounds like any charitable goods that come into Guatemala can only come in through the first lady. I don't exactly know what that means or just how it is going to get resolved but there is a fee for every day that the container sits at port and around 200 children have to go that much longer with out wheelchairs.

Matthew 19:26

Jesus looked at them and said, "With human beings this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Thursday night, and things are pretty much back to normal, or at least as normal as things get around here. I just said goodbye to 16 American visitors who brought in pizza for the 20 or more kids that were here for supper. Since I had not been at home for several days to cook for the kids everyone was hungry and the 12 pizzas disappeared fast. Everyone had a good time though but the floors that Fernando had swept for me this morning looked more like normal. Before supper he had offered to sweep them again after dinner but after taking one look at them he mysteriously disappeared for the rest of the night.

Well I am now down to just 2 kids and myself so I guess I well call it a day. Before I do though I would like to speak out in defense of the food that I feed my kids and my personal eating habits.

A few of you have been writing to me stating your concerns about the type of food that I feed the kids and myself. I want you to know that I do not take your comments lightly even when you are wrong so I asked my Guatemalan Doctor if there was a slight possibility that I was wrong and that you were right. Here it is straight from my doctors mouth. Now remember though that I am fairly deaf and my Spanish leaves a bit to be desired so there is a chance that a little bit got lost in the translation. Any way this is what I think I heard.

Q: Doctor, I've heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life. Is this true?
A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that's it... don't waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that's like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?
A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?
A: Can't think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain...Good!

Q: Aren't fried foods bad for you?
A: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!!! ..... Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they're permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?
A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO! Cocoa beans ! Another vegetable!!! It's the best feel-good food around!

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?
A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?
A: Hey! 'Round' is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

AND.....

For those of you who watch what you eat, here's the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you..


I think that I'll go and have bowl of ice cream and a Pepsi and then head off to bed.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Friday, June 19, 2009, 2:31 PM

I just returned for Hermano Pedro with Alex, his mother, and older sister. Not only was Alex able to see a regular doctor today but he also saw a hart specialist. It appears that there is a slight problem with one of the valves of his hart so the specialist prescribed some medicine that he is to take for a month and then the doctor wants to see him again. Meanwhile no running or any other strenuous activity. This is not going to be easy for Alex because he loves to play soccer.




While I was at Hermano Pedro I went up into the malnutrition ward to see Florinda. They have inserted a feeding tube so hopefully she will gain back some much needed weight. To my knowledge the doctors have not yet determined what she has. Roland and I had thought that a medical student had pinpointed it when he said that she had all of the symptoms of tetanus but her doctor told us that there is no way that she could have stayed alive this long if she had tetanus. Pleas pray that they can figure out what she has before it is to late.







I also spent a bit of time with Jose. Jose who is now nearly 3 years old is no longer 8 pounds but he still looks like a baby. People are really shocked when they see that he can walk.








7:23 PM

I just got back from Antigua. Chris, Donna, Benjamin, and Cindy picked me up and we then went to Hermano Pedro and picked up Fidel. It was his 24th birthday this week and we had promised him that we would take him out for supper. We have been celebrating birthdays with him for several years now. Fidel has no living relatives so he sort of considers us family. Fidel gets pretty lonely at times and this outing meant a lot to him.


Well it is Friday night and my house is rapidly filling up with other kids that are begging for some attention, so I will say, “Goodnight”

Yours in Christ: Dick





"Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat."

Mother Teresa

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

Journal, June 6-12, 2009

(Click on any picture to enlarge)

Saturday, June 6, 2009, 8:54 PM

Weekends are made for relaxing so this morning Calin, Fernando, and I went to the Orphanage and relaxed by playing with some of the kids. As expected Calin and Fernando got hungry at around noon so we decided to go to Camperos and have some lunch. Since we had taken no tools along with us today for fixing wheelchairs we decided that we just as well use our hands for something so we each took an orphanage kid along with us to lunch. Now you may think that taking 3 kids that are in wheelchairs out to lunch is no way to relax but don’t knock it until you have tried it. One big advantage of coarse is having 2 kids like Calin and Fernando come along with you to help out. These 2 are so in love with the kids at the orphanage that there is no way that I could convince them that pushing wheelchairs several blocks over cobble stone streets and then trying to feed your self with one hand while feeding some one else with the other is anything but fun. Come to think of it I would be hard to convince that there is any better way to spend your weekend.





We managed to get back home in time for 2 of us to get haircuts and also bought a week’s worth of groceries. Well I thought it was a week’s worth but what is becoming our weekly Saturday night soccer game worked up some appetites and the 12 kids that were at my supper table put a pretty good dent in what I thought was a weeks supply of food.








I told the kids that I needed a bit of quiet time tonight so I actually have the house to my self. I think that it may be short lived though because I told Calin that he could come back at 10. His mom and step dad have been fighting again and mom has been staying with Calin’s grandmother for the past several days. There is not much room at grandmother's house for Calin and he really does not want to stay at his house with his step dad.

Well I still have a half hour, so I think that I will kick back and listen to the silence……whoops there goes the door bell.

Mother Teresa once said,

“Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired.” She also said, “I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Sunday, June 7, 2009, 9:17 PM

Moyses and Byron joined The 10 kids that came along with me from home and myself and the 13 of us went to church and then to Chimaltenango for lunch. I dropped off 8 of the kids before bringing Moises and byron back to the orphanage because I wanted to visit with Jo Jo and figured that 10 unsupervised kids would be pushing it. My kids love going to the orphanage and playing with the kids but 10 of them at one time has proven in the past to be a mistake on my part.

Just 15 days ago, in my May 23 Journal entry I wrote the following.

"Even though they were just reprimanded for it last week the nurse that fed Jo Jo, who has severe breathing problems, managed to squeeze a full bottle of milk into him in approximately 30 seconds. The way that he gagged and coughed during and after the feeding indicated that a lot of the milk went directly into his lungs."

This morning I visited Jo Jo who was in the intensive care unit of Hermano Pedro. Judging by his condition I was not sure weather or not this would possibly be my last visit with him. He was unresponsive and even though his eyes were open his pupils were not visible. When I returned later this afternoon I was happy to see that his condition had improved greatly. Praise God, even though he has a long way to go it looks like he is going to pull through another bout of pneumonia.

Tonight all 10 of the kids that came along to church with me are back plus another half dozen. Those that are not playing a board game in the house are playing a lively game of soccer out in my yard and by the sound of things I better get out there and supervise if I want to save my windows and keep the first aid kit full.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick

10:24 PM

I just received a phone call from Rolland. He is in a village that is located about an hour out of Huehuetenango. On May 26 Roland and I took Balanca a little girl with club foot from this village to Hermano Pedro to see about the possibility of having a teem of orthopedic specialists that are coming in from the States operate on her in July. Tomorrow at 4:00 AM Roland is taking her and her family in to Guatemala City by buss so she can receive some final tests to determine weather or not she is a candidate for this surgery. Tonight’s phone call was about another little girl that Roland found this evening who is starving to death. Just a few days ago I had to tell Roland that we had nothing left in our medical funds and we would have to stop taking new kids in for medical attention until we received more funds. Roland told me that the little girl that he had met tonight reminded him of Lisvi a little girl that had died just a few months ago. He said that did not look like she would last more than a few days if we did not get her into the malnutrition ward of Hermano Pedro. I have not checked to see if any money came in this week that has been designated for medical expenses but it doesn’t matter. If her family agrees, Tuesday morning Roland and I plan on driving up to her village to pick her up.




Mark 10:14 (New International Version)



When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”









... .. . . Lisvi 2003 - 2009


Goodnight again,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Monday, June 8, 2009

Wow! Monday’s are the days that the therapists are supposed to swim with the kids at Hermano Pedro. What is incredible is that today it actually happened. Granted only 6 of the kids got to swim but at least those 6 enjoyed themselves. A few of the therapists got into the pool with full intentions of keeping their hair dry but Byron and I had other plans. Once they found out that there was no way that that was going to happen all but 2 of them joined in on the fun. I still can’t figure out why some people believe that anything that is good for you can’t be fun. Sort of like, Church and school, back when I was a kid. Any way most of us had fun and both the kids and the adults got plenty of exercise.



After swimming I signed Henry out and we went over to Hope haven’s wheelchair factor and picked up 2 brand new wheelchairs. Henry had a great time visiting with some of the workers while I loaded up the chairs. While driving back to the orphanage Henry made it perfectly clear that he was in no hurry to get back there, so he and I stopped of at the Café that our church runs and had some lunch. After lunch I fitted Edwin a new boy at the orphanage into one of the wheelchairs that we had picked up.




I headed for home at around 2 PM because I needed to have some more work done on my car. After all it had been nearly a week since it had been into the shop. If you could spend a week with me and see where this car goes you would understand that this car is not a lemon In fact it has to be nothing short of a Sherman tank to have stood up this good. Just ask anyone who has ridden in it and they will at least tell you that it rides like a Sherman tank. Four hours later my car was once again ready for another week of battle. I figured that was $12 well spent even if $3 per hour is outrageous.

Lots of kids tonight and either they were a lot louder than usual or I am getting my hearing back. I had previously told them that they could all stay until 10 PM but by the time 9 PM rolled around I seriously considered making my home the only one in all of Guatemala that observed daylight savaging time. Even after 12 of them left ant there were only the 4 that I had previously given permission to stay things still stayed a bit on the wild side. Fact is I got a bit frazzled when it waked out of the house and saw water flowing out of the door way to my bathroom. My first thoughts were that a water pipe had broken but I soon discovered that there was a water fight going on. I guess I must have not used my Mr. nice voice when I not so politely asked the kids to stop because with in a matter of seconds the water that was flowing was coming from the eyes of a few of the boys. I instantly apologized for yelling but went on to explain that I did not appreciate seeing nearly every item that was not securely anchored down flowing out of my bathroom door.

It is now close to midnight. The kids have all been reassured that I still love them, even though the water fight had gotten completely out of hand. All of the tears have dried. Now I can only hope that my bathroom floor will do the same.

Goodnight:
Yours in Christ: Dick

(Note to self) If you need the bathroom during the night remember to put on your high top shoes.


Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Funny ting how last week I threatened to cut back on my journal writing but and then discover that so far this week my journal entries are longer than ever. I can’t exactly explain it but some how I seem to be finding more time to write. I guess that is why I find my self sitting here at 3:23 AM writing this entry. I guess this is my hour break from a good night’s sleep.

This morning I met up with Rolland Elf at Hermano Pedro. Yesterday Roland had taken Blanca along with her parents to get some tests done in the capital that would help to determine weather or not she was a candidate for corrective surgery of her two clubfeet. Today she was scheduled to see the neurologist who would make that final decision.

Pat had mentioned in one of the journal entries that she had made for me last week that due to a drained medical fund we were going to have to stop bringing kids in for medical help for a while. Have you ever tried saying no to a six year old girl who has been offered the opportunity to walk though? We couldn’t say no, and I don’t think that God wanted us to. Then a man named Jairus, a synagogue leader, came and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl of about twelve, was dying. (Luke 8: 41 & 42) I have my doubts that Jesus checked how much money he had in His wallet before heading out to see this girl. Could it be possible that these verses had been placed in the bible so that we could learn something from them?


We were unable to stay with Blanca’s family at the hospital long enough to here what the neurologist’s decision was though because we were on our way to pick up Florinda, another little girl that needed medical attention. I know what we wrote last week but how do you say no? Three and a half hours later when we walked into the mud brick dwelling that Florida’s family called home it was confirmed that we had done the right thing. I feared that this frail little 3 and a half year old may not even survive the car ride to the hospital but we had to let this family know that some one cared.






About a year ago when Florida who up until that point was a healthy happy little girl had developed this mysterious condition her parents had taken her to the national hospital in Mazatenango only to be told by the doctors there that they did not know what was wrong with her but that she would likely dye. Florida’s parents know that their daughter was very ill and that our taking her to Hermano Pedro was no guarantee that she would survive but they also know that if she did not get medical help that she would not last more than a few days. It nearly broke my hart when they told us that they had no money to pay to burry her if she died along the way. As mother and father walked to my car carrying their precious little daughter I looked back to say goodbye to the rest of the family. Several of them were crying. I know that they were wondering if they would ever see Florida again.The trip went well and we got the family settled in to Cassa Defay before dark. Tomorrow morning Florinda and her family will see a doctor who cares. We are praying that something can be done for this little girl. I feel though that just by showing this family that some one cares a lot has already been made it worth it.

Oh by the way when I got home I had an e-mail from some one saying that God had laid it on their harts to send some money to be deposited into our medical fund. This will help take care of the medical expenses of these 2 girls but I can guarantee you that there will be a lot more Florindas and Blancas. Fact is on our way home I received a phone call from someone telling me about Edvin Baudilio Requiac Morales, she asked me if we had a wheelchair for Edvin. She went on to tell me that 9 year old Edvin weighs 23 pounds.

I have just received word from the neurologist that next month Blanca will be able to have corrective surgery on her 2 clubfeet.

Goodnight,
Yours in Christ: Dick


Wednesday, June 10, 2009


Fernando and his Mom (actually his aunt) were at my door at 7:00 AM. Fernando’s aunt has been having chest pain and at times almost blacks out, so she had agreed to come along to Hermano Pedro to see a doctor today. When we reached Antigua we stopped of at Cassia Defay and picked up Florinda, her family and Rolland. And then headed to Hermano Pedro. When we got there the hallways were already filled with people that were hoping to see a doctor. Had it not been for the fact that the hospital staff had saved a number for both Florinda and Fernando’s aunt I am not sure that they would have been able to see doctors today. It was still quite a wait but shortly before noon Fernando’s aunt was escorted into