Weaver's Blog

Welcome Home!

2010-10-01T16:42:00.001-07:00

We left Guatemala and flew home to Pennsylvania on September 29. We were grateful for the opportunity to serve with Orphan Resources for two years. It was a privilege and an honor.

We were surprised to find a group of folks from Blue Ball Church of the Brethren waiting to greet us at the Newark airport. What a wonderful welcome home!

Emily's Birthday

2010-09-21T15:29:00.001-07:00

Emily celebrated her 13th birthday on September 20. We invited the Freeds over for cake and ice cream.

Wow, a teenager!

Good-by Rosa de Amor

2010-09-20T17:12:00.001-07:00

Yesterday (Sunday) afternoon we visited the Rosa de Amor orphanage one last time. I prepared an activity for the kids, as they love crafts.

Maria and Kati

Charlie and Emily with little Rosita.

I also gave each child a coloring book and crayons, thanks to Ron Good and his "coloring book project". Miguel asked Alisha to help him color.

Here I am with most of the children who live at the home. Oh, how hard it was to say good-by!

Roller Coaster

2010-09-19T16:18:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday after church we went to the Carrion mall for lunch with some friends from church.

This is the first time we've been to this interesting mall in Guatemala City. There is a roller coaster inside the mall!

Everyone except Maria and Emily went for a ride. Even Tony went, although he told me that he only enjoyed the straight parts.

There were also bumper cars. Tony rode with his friend, Jarod. He had a blast shooting the laser! If you hit the target on another car "bumpers" came down and bopped them on the head.

Charlie and Maria rode together in another car.

There was also something I'd never seen before, huge plastic balls in a shallow pool of water. Tony was the only one small enough to go for a ride inside. He climbed inside, they inflated it, and he crawled around on the water. We really enjoyed our afternoon at this fun mall.

Operation Rescue

2010-09-05T14:22:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday, September 1, a group of us visited a feeding center and school called Operation Rescue, located in Guatemala City near the dump. ORI donates food to this organization on a monthly basis.

Monday through Friday the children are bussed in from the slums and the dump. The day we visited 95 kids piled off the bus. We lined up and they greeted each one of us as they entered the facility.

They serve the kids a hot breakfast each morning. We helped serve pancakes the day we were there.

Charlie found two little friends. The kids just loved the attention we gave them.

After breakfast the children went to their classrooms. The younger children, 130 of them, attend morning classes. Fifty kids attend high school in the afternoons.

Rosa de Amor

2010-09-01T14:11:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, August 29, our family (minus Nick and Ben) took the teenage girls from Rosa de Amor out for lunch. We were celebrating my birthday and Yolanda's birthday, both in August. We had a fun time getting to know the girls a bit better.

We went to a restaurant in Antigua called La Estancia. I was saddened to realize that of the five teenagers, only one was able to read the menu. These dear girls have had so few educational opportunities in their difficult lives. We were thankful to have one of the orphanage workers along, and she helped them order their food.

We also had two babies along, the girls' children. Little Rosita was an angel the entire meal.

When we returned to the orphanage, I had a craft for all the kids. We made animal masks. Every time I take an activity the teenagers want to participate, too.

Some of the girls proudly wearing their masks.

Tony - the gorilla.

Lost

2010-08-29T19:32:00.000-07:00

We saw this truck in San Lucas Guatemala. I think he is slightly lost. Not sure if that message will get delivered.

Iximche

2010-08-25T18:45:00.001-07:00

Sunday morning we left Xela and headed for home. On the way we stopped at the Mayan ruins of Iximche, near the town of Tecpan. As with many attractions, we "extranjeros" had to pay five times the amount to enter as the "guatemaltecos". Guatemalans - Q10. Foreigners - Q50.

It was an enjoyable, peaceful place. The children had fun climbing and jumping on the ruins.

The ball court.

The Mayans still hold sacred ceremonies on the site.

Quetzaltenango

2010-08-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

After spending time in Panajachel, we drove an hour and a half further north to the town of Quetzaltenango, where we spent another two days. This town is more commonly known as Xela.

We stayed at the Hotel del Campo outside of Xela. It was old and dreary, but it was clean and the price was right...really cheap!

Saturday morning we drove into Xela and walked around the town square.

This building housed several different restaurants.

Taken from Xela town square.

We saw quite a few shoe shine "shops" set up around the plaza. Every town we've visited in Guatemala seems to have shoe shine boys. They are usually young boys or sometimes teens, but these in Xela were older men. It was sobering to think these men have probably been shining shoes their whole lives.

The cathedral. There was a Catholic confirmation taking place while we were visiting. There were Mayans everywhere, dressed in their very best.

One of the girls who participated in the confirmation carrying the gifts she received in the basket on her head. She also had a large bundle in her hand.

Mother and daughters wearing the native dress of Xela.

These three ladies are modeling traditional hair braiding. I think it must be a dying tradition, as I've only seen older ladies wearing their hair in this fashion.

The old part of town consists of narrow, crooked, one-way, cobblestone streets.

Too Much Rain!

2010-08-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken as we were traveling to and around Lake Atitlan. This year's rainy season has been unusually heavy, and as a result, there have been many mud slides.

We saw quite a few mud slides on the roadway and several places where the road had been washed away. Notice the waterline in the bottom right. It was staked up with tree branches.

This cave-in was really deep. How do you fix something like this??

The road crew was working on this one, although I'm not sure what they were attempting to do.

This little tienda (store) was washed into the riverbed.

A mudslide swept into this home.

Panajachel

2010-08-24T17:41:00.001-07:00

We spent two days, August 18 & 19, in the town of Panajachel on the shore of Lake Atitlan, about three hours northwest of our home. We enjoyed the brief vacation with our friends and fellow co-workers, the Freed family and Buddy Esh.

We left early Wednesday morning - 6:00 a.m. - to beat rush hour traffic in the city. We stopped in the town of Tecpan, which was about the halfway point, and ate breakfast at this restaurant called Katok.

This waterfall is just outside the town of Panajachel. Notice the small figure on the left. That's Charlie! Of course, he had to climb up and investigate.

The first thing we did was visit the Atitlan Nature Reserve. They have a zip line through the forest, and most of our group tried it out.

I stayed with Risa, Emily, Maria, and Tony while the rest did the zip line. While we waited we hiked the forest trails and enjoyed the scenery. There were several hanging wooden bridges that Tony really enjoyed and which made the girls nervous. We saw several spider monkeys and some coatis, which are in the raccoon family.

We stayed in two small houses at a facility called Las Buenas Nuevas. It was really nice. We had kitchens and made our own breakfast each morning. Alisha, Emily, Abby, and Risa are enjoying their breakfast on the front porch.

We stayed on the shore of Lake Atitlan. It is said to be the most beautiful lake in the world. I don't know about that, but it is the prettiest place we've visited in Guatemala.

Thursday morning Charlie, Maria, Tony, and I visited two small towns on the shores of the lake. This is Santa Catarina Palopo, built on the side of the mountain.

There were many ladies trying to sell their handicrafts along the street. This lady is using a back strap loom, a very common method of weaving. I am fascinated with the different patterns and colors; each town is distinctive.

This lady in the town of San Antonio Palopo was using a larger hand loom to do her weaving. The women and girls in this town all wore identical outfits. The Mayan women of each town have their own distinctive pattern of dress, but there is usually a good bit of variation. Not in this town. Most of the women even wore matching headpieces and plastic gold beads.

The lady pictured above asked if she could dress us in the native costume of San Antonio. Interestingly, the men in this town wear black checked kilts. She was, of course, hoping to sell the clothes to us. Sadly (for her), we didn't buy a thing. But Charlie did, however, give her a tip for the photos.

Rosa de Amor

2010-08-16T19:53:00.000-07:00

Last week we hosted a work team from Canada. Yesterday, Sunday, our family spent the day with the team. We took the children from Rosa de Amor to church and then to Pollo Campero (Guatemala's favorite chicken restaurant) for lunch before returning to the orphanage for some fun activities. It was a very special treat for these children, as they rarely get to go anywhere except to school.

The girls really enjoyed making bead bracelets and necklaces.

One of the team members helped Carolina make a place mat.

Several of the team members tried their hand at body painting. Anna received a flower bracelet.

Tony asked Ryan for a "fire breathing dragon".

The finished product. Tony was so pleased with it!

Max also got a dragon, only on his face.

Glendy was very proud of her butterfly.

Family Life

2010-08-16T19:31:00.000-07:00

Tony loves when his older brothers help him build towers with his wooden blocks.

Tony was so proud that this tower was taller than he was.

Charlie and I stopped at a comedor (tiny restaurant) for lunch one Saturday afternoon. We got soup, a piece of chicken, vegetables, tortillas, and lemonade for less than $2.00 each.

Maria reading a book to Tony in the hammock on our patio.

Tony dressed as his favorite superhero - Spiderman!

Nuevo Reto

2010-08-05T17:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 31, we visited the Nuevo Reto orphanage with the Manheim BIC team. This is a small home with about 15 children. Their facility could easily accommodate more, but they do not have the resources to take in more orphans at this time.

We loaded all of the children onto the bus and took them on an outing to the Guatemala City zoo. Here is part of our group enjoying ice cream cones.

Tony enjoyed the giraffes, but his favorite animals were the snakes.

When we returned from the zoo, the team gave gifts to each of the children. Twins Ana and Ilda were pleased with their presents.

The older boys are housed in a temporary facility nearby. By law, boys and girls older than age 12 may not live in the same building. The director gave us a "tour" of the guys' tin house.

The inside of the teen boys' home.

Nuevo Reto is preparing to build a permanent facility for the boys. We had a prayer of blessing on the property.

Uh oh! The bus got stuck in the mud and needed a little push.

Los Gozosos

2010-08-04T18:14:00.001-07:00

The Manheim group spent their work days at the Los Gozosos orphanage, a small home for special needs children.

One of their projects was building a new swing set.

Building a wooden swing.

The group also did lots of lawn work. Ben and Buddy transplanted this tree.

On Friday the group hosted a birthday party for the orphanage - with Domino's pizza

Lady, the birthday girl. She was thrown down a well as a newborn and suffered severe brain damage.

Manheim Brethren in Christ

2010-08-04T17:26:00.000-07:00

A group from Manheim Brethren in Christ church was here on a work team July 26 - August 2.

Matt and Karen Burkholder and Lane and Nicole Burkholder families

Tony with Grant and Carter Burkholder

Matt and Karen treated us to lunch at La Estancia in Antigua. Delicious!

The kids playing soccer at My Father's House, the guest house where the team stayed.

Festival in Antigua

2010-07-28T09:27:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, July 25, we visited the historic city of Antigua to observe Dia de Santiago, Saint James Day. It is a celebration of the founding of Guatemala. Antigua is a former capital of Guatemala, and James is their patron saint. Lots of people were gathered in the town square. A marimba band was playing under the white canopy. Several dancing couples on stage were entertaining the crowd. In the background is a building called the Palace of the Captains General, which served as a military barracks in the 1700's.

The Cathedral of San Jose stands on one side of the square. It was originally built in 1545, destroyed by an earthquake in 1583, rebuilt in 1670 and destroyed by another earthquake in 1773. It has been partially restored.

The inside of the cathedral was beautifully decorated with fresh flowers.

I've included three very common sights in Antigua. The first one is vendors; they seem to be everywhere! And as "rich gringos" we are their favorite targets. I get very tired of having trinkets thrust in front of my face and tire of saying, "No gracias".

Military personnel are another common site. There are also many national police, traffic police, and tourist police providing security in Antigua.

Unfortunately, beggars are also a common sight in the city.

Tony and Maria were excited to be able to take a horse ride around the block. I thought it was funny that the guy tied them onto the saddle with ropes.

What fiesta would be complete without firecrackers?

This fellow was parading around with fireworks shooting from the framework he carried on his head.

The evening was capped off with an amazing fireworks display.

Indiantown Mennonite

2010-07-17T18:26:00.001-07:00

Indiantown Mennonite youth group was here this past week as an ORI work team.

We took them to Antigua on Thursday for a day of sightseeing, where this photo was taken.

The team spent their work days at the Vida Ilimitada orphanage. They poured footers and laid block for a building that will eventually serve as a kitchen and laundry. They also dug ditches, moved dirt, and did some interior painting.

El Jefe - The Boss

The girls and I drove out to the orphanage on Friday to help prepare a special lunch for everyone, about 75 people with the team members, orphanage kids, and staff. We grilled hamburgers and also had chips, watermelon, and cookies. We did this as a special treat for the children at Vida, and they really seemed to enjoy it. This orphanage is on a very tight budget and the children rarely get anything other than rice and beans to eat.

After we ate, the group had a pinata for the little kids.

As always, Charlie's water rocket was a big hit with the boys!

Some kids had fun with the giant bubble wand.

The group also did some crafts with the children. I didn't include a picture of this, but the older guys played soccer while the younger ones participated in these activities. It was a fun afternoon for everyone.

Dedication at Fundaninos

2010-07-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, July 10, the ORI staff was invited to Fundaninos for a celebration and dedication of the newly completed director's apartment.

We are all gathered in front of the building. The babies and toddlers live on the first floor, and the director's new apartment is on the second floor.

Manolo, one of the founders of Fundaninos, and Jim, director of ORI, unveiled a plaque giving credit to those who helped fund the building project.

We then gathered upstairs in the "living room" for a few comments and prayer.

The director's youngest son read a letter thanking ORI for all of their work.

Each of the ORI staff received a certificate and a hand-painted picture. Afterward we were served a meal of beef fajitas, black beans, nachos, and salsa.

Ingraham Family

2010-07-03T17:53:00.000-07:00

We hosted a small work team June 21 - 28, the Ingraham family from Lancaster County. They spent their work week at the Nuevo Reto orphanage building closets. The children did lots of painting.

We visited the Luz de Maria orphanage, which has lots of children under the age of five. The big bubble blower was a hit.

This little girl wouldn't go to anyone but Maria.

Her birth-mother tried to throw this little girl from a bridge, but thankfully she was rescued by passers-by.

San Juan Festival

2010-06-27T15:21:00.001-07:00

Charlie, Nick, Alisha, and I traveled to the town of San Juan Sacatepequez on Thursday, June 24, to observe a festival in honor of their patron saint, John the Baptist. There were costumed dancers on the town square. This young fellow was happy to pose for a photo in exchange for Q1. He and his two friends seemed to enjoy the attention.

The masked dancers were wearing elaborate and beautiful costumes with feathered headdresses.

The men were dancing to the music of the marimba, Guatemala's national instrument.

We walked inside the Catholic church, which was decorated with fresh flowers and many candles.

At noon, there was a procession. Unfortunately, we just caught the tail end of it. We arrived just in time to see this float carried by on the shoulders of many men. I assume it is their patron, Saint John.

This lady is wearing the native costume of the town of San Juan. Nearly every women and girl we saw was wearing native Mayan dress, one of the reasons I find this town so fascinating.

The 'food court'. We saw lots of interesting foods for sale, including iguana meat. Charlie bought some deep fried pacaya. This unusual plant grows on the slopes of the nearby Volcan Pacaya, thus giving the mountain its name.

We saw several vendors selling live chickens.

Several blocks from the square there was a small fair with children's rides. We were amused by the merry-go-round. Some wooden horses were missing, so they simply strapped plastic riding toys in their place.

Charlie bought french fries from this food stand for Q3 ($0.35). They actually were not bad.

Happy Birthday!

2010-06-25T13:42:00.001-07:00

Nicholas turned 21 on June 18th. As he was flying home from the States that date, we celebrated his birthday a few days later.

Tony celebrated his fourth birthday on June 23.

What fun! Lots of presents!

A new ball and glove from Grandma!

La Senda

2010-06-21T18:19:00.001-07:00

Last week, June 14 - 19, ORI hosted a work team from North Carolina, a youth group from Biltmore Baptist Church. This hard-working bunch spent their week constructing a soccer court at La Senda orphanage.

Charlie (in floppy sun hat) running the cement mixer while an enthusiastic young fellow waits his turn to carry the wheelbarrow.

Ben worked really hard and had lots of blisters and sore muscles when the week was over.

First, the group laid nearly 6000 pavers, and then they poured a concrete border.

Sweeping the finished court. This is such a big improvement over the dust and mud the children previously had to play on.

After the work was completed on the last day the group did some crafts with the children. As always, Tony was a willing participant.

Huge Sinkhole

2010-06-18T20:27:00.000-07:00

Most of you have probably heard about the huge sinkhole that opened up in Guatemala City following Tropical Storm Agatha. I've posted this, not because these photos are the greatest, but because this sinkhole made international news. Of course, we had to go check it out. We visited this past Sunday afternoon, about two weeks after the event occurred.

The police, of course, had the road closed...and were standing guard.

There was a short tin wall surrounding the giant hole. We walked up and peered over.

This is what we could see from behind the barrier. The hole is 66 feet wide and 100 feet deep. It completely swallowed a three-story building. It was a clothing factory. The earth caved in an hour after closing time. Earlier that day many children had been in the building picking up school uniforms. Only the security guard was killed. As we were standing here a man approached who spoke English. He said he is friends with the owner of the factory. The owner lives on this street, a couple houses from the hole, but is too afraid to return to his home.

Hot Hot Lava

2010-06-13T18:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we visited Volcan Pacaya. Since the eruption on May 27, lava has been flowing near the small town of Los Pocitos. Always enterprising, the Guatemalans have started charging Q 50 ($ 6.50) for curious folks to walk through a field to see the lava flows. We thought it was funny; they even have food stands set up in the field.

This is a fresh lava flow, still glowing red in places. A guide told us it began flowing onto the field 11 days ago, destroying two houses. There are still cows and horses grazing in the field.

The lava is moving at a speed of one foot per minute.

It was really hot! We posed for pictures, but we couldn't stand close to the lava for very long.

Charlie and Ben climbed up on top to get a better view, obviously at a cooler spot.

Ben could only stand this close to the lave for the few seconds it took to snap a photo. Too hot!

San Pablo la Laguna

2010-06-10T20:03:00.001-07:00

We delivered the truckload of food to a pastor's home in San Pablo la Laguna, a small town on the northern shore of Lake Atitlan.

Many willing helpers unloaded the food. The pastor knew of 125 families in the vicinity that were affected by the mud slides.

Street in San Pablo. There were tuk tuks (three wheeled taxis) everywhere. Unlike the other towns we've visited on the shores of Lake Atitlan, San Pablo does not appear to receive many tourists.

Charlie and I took a short tuk tuk ride down to the lake.

After leaving San Pablo, we dropped off more food at a nearby town called Santa Clara la Laguna. I was pleased to discover a nearby market. I took a few pictures while the guys unloaded the food. I wish I'd had more time; I love the local markets.

This is one of the few areas of the country where the men wear skirts as their native dress.

Mud Slides

2010-06-10T19:40:00.001-07:00

On Tuesday, June 8, another ministry asked to borrow ORI's box truck to deliver food to victims of mud slides caused by Tropical Storm Agatha. Charlie volunteered to drive, and I tagged along to keep him company for the day. As we were traveling north on CA-1 we saw numerous mud slides, still partially blocking the road a week and a half after the storm. There were many places where only two lanes of this four lane highway were open.

Congratulations Ben!

2010-06-06T14:01:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Ben for completing his senior year of high school! While he won't receive his "official" diploma until after we return home, we wanted to celebrate this important
milestone in his life.

We had a party with the other ORI families last Sunday, May 30, and I presented Ben with a diploma...of sorts. I feel as though this is as much a celebration for me as for him - after being his teacher for 12 years!

I ordered a cake from Price Smart (the local equivalent of Costco).

Soccer, of course! Ben's favorite subject!

This has nothing to do with Ben, but I've included it anyway. Tony was having fun playing "dress-up" at a friend's house - his favorite character, Spiderman.

Pacaya Erupts

2010-05-31T11:07:00.001-07:00

Pacaya Volcano erupted Thursday evening, May 27. The children called Charlie and I, who were in Xela, to say that ash was falling at our house.

The ash resembled coarse, black sand. The kids had fun playing in it.

It wasn't nearly as much fun when they needed to clean it up the next day!

It was made worse by the fact that it began raining Thursday night and all of the sand got wet. It was a huge mess, and we are hoping there are no more eruptions!

Scene in the nearby town of Villa Canales.

Also in Villa Canales

Trip to Quetzaltenango

2010-05-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

Charlie and I took a trip to the town of Quetzaltenango May 26 - 28, to celebrate our 24th anniversary. This town is about a four hour drive from our home. Unfortunately, Mayan protestors had blockaded the roads into town and it took us eleven hours of driving before we finally arrived at our destination.

We picked up two trekkers from Denmark at the first roadblock, and they ended up spending many hours with us in the car. We learned a lot about the Danish nation and sampled some delicious Danish chocolate. They treated us to lunch at a small chicken restaurant called Pollandria, in the town of San Lucas Toliman, shortly after we ran into our second roadblock.

After finally arriving in the town of Quetzaltenango (often referred to as Xela) we stayed at a charming bed and breakfast called Casa Manen. This is the balcony outside our room. It overlooks the town of Xela.

This is our room. It gets chilly overnight in Xela, due to the high elevation, but our room was equipped with a fireplace and an electric heater. It was quite cozy.

We ate supper the first evening at a nice little place called Albamar.

Xela is very unusual. It is certainly not the typical Guatemalan town. The older section of town consists of very narrow, one-way, cobblestone streets going in all directions with seemingly no rhyme or reason. Most of the buildings are old and dingy, and we saw several that had collapsed beyond repair.

We visited the nearby town of Zunil Thursday morning. This is the cathedral on the square.

A native Mayan woman buying meat at a butcher shop in Zunil.

Santa Maria Volcano. We caught a brief glimpse of the mountain when the clouds cleared briefly one afternoon. It was cloudy and rainy the three days we were in Xela.

Thursday afternoon we visited Fuentes Georginas, a natural hot springs. The water was very warm and the weather was cool, so it created a wonderful steamy environment. It was quite relaxing until a bus load of teenagers showed up.

Friday morning we visited the town of San Francisco el Alto to see their famous weekly market. Unfortunately, it was raining and rather miserable, so we didn't stay too long. We thought even the animals looked miserable.

Los Gozosos

2010-05-22T20:15:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday, May 15, we visited Los Gozosos with the ORI work team. This is a small home with about a dozen special needs children.

One of the team members donated money to the director of the home, Maureen Casey.

The staff was doing therapy with some of the children while we were there.

Rosa de Amor

2010-05-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

ORI hosted a Canadian work team May 10 - 17. It consisted of 23 volunteers - 22 women and 1 man. They spent their work days at the Rosa de Amor orphanage.

Ben helped build a porch roof out over the courtyard. This will be a tremendous blessing during the rainy season. The team also did lots of cleaning and painting inside the home.

The team hosted a cook-out for the children under the newly constructed roof. We cooked hamburgers and hotdogs on the newly installed outdoor wood stove (in the bottom right corner), another ORI project.

Giving thanks.

The children enjoyed their special lunch, hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, soda, and cake.

Me with my little "dolly", Rosita Gabriella.

Alisha's 15th Birthday

2010-05-08T18:57:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Alisha's 15th birthday on May 7. We invited the ORI staff over for cake and ice cream. A special thank you to those who sent Alisha gifts and cards!

Guatemala City Dump

2010-05-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning, May 6, our family visited the Guatemala City dump with some of the other ORI staff. It was a very interesting - and heartwrenching - experience. (This is the second time we've been into the dump.)

Charlie and I bought rice, beans, corn flour, noodles, soup mix, and some other items at Price Smart. Denny contributed apples from the market. We and the Freeds assembled 125 food packets in our carport Wednesday afternoon.

This is the main garbage dump for all of Guatemala City. It is huge, covering an area the size of 24 football fields. An estimated 11,000 people live in and around the dump, making their "living" scavenging for anything they can sell for a bit of money. Sadly, 7000 of these scavengers are children.

First, we unloaded the food in one of the houses. Then we handed out food to each family in this makeshift community, small tin and cardboard shacks built inside the walls of city dump.

Alisha handing out bags of maseca (corn flour). We saw many babies and children in this "community".

There are 120 "lots" in this community. This is one of several "streets". This "town" has sprung up within the last three months. When we visited the same place in the dump last year there were only heaps of garbage in this same location.

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We handed out candy to the children (and the adults, too) as we walked around.

This is the inside of one of the "homes". There is, of course, no electricity, running water, or bathroom facilities in any of the houses.

We were very surprised to find little tiendas (stores) within the community. Charlie bought some tortillas from the vendor, an elderly lady who was cooking on a gridle over a wood fire.

This is the inside of the largest store. We bought cold sodas here. The two little ones were playing on the dirt floor.

Two little girls were happy to show me their pet kitten. As you would expect, most of the children were wearing dirty, tattered clothing. However, we were very surprised to see that some of the children (including these two) were clean and well dressed.

Hannah's Hope

2010-05-08T09:24:00.001-07:00

Thursday morning we drove to Hannah's Hope orphanage where we met Ashley, our contact person with the garbage dump. While we waited for her to arrive we toured the orphanage.

We were very impressed with this well-maintained and well-run home. Sheryl and I got to spend a few minutes in one of the baby rooms. This little guy is named Abraham. His age is unknown.

We also visited the toddler playroom and spent some time with the two-year-olds.

Sheryl, Maria, and I fed the little ones their morning snack.

Feeding Carlos and Lester pineapple chunks.

Potter's House

2010-05-07T20:36:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, May 5th, a group of ORI staff visited Potter's House, an organization that ministers to children and families who live in the Guatemala City dump.

Chatting as I hand out silverware. Potter's House provides a hot lunch for approximately 200 children each school day. This is the only hot meal some of them get each day. We had the privilege of helping to serve the children.

Potter's House has a very nice kitchen and cafeteria. The children trickled in as they arrived from their respective public schools and took their places at the tables.

Denny and I are helping to cut the children's meat. On this day they were served pork chops, noodles, potatoes, and passion fruit. We got to eat after all of the children were served, and it really was not bad.

After the children finished eating, they were dismissed to their classrooms. They spend the afternoons being tutored in various subjects. This helps them succeed in school and also keeps them off the streets.

This is the dirt street outside the back entrance to Potter's House. The city dump is just on the other side of the wall.

Coban

2010-04-18T16:53:00.000-07:00

Friday night we stayed at the Park Hotel outside the town of Coban. It was by far the nicest place we stayed, and interestingly the cheapest.

They have beautiful landscaped grounds, complete with ponds and a small zoo.

We spent Saturday morning visiting the town of Coban, the largest town in the region.

Coban's town square.

We visited this interesting church where we observed Mayans worshiping.

Semuc Champey

2010-04-18T16:29:00.000-07:00

We spent Thursday night at a place called El Recreo near the small town of Lanquin. We had to travel 11 km on a dirt one-lane road to get there. It was at a lower elevation and very hot and humid.

We spent Friday morning at a delightful place called Semuc Champey. It consisted of a half dozen pools of crystal clear water in the jungle. It was gorgeous.

We spent the morning swimming and exploring.

Most of the river flows into an underground cave, while a small portion flows on top of a limestone 'bridge', creating the pools.

It was the clearest water! And a beautiful turquoise color. The kids decided that it was one of the best places we've visited in Guatemala.

Quetzal Reserve

2010-04-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning we ate a breakfast of cereal and milk in our cabin before heading out for the day.

We visited the Biotopo del Queztal, a preserve for the endangered queztal, Guatemala's national bird. There was a nice gravel path through the rainforest.

We saw some tropical flowers. We saw little wildlife - but lots of mosquitos!

There were two pretty waterfalls. It was a very nice hike.

Then we headed to the small town of Lanquin. We saw some incredibly rugged and beautiful scenery along the way. Mountains covered with tropical vegetation, small wooden huts scattered here and there. We decided this is one of the prettiest areas of Guatemala we've seen.

Vacation

2010-04-18T15:21:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful trip to the Coban, a rain soaked, mountainous region in central Guatemala. We left on Wednesday morning and returned Saturday afternoon, April 14 - 17.

The first night we stayed in two cabanas at a place called Posada Montana del Quetzal. Pictured are Buddy (fellow ORI volunteer who went along with us), Nick, Alisha, and Emily.

The first afternoon we hiked along a trail near the inn, through a "real" rainforest. The path was muddy and slippery.

Emily, Alisha, and Nick (with his backpack of camera gear)

We were rewarded with the sight of this beautiful waterfall at the end of the trail.

Emily and Tony

La Senda

2010-04-09T18:45:00.001-07:00

We visited a new orphanage yesterday with the work team.

La Senda has very nice facilities. This building includes team housing, living quarters for the director's family, and a few school rooms.

This is the school. Only 19 children live in the home, but 125 children from the surrounding area attend the school. Notice the "dust bowl" play area. Tony and Maria got coated in dirt. I'm glad I don't live here!

Charlie took along the jump rope, which is always a hit.

We handed out hygiene bundles and school kits. As always, the children were delighted with their gifts. The children are so grateful for so little, so happy with toothpaste and shampoo. We also treated the children to Dominos pizza for supper. It arrived on the back of a delivery motorcycle, which is what all restaurants use for carry-out down here - easier to maneuver through traffic.

Fifteen-year-old Dorcas befriended Maria. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that all the children in this home speak English, most fluently. It was nice to be able to really communicate!

Easter Alfombras

2010-04-04T18:54:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos taken on Good Friday.

On Friday afternoon the kids colored Easter eggs, outside in our carport. OK, some big people colored a few, too.

Tony was very proud of his green egg.

A bit later in the afternoon we all headed to the nearby town of San Jose Pinula. We spent an hour and a half walking around town looking at the colorful alfombras (carpets) on the roads.

Most of the alfombras were made from colored sawdust but a few, including this one, were constructed of pine needles, colored bark, and flower petals.

Most of the alfombras were not yet finished, and it was interesting to watch the people working on them.

They mark lines on the road with chalk, throw on sawdust, spread it with their hands, and smooth it with wooden scrapers. Then they add the pictures on top using wooden stencils. They keep it moist by spraying it with water; I suppose to keep it from blowing around.

About half of the alfombras had a religious theme.

Many children were proudly helping. It looked liked lots of family groups were working together, and everyone was in a festive holiday mood.

Some of the alfombras incorporated fruits or vegetables. We even saw one that used bread.

These beautiful alfombras didn't last long. They carpeted the route of the Catholic church's procession and were trampled underfoot later that evening. Their sole purpose is to be walked upon.

Fundaninos

2010-03-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

We are currently hosting a work team from Living Hope Church. They will leave for PA tomorrow morning.

The team spent their work week at the Fundaninos orphanage. Charlie supervised as they built a new playset for the kids. Their old one was in poor shape and no longer safe.

Ben spent two days working with the team. Here he is helping Jay Hurst attach the roof.

Charlie, with his new straw hat, had lots of willing helpers. Charlie is so patient when the kids swarm around and always tries to find ways they can help. The fellow in the yellow shirt was handing Charlie the screws.

The team also did a bit of work in the director's apartment, priming the walls in preparation for painting. Alisha spent an afternoon helping them.

And I had a really difficult job! Snuggling this precious little bundle, teeny tiny 21-day-old Isabella. I don't know how much she weighs, but not very much!

Guests

2010-03-28T14:30:00.001-07:00

Michelle Martin and Abbey Martin stayed with us for two weeks, from March 13 - 27. Abbey was a former short-term volunteer who spent three months in Guatemala last year.

We took the girls to visit nearby Lake Amatitlan where we rode cable cars to the top of the mountain.

At the top, Charlie and Ben played a game of chess with this giant set. I believe the game ended in a stalemate.

Last Saturday we also visited a rodeo held in a nearby arena. Pictured -from L to R - are Marlana (current short-term volunteer), Carol (a Guatemalan friend), Abbey, and Michelle. The bleachers were rickety and rusted...and very uncomfortable.

It was unlike any rodeo we'd attended in the States. Our tickets gave a start time of 4:00 p.m. We arrived around 5:00, but nothing happened until 6:00. We saw exactly one horse the entire evening. The only event was bull riding, which was cool, but there were such long pauses between each rider that it got boring. The rodeo appeared to be an excuse for many in the audience to get drunk. The couple beside us drank a six pack each. One tipsy lady behind us kept getting up and dancing on the bleacher seats in her high heals; I kept waiting for her to fall off, but somehow she managed to keep her balance. All in all, we were not too impressed with Guatemalan "professional" rodeo, and we left early.

Farewell Party

2010-03-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

Sadly, Randy and Tina Weaver and family our moving home to PA at the end of March. This past Wednesday evening the ORI gang was invited to Manolo and Vilma Bendfelt's house for a farewell party. Manolo is president of ORI Guatemala, and Vilma is the founder of the Fundaninos orphanage.

Manola prepared a special Guatemalan dish called paella. It consisted of many types of meat, mostly seafood, and rice, cooked in a seafood sauce. This is the platter of raw meat waiting to be cooked. On the far left side is squid.

The party was held on the Bendfelt's recently completed deck. It is huge and very nice. Unfortunately, it happened to be chilly and windy Wednesday evening. They unrolled plastic canvas and lit a fire in the fireplace.

Manolo cooked the paella on his gas wok.

The finished dish. The seafood lovers in our family (Charlie and Ben) thought it was great. The rest of us weren't quite as excited. Emily and Maria refused to even try it.

Gathered around the tables with a music video playing in the background. We ate much later than we are accustomed to, 8:30, so it ended up being a late evening for us.

Amor del Nino

2010-03-13T16:28:00.001-08:00

The Petra work team spent the past week painting and cleaning at the Amor del Nino orphanage. We visited the orphanage yesterday afternoon and then joined the team for supper in the evening.

The orphanage is built on a hill, so it was difficult to get a good picture. Amor del Nino has about 50 children, most between 0 - 6 years of age.

Some of the volunteers and older children were playing on the patio.

One of the team's projects was to construct these custom made cribs, eight tiny little beds, four on top and four on the bottom. These, of course, are for the tiniest babies.

Cribs, cribs everywhere! This orphanage has lots of babies. Currently they have 22 babies under one year old.

I'm holding the smallest baby, although not the youngest. She was born prematurely and was just a tiny little bundle.

Emily's got a chunky little boy.

Two 'gorditos' (little fatties). These were the two oldest babies in this room. Sadly, two staff members care for 13 babies. All of the bottles get propped until the children are old enough to hold their own. As with all of the orphanages ORI supports, resources are limited, so they do the best they can.

We had supper with the team at My Father's House, the guest house where the group is staying. Ben and Charlie had time for a game of pool before we ate.

Trip to Mexico

2010-03-09T13:17:00.001-08:00

We spent the past weekend, March 5-7, in Tapachula, Mexico. Our family needed to leave the country and then return in order to renew our visas.

It was about a 5 1/2 hour drive to the border. The drive went well and the children did great - even Tony. Thankfully, we had no problems getting through immigration. I simply walked into the building and up to the window, handed the official our stack of passports, and he stamped them. He never even checked to see if we had people to match the passports. We had to pay 50 pesos to get the van "fumigated". The officials waved us through every other checkpoint. Here, Maria and I are just past the border, on the Mexican side.

We stayed in a fairly large town called Tapachula, about 17 km from the border. Our hotel was a very nice Comfort Inn, the nicest place we've stayed at since we're down here. We ate breakfast Saturday morning at the hotel. Tony enjoyed his Fruit Loops; I think he had three bowls!

We then visited Wal-mart, which was only five minutes from our hotel. What fun! I think the employees were amused that we were taking pictures of the store.

Ok, it wasn't quite like Wal-mart in the States. We discovered a huge display of fresh octopus in the seafood department. I didn't buy any seafood, but I did stock up on shampoo, soda, and breakfast cereal, as the stuff was cheaper than in Guatemala.

Alisha and Emily relaxing in our room back at the hotel. Once again, Nick and Ben got their own room while the rest of us shared. We had an extra single bed in our room, and Tony was content to sleep on a blanket on the floor.

The hotel had a lovely pool...and, boy, was it hot and humid in Mexico! Much different from our mountain climate. We spent both Friday and Saturday afternoons relaxing by the pool.

Saturday evening we visited downtown Tapachula, walked around the town square, and had supper at a tiny, tacky little restaurant with surprisingly good food. This photo is one of the fountains in the square. We thought the town very much resembled a Guatemalan town, but noted there were far fewer guards and less barbed wire.

Charlie, Maria, and Tony graciously posed for a picture in the town square.

Sunday morning we headed back to Guatemala. We breezed through the border crossing in a matter of minutes. They didn't even fumigate our van, although they still collected the money for it.

We spent a couple of hours at a wonderful water park called Xocomil on Sunday. Previously, Charlie had taken an orphanage on a field trip here, and when we realized that we were going right by decided to stop. It was really nice, nicer than any park I've been to in the States. We had a fun time. Praise God for a great weekend!

Hammercreek Work Team

2010-03-02T16:02:00.001-08:00

Our third work team of the year, Hammercreek Mennonite youth group, was here February 22 through March 1. I think the group consisted of 36 youth and leaders.

The group stayed at the Los Humitos coffee plantation. Charlie and Jim provided an orientation for the group their first evening.

Some of the girls painted the interior of one of the houses at the Casa Bernabe orphanage.

Alisha took the day off school on Tuesday to help with the painting.

Charlie supervised the work at Fundaninos. One of the projects the group completed was repairing the pavers on the driveway.

Lawrence Martin, board member and team leader, supervised continued construction work on the director's apartment. The volunteers stuffed insulation and hung drywall.

Vida Nueva

2010-02-28T17:27:00.001-08:00

We visited the Vida Nueva orphanage this afternoon with the Hammercreek youth.

This orphanage is home to approximately 60 children. Pictured is the school where 400 children attend, children from the home as well as the surrounding community.

Our group provided a craft activity for the younger children. We took their pictures and then printed the photos on our new printer while the children decorated a foam picture frame. Julie Boll helped the children.

Tony didn't get his picture taken but enjoyed decorating a piece of foam.

Charlie took along his famous water rocket and, as always, it was a huge hit with the boys!

And, of course, there was a soccer game between the Americans and the Guatemalans. A first -the Gringos won! Hammercreek has got some good soccer players. Ben was really pleased that he chose to play on the winning team. Nick, unfortunately, played as a Guatemalteco today.

Miguel Magone

2010-02-27T18:44:00.001-08:00

We visited the Miguel Magone orphanage today with ORI's current work team, the youth group from Hammercreek Mennonite Church. Miguel Magone is home to approximately 60 boys and is located near the town of San Lucas.

First, we unloaded the home's monthly food delivery from the back of the ORI bus.

This home is built on a steep hill, so there are several play areas on different levels.

Tony enjoyed the play equipment.

Alisha found a friend, a little girl named Daniela. Although only two girls live at the home, there were several girls from the nearby village at Miguel today. Poor children from the village come to the orphanage on Saturdays for a hot lunch.

We handed out coloring books and crayons, which the kids enjoyed.

Charlie brought along a rope for tug-of-war, Gringos against Guatemalans. The Americans won! Finally, a sport where the gringos can triumph. I've yet to see the Guatemalans defeated in soccer.

ORI bought lunch for everybody - 140 people! That was a lot of pizza! We also provided soda and cookies. What a special treat for the kids.

Vida Ilimitada

2010-02-18T14:42:00.000-08:00

We visited Vida Ilimitada on Sunday afternoon with the Bethany work team. Vida is an orphanage near the town of Chimaltenango and is home to approximately 30 children.

Nick took this bird's eye photo of the orphanage from the top of the water tower.

Charlie is holding the youngest member of the home, one-year-old Edwin. We handed out hygiene bundles - soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and other items, wrapped in a towel.

This little guy (who's name I can't recall) was the same age as Tony.

Team leader and board member, Jay Hurst, helping to unload Vida's monthly food donation.

Jane Woodward, one of the Bethany volunteers, with a cute little fellow.

Bethany Work Team

2010-02-16T16:44:00.001-08:00

A group of volunteers from Bethany Christian Fellowship was here from February 8 - 15. They worked at two orphanages, Fundaninos and Casa Bernabe.

Ben and this group were digging footers for a retaining wall at Casa Bernabe.

This crew was treating the lumber for the roof of a new medical clinic at Casa Bernabe. They were sealing the wood with diesel fuel to help prevent termite infestation.

Part of the group made a couple of bunk beds for Fundaninos. They had quite an audience as they worked.

The "boss" explains how to proceed with work on the director's apartment at Fundaninos.

Ben sanded wood for the bunk beds.

Mayan Village

2010-02-13T17:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we visited a very poor Mayan village with ORI's current work team. Our purpose was to distribute food to each of the families living in this impoverished village.

Charlie did a fantastic job driving the bus. It was a two hour drive, part of the way on very poor roads. We traveled on rough dirt roads, forded three streams, and stopped twice to wait for cows to cross.

When we reached our destination the villagers were delighted to help carry the food from the bus to the church. Even the small children helped.

This is the village church. We gathered here for a short service and the food distribution.

Our friend (and contact person), Carlos Fernandez, asked Charlie to say a few words and have prayer. He translated for Charlie. The adults all understand Spanish although it is not their native tongue.

Each family received corn flour, oil, sugar, rice, beans, and powdered milk. ORI board member Jay Hurst is helping distribute the food.

A little cutie! Each of the children received a bag of candy and stickers.

One of the village homes. There were a few concrete block houses, but most were tin or bamboo.

The kitchen in one of the houses.

Cliff Snader and Charlie with two of the village children - and a very tired Tony.

January Work Team

2010-01-24T13:09:00.000-08:00

The first ORI work team of 2010 was here from January 18 - 25. Twenty-four people from four states were represented; Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

Charlie supervised the group as they worked at the Fundaninos orphanage. Some of the men worked on a sewer problem. Charlie said it was dirty and disgusting work, but hopefully it corrected the problem.

Several of the men spent the week finish framing an apartment for the director's family. Charlie did some electrical work.

Part of the group worked at the ORI warehouse one day, preparing hygiene bundles that were later distributed to children in two different orphanages. Ben enjoyed operating the fork lift.

Emily cuddling Angel, a little fellow from Fundaninos.

Our faithful bus driver! Charlie spent many hours driving the bus to transport the volunteers.

On Saturday the team visited two orphanages. One of homes we visited was Casa Shalom. I am cuddling 15-day-old Mynor. He was found in a ditch by some firemen. It appeared that his mother had given birth and then left him by the side of the road.

This little girl and Tony had fun playing with this red car. This two-year-old had been sexually abused before coming to Casa Shalom and is still very leery of men.

The guys enjoyed playing soccer (futbol) with the older boys from the home. Despite a valiant effort, the "gringos" lost 6 - 0. The Chapinos were just too good!

We took the children from the Nuevo Reto orphanage to Burger King for lunch. The kids enjoyed their burgers, fries, and ice cream and had lots of fun on the playland. What a special treat for them!

The King?

Ben's Birthday

2010-01-24T12:59:00.001-08:00

Ben celebrated his 18th birthday on January 20.

Thanks to all who sent cards and gifts down with the work team.

Ben's favorite snack- salt and vinegar chips. And, no, he did not share them!

San Juan Market

2010-01-20T16:45:00.000-08:00

While our guests were here we visited the weekly Friday market in San Juan. I love this fascinating market as there are usually no "gringos" in sight (except for us, of course), and the locals are dressed in colorful native costumes.

This vendor had red chili peppers for sale.

San Juan is famous for its beautiful flowers. You can purchase a dozen roses for Q 8.00 ($1.00).

I bought some fresh strawberries from this vendor.

A line of tuk-tuks, small three-wheeled taxis

The native women wear handwoven blouses, and each town has its own unique costume. This lady is wearing the costume of San Juan.

We also bought a bunch of radishes.

This is the Catholic church on the town square. They were having some special event. There were streamers everywhere and there was a stage set up on one side of the square where people were giving speeches.

A lady with traditionally braided hair.

Volcan Pacaya

2010-01-18T17:49:00.001-08:00

Charlie's sister and her husband spent a few days with us, from Jan. 13 - 17. We really enjoyed their visit.

Dale and Mary Ann Martin.

On Saturday we hiked Pacaya, an active volcano. None of the children wanted to come, so it was just us "old folks". We set a slow pace and took our time. Our guide probably thought he'd never get us up and back down!

We didn't see a lot of lava. Bits of lava were slowly oozing out of the side of the mountain. Then red hot chunks would break off and roll down the slope. Charlie has hiked this volcano five or six times, and on each trip the lava is very different.

We took along marshmallows and our guide roasted them over some hot rocks.

It was a challenging hike but fun, too.

A Visit to Rosa de Amor

2010-01-13T16:08:00.000-08:00

The Rosa de Amor orphanage is home to approximately 35 children, ages newborn to 17 years. We try to visit several times a month and have enjoyed getting to know these dear children. These photos are from our most recent visit, Saturday, Jan. 9.

This orphanage does not have many resources, so we always try to take along an activity or two for the children. On this visit we brought play dough and paper, markers, and stickers. The children love to draw and color, and they are especially thrilled with stickers, even the older ones.

Charlie and Jim spent the afternoon working on the director's car. They eventually decided it needed to be taken to the garage for repairs.

This teen wanted Alisha to read her a book. We suspect she may not know how to read.

I had fun with the ladies in the kitchen. They tried to teach me how to make tortillas. I discovered it was much harder than it looked, and they had fun laughing at my efforts.

Me with "my girls" - Yolanda, Saucia, and Sylvia. I am holding sweet little Rosita Gabriela, daughter of one of the teens not pictured.

Christmas Day

2009-12-27T15:02:00.001-08:00

I thought I'd add some pictures of our family celebrating Christmas day.

Tony, of course, was delighted with all of his gifts. He was so cute to watch!

Emily was happy with her new scarf, purchased for her in the market by Alisha. She was also delighted with two new books as she loves to read.

In the afternoon we made our traditional graham cracker "gingerbread" houses. Ben created a soccer field, complete with scoreboard, gummie bear players, and jelly bean spectators.

Maria with her creation.

It seems that Alisha's goal was to pile on as much candy as possible!

Chichicastenango

2009-12-27T14:07:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, Dec. 22, we visited the town of Chichicastenango, an hour's drive from our guest house in Panajachel. It is one of the most traditional Mayan towns in Guatemala. We were nearly the only "gringos" around and felt very conspicuous!

Charlie got his leather sneakers shined by a young shoe shine boy. He has had his shoes shined many times since coming to Guatemala.

We took two 'tuk tuks', small three-wheeled taxis a mile or two out of town to visit a Mayan holy site. As we were trying to decide what we wanted to do Tony looked at me and said, "I think it would be fun to ride in a tuk tuk". That decided it. And it was fun.

Our tuk tuks parked at the bottom and we hiked up a steep hill to this Mayan holy place. The "priest" was offering prayers - in the native Mayan tongue - for a young man who had come to have his business blessed.

This is the fire that the holy man had made. The different colored candles each represented something different, eggs respresented good health. The way in which the fire burned had special meaning. We wondered what it meant as one of the eggs exploded while we watched. Very sad that these people don't know the truth. We offered prayers of our own - to the One True God.

A shrine to Maximon, the evil cigar smoking, rum drinking saint was at the bottom of the hill. Our guide told us that women pray to this saint to have their men delivered from too much smoking and drinking.

The town was holding a festival to honor their patron saint, Thomas. The festivities were, of course, centered in the town square. They were setting off morters on the steps of the Catholic church, and loud music - bone jarring loud - was blasting from huge speakers.

There were many elaborately dressed dancers in the square. We didn't stay too long; we couldn't take the noise!

We saw some men wearing the traditional dress of this town, beautifully embroidered black wool jackets and head scarves with black wool shorts.

Nearly all of the women and girls were wearing traditional native clothing.

Father and daughter.

Panajachel

2009-12-27T13:37:00.001-08:00

We stayed at a guest house in the town of Panajachel for two nights, Dec. 20 - 21. Panajachel is located on the shore of beautiful Lake Atitlan.

Alisha and Emily sitting on the porch of our cottage. It was very nice. There was even carpet in the bedrooms, the only place we've stayed in Guatemala with carpets. We had our own kitchen, and I made breakfast both mornings.

Lake Atitlan is said to be "the most beautiful lake in the world." I know it is the prettiest place we have seen in Guatemala.

A shot of the lake from a "mirador" on the road leading out of Pana.

We ate at this restaurant, The Cayuco, Sunday evening. There are four or five lakefront restaurants in a row. As we parked our van in the parking lot, waiters from four different places came running with menus in hand, each trying to convince us to eat at their place. It was hilarious! Jim finally made the choice, and it was a good one. The food was good but inexpensive...and the view incredible.

God provided us with a gorgeous sunset as we ate our dinner.

Santiago Atitlan

2009-12-25T15:54:00.001-08:00

We left Stukenberg's orphanage on Monday morning, Dec. 21, and traveled around Lake Atitlan to a guest house in Panajachel, where we spent two nights. On the way, we stopped in the fascinating town of Santiago and spent some time sightseeing (and being harassed by persistent vendors).

The town square and Catholic church in Santiago. We went inside the church and found lots of Mayans lighting candles and praying to the various saints. Every town in Guatemala seems to have a square bordered by a Catholic church.

The lakeshore with a volcano in the distance. Lake Atitlan is bordered by three volcanoes.

A fisherman preparing to cast off. Santiago is one of the few towns in Guatemala where some of the men still wear the native dress. Each town has its own unique costume. In Santiago the men wear white shorts with red stripes, some with beautiful embroidery.

Three gentlemen chatting on a bench in the marketplace.

The Mayan women in Santiago wear gorgeous handmade purple blouses (called huipils). This vendor was particulary persistent and convinced me to buy the huipil she is displaying. It has beautiful hand embroidery, but what will I ever do with it!

Stukenberg's Orphanage

2009-12-25T15:07:00.000-08:00

Our family, along with Jim and Sheryl Leaman, spent the weekend of Dec. 19 - 20 at the Stukenberg's orphanage. This home is located near Lake Atitlan, approximately a three hour drive from our house. Sixteen children live in this home, which is a beautiful old stone house.

We arrived around noon on Saturday. After lunch, we played outside with the children and then later had a Christmas party for them. We did three different Christmas activities. Alisha and Emily helped the children make ornaments which we later hung on their tree. We also handed out gifts and ate cookies.

We gave each child a Christmas bundle from ORI. Vidalia is enjoying the coloring book and crayons she found in her package.

Alisha cuddling the youngest member of the home, six-month-old Anna.

Sunday after breakfast all of the staff and older children left for a Christmas party. They returned around 11:00 p.m. We babysat the younger children for the day. We were happy to be able to give the staff a short break. Charlie took the children outside in the afternoon and entertained them with his potato gun; the kids loved chasing the ball!

Here's the whole group, including one of the two dogs. They are sitting on a wooden swing that Charlie made and took along as a gift for the home. The twelve-year-old girl on the far left is severly handicapped. I had the "privilege" of changing her diapers for the day.

Christmas Party for Rosa

2009-12-10T17:12:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday, December 8, Sheryl, the children, and I held a Christmas party for the 50 children at the Rosa de Amor orphanage.

We bought an artificial tree which Ben assembled for us.

We had the kids make ornaments for the tree. They really enjoyed the craft activities.

And, of course, we made popcorn strings. Some popcorn made it onto the strings, while quite a lot got eaten!

We gave each of the children a Christmas bundle, items that are packaged at the ORI warehouse in Ephrata by volunteers and shipped to Guatemala by container.

Little Rosita Gabriela, the youngest baby at Rosa. She's one month old and cute as a button!

Christmas Fun

2009-12-10T16:40:00.000-08:00

We decided we needed a few Christmas decorations to make our house feel festive. Charlie, the four younger children, and I went to Cemaco, a local hardware - housewares store, and bought a Christmas tree.

We bought a string of lights and a few inexpensive ornaments. The girls also made some ornaments out of clay. Nick and Ben ridiculed our cute litte tree, calling it a "shrub", but the girls and I are very proud of it.

We spent an evening making and decorating sand tarts. What fun!

The girls had lots of fun "painting" them and adding sprinkles.

Maria was very proud of her cookies.

Maria's 8th Birthday

2009-12-06T13:51:00.001-08:00

Maria celebrated her eighth birthday on Friday, December 4. We invited the Leamans and the Burkholders over for cake and ice cream.

Maria, of course, was delighted with all of her gifts.

Maria, Derek, Tony, Karlin, and Shalisa

Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T14:22:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving with the other ORI families. We spent the day at a nearby coffee plantation called Los Humitos. We enjoyed a delicious meal of turkey, potatoes, veggies, broccoli salad, several varieties of pumpkin desserts, and chocolate cake! Yum!

This is the view of Lake Amatitlan from the plantation. The grounds are gorgeous with many blooming flowers, including the poinsettias you can see in the left side of this picture.

Charlie and Tony flew his spiderman kite from the yard. Since the plantation is on a hill there was plenty of wind.

The younger children spent most of the afternoon in the pool. The weather was a bit cool, but the water was very warm as it is heated underground by a nearby volcano and piped into the pool.

The older boys played several games of 4-square, an improvised "soccer" version - no hands allowed.

The Weaver family!

Finca al Paraiso

2009-11-21T18:43:00.001-08:00

On our last day of vacation we stayed at a place called Finca al Pariaso on Lake Izabal, the largest lake in Guatemala. We were not too impressed. It certainly didn't seem like Paradise Farm to us.

We rented two bungalows for the night. They were not very clean and somewhat run-down, but they did have comfortable hammocks on the front porches. Charlie and Tony are relaxing in one.

Tony and Maria had fun playing on the black sand beach. They found lots of shells and pretty rocks.

View of the beach from the end of the dock. The thatched roof building is the restaurant. It was very pretty, but unfortunately the food was not as good as the view.

Sunset on the lake.

While at the Finca we visited a nearby hot spring waterfall. Very hot water gushes from an underground spring and pours into this cold water creek. We had the pleasure of swimming in this wonderfully enchanting place. It was one of the hightlights of our trip!

Tikal National Park

2009-11-21T17:10:00.001-08:00

We visited Tikal National Park, famous Mayan ruins, while in the Peten. It was fascinating, especially as it is located in a tropical forest.

A photo of the Grand Plaza taken from the top of one of the monuments.

Smaller buildings and engraved stones (protected from the elements by thatched roofs)

The really cool thing about these huge monuments is that you can climb most of them.

These are the steep steps leading up to the monument pictured above. The tallest of the monuments is 65 meters high - and there are no guard rails at the top!

Alisha and Emily resting at the top after the steep climb.

View of the rainforest from the top of the tallest monument. You can see several others poking above the forest canopy. The park is huge, 576 square kilometers. We spent six hours in the park and only visited the most impressive of the ruins.

Nick is holding a tarantula that someone found in the forest.

We saw some wildlife in the park, including this coatimundi who seemed to be looking for a hand-out. In addition to coatimundis, we saw several monkeys, lots of colorful turkeys (yes, wild turkeys live in the jungle), and some tropical birds.

Climbing one of monuments.

One of the huge trees in the rainforest.

Our Vacation

2009-11-21T16:30:00.000-08:00

Our family was on vacation from Nov. 14 - 19. We took a trip to northern Guatemala, to the region known as the Peten, approximately an eight hour drive from our house. We had a wonderful time. It was interesting to see a different part of the country. It was very warm and tropical, much different from the mountainous region where we live.

We stayed in the town of Flores. This is our hotel. It was very nice - not fancy, but clean, and it had air-conditioning! One of our two rooms had a balcony overlooking the street, so I asked the girls to come out and pose for the photo.

The town of Flores is actually an island in Lake Peten-Itza, connected to the mainland (the town of Santa Elena) by a short bridge. One morning we traveled across the lake by boat and climbed a "mirador" (overlook) to take this photo of Flores.

We took a lancha (boat) across the lake to visit the town of San Jose Peten and stopped at the mirador mentioned above.

Carlos, our lancha driver, lived by the overlook, so we had a chance to meet his family. His one-year-old son, Antonio, was in this wooden playpen. Tony climbed in to say hello.

Maria posing under a coconut tree. We bought a coconut from Carlos's mother and drank the milk. Yuck, warm coconut milk!

Birthday Party at Rosa

2009-11-11T16:23:00.001-08:00

Yesterday afternoon we traveled across the city to Rosa de Amor. Sheryl and I planned a birthday party for all of the children at the orphanage. We wanted to make each one of them feel special, so we celebrated everyone's birthday.

First, we handed out the gifts. We had a few stressful moments when we realized that there were ten new children and we were a few gifts short. Charlie saved the day by running to the store and purchasing a few extra things.

Kati was delighted with her present.

Nelson, Fernando, and Ingrid opening their gifts.

Then we sang "Happy Birthday" in English and Spanish, blew out the candles, and ate cake! Thankfully, there was enough - just barely.

And, of course, no birthday party is complete without a pinata. The children loved it! Although, I was slightly concerned someone was going to be hurt in the stampede for candy!

More Day of the Dead

2009-11-04T13:07:00.000-08:00

Here are some more photos from the Day of the Dead festival.

There were flowers everywhere, mostly marigolds.

All of the graves were decorated with fresh flowers.

One of the six or seven huge kites assembled on the grounds.

And of course, there was food! Lots of vendors had things to sell; some things we could identify, some we couldn't. This gal was talking on her cell phone while stirring her concoction. We played it safe and took a packed lunch. The only thing we bought was cotton candy for Maria and Tony.

We found this popcorn machine quite interesting, complete with generator.

Day of the Dead

2009-11-04T12:40:00.001-08:00

Sunday, November 1st, was the Day of the Dead in Guatemala. We drove to the town of Santiago Sacatepequez with the other ORI families to observe the festivities. The fiesta took place in the town's cemetery.

The Day of the Dead is a holiday to honor deceased relatives. Traditionally, kites were thought to be a way to communicate with the dead. Today the holiday has become a huge kite festival. Folks make large 10 or 15 foot kites of bamboo and tissue paper and attempt to fly them. Unfortunately, there was very little wind, so we only saw one kite in the air.

There were also huge, elaborately decorated kites of bamboo and tissue paper, 60 feet tall. They assembled these kites on site. They were not intended to fly, but were tied to poles sunk into the ground.

The kites were absolutely gorgeous! And it was fascinating to watch the teams assembling them.

All of the graves and mausoleums were decorated with flowers. The children claimed this spot to watch the festivities.

This trio of musicians was playing in the cemetery.

Two New Pets

2009-11-02T18:31:00.000-08:00

Charlie, Tony, and I visited a market in the city on Saturday. We noticed a vendor with two cages of iguanas for sale. Of course, we were fascinated and stopped to take a look. Well, the price was right, so we bought two! Charlie headed over to the warehouse Saturday afternoon and built a lovely, wooden iguana cage. And since they eat fruits and vegetables, I already had iguana food on hand.

Charlie wanted the biggest one. He cost us Q 50 (about $6). The kids named him Spike. For the most part, he is tame, but can have moods when he thrashes around. We've also discovered that he can run really fast!

Tony cried and cried for "the little one". Since it only cost Q20 ($2.50) we bought him, too. Tony named his pet Fire Dragon Thunder Lizard. He is very tame and doesn't seem to mind being handled.

Another shot of Tony and his "thunder lizard".

Stitches for Nick

2009-10-31T19:07:00.000-07:00

This afternoon Nick sustained an injury while playing soccer on the street in front of our house. He mashed his face into the blacktop and received a nasty gash above his left eye.

Thankfully, Denny Freed, our faithful nurse practitioner, was on hand to administer first-aid. As you can see, there were also plenty of spectators.

The "emergency room" was the Freed's dining room. Nick simply lay on the table.

Denny gave Nick four stitches.

Gabby (Randy and Tina's daughter) and Maria were playing dress-up this afternoon.

One morning during school Tony was "reading" to his dinosaurs. He does love dinosaurs!

United Nations National Park

2009-10-26T20:03:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon, Oct. 25, our family visited Parque Nacional Naciones Unidas, or United Nations National Park, on the shores of nearby Lake Amatitlan.

We ate our picnic lunch near this overlook of Lake Amatitlan.

We visited the petting zoo in the park. Tony enjoyed holding the bunnies.

Maria feeding the burro.

Emily, Tony, and Maria even got to go on a short horse ride.

There were also walking paths. Here Charlie, Maria, and Tony are standing in front of a replica of Tikal, famous Mayan ruins in northern Guatemala.

New Shoes for Rosa

2009-10-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon, Oct. 20, Nick, Alisha, Emily, and I - along with several other ORI staff members - visited the Rosa de Amor orphanage. We delivered their monthly food supply and also fitted each of the children with new shoes.

Alisha helped to unload the truck.

Sheryl and I fitted all of the girls with new shoes while Denny took care of the boys. They were so happy and proud of their new footware.

Yolanda was especially tickled with her new pink hightops!

Elsa got new shoes for her two-month-old son, Luis.

The older girls proudly displaying their new shoes.

Maria and Tony

2009-10-21T16:05:00.001-07:00

I thought I'd post a few photos of Maria and Tony - just because they're so cute!

Tony taking Bebecita (little baby) and Connor for a stroller ride. Notice Connor has got his binoculars for spotting dinosaurs.

Tony and Maria playing with their dolls. Tony was wearing a Burger King crown upside down and pretending he was a knight. As you might imagine, Tony is not really very gentle with his baby.

Their stroller broke so they got Daddy's tools and tried to repair it.

Tony wanted to help sweep our concrete walkway this morning. He loves sweeping, but it is best for him to do it outdoors as he can get very "wild" with his broom.

Tony and Shalissa (Harvey & Rosa's daughter) sitting on the curb in front of our house.

Visiting Rosa de Amor

2009-10-14T17:00:00.001-07:00

Our family visited the Rosa de Amor orphanage yesterday, Oct. 14. This orphanage is on the other side of the city, about an hour's drive from our house. This home has around 40 children.

Charlie and the boys assembled several sets of bunk beds donated by ORI, as they'd been sleeping several kids to a bed.

Maria and this little fellow had fun with sidewalk chalk.

Friends! Abby, Risa, and Emily with Jacki, Carlos, and Kati.

I took along some children's books in Spanish and they were a big hit. These children loved the extra attention. This is a poorer orphanage without any extras. I also took along paper, markers, and stickers. For each little pack of stickers I handed out to the children I received a hug and a "Dios le bendiga" (God bless you). They are so grateful for so little!

Alisha with little Miriam.

Cenma

2009-10-14T15:56:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday afternoon, October 8th, the girls and I, along with the Freeds and Sheryl Leaman, visited a huge fruit and vegetable market in Guatemala City called Cenma (Central Market).

There were approximately six huge, open-sided warehouses, each filled with different kinds of fruits or vegetables.

This was the "tomato building." The tomato vendors would only sell their produce by the box.

There was one warehouse filled with onions. Folks were outside sorting the drying onions.

This little girl was resting in a basket near her mother.

Thankfully, most of the vendors allowed us to buy smaller quantities. I came home with lots: carrots, broccoli, lettuce, celery, green beans, potatoes, apples, strawberries, and pineapples - all for around 100 Q ($12).

Visiting Fundaninos

2009-10-07T19:39:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos from our visit to the Fundaninos orphanage this afternoon, October 7.

Maria reading to two-year-old Angel.

Luci

Cuddling eight-day-old Jose Alejandro.

Emily with Angel.

Alfredo

ORI Staff Retreat

2009-10-02T16:44:00.000-07:00

The weekend of September 25 - 27, the ORI board held a retreat for the Guatemalan staff. It was held at a guest house called Casa de mi Padre (My Father's House) in the town of San Lucas. It was a very nice time of relaxation and fellowship.

Here's the whole gang. There are five families living here in Guatemala, all of us originally from Lancaster County. Also in the photo are several board members and the founders, Rod and Sarah Martin.

Each of the children received a gift. Tony thought it was Christmas. Of course, he was very pleased with the dinosaurs he received!

Sarah Martin painting Maria's toenails. Carlin was begging to have his nails done too, but the girls finally discouraged him.

There were activities for the children while the adults had discussions, meetings, and prayer times. One of the kid's favorites with painting t-shirts. Here Emily is helping Maria Weaver, Randy and Tina's daughter.

ORI recently purchased land in the town of San Lucas. We visited the spot on Sunday and had a prayer of dedication.

Emily's Birthday

2009-09-28T17:49:00.001-07:00

Emily celebrated her 12th birthday on September 20.

Emily and her cousin, Katy, had a joint birthday party at Grandma Horning's house.

A close up of the girls' cake.

Emily celebrated a second time with the Weaver family.

Emily posing with her gifts.

I wore my Guatemalan outfit for the presentation we gave at our home church.

Hunting Cabin

2009-09-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

We spent three days at the hunting cabin with Grandpa and Grandma Horning.

Maria beat Grandma at a game of Memory.

Nick and Ben spent lots of time reading.

Feeding fish from the bridge.

Tony loved the mountains.

Alisha, Emily, and Tony playing on the rock in the middle of the creek.

Blue Ball Church Camp-out

2009-09-28T17:11:00.000-07:00

We spent a wonderful month in PA visiting family and friends! We were so pleased to be able to attend our church's annual camp-out at Woodcrest Retreat over Labor Day weekend. The weather was perfect and we had a great time.

Best friends Megan, Becky, and Emily relaxing in the camper.

Alisha holding her little cousin, Connor.

Charlie and Rosie relaxing by the campfire.

Tony with his cousin, Abby.

Grandpa Horning cooking hamburgers over the fire.

Procession in Antigua

2009-08-26T10:56:00.001-07:00

We visited the historic town of Antigua on Sunday, August 23. La Merced, the Catholic church, was celebrating a festival. By chance, we came upon this procession as we were walking down the street.

Most of the men were dressed in black robes, and some were wearing strange hats. They paraded down the street carrying banners. The women walked along the side and wore white veils.

A few of the men wore purple robes.

Men dressed in black suits were carrying incense burners.

The main focus of the procession was this float. Men dressed in black robes and hoods carried a statue of Mary on their shoulders. A woman dressed in white occupied the place of honor at the head of the float.

Very interesting. It was another great "cultural experience".

Rehoboth

2009-08-16T18:01:00.001-07:00

On Saturday, we also took the children from the Rehoboth orphanage to Pollo Campero, a Guatemalan fast food restaurant, for lunch.

The kids loved the chicken! It was a special treat for them.

Tony is sitting on Jay Hurst's lap, the ORI board member who served as leader for this work team.

After we ate, we took the children back to the orphanage and spent some time with them. Alisha and Donna are coloring with one of the girls. Some of our group also played soccer and basketball with the older boys.

Larry Fox is pushing Tony on the swings.

Sheryl Leaman, Molly Ressler, Emily, and Tony are having fun with bubbles.

Missionaries del Camino

2009-08-16T13:58:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 15, our family spent the day with the current ORI work team, a group from Living Hope church. Charlie was our bus driver. First, we visited an orphanage called Missionaries del Camino where 57 children live.

Alisha found a friend.

Tony loved this rocking horse and the many riding toys.

This little girl latched onto Charlie.

This is the school building. The orphanage children, as well as, children from the village attend this school.

The preschool classroom was the most colorful and cheerful.

Back to School

2009-08-03T15:47:00.001-07:00

On Monday, July 27, we began our school year. We started early because we plan to take off when we visit the states in September.

Emily is in sixth grade this year, and Maria is in second. They sit at our dining room table to do their schoolwork. Emily's favorite subject is science. Maria loves everything except math.

Alisha sits at our kitchen table to do her work. She is in 9th grade this year. She enjoys having the freedom to do extra work on some days, so she can go along with work teams on others.

Ben is a senior this year. He likes to do his schoolwork in his bedroom, usually while lounging on the bed listening to music.

Our greatest challenge is keeping Tony relatively content and quiet! Thankfully, he likes to look at books.

I celebrated my 46th birthday on August 1st. Alisha made supper for me, including this delicious chocolate cake!

More Blue Ball Photos

2009-07-26T16:07:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more photos from our week with the Blue Ball youth group.

Tony with his buddy, David Dueck. They had a lot of fun playing "dinosuars".

Tony and Baby Ethan.

Emily and Megan posing at the overlook above Antigua.

Charlie and Tony taking a rest during our sightseeing trip to Antigua.

Becca and Emily at the zoo in Guatemala City. On Saturday we took an orphanage, Kid's Alive, to the zoo for the morning.

Blue Ball Youth Work Team

2009-07-21T08:18:00.001-07:00

We were delighted to host the Blue Ball youth group on an ORI work team July 13 - 20. It was wonderful to see lots of familiar faces and catch up on the news from our home church.

Here is the group posing at the overlook in Antigua on our day of sightseeing. The youth leaders were Jeff and Darlene Stauffer (traveling with Baby Ethan) and Gerhard and Bonnie Dueck.

The group spent their work days at Miguel Magone, a boy's orphanage. One of the projects was pouring a concrete pad and assembling a playset (donated by McDonalds). They also built a large wooden swingset that the kids loved.

Some of the girls worked very hard painting the metal fence surrounding the play area. Another group painted the inside walls of two buildings. And several girls cleaned and organized a mouse infested pantry.

Emily went along with the group on Friday and helped paint the fence.

These guys are the leaders?! Charlie and Ken Auker at the McDonalds in Antigua showing off some of the kid's purchases. An ORI board member travels with each work team, and Ken was the leader for the Blue Ball group.

San Juan Market

2009-07-20T18:22:00.000-07:00

On Friday, July 10, we visited the San Juan Market. This market was fascinating. Nearly all of the women were dressed in traditional costumes. And there were no "gringos" in sight - except for us of course.

There were all kinds of fruits and vegetables for sale, many of which we didn't recognize.

This vendor had many interesting dishes for sale.

We even saw dried lizard meat for sale. We did NOT buy any!

Two ladies chatting on a park bench.

I bought a traditional skirt and blouse from this vendor.

More Guest Photos

2009-07-20T18:01:00.000-07:00

The girls had a tea party one afternoon. Alisha and Amanda prepared the food, and they all wore clothes from the dress-up box. They had a great time!

We went to the coffee plantation for a cook-out with the Freeds and their guests. The kids had a great time in the pool.

Tony and Abby made a zoo with the blocks and plastic animals.

We don't have a dishwasher, so there were lots of dishes to wash with 14 people in the house. Megan and Emily are taking their turn.

Alisha and Amanda. Best Friends!

Rissler's Visit

2009-07-20T15:57:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed having Quentin and Darlene Rissler (Karen's sister) and their four girls visit. They stayed with us from June 30 - July 20.

One morning we took a cable car ride up the mountain and enjoyed a great view of Lake Amatitlan. (From L to R: Amanda, Becca, Quentin, Megan, Darlene, and Abby.)

Abby and Tony were "best buddies".....sometimes.

The girls helped paint four cribs that we then donated to the Amor del Nino orphanage.

Emily is hard at work.

We delivered the cribs on a Saturday afternoon and then stayed to cuddle some babies. Amor del Nino has lots of babies and toddlers.

Shoes for Rosa de Amor

2009-07-07T14:14:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, June 28, Charlie drove bus for the Salem Hellers Church work team. Our family tagged along for the day.

After church, we took the children from the Rosa de Amor orphanage to McDonalds for lunch. It was a special treat for them, as they don't get out very often.

All of the McDonalds down here seem to have a Ronald statue sitting on a bench....and Tony loves them!

Nick holding Miguel.

I had gathered a variety of shoes from the ORI warehouse, and we also fitted the children for new shoes.

Each of the older girls got a pair of sneakers and a pair of sandals.

Nick's & Tony's Birthdays

2009-06-23T06:33:00.000-07:00

Nick celebrated his 20th birthday on June 18. It was a busy work day for the in-country staff, as a large team of volunteers was visiting, but Nick took time to open his gifts after a late supper.

Tony turned three years old on June 23. What a blessing he is to our family! A huge thank you to everyone from Blue Ball Church who sent gifts. He had lots of fun opening them!

We had a joint birthday celebration for the guys on Sunday, June 21st. We also included the Freed's foster daughter, Shyanne, who had turned five the day before.

We had a pinata for the children. I was pleased to find a spiderman - Tony's favorite!

As you can imagine, Tony loved whacking at it with a stick. We had a hard time convincing him to let the others have a turn. A bit later, we put off some fireworks in honor of Nick.