January Work Team

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

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

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

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

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.