All Wrapped up and Returning Home.

The two water systems are installed, celebrations concluded, and bags are packed! After tearful and heart felt parting words and long hugs, we left our friends - until next time. Our luggage was strapped to the roof, and we all piled into the van (with the air conditioning on!) for our 3-1/2 hour ride to Antigua, where we would spend the afternoon, heading back to Guatemala on Tuesday for our return flight.

Fortunately, this time of hugs and good byes was great for getting some nice photos of our hosts.

Pastor Freddy (Right) with his wife, Isabella, and son Javier.

Marco and his wife Nanette. A handsome couple!

The road heading out of Reu, to Antigua and Guatemala City.

Leaving Reu, and heading East, we passed some areas which reminded us to appreciate God's presence in this land. Sometimes through the beauty of the land and people, and other times by showing us that we can't take our material wealth for granted. Guatemala is one of the poorest countries in Central America, and corruption is rampant. The CIA Fact Book noting that over 52% of the population lives below the poverty line.

Another photo of the magic of creation below Santa Maria volcano!

The traditional Mayan peoples of Guatemala are mostly rural. They walk, often with men carrying wood for fires and women carrying produce balanced on their heads.

A Guatemalan man, likely Mayan, carries wood for cooking.

Guatemalan mountain road lane suggestions in use!

 We arrived in Antigua to unpack, and uncurl our legs. The city is beautiful, with colorful and friendly people walking down the colonial streets, surrounded by breathtaking mountains and volcanoes! The afternoon was fun, walking around town, talking to the people, and buying souvenirs to remind us of this amazing land. Dinner was enjoyed 'tapas' style from the roof of a restaurant where we talked about our experiences and enjoyed an amazing moon rise. It was good to sit and 'break bread' together, sharing our most touching and memorable moments from our time here.

The main road in Antigua bustles with activity!

Steve and his new friend Maria, negotiating some deals!

One of the artisans at work at Casa del Jade.

The moon rising over Antigua, silhouetting a tree on the eastern ridge above the city.

We hope you enjoyed a little piece of our journey of Living Water! There are more stories to share, and a few surprises to see. Please join us at the Presbyterian Church of Barrington on February 17th at 10am for Worship, and 11:15 for a presentation in more detail.

So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.

Romans 10:17

A Final Celebration!

Another fantastic day of Celebration and decisions for our Living Waters team here in Guatamala! This morning, it was El Shaddai’s turn to celebrate their new water filtration system in Mazatenango. After a fantastic breakfast, as always, we were energized to head to the church to decorate and prepare. Once the service started, it was festive and welcoming! Two members greeted guests coming in, and chairs were put out to accommodate those who came to celebrate God and the new water system. Pastor Roberto shared great lessons about water, and our poor stewardship of God’s resources. He used the system as an example of how we need to start taking care of one another, and the world we live in. Clean water is a rarity, and a clear threat to the wellbeing of the people of Guatamala.

Greeters at El Shaddai.

Pastor Roberto welcoming his flock on Sunday.

Pastor Roberto loves sharing about the Lord!

Fred, our trip leader, shared the story of Steve, the homeless artist who sketched the Fox Valley drawing given in appreciation of our partnership. Jean revealed some of the lessons to the adults present, which their kids experienced during our training. We had volunteers lay out the parts of a water system, and some of the other students talked through the correct order, sending a t-shirt wearing water drop through to be cleaned. Eric shared a craft made by the PCBarrington VBS group after our Peru trip, distributing cards made with color and water – this was very popular appreciated by all, young and old!

To wrap up the celebration, we passed the water on to representatives from the church, shared some water from the new system, and took a tour to show how things work first hand.

Fred shares the story about the homeless artists who drew this picture of Fox Valley Church.

A living water system demonstration.

Eric presenting the cards from PC Barrington's kids.

The Fox Valleyteam passing water on to the El Shaddai team.

Fred and Javier pour the first piture of wate during a blessing.

Installation and Operation teams at El Shaddai in Mazatenango.

We then drove to Champerico, near El Rosario, where Fox Valley revisited their first installed system five years ago. Pastor Freddy allowed us to enjoy a seafood lunch and meet his mom, Amanda! While part of the team went to the site, the rest of us waited near a pier overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, relaxing for the first time this week.Before we left to return to Reu, Freddy insisted we watch the sunset!

Miriam and Javier enjoying some deserts from freshly shaved ice and fruit!

Bill trying to have a conversation with Amanda, Pastor 

Freddy's mom.

The end of a beautiful sunset from Champerico's pier.

In addition to the relaxation, we learned a lot about “the way things work” here in Guatemala. Corruption is rampant, and upon asking Pastor Freddy about some the things we saw, were saddened by the wastefulness of some in the government here. The road we traveled was over 30 minutes of horrific pot holes due to the road project which ended up with only 1-2 inches of asphalt, which are now mostly broken up after only three years! We also saw a partially built structure next to the pier we relaxed at, and found out it was a failed fishery project which was poorly planned, and never fully implemented – costing over $50 million. Even the pier we stayed on was once a bustling port with railway and tourist places. Now, it is a dirty, dilapidated structure with nearly rusted through steps. We found out also that crime is rampant, and were told several times not to venture out onto the pier, even in small groups. Our presence here, to bring even a small amount of health and hope to those who need help, has true and lifelong significance!

We were told not to go beyond the bottles, even in a large group.

Old transportation pier.

A massive fishery building project, failed and wasting $50M!

After once again braving a 90 minute drive (partly over our favorite road) to head back to the hotel, our day ended with a late, but amazing spaghetti dinner with Marco. He also brought us a wonderfully fresh cucumber salad and homemade pine apple pie like we can’t get in Chicago! This was a great way to end two successful installations before heading home via a night’s stay in Antigua, Guatemala. Packing is needed, and more stories yet to come!

Pastor Freddy's Living Water van, and our transportation.

Installations Done, and Celebrations Begun!

The land of Guatamala is beautiful and breathtaking! Reu is situated near the second tallest volcano in the land, and has spawned a smaller, very active peak which offers ever changing views.

Sunrise on the volcano, from our hotel's top floor.

Our third and final day of teaching at Mazatenango began with reviewing lessons with their trainers. It was their day to teach the lessons to a new group of kids this beautiful Saturday morning. We were surprised and amazed at how well they taught their children, getting them involved in the lessons and taking seriously the importance of the material. Even Fred, our fearless leader, took a break from the installation to enjoy some lessons with the kids.

Some of the things we learned today included the Creation story, repeated by the new trainers for the new kids, About germs and how we clean them from the water, and finally about the new water system to keep them healthy!

Alan creating some creation of his own.

Between lessons, the kids kept busy with songs.

After we finished with the lessons, we were able to go in and see the system for the first time. Our installation crew did a fantastic job, and when the pump was turned on, we found no leaks, which is always good!

Miriam explaining the system to the students and teachers.

 After all the work is done, it is time for our hosts to honor those of us who came to help them install the systems. In the evening, we entire team drove to El Asintal to celebrate their new clean water system. We were welcomed with open arms, and some of our crew (specifically Steve) were welcomed like rock stars! Pastor Oto welcomed us, and Marco did a wonderful job of translating the many prayers of thanksgiving and praise. As with any spirit filled - and always fluid - celebrations in poorer lands, we enjoyed much of the celebration by flashlight with very inconsistent power. This is one of the issues anywhere you go with inconsistent electricity, and to have the power interrupted only enhanced our worship experience! At the end, with the lights once again restored, we were able to drink from the clean system water for the first time - what a fantastic feeling for all of us.

Aldo and Steve working together with a great lesson!

Jean delivering the first clean water to drink.

El Asintal installation team and with operators who will keep things running.

A Day of Revisiting an Existing Installation.

Today was a great day of seeing a successful Living Waters for the World system in action. Fox Valley Presbyterian Church installed a water system with Pastor Freddy several years ago, and he has run with the model, creating a strong in-country network for systems, and truly exemplifying the living spirit of the LWW model. I was part of the team who was privileged to teach a refresher of their initial installation education done just over one year ago, to see what this church has done with the Living Waters concept.

We started the day with a tour of the water facility, where they clean and bottle water for both commercial sale (generating sustaining income for the system) and donations for the needy (fulfilling the Mission of bringing clean water to those who have none.) Bottles are sold to individuals, as well as hotels, clubs, and even politicians - all supporting the LWW Mission! Would you like a picture of yourself on a bottle of water? Call Agua Pura Benedicion! ;)

Examples of the water sold to sustain the LWW system at El Shaddai.

After our tour, we got to work with over 60 smiling faces waiting for our attention! They greeted us with Guatemalan songs, some which have English equivalents, and some we had never heard before. Among our welcoming friends were three who spoke enough English to help with all of our activities. Javier, Pastor Freddy's oldest son, was a Godsend, as he both loves English, and is excellent with the kids.

The joys of being greeted in song!

We went through a shortened version of the lessons from yesterday in Mazatenango, and had fun with telling the story of Creation through cut out pictures of the sun and sky, of animals and trees, and of people! We also learned about germs and how to keep them out of our bodies. About half we through the morning, we took a break and were able to prepare for the second half as well as enjoy playing games, much like our own kids at home.

Another pick up game of Soccer.

When it was time to wrap up the lessons, we thought we'd share some American songs with the kids. Not to be outdone, we also were taught a few of theirs! What a wonderful way to share cultures across language barriers, with simple songs with lots of movement.

Sally cuts some rug with the kids of El Shaddai.

We ended our time of learning and fellowship with prayer and a meal. Much as we do at home, one of the teachers led the children in prayer, and they repeated these words of gratitude to us, and to God! The food they ate was also part of Pastor Freddy's mission, where rice meal packs are created and distributed to hungry families. This mission is very similar to Feed My Starving Children, which we already participate in at home.

Sally making some kids very happy!

A good first full day!

Upon arriving at the church in Mazatenango, our installation and education crews got to work in short order.

Everything looked ready to go in the room to house the water system, save a few manageable details. There was a nice, clean board to hold all of the components, a sink nearby to fill water bottles, and a 300 gallon tank on the roof for the cleaned water. Fred, Linda and Sally made significant headway, installing most of the main components, and getting ready to finish the next day.

Sally, Fred, Lorena (translator) and Linda, working to prepare the clean water tank.

Fred and Linda mounting the Ozinator on the system board.

Fred, Linda and Sally share a conversation about the water system with Pastor Roberto and his children.

The Education group had 28 seven year old girls and three teachers for training. It was a great morning of lessons, songs and crafts designed to teach us about germs, clean water and good hygiene. One of the highlights was to create a banner with hand prints from all teachers, both Living Waters teams, and students, which will be hung in their church during our water system celebration. Another craft was for the children to form their very own 'germs' from Play-Doh, name them, and share what they did in the body. In the afternoon, Jean sat down with the teachers to train them how to teach the lessons, themselves. This is a key part of the Living Waters model, as we are to work with our partners to allow them to teach and learn day to day, long after we have left their land.

Alejandro helps one of our students place hand prints on a banner.

Jean trains the trainers so they can teach the children about clean water and good hygiene.

Arrived safely, and prepared to start our work.

Retalhuleu, the town from which our mission will reach out.

 Welcome to Guatemala! We received a wonderful welcome in Guatemala City by Pastor Fredy (The main leader of the Living Waters for the World network in country), his son Javier and Claudia who has guided the growth and details of Living Waters in this region until now.We also met several key people who are making this mission such a success!

Cupula de Zion courtyard.

We boarded a wonderful, and air conditioned bus for the four hour drive to Retaluleu where we met Marco, who with his family, run a beautiful hotel which will be our home for the coming week, Cupula de Zion. We were also introduced to Miriam, who will be taking over from Claudia, and also translating for our Education team in Mazatenango.

Our preparations for the week began by unpacking the two systems and three sets of educational materials, for two new sites and one already installed. We also went over the lesson plans in details, understanding the information flow as well as who will have the various jobs of teaching or facilitating for our three days of education.

The education component of the Living Waters mission is key, as it teaches not only what clean water is, but how to use it in a way respectful of the value of this commodity and healthful for the entire population served by the systems.

 

Dave, Eric and Nancy sorting through materials.

While being hosted by Carlos and his family, we are eating very well! They are amazing cooks and hosts, and our time of planning the next day's events will be spent in a very comfortable and productive environment.

Tomorrow (Thursday) is our first teaching day. Though we know what kind of things we may expect, the number one rule of mission work is to be flexible! Come back tomorrow to see how it went.

Eric, Jean and Miriam going over tomorrow's lesson plan.