Rain continues to fall causing all kinds of devastation throughout Guatemala.  In this picture, the hillside above the public market in Panajachel collapsed into a mudslide.  Fortunately, no one was hurt.  You can click on the picture for a larger image.

The rain has also caused roads to close and made transportation difficult.  Many areas of the country have not been able to obtain food and some banks are rationing money because they are unable to receive deliveries of cash.

Rodney Frieden, one of the pastors at Castleton, said, “We were amazed at the amount of money the children brought in during one week of Vacation Bible School.  What a fantastic job they did!”

Mission Guatemala will use the money to purchase water filters for families through Helps International.  The water filters are manufactured in Guatemala and are extremely effective.

Do all the good you can!  That is the goal for Misson Guatemala in San Andrés.  We believe all families deserve to have safe drinking water.  So, one of our goals will be to make sure each family has a water filter.

Peter was able to solicit donations and assemble over 75 health kits which we will distribute to people in need.  The health kits contain:

* 2 toothbrushes
* 2 tubes of toothpaste
* dental floss
* deodorant
* 2 bars of soap
* towels
* comb
* lip balm

Just having soap available to wash their hands with will help prevent disease from spreading through many families!

Peter also raised the money to cover the cost of shipping the kits to Guatemala.  Great work Peter!  Your hard work will make a huge difference in the lives of the extremely poor in San Andrés, Guatemala.

Andy challenged the children during Vacation Bible School to try to raise $500 for Mission Guatemala.  By Wednesday, the children had brought in over $500.  So, Angela Graf, the children’s ministries director agreed to dye her hair green if they could bring in another $500.  By the close of VBS, the children had brought in $1,005 for Mission Guatemala.

The money raised will be used to try to get the new clinic open by the beginning of 2011.  Great job kids!

109 killed
62 missing
23 injured
27,560 affected
37,000 living in shelters
20,000 still living in possible danger

In the village of San Antonio Palopo on Lake Atitlan, 12 people died when they were buried in a mudslide.

Guatemala is covered everywhere with mud and dirt.  Store keepers are constantly cleaning off their products and throwing water in the streets to keep the dust down.

Food is available but in short supply.  There are also some water shortages in some places where the water lines have become clogged with mud.

Beginning Friday, June 4, most airlines are starting to fly in and out of the Guatemala City airport.  The airport has been closed for almost a week due to the eruption of Pacaya located about 20 miles from Guatemala City.  With the reopening of the airport, it should allow relief workers and relief supplies to arrive faster.

Continue to hold this poor and hurting country in your prayers.

Training women to be midwives is a huge need in Guatemala.  Most births are at home and there is usually not anyone present who has been trained to help deliver the baby.  One of the women responded that there was a midwife but no one wanted to use her because she was often drunk.  I thought, “Sad, but true.”

So, I made an addition to my list of things to do in the future.  There desperately needs to be several trained midwifes in that area.

For the record, Guatemala has one of the highest infant mortality rates in this hemisphere.  This is one huge way we can help make a difference in this region of Guatemala.

I am often asked, “Why did you chose to do your work in Guatemala?”

My first response is because I have two sons adopted from Guatemala.  It is their home country and a country with great need.  Describing that need is the challenge.

Fundamental issues in Guatemala exist on a scale not seen in the developed countries. Rural Guatemalans, especially the idigenous, face some very serious challenges:

Health: Infant mortality is among the worst in the hemisphere.
- Infant mortality rate is 55 per 1,000 live births.
- Maternal mortality rate is 110 per 100,000 live births.
- 16% of infants suffer from low birth weight.
- 67% of indigenous children are malnourished.

Poverty: Guatemala is one of the poorest countries in the hemisphere.
- 75% of the population is estimated to live below the poverty line.
- 58% of the population have incomes below the extreme poverty line.
- 32% of the population lives on less than $2 a day.
- 13% of the population lives on less than $1 a day.

Literacy: Guatemala has one of the lowest literacy rates in Latin America.
- Indigenous male adults have a literacy rate of 20%.
- Indigenous female adults have a literacy rate of just 10%.
- The average schooling of the indigenous population is just 1.9 years.

Human Rights: Guatemala is one of the world’s most violent countries.
- There are 43 murders per 100,000 people last year, according to a government estimate.3
- Charges are filed in only 2% of all murders.

People struggle to get by every single day here.  I guess that is my answer to the question, “Why Guatemala?”

Greetings from Guatemala!

I want to share with you some exciting news!  Under the auspices of Mission Guatemala, I will soon be starting a new project in San Andrés Semetabaj.

Let me briefly share with you about our journey to this point.  About a year ago, I formed a nonprofit organization in the U.S. called Mission Guatemala.  Over the past year, we have been trying to discern God’s call for this new ministry to the people of Guatemala.  As we prayed for direction and guidance, we were led to the town of San Andrés. 
 
Motivated by John Wesley’s directive, “Do all the good you can,” we believe we have been called to bring God’s healing, hope and love to this small Mayan town located in the highlands of Guatemala overlooking Lake Atitlan.

Our first step in carrying out Wesley’s directive is to open a clinic in this overlooked and underserved community.  We believe that by caring for people’s health requirements, we can also discern the other problems and needs in the community.  We want to partner with the people in the community and deliberately do all the good we can.
 
We believe with God’s grace, love and guidance, the quality of life in this Kaqchikel speaking town will be improved and changed forever by putting John Wesley’s words to work and doing all the good we can.

This is no small challenge.  It will take support in many ways.  It will require people’s prayers, financial gifts and personal time.  So, I am asking you now to please pray for this project.  Please pray for God’s guidance and direction.
 
Also, please consider supporting this effort with a personal donation or spearheading a fundraising effort in your community, school or church.
 
We hope in late 2010 or early 2011 to begin accepting teams to help us renovate the building we will be using for a clinic.  We could possibly even be ready to receive a small medical team sometime next year.  Please, pray about whether God may be calling you to help us.

Personally, I find myself feeling excited, fearful and blessed by the opportunity to serve God in this way.
 
Will you join me?

The Christmas party was put on for the children by Mayan Families, a great organization here in Panajachel.  The students at Atitlan Multicultural Academy, the English speaking school, also helped put on the party.

There were fun games led by the students from AMA.  Then a fun clown who had the children laughing and cutting up as they won prizes for participating.  Finally, it was time for Santa to arrive and lots of presents for everyone.  It was a really fun morning and the children had a great time.  For more pictures, look in our photo album.