Homeward Bound

We have had a wonderful, productive journey, but now it is time to go home.  We left on Friday and arrived safely at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Guatemala City. We spent the evening dining leisurely at Restaurant Kacao. The food was authentic Mayan and the ambiance exceptional. A warm shower and a night's sleep on a good mattress have prepared us for the journey home.  We're tired but satisfied. God has led us mightily as we worked together.  It will be good to be home.

As we traveled to Guatemala we stopped in a small village called San Cristobal. It was a beautiful little village with a magnificent Catholic Church. We include a couple photos of this lovely place:

Gayle Shearer and I will be returning to Guatemala on September 9, along with Pastor Dan, Shirley Arbet, and Kathy Carlson to travel with CALMS leadership on an investigative tour of several villages in the mountains above Gualan. Our work in Guatemala will likely be expanded to include short term mission trips for medical and educational. We are very excited about the future and welcome you to join us in the journey. 

Blessings,

Bruce Collet

Houses Dedicated!

Well, our time here in Guatemala is coming to a close.  Both houses were dedicated today and the families are able to officially move into their new homes!  As Pastor Luis was unable to accompany us for the dedications, Bruce was kind enough to lead the ceremonies, with the help of Alex (one of the CALMS workers) to translate.  Prior to the dedications, the ladies and Bob were able to visit Hearts in Motion, a nutrition center that takes in malnourished children and nurses them back to health.  Many have additional health issues such as cleft palates or hand deformations.  It was just another reminder of the many challenges families face here in Guatemala.  The rest of the group stayed back to put the finishing touches on the second house and spend some time bonding with the family.  Our hearts are heavy as we prepare to head to Guatemala City in the morning. It has been a wonderful week of bonding with the families, building houses, building community, and, of course, spreading God's Word and his message of love to this community.  Both houses received a cross made of olive wood from Jerusalem to display in their homes, as well as a children's bible in English and Spanish so that God's Word can continue to flourish among these families.  We are sad to say goodbye, yet know that He will protect and watch over the community here.  With all that said, I will let the pictures below carry you through our journey today!

"The Few But Mighty!"
Pictured Standing from Left to Right: Bruce Collet, Gayle Shearer, Bob Halloway, Victor Roy
Pictured Sitting from Left to Right: Kristy Gerschefske, Diane Halloway, Ed Shearer

One of the greatest things we brought with us....a "futbol"!

Taken yesterday....."Is it ready yet?!"

Returning home from school

A "Tuc-Tuc" is the main form of transportation around town; utilized like a cab is in the US.

"Head Honchos" 
Bruce and Romero

Bruce with the CALMS workers, minus Nilss
From Left to Right: Hector, Alex, (Bruce), Romero

Victor giving his official "seal of approval" on the new outhouse!

These toys were a hit!  The kids built cars, houses, and much more! Such teamwork and sharing was shown among all the kids as they worked together to erect different structures and use their creativity and imagination.

The entrance to Hearts in Motion (Corazones en Movimiento)

One of the little ones.  He has been here several months and has seen much
improvement, though still small for his age.

Kristy coloring with the kiddos!  "What color is next?!"

IPhones enthrall kids of all cultures!

Gayle reads the story of Jesus to a Mom and her baby who come to Hearts in Motion weekly for help
with nutrition supplements.  The staff at HIM help Mom to learn appropriate foods to feed her baby to keep
him well nourished and thriving.

Playing "Peek-a-Boo" also transcends culture!

Back at the job site.....

Finished! This is what the inside of a house looks like when completed.

House #1

"Constructed for the family of Santos Gonzales"
A plaque is placed on the front of each of the houses to commemorate the construction and bless the home.

Ribbon Cutting! Momma and Pappa and 2 of their sons, Douglas (Left) and Byron (Right)

Family #1: Santos and her husband Utilio have 6 children and many grandchildren. 
Pictured here is 1 of their sons on the far right and the rest are grandchildren!  They were so happy and proud to be in their new home.  This family also received a new stove which Santos promptly began cooking on as soon as it was completed!

House #2: You can see the difference we are making by comparing the original "house", seen on the right,
compared to the new house we constructed on the left.  This family was very much in need!

The family of Norma and Rudolfo Aragon.  They have 5 children and many grandchildren as you can see above!

One of the children sporting some new clothes that were donated to the family.
She was so proud to show us her clothes!

This was the group of workers hired by CALMS to help us this week.....more like, we helped them!
They were extremely hard-working and fun guys.  Those that had previously been on trips here were happy to
see "Mucho Mancho" back again (pictured 2nd from the left in the back)!

Building homes is a family affair.  Carlos brought his two sons to apprentice with him on the houses this week!

And finally, a view of the neighborhood......

God Bless!

Hump Day!

We are officially halfway through the mission trip and beginning to really feel the effects of the last 3 days of hard work, but spirits are high and laughter is often!  We are truly enjoying our time in Guatemala being able to learn more and more about the culture, create relationships with the families, and ministering God's Word. 

Today brought the finishing of the floor in one house and the painting of both houses. We are ahead of schedule on both and plan to have the dedications tomorrow afternoon!  Unfortunately Bob's computer is acting up so we only have pictures from one of the houses, but rest assured, the guys worked very hard today hauling the makings of concrete for the floors and painting the outside of the house! Hopefully tomorrow we can post some of those pictures.  For now, here's what the girls were up to today.......

Diane reaches to make sure every corner is covered in paint!

Gayle scales the ladder to reach the eves!

Apparently if you reach high enough and inhale enough paint fumes, everything becomes funny!!

Kristy has a serious paint roller malfunction.  The worst part....this was roller #2!

                                               

The whole family got involved in painting today!

Today was wash day for many families, as they gathered around the faucets that bring water into this section of town.  We have all decided we can no longer complain about having to "do laundry" in the US by simply bringing clothes down a hallway and pushing a button!

A great many thanks to all of you who are posting comments and keeping us in your prayers.  Rest assured we are checking the blog daily and enjoying your feedback and comments! God Bless!






Written by:
Kristy Gerschefske

Photos:
Gayle Shearer

Work Day #2

Another day hard at work, both physically and spiritually.  We began the day by splitting into two groups.  Gayle, Kristy, and Diane went to one house and helped mix and pour the concrete to make the floor of the house.  Bob, Victor, Bruce, and Ed went to the other house to erect the walls.  After lunch we met up and joined forces to finish putting the walls and roof on the second house.  Throughout the day there were several chances to spread God's Word as you will see in the pictures below...... 
 

Kristy and Diane loading sand into buckets to mix with the concrete

Mixing the sand and concrete together

Gayle enjoyed some time reading with the children about the story of Jesus.  Gayle read in English while the oldest of the girls read the story in Spanish. 

Today we gave each of the families soaps, shampoos, and other hygiene products for their families.

Teamwork!! Diane and Kristy helping Victor secure the plank so he could saw a cutout.

Victor nailing in the piece he just cut.

Victor using his skills as an operator at a waste management company to analyze our next project.....

Giving more goodies to the families that had been donated to them.....

Sharing the meaning of Ed's multicolored "Gospel bracelet" from Gloria Dei, with the children.  Kristy translated the meaning so the kids could understand the different words and colors. 

Thanks to all of you who have shared thoughts and comments with us! It means a lot.  Thanks also to all of you who have us in your daily prayers; keep them coming!

Though tired, we are excited about the work that has been accomplished in such a short period of time.  We have a great group of workers that we are partnering with here in Guatemala that make the work both fun and rewarding.






Written by:
Kristy Gerschefske

Photos by:
Bob Halloway
Gayle Shearer

Work Day #1

Our first day "on the job"! We are tired and anticipating being sore before long, but it was a wonderful and powerful day.  After breakfast and devotion, we headed to the work site where we loaded the sides of the 2 houses on a truck to be taken to the worksites...where we then had to unload them.....

 It took all of us working together to lift these heavy walls on and off the truck!

After all sides were loaded and unloaded, then came the task of actually erecting the houses.  We were able to erect one house and nail the roof into place by the end of the day.

Kristy and Bruce nailing in the corners of the house.

Our Guatemalan counterparts are a bit more adventurous than we!

Some time was available to spend with the children who were enthralled with our sneakers, which they call "tennies".The majority of the children we have met either wear Croc-like shoes or go barefoot.  Our brightly colored "tennies" were a hit!

Gayle even tried to fit in with the locals.....

The families worked hard right along with us and we are looking forward to another fruitful day tomorrow.  Keep us in your prayers for safe workdays, continued building of community, and for the Lord to continue to guide us on our path here in Guatemala.



~Kristy