Hi Folks

Happy New Year

We will be going to Mega Frater for about an hour of their 3 hour New Years Celebrations and then head home to host a small get together with a family. The main feature will be a spectacular fireworks display located almost everywhere in Guatemala City.

Tomorrow we move and are not sure if we will have access to the internet initially so if you cannot reach us for a time that will be why.

We are contemplating assisting in the starting of a new Church work in an old church building close to where we have been living. This would meet a heart felt need that I have had to try to interact more in the proclamation of the Gospel. This would be a private ministry in addition to our Calling but since we are all called to witness for Christ this could be a vital activity in our walks here in Guatemala.

Strategic partnerships are always developed based on friendship relationships first. We are building friendship relationships with 2 families from the USA and there is the possibility that both could be involved in the fund raising ideas I have been working on. This moves the fund raising into a far greater field numbers wise. Please pray for us that we will make good choices for the support of the William COrnelius Vocational Training Centre and advancement of the Gospel.

Sheila and I would just like to thank you for reading our BLOG and wish you the very best in 2008.

Yours In Christ
Tim

FELIZ NAVIDAD

Hi

Well 2 weeks at language school is over, fluency around the 10 year corner.

Had a lizard in the kitchen today and when we got home the lot next door was burning so we rushed to get the clothes off the line... but it was too late, everything smells like a nice camping trip.

Out for cell group supper on Friday. Christmas is coming and the tortillas are hot!

Saw an advertizment for Christmas. It showed 2 girls in swim suit tops, one in bright red and one in green.

Here is a picture or two to contemplate as the cold rushes into your kitchen when you open the door way up there in Canada!

Missing you all
Tim

So posting videos down here does not work.
Here is a nice picture of a sweety!

This is my second attempt at posting a one minute test video. Tim

Hi
Today was an interesting day. It is the day they burn the devil. Fires outside of many homes are lit and a effigy of the devil is burned. The thought is that by burning the devil evil spirits are chased away for the Christmas season. There are a lot of fireworks and the whole city seemed to be full of smoke. We could see fireworks everywhere and hear them. Here are a few pictures of the effigys.

We will be trying a test video on this site soon.

All the Best
Tim

Hi Folks

Over the last year we have been quite frank about what we are feeling and seeing. Frank to the point that our readers may think we are ready to pack it in. I can assure you that this is not the case. This is no picnic and we can sure see why some missionaries last for a year and leave but our plans are to maintain the course. Help where we can at the WVCVTC and build a ministry here. That said here are a few thoughts for you and a picture taken yesterday at a fun day.

They have better juice here than in Canada.
The local beef is terrible, but the chicken is great.
Just when you think you know where to find something in the store, they change it around. AND, things are not always where you would find them at home. Eggs are not in the fridge, and the cranberry sauce is in the baking aisle.

They shoot off more fireworks this time of the year every night than Thunder in the Valley or the Calgary Stampede. Sometimes we can see 6 sites at once letting off the big fireworks and the cannons. Camperos Chicken will launch a massive display from every restaurant in Guate in the next 2 weeks (not sure which day).

The worship service at MegaFrater would match any service in the world including Hillsprings.

Language is acquired over a longer period than one would think. The old adage "if you want to learn a new language, move to where it is spoken and stay there as long as you can" Is true.

The Trees for Global Renewal Web page is nearing completion and could be launched by February.

The crazy driving is a reflection of the difficulty of doing anything down here (according to Hoyle).

This is a country of lack of trust and is rather dangerous. One has to watch where they go and when.

Yesterday the lawn mower started up next door and woke us up. We started to laugh thinking about snow blowers in Canada.

Good weather does not rate that high when you are lonely.

Cultural differences are significant and compounded by language and cannot be discounted because the lack of meaningful relationships pushes one to seek fellowship with English speaking people which works against language acquisition.

We are starting to sell some coffee and are hopeful that this will take off in the next 3 years as a great fund raiser opportunity for school grad classes, churches and other groups.

Here is a picture.

Off to sing carols at the church!

Tim

This is my third try to load a few pictures. Such is life in a developing nation.

Hi Tim here

We took Saturday to check out the travel time to the Tecpan ruins. We are hoping to take a short term missions team there this February. It was a wonderful day. On the return we diverted to Antiqua and did some shopping, picking up some fruit for the family we visit. We then took them a food packet had a short visit and made it home before dark. Here are pictures from the Tecpan ruins.

Hi Tim Here

You cannot stop a rooster from crowing in the middle of the night.
You will leave yourself open for a very big fight.
Hot lead and a chopping block during the daytime can make things right.

The picture of us was take by Dave from Ontario while we were with a team visiting a coffee plantation.

My measuring stick regarding what is right has been broken in two. I have been passively looking for work for the students and have found a chance for some to work at tree pruning for a greenhouse operation. The Chap I spoke to thought that since this was training that they would pay 1.35 Q per hour, which works out to about 20 cents per hour. I have to write up a proposal and have wrestled with the issue of fair wage. Do you know any summer students that want to work for 20 cents an hour? Well my Canadian measuring stick is absolutly useless so I have proposed an alternate pay scheme that places 36 Q(~$4.75) per 9 hour day in the pocket and allows for a scholarship to the school to be added once after each month of 500 Q ($70). I do not believe that the business will except this high pay which will average out to 61Q per day total(remember 100Q is about $13.50Canadian)
I suspect we will not place anyone in this job opportunity! The locals have a saying down here. They get paid in quetzels and buy in dollars! What a sad place this really is. My heart is broken for the poor which is 80% of the people. Minimum wage is used agaist everyone. It is about 60 cents and hour and rather than being something that applies to a fast food joint they apply this to everyone. If the minimum is met then employers do not feel that they have any other obligation to pay more. It reminds me of the speed limit in Canada. It has become the standard and everyone expects to go at least 5 km faster. Here anyone under 18 can expect the rate of pay to be lower than minimum or a snakes belly. No wonder there is bitterness and civil unrest!

Serving a Big God in Guatemala
Tim

Sheila is baking cinnamon buns for the workteam and they smell great. I get to test them. A tough job but someone has to do it.

Today I accompanied Pablo our computation teacher to a business that may provide jobs for 2 boys and 2 girls from our school.

Tomorrow I go to Esquintla to look at a greenhouse facility.

Driving- When I was first here I was a linear thinker. I am in my place between the lines. Then some idiot will pull in half on my lane and half on another lane. Then someone else is a little too close on the other side of the vehicle. I would drive staying in the same lane for long distances. Well that has all changed. The road has been freshly paved and is not divided off by lines. It is just a wide flat spot where any maneuvering to get ahead is allowed. My wife says I drive like a Guatemalan! If a bus is in the way I go around it. I use my horn often to let people know where I am and I mosey down the road with cautious speed. It will be tough going back into a law abiding society where everyone waits in line when there is a traffic jam. We are so courteous in Canada!

we're not lonesome so much anymore but we do miss the seasons. This having summer 365 is a big change.

All the Best
Tim

Hi Tim Here

Found another scorpion. This time under my guitar case. It looked at me I looked at it. It ran and I stomped. End of story.

One of the most satisfying activities I have been doing is asking businesses if they would hire students from the WCVTC. Four placements so far. One in a car dealership, one in a mechanics/body shop and 2 at Price Smart. THey offered us 8 positions but we only had 2 students 18 or older. 18 was the accepted age. Will be trying to set up a good relationship with them in the hopes that next year more jobs will be offered.

Sheila has been cooking the snacks for the teams here and they are delicious. I feel sorry for my family missing out on all this baking.

We will be very busy until the end of the month.

Tim

Hi Tim Here

The school year is slowly winding down and we are assisting Alan and Pauline with a couple of teams this month. What this means is that Sheila is doing a great deal of baking at this time and someone has to be the official taster! What a house to be in at this time.

Here are a few pictures showing the interface between forest and agriculture in Guatemala. As I work on the Trees For Global Renewal project the significance of agriculture is always to be considered. Many hills that probably should be growing trees that stabilize soil are cultivated for corn and there is a slow erosion, well it is actually not slow (many slumps and washouts) when the big rains come.

Here are a couple of pictures of part of our Thansgiving feast. We bought an electric rotisserie from some friends who were leaving, and it makes the best roasted chicken! Turkeys are hard to find right now as American Thanksgiving isn't for another month. Also with only two of us, chicken seemed to be a good alternative. There are even leftovers for tomorrow!
We were also able to find some canned pumpkin at the grocery store for the pie. Strange as it may seem, in the land of squash, there are no pumpkins (at least that we could see) to be found. We even went to the open air market yesterday and couldn't find one. Maybe closer to Halloween? We'll see.

Tim Here

It is Thanksgiving weekend and we have a chicken cooking and pumpkin pie but no family! Such is the life of a missionary.

I travelled to Tecpan last weekend to see some ruins and noted the amazing amount of energy spent on acquiring wood for cooking. For the most part wood and propane are used. Wood primarily by the poor. So here are a few pictures of the action.

The horse was tired and the owner said it wanted to get home and would not stop for anyone so we had to run in front of it for some quick shots.

The boys were happy to stop and let me take a second picture. I gave them each 2 Q and you should have heard them laugh as they walked away all excited about spending their 30 cents.

The cart had a wooden wheel with some rubber nailed on to it.

More pictures to come on the next entry.

Time to cut the chicken and feast.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi Tim Here

We were just reflecting this morning on how the bird sounds outside seem normal now. If you go back to one of our early entries I go into the sounds we were hearing the first morning we woke up in Guatemala. Now the sounds have come to be normal.

While walking and listening to a tape learning Spanish I happened upon a culebra (snake). I stopped and waited till it left the path. I helped it on its way with a rock and then carried on. Most field workers walk around here with a large machete for work and defense. I could have used one at that time.

Here is a sweet picture of Blanca Asucena and Lilian Beronica who are the youngest members of the family we provide food for once a month. Below them are bean plants drying before being cleaned and placed in a pan. The second picture is a final product.

Tim

Tim Here

This picture is from the Sept. 15 Liberations day at the William Cornelius Vocational Training Center. I am off today to take some pictures for the Trees for Global Renewal Web site and to practice Spanish with a local friend who will be accompaning me. Car was damaged a little yesterday and the guy gave me his name and number that did not work and then disappeared. I filed a complaint with the police and fully expect to have to pay for the damage myself. He has no drivers license and no insurance but his father is a doctor so perhaps I can get reinbursed for the repairs. I will not be holding my breath on that one.

Have a Blessed Day

Key Financial Principals:

Give to God first
Learn to be a saver
Learn to spend less than you earn
Have cash in an emergency fund
Don't finance pleasure items
Protect the family with adequate life insurance
Have a retirement plan in place by 40
Own your own home by 65 or retirement.

Hi Tim here
Two pictures, one of a hard worker and one of a couple of students at the William Cornelius Vocational Training Centre.
Boy, time flies when you are having fun. September is moving at a rapid rate. The elk are bugling in Grande Cache and things will be hot in the Crowsnest Pass anytime now. I am very aware of what I am not able to have of do at this time. Dying to self is what this is all about and it is not that much fun!

Things are moving along for both the coffee fund raiser and tree planting project called Trees for Global Renewal. I visited a company on Friday that grows trees. Some good leads and discussion on the formulation of a Forestry Program that would ensure work for the kids at the end of the education.

The weather here is wet in the afternoons and hot in the mornings. Hovers around 22 everyday. Not too hard to take.

We have decided that we will have to begin attending an English speaking church at least part time starting tomorrow. We held out as long as possible and are learning Spanish but when you are on the 10 year learning curve that makes for a long time talking baby words and having shallow conversations.... entonces (so), we will strike out at 7:45 to find the English Church.

We travelled into Mexico to renew our visas. Mexico was beautiful and we stayed in 2 different motel rooms for about 150 pesos or 15 dollars US. Nice rooms with TV's and very secure. We then passed back into Guatemala and paid a lot more for a room the third night. Then we travelled back from Huehuetenango and drove through some of the most beautiful country I have ever seen. We did not stop enough to take the magic pictures because we were guests in the vehicles of another couple. Oh but the corn must have been 20 feet tall with houses hidden except for the tin roofs. We will definitely be going back there. At one point the highway was at 3020 meters high with corn everywhere. In this area there was also a lot of pine so I was in my glory.

In Mexico we ordered a hamburger and pop. We also wanted fries. A half hour went by and we saw buns passing by us. Ten minutes later some ham arrived. Finally a kind of burger arrived. The bun had within it ham cheese and french fries. Yes french fries all squashed into the burger. And the drink was a local thing which I refused to drink and gave to one of the people we travelled with. Ha ha Sheila drank hers and paid the price after we were home. Threading needles so to speak!

Well as soon as we download the pictures I will post them.

Tim

Well this weekend we spent our time close to home. The big election was on Sunday and in some cases there has been violence. We hear about it on CBC but hear very little down here. So I guess the election is narrowed down to a couple of men and they will revote Nov. 2. Too bad they did not go to the ballot system tht was used in Alberta where second choices are marked. If they had this circus could be over.

Had a good meeting with the Nature Defenders and it looks like we can continue moving forward on Trees for Global Renewal. We will give a full update on the next newsletter scheduled for the end of the Month.
I can't remember if I showed the new gate into the Vocational Center however this picture covers it.

All the Best Tim

Tim Here
Scorpion attack on Sheila

Sheila was drying dishes and felt a sting on her hand. There, clinging to the towel, was a scorpion. She shook it into a bowl and drowned it without saying a word to me. Then she found me studying and asked for a kiss on the hand. Ask her how it felt. If I had been bitten, no doubt it would have been to the bone and I could have worked that for good loves for some time. Sheila was sure civil about the whole matter. We don't put our fingers under anything without looking and now check our shoes before pulling them on in the morning.

Tim here- So 3 pictures, drum lessons, baking and the court yard where the Crowsnest Christian Center and Grumpy's Greenhouse worked magic last Dec before the Grande Opening.

Tim Here
I have only been out at night after 9 PM a handful of times, mostly associated with getting to or returning from the airport. This week on Wednesday we had some American Missionaries stay over and I drove them to the Airport at 4:45AM. On the way we witnessed a holdup on a main road. A 5 ton delivery truck was robbed. It happened this way. Men driving in front of a delivery truck just came to a stop turned sideways to block the lain and then 3 guys bailed out of the car and ran up to the cab, guns in hand. I was driving past and just stepped on it so to speak. Moral of the story is.... don't go out at night or carry a bigger stick.
I will try to post another picture of the farm land we visited. Hope it works.
Tim

The pictures would not load after the first 5 yesterday. Time to try again. I have been studying spanish since 6:50 this morning and have had about enough so this update is a welcome change.

Rats no way I can load another picture! Does anyone know if there is a limit to the number of pictures that can be on this kind of a Blog?

Ok Now I have the pictures turned around and will proceed with more pictures of our walk. The Dad is named Marcello and the mom is named Alba Odilia. There are 8 children aging from about 4 to 20. 2 boys and 6 girls.

Hi Tim Here

Well I just realized that I had not shared the pictures of our trip to visit a Guatemalan family. So today is the big day for me to add some pictures. In June I walked into the hills to see the young corn and bean crops and the wonderful work done cultivating crops. It was beautiful however I forgot the camera. So the pictures today are from Aug 11 some 3 months after the crops were planted. I hope you enjoy them. hmmm I have many more pictures but I see many are sideways. I will go and correct this problem and add more another day.

All the Best
Tim

Tim Here

Pedir Dinero- means begging for money in Spanish. Here many beg particularly in antigua where their are lots of tourists. In Guate, that is the name they use here for Guatemala City, it is not so prominent. The second picture is of a cart. Every kind of vehicle made can be found on the streets here. Even some used in the movie waterworld can be found spewing diesel smoke somewhere in the city. It is not a healthy place and asthma is increasing among the young at an alarming rate. With the air bad and the sewers named after rivers one wonders if the system here is sustainable. I certainly hope not and that someday a light will come on and this place will begin to change. This change must start first in the heart and conscience of the people. The William Cornelius Vocational Training Center can begin to help this process through the imparting of a godly world view where stewardship and looking after the needs of others, as Philippians Ch. 2:4 states, becomes important. Currently basic needs of food and shelter are not met for many so for them rising to a conscience for the environment is impossible, survival is all that matters, so we find robbing, cheating, stealing all justified. The system is so unfair to so many here and we work at a school that will help in the change process, help in building disciples who will change the system one family at a time.

Tim

Tim Here
This was a picture from our recent sailing trip where we celebrated our 30 wedding anniversary.
Learning a language is no small matter and takes years for an old person. I can now coummunicate basic information and sometimes respond when people talk to me but I just cannot hear the words and register them with meaning. This is what takes time. I can write and speak primitively but using the telephone is another matter altogether. So I just keep learning words and picking up phrases. I could not spell before moving down here and my english will not get any better. I will now not be able to spell in two languages.

Well at Church today at the MegaFrater I was so impressed with the quality of music and the extensiveness of committment of the people. The worship and the devotion of each servant in the building from the parking lot attendants to the ushers, the ministry going on here would impress any believer in Canada. Speaking of Canada, it is amazing that it is really an unheard from country here. Hockey is not part of the big 3 or even big 10 sports on the idiot box. In fact even during the playoffs, I cannot recall it being mentioned.

As I write this our friends at Alberta Beach SonRise Pentecostal camp are starting their final service. We have been grieving missing this camp all week and had more than one email from camp friends which was great. Next year we hope to speak at the camp as Missionaries.

Oh if I only had a picture. So we are driving to the William Cornelius and end up behind a delivery truck about half the size of a moving van. The back door is open, actually no door exists and the thing is full to within 1 foot of the roof with cabages. Each one has a net around it and talk about huge. Think about the size of a minivan steering wheel and that is how big these things were. They stood 5 high to a height approaching 7 feet. Amazing! You had to be there.
The picture is of our Grandson Duric (Dan and Meg)who we are missing grow up in his first year. Another few months and he will be one.
Tim

Tim Here

Life is different here for sure. For example:
Two days ago I watched a fellow start to cut a trench into the roadway. He was using a 6 inch chisel and a small hammer. Yesterday I walked by him again and he had progressed about 5 feet into the center of the road. I wonder if he is still working that chisel today. He is probably trying to tie into a water line or something like that. Time is no problem if you are not paid much.
On one of the main roads there is an installation of what looks like a 3 foot sewer line. A larger backhoe passes buy cutting a 5 foot wide trench some 6 feet deep. Then they work in the trench, then a team of men arrive to fill in the hole using hoes and shovels (Mexican drag line?). Many men moving many cubic meters of dirt. Labour is cheap.

We can sure tell that in some way we have died because we have both had weak moments when we have said "I want my life back". However we push on to the higher calling and maintain the course.

I have started working on a health and safety policy document for the Wlliam Cornelius Vocational Training Center. These things take time and fortunately I have a template to follow.

Still hoping for donations of musical instruments.

We had our 30th wedding anniversary on the 30th of July. Nice meal together at home.
We get to spend a lot of time together and some days without having a meaningful conversation with anyone else. That is what makes weekends so difficult. The silence can be deafening so we fill it with work, music, internet, ebay, morning devotions, movies, hobbies(quilting and gardening and guitar. We are building friendships but this all takes time

Gardening is a challange. I must water often because the wet season is too dry this year. Bugs are getting my zucchini so I have harvested the big ones that don't already with holes in them. The peas are doing great, the beans have a battle with bugs eating the leaves. Not sure if I will get any watermelons or cantelopes. The plants are slow to grow and I am not sure what they are to look like at different times in their maturity cycle.

I have read articles on Dallas Willard, Billy Graham, John Stott and Rick Warren lately. All are very influential in the Christian world and listening to their hearts regarding world situations is interesting. One has to be nearly blind to not see the needs in the world and I have been feeling a stirring to stay motivated to maintain the course and see what life God has for us. More on this stirring in the future.

Tim

Here is a second picture of the Mayan woman.

Here is a pictures of the woman that this poem is written about: The second picture is of me in Guatemala with a local artist and picture we bought to remember the area.

Mayan Women

Mayan woman smiling on the street
Begging for money, flippers for feet
Same woman smiling has no legs
Little wonder on the street she begs
Hands are hardened, they work as feet
A kind of leapfrog without legs so to speak
I walk by rather fast
A casual glance at flipper feet that lasts
As I walk by tiendas in the people’s market
Buying this buying that but cannot forget
I will give her a five on the way back
Walking to our casa on the homeward track
I hand here a five and ask for a picture
She smiles rotten teeth and I sense a mixture
Of feelings, glad to see her smiling
But confused about a culture and crying
inside for ways to help the living and the dying.

Hi Tim here
The picture is of Sheila and I with little Esther, now an American citizen.
The other day I had to get to the Vocational School before seven. Unbelievable traffic at 6 in the morning. I was following behind 5 chicken buses and the black diesel smoke was so bad I could not see.
Because the sun is up at 5 and it is dark at 7pm the whole country has adapted to the light. At 10:30 PM the place is pretty quiet and at 6 am is very noisy. School starts at 7am.
With the nice days I am still thinking sun until 10, a nice evening fishing at Alison Lake, but no, my life is reading, studying, or watching the idiot box by 7 PM. Hmm may have to change that.
Our bible study is going well. It is all in Spanish so is great listening practice. Just discovered that the dealership where we purchased our vehicle belongs to someone in our study group. Another couple were connected with Deb and Ernie in the choosing of plants for the William Cornelius. Another fellow is an agronomist working on special fertilizers and I will be touring with him at some point looking for synergistic ideas for the William Cornelius. One couple just gave us an NIV Spanish new testament on disk, so now we can read our Spanish NIV's and listen to the tape.
Found a classified ad section for musical instruments. Flutes sell in the local music store for 4800 Q and in the classified there is one for 800 Q. Anyone wanting to buy this for the Vocational School Music program should drop us an email.

Purchased a 5 piece drum set and extra cymbal and stand. Still need saxophones, flutes, clarinets etc.

Have a hundred zucchinis growing in the garden. All the extras will be going to the kids at the school to take home.

I am working hard at Spanish every morning with tapes, flash cards, book exercises, reading and trying to talk Spanish during the work day. It is a 5 year challenge for sure.


Well by for now.
Tim