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