Juhlin Missionaries to Guatemala

2009-01-14T06:34:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks

So we are now back in Guatemala. We landed at 10:20 on Saturday January 3 and were met by a guatemalan friend. We spent the night at their house. On Sunday we attended church, had a meal out and then moved into another friends' apartment in zone 21. This zone is very noisy with commercial airlines flying directly over the home and a very busy road beside the house. We have been here for 10 days and during this time we found a small house and began moving our "stuff" from where it was in storage to the new pad. This included activities like washing and cleaning etc. so yesterday we took some time off and went to Antigua for the day. We purchased food and made a visit to the family we have been helping that live just west of Antigua. We kept the visit short and made it back to our zone 21 apartment just after 5 pm. Now it's time to carry all our travel bags down to the car and move to San Cristobal. We are not sure when we will have internet access again. They are supposed to be coming this afternoon to hook this up but we are in Guatemala and know better than to get our hopes up.

It is interesting comparing the situations here to Canada. For one thing, when we traveled back to Canada in July, the air felt colder upon entering the lungs. I did not notice this after a few weeks. Here in Guatemala the air is always warmer. Within one day of arriving in Canada I had a nose bleed. Dry air. In Guatemala the air is a little moister. I say a little because the elevation has a lot to do with the humidity. Most of Guatemala is at 4 to 5 thousand feet above sea level and the temperatures and humidity favour good living. Down off the mountains the temperature rises and you are closer to the ocean so the humidity rises. Noise levels in Guatemala City are very high compared to our little town in the Crowsnest. I was amazed many mornings in Canada when I would hear nothing except perhaps the wind or a train whistle in the distance. In Guatemala the sounds are everywhere and in your face so to speak. Smells are almost non existent in Canada but here the smell of sewer is often noted in walking the streets. Birds sound different and are different and yet with all the activity of a city they still seem to thrive. Well these are just a few observations that I have had contrasting the two countries.

Thee next blog will be from our new house location in San Cristobal

Thats all for now.
Tim

2008-12-28T15:08:00.000-08:00

So, it's been a very long while since we posted anything. Being home in Canada for the last 5 months hasn't been much of a vacation. We've spent a lot of time on the road, visiting supporters, both in churches and in homes. Our travels took us from Medicine Hat in the south, to Leader, Sask. in the east, to Fort Nelson, B.C. in the northwest. We've tried to connect with friends and family, but this has proven a little more difficult as our speaking engagements kept us busy on most weekends, when everyone else is home.
Furlough has been interesting. We haven't had as much down time as we hoped, despite staying a month longer than planned. Maybe its been the rush of Christmas, but I feel as tired now as when I first came home. I'm hoping that somewhere in the New Year we can have a week to just relax, but I don't see that happening right away. Such is life!!!
Christmas was busy, busy. We went to Red Deer, where we have a daughter and her family, as well as Tim's sister and her family. We were joined by our younger daughter and a friend, our son and his soon-to-be wife, Tim's cousin and his niece with her family. All in all, it was great to see everyone, and we enjoyed several games of Scrabble, Phase 10 and, of course, crokinole! It was neat to see all the cousins interacting as adults, when for so many years, they were just the "kids".
Next Saturday sees us boarding a plane once again for the trip south. Two years ago, we made the same trip, laden down with ten bags containing the things we needed to begin life in Guatemala. Now we are travelling much lighter, and considering which of the 'things' we took we still need. Some will be coming home with a team that is coming down in February, others will be disposed of. It's really amazing how much you really don't need. I find that housework here is so much harder becasue of all the 'stuff' we have, and look forward to downsizing even more when we return in June for Adam and Laurie's wedding.
Speaking of home, some of you may be wondering... We did have our house for sale, but absolutely nothing was moving at any price this year, so we still have it. Adam has consented to staying here until the wedding, which gives us a bit of a reprieve with what to do with the stuff. We did get rid of an amazing amount of stuff in August, but I was really wondering what to do with my quilts and fabric, as they don't do well in an unheated space, which is all we had for storage.
Well, we'll try to get this blog a little more current in the New Year. Thanks for all the good wishes we've had from all of you, the gifts we've been given and the love everyone has shown. It all means more than you know. Thank you too, for all the prayer that has gone up on our behalf. It has made all the difference!
Blessings,
Sheila

2008-07-19T14:55:00.002-07:00

We encountered these little guys well loading up the motorcross bike and food for the family. The machettes are half their size!
Tim

2008-07-19T06:16:00.000-07:00

Hi

Just getting to the site was very interesting. Here is a picture of a Nature Defenders employee testing the depth of the water and finding the best route.

The second picture is provided because this is the reason for planting the trees. That is to direct funds into education. Here the Director of the William Cornelius Vocational Training Centre is receiving a donation from Trees for Global Renewal for the planting of the first 2 hectares.

Visit Trees for Global Renewal at www.trees4globalrenewal.net

Today i am off to view some land and deliver some food to a family and buy some wooden fruit. I will be with Ben a Canadian here to tudor english until mid Oct. If you would like the opportunity to tudor english as a second language at the William Cornelius there is room for you. Give us an email at tsjuhlin@gmail.com

All the Best
Tim

2008-07-19T05:43:00.000-07:00

Just have to show you a picture of the cable bridge we crossed on the last time I was at this tree planting site. This picture was taken from the new bridge.

The other picture is me with the landowner on the planting site.

T

2008-07-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

Hi

Just back from the first tree planting project. Left Guate at 5:09 and arrived in Teleman at 11:15. The road was terrible especially at the beginning. We then loaded up the Nature Defenders motorcross bike in the pickup and headed out to the planting site. Fortunately we did not have to use the cable bridge as the new one was working. We then arrived at the first river and one worker waded into the river to check depth. After much discusion it was concluded that we would try to cross. Water was under a meter deep and we made it ok. Then we travel through the rubber tree farm and arrive at the third river. Now this baby is a bird of a different color. We walk up and down assessing our chances and conclude that there is no way to ford. The rock size is wrong and a good indicator of river velocity. We drive back through the local Finca and head up river to another cable bridge. It is not big enough to drive a truck but we can move the motorbike accross. I get doubled up to the village, whcih is about 5 miles. Meet the family doing the planting and we head over to look at the work to date. They are just starting work on the second hectare. Here are a couple of photos.

One of the land owner planting a tree. In the background starting at his right albow you can see the cleared area where the second hectare is being planted.

The second picture is of the food packets loaded and ready to be carried uphill for the 5 kilometers.

I will try adding a few pictures more as the day goes on.

On the return home the river crossing was a little more scary and we had a blow out. I then managed to back my vehicle into a gate and damaged the same location as last time. Minor but frustrating. I left Teleman at 4:45 and the trip out to the highway tood until 7:30 It was raining for much of the way and the fog came in at dark. I thought the 70 km drive would never end.

Stayed in Tactic for the night and was up at 5:30 for a good hike before starting the trip to Guate. Left at a quarter to 7 and arrived home by 10. It was a big mistake arriving on the edge of the city at 9 o'clock Traffic was backed up for miles and I spent more than an hour turttling down the freeway.

I will add more pictures of this trip soon.

Tim

2008-07-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone

Well today was a big day. I took Sheila to the airport. She is on her way back to Canada to start our busy schedule there.

Recently we were at the William COrnelius for a presentation of some cash that assisted a number of students with outstanding debt. The money was generated through the Trees for Global Renewal program. At this time we have 1800 trees in the ground of 2222 so we are almost finished the first planting. I will be traveling out to the site again on Thursday if the rivers are not too high and will be giving out the food packages to the planters.

Here is a picture of Sheila giving a hug to one recipient of the TGR donation and I am standing with a group who also received benefit from the program.

Tim

2008-07-10T13:15:00.000-07:00

Hi tim here

I just picked up some coffee to bring back to Canada. Price is up because of fuel used to roast the coffee and packaging has trippled in one year. If you are desperit for Guatemala coffee let us know. Profits help fund the William Cornelius Vocational Training centre.

I visited Finca Palestine last weekend and took a few pictures. I was really excited about the change in cover trees being used. The attached picture shows the older type of trees which require triming every year and the new trees (which are from India originally) These babys are only 6 years old.

The second picture is of a dad and two sons bringing wood home for cooking.
TIm

2008-06-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

2008-06-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

Driving down the road from Coban/Tactic we pass by many reforested areas. A fire burned through some young pine in a special area important Biosphere) for the Quetzel. Here is a picture to capture this sad event.

2008-06-26T15:48:00.000-07:00

2008-06-26T15:43:00.000-07:00

2008-06-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

Well visiting Tactic cooperativo I was told about a pine stand 11 years old. On the way there I took pictures of a new cutblock. Logging was completed 3 months ago and the land has been searched for firewood, planted to corn and reforested to pine. I will add 3 pictures on this and if time one of an 11 year old pine stand.

2008-06-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

2008-06-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of unique vegetables:

I have to add them one at a time and this is very frustrating and takes 10 minutes each. There must be a better way!!!
Tim

2008-06-25T19:03:00.000-07:00

We just returned from Tactic where we took pictures and learned the names of some vegetables not known in Canada. We will bring back the pictures and use them in a process to try and find markets for the products here. Tactic is located north and east of Guatemala City. They grow 3 crops per year because the climate is so perfect. They are located at about 5000 feet and it rains a fair bit so is not as hot as other places without clouds. We shared a recipe with the growers co-op and were able to see the schools of Impact Ministries, a western Canada based ministry. They have 5 schools and are building a medical clinic. They feed some 4000 meals per week. Good hot food and a great ministry. Anyway we left The Tactic area and headed down into the heat in Los Amates to view and assess a location for a possible greenhouse facility for Trees for Global Renewal. We then drove up the valley to look at an area where reforestation would help protect the local watershed and watersource for several communities. All together the growing and planting of seedlings will provide work for locals from a small destitute community. This will also provide a practical example of Christian works. Well that is the hope anyway and I will be working towards that end when back in Guatemala after our trip to Canada.

We are getting used to being here and on the roads but I must say we,like the Guatemalans are shocked by some of the violence that goes on in this country. Like today we read of a truck full of people stopped and the owner of the truck and 5 other members of the family were all shot. Perhaps they refused to pay extortion money to the gangs. There was another bus driver killed in zone 18 of the city and the drivers are now demanding protection. Soon we will see machine gun guards on every bus.

One has to be careful moving around this country ensuring that this is always done during the day time and on well known roads. Side trips down back roads are not to be taken as common practice unless with a local and even that is questionable. Today while taking pictures of the watershed we may be planting, a toyota drove by with 4 hombres in the back carrying pistolas with good sized clips. We were crossing a large finca (farm) that had grown in recent years because of drug money. The one son who helped enlarge the farm was killed in the big shoot out 2 months ago in Jalapa. Two rival gangs apparently had a shoot out. It can be pretty western out here.

I sure feel sorry for most of the people making minimum sums per day. One missionary told us that native women in his area do not make more than 20 Q per day. That is about $2.80.

We are busy with preparing brochures for Canada and presentations. We are giving up our apartment and will find another in December. Hopefully the new one will not be as noisy as here where the neighbor's car alarm keeps going off.

All the Best
Tim

2008-06-11T15:39:00.000-07:00

2008-06-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

Hi Tim here.

Today was a big day in that I signed an agreement and paid out money for the planting and stand tending of 2 hectares of ground. This was done on behalf of the Trees for Global Renewal project. This first tree planting project is unique (i.e. not typical) because we have had trees donated and just have to pay the transportation. We will be able to make a nice donation to the William COrnelius Vocational Training Centre which will be used to pay down some student accounts that are in arrears.
One of the areas to be planted is used for growing corn. Here is a picture of that location as it was 2 months ago. It will be cleaned up and planting locations marked before the planting actually starts sometime this month.

All the Best
Tim

2008-06-11T15:08:00.000-07:00

2008-06-10T15:12:00.000-07:00

Hola

Raining again today. Has been raining most days in the afternoon or evening. In 2 weeks perhaps we have received 10 inches of rain.

Here is a nice picture for you to consider.

Hmm not sure if it uploaded. May have to try again.

2008-06-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

Pictures of berry farming.

2008-06-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

Hi Here we have a picture of a delicacy in Guatemala. I was at an anniversary and birthday party with friends and these were cooked up in a tomato sauce. Can anyone guess what thy are?

Also visisted a aboriginal community called Chimazatec which means "Land of the Deer" The families here mostly grow strawberries. I will try to add pictures.

Trees for Global Renewal is moving along with the first plantings to happen this month.

Tim

2008-05-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

Additional Picture of Leatherleaf and cannery.

2008-05-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hi Tim Here
Two Pictures one of leather leaf and one of a cannery building.
Boy does time ever fly. It looks like a month has gone by since my last entry. Sorry about that. I have been working on a number of fronts. The first being language acquisition. I am told by some that my Spanish is getting better. I am finding that when I go back to work completed some months ago I am able to repeat the lessons with more speed and cconfidence. Progress is being made but the rate of improvement is personally disappointing. Yesterday I had a friend teaching me spanish, well actually He is here to talk so that I can listen to the pronounciation. Well I made a sentence in my best spanish and he said " Well in spanish we say it like this". Hey that was my best spanish I replied and we both had a good laugh.

Outside of spanish I along with Sheila took a trip to Los Amatos to discuss reforestation around a community water source. This would help students and families associated with an ENDAC school in that town.

Last week I toured a leather leaf finca on the road to Coban and during the process of this 3 day event was introduced to a farm co-op. Well it is hard to believe... perhaps the luck of God?? but this group has a large facility that appears almost unused. The building has an office, large rooms with stainless steel tables, large walk in cooler and large room for storage and a trucking dock. Then the kicker was that one room was locked and only the president of the Co-op has the key, and he was not there. Well I am told that in that room is equipment for canning. Apparently 5 or 10 years ago they had started canning and things fell through it looks like for a time two months of the year this plant is used to sort and wash green beans for shipment. For the other 11 months of the year it sits unused. We are excited about this because of the Vision I had had in the Mid 90's at Sonrise Pentecostal Camp at Alberta Beach. Some of you may not know about that so I will try to post a writeup I prepared last month. Lets see if I can go into a word doc. now and paste it here:

Vision of Christ

A vision of Christ appeared before me and this is how it happened.

Along with my family, I was attending family camp at Sonrise Pentecostal Camp near Edmonton. At that time, (I think it was the summer of 1995) it was called Sunset Point Pentecostal camp. The camp is a week long and runs Christian based worship and teaching sessions for all ages. I was attending the morning service, listening to a member of the staff of Northwest Bible College (now Vanguard Collage) during a morning service. It was a weekday with perhaps 300 people in the main tabernacle. I was in the front row to the right of the speaker when a window or portal opened before me that appeared to have fire around it. Inside, Christ appeared dressed in white and appearing just as I would expect him to look with longer hair, a beard and dressed in a white gown. As he came closer, he opened his arms wide pointing at an aboriginal people group that were very colorfully dressed and arranged in a U shape around him, more or less framing the right, left and bottom of the portal. The following information was conveyed to me.

He said:
Can you do this for me? Build a cannery.
Other information instantly loaded into my brain:
Call it El Shaddai cannery.
Do it for these peoples.
I responded: Yes I can do that.

I looked around and realized that everyone was listening to the speaker. No one else had seen the appearance or heard that I had just spoken out loud “Yes I can do that.” I looked around and when I looked back the vision was gone.

What I did:

I was pumped and very excited, explaining what I had seen to family, friends and Pastor Cliff Newbury from Grande Cache. With some counseling on the matter from Cliff, I headed home at the end of camp prepared to build a cannery. I started a PowerPoint to try and vision cast for support. Nothing seemed to work. One northern missionary couple (recently retired) said that First Nations people hate gardening, so there was no way that it would work in Alberta.

I returned to Family camp the following year and spoke with Pastor Cliff again who said, “Well perhaps it is not for now and you need to wait”. So I set the vision and request on hold.

In 2002, I visited Guatemala and, in particular, the missionaries working there with the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. I was working on a final ministry related research project to complete a master’s degree at Briercrest Biblical Seminary. I interviewed Alan and Pauling Slater, Hector Aragon and Cary Goshinmon. While with Cary visiting a Child Care Plus School in the city, I commented on the large vegetables laying on the streets and for sale. He would not allow us to buy any because he said we had no idea how they were grown and he did not want us getting sick. OK, fair enough. Well, we took two days to tour Guatemala a little with Carlos and Laura Motta, who are the parents of Henry Motta, a fellow student at Briercrest Biblical Seminary. On the way to Lake Atitlan, we saw hillsides with watermelons and squashes and old corn stalks burning everywhere and an abundance of other fruits and vegetables. While we were returning from Lake Atitlan, four aboriginal males crossed the road in front of us. It was obvious that this was a father and son group, with the father in the lead and the 3 increasingly shorter children following behind. Each had a hoe over their shoulder. Up the ditch, across the road and down the other side like ducks swimming in a pond, they disappeared on their way to another field. The instant I saw them my heart leaped within me and I exclaimed. “You mean here, Lord?”

What Now?

I am now a missionary in Guatemala with a list of responsibilities associated with the William Cornelius Vocational Training Centre, a technical high school for underprivileged young adults. The Centre is linked to ENDAC and the Child Care Plus school system of the PAOC. The ministry my wife Sheila and I have today is not what it will be in a few years. It takes time to fully develop an effective ministry. I am now deep into the process of acquiring the language and soul searching regarding this vision and the request to build a cannery.

I see fruit and vegetables in abundance in the markets of Guatemala, but many people are under nourished. I have often said that love is seeing a need and meeting that need. As I look at the significant contrasts between the rich and the poor in Guatemala, I am moved to do all that I can to help the downcast up and out of the poverty cycle through education and all other means possible. And you can be sure that practicing the Gospel of Jesus Christ will be front and center in our ministry. And as for the vision and the cannery, I am in a process of counting the costs, investigating the options and making decisions that move our ministry in the direction Christ has requested. The call is to obedience; it is my duty to obey.

Oh, and for the Grace movement I can say this. It is very clear in my mind that what I believe determines my destiny and what I do determines my awards. I am not doing this to gain the favor of God, for he calls me friend already. I also do the greatest work required and that is to believe in the One God has sent. Obedience stemming from a thankful heart is reasonable service in pressing forward to bring the reign of Christ into this and all lands and people groups of the world.

If any of what I have said above witnesses to your spirit, I would love to hear from you. Email:
tsjuhlin@gmail.com.

Walking in the Light of Christ

Tim

2008-04-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hi
On that same school tour I met an interesting woman. My friend Sig back in the Crowsnest Pass plays a song "Pistol packen momma" Well Sig I think I found her for you!

Found a bullet hole in one of our lawn chairs on the deck yesterday. hmm hopefully it was just a stray bullet but it was from a 22 and appeared to be traveling horizontal.

Very hot these days, we only sleep with a sheet over us. Out for a drive today to look at some land 68 km from the city and close to a greenhouse facility where we may buy seedlings in the future.

Spring time in alberta warm sunny days and the skys are blue then without a warning another winter storm comes tumbling through.

We sure miss our family and friends and Spring in Alberta

Tim

2008-04-20T09:43:00.000-07:00

Hi Tim Here

Last week I took a trip with Missionary Hectar Arogon to visit 3 ENDAC sponsored schools. These are the schools that would eventually link up to the William Cornelius. Each school is similar in many ways that are different than in Canada. One expample of this is the selling of food. Each one tended to have a small store or other means of selling food to the teachers and students during their breaks. Here are a few pictures: well actually only one of an inner court yard for a school with the tienda back center.

One reason for taking this trip was to look for opportunities for ministering through short term mission trips. There always seems to be something needed so when we get back to Canada we hope to increase the interest of local churches or other groups to consider coming on a 10 day or 2 week trip to bless the people here. Think about this from your perspective and if you have interest send us your name and we may be able to connect you to a project either at the William Cornelius or at another school project.

Tim

2008-04-16T20:53:00.000-07:00

Some of us are short and some tall.

Somehow I do not feel anymore secure with this fine automatic. How would you like this protecting you during your next tip down town?

2008-04-10T17:18:00.000-07:00

Here is our brother in law taking risks out on the ocean. I took this with my new camera and a 300 mm lense.
Have been having a good visit with Dirk and today took a look at the School and some of the gym program.
Tim

2008-04-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

One example of a loaded taxi truck.
Tim

2008-04-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

Here is the local ranger on the left then the director of the Nature Defenders and then the family that will be involved with the tree planting project.
I will try more pictures soon. Tim

2008-04-06T06:50:00.000-07:00

This is the location of the first planting site. A chance to take back some agricultural land.
Tim

2008-04-06T06:40:00.000-07:00

I cut these down and cut my arm.

2008-04-06T06:31:00.001-07:00

another picture. This of the road up to the village and planting site.

2008-04-06T06:15:00.001-07:00

More pictures of the trip. I have tried many times to download but can only do one at a time. My 10 Megapixel camera is a challange.

2008-04-01T16:55:00.001-07:00

Picture down loads are tough but will try for the 4th time to get some pictures of my trip. Tim

2008-04-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

My Trip to Telema’n

I seldom write a journal but decided to on my first trip with the Nature Defenders of Guatemala to visit a planting site. Here is what I wrote.

So here I am after a grueling 7 1/2 hours driving. (four on good highways and three on a dirt goat trail). I am at the Nature Defenders office in Telema’n. Telema’n is located to the north and east of Guatemala City, but on the north side of the mountain range Sierra de las Minas. We are located about 80 km west of Lago Isabela for those of you that have a map of Guatemala. I step out of the vehicle into what feels like an oven, perhaps in the high thirties. We are at an elevation of about 100 meters above sea level. Coming out of an air-conditioned vehicle, the air feels stifling hot and more humid than in the city. The smell of pigs is in the air. The woman in the tienda across the street is throwing water on the road to cut the dust. I take a picture or two of her and picture of the Nature Defenders sign and posters saying “Cuidado”, be careful with fire and “Salvemos Nuestros Bosques” Save our Forests.

The trip here was brutal with the Polochic road off the main highway composed of dust, rock and pot holes (like the first 15 km of the South Castle road, but worse). From a height of land at 1500 meters to this town at 100m there is a significant change in ground cover from conifer and deciduous forest to deciduous evergreens to grazing land to sugarcane fields. The sugar cane is new and its incursion into the area is a sign of improvements to come.

La Tinta, located 14 km to the west, looks like a decent little pueblo but with a dirt road in and out, I would not choose to live there. Driving through the town is nice because of the brick road.

Guatemala is beautiful outside of the city.

Now I am at the restaurant with the director of the Nature Defenders. I am faced with beef, chicken or soup. We are at the Texaco restaurant and there is a lot of beer being served. Outside, the local taxies are gassing up. They are old pickups (usually Toyotas) that have a metal cage attached that allows for lots of people to hang on. How many people can fit in one vehicle?……..Just one more is the correct answer. I saw a Toyota pickup with perhaps 40 people standing in the back. Three were standing on the back bumper as the front end of the vehicle swayed nearly out of control down the road. Everyone was laughing and having a blast. Oh, I ordered chicken because it looked like it was cooked in the oven. I would not trust the soup because of the uncertainty of the water and of course coming from Alberta have no interest in the shoe leather beef served here.

Back to the Nature Defenders office and to the area director’s house. We change vehicles and head out. Lots of dust, and here is the big river (Polochic) and the crossing. I gulp.. it is a narrow cable bridge and all the locals head off the bridge as we drive onto it. It is as if they are expecting it to collapse and want a good view. We stop half way over because the driver has to adjust the planks ahead. I take a close look at the planks, but they are not planks they are slabs from a saw mill. Not nailed together and there are not enough of them so the driver is going to distribute them so we can cross. I look at the two, one and a half inch cables, feel the swaying, look down at the deep water and I decide to walk to the other side and manage one picture before the truck makes it across. A new bridge is being constructed down stream and not too soon I can assure you! This old bridge was constructed in 1960 and is an accident waiting to happen. Off we go through the first crop of sugar cane. We are now at Old Village River (Pueblo Viejo). It is about the size of the Flathead River near the BC/US border during the low water season in late fall. Good potential to be much higher and faster during the rainy season. We approach the ford and I see that the water is crystal clear like the South or West Castle rivers of southern Alberta (when the cows are not wading in it). We complete the ford and travel through cattle land and a large latex forest. That is to say, there are many hectares of old trees all being farmed for sap used in the process of making latex. It is similar to maple sugar harvests I think. The latex finca (plantation) is large. All the trees have a quarter inch tube and a small metal bowl strapped below to capture the sap.
We come to another nice river about the size of the Castle River in late August at the rodeo grounds. This river is also crystal clear with bigger rocks, indicating some rapid movement during high water. If I am to transport planters into this area, this could be a big problem! Apparently the first river we forded has 16 communities along it and this one has 12, but it is obvious that they must be located somewhat away from the river because the pollution, if any, is not obvious like most of the other rivers I have seen in Guatemala. Both of these rivers come out of the Sierra de los Mines protected area where we will be planting..

We start up on an eroded road, bump, bump, up, up, bump, we contour our way past trees and corn crops. I think we are near the end of the world. We stop and take pictures of a recent PINFOR plantation. I take a leak and jump back into the truck. We round the next corner and there is a soccer field with a dozen players. Up and around the next corner, and whoa, a pueblo. There are tinned roofs with a makeshift market in the centre and stores all around it. Very poor, that is obvious. I am thinking that tree planting here will provide some needed work and funds. We stop and get out to meet the local forest ranger (just a mean looking guy with a machete). I point my camera at some kids and they all run and hide. They start peeking around the corner, I point, and again they hide. The place is very poor with chickens and pigs running around freely and some very malnourished dogs. Up another 200 meters we go and below us is a nice soccer field, basketball court and a school. These are real mountain people. Wait, am I hearing banjos??? No just joking. Anyway, we get out and begin walking up the hill through the yards of many people, around sleeping pigs etc. I see barren houses with tin or thatched roofs. We stop and look down a steep ravine, perhaps it is 70 meters across with the sides steep to 70% slopes. They want us to plant this hell hole and explain that the PINFOR reforestation is a subsidy program intended to help reforest these difficult spots. I point to two faces and say okay, but the north facing slope is very steep with lots of wicked brush, worse than devil’s club. I take a machete from the ranger and cut one branch off. It falls onto my arm and I start bleeding. I say “esta es malo”. Which might mean “this is bad” if I have it right. I tell them that there is no way we can plant this hectare as a first planting site and ask if we can view the next site. They point to an area about 300 meters up and across this gorge. We walk further up the trail to the location. I am relieved to see that this piece of ground is 75% corn crop on about 25 to 30 % slope, all cultivated except for one side. Okay, I say, we can plant this site. They will prepare the site and stake the location for all the seedlings. We head back and I take pictures of the native landowner’s family and promise to bring them copies. It is dark when we get back to Telema’n and we are locked into a motel. The roof is very hot and stays that way all night. The food is okay, but there are so many sparrows flying around this third floor restaurant that it cannot be clean. At breakfast, part of a bird’s nest falls onto my plate. I am not that hungry! We travel back to the city and continuing planning for the first planting for the Trees for Global Renewal Project.

2008-03-26T08:48:00.000-07:00

Hi Tim Here

Well today I have a Spanish tutor here to help me to move from knowing words and small sentences and into the realm of conversation. I know many words and basic greetings but hearing the language is another matter.

Still working on a TGR planting project but not sure how things will work out. Language is essential and will be my main focus for the next 4 months.

The picture is from the beach where I lost my wallet. We have been to the beach twice since introduced to a good safe location. It takes 2.5 hours to get there so is not going to be a big factor in our ministre. The second time there we were with a team and they enjoyed the experience immensly.

Well off to Spanish I go.
Tim

2008-03-23T13:53:00.000-07:00

Hi Again
More pictures for you. Yours truly with bananas and a picture of Lake Atitlan.

Tim

2008-03-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

Here we have 2 of Sheila's first tortillas ( I bet you can identify them)and some produced by Rosa, the wife of Ladis. Maria, the younger of the two, is their daughter.
Tim

2008-03-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

Tim Here again.
One picture was of Sheila trying to make tortillas. Here are a few more pictures. One is of Ladis with his son and 4 granddaughters. The other is of the pila (sink) outside of the kitchen area.
Tim

2008-03-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks

Happy Easter

We just returned from a visit with an Quiche family in Solola. We were at an elevation of 2450 meters for 2 nights. It was cold at night and wonderful during the day. We had a great time eating traditional foods and we did not get sick which is a real bonus. The family was very clean and used a lot of soap to wash dishes. Even with dirt floors in the kitchen, cleanliness was a top priority. It felt like we were camping on a pack trip because lots of time was spent around the stove/fire and the chairs or ground we had to sit on was hard so after a time, you long for a comfortable chair. Here we have 2 pictures taken around the cook stove. I will post this and then try to add a few more pictures.
Tim

2008-03-12T15:14:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of the Crowsnest team that visited in Feb.

I am shown giving instruments to the music teacher at the WCVTC.

More pictures soon
Tim

2008-03-11T18:39:00.000-07:00

Hi Tim Here

Work on the William Cornelius is proceeding very well. After a good start on cabinets with the team from Manitoba, and a good effort from an Alberta team bringing several banks of cabinets together, we now see a Newfoundland team completing the work in both dental labs and the science lab. Wow, what team work.

I finally received a new temporary drivers license after losing mine in the ocean. What a challenge. Thanks to my good friend Bob and others we did not have to travel back to Canada. This saved us a lot of money.

We finally have internet at the house after waiting 2 months for service. What a struggle!

The picture is of Sheila holding a cashew fruit.

The other is a picture of the Crowsnest group and some students of the WCVTC holding instruments donated for the music program.

Bye for now
Tim

2008-02-22T14:29:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks

Sorry for being so slow on the draw these days. We are on the last day of working with the Short Term Missions team from the Crowsnest Christian Centre which is our home church. We are both very tired and have the weekend and all of next week filled with activities that have to be done before the next team arrives on March 1. The team is from Cornerbrook NFLD so I expect that there will be no shortage of laughing.

Our internet is still not in at home and we cannot send out our current newsletter on Outlook so now have to type in all email addresses into gmail and then send. We will be late by a month for sure.

All the Best
Tim

2008-02-01T10:27:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone

Lots of team activity and recovery from team events. Our next team will be from our home church so we are pretty excited about their arrival on Feb 8.

Our daughter caroline is now visiting us and will be leaving Monday. We completed a beach day and visited antigua.

Trees for Global renewal is moving along well with the web site complete. We require the completion of 2 memorandums of agreement before the site can go live. I will be visiting the proposed first planting site on Feb 20 to 21 which could be interesting since the Nature Defenders are proposing different tree species for planting than I had thought we would plant.

Coffee sales are slow and I am still hoping and praying that the idea will catch on that this fund raiser is firstly a way for Canadian youth groups, church missions groups and other groups and individuals to raise money for themselves primarily and secondarily to bless the underpriviliged youth attending the William Cornelius Vocational Training Centre. Please consider a CoFE-Socially Responsible Coffee Sales for your groups next fund raiser idea.

Sorry for not writing for so long. Will try to tighten up on this in the future.

Thanks for tuning in.

Tim

2007-12-31T13:59:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-22T09:38:00.000-08:00

FELIZ NAVIDAD

2007-12-16T15:50:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-09T05:41:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-09T05:17:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-07T21:49:00.000-08:00

2007-12-07T21:05:00.000-08:00

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

2007-12-02T14:46:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-15T15:04:00.000-08:00

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

2007-11-11T15:39:00.000-08:00

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.

2007-10-26T09:07:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-19T16:35:00.000-07:00

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

2007-10-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-10-07T15:58:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-10-07T14:53:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-10-04T13:31:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

2007-09-25T17:52:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-09-22T16:40:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-10T14:55:00.000-07:00

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

2007-09-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-08-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-08-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-08-19T16:28:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-08-19T15:59:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-12T17:35:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-08-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

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

2007-08-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

Here is a second picture of the Mayan woman.

2007-07-29T15:39:00.001-07:00

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.

2007-07-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

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

2007-07-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

Hi

Weekends are the hardest. Being away from family and friends a real challenge. Here is a picture of me with Baby Esther who is now an american citizen. She sure is a doll. We have a grandson about the same age and our son says people are always trying to hold him. We will hold him next year having missed a good part of his first 2 years.

I found a 5 piece drum set with cymbals and stands and the whole thing cost less than 1900 q which is less than 300 dollars. Will pick it up on Monday at 11 AM.

Our first bible study was interesting. About 20 people all in the 40 to 60 range. They appear to be at about the same social class as us which is good. Funny how in Canada this would never be an issue but down here there are just places we cannot not go to for safety reasons. For example we were going to attend a smaller local church but found that there was no protected parking so it was out of the question to leave the car out on the street. We need a church with guarded parking so where we attend now is fine.

By for now
Tim

2007-07-12T12:53:00.000-07:00

Hi

Here is a nice picture of Sheila helping out with an English class. There was a donation of easymix brownies so the cooking of them became the focus of one english class.

I was assisting with guitar during a music class and heard some heavy drumming. It was a student with sticks who was beating on the case for a trumpet because he had no drum set to use. Well I am now looking for a set for the school. Funny I put out a call for instruments in a previouse newsletter and received one comment but no donations of instruments. There just has to be many instruments sitting in closets that no one is using. Do email me at tsjuhlin@gmail.com if you have an instrument to donate to this budding program.

We will be attending our first bible study with a group in San Christobal. I am finally getting the Spanish so hope that most people in the group do not speak English. Will let you know how this goes.

On a personal level we are doing well. We are basically locked in each night by 6:30 because it is dark. Health wise we are both fine. Sheila is a hot number having lost weight and I am trying to put some back on... just kidding .. but it is true that if we do not find some means of additional exercise the weight may soon return. My Asthma seems to be very tied to my allergies so if I avoid eating out, canola and soy I can breath fine.

I will keep adding to this site as life unfolds.

All the Best
Tim

2007-07-10T14:48:00.000-07:00

Hi Again Tim Here

We are having more difficulty now than we had in Antigua with adding to this blog site. It seems that the internet is pushed to the limits from noon on. This means that for us we have no internet in the afternoons or evenings. This is proving to be very frustrating. I should tell the internet company that I will only be paying my bill part time and will choose which month I will pay on time. I guess that would go over like a lead ballon!

Communication is proving slow and a constant challange. My phone ran out of minutes a week ago and finally today it was triple day for Tigo (our provider) so now I have 600 minutes on my phone for 200 Q or 30 dollars. We are not sure what it actually costs to phone home. Sometimes a long distance call is the same as a local and sometimes (I suspect when everything is working) we are charged a higher rate. So I will be making a number of calls to family in the next few days.

Still working on a coffee plan and Trees for Global Renewal but each is requiring input from others before we can move ahead.

I spend plenty of time in our garden trying to nurture the melons and squash. Most everything else did not germinate. Only peas and beans are growing great guns but I see lettuce all over the place. This means to me that I planted the seeds too shallow and the heavy rains and birds have dispersed the seed.

We visited the large Guatemalan family west of Antigua and brought them some food again. Walked up the hill to look at their gardens. I will download some pictures and get them on the site soon.

Tim

2007-06-30T06:11:00.000-07:00

2007-06-30T05:36:00.000-07:00

I had to add a picture to show you the little pirate girl that we assisted. Her mom and big sister were in the last 2 weeks of the adoption process so they ended up staying with us so they could be closer to the American Embassy for the purpose of completing paper work. Her name is Esther. Then we have a picture of Sheila staying out of the sun with the ocean and a bellybutton in the background. The picture of us together was taken in port at Livingstone. Livingstone is a wretchedly hot port on the coast.

2007-06-29T19:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our 6 day trip on the ocean. This is not ministry related but everyone needs to take a break sometimes. Well the pictures will not load so I will try again tomorrow.
Good Night

2007-06-29T16:49:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone

Sorry for not writing for so long. We moved from Antigua language training and began life as house-sitters. We started working at the William Cornelius School. I am working on a project called Hope Co.fe -Responsible Coffee sales. This could affect your life in the near future if you thought that you would like to market some coffee as a fund raiser. I have also started modifying the Trees for Global Renewal business plan. Poco a Poco (little by little) as they say down here. Sheila will be involved in teaching some of the staff English three days a week, and helping in the classroom as well.

I planted a garden, however half of the seeds did not germinate. The peas, squash,zucchini, melons and green beans germinated however, the lettuce, onions, corn, and brussel sprouts were a no show.

Sheila and I moved our 30th wedding celebrations to June 22 and enjoyed something we would never have done living in Canada. We lived with 13 others on a catamaran for 6 days. We went snorkeling however realize that this activity was on the edge of our abilities and noted that most of the others were younger, in the 28 to 34 range. It was a good time with a little fishing (I caught a barracuda) swimming and great meals. A highly recommended trip if you are a strong swimmer. I was not sea sick until back on shore. Now the cruise is over but the ground keeps moving. Sheila feels it worse than I do. Pictures of this trip will be posted as soon as we can down load them.

We are preparing for a little Canada Day celebration on Sunday. We will have a small group because some of our team are now in Canada.

OK well I will try downloading the pictures and return!

Tim

2007-06-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone
Well we moved into our Casa on Wednesday. We are struggling to get the internet working. All was well the first day, then a big electrical storm came through, dumping inches of rain. Since then the internet has not worked, so I am writing this from a friend's place.

I worked for 2 mornings on a water filter project and was able to visit the hill gardens above Antigua. It was beautiful, however I forgot the camera.

We introduced a couple of Missionaries from the USA to the William Cornelius Center who may be able to contribute some time to the construction that is ongoing on the 3rd floor.

Our computer seemed to have made it down here okay with only the CD writer flap broken on one hinge, so I think that's good considering how baggage is handled in the airports.

We have been providing some help to a women and her daughter down here who are adopting a beautiful Guatemalan girl of 6 months. They flew down here for a week to see little Esther, the dad had to go home to the business and they have been here for 9 weeks. They may be able to leave on June 20. We just have to hope that another problem is not encountered.

I am 2 days away from starting at the William Cornelius so will let you know how that is going in the next week.

Salut
Tim

2007-05-26T07:29:00.001-07:00

Hi Tim Here

I see today that the posting from last week did not work. hmmm I wonder what happened?

On Begging:

When we first arrived I saw many beggers on the street and condemned the culture here for not looking after them. Lately I have been thinking that perhaps the culture is looking after them. In Canada we tend to see beggars in the city and often they appear able bodied however are asking for money. We tend to shun them and are fearful of them. Down hear there are some of the same kind however most are truelyin need of help often demonstrating this with no legs or hand or they are deformed or are very old and without family etc so I am thinking that the attitude to beggers down here is a little different and that in fact the begging provides the opportunity for the society to provide for them. They may not eat like kings or have great sleeping arrangements but I am sure they are receiving enough to survive. In the Canadian social mindset we tend to think that the state is supposed to provide for the weak. This helps us stay one step removed from the needy however downhere they are right in the face of the public. So I find that as time goes on my attitude of discussed for the society is changing and I am trying to look for the good also.

2007-05-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

More market day pictures! Can you guess what the fruit is . for the pink and yellow fruit think about the shape of the black portion!

How Now Shall We Live by Chuck Colson and Nancy Pearcey.

Book Review by Tim Juhlin

May 19, 2007

The book ‘How Now Shall We Live” student edition, is motivated by the authors’ assessment of the Christian Faith as being marginalized and private in today’s culture. The authors state that if the Church sees their mission as only preparing for Jesus’ return through the disciplines of prayer, bible study, worship, fellowship and witnessing and ignore our responsibilities to rescue the surrounding culture our “Christianity will remain private and marginalized” and “turning our backs on the culture is a betrayal of our biblical instructions and heritage because it denies God’s power over all of life.” The authors expanded on this by stating:
“It is not enough to focus only on the spiritual, on Bible studies and evangelistic campaigns, while turning a blind eye to the distinctive troubles of contemporary life. We must show the world that Christianity is more than a private belief, more than personal salvation. We must show that it is a comprehensive life system that answers all of humanity’s age old questions: Where did I come from, Why am I here? Where am I going? Does Life have any meaning and purpose.”
The authors see the culture wars as a clash of worldviews. The book is very cerebral and requires the laying down of a framework of thought accomplished in 8 units:
1) How we see our world- 2 world views: Judeo Christianity and Naturalism (includes postmodernism and multiculturalism) and the logical conclusions of post modernism.
2) Chemicals,it’s all chemicals- addresses evolution and the big bang theory and the wonders of our design.
3) Science or religion- the anatomy of a lie, What has the theory of evolution has done?
4) The Fall- two views of evil and utopianism
5) Redemption and the Myth of Progress- The escalator theory and the many faces of this fallacy of Naturalism
6) Real Redemption?- Salvation through Science, Genetics, Eastern Religions? And then, real salvation.
7) The Church and Culture- renewal is possible, becoming a creative force in the Culture
8) Transforming our Culture- The opportunity before us.

The authors identify what a worldview is and set up an evaluation process, for any belief system, based on 3 questions?
1) Where did we come from and who are we?
2) What has gone wrong with the world?
3) What can we do to fix it?

The two belief systems are identified as either a biblical foundation or a foundation outside of God. The foundation outside of God includes Multiculturalism and Postmodernism and along with evolution and a series of other thought lines is called the Worldview of Naturalism.
Definitions:
Multiculturalism says that all cultures are equal because one value can’t be better than another.
Postmodernism is a system of thought that denies all truth claims.
Judeo Christianity says that God is the center of all that is good and the source of all truth.
I have included these definitions because truth matters!

“Your worldview is the most basic level of your Faith, the core of your beliefs about the world. It is the big picture that directs your daily decisions and actions.” Our Worldview filters information and colors what we perceive. The authors focus in on Romans 12:2 which speaks on the renewing of our minds stating that unless we purpose to consciously and consistently choose a biblical world view we will be affected by the many other world views that can be defined and will be conformed to the pattern of the world rather than God’s view.

Here are a few lines that may peak you interest enough to buy the book or borrow it from the local library.

-What Christians ought to be telling people is that we do not want to ban Darwinism. We do not want less taught we want more taught….Naturalism starts with certain ideas that cannot be tested. One belief is that nature is “all that is or ever was or ever will be”, to use a line from the late Carl Sagan’s popular science program Cosmos. This is not a scientific statement, because there is no believable way it could be tested. It is an assumption, a philosophy, a religious belief. It is the philosophy that supports the entire evolution scheme, from its assertions about the beginning of the universe to the beginning of life to the appearance of complex life forms…I need to be clear. We should not oppose the teaching of evolution. Instead, our desire should be to expose the religion of naturalism. We should work to have all the facts taught about origins.

-The whole point of Darwin’s theory was to identify a natural process that would mimic design, thus making design unnecessary(by design they are meaning Creation by God).

-The hostility to religion that is so strong in the scientific establishment is not driven by the facts but by materialistic philosophy…..even the methods of science are driven by materialistic philosophy….”We (scientists) are forced by our a priori (a decision reached before examining the facts) adherence to material causes to create an apparatus of investigation and a set of concepts that produce material explanations. You say, Huh? What he means is that since we already have decided what the answer is then we have to find a way to prove whether it’s true or not…..The truth is that much of Darwinism is not science but naturalistic philosophy dressed up as science.

I include this above point because over the years we have all heard of new findings (ex the infamous pepper moth) with corny conclusions attached to them as they hit the airways only to hear later about the phoniness or falsity in the original claim. The above tends to add some understanding for me as to why this happens.

The author explains the philosophies of individuals such as Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Margaret Sanger, Alferd Kinsey, Wilhelm Reich , Jean-Paul Sartr, Earnest Hemingway , to name a few who influence thought in the 20th century and the negative consequences related to their belief systems that are seen in our society today.

As the authors move to conclusion they provide examples of how we can begin to change our culture, the role of law enforcement (i.e to maintain the peace firstly).

The topic of Christian Unity is discussed… “Let’s fight the real enemy (naturalism) together and quit fighting each other.”

How do we redeem a culture? The answer is simple we are told… “From the inside out. From the individual to the family to the community and then outward in ever widening ripples”
The Books concluding lines:
How now shall we live? By embracing God’s truth, understanding the physical and moral order he has created, leveling contending for the truth with our neighbors, then having the courage to live it out in every walk of life. Boldly and, yes joyously.

This book is not a quick read nor is it escapism but if you are purposefully driven to understand the mindset of the world’s people who chose to deny creation theory and practice the religion of naturalism, whether knowingly of unknowingly, then do consider reading this book. If you are plagued with questions on evolution from you children then read this book. If you are trying to mix Creation with Evolution than please read this book. If you belief in truth read this book. If you believe in relativism and consider yourself a post modernist then read this book. If you do not belief in God or Evolution read this book.

You may be asking yourself why is this missionary to Guatemala taking so much time to write a book review, why does he not get out there and win souls. My motivation for doing this is multidimensional and includes:
- Listening to a friend describe the problems their granddaughter was having in a junior high science class.
- Seeing the influence that TV has on each of us morally.
- Seeing the drift in thought processes from absolute truth to relativism
- Reading the bold introduction to our blog site about changing the culture in Guatemala and gulping a little as the reality of the meaning hits home for me as I view the society ‘here and now’ as a new resident of Guatemala and then thinking about the practical ways that this may happen.

I can only hope that this review peaks your interest enough to inspire you to pick up the book and have a deep read. Whether you believe in God or do not. In either case you will benefit.

Tim Juhlin- May 2007

2007-05-12T14:54:00.000-07:00

Market Day!!!!

One of the differences in living in Antigua is the shopping. There is a grocery store where we buy all our dry goods, and dairy stuff. But for fresh fruit and vegetables, you can't beat the prices at the market. For instance, we went today and spent a grand total of 72 Q.... just over $10. What did we get for that magnificent sum? Well, we got 5 apples, 6 big carrots, 7 beets, a pound of green beans, a small watermelon, 3 pineapples, 2 of the biggest mangoes I've ever seen (they don't ship these ones to Canada), a pound of peeled shrimp and 3 avocadoes. The most expensive was the shrimp, at $4. If we were vegetarians, we could eat for next to nothing, but for some reason, we like our animal protein. Something about being from Alberta?

Three weeks of school left! I (Sheila) feel like a kid being let out for the summer. But my summer holiday will have to wait for a while. I'm subbing at the school for the English teacher while she is on furlough in Canada. So, back to the books, trying to translate things into Spanish for these beginner students. I'm grateful that I'll have a translator in the class to help with my blank moments (which I'm sure will be many).

2007-05-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

This week I was able to accompany an American out to a work site where Canadian developed (U of Calgary) water purification systems are being manufactured and used. We moved one into a local Mayan family’s house and set it up. The family has 2 boys and 6 girls. They had some wood cut on the porch and have banana trees in the yard. They had a 5 lb bucket of green bananas on the porch. They used to live in a bamboo shack, however a few years ago some Canadians built them a house with a tin roof. They were the poorest family on the block and I think that they still are very poor but they at least have a roof over their head. Sheila and I drove back to their place the next day and delivered some food. To our surprise they are Christians and asked to pray before we left. We were moved by the whole thing.

I took 3 people to visit the William Cornelius school site and everyone was very impressed that here in Guatemala there is a school of such high quality. Stories were shared of the Lord’s faithfulness during the process of developing the school and I left the place recharged and excited about finishing language training and getting to work in earnest with the school.

On the language front we are finally getting it and having a little more fun. However, loneliness is a constant challenge. Thank goodness we have each other.

Adios

2007-04-27T12:34:00.000-07:00

Hi

The other day Sheila and I agreed that our homesickness is as much about not doing activities that we are used to as it is about missing people. There is something about doing the activities associated with the seasons, such as... shoveling a spring snow dump until your back is sore or fishing in the first open water on the lake. Smelling that spring thaw "doggy do" and watching the first pussy willow buds or the lilic bushes starting to form flowers. This loneliness shows up mostly when weekends are upon us and we do not have to study. Anyway, it is not every day and on the plus side 2007 has been for us the longest summer of our life.

Just the month of May left of language school and then we will be working at the vocational school and should be able to maintain a little more consistency on this site. We do wish that we could place folders of pictures rather than one at a time. Anyone have a better site or suggestion?

What is this picture of? ha ha

Thanks

Tim

2007-04-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

The thin forest of pine near Jalapa looks similiar to some warm places in the interior of B.C.

Here we have pictures of 2 different families, Tex with unique guitar pants and below a very poor mom and child with house in background.

Note that corn and pine are planted on the same slope grades.

Hello everyone it has been most of a week since my last short communication. As you may or may not know, Blog stands for weblog and blogs are set up for many reasons. This blog has been set up to give our family and friends opportunity to experience some of what we experience and feel. This is accomplished through writings and pictures. The blog is somewhat different. Although we are missionaries in Guatemala, we have a broad range of readers based on our support base which includes a number of forest practitioners. We do hope, however, that we are able to provide you with enough variety of information that you will make it a “must read” site and save the location in your favorites file.

In my devotions I have been systematically reading through the New Testament and have been doing this for 3 years. Over the last few weeks, many interesting points have required contemplation and today was no exception. We hear people talk about the great battle of Armageddon as mentioned in Revelation chapter 9. Well by the time I finished The Book of Revelation I was thinking that the entire book is amazing (I have never seen a movie on Revelation) and it would have been near impossible for John, the author, inspired and afforded a look into the future by God, himself to have thought up such an account. The Judgments described will be absolutely terrifying and although we cannot be sure of the order or timing of events it seems likely that many judgments will have been upon the earth before the great battle. So whatever we think or suppose about that battle during these times will be greatly overshadowed or molded by the events of the preceding judgments. Life will not be like ‘all is normal’ and poof… the great battle.

I am now proceeding back into Matthew where I find the amazing documentation of the lineage of Christ in 3 groups of 14 generations. In our society we are hardly able to identify our great grandfather and here in Matthew Ch 1 we have 42 generations tracked. What a marvel.

For those of you interested, we feel the following: primarily at this time loneliness is our companion. This loneliness is for friends and the familiar and is followed closely with feelings of being unsettled. This is probably because we are living in a hotel while at language school and are not able to establish a secure nest. These 2 feelings are followed by an excitement about what God is about to do once we move into assisting at the William Cornelius Technical Training School. Note the change in name from vocational to technical, this has occurred to satisfy government officials.

I promised a few pictures of the highlands of Guatemala to the east of the City. We traveled back from Jalapa (pronounce halapa) on some wild roads during Easter so here are a few pictures.

Yours In Christ

Tim

2007-04-14T12:05:00.000-07:00

Well we have been back to school for a week and much to my surprise I was able to string sentences together. I guess the break helped.

Adjusting to the culture is still a big challange with many little things getting under our skin. I have noted though an inner change towards accepting things as they are. The wages paid to individuals is bothersome, however we benefit daily because of the low wages. Contradictions! It is like those complaining about logging and then using toilet paper and reams of paper towel.

Only Converts not Disciples? A great omission in the great commission?

All the best

Tim & Sheila

2007-04-05T15:02:00.000-07:00

The entry today will be on the use of wood products. The pictures will show pine needles used for the carpets, Palm pods ( not sure what to call them), Sawdust. etc. I took a drive up into the mountains with a friend and we found a small community. Oh my the homes were little more than what we would use for pig sheds in Canada. The streets were awful with no drainage and it appears obvious that during the rainy season this must be a terrible place to walk. I think 3 hours with a backhoe could make a world of difference to this community. I will post pictures of the place the next time we download the camera.

Tim

2007-04-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

The carpets are extra-ordinary and we have been having a good time with close ups. We now have about 200 great pictures of the Easter Season here in Guatemala.

I have completed my book review on the book How Now Shall We Live by Chuck Colson and Nancy Pearcey. It is too long to post although I would like to post it here. Email me if you would like a copy.

Tim

2007-04-02T13:21:00.000-07:00

While walking the parade route we entered a hotel to see how the rich live and I took this picture of Sheila.

one carrot one radish and the nut in the middle is not a cabbage.

one carpet of many

a close up of one flower display

The actual procession is a huge organizational challange. Some run for 24 hours. Many people are mobilized and assigned street corners and a slot on the displays to carry the load. They each pay 50Q(7.50 CAN) to carry the display 4 times for one block each time. Literally thousands of people are required. Near the end of the block when the exchange is to happen, some individuals are literally grimacing in pain from the weight. Pain for the forgiveness of sin! hmmmm I wonder if suffering is part of following Christ?

It takes more than 70 people to lift the big structure holding Christ carrying the cross.

Sometimes the local volcano gives off a smoke and ash display. Based on current knowledge of volcanoes a distance of 20 km is not too far away in the event of an eruption. One volcano is within a few KM of downtown. Mt St Helens created a wind with temperatures to 300 degrees some 20 km from the blast so I hope we are out of town if this ever happens in Antigua!

2007-03-31T18:24:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks

We are taking a week off of language training. All of Guatemala shuts down for Semana Santa, the Holy week. I wanted to try to go fishing at the coast but since all the locals also head to the ocean beaches we decided not to go. We did some shopping for birthday presents for our children and grandchildren. I bought a light coat. The guy just kept dropping his price until we finally we realized that he was only asking 160 Q ($22 Canadian) Sheila was going to make one for me, however she cannot buy the material for that price. Shirts are the same thing 90 Q for a stylish bright lime green shirt. Hmmmm the material was going to cost 350 Q. So some things are just less expensive here. Speaking of inexpensive we could have bought 10 mangos for 10 Q. It takes 6.5 Q to make a Canadian dollar. Well I must get working on our next newsletter so will signoff for now. More great pictures will be on here soon.
All the Best.. Tim

2007-03-28T08:34:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday was a sight to behold here in Antigua. The streets were covered with these temporary alfombras(carpets) made of many different things. Some were colored sawdust, others a combination of fruit, vegetables or flowers. The one on the right had alligators made of bread! All of these were going to be walked on, then removed by the cleaning crews in preparation for next week , when it will happen again on Palm Sunday. The exception was the vegetable carpet. Yes, it would be walked on, but then the onlookers were going to pick up whatever they could, to take home and consume.
The procession on Sunday lasted almost 20 hours, as the participants made their way from a village (pueblito) near Antigua, into town and up and down the many streets, over all these works of art. I took almost 120 photos, and Tim wasn't far behind with the other camera. It made for a long walk, trying to capture as many carpets on film as possible. This Sunday is rumored to be even better! We'll be out then with the video camera.

We are taking a week off from school to rest, then we are back at it for another 8 weeks. In the meantime, we are also working on our 2 year resident visa, which has entailed many afternoon trips into the city (about an hour trip one way on a good day). Hopefully, we'll have everything together by the beginning of next week, and make our submission then. This week, it's 2 trips to get our tourist visa renewed. Why 2 trips, you ask? The first is to drop off our passports and application, the second to pick them up. Nothing is instant here!!! It takes 2 days to send the paperwork to the 4th floor to put a stamp on it. It has been the same thing in every office we visit. Some are only open until 3, which means we finish school at noon, jump into the car and eat on the way, so that we can visit at least 2 offices before closing time and rush hour, which actually never seems to end. Parking is the other challenge, as we found out on Monday at immigration. Today, Tim is just going to sit in the car, while another missionary runs in to pick everything up.