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

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

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

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

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

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

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