We had no problem with our flight from Ottawa to Miami to Guatemala City, despite warnings that our luggage might get lost. It was great to arrive under sunny skies with a temperature around 24 C, especially considering we left Ottawa when it was -15 C! After arriving in Antigua, where we will be staying, we spent the last couple of days checking in our temporary accommodations (a guest house in the centre of Antigua) and visiting the staff in Parramos, where we will be working.
When we visited the school where most of our projects will take place, the staff gave us a very warm welcome. It was very touching to see the smiles on the children again, especially how they each ran up to us and gave us huge hugs! We couldn't of asked for a better welcome to Guatemala!
There is a lot to do here. Our first job is to create a library where people of all ages (kids to teens to adults) can have a safe place to go and enjoy the gift of reading. If you or your school is interested in contributing to growing this libary, please contact us by email.
We will also create programs for students to learn skills such as sewing, hair-dressing, and basic computer operations. These courses will be housed in the newly created trade school. And that's just to start! Stay tuned for progress on these projects and the new ones we will be staring shortly.
Serving in Guatemala
In February 2008, we moved to Guatemala, Central America, to live out our dream to help the poor communities living in this developing country. It is difficult to leave our family and friends but we know that this will be a decision that we will not regret.
Almost 60% of all Guatemalans, or 6.4 million people, live in poverty making less than $2US per day. Approximately 16% of this number are in extreme poverty living on less than $1US per day. Furthermore, more than 50% of the children are malnourished and have no hope for a better future. Reasons for the continuous poverty in Guatemala include illiteracy, lack of access to health care and low levels of education. The Arms of Jesus Children's Mission (AOJ), a private non-profit organization, has responded to this need by creating a school with specialized educational programs, meeting the daily nutritional requirements of the children, and offering social support to families. We feel very fortunate to be working with an organization that is dedicated to meeting the basic needs of the poor communities in Guatemala. For more information on AOJ, you can visit their website through the hot link on the bottom right.
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6 comments:
It was very nice to open Blog and find teh new message. God bless both of you on this journey that God has put in your life... Enjoy your new duty as servants of God and our blessings goes to both of you. Love Mami and Papi
I'm so glad I can keep up with your adventures here. :0) One of my passions is children's books . . . please e-mail me about details on how to help out. :0) Any specific prayer requests while you're there? Please feel free to share those too. I'd love to partner in prayer for both of you. :0)
Sandra and Steve,
Glad to read about your news adventures! We would love to help in gathering books for the library, just let us know what we can do.
hi Sandra and Steve,
Great to read that you are settling in ok. I'm glad the flights were smooth and that you felt so welcomed at the site! The website it a great way for us to feel connected to you! God bless. Sarah. =)
Hi guys
Johanthan and I had a wonderfull time reading about your adventures. Johnathan specially liked the one about the cjicken bus, he thinks he will use this in his speach. We will be keeping in touch.
Johnathan wants to know for the library do you need spanich books or english let us know.
God Bless
Johnathan and Adriana
Hello Steve and Sandra:
when time permits please put some more pictures up, especially focussing on the needs of your mission.(no hurry, once you settle down).very much interested to learn more about it.
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