Just this week in Barrio la Cruz Enrique was able to plant all the coffee plants that were purchased for his farm. There will be pictures and a post to follow. Another great reason  for the rain!

There has been a lot going on in Pastores. The children have now finished their first trimester of school and there was a group of children who did extremely well, in the top 10%  of their class. Of course there were a decent amount of children who still need to improve. It has become a struggle to tell the child that they need to try harder when the parent can not be of much direct assistance. We hear constantly ‘how can I help my child in school when I never went, or I don’t know anything?’ But we are at least telling the parents to encourage their children, to follow up with the schools to see how they are doing, find someone else who can help them and of course to let us know to see how we can help. We hope that has time goes on, the children will improve more, the parents will take an interest and we will have people to assist in the community.

 The first Saturday in June we will have a meeting with all the people in the program. For the families who children excelled they will receive a supplement bag of food and supplies and the children will also receive a supplement bag of school supplies. We hope that this will be an incentive for all to do their best.

 We continue to follow up with families and see the overall well-being of the family, there is much to be done. Also, we have met with more families about stoves and filters and hope to have more training underway soon. We have two men coming to spend some time in the community the first week of June. We will visit families, talk with others about filters and fire safety and meet with all the children and also will be doing a distribution of toothbrushes to everyone in the community.

Please continue to support Paso a Paso as our needs are great, and if you would like to be a new supporter please email us and let us know in what way you would like to help.

What a blessing to return to Guatemala!  The people are so gracious that it makes  serving so rewarding.  This year I was able to participate again in  preparing the school supplies to be distributed to the children.  The week before the distribution the parents were required to attend a meeting.  At that time, the guidelines were explained again on how it is determined who receives sponsorship and what is required of the children, e.g., passing their classes, attendance, etc. in order to continue receiving support.  All were excited to see Stephanie and express their appreciation.

On another day, several ladies gathered at the church to talk about the dolls they have been making.  Last year several ladies were introduced to doll making and are progressing very well.  A pattern book was donated along with some different types of yarn and the ladies had fun developing new ideas for doll clothes and hair color and styles.  They also spent some time cutting out doll patterns so they could take them home and work.  Check out the large dolls at http://www.flickr.com/photos/14597608@N08/sets/72157623125964334/   and small dolls at  http://www.flickr.com/photos/14597608@N08/sets/72157623001328207/

Each women receives all the profit from the dolls and it is used to help support their family at home, work and school; in addition to giving the women a sense of self-worth. By the women selling just 1 large doll a week, it is equal or more to a week worth of income.

We had several opportunities to spend time with Rolando and his family.  He continues to minister to the people in and around the community. To some his blindness would appear be a hinderance; however, God continues to use him in mighty ways and he walks up and down the mountains much better than most sighted people.  He knows everyone and I mean everyone by their voice.  Through Charles Stanley’s ministry, we were able to obtain 40 messengers (they looks like the old transitor radios).  Each messenger contains 35 sermons in Spanish and is capable of being charged either by electricity or by solar power.  Our hope is that over the next several months between Rolando and Stephanie they will be able to provide the messenger to the people in and around the community.  There are many people who are not able to make it to church or who cannot read and this will be a great tool to help them grow in the Lord.

Another highlight of our trip was to visit the property that Rolando’s family owns which is partially planted with corn and coffee plants.  In Guatemala if the land is not fully planted when the parents die, the children do not necessarily get the keep the property.  To help provide for Rolando in the future, we felt it was important that the property be fully cultivated and planted.   It will be done in the spring.   Thank you Lord.

Thank you everyone for your prayers.   I hope you will plan a visit to Guatemala in the near future.  You will not be disappointed.  You will not only be blessed but will be a blessing.

written by: Marge Stearns

Marcial Making boots in his living room.

After getting off the bus and doing yet another sewing lesson given by a very patient lady. I went to visit Marcial. Marcial, a bootmaker a father of 6 shared with me more about his life as a child and it really made me realize more why Paso a Paso focuses on the small children. Marcial grew up very poor and never had the opportunity to attend school. When he was at the age to attend school he had to go and work in the corn fields. He spent many days weeping wishing he could go to school. He says he never wished that he had the other children’s parents but that he just had different parents, where he could go and learn to read and write. By the time he was 9 and his father would come home drunk and beat his mother and siblings with father wood, he said, he promised when he was a father his children would go to school and they would study as much as he could possible afford and he would treat them with respect. At the age of 15 Marcial has learned to read some letters and numbers and now he can read and write basic Spanish that he taught himself. All of his school age children have been in Paso a Paso’s program but Marcial never takes advantage, he saves his extra money to pay for his own children’s books and to allow his daugther to take an extra course because he wants to see them succeed.  They are a wonderful family to work with and it is rewarding to see the children do so well. We are hoping we find other fathers and families like Marcials to set good examples for others.

Breysi is in and out of the hospital weekly, but they refuse to admit her until she is in critical condition, then they send her home. She returns home, with lots of prescriptions that sometimes work and sometimes do not. But can cost up to $40 a day! This is impossible when their families income is about $250 a month.  So Breysi doesn’t take all her medication, has side effects, bleeding from the mouth, nose, her stomach and face swell and more. All while she has these problems Breysi still does her best to attend school or do her school work at home, she says she doesn’t want to miss the chance to study! What a heart she has, even in her illness I can see her joy. But her joy and hope seem to be fading a little.

Just this week Breysi said maybe it is better if she just died, then there would be food for her family and her siblings. She said, everyone is suffering just so she can get better and it is just not happening. How sad that a 10 year old is having to worry about their own fate and their families as well. This is just not the way a child or anyone should have to live.

Please pray for Breysi and for her family and for the right doctors, the correct medicine and relief.

It is so hard for me as a mother of two to think of how to prepare families to come and serve here in Guatemala when we are so acustome to living here and doing ministry. I was reminded yesterday and today how different things are as we went on the bus. Yesterday, the buses were rerouted so we were dropped off on the highway, yet still left to walk a good distance uphill on cobblestones and then back down the long hill to get back home. All to go to church and see the people. As I begin to think, ugh, I have to carry Austin, keep up with Bella; I then quickly realize the women that live here in our community  do this  daily and with several children and carrying food or firewood on their heads. Or today when a man and a young girl come on the bus to do a stand up clown routine just to make a few cents in tips to get by? Life is different..

Karlene who is teaching our sewing class wrote a wonderful post about her time here so far and I am adding it to this..

Friday we got to take our first trip into Barrio La Cruz, the community that Paso a Paso is dedicated to building up. And what an experience. First of all, let me share a little bit about how we get around here. I am extremely glad I didn’t bring my stroller! To describe the pavement as uneven is an understatement. With sidewalks just big enough for a couple school girls to walk side by side, and the random divots, bumps, pillars, and holes, we have taken our travel cues from the natives. So, Stephanie has Austin in a sling, I have Naomi in a sling, and Justin carries Annalia in the backpack, while Bella and Josiah walk. We make quite the entourage as we traipse through the city on our way to the bus station.

We only stick out a little

Our goal Friday was to meet with the pastor in Barrio La Cruz, insuring that everything is all set to go for the sewing classes on Monday. We also wanted to stop at the head seamstresses house and invite her to help. We walked the brisk 10 minute walk to the bus station and caught the chicken bus to the ‘burbs of Antigua. Now, when I say ‘burbs, I don’t mean rows of identical development houses where commuters live with their 2.5 kids and matching SUV’s. While Antigua has many of the amenities we enjoy in the United States, a 10 minute bus trip out of the city reminds us why we are here. Tiny cement houses cling to the side of the mountain, while the families that occupy them carve out a meager living for themselves and the multiple families that share a roof.
Our first stop was Clara’s house, where I met a very talented seamstress. She invited us up to her workroom where we showed one another our crafts. She “ooh”ed over my dolls, and I “ahh’ed over her beautiful hand embroidery. I am really glad she will be there this week to help with the classes.

Clara and Stephanie in Clara’s sewing room.

As we got off the bus, Bella ran into her friend Marciel, and immediately ditched us to head off to his house. Eventually, we went to pick her up, and were blessed to meet Marciel, the bootmaker. His business was the first to receive a microloan from Paso a Paso. He was such a delight as he showed us around his house. Then we headed to the backyard (his house only has 3 walls, so you really do walk right into his backyard.) to check out all the wonderful produce he grows for his family: coffee, avocados, limes, and other fruits I have never heard of.

Annalia was thrilled to take home an avocado and her very own coffee bean.

It has been great to meet the people. Saturday was Bella’s birthday, and the Children’s Pastor, Rolando, threw her a HUGE party, where all the kids in the program came. Boy, was she the Bell of the Ball as she danced and twirled around the center of the circle as her party-goers sang songs. The, we brought out the mother of all pinatas! Everyone had a blast.

And there was a Snow White one to match.

Tomorrow is the beginning of the sewing classes. Please pray for each woman coming to the class. Pray that she will have the courage to learn a new skill and that I will have the correct words and actions to teach. Also pray for the kids that will be joining Stacey while their mother’s take the class. Pray that she has plenty to do, and that God offers up opportunities to share with each kid the love of Christ.

Thank you to Breysi’s sponsor and the Lakeland Bible Study for making this stove possible.

I’ve been in Antigua, Guatemala  for 10 days, but it feels more like two… the time has just flown.  My name is Jenni and I came to help and encourage Paso a Paso’s founder and missionary in partial residence, Stephanie.  We’ve spent most of my days working in Barrio La Cruz—a  smalll community with an overwhelming mixture of
tropical beauty juxtaposed with the despair of poverty..

How can I describe Barrio La Cruz to you?
…Ancient, rusting  U.S. school buses carting people to and from work and the city
…The sound of pigeons walking on the metal roofs of the shacks that house far too many families
…Kids playing around their mother’s legs as she cooks over an open fire.
…The smell of fire, food, and other less appealing smells mixed together
…Inclines that make you wonder how far you would roll if you fell down
…The sound of women washing in open wash basins filled with dirty water while their children play

Barrio La Cruz touches all my senses and lingers. As I head home, I
am grateful for the opportunity to have been here and for the welcome I
received in the community.

Today we learned to make tortillas with Rolando’s mother and sister.  They laughed as we attempted the continuous patting motion required to produce a round, thin tortilla.  They are one of the few families in the community who have a stove and they use it to make and sell 400 tortillas a day.  After they buy the corn and pay to grind it, if they sell all of the tortillas they make, they profit about 30Q or $4. They spend about 6 hours a day to profit this little.

During a break from tortilla making, Rolando’s mother, unwrapped her wound from her recent surgury and infection.  I was amazed at the massive scaring from what should be a small surgery (for a hernia).  If you’ve read the earlier posts, you’ll know that complecations from diabetes increased her chance for infection.  She got a massive infection, that has now healed, but has since run out of her diabetes medicine.  Changing diet is tough when you are just scraping by and doctors and medicine are often only sought when problems become extreme.

Saturday we hosted a party for Sandra, a student Paso a Paso sponsors.  Sandra brought her cousin, who was also celebrating her 15th birthday, and 11 other family members.  Paso a Paso has been connected with Sandra’s family for several years.  Last year Paso a Paso helped Sandra’s dad, Marical, put in a concrete floor in their home.  At the birthday we cooked a traditional American meal of hamburgers, fries and veggies. The kids had their first experience swimming in a pool.  Even though the water was cold, the kids loved it.  The family was grateful for the celebration, money is tight and they would not have been able to afford to have a party themselves.

Watch for our next post where we learn about boot making from Marcial.