Paso a Paso » Family Ministries

Update from the Brian team trip!

director — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 03:46:19 +0000

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Psalm 118:1

I wanted to share an update from Brian and Brian the two guys that have come to Guatemala to support Paso a Paso.

God had a different agenda then they did for this trip, and it's been an exciting and amazing adventure. Stephanie,
had to leave Guatemala for a family emergency. Even without Stephanie, our connection to the community, the guys have been welcomed in the community and have been helped with translation by
several friends whom Brian and his family knew when they lived in Antigua. Rolando, a pastor from the local church, has also been a constant
companion. They have given out supplies, visited families, surveyed damage from the tropical storm and yesterday they bought supplies for
two families to rebuild their houses, destroyed by the storm, and for 3 families to replace their roofs.

Please pray for these things: for their physical protection (they are roofing and out in the sun all day), for wisdom for what projects
to take on in these last few days and for grace on both them and the community as they prepare to leave. The needs are great and I know if
will be hard for them to leave. Tomorrow they will go on a prayer walk through the community. Check out the ministry site to learn more
about Barrio La Cruz at pasoapasomissions.org. so you can pray with them.

Here is a link to a video they posted from a visit to a small house
church. http://vimeo.com/12366892
I've added a few photos, but there are so many more, Look for an update in the future from the actual
travelers and photos to be posted on flikr.

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May news

director — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:32:53 +0000

Well it has been a busy month here. It started out scolding hot and now the rain has begun, and yes that means that it is raining from about noon till the next morning. But this is a great thing for all the farmers and such who depend on the rain and weather. Last year there was such terrible drought, the worst Guatemala has experienced in over 30 years and affected over 2.5 million people. So we will continue to pray that the rainy season stays for these important months.

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.

Getting to know Barrio la Cruz

director — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:08:31 +0000

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

Mix, stones, and sand make more than a floor…..

director — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 06:51:34 +0000

I always say when I travel down to Guatemala that I want to do work. I don’t speak Spanish very well, so I have thought the best way I could help would be to pick up my shovel and carry the load, literally. This trip down certainly filled my sore muscle void and a little more.

If you have never seen the hills that Barrio la Cruz occupies, then it is hard to have a standard picture in your head. There are very few houses that can be found on those hillsides, but there are plenty of homes. Most houses are makeshift construction of bamboo, and corrugated sheet metal (if you can afford it). The floors are usually dirt that has been hardened and flattened by the barefoot children and hard working parents that rise to the sound of the free roaming roosters each morning. The house we were looking at that morning was no exception.

I have to admit that I have never really worked with concrete, but I had seen it done in the states many times. I had a hard time picturing how I would get a cement mixing trailer or a set of barrels and buckets up the side of the mountain to “properly” mix the components into the correct proportions for making a solid concrete floor. No cement mixer, no barrels, one bucket, and three people to carry twelve 65 lb bags ¼ mile up the side of the hill. That quarter mile started to look more like 5 miles, and the hill felt a lot more like a mountain with one of those bags across my shoulders. We carried all the bags up to the home and where the kids, none older than 14 years, had accumulated all the sand, and rocks that were going into the mix.

All of the family’s worldly possessions were piled between the makeshift kitchen and the open latrine that is their bathroom. We mixed all of the concrete on the open area in front of the house, and the kids carried the mixed concrete into the house with the same plastic bowls they had eaten from that morning. Before long all of the concrete was in the house, and starting to dry. The chickens were more than happy to walk around to test out the wet concrete and make their mark.

The dad, Marco, provided most of the know-how, and more than his share of the manual labor. He usually has to go away to find work, keeping him away from his family for varying periods of time. The mom, Yolanda, not only made a meal for all of us both days, but also went step for step with me carrying the concrete bags up the side of the hill. That would be much less amazing if she were not half my size, or she actually wore shoes while she was doing it. The things that families in Barrio la Cruz deal with on a daily basis pale anything most of us have ever experienced even during our most financially or physically trying times.

Making the floor only took us two days, but it was clear by the looks on their faces that it had made a huge difference to their family. I was so thankful that we were able to help them, and I truly hope that their life and their family are healthier, safer and more enjoyable because of what God allowed us to do that week. Perhaps there will be another week and another floor somewhere in our future.

Breysi’s struggle to live..

director — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:55:23 +0000

Many of you know or have heard of sweet Breysi, she is in our sponsorship program. She is 10 years old and in the 4th grade. For the past couple years her health has deteriorated. She was has been diagnosed with Lupus and her immune system struggles daily along with problems with her bones, sores and many other things in her body.

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.

Beautiful dolls, Beautiful Ladies..

director — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:18:00 +0000

It has been long overdue for an update on the dolls and the progress on our work in Barrio la Cruz, so I am starting with the ladies. The ladies have been making and perfecting their waldorf dolls with much work and patience over the last two months. We have a group of about 16 women that continue to do work on the dolls very faithfully. They have taken much our comments and suggestions to better the construction of the doll better than we could have imagined. As we with any project there are learning curves and struggles but thanks to the help of Rolando and the community we have made progress. We have heard wonderful things from the ladies. Great comments from Marecela, how it is giving her a better sense of self worth integrity for what she was doing. We also even selected a group leader, Zaida to help the other women in leading them with questions and concerns when we are not there.

We will be putting all the dolls on Etsy, a site to sell them, where all the sale price goes 100% to the women and then we will link that do our website as well so that anyone interested may purchase them there or send us an email and inquire.

A Place to Call Home

director — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 04:57:36 +0000

This is the first home we have built for a very deserving family. What a blessing to have Justin and Bud come and built it with the help of Estuardo and Nancy. Here is a bit about Justin’s experience and take on building his first Guatemalan house.

A finished product – mainly made of sheet metal, which is very common in Guatemala.

Had you told me that I would be building a house that was only 12 feet by 12 feet, I would told you that was nothing and that it was more like a shack than a house. I could have never imagined some of the living conditions I’ve seen here – bamboo stalks for walls, sheet metal roofs, 5 or 6 people packed into a 3 meter by 3 meter home. There are sheds and tree houses in the U.S. that are much nicer.

The family that we built the house for has had a pretty rough time. The mom’s name is Marilena and her two young boys (10 and 9 years old). The husband/father was an abusive alcoholic, and so they escaped the pitch tent they were all living in and moved in with one of Marilena’s sister. One of our concerns was that if we built the house, would the husband just come back and occupy the home now that they had their own house and repeat the same cycle? Nancy, another sister of Marilena, has a fairly nice sized area behind her house – mainly a dirt pile leading up to the edge of the mountain. Because you have to pass through her Nancy’s house in order to get to their space, this made it a legitimate place to build Marilena’s small home.

Marilena and her family with Nancy and Estuardo and Justin and Bud.

They cleared the dirt pile to make a pseudo flat area for us to build on – maybe about 18 sq. feet. Apparently, this home is supposed to only be temporary – maybe somewhere around five years. This is sometimes common, and the family literally picks up their house and moves. For that reason, we decided that we would use wood for the frames, lay a few cinder blocks, use sheet metal for the walls and the ceiling, so she could take those with her when Marilena moved. We figured we’d splurge and put down a concrete floor as well. I was surprised how many stores there were that sold hardware, lumber, and other necessary supplies. Since this was the rainy season, we were unsure how we would contend with the intense downpours they get here. But the Lord gave us beautiful weather to accomplish the construction in a week. The following day it poured down, but the house stayed dry.

Bud and Justin laying down the cinder blocks.

I was glad Bud Rinker came, because he’s obviously the expert, but all along he said, “I’m not sure how they do it in Guatemala, but I don’t want to just come in and do it my way because that’s how we do it.” But at the same time, the Guatemalans were like, you guys are building the house, so we didn’t want to tell you how do it our way and offend you. We started with laying cinder block on the unlevel dirt, which meant that our wall wasn’t level either. So, after we laid the first layer of cinder block, I turned to Nancy’s husband – Estuardo, and said, “so what do you think?” He shrugged his shoulders and said, “está bien.” I asked him if that’s how they do it here, and he explained that they usually bury two cinder blocks deep and build on top of that. Bud was like, “why didn’t he tell us that to begin with?”

Justin packing cement around the posts.

Once we finished building a wall 3 cinder blocks tall, we worked on framing. The funniest part of the whole project was trying to saw wet lumber with a hand saw. Bud was working hard, because I couldn’t do it, and so after toiling on cutting two pieces of wood, a neighbor peaked his head out of his house and yelled, “hey, I have an electric saw if you’d like to borrow that.” Who would have thought that someone would have an electric saw in these parts? So, we put that thing to good use, and it probably saved us like 3 hours. It seemed like every night Estuardo would work on the house when came home from work. One morning we arrived and found that he had poured cement mix into the framing columns, which saved us a huge amount of time. His wife Nancy while watching three kids, helped us tremendously, especially when it came to laying the floor… oh the floor!

Laying down the framing.

I had heard how Latinos lay concrete, and it was a lot harder than it sounded. First you pour sand on the ground, throw some concrete on it, throw some rocks in there, make a volcano, and pour water in the crater and stir. If I never do that again in my life, I’ll consider it a real blessing. Between that and mixing it in buckets, my arms about fell off, not to mention having to lay that out on the floor. That was some intense work, and I had gotten so dehydrated from the altitude and the sweating, that I thought I was going to pass out. But I honestly think Nancy did more work than I did – what a trooper she was.

The breathtaking view from the family’s new home with Volcano Agua in the distance.

When it was all done, it looked like a shack – unlevel which actually works for water drainage. It wasn’t pretty – just sheet metal hammered to some boards with a few cinder blocks. I wouldn’t want to live there, although her view of the valley below with the backdrop of Volcano Agua is breathtaking. But Pastor Rolando said to me, “This is a real blessing to the family. Those boys have never had a home this nice in their 10 years of life.” It really humbled me and made me appreciate what I have. The total cost came to less than $400, but it was probably the best $400 I’ve ever spent. I also was so happy to give to her and her family, though I wish I could have done more. There are so many families here with so little, but it’s amazing how much they appreciate what they have. 12 feet by 12 feet, that’s it, but as one of the missionaries prayed today, may this little house be a castle for this family. And may this first house built by Paso a Paso be just a building block for many more to come.

Paso a Paso 2009 etched into the cement floor of the new house.

-Justin Hibbard

Meet Yolanda

director — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 04:30:17 +0000

We decided to go and visit Yolanda’s children one afternoon. To give the group the chance to meet one of the many families that Paso a Paso supports. Here is the encounter written by Karlene who traveled up the hill to visit Yolanda with the rest of us that day.

Jenny describes her family’s house as humble.

5 kids and 2 adults share 2 small rooms.

The kitchen is outside (which is actually a good thing, due to the smoke.)

Well, I guess you can’t really meet Yolanda, she is a little too busy working at the moment. But I can share with you a little bit about her life, through the eyes of her children. Yolanda lives high in the mountains outside of Antigua, above Barrio La Cruz. She shares 2 small rooms with her 5 children, as well as her husband (when he is home.) Today we hiked up a steep path to visit this family to which Paso a Paso has dedicated much time and resources.

Yolanda’s husband has been gone for a month now, and isn’t expected for perhaps another.
This is a typical scenario for many woman in Barrio La Cruz. Mayan worship is still very strong in the hills of Guatemala. The main god, Moshimo, is honored through rounds of tequila. When something good happens, the father will get drunk on tequila, praising Moshimo for his goodness. And when something goes wrong, the father will get drunk on tequila, asking Moshimo for forgiveness. There are many drunk, absent fathers in Barrio La Cruz.

Yolanda’s husband, however, is not a drunk. Rather, they are suffering the second generation effect. He comes from a family of abusive drunks. But in the past few years, since Paso a Paso has been a part of their lives, the couple has taken great strides in being less physically and verbally abusive. Stephanie and her friend Tito have been able to do some intervention counseling with the couple, and according to the children, it seems to be helping. When Stephanie first met their daughter Flor, she was not doing well. But today, Paso a Paso sponsors all 5 children to go to school, and they are all thriving.

Maria, Jenny, Daniel and Flor. They also have an older brother, Cesar, who was at his grandma’s house at the time.

There is still lots of work to be done. Yolanda works hard to keep the family clothed and fed. She works 6 days a week in Pastores. Perhaps a 30 minute commute, when you include the walk up and down her steep mountain path. While she works, she counts on her oldest daughter to take care of the other children. Jenny described her responsibilities to us as cooking, cleaning, and making sure the kids aren’t getting into trouble. While we were there, I asked Flor to show me how she cooks in her kitchen. She proceeded to start a fire from the still hot ashes. She flashed me a proud smile as she put a pot of beans on to cook. Flor is 10 years old.

The result of Flor’s work. That old coffee pot is probably their supper.

I don’t want you to think that Yolanda’s life is all bad, it isn’t. She has many blessings to be thankful for. She belongs to a tight-knit community that helps one another when in need. Her family (mother, father and 10 siblings) live just a stone’s throw across the valley. Her children are beautiful and thriving. Although she works hard, she has a job that supports her family. She has much to be proud of.

I share Yolanda’s story with you to give you a glimpse of life here in Barrio La Cruz. These are the types of families that Paso a Paso is dedicated to building up. The goal is not to modernize their homes, send their kids to school and turn them into the “perfect” western family. But rather to come along side them, giving them the resources, skills and education to grow as a family. The hope is that in a few years, they will not need our help, but rather, continue enjoying the friendship of Paso a Paso.

The view from Yolanda’s front door. Not bad. Of course, that means a bit of a hike up that steep path, often with a baby on the back and a basket of food on the head.

Una Muneca

director — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:19:33 +0000

We have just about finished our doll making class, today Karlene and I will go back to Barrio la Cruz were about 15 women will meet us there coming from two different barrios. We are amazed at how well they are making the dolls and anxious they are to learn! They will finish their big dolls today and we will be bringing some small and large waldorf dolls home to sell via Esty and at events. Please continue to pray for us as we minister to the women today and the rest of my time here with them as well. Here is the post also written by Karlene below, the wonderful friend teaching the sewing class.

One of the precious daughters holding her Munequa that her mother had just finished.

I have been on many Mission’s Trips before, and even some with children, but this is the first time I have taken my own children to a foreign country with the purpose of building others up in Christ. And I am loving it. To see the world through a 3-year-old’s eyes is just precious.

Annalia started learning a few Spanish words before we left, and has been having a good time spotting unas vacas, unas gallinas y los gatitos. But these past couple days she has really taken the initiative to ask what something is in Spanish. One of her new words, most appropriately, is “muneca” (doll.) As I have taken my dolls around to the women in the community, inviting them to attend the doll making class, Annalia is often with me. And the women are often more taken with my life-size muneca then the dolls they are excited to make. And of course Annalia eats the attention right up. She tried to convince me the other day that “muneca” means “girl”, since that is what people call her. I wish everyone here could accept a title like that as easily as my little girl.

One of Paso a Paso’s goals is to build up community women’s self-esteem and self-worth. As we prepared to teach the women the skill of doll-making, we find it equally important to tell the woman just how important they are. At the beginning of each class, I shared Proverbs 31 with the woman, highlighting the fact that God views us women as precious; vital to our families, communities, and our world.

I asked each woman to write down for me why she wanted to take the class, and I thought you would like to hear what they had to say.

“Yo vengo aprender porque deceo saber hacer munequitas para poder algun dia trabajar en ello para poder ayudar en el hogar y ensenarle a mis hijos.”

She wants to eventually make money while staying home with her children.

Delmi has a hard time seeing, and it was so neat to see the other women come along side her to thread her needle, and do other things she couldn’t. She said “Yo deceo aprender para algun dia poder salir adelante.” She wants to learn so that she can one day get ahead.

A few young girls came, here is what Saida had to say. “First, I want to give thanks to God for giving the leaders the desire to share their thoughts with us. And at the same time, everyone here is here because we hope to learn how to make dolls. Personally, I am here because I love handcrafts and because it is a great opportunity that they are giving to us without us having to pay. I thank them very much and I hope God blesses them and cares for them always.”

Sewing take One..

director — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 05:53:23 +0000

We are back in Guatemala and going strong and so happy to be here! As I got off the plane with the kids and got to take a deep breath of the Guatemalan air; somewhat stale and stinky that I am so used to, I know we are back! We are also so excited to share the next two weeks with the Hibbards and their two girls and Stacey and her son. Karlene is teaching a sewing class and Stacey’s husband will join us for construction, while all of us join in for translating, children’s ministry and much more.

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.