¡Hola Todos!

Tracy, Ralph, and I (Kayla) had  a safe arrival to Guatemala yesterday.  We got acclimated with some of the culture and history of the country and had a first had experience with a Guatemalan Earthquake!  Although the epicenter was miles away we felt the earth sway beneath our feet for about 30 to 40 seconds.  There was not any damage in Antigua, however the earthquake was devistating for other areas of the country. 
This morning we will be driving up to Jacaltenango and we hope that the systems there are running well. 

Thank you for your prayers and continued support,
Kayla, Ralph, and Tracy

Fox Valley Presbyterian Church Set to Enter Guatemala Mission Field

FVPC is all set to send another mission team to Jacaltenango, Guatemala!   A three person team lead by Tracy Wolf, with daughter Kayla, and new to the LWW team, Ralph Alvarez.  The team was commissioned this past Sunday for their work, and the children got to witness first hand how God calls us to be his hands and feet in the world.  The team will be heading out on early Wednesday morning, November 7, and returning early morning, November 14.  The Team will be providing refresher health and hygiene training for teachers, parents, and children at the two schools where we have installed clean water systems.  Preventative maintenance will also be performed on the systems, with replacement filters and parts provided.  Operators and teachers will be recertified in their training.  The team will be working closely with our in-country LWW coordinators at these sites and a potential new site, which will be surveyed on this trip.  Just as important, we will continue to grow our relationship with our friends in Guatemala.  The Team will be bringing down bilingual books collected by members of the church and pillow case dresses/pants sewn by the Sewing Circle.  Please keep Tracy, Kayla, and Ralph in your prayers this week, as we wish them a successful, safe, journey in doing the work that God has called them to do.

Friday, March 2, 2012

This post is late because we celebrated last night until very late! We signed a covenant with El Asintal, for our second covenant of this trip! AMEN! The impact that his mission is having on the people, the children of Guatemala, is beyond miraculous! Here are a couple of the lives you are changing through the support of the LWW Ministry.

We attended a wonderful church service at El Shaddai last night.... FVPC was honored during the service, we were prayed for, and we prayed for El Shaddai. It was truly a beautiful and overwhelming experience. El Shaddai hosted an outdoor reception afterwards, and we of course had to go out for icecream... even after dessert at the church!

We head out now for Antigua to recoup, and debrief, and enjoy some fellowship together, as we journey home.... We miss you all, and cannot wait to tell our stories.

God Bless,

LWW Mission Team

Thursday, March 1, 2012

We woke up to loud fireworks this morning... In Guatemala, when it is your birthday, your friends and family light fireworks to celebrate.... Just wish it wasn't before sunrise! Today, we signed a covenant with El Shaddai church in Mazzatenango. Working with people that have such a deep commitment to improve the lives around them, and the deep faith to see it through, makes being away from our families a whole lot easier. You can feel the Holy Spirit at work, and it is a wonderful feeling... if only you all could be here to experience it with us.

The process of working through the Covenant is a long, as we go through each aspect of our responsibilities to each other. This effort is import, since it lays the foundation for a successful installation and hopefully many years of clean Living Water flowing. We finished with the signing around 1:30 pm, and made our way to lunch with Pastor Fredy....

Now lunch was an event in itself.... a two hour event! Pastor Fredy took us to Pollo Campero. We all ordered the largest fried chicken plater available.... followed by coffee and huge cookies... followed by more cookies.... followed by an icecream cup for Claudia that got passed around the table. When we said we had enough.... Pastor took us to another icecream place, and insisted we eat more. We refused to get out of the van, and he called our bluff by saying that he would come back with large orders of icecream for all of us! So we went inside and enjoyed some great Guatemalan icecream (so you are probably saying to yourself.... "boy, these guys are really roughing it!") But you try eating until you are about to explode! Before we drove away Pastor said something very touching. He said I don't want you to come to Guatemala to be sad or to always work hard. I want you to enjoy and have fun also. We are truly blessed to know him, and all our friends, old and new, in Guatemala.

We got home (La Cupola de Zion is home to us) around 4:00pm, and were able to enjoy a relaxing end to our day... some rest, and a little bit of cards, and just let our tummies digest. We attended Marco's church prayer meeting tonight. His brother-in-law, Eric, arrived yesterday from California, and he helped to translate the service for us. The service ended with prayer requests, and we were called up to ask and recieve prayer and "laying on of hands." It was very powerful (Linda Williams.... you were right!)... what a blessing! Amen, and Amen!

Tomorrow is our last day in Reu, and we go to El Asintal to sign our second covenant on this trip! At 4:30 we'll head to El Shaddai where Pastor Bart will be preaching on the radio tomorrow, BEFORE he preaches at the 7:00pm service! Sermons in Guatemala last an hour.... so good luck to Bart!

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Today was a great day! We met with Pastor Hernan and Pastor Otoniel and members of the Iglesia Evangelica Nueva Amanecer (Evangelical Church of the New Dawn) in El Asintal about 30 minutes from the El Shaddai church. The town near the church has no water and the well at the church is contaminated. It is actually easier and cheaper to by Coke here than clean water.

A system will work well here and will be a great benefit to the villiage. The church itself has only 30 members, but about 60 children. There are three schools near the church with hundreds of children that will receive the clean water. The area is very poor and most families have 8 or 9 children, many of them malnourished or sick. We negotiated the covenant today and will return to the church on Friday to sign it.

We continue to see great need, but we have met many people working hard to improve conditions and they are eager to partner with us. God is at work.

After our time at the church we had lunch at a local restaraunt that we drove to with our van doors wide open. We are becoming accustomed to the ways of Guatemala. At lunch, the pastor's wife was impressed with how much Bart liked the food (they ordered the same thing) that she said he was Chapin - which is what the native Guatemalans are called. Bart took it as a great compliment.

After lunch we went to an ancient ruin about 15 minutes from the church. It was discovered on a coffee planatation, and the owner of the coffee plantation has donated about 5% of his plantation as a national park. The ruins are from the Toteca indians, who were around several hundred years before the Maya, and about 700 years before Christ.

Tomorrow, we return to the church at Mazzatanango (where we worshiped on Sunday night) to talk about a covenant and possible water system. Please continue to keep us and our partners in your prayers.

P.S. We forgot to say the other day that we were able to deliver books, teaching supplies, and the pillowcase dresses made by our church at the El Shaddai church and our partners greatly appreciated it.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Day 3 was a joyous day! As with the days before, it was busy. Pastor Fredy picked us up after breakfast to go to El Rosario to meet with our other LWW operating partners. On the way Pastor drove us by the Red Cross, which El Shaddai Church provides clean water to, but we stopped at the Reu Health Department to meet with the administator, and see and hear first hand the impact that the clean water from El Shaddai's LWW system is having on the people of Reu. The Health Department sees 500 people a day with aliments ranging from diarreha, maleria, colera, and HIV. The LWW water is used to help dispense medications and provide pure water to infants with diarreha. We also went to an orphanage/school that recieves the LWW water, supported by El Shaddai. 160 children have clean drinking water in their classrooms. The Director told us that she has seen a huge improvement in the health of the childrenn since receiving the clean water. The seeds that we have planted in this wonderful country have produced not only trees, but a forest is quickly forming!

We arrived at El Rosario late in the morning, and met with Eli, Czar, and Francisco. El Rosario continues to struggle with the system, and we came to find the system has not been operational since October, 2011. After long and prayerful discussion, we have concluded that the commitment to LWW is strong with our partners in El Rosario, and we are working with them to obtain the proper licensing. God works on his time, and we witnessed this today, as Pastor Fredy joined in on our meeting, and offered his help to El Rosario to obtain their license. He also offered one of his two operators to assist with the system at El Rosario, and train an operator in use of the system. We are very hopeful for the future of this colonia, and the school which it will support with the LWW system.

After we finished at El Rosario, Pastor invited us to his Mother's home, not far from our site there. We were feed a wonderful fish lunch.... David almost exploded from the amount of food that he ate! We then drove to the beach to see the ocean.

After dinner tonight, we surpised Claudia with cake and presents in celebration of her engagement to Robert, and to show our appreciation for her ministry in Guatemala. Pastor Fredy, Pastor Isabel, and their son Henry joined us, as well as Marco and his mother-in-law. Claudia really liked the prayer shaw that we gave to her, as well as the card. Pastors Fredy and Isabel and Henry also gave her gifts. Claudia is a very special person, and it felt good to honor her in this way.

Tomorrow morning we go to El Asintal church to survey this site, and in the afternoon we will go to nearby ruins that we are told pre-date the Mayans. We are thinking of you all back home, and grateful for the support you have provided in this ministry. We are witness to the wonderful ways that FVPC is changing the lives of the people of Guetemala... the need is great, and we are answering God's call. Keep us in your prayers.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Today was an amazing day! We began a little worried about being late to meet some teachers and about 50 kids - turns out Pastor Fredy was a bit late to pick us up because the the water pump was broken and he had already fixed it. We arrived at El Shaddai, a wonderfully familiar sight, and went straight to work. Some of us meet with teachers and some set up tables and supplies. Very quickly the kids came out -about 70 of them !!! There were children from two schools and their teachers. There was only mild panic among your Living Waters team because we had been well prepared by Nancy Beardsley and Linda Williams - many thanks to them. We weren't prepared for the joy the kids bring - teaching is definily where the fun is. We were surrounded and had a wonderful experience. Favorite moments we'd love to have you ask us about:

Bart: calling the kids up to put their work on a banner and seeing them swarm and surround Fred with jumping joyful enthusiasm.

Claudia: watcing the kids as they watched Linda filter very dirty water and seeing their eyes get huge and say "it's magic"

Bill: waiting with tape for the kids to bring their work up to be put on the banner, and having them come dancing up in a huge herd of excitement and surround him.

Linda: explaining the system, then asking what the first step was. A little 5 year old boy who was squirming around, poking his neighbor and clearly not listening jumping up and proceeding to explain the whole system PERFECTLY!

David: being surrounded by 70 little kids all chirping like excited little birds for tape so they could put their work up.

Fred: reading a spanish english book to a couple of kids - and having the group grow and grow till he was surrounded by children taking turns reading the spanish outloud, then Fred reading the english.

All: after having the teachers "spread" germs (blue paint) onto a water bottle, Fred holding it up and the kids reactions of "oh yuck" and actually scooting away.

watching the kids wash their hands before snacks and hearing them sing the song we just taught them. We had a wonderful experience with the kids, capped off with the teacher's happy reaction to all the supplies we brought, especially the books.

After cleaning up, we went to the water house. It's the flagship of water houses, with many improvements since our last visit - but most amazing, what was started less than a year ago has grown to over 200 bottles of clean water a week !!!!! That's over 56,000 gallons in less than a year, with the majority of it being given away. We were astonished. God is good!

As we were leaving we "stopped by" the radio station to take a look. Bart, Fred and Linda broadcast live to Guatemala

Please keep us in your prayers, we travel to El Rosario tomorrow.