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ADALIS 

Look at this photo. Look into her eyes. She’s a miracle. She’s beating unbeatable odds.

70% of the kids in the villages of Guatemala don’t graduate from the 6th grade. The statistics are even worse when you’re talking about girls. Finishing high school is almost impossible. And just a tiny percent begin and then graduate from University.

El Rosario is a small village tucked in the mountains of Guatemala. Don’t try looking for it on a map. It’s not there. I don’t know of a single sign that tells people where it is. Like so many villages, it’s as if it’s been forgotten by the rest of the world.

Most people I know work at the local farm harvesting blackberries that will eventually be shipped to the United States. The average worker is under the hot sun for 8 hours a day earning $5-$6 per day. PER DAY!

Adalis is 21 years old and from El Rosario. She graduated from the 6th grade…and then from “Basico”, the equivalence of middle school. She graduated from high school and then 2 years of “carrera” which directed her to her “career”. On weekends she attends classes at university where she’s studying agronomy. She’ll graduate in two years.

According to Wikipedia, “Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, fiber, and land reclamation. Agronomy has come to encompass work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. It is the application of a combination of sciences like biology, chemistry, economics, ecology, earth science, and genetics.”

Yea. She’s “wicked smart”.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela

By the way, in her spare time she teaches bible and English at our academy!

REBECA

“How many tortillas do you think you’ve made in your life?”

Rebeca couldn’t even answer. She just laughed. She said she makes over 100 a day, 365 days a year and she’s been making tortillas for the last 50 years.

1,825,000 tortillas. I can’t imagine what her eyes have seen. The stories she could tell! Not many people have lived through a civil war.

One of the things I love most about Guatemala is sitting down to visit…without competing with the other person’s iPhone.

 

Update on what we’re doing right now, what we’re excited about.

When we landed in Guatemala, Cecilia was 11 years old.  As I look back at old photos, she was such a little girl.  To me she’s still a little girl but she’s growing up fast!

She’s a sophomore in High School and will probably graduate in the next 2 years.  Last time we were in Colorado she got her drivers permit and she’s been learning to drive (survive) in Guatemala.  There have been some pretty crazy situations that I’ll have to save for another day.  

I don’t like to think about her leaving the nest.  I don’t even like typing it.  I just don’t think my heart is strong enough.  But…she’s 16 and already spreading her wings.

Cecilia has the most loving heart.  She is such a great kid.  She volunteered at an orphanage every Friday for the last year and for the last 2 months started spending one day a week in El Rosario with me tutoring the 3rd and 4th graders.  

As many of you know, our tutor Liseth recently went to be with Jesus.  I couldn’t imagine how we could ever replace her.  

And then.  Last month.  I found her.   She adores the 3rd and 4th graders and they adore her right back.  It’s  a perfect fit.  Cecilia is the new tutor at the academy.

Cecilia works hard in the morning to get as much schoolwork done as she can and then she works another hour to hour and a half when we get home.  

Last month we told her we would try it and see how it goes.  We wanted to see if she could keep up with her schoolwork and still love it after a month.  She has done an AMAZING job.  I’m so proud of her!  At the end of September we’ll evaluate it again but I’m pretty confident it’s something she was made for.

“Ceci, what are you going to do when you finish high school?”

“I want to spend some time in India and Africa serving the poor.  Maybe I’ll study teaching.”

She still has time to figure it all out.  In the mean time she’s making a world of difference in a little village tucked in the mountains of Guatemala.  I don’t know many 16 years old like her…and I don’t know if my heart is strong enough to let her go.

What’s happening right now?  WE’VE LAUNCHED OUR ONLINE FUNDRAISER!  CLICK HERE to check it out.

Our BIG goal is to raise $200,000 by the end of the year.  We still have $136,600 to go.  That’s a huge number.  I know.

The Power of Prayer Journal

Vonda and I wanted a more organized way to share our thoughts and prayers with God.  Even as missionaries it can be hard to stay focused on the most important things.  And for us, spending time with God, LOVING God, is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing.

We dreamed about, designed and printed the journal right here in Guatemala, on the mission field. We LOVE IT and we want YOU to have it!

When you donate $50, $100 or even $1,000 toward this project, we want to give you The Power of Prayer Journal.  It’s our gift to you.  It’s had SO MUCH IMPACT on our prayer life, we want EVERYONE to have one.

Even if you can’t donate to this project you can still get the journal.  Just share this campaign and GET A PDF of The Power of Prayer Journal!  There’s a button for that when the campaign launches.

CLICK HERE to watch out our new ministry short film and peek at our fundraiser.