And breathe new life into these bones

You know that feeling that you are about to overflow, that feeling of being overwhelmed and filled to the brim with tears, that at any point could seep out and expose your weakness? Well that's where I'm at and it's where I've been at for most of the day. Sometimes it hits you like a ton of bricks. Knowing that the child in my arms is starving and her clothes are torn up and dirty, knowing that her daddy never comes home and that she shows signs of abuse that would be redflagged in any kindergarden back home, but then knowing that it may not get better, knowing that she might live like this her whole life, knowing it might get worse... Well, that kills me, it angers me, its sadens me.

We are working to get a feeding program in place and running and it's a project that takes time and patience, but once it's in place, the kids at el gorrion school will receive a substancial, formal snack everyday. Nutrtion classes are in the works and cooking classes to teach parents About the effects of eating only tortilla an beans, to help them learn to mak other foods that will provide more nutrtion. Vitamins are now in all the classrooms and there will hopefully be some improvement. El gorrion, thanks to pastor Mario will now have running water for the first time since they were relocated there after hurricaine Mitch 11 years ago and that is truly going to make a huge difference. But the homes are still broken, poverty is present here in a very real way. There's enough food and money on this planet to feed everyone, solving world hunger is not imposssible...we need to be outraged and constructive because its not okay.

We visited a home today. All the children were unwell, but the smallest one was the worst. He lives in a home with 17 other people and he is very sick. He has respitory problems and anemia that is so severe, if left untreated will turn into leukemia. His family cannot afford medicine or food to make it better an I know that once the problem
escalates for that child, there will be even less that can be done. Now some si staff are working to provide some care for him but it shakes me to know that a problem so easily fixable could lead to a death here because of poverty and hunger...that this 5 year old boy may have a shorter life because there wasn't enough money for vitamins. This is just one of billions of cases like this world wide and that fact alone makes me desire change, makes me unablen to ignore what I now know.

Come and break this heart of stone

Maybe a dance or painting or poem or music might stand a chance at speaking the beauty of the souls here but words certainly cannot. I have fallen deeply in live with Guatemala and I want more than anything to bring pieces of it home with me. I don't mean souvenirs or fashion items, but an attitude. Relationships with God and with people stand as the most important things here and the people here pour their love and time into eachother. People will stop to ask you how you are and they mean it. Problems like having a hard time being loved in a normal way become obvious because they are put to the test. Here nobody is worried about getting out of church at 12:15 sharp because they have more important things to do...instead they linger just to love on eachother. Thats what I want to bring to my home, my church family. That's where Jesus is. God is love and somehow that slips away from us and we forget what that means, we forget what God intented love to look like in our lives. I am so incredibly blessed by my church and my family and that's where I want my focus to be. 1 John had changed my heart.

We have been visiting the homes of families whose children are sponsored by si and although we bring them baskets with basic food items, they give us their stories, their hearts, their lives and it's so much more than I could ever give. I work in the schools everyday with children who have nothing in their bellies but still have hearts of love and joy and sometimes it just blows me out of the water.

In love,

allie

Come thou fount

It's another beautiful day here in Guatemala. This week my team is working with monroy school. We are trying to get some information accross to the parents of the children. As I've said in earlier posts, si provides benefits such as eye glasses and vitamins to the kids here, but often times the parents have difficulty understanding why their children need these things; so the goal with the parent meeting this week is to try to explain why the vitamins and eyeglasses are positive things and to encourage parents to encourage their children.

I've Been here a month and a week and I can't believe that time has just flown by, I love it here and everyday I spend here I can feel God opening my heart to the field of missions. I'm the kind of person that likes to know what's in the cards but god doesn't do it that way.

On Tuesday we visited a woman who's father in law just died. The father in law had a large morgage And a previous wife that he never divorced. This woman and her husband were living in a on room home that was a part of the morgage. Here in Guatemala, when a father dies, his debts are passed on to his son, so that's a large source of stress for her and her family because they barely have enough money to feed the family in the first place. They are also living in fear that the previous wife could claim the land because she is still technically married to the father in law. The father has fallen in to a deeply depressive state and there's no relief in site. Si is going to put together a food basket and offer some support, but the truth is that this is just one of the stories that ive seen since I got here. The truth is that these situation are incredibly common and because of them millions of kids go to school hungry everyday here. Even though this woman is struggling though, she still spoke thanking god and let us pray with her...I long to have that kind of devotion and once again the people here have given me something I could never give them.

Carrying a Guatemalan pharmacy

Hey all,

I just wanted to give a quick update on my health issues. I saw the doctora yesterday and got my lab results back. I do, in fact have a parasite, which was causing the flu like symptoms, but I also have an infection that I now know was causing my white blood cell count to be high ish and thus causinh fever and other aches. The good news is doctora Sara hooked me up with some medication and I'll hopefully be better in the next day or two. Parasites are kind of par for the course over here so i guess I'm glad it's out of the way! I spoke to my parents and they are glad I'm on medication and not planning on bringing home a new pet (thanks danica:)).
I'm very anxious to get out of bed and back to work; there's so much to do here And as an extravert, I don't handle this much alone time gracefully. My students this past two weeks were really supportive, they sent me an adorable get well card with Canadian flags all over it and a picture of my boyfriend in a kayak to make me feel better...it did. Oddly enough I've experienced a lot more culture shock between americans and myself then between Guatemalans and myself this past week. We have some very different views and beliefs and while it hasn't been easy to be the odd man out, I think it's been good to tAke a step back and just listen. Loving my neighbor has never been such a precious lesson.

I'll keep you all posted!

God bless

Week 4

Hey everyone!!

Things are great here in Guatemala, we are coming to the end of this team and anxious to mee the next one on Saturday. I unfortunately don't have a ton of updates because I've caught something, so I've been in bed for the last few days, but the good news is that I'm being tested for parasites today and i think that's what I have, so then I'll get the medication and be as right as rain in no time. Meanwhile I'd appreciate prayer because I'm in some pain and I don't have my mom or dad to whine to... Something about saying MOOOOM MOm MooooM Mommm just makes you feel better.

Anyways, I'll keep you posted

Allie

New team

Today was our first day on sites with the new team. There's about 45 of them, all from california, most of them in highschool. I'm feeling the pressure of being the only Canadian here and when I spoke to my mom yesterday she told me she could hear and American accent... On a more serious note: the team spent the day in el gorrion at the school, we were helping out the kindergarden teacher. Crafts aren't exactly my forte, but I kept the glue out of their precious little mouths and that was enough. Lizbeth is a 5 year old, beautiful little girl whose father is out of the picture and whose mother works all day. Today she was one of the kids who didn't have any q to purchase a snack. Everyday at school the kids receive their ricemilk cup and if they have 1 q they can buy a snack... A lot of them go home to nobody and even if there's someone, they may not necessarily get anything to eat until school the following day. When I was handing Lizbeth 2 q for a snack, it occured to me that a sponsorship program can be created in which people or churches could possibly sponsor a classroom and provide them with some nutrition and calories. Almost all the kids here are malnourished, they are pale, small, their eye sight is awful, but I really feel that a guarenteed meal on school days could make such a health difference and help them have a better chance to succeed in their schooling. A q is about 12 cents here, so for 25cents, 1 kid could eat for a day, so for 150$ from a sponsor or multiple sponsors a month, the 20 kindergardeners would have some basic nutrition every day. This is my project.

PARAsitos

Wooo, it has been a crazy week. We have. Team up here from IV Canada and a team from Greenville Illinois and they've been totally fantastic. At my site, the child sponsorship site
, we've just about finished the eye tests on all 179 kids, the majority of which will need to see the doctor for an exam. Most of the children at the school in el gorrion are very malnourished, their skin in is pasty, they wear the same ripped clothing every day and they receive very little to eat. The school provides them with a cup of mosh each day, which is basically rice milk and for some of the kids, they may not get more than that. Still the children are filled with joy and laughter and they wrap their little arms around us whenever they see us. It's been such a blessing to see kids like that every day. Yesterday we handed out vitamins for the year to the first 79 kids, si is providing for all the kids, even
the unsponsored ones. I hope that will make a differnce in imrpoving their health. The sponsored kids receive presents every birthday and christmas, they receive school supplies, most of their tuition in paid, their uniform, 80% of their medical bill and dental. Si b
does home visits to check on the kids and provides so much one on one support, it's really tremendous. I keep thinking about the sketchy guy from world vision on tv and wondering what their program provides for kids worldwide. Now I'm here and I'm seeig the benefits occur first hand and it's pretty awesome. God has made a lot possible here.


Allie

The 5 d's

I made it through the weekend alive. Here in Guatemala, the summer staff have a set of rules we know as the five d's: no drinking, no dating, no drugs, no driving and no, under any circumstances, dying. So naturally, we like to push these boundaries a tad. This weekend I had the pleasure of falling off a horse, which by the way fell first. It wasn't exactly a near death experience but it was certainly hillarious to watch. I got up covered in mud and bruise and yelled back IM GOOD. That was mainly true besides a large bruise on my bum. Needless to say, I walked the rest of the way. It's monday and the we are all heading off to our ministry sites and I'm excited to see what the day brings.

god bless,

Allie

Out with the old and in with the new

I'm shedding my old skin..literally. Apparently no amount of sunscreen is enough and in peeling like a banana. I've taken to wearing hats and sleeves in the heat...apparently rainy season is a little slow on the draw this year, but I'm prepared with a whole
rain suit, pants and all(thanks Jess). It's been said that we may feel the sting of a few big storms this season. It's funny to me that i'm talking about the weather,but it's kind of worth mentioning here because it's so much more unpredictable, not like in canada "heard it's gunna snow" "yep." ...pretty much how it is. We are supposed to be going on "nature hike" tomorrow but I'm not convinced I can enjoy nature while climbing up a hill at an 87 degree angle..I may die. It's an hour and a half up and the best way to describe the shape I'm in is round...if you know what I mean. Anyways, today we spent most of our day sorting out the vitamins to give out to the schools. It will be good to know that the vitamins are going to provide better health to many kids here. The doctora gave us instructions to give out the teachers
and by the end of next week the kids should begin receiving their vitamins daily. It's chilly on the roof so I think I'll call it a night, but I'm enjoying sharing this journey.

One week and a day

It's funny how sometimes when you leave home time passes at a snails pace. It feels like I've been here forever and maybe that's because my brain is taking on so much new information everyday or maybe it's because my days are longer. Today we began eye exams on the childen at collegio monroy; we've seen 79 kids out of 179 and many of them
will need to see the doctor. Even though only 104 kids are sponsored, students international is testing all the children at both schools; they have also worked out a deal with the doctor so that if the children need to be seen, they can
and then If they need glasses, the glasses would only cost them
25q (less than five dollars American) instead of 250q. si is also now providing vitamins for all of the children, every day in both schools. So it's pretty amazing to be involved in everything that the child sponsorship prgram is bringing to these children. That said, I want to make sure to mention that although i am the missionary coming from my rich country to help here, the children and the people here give me far more in so many ways than I could ever bring to them. They may not have many material possessions but so many of their lives are richer in faith and love and joy than I have a ever seen. I am so incredibly blessed to be here and to be able to absorb some of the culture and the beauty here. Today Nic Bekeart, the social worker in el gorrion was speaking to us About world poverty and he shared an experience from last year: it was just after the storm agatha and the teAm and the staff had been working to try to bring some relief to San Miguel after it had been covered in devastating mudslides. So when nic went back to el gorrion two weeks after the storm a woman stopped him on the road and asked where he had been and he explained that he had been down in San Miguel trying to dig through some of the mud and she responded saying that she had heard about the disaster on the news and she asked him "is there anything I can do to help?" It'S hard to explain what that means but the people of el gorrion literally have nothing. That story went straight to my heart because that's the attitude here; to give and to take only what is needed and here what is needed doesn't mean the same thing as it does at home. I hope I'm giving you a piece of what I'm being blessed with every second. God is so alive here.

Allie

Getting Started

Hey All,

Yesterday was our first day in the field and i got an idea of what ill be doing. Im working at the social work site in the child sponsorship program. The kids that are sponsored get medical care, birthday presents, school supplies, school fees paid, ect. SO my job is to help Nivia, the permanent staff member and my field supervisor, buy the gift and deliver them and get the kids to try them on and send a picture to the sponsor and to do a bunch of other stuff. One of the projects ill be working on is administering Eye exams to the kids in both schools in El gorrion and Magdalena and deciding if they need to see a doctor. The living conditions  in El gorrion are not ideal; the floor, if there is on is usually concrete, the walls are just pieces of cloth and tin, theres no running water and they just have latrines. The first team gets here on monday and we will be bringing a couple of students along to do the work in the schools. Im very excited for monday to get here.

They've also built a community center in El gorrion; last year it was just a structure, but now theres running water, a clinic with a doctor, a kitchen and bathrooms...Its really beautiful and it provides a lot for the people of El gorrion. Pastor Mario is getting ready to start building a running water system in El Gorrion so the people can finally have sanitary bathrooms and clean water to drink. It's very exciting to see the amazing work here.

On a lighter note, we visited the market today and tried to figure our way around Antigua so that we can successfully guide the teams around the city when we have to. It was a lot of fun. A lady tried to sell me a head band but It was small and i tried to tell her that I had a big head, but instead I told her my beer is too big...so that was embarrassing and a source of amusement for my room mate, who was with me. I guess thats the nature of travel.

Keep Guatemala in your prayers, God is doing amazing things here.

Allie

First day

Hey All,

I made it trough orientation without injury and only with the minor embarassment of having to ask where I could send something express post because I accidentally brought my dads car keys with me..oops. Anyways orientation was really nice, I feel very...oriented. Tomorrow we start on our ministry sites and I was lucky to receive a spot on the social work site for child sponsorship. Although I'm not a hundred percent sure of what I'll be doing, i was told I'll be spending time in the school Magdalena and in el gorrion. I'll most likely be looking after childen in the sponsorship program...helping out wherever I can. So I'm excited to see what each day will bring. It's amazing how when you step out of your comfort zone god challenges you in ways you wouldn't expect, here I think I'm doing pretty good, travelling alone to another country, embracing the culture...totally outside my comfort zone, bur this morning we were partnered up And asked to wash eAchothers feet and If you know me you would know that touching things that are unclean with my hands is something I happen to find unpleasant, to say the least...but oddly it was a beautiful experience, it was very powerfull to do that for somebody as Jesus did for his disciples in John 13. We shared our prayer requests to eachothers and served eachothers in a way that was unsettling, that stirred me to tears


The people here are wonderful, I am blessed. It's funny how I came here to serve, but this place certainly does more for me than I could ever give it.

Allie

Finally here

Hey everyone,

I've arrived in guatemala and I'm doing great..curently I'm sitting on the roof looking at the beautiful view while getting the only wifi available. I've decided that I like planes but if they didn't have windows I would hAte them. Crunched up in a tiny little space with A guy behind me that gets upset if I do anything but sit up perfectly straight and a person in front of me who is about six years old and has no problem putting his seat back...meanwhile I'm sitting nex to a man who not only smells like A mix of poop and Bo, but also eating the biggest bag of peanuts that they sell. But one look out the window and gods magnificent creation takes my breath away. I'm here now and it's amazing. I very excited to start this journey.

Allie

Leaving tomorrow.

Holy smokes i'm leaving tomorrow. I'm super excited and a little nervous all at the same time. This will be my second trip out of North America and certainly the longest I've ever been away from my family. In case you didn't know, I have 3 brothers and 3 sisters, my mom, step dad, dad, step mom and pets (many pets). For the last 4 days I've been booked solid with going away dinners with friends and family and I have to say I've been feeling overwhelmed by how much love my friends, family and church have sent my way. I feel so incredibly blessed by all the people in my life, I cannot thank all of you enough for your support. I've received so many donations to give away when I arrive that i'm starting to gamble with essential clothing items "I can wear these undies twice, I'll just reverse them...One flip flop is enough...." kidding...sort of. But seriously, it's really amazing to know that at least 200 people are keeping me in their thoughts and prayers as I set out on my journey. Now just to get on the plane! I nearly packed my nail clippers in my carry on and knowing my luck I'd get the bag check guy again (happend last year, of course), "MAM, do you know what these are? Do you realize that these could be considered a weapon?" Oh, yeah I carry nail clippers in my bag in case I'm ever attacked, they're very practical for self defense. SO wish me luck, because I have a way of finding myself in these ridiculous situations.

Love,


Allie

7 days away

Hey everybody,

My trip is 7 days away and counting and I have to admit, i'm a little bit nervous. I wanted to find a way that i could give updates about my trip to my friends and family and a few people suggested that I start a blog, so here we are. This week i'm kind of running around like a headless chicken trying to get everything in order, but i'm so incredibly blessed by all the support i've received from my family, friends and church family. I can't thank all of you enough for the love and kindness that you've shown to me through this. I know that i'll be in your prayers and I appreciate that so much. Please don't hesitate to email me or message me if you would like to tell me something  or ask me something about my trip. I will be checking my email weekly and i'm going to try to update this weekly as well. I can't guarantee i'll always have access to a computer or electricity for that matter, but i'll do my best. Last year while I was there, the country experienced a series of natural disasters including 3 earthquakes, a volcanic eruption, a tropical storm and devastating mudslides. Lives were lost and it was a very scary time, but my team and myself were kept safe by the grace of God. Obviously, my hope for this year is to see a lot less chaos and hopefully put my parents through a little less stress :) (Love you guys).

Keep me in your prayers.