Xela Journal

Mission Trip to La Esperanza de Jesus Children's Home in Honduras

2011-06-13T10:06:00.007-05:00

Saint Mark's Episcopal Church in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala

2009-12-16T11:39:00.020-06:00

La Iglesia Episcopal San Marcos began offering Christian worship services to the English speaking community of Quetzaltenango in August 2009. Known as Saint Mark's Episcopal Church, we are the only Church in Xela that offers services in English. We have 34 members, with a Sunday attendance which ranges between 12 and 28 people.

"We have come together in the presence of Almighty God our Heavenly Father, to set forth his praise, to hear his holy Word, and to ask, for ourselves and on behalf of others, those things that are necessary for our life and our salvation." - The Book of Common Prayer -

WE ARE CHRISTIANS from a wide variety of faith communities and experiences. We join together on Sunday mornings to worship our Lord Jesus Christ through a blend of contemporary music and the ancient liturgy of Morning Prayer found in the Book of Common Prayer. We are an English speaking congregation of expatriates, students, missionaries, volunteers, students, Guatemalans, and visitors from nations around the world.

WE ARE LOCATED at 6a Calle 16-20, Zona 3, Quetzaltenango (Xela), Guatemala. St. Mark's is in Zone 3 at the corner of 6th Street and 16th Avenue. You can find us from MacDonald's in Zone 3 (on the corner of 4th Street and 17th Avenue) by going north on 17th Avenue for two blocks, then turn right on 6th Street. Saint Mark's is located at the end of the block on your left.

WE GATHER FOR WORSHIP at 9:00 am on Sunday Mornings. Coffee and refreshments are served at 10:00 am. during our fellowship hour.

IAS Community Service with the Medical Mission from the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota

2009-07-16T15:53:00.004-05:00

Felipe, Jimena, Maggie, Mr. McMarlin, Jessica, and Tamara

This summer the six of us formed a community service team from Inter-American School. We volunteered with the Medical Mission from the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota in Xela and other locations around Western Guatemala. We primarily served as translators. The stories of our experiences follow:

Felipe's Story: Medical Team from the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota

2009-07-13T02:58:00.012-05:00

Felipe is a high school junior from Inter-American School in Xela, Guatemala. He, with four of his classmates volunteered to translate for the medical and dental teams from the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota.

This is Felipe's story.

Daily Log

1) June 1 Monday: 8:00a.m.-12:00p.m.

Medicine Inventory

We arrived to Saint Marks Episcopal church and started arranging medicine supplies. Counting them and putting them where they belong.

2)June 29 Monday: 10:30a.m.-6:30p.m.

Medical Clinic(Xela)

We got there and waited for the Medical Team from The Episcopal Diocese of the North Dakota to arrived. When they arrived we helped them set up their equipment. I started Translating for Dr. Karen Rohr till 6:3op.

3)June 30 Tuesday: 7:30a.m.-8:oop.m.

Medical Clinic: Chuguexa(Chimaltenango)

We got there and started working with a hard storm over our heads. And worked with Dr. Karen Rohr Translating for her. Had to translate for entire families consisting of 10 members each.

4,5)June 1&2 Wednesday&Thursday: 7:30a.m.-8:oop.m both days

Dental Clinic:Nueva Chuatuj (coatepeque)

I worked with Dr. Anna Pranata and her assistant Jamee Weibe translating in the Dental Clinic.

Both days I worked for them and got many patients.

6)July 3 Friday : 7:30a.m.-9:30p.m.

Dental Clinic: Pachaj(CANTEL)

Worked with Dr. Anna Pranata and Jamme Weibe and also translating for Dr.Bryanne Hildebrandt. Translating in the Dental Clinic.

7)June 4 saturday: 7:30a.m.-2:30p.m.

Medical Clinic(xela)

Help nurse Pam Pranke in giving recipes for patients to follow. Also help other Doctors in translating.

8-11)July 6-9: 11:3oa.m.-1:30p.m.

(Ancianos)

We spend some time talking and eating with the elderly people.

12)July 10 Friday: 8:ooa.m.-12:00p.m.

(Inter American School)

We started making this blog

My Experience

Helping The Medical Team From The Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota made me experience many wonderful things I had never felt before. Spending some time with each one help me learn many new things. We had many difficulties, but we managed to resolve it and keep working.

Since the beginning it was very hard waking up at 6:30a.m, but i had a strong opinion of helping people who really needed it. I now understand that many people apparent to be healthy, but in reality they have some kind of illness. My first experience was to fight against weather, I had to support heavy rains( but i still kept working). When we finish I had to carry the heaviest thing i had ever carried. With rain pouring and mud all over me I took it safely toward the van. I learn that if you endeavor something you really want to do you can can do it no matter what is opposed to it. I realize some people cannot really drive in this world, our drivers had too many problems. If I had never tried this before, I would still be thinking people are healthy over the world.

For me community service was awesome, we kept learning more and more everyday. Helping people who needed it, can make you feel wonderful. I really encourage people to have this class, you will never experience community service as much as we did.

Jimena's Story: Medical Team from the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota

2009-07-13T02:54:00.009-05:00

Guest Blogger: Jimena

Jimena is a high school junior at Inter-American School in Xela, Guatemala. Jimena and four of her classmates volunteered to translate for the medical and dental teams from the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota. This is the story of her experience, in her own words.

Community Service really opened my eyes. I learned to appreciate what I have. When I saw all of those people making a line to see the doctor I just thought about one thing. I am so glad I don`t have to pass by these to go to the doctor or the dentist. But then I thought how selfish I was being by thinking that and I realized that we were all here to help all of these people and I really got excited to start because I wanted to help this people get better.

I had some good times, Some bad times, some fun times, and some hard times. I really enjoyed to have had the opportunity to be in the Community Service of North Dakota. I learned many things while being in the mission. Some of the most funny and good times while being in the mission for me was that when we went near Solola, there was a hill in which our vans couldn`t pass through and so we had to walk down hill to get to the place were we were going to do our service. When we finally finished our job there, a big rain storm started pouring over us and we had to carry all of the equipment up hill again. So we started carrying all of the equipment and since we were down hill a huge river started flowing down hill. All of the village was made of dirt and so when it rained all of the dirt was made into a great puddle of mud. I honestly didn`t see a great lake of mud and so I started walkinh faster because it was raining harder. When I finally got near the vans I just felt that I started sinking. I didn`t know what was going on until I looked down. I was sinking in a mud lake. I started to force myself out of the mud lake and found out that my friends had not seen me. So I told them about what had happend to me in the lake and they started laughing at me. We laughed about my accident all the way home. Some of my hard times over the mission was getting up so early to be on time. I had to wake up at 6:00 a.m. every day to get dressed up, eat some brakefast,and brush my teeth. We had to be at the church by 7:30 a.m. to be ready to live to our next mission. Another hard part in the mission was being able to support the change of climate in the places we went.

This Mission really taught me to appreciate my style of life more. It also taught me to help people when ever you can, because there are some people that really need help. They don`t even have money to buy food, a toothbrush, or medicine. I would defenetly do community service again because you can learn alot of stuff about it. For me I learned to be greatful with the things I have because there are people that don`t have food everyday, and it was so sad to see. I can`t wait to go to the Florida mission. I liked helping people with some of thier problems.

1) June 1 Monday: 8:00a.m- 12:00p.m. (Medicine Inventory)*This day we had to be at the Saint Marks Episcopal Church at 8:30a.m. We had to organize all of the medicines that we were going to use in the medical mission. We had to count all of the medicine that was on each box. We finished at 12:00p.m.

2) June 29 Monday: 10:30a.m-6:30p.m. Medical Clinic(Xela)

* When they arrived we started working right away.I worked with Jennifer Risan, a medical student, that day. She was a nice lady. I had the honor to translate for her.

3) June 30 Tuesday: 7:30a.m.-8:00p.m. Medical Clinic(Chuguexa)

* Tuesday we had to be at the Episcopal Church at 7:30a.m. to go to Chuguexa and start working again. When we arrived I had the pleasure to work in the Dental station. I got to watch how they pulled people's teeth out.

4) July 1&2 Wednesday&Thursday: 7:30-9:30 Medical Clinic(Nuevo Chuatuj)

* Wednesday and Thursday we went to Coatepeque and I had the pleasure to work both days with Pam Pranke, a nurse. I was her translator and we told people how to take there medicines.

5) July 3 Friday:7:30-9:30 Medical Clinic (Pachaj)

* We were going to go to Santa Maria but the place were we were going to was occupied so we went to Pachaj! I once more had the pleasure to work with Pam Pranke.

6) July 4 Saturday:7:30-2:30 Medical Clinic(Xela)

* This was our last day with the Medical Team and we worked at the Episcopal Church. I worked half time with Jessica Risan helping her translate to the patients. Then I went to work at theDental Station with Anna Pranata, a dentist, and her assistant Jamee Weibe.

7) July 6-9 Monday- Thursday: 11:30-1:30(Ancianos)

* We got to eat Lunch with old people and got to know them a little. we spoke to different people there.

8)July 10 Friday: 8:00-12:oop.m. (School)

*We got to school at 8:00 and wrote in our blog our experiences in this Community Service.

Tamara's Story: Medical Mission Team from the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota

2009-07-12T14:31:00.008-05:00

Guest Blogger: Tamara Torrez-Koll

Tamara is a high school junior at Inter-American School in Xela, Guatemala. She, along with four classmates, volunteered as translators for the medical and dental teams from the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota.

This is Tamara's story:

June 29, 2009: We were in the San Marcos Episcopal Chruch, Xela and I was placed with the Dental Team in the ballet studio/comedor/Sunday school. I worked with Bryanne Hildebrandt. The eight hours went rather smoothly, a few extractions and one filling.

June 30, 2009: We went to Chugüexa Chimaltenango. It was cold and dreary, raining a lot. I was placed at the nurse's station with Pam Pranke for the first half of the day. After she and I had lunch I was placed with Jennifer Risan, a medical provider. We had a patient with a build-up of wax she thought was a piece of garlic.

July 1, 2009: Wednesday found us in Nuevo Chuatuj, Coatepeque. I was placed again with the Dental Team, specifically with Bryanne Hildebrandt. The day was hot and humid with a

torrential rain in the afternoon. The rain forced us to move the equipment since the zinc roof had holes in it. After dinner we headed home.

July 2, 2009: Again in Nuevo Chuatuj, Coatepeque. I was with the Dental Team (Bryanne Hildebrandt) again. The day was even warmer than the day before. There was blood and gore and teeth and needles. I learned a lot. It rained again but by then we had a black cover keeping out the rain.

July 3, 2009: Friday we ended up in Pachaj, Cantel. We had been programmed to go to Santa Maria de Jesus, but due to complication we were re-routed to Pachaj. In Pachaj I worked with Darlene Bartz. She was very nice and we had pleasant chats in between the patients. We had one patient with an "aching heart." She was bent and old and white, passed gray. She told us her sad story; I don't think I'll forget her any time soon.

July 4, 2009: I awoke Saturday morning refreshed and still dreaming about Friday night's amazing dinner. I forced myself out of a bed that wasn't mine and went to the Episcopal Church, San Marcos, Xela (after a detour for breakfast). I passed the morning and noon in the company of the Dental Team; again with Bryanne Hildebrandt. After I went home and wrote an essay.

July 10, 2009: Today I sit, accompanied by my fellow classmates at IAS. The smell of the coming school year hangs in the air...

Jessica's Story: Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota Medical Mission 2009: Jessica' Story

2009-07-12T14:03:00.018-05:00

Guest Blogger: Jessica

Jessica is a high school junior at Inter-American School in Xela, Guatemala. She volunteered, along with four of her classmates to translate for the medical and dental teams from the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota.

This is Jessica's story.

Well, my very first day of community service was on June 1st. My classmates, Mr. Mac and I

sorted the medicines at the Episcopal Church of San Marcos for the Medical Team for whom we

were supposed to translate.

Monday, June 29 This was the actual first day of being a translator for the Medical Team. The Medical Team was from North Dakota, but the dentists were actually from Canada. The first day was at the Episcopal Church and started at 10:30. As the first day, I was given a really really bright yellow shirt to wear and assigned to translate to Anna Pranata and her assistant Jamee Weibe in the

dental team. It was quite entertaining(?) to see mouths bleeding out (just kidding). Then after a exhausting day of work, I went home.

Tuesday, June 30 This day we went to Chuguexa, a little town near Chimaltenango. It took 3 hours to us to get there, I almost felt we were reaching Guatemala City!!! This day I was

assigned to translate for Jennifer Risan, a medical provider; and

after lunch, for Pam Pranke and Marilyn Schroeder, on the nursing team. There were two things that caught my interest. The first thing is that Pam was quite fluent in Spanish so I didn't really had to say anything. Though I still had to explain a some things because mainly Pam spoke in traditional Spanish and a few of the people couldn't understand her well. The second thing happened during lunch, when the Father

of the church there told me that the people of Chugüexa did not prepare good lunch for the Medical Team as there were previous cases in which they had made meals for the Americans coming down here and the Americans wouldn't eat. I don't know if there were hygiene issues that bothered them but that was the main reason why the Chugüexans did not make us "proper" lunch. Well, anyways, we got frijoles, boiled egg, and tamalitos, and all of us ate happily. When we were done with everything, it rained so hard that we weren't able to move nor hear. The rain delayed us all and when we got back to Xela, it was about 9 pm.

Wednesday, July 1 We went to Chuatuj in Coatepeque and we were escorted by cops due to the terrible circumstances of violence there. It was really hot there and I worked for Karen Rohr, a medical provider, whom I worked for for the next 3 days. I had a pretty decent day, except for the haunting experience of the bathroom, which was smelly and it was not flush-able, it literally just let drop the "things" on the deep floor. Well. I didn't really use it though. Karen and I saw a lady patient, who had watery eyes and claimed to have random headaches and generalized muscle pain. We were just about to give her some pain killers when she told us her tragic story of why she had those random aches. Four years ago, the lady had a 16-year old son who was assassinated by the gangs. She really loved the son, as he was her last one. But the gangs were not satisfied just killing her son, but they cut his throat and showed her the headless body bleeding in front of her house. Since then she started hallucinating her son and being unable to sleep. After hearing all of her tragic story, Karen knew what she really had and she prescribed her an anxiety-killing drug to calm her down. We were very sorry to hear that.

Thursday, July 2 We went to the same place in Chuatuj and I worked with Karen again. It was

similar to the last day but there was a patient who is engraved in my memory. This was a man of almost 80-years old who had problems with his hernia. At first, he went with a nearby doctor. The doctor told him that he needed three surgeries because he had such huge hernias but that the doctor himself couldn't do it because of his lack of equipments. So he went to the doctors in Xela but they didn't help him at all; instead they "got his money out" and at least they wanted him to do three more exams which cost almost Q1000 each. The man felt "tricked" by the doctors because what he wanted to do was to remove the hernias, not to do the unnecessary exams. So he stopped going to the doctors and blamed them for everything, until he came with us to do a medical examination. Obviously he had the hernia where we (Karen and I) couldn't examine so we called Dr. John Baird to check his hernias. After I translated Dr. Baird all the things the man told me, he told the man that the surgeries weren't necessary due to his age because the hernias did not threat his life but doing the surgeries could probably threat his life more than the hernias do. He suggested the man that it was much better to live the rest of his life as happy as possible and not endanger it with unnecessary surgeries. At hearing this, the man got relieved that he heard what he needed to hear and thanked Dr. Baird, Karen and me so much that even Karen took a picture with him to take it home. He made me feel so proud of myself of being such help to the man. I felt really good that day, even though I went home very late.

Friday, July 3 This day we went to Pachaj, Cantel. We were working at a school. I worked with

Karen again and it was a pretty decent day, I guess.

Saturday, July 4 As the final day of the medical mission, the Medical Team worked at the Episcopal Church of San Marcos. This day I worked with Karen too. Well, we didn't have as much patients as the other days but we were happy that we could work for the people.

CONCLUSION> I really liked to be in community service class, I learned so many things and I'm glad that I could be helpful for needy people. I would definitely do it again next year though with no credit.

Maggie's Story: Episcopal Diocese of Guatemala Medical Mission 2009

2009-07-12T13:34:00.019-05:00

Guest Blogger: Maggie

Maggie is a high school junior at Inter-American School in Xela, Guatemala. Maggie and four of her classmates volunteered to translate for the medical and dental teams from the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota. This is the story of her experience, in her own words.

The IAS Community Service Summer Program was one of the best experiences in my life.

Atfirst, I wasn't sure on taking the class, but I don't regret it. I had so much fun and I learnedmany different things. At the end of the IAS Community Service Summer Program, I realized that I had a chance of a lifetime.

The Community Service Class took one day, instead of two, on the medical inventory. With the medical inventory done; we would start our translating in the week of June 29. The week of June 29 turned out to be a really hard week for us. Some days we would arrived at 7:30 A.M. at Saint Mark's Episcopal Church, and we would come back as late as 9:00 P.M. It was a pretty long and tiring week. On my first day of work with the Medical Team from the Episcolpal Diocese of North Dakota, I was assigned to Dr. Susan Maloney, but the medical team needed help in pharmacy, so

Dr. Susan Maloney helped with that. I had no translating to do, so I decided to work with Miss Laine Milburn and Miss Shanna Maloney, who were working at the blood pressure station. I had a really good time with them and I learned many things from them.

The next day, we went to Chugüexa, near Chimaltenango. Chüguexa, is a really small community beside the road to Guatemala City.

We had to walk down a pretty long dirt road. I worked with and translated for Dr. Bryanne Hildebrandt and her assistant, Miss Kaitlin Ward,

in the dental clinic. I had the chance of seeing lots and lots of blood, and at a certain point I felt pretty dizzy. When we walked up the dirt road, we faced a severe storm. By the time we hopped on the vans, we were soaking wet. I was glad the day was over.

It was day 4, and on our way to Nuevo Chuatuj, two of our vans experienced some mechanical problems. Finally, we got to Nuevo Chuatuj, Coatepeque, where I worked with and translated for Dr. Susan Maloney. She was so cool! I learned many things from her, and I really enjoyed every

minute that ticked by. We had the chance of seeing many patients, and in my opinion, it was such a great blessing. Our two days at Nuevo Chuatuj, Coatepeque were very long and tiring, but the experience was worth it.

The next day, we were supposed to go to Santa Maria de Jesus, but there was a change in plans, instead we went to Pachaj, Cantel. Our arrival was ok, but when we started setting up stations, you could tell that there were some problems with the way people at Pachaj, Cantel had organized and set up things. In Pachaj, Cantel, again, I worked with and translated for Dr. Susan Maloney. It was great; I had a blast!

Day 7, our last and final day of work with the medical team. We set up the last clinic in
Xela. I worked with and translated for Dr. Susan Maloney. I had so much fun with her! I came up with the conclusion that Dr. Susan Maloney made my IAS Community Service Summer.

I am very grateful with Mr. McMarlin for having me on the IAS Community Service Summer Program. Working with the Medical Team from the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota was one of the best experiences ever. I had so much fun, and I learned many things.

Summer Community Service

2009-06-06T19:14:00.014-05:00

This summer Laurel is leading an Inter-American School summer community service class in Xela and surrounding communities. There are five registered students in the class: Jessica, Tamara, Jemina, Maggie, and Felipe.

The class will consist of three service projects: Inventory of medical supplies, translating for the Medical Team from the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota, and working with the Los Ancianos Community Center Program.

On June 1, the first day of summer vacation, we

met at La Iglesia Episcopal San Marcos to inventory medicine and supplies for the North Dakota Medical Team. Photos and our blog about last years medical/dental team can be found at http://xelajournal.blogspot.com/2008/07/july-2008-medical-mission.html

The next time we meet will be June 29, when the team from North Dakota arrives.

Inter-American School PTA Family Day

2009-05-03T17:21:00.026-05:00

The Inter-American School PTA gave all of us -- students, families, and teachers -- a wonderful family day picnic on the day before our Guatemalan labor day weekend. It was a day of good food with good friends. A day of fun and games. We had races, games, face painting, a wedding booth, and even a mechanical bull!

Good Food with Good Friends

An opportunity for teachers, students and families to have fun together

A Wedding Booth for the willing and unwilling

A Mechanical Bull

Races

Horse Back Riding

Face Painting

We are already looking forward to next year's Family Day. Thanks to everyone in the PTA who made this such a wonderful day for all of us.

Inter-American School Retreat

2009-04-03T16:31:00.040-05:00

This year Inter-American School held it's annual Spiritual Retreat in Panajachel, Guatemala. We stayed at the Hotel Visíon Azul, on the shore of Lake Atitlan.

Prior to our departure from Quetzaltenango we began our Retreat with songs and games. Then we boarded our two busses for the two hour trip to Pana.

We arrived just before lunch, checked into our rooms, ate a wonderful noon meal, then had some free time.

The early afternoon was spent settling in, enjoying the beauty of our location on the lake, and playing in and around the pool and lake shore.

We got together and the students played "teacher trivia". They were surprized to learn that one teacher auditioned for American Idol and another was a three time World Champion in horseback riding.

During the evening hours, after supper, we began the "Spiritual" part of our retreat. We joined together while middle school teacher "Tank" Broyles (of American Idol Fame) led us in songs of worship.

The theme of this year´s retreat was "Our Faith Journey" and we explored the beginning, middle, and end of our faith journeys, from several perspectives. This year was different from past years, in that the entire retreat was led by the teachers and staff. In past years retreat leaders from the United States volunteered their time to lead the retreats.

One of the differences was that rather than having large group meetings, we broke up into to "break-out groups" of about seven students each.

Each teacher chose three topics: one for the beginning of our faith journey, one for the end of our faith journey, and one for in-between.

Each student could decide which teacher's session they wished to attend, keeping in mind that each group was limited to seven students.

During the course of each session the students participated in three different groups.

The result was, of course, races between sessions. The first seven to arrive at any teacher's location got to stay, the late arrivers had to continue thier search for a group.

The retreat was for the entire middle and high school at Inter-American School. Altogether their were about 70 students and 10 teachers.

We had a total of three sessions. One on Wednesday evening, "The Beginning of our Faith Journey"; one on Thursday afternoon, "Our Journey"; and, one on Thursday evening, "The conclusion of our Faith Journey".

The students told us that they really enjoyed the small group format. So did the teachers.

Each group consisted of different students, middle and high school combined.

The middle school is located at the entrance of our campus in Xela. The high school and elementary school are on the top of a very steep hill. The result is that the high school teachers and middle school students do not have much opportunity to interact. The same is true with the middle school teachers and high school students. So we all, students and teachers, enjoyed the time we spent together.

We returned to our campus in Xela on Friday afternoon. The staff had Dominoes Pizza ordered and waiting when we arrived. So we concluded our retreat with a Pizza Picnic on the soccer field and play ground enjoying Pizza!

Faith Formulas Workshop

2009-02-06T14:15:00.014-06:00

Faith Formulas Workshop is an elective class that Laurel leads at Inter-American School this semester. The class allows each of us to develop our own individual "Faith Formula" -- discovering ways in which we can grow in our faith. As a class we identified 25 different approaches to help us on our individual faith journeys.

The top three items almost all of us identified were: daily prayer, reading the Bible, and attending church. The elective is really a workshop (as opposed to a teaching-learning environment). We created our own class "sacred space"; discussed developing our individual "sacred times"; chose prayer teams; identified people, groups, and causes that we will prayer for (and incorporated them on intercessory prayer wheels that we made in class; and listed what we thank and praise God for. During our weekly class media lab day we created our own blog at http://www.faithformulas.blogspot.com/ , and have our own Facebook Group.
The class decided that as part of each class session we will spend a few moments of quiet time, pray and read scripture. We plan to explore and experiment with each of the twenty-five "faith formula" elements that we identified during our first week.

We also have fun. We order a Pizza, or bring in cookies and chips, at least once a week.

Los Ancianos Xela

2008-12-20T16:41:00.015-06:00

Audrey, Donna and Laurel participate in this program which is jointly sponsored by La Iglesia Episcopal San Marcos, our parish in Guatemala, and Saint John´s Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Florida.

The Vision
Unlike in the United States, facilities and programs in support of senior citizens (Los Ancianos in Spanish) are not common in Guatemala. Padre Roberto Armas, the rector of San Marcos Episcopal Church in Xela, Guatemala has the dream of providing a community center for elderly members of his city.

The Program
The program provides participants with a free hot lunch, a comfortable "living room" environment for relaxation, friendship, conversation, television, movies, games, and various forms of entertainment. The center is open daily, Monday through Friday, for sponsored members.

The Facilities
The education building of San Marcos Church will be converted into the community center during the weekdays. Initial furniture and appliances are being donated by local contributors. Restroom facilities are located in the building, and Padre Roberto has recently constructed a wheelchair ramp for the entrance. The church kitchen is already equipped to cook daily hot nutritious meals.

The Staff
All staff members in Guatemala and Florida are volunteers. Padre Roberto Armas is the founder and director of the program; Hanna Kim, a Young Adult Volunteer from the Presbyterian Church, is the on-site program administrator; Laurel is the program coordinator between Guatemala and the United States; Donna is the financial manager; and, Audrey coordinates translations in Guatemala. The only paid position is the cook. A volunteer staff from the St. John´s Cathedral, managed by Monica MacKenzie, manages the sponsorship program.

Funding
Since facilities already exist and the staff consists of all volunteers, all funds will go to the support of elderly participants. The primary funding will be provided by sponsors in the United States who will contribute $20.00 per month. The sponsors will receive a photo and biography of their elderly friend, along with periodic personal messages at least three times a year. Individuals or groups (e.g. youth groups, Sunday school classes, etc.) who wish to contribute, but not be personal sponsors, may do so in three ways:

Contribute $20.00 a month (this will provide funds for when a regular sponsor is unable to continue sponsorship).
Contribute any amount on a one-time or continuing basis.
Make special contributions for specified items or projects (such as a new TV, a kitchen appliance, facility improvements, etc.).

An Invitation to explore teaching in Guatemala

2008-10-03T13:56:00.025-05:00

Our principal asked all of the faculty to introduce our school any of our friends who might find teaching for a year (or more) in Guatemala something worth considering. So here, along with the past several blogs, is a brief introduction to our teaching experience at Inter-American School.Do you think that you might be interested in exploring the possibility of teaching in Guatemala? Do you know of anyone in your Church or network of friends who might be interested in teaching at the Inter-American School? This would be a great opportunity for Christian mission service for someone who is retired, or has an independent income. Or, a truly meaningful experience for a recent graduate. The school offers a living stipend of $500 which is sufficient for rent, utilities, and food. Though the cost of living is very low in Xela, having some additional income from other sources (Church support, retirement, etc) would probably be beneficial.

Teachers must be college graduates, however a degree or experience in education is not required (but certainly preferred).

Inter-American School
http://www.ias-xela.org/

IAS is a Christian school, originally established in 1961 by the Presbyterian Church to provide quality education for the children of missionaries. It is now operated by the Inter-American Foreign Evangelical Missionaries Cultural Association, and is governed by a local inter-denominational board of directors who come from Lutheran, Anglican, Presbyterian, and other denominations. The school uses a curriculum based on North American college preparatory standards.

There are about 150 students each year in grades Pre-K through 12. The maximum class size is 15, the average 2008-09 high school class has 7 students. The overwhelming majority of students today are from Guatemalan families and are members of the Catholic Church. About 15% of the students are Europeans, Asians, or North and South Americans.
Six of last year's eight graduates are now enrolled in universities in the U.S.A., one is studing in Europe. Previous graduates have attended such colleges as: West Point, the Air Force Academy, Loyola, Brigham Young, and the Universities of Texas and North Carolina. The point being that Inter-American School provides a superior education, preparing students to enroll in some of the world's best universities.

Quetzaltenango (Xela), Guatemala

Quetzaltenango is usually known by it's shortened Mayan name of Xela (from Xelaju). This beautiful city is located at 7,658 feet in the Sierra Madre Mountains of western Guatemala. If you want it, culture shock is available in Xela. If you don't, it can be significantly minimized or even avoided (especially if you have previous travel experience in developing nations).

Xela has a large very modern shopping mall, complete with food court (McDonald's, Taco Bell, Subway, Domino's Pizza, etc.) and even a Walmart! There are dozens of elegant restaurants, with cuisine ranging from Italian and Chinese to an Uruguayan steak house. Entertainment can be found at the historical municiple theater, modern movie complexes, cable TV, and in-home Internet. There are lounges which provide live music, dancing and entertainment. If you need to learn Spanish, there are several wonderful schools which offer concentrated one-on-one instruction.

Modern housing in gated communities is readily available, as are very nice houses and apartments in the city. Although crime exists, it is not prevalent as it is in Guatemala City. During almost 50 years of existence, no IAS teacher has ever been the victim of violent crime.

Assemblies of God, Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Methodist, Nazarene, Presbyterian, and independent evangelical "mega-churches" (among many others) can all be found in Xela.

Please contact the Inter-American School director director@ias-xela.org or principal principal@ias-xela.org for more information. You can download an application on-line through the IAS Web-page: http://www.ias-xela.org/.

Inter-American School Campus

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Inter-American School sits on a hill overlooking central Quetzaltenango (Xela). The campus is beautiful and the view of the city, with the Santa María Volcano in the background, is spectacular. The school has four buildings. As you enter from the street the first building at the bottom of the hill is the Middle School building. Middle School consists of sixth, seventh and eighth grades. The building was intitially constructed as a dormitory for teachers and even has a fireplace and a kitchen. The kitchen is used for bake sales and often, when a teacher is available, for a home-economics elective class.A long flight of stairs, or a winding driveway, leads to the other three buildings at the top of the hill. The stairs are surrounded by trees and flowers, a scenic but tiring (for some of us over sixty) climb.
The next building as we ascend is the high school science and math building. This building is shared with the pre-kindergarden students at the far end.

A short stairs leads to the main education building which houses all of elementary school (kindergarden through fifth grade), and the high school english, history and religion class rooms. The class rooms surround a central assembly area where meetings and chapel services are held. The far end of the building houses the cafeteria ... the students bring their own lunches and snacks.
A covered walk-way leads from the main eduction building to the building at the top of the hill. Here we have the adminisrative offices, teachers lounge, physical education office (with equipment room), media center, computer lab and library.

The library is the largest and most comprehensive in the city of Xela (which is the home to San Carlos University and four smaller universities)! So, we have a wonderful library. The computer lab allows each class from kindergarden through high school to learn and develop a full range of computer skills. There are also several computers in the library.

Laurel uses the media center regularly in his classes. In addition to the computer lab, we have 12 WIFI notebook computers. The teacher's computer can project on the wall in order to lead students through internet research. Laurel has had each of his classes create a class Blog. Laurel posts study-guides and other class information on the Blog. The students can submit their required class journals and even their homework assignments on the Blog (as an option to pen and paper). The Blog belongs to the students ... so they are free to post notes to each other and the teacher, post photos and be creative. Some classes make better use of this option more than others.
Beyond the Administration building is the parking lot, outdoor basketball court, and soccer field. The view from here is magnificent. Xela has an elevation of 7,658 feet and is surrounded by even higher moutains and volcanoes.

Donna, the IAS 2nd Grade Substitute Teacher

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Donna substituted in 2nd grade at Inter-American School on Wednesday through Monday. Annie, the regular second grade teacher returned to the States to participate in a friend's wedding. The wedding plans were made long before she came to Guatemala, so Donna was mentally prepared, from the beginning of teacher orientation, for this week.

Annie had almost every minute of each of her classes planned for Donna. A folder for each day. Two of the 2nd graders were appointed as "teacher's assistants" and have been a BIG help.

Donna loves the children, and loves teaching. Since she has previously substituted for several of the elementary grades this year and last Spring, she is well known, and well loved, by the students. They are a true joy.

Annie, the 2nd grade teacher

The View from Laurel's classroom window

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School has begun at IAS for Laurel!

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This will be Laurel's first year of teaching at Inter-American School, and this will be the first time he has taught high school students in 36 years!

Laurel has five classes this year. The first period class is tenth grade New Testament with eleven students, the largest class!
Second period is Church History with six juniors (two boys, four girls).
The one guy and seven senior girls have third period World Religions.Ninth grade Old Testament, fourth period, has only three girls in the class! The day is completed after lunch with fifth period Community Service.

Community Service is a requirement for graduation at IAS. This year another teacher, who has been here for two previous years, and Laurel are co-teaching (directing, coaching) the class. She has terrific organizational skills, unlimited ability, and some fabulous class project ideas for the eight students ; Laurel will be coordinating the Individual Service Projects each student must undertake.

School has begun at IAS for Donna!

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Classes for the new school year began on Monday, 18 August. Donna taught fifth grade for the opening week. She taught as a substitute last year, including this class. So she and her students knew each other already.

The school had opening ceremonies on the lawn on Monday morning. Each teacher was introduced individually, by grade. All of us received a polite applause as we walked to our place in front of the audience of students, parents, and school board members. When Donna's name was called she received cheers, whistles, and exhuberant applause from the children she taught last year as a substitute. Donna thouroughly enjoyed her week helping the fifth graders begin their year. The new teacher only had a week's notice to prepare; she flew in on Thursday from Virginia, and jumped right in on Friday! Donna will continue to substitute teach in the elementary school. She will also continue to tutor a few students, after school.

July 2008: Medical Mission from St John's Cathedral in Jacksonville, Florida

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A medical mission sponsored by Saint John's Cathe dral of Jacksonville, Florida visited Guatemala for the second time this year. However, this was their first visit to Xela.
The team visited the village of Santa María de Jesús on Tuesday, where they were welcomed by an experienced team of mid-wives who were trained by our parish priest, Padre Roberto Armas. Padre Roberto is also a medical doctor, he was the co-coordinator and primary physician for the mission. Laurel translated for the after-care team, which provided information to the patients concerning their treatment and medications. The mission group from St. John's Cathedral, assisted by the mid-wives treated over a hundred patients.

On Tuesday the we visited Chuatuj (near the border with Mexico). Chuatuj is a small, friendly village, still without running water. The hospitality of the people and the mayor was more than impressive. We were served an exceptionally delicious steak lunch.

The team treated over 160 patients throughout the day. Before we left the sector mayors presented each team member with a beautiful individualized Certificate of Appreciation. We were also provided with a police escort for the 2 hour drive back to Xela, since we were traveling after dark.

On Thursday the group from Saint John's Cathedral had a productive meeting with Padre Roberto considering the future relationship between God's people in the cities of Jacksonville and Xela. One of the topics discussed was Padre Roberto's dream of establishing a community center for the elderly at our church.

A typical day in the life of the medical mission team from St. John's Cathedral

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Travel and Accommodations

Medical and other mission teams visiting Xela stay at COFA, a Catholic family retreat center. COFA is similar to hotel built around a flower filled courtyard.

Medical mission teams sometimes travel for up to three hours from Xela to visit remote mountain villages, or other cities in the region. Travel is in 15-18 passenger mini-buses with supplies carried on top under a tarp.

Setting up

When the medical team arrives at a site the first half hour (mas o menos) is used to determine how to best control the flow of patient traffic, and set up the stations. Sometimes the clinic is conducted in one room, other times it may be in school building where each classroom can be a separate station. Setting up the pharmacy is always the most time consuming operation.

Registering Registration begins shortly after the teams begin setting up their stations. There are always long lines of people waiting to be seen. A Guatemalan volunteer from the church, or the community, is the best candidate for this task. The registrar fills out a form listing the reason the person is seeing the doctor and conditions the doctor needs to know, such as allergies, pregnancy, etc. The registrar then directs the patient to the doctor/dental waiting area.

Doctor's Station
When the patient first arrives at the doctor's station a translator reads and translates the registration form for the doctor. The doctor then interviews, examines and treats the patient. Further treatment instructions and prescriptions are listed on the form which the patient (or team escort) takes to the pharmacy.

Pharmacy

The pharmacy team then fills the prescriptions, placing all medications in a bag. The patient (or a team escort) then takes the medications to the after-care station. The pharmacy also keeps the doctors informed of which medications are running low.

After-Care

The final station is After-Care where a nurse, or trained team member, helps the patients (through a translator) understand when and how their medications are to be taken or applied. The after-care team also insures that the patient is aware of any other treatments or diet the doctor prescribed.

July 2008: Medical Mission Team from the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota

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From Monday June 30 to Sunday July 6 we participated with the Guatem ala Medical M ission from the Episcopal Diocese of North Dakota. The team of 24 doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, translators, and medical & dental students served over 2,500 patients in Xela and surrounding mountain villages.
The team's webpage describes their mission: "Every year a team of volunteers from the United States and Canada participate in this Christ centered mission. The team members pay their own travel and lodging expenses and help raise money for the mission expenses. This working mission can be very demanding but is a wonderful opportunity to interact with a different culture and help people in great need.

The Guatemala Mission team experiences the beauty of the country of Guatemala and is touched by the people we served. God’s people are the same all over the world. We leave each year with a feeling we had done some good and that we were spiritually enriched. We greatly appreciate the support and prayers of those in the Diocese of North Dakota and many other donors. The Lord works in many ways to draw us together and further his work in the world."

Laurel and Audrey translated for medical and dental teams (a different team each day). Edgar also assisted by registering the long lines of patients and recording their medical or dental complaints. Our parish priest, Padre Roberto Armas, is also a medical doctor. He and Dr. John Baird, from North Dakota, organize the annual mission.

On Sunday morning the team attended the worship service at our parish, Sa n Marcos Episcopal Church. After the service the they departed for a few days of R&R in La Antigua Guatemala before returning to their homes in the USA and Canada.

June 2008: IAS Summer School and Tutoring

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From June 2 through the 27 Laurel taught summer school at Inter-American School. He taught two students simultaneously in two subjects: eleventh grade American History and ninth grade World Geography.

Beginning at the same time Donna began tutoring three IAS elementary school students in our home (one student at a time). She will work with them through the summer.

April 2008: The move to Xela

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On Saturday, April 5, we moved to Xela from Villa Nueva, Guatemala. Edgar's brother moved our furniture in one of his comercial trucks; he, Edgar, and their nephew did all of the lifting and moving, out and in. The drive from Villa Nueva normally takes about 4 hours (using the southern, less mountainess, route).

Victor and Scarli Valazquez, our neighbors and best friends in Guatemala, drove Donna, Audrey, Novali, and Laurel up in their van. Unfortunately, the van broke down about 45 minutes out of Xela. We sat in the chilling rain for over 4 hours waiting for help to arrive. Help was in the form of two of Scarli's cousins and their husbands. They brought us a hot meal (chicken, etc.), then after a short visit drove the girls in one car to our new house in Xela. Laurel and Victor remained with the van which was towed by an SUV that belonged to Scarli's cousin. The cousin took Victor's van to a repair shop near his house, and loaned Victor one of his cars for the week. When Laurel and Victor arrived at our new house all of the furniture was moved in.

The first month in our new house, we explored our neighborhood. Everything we need or want is within walking distance: Our church (across the street); a modern shopping mall; several restaurants serving a variety of cuisines; and of course McDonalds, Wendys, Dominoes, etc.; a Spanish school; a beautiful park; the sports stadium; and the mercado, a typical Central-American market of stalls selling everything from meat and vegetables to hardware and shoes.

The things that are not a short walk can be reached by public transportation (minivans packed to double capacity) which costs less than 15 cents, or a taxi for about $3.00. There is a very large shopping Mall about a mile away, it even has a casino! The Mall has a food court and an Hiper Paiz supermarcado, just like a super-Walmart (actually it is now owned by Walmart).

The Inter-American School is also over a mile away, but transportation is provided by the school for the teachers.

Audrey and Novali plan to spend about two weeks each month with us, until Edgar can find a job in Xela. He comes up on the bus every weekend that she is here.

Below are some photos of our church.

Padre Roberto, our priest

Year 2008: The search

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The year 2008 brought about some major changes in our lives. We sensed that the time had come for a new direction in our ministry. We once again began praying and exploring. Our search opened three doors of opportunity.

St. David's Episcopal Church Mission to Chimaltenango

In late February, Laurel participated with a team of men from St. Davi d's Episcopal Church who painted the interior of Santiago de Jerusalén Episcopal Church in Chimaltenango, Guatemala. St. David's is located in Wayne, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia.

The Episcopal Church has a program which provides the opportunity for a Diocese in the United States to be a "sister" diocese to one in a developing nation. The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania is the sister diocese of the Episcopal Diocese of Guatemala . St. David's is the sister parish of Santiago de Jerusalén. The help that St. David's has given to the church and people of Chimaltenango is continuous and immeasurable. The relationship between these two parishes, from two very different cultures, exemplifies the heart and standard of what it means to be a "sister" parish.

On Sunday the team had the opportunity to worship with the Guatemalan congregation. The following day they painted the interior of the church and made other repairs. But, more significantly they continued their bond of worship, fellowship and service with a sister parish. The warmth and friendship between the team members and the people of Chimaltenango was abundantly evident.

Santiago de Jerusalén recently lost their beloved pastor, Padre Lucas, to cancer. The new rector, Padre Miguel, and his family, had just arrived from his home in Xela. This will be his first parish following graduation from seminary. St. David's rector, the Rev. W. Frank Allen, participated with the group and established a new relationship with Padre Miguel.

Diocese of North Dakota Medical Mission
Laurel and Audrey also applied to serve as translators with a medical mission from the Diocese of North Dakota. The medical mission will be conducted in July in the city of Xela, a location we have never visited.

Inter-American School

We also discovered Inter-American School, also located in Xela. Laurel applied and was accepted to teach Bible and Religion to the high school students. IAS is a Christian school which teaches all classes (grades Pre-K through 12) in English, using a curriculum based upon North American college preparatory standards. All of the teachers are Christian volunteers from English speaking countries. There are 150 students in the school, with class sizes no larger than 15 students. The overwhelming majority of the students are Guatemalans, with the remainder coming from North and South America, Europe, and Asia.

Years 2003-2007: Independent Volunteering and Arrow Trucking

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We obtained legal permanent residency shortly after arriving in Guatemala and expect to remain here the rest of our lives. We also became members of the Episcopal Diocese of Guatemala, joining San José parish.

During this time we lived in Villa Nueva, Guatemala, near the capital. Villa Nueva has a very bad reputation as the center of gang activity in Guatemala. Violence is a daily part of life. Three young brothers who lived directly across the alley from us where shot (one killed, one paralyzed, and one wounded) in a drive-by, believed to be part of a gang initiation.

Our ministry during these years had two facets. First was a daily ministry: we found numerous opportunities to materially help, and pray with, our Guatemalan neighbors. The second facet involved performing short-term volunteer service with various Christian organizations, a few times a year.

We also performed some limited (mostly translating letters) volunteer work with New Life Christian Home, an orphanage in our colonia in Villa Nueva.

From 2003 to 2006 Laurel returned to the U.S.A. for about 6 months each year to supplement our retirement income. Laurel drove flat-bed tractor-trailer throughout the United States for Arrow Trucking, out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Donna and Audrey continued living in Guatemala.

Audrey came to Guatemala when she was 16 years old and completed high school through a homeschool program. She was also a fulltime volunteer with CFCA. She became fluent in Spanish and completely adapted to Guatemalan life and culture. She married Edgar Diaz and Novali Cristyna Diaz was born in 2007.

Years 2001-2003: Volunteering with CFCA in Guatemala

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In October 2001 we arrived in Guatemala and Laurel, Donna and Audrey began working with the CFCA Project in Guatemala City. We sorted and translated letters from the children and aging to their sponsors in the USA; helped in the distribution of benefits at the various sub-projects in the city and villages throughout the region; and Laurel taught English (EFL) at a catholic seminary that prepared Guatemalan priests to serve as missionaries on four continents. His students were those selected to serve in English speaking Kenya, Africa .

The second year with CFCA we moved to a sub-project in Pastores, near La Antigua Guatemala, where we continued to translate and worked more closely with the children and aging. After completing our maximum two-year service we stayed in Guatemala serving the poor in our neighborhood.

Year 2000: Decision to move to Guatemala as Christian Lay Volunteers

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One afternoon in March 2000 Donna greeted Laurel at the door, "Let's go somewhere as missionaries." Laurel immediately responded with a definitive "Yes, let's go".

Our son Clint would be graduating from high school the next year; our teenage daughter Audrey wanted to come with us and complete high school through a homeschool program. Our oldest two daughters were married with their own families.

We believe that God always gives guidance and confirmation as Christians seek to know and answer His call. That evening Laurel was reading a Christian magazine that had just arrived. It contained an article "Is God calling you to be a missionary?".

Of course, our decision that day was not entirely spontaneous. We had explored missionary opportunities in China and Haiti following Laurel's retirement from the U.S. Army in 1991; but the time was not right. Both of us had been involved in some form of Christian service throughout our lives. Donna was teaching at a Christian School in Alabama. Laurel had been the Program Director for an international Episcopal evangelistic ministry. He also had been a lay missionary, teaching in a Vietnamese middle school in Saigon for one year in 1971, after completing two years of military service in Viet Nam.

Over the next several months we prayerfully considered where God was calling us to serve, ultimately convinced that it would be Guatemala. We did encounter some obstacles along the way. Most organizations are reluctant to accept couples who are over 55, especially if they have teenage children.

One morning we were asking God to guide us in finding His will. That same day we found a publication in a church we were visiting, it listed hundreds and hundreds of Christian volunteer organizations. Through this publication we discovered the Christian Foundation for Christian and Aging. CFCA mission statement concludes with: "Grounded in the Gospel call to serve the poor, CFCA is a lay Catholic organization working with persons of all faith traditions to create a worldwide community of compassion and service."