Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala

Hello again,

The earthquake hit at 3:00 a.m.   What at a frightening time to be jolted awake by such thundering noise and shuddering movement.  My bunk bed jolted side to side as it had suddenly gained the life of a bucking bull.   Listening to the tin roof clang and shake with such force, I thought it was surely about to  topple.   In my semi-consciousness, I pictured that several large animals, larger than jaguars, had jumped on top of the roof to shake it so. fiercely.  When I came out of that ridiculous half-dream, I realized the truth.  Earthquake!  I felt myself frantically searching for my flashlight, intending to get out of the house before it collapsed on top of me.  Then the shaking stopped.  But at 5:00 a.m., it began again…then another tremor at 9:00 a.m. and then a final one at 5:00 p.m.   Even the following day,  I felt jumpy.

Happily, I learned that there had been no major damage except on the roads.  Massive boulders had been dislodged by the earth’s movement.  Trees had been uprooted with some of them covering areas of the roads.  Our driver was sorely challenged getting back to Tres Ranchos on the narrow mountain road as he edged dangerously close to the precipes to manouver  the massive rocks.

Needless to say, I won’t be in any hurry to experience another of nature’s such punishments!

Frances

Dear readers,

I’d like to tell you about Luis, a Mayan boy I met some 17 years ago in the village of Quetzali.  Mr. and Mrs. Barsan of Medina, Ohio, were sponsoring the toddler at the time.  Luis’ story is just one example of how Adopt-a-Village sponsorship helps the children, especially with education.

One day, I found this little guy at my cabin doorstep.  His mother had died in childbirth, and whether it was because he had no mother, or was unusually small, or just plain shy, it was evident that he had no friends.  Luis was a lonely little soul and I felt badly for him and invited him to visit me whenever he wanted.  He began coming daily to play with the small toy cars I’d kept from my now-grown son’s toy chest.  Luis was quite content to play about my feet as I worked and seemed to have quietly “adopted’ me as his second mother.

Soon after, AAV’s second major project began—a much needed primary school. Our volunteers had worked for a year to raise the funds and now the fathers labored for several months with us to build it.  Meanwhile, Luis took great interest in the books and drawing materials I had given him. I made a rustic “desk,” nothing more than a wooden board placed on tree trunks teetering on the uneven ground below. With that unlikely furniture and paper and crayons, he began to turn out dozens of colorful drawings.  He was ready for schooling!   When school opened, Luis showed himself to be an avid student, although he continued to stay pretty much to himself.  After he graduated from sixth grade, AAV helped him attend middle school.  Then, with no more opportunities for additional education at that time, he moved to another village to work.

One day this past December, as the AAV scholarship committee was finalizing applicant interviews for high school entry, Luis appeared at the office doorstep—only a few feet from the from the door where I had first met him.  He had heard about our scholarship program.  As I gazed into Luis’ bright eyes, I saw a fine young man, transformed from his timid days.  He took his entry exams and won his scholarship!

As school began, I observed him taking the lead in organizing student projects.  He made it his job to make new students feel welcome.  He was voted to the Student Council and when he spoke at the first council meeting, he said, “I want us all to be friends.  I want us to work in unity and be part of one of the best schools in Guatemala.”

I am sharing this story with you because it echoes many similar stories over the years.   Hundreds of Mayan children have received primary and middle schooling because of our sponsors.  Now, we usher in a new era.  Despite countless challenges and seemingly impossible hurdles, AAV has implemented an unrivalled educational concept in Central America—one that combines academic, vocational, and practical community education that will open up job opportunities and to give students, their families, and their community members, a better future.

Thank you again for sharing in our vision, for sponsoring a Mayan child, and for making it possible for children to become educated and have a better life. 

Sincerely

Frances

Hello,

As I was leaving the villages, I received some heartening news.  One of our sponsored children, seven-year-old Brigidito, had spent the last three months earning small amounts of money to help a more impoverished family than his.  He had now reached his goal.  With his proudly earned $23.57, he had gone to town with his father  to buy food for a widow and her six young children.

His father, who had taken corn to the family on several occasions, had talked to his young son about how the poor family lived.  When Brigidito arrived with his gift of rice, beans, salt, sugar, and soap, he saw firsthand an example of the extreme poverty that exists in this area of Guatemala.  He found the children wearing  tattered clothing, shoeless, and only a handful or so of corn that would serve as tortillas for dinner. The small crude hut in which the family lived consisted of a palm roof  (that constantly leaked from the rain), sticks tied together with tree vines to serve as walls, and a muddy floor where the mother cooked over an open fire. 

Brigidito had worked for these past few months washing his dad’s truck, picking up  garbage and doing extra tasks in the house to earn his money.  But he could see that his job was not done.  Observing the T-shirt of one of the young boys, riddled with holes, he whispered solemnly to his dad,  ”I have to buy him a shirt, Dad.”   It’s amazing what big hearts little children have, isn’t it?

Good wishes to all,

Frances

Good Morning dear readers,

Yesterday–a cold, rainy day– I left the Mayan Jaguar school, but with happy memories. I remember my last day in class–the air was charged with the  high energy enamating from the students. Putting one of our key concepts in process–that they play an integral pa in the management of the school has sparked a flow of ideas they have been presenting.

The students first request is for a field trip to a volcanic lake situated in a great protected forest, about a two-hour hike from the school. The lake contains freshwater shrimp and the kids hope to make a good catch. The school’s forestry professor will lead the trip, and a local guide will be along to identify birds, trees, and edible plants. The kids plan to bring back some of those plants for their dinner.

I shall to be back in the States by Friday and will be in the office and available for any inquiries before I leave again in two weeks for Guatemala. I look forward to hearing from you.

Frances