Carrying loads

We are amazed at how much work the Guatemalans do just to collect food and firewood for their families.  These photos were all taken near our house.

The mom on the left has a baby wrapped
in fabric on her back, and the grandma on
the right has a big bundle of something on
her back and another bundle on her head.

This corn field near our house is
  completely tended by hand tools.

Two men and a lady are carrying firewood,
and one lady has a large bundle wrapped in
fabric.  This photo was taken from our balcony.

This man is carrying firewood.
He must be in his 60's.

These are just a few of the photos I could take to show people working hard every day.  We see similar sights often.  The most common bundles are babies and toddlers!  I hope to post some more photos of moms with babies soon.

Children's ministry

I (Heather/Erica) love ministering to children!  In Sunday School at the missionary church, we talked about different ways to worship the Lord (singing, shouting, dancing, kneeling, raising hands, clapping, etc.), and I taught the children a worship dance to the song "Sing, Sing, Sing" by Chris Tomlin.  We practiced for a few weeks and then presented it to the church with the worship team.  The dance was with hand motions, so after the photo was taken we asked the congregation to join in!

Now the class has started learning a second dance to the song "We the Redeemed" by Hillsong.  We are working on the dance for the first 15 minutes of each Sunday School class.

Last weekend, we invited our pastor Don and his three children over for a pancake breakfast since his wife Heather was in Pennsylvania for a couple of weeks visiting friends.  Then we babysat the kids for a few hours to give Don a break.  We had fun going for a walk, picking a wildflower bouquet, playing DS's, and baking sugar cookies.

Michael and Don, with our maid Micaela
in the background.

The hot dogs are all gone!  There are still some
sugar cookies left to bake in the center of the
table.  Yummy!

Our maid Micaela commented that all the kids look like they're mine!  Aidan and Ali are 7-year-old twins and Olivia is 2 years old.  It was a blessing to have them with us.

Veronica is growing and learning all the time.  She copies everything we do, like getting water from the "clean water" dispenser.

"How come my sisters don't hear
'Don't touch!' whenever they do this?"

She likes to climb up on the couch just like Andrea to drink her milk while watching TV in Spanish together.

"How come they don't keep telling
my sisters 'Don't spill your drink!'?"

And she only wanted to ride her push toy after seeing Olivia ride it when she was at our house.

"Finally, they tell my sisters
'Don't ride it'
instead of telling me!"

42 crates!

I wasn't sure if I should call this post, "42 crates!" or, "My clothes are finally out of my suitcase!"  Either way, it was exciting.

We ordered 42 crates from a local saw mill.  They came full of sawdust, so our maid, Micaela, and I swept them out.

The wood slats came in different thicknesses, which made them wobbly to stack on their sides for shelves.  We had to put in little pieces of wood to stabilize the stacks.  But oh, how nice it is to have two "closet" walls in our bedroom and finally move out of my suitcase.  

Due to limited space (our upstairs apartment is only about 400 sq. ft.!), we donated some of the crates in our bedroom to Barbies so the girls could have a place to play.  Their room is filled with bunkbeds and crates with clothes and books, so there is only a tiny bit of walking space left.

Some of the crates went to the kitchen to use as "cabinets."  You can also see the table and chairs that our carpenter made and the curtains for the windows that I sewed.  I also made some fabric covers for the crates with local Guatemalan fabric.  It is finally starting to look a bit more organized.

Some of the crates went to the living room.

And only a few crates were left over for the storage room.  It is so nice to have a place to put things!

But even having only rough crates instead of nicely finished shelving is a blessing compared to our neighbors in a one-room shack with a dirt floor and only a fire pit inside to cook on.  Something to think about.

Work or Play?

We are into week 6 of homeschooling this year, with Carrie in 7th grade, Elena in 5th grade, and Andrea in 3rd grade.  Veronica apparently wanted to get a head start on math, so she climbed up to watch the video on negative numbers with Carrie!

"I'm glad my big sister Carrie understands all this stuff!"

One Thursday, Elena went over to ASELSI to help at their free weekly medical clinic.  (Carrie had planned to go, too, but she was sick with a cold that day.)  Elena spent three hours there, taking patients to the pharmacy or lab after they had seen one of the doctors or nurses.  Most of the time was spent sitting and waiting, but Elena said she liked being helpful when she was able to lead patients.

You can look up ASELSI's ministry on their website, www.aselsi.org.  Our house is just down the street from their location.

Carrie enjoys tending a few beans we planted alongside our apartment.  There isn't much space, and our landlord already has a beautiful flower garden planted, but they gave Carrie permission to try out her green thumb.

Heather (Erica) had the pleasure of baking two cakes for our maid Micaela's grandson's first birthday.  They paid for the ingredients, but Heather went further and had fun decorating the cakes as a surprise.

Speaking of birthdays, August 12 was Elena's 10th birthday!  We invited our church members over to a covered area at ASELSI for party games and cake and ice cream.

We all had fun with relay races, the Hokey Pokey, building towers out of cups, eating, and visiting.  The Guatemalan kids in the photo are our maid's children.
Elena's favorite event at the party was when one of the missionaries brought her dog, Teddy.

Also in August, we took a road trip to Mexico.  After the first 90 days in Guatemala, we had to either renew our visas in Guatemala City or leave the country and return.  We opted to drive to the Mexican border at La Mesilla and then drive another couple of hours to the town of Comitán, Mexico.  We stayed two nights there, with a day of shopping at Walmart and eating at Burger King and Domino's Pizza in between.  The drive was absolutely beautiful, but there were some rather large obstacles to go around!

We had a nice trip, but we were glad to make it back safely to Chichicastenango!

Groups of People

Outside of our house, there are a lot of pedestrians, and they are always carrying things... usually big loads wrapped in brightly colored fabric on their backs.

This particular group of ladies caused Michael to come inside and announce, "You've got to come see the Mayan ladies with loads on their heads!"  We are amazed that they can balance heavy loads while walking on bumpy dirt roads.



One Saturday, the three older girls and I went to shop in thrift shops with another missionary, Jennifer, in the nearby bigger town of Quiché.  On the way, we were stopped for a while by a large gathering of people in the road.  They were there to listen to a campaign speech, and since it was a quiet group, we waited rather than turning around and going home. 

Eventually, somehow, the people parted so the vehicles could pass through.  Guatemala is having presidential elections Sept. 11, so there are banners everywhere, loud speakers blaring, and large billboards announcing the 20 or more different candidates one should vote for.


Another Saturday, there was a marching band exhibition in Chichi.  There was a parade, and then the bands went to a local soccer field to perform one at a time, school by school.  There aren't many organized sports teams here, but many schools have a marching band.  There is a high school near our house, so we hear them practicing and practicing and practicing... loudly!  (And in our opinion, they need some more practice... especially the tubas.)

The girls and I walked into town that day.  We had missed the parade, and we weren't sure what was going on at the soccer field, but we could hear band music.  So we paid the entrance fee of 65 cents each, and this is what we found: there must have been 20 or more marching bands!   (We were thinking of GrandMary!)   The stands to the left were filled with people, and there were concession stands with ice cream and cotton candy.  It was quite festive!

We watched a couple of bands play and then flagged down a tuk-tuk to take us home.  It was only a 10-minute walk, but the girls love to ride in tuk-tuks!

It was a fun outing and a fun ride home!


One more group of people we often see, and are grateful for, is our English-speaking Missionary Community Church.  The local missionaries meet on Sunday mornings for church, and there are often short-term groups visiting.

This particular Sunday there were several large teams visiting, so we met in a larger conference room at the hotel where we normally meet.

A Typical Day

   Here is a description of today's happenings, a typical day in the Montgomery household:

   Veronica's diaper leaked last night, so Heather changed the baby's clothes and sheets.
   The maid came for an hour to wash the dishes from yesterday and sweep the floor.
   Our washing machine broke last week, so this morning Heather drove the car to take a load of wash to another missionary's house, then made a second trip an hour later to pick it up.
   The girls hung up the wet laundry.
   Borrowed rollerblades from the missionaries who let us use their washer.  The girls took turns rolling around the small living area and balcony upstairs.

Mom's Rule #1: Don't fall down.
Mom's Rule #2: Don't run over Veronica.
Dad's Rule: Don't run into the appliances.

     Also borrowed a box of storybooks for the girls to read.

   Michael made 2 calls to Puerto Rico Telephone since they owe us money, got put on hold, then got hung up on.
   Heather walked to the local store to buy more minutes for the cell phone.  There was a deal offered for free minutes but somehow we didn't get them.  Heather also bought some fruits and veggies while she was at the store (a window in a lady's house in the neighborhood) which she then had to disinfect for half-an-hour in water with bleach.
   Michael noticed a gouge in the sidewall of one of our tires, then checked the pressure and found it was low.  He called a mechanic to come to our house and take the car to get the tire fixed.  The problem wasn't the sidewall, but there was a screw in the tread.  Got it fixed.
   Asked the mechanic if he knew where we could buy more crates locally, to use as shelving.  He said the only place is close to the capital, but his father-in-law exports fruit in the same type of crates, has a big truck, and could buy us some on his way back from the capital on Friday.  The mechanic is going to call us back with a price after talking to his father-in-law.
   Checked out facebook and requested to be friends with a couple more people.
   Worked on relationship skills between sisters.
   Smelled something burning and found that our neighbors were outside burning a huge pile of brush on an unusually windy day, with the wind blowing the smoke in our direction.  Kept the windows shut.

The fire is hard to see, but it is in the field.

   The carpenter called and said our baby gates are ready.  Scheduled delivery for Tuesday afternoon (tomorrow).
   Called to find out if our car insurance had been approved yet (we applied last Monday).  It hadn't been approved yet, so we'll call back tomorrow.
   The computer store called to tell us they found the printer (in the capital) that we wanted to order, and could deliver it to us in a couple of days, but we have to go into their store in Chichi and pay a deposit first.  Heather will go into town tomorrow to do that.
   Re-hemmed dresses (longer) for the three big girls that they had outgrown, and mended a couple other items of clothing.
   Our neighbor Colleen, who is group coordinator for ASELSI, came over to schedule a time for a visiting group to come over and pray for Michael.  They have a Healing Rooms ministry.  Scheduled a prayer time for tomorrow evening.
   Put a bandaid on Carrie's bleeding foot where she scraped it on the edge of the sidewalk.
   The girls each babysat half-an-hour (daily chore) while Heather took a shower in the afternoon when the day was at its warmest.  Veronica enjoys riding her "horsey" with a little help.

   Used the fly swatter on about 10 or more flies in the kitchen.
   Called our other carpenter to ask about some shelves he is building for us.  They should be done by Friday if there is nice weather for the varnish to dry.
   Reminded the girls to wait patiently for their turn on the rollerblades without whining, or the rollerblades would be returned promptly.
   Received a very helpful email from another missionary with detailed instructions for our trip to the Mexican border next Monday.  Our visas need to be renewed for another 90 days, and we decided to try going to Mexico rather than take two trips to the capital for visa renewals at the immigration office.
   Served leftover beans and rice for dinner, plus a "macaroni and cheese" mix Heather found in Chichi, a yummy watermelon, and brownies we made yesterday with cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and walnuts we can only find in the capital.
   Replaced the bandaid on Carrie's foot since it was leaking.  This time, put pressure on the cut first.
   The girls practiced Spanish while playing hide-and-seek and freeze tag with our neighbor, a boy named José.
   Changed Veronica's diaper several times throughout the day and put a short-sleeved shirt on her when the temperature got warm in the afternoon.  Held her more than usual since she was still tired from yesterday when she missed her regular nap due to church.
   Comforted Andrea when she fell down in a game of freeze tag.
   Had family devotions in the evening, with singing, Bible reading, and prayer.  Got interrupted by a phone call to reschedule the prayer-time for Michael for tomorrow morning instead of tomorrow evening.
   Put a bandaid on Elena's ankle where she had rubbed a blister in the rollerblades.

   And somehow in the midst of that we homeschooled.  Yep.  English, Math, Spelling, Reading, Science, Exercise, Bible, Social Studies.  Gotta love it.

Neighbors and veggies

Our landlord, who lives next door to us, has a
sweet, old dog that likes to stay on our balcony.
Elena loves dogs!

There was a landslide on the highway near our
house.  One lane of the road slid down into the canyon
but they still let cars travel single file.  This is the
main route to the north of Chichi.

This is one of our neighbors, living in an adobe with a dirt floor. 

We were surprised to find the boxes from our new
appliances used to make the walls of this outhouse in
our neighborhood.  What we had put out with the trash,
someone else had used to build their bathroom.

We visited a children's home in Chichi, named
Casa Salazar.   They are caring for 3 siblings so far,
Pascuala (age 9), José Luis (age 5), and Marta (age 2)
along with their own daughter, Rebecca (age 1).

The fruits and vegetables here are fresh, inexpensive,
and delicious.  The girls helped prepare these green
beans for dinner.