No electricity

Whenever the electricty goes off, our water pump doesn't work to carry water from our cistern.  We have learned how to deal with it so life can go on without much of a bother.  I go into bucket-toting mode:

We flush the toilet by pouring water
into the tank.

I fill the bucket on the left with
  water to wash hands and dishes.
(The container on the right, which is
always there, has clean water.)

English class homework

There are two girls that come over to our house regularly for help from Carrie with their English class homework.  Their names are Guisela and Mirella, and they are granddaughters of the pastors of our church.  They are 14-year-old twins that attend a junior high school here in Chichicastenango.

They often have to memorize and sing English songs or present skits in English in front of their class of 40 students.  With Carrie's help, their pronunciation is improving!

Construction site

We went to check out one of Diego's other current building sites.  In the photo you can see the type of confined masonry that they build with here in Guatemala, and which we will use in our buildings.

Spiral staircase... Hang on tight, Veronica!

Selecting a builder

Over the last few months, we have interviewed several builders, mostly following recommendations from other American missionaries.  First, we looked into hiring an "engineer" or "architect" and met with four different men, but we discovered that they are basically trained at what we would consider a community-college level (in the States).  They also charge a higher price to earn money for themselves as well as paying a "master craftsman" who then actually oversees the work of the building project.

So next we talked to four "master craftsmen" themselves.  These men varied greatly in their knowledge and experience, and ranged from only seeming to be able to follow directions, to actually being able to think for themselves.  Their prices were lower, which was good, but some of them were only wanting to use cheap materials without regard to safety.  Here in Guatemala it is possible to buy inexpensive concrete blocks, for example, that break easily upon contact.  The builders also tend to add extra sand and gravel to the concrete mix to make it cheaper.  While we want to keep our prices down, we also want our structures to stay up!

After much frustration and prayer, we finally met with one more builder, named Diego Peliz, who offered us reasonable suggestions and explanations and seemed to understand his trade better than the rest.  Since we are trying to build an earthquake-resistant house, ministry building, and perimeter wall, we were happy to finally meet with a builder that seemed to understand the differences in quality of materials, as well as what types of materials will last the longest.  He has worked with other Americans before, and it was clear that they have taught him some aspects of safety in selecting building materials.

We took Diego out to see our property during his interview. 

Michael and Diego discussing the
fence around our property.

Dance

The girls performed a dance in our church recently.  Only one local girl danced with us (Juanita, second from the left).  The other girls are Americans with another ministry here in Chichi.  They all did a really good job.

Practicing in a Sunday School room.

Waiting to enter the sanctuary.

No chlorine!

At the community meeting this month, one of the leaders stood up to read a proposal by the Health Department of Guatemala.  He was speaking in K'iche', but was using enough Spanish words for us to figure out that they were suggesting that the community clean their water at the source (miles away on the side of three different mountains) once a month with chlorine.  This would help keep the water clean and reduce the green junk that grows in our pipes (due to no chlorine added to the water).

He mentioned that he was only reading the proposal to the community so that they could decide if they were interested.  Just when we were thinking, "Yes!  Of course!  Please!", to our surprise the people shouted, "NO!"  All we could figure out was that either they didn't want to pay the small fee that would be collected or they didn't want to take turns on work trips to do it.  So there was another delay in the development of this country.  There are so many ways that the people here are lacking education, and they just don't realize that sometimes their decisions are hindering their good health and progress.

Big bugs

I'm glad these big guys don't come around very often.  This one was bouncing on and off the window and buzzing really loudly.  It sure caused some screaming girls in our house!  Fortunately it was outside and Michael was brave... a little insecticide took care of it.

The next day