Again, this is the newsletter article for my sending church. Due to the public-ness of this blog post, some information has been removed for privacy.
So
much has happened in the last month! At the very end of September, I
had the opportunity to take my fiance out to Solola to meet the
families I work with there. In addition to meeting them, he also had
the opportunity to share his story with them. For many of
the mothers in the program, they understand this struggle. Two of
the ten women are widows. Among the other eight, at least one of
them has an alcoholic husband who will drink any money he finds in
the house. So, to meet a young man who comes from the same situation
as their children are in and who is graduating from the university
this year, it gives them hope.
At
that meeting, we also checked the grades to see how the children are
progressing. Most continue their slow progress upward. One boy's
grades plummeted downward, and when I asked his father what was going
on, he stated that his wife had lost a pregnancy (which is why she
wasn't there), and that the boy was so worried about his mother that
he refused to go to school. Sweet, but I really hope he brings his
grades up in the last marking period; I don't want a lost pregnancy
to be a lost year in school as well. I imagine that if I were in
that financial situation, two stresses instead of one would not be
preferred. On a happier note, one boy's grades skyrocketed! I asked
his mother what happened. “It was the shoes,” she told me. The
previous visit, I had brought shoes that they could buy for 2 points
per pair. (With the rough calculation from dollars to “points,”
it was about $1.) I had brought them for the people who had asked me
to bring them, and then I had brought a few more to give some
variety. After those who had asked for them had picked out their
shoes, I allowed the other families to look through the remaining
shoes. Anyway, this boy had received a new-to-him (secondhand) pair
of school shoes, and, according to his mother, that got him excited
about doing better in school and earning more points! Some of the
girls are receiving low grades in gym class because they don't feel
comfortable wearing gym shorts. We're looking at the possibility of
sweat pants for next year as that is a uniform option that the school
allows; however they do cost more than the shorts which is why lots
of families don't get them.
We also had the chance to visit some new families
which might be added to the program next year. At one house, a woman
showed us what she does. Her eyes are no longer good enough to
weave, but she does make baskets. It was a gorgeous basket with a
lid, perhaps the size of a large saucepan. My fiance asked her how
much she sells them for, and she said that she sells them for Q5 each
once she has decorated them. (The one she showed us wasn't yet
decorated.) Q5 is about 62 cents in US money. Needless to say, he
bought it and paid her double (Q10), but we can't do that for
everyone nor on a regular basis.
On
October
1st,
I
had
the
opportunity
to
attend
a
seminar
via
the
internet.
(Bonus:
it
was
free
to
online
participants!)
It
was
called
“Helping
Without
Hurting,”
and
it's
about
the
proper
way
to
help
people
so
that
they
don't
become
dependent
on
the
help
they
are
receiving.
It
gave
me
a
lot
of
thoughts
to
take
with
me
when
I
went
to
visit
my
families
again.
So,
two
weeks
later,
I
went
to
visit
my
families
again.
I
had
them
sit
in
a
circle
with
women
from
the
different
villages
all
separated
so
they
could
see
the
women
they
know
best,
and
I
asked
them
“What
are
you
good
at?
What
do
you
like
doing?”
I'm
sitting
there
ready
for
someone
to
tell
me
that
they
love
to
write
(even
though
all
10
of
my
mothers
are
illiterate),
and
for
someone
else
to
open
up
and
say
that
she
loves
to
paint
(even
though
even
the
kids
rarely
have
paint
for
school).
And
no
one
had
an
answer.
The
community
leader
said,
“Well,
they
all
weave.
That's
what
they
do.”
Fine.
“Well,
what
are
they
good
at
weaving?
Do
they
have
any
particular
shape
they
love
to
weave?
Flowers?
Birds?”
Nothing.
So
excited
about
bringing
this
up,
and
nothing.
So,
I
gave
it
one
last
shot.
“What
if
there
was
one
more
hour
in
the
day.
No,
I'm
not
God.
I
can't
gift
you
another
hour,
but
what
if?
The
laundry
is
done.
The
dishes
are
done.
The
sweeping
is
done.
The
mending
is
done.
There
is
nothing
that
needs
to
be
done!
What
would
you
do?”
Well,
it
got
some
of
them
laughing,
but
one
woman
said,
“Well,
I
might
like
to
learn
how
to
use
a
sewing
machine.”
I
asked
her
if
she
had
ever
used
one
before
or
if
she
would
have
to
learn,
and
she
said
she
would
have
to
learn...but
that
it
was
something
she'd
like
to
do.
And
before
long,
I
had
about
7
women
who
were
thinking
that
a
sewing
machine
sounded
like
a
great
idea.
And
another
woman
said
that
her
husband
is
a
barber,
but
that
he
is
paid
little
where
he
works
because
he
has
to
pay
to
use
the
clippers
of
another
guy.
“He's
a
really
great
barber,
but
he
needs
his
own
clippers.”
I
asked
them
about
their
dreams
for
themselves,
and
most
of
them
said
that
they
would
really
love
to
have
a
real
house;
one
man
went
so
far
as
to
remind
me
that
his
kitchen
is
just
4
poles
with
tarp
wrapped
around
it.
(Don't
worry.
I
haven't
forgotten.)
One
woman
said
she'd
like
to
learn
English
to
communicate
with
me
better;
I
told
her
I'd
trade
her
English
classes
for
Kaqchikel
classes
for
the
same
reason.
So,
the
community
leader,
in
front
of
everyone,
decided
to
ask
me
how
possible
these
houses
were.
I
said
that
I
really
don't
have
that
kind
of
funding,
but
if
we
can
work
towards
sewing
machines
as
a
group,
the
women
themselves
can
work
toward
houses.
The
women
weave,
but
they
don't
have
anyone
to
sell
the
weavings
to
as
all
of
the
women
do
the
same
kind
of
work.
So,
people
come
along
and
they
pay
them
$10
to
weave
these
typical
shawls.
If
the
women
can
sew
the
two
halves
of
the
shawls
together
(with
a
sewing
machine),
they
can
earn
$31
per
shawl.
Note:
as
a
beginner,
I
have
been
working
on
something
the
size
of
one
half
of
the
shawl
for
about
5-ish
months
(off-and-on
for
a
year
and
2
months),
and
while
I've
seen
my
time
go
from
2
hours
per
row
to
45
minutes
per
row,
these
women
are
at
least
twice
as
fast
as
I
am
and
dedicate
much
more
time
to
it
per
day.
Still,
assuming
that
they
can
do
the
entire
shawl
in
1
month,
they
are
earning
$10/month
or
roughly
33-cents
per
day.
Once
the
harvest
is
over,
that
is
the
only
income
the
family
will
have
for
a
couple
months.
The
Care and Keeping of a Missionary
I am looking forward to seeing you all in November. I will be there
for only ONE Sunday this visit instead of my typical two; it will be
the second Sunday in November. If I miss you in person, well, I'll
be here in the newsletter.
Please
be
praying
for
these
10
families
as
well
as
the
other
12
families
who
I
had
planned
on
serving
this
year.
For
those
who
have
been
meeting
with
me,
pray
that
their
lives
be
made
better
from
the
program,
that
they
feel
strengthened
and
encouraged
as
people.
For
the
other
12
families,
pray
that
they
have
gotten
through
the
year
well,
without
illness,
injury,
or
danger.
Pray
for
their
community
leader
who
decided
he
wanted
more
time
with
his
family
and
store
than
he
did
meeting
with
other
families.
(I
can't
blame
a
guy
for
wanting
more
time
with
his
family,
but
he
could
have
passed
along
the
leadership
to
someone
else.
Please
pray
he
still
does
so.)
One
of
those
twelve
families
moved,
and
we
don't
know
where
to;
please
pray
that
God
watches
over
them
and
guides
them.
One
of
those
twelve
families
is
a
widow
with
two
children
who
I
have
written
about
before
who
decided
she
didn't
want
to
be
part
of
the
program;
please
pray
for
her
family
that
they
continue
alive
and
that
their
emotional
situation
improves.
Shoes and backpacks are on the list of items which the families most
want for school. If you or family members have gently used backpacks
or shoes that you are willing to donate, I will take them!
Language
Learning
So
far,
we
have
learned
“Thank
you”and
“You're
welcome”
in
Kaqchikel.
Today
I
want
to
add
“Good
morning”
to
your
vocabulary.
(If
you
all
greet
me
on
Sunday
with
this,
I'll
be
impressed.)
So,
in
English,
we
say
“Good
morning.”
In
Spanish,
we
say,
“Buenos
dias.”
In
Kaqchikel,
we
say
“Xseqär,”
which
we
pronounce
“sah-car.”
(It
is
actually
pronounced
a
variety
of
different
ways
depending
on
which
town
you
are
in.
I
have
also
heard
“sah-quer,”
“shah-car,”
and
“shah-cash”
in
different
Kaqchikel
speaking
towns;
however,
where
I
work,
the
first
pronunciation
is
the
most
used.
