Day 5 at Casa Angelina/Home

Well we have officially made it home from our trip. Sorry I didn't get the update out last night, but we didn't get to the hotel until later in the evening and had to be on a 4AM shuttle to the airport this morning. With that being said, we did have a great week of work that the orphanage and got a lot of work accomplished. I will keep this one short and sweet and let the pictures do the talking on this post.

Thank you to everyone for the prayers while we were gone, as well as taking the time to follow us on our journey. Hopefully someday, we will get to see you down in Guatemala as well! Signing out this time around, but will hopefully be on another trip here in the near future.

 Kelsey working on hard on the rebar project in the school.

 Others working on the rebar project.

 Jared working on getting the ceiling boards cut and installed.

 Matt and Preston working hard getting the ceiling installed.

 Chad is making sure everything is running smoothly!

 Staining the doors of the homes.

 Ella doing a little touch up work.

 Working on getting the bridge repaired and working again.

 Working on getting the bed rails installed.

 The painting crew working hard and got 7 of the 8 homes painted this week!

 Serena taking a much needed break after climbing the ladder 100s of times.

 Chad and Jordan putting the final touches on Leah's House.

 Joel and Renee cleaning up and getting ready to play with the kids after a long hard days work.

 A "rare" photo of Chad working. Almost as rare as Chad's photo of Houdini locking his keys in his car!

 Widows house before...

 Widows house before....

 Leonza and her family standing in their new kitchen!

 Leonza and her family, Floyd, and Genia in one of the two new bedrooms.

 The group praying for Leonza and her family.

 Floyd and Leonza share a hug after the house dedication.

 Floyd explaining his motivation behind doing God's work and building homes.

 The new kitchen equipped with wood burning stove, table and chairs, and a dinning hutch.

The house from afar.

The final "see you later" to Lydia, Jorge, and their wonderful staff at Hostal Doña Isabel. There was a lot of dust in the air that morning causing eyes to water.

Day 3/4 at Casa Angelina

First off I want to apologize for not posting last night. We had a late night of great conversations, and didn't want to stay up later than I needed. We have been making great progress on all of the projects and will hopefully be finishing most of them up tomorrow. It is hard to believe that tomorrow is our last day at the orphanage, it feels like we just got here a few days ago.

The biggest blessing of this trip so far has been the widows home that we have been working on. The house has been ahead of schedule all week and should be finished up tomorrow morning and be dedicated in the afternoon.

A lot of great work is happening at the orphanage, and I haven't been able to get around to take pictures due to being at the widows home. However, our entire group will be sharing photos and I will post more once we have all the photos shared with each other. We have had a few health issues this trip so continued prayer for our team would be wonderful. We would also ask that you pray for blessings for the Tait family, Carlos and his family, Alejandro, as well as Oscar and Phibee. These trips would not be possible without these amazing people!

Day 2 at Casa Angelina

Today we got to start work on all of the projects out at the orphanage! There is a lot going on, and I am going to apologize up front about not getting many pictures today. I was helping with the widows house out in the village while all the other projects were happening within the walls of Casa Angelina. I will hopefully get around tomorrow to get pictures of all of the projects and give updates of what is going on. With that being said, here is what we are working on this week at the orphanage:

1. Today we had a group of 5 of us go to the widows house that we are building this trip and paint the interior of the house. We were expecting to have to do demolition, but it turns out the house structure is up and we just have to put the finishing touches on the home. The group will be painting the exterior tomorrow, and installing the doors and windows following the painting.
2. We have a couple of our members that are giving eye exams to all of the kids out at the orphanage. I believe they said they got through about 60 kids exams today and will continue to work on finishing those up tomorrow.
3. We also have Liz working with all of the kids giving them dental checkups and exams. It sounds like the new dental equipment has been a huge blessing and allowed them to work more efficiently and effectively. I believe the final number I heard for dental exams was around 12.
4. We finished laying block on the retaining wall that was started yesterday. The crew is now painting the wall and should be finishing up with that project tomorrow at some point.
5. We are also working on repainting two exterior walls on all of the homes. Over the year, the sun beats down and fades and cracks the paint. They have already finished 2 homes and are well on the way to finishing their 3rd tomorrow.
6. Along with the painting of the homes, we also have a couple of awesome ladies working on sanding down all of the front doors so they can be restained!
7. We also have a group that is working on sealing and staining the wood beams that will be used for the ceiling in the Sewall House. 
8. We have a group of team members that is working on prepping the 2nd floor rebar so the floor can be poured by the March group. This process helps make the building earthquake proof as well as gives the building a solid foundation for the gym that will one day be on the 2nd floor of the school house.
9. Our last team is working on building safety rails for all of the bunk beds so the kids will not roll out of bed during the evenings. Today they got all of the wood pieces cut and will be assembling the rails tomorrow and staining them on Thursday. It will be awesome to see the finished product.

As you can see, we have a ton of projects going on this week at the orphanage. We are hoping to finish all of them this week, and with God's help we will finish them all in perfect timing. As always, please keep all of our team members in your prayers and let me know if you have any questions.

 Today we were greeted with a nice surprise when we woke up. Fuego decided to spit out some smoke to greet us during breakfast.

 We got to listen to Brother Ivan talk this morning at the orphanage for devotional time. Always a very engaging and passionate speaker.

 This hill we got to climb down and up to get to and from the widows house.

Floyd, doing his best Guatemala carrying imitation, carrying his collected donations down the previously pictured hill. This was no small hill, just so you are aware.

Day 1 at Casa Angelina

Today we headed out to the orphanage for our first day! Day 1 typically is an orientation day for all new team members as well as the ability for those that have been in the past to see all of the great changes that have taken place at Casa Angelina. Today many of us were able to tour the orphanage with Andrew Fraiser and Kimberly Tate as our trusty guides. So much has changed in the 5 years that I have been away. It is very apparent that God is on the move in Guatemala. After an amazing meal that was prepared for us, we had the opportunity to visit several of the widows that have had homes built for them through What Matters Ministry and Missions. Many of them are will into there 80's or 90's and love God with all their hearts. I have a few photos below that show the widows and their homes.

We also had a team that worked on constructing a wall and staining while the others were out on the tour. I didn't get over to see the progress that was made, but I am sure that it was amazing work being done. Tomorrow we will be starting to build another widows home as well as a few other various projects. As always, if you have any questions, please let me know! God bless everyone and thank you for your continued prayers for our group.

 Kimberly is explaining the smiles incentive system used within the school to encourage the kids to be nice to one another.

 One of the widows standing in the doorway of her house.

 A view of the orphanage from the nearby village.

 At the end of the day we had the opportunity to spend some time with the kids. This was a large game of tag that seemed to be a crowd favorite.

 These 6 swings always seem to have kids in them waiting for a push.

 A view of the orphanage from the front gate.

 The new chruch being constructed that will be used to minister to the children at Casa Angelina as well as to the people of the nearby villages.

 The view you have standing in front of the church.

 The living room area of the newly completed Ministry House. This will be used for visiting pastors, speakers, and guests.

 The aquaponics system that the orphanage uses to home grow vegetables as well as fish to help offset the cost of the food budget.

 The first widow that was blessed through What Matters Ministry and Missions. She is now around 94 years old and told us she is ready for her Father to come and take her whenever He is ready. She also blessed us while we were visiting her.

The kids enjoying their free time with the team!

Sunday Fun Day in Antigua

Today we had the day off to tour and take in the sights Guatemala has to offer. We got the chance to attend a church service, tour Antigua, visited and toured Jaun Carlos's coffee farm, as well as the market and a jade shop. We were all in need a bit of a "relaxing" day, despite us still working at the coffee farm, and hiking the mountain to get to there. We are all excited to get out to the orphanage on Monday and bless and love on the kids at Casa Angelina. Not a whole lot to update on today, but I do have a few pictures to share. We will be updating daily with what we are working on at the orphanage as well as Land of Hope. As always, if you have any questions or comments please let me know!

 This was our surprise from the volcano this morning. It has been puffing smoke most of the day today.

 Taking in the sermon at our morning church service.

 Juan Carlos and his son hosting us in his home. He was explaining the process and life of a coffee farmer in Guatemala. This experience brings a whole new meaning to how you get to enjoying your favorite cup of coffee in the morning!

The shelling machine in Juan Carlos's home that helps him quickly defruit the coffee beans. Yes, coffee beans do come covered in a fruit.

Building Guate/Land of Hope Day

Sorry I didn't get the chance to update everyone last night, but after a long day of travel everyone was ready for bed when we arrived. We had the wonderful and difficult opportunity to go out to The Land of Hope today, which is a dump ministry that is headed up by Oscar and his nonprofit Building Guate. Words cannot express the experience that we all were a part of today. It definitely gives a lot of prospective to those of us who wish we had more. The people that have been saved from living in the dump ground by Building Guate, now have their own homes and a new community that they are part of. The only thing is, there community is built less than 100 yards from the city dump of Escuintla. I will post a few picture from that day down below with some descriptions of what you are looking at.

Today our group toured the Land of Hope and the school that has been built to help educate the kids that are living in the dump. We also helped host a Vacation Bible School program for the kids, hosted a women's Bible study group were 11 of the attendees accepted Jesus for the first time in their life. Praise God!! We also helped out with a digging project for the new birthing center that they are hoping to add to the facilities. It is amazing to see what God is doing through this ministry and the doors that he is opening for Oscar and his organization.

This was a very great but difficult day. It is hard to see people living amongst all the trash and having to dig through for food to live. If any of you ever get the chance to experience this ministry, I would highly encourage it! Well I am going to sign off for tonight. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to see more!

 Water treatment system that is used to get pure drinking water to the village as well as those living in the dump.

 Main "front yard" to all the home, also doubles as a group gathering area. The tree also provides amazing shade for tire, hot Americas!

 A few of the homes that have been built by Building Guate.

A few more of the houses on the right, on the left is the clinic that was built to help with minor medical needs. In the background is the dump ground. As you can see, there is smoke everywhere and there are constant fires burning in the dump.

Orphanage Day 5

Today was the final day at the orphanage. We didn't end up getting any of our projects completely done, but we made a lot of progress in our time here. Ivan and Kimberly were very impressed by the work and work ethic of this group. They blessed everyone today with a picture magnet of everyone at the orphanage.

It has been an amazing trip and I can't wait until I can get back down here.

Tomorrow we will be touring Antigua and be driving into Guatemala City to fly out on Sunday. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers for everyone who came in this trip. We really appreciate all you do for us and for allowing us the opportunity to get to come back.

Orphanage Day 4

Not much of an update today, everyone is still working on their projects. We have high hopes for finishing all the projects by tomorrow. It's hard to believe that tomorrow will be the last day!

Thanks everyone for your continued thoughts and prayers.

Orphanage Day 3

We had another proficient day at the orphanage today! We are getting close to the end of a few of the projects, but still have work to do. The end of the week will be here before we know it. The trip has been going well so far. No illness or injury, and the weather has been amazing this far, possibly has something to do with the rainbow we saw over Guatemala while we were in the plane.

Everyone is working hard and doing everything they can to get the jobs completed. Even Ivan is helping dig trenches! It's hard to not work hard when you see someone who is so passionate about what they do.

Thank you everyone for reading and your thoughts and prayers. Please let me know if there is anything you would like to hear about it if there is anyone you would like me to pass a message along to. You are all amazing!

Orphanage Day 2

Today was the first day of work out at the orphanage. We got quite a bit accomplished today. The main projects of the day were concrete and wall removal in the 2 story storage building as well as painting one house and staining in another. I didn't get around to the painting or staining groups but I think there progress was just as good as the concrete group. By the end of the day, you could tell that the groups were getting tired and were really slowing down.

Tomorrow will more than likely be similar schedules. Hopefully everybody will be in high spirits for another hard day of work.

Please be praying for one of the members of one of the other teams. She was bitten by a bug this morning and her foot is in a lot of pain and very swollen. Other than that, everyone is doing well. As always, if you would like to share anything with the group please let me know. Also, thanks for all the thoughts and prayers!

Orphanage Day 1

Today was the teams first day at the orphanage. Most of the day was spent with the rules of the orphanage and the tour of the orphanage and widows homes. Some of us who have been down here before got a little work done today during the tours. Tomorrow we will hit the ground running. The projects that we will be working on are cutting out sod, breaking up concrete, digging footings, painting, and staining cabinets. It should be a very busy week!

So far everyone is in good health and in high spirits. Thanks again everyone for your thoughts and prayers!

If you'd like to share anything with the group please email me at Jjschuh7632@gmail.com and I will be glad to pass it along.

Orphanage Day 1

Today was the teams first day at the orphanage. Most of the day was spent with the rules of the orphanage and the tour of the orphanage and widows homes. Some of us who have been down here before got a little work done today during the tours. Tomorrow we will hit the ground running. The projects that we will be working on are cutting out sod, breaking up concrete, digging footings, painting, and staining cabinets. It should be a very busy week!

So far everyone is in good health and in high spirits. Thanks again everyone for your thoughts and prayers!

If you'd like to share anything with the group please email me at Jjschuh7632@gmail.com and I will be glad to pass it along.

Arrival

We have all safely arrived at the hotel in Guatemala despite a few delays along the way. Today we will be heading out to the orphanage for the first time. There are many new people on this trip so please be praying for open hearts for all of us as well as good health and weather for this week. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers and ill do my best to post every night of the Internet will allow.

Last day at the orphange!

Well, as hard as it is to believe, it is Friday morning and we have one more day at the orphanage.... always a hard day.  We hate to leave these kids and such a peaceful place.  Internet was very sketchy last night.  We worked again yesterday, and plan to do the same today.  The Houston team brought brisket so we will be having a Texas cookout today as a celebration of all the hard work done at the orphanage.  We are having a hard time leaving our hotel.  Lydia and her staff are so amazing and we love them like family!  They take care of us so well, and have had the most amazing meals and fellowship here.  This is a special place that will be missed.  We will be staying at a hotel in Guatemala City tonight and will be catching a very early flight for home tomorrow morning!  I will try to connect and post again tonight if possible.... Time to load the bus for our last trip to the orphanage!  I am sure there will be more tears shed this afternoon!!! 


Peace out!!

Progress being made!!!!

It is Wednesday evening and we just made it back from the orphanage.  Wow, lots of progress being made.  The Laundromat is almost finished, just need to dig trenches for water!  Craig has his crew working hard.  The Paint crew has also been working very hard!!  Living Waters House has been officially repainted for its remodel and they are still working on cabinets.  Ivan says children should be back in there by next week!  The Harvest House has been finished being painted on the outside and maybe one more coat of paint on the inside!!  The Iowans are smiling!!!  And another house has also been started with painting!!  Way to go Foreman Chad!!!  The new barbeque pit was finished today and chicken was enjoyed by all the children today!  It was a fun site to see!  Lots of eye exams have been done the past couple of days for both the children and some of the villagers.  Jodie and Michelle have been working hard!  Kathy was able to get into the clinic today and clean some teeth for the children at the orphanage, especially those who are fairly new!  We have been working very hard and when we see the smiles on the faces of those special children, well, we know all that hard work is worth it! 

First Day at the Orphange

Well, the first day at the orphanage is complete!  It was a beautiful day, lots of sun and lots of gorgeous scenery.  Here in Guatemala, flexibility is a must, and despite a later start this morning, lots of work was accomplished and we got to play with the children!  For those of us that were here for the first time or for those that have been gone a while, they gave us a tour of the orphanage and after lunch took us into the village to visit some of the widows that Casa Angelina is helping to support and also the widow who is getting a new house this week!  What an eye opener!  Lots has been accomplished at the orphanage even since last July, and this week we get the opportunity to contribute to that!   Tomorrow EVERYONE will get the chance to start working and serving those amazing kids.... hopefully pics to follow soon!  Thank you all for your continued prayers!!

First Day - Feb. 16, 2014

We had a great first day in Guatemala.  We started our day off taking a trip to the Cross on the Hill.... the view was spectacular.  After some photo ops, we attended church and worshiped with Pastor Ronnie.  It was an experience we will never forget.  Following church we were treated to an amazing lunch by our good friend Bindy's family.... chicken, black beans, rice, tortillas, and the most amazing guacamole!!  We are so thankful for our good friends here in Guatemala.  We then spent the rest of the day touring Antigua guided by Alejandro..... did some shopping in the market, admired some beautiful authentic Jade jewelry, and treated ourselves to delicious chocolate!!  After arriving back at Lydia's we were able to get some rest... we didn't get much sleep from a later flight and early morning!  Lydia threw us a BIRTHDAY party for those celebrating their birthdays this week with cake and piñatas!  We are not going hungry here, the food is first class and we so appreciate the cook, Jorge.....  Chad and Jodie led us in some devotions, with some awesome music led by Preston and Michaela.  We are enjoying getting to know each other and looking forward to our first day at Casa Angelina tomorrow! 

On our way!!!

We are sitting at the Sioux Falls airport waiting for our first plane.  We stop in Chicago and Houston and then Guatemala City.  We are full of excited anticipation for what God has in store for us.  Please pray for safe travels today with little to no delays, other than the one we are now experiencing!  :)




Will blog again once we are in Guatemala! 

Wrap Up Post

We are currently sitting in the Dallas/Fort Worth airport waiting for our connection home to Sioux Falls.  It is definitely a bittersweet moment.  It will be nice to get back home and see family and friends, but is very hard to leave Casa Angelina and Guatemala.

Yesterday we traveled to the ocean and got to spend a little time on a black sand beach and swim in the ocean.  After we left, we went to Saritos for lunch and then made our way into Guatemala City to the Barcello where  we all got a little much needed rest.  We were up early this morning to fly out of Guatemala City at 8:40. We will be heading out of Dallas at 8:15PM and landing in Sioux Falls around 10:20PM tonight. Thank you everyone for reading the blog and praying for us while we were gone.

Orphanage Last Day

Well we have come the that point in our trip again.  Today was our last day out at the orphanage and you could tell that many people were not ready to leave when the buses pulled out of that gate for the last time this trip.  It is amazing when you look back and see what our group has accomplished in this short week while we were here.  The ditch digging crew got over a 1/4 mile of drainage ditch dug and 60 tons of rock moved into the trenches.  The painting crew got 57 panels painted that bolster the orphanage's security in the future.  The carpenter team built 4 new storage cabinets for several different houses and did a lot of repair work on some of the existing cabinets.  The block laying group got four layers of block laid on Harvest House, which doesn't seem like a lot, but in the end the progress speaks for itself.  Goodbyes are always the hardest part of this trip.  Saying goodbye to the kids, the staff, and the amigos is very tough, but I know I will be back soon so it makes it a little easier.  Each and every person at the orphanage touches your heart in some way or another. Tomorrow will hold another difficult goodbye when we leave the hotel and have to say goodbye to the staff that has been absolutely amazing to us and catered to our every need.  Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers for this group.  Every single person on this trip has been absolutely amazing.  I'll leave you with a couple pictures that I took today.  We all send our love and thoughts home and will be seeing everyone shortly.

Harvest House after our week of

Leaving the orphanage