Yet More Pics

A day we will always remember

Wow, what a day.

Monday came bright and early as we knew we had a lot of work to do before the bridge dedication ceremony at 3:30. So two teams left at 6:15 to install the bridge sections that would connect with each foundation and to tension and secure the handrail cables. These steps had to be completed early so that we could install the safety fence, paint the bridge, and do a few touch-up jobs that needed to be done.

Tensioning the handrail cables was a snap and installing the transition sections took a little longer than expected but was "no problemo." But the safety fence was a huge task that took much longer than expected. The fence is a woven wire fence that is similar to our chain link fences but using smaller wires. It came in a roll that could not be unrolled without all the wires becoming tangled together. We spent two hours or so just untangling the wires from each other before we could even begin installation. Once untangled the fence was stretched with a come-along and connected to the bridge deck and the handrail cable. Then the bridge was painted and the fencing and painting really made it look great.

Paint was still drying as the dedication ceremony began. Let me set the stage for you. A truck load of soldiers arrived early with submachine guns at the ready. They were our security guards. Wow. A sound system and loudspeaker was set up. A reporter from Chicacao Channel Seis (Channel Six) arrived early to interview the dignitaries from Chicutzan and La Cruz, the two villages who will use the bridge the most and to interview most of us too. Amy did a lot of translating for Channel Seis and may have a career in broadcasting if engineering, welding, drill press operator or her host of other talents don't work out. We took pictures early because we knew everyone there would want to walk on the bridge after the ceremony, and we would have to help limit the numbers on the bridge at any one time. Even as we were taking pictures, the people would applaud for us and show their appreciation for the work we had done. We took several pictures with the men from Chicutzan and La Cruz who helped us build the bridge. In every sense, this project was a partnership with them. A partnership in planning, in labor, in finances, and most especially in Christian spirit. They knew from the beginning that we were here to help because of our faith, and they wanted us to know that they were also believers in Jesus. All of us have had someone approach us just to say "gracias, mi hermano en Christo." So, as you say your for this group, please include Jose', Lorenzo, Omarr, Juana, Francisco, Manuel, and a host of others who have become very special friends of this group as we worked together.

The dedication ceremony (they call it the inauguration here) was attended by about 300 people. It began with a touching speech by Raphael, the head of the "Committee of Ten" which would be equivalent to our City Council. He was moved to tears as he spoke and expressed his appreciation to the group. Then Gilliam, that's me, was asked to respond, and he stole the great speech that Alan had used in church yesterday about building two bridges, one across a river and built on concrete foundations and a more important bridge that connected two groups of people and was built on the foundation of Christian love. Then Raphael announced the fireworks show, and we had a long and loud fireworks display. Presentations were made with Health Talents receiving three "diplomas" from the community for initiating this project. David Fann accepted a beautiful painting showing our team working on a partially constructed bridge. There was a prayer that was very moving and the Guatemalan people spoke their agreement with what was being said in the prayer almost continually much as we would do by saying Amen. At the finale' of the ceremony, ten young men from Chicutzan and La Cruz, who had been waiting on the other side of the river walked across the bridge to the applause of everyone there. Our applause was also due to the fact that there were only 10 of them. The bridge will eventually hold more, but the concrete poured since we arrived has not fully cured yet, and 10 was a good limit until that happens. After they walked over, the Committee of Ten walked across and once again every one applauded (we were applauding that it was not a committee of 20). The women were invited to walk across, and then the dam burst open as the children were invited to walk across. It seemed that 200 children were scrambling to be the first one across. We had to set up gatekeepers to limit the numbers at any one time. They walked, ran, hopped, skipped and jumped across. Several would go to the middle and just stand there. This went on for at least an hour and a half with several kids making 5, 10 or more trips. We have built a bridge for the adults of these two villages and a great amusement park ride for the children. They walked with Amy, Rachel, Rebecca, Heidi, Caleb, Aaron, and anyone else who would walk with them. We love these kids. As we try to become like Christ, these children will be our model for the qualities for which we should strive.

By the way, we all were asked for autographs by the kids today. That's a first for this bunch I expect.

Then we came home, had dinner, showers, a devotional and now bed. It was a day we will long remember. Thanks to all of you who have supported us with prayers, encouragement and financially. You have made this day one we will remember for the rest of our lives. God bless you all.

Federico Gilliam

More Pics

Dana you’re so hot right now!

James Savage here, and to start off, the rumors of my temporary demise are greatly exaggerated. The important thing is that I am back to 100%. I did have a 24-hour humility exercise involving the need for knee pads and an often disturbed reflecting pool. I will be glad to share all of the gory details at some future time to any one that cares. This being my third trip to Central America, I guess I have been beating the odds up till now.
Today has been yet another great day and another lesson in patience and rolling with the punches. Glory to God that all is going well. Using the process that was developed yesterday, we wasted no time getting the remaining sections of the bridge put in place. Things went very smoothly. We even set aside some time to do some creative cinematography.
As we passed one of the bridge sections across the bridge we wanted to get the perspective of the section on its journey. So I did the natural thing and volunteered my wife to strap herself to the panel and video tape as it went across. She wanted to, really… Well her stunt is what prompted the title of this blog, if you haven’t figured it out. Yet one of the many reasons I love that woman! Alright, well moving along, we got all the sections in. This thing actually looks like a bridge now!
The rest of the day was spent working on multiple little tasks, getting ready to do the final assembly of the bridge. These little things always seem to take more time than you would hope. That is fine because this gave some us much wanted time with the local community. We have really started to fall in love with the people of Chicutzan. They have truly partnered with us in the project. There is not a bit of work that takes place with out one of our Guatemalan amigos jumping in and helping out. We have also enjoyed getting to know the countless kids that seem to herd around the work site. This community has continuously shown us their gratitude and encouragement. I will let some one else tell you more if they have not already, but there is one lady here who seems to do nothing but bake for us all day long. Wow is it good!
OK back on track, There is just so much to tell and so little my “hunt and peck” typing can tell you. So we worked the longest day yet, and kept going until we were certain the rain was going to catch us. We got back right as a thunderstorm broke loose. To say that the rain was hard would be an understatement. We sat on the porch and watched an amazing light show for half an hour or so.
To round out the evening we all came in and Alan led us in thinking about the beauty of Christ. Words can not describe the lessons that are being learned on a moment by moment basis. God is teaching us more about himself, his kingdom, each other, and ourselves than is possible to absorb in a single week. Pray for us that we may not lose this blessing of experience due to our inability to see all that God is showing us.

Quick Pic from the Bridge

We Are Pumped

Engineering Mission Trips 2006

Today was another wonderful day. From a project perspective we made great progress. We completed almost half of the walkway across the bridge. We are actually able to walk out to near the center of the bridge over the river now. Before you get too worried, anyone working out there has on a complete safety harness and a safety strap which protects them from falling off the bridge. It is really neat to see a team of one husky LU engineering graduate (Kris) and a robust current LU student (Caleb) forming a team with a LU sophomore (Rebecca) to complete the installation of walkway panels on the bridge. Rachel also worked on a team made up of Caleb, Kirk and herself. James was back in action today with a critical responsibility for placing the panels on the bridge and appears to be rid of his stomach bug. Aaron is one more working machine. He has set a great example for all of us with his hard work. He and Jon Hester have been going above and beyond by helping the Guatemalans pour a huge slab of concrete under the bridge tower to better stablize it. This is really hard work. They have poured about nine or ten yards of concrete with a portable gasoline-powere mixer that produces a small wheelbarrow for each batch. For each batch, sand, gravel, cement and water are added to the mixer. When the mixer is finished the wet concrete is poured into the wheelbarrow. The concrete is then dumped into the slab forms a bucket full at a time. They have processed the equivalent of a concrete truck load of concrete this way. This is really hard work and Aaron and Jon have gone at it tenaciously.

We should easily complete the walkway so that test walks all the way across the river can be made tomorrow (Saturday). This has been a real production line with the cutting of steel, drilling of holes (200) into the steel, assembling the panels, welding the pieces together, carrying the panels to the bridge sight, mounting them on the walkway rails and secruing them. Oh, I forgot the painting step - a big one.

Becasue we had not seen the bridge site before we got here and because of some miscommunications concerning the bridge platforms that were built before we came, no one was absolutely certain that we could pull this off. This lack of certainty has tunred out to be one of our greatest blessings. Although we have had some great on-the-spot creative adaptations (mostly from the students) and a tremendous amount of hard work, we are all convinced that we could never have done this on our own. The power of God to give us innovative solutions to problems and the energy to carry them out has been evident to us all. And we all know that the prayers that you have lifted up have turned God's face toward us and that His glory will shine in this community for years to come. In our devo tonight, Iris said that she was sure that everyday for the rest of her life she will be pausing to thank God for the villagers here who will be crossing the bridge on that day.

We are all so pumped spiritullay that we can hardly hold it inside -- what am I talking about, we have no way of containing it. The joy that we are experiencing is beyond measure. we are worn out and we get up more fatigued everyday but we are energized by the Spirit in phenomenal ways.


Keep praying for us we really feel it.

One the old geezers on the trip,

Kerry

Grettings from Kirk

After waking up and stumbling in to the mess hall for some eggs we started our day. I began my day by painting the bridge sections that were to be installed on the bridge. As always our group attracted a large crowd of the village children. The games of the day were 'slaps' and magic tricks with strings. These kids are incrediblely smart. They play so many games that kids in the USA play. Amazingly the kids can tell the Swift twins apart while many of us still count on our fifty-fifty chance.

After becoming a little light head from the paint I proceeded to take a new position on the bridge installing the bridge sections. Yes mom, we wore helmets and were tied off to the hand rail cables. We had a very effective system were the bridge sections were carried up the stairs on the low bank and passed over James Savage who guided them down a specialized ramp of rebar and angle iron. The sections slid on the the cables were 4 U bolts were attached on each corner from the bottom. Then the sections were pulled across the river with rope to the other side where they were locked in place. I wish I could descride it better but you will just have to wait and see the pictures. We worked our way out to the middle of the bridge over the water and that is when we had to call it a day.

Omar is a 18 year old man from the village that has been assisting us all week long. Today Caleb and I had a very interesting conversation with Omar. Us knowing very little spanish and using lots of hand motions found out that Omar is a paid soccer player. On monday we are invited to come play soccer at the school. I think we are going to have circles ran around us but it sounds fun.

Right now everyone is in a great mood. We are so tired and yet we are sitting around playing the game 'Taboo'. Everyones true colors are showing. It is great. This is all that I have to say tonight. Buenos Noches.

Kirk Pippin

este es el dia

A song we sing here in Spanish goes like this: "Este es el dia que el Senor nos dio." It means "This is the day that the Lord has made." I am reminded of a man back home who follows this phrase with "We are rejoicing and being glad in it, aren't we?" Well, friends, we are. Today has been an amazing day. This afternoon we experienced our first (for some of us) Guatemalan rain storm. It was wonderful.

On the technical side, today we finished stringing the cables, made and painted several sections, put one section on the bridge, (I apologize if I have left something out) and came back because of the rain. Today went well.

James had a stomach bug today. We hope that he will be well tomorrow. Keep him in your prayers.

The village we are working in has amazing people. They have been eager to help. They are skilled, trustworthy, and patient with us. The children especially love to help. They are wonderful and readily obey their elders. They have been taught well.

Tonight at our devotional we shared reflections from today. One of the men who works here with Health Talents, Carlos, told us that because our group is actually doing what we promised (building a bridge) the people of the village have grown to trust us and the people of Health Talents. He said that we can and will have a great influence because of the way we are working together, all of us willing to help each other. The Guatemalans are constantly willing to help us, waiting to be given a task and stepping in without even being asked when help is needed. Today several of our group helped the Guatemalans as they mixed and poured concrete. Carlos said that this makes a huge difference to them because they highly value hard work. John 17:20-23 says:

20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

These are Jesus' words as he is praying. This week I have been praying that we would work as one so that people could see God. God is faithful, just as he always is, and is doing this. I pray that he would continue. Keep us in your prayers, as well as the people we are working with and for.

~Heidi

Look at the pretty ball bouncing

Hello from Guatemala. Today is Wednesday (just in case this posts on a different day). This is the account of the school group. We went to a school about 40 minutes away this morning—“La Fortuna”. The school had about 150 kids and was in a mainly Mayan community. The interesting thing was that some of the older kids spoke Quiche, a Mayan dialect (which is so different from Spanish they could not understand us). The school building was just bamboo sticks that were tied together. They had dirt floors and tin roofs. To get to the school we had to drive down this dirt road that was very rocky and curvy. The teachers were very gracious and helped us keep all of the kid’s attention. Since the school building was not very accommodating, we did two demonstration sessions outside from the back of a truck. The children were so attentive and responsive. For some I think it could have been their first introduction to any type of science. We have about 7 demonstrations all focusing on types of forces—like gravity, pressure, and centripetal force. After the demonstrations we made wind mills with the kids out of pencils, tacks, and paper. We gave out the school supplies bags that we took and everyone was very gracious. The only downside was that after that the older kids started to kinda beg for a pen or a pencil or whatever or pretend they didn’t get a bag. The smaller children were very sweet, they just stayed sitting in their chairs and waited for us to pass out the bags. None of them asked for more or tried to convince us they didn’t already have a bag. I think it shows that begging is taught, and I hope that we didn’t reinforce that habit any more than we could help. Also we read the story of Noah and gave each child a coloring book with the story in it. Overall I think the day went well, I think one of the most important things to remember at the schools is to try not to be Americans that just give the children things. It is difficult because these kids were so poor and we wanted to help, but at the same time we don’t want to reinforce the attitude that we, as Americans, give the kids supplies and then immediately leave them. It is hard because there isn’t enough time to create real relationships with the kids, which I think would make it easier and more appropriate to give them gifts. A challenge is to realize that we cannot in one day fix their poverty or solve all their problems. Instead we need to trust and pray that God will provide for them or use their situation for his glory.
-Amy and Alan

Buenos Dias! Today is the first day I have not fallen into the river. The day went very well at the bridge despite a myriad of minor setbacks. We split up into teams, and the morning was filled the cutting of box beams, the building of a stand to hold the spool of ¾ cable during stringing, lots of welding of the bridge panels, rebar mesh making, and preparation of the concrete platforms for cable stringing. We had aimed to have the cables strung before noon today, but things always take longer than you expect with construction and especially with construction in Guatemala. Last night our devotional was focused on patience and being content to serve however you can, and today our team showed a great deal of that. The number of children at visiting our site during the day has grown to about 30. They get in the way sometimes, but they are so sweet and they keep us focused on the right things. We have started a trend of the game “slaps”, and today they demanded physics demonstrations from Allen.
Lunch came right when we were about to run the cable across the banks. Our Guatemala helpers did an outstanding job lifting the spool onto the stand and being patient with our indecisions and slow pace. With the school team back at lunch we worked much faster in the afternoon. We had had only one working drill for the past day, but today Rick got us a drill press and saved us. The fun began as we pulled the first cable across with a rope by hand. This process is harder than it sounds. It got out of control a little and the cable ended up resting on the bottom of the river! On our second try we achieved perfection. The rest of the day was spent shoveling a truckload of gravel for the base concrete addition; assembling, welding, and preparing the platforms, handrails and handrail supports; deciding what to do about estimating cable sag and adjusting the cables to the right pre load height; adjusting the first cable and transferring it from the come-along to the turnbuckle. We received the surprise at the end of the day that the cable probably has a nylon core instead of the steel we ordered. This comes as no surprise to us after our experiences with the platforms. We’ll do our best with what we have and leave the rest to God. A woman named Juana has brightened our days by bringing homemade breads and soups and bananas to us and we have really enjoyed being around the Guatemalans. It is now late and I can no longer think clearly. A happy Guatemalan Mother’s Day to our temporary Guatemalan mother Iris, and to all our moms back home!

Caleb

ps - a note about pig lard

we spilt a cup of pig lard that we use to lubricate while we drill metal, so Steve sent for another cup. Yesterday Juana brought us sweet corn stew, and it was being
passed out at the same time that the pig lard was returned...in a cup...a very similar cup to the cups with sweet corn stew in them. Steve recieved the pig lard and promptly took a large swig from the glass thinking that it was corn stew! His face was priceless and his mouth will never be the same.

Delayed by Flakey Internet Connection

Buenos Dias! Jon Hester here, or "Juan uno" as I was called in el esuella (school) today. Jon Fouss was called Juan dos by Carlos our indespensible translator. This morning I had the pleasure of being woken up by Mr. David Fann about fifteen minutes before the crack of dawn. After our breakfast of juevos (eggs) and plantains the crew divided into groups and set off to complete our respective tasks. Dr. Fauss, Dr. Bradshaw, Dana, Rebecca, and myself broke away from our groups at 8:30 for the trek to the town called Chicacao. We visited the school in Chicacao and conducted several science experiments in the rooms of three fourth grade classes. The children were well behaved and were eager to listen to everything we had to say. Dr. Alan Bradshaw was instrumental in our demonstrations and comic relief for the kids. His assistants were Rebecca, Amy, Iris, and Dana. Juan dos served as our photographer and Amy was la jefe (the boss) of our excursion into the town. Rebecca and I played supporting roles while Iris and Dana organized everything to perfection. The liquid nitrogen that we brought was a huge hit, unfortunately we only had enough for the first class. Apparently coffee thermoses from Brookstone aren't meant to contain liquid nitrogen. Good thing flexibility was an item on our packing list. We brought a pinwheel craft project which provided the opportunity for us to interact with the children. I think we all became fluent in international sign language, or sherades very quickly. We brought coloring books of the story of Noah for the classes under the condition that they had to earn them. The task was for the kids to read the book out loud and I'm pleased to tell you that each class earned their coloring books. Tomorrow another group is heading of for Lafortuna, or however you spell it, to continue God's work. I envy them, as being with the children was a blast, and there is still a lot of hard work to be accomplished tommorow. I'll let our esteemed alumnus Kris Hatchell tell you about the hard work that was done today. As for me, tengo muy sueno, so I'm headed to bed! Keep up the prayers, they're working just great!!

WOW!! What a day of work yesterday. God truly blessed us with wisdom, strength, patience and endurance yesterday. The night before last, we had a meeting to discuss yesterday's work. At that meeting I was very unsure of how much we would be able to get done. At the end of the day yesterday I could only say wow! For thoes techanical people reading this, yesterday we accomplished installing the rebar for the extra base support. The hammer drill worked well, expect when we hit rebar in the concret. This afternoon we will begin to pour the concret. We also got all the notches cut in the stairs for cable to ride in. Our first platform was also assembled yesterday. This may not seem like much to most, but I believe we are well on our way to having a bridge built!!! Praise GOD! We began our meeting this morning @ 5:30, so some of us are relativly tired, but we are slowly waking up for another day in His beauitful Creation. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we work today to install the cables. This I a large task, but by the blessing of God we will be done with that tonight! We love all of you at home! - Blessings, Kris Hatchell

Our First Day

Our adventure began at 4:30 this morning. We all met at the airport and began organizing and preparing for our flight. Everything ran smoothly even with the rush to our adjoining flight from Houston to Guatemala City.
Soon after getting off of the plane, we could tell that it would be a rather hot and humid day. We gathered all of our belongings and arrived at a very colorful bus. The bus ride to the clinic was about a two and a half hour drive. We were able to stop about half way through at a gas station and were treated to a snack and drink of our choice.
The clinic is much nicer than anyone could have hoped. The girls and couples all have very nice small apartments with private bathrooms, a small kitchen, and even a small balcony! We were given fans to keep us cool as well. We unloaded all of our baggage and then headed to see our bridge site. Four or Five trucks transported us the ten minute drive over there. On the way we were able to experience and see some of their culture.
At the bridge site we were able to look at the platforms that had been made. There was a little difficulty getting over to the other side of the river, but we finally succeeded with the locals’ help. The villagers who live nearby were very curious of all that we were doing. The children would gather around us and ask us all kinds of questions. Even though we didn’t understand everything that was said, we were still able to make a connection. Before we left the site, all of the team and surrounding villagers gathered together to pray. Kris prayed in English while Carlos translated Kris’ prayer into Spanish for the villagers. Then we said our goodbyes and left for the clinic once again.
We were given a little time to wash up and apply bug spray and then headed back over to where we would be served dinner. It was a delicious dinner consisting of chicken, rice, squash, tortillas, and fruit juice. After we all finished eating we got together again and had a devotional. Caleb led the singing and Mr. Fann followed with a message. Now all that is left for tonight is some planning for another day tomorrow and lots of sleep!

Rebecca and Rachael Swift

I should Be asleep Right Now

It has been a crazy weekend...James and I hit the ground running early Friday morning and haven't seem to let up since...Finished packing and hope that everything I need is in that Suitcase! I am excited about the trip and looking forward to working with everyone and seeing this beautiful country! 3am will come early about 5 hours from now and I am sure many of us won't get a good night sleep between nerves and wondering "Did I Forget anything" and "Is my suitcase under the 50lb limit!" I am excited to see us all at the Airport bright Eyed and Bushy TAILED...And Dr. Bradshaw carrying a 4ft long level as a personal item...Don't think anyone will mess with him with his Mad ninja like skills and his Indiana Jones Hat! Look forward to hearing from you guys and keep praying that Gods work will be done through these wonderfully talented people who are going!

Dana Savage

Guatemala Pre- Trip Thougts

It is Sunday Afternoon, the bags are loaded and packed onto the bus, and we are hoping nothing is left behind. Planning to build this bridge has taken a large amount of design work and preparation. Countless meetings and hours were spent researching tools, designs, and construction methods befeore any formal palns were made. With all that hard work behind us hopefully, all the materials should be waiting for us at the bridge site, and we can get right to work on Tuesday. Everyone is eagerly awaiting our trip tommorow morning. We leave familiar Nashville early tommorow and fly in to Guatamela sometime Mid-day, and hope to start working as soon as possible.

Aaron