"The Most Modern Airport in Central America"

We're in the international airport in Guatemala City, a few moments away from lining up for a security check. We departed the Porta Hotel Antigua this morning around eight a.m., with a fairly smooth (as in traffic, not roadway conditions) trip Guatemala City. We're aimed for Atlanta with the expectation of a few hours of waiting there before departing for Nashville sometime this evening. Several of us are feeling a final bout of the "Mayan Resistance", including myself, but we are for the most part in good health. It's been an exhausting and enlightening week, and while we will miss the community we've become a part of in Concepcion, we are glad to be heading back to the States. To the readers, see you all soon.
---Jesse "El Mico de Fuego" Garrison

De Fuego...

Today we finished the bridge. We thought we were going to have a little bit of difficulty with the fencing around the side of the bridge because it was too tall, but we were able to trim it down to size and in the end it proved to be better than what we were going to do in the first place. It is funny, our bridge has come just in time. There was a very large thunder storm last night and it washed out the temporary bamboo bridge that the people were using to get across the river, so if we hadn't built ours the people wouldn't have had a way to get across.

Also there was a group that went to the schools. They did a David and Goliath skit with the kids and it went over very well. Greg as Goliath scared the kids :) And Nathan Harless as David sang as he "played" his harp. All in all it was a good trip and at the end they were able to play with the kids awhile in the courtyard. Which was the best part because they got to interact with the kids on a personal level.

The water project group was really excited because in the big storm last night filled the 600 gallon tank that they had put at the sight. It actually overflowed the tank because the overflow valve was not in place yet. And they filled up the filter and ran some water through it. It will take about a month for this type of filter to purify water to our "standards". The kids helped filter the sand by using the screen and jumping up and down singing songs.

At the afternoon devo at the Bridge site David Fann brought a message about how we are "Hermanos en Christo" Brothers in Christ and David Collao did a great job leading the children in VBS songs.

Today was a lot more laid back than most. We were able to spend a lot of time with the kids. We've taught them tic tac toe and how to throw a frisbee. They've given us names like "miko de fuego" (Little monkey of fire) AKA Jesse or King Kong AKA Dr. Gwinn.

Tomorrow we look forward to the Bridge Dedication with the community, going to the school, finishing the water project, and going back to the Old Bridge site to visit all of our friends from last year.

Buenos Noches,

Amy & Matt

Adventures in the Jungle

Greetings from Guatemala!
Today we finally got to sleep in until 8:15 (our normal bugle call is 6:00). We got dressed up in our Sunday clothes and walked across the street to a church. Carlos gave the sermon and most of the service was in Spanish which was very interesting. We sang two songs with both English and Spanish verses and were greeted individually by all the church-goers. Later in the afternoon we went back to the worksite and continued to make progress. The bridge is coming along quite well, the process of welding, scrubbing, and painting the panels is so efficient they are put on the bridge the second they are dry.

The water team has been making good progress as well. Friday was a big day when we poured the concrete for the first filter, hung the gutters, and moved the tank down the river to the house. We will pour the concrete for the second filter tomorrow. Diego first carried three huge loads of gravel and sand and Manuel and his brother mixed the concrete on the ground. This was no Quikcrete that we had used at school and was quite a site to see!

I have had quite a time getting to know Diego’s family (the house of which we are installing the water system). Manuel and I have worked hard together as well as shared many laughs even though we don’t always understand each other. He jokes about a crooked cut I made in the wood constantly as well as our adventures with the tank. Today he was at the bridge site where others showed him how to weld and use power tools.

The kids have also been quite a pleasant surprise. There are about six kids at the water house who I have connected with and learned all their names. A new game was created when they learned the words ‘excuse me.’ Now the kids will walk up to you and say excuse me and motion for you to move over. They have also learned other English words such as good morning, thank you, hello, and tickle. My gloves are usually taken out of my back pocket and I have to chase them down to retrieve them, although they know when I need to work and will give them to me right away when I ask. Today one of the kids (Nicolas) returned my glove to me and motioned for me to put my hand in, and when I looked down I realized he had put a baby chick in it! All the kids got a good laugh out of that one. Every day I now look forward to walking to the water house where I will be greeted by all the kids with “Hello, good morning. Excuse me!”

Tomorrow starts another big day as teams are returning to the bridge site, water site, and back to the schools.
Adios for now,
Nathan Harless


Diego cutting wood with his machete.



Me with the kids at the water house.



The water team installing the gutter on the house.

Mother's Day Greetings from Guatemala

Happy Mother’s Day


Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers, wives, and grandmothers of the Lipscomb 2007 Engineering Missions team. We love and care for you and hope that you are having a joyous Mother’s Day. We miss you and wish that we could be there to share the day with you. Please know that today, especially today, you are in our thoughts and prayers as we remember the love that you have given to us and the many sacrifices that you have made for us. Feliz Días de las Madres.

Dear Linda, love you lots and miss you even more than usual on this special day. I hope you have a great Mother’s Day and be sure to say hi for me to the kids and grandkids. Wish you were here to enjoy the experience with me. See you soon. Fred

Mom, I hope that you got your Mother’s day present in the mail. I am sorry I couldn’t spend Mother’s Day with you, but we are really doing good works here. I am sure, knowing you, that you are worrying but everything is going great here. Talk to you soon. Tell Dad and Rachel I said hi! Love you lots, Amy.

Amy, Stephany and Lilli – thanks for being such great moms. There is no more important work. Mary Ann, thanks for loving my children, children-in-laws and grandchildren. I love you all. Dick

Happy Mother’s Day to Carolyn and all the other mothers among our friends who are following our progress through this blog. Kerry

Mom,
I hope your Mother’s Day has been a good one! Dad and the girls better be cooking you dinner tonight ;-) I can’t wait to see you, we’re getting close!! Thanks for being the best mom ever, I miss you so much!
(Happy Mother’s Day to both my Grammys and to Aunt Julie and Auntsie Beth too! I love you all!!)
Sheena

Hola from Guatemala,
We are doing well. The bridge and water filtering system The teacher seminar went well. They want me to do another one next year. We will see.

Love to all and Happy Mother’s
Day. Mom Iris

Momma Lucas – Happy Mother’s Day from Guatemala! Love You, I hope the bush made it back okay to Oklahoma and the card made it in the mail. Gracias por todos!
-Matt


Hey Mom!! Happy Mother’s Day! Feliz dia de las Madres! Send Grandmommy my wishes that she may have a great day! Hope everything is going well in Ky. My love to all, Kelsey

Hola Ma! Esto tiene que ser en Ingles y Espaniol… I want you to know that I keep you in my mind and even more whenever I’m facing difficulties. I’m a great admirer of you and Grandma, I think I would never had become the little I am without you and I thank God for you. Love.
-David Collao

Hey mommy! Just wanted to say happy mother’s day. I love you. Tell grandma and mamaw for me too again I love you
- Greg

Happy Mother’s Day! Kochira ha mada Guatemala ni imasuga, nanntoka gennki ni yatte imasu. Sochira ha ikaga osugoshi deshouka. Yoi haha no hi wo osugoshi kudasai.
-Kohei

Happy Mothers Day mom! Love you and don’t worry my Malaria hasn’t gotten out of hand yet. Can’t wait to be home for the summer
-Aaron J

Hey Mom!
I’m still alive and well, and not rooming with Aaron. Love you lots and Happy Mothers Day!! I hope you can get the cable grease out of my shirts! (just kidding)
Love,
Jon

Dear Mom, If I don’t make it home, it’s because I’ve been poisoned by a tree frog. I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day. Love, Alan


Happy Mothers Day!!! Everything is going well here. We went to church this morning and just finished lunch. I hope your day is wonderful. Adios. Love Kirk

Hi Mom! We’re all doing fine and having fun working and stuff. I haven’t seen any poisonous snakes, but tell Tabitha that if I see one I’ll bring it home for her. Have an awesome Mother’s Day. Love, Paul.

Hey Momma! I hope you are having a happy Mother’s Day. I don’t have malaria or parasites yet so everything is going well. We have all been working really hard since we got here, and we should finish our 9th bridge of the week this afternoon. Love, JD

Hey Mom! I’m still alive for the most part and everything is going well here. I hope you got your card; I’ll see if I can get a boa constrictor back into the States as a Mother’s Day present. Hope you, Dad, and Grandma have had a great week; hopefully I’ll be able to drive home Friday night. Love, Jesse.

Mom…? Is that you? I just wanted to wish you a happy Mother’s Day. Things are well here and I have not suffered much body damage. I love you and I will be keeping you in my prayers. Love, Britt

Hello to the two most important moms in my life. To my mom for bringing me into the world and caring for me each and every day to be the man I am now. And to Anne, the mom of my beautiful wife Anne-Geri'. I appreciate and love you both so much. Happy Mother's Day!
David

Hi Mom! I hope you are having a great Mother’s Day. Things are going well, and we’re half way done. I’ll see you guys soon. I love you. Love, Kara

Hi Elizabeth! I hope you got all of the messages I sent you! Happy Mother’s day from Chicacao, Guatemala. I love you, -Fort P.S. Tell Mama G and Granny for me.

Hi Mom! I didn’t forget this year, haha. I just wanted to wish you a happy Mother’s day. Please give everyone a hug and a kiss for me. Love, Nathan T.

Hey Mom, It is quite an incredible experience here. I have gotten to know a Guatemalan family pretty well and have many stories. I have used most of the items you packed for me. Thank you and happy Mother’s Day! Love, Nathan H.

Hey Mommy!! Happy Mother’s Day! I hope you are having a wonderful day and I can’t wait to see you in a few days! : ) I love you and Daddy ssssoooo much! Miss you! Love, Rachael

Hey mommy!  I just wanted to wish you a very wonderful Mother’s Day. I wish that I could be there with you to wish you it in person! I miss you and daddy very, very much! I love you both! Happy Mother’s Day! Love, Rebecca

Hello Mom! I hope you are having a wonderful Mother’s Day. One of the reasons I’m here in Guatemala is your example of faith and love of God. I’m so thankful for that. I hope everything is great back home and tell everybody hello for me. See you in a few days! Love,
Alexander

Here's a picture that only a mother could love....

Watching People Loving It

Just a while ago I was trying to think what to write in here since it's my turn to blog and I'll start by describing the images I'm seeing right now. Some people are talking, some are watching pictures of the day in their cameras, some are reading american magazines, some are playing cards... they are doing different things and I can tell they are loving it. And believe me, I know they love it since the moment they wake up(or since the moment Master Fann wakes them up) until time to go to bed comes.

Some of the projects are almost finished and others are still half way there. Even though some days there are not many things to do, everybody finds some activity to spend their time. Name it cutting wood or singing with the kids. Playing some silly game with the little locals or hanging panels. Some things need to be done and some are done "just for pleasure", but they are also important.

Today in the morning, the seminar for teachers was held and it was directed by Iris, who did a woderful job. The teachers learned so much, had a great time, and were so thakful and pleased that asked for another seminar to be held again in the future. Some of them even offered to help organize it and give information about the education system in Guatemala to make the seminar more productive. In the afternoon, people kept up the hard work of the morning. Also, by petition of Don Jesus, some students and a couple of teachers visited a water tank system to try to figure out why it is not working properly. All the information obtained will be analyzed by the fluid mechanics geeks and a suggestion will be made. At the end of the day half of the bridge was in place, some more panels had been done, more wood had been cut, and more blessing from God had been enjoyed.

This were the news of the day by your co-server and server.

-David Collao



How do you like our first half of the bridge? I love it!

Another Day Another Panel

Aaron here with another central American update. The best news for the day is that we really like bridges, closely followed by guacamole. After careful consideration and much review, it was in fact a great day. The main objective for the day was to begin putting bridge panels out over the raging river. The puente panel putting process was discussed well into the night last night to determine how to best approach the process of mounting the panels. Our main concern was the timing of putting the panels on the cable and the ability of our panel making and painting crews to keep up with the pace. We were fairly confident that the crews could almost match the pace of the putting the panels on the cable. This morning we organized the crews to place the panels, and began manufacturing handrail connectors. The bridge team was short on people at first, and many Guatemalans came to help us place panels onto the cables. It was great to see them helping out hand in hand. We then pulled panels across the river and began to accumulate a bridge. Our big bridge grew and grew until there was half a puente (that's bridge, or so I have been told). We then ran out of dried, painted panels, and proceeded to fix any odd gaps in the bridge. There are still some issues that need to be worked out with getting the panels to line up squarely and straightly. On another topic there was some concern over whether David Stephens was going to make it through the day with an acceptable amount of fluid left in his digestive tract. Don't worry Donna we've got some medication that will clear David right up. We have been given some avocados which if we play our cards right, will be turned into that sweet nectar we call Guacamole. We love Guacamole only second to Jesus (not the Jesus who gave us the avocados) and Bridges.


Patterson giving it the ol sniff test


The who installed the bridge sideways? picture ( I forgot to rotate the picture)


It's a twin thing...

Jon here again, with a little more time to give you an idea of what went on today. Right now the team is in the mess hall after a delicious dinner of shreaded beef and chicken burritos. Nathan Harless and I joked saying Baja Burrito had come. The food here has been superb.
Today I wrote about how a team went into La Fortuna, I think Iris will write about that soon. At the bridge site today after lunch we spent a little bit of time repairing our tent that we put up yesterday. It is now fit for a three ring circus! We now have a place we can retreat to if there should be a sudden cloud burst. Panel production continued and painting was started up. This year it seems we have applied lessons learned from last year and the painting has been more productive.
Speaking of lessons learned, the method of pulling cable across the river was improved by using a sturdier cradle for the wire. Also, the actual pulling went faster due to the shorter span. All four cables are up and the walkway cables sag has been set. The handrail cables are stretched, but not set yet. This will come tomorrow with the instalation of small turnbuckles.
The local help here has been great. There is one man who was waiting for us at the site this morning as well as Manual, the teenager who lives in the water project house. There is no job that is beneath the Guatemalans. A local named Jesus (pronounced "Hey-zues" in espanol) watches us diligently and is always there to lend a hand when needed. He helped us pull all four cables across and wraped up the rope for Dr. Gilliam.
Here's a funny story; Yesterday Jesse and I helped the water team out with moving the collection tank acroass the river to Diego and Manual's house. Manual attached a rope to "El Tanke" and wanted to float it across the river. Nathan thought it would fill up with dirty water and sink. So he explained in English his opinion, and Manual smiled and said "Si." Then he would explain to Nathan in Spanish his idea, and Nathan would shrug his shoulders and agree. So Manual started pushing the tank into the river only to have Nathan stop him and the process start all over. What a sight!! This went on for 10 minutes until finally after much deliberation with hand motions and broken Spanish we opted to float the tank down the river. We got the tank to the house safely.

Its been a great time so far. Here are some more pictures that I took:


The Cable Cradle 2.0. Last year we used wood. This was much better.


After Lunch we got the second walkway cable set and the handrail cables stretched.


El Tanke en el rio (Not pictured: a worried Nathan)

Weekend Update with Jon Hester

Hello everyone back home! I'm just going to write a quick note to update you on el puente (bridge.)

This morning the Renovation Team disbanded into the group that went to the school in La Fortuna (sp?) lead by Iris Whitney and Amy translating. From what I saw when the construction crew returned to the clinic for lunch, it went well.

Right now there are two walkway cables on the bridge one of which has been set to the desired sag. We didn't even have to touch the turnbuckle to tension the cable!

Everyone is in high spirits and are working together well.

I gotta go the trucks are leaving!
Here's a picture for you Hatchell!

Second Day

Well, we're finished with day no. 2 and much has been accomplished. Today was the big day for the bridge renevation team. The main problem with the bridge was that the cables on the upstream side of the bridge had been stretched out due to being clipped by a tree that had floated downriver. This caused the bridge tilt down on one side. However, the team encountered a problem with retensioning the cables. The turnbuckles had already been turned as far as they could go last year, when the bridge was built. To fix the problem, we first had to transfer the load of the bridge from one of the turnbuckles to another cheater turnbuckle/cable. Then the old turnbuckle was taken out and replaced by a shorter turnbuckle that would allow more room to adjust the tension in the cables. We then transferred the weight to the new turnbuckle. This process was done for each of the turnbuckles on the far bank from the village. Before and after each of these transitions the team prayed to ask/thank God for safety and to keep the bridge out of the river. The final step was to recut the end piece of the decking to make it fit into the smaller space. We received several visitors throughout day, including several people who wanted to pass across the bridge. Some of these we had to turn away, but others we helped to get across. Several kids also kept us company and played games with Amy and Rebekah and the rest of the team as we could find time. For some of us, one of the best parts of the day was when Dr. Gilliam brought back a sack of fresh bread and muffins from Juana, the local baker. It was amazing. The other teams are continuing to make progress with their projects. The water team is ready for their big day tomorrow and the bridge construction team is continuing to prep the bridge site and put together materials for construction. At the end of the day, we all came back, cleaned up, ate dinner, and sang songs together for a while. One of the Guatemalan preachers led us in some of the Spanish praise songs. Finally when we are ready to go to bed, sunburned, with sore muscles, and tired minds, we look back at the work of the day and see how much good is being done for the people and for the glory of God. It is a wonderful site to see how thankful the people are for what they have and how willing they are to help. Thank God for helping the renevation team with their project and continue to pray for the other teams, that their projects will go as well as the renevation.

Paul Wright

Last Year's Bridge Retensioned

Well, we just got back from a great day at last years bridge. Due to the hard work of Kirk, JD, and Paul, we were able to get most of the cables made up under a shelter at the clinic during a massive rainstorm last night. That meant that we could hit the ground running this morning. Things went so well that we had re-tensioned the bridge and had it open to traffic by 3:00 this afternoon. The only thing left is to take the slack out of the handrail cable.

I can't say enough about how well our team has worked together! Kirk, Amy, JD, Paul, and Rebecca have done a great job. They have also been very patient with the four old codgers who were standing around spouting opinions about what to do next! (i.e. Fred, Kerry, Dick, and Fort)

Thanks for all of your prayers,

-Fort Gwinn

Lunch time

Greetings to all of our friends back home!
I just took a second out of lunch to drop you all a quick note and update you on our second day on the job. Everything is going just as well as planned and we are making amazing progress in all areas. Today is a big day for the renovation team; they are adding tension to the cables in last years bridge and replacing the existing turnbuckles. They have already switched the turnbuckles and will finish with the tensioning after lunch. Amy was telling me how excited she was that all the steps of the process are working out perfectly (knock on wood); it looks like they planned very well!
The water team has been working all morning to build the filter box and prepare the location for the filter. The gutters will be going up shortly and concrete mixing will follow.
As for our construction team, we are working on preparing the foundations and setting up to assemble bridge sections. It has been a productive morning all around.
Dr Gwinn thought that I should enlighten you with the highlight of my yesterday. While we were assembling some turnbuckles I was sitting on the ground in the drive at the clinic. While I was working I felt some pricklies and thought there must be some bugs under my behind, so I took a little scoot forward. Turns out I was sitting in a pile of dust-size metal shavings! Let's just say I was a little uncomfortable for the rest of the day. :-)
I just can't express the joy that the children here bring to us every day. Yesterday we had an amazing devo (led by David) and sharing the experience with all of the locals who came out was wonderful. The children are always so excited to see us and never get bored watching us work and calling out to us. Yesterday a couple of them got ahold of one of our two way radios and had a ball talking to Jon and David. All of the local villagers are so eager to set up and help us, they have been working right alongside our team and I know how much they will appreciate the bridge and filter both. It is so encouraging to watch their enthusiasm when David reads scripture or delivers a message or story. Their hearts are so open to the Lord and accepting of our team. It is truly a blessing to work hand in hand with these people and I wish you all were here to experience it.

Love from Guatemala,
Sheena T

PS Mary Ann, your cookies are WONDERFUL (as always!). We have certainly been enjoying the snack ;-)

First Full Day

Today we had our first full day of work here in Guatemala. Breakfast came early at 6:30, but it was a great meal of beans and tortillas. Afterwards we spent several hours organizing our tools as well as preparing some of our materials for later use. Then, little by little our teams made their way to their work sites. I’m on the water team so I’ll give you our story. We were the first to arrive at the new bridge site and we made our way through the village across the river and arrived at our project home. We made some more measurements and explained what we wanted to do to Diego. He is the father of the family who lives in the home. He was very excited about what we wanted to do and he quickly moved to cut away some of the plants and trees that were in our way. Also, to create space for the water tank that will hold the rainwater, we needed to move around 50 or 60 cinder blocks. It was a remarkable moment when we joined together with Diego and his sons to move the cinder blocks. Everyone was working together despite being separated by language and we were able to unite towards a common goal. A remarkable thing happened as well. One of the other villagers named Jesus was very interested in getting a water filter for himself. So now we will (hopefully) build two water filters and maybe even a second water collection system. God is certainly providing work for us and I’m sure we’ll be capable instruments for his work. Later in the day we had a devo with the villagers and David gave a lesson in Spanish to at least 50 of the villagers who had come to hear. It was very moving experience. We worked on our projects for the rest of the afternoon until rain began to threaten. When we made it back to the clinic it wasn’t but 5 minutes before it began pouring. It rained really hard for almost an hour and a half. I was completely soaked from head to the inside of my boots! Today was really great though. I’m sure that tomorrow will be just as good as we continue to work. I hope everybody back home is doing well and we’ll be writing more later!
- Alex Briski

First Day

Today we began our journey to Guatemala as we met at 3:30 in the morning for the bus ride to the airport. The airport process went very smoothly and none of our baggage was lost! Then we took the short plane ride to Atlanta and then the longer one to Guatemala City. A bunch of our team members had the opportunity to get their shoes shined as we waited for our bus to arrive! Then we took the 2 ½ hour bus ride to the clinic.
The rooms here are, as last year, extremely nice. The girls are split up into 2 rooms of 3 girls each where the rooms consist of a small kitchen and a bathroom. The main complex is where the boys are staying and they are very lucky to have filtered water now. It will be a big advantage to not have to brush their teeth with bottled water! Dinner here was wonderful as usual. We had meat, pasta, tortillas, chips, salsa, guacamole, and fresh lemonade. Overall, the accommodations here are great!
After unpacking the bus, we all left to go see where we will be working these next few days. We first visited the new bridge site where the Guatemalans had already built the concrete platforms. We crossed the river on a bridge they had built temporarily. Then we traveled through a small village where we arrived at the next project. This project is to build a water filter for one household of 8. We made some measurements, talked to some of the people there, and headed towards our old bridge site.
Once we arrived at the old bridge, we walked across the bridge and noticed a new concrete wall they had built from the church to the bridge. It looked much different then we had seen it last, but it looked very nice. Some of the kids from last year came running over to greet us. Surprisingly they could still tell Rachael and Rebecca apart! This was very special. It was then getting dark so we headed back to the clinic. We ended the night in a small devotional and meeting. It was a good beginning to a wonderful trip!

Rebecca and Rachael Swift

Packing done...

Well, it is 7:30PM, and it is less than 9 hours before we are to be at the airport. (4AM Ugh!) We had a great packing party, breaking down components to build a 100 ft bridge in 50 lb increments...not to mention a water catchment filtration system and lots of school supplies and demonstrations. Needless to say, most of the heavy materials we are buying in Guatemala.

Our flight information is as follows:
Tuesday, May 8th, 2007
Delta Airlines Flight 1635 Leaves Nashville 6AM Arrives Atlanta 8:03AM
Delta Airlines Flight 311 Leaves Atlanta 10:22AM, arrives Guatemala City 12:00 PM

Friday, May 18th, 2007
Delta Airlines Flight 310 Leaves Guatemala City 1:10PM, arrives Atlanta 6:41PM
Delta Airlines Flight 1293 Leaves Atlanta 9:48PM, arrives Nashville 9:56PM

Check back often, since I will try to get a different team member to post a paragraph or two every day. Of course when it rains, Health Talents has no internet service...something about satellites and clouds causing problems. So remember that no news is good news. Feel free to leave a comment yourself as well.

Chief Cat-herder and fearless leader,
David Fann