Our first Sunday here Ted took us for an interesting excursion. We rode in a pickup truck for 20 minutes, then walked about 3 km. through mountain trails to a little tent where a 15 year old girl, Velma, lived with her 22 year old husband and their 3 month old daughter Celia. All they had was a very small tent, donated by Wells of Hope. Their kitchen was a board on some bricks. They had two old lawn chairs to sit on. Their harvest of corn and a few clothes were suspended in a tarp. To get some corn ground she would have to walk at least10 km carrying her baby, the corn cobs and a jug to bring home water. I admire her ability to cope with this life style plus raise a baby, and she is two years younger than I am!

I was impressed by how eager all the Guatemalans are to work, even without pay. They mixed concrete by hand, carried it in buckets and poured it to make the floor for the new school at La Puerta. They dug a trench with pick-axe and shovels for 700 meters to bring water to our base camp. I was impressed by the genuine welcome the locals gave us and Ted's group made us feel at home right away.

Our experience of going to church high in the mountains at the small village of La Toma was unforgettable. We were all (23 people) fed a meal of chicken and rice even though they didn't know we were coming. Ted was asked to address the assembly, which he did in Spanish. There were more than 200 people in this dark little adobe church, with many standing in the aisle or outside. They are in the process of enlarging it and already have the new walls started outside the existing walls. The priest, who ministers to 42 churches, comes to this location once a month.

What I have noticed is the primitive adobe dwellings with mud floors and few window openings. It appears to be so dark inside. Smoke seeps through the tile roofs when women cook their meals. Although conditions are harsh the people seem happy and complain little. Although shy, they are quick to answer your wave with a grin and "buenes tardes" (good afternoon). The daily laundry hung to dry is amazingly white considering the muddy water in the lagoon where the women scrub their clothes on flat stones. The little girls always wear pretty, colourful dresses. Family members show great respect for each other and rarely raise their voices. Children take on responsibility (carrying firewood, looking after younger siblings, harvesting corn, etc) and seem to mature early.

The Wells of Hope camp is well established and provided great meals for us! The land is beautiful with such a variety of vegetation; banana trees, cactus plants of all kinds, colourful bougainvillea bushes. All the neighbourhood kids come to play with the van der Zalm kids. My favourite place is the hammock strung up in the porch. This has been an amazing experience; there is so much we take for granted at home.

The people have nothing and yet are eager to share everything with us! They show great appreciation for the fact that we are here to help them improve their life by at least having clean, pure water and new school facilities. The local men all volunteer their help and are very strong and hard working. Women carry everything on their heads, laundry, firewood, cornstalks, and water jugs.

Dr. Isa, who is a legendary champion of her beloved Guatemalans (like a Mother Theresa), arranged a neighbourhood party in honour of the birthday of three-year-old Chiara van der Zalm. Dozens of children magically appeared out of the hills, (how does the word travel so far and so fast?). We enjoyed watching them taking turns being blindfolded, twirled around, and then swinging a stick break the giant candy filled piñata (provided by Dr. Isa). They were very polite, waited their turn and lining up to receive extra candy. The whole Wells of Hope crew goes out of their way to make the children feel welcome.

When I was riding in the back of a pickup truck along a winding mountain path, and round a bend to suddenly see a panorama of row upon row of mountains and valleys, it took my breath away. No photos can do justice to this expanse of God's creation! The Guatemalans have developed the art of producing subsistence crops of corn, rye and wheat on the steep slopes of the mountains, all with hand tools. The pick-axe and machete are the tools that even young lads learn to use with skill. Some families have one or more horses that are used as transportation or to carry huge loads of corn stalks or firewood. If no horse is available, the loads are carried by men (on their back) or by women (on their head).

At first glance the steep inclines appear to contain only vegetation, but closer inspection reveals many adobe houses, connected by a labyrinth on foot paths.

Lacking technical knowledge to actually help with the well-drilling operation, our group helped pick rocks to raise the level of the floors in the two schools that are in progress. We also spent a lot of time painting the inside and outside of the first school, which is constructed of cement blocks. It replaces a rough plank structure. The second school, higher in the mountains, replaces a cornstalk-walled structure. The general consensus of our group is that we would do this again in a flash if given the opportunity. There is so much work to be done to help these people. We were honoured to be a small part of this larger project.

Mary Skirrow, Stephanie Johnston, Bill Wiley, Barb Wiley, Jerry Sneek, Dave Johnston, Lauren Pyke, Brittany Bartlett & Sake Kielstra

Gathering gravel for fill at school site 2

Water for People

American Water Works Association

Canadian Water Quality and Health

Visit the Niagara Warehouse of Hope

Back Home