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| Hi,
my name is Larry Wendel and I have been asked by Ted to share some
of my experiences here in Laguna El Pito Guatemala for the web site. As like so many trips before, ours was no different. A minor two hour delay in Buffalo made the trip turn into an extra stop in Miami and then off to Guatemala. With a camp arrival time of midnight , not a soul was awake, less the dogs. I now know why Skipper has tired eyes, With the break of dawn, I began to meet some new and old friends. My first being Ted and Oma, and secondly as they awoke, the "Wells Crew". George, Marguerite, Peter, Bob, Chantelle, Marc and of course Miriam and all the children, ( you too Jerry ! ) The nervousness vanished quickly after the introductions and the days plans were discussed. One of the first things that struck me was the amount of walking these people do in a day. It starts by collecting firewood for the cook-stove, the traveling of raw corn to be milled, and of course the many trips to a water source of any kind to fill their buckets and jugs. Up to 2 miles and more, thru mountainous terrain, on paths barely fit for beast.
stalk school house, replacing the cinder blocks and planks currently in use. The third school is progressing well as the grounds are being prepared for the concrete footings. A rather tedious process, digging through the adobe clay by pick and shovel, but with the continued help of the local people, it is speeding up the progress. Clinics are being run in different villages by Miriam and Dr. Marion from Niagara on the Lake. The most common complaint from the women is that their back and shoulders are sore. Not a wonder, as they carry bundles of wood, and containers of every size on their heads. Most clinics were attended by 40 - 50 people, with more being turned away because of darkness. A container of food was shipped during my second week here and it was told that between 800 + 1,000 people had received some of the containers goods. A rather busy day for all the members of the " Wells Team " involved in handing out the food. My fondest memories of my trip will be, finding myself and God, ( with the help of some of my new friends as well as opening my eyes to the truly wondrous things He can do for all of us, if we are just willing to listen to Him. There are so many things that have happened in the two weeks that I have been here, and so many more to be done. It is hard to leave with so much more to be done, but if we all do a little, there will be a little less to be done. I would like to think that during my fifteen days at camp, I have helped make a difference in the lives of some of the villagers, because I certainly know it has made a difference in mine. In closing, I would like to thank George, for being just a great person and inspiration, Marc, for being a good friend, spiritual boost and a lousy Richard Cranium player, and most of all to Ted and Miriam, for being the most dedicated and wonderful people you truly are. God bless you all. |
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| THE
MISSION IS UNDER WAY --- UPDATES HERE!! Read More about the project Read Ted's Story Join the effort Scenes from the first annual H20 Down View a slide show of the people you could help |
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| Life
Giving Links Learn about the World Wide Effort to bring clean water to everyone The United Nations report on Climate Change Water
for People |
If
you or your school or oganization would like to help the people of
Guatemala have clean drinking water, or if you'd like to know more about The Wells of Hope hope Email us at: spirit@warehouseofhope.com |