How Many Cows

Hello Everyone!

I am finally back online (in Guatemala!).

Thanks to Melissa for posting the previous two updates from my satellite messenger messages (which is usually truncated messages and can be a bit of a pain to put together).

I know it is not much fun reading a post without photos so now that I am using a computer, I will start with photos from La Cumbre, El Salvador.  La Cumbre is the community I worked in earlier this year (the one with the two water tanks capturing spring water from the mountaintop). My long-time friend, Jen, came with me to see the project and work with some of the kids in the community (she is a PE teacher in the States). I brought some parts to improve the water filtration at the outlet pipes in the tanks. We only spent 4 days in La Cumbre, but it was plenty of time to go over imporvements for the water tank and spend time with the families (and play soccer TWICE!).

As it was mentioned in my previous post, there was a little drought before we arrive and the tanks were empty. We talked about conserving water and the community understood and agreed to use the tank water soley for drinking water during dry periods. We prayed at the tanks for God to provide rain – rainwater that would fill the tanks, feed the crops and sustain the families.

About 30 hours later, it poured. A lot. We thanked God together that evening as the rain filled the tanks!

Before the rains came, Jen taught some games to the kids at the local school. They had so much fun! She taught the younger kids in the morning and the older kids in the afternoon. By the afternoon class, it has already started to rain, so we played in the rain and then after her games, I played soccer in the mud with the older kids.

The night before we left, we had a little fiesta (gotta love the “music by flashlight” fiestas!)

Getting to Guatemala was not that hard. We took one truck from La Cumbre to Tacuba and then switched to a different truck to go to the border. We made good time so we stopped by the coast for about an hour and a half (and Jen got to see the Pacific Ocean for the first time!). Our truck driver and the men from La Cumbre bought fresh and dried fish (a treat) to bring back to their families for dinner that evening.

We had to physically cross the border on foot, but it was just all part of the adventure. It was probably just about a mile.

Now we are in Guatemala and will be writing again shortly,

Cait & Jen