Sustainability also needs strong foundation.

After the STM team left, the local CHEs continued working and this is the accomplishment as of 2 weeks ago.

Everyday the project advances as long as they can gather more materials with their local strength and resources.

But the thrust given by the STM visiting team has had an impact on the life of the locals which will result in long term fruit.

Completing the footings to begin raising up walls...

It was worth the joint labor. The footings completed became now the start line for the next phase, going up with the walls.

Concrete mixing hands.

CHEs at the village of Paul (among the Quiche people in Guatemala) received such a blessing that the Short Term Mission Team sent by Lexington Baptist Church from South Carolina were able to join the locals in their construction project. September 20 through 27.

Mixing concrete by hand, carrying stones and water plus buckets of concrete to pour for the footings of the new church facility proved in few days that the foundation for sustainable relationships also need very much effort.

Trenches are not always for human wars.

The trenches were ready waiting to be filled up with re-bar, stones, concrete and heavy sweat drops from the local and visitors foreheads.

Learning Teachers.

The first week of August became very busy and exciting for the village of Las Granadillas among the Indigenous Mam area on the Highlands of Western Guatemala.

A short term mission team of teachers formed by Community United Methodist Church and the schools there came led by Peggy Elliot and husband Mike from Crofton Maryland.

They came to share their teaching experience and to learn from the local teachers experience at the village school. The local teachers became more equipped with teaching materials, books and computers plus the encouragement that such an activity can produce.

The children and parents will not forget this time of innovations and improvements to build in their development. The CHE trainers and volunteers received very updated First Aid techniques

Community UMC of Crofton has taken very seriously the Equal Dignity Village Changers approach with the village of Las Granadillas. The "Puesto de Salud" (Health Post) was completed previous to this week and is ready to help in health care as a complement to the Prevention emphasis in CHE. The local CHE leaders also received a very updated First Aid techniques training from one of the STMs. This team will be welcomed by the village upon returning in 2010 and beyond.

Working Children in CHE Projects.

There is a lot of controversial thinking about working children. If you prefer not to see this happening, please do not come to the CHE villages. In San Marcos Niza, like in all of the communities where CHE ministers, children are workers since they learn to walk. Their parents give them tasks to help in the housekeeping or their crops or watching over their livestock. It is a virtue that many city children do not enjoy even amidst poverty. This virtue is, of course, threatened when it prevents the children from going to school.

But in this case, very well motivated by the example of the CHE parents and the Short Term missionaries from Saratoga Presbyterian Church California, we were amazed to see the willingness among these children to put their hands to work alongside the adults.

Both local and STMs investment of labor, time and resources completed the church facility floor. The children could not stop their curiosity and even helped the artist performing the mural on the church wall.

The local church members and Pastor plus all CHE people in the village rejoice to have this improvement in the house of prayer. It happened during July 30 through August 7.

Church facility in Nueva Cajola nearer to completion

The village of Nueva Cajola near the Pacific coast of Guatemala received the Short Term Mission team from Bethany Bible Church from Phoenix last July 17th-25th.

The team led by Jim Grubble joined the local church members working on the finishings to the walls of the new facility plus the installation of the new doors and windows. The local style of mason work was soon mastered by the missionaries who did advance a lot on the 4 days of work. Simultaneously the medical and dental clinic been conducted went smoother because of the help of the team members joining the local CHE volunteers in keeping order, doing the vital signs and organizing and dispensing the medications to the patients who gladly contribute the minimum amount they have to pay for the service.

As usual, the CHE committee decides the fee for the service and the funds raised go to the same CHE committee projects. Educational Games with the children and mainly the relationship which began among visitors and locals can not be less important among the accomplishments of the week at this CHE village among the Mam people of the lowlands. The verbal witness brought came to encourage those CHEs who by doing the home visits sometimes grow weary when the seed seems to take longer to spring out.