We had the privilege of installing our first smokeless stove as part of the Stoves for Life Project.
In Guatemala, the #1 killer is smoke inhalation and respiratory deaths related to smoke.
To get a better understanding of the install here is a 2-minute video with a timelapse of the installation.
We went to a small village called San Antonio, which is about 45 minutes from Guazacapan. This is a remote village with literally nothing around it. The main town has a small store the size of a normal garage with mostly drinks & snacks. The geographic location is about 35 minutes from the ocean so it’s very dry and very hot 33 degrees on the day we went.
Old stove (open flame)
Prepping the stove
New Stove location
Cutting the whole in the roof for the ventilation
Erin playing with the kids
Prepping
the floor area and getting it levelled
The family was composed of a father (52), mother, (35), daughter (16), daughter (9), daughter (7), son (4). This was by far not the poorest home we went too….but by our standards, they had very little. They did have a block-building home with 1 room (no doors, or windows) and everyone slept in the same room. It was furnished by another ministry called Power at Work (bunkers and tables). They did have a few acres of land, which apparently was given to them because they had to relocate from a more remote area that was hit by floods.
On their property, they had some agriculture and animals including chickens, hens and several cows (rare to see cows). They were growing corn, mangoes, and a few other vegetables.
One of the sad things is that the 16-year-old has a grade 5 education and no longer goes to school. Given the location, it’s very difficult to go to school, and they are too poor to be able to afford to send her to school. The father is also 52 and has a 4-year-old, so hopefully he has the energy to be able to raise his family.
Outwardly looking in you could wonder how could anyone live like this. However they live a very simple life. We observed lots of joy and smiles. Erin and the kids played games like spot it with their kids and we were able to spend time with them in their own home.
They all slept in the same room…all 6 of them. However they all seemed very content with what they have. They were thankful for all they had.
All in all it took about a half a day to do the install and spend some time with the family. The hardest job was actually taking out the old stove which is one of the requirements of getting a new stove is that the family will actually use it…so they are required decommission their old stove, so they will no longer cook using unsafe methods. They also agree to maintaining the stove and also not to sell it.
Removing the old stove
Fe Vivía works with local pastors in small villages all over the area to assess the needs and who qualifies and needs a stove. (Some people dont want to agree to take their old stove away or sign they will take care of it).
All in all our family had a great experience and look forward to doing many more of these. It was also a blessing to have Granpa Wayne and Grandma Val there to experience this as a family!
It was very difficult to say goodbye to our friends in Colima. We made some deep connections with many of the kids and many of the staff and leaders. We had a teary goodbye. One of the last things we were able to do was we took pictures of every child and gave them a copy along with putting a copy of it on the wall. They have very few pictures of themselves so it was fun to see them receive it and have it on their wall!
a few of the kids seeing the wall for the 1st time
Everyone signed a Mexico jersey for Micah
We arrived in Guatemala and found out only a few days earlier that Val & Wayne Zilkie (Jay's parents) would be joining us for a few weeks in Guatemala.
Feb 1st - We flew out of Guadalajara, to Mexico City then to Guatemala City. We arrived about 11:00 in the morning and were met at a hotel by Val & Wayne. We hadn't seen them since October so our kids were delighted to have them.
We spent the day in Guatemala City and went to the Zoo which was awesome.
Guatemala City Zoo with Grandpa Wayne and Grandma Val
Feb 2nd - The following day we were met by the people from Fe Viva who were there to pick us up.
118km takes about 3 hours of driving with traffic and roads
Gauzacpan is a very small rural area about 7-10 minutes from Chiquimulilla
which has around 20,000 people
We then made the long drive from Guatemala City to Guazacpan. We stopped and got groceries and are now all settled in to start our time here. There are many exciting projects happening down here and lots of things for all of us to do.
We will update you on our first Stove For Live (smokeless stove) that we get to do!
Every great organization is fueled by the people who run
it. We experienced the most passionate,
dedicated and hard-working leaders, staff and volunteers. These people are giving their lives from
morning till night every day to serve and love these kids. We are so inspired by them; how big their
faith is and their faithfulness.
We wanted to highlight the people and some of the things
they do to make things run (aka The Real Heroes).
Joel & Ceci:
Joel (Ho-L) or Pappi Joel as the kids refer to him as and
Ceci (Ses E) or Mammi Ceci as they kids refer to as, have run the Casa Matriz
home (ages 6-12) for over 22 years. Cecy is also the bookkeeper for Casa Matriz
& Adonai Church. Every dime, donation, gift for a child she knows about it,
has a record and a thank you ready. She is incredibly organized & innovative
such so that the government will go to her to ask for help in what to do in
other orphanages. Joel not only serves at the orphanage but also coaches
football ( soccer) to kids in the community at a football club 5 days a week;
ages 3-8. Their work ethic again is insane; not sure how they do all they do in
a day- but their motto is to serve & love the Lord with all they have and
this is truly the truth they walk every day.
Pablo & Raquel:
Raquel is a director of Casa Matriz and helps run the
home. Pablo is the pastor at the church
Grupo De Amor, and son of Nahun and brother to Sobadi (in Kelowna). They have 2 children Darra (14) and Matthias
(11). Raquel is so lovely- she has a heart for God & kids. She knows the
kids so well and supports the day-to-day staff to keep everything flowing. Pablo
not only works 6 days a week at Casa Matriz doing any project as he is very handy, and does all the solar panels and leads the general maintenance. He is also the Pastor at Grupo D'Amor and generally speaks at the 2nd service, sometimes Saturday and Sunday night as well along with leading small groups of young couples. We watched that family in awe of
their service and love for everyone who crossed their paths. They wrapped their
arms around us in love and will miss their family deeply; our kids became good
friends with their kids too.
Stefan & Cynthia:
Stefan has been involved since 2011 (was there when Erin
went). He is now married to Cynthia a
H’ogar De Amor graduate who stayed on and worked at the orphanage. They now have 3 boys ages 1, 3 and 5. Together with another couple they run the boy’s
home (Casa Senior) where they have up to 16 boys ages 13-19. Most are in school at Adonai and the older
ones are in university or trade school.
They built the home in 2019 and Stefan and Cynthia share an adjoining
home with their own space for their family.
Stefan left an easy life that was filled with financial security and opportunity in Germany
Brenda:
Brenda became very special to our family Brenda is also a
Casa Matriz & Casa Senorita graduate since then has worked in Casa Matriz.
She loves to cook and is the cook for a lot of lunches & suppers (which is
feeding around 50 people every time) .
She spoke English so it was easy to connect & communicate and we
were able to learn Spanish from her.
Lena:
Lena is a volunteer from NYC. She arrived in August with
little Spanish and is now a fluent impactful member of the team of everyday at
Casa Matriz. She was a joy to be around and learn the “ ropes” of every day
chaos and how to be helpful with the kids and most importantly support the
staff.
Lena playing with some of the kids.
Jose Manuel & sisters - Belen, Rosa, Leti :
Jose Manuel (Manuelo) became like a best friend to our
family (especially Jay & Izaiah). He
is 18 years old and was part of one of the group family homes with his 3
sisters. Jose is a full-time staff who does maintenance, clean up, and
everything & anything that needs to get done roles. Jose 2 younger sisters
Belen & Rosa who are in high school, but every day help support the home in
many ways everyday such as cooking & laundry, doing the kids girls hair
etc. They also teach Sunday school & very focused on their studies- I was
in awe most days of what they tackle as a teenager- incredibly inspiring.
Jose’s oldest sister Leti is a full-time staff member- she is a great member of
the team who the kids look to for guidance and direction. They are an amazing family
who truly loved our kids and made us feel so at home in everything we did.
Ken Kaper:
You never know who you are going to meet in your travels,
but Ken is a special man. Ken is 82
years old. He has been coming to the
orphanage for 22 years. Ken is a retired
electrical/telephone installer. Ken
lovingly volunteers his time for 2-3 months every year. He stays in Casa Cuna (where we stayed in one
of the rooms). He spent most of his time
in Casa Leonel with the older boys, but we spent time with him every day. Each week Ken and Jayson would take a 15
passenger mini bus of Casa Cuna Kids to preschool at Adonai. We had 11 kids 3-4 years old in the back,
with no seat belts and let me tell you it was wild.
Ken drives them on Monday/Wednesday and picks the up as
well. Ken is in amazing shape and drives
everywhere which is just outstanding considering how challenging the roads
are. I never actually drove with him as
Jayson was always the driver. Bless his
faithful heart. He did zoom calls and
small group chats every day and night and was faithfully in his word every
day. He would also walk to a gym and
walk around with no shirt on at night.
Just a special human, and we were blessed to know him during our time!
Ken had an attitude of, hey I'm here to help whatever I can do. He did it with a smile on his face, joy in his heart. He was inspiring by his love and joy at 82 years old!
This is Ken. He works all day helping others, is in multiple small groups and bible studies every evening. He was praying during a zoom call, his eyes may have been closed for a few moments!
Bedro, Senior Cecy , Honey, Elena:
There are countless other staff who have their roles and are
faithful stewards of them- They pour their hearts into what they can do for
these kids, providing what food, clothes, opportunity & time they can, and
most of all a love for God.
We are reminded each day by the faith of the people here: the staff, the volunteers and the kids. They live differently, simply and with joy and determination in their hearts, and a love that we don't see everyday at home..
1 Corinthians 15:58 - Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in Vain.
Here is what a normal day/week look like at Casa Matriz (ages 6-12):
Monday-Friday:
Each day the staff/volunteers meet at 7:30am to pray for the ninos/ninas.
They wake the kids shortly after that about 7:35-7:40. They all meet in the common area/TV room where they start the day with worship songs. The kids are led by Pappa Joel, Mamma Cecy (Sey See), or one of the other staff. It's a powerful way to start the day with worship and being thankful for all God provides.
Once that's over around 8:00am the kids go about their chores for the next hour, where they help cook breakfast, clean the rooms, sweep the tile floors, mop, the bathrooms, sweep the courtyard, and pick up garbage. The schedule is set and everyone knows their own job; what and when it needs to be finished. Once that is completed breakfast is served.
9:00-10:00am is free play. They all play outside (once chores are completed), soccer, basketball, riding bikes (few work as most are broken) or scooters, playground, with their toys or other games. Many stick to their friends or siblings and some are more social and want a larger group setting to play in. It’s fun to see the kids all play, they have a ton of fun and love when we got involved in this with them. They don't play video games or have phones or on any devices. They play freely and it’s a joy to watch the simplicity of it.
After free play from 10:00-12:00 is homework time, either upstairs or in the courtyard. There are volunteers, older kids who help, and some staff who assist with this. For grades 1 & 2 they have 2 hired teachers who teach- in Grade 1 where Erin is helping each day they have 9 full energy 6/7 year olds and they need all the help they can get! School is taken very seriously - also children in the home come with many variety of needs and physical & mental limitations so most times they need extra attention and help. With their homework time & school; they are learning 7 hours a day.
Upstairs classroom with Lena (from NYC)
Next, they start the process of getting ready for school. They shower, do their hair ( girls take the full hour as they take much care to do their hair) and put on their uniforms. They all look really nice for school each day. Once they are all ready lunch is served. 12:00-2:00 is the most chaotic and hands-on time- but amongst the chaos, there is such organization. Every child & Staff has a position to make it run smoothly; so all 31 kids are dressed, hair done, fed lunch, lunch cleaned up, snack & water packed for school, and teeth brushed.
(Kids cleaning up the kitchen)
The bus leaves at 2:00pm (Jay is the official bus driver), and School starts at 2:30pm daily.
(35-45 people on the bus) Drop off 2:25 Pickup is 7:30pm
*The orphanage owns the school called ADONAI ( we will do a post on Adonai) started it about 11-12 years ago and it is a private Christian school. The kids who pay for school go during the day from 7:30-2:00 every day. This is a great way to generate income for the orphanage and the kids are getting an excellent private Christian education. They have an awesome preschool, elementary, middle school, and high school. They have large outdoor basketball and volleyball courts, which also serves as the Church space where they meet on Sunday led by Pastor Nahune (director of H'ogar De Amor) and his son Pablo.
The kids get picked up at 7:30pm and arrive back around 7:50pm. They get all ready for bed with their pajamas on and then they are served dinner. Once dinner is finished everyone helps out with nighttime chores they have devotions and worship time from 8:15-8:45pm (which is super cool). They start and end the day in worship. Once that's done they brush their teeth and head to bed.
They have full long days- the first week we were in awe of their stamina and perseverance but most of all their work ethic. Every day we are reminded of it- by staff & children; they are continuously contributing to the team to make everything run as smoothly as possible.
Meals:
Rice, beans and tortillas make up most meals. They really only get what is donated to them by local companies and food suppliers so it may be a mystery. They do buy meat a few times a week, and use whatever food they have. Staff who are on for meals have to be creative as to what fruit & veggies have been donated - from that they can make meals for 50 people.
Saturday: A day to play and enjoy- they still have their chores at meal times and such but outside of that it's time to play! We play a lot of basketball, and football ( Canada vs Mexico - Mexico wins every time because they are amazing soccer players), we have brought lots of card games & spot-it games so we play lots of those!
Sunday: They have to get up at 6:45, get dressed quickly ( hair is done the night before for girls so they don't have to do 20 girl's hair Sunday morning for church!) and be on the bus by 7:15. Church starts at 8:00 - 9:30. They do the worship time together after worship is done kids are off to Sunday School during the sermon. They are back at the orphanage at 10:00; they then make breakfast for everyone.
The rest of the day is free to play; on weekends the other Casa's ( there are 5 homes in this area) come to the main home Casa Matriz to hang out, play sports and sometimes eat together.
Lining up to go in to eat, they must stand still until they are picked to go in
Preparing to enter Casa Matriz after school (they just got off the bus)
The Kitchen
Amara leading a game of SPOT IT
Outside free time
Mama Ceci
Morning Worship - signing songs together (7:45am-8am)
Casa Matriz is an Orphanage home for children ( boys & girls) ages 6-12, this home has 30 children currently. It is the main home and largest housing property along with a field, court and play yard.
This is where we spend most of our time with the kids!
Quite a few of the kids started in Casa Cuna and then graduated to Casa Matriz.
Joel & Cecy have been directors of Casa Matriz for 29 years- They are faithful, loyal, loving " Mami & Papi" to all 30 children in Casa Matriz. There are 7 full-time staff but at least 5 more volunteers that are full-time also. I can honestly say these people are saints- They are up at sunrise and done at 10:00 pm. They serve with love and never quit. I am humbled by their work ethic and never-ending service.
A handful of kids have siblings which is wonderful for them to have each other through this time, and lean on each other when needed but these kids are all like brothers & sisters. Some of the children have high needs and a few have special needs. Many have witnessed trauma that resulted in them being placed in the orphanage.
Many of these kids have parents, but because the government provides no support or aid to those in need, parents must be faced with these massive decisions to send their kids away for a better life where they can be fed every day and have the opportunity to get an education (although some kids parents are in jail on drugs or dead). Once a month if the children have parents/family they get to go back and see their families.
It takes such organization and effort from everyone to make a day function at Casa Matriz. It is a constant teamwork effort to do anything with such a mass of children. Everyone has a job no matter the age- Every meal time - 3 times a day - Children are helping with preparing meals, dishing out food, dishes after meal, sweeping & mopping the floors ( floors have to be cleaned multiple times a day to keep critters & bugs away) wiping tables, cleaning bathrooms, etc. At times I find myself watching the chaotic rhythm that makes it all happen and function- it's incredible. The children's work ethic is also impressive and something we as parents of children the exact same age are in awe of what they do in a day. They are preparing for a life of work and are taught discipline from an early age.
We have been in Mexico for over 10 days now and at the orphanage for over a week.
Hogar De Amor (the orphanage) was started by Dennis & Diane Unrau who reside in West Kelowna. They started it over 30 years ago, and it's incredible to see what it has become today and the amount of children they now serve.
Below is an overview of the main complex. (the orphanage owns a few other buildings with older kids and group homes along with the school - Adonai)
The pictures below are from Casa Cuna
Upstairs Kitchen
Upstairs common area
One of the kids rooms downstairs
organizing shoes for the kids
The top building (on the google map image) located on the north part of the property, is called Casa Cuna which is where our family is staying. It is a 2-floor building that is probably around 10,000-12,000 sq feet.
In Casa Cuna, the main floor is for the kids 0-4. There are currently 18 kids staying here from 3 months old to 4 years old, some with special needs and other issues. The main floor has a large commercial kitchen, and bathrooms for both girls/boys, 5 bedrooms for the kids with bunkbeds and cribs ( Ninos & Ninas separated), along with 2 rooms for some of the workers to stay. They have a common area, play area and TV room. It's a beautiful space for the children. The outside area really is fantastic (will share a video) with a large open courtyard that has a playground, a little trampoline, toddler bikes, and a variety of outside toys.
The upstairs of Casa Cuna is where we stay, along with other volunteers or when teams stay. There is also a room for the caretakers and their family, and 3 of the workers as well. The workers in Casa Cuna are with the kids all day from 7-8:30 providing meals, laundry plus caring for those crying ones at night...they are long days for these workers.
Our room has 3 bunk beds so we all have our own single bed with a common area bathroom which we are the only ones who use (all the other rooms have their own bathroom). There is a good-sized kitchen with a refrigerator/freezer and stovetop, so we can cook our meals here. There is also a family room area with couches to hang out with as well.
It feels like home so far. The days are long, they go by so fast, but we are surrounded by some amazing people.
In our next blog post, we can share some of the things we are doing and what a normal day looks like, and a tour of some of the other buildings.
After a long travel day from Kelowna to Calgary to Manzanillo, we arrived on Dec 31st.
Our first destination will be H'ogar Deamor Orphanage located in Colima which is about 125 km inland from Manzanillo. The orphanage is closed until January 3rd so we will await pickup from Stephan the director of the organization.
We had some time to talk with Micah, Amara and Izaiah about what they want to do, and what they want to accomplish on this trip.
It will be interesting to look back and see what they learn, and how that differs from their expectations.
Here is a video of Micah:
Here is a video of Amara:
We are going to enjoy a few days of relaxing and having some fun before heading to Colima!
