What in the world are we doing here in Guatemala?

No...seriously what are we doing here in Guatemala?  We have asked ourselves this question more than a few times…but here we are.

We are being stretched each day to get outside of our comfort zone, but we are trusting in God to show us His purpose and rely on Him to overcome our fears.  Here is what a typical week looks like for the Zilkie Family.  

Monday:

We have started our Mondays with a walk of the village (It's all village, but just outside of the Fe Viva complex).  As a family,  accompanied by Sonia (a clinical psychology student and staff member at Fe Viva), we walk around and meet families in the communities, we pray for their needs for their health.  The families have been so welcoming and it has been very eye-opening to see the living conditions and true poverty of many of the families in the immediate area adjacent to Fe Viva.  This has been our favourite thing by far...connecting with people, meeting new people, praying for their needs, giving a word of encouragement, seeing their family dynamics, seeing their hospitality and their willingness to stop whatever they are doing and just stop and talk with us.  *(Now after having been here for a while, we see the people that we have met,  in the community and we can continue to connect with them outside of their homes).

Here are some photos of a few of our village walks meeting families.

Community walks meeting families

w/ Sonia

Our entire family has been teaching an ESL-style course. All of us have been involved.  We break into small groups with Micah, Amara, Erin and Jay all leading a group of 5-6 kids and working on different basic English sayings. Our focus has been practising speaking with proper pronunciation.  The current ESL teacher is a temporary replacement and knows very little English.  She replaced the previous ESL teacher who left over a year ago.    It has been very difficult to get a long-term ESL teacher. *We are not teachers…and teaching English to people who don't speak any English is very difficult.   (Up until this point we had Grandpa Wayne and Grandma Val helping us with this but they are gone on Feb 20th).

Jay taught a 45-minute lecture course on starting a business and becoming an entrepreneur.  It is a high school and college level course that is supposed to be bilingual.  There is a business program and an accounting program.  However, the English level is equivalent to about grades 1-2 and they dont have the basic levels to have a conversation so there was a translator to help with the presentation.

Tuesday:

We teach an ESL Class on Tuesday, so we have to prepare what we are going to teach and get our materials printed and ready to go.  We are teaching the same cohort of students so we are getting to know them.

They have a women's bible study for some local women so Erin has been going to that and building some friendships with some of the ladies who are young moms.

Wednesday:

Teaching another ESL Class.

There is a discipleship class on Wednesday evening led by Nelson for some community members from 6-8pm.

Teaching English in small groups and practising speaking, the whole family was involved!

Thursday:

We are teaching an ESL class every other Thursday.  

Friday:

Erin and Jay are teaching volleyball.  As part of their physical education curriculum, they are required to learn volleyball.  So they asked us to lead the volleyball classes.  We have had an absolutely great time running these.  From the absolute basics of bumping and setting to starting to play games.  The ages range from 14-18.  Since this is really their first time they are at about a grade 5-8 level without any real understanding of the basic rules and fundamentals,  like 3 hits.  This has been an absolute joy and a ton of laughs doing this.  Micah has been a great helper with skills and a great assistant.  The PE teacher doesn't speak any English so we have had a translator for most of the classes and we have basically led them all as she observes the skills we are teaching. (Keep in mind most people look 1-3 years younger than kids from Canada).

Each Friday night is a prayer time with some community people.  We get together and chat and then pray over each other's needs.  It has been very rewarding to learn about the community of people around us and their needs and then to be able to pray for them.

Saturday:

Every Saturday is a youth group from 6-8:30pm.  We have been leading this each week and will continue to do so.  The kids range from 8-15 years old.  We have done worship songs, played games, and had a talk each week (translated).  The games have been very fun for the kids, like limbo, musical chairs, sumo wrestling, crab walks, and wheelbarrow races.  At the end of the night, we hand out a little treat, and we actually walk all the kids back to their houses.  Since there are no street lights, we are literally walking in dark areas and taking these kids back to their homes.  It is pretty cool actually.

We had the privilege of installing a smokeless stove which took up most of the day (see smokeless stove blog)

Sunday:

We have been going to the Church connected to Fe Viva each Sunday.  We go for pre-service prayer at 9.   Erin has led the Sunday School (no surprise), with various programs, games and other fun things that she does.  It is outside so it's a bit different but very interesting and Sonia the children's pastor is able to assist us with the translating.

Erin teaching Sunday School (outside)

*We have been helping to plan a large community event for about 200 kids.  Our family has gone all over the area and gone into people's homes to invite them to the event.  We are preparing a drama, games, toys, food and more.  

Spare Time:

Most of our spare time is spent with our kids, playing at the park, but really there is no spare time as washing clothes and hanging them on the line several times a day, and cooking and cleaning up from meals, and attending meetings, and cleaning up our accommodations etc. leaves little time to spare!!!

We were able to go to a waterslide one afternoon for Izaiah bday which was a blast.

We went to Antigua on our 1st full day off which was also a lot of fun.  

Jay spends every moment not doing these things working so he is managing a lot, but thus far has not been disruptive to his business, and we are all thankful for their support...its been a huge blessing!

Other Notable Items aka Fun Facts:

There are no hot showers

It is 33-37 degrees every day.  Which sounds wonderful except the humidity is outrageous, we are not near an ocean and we are 200m above sea level.  Its very hot.  We have A/C in the bedrooms but can only use it at night.

There was a planned power outage for an entire day that affected a huge area, and it was 37 degrees that day so we weren't able to use any fans in the house.

Driving, walking, or anything on the road is slightly terrifying. Scooters are full to the brim with people, no helmets.  The most we have seen is 5 people on a scooter - going way too fast all over the road (no headlights at night).

Today we walked around the village and as we walked we ran into people & neighbours we now know by name and it's a wonderful experience to be a part of their world!

Stoves For Life

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!

Praying with the family

The stove installed with the family

Welcome to Guatemala

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!

Blessings,

The Leaders, Staff and Volunteers of H’ogar De Amor - THE REAL HEROES

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. 

A Day in the life

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)

Working in the kitchen