The airstrip is rough, grassy, and 400 yards long, one of the shortest in Guatemala. Ludine used about 200 yards to bring us to a gentle stop. He is an amazing pilot.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Ludine
Ludine has been flying for MAF for 27 years. Carving through the clouds and peaks, he made it a smooth flight.
Valley After Valley
Most of the flight passed over exactly this scene, over and over. Tiny tin-roof settlements, linked by dirt roads, surrounded by fields and forest, endless hours from a larger town.
Patchwork Quilt
The fields atop the mountainsides are incredible. But then you remember that there are no roads, which means people hike these mountains to tend their fields.
Twinkle In Your Eye
I have many good memories at the airport with my Opa, who had a Piper Cherokee while I was young.
First Flights
This was the first small-plane flight for both Danaya and Zane. We were packed in with five adults, three kids, and a stack of cargo. It's a 45-minute flight into the village, or a 12-hour ride over bush roads.
Packing Up
We got the green light when we had clear skies, since the valley is often too cloudy for landings.
The Back Forty
Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) had a map on their hangar wall. Each of the red boxes is an airstrip in the northern Guatemalan jungle. Our airstrip was about where you see the number 8.
Choo Choo
We had both Zane and Gigi for a few hours while Helaine picked up supplies, so we found a train in the mall. It's weird to spend time in a mall in Guatemala, but the kids had a riot.
Car Seats?
We rode to the city with Helaine, our friend from up north, and her daughters. Gigi, 4, loved sitting in the back seat. So much for car seats.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Touchdown, Just In Time
We arrived back in Guatemala City this afternoon, just ahead of the rain, which started five seconds before we touched down on the runway. We'll post pics tomorrow of the incredible weekend, but we are back, safe and sound.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
San Antonio Nueva Esperanza
We arrived in this morning on a small 6-seater Cessna, touching down on the 400-yard dirt airstrip, one of the shortest in Guatemala. Ludine, the pilot, started flying the year I was born (1976). He's been flying for Mission Aviation Fellowship since 1982, and he is amazing. Carving between clouds and mountaintops, we watched valley after valley with patchwork fields climbing impossible hillsides, then saw this small village appear with a miniscule strip of dirt for landing.
Greg and Helaine Walton have been here for 9 years, building and leading a school for refugees who arrived after the war. We'll post pictures later, because the connection is slow. But we're here safe and sound, and it is incredible.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
On Top Of The World
Six months ago, we had talked late one night about "what's next" for us, and I had floated this crazy dream with Danaya. The following Thursday morning, I dropped into Stan's office, and said "I've got a crazy idea". After I explained it, he told me that Sharon had called thirty minutes earlier, saying that Tierra Linda would love computers and a teacher for a few months. Four days later, we were a go. Soon after, we had a website up. Two months later, we were on a plane to Guatemala.
Six months later, we are on top of the world, amazed at how the impassable doors have opened, one by one, step by step, against all odds. Friends believed in the dream, gave generously, and encouraged us. Colleagues helped us continue job responsibilitie
Now there is a village with a computer lab, the knowledge to run it, and the eagerness to keep learning. More importantly, they know that people in other countries believe that their kids "can too".
As I told fifth-grader Gamaliel Rene this afternoon on the walk down, maybe twenty years from now he'll be in another village in another country, teaching computers.
Thank you all for walking with us. We have a few days left, but you were on the mountaintop today too.
Home...?
Far across the valley, you can see the little peaked roof of our house, as we begin the trek home.
We believe that wherever Danaya, Zane, and I are making a difference, that's home. Pinpointing that "place" gets harder, so we're going to stop trying.
The Last Look Back
When I was little, our family would plant our big garden together. It was hard, sweaty work, and when you finished, you wanted to head straight to the house.
My dad taught us to stop at the edge of the garden, look back on the planted rows, and think about hope. Imagine what will grow, and give thanks for the rain and the miracle of new life. And most importantly, remember that you are only the sower, not the creator.
Our planted rows today are beautiful in our eyes.
Not So Different
In the innocence of childhood, none of these kids knows about the words "opportunity" and "colour" and "poverty". They just eat together, play together, sing together, and get muddy together.
One of our goals, four months ago, was that Zane would grow up seeing "brothers", not "others". We believe that happens when we just live life with them.
Perpetual Puzzles
Our computer class girls learned how to send emails, and when their group switched out, they got right into their primary hobby.
Choir Practice
Closure for Danaya needed a good singing time with the preschoolers. We've been sick with colds and coughs since we started with them, but we will sure miss them.
Sistema De Organizacion
Danaya finished the organizational system this morning, with a big poster to explain how to reshelve books. If you're bringing more books, you also know how to fit them into the system easily.
There is a yellow plastic package inside the shelves, containing stickers, tape, a stamp pad, and instructions for how to add books that you bring.
Francesca and Florinda
Florinda sewed and gave a tipico cloth to Danaya this morning, and told her it was for wrapping her tortillas. Both Francesca and Florinda were crying this morning as we left, as were the teachers we've worked with. The ladies use them as shade cloths on their heads when they are outside.
The Final Flete
We made it to the final flete with a few minutes to spare today. In all the hikes, we have never missed it, and never been more than five minutes early. As we ride up for the few minutes, we're chatting with different friends and families, just commuting together. We met Julio's wife Angelina today on the flete.
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