I am posting a copy of my latest newsletter here as a summary of the summer's work. All of the photos included in the newsletter were previously seen here.
So much has happened since my last newsletter in January. I moved in with a new family, I began working on new projects in earnest, and as an organization we received hundreds of students on short-term teams.
After witnessing the most fireworks I have ever seen on New Year’s Eve, I moved in with Rafaela and Adolfo Martinez, one of the more successful families in town. They are native to Magdalena, with three married children and three small grandchildren. I enjoy living with them very much. My parents can attest to their hospitality, as they also stayed here when they visited Guatemala in April. I have my own room, the grandchildren come over for maybe a half-hour each day, and Rafaela showcases the best of Guatemalan cooking.
Early in the year, Oscar and I initiated a new project making twelve-sided (almost round) concrete sand filters. It took us a long time to cut all the wood to size to make the mold. I have since bought a table saw to alleviate this process a little. We were able to make six concrete filter containers with help from the first few teams of the year. This project has been put on hold, though; as we have received donations of other cement and plastic filter containers. One team of businessmen came early in June with 45 plastic filter containers. We are still trying to sift and wash enough sand to get all of them installed. Through this project, I am learning just how hard it can be to introduce a new (albeit simple) technology to a community. The plastic containers have been breaking, and some families were so scared they would do something wrong that they weren’t using their filter at all. For those whom have accepted it, though, the filter project has brought a huge blessing.
Besides continuing to put cement floors in houses for families currently living over the dirt, and resuming an old project building cisterns for water storage, we are currently working on a grand construction project. Two years ago, volunteers from Country Bible Church in Nebraska had the vision for what has developed into a 3500 square foot community center. It will include a large front room for meetings and eating, a commercial kitchen, a clinic with two exam rooms, an office, bathrooms, and two work rooms for teaching and doing projects. It is situated just outside of El Gorrión, where much of SI’s work takes place, but also centrally located between the towns of Magdalena and San Miguel. We hope to be able to run a feeding program for the kids at the school in El Gorrión, as a part of the child sponsorship program. We also hope to host occupational training classes. There will also be a place to keep all the tools we use for the appropriate technology ministry. Currently, funding for the project is at about 40% of the needed $100,000. Please consider helping us with this hugely beneficial endeavor.
As I mentioned earlier, we have been hosting short-term teams from churches and schools all year, but especially during the summer months. Once here, they split up to work at the different ministry sites, including appropriate technology. Our site has hosted between two and ten people at a time. They help us not only with the physical labor, but praying with and witnessing to the families. Many of them also really enjoy playing with the kids.
Please send donations to: Students International, P.O. Box 2733, Visalia, CA 93279-2733. Indicate separately whether the support is for the community center project or me personally.
Thank you for all your prayers,
Matthew McIntire
