Some of you may have thought that I just dropped off the map, but I am still here in Guatemala. Next month I complete my third year working with Students International. The last time I sent out a letter, we had just completed the outer walls of a construction project, a community center outside the small community of El Gorrión. Although I don’t think the project will ever be finished (as is the nature of such projects), we have completed the main construction and furnishing of the building.
The building now houses a plethora of ministries organized by SI. The most visible is a clinic, open three days a week, currently staffed by a local pediatrician, as well as whomever comes down to help us as part of a short term team. Also, the new office space in this building houses social work, microfinance, and child sponsorship ministries. A staff member working at the local school also holds after school programs there. Finally, there are community education-style sewing classes in the building. We sometimes already find the 3500 sq. ft. space a little crowded, and things are just warming up!
Mario Mendez Jr., son of local pastor and long-time SI staff member Mario Mendez, has worked with me at the appropriate technology site for over a year now, and has a great vision for where he wants to lead this ministry. He plans to begin teaching a Jr. High shop-type class out of the shop at the community center to give a hands-on learning experience to the local kids. Please pray that he will be able to effectively teach and minister to them.
Last week, we sent home the last of our summer short-term teams for the year. What would have been the last team of the year cancelled, so I get a bit of a break right now. This summer, I used a good portion of my time with students putting finishing touches on the community center, but we also did a number of little projects out in the community. For example, Mario led the students for a week to improve the drainage around the school. We also fixed some leaky roofs, and broken doors.
I thoroughly enjoyed working with the team of engineering students from SPU that came at the end of June. They attempted a redesign of a long-running project to build chicken coops for local families. We were trying to make the project more cost-efficient. While they ended up with a new design that looked great, it turned out to be the same price as the original, and much more difficult to assemble. I recently witnessed the coop full of chickens fulfilling its purpose, but I doubt we will attempt another.
The group from SPU also helped me run calculations for a possible solar heated wood dryer for a group of local carpenters. I had a great time working on this, but I have had to put this project on hold indefinitely. It turned out to be a much larger project than I expected, and I do not have the time left here to complete it.
As far as time left in Guatemala, I plan to leave the country at the beginning of December. Working with Students International has been a great experience for me, but it is time for me to move on. I hope to get a well-paying job for most of next year and save up before going back to school in the fall of 2012. I would eventually like to teach engineering at a university in the States, but I will need a different title in front of my name before I can do that. Hopefully, once I move back to Oregon, I will break my long string of food-borne illnesses as well.
Thank you for your support over the years; I would not have been able to have this wonderful experience without your help, and I look forward to seeing many of you again in the coming year.
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