Jutiapa Guatemala

Monday June 16, 2008
Today was our first service day in Jutiapa, Guatemala.


Hey Dad, Happy fathers day! I need to know what kind of coffee you want.. you never told me! We are in Jutiapa now and we’re doing great.
Love,
Travis
Ps: Tell Tracy that Brett’s finger is fine.

Happy Belated Father’s day Dad. Everything is well here in Jutiapa. I’m staying in a hotel room. It’s fun though, and we have really funny looking bedspreads. I miss my homestay family in Metapan especially the little boy. This trip is way different than last year, but at the moment I’m struggling to process everything. I think maybe a few weeks after I get home I’ll be able to better. Did you go to the church service Cate/how was it?? Mom&Dad do you even still read this?? Love you all,
Elizabeth Z

Hey papi, happy late father’s day! We have been having a lot of fun and we’re back in Guatemala. Two games so far, today, with one to go. The second game had hoops that were 9 feet tall. So we dunked our minds off. Almost each player on the team threw it down, with authority. The two El Salvadorian guys who play with us and do ministry are really good. We’ve had our toughest competition yet. My home-stay is nice. I’m rooming with V to the C. We have a shower, and a fan! I feel good, besides the time when I ran into a soccer post after feeding off a fast break dunk to Brett. That was a pleasant, hard surprise. Tell Tyno that he would love balling down here, and tell him I miss him. As of right now, we just ate lunch. Hamburgers! And the ball team is picking up some color. Josh told me to tell you that. It helps us ‘fit in’, you know? I’m learning more Spanish everyday, and even some German. Bet you didn’t see that one coming.
Love you like a father! Your Boy,
-CJ


Happy late fathers day, Dad. It is great here. We are in Juitapa now. I have had so many cool experiences here so far. For the next three nights, we are staying in someones house. I will see you guys soon!
-Derek

Mom, Dad, Pookie, and everyone else :
Well first of all happy fathers day dad. Sorry we didn’t write yesterday it was a travel day. Yes well lets see we are now in Jutiapa and it is interesting. It is clean like el Salvador but my home stay this time is definitely not as nice. I am staying with anna rask. Im not sure how to explain but I did take pictures. Well lots of people want to write. Love you all and I really cant wait to get home. Love Ya.
Xoxoxox . Hannah

Querida familia—
Hola! Como estan? Yo estoy bien. Hemos visto a muchos pacientes en la clinica medica. Pero tenemos que irons asi que adios! Los amo mucho!
Courtney

Hey Mom, Marty, Dad, Julia, Mackenzie and The OT,

We arrived in Jutiapa yesterday around lunch time. It is nice here not too hot but it is definitely warm. We went to central park yesterday and the basketball team had a game, the mime was performed, as well as the children’s team. It was great to have a chance to see what each of those teams get to do everyday and how they impact the people. We have home stays again here mine is a hotel. There is a family who owns a hotel in town that has taken like 12 of us and we are staying there. It is decent there kind of run down looking but it is better than nothing. We eat breakfast and dinner as a group at the church in Jutiapa. It is nice to start the day all together and end it together as well. I heard we are painting again today so that should be interesting. Dad happy late father’s day hope it was a good one for you. Since you got the treat of driving my car I guess a present to you isn’t needed for you already got one. ;) Where did you take my car and why exactly? Glad you all are getting use out of it. I am doing fine I haven’t gotten sick yet. My stomach is a little squirmy but not a big deal. I am having a blast but I miss you all. OT hope you are doing well I miss you a ton and can’t wait to see you when I get home. Hope all is well with everyone back there!

With Love,
Taylor

Hey there dad and grandpa sorry that I didn’t write you yesterday. In the shuffle of getting here, unloading, and with some of the team members leaving I didn’t have time to write so HAPPY FATHERS DAY!! We just started working in Jutiapa and we’ve done a whole lot of painting! Hope everything is going well.

Love,
Cole

Hey Mom Dad Michelle Kelsey and Tre. So Dad an opportunity did not present itself to tell you happy fathers day yesterday. So happy belated fathers day! Oh and today has been pretty good, we’ve been painting in Jutiapa and this time everyone got a home stay, I’ll tell you all about mine when I get back! Gotta run and get some food…. We get hamburgers

Love
Jeffrey

Hey friends and family I am in Jutiapa right now and I played with the basketball team for the past couple days because some people on the team were not felling good. Today I was on the service team though and we painted all day which was fun. Hope you have a good time in Florida.

Love,
Jonathan

Hey dad!!

Happy Father’s Day! Sorry I’m a day late, but I didn’t see the computer yesterday. I hope you found my note- I’m pretty sure its laying on my desk. Jamie better have done something awesome yesterday because you deserve it! And I hope grandma enjoyed Katie’s grad party! Before I forget- Tell Jamie that Tap says the birds be flockin’ at the dance recital. Haha Quick update on the trip- we are now in Jutiapa. Everyone got a homestay this time (last town only the girls did) but our group of 4 was put in a hotel room along with 2 other groups. I’m assuming they didn’t have enough room in their house. I’m lucky though because some people are complaining about their homestays. We’re painting the church here- but I think tomorrow we’ll be working on the construction of a new church down the road. Hope all is well  and keep praying for our safety and health!

Love- Nicole C


Hey Everyone,
We are now in Jutiapa, Guatemala. We are staying in new people’s homes and I couldn’t ask for more. I’m staying with Sarah Bivans and Jennifer Sheonrock in a huge house. There are three girls and a mother living there and the house was built with no doors. There is no privacy what-so-ever but when there are all girls, it doesn’t matter. We each have our own bed, sarah and I are in a room and Jennifer is across the hall. They have a dog that we can actually pet and likes me sometimes and is shy sometimes. Sarah and I got to wash clothes last night and we took turns patrolling for cockroaches. The mother ran around the room killing them with her shoe and trying to assure us there were no more cockroaches ( HAY NO MAS CUCHARACHA!!!!) The shower is super nice and has warm water and I couldn’t be more greatful. Well, things are looking up! I love you guys and miss you all! See you soon!

Love, Nicole Iskierka

Hey!! Happy Father’s day dad. I missed not being there. I’ll make it up to you when I get home. Were at our next city, We are in new home stays. They are much different then our last ones. Very very very small and rustic. But I’m surviving. And my roommate is a lot of fun and speaks fluent Spanish so that makes it easy. I’m still feeling good. I’m wearin down a bit. Well cant wait to see you!! I don’t know if I missed a blog but did you answer on whether or not I could stay with Rach for a weekend??? I love you guys and can’t wait to see you!!! Love, Lucie

Hey Mom Dad Ryan and Luke,
Sounds like you guys have been very busy. Luke when I get back you will have to make me some eggs since you are now a pro. Evereything has been going good here, staying healthy. We have been visiting different schools everyday and its a lot of fun. Captains?? For track. You might have already told me but I didn’t read that post if you did. Happy Late Fathers Day. Im sure golfing just wasn’t the same without me. Luke I got your note.. thanks.. any requests for what you would like otherwise I will surprise you. Tell the Aggies hi for me when they get there. Cant wait to see you all.
Love Sarah Tapani


Hola!
Thanks again for all the prayers and support you have been sending. We got to Jutiapa around lunch time yesterday and it is pretty cool. We got to our second homestay and I am with Sarah Tapani and Kelly Anderson. It is again a VERY new and challenging experience but I am really learning a lot. We painted some rooms in the church today and now I am eating lunch! It has been pretty uneventful so far but I’ll keep in touch!
Love you guys!
-Kelsey Essig
P.S. Happy Fathers Day Daddy!

Mom and Dad,
Happy Fathers Day Dad! I hope it was good. I miss you guys and love you lots. We painted the church in El Salvador and now we are painting the church in Jutiapa. This time my home stay is at the pastor’s house with a girl named Kate, she is on the medical team. They live right above the church so it is convenient. I completed my faith story and I’m going to share it tonight. Please pray for me. I love you lots.
Brittany Backlund

Hello Mom, Dad, Dave, Magnet Marie, and Mak,
HAPPY FATHERS DAY Dad! Hope it was fun! I am having a blast. I have my first home stay and it is funky fresh. 8 guys and I are in a studio apartment with full water, a balcony, and lots of wind. I slept like a baby last night. We have our entire mime skit down and have preformed it a gazillion times. I feel like a girl because I wear so much makeup but my masculinity fixes it. The gang has been well except for some having spells of diarrhea, I have been solid the most of the time. About ten others and I sang live on a radio and it was super gangster. I really like it here. Happy Fathers Day again Dad. Hope all is well.
Love,
Samuel George Knutson

Hey Mom and Dad,
How’s the cabin treating you? We are now in Jutiapa and I feel much better than I did in Metapan. I am staying at a home in Juitiapa that has a nice view of the street. Travis is in my home stay group so that’s pretty cool. Basketball is so much fun!! It is also pretty sweaty and dirty. Our jerseys are starting to stink! Did Uncle John write on the blog?? Any way, I got enough food and I take medication when I need so rest assured. I know you are praying for me, so Thank you! Happy Fathers day as well, Markie!!! The food has been getting better. We had Dominos the other night as a group. The competition is getting fierce on the B-Ball courts but we can handle it!!! How’s everything at home? Hopefully Markie isn’t taking to many naps in my bed!!!! Just kidding its fine.
I love you guys,
Josh Hendricks


Hello Mother Hello Father this is a letter from camp Granader, Camp is very entertaining if it would stop… well being hot. Everything is going well down here in this side of the world. We are having fun and doing some really good work. I took the day off from playing to give my knee a rest so I can play some more later this week. To bad Maven flew the coup but maybe it was for the better. It’s strange how fast days can move. Even though I’ve been getting up about 5am everyday it seems like it’s dinner time before I’ve fully waken up. It’s also great to be in another familiar place. Even many things have changed many have stayed the same. Good times. Oh well that about as much as I need to say.
Kevin Franske

Kate, Tom, Mom, Dad, Travis and Mike,
Thank you so much for your support! We are now back in Guatemala in Jutiapa. We have different home stays and the one that I am in is not as amazing as the last one but I guess it is someone else’s turn to be spoiled! I am just glad that we have a real shower not a bucket one like many others have. The lady that we are staying with is named Flora I believe. She isn’t very talkative but we really only stay there for the night so it’s all good and there is three of us so we keep ourselves occupied. Today we painted again in the church that we are working with. They are feeding us American food and its really nice! We had hamburgers and fries today for lunch it was amazing! We will be here in Jutiapa for two more work days and then we will travel to our r&r. One of the girls one my team just accepted the Lord into her life today! I am so happy! She is an amazing girl! Well other people want to write so I need to go but thank you so much for your support! I love you all!
Love
Ashley Weis


Family & Friends:
We arrived back in Guatemala yesterday. The experience in El Salvador was very rewarding. El Salvador is a bit more westernized than Guatemala. The team is tired from playing many games in the heat and from the adjustments in diet. Hopefully the biggest challenges are behind us and we can finish healthy and strong. It has been a joy to watch the students grow in their relationships with each other and to demonstrate the love of Christ to those they encounter. I am seeing some real spiritual growth in many of the students and also some barriers to be overcome. I am praying the barriers are broken and that a spirit of unity prevails. We are in the city of Jutiapa and will be here until Thursday. The church that is hosting us has been very gracious despite losing their building to a fire several months ago. Other than the normal aches and pains from playing basketball, my health has been good – a real blessing!

Until next time,
Bob Moberg

Hey everyone!
Today we had our first service day in Jutiapa. The medical clinic was slower than usual today, but it was nice to have some down time in between patients, especially after a crazy day in Metapan. The people from the church here are really great. They try hard to make us feel at home. I’m excited for tomorrow. I was told that we’re going to be working in the mountains! I miss you all and am looking forward to telling you all about our work and experiences here!
Kelli M

Hey friends and family!
Happy Father’s day, Dad! Sorry I am a day late… I kinda didn’t get a chance to write on Sunday. So I am totally losing track of the days and cannot remember when I wrote last. Well, here’s a recap. On Saturday, we had the busiest day at our clinic in Metapan. We saw 180 patients in about six hours. Wow! It was so busy and so hot… definitely one of our toughest clinic days. But it was great to make such an impact on so many people. Sunday was a travel day to Jutiapa. It was only a four hour drive to Jutiapa, so after our lunch in the church we went to a park to watch the mime, basketball, and children’s teams perform. It was so nice to just sit and relax in the sun. And no, I haven’t gotten a tan because I am so paranoid that I put on loads of sunscreen… on top of the loads of purell . (Remember that purell bottle that you said I would never use that much? Well, it’s over half gone.) We are at another homestay. This one is definitely not as nice as our last one, but we all are managing. Bucket showers are better than no showers, right? Today we had a clinic in this village right outside of Jutiapa. It is crazy how rustic it is right outside of the town. We saw 130 some patients…. Pretty good for losing a doctor (our surgeon had to return home ). Towards the end of the clinic, the pastor’s wife had the kids perform some of their children’s songs. It was so cute! Then they all came up to me and asked me to teach them a game. We started with “oboshinatintatin.” They actually have words for that in Spanish! Who knew? Then we did “Plato, plato, gonzo!” which is the equivalent of “Duck, duck, grey duck!” It was so much fun! Well, everyone is bugging me to finish my novel, so I will close with this: I am having the time of my life, and am (surprisingly) still healthy! I love you all lots! Good luck with your room, Tyler!
Love always, Kelly Anderson


Hi Mom and Dad!
How was fathers day? I hope you opened the present I got you dad! How is life at home, anything new? How are Allison and Aaron? So we are in our last town of the trip and have two more ministry days. You can read Kelly Andersons blog to find out exactly what we have done, but I will be quick. I really enjoy the medical team and I am having fun. We got our final home stays and they are a little less than ideal but I will be okay. I am having fun and I am excited for our shopping and touring days! I miss you and will see you soon! I am not excited for work on Monday though! I love you all SO much!

Love,
Anna Rask