Following is the copy of an email that we recently sent out which we believe sufficiently sums up what we have been/will be up to for the past and coming weeks:
1) Next week we will begin a Base Line Study of the 16 communities in the Valley. This is being administered in efforts to give us an overall picture of the state of health, community structure, economic development, etc. of the communities with which we will be working. It will also help to serve as a reference for future studies that we may do as part of Project Ulpan. The Base Line Study will involve Community Mapping, Focus Groups, and Family Questionnaires. We are hoping to employ many of the Mayans that are currently working as literacy teachers in the Valley to help us administer this study, but we also hope to accompany them as they meet with the communities and go into the homes. Please pray that the communities and families would be open to our questioning and that they would see our intentions as helpful rather than intrusive. Please pray that this study will help to reveal some of the hidden deficiencies and needs that are present in the communities of the Valley, so that we can know where and how to help. And please pray that this will also be a means of relationship-building between us and the people of the Valley.
2) We are also currently working on setting up at least three secondary schools in the Valley. For the 16 communities, there is currently only one secondary school. We are working with a Guatemalan organization who will agree to provide the salary for a secondary teacher if we can provide them with a list of 25-30 students who are willing to commit to begin their three years of secondary school. We are somewhat rushed in meeting this objective, because we need to have the lists of students to them by the beginning of November for the students to begin with the new school year in January, and we are just now getting information about this opportunity out to all of the community leaders. Please pray with us that the community leaders would help us spread the word and promote the continuance of education for the teens in their communities. Pray also that the teens and their families would see the value of continuing their education and expanding their job opportunities. Pray specifically that God would bring to us 75 interested students so that we can begin the process of setting up three secondary schools (or more!).
3) 450 latrines have been installed in several different communities over the past five months, costing close to $10,000 and helping to improve the health of the families involved exponentially. We have had to pull funds for this objective from other areas of Project Ulpan, and currently we need to expand our fundraising efforts for the Project. Please pray that God will help us to know who to go to for monetary support and that those people/organizations will have the means and desire to help us meet our needs. We KNOW that God always provides.
4) Wrapped into this fourth bullet point will be several other objectives that we believe are really going to begin to grow in the coming weeks. First, we have an objective to build eight libraries throughout the Valley. We have begun with a small collection of books in our own community room/dining room, and we have lots of interest from the visiting children. We just have to figure out an effective organization and loaning system that we can model for the other communities. Then all we need is to find a source for more more books in Spanish and Q'eqchi' (we already have several leads here). Please pray that all we need will be provided and that these libraries will prove to be a blessing to the people of the Valley. Second, Kris and Kevin are continuing to pursue water projects but are running into repeated issues with property rights for the water sources. Please pray that we will have wisdom about how to obtain the rights to the water sources or that God will soften the hearts of those who "own" the property and don't care to share it with their neighbors. Third, there is growing interest among the women in the Valley concerning how to crochet. Ginger and I have had several visitors over the past several weeks who want us to share with them a needle and some yarn and show them how to make a simple washcloth... but they are also asking for purses and blankets and hats. We even have a class set up for next Friday with several of the women from a neighboring community. Please pray that Ginger and I will minister to these women through crocheting together. Please also pray that we will have wisdom about whether to pursue some of our dreams about helping the women start some of their own crocheting businesses through microcredit loans... we are very excited about about the prospects, even if it just means that they can make blankets and beanies for their own children! Finally, the footers are currently being poured for what we affectionately refer to as "Base Camp." Some of these buildings will serve as our new homes (or homes for others who may come after us) and others will serves as bunkhouses and a large kitchen for hosting teams that will visit the valley. Please pray that this construction will continue to go as planned, even amidst the "very rainy" season of the Valley.
5) As mentioned above, we have had several visitors and families in our home to share a meal with us during the past week. We are finding that the people are becoming more open and comfortable around us, and we are finding that they are also more willing to ask us for things that they need. Pray that we would always have generous hearts toward the people (knowing that we believe in a God who uses 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed five thousand), but also pray that we would have wisdom also about how to empower these people to help themselves. Pray that we would also learn to depend on them and ask them for things, as well, so that our relationship/friendship becomes one of a mutual give-and-take (I must note that last weekend we ate a VERY generous and delicious meal in the home of our Guatemalan co-worker Roberto). Please pray that in all things- in all of our interactions with the people, whether in their homes or in ours- God would be glorified!
