Saquiquib Bridge 2013
In April and May of 2012 Lipscomb Universities Engineering
Missions Program helped us and CAFNIMA construct our
first pedestrian bridge in the Ulpan Valley. Designed by senior
civil engineering students and constructed by the May 2012 team and the
Saquiquib community this project was a huge success. Pictured below is
the May 2012 bridge still standing strong...
During the dedication of the May 2012 bridge in late-June, it was solicited by the community that we help build another bridge just down stream that is used by multiple communities for travel to the Pansamala market. A few months passed and we received yet another solicitation from the community, yet this time a bit more urgent. Come to find out, a young boy had slipped off the bridge when the river was extremely high. In an attempt to save his son's life, the boy's father also dove into the river, but neither resurfaced alive. We saw this as a pretty clear sign that God had a plan for us to build a second bridge. Pictured below is the current site of the Saquiquib 2013 Bridge where CAFNIMA and Lipscomb's engineers will partner yet again with the Saquiquib community to enhance their abilities to carry goods and supplies to and from the market. An additional bonus to this year’s project is that because this bridge site is used by multiple communities, there are currently three different communities assisting in the construction - Saquiquib, San Vicente 2 and Nuevo Amanacer… yet another opportunity to encourage these communities to work together for the common good of their people.
During the most recent team from Lipscomb (mid-March), we began
site construction of the concrete bases on the east and west sides of the
river. What was first projected to be a 10-day project quickly became
only a 4-day project. Hiring a foreman
from Coban that we had previous experience with, having anywhere from 15 to 45
men from the three communities as workers, and with Luke Burris, Stephen Dodson
and their supervising team, what was simply drawn on paper quickly became
reality.
I, Kris, have had some of my greatest joys working in the valley
come from projects of building bridges.
I remember beginning the process back in early 2012 for the first
bridge. I remember how many times the
Saquiquib community members asked, “Are you sure the materials are coming?” “Are you sure the metal is coming?” “Are you sure the team is coming to help us
build?” It was not like the community
did not trust us; it was more a result of the fact that in their past, they had
been told things and that then just did not come to reality.
As we have begun the 2013 bridge project, I have heard no such questions, even from the other
two communities that are now joining in the project. Designing and constructing a project like a
bridge is one thing, but having long-term relationships with people from the
Ulpan communities has been something completely different. It has been an experience where simple faces
of men and women we used to recognize have now become people with names,
friends that trust each other, brothers and sisters in the name of Christ, a
Kingdom community.
Dental Fairs
I, DeeDee,
have been busy that past couple of weeks organizing and running dental health
fairs in several communities of the Valley, with plans to visit all 16
communities by the end of April. I was
very thankful to have the Public Health grad student intern Beth and several
members of the Spring Break team (including my former teaching associate and
good friend Abigail) help me run the inscription and the sale of toothbrushes,
toothpaste, and fluoride. We organized
the fairs very similarly to the health fairs of this past fall, with classes on
proper brushing methods, causes of cavities, the food pyramid, and importance
of sealants for molars of children.
Overall, I
have been very pleased by the turnout at each of the fairs. We have had impressive involvement from
teachers and students of the schools I worked with last year, especially from
those of Semesche. You can see below
examples of educational posters that the students of Semesche made in
preparation for their community dental health fair.
We have also
been very impressed by the quantity of toothbrush and toothpaste kits that have
sold at the fairs. At the fair in Ulpan
2, where we registered 65 adults and counted about 200 students, we sold 130
kits. This assures us that in addition
to providing dental health education and training, students and their parents
are buying into the opportunity to make a difference and start brushing at
home!
Saying “Hasta Luego” to the McKinney Family
As we said good-bye to Lipscomb’s spring break engineering team,
DeeDee and I had something even a bit harder to prepare for – the departure of
the McKinneys. Having experienced this
once before with the Colvetts, I think we had been a little more prepared for
the transition. (Not sure what’s up with
DeeDee and I, but it just seems that everyone keeps leaving us J)
A few days before needing to be at the airport, we headed with the
McKinneys from the Valley for one last relaxing break in Antigua. After eating a delicious breakfast including
croissants with nutella and strawberries (yumm!), we had some time to spend in
the Central Park of Antigua, taking pictures and enjoying a bit of vacation
from the rural lifestyle of Ulpan.
Re-visit to 2006 Bridge
In 2006, just after graduating from Lipscomb, I (Kris) took my
very first trip to Guatemala. It was
then we built the first pedestrian foot bridge in Lipscomb Engineering’s
Missions Program. Having the
responsibility as a graduate (very recent at that), a few of us were extremely
blessed to see this project come together and create a connection for the
community. When we worked on this
project, I knew very little Spanish. It might be better said by my teammates
back then that all I knew how to say was, “Estas bien?” or, “Are you ok?”
During that trip, I met a young man about my age named Omar. I am not sure what it was about my
experience, but something bonded between Omar and I, even with the lack of communication. Omar was a strong but a very calm person. I truly enjoyed working with him.
In August of 2008, when I made the first survey trip to Ulpan, we
also had the chance to visit Health Talents International down on the
coast. During this visit we were able to
pass by the bridge, but not for long.
But just yesterday, DeeDee and I had the chance to revisit the
bridge site again. It was DeeDee’s first
time to visit. And because we had plenty
of time and an old photo (above), we went asking around for a young man named
Omar. One other thing I remembered about
my time at this project site was “the bread lady.” Well, come to find out, she is still there,
and it was at her store where we were able to ask for Omar. After showing the photo to a few people at
the store, we were escorted to Omar’s home, not five minutes walk from the
bread store. It was there we found
Omar’s sister, who had just moments walked over the bridge before DeeDee and
I. She informed us that Omar was working
as the helper of a foreman, learning the trade of construction.
After walking back by the bread store and another five minutes
more, we found Omar. I’m not sure he
remembered me at first, but after showing him the picture of us, memories
flooded our minds. It was a true
blessings to see the bridge still standing, to see the bread store still hard
at work, and to see Omar still working in his community learning to be a foreman. It was a day full of blessings!!
Vacation with Cata and Nina
We are
currently enjoying Holy Week at the house of our good friends Cata and Nina in
the community of Santo Tomas, close to the Guatemalan coast and much warmer
than the mountains we are used to! Over
the past two years (and starting even earlier with connections with Cata
through the Shermans), the Ixcol sisters have taught us Spanish, have helped us
make connections with Mayan communities because of their Mayan heritage, and have
become some of our closest Guatemalan friends.
We feel blessed to have this time with them, to get to know their family
better, to see their coffee farm, and to eat their food (have we mentioned
before that they are both amazing cooks?!).
Most Recent Update on Cesar
Below you can see the most recent picture we
have of Cesar from our coordinator Ricardo’s trip to see him earlier this
week. As you can tell, he just continues
growing and getting better… God has been so good!
