Christmas Eve

Mom has been busy cooking and preparing for dinner this evening.  Dad and I, from time to time have been allowed in the kitchen to help.  Each year, we keep saying that the dinner will be smaller but we have learned that this thought is quickly forgotten.

Angie is not feeling well so she was not able to have dinner with us tonight.  When Mike arrived, he said, "I thought we were going to eat less this year."  Dad responded, "Mike, we are not having corn this year!"  OK, so we had veges and dip, shrimp, turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potato casserole, broccoli casserole, cranberry salad, hot rolls and three pies.  It was very good but more than adequate!

Mike, mom and I.

Mom and dad playing around with the wreaths.

Mom and I, with our Christmas socks.

Merry Christmas!

Dinner at South Fork Church of Christ

Tonight, we had a dinner at the South Fork Church of Christ in Winston Salem, NC.  There were 71 people there and we had a fun evening.

Since yesterday was my dad's birthday, we sang to him and had a special cake.

There were people from the Morganton Church of Christ and it is always nice to have them attend.

Several people from the Lenoir Church of Christ were there.  Phillip and his mom were there from Charlotte. 

This table was mainly composed from nurses that I use to work with.  It was good to see all of them together again.

We had people from the Brewer Road Church of Christ and South Fork.

It was a good evening.  A special thank you to South Fork Church of Christ for continuing my support, while I am in Guatemala.  A special thank you to Anne and Jo for preparing the meal.  I think everyone enjoyed our time together.

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!!





Dad, I hope you have a wonderful day!!

I love ya!

Christmas Party

Tonight, the Morganton Church of Christ had their Christmas Party.  We enjoyed a fun evening of dinner and entertainment. We enjoyed fried chicken, grilled pork, potatoes, salad, steamed vegetables, rolls and dessert.

As soon as we went in, mom met a friend!

This is my family.  My brother, Mike, and my parents.

Jeff, reading The Night Before Christmas, with a Cowboy twist!

Tom, with his gift as they played Dirty Santa.

Mom and dad as we were getting ready to leave.

It was a good evening!

Last day of 2012 in Lemoa

This morning, we all headed to the clinic to clean out the storage room.  This room can collect things during the year and it always helps to take inventory of it before the new year begins.

 

Then it was time to enjoy lunch.  There were about 47 of us, with some of the promoters bringing their immediate family.  We grilled burgers and hot dogs.  Manuel's wife, Juana, prepared a macaroni salad.  Ruben went to Santa Cruz and returned with two cakes, which were a big hit.

 

 Enjoying lunch on the porch......Sandra and Francisca.

 Kemmel with Tomas and his family.

 Josue, Lisa, Aura and Juana.

The two cakes came in boxes that had puzzles on them.  The children wanted the boxes, so Ruben started quizing the boys on how many Bible verses they knew.  It became quite a competition!  Tomas' son and Manuel's son were in it to the finish.  You could watch the fathers on the side-lines wanting to help their sons and also perspiring a little for them! 

About 3:30, I left for Antigua.  I arrived about 7:00 and they were waiting for me at the hotel.  Tomorrow, will be a day to chill and then I will fly to NC on Thursday morning.  I will spend the time with my family, South Fork Church of Christ and the Morganton Church of Christ.  It will be a relaxing time.........................and then back to Guatemala in January!

Mactzul III Celebration

Time is winding down.........minute by minute.......and we are working on getting things done before we begin our vacation.

This morning, Lisa and I made burgers in preparation for the cook out tomorrow.  Kemmel was also running around and getting things done. 

I stopped to see Tomasita and pay her for the January rent. She wanted to show me her new flower.  White orchids, here in Chichi, cost 600Q and she received this one as a gift.  She is really excited!

In the afternoon, Kemmel, Lisa, Manuel, Josue, Gaspar and I went to Mactzul III for their ABC Celebration.  We enjoyed a huge lunch of grilled steak, rice and tortillas.  It was wonderful.......and the chili was out of this world!!  

Then we enjoyed a special program with the children, after Gaspar presented a lesson. This is Tomas announcing more about the ABC Program.

This is Manuel from Mactzul III talking about the ABC Program.

One of the children leading a song.

One of the children quoting a Bible verse.

 

Lisa got some really great photos, so you will have to check our their blog at

www.KemmelandLisa.blogspot.com

 

It was a really enjoyable day. It is always good to go to communities to participate in their activities. 

 

Tomorrow, we will clean the clinic and then have our end-of-the-year lunch.

Clinic in Lemoa

This morning, Lisa picked Sandra and I up and we went to Lemoa for the day.  We had a good clinic but I was disappointed that more babies did not come for cleft lip or palate surgery.

I want to introduce you to Micaela and Martin. They have been married for four years and do not have any children.  Today, I had the opportunity to tell them that they are pregnant.  Martin had a baseball cap on and when I told them, he started laughing and that baseball cap almost fell off.  Micaela started clapping her hands with joy.

When I asked them if they would like a photo, they said yes and gave me the Guatemalan Look.  I said, "Please, act like your friends!"  He grabbed her hand and tossed his arm around her.  It is exciting to see a couple so pleased with their results!

One lady came in today to have her blood sugar checked.  She began to tell me how much stress she has been under.  Her husband receives dialysis at home and she has a young man help care for him.  Last month, for some reason, they had to cut his shirt off and in the process, they cut the tube he uses for dialysis.  He fell on the floor losing a lot of blood.  They rushed him to the hospital but they could not get his stable so a helicopter flew him to Guatemala City.  His family donated several pints of blood and he survived.  What a scary time for his family.

Lisa and Kemmel enjoyed lunch today in Mactzul VI.  We finished up clinic in Lemoa and then headed home in the afternoon.

ABC Celebration Continues!!

Today, we continued with the other communities that have the ABC Program.  A special thank you to everyone who sponsors a child in the ABC Program.  Without your help, we would not be able to have this program.  The program not only benefits the child and family but also the church and the community.  What an exciting opportunity for everyone who is involved!

Josue with the Mactul II group, who led us in singing for these two days.  This group attended and graduated from the school that Josue's family teaches in Pacaja Xesic. What a blessing they were to us for these two days.

Getting ready for the day...........

A child from each community went to the stage and shared how the ABC Program has affected their life and what they think of it.

These are the students that received third place prizes.

These are the students that received second place prizes.

These students received first place prizes.

The coordinators of each community were introduced

The communities gave gifts to people who work so diligently to assure that the program continues to function smoothly.  Violet receiving a gift.

Lisa, receiving a gift to show appreciation for her hard work in the communities.

Kemmel, accepting a gift for his diligent work.

After the singing and awards, the group broke into classes.  Sandra, helping one group of children.

Two children enjoying their time.

I have tons of photos to share, so it is hard to pick the best ones to post.

Once child wanting to show his, "Roar!"

Aura, was a big help to us during these two days.  She will be returning to Guatemala City in January to continue her dental studies. It has been great having her with us for a few weeks.  Aura, good luck with your studies!

When it was time to eat, we divided again into two lines.  Marcos took photos in the other line and we took the other half. Gaspar maintaining the rope. Without the rope, there would be no way to maintain order!

I enjoyed so much taking the photos.  Sometimes it was difficult to get a good photo as more people wanted to walk through, or sit to eat in this area.  Now, this is a happy child!!

Leaning to pose at a young age!

Wow.........what a two days it has been!  When we finished, we loaded all of the prizes, we cleaned the grounds, loaded all of the chairs, burned the trash and then made final rounds to be sure everything was done correctly.

If anyone is interested in helping with the ABC Program, sponsoring a child or helping with a scholarship program, please let us know.  You will see exactly where your money goes, how it is used, have an opportunity to meet your child and to be certain that you are impacting a child, family and a community.  Everyone is a winner!!

ABC Celebration 2012!

The time has arrived!  We are ready for two days of celebration for the ABC Program in the highlands!   A lot of time, work and effort has gone into these two days.  Food and activities have been planned for 1,100 guests!

This year, the activity is in one of the schools in Chichicastenango.  This is the group on Tuesday, before the activities started.

Marcos and Ruben welcomed everyone and then we got down to business.  Here, they are introducing Violeta.  Violeta works in Guatemala City, primarily with the ABC Program.

Lisa and Kemmel enjoy the activities from the sidelines.  No one understands the amount of work and planning that goes into preparing these activities.  Kemmel works many, many hours and his phone rings constantly!

Manuel, Violeta and Luis, preparing to announce the winners of third place.

Violeta, with the third place winners.

These students, received enough points during the year to be awarded second place.

These are the first place winners.  They received prizes of beds or dressers to keep their clothes in.

These are the ABC coordinators of these communities.  The coordinators are responsible for seeing that the child remains active in church, attends school, writes letters to their sponsor and that they receive their medical and dental check-ups as required. Everyone that is involved in the program has responsibilities.

Once we enjoyed a time of singing, devotion and prizes, and then it was time to divide into groups for classes.  There were six stations and each station had a different focus of study. we had several teachers helping and they were a BIG help!

This is group A...........

This was another group...............

and their focus was Philippians 4:8. This was a very popular group and they made sun visors.

This is one of the teachers, inviting the students to their area.

It was very encouraging to see the students listening and participating.  The focus or story of this group was to teach that God gives people different characteristics or qualities.  After a period of time, people began to think of these as being positive or negative so someone asked God about it.  He explains that all of the characteristics that He gives people are positive because they come from him. Everyone has individual characteristics and personality.........we are all special in God's eyes.

Everyone decorates a mask and then printed their name inside using the Bible verse............"For God so loved (the name of the child) that He gave His only Son................."

I want to introduce you to Cesar.  He lives in Chuchipaca and will begin working with us in January.  He will primarily be working with the ABC Program in the area of education.  We are growing quickly and it will be great to have him.  Welcome Cesar!

Maury and her group worked together to teach another important lesson.  They use a tube of tooth paste to demonstrate how easy it is to get the paste out, but impossible to return the paste into the tube.  This demonstrates our tongue.  When we speak to someone, it is impossible to take our words back.  We need to think, before we speak.  Such a valuable lesson for children and adults.

Children enjoying their time in class.

Group B, used Romans 10:13 for their class.

Then they were able to color feet.......How beautiful are the foot of them that preach the gospel of peace...............

They are very beautiful!

About 12:30, everyone got in line for lunch.  As the line progressed, we took photos of each of the ABC Children. 

After lunch, everyone had a little time to play and then it was time to clean the grounds. Everyone loaded up their prizes as we cleaned and prepared for tomorrow.

Tomorrow, we will have the other communities for another full day of adventure!!