We Bless the Children!

Team #3 is about to wrap up their work week and when I think about what they've done here for the home that they worked at this past week.....blessed, blessed, blessed. Last year we started the kitchen project for Vida Ilimitada a home for approx. 25 children and untill now the project has just set with nothing being done. Lack of funds is always the reason. This week we were able to finish the 1st floor concrete roof along with finishing the outside painting of the directors house...3 story high! Thanks for your prayers of safety as the teams work in those conditions high above the ground. Time with the children is always a blessing too. I'm sure the team is as blessed as the children as they do crafts, play soccer and hang out. The big hit this year for the kids is painting small wooden crafts. It's amazing how gifted some of the children are in their creativity. Saturday we visited Casa Shalom and had a pizza party for them, devouring all but 36 ex large pizzas, cake, chips, and lots of drink. Sometimes I wonder where it all goes. a director recently told me about a child that had just come to their home from the city dump because of malnutrition and when they had their first pizza party the young boy had 27 pieces! He didn't know when his next meal would come! The director said "every young boy needs the opportunity to fill up once in his lifetime".
Yesterday was the 2 year anniversary of our coming into Guatemala to serve with ORI. It has been a wonderful experience with many  friends and co-workers walking along side of us on our journey. In the last 10 years ORI has noticeably become a known ministry in Guatemala, developing relationships with many orphanages and partnering with other ministries that care for the children at risk. There is so much needed here and my prayer is that God would continue to bless our work, giving wisdom to those making decisions regarding direction and growth of the ministry. If you're not aware of the overall scope of our work, connect yourself with us at http://www.orphanresources.org/ 
Our week ahead will be preparing for the next team, coming March 7th. Woohoo!...Randy Weaver our past director here will be leading the team of 15 ladies. I think he's really needing to get away from the cold and wants to see us! We may even need to celebrate his arrival with some big fireworks!

Blessings to all, Jim and Sheryl

Ready... Set... GO!

It's Sunday night and what goes through my mind is...are we ready! With another team coming in tomorrow the work week begins. Usually there is a full week to get everything ready but this week was full of other events, but we're ready. We'll be working again at Vida Ilimatada on the new kitchen and bodega being built. We should be able to finish grouting the first floor walls and pour the ceiling that the locals are supposed to have ready for us. We'll be finishing the painting of the outside of the young boys and directors home. Also I'm told that some trees need to be cut down and wood split for the cook since the budget is scraping the bottom. It should be a good week though...cause it's the Lancaster folks that get the job done.
Other events of the week included a visit from a Childrens HopeChest group visiting 7 homes in two days...talk about a busy schedule! Two days filled from early morning into the evening making some very good contacts with directors and the children. Seven men from a bible study that's been together for 16 years in the Colorado Springs area. I belive God will use these men in a mighty way providing for the children of Guatemala. Yesterday the staff of ORI were hosted by the 19 children at LaSenda to a Valentines party in appreciation for the many ways that we have helped them. Had a great time as the kids paired of with us for the event. Brunch, Guatemalen style...2 kinds of black beans, an egg dish, white rice pudding with raisins, torillas, and a fruit yogurt cup.
Had a great donation this week from one of our local stores. $1000 to be used for purchase of anything of our choice from their store. We've decided to buy sugar which we narmally purchase from them each month. With our budget running a little tight, this was the right decision. A few days after the donation we were called and they offered to ORI all the day old bread and pastry 5 days of the week. One day this week it was 26 dozen donuts. What a blessing...to be delivered with other items to the homes we visit every day. God is good!

Have a great week, Jim and Sheryl

Quick Wrap Up of the Week...or weeks!

I guess it's because we've started our busy team season that I just haven't taken time to post for a few weeks...sorry! It's been exciting around here with a team leaving, then a visit from the home office by Rod and Sarah Martin and another board member, then another team. Wow, it just keeps going. This afternoon I go to the airport at 3:00pm then with one traveler from Childrens HopeChest, Sheryl and I go to meet the team that's leaving tomorrow morning, to do the debriefing and thank them for their generous efforts this past week. Then on the return trip through the city we'll stop and pick up 3 more from CHC on an 8:00pm  flight and bring them to our place or Dennys for the night. Then another part of their group arrives at 10:00 so we'll go back to the city to pick them up yet before the night ends. Tomorrow I'll be traveling with the CHC group to see 5 homes then on Tuesday we'll visit 4 to wrap up their stay since they leave on Wednesday. 5 days to catch our breath then a group of 25 come for a week from Pa. for another week of work at Vida Ilimitada. Sheryl and I have been taking care of keeping those that don't work with concrete and construction busy painting. I guess that's our specialty....at least Sheryl can claim the brush washing and cleanup as a specialty. Yesterday we spent most of the day with the team at another home visiting, doing crafts with them and then having a pizza party together with all the staff and kids. 18 Giant pizzas can be eaten pretty fast when the kids haven't had it for close to a year. They even said this time that it's a favorite over Pollo Camperro!! Sheryl then treated them to home made cookies, 5 varietys, which even though their stomachs were full, they had room for one or more.I think the team enjoyed them also!

IT'S BEGUN!

This week is the beginning of what we've prepared for during the last few months...the start of our team season. As I probably mentioned before there will be 16 teams coming this year ready to work, enjoy Guatemala, and to bless the children in the homes with their warm arms to wrap around them and some attempts with the Spanish language that always brings laughs from the kids. They're used to that though with us around! The home that we were at this week was overwhelmed at the quality of the work, painting 5 rooms inside and concreting about a 1000sq ft. area for the kids to play, ride bikes on and eventually to play basketball on, as they get older. As I look at our staff functioning, it couldn't be more perfect, as we all work together providing the experience of a lifetime for many that come. I told Sheryl last night that her efforts in getting the activities together for the kids is unprecedented and a real blessing. Things go well when planning is done!

We did have a perfect week of weather, with sunshine every day and temperatures in the 70's. I read this morning that the Northeast US tonight may reach record lows of -30F...don't even want to remember those times. Not too many years ago I would have been spending most of the nights during the cold weather hanging over heat pumps statisfying customers with heating problems. Looking back on that time, I must say that I enjoyed it ....maybe I was crazy, but being a blessing to people is what makes me tick! Even the 15 years of fixing cameras in my earlier years was enjoyable, seeing people thrilled that they would have their camera repaired for the occasion...usually that night! Guess my life is just full of helping people in need.

My parents are coming to GT to visit!! They are in their upper 80's! We will try our best to take care of them and enjoy their time here. They will be traveling with my younger sister and her husband, helping them to navigate through the airports. Leaving out of Washington on Thursday...hoping that the snow wil not be too deep although it doesn't sound good.

Not enough room here for team pictures of the work week so visit our fb page and the ORI fb.

Thanks for your prayers, need them!

Sad Situations

I'll begin todays blog by sharing of two situations that have taken place in orphanages that ORI deliveres food and additional donations to. The first picture is of an adorable little boy that was left abandoned on a church pew and is now placed in an orphanage with caring people to provide a new life...second opportunity

to life. It's hard to imagine that this can take place in our human society, but it does happen even more often than we would think possible. If only there could be a  good program for these children to be adopted by families that want them, to provide for them and to give them an opportunity to be the person that God desires them to be. The second is of an entire family of brothers and sisters that were picked up by the authorities and brought into an orphanage after they were found completely left on their own. The oldest one being 12 years old, taking care of the rest of her siblings...7 of them. Hard to imagine in this situation also that parents of the children allow this to happen. I know both these homes, and the children will be wonderfully cared for, but it again puts additional stress on the homes financially, when they're filled with children and the authorities give additional children to the homes, but no funding to help in these situations. The care givers and directors need our prayers and all the help we can give them as they care for these little ones.



Our week has been a little different around here with both of us fighting colds that we've had since we came back from Florida. Mine just bothered me slightly, but Sheryl had a nasty cough and two weeks later is just now getting over it. Hoping and praying that it will be gone before the first team gets here on Monday. Should be a good week with Jay Hurst, a regular with teams to GT. We'll be working at a home out towards Antigua pouring a concrete pad for basketball and a play area. If the weather is like today we'll be blessed. The last few days we've had cold wind again and it really comes through the windows making everything cold. The other night as I laid in bed I could see the curtains blowing around...with the windows closed. We keep thinking that "today" will be the end of the cold days and that the warmth that we love so much will return. We all look forward to the team season with anticipation of sharing our work and experiences with lots of new friends. The postings on facebook and blogs get filled with cute pictures of the children and the tired looks of team members from their determination to get the job done. That even makes us tired .... they get to go back to their regular schedules but we go through the same thing when the next team comes. Our team schedule is full and will be a busy time for all our staff. Keep us in your prayers for safety throughout our team schedule.

I'll try to keep the news coming but if I'm late on posting...be forgiving!

Love you all, Jim and Sheryl

Back to Work!

We returned from Jacksonville after one week with grandchildren and our family. Had a wonderful time celebrating Jesus' birthday and family time together. The only, not so good thing, is that we both came back with colds. Mine, not more than a pest, but Sheryl has battled an ugly chest cough for most of the week with releif finally coming yesterday and more today. We shouldn't blame it on Florida's cold weather, so I'll just say the draft blowing from the A/C unit on the plane didn't help. We're seeing better temperatures and lots of sunshine now in GT. The daytime temperatures are reaching 75degs. which we whole heartedly welcome. In a joking way I sent an email notice to a friend today saying, 75 deg., sunshine at max! Forecast for the next 8 months, SAME!
This morning as I was reading the news I was attracted to an article that stated, 2000 children in Guatemala died of starvation from January thru October of this past year. Astounding! 52% of the children under the age of 5 suffer from malnutrition. Orphan Resources is helping to feed 4000 children each day of the year. What a blessing it is to be able to do this. A person can only imagine  the possible sittuation of those children if our deliveries were not possible. Thankyou, again and again for your support.

Amazing.....just amazing!

No I'm not talking about the cold weather in Florida, I'm talking about our wonderful family. The hardest decision to make when we were asked to go to Guatemala to work with Orphan Resources was leaving our family behind in Pennsylvania and in Florida. We knew God was calling us though, and with their agreement, we made the decision to go. It has been a wonderful experience and as our children and grandchildren see and learn about our work we are encouraged. As they grow up and realize how blessed they are to be living in America, to have nice homes, loving parents that serve God and then to add onto all that, recieve gifts during Christmas, the visits to Guatemala will make even a greater impact on their lives. As I think about how blessed our children and grandchildren are, I have to think also about how blessed Sheryl and I have been to have a church family, friends, and family that keeps us in their prayers and supports us financially. We have so....much! God help us to see ways to show your love to the needy of the world.

When we go back home later this week we'll only have a few weeks till the team season starts. I have everything in place for the teams through March. It's been a little crazy getting tickets....at the right price! One of the agents mentioned that since the Mexican missions teams have now begun to come to Guatemala,  because of the safety issues in Mexico, the flights are filling up sooner and become more expensive. Hopefully with even higher ticket prices the teams will have life changing experiences and will continue wanting to come back. We'll enjoy our week with family but will be glad to return to Guatemala.

Having fun!
Jim and Sheryl