Snapshots from Rainy Season

The rainy season is finally upon us, and after two years of El Niño effects causing droughts here we are expected to have a normal one.  The rainy season here is called "winter" and has cool cloudy days and rainy afternoons and evenings for roughly 6 months out of the year from May to November.  This is the time that people plant, as most cannot do irrigation. Corn is "a thing" here as our students are learning and so are squash and beans and avocados, apples, peaches and plums. So here are some fun shots from the season. Enjoy.

Corn recently planted.  They plant 5 seeds together traditionally.

I love the scarecrows they put up.  This one has a plastic soccer ball for a head

Avocados! So plenitful here.  People are amazed how much we pay for avocados back home.

The tree in the distance is an avocado tree that didn't produce this year.  They have a tradition of putting a ladies' skirt (corte) around the trunk to help it do better next year. 

Corn fields in Mactzul I.  Every family plants enough for their family to have tamalitos and  tortillas and tamales for the year. 

And, of course road work at the beginning of the rains.  In this area people from different communities are assigned to road duty and serve for the year.  Several days a year required for road clearing and grating.

Medical Evangelism Training Interns

Well, our students made it safe and sound and lived to tell about their time in language school in Xela.  Over the weekend we all spent time together with Roger McKown, former missionary extraordinaire and current preacher at Brentwood Oaks Church of Christ in Austin, Tx, studying and learning about entering a different culture, what makes the gospel good news, and how to relate to people who look at the world through different lenses.  Our good friend Jennifer Hoines from ASELSI here in Chichicastenango joined us as well and had a lot of good advice for our fledgling missionaries. We enjoyed getting to know these young but eager Christians and hope this month will be a blessing to them and others in the future. Maybe one or two will become full time missionaries one day.

Which one is not like the others? This painting by Miguel Chavez was hanging in a hotel in Santiago.  It gave us a chuckle.

Jackson, Ciara, Alex, Kaden, Nathan, Jonas, Kaylin and James hanging out in the rubber tree fields.

We got to witness a baptism on Sunday.

Dina is one our coworkers at Clinica Ezell and this is her husband Julio who was baptized.

Kaden and Alex telling us about the disease complex of "Susto" or Fright. We wanted them to be familiar with how illnesses present in different cultures.

Jackson and Jonas talking about "Mollera Caida"
 or the Fallen Soft Spot in babies.

Kaylin and Ciara teaching us about the" Mal de Ojo" or the Evil Eye. While they were talking one of our coworkers from the clinic walked in and affirmed that it was common and told us how many people diagnose and treat the symptoms.

James and Nathan walking us through the Bilis or Bile Disease

Our rugged group

"This won't hurt a bit"

Staff Retreat in Santiago Atitlan

A couple of weeks ago we enjoyed a time together with all of the Health Talents staff from here in Quiche and Suchitepequez.  The two groups representing the work from Clinica Caris and Clinica Ezell makes up more than 60 people.  We had our director Rick Harper and board member Roger McKown join us and lead the encouraging talks and worship.  It is always good to catch up on each other's lives.

Beautiful Dutchman's Pipe vine at a local hotel. 

"Welcome to your event" We rented a retreat center on the lake big enough to house and feed all of us.

Meeting of the minds. Noe, Enrique, Alfredo and Baldemar during a discussion question.  Brother Alfredo looks asleep, but nothing gets past him!

Enjoying a good meal together.  Rick representing Harding University!

One of the three volcanoes surrounding the area.

On our morning walk we were greeted by these guys.

Celebrating birthdays with Jenny and Micaela