Kind Acts In Action : The Gary Family Goes To Guatemala Part 2

This is an update to The Gary Family Goes to Guatemala Part 1

The Gary family and the other team members recently returned from a week-long mission trip to San Juan Sacatepéquez, Guatemala. Here is a follow-up of some of the things they experienced, written by Shelli Gary.

“San Juan Sacatepéquez is a beautiful town located in the Guatemalan highlands. There is a town center where daily open markets take place, selling fruits and vegetables, fabric and beautiful flowers that are grown throughout the city. It was interesting to see the hustle and bustle of commerce taking place with the amazingly colorful background of the local Mayan clothing and culture.

We stayed at a church located right in town. Pastor Santos, his family and the people were so welcoming and showed us so much love and hospitality. The genuine affection we were given was heart touching. It is something I will never forget.

We took over 500 pairs of eyeglasses that had been donated from individuals and the Lion’s Club, with strengths that had been read and labeled by optometrists. On Sunday, Pastor Santos told the people of the church that we would be distributing the glasses on Monday morning and that everyone was welcome and to invite neighbors that may need glasses. We were not prepared for the hundreds of people that started lining up for glasses hours before we began. There is such a huge need there. Here in the United States, if you need glasses you go to the eye doctor, have an exam and order your glasses. In the Mayan villages, there are no eye doctors and even if a person was able to get a ride into Guatemala City, they would not have the money to pay for the eye exam, let alone the eyeglasses, which we were told cost 2 months salary. It’s an injustice that is not fair, and yet it is how it is. So for our team to be in a position to fit the people for a pair of eyeglasses that would greatly improve their daily life was overwhelming and also a joy that is indescribable. There are so many stories of the people who we saw that day, many elderly and never having seen clearly before. They were so grateful and humbled to know that the glasses were brought for them. It gave them hope. The faces of the children who found glasses will forever be etched in my mind. One little girl ran to each of us, hugging us tightly with a huge smile on her face when we finally found the perfect pair for her. With another little girl, we needed to fit her with 2 different pair of glasses, one for her to see better distance and one for her to use for reading. You could tell that her poor vision had caused learning disabilities in her, as she did not know how to read the numbers on a wall calendar. So we asked her how many fingers we were holding up from a distance, and she enthusiastically told us. A little boy who came in squinting, left proudly with his new glasses that he showed to his friends who gathered around him on the street to see. God is so good!

We also taught a prenatal and postnatal care class along with family nutrition. We had taken enough vitamins for 300 people to receive a yearly supply. We decided it best to hand out little bags with a one month supply to each person, letting Pastor Santos continue to distribute the rest on a monthly basis. What we discovered were grateful people who were very interested in any information we could give to them about nutrition and living in a more healthful way. The vitamins will aid in their overall health, and help in ways that we take for granted in our society.

We held a children’s fair that was attended by over 250 people! It was so much fun! We had a drama story, songs, a parachute, jump ropes and we made balloon animals! Even the parents that had brought their children joined in on making the balloon animals, laughing and having a great time. The Mayan children are beautiful and so precious! We had the opportunity to also teach dental hygiene and as the children left the fair, they got a treat bag with a toothbrush, toothpaste and a small book (we also had a packaged snack in the bag – and yes, chocolate sandwich cookies don’t really go with dental hygiene, but hey, it was a “treat” bag, and they had a toothbrush that they now know how to use!)

Another highlight was when we visited a school where we were able to take and donate sporting equipment and 50 lbs. of Spanish books. What a blessing this was to the school! Then our team got to visit the classrooms of the students and teach the colors in English, while they taught us the colors in Spanish.

One of the highlights for us was to spend an afternoon cooking together with the Mayan women in a Mayan kitchen – everything is cooked over a wooden fire and open flame! We taught them how to make chili (something they had never eaten before, but we could find the ingredients at the market to make) and spaghetti. They cooked a traditional celebration soup for us that was delicious!

The week was amazing and has ignited something in my heart. I know we will be returning if God is willing. We fell even more in love with the Mayan people, their genuine love and concern for each other, their sense of family and friendship, and their faith. We have been changed.

Shelli Gary

If you would like to see some pictures of this trip, then head over to my Flickr page.

Quote By John F. Kennedy…

“Some people look at what is, and say why? I look at things which are possible and say why not?”

Kind Acts In Action : The Gary Family Goes to Guatemala Part 1

On June 14, a team of nine from Connexions Church in Dexter, MI, will be headed to San Juan Sacatepéquez, Guatemala on a mission trip to serve the needs of the people in the community. Among the team will be the Gary Family, who will be returning to Guatemala for their second time in less than a year.

“Last year we were in the Mayan Highlands in Santa Apolonia. The town was beautiful, and full of the traditional Mayan culture, that has not changed much over the years. The women and young girls still wear the traditional Mayan Huipals and Cortes (hand woven and multi-colored tops and wrap skirts). We served in a church by hosting a children’s fair and Vacation Bible School for more than 250 children! But, it was the Mayan people who captured our hearts and we fell in love with them. The Mayans are very warm and beautiful people, and very family oriented. It is not uncommon to see older siblings carrying their younger brothers and sisters around on their hip, or grandfathers carrying their grandchildren around on their shoulders. The family unit is very strong in the Mayan culture. But we also witnessed much need. There is great need for health education and medical and dental services, and the illiteracy rate is 64%, one of the highest in Central America.

When we head back to Guatemala next week, we will be taking lots of supplies with us to help meet these needs. Our team has been blessed by so many individuals and organizations with donations. The Dexter Lion’s Club and other individuals have donated over 500 pairs of used eyeglasses that we will be taking! Local Optometrists in the Dexter area have been reading the strengths and coding the glasses for us, so that we will be able to give simple eye exams to help the people pick out a pair of glasses that will help them see more clearly. In the Mayan communities, it is very difficult to have access to eyeglasses, and most go without. The cost of a pair of eyeglasses is worth 2 months salary to most, in addition to the cost of transportation to get into Guatemala City and the cost to see an Optometrist. These will be a big blessing to the people!

A local Rotary Club, who has in interest in Literacy, has donated 50 lbs. of Spanish children’s books! The collection of books includes both fiction and non-fiction and will be a huge blessing to the teachers and students of a school in San Juan Sacatepéquez! We are excited to spend a morning at the school and offer a brief geography lesson about Michigan and teach a bit of English (numbers and colors) with the students.

We will also have the great opportunity to teach dental hygiene to a group of 100 children and 40 teens. Thanks to the generosity of local dentists and many individuals, we are taking dental hygiene kits for these children and for their parents. Many people have been dropping off small tubes of toothpaste and toothbrushes for us to make these kits and we are very thankful. I don’t know if people realize how their small act of generosity and sharing will make such a huge difference in the life of another individual.

We had a request by the church who is hosting our team, to teach about pre-natal and post-natal care along with family nutrition. We have a nurse on our team who will be teaching basic nutrition and personal care, and we will also participate in a group question and answer time. Remember, many of the women cannot read and have little or no access to medical care, other than the community midwife. It will be a very special time, as we also learn more about the lives of Mayan women. There is a local senior center here where women have been knitting baby hats for us to take. We will be giving these to expecting mothers. We are also taking prenatal vitamins to share, that will greatly improve the health of the pregnant mother and her baby. The infant mortality rate is an alarming 50% in some of the Mayan communities.

Our team will be staying in the church that is hosting us, sleeping on the cement floor in sleeping bags. I hear it is the rainy season in June and a bit chilly in the highlands (we will be at a 5,000 ft. elevation). We will eat fresh corn tortillas everyday and the local women will be cooking for our team – it will be delicious! Our boys will have the opportunity to make friends with others their age, and to practice their Spanish. Our team will also have two translators with us who are from Mexico City. They will be an invaluable bridge for our team, not only in the communication, but in bridging the cultural differences.

So many people have made this trip possible for our team with their kindness and generosity. I thank God everyday for this opportunity and know that with Him, all things are possible!”

Shelli Gary

Go to my Flickr page to see photos from the trip last year.

For donation inquiries please contact Shelli at shellig@chartermi.net