2005 April

Volume 2, Issue 1

May 2005

The Adventure Begins...

2507 Cumberland Drive Valparaiso, IN 46383 (800)KIDS-330 www.kidsalive.org

Dear Friends and Family,

G U AT E M A L A

Sodas at the beach

What comes to mind when you think of “luxury”? A 5 star hotel, a resort spa, a Mercedes E class? We’ve been in Guatemala almost 4 months now and we’ve redefined the word “luxury”. Luxury for us now is hot water, a washer, drinking water from the tap, and air conditioning. But luxury for our next door

Volcano Fuego as viewed from “The Oasis”

neighbor is running water, a concrete floor, a stove, and windows with glass in them. Although we don’t feel it necessary to take all these “luxuries” away, we find it essential to take the word “luxury” and define it in such a way that we are reminded of the daily “luxuries” we enjoy! So today, say thanks for the luxury of your hot morning shower, ice in your drink at lunch, and light at night.

Painting a Picture a Picture Painting

A

Eric atop volcano Pacaya

BIENVENIDOS

Heather the teacher

Marita’s 15th B-day party

Eric and Heather Haddox APDO Postal 01 San Lucas, Sacatepequez Guatemala [email protected]

So Eric and Heather, how was the move? In one word, eventful! Two adults, three sickly preschoolers, a drugged up 70 lb. dog in a huge crate, 10 oversized bags, 5 legal carry-ons (including a guitar) two car seats, and five “purses”. Add all that to a midnight flight and you pretty much get disaster along with “what were you thinking”. But we made it! We arrived at our furnished house on January 10th. The first month was challenging, trying to get used to all the “quirks” of a new (old) house, as well as all the things we didn’t have for convenience. After our first load of laundry in the pila (a Guatemalan wash tub for laundry) Eli said, “this thing is awesome, we shouldn’t get a washing machine”. We did finally get a washing machine after a month of hand washing and line drying, as well as a microwave. Both things have made life incredibly easier on our family (especially mom). We live in a little pueblo (town) called, Santa Lucia Milpas Altas. The house we live in is rustic (that’s the nice way to say cold, dark, and made of stone). We have a stone driveway which has led to many bumps, bruises, and scrapes while playing “tag” or “futbol” (soccer). There is a 30 foot water tower on our property which the kids like to call their “jungle gym”. We sleep in the one bedroom upstairs which is sepa-

rated into different living areas by bookshelves. All in all, this house has been a great start for us especially because it immediately felt “homey” because it was furnished. The street leading to our house is a dirt road and most of the neighbors are farmers. The lady at the market knows our names, and begins picking out the fruit and veggies we want before we say anything. You can buy 7 fresh tortillas for 13 cents and three pineapples for $1.30. Eating ice cream is a favorite pastime of Guatemalans, much to the enjoyment of our kids. Our favorite little ice cream shop sells chocolate covered carrot and avocado ice cream for 40 cents, but we prefer the chocolate covered cream ice cream the best. We go to church in San Lucas (the town where the orphanage sites are located). The church is Spanish speaking and there is an hour long worship time with kids and all! It currently meets outside under a yellow and white striped tarp as they are in the process of rebuilding. Although these images may paint a life very different from before, we’ve come to know our family is the same inside in spite of all the changes outside. We still have family night, we still eat pancakes on Saturday mornings, and we still serve the same God.

Adventures in Ericland Ericland Eric spent the first two and a half months in language school. His teacher came to our house three times a week. He has built a great foundation and is now learning Spanish through self study at home with Heather. The biggest change has been in his role with Kids Alive. Before we came, the need was in the area of construction, but after we arrived, that need changed to something drastically different. He has now been asked to fill the role of Team Host which entails the recruitment, scheduling, and hosting of short term teams. There is a lot of details to this job and the past month and a half has been spent training with Brian (the past team host). His training has included many outings including hiking up a volcano where he hiked over a lava river! He will be starting to help with the engineering of a retaining wall at the Oasis site, and has already used his EMT skills on a little boy who fractured his skull falling off a swing at the Oasis. He has also been tutoring math two days a week with four high school students at the Lily and is looking forward to getting involved in the worship band at church.

Heather Ventures Heather Ventures Heather began working as the Education Specialist for Kids Alive. Her ministry entails everything from assessing the needs of the girls, to managing and writing lesson plans for the tutors. Currently she manages a tutoring team of 6 people. She was recently asked to be a part of a leadership committee of 8 people dedicated to improving the daily holistic care of the girls. During Holy Week in Guatemala, Heather, along with a stateside short term team, put on a Vacation Bible School that was fantastic. The first day of VBS the girls complained that they didn’t want to do anything during their week off, but by the end of the week, they were crying that it was over. It was an awesome week full of fun, new friendships, and spiritual growth. The most important part of her role as Education Specialist is being the advocate for the girls at their school. In April the director of the school asked Heather to hold a teacher workshop for the primary teachers, helping them to improve their teaching skills. She also is leading a devotion for the national staff on Monday mornings about prayer.

Coming Soon... Soon... Coming • •

We are moving to a different house in June. It’s more family friendly and we’re very excited! We are beginning the process of adoption. We hope to

• •

add a boy to our family by next year. We are looking for a van due to the adoption prospect. Eli and Heather will be visiting the States in July.

Kids Corner Thoughts on Guatemala... Eli Eli has been attending homeschool twice a week. He’s learned to do laundry all by himself and washes the dishes once a week. Also he’s learned to roller blade and ride a bike without training wheels. Our first day in Guatemala “This house has a tree to climb and rocks, it’s just what I’ve always wanted”. “Guatemala is old, dirty, and broken” I was talking with him about nocturnal animals and he asked if robbers were nocturnal because they do their work at night to which I replied, “I guess so” to which he said, “well then we shouldn’t be outside” I said, “we’re safe in here because this is our yard with a wall and we have TKO. Besides who do we have on our side?” He said, “God… AND we have a dog” “Pray that the girls at the orphanage will learn to read better, that we will have a big school place, and pray that we will be safe and I pray that people will remember us”

Abi Abi goes to story time every Tuesday at the missionary school here. She sets the table once a week and is learning to make her bed all by herself. “I like everything in Guatemala, I like stinky buses...” While waiting for her daddy to say good night her mommy said that she needed to be patient, and that patient means waiting with a smile to which she replied, “no, patient means you’re coming!” “Pray for Jesus and for sisters”

Zoe Zoe’s learned to swing by herself and her favorite words in Spanish are “chocolate” and “mas pollo.” When the toilet wouldn’t flush at a restaurant we went to she said, “I think it needs new batteries” “Pray for different people and my purple (her teddy bear)”