Introducing: TEN FE

So much has happened since I last updated my blog… kind of like last time!  Ha-ha.  But seriously, life changing decisions and commitments have been made in the past few weeks.  I am so excited to be on this roller coaster that my life has become… one that finally has direction, yet twists and turns through the obstacles and challenges that await after every turn.

My last update was mainly about our orphans, and how their numbers are slowly but surely increasing.  I asked you for help.  Julie asked her friends for help.  The response was astonishing.  We had immediate donations, offers to adopt, and long term monetary promises.  All this meant to us was:  the help is there… we just need to find it all.  With the new inspiration from all of our motivated friends, we decided to make a full time commitment to help as many under privileged children in Santiago go to school and have a place to call home.  This is when TEN FE came in to existence.  In English, it stands for The Endeavor for New Futures through Education.  In Spanish, TEN FE means ‘Have Faith’.  It is officially a non-profit organization in the state of Ohio, which means shortly it will be fully tax deductable for our contributors.  Our long term goals include building a community center in Santiago, for as of now, many have no place to call home, and live with the uncertainty of not knowing where their next meal will come from. 

I am so excited to be embarking on this adventure.  I know it will be one of the biggest challenges I have faced, but one well worth it.  I know it won’t always be pretty, but I promise to always move up hill.  I am so excited to be doing this with Julie… no one better to get things up and running back home.  If she gets me what I need, I can make sure the children have what they need. 

This decision affects other decisions I have made.  Mainly, the length of my stay here in Guatemala now is up in the air.  I can’t begin to build this dream, and then walk away from it.  I will only leave if or when it can thrive without me.  That will be true success. 

Thank you for all of your support from back home.  I miss you all dearly… every day.  I will be coming home at the end of June… briefly… and hopefully again in November.  I am still loving my decision, and still living with no regrets.  Until next time…

Making Dreams Come True

Please give me ten minutes of your time, and read over this. Please.

It all started with two. I met them on my first trip to Guatemala. Julie and I found the eldest digging for food in the trash. After buying him lunch and talking a bit, we found out about his brother, and how their parents had died three years before. Wilver was now 13, shinning shoes daily trying to provide for himself and his brother. 

When I returned to Guatemala, this time for an indefinite stay, I made it my mission to help these two little Santiago orphans. With financial aid being sent from back home by none other than the one at my side when we found them, I have been able to provide a roof, food, and clothing for these boys. But the most important thing we have been able to offer them by far: An education. A future. The deal has always been that if they study… the help will continue. Without enrolling in and eventually finishing at least the sixth grade, these boys will never stand a fighting chance of escaping their situation. But now they are in, and loving it.

Weekly I drive to Santiago to see them… they are happier and happier to see me. They look better and better too. They have a new wardrobe, both casual and uniform for school. They take pride in their appearance now, because they can. They walk to school everyday, and enjoy telling me about their math classes and reading exercises. 

I couldn’t do it alone. A pastor by the name of Don Romeo helps the boys immensely. He found them a room to rent (an empty dark, cinder block room), and invites the boys for dinner daily. He is able to keep an eye on them on days when I can’t, and gives me updates as best he can. But even he and his family struggle with poverty and its limits. He is a truly amazing man, who gives and gives. 

Wilver and Irineo have come so far in so little time. I think more than anything, Julie and I have provided them hope.. and trust. Hope for tomorrow. And trust that help will be there. They are truly the most amazing human beings I’ve met… and have already lived through what most of us couldn’t even imagine. 

Why am I writing this now? I am doing something that I never like doing… but now more than ever, I find the cause worthwhile. Wilver and Irineo are doing fine, and Julie continues to support me every month financially for them. The issue now, is that there are two more. Two more little Santiago boys have found their ways into my life. It started last week when Don Romeo told me that these two new fellows had noticed how much happier and well taken care of my boys have been. So, naturally, after being told by Wilver and Irineo about their American friend, they went knocking on Don Romeo’s door… looking for me. Ever since then, Don Romeo has been feeding them every night… but that is all he can do. So, Don Romeo asked if I could help two more. The most important thing is for them to get enrolled in school. Without even thinking, I said yes, and gave him the money for the enrollment fees. No one could have said no looking them in the eye. So, they are being enrolled in school. One of them, Milvar, does have parents… but apparently they are alcoholics, and most likely abusive. Needless to say, they can barely afford food for themselves, let alone pay for the education of their son. The other little boy, Jose, is in fact an orphan. He is one of THIRTEEN brothers and sisters, yet four of them died along with his parents about 4 years ago. I have yet to find out the cause of their death. So, he lives with 8 other siblings. He is twelve, and while most of the siblings are older, he has a younger brother of eight. I intend to find at least the 8 year old on my next visit… because I can only imagine his state. So the truth is, I have five. Five beautiful little boys… all whom I first found in the square of Santiago, hands stained black from the shoe polish they were slaves to every day. I have managed to drastically change the lives of two already… and I’m asking for your help to provide for these new three… and maybe even more like them in the future. I have been inspired to some how start a foundation to help orphans in Guatemala, all with the intentions of them graduating. I need to start somewhere though… and time is precious for these five miracles. 

It does not take much to provide for them. Mainly, there are the initial expenses of enrollment, supplies and uniforms. Then, the expenses die way down, and only food, housing, and clothing become the issues. I take the boys grocery shopping every weekend for breakfast supplies. I buy them clean water, cereal, and milk to have in their room. I also buy them a pack of cookies and a juice box for every day of school, along with about $15 each that pays for lunch for a week. They continue to eat at Don Romeo’s house for dinner every night. It’s amazing to see how the boys liven up when provided three meals a day. It is truly inspiring. 

So, what I am asking for, is whatever you can give. If it is $20 dollars, thank you. If it is more, thank you. If it is $1, thank you. If it is nothing, thank you. Really, I understand if you can’t. But if you can, there isn’t a more worthy cause. Even $1 can feed these boys for a day. The benefit of me being the one handling the money is that I can tell you where 100% of your money is going… directly to the boys. They will be helped, as long as they are studying in school. That has always been the deal. Education is their only ticket out of their situation. And I will help them indefinitely until they finish. 

If you can give anything at all, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Even if every one of my facebook friends gave only $1, I would have more than enough to support the boys for a whole year. Thank you in advance. I will keep you all posted on the boys and their progress. God bless.

PS: If you do want to donate, please follow the link below:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=CRV479M47R89U

Settling In...

            So much time has passed since I arrived in Guatemala, that I don’t even know where to start.  My life has literally been a roller coaster ever since I decided to come.  And I must confess that I almost called the whole thing off about a week before I left Ohio.  But thank God I had the support behind me, pushing me to do what I had wanted to for so long.  Though driving away was the hardest thing I have EVER done, it was also the best move I’ve made in a very long time. 

            I could entertain you and vent about my actual trip down here, and how many things continually went wrong (like finding out I could only check one bag as I sit in my hotel room in Miami by myself with four).  But now, it all seems so distant.  Even the very interesting trip to pick up my car at the port has been moved to the back of my mind… though INTERESTING is an understatement for that trip!  I must admit that I teared up when I finally saw my car, and felt the familiarity… the smell of home. 

            It has definitely been scary at times… learning to drive, starting my new job, etc.  But so rewarding.  I now feel very comfortable here, and find my way around more and more.  I couldn’t ask for a better job.  Though I was thrust into it without any plans, and free reign over what I wanted to teach two entire grade levels… It has been the best job I’ve ever had, and I finally know that education is my field FOREVER.  I’ve grown to love my students already, and genuinely CARE about being the best I can be for them.  Every morning, I am greeted by hugs and “hola’s!” from all of my little third and fourth graders, and I feel like I belong right then and there, in that moment.  In class, it comes naturally to me, and I cherish every moment.  My favorite thing to do is sitting back and watch them learn by themselves, figuring out things on their own.  They truly are so smart.  My goal for the year is to let them teach themselves… I will guide them, but watch in amazement. 

            Valle Verde has also provided me with great friends that I already know I will have forever.  It is so fun to be around a group of people who love to teach and work hard, yet have such fun personalities that I can’t get enough of.  I truly do have the best job in the world. 

            However, more so than work, two little boys have completely changed my life.  Wilver and Irineo… my two little Santiago orphans.  For those who don’t know, a dear friend and I found them on my first trip to Guatemala, and since have found out about their painful past.  After the death of both parents, the boys spent three years alone on the streets, shinning shoes and living off of less than $1 a day at times.  We are now supporting them, helping them go to school, which is their only fighting chance to escape their situation.  I go to visit them as often as I can.  They have been scarred in so many ways that gaining their trust has become quite the task… or challenge.  But one I have dedicated myself to.  Last weekend I brought them to the city for the first time in their lives.  They marveled at escalators in the mall…   Finally they have started opening up to me… letting me in.  After spending the entire day with my family here in the city, all they could talk about is when they could return.  I hope this keeps them trying… keeps hope alive, in a sense.  They started school last week, in 2^nd and 3^rd grade.  I will keep you all posted, and I pray this story has a happy outcome. 

            I have no regrets.  Although I miss everyone I left behind EVERYDAY, I keep myself from losing sight of why I came.  My life is changing in ways I could never regret.  Love Guatemala… even after being here for a month and a half. 

            Sorry it took me so long to fill you in.  Will keep up with it more often now that work and life have started settling down.  Love to those back home.  

Much needed explanation...

I leave the USA on December 12th....  In time to spend Christmas with Yessi, Sergio, More, Ana Sofia, Sergito, Juan Diego y Jorge.  I can't wait!  

And then, I start my job on January 3rd, teaching 3rd and 4th grade science in english at Valle Verde Colegio in Guatemala City.  

Stay tuned... I will try to write as often as I can!