A Trip to the City

Posted on September 24, 2014 by adrienneorris

I had to go to the city to renew my passport, and I was reminded again of the difference in the two areas. As we flew into the city, we passed over towns. In the rural areas there is more adobe. More space between houses. More green. More trees. And as we approached the city, all that you can see is the tin of the roofs and concrete. Oh how these areas are so different. There is such a contrast between the city and the rural area – in every aspect (economically, educationally, security, space, priorities). There is no green space, no fresh air, no place that is quiet or peaceful or safe. The stores all have bars over them. There are guards with guns protecting every store. The people that are out are always aware of their surroundings and rushing from one place to the next. And they appear to be afraid. Everywhere you go it is dirty, it is covered with concrete and rusted tin and it smells of diesel.

As we drove the streets I was so thankful that I did not have to live in this environment daily. We drove past shoeshine boys and I wondered if they were runaways or orphans that took to the streets in hopes of a better life. When cars stopped at intersections, there were different entertainers that walked past the cars in hopes of a handout, playing music or performing. I saw one mom who had a baby strapped to her back. She would bend at the waste to make a table and her about 7 year old daughter would stand on her back and juggle. There were homeless men and women wandering the streets with crutches, without shoes, collecting anything they could find that they thought useful. And my heart screamed. Where ever you go, in any big city you will see this. It is not just found here in Guatemala.

I am sure that there are families poorer that what I saw yesterday living in the rural area. There are families that come to us in need of food or resources. But the lifestyle is so different. I am thankful for the safety and security that surrounds us. I am thankful for the greenness and freshness that invades the rural highlands. I am thankful to inhale dust instead of diesel smells. I am thankful to be able to sleep at night to the sound of crickets and rain instead of trucks and horns and music. I am thankful to be called to work here and not in the city….

The mountains of the highland.

The valley in which I live.

The town of Canilla

The mountains during the dry season.

September 15

Posted on September 15, 2014 by adrienneorris

September 15th is Independence day in Guatemala. Last night there were actually fireworks over the town of Canilla. Are you impressed?

But the tradition that is unique here to Guatemala has to do with the running of the torches. Two weekends ago I saw a group running with torches. And in other areas there has been some celebrating as well. Last night their school children climbed up to the mountains around Canilla, lit torches and then ran these torches down the mountain. It was neat to see the trail of fire coming down the mountain. As it was told to me, when the country took its’ independence, they ran with torches to spread the news. And the tradition continues in celebration……….

Preparations

Posted on September 10, 2014 by adrienneorris

If it’s not one thing, it’s another.

I’m sure many people feel this way about their lives. In fact, I’m sure many people verbalize this every day. I don’t think I can remember when there was consistency in life or any type of form to a schedule. We are in constant change here, and working towards the life that is to come. That life consists of adding at the least 22 new bodies to our compound. That life consists of at least two new living quarters. That life consists of the beginnings of a hospital structure. That life consists of a University and another class or students. That life consists of the unknown.

It has not been easy to anticipate the needs for something we are not sure about. We are sure that we will need more space. We are sure that we will need more infrastructure. We are sure we will need more help. It would just be easier if we could see into what that is to look like just a little more. And so we pray… and we pray hard… for God’s favor through this all. We pray for the pieces of the puzzle that are missing. We seek that which God has entrusted us with. We walk in faith and not by sight…. because it is better to walk towards God than to stand still. Plus, standing still is not an option.

Here are a few pictures of the transitions going around here including equipment that was shipped from the states to help with construction.

Transformations

Posted on September 5, 2014 by adrienneorris

When I work day in and day out with the students, I forget sometimes that their cultural foundation is so different from my own…. or students I have had in the past. I know that much of my role here is to encourage and press on for the hope of a different future. In this culture, the students are told at a young age that they can’t do something. They’re not big enough, have the right resources, have the ability. It is a spirit of “no puedo” (I can’t) here that presides. As we start the final quarter of classes, we focused on the idea that “God has a plan for your life.” This was a new concept to so many of our students. As we talked through this idea and presented encouragement to them, I saw jaws drop, sideways glances and tears. We encouraged the students to think of what purpose their life might hold, what priorities they need to make, how to form positive relationships and how to strengthen their faith. Each afternoon we spent in discussion and it was encouraging watching the faces of the students light up and talk through deeper issues in their lives.

One student in particular this week shared with the class, teachers and visitors that were there how he has been abandoned by his mother and father. His sister died and his younger sister is only 13. He feels so alone and without any emotional support. His questions was simple, “Where do I need to look to get my support?” In this culture, personal information is rarely shared. I was so proud of him for being bold enough and making himself vulnerable. But it also reminded me of the cultural divide that exists. Most of our students have no idea what it feels like to have support, to be told that God has a plan for their life, or that they CAN succeed at something that is difficult.

The hunger to do good. The thirst for knowledge. The probing of questions. Smiles on the students faces. I have realized how much this class has become their own family. No one has an easy life. Each of them need the support of one another. And they truly have each other’s back. They do not want to see each other fail. After our lunch break I walked in to begin our afternoon to a sight that made my heart smile. In the middle of a circle of his peers sat Cesar. Prior to this year, he had been made fun of and taunted at his previous schools for being different. He liked school because he has a thirst for knowledge, but he hated the atmosphere. He is one of those students that soaks in math and science like a sponge, but communication is not his strength. He has flourished surrounded by his peers this year. And today I saw a grin on his face from side to side as he had the guitar in his arms, surrounded by his peers singing praise songs. Six months ago this boy wouldn’t even sit at the same table as his peers during lunch break. He avoided interaction and any attention. It goes to show how encouragement and opportunity can transform even the most isolated students.

And so… we press on in this transformation year. One day at a time.

Trusting

Posted on August 22, 2014 by adrienneorris

This verse has been a keystone in my life ever since college. I can remember reading it one night and the words popping into my head differently that they ever had before. It wasn’t about me and what I thought should be right or what my own understanding was. It wasn’t how I saw the situation or even how I understood it to be. My own understanding was so small in comparison to the understanding that God had for all of the circumstances surrounding me. And so the focus flipped from me trying to understand circumstances to me trusting. And in a way… that’s how I ended up here.

Someone reminded me this last week that my year mark was coming up. Infact, it is now past. They talked about how going from the first to the second year is the hardest… and I thought…. this first year couldn’t have been any harder. In a way, maybe it’s like this last year was a second year to me. Over the last year I’ve watched several friends head off to foreign lands and new experiences as well, but I feel like the experiences they had during that first year were different from what I had. There was little newness and yet all was new over this last year. There were adjustments – sometimes monthly, sometimes weekly. There were situations that were rewarding and situations that I thought could not get any harder.

Not having consistency. Not knowing about the future. These can cause immediate stress because we as humans are wired to want to have schedules and plan and know what is to come. And so really, as I reflect on this last year. As I reflect why is was that I came here in the first place. As I ask myself what this last year has been all about… it can be summed up by saying I only knew I had to be obedient to what had been laid on my heart. I knew that I was needed. I knew that I was a piece of the puzzle that God was putting together here. And I knew I had a choice. To remain where I was comfortable within the security of the boundaries of my life…. or to not lean on my own understanding. To step out into the unknown and cling to a reliance on trust with all of my heart. One day… the path will be straight!

Fear often grips us from making any decision. And fear I definitely had last summer not knowing what to expect. But fear is just a distraction that keeps us from living at our potential. A friend is here with us this week who has made a decision in her life that requires a lot of faith in Christ as well….. and as we talked over the decision she made and moving forward…. we were reminded that staying where we are because we don’t know what it will look like on the other side is not really an option. Sometimes we are only asked to take the next step… and in the next step God will reveal to us what the step after that looks like. This has been life for me and I have been in constant change over the last year. But what I seek each day is simple… to be available and used by God how He intends.

Dirt Work!

Posted on August 19, 2014 by adrienneorris

Here’s a peak at what is new at the property…. the fence continues to be built. The new gate is in place…. and there is still plenty of dirt! Here are pictures from inside, outside and above!

Desperation

Posted on August 13, 2014 by adrienneorris

Desperation. This is the attitude that has begun to cover this valley. Can you picture downcast faces? Can you picture deep brown eyes that appear empty? Can you see the child clinging to the skirt of his mother as they walk through market? This time of year is generally the hardest. Their harvest of corn from the previous year has dwindled and they are still waiting for this year’s crop to be ready. Except that there may not be a crop this year. We have been without rain in what is to be the rainy season. The corn is looking pathetic and dead. Even if it were to rain now, it would not save the corn. They have spent much money on this year’s seed. They have spent more money on fertilizer to make it grow. This money was spent with the hope of a new crop. And yet, this crop has not born fruit. When I walked through market this last week, there was a heaviness that hung upon everyone. The prices for everything have begun to rise. Corn prices are double what they usually are. And in this culture, corn is life. It is what they use to make tortillas, and without tortillas, many of them do not know how they will survive.

When we entered into San Andres on Sunday for clinic, there was a procession and idol in front of us going through the streets with many people gathered around. We could hear the bombs being set off. Yet it wasn’t a holiday. Our translators told us that it was for the “Rain god” … the bombs were to wake him and make it rain. It was a very spiritually dark place. Desperation was evident and abounding.

And so we have begun to talk about what can be done. We are preparing to see more malnutrition, more hunger and more illness. We are preparing to hear more stories of hungry families and to see more tears. This drought is different from the drought five years ago. We have been told that it has reached much of Central America and isn’t isolated in one area like in the past. That means that corn will not be coming into the country through neighboring countries as well. And so we will wait and see what kind of harvest we have and what can be done from there. We are sure that it is not a rain god that needs awoken to cause rain, but that the God of our Universe is the one who cares immensely more for these people than anyone else. And so it is with hope that we look over this valley and pray for these people…. That their desperation would turn them towards God…. That they may experience His provision and love over the next months as they walk this path.

Romans 8:24-25 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

luchar

Posted on August 2, 2014 by adrienneorris

“Give a man a fish, and you will feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime.”

If I were being honest, I would have to admit that it seems around each bend is a new challenge when it comes to school. I am often asked, what do you find most challenging teaching in Guatemala? And I would have to answer – the system. I am not a person that thinks inside of a box or fits a particular mold. And so…I am constantly in search of the balance, as the education I am accustomed to is so different from the customs here. And if I were being honest, I would say that it would be much easier to just fall into a pattern and change my teaching to fit the mold here. Each time I’m faced with a new challenge. Each time I find myself in a situation that required God clearly reminds me that I am to continue to teach the way I have taught for so many years and continue to challenge those in front of me with the personality that he has given me… which is often very direct. To do this I rely on strength, wisdom and discernment from God to guide me as I still have a huge language curve!

There are a few words in Spanish that I have found myself surrounded with. The first is “luchar” which means to fight and the second is “ganas”. Which is used more like, I don’t have the “ganas” to do this today or I don’t have the willpower to do this any longer. I find myself using these words often, for myself and for the students. The first year for anything is often one of the most difficult, and this year for sure is a test of my ganas in which I must luchar much.

This past week refueled me as I had other beside me other science brains who could break down the massive world of physics into words and demonstrations that the students could understand. They tasted the same frustrations, experienced the same need to press on, and for this I am grateful. The last day Trevor and Stephanie taught on energy, a concept foreign to the students. But they used every day examples and lots of demonstrations to teach the kids…. and the smiles on their faces and the excitement they had in the classroom encouraged me to press on in this manner. Yes we are in a different country, yes it is Here are a few more pictures from last week.

Barbie Bungee

Physics is f = μ Ν

Posted on July 26, 2014 by adrienneorris

There are many things that I remember from my high school physics teacher, but I think the most monumental was the day we learned that physics is f = μ Ν. For those of you that can’t see this, physics is fun. Honestly, I already enjoyed physics by the time Mr. Zarger shared this fact with us in class…. and honestly, it was my teacher’s sense of humor and way of teaching that really motivated me more than the material. But I am still convinced that physics can be fun. It can be challenging and frustrating at times, yet I still remember much from my time in that class – most importantly the enthusiasm my teacher had for learning. Physics is a course that is central to our curriculum here and honestly one that the students have come to loathe because the material is so different from anything that they have ever studied.

I have two friends that are physics teachers and can honestly take any every day situation and make it into an exercise in physics. They are creative, full of energy and have the same heart/passion as I have. When my friend asked if she would be of any use this summer, I didn’t hesitate to say “YES” as there was more than a use for her. I could use the creative juices in the physics side of the curriculum as I know the demonstrations and fun that can be had is endless. I just haven’t been on the planning side to make it happen.

And so my mind has been thinking in forces and altitudes and equations for the last two days. The smiles on the students faces and enjoyment in applying their learning to actual hands on science is priceless. Memorizing an equation can get you nowhere if you can’t actually apply it. Trevor and Steph are using materials we can get here to teach the students how to measure altitude and velocity. Here is a sneak peak.

Attention to detail is important.

Applying their data to their calculations

Trev more than excited to explain the fun.

Using their homemade altimeter to determine the height of different trees and buildings.

Physics is fun for all generations!

Determining the altitude of their rocket.

Can’t get enough of it! Trying to apply what they learned, to the rocket that they built.

A different perspective

Posted on July 20, 2014 by adrienneorris

This is a post written by Katie about the school. It will give you a different perspective. Yes, at this point we are all weary although I don’t want to admit it easily…. but we persevere as we remember the reason we began this school in the first place…

We are at our halfway point in the first year of this education project’s existence. And we are tired. The newness is gone, the cultural and language differences are wearing, and the daily grind has been set in place. The students are tired, the staff are tired, the administrators are tired. And yet, as I have sat in the midst of this tired group of people (myself included), and turned my questions to God, I have been encouraged. Because these are the times that perseverance comes completely through a strength not our own; that this is when we hit our knees, we pull together, we release the challenges to God, and He pours His spirit and strength out upon us and allows us to become conquerors much greater than we could ever be on our own; that this is a time to speak out the vision that God has given us for this place and remember the amazing ways He has already provided and brought about that which no man could.

One of our original Auxiliary Nursing students (now in the Bachillerato program) with her mom cooking up some food in the coffee shoppe for a party we had.

In December, as we were preparing to open doors for the Auxiliary Nursing Program in January, we learned that our teachers did not meet the requirements that are involved in opening an auxiliary program. So, we stood our ground; we fought for the program; we called in other Guatemalan friends of ours to go fight for the program as well; we had everyone interested sign a paper saying so; we prayed and prayed and prayed… and after a month and a half of this, we realized that God seemed to be shutting this door. Even more of a confirmation was that out of the 35+ people that had pre-registered for the program, we only had 4 students actually register when we opened registrations.

So, we prayed some more, and we discussed things as a team. Greg and Helaine Walton, the South African couple who had joined us here with over 15 years of education experience in rural Guatemala, encouraged us to keep seeking God out in this – that He seemed to be doing something, and that He didn’t seem to be finished yet.

In all honesty, I really half-thought “Yay! The ridiculous challenge of working with the Department of Public Health is over! I can go back to just working in the clinics and taking care of my family, and be done with this segment of my life. Sorry to all that were involved that this school didn’t happen… just doesn’t seem to be what God is doing anymore.” Thank God He has surrounded us by people much more mature and much farther along on this faith journey than we were…

because He was about to explode our world.

As we started exploring other options, Greg and Helaine explained more of the education world here in Guatemala. It is actually set up almost identically to the European system, where at 15 years old, students that would like to continue studying can decide if they would like to take more of a practical/technical degree route (like auxiliary nursing or mechanic) or if they would like to take a two year high school/college prep course with plans to continue on to study in the University afterwards (where they can study professional nursing or accounting, etc.). Greg and Helaine had already been running one of these college-prep programs – called a bachillerato (bah-chee-air-ah-toe) – and helped us look into putting one in here. Now, this program involves an insane amount of paperwork and trips to Quiche (2 hours away) just to open the doors. During a conversation with the local education director here in Canilla, he actually laughed out loud at me when I suggested that we put one of these programs in instead of the auxiliary nursing program; he then explained to me that it will take at least one year to get all the paperwork approved just to open doors! I countered with our thinking of how valuable one of these programs will be since it will not only raise the level of education here in Canilla, but also prepare students to go on to the University afterwards where they can receive a professional nursing degree and graduate with better training, better job opportunities, and better pay than the auxiliary degree would give them. A long-time friend of ours, he agreed with me, but still could not help smiling as he shook his head at my ridiculous optimism that allowed me to even consider pursuing this.

But God knew what he was doing, even if we were clueless 🙂 With the connections that Greg and Helaine had in the Department of Education here in Quiche, the excellent reputation they had built up with their school system, and the fact that they could have done this insane load of paperwork almost in their sleep, we opened doors TWO WEEKS after we submitted the original proposal!

Friends, this is a MIRACLE – especially in a country where NOTHING happens in two weeks’ time.

Our friend, the local education director? Yes, he stood in the school’s front lawn one week after we opened the doors, signing up his sister-in-law for the program. A broad smile crossed his face as he again shook his head at me… except this time, as he laughed with us, it was because he was as shocked as we were. Nobody could deny that God was moving… and little did we know, it was still just the beginning.

Ultimately, this education project is a story of the faithfulness of our God. It is a story of faith stretched and hope renewed. It is a story of restoration and redemption. It is story where the Creator of all comes down into the mess of a physically, emotionally, and spiritually oppressed people and answers their prayers, going above and beyond what they even knew to ask… a promise that God still walks among His people, that He still sees the tears and stains, and that He still gets out His lily white cloth and washes them away.