Everyday I am in Guatemala I am reminded of how much I have to be thankful for. For me it is a dream fulfilled to be able to be a servant to such beautiful and amazing people. One thought has been haunting me since I returned, “how do these people view my life?” In the States I could view the way I lived as simple and non extravagant, but I no longer have the luxury of being ignorant of how most people live in the world. I am now confronted from all sides with the truth. I am a rich American. I am selfish and consumeristic. And I am living a life most people can only dream of. If your reading this you probably are too. The more I am confronted with this truth the better, I think. And yet still I find myself wanting to buy that big flat screen at the Curacao(our local appliance store). However, days like yesterday remind me of how much I already have and that what I need can’t be bought.
Yesterday some of the staff at the Porch went out to visit potential families we are looking at helping this fall. It was a rainy day. We are in the rainy season so it rains everyday here.
We did a lot of walking down muddy paths like this one.
This is Jose and Maria Raxtun and their children. They live in an adobe house that is falling apart because of the recent earthquake we had.
Jose is showing us how the house is leaning now and there is a sizable crack on the side.
This is inside of their house. Believe it or not it is pretty nice compared to some. But the earthquake damage is concerning.
They also had an interesting nest growing on the side of their house. We think it was a termite nest.
And this is their bathroom.
We also got to visit with these two at one stop. They actually were not the ones we came to talk with but their story touched our hearts and we are going to visit them next week to find out more. This is Petrona Vicente and her 8 year old son Edwin.
Their home was destroyed during the recent earthquake and were living with the family we came to visit.
Petrona had something wrong with her mouth that we are going to take her to a nearby clinic for. Her son Edwin has not talked since he was 2 years old. They told us that he suffered a fall when he was 2 and ever since then he has not talked. He walks with a limp and you can tell it is something wrong with his spine. He is such a cute little boy
We got to pray for Edwin and Petrona before we left. We prayed for healing and God’s provision in their life. The cool thing is we will probably get to be involved in being the answer to some of those prayers.
The Juracan family was another visit we made during our day. This family of 10 just had 2 twin baby girls!
The mother actually isn’t pictured here. She is in the hospital with complications from the birth. 
The babies weighed less than 4lbs each. They were so tiny. But they seemed to be getting along well.
Can you imagine having a baby in this house? Not the sterile environments that most are used to in the U.S. 
This is the bed that the parents sleep on. Yes, that is a comfy tin mattress. And below is where the kids sleep, on the dirt floor. We will definitely be building some beds for them in the near future.
And this is their sink that they use for cooking washing laundry and doing dishes.
We took the father Santos down to the local tienda(convience store) and got the family some needed food items. They didn’t have anything to eat.
Me taking a rest from walking in the rain for a bit at one of the houses we visited.
Check out this video to see what how rainy it was. We were soaked by the end of the day.
The last stop of the day was for a family we have already committed to build a house for this October. They are a young family. With several children and one on the way.
The real clothe diaper:)
One of the children had a broken leg that Nurse Betty was able to help treat.
It was a long day of visiting and also emotionally and mentally draining but I got to come home and take a shower and snuggle into a nice warm bed. As my head hit the pillow with all the images from the day swirling in it all I could say was, “Why me God?” “What have I done to deserve any of this?”
Deedsville 
Great stuff, Will! The video seems to be set to “private”, so I cannot watch it. Blessings onto you and your precious family.
Just changed it. Thanks for letting me know!
Will, I am amazed how God works. I haven’t talked to you in probably 14 years when we worked construction with Kenny, however God chose you to talk to me today. I have been down all week because I wanted some pretty petty things but didn’t have the money. Then you friend me tonight because i needed to read this sitting in my truck at papa johns on my iPhone. You reminded me just how blessed I am and what really is important. I have been on those muddy trails and slept on the dirt floors of Nicaragua however have forgotten the experience I had there and have gone back to my selfish “normal” life. So thanks for not only being a messenger to the people of Guatemala but to me as we’ll. God Bless
Keith, good to hear from you man! We all need reminded of what is important in life. Glad to be a part of what God is doing in the world. An also glad to hear you are as well. Keep loving man!
You are doing wavy God called you to do. He knows that you are capable of changing lives and helping those out yhat are in need. God landed you and the family in Guatemala for a reason. Just keep following the path of truth and you will be rewarded in the kingdom of heaven.
*what
Thank you for describing so beautifully what I have felt with each of my trips to Guatemala. Although we forget at times when we return to our lives, we are forever changed once we experience this. Thank you for the reminder.