Things we will miss about Guatemala

As we prepare to leave for Cameroon and are looking forward to our new home, there are many things we miss about Guatemala.
Here are a few of them:

Friends.

The beautiful, elaborate embroidery the Mayan people have on their traditional dress.

Traditional thick corn tortillas hot off the fire.

Avocados, which we ate almost everyday, for 12 to 25 cents a piece.

Beans and rice, which we eat here, as well, but not with the frequency as in Guatemala.

Mangoes -- large and luscious.

Paca -- the enjoyable pastime where you can look through piles of used clothing form the States and buy almost anything for 40 to 60 cents.

Lake Atitlan -- volcanic in origin, filling an enormous caldera.

The beautiful temperate weather, but also the rainy season with cool, refreshing rain.

Majestic San Pedro volcano, which we could see from our window.

Journey Together

We want to take this opportunity to thank you for your support during our past 3 years in Guatemala and to give you an update on our future plans. Mission work is the way we both personally feel called to follow Christ's example and with the help of Mission Doctors Association (MDA) and you, our family and friends, we are able to fulfill this vision for our lives.   

During our time in Guatemala, we were part of an incredible transition as Hospitalito moved from its temporary location to its new building. We saw Hospitalito grow in its medical staff from two Guatemalan physicians to six and  to begin to address sustainability for the future. We were blessed to have been a part of this history at Hospitalito.  We worked hard, were inspired by many people, tried to live simply, learned more Spanish, and were challenged in ways we did not expect (as life seems to do wherever one is). Our children went to school, made friends, grew, played, laughed, cried and adjusted amazingly well.

After prayer, reflection, and discussion with Mission Doctors, we have decided to continue with MDA for another three year commitment, this time in Cameroon, West Africa. We will be working at St. Martin De Porres Hospital located in Njinikom in the Northwest Province about an hour outside of Bamenda. The hospital celebrated 50 years of service earlier this year. We are looking forward to working along side the staff, especially the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, who have been running the hospital since it opened. You can find out more about the hospital at http://stmartindeporreshospital.com/index.htm.

We ask you once again to join us on our mission as we try to bridge two cultures and serve those in need. We appreciate any support you are able to give: your prayers, your time, your talents. If you are able to support us financially as well, MDA will designate your tax deductible gift of any size to help cover our direct expenses. You can make your donation online right here (on the right with the big blue button under "Donate to our Mission") or by mail.
Mission Doctors Association
3435 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1940
Los Angeles, CA 90010

Please indicate that your donation is in support of the Burket Thoene Family Mission.

We are hoping you will continue to follow us on our blog at http://burketthoenefamilymission.blogspot.com/ or you can reach us by email at burketthoene@yahoo.com.

Looking forward to our continued journey together!

Last Sunday

Last Sunday (April 28) was our last Sunday at our church is Santiago.

It was special for a number of reasons.  First of all there was a wedding.  Not just a wedding, but also because the husband to be, was not catholic he received his baptism, first communion, confirmation before the being married.  It was also special as our priest gave a blessing and thanks to us and another volunteer family (The Smiths) for our time in Santiago Atitlan.

Recycling

All of our recyclable paper and cardboard goes to Adisa, the school and workshop for developmentally challenged individuals. They make many products from recycled paper and cardboard that are sold on Novica.com.

There is a truck that comes around and buys all things metal. We give our food cans and aluminum cans to one of the older women who has a store on the main road and she receives the proceeds from that.

For the first 2 years we were here there was no recycling locally for glass or plastic. We would save it up and take it to Antigua (2 ½ hours from here) once or twice a year. We don’t have that much plastic and glass recycling as we make most things from scratch and can’t buy a lot of things in bottles. However, now there is a local place that accepts recycling called Punto Verde (Green Point). This has made recycling much more convenient.

Corn is the staple food in Guatemala and can grow anywhere….. Even in the drainage ditch on the side of the road.

Eco Bricks

Trash is a problem all over the world, but when we first moved to Guatemala we were really struck by the amount of trash everywhere. That is when we learned about Eco bricks. Eco bricks are made from plastic drink bottles stuffed with trash. Since we rarely buy a drink in a plastic bottle, we started looking for bottles on the ground while we were walking back and forth to town. Then we started stuffing bottles.

We stuff all trash that is not compostable or recyclable. If you use a stick to push the trash down in the bottle, we found that we could fit a whole cereal bag full of trash in one bottle. We’ve found that wide mouth bottles are easier to stuff and pick up those up preferentially. Since we compost even our toilet paper, recycle everything recyclable, and stuff bottles, we only have a small cereal bag size of trash every 2-3 months!

The Eco bricks are then used in place of cement blocks or other building materials to build things. A

frame of wood is made and chicken wire attached to both sides. The stuffed bottles are then slipped between the chicken wire. They can be used with the bottles showing to make things like garbage cans that don’t need to be sealed or they can be covered by cement for a home. Recently a school in a town nearby was collecting them to make a playground and a local school garden project took some to make some benches in the garden.

Holy Thursday

Although Easter has passed, I wanted to write about my favorite Mass of the year in Guatemala. It is the Holy Thursday Mass. It is outdoors at 5pm in the square of the Church with at least a thousand people present. During the Mass, one can see majestic Volcan San Pedro and the sky changing colors as the sun sets.
 

Each year the priest has had the same message. Holy Thursday is the commemoration of Christ giving us three gifts… his love for us, the Eucharist, and the priesthood. Each year I’ve thought that was a simple, true summary of what we celebrate on Holy Thursday.

 

 

Ending time

We are finishing our time here in Guatemala and will return to the USA for a few months before continuing with MDA in Cameroon at St. Martin de Porres in Njinikom.

It is a busy time, as we prepare to leave, say our good-byes and finish up various projects that we hope others will continue....

We've had little time to reflect on the past 3 years.
    So many special people have entered our lives and touched us profoundly.
    So many late nights/early mornings spent caring for patients.
    We have seen our children grow, afternoons helping with various school projects, making new friends, celebrating birthdays and holidays.

As we finish our time here we will reflect on some our experiences in Guatemala that we haven't written about.

We also want to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU for all of your love, support and prayers.