Jan. 30 - Feb. 12 The Canadian Team

A team from Compass Point Church in Canada came again in January. They helped in an outreach of the church to install 'Onil stoves' in the kitchens of the poor in Patzun. The stoves use 65-70% less wood than regular wood fires, making gathering of the wood much faster and less costly, and they have a chimney vented outside, eliminating most of the smoke that formally filled the kitchens - and the eyes and lungs of the women and children who cooked and played in the kitchen.
The team installed 8 stoves and made cement floors in seven of the kitchens. The Patzuneras were very thankful for their new stoves. Each recipient paid some for their stove, according to their need; the majority of the bill was paid for by donations.
Another team (from Texas) is planning to come down in late May to install more stoves.

The Canadian team with two of the recipients for the stoves

Mixing cement for the kitchen floor

Ken helping with the installation

Another happy family

March 13, 2010 Kakchiquel Radio

We have been busy!
On Saturday, March 13, Radio Cultural y Educativo (Kakchiquel radio station in Patzun) celebrated the moving of their station to a new location. They also have a more powerful transmitter and a much taller tower. This will provide for a larger listening area.
The radio board worked hard for weeks building a room for the guard and his family, a room for the transmitter, and a room for broadcasting. Ken and I helped them with the building as did the group from Canada that came down in January. We stayed up until 1:30 a.m. the night before the celebration helping Ken get the light on the tower and the transmitter hooked up. Then the next morning, (the day of the celebration) Ken got up at 5:00 a.m. to take the computer and console from the old location to the new so that he could get the radio on the air for the celebration. He also found out that the speaker was sick, so they asked Ken to be the speaker! Short notice, but he did a good job. He spoke on the importance of the Bible - God's Word.

Delegates from newspapers, the radio fraternity, and even the mayor came!
Refreshments of cookies and sodas or juice were served after the service.

Ken preaching


The mayor praised the radio.

Celebration complete with balloons on the wall and pine needles on the ground.