Deep Thoughts by Carey Cooper

Fighting FEAR in Guatemala

I'm a scaredy cat. A really big scaredy cat truth be told. Oh sure, I may look brave moving to Guatemala, but it's just an act. I thought I would be able to leave at least some of my fears in the States, but no, those pesky fears must have snuck into my luggage because here they are. And oh boy, are they showing their ugly faces this week. From smallest to biggest, here are my top three:

1. Fear of getting lost

I know, this sounds a bit silly... But if you've ever been in a car with me and I had to make more than one turn, then you probably know what I'm talking about. I have a bad sense of direction. I mean really bad. When we moved to NJ, and I had to commute from Toms River to Princeton, I got lost at least a dozen times before Dad and Donna gave me an early birthday present. Some people call it a GPS system, but I call it a gift from God. :)

Well, today, I had to drive from Panajachel where we live to Camanchaj where we work BY MYSELF. Jay is out of town with another medical team. The drive is long (at least 45 minutes), and detours are common on market days and during the dry season because it's the only time road work can be done. Having a GPS here would be pointless, but a map would be helpful, or how about street signs? And I'm pretty sure I haven't seen a 7-Eleven where I can stop and ask for directions. If I got lost, I could call Jay or someone at the clinic, but the conversation would probably go something like this -- "I'm not sure... I see corn, and umm, more corn... Can you come get me?"

2. Fear of the dark

Maybe I watched too many scary movies or read too many scary books when I was a kid, but I've always been afraid of the dark, or better put, the stalker lurking in the dark. For the past several years, when Jay was working as a youth minister, I would dread the long nights when he was away on youth retreats. I'd put a chair under my bedroom doorknob, keep mace under the bed, take tylenol p.m., and pray to make it through the night. I know. You think I'm exaggerating, but I'm really not.

Well, Jay is gone this week, which means... I'M BY MYSELF. In GUATEMALA. And umm, no one told us that traveling was going to be part of Jay's job when we agreed to come here. Granted, our boss, Phil, lives in the apartment downstairs. But hey, I can't think rationally at 3 a.m. Especially in Guatemala.

3. Fear of disappointing others

My first two fears affect me every now and then, but this one... Well, it runs my life. In the States, I was terrified of disappointing my bosses, my friends, my family, God. I felt that I was never a good enough student, employee, friend, wife, sister, daughter, etc... And I spent a lot of nights worrying about this. When I wasn't worrying about the stalker that is. :)

More than any of my other fears, I had hoped to leave this one behind. But unfortunately, it followed me to Guatemala, and it has been harrassing me ever since the preschool opened. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, we had a rough start with the septic system problems, but it's not just that. Several children have dropped out, and one of our teachers quit last week. Now, I'll readily admit that most of what has happened is not under my control, but the truth is that I can't help but feel like a failure at times. I can't help but worry that I'm disappointing my boss and the preschool sponsors, not to mention the students and their families....

So, in summary, this week is tough. And yet, here I am, getting up every morning and fighting my fears. If I can do it here, I can do it anywhere, right? But I couldn't do it without the love and support of my friends and family. So thanks to you all for your encouraging words and prayers.

Love, cc

Things I Did NOT Learn in Seminary

The clog in our blog over the last few weeks is due to lots of long work days preparing for and working with one of our biggest and most important teams this year - a surgery team from Canada. I'm totally drained, but it's been an awesome experience seeing them in action. In the past 6 days they have completed 25 or so plastic surgeries (cleft lips, finger/toe repair, amputations) and 20ish gynecological surgeries (hysterectomies, tubal ligations, ovarian cyst removals).
I've learned so much while coordinating the trip for this team, but it has also exposed just how ill-trained I am for certain aspects of this job. I seem to find myself in unfamiliar situations daily, and as I do, one thought continues to come to mind: I definitely did NOT learn how to do this in seminary!

IN SEMINARY, THEY DIDN'T TEACH ME HOW TO...
1. ...answer the question, "My baby hasn't fed in over a day and my breasts are full of milk. Can you help me relieve the pressure?" Ummm...a little help over here please!
2. ...speak Ixil, K'iche, Kakchiquel, Mam or Tz'utuil - just 5 of the indigenous languages spoken by our surgical patients this week. Somebody find me a translator.
3. ...watch a big toe be amputated without feeling a little woozy. Totally worth it : )
4. ...drive 3 hours to an unfamiliar, dangerous city with said toe sitting in the passenger seat next to me bouncing around in a jar full of formaldehyde so it can be biopsied. Don't worry though, sucking in fumes from chicken buses over the past 6 months has killed my sense of smell.
5. ...speak in Spanish with patients about their irregular menstral cycles and other "female problems" without blushing.

Fortunately, however, somewhere along the way I did learn how to comfort a woman who had just been informed that she had cancer, hold the hand of a man who was having his toe amputated, and spend some time listening to and encouraging a friend whose husband is an alcoholic. I guess when it comes down to it I'm really just a pastor at heart - a pastor posing as a volunteer coordinator/pseudo-nurse guy/wanna-be translator in Guatemala.

The first group of patients arrive at the clinic. I don't think they understood a word I said, so I just kept smiling.

I'm in there about 6" from the big toe. I didn't touch it, but kind of wanted to.

Team Canada at work. I've found a whole new respect for our neighbors up north. Can you believe they can do something like this in what used to be an abandoned building?

Shout-out to our friend, Dr. Candice, from Austin who came down to help Carey with the preschool. They spent the week brainstorming ways to improve the school...and were able to work a little free-time into the visit too.

Carey with the kiddos one day at school. They're watching several of their classmates act out "The Three Little Pigs" as the teachers read the story. So cute.

Just to leave you with a unique cultural experience, check out this 70-second video I took of the Sunday market in Chichicastenango (the biggest market in Central America). Note the local's traditional dress, the incense coming from the church, and the indigenous language (K'iche) being spoken by the man near me...

Peace, Jay

ps. Carey and I feel so thankful for your love and support. How can we ever repay you for supporting us in this work?

Hell, Revisited

I have once before referred to Guatemala as "hell" for those with Type-A personalities. After a week of having my own Type-A buttons not just pushed but jammed, it's clear that I was right. However, I feel that things are starting to happen in me that just may end up changing the type of person I am.
Last week I hosted a large and "complex" team here from San Antonio, TX. By complex I mean 2 eye surgeons (they performed around 35 cataract surgeries), 4 doctors (they saw 500 patients), 1 dentist (100 patients - around 200 teeth pulled), and a vision group (200 patients with new glasses). To say I was in hyper Type-A controlling mode would be an understatement (I was even scaring myself!)
One morning before I left with the team for Cunen (about 4 hours north of here), I woke up, and realizing that something in me needed to change, said a very simple prayer: "God, please remind me that I...am...not...in...control." Although I don't want this to be true, I now recognize that it is. I am not in control. And it's time to start being okay with it. I've been reminding myself of this very simple truth every morning since, and to be honest, I think there may be something to it.
Here's what I mean: my job is basically to help keep the teams safe, happy, and busy while they're here. The most important aspect of my work is to ensure that those with a need (surgical, dental, medical, or vision need) get hooked-up with our doctors while they're in the area. So, of course the worst thing that can happen, after months of advertising in rural areas that American doctors will be in town on a certain day, is that no patients show up. When this happens, manic Jay comes out to play.
Well, this happened. We show up to a town called Los Trigales with 2 doctors and a dentist ready to do some great work, and there is literally not one patient there. I instantly feel every team member's eyes on me, thinking, "I just spent how much money to come to Guatemala to visit a desolate rural community?" I freak. But then remember my stupid little morning prayer, "Jay, you are not in control," and start saying it to myself. See what I mean by "hell?"
Faith, Revisited
So we're all sitting there in our gringo-mobile, at a desolate rural community in the middle of nowhere, staring at each other (mostly at me, wandering, "now what, leader-boy?") And then one of our doctors says something I'll never forget. He says, "I can't wait to see what God does next." What!? This dude (a dude with Harvard education, by the way) and I couldn't be more different. He must be like, Type-Z personality. And apparently, he's the master of this "I am not in control" thing.
This is him (the smart dude) pointing at numbers with our vision team at a clinic. Oh by the way, we ended up leaving Los Trigales after waiting 45 minutes for patients to show up and went to a town named Chiul for what turned out to be a great day (with tons of patients). Later that night, the doc pulled me aside and said, "No offense, but I sure am glad that we ended up following God's plan and not Jay's plan."
Now I'm not really on-board with those who believe that "everything happens for a reason," but there just might be a reason why it's not very healthy (mentally or spiritally) to continue trying to force our own plan and control every situation in life. Instead, what if I learned, like the wise Harvard doc, to just do my best in every situation and kinow with full confidence that "I am not in control...and I sure can't wait to see what God ends up doing next."

This is Bob. He's the man. I worked with him and his wife Barbara all week as their translator. I hope I heard all the patients right when they told me which tooth they wanted pulled. Oh well, having one less tooth never hurt anyone, right?

Peace to you,
Jay

Deep Thoughts by Carey Cooper

Guat happens.

Yes, I'm thinking of another four-letter word, but it's probably not appropriate for the director of the Susanna Wesley Preschool to use that word. I'm pretty sure Susie wouldn't approve. :) So, Guat happens. And it covered our school playground/clinic waiting room the first week of school. I won't pretend to understand our septic system and can only say that it wasn't sufficient for 24 preschoolers who use the bathroom...well...a LOT. And so, we were forced to close the school eight days after we opened and have been scrambling to find a solution ever since (all while hosting two volunteer medical teams from the States). Again, I won't pretend to understand what's being done, but I'm pretty sure it involves digging a very big hole until $7,000 can be raised for a new system.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers this week. We're reopening the school (Tuesday/Thursday only for now), and I really hope I won't be telling the students, parents, and teachers that we have to close the school again.

Yes, Guat happens. But it sure seems to happen over and over again to the people of Guatemala.

The Honeymoon is Over

They warned us this would happen. One of the final stages of culture shock, the one right before acceptance, is rejection. I am so there. We're 4 months into our mission here in Guatemala and I find myself in the proverbial valley.
- Things I once found exotic are now just annoying or weird.
- The Moshito I eat on most morning is starting to taste like part of its name.
- The original relief I felt upon realizing that I wouldn't be sweating 24/7 while living here has been replaced by the harsh reality that it is just really, really cold here (how is it possible to feel colder inside a building than outside one!?)
- I find myself humming the tune "It's a hard-knock life" from Annie more and more (Note: Yes, I recognize how strange it is for a grown man with a receeding hair-line to be projecting his life onto that of a young, orphan girl with a red afro.)
- I'm secretly angry at Carey for somehow managing to escape meeting my new pet friend, the amoeba.
- Eating home-made Guatemalan food is no longer a life-enhancing, cultural experience. It just brings lots and lots of pain (especially the ones that start with "Ch-," such as Chicharrones, Churrascos, or Chuchitos.)
- I've become more fearful of water than the Wicked Witch of the West in Oz.
- Is it wrong to put an elderly Mayan woman in a head-lock if she persists on trying to sell me a rubber chicken on a string? (I promise I haven't done this...yet)

On the bright side, I find it somewhat comforting that I'm so predictable that I seem to be following the expected order of the stages of culture shock. I've got one prayer right now: "C'mon Acceptance Stage!" Oh, actually two: "...and protect me from the evils of the Chicharrone!"
Paz,
Jay

Susanna Wesley Preschool, Camanchaj

Yesterday was our first day of school, and it was so much fun! We started our day with a warm breakfast of scrambled eggs, black beans, tortillas, and oranges made by the Salud y Paz Amigas. Afterwards, Seño Mary (one of our teachers) helped us brush our teeth, and this took quite some time because we have 24 students and one sink! Next, we had morning circle, where we sang songs and learned that the day is Monday, February 2nd. We also looked outside to check the weather and decided that it was a sunny day in Camanchaj. Then we played a game to learn everyone’s names and even got to draw a picture of a new friend. After snack, Seño Josephina (our other teacher) read us a story about school and asked us lots of questions along the way. Next, we talked about the rules of our classroom and then played outside with our teachers. After a delicious lunch of spaghetti, green beans, tortillas, and milk, we brushed our teeth, and then Seño Mary told us a story about her first day of school. We were really tired by then and glad that it was time to go home. But we couldn't wait to come back tomorrow!

Morning Circle with our teachers

Shelvin, the doctor, taking care of a "sick baby"

Karenlin and Jhoselyne

Astrid


Story Time

Brushing our teeth after lunch

Deep Thoughts by Carey Cooper

I can't remember the last time I felt so tired and so fulfilled at the same time. It was probably a mission trip. :) And now my life is one big mission trip. And sometimes it's hard. Some mornings, I dread the long drive on Guatemala's windy, treacherous roads to the COLD mountains of Camanchaj. (Remember last year when I was complaining about my commute to Princeton? Ahh, those were the days...) And some nights, when I'm especially tired and frustrated, I wonder if I'm really strong enough to do this work long term. But other mornings, I wake up thinking about the children of Camanchaj and am filled with a deep sense of purpose. The feeling is new and sometimes I don't recognize it for what it is. I just know that I feel happy and at peace. And when that sense of purpose stays with me 'til night, I feel overwhelmed with gratitude for my life with Jay in Guatemala.

As most of you know, since we arrived in October, I've been preparing for the opening of Camanchaj's first preschool -- meeting with parents, buying materials, planning a school menu, hiring teachers and cooks, recruiting sponsors from the US, and hundreds of other little things that a graduate degree in education didn't prepare me for! Well, the first day of school is finally here (Monday, February 2nd), and it wouldn't have been possible without the support of a lot of people (including you)! Above all, I am grateful for the help of a team of 21 volunteers who worked tirelessly the week before our community-wide celebration last Saturday. Jay has posted some photos and videos of the big week below. And I'll blog again soon about the first week of school. Wish us luck!

La Directora in front of the school - obviously still a work in progress at this point...

...but a few days later, with the help of countless volunteers, it all came together.

Setting up for the big opening celebration on Saturday morning.

Check out this 100-second video of the opening day celebration and school classrooms. It's not a party until the mariachi band arrives.

With our two teachers, Mary and Josefa. Carey and I are giants in Guatemala (I love it here).

Carey's speech on video - 2 1/2 minutes of dominating in Espanol!

It's all about the ribbon-cutting. Carey doing the honors with Salud y Paz director and founder, Dr. Phil Plunk.

One of our students, Diego, wearing his new school hoodie, his mother, Candelaria, who works as a receptionist in our Camanchaj clinic, and Inge, who is sponsoring Diego's education. This was Inge's last day in Camanchaj, and she was honored at our celebration for the work she's done at Salud y Paz the past two years.

Ready or not...24 eager five and six-year-old Mayan children are showing up at the school at 8 a.m. Monday morning. Dios mio!

GO TIME!

It's time to get our game-faces on. Carey and I hosted the first of our 20+ teams in 2009 (a dental team from Oregon), and now we're hosting a team from Florida to help us get ready for the big preschool opening celebration this Saturday (the school officially opens on Feb. 2). Some pics from the action...
Represent! Dr. Black and Tina from Oregon! (they're Beavers, not Ducks)
Open wide! At the clinic we do both fillings and extractions, but in remote rural locations (like here in Lacama), we just YANK (2-3 per patient). Unfortunately, many of the people don't brush and for a comfort food/cheap treat, drink too many sodas and eat a lot of sweets.
Favorite moment: an elderly Mayan woman comes in complaining of a tooth ache. I try to ask in broken Spanish which tooth she needs pulled. She opens wide, the dentist and I peer in...and she only has one tooth left! ; )
The team took photos of kids and families and printed them on photo printers they brought. It was a huge hit b/c the people don't have the opportunity to take photos (for obvious reasons). The frame above was pain-stakingly decorated by one gentleman. He was SO proud of this photo of his family.
Each little village has a "Committee" that gathers occasionally to make decisions affecting the community. A very important meeting was taking place when we arrived in Lacama b/c another nearby town had just taken justice into their own hands and killed several men who were kidnapping and ransoming locals. Unfortunately, with slow police/government response, this kind of vigilante justice is not that uncommon.U.S.A.! Dr. Black's son teaching 4 locals life's most important lesson: how to play american football.
Jay with one of our translators, Fernando. Nice guy - too bad that ugly jacket will make this his last time working with us.

Members of the Florida team teaching Jose, one of our other translators, the Hokey-Pokey. Guatemaltecos agree: this is clearly NOT what it is all about.

Floridians making up for their election year gaffes in 2000 by building the second level of the preschool and preparing the classrooms.

If you're the praying sort we could use a couple... I'm sure Carey has a lot on her mind trying to train her two teachers and get everything ready for the daily growing number of students signing up for the school, and I have now graduated from amoebic dysentery to the wonderful world of some yet-to-be-determined stomach bacteria. We both need to be at our best during this important time. Thanks!

Love you,

Jay

Deep Thoughts by Carey Cooper

Reflections at three months:

I miss some silly things like bubble baths and girly stuff that’s expensive here (although a team from Utah brought me face soap – wahoo!). I also miss some things that we take for granted in the States like drinking water straight from the tap and yes, flushing toilet paper. Mostly I miss my family and friends from Texas and New Jersey. And Molly.

But there are also a lot of things I don’t miss. Like my cell phone. Or my car. Or those knots in my back from working on a computer all day.

It would take all day to describe all that I’ve learned about myself, others, and our world over the past three months, but I will say one thing. Learning a new language is kicking my butt! One month of school wasn’t even close to being enough, and we’re doing our best to speak Spanish at home, but it’s so frustrating. I’ll leave you with an example of a typical conversation between the two of us (translated into English from Spanish).

Carey: I go to store now. You want go to store?
Jay: No, I no need things from store.
Carey: No, I ask you want to go?
Jay: What?
Carey: (now yelling) You want go to store with me, or no?
Jay: I can hear. I no… What is word?
Carey: What word?
Jay: (in English) deaf
Carey: I don’t know. Look in dictionary.
Jay: Where is dictionary?
Carey: I don’t know, but I need go before light.
Jay: What?
Carey: I make error. I need go before dark. You go?
Jay: Where?

Mexican Math (aka The Grapes of Wrath)

90 # of days foreigners have in Guatemala before they have to renew their Visa by jumping the border to Mexico
30 # of hours we spent in a microbus traveling to/from/around Mexico this last week
14 # of pesos you get for 1 US Dollar (it's a good time to visit Mexico!)
13 # of combined ways there are to say the word "vomit" in English and Dutch
12 # of grapes you're supposed to stuff in your mouth as the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve in Mexico
6 # of people we crammed into 1 room for 5 nights at a hostel in San Cristobal de las Casas
4 # of Dutch friends Carey and I went with to Mexico to celebrate the New Year
3 # of people who vomited in the microbus during one of our stomach-churning drives
1 # of grapes it took for Jay to contract an intestinal amoeba and then pray for a quick death

Since our 90 days in Guatemala were up, Carey and I planned a trip with several Dutch friends to a very cool town in Mexico called San Cristobal de las Casas to renew our Visas (even people who have lived here for 10+ years do this every 3 months - great system, huh!?) San Cristobal may be the "hippest" town in Mexico, and was a side of Mexico I didn't know existed. Picture Vishnu-worshipping Mexicans with dreadlocks selling anti-war t-shirts. Very interesting place. If you really want to stretch your vacation dollar and visit a beautiful, colonial town with lots of things to do, you may want to visit one day.

C & J with Lenny & Marija trying to look "hard" before we boarded a boat for one of our day-tours. We may need some practice.

On our boat in the Canon del Sumidero. Gorgeous place with up to 1000 meter cliffs hanging over head on both sides.

We got so close I could have pet the thing. Yeah, this would be allowed in the States.
Agua Azul. Wow.

The sign said "No Swimming" in Spanish. It's a good thing I don't know the language : )

Misol-ha. Just another beautiful waterfall in Mexico.
Palenque Mayan Ruins. Coolest place ever. Was it worth spending 6 hours in a microbus smelling of vomit? Yes. Well, maybe.

My theory is that the little house on the right was the "love shack" of Palenque. Of course it's just a theory.
At 5 p.m. on Dec. 31st the Dutch celebrated Holland ringing in 2009.

Later that night. It was comforting to learn that white people are universally bad dancers.
The fateful moment at midnight.

I've never read the book, "The Grapes of Wrath," but I can only assume that the author visited Mexico on New Year's Eve one year, stuffed 12 grapes into his mouth at midnight, then 2 days later realized that he had been outwitted by a single-cell organism. Dote!

Carey and I hope you all had a wonderfully peaceful holiday season and wish each of you all the best in 2009.

Love,

J & C

Honey, Jesus is at the Door Again...

Jesus keeps showing up at our back door unannounced in the form of a 4'9" Mayan woman with no front teeth. He's going by the name Isabel and has a deviously-cute baby named Norma slung over his back. You wouldn't believe how loud he knocks and how persistent he can be with his knocking. The man will simply not go away! In fact, he just left a few minutes ago. Let me be perfectly honest with you...Jesus is really starting to tick me off!
His visits always frustrate me and leave me feeling taken advantage of. He started coming around in October. At first he only wanted money and seemed upset with me when I would instead hand him eggs, bread and milk. But now that's it's Christmas time and all he's been hanging around town more, so we seem to see him everywhere we go. He wants me to buy his baby groceries and take him to the health clinic. That cleverly-disguised Jew sure does have a way of getting under my skin...he asks for more than I want to give, he makes me feel guilty about the money I have, and pulls me away from important things I need to do just so I'll notice him everytime he comes around. Errrrgggg!
Even though I talk about Jesus a lot as a pastor, for some reason there is something in me that is simply rebelling against him barging into my life like this. His mere presence in Isabel is forcing me to re-examine my relationship with the poor I see day-to-day and what my responsibility is to them as someone with money, resources and education. Not to mention the lesson he's trying to teach me about the mysterious joy of being taken advantage of. I'm probably just mad because Jesus is making me put my money where my mouth is. Maybe I'll learn one day, but until then I'd better get to bed because tomorrow I'm taking that annoying carpenter from Bethlehem to the pharmacy early in the morning to get him some meds...
Peace,
Jay

An Open Letter to All Roosters

Dear Roosters,

I hate you.

Sincerely,
Jay (that gringo in Guatemala you have chosen to torture with your incessant, 24/7 crowing)

p.s. Watch your back. If I see one of you wandering the streets alone...it's on!

Reflections at 2 Months...

Things I Miss:
-Route 44 Cherry-Limeades from Sonic (FYI Happy Hour drinks are ½ price 2-4 p.m. daily!)
-Drivers who stop at stop signs
-Hugs and holidays with my family in Texas
-The Jersey shore
-Flushing toilet paper
-Town Lake in Austin
-Ice
-Having dinner at some great local restaurant with close friends
-Preaching on Sunday mornings (mostly)
-Creamy Jalapeno sauce at Chuy’s ~ I could bathe in that stuff (and would if I had the chance)
-Snowy days in New Jersey
-My partners in ministry
-Our dog Molly
-Playing with my cute nieces
-The feeling of college football Saturdays
-You

Things I Don’t Miss:
-The insane consumerism around Christmas
-Being inundated with advertising and media
-Being part of the majority (it’s good to experience being the "different" one for a change)
-Having a car
-Feeling driven to be productive 24/7
-The concrete jungle
-The sense of entitlement I felt in the States
-Bathing everyday (overrated)

Things I’m Learning:
-It’s a lot more fun to drive when everyone else on the road is crazy too!
-It may be easier to see God when you’re in unfamiliar environments.
-It really feels good to say “hola” and smile at people I walk by everyday.
-Where your treasure is your heart will be also (I think some famous Jew said that once).
-The United Methodist Church may be “dying” by some standards in the States, but it sure is full of life down here!
-A small Toyota pick-up actually can hold upwards of 20 people in the rear bed.
-Unfamiliar situations or people are rarely as scary as we make them out to be.
-No matter where I live from here on out I will own a hammock.
-Even though motorcycles clearly are the best and most economical means of transportation, if your spouse doesn’t want you to drive one it just ain’t gonna happen!
-If you smile and nod a lot when listening to someone speak Spanish they'll think you understand them.
-A machete really does make the perfect gift for a 6-year-old boy.
-Mayans must be among the hardest working, yet most family-oriented people I have ever met.
-I should take more time to slow down and enjoy life (even while working)
-If you can't pronounce the name of a particular type of food it's no more likely to make you sick.
-If you look directly into the big, brown eyes of a Mayan child you will feel more hopeful about life. (Remember that verse, “in the twinkling of an eye you will be changed?" Well, it seems to make more sense now.)
-It’s really easy and cost-effective to reuse zip-lock bags, plastic bottles, paper towels, and many other things I used to throw away after only one use (note: reusing toilet paper = bad idea).
-It’s a big world out there, and it is clearly not all about me!

Happy Festivus!
Paz,
Jay

Deep Thoughts by Carey Cooper

I don't know about you, but I am still trying to make my parents proud. This gets a little tiring after 33 years, but I still keep at it. For example, I'll always remember the day I told my Dad that I got a job at Princeton. I've never seen him so excited! For some reason, he was less excited when I told him I got a volunteer job in Guatemala. Go figure. :) But I'm still trying to make him proud, and I thought of something today that he would appreciate...

About 20 years ago, my Dad walked into my room while I was fixing my hair. Chicas, you remember what an ordeal this was in the late 80s, right? So he watched me blow drying, curling, and teasing for a while and then asked, "How long does this usually take?" I remember saying, "Oh, about 30 minutes." (It was more like 45 but I could see where he was going...) After a quick calculation (he's an engineer so it didn't take long), he reported how many hours over the next year and then days over my life I would waste on my hair. I'm sure I only laughed at the time and went on with my teasing. But this morning, when I ran a comb through my wet hair and ran out the door for church, I thought of our conversation. I'll overestimate this time and say that I usually spend about 1 minute a day on my hair. Over the next year, that adds up to about six hours. Not bad, eh Dad?

Carey's Birthday!

Carey's b-day started out with a BANG last Saturday. It's tradition around here for a man to set-off a bunch of firecrackers outside his wife's window on her birthday. So when in Rome...good times : )
We spent the day in a lake town called San Marcos La Laguna, and then I had a couple of new friends here help me surprise Carey back at our apartment when we returned ~ complete with decorations, cake, dinner and a pinata! A truly Guatemalan "cumpleanos."

The birthday chica out on the lake in San Marcos. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather.

A local enjoying the day in a typical home-made wooden boat.

A great reaction after realizing that the shadowy figures in our apartment were there for a surprise party, and not her impending death.
As you can see, gringos are considerably worse at pinata than Guatemalteco's are. Daniel and Lety are our spanish instructors and friends. They were so kind to offer to set-up this big surprise for Carey.
Since I didn't get to shove Carey's face in cake on our wedding day, Lety did the honors for me on Saturday.
Lety and Daniel taught us how to do meringue dance, and we taught them how to 2-step! Note: Jay is white.
Lety is becoming a good friend of Carey. Unfortunately, it is physically impossible for Lety to keep her eyes open during a photograph.

Keep eating those turkey sandwiches ~ it will be gone soon!

J & C

Happy El Dia de Accion Gracias! Gobble, Gobble

During this time of year I usually find myself thanking God for all the “things” I have. This year, however, I’m feeling blessed for the things I don’t have. Carey and I just recently spent a week in a little town here in Guatemala hosting a Methodist work team from the States. In that time, we witnessed around 628 miracles: 271 medical patients treated, 355 teeth pulled, and two new rooms constructed at the John Wesley Medical Clinic where we served. It was there, among some of the poorest people of Guatemala, that I began to realize just how thankful I was to have “less” this year.
I no longer have disposable income, but now I’ve been given the gift of learning to rely on God and others. I no longer enjoy the safety I had in the States, but now I’ve been given the chance to trust God in unfamiliar situations. I no longer have many of the comforts I’d become accustomed to, but now I’ve been given the opportunity to learn about the cost of following Jesus. So this year, as I lead mission teams on various projects throughout Guatemala and Carey prepares to open the new Susanna Wesley Preschool in January, we both find ourselves thankful, not only for all that we do have, but especially for all that we don’t.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Jay & Carey

ps - we spent our most unique Thanksgiving ever today with 1 Italian, 2 Guatemalans, 1 Woman from Switzerland, another from Sweden, and a handful of gringos. The only thing that connected us was our ability to speak Spanish (mas o menos)...it was a beautiful thing ; )

Clinic Video

If you're interested in what a "typical" clinic day looks like, check out this 80-second video that I took at one of our off-site clinics...

The woman in the blue scrubs in the video is the one I'm taking over for in February. Of course she's much better looking, taller, and smarter than me and speaks three languages fluently, but I still hope to somehow carry on the great work she's done over the years hosting teams and administrating clinic operations. I think I'm going to love this job...

Pics of Carey's b-day coming tomorrow. Jay

Deep Thoughts by Carey Cooper

"Dead Man's Clothes"

Guatemala receives a lot of donated clothes from the U.S. I was told the other day that Guatemaltecas assume they are "dead man's clothes" because they can't imagine any other reason we would give away clothes in such good condition. Ouch. I'll remember that the next time I think I need a new outfit. :)

Warm Days, Hotter Lava

We finally got a real taste of the kind of work that Salud y Paz does this past week, and we loved it! Carey and I spent 8 days helping host a work team from Utah in "southern" Guatemala in a town called San Antonio Suchi...name continues for about 7 more syllables. Once again earning my man-card, I drove us about 3 hours through the mean streets of Guate. After meeting the team, which consisted of 2 doctors, 1 dentist, lots of nurses, and several construction grunts, we all attended a local Methodist Church (Guatemalan Methodists have "slightly" more exciting worship services than American Methodists do - when Guatemaltecos sing...they really sing!) That week we worked three days at the Salud y Paz clinic and 2 days at off-site/make-shift clinics (at local churches, road sides, etc). It was such a blast seeing the team in action. Despite the extreme heat, they worked long days and inspired me with their compassion. Here's the final tally of big and small miracles they performed: 271 patients seen and given medication, 355 rotten teeth pulled, and two new rooms added on to clinic! I think God decided to show-off a bit.

Here are some more pics and a video of our big adventure...

Outside the John Wesley Clinic in San Antonio Suchi. It's one of our newer clinics and is only open on Fridays and when teams come into town now, but in the near future we hope to see patients several days a week. Carey was a huge hit at the clinic reading to the kids while their parents were with the doctors. The children here are crazy cute. A view from the future patio/waiting area for patients looking into the two new dental rooms. The new rooms are just to the right of the existing clinic. My job was to lay the bricks you see in the background - they're "mostly" straight.

After the week was over, we stayed a night in Antigua with the team and got to climb Volcan Pacaya. It's very active, as you can see in the background of this pic and in this video...

Our guide Felix was kind enough to roast some marshmallows ("angelitos" in Spanish) that I brought with us in case we were able to get close enough to the lava. I know what you're thinking, but he actually looked better without eyebrows.

Have a great week and thanks for checking in! We'll post some pics of Carey's b-day this Saturday and hopefully a short video I made of a "typical" day at the clinic. Love, J & C