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

A Week in Pics...

Carey and I have had a busy week, working at two of our clinics (Camanchaj and Quetzaltenango), but also took some time to do some sight-seeing after work. I am also glad to announce that I am now officially a MAN! I drove us all over Guatemala and only got lost twice! Yes, I did have to ask directions four times in total, but did NOT drive us over a cliff or run over any roosters, dogs, cows, or children ~ thank God! It's all down-hill from here baby!
Enough talk. Here are some pics from our past week...

The cemetary in Panajachel on El Dia de los Muertos in preparation for All Saints Day. All burial plots were ornately painted and decorated with flowers in memory of lost loved ones.

Ummm...it's kind of windy here. The rainy season ends at the end of October and you know it's over when the wind starts. Imagine Hurrican Ike minus the rain. We lost a tree that crushed our gate. It hasn't rained since (and may not throughout the dry season!) Note: this is not true. I'm just being dramatic ; )

Top of a volcano on our drive to Fuentes Georginas (hot springs) near Quetzaltenango.

This, my friends, is a "chicken" bus! God created it on the 8th day. It can always fit "uno mas" and take you anywhere you want to go for pennies. Chances are good that the one pictured here was the same one you rode to school in 3rd grade. There are no atheists on chicken buses.

The central park in Quetzaltenango (thankfully it's also called Xela). It's the second biggest city in Guat. One of our 4 clinics is right outside of Xela in the same building where the U. Methodist Church has their volunteer office.

Ahhh!! Believe it or not, this store, named Despensa Familiar, is owned by Wal-Mart! They also own a huge store in Xela called Hiper Mart. The end is near...

Now that's a church! This is one of the most unique, colorful churches in Central America. It's in San Andreas outside of Xela and can be spotted from outer space (again, not true). The top of the dome is painted like a circus tent, and over the altar is a neon blue sign that says "Pescadores do Hombres" (fishers of men). Definitely worth the visit.

Fuentes Georginas (Hot Springs) outside of Zunil. A quick dip helped melt away all the stress from driving in Guatemala.

You can never take enough pics of Lake Atitlan. It truly is one of the most beautiful places on earth and is like steroids for your faith.

Prayer Request: Carey and I will help lead a team about 3-4 hours south of here this week in Mazatenango (near one of our clinics in San Antonio Suchi) starting Sunday. We'll be doing some construction work on the existing clinic and offer health care to the locals everyday. Please pray for safe travel, success in our mission, opened eyes, and changed hearts. Thanks!

Love,

Jay and Carey

Guatemala: Type-A "Hell"

I would consider myself to have a Type-A personality. I walk fast, I'm anxious, I need structure, I base my self-worth on my productivity, and I like to be in control. Yep, you guessed it...living in Guatemala is kicking my butt.
Carey and I started work this week, and I feel like I've just entered a treatment center to detox from all I learned about work and self-worth in the States. I know most of us would kill to slow down for a bit and take a break from our hectic lives in the U.S., but it's become clear that if I'm going to make it here I'm going to have to change my expectations. Things here are just slower. People are less stressed, or at least seem to be. Which is ironic because they arguably have more to be stressed about than I do (for example, having enough money to survive this month!) Although the people here are some of the hardest working I have ever seen (bending over for 8+ hours picking onions does not look easy), I don't see them scurrying about like rats. I see them talking with their neighbors at length every day and spending time playing with their children (and it takes a lot of time to play with 7 children!)
I don't want to make Guatemala sound like some sort of Eden, because it's not, but there is something very attractive and natural about this way of life. But I still feel myself resisting it - resisting the slower lifestyle and the society that seems to define me more by my 'being' and less by my 'doing.' I know, however, that this is why I need to be here. I recongize how unhealthy it has been for me to define myself by what I do and not who I am. As I detox from my Type-A addiction, I hope to emerge from treatment as less of human doing, and more of a human being.
Peace friends,
Jay