Cross International - Kenny Woods' Trip to Guatemala

Hope of Life founder Carlos Vargas shows us one of the many on-site warehouses full of food ready to be delivered to the hungry. When you give to Cross Intl., it helps fill this building!

More than 98% of water sources in Guatemala are contaminated with refuse and waste. Here, Carlos Vargas displays one of Hope of Life's water purification devices, sent to homes to provide clean drinking water.

Cross International's Tom Lewis poses with "Ulysses," a boy rescued from imminent death by Hope of Life. He's now 21 and, although his growth is stunted, is alive thanks to your gifts to Cross International

Set high on a hill on the Hope of Life campus, the Village of Transformation complex contains schools, playgrounds, a chapel and housing, plus an amazing view! CLICK to see it.

Families being cared for at the Village receive great care and are able to use facilities such as this playground. And did I mention the view? CLICK to see another angle!

The children were always happy to see us. Many don't know their fathers and craved attention, especially enjoying goofing around with the men, including Cross International's Robert Lewis.

The children learn English, and were happy to treat us all to a song and a group photo before we left. CLICK HERE to hear their gift to us.

Hope of Life hosts a state-of-the-art medical facility, St. Luke's Hospital (Hospital San Lucas), right on campus. Children and families who have been identified as having the greatest need are brought here for treatment. One of those stories follows. Your gifts to Cross International, in addition to supplying food, will also keep facilities such as this functioning. The hospital entrance in shown in the next photo. >>

Our interpreter, Fernando Marquez, helps as Mata Wicho, a chemist and biologist, explains the work done in the Hope of Life hospital

Many infants come to the hospital in need of care.

Seniors are also cared for at Hope of Life, with this group enjoying a physical activity. These folks, helpless to care for themselves in the Guatemalan countryside, find help here.

Much of Guatemala is inaccessible by roads. This river once cut off Hope of Life from many of the people who needed its services most. Their "scouts" go out to find people who need the most attention.

Hope of Life's solution was to build it's own bridge! Our job was to rescue 3 babies from imminent death, bringing them across to an ambulance waiting on the other side of the river.

An ambulance has brought three children in dire need of medical care down from the rural mountainside. Pictured are the driver and parents/relatives of the children.

I've got Elvin, a 14 month old boy with a cleft palate, no fingernails, discolored hair -- all from malnutrition.

Our interpreter from Cross International, Fernando Marquez, is holding one of 2 twin girls, Teresa.

Cross International's Mari Kraljic takes on the responsibility of carrying baby Glendy across.

I'd feel better about this if I knew that bridge was "up to code!"

Here we go. Just keep looking for loose planks and we'll all be fine!

Elvin is attended to upon entering St. Luke's Hospital. 

A few days later, Hope of Life posted this "after" picture of the twin girls. They and Elvin are doing much better. What an experience!

Cross International also works in supplying food to the many food centers around the Zacapa region of Guatemala. Here we see the line starting to form for today's meal.

Cross International's Robert Lewis & LaRonne DeCarmo take care of beverage detail.

I'm in charge of helping to dish out the main course, pasta noodles with chunks of chicken.

The food is provided free. But the feeding center itself is just a pavilion, with no seating. Those who want food must bring their own container to hold the food and utensils, which they often do not have.

Here's Whitney Saulton, a nurse from West Virginia who has a huge heart (and a huge smile) for the people of Guatemala. She and her husband, Bryan, a chef, recently decided to follow God's call and make Guatemala their home so that they can serve here full time. 
Behind her is the garbage dump we visited next.

Garbage dumps, often smoldering like this one, are a source of income and even food for too many here.

People, including children, scour through this dump daily to see what "treasures" they can find.

Items that can be turned over to recyclers for a small amount of cash are collected to have money to buy food.

People flock to follow the arrival of a new load of garbage, hoping to find used items, food or recyclable materials they can sell. CLICK HERE for video.

This is Pastora, a 69 year old woman who walks everyday to the dump in search of items to sell. She stores her found items in makeshift shacks like this one. For every 100 pounds of plastic she can gather and sell to a recycler, she'll make $2, enough to buy a single small meal. It takes her two weeks to do this. She hopes and prays that no one will steal her items when she walks back to her home each night.

We visited Martina, a mother of 6. Her husband is unemployed but searching for work. She was renting a shack, but her landlord sold the land and she was evicted. She was able to move her family to a home built by Cross International.

A Bible inside one of the homes we visited.
Translation: Holy Bible, Eternal Truth

Cross International's Jim Veldhuis is always a big hit with the kids!