Safe Return

The team all returned late Sunday evening, their bags came with them, and reputedly, they are still all friends.  Thanks be to God for safe travel, good team relationships, and a successful end.

Status Saturday Morning

Apologize for not communicating for the last two or three days but 

Internet Service has been down.

Status (2 minutes) with more details following

• Water System is Operational and have treated two small batches
  (50 to 70 gallons each)
  
  
• Dedication Ceremony is today at Noon
• Plan to Leave for Veracruz between 3 and 4 PM after provide more
  training for Operators since still need to practice sanitizing and bottling.
• Plan to fly from Veracruz at 9 AM tomorrow to Mexico City and onto
  to DTW and to MBS

Faithfully,

Lowell

Diary Wednesday thru Friday

Wednesday, April 15

Steve is leaving us this afternoon.  He has been a big help and has taught much about the work of the Diocese with water systems, orphanages, medical clinics, etc.  The needs are so great.  Lowell led us in a devotion about nail polish!  Seriously, it the daily reading from “Daily Bread” and was about how one hand does all the work and the other gets all the glory.  It reminded us of Steve and others at the Diocese who work so hard in humble service that most of never hear about.

One of the routines that we have enjoyed is sitting on the veranda of the hotel for our meals.  Daily during breakfast the garbage truck comes down the street with the loudspeaker blaring a tune in Spanish.  People come out of the doorways and deposit their trash on a nearby street corner.  Garbage workers then put all the trash in the back of the truck.  The tune is quite catchy and the words repeat something like “Bring your garbage” over and over again.  It’s interesting to see how cultures do the ordinary things of life very differently.

We arrived at the site and we are learning that things rarely go just according to plan.  Karen & Ellen expected to be going to a primary school this afternoon at 5:00 to train about 100 children.  But there was a misunderstanding and the teacher was supposed to confirm the appointment – but it didn’t happen.

Much work still needs to be done on the system.  The work started immediately and continued virtually non-stop all day except for a short break for lunch.   More parts were needed so Eigner, Tony and Bill took off for town.  A problem was discovered with the well that Matilde had recently had drilled to support our system so that it would not be subject to the disruptions that occur with the municipal water supply.  The well water is full of sediment, which our system cannot accommodate.  A “plan B” is needed and required much discussion and information gathering.  A decision will have to wait until tomorrow when more information has been received.  Meanwhile, work continues.  It’s hotter today, there’s no breeze and the work is hard.

The Padre and Steve officiated at a church service in the chapel at Matilde’s.  The chapel was full with people sitting outside – probably about 50 in total.   At the conclusion of the service most of the people formed in two lines in front of the altar for a laying on of hands.

We’re all feeling good – no bouts of illness.  So, we’re becoming more adventurous.  We’re eating some lettuce and in controlled situations we’re drinking beverages with ice.  Ellen has stopped putting her socks on the faucet handles in her room.  But we’re still only eating what Eigner orders. 

While the guys were working and sweating, Karen and Ellen went for a walk in the village. Women are washing clothes on washboards and hanging them on the clothesline (without clothespins.  We still haven’t figured out how they do that!)  We met a couple of children and after we greeted them with “hola”, they responded with “hello” and then many giggles and smiles.  We think this is likely the only English word they knew.  Eigner and one of the local workers met us along the way and we all walked to a local, family owned grocery store.  The store was unusual in that they sold a few cleaning supplies in addition to a few cans of jalapeños, canned sausage, corn meal, oil, beverages and a few snacks.  Although we are shocked at the poverty, Eigner explains that this is actually a step up from what is found in more rural areas in Mexico.  Most of these  “homes” have cement walls instead of wood or even cheaper materials, the roofs are tin instead of thatch, and have access to electricity and a municipal water supply.  In rural villages, there’s no electricity and no piped water – people go to the rivers or other water sources and haul water to their homes in buckets or wheelbarrows.  He explained that in some villages you could tell where family members were working in the US and sending money home.  One wall of the house will become a cement wall with the rest of the walls following as more money is sent.   We also learned that the dirt front “lawns’ are that way on purpose.  The people kill any grass, bushes, etc. in their yard with cheap chemicals because they don’t have the means to care for them.  Of course, these chemicals leech into the water supply.

Karen and Ellen were able to have a training session after all!   Some members of the family who will be primarily responsible for operating the water system were available so an impromptu training was conducted with Eigner translating.

One funny story…Geoff thought that he was having an experience like Moses who heard God speaking to him through a burning bush.  Geoff didn’t see a burning bush but….he was in a room with Jerry and suddenly Jerry disappeared.  Geoff was alone.   He called for Jerry and heard a voice but he couldn’t see Jerry. He called again, he heard the voice again but still Jerry wasn’t there.  So Geoff was wondering if it was really God speaking to him…but then to Geoff’s surprise Jerry crawled out from underneath the table that was right next to Geoff!   After that, the table became Jerry’s favorite hiding place whenever he wanted to get away from Geoff and Lowell!

Good news!  Some water was run through the system and it will operate without any leaks!  Thanks be to God!  But, there’s still much work to be done before the system will be fully operational.  Despite the good news, there were some setbacks (that the authors can’t properly describe) and construction has not gone as smoothly as expected. We estimate that we may be a day behind schedule.

It’s another late night.  We left Matilde’s at 8:45. Acayucan is crowded because the Carnival started today.  The park outside the hotel is packed with booths, people, carnival rides and cars everywhere.  It ‘s hard to even find our way to the hotel with streets blocked.  We arrived at the hotel around 10:00 and

after quick showers we gathered for dinner at 10:15.  We finally dropped into bed around midnight.  The fifth day.  And, it was good (but long and hot and exhausting).

Thursday, April 15

At breakfast Lowell informed the team that we are about a day behind schedule. A couple of decisions need to be made – We were originally planning to have our celebration on Friday but should we move it to Saturday to give us more time?  But this means we would not be able to visit other water systems in the Diocese and would not arrive in Veracruz to see some of the mission work being done there.  Also, we need to decide what water source to use –the municipal water that is sometimes unreliable due to interruptions in service or water from the new well that has a lot of sediment and would require adjustments to our system.  We all agreed to delay the celebration until Saturday at 11:00.  The decision about the water supply will wait pending additional information.

We have a training session scheduled at one of the “kinders” – a school for 3, 4, and 5-year olds.  In addition to the children, the parents were invited to attend our “training”. We arrived right on time at 10:30 for our 10:00 appointment J only to find that the parents had come early expecting the “Americano’s” to be prompt.  When we didn’t arrive, they left.  So, we agreed to do one training session for the children and to one for the parents at noon when they would return to take the children home for lunch.  The children all grabbed their chairs and carrying them overhead marched out to the one shade tree in the middle of the dirt playground.  We were greeted with loud and enthusiastic choruses of “Buenos Dias!”  Padre translated this session.  The children were as attentive as typical 3-5 year olds.  J   After the session we were invited to join the children for a “snack” of pineapple juice and 2 hand made tortillas, black bean spread, shredded chicken and LOTS of shredded lettuce.  So, now the dilemma – we’ve eaten lettuce already on the trip with no bad effect but we don’t know under what conditions this was prepared.  We all looked around and then decided to be gracious and chomped into our tortilla – lettuce and all.  The Principal joined us and explained about the school.  It is a government-subsidized school that has about 60 students.  The Principal is the founder and has been at the school for about 15 years. The three classrooms are small and sparsely furnished by US standards but are clean and functional.  The children appear happy as they play and laugh on the schoolyard. 

About 25 parents returned at 12:00 for the training. The news of the new system was generally well received although some parents had some concerns about the Church’s involvement in the system.  After a short conversation with Padre the concerns appeared to be addressed.

When we returned part of the outer wall to Matilde’s compound is being torn down to accommodate the new gate that will be installed so that vehicles can drive up to the water building for loading.  The gate is being handmade by a local worker who has promised to deliver the gate every day. But today we were told the gate will arrive within 2 hours.  Finally, around 7:00 the wall came tumbling down and at 7:30 the new gate arrived!  Just in time!

The system is coming together.  The decision was made to use the municipal water as our source water.  The third Rotoplas that will collect rainwater arrived.  The pumps are working and “clean” water is coming through the system!  But, the water needs to be tested before we’ll know that the bacterium has been killed and the water is safe to drink. 

The first training for the people who will operate the system begins with an overview of the operating system.  More detailed training will begin in earnest tomorrow. 

We left the site a bit earlier than in previous days and arrived in Acayucan but had trouble making our way to the hotel. The city is crowded and streets are blocked off.  We finally get to the hotel after Tony jumped out of the van and took down one of the ropes barricading the street!   So, it wasn’t such an early night after all. But our spirits are high and we are relieved that most of the construction is complete and operator training has begun.

The sixth day.  And, it was good (and we are happy and relieved).

Friday, April 16

The weather is cooler today  - one of the many miracles we’ve experienced.  According to weather reports it may be about the same temperature here as in Midland! 

There’s no rest on the seventh day.  Final touches are being put on the building – general housecleaning, sterilizing the floor, mounting a bulletin board, etc.  The gate has been installed.  And, training the operators, which is the main task for the day, was conducted in earnest.  Preparations for tomorrow’s dedication ceremony are being made.  Some of the team (now dubbed “the Marketing Department” while the rest of the team is called the “Engineering Department) is practicing singing Amazing Grace in Spanish and English.  We discovered that Tony plays the guitar and we even found one, which is a significant improvement over our attempts at singing acapella. 

A couple members of the team aren’t feeling well but we can’t pinpoint the food or drink that was the source of the problems.  Thank God we brought half a drugstore with us and have the medications to deal with the issues.

A few other miscellaneous observations made during our trip….

Our hotel rooms are sparse but clean.  The hotel staff is very friendly and accommodating and do not speak English – so we do the best we can with sign language.  The rooms are a nice size and contain a double bed, a chair, a wall-mounted TV and room air conditioner.  Each room has some accommodation for hanging a few clothes –it may be rod hanging in the corner or it may be a hollowed-out corner TV cabinet with a hanging rod inside.  There are two small wall mounted shelves – one to use as a nightstand and one as a desk.  The floors are tile and VERY slippery and require much caution.

Many public restrooms are something to avoid if possible.  The seats have been removed from the toilets.  In many cases, after people use the restroom they go outside dip a plastic bucket in a big barrel and use that to flush the toilet.  In some cases, there’s a common sink outside the restroom in which to wash your hands. In other cases, people dip their hands in the barrel and use that to wash up.  In our case, we are blessed to be able to use Matilde’s private restroom, which is very clean, flushes, etc.

Along our drive we have seen several fields with cattle – all of which are very bony.  There are also a lot of dogs running in the streets – they are also very thin, dirty and full of fleas and ticks.

We found out how the clothes are hung on the clothesline without using clothespins.  The line/rope is braided and so the braid is separated in one area and a small part of the clothing is inserted between the braids.

The fields are surrounded with what looks like trees.  Upon closer examination though, the fence posts are “living”.  They are made from sticks cut from the trees and over time they root and start growing leaves.  It looks very nice.

Eigner has had to make many trips to Manatitlan, a large city about 15 minutes away, to get various plumbing supplies.  Although there are many plumbing stores, many are small family owned businesses with a limited inventory.  So, many stores may be visited before the right part is found.  Also, most of the stores are NOT self-serve.  You describe the part you want and the staff find it (or not) and bring it to the counter for your inspection.

We are done! The system is complete and operational!  Training has been conducted!  We are ready for the celebration!  The seventh day.  And it was very good!

Status Report Wednesday Morning

Key Items accomplished:

• Ellen, Karen, and Bill plus Eigner made arrangements to visit 4 elementary schools in the area to provide some clean water education. They were able to visit two schools on Tuesday with other two on Wednesday and Thursday. They also have met with the Village Leader
• System Board has been installed in Final Location plus Rotaplas Tanks been set at proper height. Plumbing has begun
•  Final rinse and Fill table has been installed
•  Replacement red button parts have arrived
•  Electrical wired up
•  Have full days from 9 to 9 with a full lunch provided by Maltilda's(Operating Partner) cook.

Plans today are more pipiing so we water test and bleach shock the system plus train school children.

Karen and Ellen's Diary thru Tuesday

Saturday, April 10

We can’t believe we are getting up this early on Saturday. We are meeting at MBS at 5:45 a.m. to catch a 7:00 flight to Detroit. Most of the system equipment that we are carrying was loaded into Bill’s large suitcase, which weighed 68.4 pounds (70 was the limit). Geoff protectively carried his precious cargo, the Ozonator, in his carry-on luggage –he wouldn’t even let anyone help him carry it. It was even difficult to for him to let it out of his site when it needed to be checked at the gate because it wouldn’t fit in the overhead bin on the flight from MBS to Detroit.

From Detroit we flew to Atlanta, Mexico City and finally Veracruz. It’s a good thing the flight from Atlanta to Mexico City took 3.5 hours because it took us about 2.5 hours to figure out how to fill out the immigration paperwork. Do granola bars constitute “food”? Do prescription medications count as “pharmaceuticals”? Several of us met a lovely Hispanic flight attendant on the flight to Mexico City who after we complimented her on her cross ring, kissed her ring and said, “I love my Lord and do you want to hear what He recently did for me?” What evangelism!

We arrived in Veracruz and the landscape reminded us of flying into Freeport, TX. Coming through Customs the suitcases with the technical equipment were inspected, questions were asked and a supervisor was called. Karen whispered, “Start praying.” But after showing pictures of the water system and explaining that this was a mission trip, we were finally waved through. The ozonator had arrived safely. Bravo!

We were relieved to see Eigner (pronounced eggner) and Tony waiting for us on the other side of the glass. We are not alone in Mexico! After greetings, introductions, loading 8 people and 18 bags into the van, we were off! It was a 3 hour drive to Acayucan and we arrived about 11:00 p.m. Central time.

Acayucan is a bustling city even at 11:00 at night – shops were open, people were strolling around the city square and music was blaring from loudspeakers. Our hotel was located right on the city square and so were some of our rooms! Even though we were very tired, some of us had a trouble sleeping because the noise was so loud. But finally sleep did prevail. The first day. And it was good.

Sunday, April 11

Who knew that brushing your teeth could be such an adventure? To avoid getting sick from the bacteria in the local water, we couldn’t use the local water to wet our toothbrush, brush or rinse our teeth, or to clean the toothbrush. What to do? We all agreed that the best system was to hold a bottle of water in one hand and the toothbrush in the other so that there was no free hand to turn on the faucet. (As an added precaution, Ellen put her socks over her faucet handles, a trick that Geoff and Jerry wished they had used on Monday a.m.!)

We met for breakfast on the veranda of the hotel. But what to order – the menu is in Spanish and the waiter doesn’t speak English? Thus started the practice of eating whatever Eigner ate. For most of us today it was Huevos Mexicanos - scrambled eggs with onions, green and red peppers – the colors of the Mexican flag. Jerry thought he ordered pancakes and bacon but only a double order of bacon arrived. After that he quickly converted to the “eat what Eigner eats” system.

Church was at 11:00 with Padre Marco Polo presiding. The church was only a few blocks from our hotel. It’s a small building with no door and about 4 pews and a couple of rows of plastic chairs. There were about 15 in the congregation including a few small children. The music started from a CD player and Padre processed along with his ___ year-old son. His son sat in the front and assisted with communion. His daughter, age ___, ushered and passed the offertory “plate” which was a red velvet bag with a handle. We sang several familiar songs but in Spanish. Near the conclusion of the service, Padre welcomed us and explained the purpose of our visit. An older gentleman in the congregation stood up and said a blessing on our work and us. The people were very friendly and welcoming…many choruses of “Buenos Dias” were shared.

After lunch we were off to see our site…our work has begun. The installation site will be in the small municipality of San Pedro Matir with a population of roughly 5,000. It is about a 40-minute drive east of Acayucan near the coast. On the ride we passed several small villages with very primitive living conditions. It’s even difficult to describe. The countryside is beautiful with rolling green hills. People were selling fresh fruit and vegetables – bananas, papayas, oranges, pineapples, limes, tomatoes, etc. Also, people standing in the middle of the highway sold fresh fruit juice in bags.

We arrived at the village and met Matilde. The system is being installed within Matilde’s “compound” where she runs a very successful healing ministry. Success is measured in healings and miracles, not income. People travel from all over Mexico for healing by a combination of medicines (from Canada) and prayer. Those who can afford, pay. Those who can’t afford don’t pay or may pay in other goods or services as they can. God gets the glory for all healings.

The building that will house the system has been built within the previous 6 weeks and it exceeded our expectations. The building has been built with much care. Since some of the materials were ordered in advance and delivered directly to the site, our first order of business was to inventory and organize all the parts of the system. The only problem is that two springs were missing from the filters that would affect the control of the water flow. Some solution will need to be found.

While the inventory was being conducted, Karen and Ellen met with Matilda and Padre to discuss how to approach the educational aspects of the water system. Fortunately, Tony was available to translate. The decision was made to visit one school with approximately 40 students to discuss the importance of using purified water for specific purposes and the importance of washing hands thoroughly. We also discussed doing another training with a small group of local neighbors who would, in turn, train others in the community.

Also, Bill, Karen and Ellen performed some water tests on the water from Matilda’s well as well as the city water. In addition to testing for bacteria we also tested for other characteristics such as heavy metals and chemicals like nitrate that can present health issues for sensitive individuals such as infants and the elderly. The water from both sources tested ok for these characteristics but the bacteria test will take 48 hours to obtain the results.

It was about 8:00 p.m. when we finished with our work. We had dinner with Matilda, two of her daughters, and Padre and his family.

On the drive home our van was stopped by the militia and pulled over when going through a checkpoint. After a brief search of the back of the van we were on our way with clapping and cheers for Eigner who did all the talking!

We arrived at the hotel about 11:00. After a long, exhausting, exciting day, we all slept soundly. The second day. And it was good.

Monday, April 12

There’s a stranger at the breakfast table. Steve Patterson has joined us. Steve is a deacon and a retiree who, with his wife, moved to Mexico to spend the next 3 years doing volunteer mission work with the efforts of the Diocese of Arizona. Steve rode a bus for 8.5 hours through the night to meet us on Monday morning and accompany us to the site. Steve volunteered to come to our site just to see if he could lend a hand. He has experience working with similar systems throughout the Diocese of Southeast Mexico.

For breakfast Eigner was eating a plate of papaya topped with yogurt and granola – and so did we! We also had fresh papaya juice mixed with orange juice. The fresh fruit is fantastico!

At the site, Geoff and Jerry started working on the construction of the system and Lowell and Bill went with Eigner to a nearby town to purchase some additional materials. Karen, Ellen, Tony, Padre, Matilda and her grand-daughter, Leslie visited the local school to meet with the Principal to ask permission to educate the students on the proper use of clean water and the importance of washing their hands. No appointment was necessary – we just drove over to the school when we were ready. The school is a kindergarten with about 15 children – all wearing uniforms. The school was a small cement building, no doors, no a/c, few desks and very limited educational materials/resources. We were received enthusiastically with the Principal offering to invite the parents to also attend and learn with the children. Could we come tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.? Absolutely.

Then we were on to the next school. The next school? We thought there was only one. Turns out we went to 4 schools - 2 kindergartens, 2 primary schools – one of which had over 100 students! So, in addition to the session tomorrow at 10:00, we have another one scheduled at the primary school with about 15 children at 11:30, one at 5:00 Wednesday at a primary school with 102 students and one on Thursday at 10:00 at a kindergarten with 60 children.

We also went “downtown” to meet one of the Municipal officials to explain what we were doing. The building was a small cement building with 2 rooms. One room was empty and the other was sparsely furnished with only a desk and a few plastic chairs. On his desk was a laptop computer that was the only piece of equipment in the building.

We were again received enthusiastically, which was a good thing since about 5 police officers with machine guns were standing right outside the door! The official welcomed us to the village and expressed support of the Anglican Church and our activities. Karen and Ellen were especially welcomed as the first people from the US to visit his office and the downtown area. He is writing a book on the history of San Pedro Matir and took our pictures to be included as part of the history of the village. He also gave us a brief history of the village, showed us the original, handwritten deed of the first property in the village, and showed a brief slideshow of the village history on his laptop computer. After several pictures were taken for historical purposes, we were off again….but to where?

As we left, it was lunchtime and the streets were busy with uniformed school children going home for lunch.

We bounced along on dirt roads that were really the city streets and found our way back to Matilda’s. Again, the living conditions that we saw along the way were indescribable and yet, the people we had met seemed happy and relaxed. The children are friendly, clean, curious, and playful just like children should be.

The pace of life here is much more relaxed. The people aren’t driven by schedules like we are in the U.S. – things happen when they happen (which we would come to understand more clearly tomorrow!)

Progress on building the system is going along very well. Although the bacteria tests require 48 hours the results are already in for the water obtained from the well – it is full of harmful bacteria – which our system can purify.

After another long day we arrived back at our hotel at 8:00 p.m. and met for dinner at 8:30. Dinner is not like the US where service is prompt and meals are eaten quickly. In Mexico, things happen when they happen. It seems that although we are sitting at one table, each order seems to be taken and prepared individually. There’s no waiting for all to be served before eating your own meal – you could be waiting a long time! And, getting the bill is another adventure – who knows when it will come and when you’ll receive the change. Needless to say, it was about 11:00 when we retired to our rooms. The third day. And it was good (but long).

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Eigner arrived for breakfast early and ordered our breakfasts immediately in hopes that it would arrive at about the same time we would. A nice plan but not perfect. Most of the food arrived fairly promptly but the coffee arrived as we were ready to leave. Oh well.

We arrived at Matilda’s at 9:30. The water building looked different…the floor was painted blue! The local workers had worked all night to prep and paint the floor so that it would be dry when we arrived the morning. It looks beautiful against the white walls.

Our first school visit was scheduled for 10:00. But, things happen when they happen. We (Karen, Ellen, Bill, Padre, Tony, and Matilda) left Matilda’s about 10:30 and arrived at the school around 10:40 – right on time! The children brought their chairs out of the classrooms and we all gathered on the cement playground area. Several parents were also in attendance. Tony translated our presentation to the children who were attentive and enthusiastic. The parents and teachers had many questions particularly about the Living Waters organization, our training, etc.

On to the next school. Oops – we’re early. We arrived at 11:20 but were warmly welcomed nonetheless. We went into the classroom with about 15 primary students sitting at wooden desks – 3 children to a desk. There are only a few posters on the wall and very few books. There is a computer and projector in the room but it is not used. The teacher’s desk was just a small wooden table. Eigner did the translation this time and the children were actively engaged asking and answering questions. They were very interested in learning about how the water purification system works.

As we were leaving we saw another classroom with a computer and projector hooked up. Courses on geography, science, history, etc were available and used. However, a course on English is available but couldn’t be used because there was no one in the village who could speak English to teach the course.

Several students said they wanted to tell us something – they wanted to tell us “goodbye and thank you” in ENGLISH! Several children followed us out of the classroom and wanted to shake our hands and continue talking. One of the boys said that they liked to play soccer on the field behind the school. As we were leaving we saw the “field” – a dirt area with bumps and weeds growing sporadically. It’s hardly what we would consider a “soccer field”.

Progress on the building and the system progresses. Electricity is now running from the city to the building. The churn and related piping is attached to the board, the Rotoplas tanks are sitting on bricks stacked 3-feet high. The table for the sink at the bottle station is built with 2x4’s that really measure 2’x4’!

We arrive at the hotel at 10:00 p.m. just in time for dinner! The fourth day. And, it was good (but long and we are so sore we can hardly move).

Sunday April 11 Status Report

Attended Service at Father Marco Polo's Mission Church in Acayucan Traveled to Operating Partner Site, San Pedro Martir Following was accomplished Inventoried Parts Talked about Training at Elementary schools and and local community leaders Talked about 102 training with Operating Partner Re-tested water from both sources (well and city) and turned out same as last time.  Bug growth will take a couple days Had dinner at Matilda's Daughters Restaurant last night Today's Plans Stop at hardware store to get bleach, long handled brushes and mops, jig saw blades, paint and brushes for system board  Locate spring for red button on Big Blue Filter to relieve air pressure Start assembling system board Clean and Bleach Rotoplast Tanks and build platforms Visit Elementary Schools to talk to principals to see if can train school children.  Plus talk to community leaders for 102 training (Hygiene and proper use of clean water versus dirty water)  Start on business plan if time permits Appreciate our local support crew of Eigner and Tony who have been invaluable in translation. Hope to send pictures next time Faithfully, Lowell

Arrival in Acayucan

Arrived safely at Acayucan last night at 10:30 PM (Central Daylight Time)
All team members are well but were tired. Eigner and Tony from the local Anglican diocese met us at the airport and will be with us for the whole trip.

Obviously, I have Internet Access and will send updates every evening.  Plus, I should be able to respond to e-mail.

In an emergency, my cell phone number is 989-941-9607 and I have service for Mexico. I can also received text messages at no charge and can send upto 50 text messages back (still am learning how to send text messages)

We'll have a busy week ahead with some key milestones like having Water System running by Wednesday, April 14, so will be focused during the day.

Lowell

Travel Plans for Second Trip

A team of 6 people trained by Living Waters for the World will be going to Mexico to install a water purification systems leaving Saturday.  The following list describes what they hope will happen (which may be different from what actually happens.)

Date        Itinerary

April 10

•  Fly from MBS to VER (Mexico) via Detroit/Atlanta/Mexico City
•  Drive to Acayucan

April 11

• Attend Service at Anglican Mission Church
• Visit Village of San Pedro Martir to meet Operating Partner, Inventory Parts, and Re-test Water Source

April 12

• Begin Assembling of Water System
• Train on System Assembly and Hygiene
• Develop Business Plan

April 13

• Finish Assembling of Water System with Leak testing 
• Train on System Assembly and Hygiene
• Develop Business Plan

April 14

• Commission Water System and test water 
• Train on System Operation and Hygiene
• Finalize Business Plan

April 15

• Operate System to finish a batch for bottling on Friday 
• Train on System Operation and Hygiene

April 16

• Bottle Treated Water 
• Celebration

April 17

• Drive to Veracruz 
• Stay in downtown Veracruz at Colonial

April 18

• Fly from VER (Veracruz) to MBS via Mexico City/Detroit

Please Pray for their success.

 

Home Again

Those of you carefully following this will note that the promised update from Atlanta didn't happen. That wasn't a technical problem (wireless was available, if for a fee), but an energy (personal, not battery) problem.

We got into Atlanta as expected, customs was no particular problem (although Lowell needed his shoes sprayed as he stated he'd walked thru a field (no lie)). As you might expect, our departure gate was concourse A (we arrived in E), but they have a nice underground train, so that change was uneventful.

Lowell, as commented yesterday, was traveling without assigned seat and the flight was clearly overbooked. However, about 5 minutes before the doors closed, he was assigned a seat, and in fact, we left a little late so 3 more passengers could arrive to be seated.

Our connection in Detroit was tight (only 30 minutes), so leaving late was a concern for Bill and I (Lowell had already arranged to follow backup plan A (Alex pick him up at the airport on his way home from Ann Arbor)), so Bill asked the flight attendants to request foregiveness from the passengers in the plane (we were in the very last 2 rows). The attendant made the announcement, and about 3/4 of the plane did let us trounce up the aisle when the doors opened. We arrived at A27 in Detroit, left out of C15 (with the tunnel between A36 and C1 in between), so our 18 minutes disappeared quickly.

However, when we got to C15, there was still a Q outside and the doors were closed. About 10 minutes later they let us board. As departure time had already passed, they finally told us that they had a crew problem, we had a 1st officer, we had a flight attendant, but no Captain (s/he had exceeded max hours). They finally assigned us a pilot (who joked on the intercom that he had been assigned 3 flights in the last 15 minutes) and left 45 minutes late.

Because of that departure lag, our luggage also made the flight and Marnie picked us up in MBS. I enjoyed the fact that God arranged for a delay on the last flight sufficiently that not only our bodies, but our luggage also made the flight.

Plans are to present this to the team, and God willing, go back February-ish. More later.

Mexico City (overnight)

We are back at the Holiday Inn in Mexico City. Had a very pleasant dinner last night with the Bishop, stayed at the Hotel Mexico in Xalapa (pronounce the "x" like an english "h" and you'll get it right). Bishop came to see us off at 9:30, then we made a round of the way trip to the airport passing by the port of Veracruz. Got two lighthouse photos (saw a 3rd, but it was on the wrong side of the van) and posted them at http://lighthousesrus.org/theAmericas/MexicoE.htm#MX17.

Got in here easily and the only real problem is the wireless is pretty unreliable. I had to walk around the hotel with my drink in hand to find a spot where I could write this and sip that.

We get up at 5:15 tomorrow take the shuttle at 5:30, leave at 7:30. We tried to check in online, but can't do that for a variety of reasons, so we wanted plenty of time at the airport.

Next post might be from Atlanta.

Mexican completion

We went back to Ixtagapa this morning and got the necessary water samples. We then travelled back to the hotel and met as a team (including Eigner and Padre Marco Polo, so we had dual language discussions.) We talked through the criteria we wished to use (printed last night on the hotel printer using a thumb drive). We then came to an agreement on the priority order of the 3 sites, and while the reasons were different, the answers were not.

I am not going to post that priority order here as they are only recommendations from us to the larger team, and water analysis may alter our results. We expect to review this analysis with the larger team July 18 and if we have water results then, we could make a final decision at that time.

Bill will start assembling the covenant that will be used and the intention is to assemble it in both English and Spanish. When a final decision is made, it will be communicated to the Diocese and to Padre Marco Polo who will inform the 3 sites. Once they have been informed, we will transmit the proposed covenant (which in some sections will contain alternative selections for the local people to choose) and we will await reactions.

In previous engagements, this has sometimes required revisions above and beyond the alternative choices. If there is conflict arising in the electronic communications, we propose a conference call, either with the telephone, or via the internet to talk through those areas of difference.

All 3 sites would require construction. We would like to do the system construction when the weather is more pleasant, so will propose a January of February construction if the coveant and building can be completed in time, otherwise a November 2010 construction.

At this time, we are going to pack our bags, leave Acayucan and go to Veracruz and play tourista for the evening and part of tomorrow. Our flight from here to Mexico City is at 1 PM tomorrow, but it is possible I will be able to make another post before then. Otherwise, future posts will be on facebook as I travel.

Monday (Chogota)

We are located right on the central square of Acayucan. Last night I went out on the front porch and got this photo of the central cathedral which is on one end of the square. The other end of the square of course is the government palace.

This morning we went to the village of Chogota. This village was yet again different from the other 2. If we build here, it would be on private land. My Tom Tom knows about the road in front of the village, well, I should say from here north. From here south it says there is no route, but we drove across it.

We got our samples of the water that is available (which just like yesterday) is from a community supply, a deep well, but with no processing after it's pumped from the well. It's vey soft water, with low amounts of dissolved solids. We'll have to wait for bacterial analysis.

We still don't have water samples from our first site: (a) we forgot to take the sample bottles and (b) the water only runs from 9-11 in the morning and 7-9 in the evening. So, we'll go back tomorrow to get those samples. Tonight we will assemble our comparison criteria, then tomorrow afternoon we'll see if we can agree on a site using those criteria.

Thank you for your prayerful support.

Sunday (San Pedro)

We started the day with some free time, which was nice. Gathered together at 10:30 and went to the Anglican service here in town with Padre Marco Polo as celebrant. Small service, we didn't double the size of the congregation, but were significant. For a small church, the service was "high", probably the Latin influence.

After service, we gathered at the rectory, then went out to "Padre's" favorite option. San Pedro Martir is a large modern building (in an older style) that turns out to be the home for a healing ministry. It is located about 20 miles east of Acayucan and took us nearly 40 minutes to get there. They provided lunch (breaded chicken breast, potatoe with corn et. al., beet and cucumber salad) and we sat around and talked for a while.

Got home later (7:15) than yesterday, so a short break and then got dinner.

Tomorrow will be our 3rd site and then we'll gather to make decisions. Tuesday is our make-up day and then we're off the airport fairly early Wednesday.

We then looked at the options for where to do a water conversion unit, took our samples while they had a second church service for the day "he" has service here roughly every 8 weeks. Larger congregation than at his home church. We then had a discussion with the people here about how things might work if they were chosen.

Visit to Ixtagapa

We visited our first candidate site after lunch (which was at 2). It's the village of Ixtagapa ('x' pronounced like 'sh' for those with poor Spanish like me) which is about 15 minutes north on highway 280 back towards Veracruz.

Pedro, our sponsor, first proposed his side yard, then we discussed his front porch (more room, less traffic.) He then proposed the public building at the top of the hill which might become a clinic for a training location and we walked up to look at it. As you can see, the system water tower is right behind it, so this becomes a very ideal location. Pedro admitted that he can't commit the site, it would be a committment by the community, they might very well approve it.





Asking more questions, it turns out the source of the water is a 90+ meter deep well with a submirsable pump in it. The well is another 200 meters (more or less) further on the road we walked to get here. That photo is shown below.



The water was off when we were there, so we'll have to make another trip to get samples. That will be either Monday evening or Tuesday morning.

Dinner tonight at 7:30 (early, but we're pretty tired from the short night last night.)

In Acayucan

We got to bed after midnight, somebody forgot to check the clock radio (there are two us in the room, so that's a shared "oops") and the alarm went off at 3:15, then we got up at 5:30 to get to the airport.

These flights had been made independently from yesterdays, so we had to go through the entire change process (there's goes an hour), but we got through security smoothly and the plane although small, was comfortable (ish).

My bag didn't make it from the US, so another hour getting that registered. Hopefully it will show up. Biggest lack is my phone recharger and AC adapter are in there, so it will be fun working around that. Oh yes, so are 4 changes of clothes that I suspect I will want.

It's about a 2 hour drive from Veracruz to Acayucan, so at 2:00 we meet for lunch. So I'm off and will post more shortly.

In Mexico City

We're in the airport 2nd holiday inn. It's 12:20 here (1:20 EDT) and we need to leave for the airport at 6 tomorrow. The good news is I got the the restaurant 5 minutes before they closed and they sold me 2 beers (56 pesos, or about $4).

Everything went well (that is after the 5 am cancelled flight) till we got to Houston. Delta comes in to Terminal A, then you get a bus to terminal B, then you get a train to terminal D (with some walking in the middle.) NW in Midland issued us the boarding passes this far, but couldn't issue the Aeromexico (code share) flight. Wel, AM didn't have a reservation for this flight (since we'd changed due to the cancelation). They wanted us to go back to Terminal A and talk to Delta. I had Delta on my phone, Bill had NW on his phone and both agreed everything was fine - but AM disagreed. Bill finally got the agents talking to each other, and we did get boarding passes, but it consumed and hour. Good thing we had a long layover.

It's only 64 outside, so quite pleasant, but the hotel is warm, so sleeping will be a question. On to further vistas tomorrow.

Not a good start

Today did not start auspiciously. Got a call from Bill at 5AM saying our flight was cancelled. Looking online, for some reason the flight from Midland to Detroit was cancelled. No statement why, but I assume either equipment or crew as the weather is fine here and in Detroit.

We are rebooked leaving Midland at 1:30, arrive in Mexico City at 10:50 tonight, will have to overnight there.

Off the Mexico

Friday morning Bill (actually Jessica, his wife) will take me to the airport leaving here at Oh, so dark:30. We leave Midland at 6:55, the fly Detroit to Houston (8:45-10:44 CDT), Houston to Mexico City (12:40 to 3), pick up our luggage and check back in again to fly Mexico City to Veracruz (5:30-6:30). So 13 hours more or less of travel.

We should be met at the airport by Bishop Benito and his son who will take us to the Colonial de Veracruz Hotel. I expect I'll have internet access there, and will attempt to add to this, although what I can see about 13 hours of travel probably will be pretty limited.

Saturday we expect to drive south to Acayucan Saturday, visit the 3 villages that are candidates for a water purification system. We'll use Acayucan as a base for the rest of the week. Hopefully we will also have internet access there.

More late tomorrow.