My return

My return flight was a little more interesting than my flight to Tennessee. I arrived at the airport with plenty of time, Got to my gate early and all was good, and I would be home in time for dinner. After boarding the plane we sat for 10-15 minutes then heard of the problem, the deicer was not working. They worked on it for about 30 minutes then decided we needed to change planes. This plane had something going on also, not sure what but they got it fixed after another 30 or 4o minutes. Needless to say buy the time we got to Houston I had missed my flight. I did however manage to keep all frustration to myself and even had fun. After trying to get me on another flight from Houston for a while but not being able to they put me in a room for the night. It became clear why all this had taken place after I left for the airport the following morning; I had met a guy at the hotel and was able to share the Gospel with him for a while. Lesson learned; God has a plan for everything. Always keep an eye and your heart open for any opportunity.

I got home Wednesday for dinner instead of Tuesday, It is really cool to arrive home after being gone 7 days and get nice hugs from 10 kids and my wife that all actually missed me. Upon my arrival I learned of all the stuff that happened while I was gone. No water for 3 out of the 7 days, no power for a couple of days, and on and on; maybe that is why they missed me. There has been water and power every day since my return until today, no water and the power went out for a while; praise God the power was only off for a short time, still no water.

Once home we got back to work on the ranchita, I went ahead and bought fill and we are almost ready for concrete now. When I say we got back to work I am talking about all us guys in the house, I had plenty of help from my boys and our workers.

Michael, Danny and Pedro all wanted to pitch in.

They all wanted to try all the tools, even our somewhat effective tampers

This is the real tamper, kinda works

I guess I should get a smaller wheelbarrow



OK maybe a smaller shovel to.


All kids like a tractor, even the big ones



It was a great day, well great 1-2 hours anyway a good time was had by all.

Tennessee Trip

I was to leave April 2nd and return April 7th.
Normally when I am going to fly I go to the city the night before, however this time I had a late flight so I left the ranch at 5AM figuring this would give me plenty of time (7hrs). Well All went well the first ¾ of the trip then it happened. One of the biggest accidents I have seen here. A bus and propane truck seemed to want the same lane, along with 7 other cars, needless to say this does not work. I am not sure how long I was in traffic but I got to the airport 30 minutes before departure, I hurry thru security, I know this sounds strange but they kinda rushed me thru. Once I get to the gate I am the last person to board, we head out then sit on the end of the runway for almost 1 1/2 hours. By the time I got to Houston I needed to run for the gate only to find they have changed it to the other side of the terminal, if you know Houston airport you know this is not just a short walk. Anyway I had to change gates 4 times. Ended up getting into Knoxville only about 1 hour late.

Once in Knoxville I had a great time of renewal and excellent fellowship, both much needed. Got to see some people I had not seen in awhile but not long enough to see everyone that wanted to see me and that I wanted to see. 2 or 3 weeks may have been enough time but would be to long for me to be gone. I guess maybe we need to try 2 short trips a year. Leaving the ranch for more than a few days is hard to do with children so I guess once a year will be about all we can do.

Things at the Ranch are really good, we continue to add and more children show up for Sunday school every week. The Ranchita is close to being done so we will have room for all of them and keep them out of the rain, and or sun. All we lack right now is fill and cement, gravel, sand for the floor and some steps, and of course a ramp for wheelchair access.

One day while there we had a great lunch over at Provision Foundation, my self and Woody Woodson from Vine International spent some time discussing all things Guatemala with some close friends of ours. At the meeting, I was able to share our "Top 5" needs for varying projects that we would like to complete at the ranch sometime in the near future. We'd like to share those here and now just to keep all our friends in the loop!

Top 5 Needs for Rayo de Esperanza

1. Water Project - 2 500 Gallon Water Tanks, Water Pump and Filter. This is priority #1, as Mike (and all of us as well) would love to implement a system on site where everyone could be assured that they are drinking clean water! Currently, everyone at the ranch drinks bottled water. Estimated cost for this project is somewhere in the $5,000 range.
2. Septic Field - Estimated cost for this project is also in the $5,000 range.
3. Cattle Yard Fence - New to the property are a variety of animals, including horses, cows, and more. To ensure their safety and protection, a fence needs to be installed. Estimated cost for this project is in the $3,000 range.
4. Sunday School Room Floor - Estimated cost for this project is around $5,000
5. 1 Year School Sponsorships - for all the kids on the property to receive the proper schooling they need, as well as fees for uniforms, shoes, school supplies, and bus fare to and from school.
* Hilda - $800/yr
* Eddy - $600/yr
* Silvia - $500/yr
* Judy, Jayron, Pedro, Esperanza, Lucia, Angelica, Zulydy, and Francesca - $150/yr