Dan Fuller and his wife Laura are board members and faithful volunteers from Spokane. Together they form the backbone of our dental health program in the villages. This is the fourth year they have come to Guatemala and the third year doing dental work. We have a portable dental chair that they use and a small generator for electricity for lights. They work in villages where we are drilling wells and in villages where we have wells.

On Feb 24, toward the end of their visit this year, they made a second trip to La Compuerta. This village is about 30 km away from our shop. The last 20 km of the trip is a bone-jarring ride, up and down steep hills on a road which can be described as being like an old river bed. It is truly a nasty trip through dry hills past corn and bean fields. The trip is best made in one of our little Mitsubishi crew-cab trucks, perhaps because they are smaller and there is less space to be thrown around inside, but it is still a tough trip.

La Compuerta is a village on the top of some of these dry hills. There are about 700 people who live there. We have made two attempts to put a well in there, but both have been unsuccessful. I visited in one of the villages and learned the only water was in a pond where the cattle drank too. Dan and Laura went back to finish the dental clinic work they had done earlier.

As they worked, Dan was interrupted by a woman who had a child in her arms. The little girl was about 2 and a half. She had a fever and was listless. She was not unconscious, but unable to walk or do much more than hold up her hand. It seemed very possible that the little girl was dying.

Dan and Laura decided to give her ½ a Tylenol and see if she got any better. Dan remembered that dehydration can cause a fever and gave her a full glass of water with the pill. She drank the 12 oz readily. They gave her another glass. The effect was dramatic. Within 20 minutes of drinking the water she was walking around talking and laughing. Her fever was gone and she was entirely back to normal. She went from a very sick little girl to healthy because of drink of clean water.

Later they had a chance to talk to a lady who is a teacher in La Compuerta. They spoke about the need for drinking water. The teacher said yes, she knows and tries to encourage the people to drink, but when she tells them to drink, the people say back to her, “If we drink the water we will die.” (more…)

Bucky and Speedy finished the work they had done in the Poptun area and made plans to fly to El Salvador to check on the well at the International Children’s Care orphanage there. We have been trying to help them for about two years and Bucky wanted to personally check on the repairs another volunteer, Steve Marstaller, had made on the old rig that was there.

They landed at Guatemala City, paid the landing fee, the ramp fee and the departure fee and filed a flight plan and took off toward El Salvador. When they were about 20 miles from San Salvador airport, they called to ask permission to land. There was no response for a few minutes, and then they were told that permission was denied. They asked again while they circled some distance away from the airport and were denied again. They were told that if they landed without permission they would be fined US $10,000. The plane would probably be impounded until they paid the fee. They tried to explain and beg, but it was to no avail. Permission was denied. They had no choice but to fly back toward Guatemala City. (more…)

Speedy Gonzales packed his bag in the back of the Cherokee 180 and carefully got his friend Bucky strapped into the passenger seat. They were both ready to leave Beeville, Texas. Although the plane was near the weight limits, Bucky was lighter by the weight of 5 kidney stones which he had passed over two painful days. But he was weighed down by the bill from the hospital for just under $11,000. How this could have been racked up in a little over two hours in the emergency room was, and still is, a mystery. (And we thought the only thieves were in Guatemala)

First was a stop in McClellan, Texas for the documents for Mexican customs and permission for the flight. That turned into an 8 hour ordeal for the paperwork, almost as painful as passing a kidney stone. Finally finished, they launched for their first stop, Vera Cruz. The got fuel and then back into the air headed south. As they flew, the ceiling kept getting lower and lower till they were getting into the soup at less than 700 ft above ground level. It was time to turn around and get back on the ground.

After a night’s stop in Pose Rica they flew on without incident and landed at the airfield in Poptun. Gary was there to meet the weary travelers. They had been one week on the way and very glad to rest for a couple of days before the drilling work started. (more…)

Bucky Mowrey and Speedy Gonzales watched the countryside slide evenly beneath the wings of the Cherokee 180 as they followed their course, ever to the South and West. They were on the way to our headquarters in Guatemala. This would be their fourth trip to help us. They are from central Ohio, and because they had done this before, they knew what to expect when they got to Guatemala, but this time they had decided to make the trip in Speedy’s plane. Partly for the adventure and also so they could carry the 90 baby quilts, made by Bucky’s mom, which were packed into the back with parts, tools and other things. The plane was near the weight limit. (more…)

The call came from one of our friends in Guatemala, Bob Sutton, a member of Pueblo Partisans, a non governmental community development group, saying that the pump at Tanhoc had stopped producing water. The people were out of water and had to go back to the old way; drinking the contaminated river water that was their only other source or hauling clean water for several miles. They asked us if we could come and help or send someone. This was in mid September of last fall.

This was one of the things we have been concerned about since the beginning. How would we service the pumps and wells that we installed? The villages were dependant upon this clean water and we felt responsible for (more…)

This morning, Saturday, for the first time, I woke up sore all over. This must mean it’s time to go home. Yesterday we ran a test on the new well at Poxte. This well will serve a community of well over 400 people, probably more like 900 plus. (Villagers say 1500) The well was pumped at 10 gallons per minute and I think it will do 15 to 20 okay. The well is situated below the water reservoir near the road and the power line.

We tore down the drill rig, loaded all the leveling blocks and other stuff.

They had a little gathering before we left the well site. They thanked us profusely for the well. Many in Poxte understand the value of clean water to their family’s health. They seem to be a little more organized and more knowledgeable group of people then some of the other villagers I have seen. They wanted to give us something for the well, but we tried to get the free gift (grace) concept across to them.

I was asked by one of the men who spoke some English what we were getting paid to work there, after I told him a third time, he finally got it and shook my hand and gave me a big smile. The people there do a lot of hand shaking whenever they meet. There is a simplicity, directness and joy here, uncomplicated by concerns about social status, color or race. That is refreshing. It’s also amazing how the adults will stop whatever they’re doing to help with anything we need. … Suddenly I’m sorry I’m leaving.

We drove the rig just down the road a couple of miles to Machaquila. There is an American Clinic there where a second well will be drilled first of the season next year. They have an indoor location for our equipment, which is good because it is important to keep it dry over the next 9 months or so… Until I can come back!

As I think about the water situation at Poxte, a 10 to 20 gallon per minute well serving this many people is amazing. Most of us back home in Washington have one of these sitting in our backyard serving just one home. Yet, these people carry every drop of water they use from somewhere down the road. Some walk for miles for clean water. The have a hard life.

Chris and I are going to be heading toward home tomorrow. We plan on traveling to Flores to stay there, get up Monday morning and go to the Mayan ruins at Tikal. So, we will be tourists for a day. We will catch a Monday night plane to Guatemala City, spend the night at the Howard Johnson’s Inn and be home in Washington Tuesday night.

Jon and Chris Hansen as adapted by Tim Rasmussen.

The container left Spokane for Guatemala on Dec 18. In it was the diesel air cooled engine, more steel well casing, stems of tools, welders, parts, 10 new hand pumps, the special deep well pump for JabonChe, and of course, some things for the orphanage.

We had been told the container shipment would take about 21 days, so Gary Bartholomew was expecting the container would arrive in the second week of January. That week and the next came and went, and still there was no word about the container. Inquires to our shipping agent revealed that the container had been offloaded in Mexico and not put back on the ship. The explanation was vague about why it came off the ship and even more vague about when it would be put back on a ship We were assured however, it would be on the next ship to Guatemala, whenever that would be be!

On January 21, Annette and I left Guatemala. It was a long 23 hour shuttle on and off planes from Flores to Cancun to Houston to San Francisco to Spokane. About a week after we got home, Gary was told the container had come into the country and was in the customs process. At least it had made it into the country.

The container was in the customs process for one week and no word. Then the shipping agent told us that for some reason, the container had been selected for special inventory inspection. The reason behind this selection was unknown, but maybe because it had made an unscheduled stop in Mexico. They insisted on checking on 75% of the contents. There was nothing to do but wait.

Finally on about Feb 15, Gary was told the container would be released immediately upon payment of about $7,000 US. There were the usual charges for storage during the inspection, the inspection itself, and a fee for this and a fee for that. Then he was told that if he waited for 2 more days there would be different supervisor and the fee would be about $500 US less! Gary thought for a moment but realized the extra charges and the waiting truck and the fees would make it about a wash. Gary paid the duty and got the shipment out of that den of thieves as quickly as he could. (I guess the word “thieves” is not politically correct, but that is the word that comes to mind.) The container was 58 days in transit, but he was happy we finally had it, until he opened the door.

It sounds like a more exotic place than it is. If “exotic” can be applied at all to a collection of 300 or so homes strung haphazardly alongside a highway outside of Poptun, Guatemala. If “homes” can be used to describe a shack with a few pieces of plywood and plastic or tarpaper, a dirt floor and no running anything except the dogs and a few chickens.

Into this place rolled our donated 1942 GMC military 6×6, with the Bucyrus Erie 22W and (more…)

Last year we struggled with our propane powered drilling rig. It was very thirsty for fuel and due to some issue that we could never resolve the engine would not run steadily. There was a surge in rpm that created issues with the work of the cable drill.

Bucky Mowery, one of our steadfast volunteers, determined to solve this problem. He obtained a Cummins diesel engine and was working to get the correct flywheel for the engine but he ran into trouble. Unable to locate a flywheel or have one made, he emailed Gary that he doubted he would have the engine ready to be shipped to Spokane by the container deadline of Dec 16. It seemed that perhaps the thirsty propane engine would have to work again.

When Dominic Parmantier got the word that there was a problem with Bucky’s plans, he contacted Gary with a message. His company had 3 Deutz diesel engines that had been removed from service in California due to environmental regulations. They were low time engines that had been used in concrete pumps or stationary applications. He asked if Gary was interested in trying to use one of them instead of the Cummins unit. The answer was YES. Dominic arraigned to have one of the motors shipped to the Portland area, where it will be mated with the correct bell housing and then on to Spokane for shipment in the container to Guatemala. Another roadblock melted away for us.

Dennis Baker of Campbell/Baker Manufacturing has generously made hand pumps available at greatly reduced prices. We ordered 10 pumps and they are safe in the shop waiting with a gathering mountain of tools, machinery, supplies and equipment. These things must be weighed, carefully listed on our shipping documents, values assigned to them for customs purposes, and set aside until the day of loading. We will try to load the container within the two hour time frame provided by the shipping company. If the weather holds true to the way it has been in the past, Dec 16 will be very cold, perhaps snowing, but we will be warmed by the work and the knowledge that our efforts and those of our volunteers will bring the miracle of clean fresh water to people have no other hope of getting it, even though it is only a few yards under their feet.

Thank you to all the people who donate their time, energy and money to assist our efforts.

“The General will see you at six o’clock,” the secretary said, as she replaced the phone. We had requested to see the General; Manuel Benedicto Lucas Garcia, brother of a past President of Guatemala. He had a played a part in the rescue of a child some 20 years ago who was later adopted by the Bartholomews and who had just finished college. They wanted to meet the man who had saved their daughter. (more…)