The Gary family and the other team members recently returned from a week-long mission trip to San Juan Sacatepéquez, Guatemala. Here is a follow-up of some of the things they experienced:

“San Juan Sacatepéquez is a beautiful town located in the Guatemalan highlands. There is a town center where daily open markets take place, selling fruits and vegetables, fabric and beautiful flowers that are grown throughout the city. It was interesting to see the hustle and bustle of commerce taking place with the amazingly colorful background of the local Mayan clothing and culture.

We stayed at a church located right in town. Pastor Santos, his family and the people were so welcoming and showed us so much love and hospitality. The genuine affection we were given was heart touching. It is something I will never forget.

We took over 500 pairs of eyeglasses that had been donated from individuals and the Lion’s Club, with strengths that had been read and labeled by optometrists. On Sunday, Pastor Santos told the people of the church that we would be distributing the glasses on Monday morning and that everyone was welcome and to invite neighbors that may need glasses. We were not prepared for the hundreds of people that started lining up for glasses hours before we began. There is such a huge need there. Here in the United States, if you need glasses you go to the eye doctor, have an exam and order your glasses. In the Mayan villages, there are no eye doctors and even if a person was able to get a ride into Guatemala City, they would not have the money to pay for the eye exam, let alone the eyeglasses, which we were told cost 2 months salary. It’s an injustice that is not fair, and yet it is how it is. So for our team to be in a position to fit the people for a pair of eyeglasses that would greatly improve their daily life was overwhelming and also a joy that is indescribable. There are so many stories of the people who we saw that day, many elderly and never having seen clearly before. They were so grateful and humbled to know that the glasses were brought for them. It gave them hope. The faces of the children who found glasses will forever be etched in my mind. One little girl ran to each of us, hugging us tightly with a huge smile on her face when we finally found the perfect pair for her. With another little girl, we needed to fit her with 2 different pair of glasses, one for her to see better distance and one for her to use for reading. You could tell that her poor vision had caused learning disabilities in her, as she did not know how to read the numbers on a wall calendar. So we asked her how many fingers we were holding up from a distance, and she enthusiastically told us. A little boy who came in squinting, left proudly with his new glasses that he showed to his friends who gathered around him on the street to see. God is so good!

We also taught a prenatal and postnatal care class along with family nutrition. We had taken enough vitamins for 300 people to receive a yearly supply. We decided it best to hand out little bags with a one month supply to each person, letting Pastor Santos continue to distribute the rest on a monthly basis. What we discovered were grateful people who were very interested in any information we could give to them about nutrition and living in a more healthful way. The vitamins will aid in their overall health, and help in ways that we take for granted in our society.

We held a children’s fair that was attended by over 250 people! It was so much fun! We had a drama story, songs, a parachute, jump ropes and we made balloon animals! Even the parents that had brought their children joined in on making the balloon animals, laughing and having a great time. The Mayan children are beautiful and so precious! We had the opportunity to also teach dental hygiene and as the children left the fair, they got a treat bag with a toothbrush, toothpaste and a small book (we also had a packaged snack in the bag – and yes, chocolate sandwich cookies don’t really go with dental hygiene, but hey, it was a “treat” bag, and they had a toothbrush that they now know how to use!)

Another highlight was when we visited a school where we were able to take and donate sporting equipment and 50 lbs. of Spanish books. What a blessing this was to the school! Then our team got to visit the classrooms of the students and teach the colors in English, while they taught us the colors in Spanish.

One of the highlights for us was to spend an afternoon cooking together with the Mayan women in a Mayan kitchen – everything is cooked over a wooden fire and open flame! We taught them how to make chili (something they had never eaten before, but we could find the ingredients at the market to make) and spaghetti. They cooked a traditional celebration soup for us that was delicious!

The week was amazing and has ignited something in my heart. I know we will be returning if God is willing. We fell even more in love with the Mayan people, their genuine love and concern for each other, their sense of family and friendship, and their faith. We have been changed.

Go to our Flickr page to see some new photos from the trip.

“Some people look at what is, and say why? I look at things which are possible and say why not?”

On June 14, a team of nine from Connexions Church in Dexter, MI, will be headed to San Juan Sacatepéquez, Guatemala on a mission trip to serve the needs of the people in the community. Among the team will be the Gary Family, who will be returning to Guatemala for their second time in less than a year.

“Last year we were in the Mayan Highlands in Santa Apolonia. The town was beautiful, and full of the traditional Mayan culture, that has not changed much over the years. The women and young girls still wear the traditional Mayan Huipals and Cortes (hand woven and multi-colored tops and wrap skirts). We served in a church by hosting a children’s fair and Vacation Bible School for more than 250 children! But, it was the Mayan people who captured our hearts and we fell in love with them. The Mayans are very warm and beautiful people, and very family oriented. It is not uncommon to see older siblings carrying their younger brothers and sisters around on their hip, or grandfathers carrying their grandchildren around on their shoulders. The family unit is very strong in the Mayan culture. But we also witnessed much need. There is great need for health education and medical and dental services, and the illiteracy rate is 64%, one of the highest in Central America.

When we head back to Guatemala next week, we will be taking lots of supplies with us to help meet these needs. Our team has been blessed by so many individuals and organizations with donations. The Dexter Lion’s Club and other individuals have donated over 500 pairs of used eyeglasses that we will be taking! Local Optometrists in the Dexter area have been reading the strengths and coding the glasses for us, so that we will be able to give simple eye exams to help the people pick out a pair of glasses that will help them see more clearly. In the Mayan communities, it is very difficult to have access to eyeglasses, and most go without. The cost of a pair of eyeglasses is worth 2 months salary to most, in addition to the cost of transportation to get into Guatemala City and the cost to see an Optometrist. These will be a big blessing to the people!

A local Rotary Club, who has in interest in Literacy, has donated 50 lbs. of Spanish children’s books! The collection of books includes both fiction and non-fiction and will be a huge blessing to the teachers and students of a school in San Juan Sacatepéquez! We are excited to spend a morning at the school and offer a brief geography lesson about Michigan and teach a bit of English (numbers and colors) with the students.

We will also have the great opportunity to teach dental hygiene to a group of 100 children and 40 teens. Thanks to the generosity of local dentists and many individuals, we are taking dental hygiene kits for these children and for their parents. Many people have been dropping off small tubes of toothpaste and toothbrushes for us to make these kits and we are very thankful. I don’t know if people realize how their small act of generosity and sharing will make such a huge difference in the life of another individual.

We had a request by the church who is hosting our team, to teach about pre-natal and post-natal care along with family nutrition. We have a nurse on our team who will be teaching basic nutrition and personal care, and we will also participate in a group question and answer time. Remember, many of the women cannot read and have little or no access to medical care, other than the community midwife. It will be a very special time, as we also learn more about the lives of Mayan women. There is a local senior center here where women have been knitting baby hats for us to take. We will be giving these to expecting mothers. We are also taking prenatal vitamins to share, that will greatly improve the health of the pregnant mother and her baby. The infant mortality rate is an alarming 50% in some of the Mayan communities.

Our team will be staying in the church that is hosting us, sleeping on the cement floor in sleeping bags. I hear it is the rainy season in June and a bit chilly in the highlands (we will be at a 5,000 ft. elevation). We will eat fresh corn tortillas everyday and the local women will be cooking for our team – it will be delicious! Our boys will have the opportunity to make friends with others their age, and to practice their Spanish. Our team will also have two translators with us who are from Mexico City. They will be an invaluable bridge for our team, not only in the communication, but in bridging the cultural differences.

So many people have made this trip possible for our team with their kindness and generosity. I thank God everyday for this opportunity and know that with Him, all things are possible!”

Written by: Shelli Gary

Go to bk2hk’s Flickr page to see photos from the trip last year

For donation inquiries please contact Shelli at shellig@chartermi.net

It is motorcycle awareness time folks! We should ALWAYS drive cautiously, however in warmer months motorcycles are plentiful on our roads, so please be extra cautious when driving and always keep an eye and an ear out for motorcycle drivers!!! Thanks and Happy Summer!!

Motorcycle Awareness Links:
http://www.msf-usa.org
http://www.smsa.org

Let’s not forget the true purpose of this celebration as we give thanks for all we have and celebrate with our friends and family. For those who are no longer here and gave their lives in battle to maintain our country’s freedom, let us remember they died for us and on behalf of oppressed people in other lands. Let us give thanks and honor to the men and women of our armed forces.

God Bless America

I was unaware of a friendly competition that Google has been holding called “Doodle for Google”. Below is an explanation:

From Google:

Doodle 4 Google is a competition where we invite K-12 students to reinvent Google’s homepage logo. This year we asked U.S. kids to doodle around the theme “What if…?”

Our winning doodle, selected from over 16,000 entries, was created by Grace Moon, a 6th grader at Canyon Middle School from Castro Valley, California. Grace’s lovely doodle, “Up in the Clouds,” will grace our homepage, Google.com, on May 22nd, 2008.

Congratulations to Grace, and to all our finalists!

Check out the Regional Winners

This is a fairly new online “magazine” from HappyNews.com called Happy Living.

From HappyNews.com:

“Each issue of HappyLiving has ten to thirty articles about a single topic, written in a concise, easy-to-read highly accessible format. The articles in the magazine have all been selected to be consistent with our mission and so we hope you find them uplifting, practical, useful, and above all, happy.”

Happy Living Magazine.

Be Kind to Humankind has been saying for over 20 years that we are tired of the medias hunger for broadcasting bad new, news stories in poor taste and stories which glorify negative sensationalism. Most say we can choose to watch these programs or simply turn to another station. However, television today is so inundated with foul language, foul behavior, and negative sensationalism that unfortunately there remains very few stations which provide excellent programming. Below is a testimonial by actor/producer Tim Robbins at the National Association of Broadcasters Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. He speaks what we here at BK2HK feel. Take a listen…

When violin virtuoso Philippe Quint left a 1723 Antonio Stradivari in a taxi two weeks ago, he was distraught. The $4 million instrument was not only irreplaceable, it was on loan. But the cab driver returned the violin the next morning, and in gratitude, the Grammy-nominated musician will performed a private concert at the Newark airport cab stand.

Article 1 - BBC
Article 2 - Newser

Philippe Quint homepage
Philippe Quint - Myspace Music page

Take the time to check out this one. It needs to be played in every school and building in this country! So many have seem to forgotten the meaning of which Red explains so well.

This is so unbelievable. In 1969, how did he know?

Some of you may remember him but he passed away before many of you were born. Red Skelton was a good and funny man. He also ended every show by saying, ‘GOOD NIGHT AND GOD BLESS.’ Listen to the end of this. It is something he said 39 years ago. Very important that you listen to the very end! Eerie! Take a moment and listen to it (from 1969). How would he have known that this is what is happening?

Click here and turn your sound on.

FOR THE FEW WHO DON’T KNOW: Red Skelton was a movie star and comedian on television back in the 1950s. He created a number of characters, and his show was watched by millions..

Dear God letters from children.

Welcome 2008! We here at BK2HK would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy, Healthy and Blessed New Year!! Remember, in order to change the world for the better we have to begin in our own little corner of it. Beginning first with our own change of attitude for the better, sharing it with family, friends and acquaintances and then spreading out from there. Please do not become discouraged if met with sour attitudes at times. These folks need your kindness more than you will ever know. One small act of kindness in word or deed each day every day. It can be done. Please refer to my list of “Daily Affirmations.” Good luck and keep the kindness going!

THOUGHTS become WORDS
WORDS become ACTIONS
ACTIONS become CHARACTER
CHARACTER is EVERYTHING…It’s Never Too Late To Live Happily Ever After.

Watch “May You Be Blessed.” Video.

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can’t pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! This is a great site. Please send a card. It is FREE and it only takes a second.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our guys and gals over there need to know we are behind them…

A BIG THANK YOU to Meijer Department Store in Scio Twp. Michigan….

The Meijer Department Store on Jackson Road in Scio Township was once again super generous by donating a $250.00 gift card to the Ann Arbor, Robert J. Delonis Homeless Shelter!!! This is the 2nd year in a row that Meijer has been so wonderful!!! The money which they donated will help so many people! Please do not forget your home towns homeless shelters. Donations are always appreciated!!! Thank You again and Merry Christmas!!!

“All We Are Saying - IS GIVE PEACE A CHANCE.” John Lennon

The Faded yellow ribbon tied tight around the tree. A tree so large and lovely, 200 years old is she. Who thought she would be holding a faded ribbon tight. Of someones son or daughter, remembered day and night. We see this yellow ribbon and pray that all goes well. Its not my son or daughter, but I feel they are and tell. I tell my friends and family to keep them in their prayers. For God to hold them closely and wash away their fears. We THANK our men and women. While these faded ribbons wave. We never will forget. The sacrifice they gave. - Lorraine Jara 2006

Please don’t forget our troops who are risking their lives at this moment to preserve our safety here in the U.S.A. Regardless of how we may feel about the ongoing war in Iraq and Afghanistan, we must remember to let our troops know that we are still thinking about them and wish to help.

Go to www.americasupportsyou.com for further information on how you can make a difference!!

Thank you!!!

View Phil Colins True Colors video on YouTube.

View this nice Women In Art Video.

PLEASE help the Delonis Homeless Shelter in Ann Arbor by donating
gently used or new TWIN size blankets. They also are in need of gently used or new BACK-PACKS. Thanks so much!!!

Click here to read the full post and get the address for mailings.