Turkey Gobble up the Opposition

Well, how do you like that, we finally got a game in. Noah put his Ark away and the Turkeys took the field. We were taking on Grace Baptist Church, and we had never played them before. So I asked Tewes what he thought - “What? We will crush them”. I wasn’t so sure. We got ahead 5 to 2, Nick Frohnauer was playing short stop and flashed some serious leather with a couple of fine defensive gems and , oh yeah, he also blasted a round tripper. Dave Moeller was playing first base and somehow got this impossible bloop fly ball down the line. In the 4th inning Dave Braun hit a home run to lead off and then the dam gates broke loose (completely loose). We batted around the whole line up - the bases were juiced when Carter walked up to the plate and hit the grand salami. I really can’t remember scoring 14 runs in one inning, but there it was, a good old fashioned whipping. Turkeys crush ‘em 19-3 (Never doubt the Tewes).

Turkeys to Play

The sun is out! The field is dry! The Pilgrim Turkeys are playing Tuesday evening, 7:00, p.m. , UMD Field 1. Come out to play or cheer--or hang out at the ball field and enjoy the company!

House Finished, Common Hope Fiesta

The house in San Rafael was finished in record time! We put the last of the lamina on the roof just before noon on Wednesday and were able to have the house blessing before heading back to Antigua. The house blessing is always an emotional moment when Common Hope turns the house over to the new owners, blessings are extended by the vision team, and there are tearful expressions of gratitude all around. We brought the traditional cake and had a bit of a party as we said goodbye. Then the rains began and we hurriedly put equipment and supplies in the truck and headed back to Common Hope.

We divided up for work detail in the afternoon--Bill, Suzie, Meghan, Niki, Charlotte and Meg in the warehouse sorting clothing and Gloria, Paula, Calder, Jesse and Alex to construction to make panels for another house. We had our final reflection meeting and talked about what this week and this group have meant to each of us. Then into Antigua for an hour of shopping and very nice dinner at Posada Don Roderigez.

Today is Father{s Day in Guatemala and a traditional half-day fiesta at Common Hope. There are a variety of activities, most notably the soccer matches among employee pick up teams. We{re hanging out, just playing and relaxing with the staff.

As a thank you to all the staff for their hard work and long hours immediately following Agatha, Common Hope will close at noon today and not reopen until Monday. We can tell that the staff is grateful for the long weekend and relaxing after the past three very strenuous weeks. It will be a long tme before some families and villages feel as if life has returned to normal, but the intense first phase of disaster relief is done. The house we built was originally scheduled to be completed the week of the storm, so the [blitz build[ effort with our team helped get construction back on schedule.

Gloria and Paula leave this afternoon; Bill, Suzie, Meghan and Niki leave early in the morning; Meg, Jesse, Calder, Alex and I will make a field trip to Iximche, the Mayan ruins not too far from Angtigua.

San Rafael

On Tuesday the whole team, along with Common Hope{s construction crew, put up a house in San Rafael. This is the fourth house Common Hope has erected there. The village is indigenous and very poor--for some of our group this was their first encounter with chronic, unrelieved poverty and it{s sustained effects on a community. We stopped at Hands of Hope clinic, where more than sixry women and children were lined up waiting for medical care. Then we climbed up the hill to the building site.

The family for which we are building consists of a mother and father and five children. They are currently living in a corn stalk home with a kitchen area behind it. They have pigs, chickens and a dog or two--all living in close quarters. No sanitation system. Something of a latrine. Surrounded by extended family. One of the family has a bovine who is tied to a tree right in the yard.

We hammered lumber together and helped put the wall panels in place, assisted by three Guatemalan volunteers . Julio, our bus driver, pitched in. He, himself, had lost his home to a mudslide. A young man, whose education had been made possible by Common Hope, but who is not currently working, has been volunteering with us in an effort to give back. And another Guatemalan who was looking for something to do for a few days volunteered as well. Those three, along with Common Hope employees, Pablo and Felix and the boss, Mario, did most of the work! Still, Bill got the chance to instruct some of us novices, Alex, Jesse and Calder made good contributions, and we convinced Meghan and Niki that they could drive in nails. The rains held off until late afternooon.

I was in San Rafael a year ago with Pilgrim{s vision team. I found that in a year{s time, the people of San Rafael are more open and much less shy in the presence of volunteers. The mother in this family invited us in to see her old house from the inside. She made us beans and tortillas for lunch and the children scampered around us, eager for us to take their pictures.

It continues to rain in the afternoon and evening. Apparently there is another tropical storm brewing to the west. Common Hope staff is monitoring the situation and will help us make decisions related to our travels after we we leave them.

Today is Wednesday and we will return to San Rafael to finish the house and have a house blessing. This afternoon we will help here on Common Hope{s campus.

Rain, Rain

It{s the rainy season in Guatemala and the first time I{ve experienced mosquitos here. Not quite up to the vigorous species of Minnesota, but annoying nonetheless. Today our team attended to a wide variety of tasks--Meg and Alex were in the warehouse sorting recent donations, Bill, Paula, Gloria, Caulder and I went with the construction crew to put up an interior wall in a school; Jesse shadowed a doctor at the clinic; Megan, Niki and Suzie took care of kids in the day care center.

During the afternoon, some of us had visits with the children we sponsor through Common Hope while others built panels to be used for a house in San Rafael. Jesse was back in the clinic and Meg and Calder did some after school care with older kids in the library. Then we had an orientation to San Rafael where we will all be working tomorrow. We have two days to put up a two room house. Here{s hoping for a day without rain!

Again at Common Hope

It is early morning in Guatemala. I love watching and listenting to the morning activity from the veranda in Common Hope

I expected that we might be doing some relief work, but Common Hope is very protective of its volunteers! Our job will be to continue some of Common Hopes regular work while Common Hope staff are assessing the long term needs after the storm.

We will spend the weekend "hanging out" in Antigua, the city where Common Hope is located and Monday we will visit with families sponsored by members of our group. Tuesday and Wednesday all of us will be working on a construction site in San Rafael. Thursday we will help Common Hope honor staff and families. Friday is Father{s Day in Guatemala and Common Hope will be closed to encourage staff families to have time together, so our team gets an extra day to play!

At least, that{s the plan for the week! The group this year is a "put together group" of folks who were interested in coming to work with Common Hope but needed a team to go with. Gloria and Paula are from southern Minnesota and will be joining a group from their Catholic parish for work in San Lucas later next week. Suzie and Bill are from Chicago and brought their two granddaughters, Nikki and Megan. My sister, Meg and her son Jesse are with us, along with Jesse{s best friend Calder. Alex is with us as well.

So far, we{ve only seen one of the footprints Agatha left behind--there is still one place where not all the rocks from a slide have been removed from the road between Guatemala City and Antigua. But we{ve heard that there are still roads that are impassable because of mud and rock slides--that is one of the reasons we are staying in Antigua this weekend.

In the areas where there was the most damage, there are some diseases beginning to show up, some related to compromised sanitary conditions. Volunteeer work is limited in those areas. I{m sure we{ll hear and see more as the week unfolds.

Take care. We{ll keep you posted! Charlottte

Getting the Rhubarb Ready

One week after Grandma's, Duluth celebrates a Rhurbab Festival! In addition to being great fun, it's an excellent fundraiser for CHUM. This Saturday, June 12th, folks will be chopping rubarb and freezing it for pie making, sauce making, and even ice cream flavoring. Here's an invitation from CHUM.

Rubarb cutting begins at 8:30 a.m. in the kitchen (lower level) of Peace Church (11th Ave. E. & 11th St.) and lasts until 1:00 p.m. However, people are invited to take part for whatever length of time they have available. Cutting rhubarb goes best with song, story, and conversation so come with the expectation of good fellowship and time well spent for a great cause.

PILGRIM TURKEYS

It was too soggy for a softball game tonight, but check us out next Tuesday evening. Pilgrim's softball team--co-ed and intergenerational--plays almost every Tuesday evening at Field 1 at UMD. We're the guys and gals with gray and black shirts, turkeys on the front, "approved by God" stamped on the back. Softball games are great fun for the whole family--and a great place to meet Pilgrims. Most games are at 6:00 p.m. Check the calendar page on our website to be sure.

Bars of Soap and Toothbrushes

If you lost everything you owned to a mudslide, what would you ask for first, after water and food? Families related to Common Hope would greatly appreciate personal hygiene items--soap (bars are easier for us to pack and carry); toothbrushes, toothpaste, washclothes, small towels, basic first aid kits. Tropical storm Agatha dropped 20 inches of rain in parts of Guatemala, creating mudslides that thundered through villages perches on the volcanoes around Antigua where Common Hope is located. Pilgrim will accept donations through Wednesday June 9th. On the 10th, Charlotte Frantz and her son Alex take off for a week of volunteer work with Common Hope.

Music at The Pines

Enjoy a short concert by Bellissimo, Pilgrim's handbell choir, at The Pines, Saturday afternoon, 2:00 p.m. The Pines are located on St. Marie Street, behind Mount Royal Shopping Center.

HUGE Book Sale

Pilgrim's Annual Book Sale will be this Saturday, June 5, 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Stock up for the summer. Great reading material in all categories. Tell your friends and neighbors.