October 18th - Our Arrival

It's somewhat surreal when I think that just a couple of days ago we were driving on a dirt road on the side of a mountain in Guatemala trying to get to San Luis Jilotepeque to visit children who received our wheelchairs in March, 2014. It was an incredible trip and very different from the March distribution..

Our Arrival

Brad Blauser arrived in Guatemala City ahead of us although we were supposed to arrive 30 minutes earlier than him. Our flight from Miami had an mechanical issue and we had to switch to a new airplane. It all worked out in the end. Our new friend, Raul Porras, was there to meet us. I'll write more about Raul later because I want to share his story with you. I'll just say for now that he's a little younger than my father, his English is wonderful, he has a marvelous sparkle about him, and the gift of the gab.



The volcano is behind me

We decided to go straight to Antigua instead of going to the Hope Haven Guest House. We walked around Antigua, ate a delicious lunch at Monoloco and then Raul took us to a beautiful park that boasts an incredible view of the volcano, works of art, and other surprises.

I was a little nervous about holding this bird
because I had just been bitten by another bird.

I remember it was a challenge just getting to the house. We hiked to it with some of our suitcases because the road had partially washed out and we couldn't drive the large van over it without getting stuck. It was so dark I wasn't sure if it was a few feet to the house or half a mile. It was a relief that it wasn't very far at all. We were greeted immediately by our guard dog fur babies Dozier and Tank.

The next day we checked the road out as well as the tall corn stalks growing beside the road (Wow!).

Brad and Bruce sizing up the corn stalks

Raul, Bruce & Brad checking the ravine in the road





The plan for the day was for us to visit the Lximche Mayan ruins located in the western highlands of Guatemala and then meet the first group of children at the Hope Haven facility...
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Donations change the lives of children with disabilities all over the world. If 100 people donate just $20 each then 6-8 children will receive wheelchairs. Please visit Wheelchairs for Kids International and learn how you can make a difference; help a child go to school; play with their friends, and just be kids..

Visit: http://kidchairs4life.org/WFKIDonate.html