Hodge Podge…

With Cindy in the states it is quiet and lonely in this house.   But the schedule is full and talking to Cindy there is not a lot of holes in her schedule either.  She gets to eat a hot dog and Moosetrack Ice Cream on her breaks though. How about a few words on several subjects?

Preaching… We have a blessed opportunity to preach a couple of times recently.  In researching for this past Sunday’s teaching I think I listened to the worst sermon I have ever heard.  The title was so awful.  The teaching was worse.  Discouragement – God forbids it.  Every hero of the faith in Scripture went through periods of discouragement… God jumps in there with us in those times, encourages and strengthens us.  God forbids it—get out of town.  My mother came up with this one morning, “Discouragement is Satan’s playground where God shows up and teaches!”

Joe Leier electrical engineer, Canadian, missionary here in Guatemala is a fix it kind of guy.  He and I took a tour of northern Guatemala last week fixing equipment as we went.  We had a good visit with Mike and Karen Rhea at their farm/orphanage and got to see some of the bicycles from Samaritan’s Purse, transported by Vine International in action.  Lot’s of smiles.  Mike is having a knee arthroscopy done on Thursday, last week.  Praying for quick and excellent results, brother.  We then drove to Peten, saw the new ambulance from Mercy Trucks at Hospital Shalom in San Benito with their new red roof and second floor expansion.  The staff at this hospital is loyal and working hard.  I tried to get the barbecue recipe from the cook and was told I could have it “when I bought the hospital”. I cracked up and she NEVER gave me the recipe!!

We worked on vacuum pumps, a C-Arm that is now a boat anchor, “pm’d” several other machines.  A couple of other biomed friends had been there in the last year Jim Moore and Rick Wood so not much to do.  We had discussions about future plans and working on the issue of improving biomedical support.  For now it looks like Joe Leier may be making the trek up there three or four times a year.

We then went to Cubulco to the AMG hospital.  (AMG-“Centro Medico Cristiano Señiorita Elena”)It has been several years since we have been there.  It is largely run by nationals, has both national doctors and dentists doing service and a couple of US teams come through out the year.  We did quite a bit of good here and will do our best to make this pilgrimage more frequently.  It was a beautiful drive and this is where I will add my lament, I FORGOT MY CAMERA.  We took a Joe Leier short cut on the way back.  Have you seen the Highway of Death in Bolivia, well this is not as bad as that… for those of you in West Virginia that remember the single lane road going Fayette Station in the New River Gorge before the Feds took the river for a park, this shortcut is MUCH worse than that has ever been in my 59 years.  Crossing the ridge back of Guatemala was beautiful though and I forgot my camera.  I still can’t believe I forgot my camera.

The bodega has been slammed since being back in town.  Today (Tues.) in addition to three clients (two of them new to Vine International) we met Tommy Sanders from Shalom Foundation and Cynthia Paschal Ph.D from Vanderbilt Biomedical Engineering program.  She is bringing another team to Guatemala and we are discussing ways to improve biomedical equipment services in the  developing world – Guatemala in particular.  It was a good encouraging meeting.

Tthis past Friday night I crossed town and visited Roger and Beth Briggs (Hearts for Heaven, Inc) and surprised Bob Harris.  Bob is a fiery ol’ time Methodist evangelist that works with a team that is instrumental in Cindy and I choosing this path or being chosen for this path, or if you are hyper Calvinist having NO choice at all… OK back to the preacher Bob Harris, Bob and another brother in the LORD, Horace Marlowe, are on my very short list of heros.

OK… Cindy is not here so I need to put away the clothes and dishes I washed, gather the garbage for in the morning.  The next time I am going to take my camera – that still bothers me.

Thank you for your prayers and continued financial support.  I know for some it is a stretch of faith in this economy.  We are very aware of the trust you put in us.

In Christ, Dennis and Cindy McCutcheon

Community Chapel Greenville SC,

sent a vision team to Guatemala this week (not that the guys who came were much to look at mind you).  Mike, Ben and Lewis are assistant pastors or leaders in the church.  This congregation has been very giving to Cindy and I through Vine International and to Guatemala in many unique ways.

This group came to look at several potential projects.  The first was a trip to Chocola to see Hospital Santa Fe and the Castillos.  Several ideas are being kicked around to include youth, young adults with the next construction team in late July.  We plan on doing work that will improve security, metal doors all around, fencing the house and starting renovation for the house.  They are designing the work so they can do an evangelism and minister to youth in the local neighborhood.

Oscar Garcia a friend who ministers in Guatemala with Orphan Resource International went with us to help with thinking through logistics, collecting and timing  delivery of building supplies.  He is very gracious, knowledgeable, and was a great asset to this team.

That was Monday and Tuesday morning.  Tuesday afternoon after driving through a tremendous wind storm we arrived at Fundo Ninos an orphanage Vine International has ties to.  We looked and discussed some fencing for safety issues on a retaining wall and around the pool.  We will probably handle this locally and are hoping to challenge local church involvement with some other friends here in Guatemala.

Then on Wednesday we were in the fourth most violent neighborhood in Guatemala.  Recently 8 youths were murdered by rival gang while playing soccer on the local field and now the local kids not involved in gangs are fearful of going to that field.  We went to a local project that is doing after school tutoring of children with active work in crime prevention and trying to keep these kids from being fodder for the gangs.  The problem is they play soccer on the roof and they loose their soccer balls frequently.  We did a materials list and have arranged payment and delivery with local labor to do the work.

We visited with Doug and Consuelo Le Blanc.  Doug pastors a church plant and Consuelo is a pediatrician working in San Lucas and other outlying points.  They and Ben were close friends and ministered together in the past here in Guatemala.  Then back to the house to pack.  On the way to the airport we ran by the bodega and inventoried the tools and padlocked them for security.  We had a break in mid yaar last year and sadly almost $1000 worth of tools had been stolen.

After putting the guys out at the airport I came home to an empty house, checked in with Cindy in North Carolina, took a nap and am now doing my muchacha chores and gearing up for several groups in the bodega tomorrow, and trying to make contacts for the trip next week aroung northern Guatemala.

Appreciate your prayers for safety while traveling and while gathering information for biomedical technical services in Guatemala for Christian hospitals and clinics.  We are also praying about starting a training program for nationals to learn biomed skills.  Much to do. Enjoy photos of this most recent team linked here.

In Christ, Dennis and Cindy McCutcheon

another edition of Guatemala Gammie…

We had a quiet day and big meal here at the house on Christmas eve.  We went to church at 5:00 pm for good message, good music and fellowship, then home and waited for the fireworks at midnight.  Christmas is loud in Guatemala.  Firecrackers and exploding fireworks don’t hold a candle to the bombs called ‘ben ladins’.  I am pretty sure we could use those ‘ben ladins’ to make sand out of sandstone up on the farm.

The fireworks were awesome and we get to see them again tonight apparently.  The gifts have been opened, we are truly blessed.  The girls are packing for return to the states on Tuesday.  I will then receive a container when customs turns it loose and it will be a race to try to get the designated materials on this unit out to the ministries in need, before receiving a three man team from Community Chapel in Greenville SC on Jan 1st.  We will then run out to Santa Fe Hospital and spend a full day and night there in planning meeting with Dr. Sergio Castillo.  I hope and pray we have enough time to meet with the Benfeldt’s and the Cazali’s at a local Christian orphanage to talk about some potential projects there.

After putting this team on the plane late that week, I will then take off for a big circle around north Guatemala and visit some of our “clients”.  This is a planning trip for assessing biomedical repair and maintenance needs.  I will be on the road for most of the second week of January.   Tentatively a fellow missionary here in Guatemala Joe Leier will be sharing the windshield with me.  Sure wish Dennis Rice could go with us.

Enjoy the photos of Gammie, Peggy, flan, cake and fireworks linked here.

Thank you so much for your support.  Appreciate and depend on your prayer support.  Our boss Woody Woodson starts chemo therapy on Tuesday and Gammie, Peggy and Cindy fly to Asheville NC that day as well.   All these concerns means, we can probably count on the container coming on Tuesday too!!!  So enough of Christmas break, it will be back to work.

In Christ,

Dennis and Cindy McCutcheon