Volume 2, Issue 1 May 2005

The Adventure Begins...

2507 Cumberland Drive
Valparaiso, IN 46383
(800)KIDS-330
www.kidsalive.org
Volcano Fuego as viewed from “The Oasis”
Dear Friends and Family,
neighbor is running water, a concrete
floor, a stove, and windows with glass in
What comes to mind when you
them. Although we don’t feel it neces-
think of “luxury”? A 5 star hotel, a resort
sary to take all these “luxuries” away, we
spa, a Mercedes E class? We’ve been in
find it essential to take the word “luxury”
Guatemala almost 4 months now and
and define it in such a way that we are
we’ve redefined the word “luxury”.
reminded of the daily “luxuries” we en-
Sodas at the beach Luxury for us now is hot water, a washer,
joy! So today, say thanks for the luxury
drinking water from the tap, and air con-
G U AT E M A L A

of your hot morning shower, ice in your

ditioning. But luxury for our next door
drink at lunch, and light at night.

Painting
Painting a Picture a Picture
So Eric and Heather, how was rated into different living areas by book-
the move? In one word, eventful! Two shelves. All in all, this house has been a
Eric atop volcano Pacaya
adults, three sickly preschoolers, a great start for us especially because it
drugged up 70 lb. dog in a huge crate, 10 immediately felt “homey” because it was
oversized bags, 5 legal carry-ons furnished.
(including a guitar) two car seats, and five
The street leading to our house is
“purses”. Add all that to a midnight
A

a dirt road and most of the neighbors are

flight and you pretty much get disaster
farmers. The lady at the market knows
along with “what were you thinking”.
Heather the teacher our names, and begins picking out the
But we made it!
fruit and veggies we want before we say
BIENVENIDOS

We arrived at our furnished anything. You can buy 7 fresh tortillas

house on January 10th. The first month
was challenging, trying to get used to all
the “quirks” of a new (old) house, as well
as all the things we didn’t have for con-
Marita’s 15th B-day party venience. After our first load of laundry
in the pila (a Guatemalan wash tub for
laundry) Eli said, “this thing is awesome,
we shouldn’t get a washing machine”.
We did finally get a washing machine
after a month of hand washing and line
drying, as well as a microwave. Both
things have made life incredibly easier
on our family (especially mom).
We live in a little pueblo (town)
called, Santa Lucia Milpas Altas. The
house we live in is rustic (that’s the nice
way to say cold, dark, and made of
stone). We have a stone driveway which
has led to many bumps, bruises, and
Eric and Heather Haddox
scrapes while playing “tag” or
APDO Postal 01 “futbol” (soccer). There is a 30 foot water
San Lucas, Sacatepequez tower on our property which the kids like
Guatemala
to call their “jungle gym”. We sleep in
the one bedroom upstairs which is sepa-
Ericheatherh@kidsalive.org
for 13 cents and three pineapples for
$1.30.
Eating ice cream is a favorite
pastime of Guatemalans, much to the
enjoyment of our kids. Our favorite little
ice cream shop sells chocolate covered
carrot and avocado ice cream for 40
cents, but we prefer the chocolate covered
cream ice cream the best.
We go to church in San Lucas
(the town where the orphanage sites are
located). The church is Spanish speaking
and there is an hour long worship time
with kids and all! It currently meets out-
side under a yellow and white striped tarp
as they are in the process of rebuilding.
Although these images may
paint a life very different from before,
we’ve come to know our family is the
same inside in spite of all the changes
outside. We still have family night, we
still eat pancakes on Saturday mornings,
and we still serve the same God.
Ericland
Adventures in Ericland
Eric spent the first two and a half months in language
school. His teacher came to our house three times a week. He
has built a great foundation and is now learning Spanish
through self study at home with Heather.
The biggest change has been in his role with Kids
Alive. Before we came, the need was in the area of construc-
tion, but after we arrived, that need changed to something
drastically different. He has now been asked to fill the role of
Team Host which entails the recruitment, scheduling, and
hosting of short term teams. There is a lot of details to this
job and the past month and a half has been spent training with
Brian (the past team host). His training has included many
outings including hiking up a volcano where he hiked over a
lava river! He will be starting to help with the engineering of
a retaining wall at the Oasis site, and has already used his
EMT skills on a little boy who fractured his skull falling off a
swing at the Oasis. He has also been tutoring math two days a
week with four high school students at the Lily and is looking
forward to getting involved in the worship band at church.
Coming
Coming Soon... Soon...
• We are moving to a different house in June. It’s more
family friendly and we’re very excited!
• We are beginning the process of adoption. We hope to
Kids Corner Thoughts on Guatemala...
Eli
Eli has been attending homeschool
twice a week. He’s learned to do
laundry all by himself and washes
the dishes once a week. Also he’s
learned to roller blade and ride a
bike without training wheels.
Our first day in Guatemala “This
house has a tree to climb and rocks,
it’s just what I’ve always wanted”.
“Guatemala is old, dirty, and broken”
I was talking with him about nocturnal animals and he asked
if robbers were nocturnal because they do their work at night
to which I replied, “I guess so” to which he said, “well then
we shouldn’t be outside” I said, “we’re safe in here because
this is our yard with a wall and we have TKO. Besides who
do we have on our side?” He said, “God… AND we have a
dog”
“Pray that the girls at the orphanage will learn to read better,
that we will have a big school place, and pray that we will be
safe and I pray that people will remember us”
Heather Ventures
Heather Ventures
Heather began working as the Education Specialist
for Kids Alive. Her ministry entails everything from assess-
ing the needs of the girls, to managing and writing lesson
plans for the tutors. Currently she manages a tutoring team of
6 people. She was recently asked to be a part of a leadership
committee of 8 people dedicated to improving the daily holis-
tic care of the girls.
During Holy Week in Guatemala, Heather, along
with a stateside short term team, put on a Vacation Bible
School that was fantastic. The first day of VBS the girls com-
plained that they didn’t want to do anything during their week
off, but by the end of the week, they were crying that it was
over. It was an awesome week full of fun, new friendships,
and spiritual growth.
The most important part of her role as Education
Specialist is being the advocate for the girls at their school. In
April the director of the school asked Heather to hold a
teacher workshop for the primary teachers, helping them to
improve their teaching skills. She also is leading a devotion
for the national staff on Monday mornings about prayer.
add a boy to our family by next year.
• We are looking for a van due to the adoption prospect.
• Eli and Heather will be visiting the States in July.
Abi
Abi goes to story time every Tuesday
at the missionary school here. She sets
the table once a week and is learning to
make her bed all by herself.
“I like everything in Guatemala, I like
stinky buses...”
While waiting for her daddy to say
good night her mommy said that she needed to be patient, and
that patient means waiting with a smile to which she replied,
“no, patient means you’re coming!”
“Pray for Jesus and for sisters”
Zoe
Zoe’s learned to swing by herself
and her favorite words in Spanish
are “chocolate” and “mas pollo.”
When the toilet wouldn’t flush at a
restaurant we went to she said, “I
think it needs new batteries”
“Pray for different people and my
purple (her teddy bear)”