Volunteers in Mission
Linworth United Methodist Church, Columbus, Ohio
El Palmar, Queztaltenango, Guatemala
February 2025

Click on a date below to see the photos from that day. The photos for each day are in alphabetical order of the first name of the volunteer who took the photo. Click on any photo's thumbnail to see a larger view of the photo.

• Saturday, 2/1/2025 - Four of us fly from Columbus, Ohio to Guatemala City and then drive to our hotel in Santa Cruz Muluá. Two of us get weather delayed flying from Fort Myers, Florida and have to spend the night in Atlanta.
• Sunday, 2/2/2025 - The Living Heritage Foundation arranged for us to meet with our scholarship students in Mazatenango. Unfortunately, John and Brenda's flight delays meant they were unable to make the meeting to see their students. We go grocery shopping in Mazatenango for our lunches for the week and then do a brief tour of Retalhuleu.
• Monday, 2/3/2025 - We journey to El Palmar where we begin work on a concrete roof for a high school computer lab. The high school principal, teachers, students and student families greet us with the warmest of welcomes. This is the first time I have seen "Welcome" written in K'iche' (Quiché). At lunch time we are surprised by the students and their families sponsored by John and Brenda. We had no idea that the Living Heritage Foundation had arranged for them to take a bus the long distance from their homes!
• Tuesday, 2/4/2025 - We return to El Palmar to continue our work. Also, a teacher and the principal of the high school take us to see a couple of their students' homes as well as hike to a great viewing area of the Santa Maria volcano. It is a great cultural experience, and we still make some solid progress on the roof structure for the computer lab and ordered some materials to begin the process of updating the electrical power to the complex.
• Wednesday, 2/5/2025 - We have a rather interesting awakening around 1:00 AM this morning. There was an earthquake on the coast about 44 km from Nuevo Concepcion. We are roughly 50 miles from Nuevo Concepcion!! It was a 5.6 earthquake and woke us up in our hotel rooms. Wednesday is a full day for us in El Palmar. We moved all of the gravel from the front of the school to our work area, cut bamboo to support the pour for the roof and completed tying rebar cages for all bond beams.
• Thursday, 2/6/2025 - More moving of gravel and sand and more form work dominate today's work. With the arrival of electrical supplies, Dale and the principal prepare for running new electrical lines.
• Friday, 2/7/2025 - This is our last day in service in El Palmar, and what a day it is! We finish pulling the new electrical line for the computer lab with the additional help of our driver, Edwin, and several high school students. We get the second layer of rebar down for the ceiling of the lab and have a joyous farewell celebration! Next week the foreman and local workers plan to pour the new ceiling.
• Weekend - We leave our hotel in Santa Cruz Muluá, and drive to Antigua for sightseeing and relaxation before flying home on Monday.

After we left, José López, the high school principal, posted more photos of the computer lab's progress as follows (comments after each date are his comments as translated by Facebook with my minor edits):

• 2/8/2025 - We hereby give our sincere thanks to parents, family and students graduating from the Bachelor of Science and Letters with Computer Orientation (5th). Baccalaureate 2024 to conclude with its contribution in the workforce for the remodeling of the computer lab of INED EL PALMAR.
• 2/26/2025 - The concrete pour was delayed but occurred on Feb. 25th. In a couple of weeks the forms will be removed and finish work on the computer lab will begin.
• 3/20/2025 - Officially receiving the finished work by the builder of the distinguished architect Rolando, which was contracted by Fundación Herencia Viva - The Living Heritage Foundation. Thanks to the sponsors wonderfully directed by Howard Baulch. Here ends the support that, together with the work of our students, parents, family and DOCENTES INED EL PALMAR amounts to more than Q105,000,000. We still need to invest approximately Q40,000.00 in the finishes and technical details for its short term operation. Blessings to all foreigners who have supported us.
• 4/4/2025 - This is how the final finishing works progress in the lab of INED EL PALMAR. Always grateful for the support given to us by Fundación Herencia Viva - The Living Heritage Foundation, DOCENTES INED EL PALMAR, students and parents of families.
• 4/9/2025 - It's almost time for the final finishing works on the remodeling project of our computer lab at INED EL PALMAR. We are very grateful to Fundación Herencia Viva - The Living Heritage Foundation and its sponsors (Howard Baulch's team) for the terrace of this hall.
• 4/15/2025 - We are pleased to approach the culmination of the project. Remaining work includes the electrical installation, furniture and computer equipment.
• 5/4/2025 - We give thanks for approaching the completion of the DOCENTES INED EL PALMAR computer lab remodeling project. We deeply appreciate the valuable support of students, parents, family and INED EL PALMAR. Of course, infinitely grateful to Fundación Herencia Viva - The Living Heritage Foundation, sponsors and collaborators.
• 5/6/2025 - We almost complete the office equipment for the "symbolic inauguration."
• 5/8/2025 - GRACIAS! We can't but give a deep and sincere thank you to the foreigners: Dale, Howard, Sally, Brenda, John, Tod, DOCENTES INED EL PALMAR, Fundación Herencia Viva - The Living Heritage Foundation, Coordinación Distrital SINAE El Palmar Quetzaltenango graduating students in the year 2024, parents and alumni at large for the inauguration of the computer lab upgrade project. With an investment with our own funds to date of over Q50,000 and a donation of over Q80,000 from Howard Baulch's team this work was made possible. We hope to continue working to improve the educational conditions of our community. Blessings to all who supported us!
• 6/9/2025 - Photos of their new computer classroom being put to good use.