Archive for the 'Resources' Category

Six Weeks in Asia

Published on March 30, 2013 in Cultures, India, Language, Mission Teams, missions, Resources and Travel. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

 In fulfillment of the International Community Development  Internship, I spent May 14 through June 28 in central Asia.  The seven-member team of which I was a part, was active in various forms of assistance and evangelism in the nations of Nepal, Bhutan, and India.

Overview

Our itinerary sent us all across the area of northern India and Nepal and briefly into Bhutan.  The entire internship can be separated into three segments:  Conferences, Trekking/Medical assistance, and Discipleship.

Conferences

Our conference itinerary sent us to the Nepal-India border town of Karkavitta, Nepal, for our first conference.  Then we took an overnight bus to Kathmandu, Nepal, where we painted at a youth center and lead another conference.  After nine days in Kathmandu, we rode in a bus and jeeps to the Bhutanese border of India where we attended a secret pastor’s conference in Bhutan, an extremely anti-Gospel nation.  During that week we also led a youth conference in Jaigon, India. During the conferences, I spoke (through a translator) on the topics of: “Growing in the Lord”, “Destiny”, and “The Armor of God”.

+Spiritual needs

The Karkavitta conference there was attended by people who had traveled more than three days specifically for the conference.  Beginning on a Sunday night, the conference sessions continued until noon on Wednesday, May 20.  It was a joy to see a visiting Hindu teacher accept Christ while others rededicated their lives to the Lord.

The Kathmandu conference was aimed more for youth of Kathmandu so we spent time of fellowship in small groups and playing sports with them.  This time of fellowship was a good time to get to know the people and showed them that we are real people who enjoy life just like they do.

The final conference we preached was in Jaigon located on the border of Bhutan and India.  Bhutan is one of the most closed nations to the Gospel.  Persecution of believers is continual in this tiny nation nestled in the tropical foothills between India and Tibet. Continue reading ‘Six Weeks in Asia’

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How to: Banking in Guatemala

Published on February 18, 2013 in business, Guatemala, Resources, Saving money and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Banking outside of your home country can be difficult, but it’s not impossible. With a little help and patience, you can transfer, access and use money anywhere in the world. Especially with online banking, it’s easier than ever to manage your finances from wherever your road takes you. Here are some tips from my experience as a foreigner living and banking in Guatemala.

How to get money from the U.S. to Guatemala

1) You can bring cash with you (Up to US$10,000 can be brought in  with out declaring it.) but then you’ll have to go to the trouble of

keeping it and yourself safe until you can deposit it in a bank or use it. (Note: you’ll need your passport with you to exchange this money into local currency at the bank.

2) You can use an ATM card to withdraw up to your daily limit. Just be sure to notify your bank that you’ll be doing this or they’ll lock your card down like Fort Knox.

3) I recommend that you have a bank account in the U.S. that receives funds for you and then take checks with you to Guatemala. By writing a check to yourself you can deposit money to your account in Guatemala (see more on this below). Continue reading ‘How to: Banking in Guatemala’

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Maycom Drivers License Offices in Guatemala

Published on January 11, 2013 in Guatemala, Paperwork, Resources and Travel. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Maycom manages the licensing of drivers in Guatemala.

Where can you get your drivers license in Guatemala? Here’s a list of Maycom offices where you can get your license. Remember that in some departments they Maycom only visits a couple times a year so you’ll have to check for local opportunities to get your license.

 

GUATEMALA CITY:

Zona 9:
6 avenida 1-60 zona 9 View Map

Roosevelt:
5ª. Avenida 0-60 zona 02 de Mixto, colonia Cotió, al final de la Calzada Roosevelt View Map

Metronorte:
Centro Comercial Metronorte, 2do. Nivel, local 402, zona 17 View Map

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QUETZALTENANGO:

19 avenida 2-50 zona 1 View Map

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ZACAPA:

Km. 125.5 Carretera al Atlántico, Río Hondo, Zacapa View Map

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MOBILE OFFICES:

Click here for mobile office schedules

 

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WHAT DO YOU NEED TO GET YOUR LICENSE? Continue reading ‘Maycom Drivers License Offices in Guatemala’

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Hours for the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

Published on July 31, 2012 in Guatemala, Paperwork, Resources and Travel. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Have you ever showed up at the Embassy expecting to get that last bit of paperwork done? You stroll up ready to navigate the embassy lines and think you’re in luck because there’s no line at all! Then you realize that there’s no line because some obscure holiday has closed the embassy!

Hopefully this will help you avoid this because the U.S. Embassy’s schedule in Guatemala is simple…sort of:

The Guatemalan U.S. Embassy is open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and on Fridays from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Note: The American Citizen Services Unit will be closed to the public on the third Thursday of each month, except for emergencies. Please note also that the Embassy is closed for official U.S. AND Guatemalan holidays.

Here’s the calendar for 2012 (Follow this link to the Embassy’s calendar.)

2012 Calendar Year

Date Weekday Holiday Observed
January 2 Monday New Year’s Day (A)
January 16 Monday Martin Luther King’s Birthday (A)
February 20 Monday Presidents Day (A)
April 5 Thursday Holy Thursday (G)
April 6 Friday Good Friday (G)
May 1 Tuesday Guatemalan Labor Day (G)
May 28 Monday Memorial Day (A)
June 30 Saturday Army Day (G)
July 4 Wednesday U.S. Independence Day (A)
August 15 Wednesday Feast of the Assumption (G)
September 3 Monday U.S. Labor Day (A)
September 15 Saturday C.A. Independence Day (G)
October 8 Monday Columbus Day (A)
October 20 Saturday Revolution Day (G)
November 1 Thursday All Saints Day (G)
November 12 Monday Veterans Day (A)
November 22 Thursday Thanksgiving Day (A)
December 24 Monday Christmas Eve - half day (G)
December 25 Tuesday Christmas Day (A & G)
December 31 Monday New Year’s Eve - half day (G)
January 1, 2013 Tuesday New Year’s Day (A & G)

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Mapas de Viajes GPS para Guatemala

Published on March 4, 2012 in Español, Guatemala, Resources and Travel. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Moverse en Guatemala puede ser difícil. Encontrar un buen mapa de carreteras de la capital o de esta nación que es aproximadamente el tamaño de Tennessee es difícil también. Ahí es donde los Sistemas de Posicionamiento Global (GPS) son útiles.

Tenemos un Garmin Nuvi 1350 que cuenta con mapas grandes de los EE.UU., pero un mapa impreciso muy tosco y, francamente, que muestra algunas carreteras en Guatemala, pero cuando conduzco las carreteras del mapa base resulta ser, de la carretera. Por lo tanto, fui en busca de mapas GPS que pueda descargar y me encontré con algunas opciones:

Guatemala Captura de pantalla de GPSWORLDNET

He encontrado una serie de comentarios negativos sobre mapas de viajes GPS, así que tuve que ir con otra opción … GPSWorldNet y estoy muy contenta de haberlo hecho. Tienen mapas de toda América Central, (aunque sólo he probado la guatemalteca). He encontrado que los mapas de GPS de GPSWorldNet son muy precisos y de gran utilidad en el campo. No sólo eso, una vez tuve una Garmin Nuvi que le había cargado los mapas de GPSWorldNet en el pero desapareció. Yo había descargado mis puntos de viaje por carretera de Garmin, así que fui capaz de salvarlos!

Yo ya había pagado los $80 para ver el mapa en concreto para mi primer Nuvi. Pensé que tendría que volver a comprar el mapa, pero cuando me puse en contacto GPSWorldNet, amablemente me proporcionó la descarga del mapa para mi Nuvi nuevo y está funcionando muy bien! Dos pulgares arriba a GPSworldnet.

Aquí están las razones principales que me gustan de mi Mapa GPS de Guatemala:

• Los mapas precisos de la Ciudad de Guatemala, pueblos y carreteras locales.

• Muchos de los puntos locales ya cargados (aunque hay mas salas de billar de lo que jamás podría desear!)

• La funcionalidad de los dispositivos de Garmin es facil. (Sólo tienes que seguir las sencillas instrucciones para cargar el mapa en el equipo!)

• Los mapas funcionan para Windows Symbian y Android, así como los dispositivos de Garmin.

Si estás buscando un buen mapa Recomiendo GPSWorldNet para toda América Central.

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Comadrona en la Ciuidad de Guatemala

Published on March 4, 2012 in Guatemala, Medical, Mission Mom, Pregnancy, Resources, Saving money and Travel. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

Una familia en frente de la clinica.

Centro De Parto Natural
Mientras que las parteras mayas o comadronas son comunes en el campo de Guatemala, la búsqueda de una partera que hable inglés en Guatemala puede ser difícil. Lo mejor que podemos decir es que encontramos a la única partera entrenada en Estados Unidos, de habla inglés en la ciudad de Guatemala cuando encontramos a Hannah Friewald en el Centro de Parto Natural, donde se especializa en los nacimientos en agua y tiene uno de los pocos, si no el único, centro de nacimiento en agua en toda América Central.

Historia de Hannah
Hannah es de Alemania, donde los partos en casa son la norma. Se ha rodeado de eso toda su vida y también habla perfectamente el inglés. Se formó en los Estados Unidos a través de la Maternidad La Luz en El Paso, Texas, y también está certificada en Guatemala (que puede ser una cosa importante si su seguro médico internacional sólo ofrece cobertura para la atención médica certificada).
Hannah ha trabajado como matrona desde hace años y ha asistido a unos 1.400 nacimientos a partir de mayo del 2011. Ella dijo que nunca ha perdido un bebé, e incluso habló de un par de bebés de nalgas que ha dado a luz y algunos bebés VBAC (Nacimiento Vaginal Después de la Cesárea) que tambien ha dado a luz, junto con un par de situaciones de emergencia. Ella ha dio a luz a bebés de los embajadores de un par de diferentes países de Europa, aquí en Guatemala y parece tener un horario lleno.
Nos quedamos muy contentos con el cuidado que nos dio a nosotros durante el parto de nuestro primer hijo. Ella se ocupó de nuestro parto de 31 horas con un enfoque profesional y atento que nos ayudó a tener la experiencia de parto que siempre quisimos. Sin duda, nos volveremos con Hannah cuando tengamos la oportunidad.
Continue reading ‘Comadrona en la Ciuidad de Guatemala’

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Kids and the Polaroid Pogo Printer

Published on February 19, 2012 in communications, Guatemala, iPhone, Resources, Tools and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Demonstrating the Polaroid Pogo Printer

I was invited to talk about computer technologies with a special needs school for children in Chichicastenango, Guatemala recently so I took my Polaroid Pogo printer with me and some extra paper. Using my iPhone 3gs, I snapped photos of the kids.

Getting the pictures with my iPhone

I use Camera+ because I like the features it has for editing then I transferred the photos over to the standard photo album by saving them and from Apple’s photo album, I sent them to the Polaroid  printer. (I jailbroke my iphone and use Cydia’s Celeste Bluetooth File Sharing to connect with the Pogo via Bluetooth.)

The kids liked hearing the quiet hum of the Pogo Printer as their faces appeared from inside this little box.

The prints made for a nice gift and a handy way to show the kids how technology can be fun!

 

Miguelito

 

Making a smile!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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How to buy a car in Guatemala.

Published on January 21, 2012 in Guatemala, Paperwork, Resources, Saving money and Travel. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Here’s how to buy a vehicle in Guatemala:

1. Find the vehicle you want.

First do your research to get a feel for what you need and what is quality.

Questions to ask yourself:

  1. Am I going to be in the mountains, the city, or where?
  2. Do I need a truck, 4×4, van, car, etc.
  3. How many people will I need to carry?

Here are some good resources to check or keep in mind:

  • Research
  • Key words:
    • Rodado = brought down from the U.S. (often had some sort of accident)
    • Agencia = made in or for Guatemala (often has speedometer in kilometers) (often valued higher than Rodado)
    • Tramitador = a person who helps with paperwork for various legal ranglings
    • Taller de mechanica = a mechanic shop
    • Frenos = brakes
    • Llantas = tires
    • Aciete = oil
    • Oxido = rust

Continue reading ‘How to buy a car in Guatemala.’

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How to Make Brown Sugar

Published on December 4, 2011 in Cooking Tips, Guatemala, Mission Mom, Resources and Saving money. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , , , .

My husband loves cookies, but most of his favorite recipes call for brown sugar. Here in Guatemala we haven’t found a good source for brown sugar that is like what we could get in the states. Oh, they have brown colored sugar that they sell in the Dispensa Familiar for about US$1.60 for a bag but it’s not the same. Recently, we discovered that we can make brown sugar on our own!

First you have to find molasses. We asked around and found two sources:
1) Guatemala City

There’s a little baking supply shop in San Cristobal in the shopping center located on the opposite side of the boulevard from Burger King/Cemaco. I don’t have the name right now, but I’ll try to add it later.

They charge by the pound for the molasses (about Q15/lb.) but that’ll make a bunch of brown sugar!
2) Quetzaltenango (Xela)

The Bake Shop is at 18 Av 1-40, Zone 3. Hours are 9am-6pm, Tuesday and Friday.

I’ve heard they have molasses but I don’t know the pricing.

Molasses and a cup of white sugar ready for combination!

Once you have your molasses on hand here’s the recipe:

1 cup of white sugar (non-sulfurized is best but you can use regular granulated sugar)

1 tablespoon of molasses

Mix these together. (You can add more or less of the molasses to have darker or lighter results.)

I found that the molasses kinda balls up in the sugar but a fork will mash it against the side of the bowl and mix it in really nicely!

Pour one tablespoon of molasses into one cup of sugar.

 

Use a fork or mixer to mash the molasses into the sugar until it is well mixed and fluffy!.

After you get the mix you like, store the fresh brown sugar in an airtight container, place on top of oatmeal, or mix up your next batch of cookies!

Fluffy new brown sugar on our oatmeal cereal breakfast!

 

I got this idea from Joy the Baker!

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Speciality baby supplies in Guatemala

Published on October 25, 2011 in Guatemala, Mission Mom, missions, Pregnancy, Resources, Reviews and Saving money. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

I found a place to get speciality baby supplies (including breast pumps) in Guatemala! They continually have a variety of products and can ship items across the country very quickly!

Check it out at Babby Place (sic) on Facebook and get the baby items you need! You can email them at babyplacegt@hotmail.com to request something if you don’t see it on their Facebook site.

After my baby was born at a natural childbirth clinic in Guatemala City, I found that I needed a breast pump and they’re not easy to find in Guatemala. Thanks to La Leche League leaders in Xela, I found out about Babby Place and was able to have a shipped to me in just a few days! I paid through a money transfer at a local BanRural Bank. Just be aware that the shipping is sent as a pay-on-delivery so it cost about Q40 to receive the package.

If you’re looking for a good connection to specialty baby products and you’re in Guatemala, give Babby Place a try.

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