Day 3. 2-23-2014

Today was mostly a prep day. We went to breakfast early in the morning and I ordered juevos guatemalica, and French toast. After that we went to church at Iglesia de camina. It was quite the gringo church but was still very cool. It was in both Spanish and English which made it so we could at least follow along well. The worship team was absolutely amazing. After church we grabbed some banana bread from a local bread heaven and headed back to the base to leave for nueva concepcion. About 4 hours later we arrived at our hotel, which is very basic and quite cozy for the area that we are in. We had a team meeting in which Alvaro and Blanca explained what tomorrow will be like. Lots of drilling, very very hot, and a pretty long day of work. I've also been working on my Spanish as much as possible. I think I may be convinced now that knowing Spanish well would be worth it, because I don't. 

   I am reminded of 1 Corinthians 2:1-6. Paul explains that he does not preach with amazing words, rather his words are quite weak, but the power of the spirit is what does the powerful and impactful preaching. I pray hat the spirit will indwell our team tomorrow, and shine through even with our glaring weaknesses (language for one). 

Menu

Antigua shot. 

Landscape. 

   Breakfast is at 5 am tomorrow, so a good nights sleep is welcomed. I have been excited for this days coming for quite some time. To God be the glory. 

Tailwinds,

Dios le bendiga,

Marcos y Josue'

Day 2. 2-22-2014. Arriving In Guatemala.

It's been a while since mom and I set foot in Guatemala in 2007. I look back on that dental mission trip with very find memories. I really see that trip as the first time God started getting my attention and sharing his heart with me for the world. I remember helping pull teeth, hiking in the mountains, playing basketball in 100+ degrees, and pooping outside (haha, but seriously). We were able to share testimonies in youth groups, mountain churches, and really share the good news. Now as I sit on a similar plane, with a new team, I can't help but think of what God has done in my life the past seven years. Wow how things have changed. I cannot thank God enough for his spirit living inside of me bringing a passion for his heart like I could never have on my own. 

    So this time it is water, water is the physical need we will be meeting. Water is our way to share the love of Christ. I honestly cannot think of a better vessel to use for this purpose. Not only is water the most essential part to our lives as human beings, but Jesus talks an awful lot about the "living water" that is the truth of the gospel (John 4:10-14). I pray God that your water will change hearts and ignite passions throughout this world. Your water is eternal, truly living, and completely life changing. I pray for the people of nueva concepcion that their hearts would be blown wide open to the truth of your love and compassion. I pray for no credit to us for any of this, but to you be the glory. 

     

     On another note, as I sit on this plane, I -------am utterly blown away by the amounts of support we received from home, Walloon lake church, Harbor Light church, All-Saints in NC, Grace ministries in IL, all the amazing people we met on our cross country trek, my family, the Klevorn family, my fiancé Alexis, and all of our friends. It is of none of out own doing that we sit on this flight awaiting a trip of a lifetime. It is because of you guys being on board with our hearts, matching our passion for Christ with your own passion. Thank you for your trust. Seriously, thank you. 

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Later in the day.....

So I am feeling very humbled today. I am sitting on a nice and warm Guatemalan porch, at least compared to anything in Michigan typing about the blessings God has given us. I feel no deserving of this. I am in prayer that the spirit will lead people's hearts into an understanding of what the well will mean when they receive it. We have a great little place to stay at the LWI base. Alvaro, Manuel, Blanca, and Manuel's wife and mom have taken great care of us. The food has been phenominal, and their service and dedication to us second to none. Our team is a asortment of Canadians, a texan, and three New Yorkers, and us of course. 

Here is a basic itinerary of how the week will go.

Sunday- breakfast at Cafe Candessa, church service, packing, leaving for the small hotel near the village in the Trocha community near Nueva Concepcion. 

Monday-Thursday, we will be getting up early from the "half-star" hotel as Alvaro called it (it's nice to know it won't be a luxurious experience) and head to the Trocha community to work on the well, and teach hygene lessons. Both of these events will most likely last to mid-afternoon or later depending on varous things. The well will most likely be around 150 feet deep. The well we will be drilling will assist 90 families (all of about 7 or 8). What a cool impact. The hygene lessons also will be very instrumental in the proper use of the well to prevent sickness and death. After we work on the well project and finish for the day, covered with mud, we will hang out with the community villagers even more, and play with the children. I will be practicing my spanish as much as possible. 

Friday- we say goodbye to the community and head back for Antigua. On the way we should be able to stop and see the previous well that was built in December as well. So after that visit, we would have a touring day in Antigua. 

Saturday - we have to wake up very early to catch our 7 AM flight out of Guatemala City, and eventually will make our way back to Northern Michigan. 

We will most likely not have wifi over the next 4-5 days, so we will post the daily journals later. But, it is possible that we might, so stay tuned. 

To him be the glory

Tailwinds,

Mark and josh, lifecycle. 

     

Day 2. 2-22-2014. To Guatemala.

Goodby America. See you soon. 

Everything has been smooth, although quite delayed (flights etc.) so far. 

Out team consists of 

Josh

Mark

Travis

Debby

Carla

Michelle

Melinda

Treena 

Tailwinds,

Mark and Josh 

Day 1. 2-21-2014. The Second Trip. Water In Jesus' Name

The question lies before us now... How do we provide a safe water source for the people in Guatemala in Jesus' name? After all the "success" that we have had in the completion of the bike trip, the fundraising, the stories, the individual growth that we both experienced, the real reason behind this all lies before us. As we sit again, together, in the airport waiting to fly to Guatemala it is all becoming so real. We are all part of something so much bigger than ourselves, God has a very very BIG plan and he is willing to use little weak people like us to accomplish parts of it. So how do we provide the most essential resource, water, to people who lack access to it, in Jesus' name? Well, I like to look at how Jesus actually did it. He shared the living water with the woman at the well, also "when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like a sheep without a shepherd (Matthew

9:36

)." He interacted individually, and compassionately, he gave them time, love, sacrifice, and importance. Jesus healed many who were sick, hungry, possessed, unloved, unworthy, etc. When he met their physical needs, he was also in the process able to perfectly meet their spiritual needs. In all of his works Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God. I see no other way to do it. Interaction is key, how can anything really become real to anyone without interaction? That is similar as to how we can live a Godly life, we must interact with God to be able to follow his ways. In a similar way we are committing to interacting with the people of the Guatemalan Village in a caring, loving way, as to imitate Christ as much as we can. I also have learned full well, no where near perfectly however, that if I want to love like Christ than I must be in constant communication with the Spirit. Without the guidance of the Spirit helping me know how to love and care, than I am as close to hopeless as hopeless gets. I hope to work as hard as possible this week, be hungry, be dirty, and be extremely loving and caring. God use us in HUGE ways.... becuase we know you can and will!

May this new water be in your name Jesus, and yours alone. 

tailwinds,

God bless, 

Mark & Josh, and the lifecycle team of supporters. 

The first well report!

EVERYONE! Here is the report from LWI of the first well that was dug in December! 110 families just got new clean water! This is amazing. Unfortunately I couldn't get the pictures to work, but when Josh and I go down on Feb 22 we will get lots of pictures to post on the blog for all of our supporters. The fruit of yours, and our, efforts are reaping =) Enjoy the report. God is so good!

-Mark

Community Member Interview 

The Living Water Guatemala team had an opportunity to meet with 55 year old community member and farmer, Manuel Ruiz Gonzalez, 

who stated, “Thanks for this great well. We have come to realize that our water here in the community is in very poor condition and contaminated. We have floods here every year and the water pours into our hand dug wells. However now with the well of Living Water, we will drink clean water. We would like to say thanks to everyone that was involved with this project.” 

WATER

Community Details 

There are 110 families, a local school and several churches in Trochar Community who were dependent on an unprotected hand dug well 

located over 10 kilometers outside the community to sustain their most immediate water needs. Because of this, residents were suffering 

from diarrhea and severe dehydration among other preventable water related illnesses. The community has access to a pit latrine and with 

continued and sole use of this facility coupled with access to safe drinking water a reduction in disease is expected. Most residents are of 

Protestant or Catholic faith and the local Iglisia Catolica Church will continue to share the Gospel with community families. Empowerment 

of the local church creates a sustainable evangelical presence in the community, allowing the Good News to continue being shared through 

access to safe drinking water. During the team’s stay, community members assembled a Water Committee who assisted the team with the 

water project whenever possible, supplied any materials they had available, guarded the team’s equipment and provided a meal for the team. 

How did the community contact LWI? Visited another project LWI was doing

What was the Initial Community Request? Water Well

Project Details 

Work Type New Borehole

Location of water point Trocha 7, Calle 10, Escuintla, Nueva Concepcion, Guatemala 

Type of Institution Served: Village

Region/Province Escuintla

GPS Coordinates Latitude:014 02.306 N Longitude: 091 19.876 W

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Construction

Altitude 7 m 

Total depth drilled 50 m 

Static level 2 m 

Total depth of casing 50 m 

External Diameter of casing 100 mm 

Casing material PVC

Screen Start: 39m Stop: 48 m

Pump Type Afridev

Depth of cylinder 12 m 

Gravel Pack Yes

Gravel Pack Depth 24

Well yield 1588 Liters/minute

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Water Quality Results

Water Purity Test LWI Test Kit

Total Dissolved Solids (as per T.D.S meter) :117

pH: 7.5

 Total Hardness: 0 Ppm

Nitrate/Nitrites: 0 Ppm

Bacteria Test Coliform Bacteria NOT detected ( Colorless or Light Yellow color)

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Hygiene Promotion

 Kids and ladies (also teenagers) showed interest in the lessons. They talked about how important it is to follow steps like hand 

washing and keeping the water clean so that they can feel better and also have better health. Using the Living Water Traditional Method, the Living Well Club addressed: Germs, Hand Washing-Proper Techniques and Water Saving Methods, Diarrhea Doll-Causes of Diarrhea, Living Well Club Bible Stories, Proper Care of Pump. 

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IN JESUS’ NAME 

Christian Witness 

A Living Water Guatemala team member commented, “Everything went successfully. Working together, we could see God's love in the workplace and it was moving, and we shared the joy and love that God put in our hearts with others and we felt very blessed.” 

During the team’s stay, Bibles were distributed and Oral Bible Stories were shared. Considering 80% of developing countries are oral preference learners, oral disciple making methods are Living Water International’s core component of sharing the Gospel in areas of work. Living Water International provides pastoral care and discipleship of field staff, so pastors and LWI staff are better able to share 

the Gospel with spiritually thirsty communities. To make disciples of oral learners, Living Water Guatemala uses stories, proverbs, drama, songs, chants, and poetry to better engage communities. Living Water Guatemala tells Bible stories to community families and asks questions to help guide community members to interpret scripture into their own context.

Our local news video clip.

http://www.9and10news.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=9591357

I know. They spelled my name wrong. 

Tailwinds

Mark

Watch some of our videos!

Riding the Golden Gate Bridge! The beginning. 

Highway 108. Almost to Sonora Pass.

Riding in Nevada!

Hail storm in Escalante, Utah. So glad we were inside! (random lady)

Vista from hiking at Bryce. so cool. 

Ferry across the Ohio. Saying by to Matthias :(

Awesome Kentucky riding. 

This is me yelling the state we are riding in. I sent the video to Matthias. It was kind of his thing, the yelling part, so this video is a tribute to him. 

The last down hill. 

10 best road segments (Mark)

10) Highway 421 out of Boone, NC. There was a fresh coat of snow everywhere, we were in the Appalachians, and it was all downhill. What more could you ask for?

9) Scenic Byway 12. Capital Reef, Utah, combined with Scenic byway 12 through Bryce Canyon Nat'l Park, Utah. 

A morning ride downhill after the worst night of sleep in a windy dust bowl. Capital Reef National Park was gorgeous (a mix of Zion and Bryce). And at one major downhill I hit 51 mph. This all came after (in my opinion) the hardest biking day of the trip, Boulder mountain and some insane winds. 

Byway 12 was obviously a great route. It stretched quite a ways. There was a bike path into Bryce as well. Seeing the Characteristic Bryce Hoodoos while riding was nothing short of spectacular. We also saw another touring couple, they were married and the man was also carrying a child in a BOB trailer. How cool is that??

8) The Virginia Creeper Trail, VA

This was a gravel path from Abingdon to Damascus. We finished the day in Damascus so the last 15 miles were on the creeper trail. It paralleled a river the whole time and had 20+ wooden bridges. I did get a flat, but that trail was worth 20 flats. The fall leaves were everywhere!!!!

7) Highway 58 South across Emerald Isle to Atlantic Beach ,NC

This one was special because it was the end. It was awesome riding along the island seeing the ocean on both sides of the road at times. 15 miles along the ocean before we hit Atlantic beach. No traffic. It was a perfect ending. 

6) Highway 120 into Benton hot Springs from Lee Vining (Mono lake area), CA

We decided to tackle this 45 mile section after 3:30 PM because we connected with Dianne at Benton Hot Springs. We had some nice tail winds for a while and some beautiful climbs through a wooded area with lots of BLM camp areas. The downhills became extremely thrilling once we neared Benton and we flew in to our natural hot spring tub night after exceding 53 mph, the fastest moment of the trip. Bill and Dianne fixed us a perfect salmon dinner, and te natural hot tubs only added to the perfection of the road segment. 

5) Highway 91. Jeb Stuart highway out of Damascus, VA

Right at the base of the Appalachians we followed another beautiful river as we entered the small section of Tennessee that we rode in. The section I loved was probably only 10 miles. The tress were beautiful, the river sounded so perfect, it was cold as ever, and it was an unforgettable moment. 

4) Laurel Creek Road over Pine Mountain into Virginia from Kentucky. 

The mist was rising everywhere around us and we had climbed some major Appalachian hills, I think in the first string (of two) Appalachain. Mountain runs. We descended into a coal mining valley and witnessed the coal train starting and beginning it's course. The trees were vibrant to say the least and the mist was covering the tree tops. What a perfect scene; a mental picture I will never forget. 

3) Highway 9 out of Zion Nat'l Park, Utah

The ride was winding and steep, which was great because it kept our pace slow so that we could soak in the massive walls of Zion. We also had to hitchhike through a short tunnel and met some amazing canyoneers. 

2) Highway 108 into Brightman Flat. Between Pinecrest and Sonora, CA

Redwood forest, huge grey rock faces, many amazing campgrounds along a small river... Can I go back now? The only downfall, or bonus depending on how you look at it, was Sonora pass coming up next where walking the bike by my side happened. The experience was very much still unparalleled. 

1) Monarch Pass, CO. 

The highlight of my biking career. THE HIGHLIGHT. 5000 foot climb and then descent. Met Mathias. Averaged 40 mph for 10 miles on the descent. Fiery yellow aspen trees all around in the Colorado pine forest. At the top we were above the tree line and also had some snow. Nothing better. NOTHING. 

God bless,

Tailwinds,

Mark