Radical Missions November Newsletter |
Radical Missions is a 501(c)3 non-profit, non-government organization (NGO) funded by private contributions. We work solely in the country of Guatemala in Central America. We are not affiliated with any corporation, single church, or other organization. Donations made to Radical are tax deductible.
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At 3am on the 4th of February 1976, a 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit with an epicenter about 3 miles from Guatemala City at a depth of 3 miles. The results of such a powerful quake in such a populated area while people were sleeping were devastating, with some 23,000 people were reported dead and 77,000 wounded. Approximately 258,000 houses were destroyed, leaving about 1.2 million people homeless.
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Up until this earthquake, there were no real building codes in Guatemala. Strict codes were quickly implemented in 1976 after consultations between the Guatemalan government and engineers and architects from San Fransisco and Los Angeles. The resulting house construction style will be familiar to those of you that have visited Guatemala. |
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The block wall construction comprises of columns with four pieces of rebar formed into solid cement every two meters. A horizontal beam every 5 blocks high attaches into the columns making the walls highly resistant to earthquakes. It's a much more complicated build than a traditional adobe house, but this system allows the house to move as one unit during an earthquake, and has saved countless lives since implementation.
We started working with a Guatemalan Pastor in the early 2000's to learn how to properly construct these earthquake-resistant houses. It took several years, but we took that experience and started building churches in the Patzun/Tecpan area using the same techniques.
With both of us working full-time in a Children's home, we only had Saturdays to build. As this grew, Radical Missions was born, a ministry devoted to building churches, Pastors homes, Schools, bathrooms, and a clinic. In the early 2010's our Pastor went back the the states and our responsibility at the Childrens home doubled overnight. We almost totally abandoned Radical Missions because of the work load. But today we are 100% back into construction projects to fill the needs of the communities we work in. |
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Building a project starts with ensuring the property is legally in the name of the family we are trying to help.
We have seen cases were the legal owner comes back and takes the house from the family after it was built. |
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Next, we double check to make sure that the house or project is needed. We typically look for houses made of adobe because of the dangers with that type of construction.
But other dangerous and unlivable types of houses are those made of wood, plastic, or lamina. Today, we are working on one house and have another two in the planning stages. |
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Finally, we make sure the family has 'buy-in' somehow.
In the case of the Surec House project, Marcos is a block-layer, so he will be donating his time to build his own house and we provide all the materials and other labor to help him accomplish his dream for his family. We have learned that this is the most critical piece of the plan, or else the project will fail. |
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For this project, our son Michael will be working as the helper. His job will be to dig and bring supplies to Marcos to work more efficiently. Of course, this is a proud parent moment for us. This is wonderful experience for Michael and a good way to make some extra money while on summer vacation from school.
So with these three guiding principles in place we have already started the Surec family house. They have the title to the property in their name; their current house is an adobe house and needs to be replaced; and Marcos will donate his time and labor to build his dream home. |
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The day we presented the plans for the Surec house. One of the little girls asked: "So I will have my own bed to sleep in, I won't have to share a bed anymore?" When we answered YES, she was on cloud 9!
We have always had big hearts for the children and moments like that make us feel that this was always God's plan for this family. Please pray with us that we can get this project done and build many more.
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Will you partner with us through a tax-deductible monthly gift? Your monthly support, no matter the size will make a huge difference, allowing us to plan for projects further in advance, allocating resources to the projects that have the biggest impact here in Guatemala.
We are very careful to spend every penny doing the Lord’s work, and the dollar stretches far here. For instance, we leverage existing Orphan Grain Train infrastructure to turn $2,500 into 275,000 servings of fortified rice and beans. That’s less than a penny a serving, letting us reach tens of thousands of people trying to recover from financial hardships caused by Covid.
As always, your prayer is much appreciated. Thank you again for your past support. Please prayerfully consider making a monthly gift of any amount using this link here:
...one life at a time |
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