Joe and his truck have a very good relationship since it has taken over for our van in driving Joe over the very interesting and challenging roads, and bridges, and donkey trails of Guatemala, sometimes at 12,000 feet altitude. Every once in a while Joe needs to do a mid-trip fix, sometimes not very near a car repair shop or garage.

More incredible shots by our photographer son, Micah, on the way to Quiche (pronounced "Keechay" for those who are thinking of egg dishes right now :o)

Some views of the beautiful Guatemala mountains on the way to the Walton's mission compound
The photo of the highway shows the shift in the highway (see the yellow line) due to the fact it is on a fault line.
Joe has travelled to almost all of the 22 Departamentos (like provinces) in Guatemala in his work that he does for other ministries and missions, schools and hospitals.
To read more about the Walton's work see some of the blogs below.

This picture is of Micah and Joe's recent trip to the Waltons, mentioned in the archives....who, true to their name....live in the "boonies". Micah, Joe and another young man worked on changing over much of the electrical system for the mission there....big job! Joe usually is not afraid of heights....or climbing poles with rubber boots on...handy!

Nice night shot of Joe welding.

A really exciting picture here....um well perhaps not but Joe and Micah worked hard to get this compressor installed and working at the Technical school in the city. This is a school that has been built by Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada and Assemblies of God in the U.S. It is a technical highschool with a strong Christian emphasis. Here in Guatemala , highschool students start their technical training while still in highschool.
The compressor is for the engine rebuilding shop and the dental lab.

In this photo Joe is in a very remote area of Quiche working for Greg, who has started many projects to help the people in his area who were basically "exiled" to that area because they were guerrillas in the civil war. He has a school and various programs to help the people become economically stable. Greg and his wife and two daughters live out their Christian walk in front of the people of this very remote area where there is no electricity, and only recently reliable phone service, and has only recently made accessible by 4-wheel drive deisel truck with a snorkel on the engine so it can cross the river (before that you could make the last part of the trip by burro) . Joe is installing solar electric panels for the school that Greg has founded there for the children of the area.

Here is Joe working on the solar panels that will give Greg's school electricity. In the right picture you see Greg doing some clean up with Gigi his daughter helping.

Yay! the finished project....Power!

Doctor Hoak , a Christian missionary doctor in Chichicastenango asked Joe to come and install a new operating light in the operating room of the hospital . Joe is getting ready here to put it up....it weighed a few hundred pounds so it was quite a job. While Joe did the job he had the pleasure of getting to know Dr. Hoak and his wife, two of the many missionaries who live here to bring the gospel to the Guatemalan people.

Life is a "grind" sometimes...but Joe knows how "spark some excitement" into it. Here you see part of the process in the operating room light installation.
(Excuse these puns and the ones to follow.... Joe's punniness has worn off on me)

Dr. Thomas Hoak , looking pretty happy with the new operating lights .

Well this job, well done was "divinely inspired"as we can see in this photo. Or perhaps we can see that "he went toward the light" or that it was "heavenly" to finish it!

Joe at Salud y Paz clinic helping out wherever is necessary ( don't be fooled by the stethescope...Joe does not do surgery, just provides comfort and keeps the machinery going) Here is a little girl who had a cancerous eye removed and then was given a glass eye. The surgeries were done by a group of optical surgeons from the states.

Camanchaj is the location of a medical and dental clinic named Salud y Paz (health and Peace) and hosts volunteer teams of surgeons and dentists. Joe has gone there several times to keep the machinery going during surgery, do satellite work and electrical work. This picture shows a group of Guatemalans and American volunteers who helped connect the generator for emergency back up power.

A screw put in the wrong place on the other side of the wall can do some damage to pipes . Joe is looking for and repairing a hole in the plumbing at William Cornelius Technical school. This school has been built by Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada and Joe has been enjoying working with Canadians and Americans who have come down to work on the school. This beautiful facility which has been a work of faith, we believe God will use to change generations of Guatemalans. (it has just been opened,see following picture)

This Photo shows Joe enjoying the grand opening of the school that he is working on in the previous picture. The school will be taking students now in these areas of study : computers, dental hygiene, engine rebuilding, manufacturing of dentures and other technical skills.

These are some of members of a team from Seattle that came down to do dental work in the village clinic where Karen volunteers. They were a wonderful team and did an incredible amount of dental work in just a few days. Susan is in the driver's seat and she is the Nurse Practitioner at the clinic. In the following photo you will find Joe's contribution to their time here.

Here is our star fixer-guy with a suction machine that the dentists needed for their work at the clinic. Before Joe got at it, it had been spewing its contents (results of extractions and you can imagine) on the floor. Joe got it up and working and now it drains properly and is ready for the next team of dentists.

Joe and Micah have been helping with the electrical and satelite installation at this Christian school that is being built near Xela.

This is a Christian school being built near Xela by various groups. Can you find Joe talking with the project manager? Micah was along for this trip but he is not in the picture because he was the photographer. The two of them did some pretty severe physical labor on this trip and came home with sunburns.

Here is Joe contemplating the job at Caminos which required two separate buildings to be connected by a bridge(see photo following). Joe designed and welded the bridge between the first part of the building to the part of the building that contains the church sanctuary and offices.

This picture had to go in because it shows that Joe is not afraid to get a little dirty when he is working (a LITTLE dirty?)
He is working here at Caminos, a church and outreach center in Antigua, that reaches out to the Guatemalans through English classes and a small cafe and book store.