Latin America Progress Report 
UPDATED June 16, 2000

June 16, 2000

And now, the CONTAINER!

cont2.jpg (13866 bytes)
Container similar to the one we're
 sending to Guatemala from Houston

This past week has brought some amazing breakthroughs in our being able to provide substantial help for Guatemalans.  We will be shipping a 40 foot container from Houston, Texas by arranging a  a very good shipping rate through Convoy of Hope  that specializes with shipping and freight forwarding to Guatemala. We want to thank Warren Ott of Springfield who went through considerable effort to arrange this.


Ken and Kathy Giese 

Then we were also able to obtain a storage and loading location for this container in the Houston area.  We want to thank Houston UCG pastor Ken Giese for his support and Royce Mitchell who offered a 400 square foot area of his company's warehouse in Houston for storage at no charge to us! 

All items to go on the container from Houston to Guatemala should be addressed as follows:  

            
            For Guatemala
            A.I.M. Controls, LLC
            3610 Willowbend
            Suite 1026
            Houston, Texas 77054

Please be sure that For Guatemala appears clearly on the box and that you also list the contents of the box on the outside.


Royce Mitchell

Money

We are able to leverage every dollar donated many times over in our relief effort to Guatemala.  We need donations to pay for cement floors, our portion of the medications and the shipment of the container through Convoy of Hope. Every dollar you donate is tax-deductible.  

Clothing

There are 500 UCG members in Guatemala. There are a number of small children that need clothing. They range in age from babies to teens, and all types of clothing are needed. Items like tennis shoes, socks, underwear, jeans, shirts, etc. are needed. Some brethren live in mountainous areas with a cooler climate. Warm sweaters and socks, light jackets, etc. would be helpful for them. Please make sure that anything collected is good quality, clean, and in good condition. It should be something you would want to wear yourself. If you would not wear it yourself then please don't consider sending it to someone else. It is very expensive to ship items to Guatemala and we don't want to waste space on anything that can't be used. Look for updates on either www.kubik.org or the www.lifenets.org  web sites for more information on specific needs.

Medication

Brethren in Guatemala have need of many basic medications such as aspirin, blood pressure medication, vitamins, etc. Many basic things that we take for granted, they do not have. Through our contacts we can buy medications at a tremendous discount. We can take $1,000 in cash donations and purchase $10,000 to $15,000 worth of medication. Cash donations are the best way to take care of this need. Additionally, if anyone is aware of a source that might be willing to donate vitamins or any other health aids in bulk, please feel free to pursue that source. Many people have contacts in the business world, and following up on something may open new doors to help people.

Please contact Victor Kubik at guatemala@lifenets.org for more information, and check www. kubik.org or the www.lifenets.org  web sites for for frequent updates on the Guatemala project.

Equipment

Brethren in Guatemala want to work but have difficulty finding work. We want to help them develop ways to create their own jobs and income. So far we have collected 15 sewing machines to ship down to them and are looking for more sewing machines to send to them. Also sewing supplies, such as good material, needles, thread, and other sewing supplies would be greatly appreciated. We are looking for anything that can be used to produce something to sell and make a living on the proceeds. We do not have any specific items, but ask people to look around and see if they can come up with anything. Industrial mixers, baking equipment, pans, etc, would be an example. If you come up with anything you think would work, please contact Victor Kubik at guatemala@lifenets.org and maybe it can be used. They have the same electrical voltages we do. These items will be shipped to a storage location in Houston and shipped from there to Guatemala.

Cement Floors

There are 15 families in Guatemala who have dirt floors in their homes. Just adding a cement floor raises their quality of life tremendously. The cost per floor is $400 each. At this time $800 has been sent down for two of the floors and they are under construction. Some church areas have held garage sales and other fundraisers to help with this project. Cash donations are the best way to help with this project.