Light through the Fuego

A few of you may know that nearly a year ago, June 2018, Volcan de Fuego in Guatemala erupted, wiping out entire towns within a matter of minutes with its deadly polycratic flow of rock and gas. After the eruption, rescue volunteers flooded in from around the world bringing food and joining in body recovery. Now, nearly a year later, the focus has shifted to more current events, but the need in Guatemala is still great.  Families are living with friends and relatives, praying for opportunities to build their own simple homes.

A few days ago, I personally met two victims who lost everything to the volcano, as well as a few of the firemen who were there to help. Erica, Rudy,  Edwin, and several others gathered around a table with us, and for an hour and a half, they shared chilling stories.

Erica, a young mother of six, was born and raised in Los Lotes, a town at the base of Fuego that was completely destroyed.  When they heard the explosion, Erica and her children ran outside. They felt the heat, and they saw it. They saw the wrath of the volcano consume their neighbors, just ten meters from them. If they had lived just ten meters closer, they too would have died. They jumped in their cars and sped away, "We didn’t close our doors, we didn’t grab anything, we didn’t put on shoes, we just left."

Erica and her family were lucky. Tears filled her eyes as she told me, "It is so hard to remember…all of my neighbors died."

Rudy, a father of three, said that the hardest part after the eruption was dealing with the nightmares. "Now it has calmed down, but in the months after, the kids would wake up at 1 am screaming and crying saying, 'the lava is coming'."

The Bomberos (firemen) shared stories as well, about how they were there for nearly six months, searching for people, cleaning up, taking food to the people. 

Thanks to the kindness of others, many families affected by the eruption have found temporary homes. People were welcomed into others´ homes and given food and shelter as they tried to recover from the devastation.

But there is still so much to do. I asked the one biggest need, how I could help. The answer? Tin for siding the kitchens. They have no kitchens, they are cooking food outside in makeshift tents, vulnerable to the weather, rain and wind, as well as animals.

And that leads me to where I am at today.

The price for one sheet of tin is just under $10. For the one community where Rudy and Erica live, they need 215 sheets of tin to complete all of the kitchens - A total of $2,150.

My goal is to raise enough money for 225 sheets of tin, and along with Guatemalan Volcano Relief Community , I will personally go buy the sheets, deliver them to the community, and help to build their kitchens.

But I am asking for your help. Just one sheet will make such a difference. For the price of one night out, you could provide tin for a kitchen for one whole family to eat for years.

The crazy thing through it all was they were so thankful just that we were there listening. They were not asking for anything. They have nothing, I have everything, yet they asked for nothing. They simply responded to my question on how I could help: they need tin to finish the kitchens, to have a safe place to cook.

With this project, 225 sheets of tin, will help complete building kitchens for an entire community of nearly 500 people. 

I am so grateful, and Erica, Rudy, and the Bomberos of Antigua, Guatemala, send their sincere thanks and deepest appreciation.

Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.

To read more from the victims and bomberos, and for photos of the eruption, feel free to visit Light Through the Fuego...The Whole Story