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JUNE/JULY/AUGUST - 2013 NEWSLETTER
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BIGGEST NEWSLETTER OF THE YEAR!
We have had a "jam packed" 3 months at Hearts In Motion.
Scroll down to read the following stories:
HIM Helps With Oklahoma Relief Efforts - Road Trip To Missouri - Welcome Alvaro Noe Garcia Gutierrez To Our Nutrition Center - Camping With The Carpenter's House - Every Tylenol Does Make A Difference - 8 Trips This Summer to Guatemala - Introducing Our Newest Program "Music In Motion" - Eagle Scout To Help With Music In Motion - Carroll University Volunteers At HIM Headquarters - HIM Staff Volunteers At Rotary Corn Roast - On The Road To Guatemala - Ecuador Firefigher Training
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 HIM Helps With Oklahoma Relief Efforts
Early this summer HIM volunteers and supporters collected summer clothes, shoes and bottled water for the people affected by the devastating tornado that struck the Oklahoma City area. The items were distributed between many organizations and helped supply the needs of those temporarily finding shelter from this natural disaster. These donations were collected at our main headquarters in Indiana and delivered by HIM employee, Josh Frisbie, within a week of tornado. You all truly put the "motion" in Hearts In Motion by responding in such a short time with so many items. Thank you HIM family, you are an amazing group of people!
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 Road Trip To Missouri
Russ and Marie Deutsch, long time volunteers with HIM, have collected medical supplies for us for many years and we always enjoy seeing them when they make the long trek from Missouri to Indiana to drop off the supplies. This time we had the chance to visit them at the end of July when Cara and Amanda, HIM staff members, packed their bags and set out for Missouri. They were amazed by the amount of supplies that Russ and Marie had gathered; enough to almost fill our box truck. Thanks to Russ and Marie for their hospitality and years of loving service. We are blessed to have you at HIM.
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 Welcome Alvaro Noe Garcia Gutierrez
We are so excited to welcome Alvaro to our Nutrition Center in Gualan, Guatemala. He was 5 weeks old when he arrived and has a bilateral cleft lip/palate which we are planning to perform surgery on in March 2014. He's also suffering from a congenital malformation of his lower extremities. Alvaro's been with us for about 6 weeks and we're so excited to tell you that we are already seeing great improvement! If you're interested in helping to support this program, donations can be mailed to our Indiana office or made through PayPal on our website - www.heartsinmotion.org. Thank you to all our faithful supporters who are partnering with us in this life changing program. |
 Camping with The Carpenter's House
There's a first time for everything! The HIM Staff along with 50 High School & College age students and their sponsors from The Carpenter's House, an inner city church in Chicago, went camping at Cedar Lake, Indiana. HIM sponsored this event and provided everything from the camping equipment to the food. Their days were filled with Bible Study, Sharing and Sporting Activities. We had no idea what a great time this was going to be for all of us. Many lives were impacted during the weekend and we can't wait to do it again next year! In case you're wondering; Yes, you can make macaroni & cheese on an open fire and scrambled eggs on a grill!!! Thanks to all who helped make this a huge success.
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 Every Bottle Of Tylenol ... Does Make A Difference! Read Erin's Amazing Story
When we read the high points from Erin Alenciks evaluation from her trip in July, we knew we had to share her story with you:
"On location one day, I recognized a family from a village that I had done clinic at last year, about an hour away in the opposite direction. I asked Bert to ask the mom if she was from a different area and sure enough, she was visiting her father-in-law and came up to the clinic that day by coincidence. As crazy as it was seeing her and her two boys again, the most uplifting thing I saw that whole entire week was what I saw in her youngest. Last year he had been very ill, with a rash & patchy hair (signs of worms), after giving him treatment I said my goodbyes and I'd figured I would never see them again. The hardest thing about working medical, in my opinion, is that you don't necessarily see fast results. You don't know what happens 2 days or 3 weeks or 6 months from when we leave. However, one year after sending this family off, I was given a huge hug and kiss on the cheek from one EXTREMELY healthy little boy. I guess God was just reminding me that every bottle of Tylenol, every Cough and Cold Medication, and every worm treatment DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE!"
Thank you so much Erin for this incredible story!
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 8 Trips This Summer To Guatemala
We had 270 people travel with us in 3 months on 8 trips. Wow! It was an amazing summer and many things were accomplished. Thank you HIM staff in Guatemala for facilitating these trips as well to all of you who participated to make these so successful. Below is a list of the trips and what each group accomplished.
June 8-16: This trip consisted of general medical clinics, children's activities and a construction project where they created a roof and poured a concrete floor at a school in La Linea so the students wouldn't have to sit on the dirt floor in the hot sun.
June 17-25: University of Washington came down to perform speech and hearing testing at the daycares, senior centers, rehab center and nutrition center.
June 21-30: This trip consisted of giving Maria's Daycare a facelift and building a house for a local family in Las Palmares. This group also helped continue the construction on our Senior Center, as well as helped care for the children at the nutrition center.
July 5-12: The team assembled chicken coops, installed water filtration systems, constructed soccer goals, held Vacation Bible School along with general medical and dental fluoride varnishing clinics.
July 19-28: This was our biggest trip of the year with 97 volunteers participating. They held general medical-dental-physical therapy-eye glass clinics, Helping Babies Breathe classes, education seminars for local teachers, Sports In Motion competitions, 4 different construction projects (helped build a church in Oreganal, worked on the 2nd level of the HIM Senior Center, built a wall and tables at the Alcoholics Anonymous Center in Los Bordos and helped pour a floor at a church in Santa Cruz).
July 25-August 4: Physical Therapy and Speech & Hearing Students from Grand Valley University, Eastern Washington University & Washington State University along with their instructor/professors worked at the Rehabilitation Centers in Zacapa and Gualan. They also held clinics in local villages.
August 9-18:This was a Social Work group which held an intercultural exchange with the local University Social Work Program. They also held a "Fun Day" for children who have had cleft lip/palate surgery in the past, hosted activities at local senior centers, visited a Women's Cooperative to learn about different issues women are facing, and visited different health centers/hospitals/rehab centers/nutrition centers.
August 10-17: A Physical Therapy Group from UT Southwestern worked at the Rehabilitation Centers and hosted clinics.
A huge thank you to all who participated on these trips. Without each and everyone of you, all these things could never have been accomplished. You are the "hearts" we speak of in Hearts In Motion and you will never know how many lives were impacted by your amazing servant's hearts. We love you all and encourage you to keep sharing your story of your experience with HIM and the people of Guatemala to anyone who will listen! See you next year or sooner! |
Introducing Our Newest Program
"Music In Motion"
Alyssa Jerdon, who has traveled with HIM for many years, has played a significant role in giving birth to our newest program, Music In Motion. The following story reveals her passion behind this program: "Many of you who have traveled to Guatemala over the past year and a half may have seen the new deck that was built onto the Nutrition Center. On the deck, you have seen a name, "Ian Jerdon". You have never met Ian and perhaps you haven't heard his story, but yet the beauty and tranquility of that place did not escape you. I would like to share with you his story. My name is Alyssa Jerdon. Ian was my younger brother and only sibling. I am lucky to say that we shared a bond that many siblings envied. From the moment he was born, he became my whole world. We were always together and when we weren't together, we were talking about each other and their accomplishments. The love between us was unbreakable and I still believe that now. I have been traveling to Guatemala through Hearts In Motion since March '07 when I went on my first trip with Arcadia University. After that trip, I fell in love with the organization and the people of Guatemala. I have been going back twice a year ever since translating for many different people and programs, even taking down some of my own students. Ever since my first trip, Ian wanted to go. He was a helper, doing whatever he could for whomever he could, so for him, going to Guatemala just made sense. Unfortunately due to scheduling, he just couldn't find the time to make it on any of my trips. Finally, the timing worked out and Ian was set to travel with me for the first time to Guatemala as a chaperone for a trip with my students. The trip was set for March 31-April 7, 2012. On March 12, 2012, nineteen days before our trip everything changed. Ian never came home that night. He was killed in a fire that was the result of a one vehicle car accident. He was 22 years old. Understandably, my parents and I were devastated and heartbroken. Within 48 hours I had received phone calls from my "family" at Hearts In Motion. Karen and the team at Hearts In Motion came up with an idea to build a functional memorial for Ian. My students and I proudly went on the trip and built that beautiful deck that many of you have seen. On my most recent trip to Guatemala in July, I had the opportunity to sit and talk with Karen. While talking about Ian, we decided to create a new program through Hearts in Motion in memory of him. Ian was an excellent musician whose talent was undeniable to everyone who heard him play. He excelled at guitar as he began playing at the age of 8 and starting his own music shortly thereafter. I am proud to say that we will be starting Music In Motion which will offer music lessons to the children of Guatemala. We will be starting with guitar lessons for boys who are around the age my brother was when he first started playing. It is our hope that this program will grow and expand to other instruments and eventually week-long camps. But, we have to start somewhere and that is where you come in. If you or anyone you know has any old guitars or guitar equipment that they are not longer using, I ask that you please donate it and send it to the Hearts In Motion headquarters in Indiana. Your donations will then be sent down to Guatemala and be used by the children who will learn how to play this beautiful instrument. We all know that music is a wonderful outlet for many people and I am happy to know that this opportunity will be given to children who need that form of expression. My family and I would like to take this time to thank everyone at Hearts In Motion for all of the love and support they have given us and for allowing this amazing program to be created in Ian's memory. On behalf of my family, I would like to thank you for taking the time to read Ian's story. I would also like to thank you in advance for your help. We truly appreciate it all and are blessed to know that Ian's legacy will live on not only in us, but in a positive program such as this as well. Thank you."
We are honored to dedicate this program in memory of Ian Jerdon.
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Eagle Scout To Help With Music In Motion
This is the letter we received from Kayman Klaas when he heard about our new Music In Motion Program: "My name is Kayman Klaas. I am 15 years old and a sophomore at York Community High School in Elmhurst, IL. I have been interested in music since third grade when I started playing the piano. I also now play the clarinet in the Symphonic Band (highest level) at my high school along with a variety of other instruments including the ocarina, ukulele, and harmonica. I recently returned from a five week European Tour playing in an international symphonic band with teenagers from all over the country. Music has always been an important part of my life as a way to work through emotions and feelings as well as a way to connect with other people. I am also involved with the Boy Scouts of America and am on the last step to becoming an Eagle Scout which is the final project. I wanted to do something personally meaningful that would help people in the world. When I heard about Music In Motion, I decided this would be a perfect way for me to complete this last step. For my Eagle Scout Project, I would love to help Music In Motion by collecting musical instruments. I would focus on instruments like guitars, ukuleles, keyboards, and drums, but all instruments would be accepted. My overall goal is to bring 100 musical instruments to kids living in impoverished conditions in Guatemala and then stay and help them learn to play these instruments. I want to bring them the gift of music and help them the way music has helped me. If you have a musical instrument you would like to donate, please either send or drop off the instrument to Hearts In Motion, 1834 45th St., Munster, IN 46321 or Kayman Klaas, 630 Euclid Ave., Elmhurst, IL 60126."
We are so excited to have Kayman take on this project that will speak life into so many by bringing the gift of music to those we serve in Guatemala.
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 Carroll University Volunteers
At HIM Headquarters
On August 24th, we were visited by Heather Elam, (cce) coordinator, and Sam Moser, nursing student from Carroll University in Wisconsin. Both Heather and Sam went to Guatemala this past March with a group of nursing students from Carroll to participate in medical clinics. The students had a wonderful experience and were touched by the many people they helped. Not only did they get to practice fundamental assessment skills but they also learned the value of service in our global community. As a follow up to their trip, the students participated in a clothing/medical drive. Heather and Sam were gracious enough to deliver the donations as well as help sort medications in our warehouse. It was a busy day as they accomplished a lot. Thanks to everyone who participated in this drive, together we made a difference!
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 HIM Staff Volunteers At Rotary Corn Roast
We have this day reserved on our calendars every year and would never miss this opportunity to help serve roasted corn at the Highland, Indiana Rotary Club's Annual Corn Roast. We always have such a great time meeting new people and catching up with old friends while working side by side with our long time Rotarian friends. We are so appreciative of the love and the faithful support this Rotary Club has given HIM over the years. They are very special to us and we are sincerely grateful for their loyalty to the work of HIM. We had a great time and can't wait for next year!
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 On The Road To Guatemala
This summer 2 vehicles hit the road heading south to Guatemala. We're so excited to have had a fire engine donated to us that in turn will be given to one of the Fire Departments in Guatemala associated with our Hearts On Fire program. We also received a Ford Explorer that was donated by one of our awesome volunteers, Barbara Fell, that will be used by our staff in Guatemala. Both of these vehicles will be so beneficial in helping to serve the people of Guatemala and we are so excited to have received them. Thank you so much for thinking of us and the mission of Hearts In Motion.
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 Ecuador Firefighter Training
HIM just concluded a week long firefighter training program in Carol Stream, Illinois where 15 Ecuadorian Firefighters where trained by firefighters around the Chicagoland area. Thank you to Gonzalo Pazmino, Alan Emody and John Morris for all your hard work in making this much needed program happen. A special thank you to Carol Stream Fire Department for allowing us to use their station and training facilities as well as all the firefighters who donated their time to help with this valuable training. We will never know how many lives will be impacted by this incredible experience and we are so grateful to have been able to provide this opportunity for the Bomberos of Ecuador.
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1834 45th Street - Munster, Indiana 46321
219-924-2446
219-922-1694 Fax
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