Guatemala Team Reports

While this post is mainly to introduce the team members leaving for Guatemala on May 12, I also need to point out that our non-traveling team members include most of you, our supporters and donors!

It’s folks like Eugene Montgomery, a longtime parishioner at Marine View Presbyterian who cheerfully collects gently used tennis balls from a Federal Way area high school so we can pack them to Guatemala for the kids to enjoy. It includes the ladies of sewing groups, this year at both Marine View and Christ Community Church in Granite Falls, who have worked artfully behind the scenes to stitch more than 125 sets of potholders to go with the stoves we will install, and in the case of the group at Christ Community, about one hundred infant blankets to give to young mothers for their newborns. It is a vendor rep at Costco, who about three years ago arranged for the donation of so many sets of still-in-the-box reading glasses to give to farsighted villagers that we’ve still had to discourage new reader donations this year, and other Costco employees who spontaneously contributed new soccer balls for us to bring. It includes the Bellevue Rotary and the McFarland Foundation, whose generous grants helped us far surpass our fundraising goals to the point where we are now able to buy more stoves and school equipment for the village than we’d ever anticipated.

And it’s good people like Jesse Skiffington, pastor at Marine View and himself a Guatemala team veteran, who has provided unwavering support for the mission himself and encouraged congregational support. It is the mother-in-law of one of our team members who decided she wanted to cover the cost of the Seedplayer solar-powered audio Bibles we will take along this year and other supplies. The list goes on, from our dental suppliers, to Becky, our travel coordinator in Texas who worked so hard on our behalf and David in Portland, who first promoted then coordinated our audio Bible purchase and to Marie, a past team member who produced a stash of pencil erasers. And, really, our team extends to each one of you who has contributed so wonderfully to this mission. Thank you, thank you, to all our team! Be assured we will take your spirit of giving with us!

And now (drum roll please), for the formal introductions of our nine traveling team members, mostly in their own words. Two of our team are my kin, brothers Tom and Greg (who is my identical twin, actually). We have two couples with us, Craig and Christie Lindstrand of Marysville, who serve with me on the Hands for Peacemaking Foundation Board, and Janet and Mike Thompson of Granite Falls, who attend church in Granite Falls with the Lindstrands. Tom recruited a colleague at Costco, Suzanne Palmer of Issaquah, to come along. Also joining us is Lisa Ruppel, who formerly attended Marine View with her daughters.

Tom Dirks

Hi, I am Tom. This will be my fourth trip down to the villages above Santa Cruz Barillas. I go because I want to give back and increase the opportunities for villagers by getting the smoke out of their homes, reducing risks of burns and cutting the use of wood.  I was born and raised in West Seattle, where I live with my wife and two boys. One of my sons, Andy, and my wife, Suzy, had the opportunity to go down with me on previous missions.   My favorite part of the trip is seeing the smiles, and the welcoming hearts of the people of Guatemala. That’s what will keep me coming back for many years to come.

Lisa Ruppel

I’m Lisa Ruppel from Auburn. This will be my first trip to Guatemala.

My youngest daughter and I were part of the 2020 Marine View group – but since that trip was not able to happen, I’ve been waiting for the chance to sign up again.

I’m excited to be part of this year’s team, helping to build stoves, and am anxious to see the beauty and experience a slice of Guatemalan culture.

(Lisa attends St. Columba Episcopal Church in Kent).

Suzanne Palmer

Hi, my name is Suzanne, and I am so excited and blessed to make my first trip to Guatemala with the team from Marine View.  I grew up in North Carolina and transplanted to Washington State in 1997. I am a mom of four and grandma of six!  I have previously served in the mission field in Mexico with my children to build homes. I have a heart for service and more specifically “labor” missions, where you can build something that helps improve someone else’s life.  

May we be Christ’s hands and feet!

(Suzanne attends The Rock Church in Monroe).

Craig and Christie Lindstrand

Craig and Christie Lindstrand have served on the board of the Hands for Peacemaking Foundation since 2019. This is their second mission to serve the villagers outside of Barillas. Craig has a background in construction. Craig feels an obligation to serve in Guatemala as an ambassador for Christ, sharing the hope and love that we have experienced in our lives. He can typically be found in his spare time playing in the mountains, usually on mountain or dirt bikes or skis.

Christie is a long-time employee of Boeing. She has a passion for the outdoors, including biking, horseback riding, skiing, hiking and growing flowers. Her desire to travel to Guatemala and support Hands For Peacemaking is rooted in a commitment to share the prosperity of the U.S. and the blessings of our lives with international people who could benefit from our love and help.

(Craig and Christie attend Christ Community Church in Granite Falls)

Greg Dirks

I’m a long-term resident of West Seattle and, along with my wife Nancy, have raised our family in a home not too far from the two homes we grew up in.

I recently retired from the telecommunications industry where I served in various executive sales and business development roles.  My hobbies include boating, hiking, music, skiing, cooking, travel, home maintenance, and lots of volunteer work.

I’m excited about my first venture to Guatemala!  I’m going not only because of gentle prodding from brothers Brian and Tom, but also because of the strong difference and direct impact we’ll make in the community we’ll visit there.  I can’t wait to meet the villagers and see the faces of gratitude as we complete each stove installation.

Thank you to the Hands for Peacemaking Foundation, and to our multiple donors, for making this trip possible.

(Greg is a longtime member and currently the vice moderator of the Fauntleroy United Church of Christ in West Seattle).

Mike and Janet Thompson

We are also thrilled at the participation of Mike and Janet Thompson, who have not been on a Hands for Peacemaking mission but have been on many dental missions in the past. Coincidentally Janet was a patient of the late Dr. Leeon Aller, the founder of Hands for Peacemaking, as a youth. Mike and Janet, who attend Christ Community Church in Granite Falls with the Lindstrands, wanted to share their story by video recording. Here it is:

Brian Dirks

Well, I’m your humble scribe here and the coordinator of this year’s mission. Hard to believe this will be my seventh time to Guatemala, my first in 2012 with a Marine View Presbyterian team. I had started to put a team together in 2020, but we had a pandemic collision. Some of you remember that through my “Old Goat Challenge” and other fundraising we were still able to able to help a village that year. We took a break in 2021 but I am super excited to be returning again. The area of Guatemala we serve, you see, has in many ways become a home away from home for me and I feel very blessed to be able to be going back, especially with new team members (as well as the Guat team vets of course)!

On the personal side I am married (to Dee) and have three grown children (two from a previous marriage and a stepson with Dee). I am a grandfather to three extraordinary girls. We live in the Federal Way area and attend Marine View. In my spare time I like to fish, sea kayak, hike, ski, cycle, and enjoy time at our shared family home on the shores of Camano Island and at my sister-in-law’s “beach house” near Olympia. My career was primarily in public service (retired state employee) and journalism, but I left all that a couple of years ago to spend more time on things like this. As chair of the Hands for Peacemaking Board of Directors I’m pretty much “all-in” on this Guatemala mission to help villagers and really enjoy sharing the experience with others. If you’d like to get involved or join a future mission team, please get in touch!