Guatemala Team Reports

By the time most of you see this, assuming all goes well with jet connections and such, we will have flown (via Alaska Air) overnight from SeaTac to LAX then to Guatemala City, where we will be greeted by Marco and Alex with Hands for Peacemaking staff and get on our way.

The first leg of our trip – which takes the bulk of the day – will be to Huehuetenango, a fairly large and bustling metropolis in the highlands of western Guatemala. We will spend the night in “Huehue” (pronounced way-way), rise early and ascend an 11,000-foot pass, the highest point in the Sierra Madre mountain range, before winding our way through several other smaller municipalities until we reach the mission house in Santa Cruz Barillas.

This will be my ninth time making this journey since 2012, so I am well accustomed to the winding roads and often spectacular scenery along the way. Barillas, in many respects, has become a second home for me, as it has some of our other team members who have also made the trip a time or six before. But for most on our team, it will be a stunning new experience. I am excited for them to see what I have witnessed and perhaps fall in love with the country and the people the way I have in hopes they will also be “repeat customers” and maybe invite others to join us on a future trip. Yes, these missions can be considered an adventure with a purposeful, humanitarian bent, so we try to make them educational, rewarding, fun and fulfilling.

As with previous Guatemala mission trips, I asked everyone to share a few words of introduction about themselves, along with a photo, so that you may get to know them better. The “veterans” asked me to just repeat what I’ve posted before, so I’ll start with what the “newbies” submitted with scant edits on my part. I should mention that three of the team are family, Tom being my youngest of four siblings who is being joined by his son Oliver, and Ellen, who is the spouse of my brother John. As I mentioned on a previous post my identical twin brother Greg, who has joined my team twice before, took the bold initiative to form his own team this year. His Fauntleroy UCC/Rotary team will depart the Thursday after we return. We wish them the best of luck! (Note: Some of you are receiving this post because of your interest in following the Fauntleroy team members (Greg, Conrad and Karyn) or others who joined us last year – if you wish to drop off please just unsubscibe using the link in the email).

I am also thrilled to have another family join us – Michael Gintz and his daughter Allison, both of whom attend Marine View Presbyterian, our sponsoring church, in Northeast Tacoma with me. So with that, here is our team!

First Time Members

Ellen Nadelhoffer

Ellen worked as a backcountry ranger and wildfire fighter for the U.S. Forest Service before finding her way to writing, user experience research, and a 30-year career in Seattle’s technology industry. Her non-profit work includes serving on Tableau Foundation’s board and volunteering for Tableau Service Corps, which helps non-profits answer questions with their data. Ellen grew up in the Midwest where she sharpened her keen pun and yodeling skills at an early age. She’s also a member of the Dirks clan by marriage and is very happy to help her brothers-in-law Brian and Tom with the great work of Hands for Peacemaking. Ellen lives in Ballard with her husband John and has two daughters and an exceptional cat. This will be her first mission with Hands for Peacemaking.

Nancy Voorhees 

Nancy Voorhees is 59 years old and a retired writer who is originally from the Detroit area.  After graduating from Northwestern University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, she spent the early years of her career as a newspaper reporter and editor in West Virginia, Montana, and Idaho.  She went on to freelance for some national and international magazines. The latter part of her career was spent as a proposal writer, responding to commercial and government Requests for Proposals in the Information Technology space.  

Nancy is married to Gary Voorhees and they live in Liberty Lake, Washington, in the Spokane Valley area.  She has never had children of her own but has two nieces and a nephew whom she adores, as well as several other special “kids” who have been a part of her life.  Nancy was raised Presbyterian and has been a follower of Jesus since finding a personal relationship with Him during her college years. Between her high school graduation and first year of college, Nancy took a gap year and went on a Rotary scholarship to Sweden.  While there, her class of 29 students took pharmaceuticals (such as vitamin drops for infants) and other humanitarian items to distribute while on a trip to the drought-torn country of The Gambia.  She has dreamed ever since of going on missions and this Guatemala trip with the Marine View Presbyterian Church is right in line with that dream. She is very excited to be part of the team!

Lynn and Steve Cruz 

Steve and Lynn moved to Washington from Hawaii over 25 years ago and love it here. They have two kids, three grandkids, a great grandson and two dogs that keep them busy. Both retired from the Costco Home Office after many good years. 

Steve and Lynn both love sports and have been Seahawk season ticket holders for 25 years. They have always wanted to go on a mission trip and this is definitely the time! 

Larry Johnson 

My name is Larry Johnson and I’ve spent most of my life as an intravenous drug addict from age 11 to 40.  Jesus Christ delivered me from that, and it will be nine years in July of 2024. I’ve never had a chance to try new experiences in life.  Now that I’m free from addiction I’ve been able to try new things, everything from skiing (which is my fav) to ziplining. Now I get an opportunity to serve on my first ever mission trip. What a Mighty God we serve. 

Michael Gintz

I was baptized at Marine View many years ago and have attended the church for most of my life. In my younger days, I went on three mission trips to Mexico with the church during high school. After college, I worked with the youth group for six-to-seven years and went on four other mission trips to Mexico as a youth leader. I’ve heard great things about the mission trips to Guatemala for many years, and I am excited to experience this trip.  

My wife Anne and I were married at Marine View a few years after college. We have three girls in high school. Lauren is a senior and will be attending Western Washington University in the fall. Taryn is a junior who is starting to make plans for her future, and I’m thrilled to get to go on this mission trip with my youngest, Allison.  

Allison Gintz

I am currently fifteen years old and am a freshman at Stadium High School in Tacoma. I have attended youth group at Marine View for the last few years, and volunteer to teach Sunday School to elementary students on Sunday mornings. I play soccer and volleyball, and have just received my driver’s permit. I am looking forward to going on my first mission trip and helping improve the lives of some people in Guatemala. 

Oliver Dirks

Oliver is a junior at West Seattle High School. Outside of school Oliver enjoys hanging out with his friends, playing video games, and enjoying outdoor activities such as hiking and skiing.  Oliver plays soccer for Highline Premier and is a center back who goes by the nickname Walliver, because nothing gets past him.   Oliver has been to Europe twice and is looking forward to expanding his travel to Central America.

Veterans of Previous Marine View Guatemala Teams

Tom Dirks

This will be my sixth 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.

Suzanne Palmer

Hi, my name is Suzanne, and I am so excited and blessed to return to Guatemala with the team from Marine View.  (This is Suzanne’s third time). I grew up in North Carolina and transplanted to Washington State in 1997. I am a mom of four and grandma of eight!  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 Eastridge Church).

Suzanne and Tom are colleagues at Costco who have deepened their work bond through this mission. In fact, Tom used one of those goofy AI apps to compose a country western song about the three of us going on this mission together: Guatemala Country Song.

Steve Schmalz

Steve Schmalz was born in Utah but has lived most of his life in far northern rural California.  After a varied career path, which included truck driving, a teaching credential, and working on an oil rig, he settled on being a builder.  He raised his two beautiful children, (with his beautiful wife Melinda), in Kneeland, California. Retired now, he and Melinda recently moved to Tacoma. He is looking forward to giving back via this Guatemalan adventure. Steve’s sister and brother-in-law, Vickie and Steve Drury, are former members of Marine View who have joined previous missions, and Steve D. is on the board for Hands for Peacemaking. This is Steve S.’s second time on the Marine View team.

Brian Dirks

Brian enjoyed a 40-year career in print journalism and as a communicator and program manager for several Washington state agencies before his retirement in 2020. His non-profit work includes four terms as president of PTSA groups at the elementary and middle school level, eight years as board president for the Everett-based Hands for Peacemaking Foundation, and four years with the World Affairs Council of Tacoma. This is his ninth Guatemala mission trip through Marine View, eighth as trip organizer. He also put together a tenth non-traveling mission during the pandemic by raising funds through his “Old Goat Challenge.” Brian is an outdoor sports enthusiast, with particular interest in cycling, snow skiing, hiking, and boating. His daughter, son and stepson all live in the Puget Sound area. The grandfather of three resides in the Federal Way area with his wife Dee.

Non-Traveling

I would be remiss in not mentioning the deep and ongoing support that we have received from many individuals who have made this and earlier missions possible, too many to name actually but I will shout all a few. Jeffrey Hager, the executive director for the Hands for Peacemaking Foundation, has attended nearly all of our online team meetings as well as our in-person fundraiser and has made himself available to answer team questions and follow-up on the numerous details behind putting one of these mission trips together. Marco Tulio Maldonado, the national director of Hands for Peacemaking in Guatemala, has also attended most of our virtual meetings and made himself available to help us, as well as direct all of the advance field work in association with Alex Castañeda Velasquez and the rest of the Hands for Peacemaking team. Marco will pretty much assume team leadership while we are in Guatemala. Lisa Ruppel, a veteran of two previous missions who was not able to join us this year, continued to help us keep track of our finances as our team treasurer and contributed in many other ways too. And finally, a big thank you to Jesse Skiffington, lead pastor at Marine View who is also a Guatemala mission veteran. Pastor Skiffington has strongly championed these missions through the years by rallying congregational support and prayer.

May God Bless you all! We are on our way!

Hasta la vista from Guatemala,

Brian

P.S. My posts while traveling within Guatemala will be more photos than words. Maybe a blessing? I am also hoping to be joined in this space by contributions from at least one other team member.