At the current rate...

.

 I thought I would share a little about the seasons here in Guatemala.

Since about mid October, the daily rains have stopped. The air is very dry now, and the nights are cool. The valley of Canilla has an old water supply or canal, that carries water down from the mountaintop. Then, through to several areas of the valley where it is branched off, redirected, and manipulated, almost entirely through gravity.
The Canal has been a large part of the agriculture here for many decades.

Each year as the rain ends, and the dry season begins, the canal allows farmers to irrigate their crops, allowing for a continuous growing season.
The canal is shared by all the farmers in the valley that pay the yearly fees, and engineer a route for the water to reach their property. On the assigned day, boards or a type of block are used to redirect a portion of the water flow. It is not uncommon for the water to pass under roads or through neighboring property.

The water is not  clean enough for drinking, but there are numerous families that  utilize the water supply for laundry, baths and cleaning. My children enjoy dipping their toes into the cold water, as the dry season can bring the hottest weather we see. Some of our neighbors will dip out of the canal, and wet the road to eliminate some of the dust for motorcycle and automobile traffic.The dust during the dry season seems to settle onto everything.

The rains will begin again in June. Between now and then, the entire countryside will turn brown. The grass will go doormat, and the fields that are not irrigated will sit idle until the rains begin again.





The canal happens to run directly past the front of the AIM compound as well as the Hospital construction site.  We will be using the canal water supply for most of the early hospital construction. We hope to dig a well with sufficient water supply on the Hospital property. This is no small task. We have investigated and inquired about a well, and when it is all said and done, we are told the cost will be upwards of $75,000 US.  Needless to say, we have not started drilling, but through God's faithfulness, we will start the well soon, and be one step closer to opening the doors of the Hospital.