THE VOICE

LA PUENTE
fall 2011

of

If you really want to make a friend, go to someones house and eat with him... the people who give you their food give you their heart.
- Cesar Chavez -

CONTENT
Devin Forest Cornwall - Uncovering Value..........................................3-4 Jeff Owsley - Springing Life....................................................................5 Jordan Karp - Conflicts of Care...........................................................6-7 Sue Miller - Finding Friendship............................................................8-9 Meghan Ibach - Successful Support..................................................10-11 Gardening and Gleaning Information...................................................12 Jordan Mcilveen - The Roybal Family....................................................13 Kaitlin Porter - Gleaning for the Greater Good................................14-15 Summer Review in Pictures..............................................................16-19 Calvin Moreau - Potato Pulp...........................................................20-23 Lance Cheslock - The Guatamaleans of Alamosa..............................24-27 Program Needs......................................................................................28 How You Can Help .............................................................................29 Devin Forest Cornwall - A Boys Prayer.................................................30 Prayer of the Farmworkers Struggle.......................................................31
Some names have been changed to protect anonymity

The Voice of La Puente is a quarterly publication that is meant to provide readers with a glimpse of day-to-day life at La Puentes programs by sharing the goals, challenges, accomplishments and greatest needs of the staff, volunteers, and guests. La Puente is grateful for all that our donors do to help us continue our services. Whether their contributions come to us in the form of volunteer hours, financial gifts, material donations, or thoughts and prayers, we couldnt do without them. - To receive an electronic version, go to www.lapuente.net info.lapuente@gmail.com www.lapuente.net - Donate Online! -

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The Voice of La Puente

Uncovering Value
Devin Forest Cornwall Community Education
This past summer I participated in a three and a half week program called Coach for College which helped connect American Student-Athletes in the Atlantic Coast Conference with Vietnamese college students at Can Tho University in order to promote higher education to eighth grade students in the Thuan Hung province. Two and a half months before arriving in Alamosa I was sitting on the weather-beaten bench of an open classroom in rural Vietnam with my shirt soaked through with sweat. I had long ago abandoned the hope for a cooling breeze, passing cloud, or even the warm rain of the monsoon season. Glimpses of rice paddies stretching off into the horizon peaked through the cracked and broken windowpanes lining the far wall of the classroom. I learned quickly that the children and their families are often tied to the fields through financial dependencies and generational passing of trade. Weekday absences were a common occurrence at the school, especially during the monsoon season, which marked the start of the rice harvesting. Children were regularly expected to join their families in the paddies when harvesting began, with school being a privileged activity for wealthier families. I found, after spending a month in Vietnam, that I began to develop a close bond with a little boy named Dien, who, at the beginning of my time in Vietnam had shrugged off the idea of college, believing that he would be needed in the fields to help his family. At fifteen, Dien only came up to about my chest. He wore the largest smile I saw in Southeast Asia while playing soccer, basketball, volleyball and tennis, all of which he played barefoot. He was happy, but gritty, toughened by the realities of rural poverty. And so at the end of the program, when I turned in response to a shoulder tap to find him standing there, tears streaming down his face, a Vietnamese coach he recruited as a translator by his side, I could do nothing but watch as broken Vietnamese flowed from his quivering lips. He told me, as the volunteer bus started up behind us, that he promised he would study and try as hard as he could in school. He would work hard and

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Uncovering Value plan to go on to college. The bus honked for us to load up and in parting Dien said hed never forget what I had taught him. I bent down and gave him a hug and reluctantly walked onto the bus.
Now a world away I sometimes wonder how Dien is doing. I hope hes still as determined as I left him - teary-eyed and waving from the middle of the schools cobblestone driveway. But as time moves forward, so must I and as I sit writing this introduction wondering what La Puente and Alamosa might have in store, Im amazed at the similarities between my recent travels and here.

*Dien sitting in the schoolyard

With gleaning season approaching rather quickly, visions of stooped rice harvesters dotting the paddies enter my mind and I begin to find that this act of giving, this physical service of collecting and distributing to the greater community is something that might stay with me long after familiar faces and voices have worn with time. And Im finding that the reason lies in the unity and selflessness I first found in Vietnam and now am discovering here within La Puente. Throughout my years in college, I was continuously dedicated to my pursuits. I ran for the cross country and track and field teams, which required immense determination and dedication with very few breaks - only two weeks off the entire year. Alongside running I was also very involved in my education, and attempted to soak in as much of the lessons in my Marketing and English classes as I could. The one thing I want able to do was give a large amount of time for service. All my activities centered around what I had in mind for myself. And while I learned long ago that such activities are needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle, but while our personal pursuits enrich our lives through interests and passions, service has a way of sharing the values and skills weve harvested with so many others. This issue of The Voice of La Puente is filled with stories about the values many of our authors have discovered here at La Puente. I hope you may find a story or two which sparks some thoughts about the values you have gathered and might share with willing and open hands.

The Voice of La Puente

Springing Life
Jeff Owsley La Puente Enterprises
Think of how many people in the world ever see a natural spring bubbling from the earth. Living close to the Continental Divide, we in Colorados San Luis Valley have a better chance than most to see one, but such places are still very high in the mountains and normally require a heart pounding hike to get there. On a recent trail run near South Fork, I stopped to take a picture of the transformation taking place since the Million Forest Fire of 2002. Dense growth of new aspen trees enveloped the base of a rolling sea of much taller burned and scarred trunks. My thoughts were already centered on the beauty of healing from such devastation, when in the high mountain silence my ears caught a faint trickling sound. I turned and noticed a bright green strip of growth in the distance that abruptly ended and was surrounded by the normal, much dryer mountain ground cover. I smiled at the discovery. A closer look revealed pristine crystal water coming out of the earth, surrounded by lush growth of healthy grass and gorgeous wildflowers. It was a spectacular sight. As I went on with my run, I meditated on how these pictures in nature are actually seen daily in society. People experience extreme difficulties in life, sometimes to the point of devastation. La Puente is a key, go-to organization when our community members experience major setbacks. Many are at the *Scarred trees along the run point of near total loss, similar to situations caused by fire where they might only have the clothes on their back. Restoration from disaster takes a lot of time. Many people, most of them volunteers, are critical throughout the process. Little by little growth sprouts and takes root. There is a sweet feeling of joy to witness new life growing out of dust.

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Conflicts of Care

Jordan Karp PALS Childrens Program

Ive been here for six months and learned a lot. One of the largest lessons I learned was the ability to deal with the feeling of helplessness the staff continually encounters when conflicts arise with the children outside the programs boundaries. One of the challenges of being a PALS staff member is the duality we have to endure with the children. At certain times in the PALS program, we are encouraged to be a pseudo-parent and in many others are not allowed to. When disciplining a child in PALS, you are often showered with proclamations of hate and sadness, but in knowing that these early lessons will help them make healthier decisions in the future, such comments are easier to endure. Though, sometimes you have to make a decision where there is no silver lining visible. During drop offs the other day, a PAL, Michael, began to cry in the van. He claimed that his stomach hurt and said he wanted to go home instead of being dropped off at his secondary day care. His mom was called and said she would be there as soon as she could be. A sudden stomach ache is no big deal, but after refusing to leave the van the staff realized that there was more to the crying than just a simple stomach ache. Michael, would you like to tell me whats really bothering you? I asked him. He shook his head no. I moved in closer and spoke softer, Buddy, is someone here mean to you? He shook his head yes. With his answer, my co-worker

*A PAL enjoying a piggyback

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and I were placed into a position where our legal obligations as PALS staff members took precedence over what we would have liked to have done for Michael. The secondary daycare center was not an unsafe environment so we couldnt take him back to PALS, neither could we wait with him, or even deliver him to his house. Our only option was to inform a staff member at the day care of his current distress, leave him in their care and trust that everything would be okay. But it broke our hearts, and will continue to. Having to manage our desires to care for a child and our legal responsibilities as employees is, at times, a very distressing position. Not being able to go find the kid bullying ours and have a stern talk with them; carrying ...carrying a sobbing child a sobbing child you wish to protect into an environment you wish to protect into an where you know they dont feel environment where you safe goes against every natural instinct you have. That was the know they dont feel safe moment that I learned to accept feelings of helplessness. Often, goes against every natural in our field of work, we cannot instinct you have..." do as much as we would like to and this tears us apart, but it is essential to be okay with these types of situations if we wish to continue helping improve the childrens lives as well as our own. This situation did work out though, thankfully. We talked to Michael the next day and learned the bullys name and told the staff at the day care. The staff talked to the bullys parents and told them that such behavior was unacceptable and if it didnt stop then they couldnt come to the daycare anymore. Since then Michael has had a great time at the day care and hasnt encountered and further troubles. Helplessness sometimes teaches us how important our jobs really are and often how much of a difference we can make in someone elses life. *** Its not only children who grow. Parents do too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I cant tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it, myself.
- Joyce Maynard

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Finding Friendship
Sue Miller Outreach Services
My husband, Gordon, and I are full time volunteers with the Mennonite Voluntary Service and work at the Outreach Office at La Puente. I met Gordon when we were both volunteering with the Mennonite Disaster Service, and for 20 of our 33 years married years we have both been active volunteers with Prison Fellowship. Gordon and I each felt that God had called us to volunteer work where we could feed the hungry, give drinks to the thirsty, give clothes to those needing them and visit the lonely and those in prison. I work in La Puentes Outreach Services program, assisting families facing financial difficulties with their heating costs. Recently, while visiting with an energy vendor I was told about a client needing help. She was an elderly woman who had fallen and broken her ankle and struggled with putting wood in her furnace. The vendor asked if we would be able to assist this client with propane to use in a stove to make it easier on her to heat her house. Through the energy vendor, I met Maria, an intelligent lady who lives out in the middle of no-mans land with her cat and a fawn she rescued. After a month or so, I was able to assist her with propane. She sent me a letter of thanks and visited me at the Outreach office and since then weve developed a friendship. After discussing business in the office, we talked about other things and began to discover that our values were very similar. Maria was interested in why my husband and I were volunteering and also about our spiritual journey with

*A happy recepient at this years backpack drive, at which Outreach gave out 250 backpacks before the start of school

The Voice of La Puente

God, which ultimately lead us to Colorado and La Puente. Gordon and I decided to meet Maria for dinner and since she couldnt drive, we said wed pick her up. We entered Marias address into our GPS and followed the directions to her mailbox, which was still a lengthy mile away from her home. After arriving and introducing my husband, Maria got in the car and was immediately interested in the GPS, giving it the name Susan. Will Susan be able to get us to our restaurant? Maria asked. While the trip to the restaurant was uneventful, with the exception of Susan leading us to a dead end, which further tested Marias trust in the little gadget, our dinner together, was delightful. We learned more about each others lives and discussed many different topics, including exploring the meaning of service. Maria wondered what Jesus meant in Matthew chapter 28, where He said to teach others to Maria wondered what Jesus obey His commands. Not only are we to meant in Matthew chapter 28, serve others, but to teach Jesus where He said to teach others to commandments as obey His commands." well. Maria shared how she was looking for ways to serve others and wondered how she could do that. Who needs her help? She lives in the Valley with very few neighbors and not a lot of resources. Marias questions at dinner reminded me of questions I once asked myself. Sometimes it seems hard to uncover the hidden tasks and needs of a community, but thats just the thing. If we ask, then, quite often, we shall receive. Searching for ways to contribute and help is easily the first step in finding useful ways to give back to your community. Often times some needs previously not met can be solved with new ideas and skills. Gordon and I hope to continue to meet with Maria. And although Maria may not know it, she continues to encourage both of us to serve our community through the life she lives. Even though life has not been easy, Maria has forgiven situations and choices of others who have affected her. She has left bitterness and grudges behind. Because of choosing the different alleys that have led her to this road in life, she is a joy and inspiration. I pray we can follow her choices as we continue to try and live more giving lives.

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Successful Support
Meghan Ibach Community Gardens
I know you, youre garden lady! Its a phrase Ive heard more often than not in the past four months. Mainly it comes from kids younger than 10, and boy they can spot me out in a crowd! Its also a phrase that warms my heart, and makes me so happy to be in my line of work. I am the Alamosa Community Garden Coordinator, working for La Puente and the community at large. I teach garden lessons in classrooms during the school year, I help run a free garden camp in the summer, and grow food for the Alamosa Food Bank Network as well as the La Puente Shelter. I love my job. Ive not always been a gardener. In fact, for most of my 24 years Ive had quite the black thumb. I could kill a plant with just glance. I came here from Charlotte, North Carolina, where I have a large and loving family whove supported me through all my endeavors and am very blessed to have them in my life. I came to Alamosa for the jobworking in a community garden, teaching nutrition education, and providing fresh, healthy produce to people who need it the most. I didnt know anyone, and I really didnt even understand where Alamosa was, let alone what kind of place it would turn out to be. I was also nervous to begin my job. Yeah Ive had a garden before using starter plants and about a 50% success rate. But gardening for a community? Oh boy.
* Garden Camp kids enjoy a craft project

So needless to say, this summer hasnt been

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the easiest. Not only have I been trying to figure out this whole growing plants for food thing, but also the whole growing plants in a high alpine desert with winds up to 60 mph and possibly (hopefully) a sprinkle of rain thing. Oh, and grow all of this within a less than three month window of good weather. No, its true, the San Luis Valley is not an easy place to grow food, but they did mention that when I took this job. If you can grow food here, you can grow food anywhere. I hope that much is true, although only time will tell; that and the scale I use to weigh the produce when I bring it to the food bank. But thats just the beauty of it all. Although Im a novice at community gardening, Ive gotten so much support from people around me: fellow gardeners, other La Puente volunteers, school teachers, shelter guests, and the community at large. I love community garden nights every Something about Tuesday, when you dont know weeding helps people whos going to walk into the garden to start helping. Something open up and start talking about weeding helps people open up and start talking about their about their lives." lives. You meet people large and small, who all have their own story to tell. I loved garden camp, not just for the amazing group of kids I got to know, but for the wonderful group of community members who showed up each week, just to help out and join in the fun. My job is just as much getting to know people as it is to grow food for the food bank, and wow, I love it. So yes I will measure my success by poundage produced and how long I can extend our growing season, but I also want to measure it with less quantifiable results - watching a family take home pounds of fresh produce at the food bank; the greetings by shelter guests when harvesting food from the Grow Dome, which they will eat for dinner; hearing a little first grader answer photosynthesis because he remembered my garden lesson from two weeks ago; helping two little boys pick garden produce so they can have fresh food to eat. We can all be successful in life, but we all need some support and help along the way. For as much support this community has given me, I just hope one day that I can give as much back to them. *** The fair-weather gardener, who will do nothing except when the wind and weather and everything else are favorable, is never master of his [her] craft. - Henry Ellacombe

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The Gleaning Project

The gleaning program is a coordinated effort between the Food Bank Network of the San Luis Valley, local farmers, and the Alamosa Community Gardens to bring otherwise unused produce to community members who need it most. During the harvest season, from mid-August to mid-October, generous volunteer groups from around the state come to Alamosa to spend a Saturday gleaning in a local farmers field. Overnight accommodations are available at local churches for gleaning groups. To get involved with our gleaning project contact the Food Bank Network at foodbank.lapuente@gmail.com. Or, to find more information on the specifics of gleaning and what it entails, check online on our website:

- www.lapuente.net/gleaning -

the Community GARdEn

The Alamosa Community Gardens Project is a collaboration between local schools, non-profits, and the community to teach gardening and nutrition while providing healthy produce to benefit garden participants and community services such as the local food bank. While our main garden is on the corner of 11th and State Avenue, we are also building a garden at the new Alamosa Elementary School. With garden nights every Tuesday from 5-7pm, and garden mornings every Friday from 9-11am, June through October 8th, if youd like to stop by. To get involved in the Alamosa Community Garden Project please contact us at communitygardens.lapuente@gmail.com.

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The roybal Family

Jordan Mcilveen Adelante Family Services

April 24, 2010: this was the day the Roybal familys life changed forever. This was the day one troubled mother, four small children, and four bags flew from West Virginia to Colorado, not knowing what the future held. This brave mother, Kim, was married for seven years to a man she loved, but who held her captive in an unrelentingly abusive relationship. On that April day, Kim opened the door of her house to find three men standing outside, one dressed in uniform and two in suits. Were here for your husband, one said. And just like that, they took him away to jail. As Kim watched her husband slumped in the back of the police car, she was able to stand a little taller as her mind was filled with images of a brighter future. Freedom, independence! she thought! He couldnt hurt them anymore. They could finally live however they wanted! She pictured a sweet little house with her children playing happily in the backyard and the chance to have all of their friends and neighbors over to eat. Suddenly she stopped in the midst of her excitement as reality set in: how were they going to make it? Kims credit had been destroyed by her husbands overspending; she had four children, the youngest an eight month old and the oldest a kindergartener, and now her only financial resource was going to jail. *** The rest of Jordans story will be featured as part of the Adelante Family Poster Project at the Grand Opening of the new Alamosa Food Bank and Adelante Family Services building on Saturday October 1st, from 11 am to1 pm. Come out to tour the new building and enjoy the refreshments and fun.

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Gleaning for The Greater Good

Kaitlin Porter Food Bank Network

The long awaited gleaning season has finally arrived and on Saturday morning, a group of volunteers headed out to our first farm to glean potatoes as our guinea pig group. Sure enough, the trip didnt go perfectly smoothly. From the combination of the new volunteers unfamiliarity with the area, myself sometimes forgetting how small certain towns are, and general directions based off of obscured landmarks, we eventually made it to our gleaning spot and followed the yellow brick road of abandoned golden potatoes to the field. As we scoured the field for potatoes in the hot sun, Jackie celebrating her ability to find the smallest potato, James awkwardly pouring a shirt full of potatoes into a crate, Eva A lot of what we do to serve carrying a crate back to the people here at La Puente is van on her head, and Craig in overalls overseeing the general progress of our small group, I intangible... realized what a rare and special opportunity gleaning is. It is hard work, giving us an extreme appreciation for people that spend all week harvesting these crops, especially since its probably not the first choice of many people as to how they want to spend their Saturday morningthe sun is hot, the crates get heavy quickly, and soon all the rows of potatoes look the same, but it is a tangible service. A lot of what we do to serve people here at La Puente is intangible and it becomes even more difficult almost entirely impossible - to see something

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through from beginning to end. Its hard to know that youre achieving a positive result; that any moment might prove significant to another person. To be a part of providing food for the Food Bank Networknot just going to pick up food at Wal-Martbut to actually retrieve the food from the earth, transport it back to the food bank and know that Monday morning, the people of the San Luis Valley will have fresh produce is something to be cherished. Not only is the Gleaning Program a way of providing a direct service for the distribution of fresh produce, but its also a way for the food bank and local farmers in the area to connect in a meaningful activity. As we finished loading the crates of potatoes into the van, we were met by one of head farmhands who stopped by to see how we made out in our couple hours of work. He offered to show us the machinery that harvests the potatoes, followed by an excursion to the potato storage area, where the massive amount of harvested potatoes were held before shipping them off all around the country. Since agriculture is such a huge part of this area, people want others to know how their farms work and gleaning is a valuable way we can gain a bit of that knowledge. We are lucky enough to have planned out a gleaning season with many people willing to share their knowledge as well as their crops. Our group of volunteers returned to Alamosa a little dirtier and sunburned than we left it, but had pockets filled with potatoes too small to give out and proud of our work and the food we had acquired for our community members. I think we all had complete respect and a little more understanding for what farmers and their workers go through while harvesting food for others. Plus, despite it being hard work, it turns out gleaning is a fun group project and many of the volunteers requested to come again the following week to help. For just a few hours on a Saturday morning we will continue to help glean and within our voluntary labors we will continue to discover the values, sometimes looked over, of giving something *Fellow gleaner, and full-time volunteer, directly back to our Cory Karalekas, finds a tiny potato community.

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Weve been busy,

While the ever continuing shelter lunches kept our bellies full, and wonderful daydreams occupied our free hours, many sunny days were spent leading work groups, rafting and lots of other outdoor activities. Browse through and see what weve been doing behind the scences.

Heres what weve been up to

*Pictured on this page: 1) Thanks to Dan & Debbie Bowers of CIA Leavitt and staff, PALS got the chance to go rafting. It was a milestone day for PALS and created many lasting memories for the kids. 2) Freshly picked carrots from the Boyd Community Garden.

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Pictured above: 1) The lunch line at the shelter is always busy. 2) Wild Bill enjoys the wonderful summer weather on the shelters outdoor patio.

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Pictured above: 1) The Alamosa Food Bank stays busy throughout the year. 2) A giant gleaning find during one of the work group gleaning projects.

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Pictured above: 1) A migrant worker picking up lettuce from the field during harvesting season. 2) Volunteers in a gleaning workgroup form a potato assembly line. 3) A workgroup gleaning in the fields during harvest season.

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Potato Pulp
Calvin Moreau Community Member
On a sweltering July night Richard stepped out on the porch facing state avenue for a hot dose of fresh air. This had been a hard day to digest, tougher than alligator meat. The homeless Vets he is in charge of had just finished taking down the U.S. and P.O.W. flags. La Puente was settling down for the night. Thats when Juice, the extown drunk, came staggering up. Hed quit drinking years ago, but the name and the stagger stuck. He looked out of breath and seemed worried tonight, stumbling up the sidewalk to Richard. Long time since Id seen him like this, Richard thought. Oh no, no sir. The old veteran stammered. I just walked fast as these old legs would gomaybe three miles, to tell somebody what I saw in the river; a submarine just like in the war, but in the Rio Grande? I must be crazy, you think? Maybe youre just hungry. Come in and Ill fix you up a bowl of chili. Richard said as helped Juice up the steps. Something scared him bad, he thought. Just as Juice finished his story, sirens began to wail all over town. Elf, gather up the vets quick. Teddie come here, somethings up. We need your talent. No Teddie, dont go, one of the two ladies on the couch with Teddie said. Youre terrible Teddie, the other one just muttered. At sixty, he was beginning to believe itafter all, they cant all be wrong. He felt for his wallet. Then he stared into space searching through his subconscious, a talent hed picked up since hed joined the writing workshop. What do you see? Richard asked. I seeI see why they tell you to dig your latrine a hundred feet from the river No its more like a giant bratwurst, or maybe a submarine. Yeah, its a sub alright. I see a big gun on the deck. Now its submerging, sir. Teddie, Ive asked you before not to call me sir, just Richard. The phone rang moments later and Richard answered. It was Rudolph at the employment office.

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Theyve got the whole office surrounded. I cant get any of this paperwork done. They keep calling for me to come out with my hands up. Who, whos calling you Rudolf? The cops. Im not moving till I get all of todays applications into the computer. If I dont, the Valley will be flooded with broke, homeless families. Ok, calm down Rudolf. Hold em off as long as you can, and Ill see what the vets can do about it. Big John pulled up front in the truck a few minutes later. Weve got the truck loaded, ready to go. Any idea where? Yeah, Milagros for coffee. You got the weapons and ammo loaded? Were ready for anything, Big John said. Inside Milagros they sat on the few vacant chairs they could find. After coffee and conversation they regrouped outside. Well what have we got? Richard asked. One name repeatedly came up Le Sewer. The manager, Jay, said he lived upstairs on the third floor flat that no one else would rent. Lets go have a talk with Mr. Le Sewer. Richard decided. The door to the stairway was locked. Well have to take the fire escape, but first well have to split up. Elf, you and Big John take the truck to the river, see if you can find out what that sub is up to. Teddie, you and Jerry come with me. The alley was a dark, deep canyon. Climbing the fire escape they found the fire exit locked, so they traversed the ledge to the nearest open window a few feet away. Down the hall the only occupied room was locked. Richard listened at the door and heard giggling. Alright Teddie, take her down. The heavy antique door splintered when Teddies bulk struck it. A girl lounging in an armchair, presumably the source of the giggling, covered her face with the summer issue of The Voice of La Puente she had been reading. Teddie grabbed Le Sewer from behind. Hold him there Teddie. Richard said. Jerry pulled out a spoon and stood ready. Richard began, OK, Le Sewer, tell us about the submarine. I have no idea what youre talking about. Youll talk or else. Jerry, give him a taste of inspiration. Jerry held the spoon above his bald head and began to tap lightly. No. No. Stop, please. My mother used to beat me with a spoon. I cant stand it.

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Well? Richard prodded. OK, they paid good to set up the diversion at the employment office. They plan to fire botulism contaminated potatoes into the fields to destroy the harvest. The confession that poured from Le Sewer left a rank smell in the air, like a Bourbon Street alley at Mardi Gras. Richard pulled off his belt. OK, thats enough. Here Teddie, tie these two up tight and lets get out of here. Its 9:45 and bed check is at 10. You cant just leave us here tied up like this, the girl whined. Dont worry honey. Your rides on the way. *** In the meantime, Big John and Elf were busy setting up their weapon at the river. Elf opened the ammo crate, pulled out a zucchini and looked up at Big John in bewilderment. What happened to the potatoes? Its too early for potatoes, so weve got to use the zukes, Big John explained. Elf began to load the homemade potato gun when Big John stopped him. No, wait. We need to stuff em first. Hand me a tablespoon of that leftover chili. He slit the zucchini with his pocket knife, slapped the chili in, then stuffed it into the barrel of the gun. Elf packed the rest of the chili into the other end of the tube. You got a light Big John? I cant find my lighter. No, I quit smoking. Big John replied proudly. Hold on, Ive got an idea. Elf cut a willow branch, tied a piece of string to each end, and set it aside while he carved a point on a dry stick. He split a dry branch for a fire board and began drilling steadily into it. Hurry Elf, theyre loading the gun now. I cant hurry this. It takes a certain oneness with the wood to bring a little coal to life with a bow drill. Its an ancient art. We dont have time for art. Elf carefully touched the flame from a little stick to the dripping chili at the rear of the tube. The chili ignited with a woosh, throwing Big John down backwards into Elf. The river erupted in a blinding flash of light, cracking the silent darkness with a deafening explosion. We got it! Elf, their gun is gone. Will you get off of me? All I see is mud.

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*** The fan in the office merely annoyed the stiff, hot air. The chair Richard sat in creaked when his relief walked in to work the graveyard shift. You ok, Richard? Big John asked. Richard rubbed remnants of the dream from his eyes. I cant see why you care so much, Big John added. Richard replied through the lingering dream, Can you imagine a soldier fighting without a homelandor a veteran hoping without a home?

*Some of our veterans (Calvin at far right) take down the flag

The Shelter Veteran program has been up and running for almost a year. The goal of the program is to empower veterans to live independantly, with dignity. During the past year, weve served 10 homeless veterans. Our case manager works individually with each veteran to develop a program that fits their needs. We connect each veteran with partner organizations throughout the San Luis Valley to help in job training, rehabilitation, assistance with finding work and assistance with veterans benefits. Last month, the American Legion dedicated the flag pole outside the shelter. Each morning the veterans at the shelter raise the American/ POW flags. If you know a homeless veteran in need, or wish to aid in the veterans program, please contact Richard Duarte at richard@hotmail.com.

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Alamosas Guatemalan Community

Lance Cheslock Executive Director
Lance spent part of July in Guatemala studying the history and culture of the Mayan natives.

Isabela is an amazing gem of a person. Her life is an epilogue in the story of the dozens of Guatemalans who, having fled the terror and poverty of the civil war in Guatemala years ago, passed though the doors of La Puente in search of political asylum. Isabelas story can be traced back to the early eighties, when a stream of indigenous Maya from Guatemala found their way to Alamosa and La Puente, They were part of a large influx of Guatemalans who made their home in the San Luis Valley during that time period. This unique culture of people have had a distinctive and significant impact in the Valleys economic and cultural life, with nearly 200 established families making the valley their home. Given La Puentes history and relationship with members of the Guatemalan community, I wanted to explore with you how they ended up here. Right from the start, I learned that the Guatemalan Mayas do not want to be referred to as Hispanic, as they quickly point out that their roots in Central America go back over 3800 years - millennia before the arrival of Spanish invaders. They prefer to be referred to as Mayan or indigenous. Within Guatemala, the 8,900,000 Maya are comprised of 21 separate tribes, demarked by both geography and individual Mayan dialects. The largest tribe is the Quiche, numbering 1,255,000. The Guatemalan Maya of Alamosa are predominantly Qanjobal, part of a small tribe (60,000) originating in the Cuchumatan Mountains of a tiny region of northwest Guatemala. The largest town and economic center of the area is Santa Eulalia, located in the heart of the sheer, rugged mountains, over 9 hours from Guatemalas capital. The regions economy is primarily agricultural, with the locals working small plots of land to grow corn and beans. The steep, rocky gardens are

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often located miles from inhabited villages, requiring long commutes on foot and rigorous hand labor to work the land. The current field workers wage is about one dollar an hour. This is the lot of the majority of the people there because they do not own any land. The poverty is extreme, yet culture and life conditions have formed a group of people with a robust work ethic and tremendous determination to better their lives. Back in 1980, Guatemala was in her 20th year of a vicious civil war. The indigenous Maya were having the rights to their land stripped from them by the affluent urban elite and the Guatemalan oligarchy. The ensuing clash was a losing battle for the Maya, who had no established system in place to title land that they had lived and worked on for dozens of generations, and little means to defend themselves. Altogether, the 36 years of war resulted in over 200,000 casualties and the destruction of over 400 Mayan villages. The war violence came to a crescendo in the 1970s, when the Guatemalan military received tens of millions of dollars of weapons and training from the United States. Amnesty International documented thousands of human rights abuses, with over 50,000 Maya *The steep slopes of Guatemala killed in that period, mostly civilians. The violence began to reach deep into Guatemalas rural highlands where the government sought to purge any community that was suspected of being anti-government or supportive of land reform. In July, 1982, government forces reached the communities surrounding Santa Eulalia, killing hundreds of Maya civilians, wiping out the Qanjobal settlements of Puento Alto and Barillos. This led to the exodus of many of those who had survived the government atrocities. Juana, Isabelas mother, grew up in Santa Eulalia. She had eloped with her sweetheart Francisco at age 13 after her mother had tried to sell her to another man who was looking for a wife. Soon Juana gave birth to her first born, a boy whom she and Francisco named Richard. Life was difficult for them, given the poverty and limited work in the Santa Eulalia community. Francisco could not make enough to support his new family just farming small plots of corn and wheat on the steep mountain slopes. He left his family behind for more lucrative work at the coffee plantations north of Santa Eulalia.

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In the months that passed, Juana struggled with the effects of poverty and suffered the loss of their son, Richard, while Francisco was away working. The tragedy deeply affected them. She and Francisco subsequently decided to leave Santa Eulalia, to work alongside one another picking coffee. During that period, their daughter Isabela was born. The year was 1982, and the civil war arrived at their doorstep. Francisco and Juana heard news of the killings in Puento Alto and Barillos, and learned that government soldiers were on their way to Santa Eulalia. Upon the news, they fled back and joined the community in praying to Saint Eulalia for protection. Stories are told of how the soldiers felt a mysterious cloud rushing around them as they marched towards the settlement, and a sense of foreboding warned them not to hurt the inhabitants. Santa Eulalia was indeed spared, and to this day the community celebrates an annual festival in honor of the saint.
*Tienda selling Mayan ceremonial provisions

With the heat of war around them, and the subsequent strangle of poverty, Juana and Francisco continued to fear for their lives. Feeling there was no other option, Francisco set off on a trek to enter into and cross Mexico, with the hope of securing safety and a job in the United States. His passage took him on foot through the Sonoran desert, passing near Nogales. Throughout his voyage, Francisco had heard of Colorados San Luis Valley, and how many who had traveled before him had found work at a mushroom farm. He set his sights northward and continued his strenuous journey. Exhausted, Francisco made it to Alamosa, and learned of La Puente. After recuperating from his odyssey, and getting outfitted with some clothing and basic necessities, Francisco started work at the Rahkra Mushroom farm. Soon he saved up enough to send for Juana and Isabela. His family was granted amnesty due to the circumstances of the war, and they made their home in Alamosa.

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Isabela grew up under the influence of her hard-working parents. She labored in the fields at age 11 cutting spinach, learned to drive her fathers truck at age 12, and continued working the spinach harvest to help support her family until she graduated from Alamosa High. Today, Isabela uses her gifts with children and her tri-lingual skills to teach at Jardin de los Nin a preschool in Alamosa that is also a welcoming place for other Guatemalan children. Her husband, Mateo, works at the mushroom farm. The Guatemalan war ended in 1996, when an armistice was signed. The flow of refugees stopped and a good number of Guatemalans returned home. Yet many families who had made their home in Alamosa stayed, and have evolved into a close-knit community. Numerous families still employment at the Rakhra Mushroom Farm. Over the years, Rakhra has grown to deeply appreciate the work ethic and important role the Guatemalan community plays in the success of the farm. Don Clair, an operational manager at Rakhra, told me that the vast majority of their 130 mushroom pickers are from Alamosas Guatemalan community. He couldnt speak highly enough of their sense of community, dedication, and the pride they take in their work. Indeed, said Don, they are one of the greatest assets that Rakhra has. It is well known that war spawns homelessness, either with the displacement of people in the specific geography of conflict, or the casualties who return home, like the countless veterans that come to La Puente. Yet, healing comes over time, although sometimes it spans generations. The Guatemalan community in Alamosa would not be here if it wasnt for the war. The violence and fear led to a great exodus, and at one point Alamosa struggled under the burden of the displaced refugees. Today, a generation later, the emergent Guatemalan community blesses us *Joyful youth of Guatemala with people like Isabela and her family. The warmth and beauty of their culture, the hard work ethic and strong sense of family strengthens us, and is reflective of many other stories of refugees and pilgrims who have enhanced Alamosa and our country.

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Shelter

Program Needs
Outreach Services
Desk calendars Office Supplies - Copy paper New Scanner - Toner for copier Fax machine - Cleaning supplies

Grocery Gift Card Work Gloves - Hats Shampoo - Baby Formula Aluminum foil - Canned goods

Milagros
Forks - New front door Coffee cups - Wireless mouses Keyboards and mouse pads Hand towels and wash cloths

Adelante Family Services

Scanner Washers and dryers - Gas cards Copier paper - Hanging file folders

Rainbows End
Mannequins - Clothing Racks Cash register - Storage containers Walkie talkies or intercom system

Volunteer Coordination & Community Education

First Aids Kits Weed Eater Frames for Milagros Art Professional display board Workgroup tools - Vehicle Safety Kits

community GARden
Large toolbox - New drip system Long Hoses - Lumber - Garden Tools

Food Bank
Kid friendly food Produce of any kind Cereal - Gas certificates Tomato product (diced or sauce)

Administrative Off ice

Office Supplies Copy Paper Pens Dry erase markers Locking file cabinet

PALS Childrens Program

T-shirt Sponsor Volunteer carpenter Funding for flooring Gas Gift Certificates Sponsors for field trips

*We are also in need of a reliable economy car. If you have one which you would like to donate, please contact us by phone, or e-mail: (719) 589 - 5909 info.lapuente@gmail.com

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The continuous support that La Puente receives from the extended community is what allows us to continue to serve those in crisis. We are very grateful for the time, money and generous donations that are received from near and far by all. If you are interested in becoming more involved in helping the La Puente community, consider these options. Any gift of stocks, property, or appreciated securities can be converted into services that feed and shelter people, and give you a full tax deduction.

Everyone has a gift to share...

Securities

Colorado Donors: Get the extra tax credit!

The State of Colorado has cut back on many Enterprise Zone Tax Credits, but La Puentes 25% tax credit support is still available. Your donation provides you with the traditional Federal and State tax deduction PLUS a 25% Colorado State Tax Credit. For example, if you were to donate $500, to La Puente through the Enterprise Zone, the Federal and Colorado State deductions would reduce your taxes by about $160, and the tax credit would reduce your taxes an additional $125! Thats nearly a $300 return to you for a $500 gift to us! Gifts must be at least $100 to qualify Make checks payable to Enterprise Zone Designate La Puente in the lower left-hand corner Mail it to us in the envelope provided Upon receipt of your donation, well mail you a receipt!

Please call our main office at 719 589-5909 with questions

Write a clause in your will or trust that identifies La Puente Home, Inc. as a beneficiary to any portion of your estate. This is a simple way to arrange for a significant gift in support of our mission, while leaving you in control of your assets during your lifetime.

Provide Food & Shelter as a Legacy

Its a safe and easy way to provide for all the people we serve! FALL 2011 29

*Donate online*

A Boys Prayer

Devin Forest Cornwall Community Education As a boy, he pretends to know nothing more than the emotional motives of Freddie Cruger. That and the migrating patterns of imaginary goldfish trapped inside tightly capped mason jars.
With a smooth, unblemished face, nails kept at a hygienic length, and defining, deep red hair, he is, as he proclaims, a good Freddie Cruger. His cereal is good Freddie Cruger food. And his mother and father are good Freddie Cruger people. And he promises, for a majority of the time, to do you no harm. But today, as I watch him staring into the busy street, his face pressed against the loosely fitted window screen, squashing his nose so that it lies flat above his lips, Im convinced that hes praying with his eyes open. Praying, for fear that if they closed, everything would go away. I imagine that he prays to anything, to anyone because hes scared. For, as far as I know, the land beyond the screen, the dirt, the cars, the people, the moutains stretching into the sky, are all hes ever known. And as I watch him, I wonder if, in all his youthful dayreams, he ever thought Freddie Cruger could be scared too.

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Show me the suffering of the most miserable; So I will know my people's plight. Free me to pray for others; For you are present in every person.

Prayer the Farm Workers Struggle

of

Help me to take responsibility for my own life; So that I can be free at last. Grant me courage to serve others; For in service there is true life. Give me honesty and patience; So that I can work with other workers. Bring forth song and celebration; So that the spirit will be alive among us. Let the spirit flourish and grow; So we will never tire of the struggle. Let us remember those who have died for justice; For they have given us life. Help us love even those who hate us; So we can change the world. - Cesar Chavez

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Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Alamosa, CO 81101 Permit No. 27

La Puente

P.O. Box 1235 Alamosa, CO 81101

719.589.5909 Check out our website and webstore: www.lapuente.net

Change service requested