Susan and Richard were introduced, from the very beginning of their extended sojourns in Guatemala, to the reality that poverty breeds misery, starvation and disease. The last problem was brought home to them not only through observation but through direct experience. They personally suffered from a series of parasitic infections over the years as they continued to relieve the plight of others.

As outlined above from the time of their arrival in Guatemala they combined their educational project of "Planting Seeds" with acts of charity and immediate relief to help those they could. The feeding program, the orphanages and visiting the prisons were among the initial successes. While waiting to establish a preschool at The Dreamer Center, Susan worked in the kitchen preparing meals and two snacks for between 60 and 150 students a day.

Richard got involved with house building projects at the God's Child Project and taking teams to the orphanage "Seeds of Love" in Paramos to deal with much needed repairs.

Susan became despondent at the daily experience of walking the streets stepping over and around desperate homeless and starving people and was overwhelmed by the enormity of the problem. Finally she decided that while she could not help everybody she could help some. On weekends she would make batches of sandwiches and feed them to the city's homeless. Eventually her commitment grew until she was feeding 75 people twice a week. Richard went with her because the bags of sandwiches were too heavy for her to carry!





They also fed the homeless in an area behind the Antigua market where the homeless would crawl out of boxes and gasoline drugged children would emerge from hiding places to grab what they could. Then they went to the dump where human beings covered with disease and scars, would clamour out from under piles of garbage for the food. These people were very grateful for the means to stave off starvation and often blessed their benefactors.

Richard supported a plan to help the families in their area acquire high efficiency cook stoves that required 66% less wood than average. The main advantage was that it significantly reduced the high incidence of respiratory disease, caused by no venting in the houses to eliminate smoke.

In March, 2005, Dorothy Collins and John Weir of Ottawa, Ontario were working with Richard and Susan building furniture for the children of the Guatemala City dump. When they visited the project in Sacala Los Lomas, they immediately felt drawn to the community. When they heard of the dire water shortage facing the area they felt compelled to try and bring water to the area. Assisted by Ted Richardson of Cobden and Erik Marx of Palmer Rapids, they are spearheading a committee to get water for Sacala.





Since then they have had numerous meetings with the local community and their elected representatives. They have also financed a trip for a water expert from the University of Rolla in Missouri, who has worked in another community in Guatemala, to lend his expertise to a feasibility study for procuring a sustainable water system for the Sacala community.

The findings have been staggering! The cost of establishing a healthy sustainable water supply for the families in this mountainous community was first estimated to about $100,000 USD. This enormous amount has now ballooned to $150,000 USD but has not deterred the couple from carrying on with their mandate. They are determined to do their very best to improve the living conditions for the very special people of Sacala.

Also In 2005, Richard learned about a team of five dentists and one medical doctor from Calgary and Edmonton who traveled to Guatemala each year to provide free services to the poor. He arranged for them to spend one day of their annual visit treating the children and their family members served by Oneness. This is now a regular annual occurrence.

When Richard and Susan established the Community House of Service in Antigua, it became home for the volunteers coming to assist in the Planting Seeds projects, and many build homes with From Houses to Homes through the Oneness organization.

For years now when volunteers come from Canada to Guatemala, they carry their own belongings in one suitcase and carry a second bag jammed full with donated and purchased items necessary to support the projects of Oneness and its partners. They bring educational materials, basic medical supplies, clothing for the children at the dump, and uniquely important, shoes for the children who without them are subject to bacterial infections from the filthy ground they tread.

The most recent partnership was formed in April, 2011 with Horizons of Friendship, a Canadian based NGO which has projects throughout Mesoamerica. The vision of Horizons and Oneness is the same, and the partnership is truly a friendship to support and expand each other’s projects and provide sustainable care for Guatemalans.

For more details on Oneness achievements over the years and heart warming stories of people served and the obstacles overcome please see the section Newsletters.