Living in Guatemala

Back in the 1940's your Grampie Wayne spent some of his pre-school life in Guatemala. He doesn't remember the name of the town but he thinks it may have been Guatemala City. Here he is in a hammock with his Mom and his two brothers (Carlin on the left and Joel in the middle).

They went to Guatemala to share the Good News of the gospel of Jesus with the people and so they had to learn Spanish. While missionaries in that country, Grandma and Grandpa Buza learned to love Guatemala and its people -- a love that endured for the rest of their lives.

While in Guatemala your grandfather and his Mom became very ill from amoebic dysentery. So ill, in fact, that the doctor said the only hope for them was to move back to a cold climate. Today, of course, there are medications to cure it.

Travel to and from Guatemala for them was by road, across Mexico and through the mountains. The trip from Guatemala to Illinois was a long and hard journey. Grandma told me that on that trip she was afraid that her little boy was going to die. There were times when she held her hand in front of his face trying to feel his breath to see if he was still alive. She and Grandpa prayed, asking the Lord to spare their son.

Of course God spared him because He already had a plan for him to be YOUR grandfather! God is SO good -- all the time.