Friends in Mixco (neighborhood)

Marta works at the center in the laundry. She has had a run of misfortune and takes care of her younger sister, Beatrize. Beatrize nearly died from Meningitis at four and is now 45. Because of her ailments she stays in their modest rented home continuously.

Marta had three grown children. Her son was murdered four years ago in a case of mistaken identity. He drove a car similar to someone on the hit list of the Mara (local gangs). He had a good job, new wife and baby and was a devoted Church goer.
Shortly after his loss, her common law husband died of cancer/old age. Then her house
burnt down and she rented the current home. She pays about 500 Q a month which is
around $40.

Beatrize has a type of epilepsy and had insufficient funds for her medications. About a month
ago, she had a seizure while home alone. She is ok, but has a nasty scar on the brow above her left
eye.

Last week, I gave Marta some money for the medicine. When I saw the box of medication, the
price tag was 44Q or about $6.00 US. I'm not sure if the meds last two weeks or a month,
but needless to say, I was taken aback by the modest total cost.
They live in a neighborhood that was quite modest. I was eager to depart before sunset.
Please pray for Marta and Beatrize.

Sunset over the Capital!

Another beautiful day here. The weather is always the same: 60-75 degrees, mostly sunny , but a little bit cloudy. TV Weather people have and easy job- they only have to show up once a week.

Great weekend. Took some friends and some kids to play miniature golf. There were about 16 of us running all over the golf course. Tough to explain the rules, so we had a lot of fun just making a little progress. The older boys were frustrated because the amusement center also offered a go-kart course. Maybe I can arrange to take them when it is their birthday.

Moises was very cute. He ahd a lot of fun and managed to stay dry! The little rivers in the course caught many balls.

Slept last night with the guys at Fundaninos. They are really very well behaved. We all slept well and started the morning rituals at 4:45 am. Think we need to introduce revilie and some songs, but it was really cute. We watched a DVD and ate some "Chikies".

The sunrise here is great. The morning dew covers my car and the peace of the countryside is wonderful-

plj

OKAT

Extra Week Here.. God gave us a hand

Able to change the return date to USA till the 25th.

Amigos del otro lugar. Casa para ninos,

Lucas has a new hat or sun visor

As you can see, Lucas is very pleased with his new Lid.
He's a very nice young man with a lot of energy. The other fellow with the Baltusrol visor was not as photogenic. If you're interested, I'll send you that photo privately. Just send me a note and I'll get back to you with that pic.

A little bit goes a long way here. Mostly, these kids need love and attention from people. Many have a sense of God and make gestures supporting their faith. One woman was pleased with the ashes she received from a Priest on Ash Wednesday.

Update - dateline Friday 13

I ask your prayers fro the home for mentally handicapped youth here in Guatemala - I am working with them on a variety of needs. There are about 57 patients with very low intelligence and other physical problems. Though relatively well fed and housed, they have a myriad of needs. I have spent two days visiting with them. Very sweet and loving kids. I had some hats and a visor with with insignia from Baltusrol and I gave it to Lucas. Pray for assistance in working with the Guatemalan government. Understandably, they are concerned about any negative publicity and inexperienced in working with private charities and private philanthropies.

Secondarily, I ask for prayers for Williams the nearly blind son of one of the employees of the home. He is 8 and the most loving little boy. Difficulties at his birth have left him nearly blind. He has one eye that works a bit and when he pressed it up to the glass of my iphone pics, he was very happy. He proceeded to take several photos of his hands and feet, so I really don't know what he can see. He loves music and has excellent hearing. His parents and he enjoyed their first McFlurry yesterday and they are really wonderful people.

I spent half the day with Williams family driving around Guatemala City looking for fabric. His Mom, Hilda, was unfamiliar with the seatbelt of a small Chevrolet. She has been on the bus or in very old cars for so long.

We ended up in the garment district and purchased two bolts of sweatshirt fabric (tela). She sews the pants for the patients at the Centro and they wear them out quickly. Some kids are not real rough on them, but others have aggressive neurological conditions and can destroy an outfit or two per day. About twenty five percent of them are completely incontinent and require continued care. Though I brought a hundred pounds of used clothing, I had made the mistake of acquiring some infant clothing. The smallest patient/guest is five years old. The infant clothing was appreciated by a staff member. They earn about $150 per month and have significant needs as well.

Great to be back and see these very special children and adults. Because of their

profound disabilities, I am reluctant to document much of limitations. The

One of our hosts

One of the kids... Very nice boy...

Trece

hunger strike from La Prensa

Two women who made hunger strike in front of the National Palace to demand the appearance of their daughters smaller than had been robbed today said them to have recognized during a diligence in the General Office of the judge advocate general of the Nation (PGN). Ana Field of broom and Olga Lopez ended their uninformed one and went today to the PGN to verify if some of the children who would show to them there were his. The minors were found and put to disposition of that institution after a levelling the Saturday last in a house she cradles clandestine in zone 9. Field of broom said indeed that, was its Zulemita daughter there, to whom they snatched it in March of 2007, and that it recognized thanks to spots that the girl has. Olga Lopez also said to recognize its small Suly Amaryllis, that not known robbed it when as soon as it was 37. Although the women protested like hers to the two minors, the PGN did not allow the encounter because the legal process not yet has been clarified. In order to guarantee fehacientemente that Ana and Olga have found their daughters, the test of the DNA to order will be due to practice of a court of minors.

How are the kids doing now that there is less MONEY

from the US Adoption industry?

Typical US Story - Heavy on annectdotal commentary

Light on substantive policy content. Totally APPROPRIATE! I understand and appreciate all coverage. It's the human element that makes the story so very compelling. Each baby is precious and their families are so important; here and there. 4000 such stories last year... WHATSNEXT?

http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/featr/content/features/stories/2008/04/13/Adopt.html


"They are just about ready to give up.

Blair and Gary Miller have a real desire to adopt a little girl from China. They already have done it once: Connelly, now 5, was adopted in 2003.

But if the seemingly endless backlog in Chinese adoptions continues, the Rocky Mount couple could be looking at a five- to 10-year wait before they hold the new child in their arms, Blair Miller said. The wait is just too long for the Millers, who have two biological children in addition to Connelly."

he Millers knew about programs with other countries, but they wanted Connelly to have a sibling from China who she could better relate to, Miller said. Having started the paperwork for a second adoption in February, it now seems easier to be content with the three children they have rather than start all over with another country.

"Knowing the type of life that we have given our daughter and thinking about where she started in an orphanage, it is absolutely heartbreaking knowing how we could change another child's life and that it is not going to happen," Miller said.

Officials in China say the delays are due to staff shortages, major changes to their adoption law in 2007, that there are fewer orphans for Americans to adopt because Chinese citizens are being encouraged to adopt domestically and people from other countries are waiting as well, Johnson said.

In Russia, a decrease in adoptions followed a shift in the responsibilities of certain ministries and the implementation of a new procedure requiring private groups to register, Johnson said. Things are slowly getting back to normal in there.

There have been short-term moratoriums in the Ukraine, and one in Nepal for almost a year, Johnson said. Slowdowns in countries such as South

Guate News Adoption

Adoption problems in other countries

From..."The Associated Press

The slowdown affecting adoptions from China coincides with unrelated complications in several other countries that have been major sources of adopted children for American parents. Some examples:"

This is about adoption in general and mention Guatemala prominently-

"-GUATEMALA: Irregularities and suspected fraud have cast a cloud of uncertainty over many of the 2,900 pending U.S. adoptions from Guatemala, which is the second-largest source of adopted children - after China - for the United States. The State Department on April 1 advised potential adoptive parents not to initiate new adoptions from Guatemala."

A bit simplistic, but

and"

"RUSSIA: Laws affecxcvjhzxczxzxczxcting refer to oriinal article s by foreighljklhners have become stricter, while Russia has been trying to expand domestic refer to oriinal article . Last year, XYZZY,310 Russian children were adopted by Americans, down from a peak of 5kjhxzc865 in XYZZY00hkj4.

-VIETNAM: Renewed U.S.,nnzx concern about possible baby selling, fraud and corruption - and same fears that led to suspension of Vietnamese refer to oriinal article s from XYZZY003 to XYZZY005 - are again holding up visas for some babies adopted in Vietnam. and U.S. embassy has confirmed more than a dozen problematic cases, and Vietnamese refer to oriinal article officials have said roughly XYZZY0 American families are affected.

-KAZAKHSTAN: Officials of Kazakhstan, and eighth-largest supplier of adopted children to and U.S. in XYZZY007, informed and State Department last month that it was reviewing its refer to oriinal article process and would suspend its normal handling of applications during and review."

http://www.kansascity.com/440/story/568533.html