We are back in Solola' at Nido del Aguila. Our flight was un-eventful except for the three hour delay in Houston because of storms. Once we returned we felt like we had hardly left.
Nido del Aguila is down to less than thirty children. Of the ones remaining, seventeen are not in the adoption process and their hope of getting a family in the US remains a hope but not much else. The Guatemalan government continues to forbid any adoptions outside Guatemala. A photo of the seventeen without families is enclosed. The oldest of these is Claudia, age 5, who is sitting next to Beverly. Claudia is holding our youngest, Angelito, who turned one month old today. Kenia who is in the chair in the back right is a special needs child and she will be three this month. She has a family interested in the US but we have not got the paperwork started yet. The remaining fourteen children are between 9 months and two years old. All these children are supported solely by donations from the US. We hope to get six more children as we certainly have the space and the manpower, but the increase will depend entirely on whether we have the financial resources to sustain the additional children. The children are so precious!
Another bright spot was Onoria's "promocion" from primary school to colegio. Onoria is eight years old, our only child beside Claudia over two years old. We attended as her "parents" and it was a delightful time. She attended a small Christian school,Nuestra Dia, here in Solola.
The crime in Guatemala is an ongoing problem. Guatemala has an "old west" flavor as law and order is sometimes taken into the hands of the citizenry. The day after we arrived, we went to the market in Solola. It was very crowded as usual. As Ron was pushing his way through a small group of small old indigenous women, it became a lot of pushing and shoving. When Ron broke free, he found that he had also been freed of his wallet, now apparently in the hands of one of those sweet grandmotherly types. It is a small comfort to know that grandma has a way to supplement her retirement.
In neaby Sn Jose Chacaya', one of the farmers noticed that his onion crop was not yielding what he thought it should. So he and his family started to keep a watch on th onion field at night. Two nights later, at about 11PM, they saw two men come into the field and started to harvest the farmer's onions. The farmer and his family confronted the two men who they discovered to be armed policemen from town. The policemen threatened the farmer with death among other things, but the farmer's family managed to get a coat from one the policemen before they left. The next day the farmer went into town with his neighbors and confronted the police and the mayor. After five hours of negotiating, the policemen agreed to pay the farmer Q5000 ( about $667) if the farmer would not press charges. Onions sell for about $100/sack from the field. It was a unique crime and resolution.
A more common resolution is the death of the alleged criminal at the hands of a vigilante mob. That happens several times every week here in Guatemala. Kidnapping is a particularly sensitive crime with the local populace.
Last week we had five days of strong north winds, sometimes gusting
to over 60 mph. It was chilly. The temperature actually dropped one night to 7 celcius. ( we know, it is still above freezing). Corn is raised by nearly every farmer in this area. It is not so much a cash crop but a crop that feeds and sustains the farmer and his family through the year. Corn is planted in May and is harvested in January. The corn is harvested after it dries on the plant as it will not then rot in storage. The corn at this time is still growing and the ears are still forming. The corn is eight feet tall and taller. Needless to say it did not do well in the strong winds of last week. It is estimated that the farmers lost about 25% of their crop; a very big loss indeed to their annual sustenance.
Christmas is not far away! The tree is already up in the central park. A lot of the merchants had decorations up before All Saints Day (Nov 1) With our heritage of northern winters, it is a little hard to reconcile to the weather and the beauty found here in November and December. Lots of plants in bloom, lots of birds and lots of insects. We guess we don't miss snowshoeing that much. We will work it out without snow
etc.
Lastly, we want to enclose a photo of Edy and his sister, Mayra. By the donations of Tom and Susan through the GCF, we have provided scholarships to them to attend a good Christian primary school this last year. The Guatemalan school year is from mid January to the end of October. Tom has already committed to support them for next year. Now is the time to support a child for next year. The cost is nominal, $25/month, for ten months starting in January. If you are interested, we need to know now so the school can plan for the additional student(s)
We also started spanish lessons again, but only three times a week. It seems that as we matured, our minds were coated with teflon and nothing sticks anymore. We pray this finds you well as we think of you often.
Que Dios los bendiga, Ron and Beverly
rk (over 12' long built to the scale of a finger) and they created the parting of the R
ed Sea. Ambitious undertakings indeed for man. The team then spent their last day here on a tour of Lake Atitlan and experienced firsthand the different cultures around the lake before they flew home. We really enjoyed having them here and they were a great encouragement to Pastor Nery.
e healthy. We had a birthday party this week for six children who have birthdays this month and last. For most of them, it was their first birthday. They got right into the cake!
is that with fewer children here, we are having to let some of the caregivers go. We pray for more sponsors to support more children. There are many children in Guatemala in need. That is why we are here and enjoy being here. 
