A New Year Coming!

School is out for this year. The first year of the primary school at Nido del Aguila has ended. School starts again in Mid January. The transition in moving the school to Nido was taxing on students, parents and staff,but everyone believes that it was well worth the effort. Next year they plan for 90 primary school students plus they plan to extend the school into the higher grades, seven through nine. The extra effort by all has paid off and they have a solid base from which to expand. Praise God for His many Blessings!

Our six scholarship recipients all finished the year, some with more academic achievement than others. We have the grade reports for all six, complete with photos in an pdf format. If you would like to see the grade reports for Edy, Mayra, Rodin, David, Dennis and Esdras, drop us a note and we will e-mail them to you. These children were introduced in our last posting.

Although this last year was the first year that the government actually paid some of the child's expenses in public schools, the government does not pay any of the childrens' expenses in the private schools. At the primary level, the cost is about $450 for each student for the year at Nuevo Dia, our school. The cost is higher for the higher grades. We "awarded" six scholarships of $250 each last year which paid about 60% of the parents cost for their child. We would like to sponsor scholarships for four primary level children and a couple at the jr. high level.

We also donated $2500 this Fall for school equipment and teacher's supplies for the next year.
It is not a lot of money but it is a tremendous encouragement and has a great impact of those who receive the benefits, the students, parents and staff. Would you like to help sponsor a child next year for $250 or more? Your donation can be made in several payments over the year. Or a one time gift to help build the school and supply the teachers? We accept your tax deductible gifts of any size, anytime. Tell us how you want to direct your gift.

We are not likely to return to Guatemala and Nido del Aguila as Beverly's health is poor. However we were blessed to help at Nido del Aguila for the three years we were there. Now two full time younger couples have come to Nido del Aguila to help, Pedro and Feliz Patlan, and Lee and Angel Radford and their children. With their presence, the outreach of Nido del Aguila has a new and strong vitality. The school, Nuevo Dia, is only a part as we all are only a part of God's design.
God Bless you all,
Ron and Beverly

Scholarships and more( or less)

Thanks to your generosity, we have a total of seven "becas" scholarships in three different families. All these students attend Nuevo Dia Primary school. Each family lives in the community of Solola. In yellow is Esdras, age 6 in kindergarten. His older brother, David, age 8 is in grade 2 and is the young man on the right in white. His other older brother, Oseas, age 9 is in third grade (no photo). Their father is Carlos Lebon.
Denis, in orange, is age 4 and in pre-kindergarten. His older brother is David, age 8 in grade 2 and on the left of the two young men in white. Their father is Pedro Lebon. Pedro and Carlos are brothers.


Our scholars from last year continue attending school with our support. They are Edy Hom, age 9 in grade 3( in white with glasses) and his sister, Mayra, age 6, in grade 1. Their father, Mario Hom works across Lake Atitlan in Santiago driving truck during the week.

The first quarter ends just before Holy Week so we should have an update on their grades shortly after Easter. Nuevo Dia has 86 students enrolled. Plans are on track to move the school to Nido del Aguila during Holy Week.


The disappointing news is that Beverly's health continued to deteriorate, so we packed it up and came home this week. She is struggling with several problems, all of which could become chronic. So it is best to address the problems here in the U.S. We want to return to Nido this Fall, but we are not in control. Our hope is in Christ. Please pray for God's healing touch for Beverly.

Que Dios les bendiga,

Ron and Beverly

Nuevo Dia II

We arrived back at Nido del Aguila on January 13, about the same time the new school year started here. Our "new" school is Nuevo Dia a Nido del Aguila. Last year the school had 55 students in grades pre-kindergarten to 6th. Now we have 86 students, about 15 in each of six classes with six teachers, pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first grade, second grade, 3-4 grades and 5-6 grades. Everyone, students, parents, teachers, are enthusiastic about the school coming to Nido del Aguila. Unfortunately, we will not be able to make the move until about Easter. The church building is not finished enough yet to conduct classes in the lower level. Thus the school is crammed into the exisiting building being rented in Solola. See how little room the 2nd grade and 3-4grades classes have.
The new school facility will be a great improvement in which the children can learn. We have funds for scholarships for six students thanks to your generosity. The school needs "scholarships" for a couple teachers. Four teachers were in the budget, but the school needed six teachers because of an almost even distribution of children in all the class levels. Of course the school is also seeking help in providing supplies, materials and equipment for the teachers in the new building. You can send a tax deductible donation to Nuevo Dia by sending your donation to the Goldendale Christian Fellowship.
Spring Arbor University in Michigan brought two groups of college students this year for a three week culturalization. Each group spent several days at Nido del Aguila, visiting Solola, and the surrounding area. We have also re-established contact with two other outreaches in the area, Solomon's Porch in Panajachel and Vinya Studios in Solola. Such a delight!
Hope continues for the children's home. The Guatemala government has proposed a pilot program for foreign adoptions, yet they have not said when or how they will implement it. Also we continue to press to get certified as a children's home. The final steps of the certification process appear to be within sight. We have 12 children now, the oldest four are school age.
We brought our 16 year old grand daughter, Rachael, with us. She is enrolled in an online school accredited through the Stevenson-Carson School Dist in Washington. This way, Rachael stays abreast of her high school studies. Rachael also meets a couple times a week with Rosie, one of the teachers at Nuevo Dia who is staying at Nido del Aguila. Rosie wants to learn English and Rachael is learning Espanol. Lots of giggling.
Beverly is still struggling with health issues so while we hope to return here later this year, the question remains open. We do plan to return to Goldendale the week after Easter.
May God bless you and keep you.
Ron and Beverly