Today is Mother’s Day in Guatemala meaning all of our mothers on staff have the day off. The mothers who live here were treated to a meal here in our home.

Jim & Kate left today.

Kathy arrived to look after Donovan and Lissi’s dorm, Vencedores.

7/19/2001.  This was a hectic day as it began with government officials coming and taking the little 18 month old girl who was raped by her father. They took her for a DNA test. Then officials from the criminal court came to get a statement

from us as to what the little girl told us. Mayra had an emergency appendix surgery. The courts brought another 8 children. The North Carolina team gave beautiful t-shirts to every child. 

7/20. The fifth grade class went the entire week without one demerit so Dottie & I took them to San Cristobal for a treat. There are 27 fifth grade students. The container from Gulfport arrived at 9:15 and we unloaded it is an hour and fifteen minutes.

7/21. The NC team left at 4am. We spent most of the morning putting the items from the container in their proper place. At 9am the 30 new sets of bunk beds arrived so now all of the boys scheduled for Vencedore’s dorm have their own bed. Two teams arrived. Georgia and Indiana. The day became even busier when a beauty school from Guatemala City arrived with 50, yes 50!, students to cut the boy’s hair and do all the other things that are done for girls. Of course, this was the first time for many of the girls to experience this.

The bicycles were on the container as was the aluminum bed for the new truck.

7/22. The new walkway is in place as is the new storage building. The next group will attach the walls and roof. Today was visiting day and one of our staff members actually saw a mother trying to throw her baby over the wall to the father on the other side. They could have harmed this child or even killed it as our walls are very high. We told her to leave and two of our men had to physically remove her.

7/23. Dottie and I used 12 visitors to help us sort and wrap Christmas gifts. Even though the children will receive a bicycle or tricycle we are still giving them some other gifts. The containers make this possible as we can buy things so much cheaper in the USA. The courts sent us a family of 7 so we will have to but their bicycles here in Guatemala. Jerry tiled Dottie’s bedroom and Bill & Greg put the roof over the porch of the new dorm.