#473 our story

19th: The rains continue daily. A tree fell in our village killing a woman in her home. In San Lucas two miles from us a tree fell on 3 men sending them to the hospital. Trees are even falling in Guatemala City and land slides are blocking the road to Antigua. Schools nation wide are cancelled for two days.

It was this amount of rain last year that brought our wall down.

Guatemala is the number one country sending migrants to the USA with 211,000. Coffee prices have dropped from $2.20 per pound to 88 cents per pound since 2015. Thus the migrations.

Trees are falling everywhere because of the rain. It is predicted rain will continue for anothr wee


2/18/2003.  Today it took over 500 and a large group of soldiers to surround SAT which like the IRS in the USA and even more than that to protect two other agencies. It was announced that the government spends over 65% of their income on salaries which leaves little money for everything else it takes to operate an office. I was able to get to the lawyer’s office and hand deliver all of our paperwork to be incorporated. The phones are not working either. Now there is talk of a gasoline strike protesting the cost of fuel due to the Iraq problem.

2/19. Although it has been slow constructing the dorm for the high school & college dorm it appears we will be able to move the boys before I go to the states. I was so busy today as I brought a child to the courts; spoke with another judge about a problem child; met with the lawyer and finally exchanged money. The meeting with the first judge was the first time the Human Rights as well as the Procuduria were in any of my meetings. Driving back home it began to hail as hard as I have ever seen anywhere and the first time in Guatemala. When I arrived home Dottie kids everywhere making snow cones. A habit I developed is the going to each dorm and telling the children good-night. There are so many now.

2/20. I received terrible news as Lonnie one of the boys in my church back in Lake Charles passed away from complications with diabetes. His parents, Clayton and Sharon, have been friends of ours for many years and were very active in our school and in the church. Polly left for the states today. She was scheduled to leave yesterday but there was a problem with her visa. Brennen and Mandy are taking the responsibility of the school while Carlos and Polly are gone.