Casa de Sion

Our orphanage teacher Neftali has gotten most of the city children in school out here at the lake. The children are gradually adjusting from city life to country life. T Atitlanhey now have two acres of grass to play on. The little ones adjusted pretty quick.
On Tues. Two nurses and 4 med students from the hospitalito in Santiago came out to the orp to visit and possibly volunteer. Also with them was an another American, a man who also has a nursing degree, experience with special ed and administrative experience. He lives in San Pedro Atitlan. He has been wondering around Guatemala for the last couple of months looking for somerthing to sink his teeth into. He settled on us today. He will live in a bedroom in our storage house and work with Neftali and the preschool with alot of his help going to my adopted downs son. He will be at the orp to help us get our staff better organized. The two nurses were a big help as we have now 5 or 6 kids with health issues. One of the nurses has known our 16 month Abrama since birth as she has seen him go in and out of the hospital. She did not know he now lived at the orphanage. As a matter of fact, she said she was surprised he was still alive. The last she saw him he was living with his parents. I showed her that he could walk with help for several steps, that his belly was no longer so distended and that the flatness of his head was much improved. She was very impressed.
Yesterday the pump went out at the hogar. No cooking, no functioning bathrooms--bad news! With our limited electrical experience we guessed it was a fuse and went into Santiago for another one. One the way we came upon a wreck along the windinng road that surrounds the lake. It appeared that a crazy kid was trying to pass on a blind curve and slammed headon into a mimivan being used as a taxi for the local Indians. The cars appeared totalled. Numerous injuries to the Mayans in the back of the minivan. One woman was stuck in that van. Just as we were ready to truck a few of the injured to the hospitalito, the bomberos showed up. All the roads in Guatemala are dangerous because the drivers have few rules and there are no traffic policemen. Chicken buses are notorious for flying around turns with a "I'm bigger than you are attitude." The woman who had devoted the last 10 years of her life to a program called "Safe Passage" was killed two weeks ago by a chicken bus that hit her driver head on. We always drive slow and defensively.
Tonight Harvey, our wonderful friend from Orphan resources brought out the last big truck load of stuff from the city orphanage. We have gotten many wonderful donations from people in the city. I will be sorry to see them end.
Tomorrow jody and I go to San Marcos for a morning off from the orphanage and our kids. I am looking forward to it.
Vicki
http://www.safehomesforchildren.org