Back to Honduras

Hello all. We will be finishing our language study today and heading back to Honduras next week. We're hoping to swing by the mountainous area of Coban on our way. It's one place we've not seen and famed for waterfalls, grottos, and cloud forest. I attended a lecture recently about the present state of things in Guatemala.To sum up it looks pretty dismal. There's a big chasm between the indigenous and ladino population, the government's weak and overly centralized (little local control), corruption is rife, legacies of a 36 year civil war persist (many of the peace accords have yet to be implemented), and population growth is the highest in Central America ( 4.4 kids per child bearing woman). Right now the drug traffickers control 40% of the country and and the murder rate is 6 times that of the US. The lecturer, an American woman who has lived here for 20 years, says she's more pessimisstic than ever. There are positives They have a free press and good reporting, many grass roots leaders are emerging, there are no political prisoners, there is freedom of religion, and women can own and inherit property. Big needs are education, especially of young women. So, lots to do. Lots to pray about. Jane and I both feel like we've made breakthroughs in Spanish. She's hoping to keep up studying with her professor using Skype. I know we'll be getting lots of practice over at the children's home and elementary schools. I read psalm 100 today. What a privilege we have. God is inviting us into His presence. He loves us! Think about it. Thank you all for your emails and prayers. You help keep us going. Hasta luego, Gilberto.