Dear Friends,
I am sitting here at the table writing this on my trusty Laptop, in Oregon. Yes I am back. There is too much to tell and too little space in this blog. I will do my best to spare you from the minutia.
My last voyage overseas consisted of:
- Repairing and upgrading the children's home
- Negotiating the use of an additional acre for gardens and fruit trees
- Interviewing and hiring staff (house parents and support staff)
- Moving our house parents into the home
- Expanding the Dominican board of directors
- Finding free schooling and health care in San Marco for our future children
- Putting in place a property search (by Dominicans) for a cash flow vacation property*
- Seeing the garden planted with about a quarter acre of yucca, available for our use
- Taking a small break in our work to help Angel and Jose get medical attention
I want to introduce Angel (Alex) and Elizabeth (De Rosarro Gomez) Raman. They are a young couple responsible for the administration of the sustainable children’s home project. Alex is a carpenter by trade, and a young pastor (27).
Elizabeth (24) is a school teacher and community child worker, thought hey have no children of their own. I met this couple about a year ago and have been praying about them since then. I knew that I needed to get to know them if we were going to be working together so… I spent quality time with them and their families. I ate at Alex’s parent’s home and got the low-down from his uncle, sisters and cousin. Alex is a stubborn idealist… that was the gist of the conversation. I met Elizabeth’s family at her home.(her mother was off collecting firewood in the forest and praying on the mountain).
When she returned she made coffee for me and we sat together. Later that day Alex and I travelled to the countryside to meet his grandmother. She was an amazing woman who loves her grandson. We ate again (pork skin-yum- and coconut milk). Later that day we went swimming in the river with the cattle and people washing clothes.
Here is one thing to keep in mind… We pay no salaries of any kind. We have no financial obligations of any kind because our model of project development is… “Sustainable!” This means that we partner with people and organizations.
Take care,
Shane
