September 24, 2000
Family and friends,

Greetings from Guatemala!
Since we start language school tomorrow, we thought we would send off a letter before it gets too busy.

In spite of hurricane warnings in Miami and reports of flooding in Guatemala, the flight was very smooth and we arrived safely in Guatemala city. Flying into this city at dusk is one of the most breathtaking sights I have ever seen - the volcanoes rising out of the mist with the city lights below. We are excited to be back here.

On the plane we met a lady who was so hospitable to us. Right away she gave us her card and told us if we were ever in Guatemala city and we had a problem or we were in trouble to call her. She told us Guatemala is a very dangerous city and sometime we may need help. Her family has bodyguards around the clock and goes to work and school in an armed car. Several years ago her father was kidnapped and tortured for two months. Their family has never been the same. Her mother suffers a nervous condition and her sister never goes out of the house. They see little daylight because they go from the house to the car, which has dark windows.

And now for a "funny" coincidence, this woman has been a clown for the same number of years I have. When we are finished language school, she has invited us to her house for dinner and she will take me to the hospital to clown with her. The public hospitals are very scary here. People go there to die, but she says no matter how sick the children are they love to see a clown. She finds it very hard not to cry in front of them.

The Volunteer Missionary Movement co-coordinator met us at the airport. When we went to get our bags two of them were missing. She took us to the convent of the Sisters of Saint Francis. They were very kind and gave us room and board for the night. At 9:00 p.m. we had to go inside because they were letting the guard dogs out of their cages. They were mean looking German shepherds. They take their job very seriously, immediately pacing all around the roof and barking over the edge. Woke up at 5:00 a.m. to the guard dogs barking and the sound of firecrackers. When I went to make the bed, it was full of little bugs. Welcome back to Guatemala!!!!!!!

We had a good breakfast with the sisters ( beans, eggs and ham) and then went to the airport to retrieve our lost luggage.

We then went to the God's Child Project to meet with Patrick Atkinson. He is a true man of vision, who has created an oasis of beauty and peace, surrounded by violence, poverty and filth. The dreamer center, which he has built, is beyond imagination. It is a place where the poorest of the poor have an opportunity to receive free medical services, free schooling, participate in sports, be fed when they are hungry etc.- the list of their services is endless. The
people are made to feel welcome and are treated with dignity and respect.

There are 12 paid staff, 8 of which are Guatemalans who have gone through the program. The doctor who heads up the clinic was a shoeshine boy, who was kicked out of his house at the age of 5. Patrick found him under a park bench, sleeping there at night and shining shoes in the daytime. He told Patrick that one day he wanted to become a doctor. The God's Child Project has made that happen.

Presently, there are only two full time volunteers at the project. There is a young couple who are also members of the Volunteer Missionary Movement. There are many short-term volunteers from all over the world. What an enriching experience! We had an opportunity to visit the areas that the dreamer center serves. The four-wheel drive could barely drive on the roads because of the huge ruts. We were surrounded by garbage, filth, and starving wild dogs. Freddy, who was driving us around told us there were eight gangs in the area in which we were. There were 5 murders in the last week. When we went to turn the car around it stalled. Freddy said we did not have to worry because everyone in the area knows him, and that he works at the project to help people. For us it had to be an act of faith. Finally the car started and we drove down the most awful unimaginable roads. He wanted to take us to a local lookout where you can see all of Antigua, but had to phone the police first to get security for us.

In the afternoon, I visited a preschool program. It was very basic and very teacher directed, but the children were happy because it was very special compared to what they had at home. I hope and pray that I get to work with these young children. They are really something! Richard spent the afternoon with the older children. He said the curriculum and the behaviour management was brutal, but again the children were very glad to be there. He is torn whether to help out with the school or do construction. Time will tell. Patience is something you really have to develop down here.

I was walking by a bush the other day and just brushed it with my arm. My whole arm instantly felt like one giant bee sting and was all swollen and red. I did some therapeutic touch and Reiki treatments on it and it cleared up in a couple of days.

Richard got his shoes shined by a teenage boy on the street last week. He looked like he had had some very bad falls and he was obviously developmentally delayed. He told us he had epilepsy and could not afford the medication. The workmen on the streets just stopped and stared at him and laughed at the stupid gringos for letting this disreputable looking person shine our shoes. After Richard paid him, he put out his hand, which was covered in shoe polish, to shake hands. When I gave him my hand, he raised it to his lips and kissed it. It was hard because all the sores on his face were oozing and I was afraid I might catch impetigo or something, but there was no way 1 could say no. It is time for us to walk the talk! It feels good to be with our Guatemalan family again. They were so happy to see us, and gave us such a warm welcome. The weather is great, though it rains every afternoon. Our hostess is an excellent cook, and though we eat very little meat, we are well fed. We have had a few cold showers, but not as many as last time.

The country is in very bad shape. The government that was elected four months ago is even more corrupt than the previous one. They have spent as much money in four months as the last one did in four years. The new government is planning to change the constitution in January. Who knows what they will do? The people are helpless. They are too afraid to rise up because of all the horrible massacres that happened last time they stood up for themselves. The U.S. military is sending in troops to train the Guatemalan army. It is incomprehensible!

In spite of all the horrendous things that are happening down here, it is a country of indescribable beauty and warm and loving people. We are happy to be here and hope that we can help in some small way. In any event we are going to try. Love to everyone in our wonderful free country of Canada.

In Christ's Love,
Susan and Richard
P.S. It is hard to believe after reading this letter, we have only been here one week!