Hello Everyone,
We are back from Jutiapa and our visit with Jonathan and Aura Pappa. Last Wednesday was the orientation day of their new school which doesn't even have a name yet. For now, they will be teaching the children 5 years old to 15 years old on Thursday and on Friday the young adults. They are waiting for approval from the government to have school all week long. There were 20 to 25 kids that came on Thursday and on Friday we had around 30 students, mostly young adults, with several absent. The school right now is in a house that Jonathan's dad Mario owns. He is the pastor of Principe de Paz church in Jutiapa and is helping out by providing a home for the school. There are still a lot of unknowns. They have Luis who is a retired school teacher willing to help. But that's a lot of kids for three people to teach and Aura is having her baby in about two months. They have no chairs, no tables, no books, no supplies and they are borrowing the white board from the church. The chairs that they sat on were rented. We are praying and seeking God for ways to meet their needs.
We had a great time and I (Greg) taught the class on Friday morning. Julia did some interpreting (see picture) and also interpreted at church this morning. She did a wonderful job. One of the hearing ladies of the church, Mirna, stood up to give a testimony (in Spanish) and Julia interpreted. Well, she tried to interpret but it was difficult because Mirna talks faster than even the best interpreters can translate. Julia signed to the Deaf that it was just too fast for her and everyone started laughing because they all know that Mirna talks very fast.
On Friday night we were able to see a good friend of ours, Roberto, who is deaf. He told us that he has a new job and we were excited for him. Well, we were excited until he told us about his job. He works 12 hours a day, seven days a week, starting at 3:00 a.m. milking cows and then makes crema and cheese for the rest of the day and finishes by milking the cows again. He makes a whopping 32 cents per hour. The exploitation of the Deaf is sometimes hard to believe. He is one of the hardest workers I know in Guatemala.
Please continue to pray for us as we listen to the voice of God in helping the Deaf of this country. God has a marvelous plan and we are grateful to be a part of His work here in Guatemala.
Blessings,
Greg and Jeanette
