Monday, August 31, 2009
In the future we plan to ship donated goods to La Palma in a different way. There is a program called the Denton program which uses Air Force space available to ship humanitarian goods overseas. It would ship at no cost to us other than purchasing or building the boxes and hauling them to a warehouse near Little Rock, AR. The boxes would look similar to the one in the photo. They are about 4'wide by 7' long by 7' high. They seem small but they hold a lot of stuff. See http://dentonfunded.ohasis.org/AboutDenton.htm for information.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Honduras: OAS Foreign Ministers Visit, Get Nowhere – 25 August 0900
A delegation of Organization of American States (OAS) foreign ministers visited Tegucigalpa yesterday but failed to move the interim government to restore ousted president Manuel Zelaya. The delegation included foreign ministers of Argentina, Canada, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico and Panama, and was accompanied by OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza.
The effort is backed by Washington, but tepidly. The Obama administration, while condemning Zelaya’s ouster, has noted that he had taken “provocative” actions prior to being removed, and has said that it is not considering economic sanctions against the interim government.
The OAS is continuing to endorse a plan proposed by Costa Rican president Oscar Arias to return Zelaya to power, albeit with limited authority, but, with the United Sates softening its support for Zelaya’s return, the interim government has little incentive to reverse its position. With the next presidential election drawing ever closer, the chances for the reinstatement of the leftist former president grow slimmer by the day.
A delegation of Organization of American States (OAS) foreign ministers visited Tegucigalpa yesterday but failed to move the interim government to restore ousted president Manuel Zelaya. The delegation included foreign ministers of Argentina, Canada, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico and Panama, and was accompanied by OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza.
The effort is backed by Washington, but tepidly. The Obama administration, while condemning Zelaya’s ouster, has noted that he had taken “provocative” actions prior to being removed, and has said that it is not considering economic sanctions against the interim government.
The OAS is continuing to endorse a plan proposed by Costa Rican president Oscar Arias to return Zelaya to power, albeit with limited authority, but, with the United Sates softening its support for Zelaya’s return, the interim government has little incentive to reverse its position. With the next presidential election drawing ever closer, the chances for the reinstatement of the leftist former president grow slimmer by the day.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Dear Friends,
We are still waiting. The paperwork is at the White House and is to go to customs today. Again, I asked the consulate to try to get it expedited. This has been terribly frustrating.
I hope to get a chance to preach to some of these beaurocrats about how badly God hated it when the poor were oppressed, and how Jesus will judge us according to how we treat those less fortunate than we are (Matt 25).
Please continue praying. God bless you,
Ralph
We are still waiting. The paperwork is at the White House and is to go to customs today. Again, I asked the consulate to try to get it expedited. This has been terribly frustrating.
I hope to get a chance to preach to some of these beaurocrats about how badly God hated it when the poor were oppressed, and how Jesus will judge us according to how we treat those less fortunate than we are (Matt 25).
Please continue praying. God bless you,
Ralph
Monday, August 24, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
The update on the container shipment: One more signature to go, and that should happen on Friday. We are making arrangements to transfer the admin funds for the release.
We are planning on distributing lots of this stuff during the September trip! Will we make it?
Dates to remember:
September 4 - group of 5 travels to La Palma
September 8 - group of 5 travels to La Palma
September 12 - group of 3 returns from La Palma and a group of 6 travels down
September 16 - group of 5 returns from La Palma
September 19 - group of 8 return from La Palma
September 26 - Picnic at the park in Monett for all interested persons - welcome to come and enjoy.
We are planning on distributing lots of this stuff during the September trip! Will we make it?
Dates to remember:
September 4 - group of 5 travels to La Palma
September 8 - group of 5 travels to La Palma
September 12 - group of 3 returns from La Palma and a group of 6 travels down
September 16 - group of 5 returns from La Palma
September 19 - group of 8 return from La Palma
September 26 - Picnic at the park in Monett for all interested persons - welcome to come and enjoy.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
When you don't have a table to color on, well, you use your chair!
"Here is a line from an email from the US Consulate in Chicago: Today we spoke with Mr. Cativo from customs and he informed us that the presidential exemption was being filed by Rotarios International, and that he was sure that all taxes will be withdrawn."
Things are moving, but certainly without any urgency. God bless you, Ralph
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Yuvonia is a teacher--she never stops being a teacher! Here she works with her sposored child in a learning session.
The containers are now being processed for release. There are a few more documents that have to be signed, and some examination of the lists of items. I am told that everyone agrees to the terms and it is a "matter of time".
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
I know who this is, but I have no idea what his signal means. Maybe it was a modified "time out", to indicate that he was tired of working!
The paperwork on the containers is moving again. Rotary is to sign it today and send it to Customs. Say this prayer or one like it: "Please God, let the containers be released and roll up the hill so the people of La Palma can get some needed items for health, comfort, and education!"
God bless you,
Ralph
Monday, August 10, 2009
Oh, how I hoped tonight to write that the containers were released today. Can't do it. The El Salvadoran government went back to work today after a summer vacation, and we hoped that the paperwork would be completed to transfer the goods to Rotary International, a fine organization which has the proper registration and duty free authorizations for importing donations. It appeared that everything would be OK. Sometime during mid-day time frame there was a bomb threat at the headquarters building. Of course, they had to evacuate and send everyone home. In the excitement, one lady had a heart attack and died. AND, the paperwork is delayed again--just when I thought all excuses had been used up!!! "It ain't over 'till it's over!!"
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Honduras Update: Pro-Zelaya Demonstrations Continue, but on Small Scale – 7 August 0900
Leftists continue to rally on behalf of the restoration to power of deposed president Manuel Zelaya. The protests are not sufficiently large or zealous to alter the political equation, but they should be given the widest possible berth by personnel.
Yesterday, up to 5,000 pro-Zelaya demonstrators rallied peacefully outside the US Embassy in Tegucigalpa, shouting “Obama, the people acclaim you” but urging Washington to step up its efforts to restore Zelaya to power. A smaller, angrier crowd gathered outside the residence of Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez, an outspoken foe of Zelaya, denouncing him as a coup backer.
Also, shots were fired at workers outside a child welfare agency in the capital who have been striking on Zelaya’s behalf; there were no injuries. Some health workers and teachers also have been striking to demand Zelaya’s restoration to power, and striking meteorologists have disrupted air traffic at Tegucigalpa’s Toncontin International Airport.
Meanwhile, a reasonably small band of Zelaya supporters are marching to the capital from the Pacific coast.
Yesterday’s demonstration outside the US Embassy was friendly, despite the US State Department’s apparent softening of support for Zelaya. In a letter dated Tuesday to Senator Richard Lugar, the ranking Republican on the Foreign Affairs Committee, a State Department official, although condemning Zelaya’s 28 June ouster, noted that he had taken “provocative” actions prior to being removed. The official also stated that the Obama administration was not considering economic sanctions against the government of Interim President Roberto Micheletti, and that it was looking for a resolution that best serves the Honduran people and their democratic aspirations.
The Organization of American States (OAS) is continuing to endorse a plan proposed by Costa Rican president Oscar Arias to return Zelaya to power, albeit with limited authority, and is expected to send a delegation to Honduras next week to meet with local officials.
The interim government, however, continues to oppose Zelaya’s reinstatement, and has little reason to change this stance in the absence of pressure from Washington. It appears to be seeking an agreement that would move up the date of the next presidential election, which currently is scheduled for November. Micheletti also appears to be prepared to resign and turn over the reins of government to another person, perhaps a judge acceptable to both sides, and his government may be willing to abrogate the arrest order against his leftist predecessor.
Elvin Santos, the presidential nominee of the center-left Liberal Party, on Wednesday dissociated himself from the events surrounding Zelaya’s ouster, calling the decision to expel Zelaya from the country a huge mistake. Santos, however, stopped short of condemning the former president’s removal from power.
There has been growing criticism in Honduras of the generals’ decision to expel Zelaya from Honduras, rather than simply following the Supreme Court’s mandate to arrest him. Five leading generals Tuesday night went on television to explain that they had not staged a coup, but had merely acted in defense of the constitution by putting a stop to the former president’s plan to impose on the country “socialism disguised as democracy.”
Santos, Micheletti and Zelaya all belong to the Liberal Party, though Santos and Micheletti long have been at odds with Zelaya over his decision to join Chavez’s Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (Spanish acronym: ALBA), and it has been clear for some time that Honduras’s next elected president, whether he be Santos or Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo, the nominee of the center-right National Party, almost certainly would lead the country out of the alliance.
Leftists continue to rally on behalf of the restoration to power of deposed president Manuel Zelaya. The protests are not sufficiently large or zealous to alter the political equation, but they should be given the widest possible berth by personnel.
Yesterday, up to 5,000 pro-Zelaya demonstrators rallied peacefully outside the US Embassy in Tegucigalpa, shouting “Obama, the people acclaim you” but urging Washington to step up its efforts to restore Zelaya to power. A smaller, angrier crowd gathered outside the residence of Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez, an outspoken foe of Zelaya, denouncing him as a coup backer.
Also, shots were fired at workers outside a child welfare agency in the capital who have been striking on Zelaya’s behalf; there were no injuries. Some health workers and teachers also have been striking to demand Zelaya’s restoration to power, and striking meteorologists have disrupted air traffic at Tegucigalpa’s Toncontin International Airport.
Meanwhile, a reasonably small band of Zelaya supporters are marching to the capital from the Pacific coast.
Yesterday’s demonstration outside the US Embassy was friendly, despite the US State Department’s apparent softening of support for Zelaya. In a letter dated Tuesday to Senator Richard Lugar, the ranking Republican on the Foreign Affairs Committee, a State Department official, although condemning Zelaya’s 28 June ouster, noted that he had taken “provocative” actions prior to being removed. The official also stated that the Obama administration was not considering economic sanctions against the government of Interim President Roberto Micheletti, and that it was looking for a resolution that best serves the Honduran people and their democratic aspirations.
The Organization of American States (OAS) is continuing to endorse a plan proposed by Costa Rican president Oscar Arias to return Zelaya to power, albeit with limited authority, and is expected to send a delegation to Honduras next week to meet with local officials.
The interim government, however, continues to oppose Zelaya’s reinstatement, and has little reason to change this stance in the absence of pressure from Washington. It appears to be seeking an agreement that would move up the date of the next presidential election, which currently is scheduled for November. Micheletti also appears to be prepared to resign and turn over the reins of government to another person, perhaps a judge acceptable to both sides, and his government may be willing to abrogate the arrest order against his leftist predecessor.
Elvin Santos, the presidential nominee of the center-left Liberal Party, on Wednesday dissociated himself from the events surrounding Zelaya’s ouster, calling the decision to expel Zelaya from the country a huge mistake. Santos, however, stopped short of condemning the former president’s removal from power.
There has been growing criticism in Honduras of the generals’ decision to expel Zelaya from Honduras, rather than simply following the Supreme Court’s mandate to arrest him. Five leading generals Tuesday night went on television to explain that they had not staged a coup, but had merely acted in defense of the constitution by putting a stop to the former president’s plan to impose on the country “socialism disguised as democracy.”
Santos, Micheletti and Zelaya all belong to the Liberal Party, though Santos and Micheletti long have been at odds with Zelaya over his decision to join Chavez’s Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (Spanish acronym: ALBA), and it has been clear for some time that Honduras’s next elected president, whether he be Santos or Porfirio “Pepe” Lobo, the nominee of the center-right National Party, almost certainly would lead the country out of the alliance.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Carolyn gets a big hug after Sara successfully performs some surgery on a little girl in Ocotepeque.
This is a good time to buy school supplies for the La Palma Christian School. A group going down in September can take them as checked baggage. The best items are lead pencils, ball point pens, crayons, colored pencils, and pink erasers. These items can now be purchased on sale at most stores.
There is a small group going to La Palma in September, and this is a good time to go if you can. Travel dates are September 4-12 and 12 - 19. Other dates can be arranged if needed. Please let us know soon if you wish to be included in this trip.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
I visited with Patricia Maza, Consolate Generaal for El Salvador in Chicago. She and the Consulate in Washington DC are both apologetic for the delay and extra expense incurred in this shipment. Even though the El Salvador Government has totally shut down for summer vacation, she is trying to get the paperwork updated and approved for early release and delivery. She is a 1st cousin of the new President, and even though she does not share his political agenda she and he can work together. The new consignee will be Rotary International. She is very comfortable working with them and they have agreed to handle the consignment to give tax free status for us. The containers will still go to La Palma as originally planned. There is some concern for security of the Customs storage facility during this government shutdown, but she is warning them about that.
This link is to an interview with the interrim president of Honduras. Please take time to hear it, and pray that our country will quit insisting on the return of Zelaya!
http://www.pjtv.com/video/Specials/PJTV_EXCLUSIVE%3A_Honduran_President_Micheletti_on_Hugo_Chavez%2C_Cocaine_%26_American_Media/2268/
This link is to an interview with the interrim president of Honduras. Please take time to hear it, and pray that our country will quit insisting on the return of Zelaya!
http://www.pjtv.com/video/Specials/PJTV_EXCLUSIVE%3A_Honduran_President_Micheletti_on_Hugo_Chavez%2C_Cocaine_%26_American_Media/2268/
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Good morning!
I just visited with Jose. He says the flu is better, and the schools are shut down for another week which should help the situation. He says people who have the flu and go to the clinic and get medicine for it get better in the same amount of time that people get better who don't go get the medicine.
Franklin's family is doing as good as can be expected.
Erika is better also. She still takes the treatments and is not getting as sick with it as she was.
Jose said to tell everyone "Hello".
I just visited with Jose. He says the flu is better, and the schools are shut down for another week which should help the situation. He says people who have the flu and go to the clinic and get medicine for it get better in the same amount of time that people get better who don't go get the medicine.
Franklin's family is doing as good as can be expected.
Erika is better also. She still takes the treatments and is not getting as sick with it as she was.
Jose said to tell everyone "Hello".
This is a photo of one of the higher age groups attending the La Palma Christian School. They are great kids! More scholarships are needed to pay the school expenses. If you would like to help, please contact us.
Channel 3 in Springfield is planning to air a story about our struggle to get the goods into La Palma. It will be on Ozarks Today at 5:00 am Monday.
God bless you,
Ralph
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