We depart for La Palma EARLY Friday, and are scheduled to be there by 4:30pm. Saturday we will visit homes and some of us will to to Ocotepeque for their children's program. We will go back there Sunday afternoon and evening.
Much of the week will be spent visiting homes of friends and families we know. There are lots of other things to get done as well. We really hope to stay clear of H1N1, but there is a risk involved.

Last night we celebrated Gene Williams birthday. He has been a frequent team member, and his wife goes even more often than he does. What a great couple they are!!

Pray for the families in La Palma and Ocotepeque--and for our team.

Little Jorge would rather scare girls with his plastic snake than be kissed by Lori and Lana, but he submitted to this one.

The 2nd floor, which is the ceiling of the first floor, is ready to pour. We are anxious for this to be completed so we can move stuff into the new facility while we are there.

As we go about our busy shopping and other activities, remember to pray for those in La Palma and the region. They don't get the abundant blessings that we do, and many struggle just to get enough to eat. God bless you.

This little boy felt very blessed to be given a few items of new clothing. On this day of Thanksgiving in our country, let us remember to be full of gratitude for the many blessings we have --MANY BLESSINGS!

Another view of construction underway for the new Bible Institute and orphanage.

Here is one of the latest photos of the Bible Institute construction.

Honduras update:
National Party candidate Porfirio Lobo is favored to win Sunday’s presidential election, which, it appears, will attract broad participation despite Zelaya’s repeated calls for a boycott. The elections have US backing, but both Washington and many Latin American capitals will wait to see if a 30 October deal to temporarily restore Zelaya to power with limited authority is consummated prior to recognizing the new candidate.

Two weeks from today several of us will be worshiping with the La Palma congregation in the morning and the Ocotepeque congregation in the evening. Pray for our safety and security and success, please. Ralph

We sometimes think our hiways are narrow!

At mid-morning and again at mid-afternoon, one of the parents will bring snacks to the school for the children and teachers. It is a popular time!

Eleven from the US will be traveling to La Palma on December 4 and return on December 12. Please be praying for a safe and successful trip.

Another photo of the construction underway.

Photos of construction as of 11/16 on the new building.

Honduras update
Honduras: Zelaya Says He Will Reject Deal Legitimizing Election – 16 November 0900

Ousted president Manuel Zelaya said on Saturday that he would reject any deal to restore him to office if it means he must recognize presidential and congressional elections set for 29 November. Zelaya’s statement puts him at odds with the Obama administration, which has said that it would recognize the elections if an accord reached on 30 October between Zelaya and the interim government were implemented. The accord called for Zelaya’s return to the presidency at the helm of a unity government and with restricted powers, but it did not set a deadline.

The terms of the accord called for its approval by the Honduran Congress, which, reluctant to restore Zelaya to office, has been dragging its feet. It has sought an opinion from the Supreme Court, which in turn has referred the matter to a commission of five justices, who may announce their decision Wednesday. The Supreme Court, it should be noted, ordered the military to oust Zelaya on 28 June. He returned to Tegucigalpa surreptitiously on September and has been holed up at the Brazilian Embassy.

It is doubtful that the accord will be approved before the election, though Congress may act shortly before the new president is inaugurated in January, thus awarding Zelaya a very short period in office. The ousted president’s new stance, however, may render the whole question moot.

It is not clear what position Washington would take if the accord eventually were implemented and Zelaya refused to return to office. Panamanian president Roberto Martinelli, a conservative, already has said that his country will recognize the new president, with or without Zelaya’s restoration, thus opening a crack in what had been the Organization of American States (OAS) solid insistence on the reversal of his ouster.

More photos of the church in San Marcos after the heavy flooding from last week's hurricane-induced rains.

Here are photos of the La Palma church people giving away clothing to the
San Marcos church people after the flooding. This was clothing that arrived in La Palma in September in the long-delayed containers. There is a purpose in everything, and maybe there would have been no clothing left if the containers had arrived in La Palma in June. God bless the people who lost so much.

This information about the flooding is from my friend Napolean.

184 people have died.
100 are still missing
2000 houses destroyed
15,000 refugees in shelters
30% of corn, beans and coffee crops destoyed. This means high prices and hunger in many places.
100 roads destroyed
23 bridges destroyed
5 major/important bridges destroyed
one of those bridges is on the road to la palma, puente colima
4000 heads of livestock, cows, dead. This means no milk

the main destruction happened in San Salvador, as city and department, San vicente, La libertad, La Paz, Cuscatlan

roads are still blocked as consequence of landslides.

in 5 hours, 355 ml of rainfall hit certain areas. To give you an idea: that would be a 1/5 of the rain we get in 6 months.

in some areas towards the coastline, the rivers went from 1 mt deep to 10 mts in depth.

In San Vicente, three cities were wiped out. the landslide destroyed them when it cut right through them.

In total 150,000 cubic meters of rock and mud are being removed by the population and the government in those towns.

this link will give you a view of the areas hardest hit:

http://mapas.laprensagrafica.com/reportero/apps/querymap/

this one can show you some videos:
http://www.laprensagrafica.com/

These are photos of the church building in San Marcos after the recent hurricane-induced flooding.

Gladys gets a hug from a school sponsor prior to the parade!

For those of you who are aware of the relationship that developed between Stephen and Carolina, here is the latest information:

Visa is approved, Carolina (and daughter) will be in the USA before March 2010, and we have 90 days after her arrival to get married.

Congratulations to them!

There was significant damage in some areas of El Salvador from the recent hurricane. Jose asked for permission to give some clothing and other items from the container to some churches in the affected area to help the residents there. Of course, we told him to do what they could to help those in need. I received some photos of the flooding but cannot get them to upload--I will keep trying.

This young lady seems totally interested in that camera that is aimed at her!

This little girl loves to hug and be hugged--just meet her on the street and she jumps for a hug!

Meanwhile, 91 people have died throughout El Salvador following three days of heavy rains from Hurricane Ida, the country's interior minister said Sunday. Another 60 people are missing.
This posting was made after the first one. The damage and loss appears to have been close to the ocean.

Forty people have died throughout El Salvador following three days of heavy rains from Hurricane Ida, the country's interior minister said Sunday.

Minister Humberto Centeno says the deaths happened in at least five of the 14 provinces of the mountainous Central American country.

I do not believe that the La Palma region has been affected, but have not verified that yet.

This young lady is absolutely delightful to be around. She is a real sweetheart--and cute also!

Steve Turnbull and I took a load of stuff and some crates to Searcy. We were met by Morris with a pickup load of desks and stuf, and also by Stephen from Shongaloo with a pickup load of wheelchairs, toys, clothes, and shoes.
We packed a whole bunch of crates for shipment to La Palma as soon as the paperwork is approved and a flight is scheduled.
Got home just before midnight.

The room to the far right will be a storage room and shop for our teams to use. The next room to it will become a medical room for storage of medicines and will have an exam table and dental chair.

Construction continues on the new building. The room to the left will be the video conference room where native preachers will be trained to go preach the Gospel. This room is scheduled to be completed by Dec 5.

This little guy has been featured before, but he is too cute to pass up again. He lives close to Reina's house.

Nurse Marcy checks the stitches in a little girl in Ocotepeque. Our great medically trained people get to do more there than here, without malpractice insurance!

Most of the vegetables grown in this region are marketed as 'organic'. I would imagine that this cabbage will be organically grown when it gets to market. What about the sprayer?