A lot has happened since our last newsletter.  We had intended to spend one week in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala and two weeks in Honduras with the first two weeks devoted to teaching values to professors.   However, we were told not to come to the university in Quetzaltenango because they did not want us to teach values “based on capitalism and religion.”  They see our values as helping the rich at the expense of the poor.  This is far from accurate but after 37 years of civil war in Guatemala I can understand their reluctance.  This was a little discouraging but the two weeks we spent in Honduras more than made up for it.

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It’s not surprising that University leaders in at least two Central American countries have listed teaching values as their number one priority. Not surprising, given the threat of Communism south of our border, as well as the area’s history of exploitation by world powers. They realize that teaching values is vital; they just don’t know how to do it.

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“Children die one at a time.” I’m not sure who said that, but it’s the truth, and we’re seeing it happen. I’m not trying to be dramatic, just tell you the facts. The children suffer just as much, and the parents are just as sorrowful, as any child or parent in the United States. I hope you will read this letter from Shawn Plowman, a dietitian from San Diego, about her last trip to Honduras in September. But get out your handkerchiefs.
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The Berlin wall came down in November, 1989, spelling the death of Communism for the world, or so we thought. But for a failed system, Communism is healthy and growing in Central and South America.
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John and I see huge improvements at the University of the North in San Pedro Sula (CURN). But sometimes we sense a legitimate question lingering in the minds of some of our friends: Are we really making any difference?

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