The saga of the good guys against the bad hombres in Peru to distribute water still continues. About two months ago the bad guys paid off an official to test the water that we are sending to the people of Alta Salaverry. That official claimed that we had high levels of cyanide in the water and we needed to turn off the pumps. That official went to the minister of Health and he issued a statement where the public should not drink the water but use it for other purposes. We were shocked and took two samples of the water and sent it back to the US to get an independent analysis. The results came back and they showed that we had very low levels of cyanide which were well within specifications. We took are results to the minister of Health and he accepted our results and did his own testing and then lifted the restrictions. In the next couple of months we planned to add another 500 families to the water system.

As many of you know, our ministry is supported by many volunteers from the US and Europe who leave their homes, friends and families to come and serve at Hogar de Esperanza. However, you may not realize that the number of Peruvian volunteers has increased, as well.

In April a Peruvian ministry, Nueva Esperanza, organized a medical group to come serve the orphanage for a day. This group of local doctors, nurses, and psychologists spent an entire day serving the children of the orphanage. The nurses and doctors completed a thorough medical exam of every child and collected data we can use to ensure the health of the children. They also have dedicated themselves to continuing servicing some of the health concerns our children may have. The psychologists held a class for the real parents and relatives of some of the children. They also met with the parents individually to talk about parenting and their social situations. The day passed as a wonderful blessing for our organization. We even had local media coverage, as the local news station came and did a story on Hogar de Esperanza.

We also had a group of Trujillian high scholars come do a 2 hour show and activity for the children. They played games, put on dramas and sang songs with the children. The group of 7 high scholars also committed to come serve the orphanage every Saturday, through December, cleaning the orphanage, helping with filing, and making crafts with the kids.

Hogar de Esperanza is growing every day. The work is continuous. There are children to be fed, clothed, educated and loved. Our projects are growing, as well, from our water project to our alfalfa project. Peruvian staff and workers are being trained, discipled and each week learning better ways to do their jobs. We are thankful for each one of you who read, follow and pray for the ministry of Hogar de Esperanza. Thank you for working with us and being a part of this incredible opportunity.

Chau,

Dave