One of the big challenges at the orphanage is training and preparing our older children to leave the orphanage. We have started working with several of our older children. First, we show them how to ride around the city on the local bus system ( a micro is what they call it), and how to act in a given situation in the city. This is not easy because the bus system is a little bit different than the rest of the world. Secondly, we try to find what God given talents that they have and send them for training. Two of our girls are starting baking school in June. Others may take technical or clerical schooling. At 17, they are adults and they leave the orphanage. Our prayer is that they will be well trained, physically and spiritually, for the challenges that lay before them.

In June, I stayed at the orphanage for two weeks to set up some projects for a church that is coming in July. It is very sobering to me ever time I go to Peru because I am confronted with the reality of meeting people that are struggling with the basic needs of life. There was a group that came to the orphanage Sunday afternoon wanting water for their houses. They had water service, but it was cut-off not because of not paying, but because of a land dispute. The people that came are very poor, live in shanties, and they live on land that they do not own by deed. But if they can stay there another few years then they can become owners. Peru has a law that if you dwell upon the land for five years, then you can own that specific land without a deed. The people that control the water are the land owners and they want nothing to do with the settlers. We have come up with a solution to their water problem. These people have not had water for 15 days. My trips to Peru help me to put things in perspective.

The tough guys this month have been silent, but I am sure they are cooking up something in order to shut down the water system. The problem we have now is a dispute between the Hatfields and the McCoys. The Hatfields live on top of a hill and the McCoys live on the bottom. They have a dispute between themselves. The Hatfields have about 2 PSI of pressure in their system and the McCoys have about 25 PSI. Well there was only one meter and they both had an agreement to pay equally for the water. The problem is that the McCoys and Hatfields get one hour of water a day by agreement. Well it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the McCoys are getting 12 times as much water as the Hatfields. Well, it took awhile for the Hatfields to figure out that they were getting shorted, and they decided not to pay. The McCoys said that they agreed to these terms, and they shut them off. Fortunately, there was not a gun battle at the OK corral. However, the Hatfields came to the orphanage and asked what I was going to do about this situation. I decided to put in an independent water line for the Hatfields. However, the McCoys saw me install the line and sent 6 men to discuss the situation. The Hatfields saw the 6 men come, and they came down the hill to greet them. When I saw the Hatfields start coming, I turned to them and in my Tarzan Spanish, told them to go back up the hill, and fortunately they did. The McCoys did not like me installing the independent line and demanded that the Hatfields pay what they owe. To appease them, I told them I would pay but they would have to show me the paper work. The next day they came to the orphanage but lost all the paper work and said that they could not produce the documents. So, I did not have to pay any debt. The Hatfields are afraid that the McCoys are going to do something to their water system, and they buried the water meter so no one could tamper with it. I will keep you posted.

I sent this picture to all of our supporters, to help remind them of the need to pray for the orphanage and the children that are there.

Chau,

Dave