End of July communications

Carlos and I talked with Pastor Gerardo in Guatemala Friday afternoon, after Amana Craft and I communicated about the possible October trip by computer earlier in the week. Amanda and Carlos had talked by phone several times about the Guatemalans’ effort to secure photos of themselves that would be acceptable to the U.S. authorities. Thursday Rene, the IT person for Pastor Gerardo’s church, sent us pictures the five Guatemalans slated to visit us had had taken. But Amanda said that in these beautiful pictures (shown on the next blog post) the Guatemalans were facing to the side, instead of to the front. On the phone, Gerardo suggested that they might go ahead and pay to get pictures taken through a firm that was used to taking them for U.S. visas.

Gerardo also said that the Estoreño Presbytery’s annual meeting would be Sept. through Sept. 24 all the way over in Guitarra, near the Gulf of Honduras coast, where the presbytery’s northeastern-most church is located. West of El Estor, at El Chupon, said Gerardo, the presbytery’s troubled mission church stands to lose their land after Guatemala’s early fall presidential elections. If the right-wing opposition party wins, Gerardo expects the government to take the land – I suspect, for the nickel mining company.

Gerardo also indicated that he needed more information about the trip for the visa application and that he and the other four were interested in what they would be doing in Louisville. He also indicated that they would try to front the visa application money but would come back to us if they needed money or for reimbursement.

-- Perry