Hello family and friends-

Please receive a very warm greeting from Katherine and me! We would like to provide you with a brief update of the progression of events within the last several weeks. First know that everything is well with us, though at the moment we are apart with Katherine studying spanish in a city nearby; I, in turn, am receiving orientation here at Proyecto Vida, in Coatepeque - (www.proyectovida.org.uk).

I arrived in Coatepeque several days ago, having received a month of orienation at Notre Dame, Baltimore, and Guatemala City, respectively. And while we are having a great experience thus far, we are quite ready to settle as soon as we can find a house. Having lived in hotels for so many weeks, Katherine and I laugh everytime we wake up in the morning because we forget where we are!

The staff at CRS as well as the staff here at the Proyecto Vida have been very kind throughout our time since leaving Tyler, leaving us both less loneliness than we supposed would come by this time. As for our upcoming work, it looks as though Katherine will be working primarily with the education team, which works with local groups teaching prevention and encouraging abstinence and testing for vulnerable groups.

My work, on the other hand, will seemingly consist of mostly administrative work, fundraising, and patient care at the HIV/AIDS hospice, located outside of Coatepeque. The hospice opened last week and, while there are plenty of patients waiting to come, there are only several beds thus far and minimal potential for service. As such, my work within the next several months will be to acquire equipment for the hospice so that we can begin receiving patients.

From what we can perceive there is a great need for our work in the region, especially at the hospice. Proyecto Vida is one of only three programs working in the entire country, with a HIV/AIDS population of about 2,000 here in Coatepeque alone; another 80% are believed to be living undiagnosed and unregistered. In our orientation in Guatemala City we were told that many parts of Central America, Guatemala specifically, are now statistically in a similar situation as was Africa twenty years ago. The only saving factor is that now there is a much greater understanding of the HIV/AIDS and how it spreads. Another positive difference among the two cases is that HIV/AIDS treatment has become available at lower costs, thereby slowing mortality rates and providing for a normal life for those living with the disease.

Again, please receive a very warm greeting from Katherine and me as we begin our work in Coatepeque. In the coming weeks we will continue to provide updates regarding our work. It looks as though we will be able to spend nearly a full month in the US during the month of December; it would be great to begin planning speaking engagements or interviews with those interested.

We love you all very much. Thank you for your continued support and we will continue to be in touch.

Blessings,
Josiah and Katherine