The Jiñocuao Community, August 10, 1997
Dear brothers and sisters of Takoma Park:
By writing this letter we send our greetings, fond memories, and hugs for all. We hope that the delegation has returned safely and that you have gotten the information that they could see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears.
Today we are informing you that we are in good health, although some are ill in the community. In terms of the situation of the rainy season, everything was a disaster. The rains were insufficient for the harvest. We lost all the corn, beans, squash, watermelons, wheat - nothing was left. We're surviving with the little that we have left, such as the animals. The people who have chickens, pigs, and cows are selling them to buy corn, which is priced at 130 cordobas, and wheat, 110 cordobas for a quintal, or 100 pounds.
We are very grateful for the donation of medicine which you sent; it is helping us with the illnesses, and financially as well. It supports the natural medicine and is being controlled by the nurse at the health center.
In terms of the brotherhood of the community, we are always united and moved by the faith and the celebrations of the Word of God on Sundays. The youth of the group are always motivated and get together every Sunday.The commission is facing the situation of hunger in the community. We have begun an emergency project with the poorest people with the funds which we've kept from the help you've given us in previous years. We're buying bananas and distributing them to those who are in greatest need. Over the past two weeks we've bought eleven thousand bananas, at a price of 130 cordobas per thousand. We're also starting a project of late planting, that is, for the second harvest of the year. This project consists in sowing forty acres (manzanas) of land and they'll be planted in sorgum (we have 10 fifty pound units of seed) and the farmers are preparing the soil which we're thinking of planting in September. With this we're helping 35 producers who will receive 25 pounds (1 arrobas) and return 50 pounds. This should let us move forward the production and not let the community project fail, if the Lord helps us by pouring some rain onto our country which is suffering so but never stops struggling.
We hope that you are well, and that you are praying for us.
Until soon,
The Commission
Webmaster : Brian C. Monsell