Greetings\u2014<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t know what I can say to convince you guys of the complete contentment, the satisfaction, the challenge of a new life here that we share. Look around you to see what peace and security people there have.<\/p>\n
Our kids live in the fresh air \u2013 it\u2019s like always being at the park. They don\u2019t know allergies or additives. They are free to choose whatever they want to do with no age or sex restrictions \u2013 they don\u2019t have to wait till bananas come into season. I mean they can repair shoes, make soap, drive heavy equipment, train for medical or teaching positions and dozens of other opportunities. We\u2019ll be sending them to schools throughout the Caribbean and elsewhere for advance studies, where needed. Our seniors have a life you wouldn\u2019t believe either. They have their own gardens, stay in cottages if they prefer \u2013 or in a care facility closer to the medical people if they need special care. Remember we have folks over \u2013 well over 100 and lots of them are out exercising, playing soccer, dancing and using the kids playground equipment daily. They do handwork to decorate here & to sell up river at our little store \u2013 quilts, rugs, etc. I can\u2019t tell you how many years have been added to their lives here. They don\u2019t have to worry about walking at nite \u2013 like in the city. I guess they even mug folks nowadays in the daylight! Like I said \u2013 you can\u2019t believe what you read in the press. You\u2019d have to see it to believe it. I always knew the press was bad \u2013 ever since Tanzania \u2013 witnessing things there and then reading about them in the press. But I never knew it could be this vicious. It\u2019s because they are making$ — you know: anything to sell papers and mags. And it\u2019s worse than that \u2013 it\u2019s a conspiracy. We have alot [a lot] of friends there in the States \u2013 important pastors and influential community leaders and it\u2019s so bad \u2013 that when they talk on the radio \u2013 they can\u2019t even use names over the air. Somebody even stepped forward with an affidavit in San Francisco that our mail has been interfered with by order of the government. What are we doing? Living in Orwell\u2019s 1984? \u2013 At any rate, life continues here much the same \u2013 baby pigs, baby cows, baby chicks and baby babies. Each week people from around the NW district come into our medical clinics and bring their families. Most have babies & Diane and Angela Casanova (Mary Ann\u2019s oldest girls) spend all day with them. I wouldn\u2019t be surprised that they end up being pediatricians. Since I always wanted to do that \u2013 but couldn\u2019t \u2013 it\u2019s great having some of my kids follow thru for me!<\/p>\n
Nawab is working in the machine shop and has come alive. No where else could a kid his age have that kind of opportunity! The legal problems involved not to mention every other road block \u2013 would keep him out of a shop until he\u00a0was \u00bd grown and too discouraged to try. Our kids are in every area here from food preparation to watch repair to intensive gardening \u2013 yes we\u00a0are<\/span>\u00a0doing intensive gardening. We want to get the most out of the land without depleting the soil \u2013 and without the use of heavy equipment. We have the machine \u2013 but use them to clear bush and improve the roads, etc.<\/p>\n That\u2019s wild about Bob going to Guatemala. Is it a training program or what? \u2013 and what country are they training for? Glad you are passing on my letters \u2013 I have good intentions of writing \u2013 but time gets away<\/p>\n Sure glad you sent the school stuff. Heard you got a visit from Vee Hollins. She\u2019s nice. Huh. I keep telling you that we are doing fine here \u2013 I\u2019m sure she confirmed alot of what I\u2019m telling you. Haven\u2019t had a chance to write Ben & Mary Ann yet. Maybe I will tonite??<\/p>\n Both Bob and Linda wouldn\u2019t take any prizes in the correspondence department \u2013 so I don\u2019t feel too bad!<\/p>\n Glad you are enjoying your painting. Will enjoy seeing some of them. Our kids are writing poems & stories about life here. When we get them printed up \u2013 I\u2019ll send you a copy. Tell Germaine to let me know what the latest info on new methods of teaching reading is. We don\u2019t use Sullivan for all \u2013 just for a few kids that need the organization and follow thru. We use all approaches that work. I prefer Language Experience for lack of materials and rich expanse of ideas that the kids have to draw from here.\u00a0 It\u2019s so nice to see them transformed \u2013 they\u2019re not angry anymore. We still get visitors all the time from everywhere \u2013 since this is quite a model community. Prime Minister Burnham is on his way soon \u2013 which will be quite a thrill for all of us.<\/p>\n You mentioned in your letter you always get all the \u201cdetails\u201d about us. What do you mean? Who from? In what form?<\/p>\n \nWrite soon, I quit worrying. I\u2019m beginning to think you are just jealous! Ha \u2013 ha.<\/p>\n Love,<\/p>\n Pat<\/p>\n p.s. went to the jungle w\/ the kids again today & collected buckets of plants that you guys would pay hundreds of $ for. Eat your heart out! [smiley face]<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Array<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"parent":13187,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-13191","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13191"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107758,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13191\/revisions\/107758"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13187"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jonestown.sdsu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}