Scholarship Special

This is a scholarship donors update! For those of you who have designated your donations to scholarships, you'd be proud of most of the students. Like all programs, there has not been a 100% success rate, but John repeats often that "the last chapter is not yet written" and we continue to pray for those who haven't ended up being shining stars!

Argentina

 Will briefly capsule those recently graduated and those still in process. Argentina joined Loma de Luz full time as a newly graduated LPN who did her social service at our hospital.
Rosalinda will finish up her social service with us in March, and has been recruited to join Dr. Jeff and Rosanne in the OR. She was our first student to try out the public program vs. the private one. Consensus seems to be same results for about the same amount of money!

Rosalinda

Patricia is in the middle of her social service with us, graduating from the private program in the fall. She and her mom recently  hosted a wonderful dinner, with her speaking to honor those who had blessed her with the scholarship help! Xiomara has been working as a staff nurse at Loma de Luz now since her graduation in the fall of 2013, the expert in OB due to her years working for John.
Raul is in his last year of highschool and gets a stipend to work on the Margarita church maintenance, which allows him to finish his studies. His father is blind. Raul's goal is nursing school!
Anael is beginning his 3rd. year of a 4 year seminary in Siguatepeque. His goal is pastoring. He studies 8 times a year, for 15-18 days each session, then returns to the church to put it into practice!
This past visit the first 2 weeks of January, 2015, we became aware that our friend/househelper of years past was going to be unable to continue sending her 2 little girls to the ministry's bilingual school, El Camino. We made a contract with her to help her with the $70 monthly tuition (combined) for Noelia and Shelby, in which she committed to helping both her 2 and 2 other relatives that attend the school with their studying weekly. This is a big commitment for a single mom who works fulltime.
Each of these young people deserves a book of his own! There is one more scholarship-needy young man, Joni, just turned 17. He will get a blog of his own! Suffice it to say for general scholarship supporters that he began attending a bilingual college prep highschool in the city 2 weeks ago, and if he can handle the load, will do 2 1/2 years to finish up his highschool and then be applying for medical school should the Lord continue to lead him towards that dream.
Dr. Jeff and Roseanne are leaning towards some other scholarships-seeing the need to contemplate other disciplines as necessary, like business. They would also like to see some men scholarshipped to meet ongoing nursing needs.
At present, the cost of nursing school as about $110 monthly for about 2 years. Anael's seminary is about $1500 yearly, Raul's work/study is $700 yearly, Joni's schooling/room and board/tutoring/transportation is about $5000, and the little girls, Noelia and Shelby, need about $70 monthly between them.
So those are our commitments in a nutshell! With Patricia being the only nursing student left with any time to speak of, that commitment is close to completed. There is one other prospect pending need and approval by the committee. As funds are available, we will take on more students.
To those who have made this possible thus far, we are grateful, as is the Hospital!
Our current position with our mission board, Cornerstone International, is long term/part time, so this allows us to still keep our account active for these needs. Any contributions can be send there via online donation (http://www.cornerstoneinternational.org/staff-alden) or still the old address of PO Box 192, Wilmore KY 40390.

Gratefully, John and Penny Alden

Patricia

Xiomara

Raul

Anael

Joni

Noelia and  Shelby

January 2015 Back in Honduras

John with his Villanueva girls

 New Year's Day found us winging our way from freezing Tulsa to flipflop Honduras. Our preference is to tolerate the rain and mud there during this, the rainy season, in favor of less sweat. As you can see in all the fotos, definitely was warm enough to remind us we had returned to the tropics.
We coordinated our arrival to coincide with our old neighbors, the Merritts, so got to catch up with them on the flight down and the 5 hr. ride out to the hospital.
We spent our 2 weeks visiting hospital staff, village folk, and church friends. Shared many tortillas, several meals of "here's looking at you" fried fish, fresh pineapple. The biggest accomplishment of our time there was to finalize all plans for Joni's entry into a large city bilingual school. That was no small venture, as its over an hour away over horrifically potholey roads, and we had to borrow vehicles. Joni (17) began Tuesday as an audit student for the next 2 quarters, to catch up in Math and English. It deserves a blog of its own, so stay tuned for "He has a Dream"!

Don Pablo's self-styled new home-he is faithfully repaying the loan that allowed him to put his family all under one roof.

Unexpected surprise on arrival was to find Drs. Shaw and Sharon Yount and their 2 girls visiting., who were there when we arrived in 2004.  Here is a foto of the Vintage Missionaries- Reunion! 

Seminary student, Anael, visiting with John in the new Sunday School classroom.

Another unexpected surprise- got to accompany friend Ritza during the birth of her second baby, a boy. She was one of the first Honduran nurses to join us over 10 years ago.

Recently returned from Italy, where she went to work, Olga and Renan are now planning to marry later this year. Her absence convinced him he wanted to be a father and a husband, and they are now coming to church as a family.

Lisa, Mom of the Boys Home, being loved on by Prodigal Jose, recently returned from a foray back on the streets chasing crack. Pray for him.

Some of our nurses at change of shift.

The bridge reconstruction has begun,  almost 12 years after the accident that cost 2 lives. 

Estelle and Julia Barnett, ex-Tulsaites, back for the 2015 school year of El Camino School.

"My, what big eyes you have!"

Our hostes with the mostest! Doli treated us to a feast.

Instead of a breezeway to protect one from rain as they exit the plane or walk out
on the tarmac, a handy basket of umbrellas awaits the passengers!

Kind of tiny!