A CHRISTMAS GREETING - "ONE MORE THING" Photo/essay of the GRADUATION AT THE "ARIEL & INES ANDERSEN CHULUC SCHOOL - Access to the LAST THREE NEWSLETTERS IN THE FOUNDATION'S HISTORY

HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS 
& 
WONDERFUL NEW YEAR
scroll down to see all of this enlarged

The Foundation ending Christmas greeting of appreciation

WE ARE  ABUNDANTLY  BLESSED  &  CAN IN TURN  

BE A BLESSING TO MANY

Monday,   December 18, 2017  created from an Email sent on this day

Dear Brothers & Sisters:

In literally the twilight of the GUATEMALAN FOUNDATION'S life, we wanted to 

WISH YOU A BLESSED CHRISTMAS & WONDERFUL NEW YEAR SEASON, 

and thank all of you for your generous support--over now 50 years--that has joined with our Savior in blessing the lives of many, represented in the picture  below by a few that includes Daniel Choc, Moncho, Aura, and many thousands more like them,

who will bless your lives forever for extending to them your love.

I believe quite sincerely that each of us  will have an emotionally loving reunion with each of them in the eternities.

Special thanks to those who have helped recently our volunteer Regional Director--Mario,  who as a  volunteer kept the projects alive  in the Patzicia area for the last 15 years.  We need just a little more to complete our promise to him, and a few others, like our companion Federico Veliz--who  incredibly worked with us as a volunteer for 42 years, and who recently sent us an emergency request.

A last donation will still be tax-deductible and deeply appreciated.

  

May the Lord bless all of us and those we have lovingly served for half a century. 

The GUATEMALAN FOUNDATION

Cordell M Andersen

Executive Director

P.O. Box 1296

American Fork, UTAH  84003

Website:  http://www.guatemalanfoundation.org/

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Note:  A crucial message is at the end of the post.
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Click for previous post:

LAST PROJECT IN St. Cruz Verapaz, at ACAMAL

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Click for:   "ONE MORE THING"  Newsletter #15 Nov. 2017

"CLAUSURA at ARIEL & INES ANDERSEN CHULUC SCHOOL"

Photo/Essay below

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Click for: LAST English NEWSLETTER #14 October 2017 "A FINAL "ADIOS" 
Acamal Project Report, The "Most Outstanding from Half a Century," Letters from Greatest Donor, and Most Persistent Donor,  A Million Thanks

Click for:  ULTIMO Boletin en ESPAÑOL #14 octubre 2017 "ULTIMO ADIOS"
Proyecto Acamal, "Los Sobresalientes de Medio Siglo," Gracias a todos, Carta del Donador Mas Grande,  y del Mas Persistente -- Mil Gracias
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The promotional activity ended on August 31st when the Foundation completed 50 years of working among the Mayans in Guatemala, but as explained at the end of this post, donations can be received until December 31st, and be tax-deducible, to help us get to the finish line, and have a reserve fund with which I will keep alive the website, and add to it important Historical items as we get them digitized--and advise all of you.

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 "ONE MORE THING"  

CLAUSURA at ARIEL & INES ANDERSEN CHULUC SCHOOL 
by Cordell Andersen, Field Director since 1967

We have always tried to keep everyone informed about what the Foundation does--we missed one important item in what we called our "LAST NEWSLETTER" #14 Oct. 2017, since we hadn't received Mario's report on the Graduation at the Ariel & Ines Andersen Chuluc School.  Following the first picture of the school's Director speaking to the students and parents, we'll insert Mario's letter in Spanish, and then will follow the pictures of the beautiful children who graduated from Kindergarten and from 6th Grade.  You'll notice for these humble people, it is a big deal for which they find a way making incredible sacrifices to dress beautifully their graduates for an event many  Mayans don't enjoy.

Siempre hemos tratado de ser cabal informándoles de lo que la Fundación hace, pero en lo que llamamos "EL ULTIMO BOLETIN" #14 oct. 2017 en español, faltó  uno por no haber recibido fotos de Mario.  Así que abajo de la primera foto del Director hablando a los alumnos y padres, sigue la carta explicando la Clausura, y luego las fotos de los hermosos graduados,  que podrán ver por su vestuario bonito,  que  es un evento muy importante para esta gente humilde, requiriendo mucho sacrificio por parte de los padres.  

Estimado Hermano Cordell:

Muchas gracias por ser tan atento con nosotros, por mi parte le pido disculpas por ser tan tardado en mandarle las fotos. Resulta que hasta el viernes se realizó la Clausura de Párvulos y Sexto grado, espero que con las fotos se perciba mejor como fue desarrollada la actividad.

Dicha actividad inició con el acto cívico con el ingreso de los abanderados, luego palabras de bienvenida por el Director, seguidamente el ingreso de los graduandos; luego se les entregó su Certificado y Diploma respectivo. El Prof. Moisés Loch les felicitó y de igual forma agradeció profundamente a la Fundación guatemalteca mencionando su persona y reconociendo ante el público que jamás hubiese sido posible tantos alumnos graduados de sexto grado sino fuera que la Fundación hubiera construido la Escuela que ahora es una Escuela Modelo, única en su clase ubicado en un Caserío. La verdad mis sinceras felicitaciones y agradecimiento por tan noble acto de amor hacia los guatemaltecos. 

Un padre de familia también agradeció a la fundación y a otras instituciones que están apoyando a la escuela y al personal Docente que formaron sus hijos.

En lo personal solo me resta que Agradecerle infinitamente porque aún cuando estaba en el Colegio ya me estaba ayudando y porque según informes desde el año 2002 la Fundación inició con una lucha ayudándome en mis viáticos para ir a estudiar en la Antigua Guatemala, luego me gradué en el 2004 y seguí en esa institución colaborando hasta 2014; y 3 años más directamente hasta 2017. MUCHAS GRACIAS!. Se que no he sido muy puntual  pero siempre estaré aquí a sus órdenes para cualquier cosa y si Dios lo permite, desde ya le estoy muy agradecido. Estaba leyendo en la prensa que son 4.5 millones de desempleados existe en Guatemala pero gracias a usted se restó un punto a ese porcentaje dándome la oportunidad de trabajar con ustedes. Un fuerte abrazo...

Le deseo feliz noche y nuestras oraciones por ustedes.

Mario.

Here are the Kindergarten & 6th grade graduates.

A proud father with two graduates, who we see below expressing his gratitude to the School and to the GUATEMALAN FOUNDATION, which as he explained, made possible his two children and many others graduating, and promises to help his daughter continue her education in Patzicia, 5 miles distant.

Here we see Mario de la Cruz, our Regional Director, and one of the teachers at the school, the Foundation having paid his salary during the year so that on weekends he could work on his University studies to become a lawyer.

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The Foundation is profoundly grateful for Mario's 15 years of service to the Foundation, most of it as a volunteer for which we were happy to help him with his education as he explains in his letter since 2002 when he began helping us at the School we supported in Patzicia for 32 years.  I'm sure my parents, in whose name we built the school in 1987, are pleased with Mario's service and dedication for all these years, and will be watching over him as he now goes forward on his own.

And we are grateful to all of you who have helped make possible our 30 years of helping the CHULUC SCHOOl become, as Mario says, "A model School for rural Guatemala."  Any additional donations will be of help in getting  the Foundation to its retirement on December 31st, and to maintain and add Historical items to the website on into the future.  THANKS! 

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AFTER THE NEWSLETTER WAS PRINTED & SENT

A CRITICAL NEED REVEALED

In consultation with Mario, he explained that due to 

his growing family he had not been able to finish his law degree this year, and will need to work at it and finish it in 2018.  Without the Foundation to help employing him as a teacher at the Chuluc School, nor giving him a scholarship, he will need to look for work to support his family--and with high unemployment, he is even willing to grab a hoe and work in agriculture that will only earn him $5.50/day or $165/month, but will need help to finish his education on the weekends.  

He calculates that: 

His educational costs will be $1,615 for the year.

(maybe safer to say $2,000)

IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE WHO CAN CONTRIBUTE THROUGH THE FOUNDATION IN DECEMBER SAID AMOUNT?

I will gladly give up on replacing the hijacked pickup to help him.

Or, a couple of three of you who can each donate half, a third, or so?

PLEASE HELP IF YOU CAN.

Your donation will be tax deductible until December 31st when the Foundation legally is retired.

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"ONE MORE THING" Newsletter #15 Nov. 2017 "CLAUSURA at ARIEL & INES ANDERSEN CHULUC SCHOOL"

Click to RETURN

Click to view in ONEDRIVE

First...the back of the envelope message

ACAMAL PROJECT photo/essay -- Last English Newsletter #14 Oct. 2017 & Ultimo Boletin en ESPAÑOL

Click for: The PREVIOUS POST

 Primarily:  OUR HISTORY WITH THE NAJQUITOB VILLAGE & SCHOOL

& THE SCHOOL KITCHEN  INAUGURATION

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Click for: LAST English NEWSLETTER #14 October 2017 "A FINAL "ADIOS" 
Acamal Project Report, The "Most Outstanding from Half a Century," Letters from Greatest Donor, and Most Persistent Donor,  A Million Thanks

Click for:  ULTIMO Boletin en ESPAÑOL #14 octubre 2017 "ULTIMO ADIOS"
Proyecto Acamal, "Los Sobresalientes de Medio Siglo," Gracias a todos, Carta del Donador Mas Grande,  y del Mas Persistente -- Mil Gracias
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The promotional activity ended on August 31st when the Foundation completed 50 years of working among the Mayans in Guatemala
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  Building a KITCHEN for the ACAMAL SCHOOL in Santa Cruz Verapaz 

The  INAUGURATION DATE for the project was Thursday, October 26th
By Cordell M Andersen, Field Director

Following is a photo/essay of the project that is now complete--perhaps only lacking a few captions--added in a day or two.  The last Newsletter--link above-- was created in English reporting the final project in Alta Verapaz, including final comments on the Foundation's work from our major contributors over the half century of work among the Mayans.  The Newsletter was printed and sent to our entire list email list of present and past donors, plus a few family &  friends who could still donate if so moved.  Donation receipts for 2017 were sent along with the newsletter to all 2017 contributors.
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Most of this post will be made just with photographs, but begin with a historical photo from our Success Stories report on Acamal from back at a time when our Regional Director, retired professor Federico Veliz, was one of the two teachers there.  A very important historical writing is included that also is reproduced in the Newsletter

CRUCIAL HISTORICAL NOTE: 

From our August Newsletter #13-2017. 

I first met Federico Veliz (Pacay) when we began helping the Najquitob Village build their first

 formal school (with a cement floor).  I recall him being at the inauguration. He was then a teacher 

in the remote Pambach Village School, isolated by a landowner who didn't want any progress for

the villagers.  One Saturday, his day off, he led a group of parents hiking 3 hours following rough

 mountain trails to get to Valparaiso and ask our help to finish the simple school they were struggling

to build.With incredible teams of volunteers from Valparaiso we got that school built, but in the

 process, we together suffered death threats.  Later the guerrillas zeroed in on Pambach resulting in a

 horrendous and tragic history--which story I will eventually tell--and together Federico & myself were pressured to join the guerrillas or be killed. 

 Note:  I was initially saved by taking my family back to the U.S. after receiving a threat of 

"execution," and for several years working out of Guatemala City…..but then advised by the Army

 that a new guerrilla leader,  who was a friend,  defended me as he had observed me treating fairly my workers,
 and had aid projects in all the villages.

Federico was saved by being  transferred to the Acamal School, in a village very near Santa Cruz Verapaz,

 where he taught for many years until his retirement, and there developed Acamal into a "model school" 

that received international visitors from Israel, Taiwan and elsewhere, and there he was chosen as 

"Teacher of the Year."

When around the same time I had to sell Valparaiso, the displays of the Philosophy & Principles of the Good Life were installed at the Acamal School and our marimba from Valparaiso was also donated to the school.

The school has grown to at least 450 students, as well as also being helped by Federico to now have the Junior High level, such as he also accomplished at the Valparaiso/Rio Frio School….so our last project will be to 

HELP THEM BUILD AN ADEQUATE KITCHEN.

I feel it is more than appropriate that our final project in Alta Verapaz will be at the school where Federico finished his career and did so much more and is more than deserving of the title, 

 "THE OUTSTANDING GUATEMALAN VOLUNTEER" 

 of our entire 50-year effort.  Our love and blessings will be always for him and his wonderful family.

Below are pictures that show the history of the project at Acamal.  

As noted above, Federico  helped the Acamal Elementary School also have a Junior High School.

 The old kitchen

 THE PROJECT BEGINS 

The Project completed except for clean-up & an initial THANK YOU given.

Now the formal, PUBLIC INAUGURATION 
on Thursday, October 26th 

Aura Andersen, my adopted daughter, representing me and the Foundation, with Federico Veliz, our Regional Director

The Ariel & Ines Andersen Chuluc Village School

Our support of the school will continue until December helping the Community with maintenance expenses of the school, and paying  Mario de la Cruz, as one of the teachers, his vacation pay and Christmas bonus--which is making possible him supporting his family, and on weekends finish his university degree as a lawyer.  He is our volunteer Regional Director, having served the Foundation for over 15 years, and is also working hard at raising a growing family, pictures of two of his three inserted below were recently forwarded to us.

 George Mario, seen above participating in the Anual Fair parade in Patzicia.

And, his newest, Kenny Julio, born on August 5th.  

CONGRATULATIONS TO MARIO & HIS WIFE, ELENA.

We have funds in the bank to continue to meet our commitments with Mario and the school until the end of the school year.  Once that is taken care of, a final Anual Financial Report will be made, and a final post will be made on this website, and the Guatemalan Foundation will be retired.

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THIS WEBSITE WILL BE MAINTAINED PERMANENTLY & ADDED TO  WITH IMPORTANT HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS, PHOTOGRAPHS & VIDEOS AS THERE ARE MANY OF GREAT VALUE THAT HAVE NOT BEEN DIGITIZED YET.

Notices will be emailed when such are put online.

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP.