Where to begin?

First off, we need to say that we appreciate your prayers and concern even while we haven't been in communication this past month. A lot has happened.

We did post some new photos of the Community Development course that was given soon after we arrived back in January (see in new window), the one day training session given to the Information Systems Department (ISD) where Steve did much of the translation (see in new window), and some of the trip Steve took with the Community Development department to check on the water systems, pumps, and to do some training in hygiene (see in new window). If and when we figure out how to post a track on something like Google Earth, we might be able to show you where Steve went.

The kids are pretty well adjusted now, but it is still difficult for Pauli to get around using taxi's with the three kids in tow. Keilah and Kendra had a sleep-over at one of their cousins' home this past Saturday and enjoyed the time there. We went out there on Sunday and spent the afternoon with the extended family. It was interesting to hear Pauli say that she heard one of the cousins say that the family get-to-togethers aren't as boring now that the McCrackens are back.

The country is in another crisis now with more than half the Congressmen thrown out or not depending on the decision of the highest court (Tribunal Constitutional).
It all started with the last election and one of the issues being an asamblea constituyente where there would be delegates elected from all parts of the country to review and revise the Constitution here. As many are fed up with the Congress and politicians here, there has been many calling for this. The problem has been that the normal process would go through the Congress to approve this and Congress wanted to put a clause in that the asamblea constituyente could review everything except the Congress and its powers.
Because of the hang-up in Congress, the President finally sent the proposal directly to the Tribunal Suprema Electoral (Electoral Supreme Court). This court is put in place by the different parties (there are more than six or seven major parties) in Congress, so the Congress didn't worry too much about it being approved there. But it was accepted by the court's President. Because of this, the majority party in Congress voted to throw him out of their party and, because the majority party gets to elect the court's President, voted in a new President of the court. At the same time, the Congress sent a petition to the Tribunal Constitutional asking that court to declare the approval of the asamblea constituyente unconstitutional. It was returned to Congress because there was no supporting evidence and the Congress was given three days to provide supporting evidence.
The problem came about, though, that (because of a law here that states that in times of election, the Tribunal Suprema Electoral is, more or less, the supreme court in the land) that the Tribunal Suprema Electoral declared those in the Congress that were opposing them in violation of this law. The court said that because the asamblea constituyente had been approved, that it was in time of elections, therefore those 57 congressmen that voted against them were in violation of this law and that they, therefore, lost their citizenship privileges for one year. And, because you have to be a citizen to be a congressman, they lost their office.
Now, Congress can't get a quorum because more than half of them lost their office. Those same congressmen don't recognize their losing of their seat. This is the situation here in the country now.

As one of Pauli's family said... "Who needs to watch soap operas here? Just watch the news."