So Let's start with the good news. The vaccinations process is moving faster in Guatemala. In the last month we've been able to get all our teachers vaccinated and several non-teaching staff members as well. This is a necessity to having kids back in classrooms so we are thankful we can be a part of the solution. We miss our kids! 

     However, Guatemala is in a wave of increased positive COVID cases. In order to protect our students and teachers and take pressure off of the parents, we've decided to suspend in-person tutoring with the students. We are also periodically allowing teachers to work from home. This certainly isn't where we wanted to be half-way through the school year, but we have a responsibility to help protect our students, even if it breaks our hearts. We hope and pray that the vaccine will allow Guatemala to shake off the pandemic soon. Meanwhile we will be educating and loving our little ones through online classes.

     In June, the Ministry of Education made an open all for teaching jobs. Many teachers applied and several of our teachers were selected. In August, these teachers will be closing this chapter of their Morning Glory Story as they move on to new positions working in other schools. We congratulate (from left to right) Luis, Velvet, Andrea, Celeste, Carmen, Claudia, Edgar, and Derek because the new positions offer many more benefits. Morning Glory will never forget these wonderful people that educated, equipped, and encouraged so many in our classrooms.
     
    So we have have a new group of impressive young people to cover the gaps. Joining us are (from left to right) Gerardo, Nallely, Ana, Monica, Kevin, Melida, Elizabeth, Marisol, and Daniel. Most of these teachers have spent about three weeks learning and practicing alongside the teachers that are leaving to make the transition as smooth as possible  We ask you to pray for them as they get acclimated in this difficult learning environment. We can't wait to see how God uses these new players to impact our students in a mighty way. They've already contributed in the video above!

       So at least for a few weeks, online classes will pause and the school will be near-empty. However, we can see where God is allowing us to continue improving what we do. Thanks to a couple groups and an excellent maintenance worker, we are painting all the classrooms we can. You can see some of them in the video above. We received a donation from a VBS at North Liberty Church of Christ that allowed us to buy 90 desks for 3 full classrooms. We may be seeing more donations for even more soon. The chapel is finished, but we will use this time of inactivity to on campus to make some necessary modifications. Heyson is working very hard on expanding our Diversified education to include new opportunities. 

    We try not to brag too much about our facilities, because the real Kingdom works goes on through relationships. But to help our students understand and and achieve excellence, we want to give them something that looks more like what they deserve and strive for. We want students to know the school was waiting for them the whole time, and they are more than worth the effort.