2011 Annual Report
Christmas 2011
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
As we near the end of December, it is time to reflect on the events that have taken place this year. We would like to tell you about three things: the accomplishments of Professionals to the World (PTTW) in 2011, work left unfinished in 2011, and a new opportunity for 2012.
Accomplishments of 2011:
PTTW separated from Ministerio Renuevo.
We officially and legally changed the representative of Professionals to the World in Honduras to Arnulfo Matute in Tegucigalpa.
We officially signed an agreement with the national university system (UNAH) in Honduras for the construction of the Center of Integral Formation (CFI) in Comayagua.
John and Arnulfo met with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Honduras, regarding the teaching of values and principles to all the military. The Chairman wants to make this happen.
Three of us North Americans and two Honduran leaders spoke to 1415 students and 145 professors during the trip in September. Included in this trip was the opportunity to talk at universities where we had not been previously.
We added another university to those that are using our book on Values and Principles.
Arnulfo Matute has accomplished a lot since taking over the responsibility of PTTW. His teaching at the university has been so effective that he was interviewed and an article printed in the daily Tegucigalpa newspaper, El Heraldo, on September 12:
Arnulfo’s talks to students, El Heraldo explained, “focus on academic development in areas in which students are deficient. This week’s talk covered speaking in class.”
He has taken the initiative of visiting several more universities to talk about our program. As a result, the universities in Juticalpa and La Ceiba intend to begin working with us in the coming year.
Arnulfo has also maintained contact with the universities and the Air Force where the values classes are being taught. These include the National University in Comayagua (CURC), the Engineering School in Tegucigalpa (UNAH), the National Forestry School (ESNACIFOR) and the Air Force base in Comayagua (Palmerola).
Work left unfinished at the end of the year:
The CFI in Comayagua: The work is only half done and remains a high priority in our objectives.
The teaching of values and principles in all the universities in Honduras: We continually work toward this goal.
The teaching of values in the military: This is still uncertain, although Arnulfo continues to be in contact with them.
It would be nice to finish everything we had planned to accomplish this year but unfortunately, that did not happen. The biggest issue is the CFI in Comayagua. We are waiting for the director and professors at CURC in Comayagua to take the initiative in selling the books on values before trying to raise more funds. The cost to complete the building is about $35,000 which seems realizable if they sell the 3000 books we have already printed. The director of the university plans to require all new students matriculating in February to buy the book. This could be up to 900 if things are executed as planned. This is really in their hands and we have emphasized that this is their program.
Our desire is that every new student be required to attend a class on values and principles. This goal is taking a lot longer than we had hoped, but little by little, more teachers are including this teaching in their program. We are trying to be patient but at the same time, do all we can to make it happen.
We had hoped that the military would be teaching the book by this time, but are still waiting for this to begin. Arnulfo is ready to do the training as soon as they want it. To misquote a centuries old writer, “The millstones of (the state) grind slowly….”
New opportunity for 2012:
This coming year we hope to start a new, five-minute radio program in Spanish for radio stations in the USA and Honduras.
This idea came from Erik Valenzuela, who went with us to Honduras in September. He has a lot of experience with radio, and wants us to write short clips using the many principles in our book on values and principles. Erik will relate these true stories from many different people, illustrating such principles as kindness, hard work, competence, courtesy, hospitality, courage and others. They are basically stories from personal experience that will help inspire and instruct listeners to develop these principles in their own lives.
We have written about 20 stories so far from our own experiences or from interviews. If you have a story you think should be shared, please contact us as soon as possible. You can write it out or we can come and interview you. We need a lot of help, and we want a broad range of people and backgrounds.
We hope to have these stories broadcast on a daily basis, meaning we need hundreds of stories to cover the whole year.
In our world of negative media, a bad economy and an uncertain future, we hope to encourage listeners to think positively, and to do those things that build effective lives and make for good relationships.
We want to thank all of you for your support this past year, and to wish you a joyous Christmas with your families. We pray that God will bless you abundantly in the coming year.
John and Charly Potts of Professionals to the World