From: "David J. Viehland" Subject: hello Pele Dear Ray and family, It was nice to hear from you after so many years. You seem to be doing well and you keep yourself active and in good shape. I am happy for you. Yes I am still in the Philippines where I have been since 1970 except for the years 1992-95. We lived in Missouri for those years and I worked for a Protestant group running a home for DDMR women from 18-80 years old. I ran a cotttage for 23 women for 2 1/2 years before coming back here. While from 1979-1989 I did run a house for street kids. In 1989 Maryknoll asked me to close it down because they were worried about what might happen as with priest working in youth hostels in the states. Anyway we had almost 11 years of helping kids and i can see some of them now are college graduates and thru them I too am a grandfather many times over, too many times over in fact. Finally in 1991 I left and married one of my former students and co founder of the Community House for the Kids. NJ is about 13 years younger and comes from an old musical family, and banking family here in Manila. Most of her family including her parents live in California, but she has 2 brothers and a sister here. The oldest brother writes musical scores for movies and her youngest brother is an award winning actor. He was just in DC at the Kennedy Center doing an original Filipino Ballet. NJ and I have two sons, Albert who turns 20 tomorrow and Kiko, David Francis, is 6. Albert we have had since he was 1 1/2 years old after his mother died. He is the only person or at least now the first to be adopted twice. First by NJ and after we were married by me. Kiko was born here, but spent the first 3 years in the States. Both of them are basketball players. Kiko just made the grade school team here. Albert is a frosh in LaSalle university taking Hotel Rest. and Institution management. Kiko goes to the Jesuit University which is near our home. Now UCAN stands for Union of Catholic Asian News. It is a catholic news agency that was started by Bob Astorino back in 1979. I helped set up the Manila Office for him in 1985 and Nj was the second National Editor for the Philippines from 1989=1992. we both resigned in 1992, but every year Bob would go to the States and entice us to come back.In 1995 we did for a 3 year contract and Bob got us to sign up for another 3 years. NJ s Editor and I am UCAN's first full time reporter, and I do a lot of trouble shooting for Bob in the country and I have bee covering a 2 year dialogue with the Catholic Bishops and Muslim Ulamas. To be honest I have thought a lot about you lately because I worked on a reporter seminar with a Fr. Wilmer Tria of Naga City, about 300 miles South of here. He's not exactly your twin, but he could be a brother or a close cousin. It was during that seminar in mid October that I got an eye infection that turned into a Corneal Ulcer and exploded. I have lost sight in my right eye at least until I can get a transplant down the line. i HAD to give up tennis for while which is my new sport after golf. For the present I am back to walking only. Thanks again for the note and update - I have a neice and her family around Austin somewhere, an ex Maryknoller named Nim Hornung, but where I am unsure. Take care and if you ever want to come to Asia let me know. DAVE