We support and augment Solidaridad Con Los Niños – a group working to better the lives of special-needs children in the Northwest ‘Huistlan’ region of Guatemala. These caring individuals, most of them parents or family members of the children enrolled, work to provide for many of their physical and mental needs. One success story is the elementary school that has been established – unique in that country – for children who could not otherwise go to school. Several of the students are ‘deaf’ – a determination that didn’t consider other possibilities! We’d known one of these young students for several years – Edgar – and knew he was not totally deaf. That knowledge prompted us to further discussion with teachers, parents, and experts. Over the course of a year we had representatives take several children to nearby cities for examination. We learned that many were candidates for hearing apparatus – but frustratingly, Edgar was not! We insisted on further examinations, but scheduling failed. With nothing moving forward, we went to Guatemala in November to finally solve our concerns. The young people from our own church community had been so supportive of this cause and we could never accept nor tell them ‘the challenge was too great’. Upon arrival, we booked re-examination of all nine children.  A problem in the hearing examinations had been with communication. Edgar, easily distracted, was obviously more interested in the room and equipment than in understanding instructions. After the full sound pattern had run twice with no ‘score’– I joined him in the booth. With the volume set high enough to hear sound external to the headphones we created a right-hand / left-hand game. Edgar paid sufficient attention (unusual for his ADD) and scored well in the ‘game’ when the full test was run a third time.   Dulce-Maria had also scored zero – ‘no hearing whatsoever’ the determination. One of the youngest children, she is shy, reserved, and without sufficient schooling to facilitate ready communication. In her mountainous and remote Union-Cantonil district, being ‘special’ is not – unseen and unheard the general rule. Working to help her understand the testing felt fruitless. The technician, noting Dulce’s repeated failure to indicate hearing at any level or frequency, accepted that the previous diagnosis had indeed been correct – the child was not a candidate for any hearing apparatus. Trying what had worked with Edgar had gone nowhere – sadly, games were not something she understood. I was at the rear of the little booth allowing the technician to view hand-signals through the small window. Moving around to kneel in front, it seemed her eyes were reacting to the sounds. Despite prompts and prayers she failed to raise her hand and signal accordingly. Finally, I opened the door and stepped out of the testing chamber – the technician, misunderstanding my tears, started to explain that no matter how we wish for it, not every child will hear… I stepped aside and pointed to Dulce’s hand, partially hidden in her sleeve a single digit extended shyly with each sound sample. Through the open door the technician noted from which small hand a tiny finger emerged as Dulce-Maria aced her test!    This video is only of the final fitting of the devices – the last trip to town started early. The examinations, re-examinations, forming of those 14 ear ear-canal shapes, travels, anticipation, and hopes are not here – but can be seen in their eyes. Edgar’s focused attention – so different for him; Juanita’s surprising “yes” (not “si”) and her mother’s relief; Priscilla’s realization of music; Dulce-Maria’s little finger – continuing to communicate her ability to hear; the excitement of Mauro (with his Dad) and Climston (with his Mom) – two friends so anxious for the other to hear first that we had to bring them in together! Saidy’s first experience with her own device was two days later and is not shown here – hers is a difficult situation. Paola and Sulmi, the youngest of all nine, could not be properly evaluated and will undergo more specialized testing in the capital city.   When February was suggested as the (unacceptable) delivery date – we rescheduled our trip home and set a goal to have these young people hearing by Christmas - the first music they’d experience to be Josh Groban’s beautiful gift of ‘O Holy Night’…   They returned to school after the Christmas break – a new school year with new teachers and priorities: discovering their own voices and those of others; separating sibilance from noise as they learn to speak and understand speech.