Surprise Meetings at the Hardware Store

Upon our return from visiting Santa Clara this morning, Katherine and I went to the hardware store to check the price for blackboard paint. While waiting, another lady came in and asked us in English, "Is there no one here?" To which we answered, "A lady just went to the back." She then asked who we were and what we were about? We explained we were here on a mission trip to which she responded,"I want to help the people here. I have just retired and have moved to Pinalejo and I want to get involved." She then explained that she was a CPA and secretary and had just retired from working in Miami and was in the process of moving back to her hometown. We sent her across the street to the office to meet Maynor and Roxanne.

Then, 4 "gringos" walked in and immediately wanted to know who I was and what was I doing here. They were four young engineers from Detroit, working with "Engineers Without Borders". They were working a water project up north of Pinalejo and were in Quimistan looking for chlorine powder for the system. We exchanged e-mail addresses and they were very interested in networking with others working in Honduras. I told them of the October meeting in Copan that Allen has attended and I told them I would send them the HAF website address and other info that we have. They also expressed an interest in other projects in the area and asked if we knew of any.

So we had two "God-incidents" in a period of less that 5 minutes. That's pretty cool; we serve an AWESOME GOD!!!!!!!!

George

A Day of “R”s

Today (Sunday) was a Relaxing day of Refreshing Rejuvenation, as we attended several Religious events.  We started out at Martha Thomsen’s Sunday school, with nearly 100 in attendance.  

From there we stopped by the Tejeres community.  Their service was over (it had started at 9:00), but the feeding was in progress.  After it was over, we talked and had prayer with Pastor Wilmer.

The Agape Promise Bible study was also well attended.  The kids seemed to enjoy it, and we had fun Reuniting with our own AP kids and others we know.

We gave Gloria the afternoon off and finished the day with a dinner at Mario’s.

This was a very Rewarding day, spent Rebuilding both body and spirit.

Tomorrow it’s back to work.

Tommy

Setting Up the Dental Space

Yesterday afternoon we carried 7 trunks of dental supplies to the hospital to start setting up for the dentists who will arrive on Tuesday. In an effort to allow more room, we plan to set up one chair in the room we used last year and set up the second chair (the one used for dental exams and cleaning) in the emergency room. This should ease the congestion we experienced last year. We plan to have the rooms ready for dental service when the dentists arrive Tuesday afternoon. I'm sure that we won't have everything in the correct place but at least it will be unpacked and available.

George

Two Celebrations

Today, sandwiched in between all of our other activities, we took time to celebrate 2 important events. First was Gloria’s birthday (we didn’t ask which one), which we recognized at lunch with a special cake. In case you don’t know, Gloria is our excellent cook, and the reason most of us come home a few pounds heavier than we left.

Second, we invited Maynor and his soon-to-be bride Jessy to have dinner with us, where we presented them with a wedding card and gift from the HAF Board members.  Maynor has been with HAF for 4 years, and provides a wide range of services important to the success of HAF.  We wish them many happy and healthy years together.

Tommy

Following God’s Call

This morning during our devotional, we talked about God's calling for us all and our sole responsibility being that of obedience despite not knowing the how, when, where or why.  Little did we know that when we visited the Tejeres community to check on a few other projects that God needed us to help with one that another had begun.

 

Unbeknownst to any of us, an HAF missionary on an earlier trip had committed to help a single mother, Lourdes, who had dug the hole for her septic tank.  This person financed the completion of her latrine.  She had found a man in Pinalejo who was giving her adobe blocks but she was in need of a way to get them to her house.  

So in true North American fashion, we all decided that we would make it happen. Once we had located a pickup to borrow, we picked Lourdes up, and followed her directions to the home and began transferring what became four truckloads of adobe block.  She worked long and hard along side Dane and Daniel with the rest of us pitching in late in the activity.  

With each delivery, it seemed another person came to her house to help us unload the blocks.  As has been said, many hands make for light work (although, those blocks were far from light).  She was so appreciative for the help in getting one step closer to her dream of having a latrine.  

To God be all the glory!

Roxanne

A Busy Day

 

 

This morning we visited the schools at Bandaras and Jicaro for more toothbrushing, fluoride, and deworming medication.  So today there are 60 more clean mouths and healthier bodies. 

But there were also just as many happy smiles, many games, and lots of hugs, as we made one more small step in the process of releasing these precious children from the chains of poverty that bind them.  I thank God for allowing me to be a small part of this process.

 

This afternoon, we verified that Sandra’s new house is now under construction!  Footings have been dug, and the foundation is being built.  We praise the Lord for that, as I’m sure Sandra does!

 

Later, we helped with the Friday feeding of roughly 60 children of the Tejeres community.  They were polite and thankful as always.

All in all, a busy, but very fruitful and satisfying day.

Tommy

 

R & R in Teo

Yesterday, while visiting Texoxingales (or Teo for short), I enjoyed trading kicks with an 8-year-old soccer player until I had to plead exhaustion and go back to blowing bubbles, a lot less strenuous.  Note how well the school’s ball has been used.  Next time, I’ll have to take them one, unless someone beats me to it.

 

Afterward, once again we were treated to the hospitality of Vilma and her family, which included some wonderful home- grown coffee!  

The delightful people here have very little, but are happy to share it.  It was good to see our Teo friends again.

Tommy

Blackboards In Teo

After an eventful morning at the Los Hornos Kinder and school we went to Teo for the afternoon. We had purchased blackboard paint in San Pedro  Sula yesterday afternoon and used one gallon of it today painting three dilapidated chalk boards. The change was impressive and will add to the learning at the school. The pictures below tell the entire story.

George

Healthy Bodies and Souls

This morning, we visited the Kindergarten and the elementary school at Los Hornos.  Our stated purpose was to provide toothbrushes, toothpaste, fluoride treatments, and anti-parasitic meds.  

We took time, though, to explain why we were doing this, especially at the kinder, where Roxanne explained how Jesus can come and live in your heart and always be your friend, even if sometimes no one else will.

Tommy

Evangelism Progress in Teo

Today, while visiting Texoxingales, I had the pleasure of sitting down and talking with two of the evangelistic leaders, Vilma and Rosa. In January, the foundation had donated Bible story books and Bibles for the churches. It was great to hear how successful these two ladies have been with developing study groups for the children and youth using the tools they have been given. They excitedly told of their lessons using the story books, which have brought the lessons to a new level of interest, especially for the children.

There are three churches in this village and the leaders are working well together sharing the books.
We also gave them crayons and construction paper to use for crafts. Upon receipt of these, Vilma told me that she had been praying for crayons and just last night, she had a dream that someone was going to bring her some. And God did just that!

When asked about future needs, they both spoke of the need for car batteries, which would be used to provide light at the three churches so they could meet at night. Not being able to make any promises, we joined hands and in our closing prayer ask God to provide them as He had the crayons believing that He will in His perfect timing.

On behalf of the foundation, I expressed our gratitude for their commitment in serving their communities and assisting us in sharing the love of Jesus.

Blessed to be here, Roxanne

Travel and Preparation

Yesterday, the first contingent of this mission team, consisting of George, Dane, Roxanne, and Tommy, arrived safely in Quimstan.  (The dentists will arrive next week.)  The trip was routine, except for the friends we made along the way.  Following George’s devotion in the ATL airport, 3 or 4 people approached us, including one asking what 'Agape' meant, and one asking for prayer for a friend of his,  He also said, 'I’m not into religion yet, but maybe someday.'

Then, on the plane, one of our flight attendants, 'Mike', said he flies often to Honduras, and that the Lord has laid on his heart to try and get all the mission teams he meets in touch with a contact person he knows from the Honduras Outreach International, so I gave him our contact information.  The HOI contact will set up a Facebook page (or something similar) so that the mission groups can interact and benefit from each other's experience. 

Who knows what seeds we may plant on (or even on the way to) these mission trips?

Following a sumptuous lunch in San Pedro Sula (see above), we purchased Bibles at significant cost savings over the Quimistan price, and bought some blackboard paint, which we plan to start using tomorrow.

In the evening, we made up about 200 toothbrushes/ toothpaste packages in preparation for tomorrow.

We seem to be off to a good start.

Tommy

But Before the End of the Team Leader . . .

This is the awesome team that ministered last week at Texoxingales, La Montanitas (two days), Nueva Esperanza, Santa Clara, at Martha's Sunday School and her after-school tutoring class, at the AP class (twice), and at the Tejeres community (twice).  Back row, left to right, is Larry, Paul, Sam, Allen, and Russell.  Front row, left to right, is Pat, Dee-Dee, Becky, Kay, Francoise, and Lorraine.

This Team Leader Was For the Birds

If you are ever in Copán Ruinas, don't miss a trip to Macaw Mountain, located a few miles north of Copán on a road that can't possibly lead to anywhere.  It's a thoroughly enjoyable place to visit if you like beautiful birds.  While there we encountered some very wise birds who knew how to deal with a problem.  Here we see our team leader as he was about to be carried away.

Cultural Enrichment Trip

A late posting from Monday morning:  Today we are off to play tourist for a bit.  We let the cook off this morning and tried to burn our own toast along with the fruit they had left for us.  So by 7:00am we were on the high winding road to the ruins at Copán Ruinas.

From Monday afternoon:  The weather is beautiful today and the ruins are very well kept.  Our guide, Marvin was very informative and funny.  So the tour was very relaxed and helpful, getting all our questions answered and pictures taken.  We did see some macaws and agouti (rat like animals about the size of a small cat that they can eat), mot mot, and a few other birds.

A light lunch at the ruins and a look at the gift shop, then to the impressive museum.  Allen said he had to rush through the area when he was here before, and it was nice to truly take your time reading and observing.  It is rewarding to learn something of the rich history of the people of Honduras that they are so proud of.

Monday evening before dinner:  We are at the hotel now.  Some of the guys have even found the Super Bowl on TV, in Spanish of course.  But hey--there is hot water in the shower!!!
 
Looking for the butterfly farm and a place to eat.

 Dee-Dee

A Special Treat at Tejeres

Today was a special day for the children of Tejeres, as well as for our team.  Two of our Agape Promise students, Ibeth (on the left here with the glasses) and Daisy (far right), had volunteered to do the teaching this morning.  We picked up the two girls and their AP teacher at the HAF office on the way to the Tejeres community along the highway right of way.  Both girls are in the 9th grade in school.  Ibeth has been in the AP program for four years and Daisy for five.

 




The lesson today was from Genesis, the story about how God created everything.  The girls taught as a team, and asked members of our team to help them with the visual aids they had prepared.  They did a really nice job as they captured and held the attention of the kids.

After the teaching and a question & answer quiz that many of the children participated in enthusiastically, the girls passed out coloring sheets and crayons.  It was very interesting to see how carefully and artistically the children colored the sheets with the few varied colors they had available.

 The students were proud of their coloring, and chose the team members they wanted to present with their masterpieces.  Of course when the camera came out, everybody wanted to be photographed and to see themselves on the view screen of the camera.










  First we encouraged them to show their work, but it wasn't long before we just captured the children in little groups.  Kay seemed to attract the greatest number of niños.


The final event, as always at Tejeres, was the meal.  The team members assisted in the distribution of the meal that was prepared by the minister's wife.  Every child who wanted a second serving received one, and many of the children filled their plastic containers with food to take home.

Then as we were about ready to leave, a young man on a bicycle showed up with a snake that had been run over on the highway but was not yet dead.  The snake was about six feet long--a nice looking nonpoisonous snake.  After all the oohs and aaahs diminished, Lourdes carried away the snake by the tail, followed by about ten kids.  Someone mentioned that she and her family will have snake to eat.  This is Tejeres, one of the little communities alongside the highway outside of Quimistan.  You get your protein however you can.

Allen

Warm Showers

Some of you know that there is no hot water here at the ranch.  Not that we lack for creature comforts in this lovely area where we stay.  But our ever prepared BSA leader Larry had ideas on how to give us limited relief in this area.

The other night we had the local Peace Corps Volunteer, a young lady named Margaux, visit with us.  She told us about her work here in education about nutrition, basic health habits, and HIV prevention.  She has worked here for almost a year, and at the end of the evening she talked a bit about her isolation and cultural adaptation.  We asked her about when was the last time she had had a warm shower.  Her answer was that she had not had one during her entire stay, and most likely would not have one until she returned to the States.  Our little Becky, with the big heart, gave Margaux her water heating device as Margaux was leaving.

Our hope is that she has enjoyed the comfort of a warm shower.

Dee-Dee

In Praise of Kay's Bravery

A little clarification is in order regarding Kay's injury yesterday.  Kay would like us all to recognize that she was merely protecting the children from a huge green bird with a slashing beak that was descending on a group of defenseless children while the men ran for cover and the women stood paralyzed with fear.  The mighty warrior princess Kay swung into action--she stood eye to eye with the huge bird, staring into its fiery red eyes.  The screech the bird emitted would make your hair stand on end.  The children cheered as the bird flew away with Kay clutched in its talons.  Only by her sheer bravery was she able to escape from his evil clutches with nothing more than a superficial wound to her finger.

The Admiring Team 

Some Thoughts on Saturday

We have now been here in Honduras for seven days.  And even God rested on the seventh day.  So we filled our day of rest with the following;

• Going to downtown Quimistan,
• Going to the bank,
• Riding in the moto-taxi,
• Shopping at their version of WalMart buying hot sauce, coffee, and even a school uniform for a 3 year-old back in South Carolina,
• Visiting three homes in Tejeres which is a squatter village alongside the busy highway,
• Visiting the boyhood home of Miguel Paz Barahona who was President in the 20's and sort of a local-boy-made-good (I guess like Sam Turnipseed in Aiken),
• Buying artwork from the local whistling artist (you had to have been there),
• Visiting a local corn grinding business and tasting raw cocoa,
• Then we got up close and personal with a couple of parrots--one of whom seemed not to like Methodists--and Kay ended up with a mean chunk taken out of her hand,
• Of course then we had to console Kay with some really great vanilla flavored ice cream covered with chocolate,
• Finally we visited the future site of Sandra's new home.

So there you have it...  Just a quiet day of rest here in Quimistan.  Tomorrow is Sunday and who knows how much MORE restful we can be.  We still see God's blessing in every turn of the road.

Paul

Sight Restored

We don't claim to be healing the blind.  But it's hard sometimes to keep from being excited about how close it seems we come.  Today in Santa Clara we did our third session of the week as vision testers and fitters of eyeglasses.  Exuberance abounds when someone sits down to try on possibly several eyeglasses, each time saying, "No, this isn't right," and then suddenly comes alive with a big grin and "I can read it now!"

Today was even more special when Daniel, one of our translators, was working with us to help us sharpen up our technique with the Focometer and the eyeglass fitting.  ""These make me dizzy,"  "This doesn't really help much," and then "WOW!  I thought I could see pretty well, but this is GREAT!  Now I can read those little letters on the bottom of the chart!"  It doesn't take too much of that to cause you to turn your head so no one can see, and wipe that little moisture from your eyes.

Allen

A Visit and a Revisit on Thursday

Yesterday several of us went to visit Martha's after-school program.  The children go to school from 7:30 until 12:00.  Her program starts at 2:00 and goes until 4:00.  They handle children from kinders to 6th grade.  They work with math and reading skills, get a snack, and then enjoy some playtime.  She employs two qualified teachers who are aware of students with learning problems and who give some of the additional help needed in that area.   The program is growing.  The younger students meet in a storage room at the present time, but Martha has BIG dreams and has recently bought the 4 acres next to the meeting area.

During the morning we revisited the village of La Montanita.  The ladies there have invested some profits from their tortilla cloth microenterprise to open a little community bakery.  The women of our team joined in the dough-kneading.  What they really got into with great gusto was slamming down the dough ball on the table.  Frustration and tension seemed to evaporate in the process!  And we found out that Becky Lakey can make a mean cookie!  Of course the men were busy doing man things--watching the bread-making process, watching the man start the fire in the oven and stoke it with wood, watching the children play, and meeting under the shade tree to discuss "important" things.

Soon Jose Santos' wife showed up with four freshly picked pineapples.  Out came a very sharp machete, wielded with great skill to trim and slice the delicious, sweet and juicy fruit for everyone to enjoy.  By the time the pineapples were devoured, the banana bread, garlic bread, milk bread, and cupcakes were baked for our enjoyment.  We didn't have any room for our PB&J sandwiches, so they were all distributed to the locals.

While all this was underway, the men were not really disengaged.  We met with Vilma C., the pastor's wife who brought back information to us about the membership in each of the churches in the community, and how many Bibles they would need for everybody who can read but doesn't have a Bible.  We left her with a good supply of crayons for the students she has been teaching Bible stories.  We also met with Manuel Lopez and got a confirmation of the number of latrines to be constructed in the main village and its suburb across the ravine.  As we were leaving the village, we spotted a truck coming into the village that appeared to be carrying the piping, concrete, and other materials required for doing those jobs.

Dee-Dee and Allen

A Plan Has Come Together

There are great debates in Presbyterian Theologian circles about whether God sends the equipped or equips the sent.  Of course there are Biblical examples and modern day examples of both.  I have to say that I have never been on a Church Project before where I have had such an overwhelming feeling that this team was specifically constituted AND equipped for a "purpose" by God.

How by chance could we humans have put together the calm organizational skills of Allen; the group play skills of Larry, Dee-Dee, and Kay; the bubble and tattoo skills of Pat, Lorraine, and Betsy; the glasses fitting skills in the midst of uncertainty of Paul, Russell, and Francoise; and the behind the scenes exuberance of Sam?  This team was uniquely constituted to do a specific mission to the country and mountain villages of Honduras... And we are doing just what God expected.

What a blessing to all of us to be a part of such a uniquely constituted team, and to be given an opportunity to play a part in God's great plan.  This did not happen by chance.  It could never have.  The odds are too great for such a convolution of people, talents, and needs.  The only answer I can see is that God , personally, has called us who are equipped AND equipped us who are called.  What fun it is to see "a plan come together."

Paul

Snapshots in My Mind

These things come to mind as I think back over the last few days:

• Juan Jose greeting us with a big smile when we pulled up to the school in Teo Monday morning.
• The Church of God in Teo that built new walls around the old church and awaits some help for a new roof so they can knock down the old walls and worship in a bigger place.
• Pat sitting on the step of the La Montanita school surrounded by kids as she reads a book to them in Spanish.
• Kay and Pat and Dee-Dee and Larry playing with the kids after Martha's Sunday School session.
• Becky sitting in a dark classroom at La Montanita wearing sunglassses as she and Pat worked with a woman seeking a pair of glasses so she could see clearly--and with Sonia, the teacher in Nueva Esperanza, watching their antics.
• Sam working with Kathryn to screen the people coming for eye testing.
• Daniel hustling back and forth from one eyeglass fitting table to another, interpreting what the people were saying as they tried various prescriptions.
• Maynor explaining to a group of kids how they DON'T SWALLOW IT!, but SWISH, SWISH, SWISH in your mouth for 30 seconds before you SPIT the foul-tasting fluoride rinse.
• Francoise smiling as she watches a satisfied customer leave with new glasses and a smile.
• Russell holding the paper in front of a customer's one eye while the other eye looks through the focometer, trying to find the pattern on the wall to focus on.
• Paul hustling to arrange all the eyeglass boxes systematically, set up the three eyeglass fitting stations, and train us neophytes in the fine art of how to satisfy the customer.
• Juana DuBon as she presented us with a big serving of coffee and pineapple pastries from the La Montanita bakery.
• Paul saying "I've been all over the world, but I don't think I've ever been as far out in the boondocks."
• The kids in the family of the overseer of Martha and Gary's property, getting real pleasure out of being able to say "Hello" and "Bye-bye" and getting us to respond.
• The comments around the dinner table at the team meeting as we reviewed the day and what we learned.
• Lorraine talking about how we might be able to help a little disabled girl to enjoy her attraction to music.
• The heartwarming joy we all received as we cut our PB&J sandwiches in half to feed the kids in La Montanita, then realized we needed to cut them into quarters, then got the apples and sliced them up, then got all the peanut butter crackers and distributed them, and then had enough to have a couple of crackers for ourselves.  We didn't have quite twelve baskets left over, but it seemed just as miraculous.  
• The way the school teachers can get kids and parents to line up, stay in line, and be quiet.  It's truly amazing.
• Vilma Cartagena talking about how she is trying interactive Bible story teaching in her church.  She mentioned that the previous week she had taught about Jesus feeding the five thousand, which just happened to be the example literature we had marked in one of the books we brought.
• Standing on top of the hill at Buenas Aires enjoying the afternoon breeze and looking over the whole valley below--Pinalejo first, then Quimistan, San Francisco, San Marcos all laid out in the river valley with the mountains just behind.
• But most of all, I continue to be amazed by the way God brings together people who are of just the right mix to be God's People where He puts us.

Allen

• 
  

A Special Delivery

Yesterday we made a special delivery to Siomara Zamora, the kindergarten teacher in La Montanita.  We all gathered in the school room around her as we invited her to unlock and open the trunk that had been personalized with her name on it.

As Siomara opened that trunk and began to see all the school supplies that had been collected especially for her and her students, this young, shy teacher dropped her head, with a little smile slowly spreading across her face.  She was obviously overwhelmed by the thought that the group who had been there only a few weeks earlier had outdone themselves for her.  The trunk contained innumerable things any kindergarten teacher would long for, but which few or none in this country could ever hope to have for her students.

What had initially seemed so incredible to her eventually became reality.  She raised her head and gently spoke the words of grateful, heartfelt appreciation, "muchas gracias."

Someone then said, "Did you tell her the trunk is for her to keep?"  Another smile, another muchas gracias, and she then locked her new trunk of goodies so they would be preserved for the beginning of the new school year next week.

What a marvelous way to start the day!

Allen

Technical Difficulties

We had trouble with online access yesterday, but we are back in business now.  Today a second router was installed, so we have one in the Gazebo and one in the Comedor.  The local power has been out all day and most of last night, but here at Martha's they have a generator and we even have machine washed and dried clothes.

The weather here is much better than what we hear you are having back home with the weather that seems to be doing that snow thing again.

We have been to two more villages up in the mountains and have done eye clinics and demonstrations for hand washing and tooth brushing.  We've played with the children and talked with local leaders about ways to improve conditions by working together.  We've left Christian education materials--Bibles, children's Bible story books and coloring books--with church representatives.  We've left school supplies with the teachers, and today did the fluoride rinses and deworming in Nueva Esperanza.  We are getting better at it each time, as we know what supplies are needed for each task and what they look like. 

We have seen the positive response of the adults when they enjoy sight again, but it is the children that always touch us the most.  There have been several handicapped children needing assistance, and they always tug at the heart strings. 

We can not get over the children and their responses.  Then there are the teachers and their responses to the materials.  Then we can not forget the parents and other adults.  Who is not being touched?

So several observations of today from various team members:

Today was a riding trip that few of us in the States have ever experienced.  The road was straight up the mountain and was more like riding a roller coaster with drivers braking every  few minutes.  We could smell the hot brakes and men were concerned for the rotors as we forded the streams at the bottom of the hills.  Although the countryside was beautiful you had to hold on for your life to stay in your seat.  What a trip! 

The games for the children were in the school courtyard today.  That meant that the adults could observe the activities as they stood in line.  They laughed hard and with pleasure to see the Americans try to play the hokie pokie in Spanish, or a game of cat, cat, rat, (duck duck goose is too hard in Spanish).  Not to mention how the children screamed with delight when the gecko we thought was dead suddenly sprang to life as we posed with it on our head for pictures.

God has made life good for us.

Dee-Dee and others

Who's in charge?

Strange and wonderful things happen on mission trips.  Sometimes these things occur among us.  We have had our first one.

One or our members lost something very important.  Several people looked for the item several times.  No luck in finding it.  Just before we were to leave for the day and there was a great deal of stress about not finding the object, several of us stopped, held hands, and prayed silently that the object would be found and all would be well.  It should be noted that the person who had lost the object had told many of us about how difficult it is for them to pray and that they did not feel comfortable with prayer.

The day went fast, hard, and well.  When we returned, we ate and had a long meeting before the search could begin again.  When the person first started the search again, they looked in the place several (including themself) had searched and found nothing.  The item was right there in plain sight.........  We could only hug each other and praise the good Lord for His wisdom and mercy toward us. 

Guess sometimes He just wants to show us who is in charge.

Dee-Dee