They come hungry but leave filled.

Every Friday on the side of the highway in the yard of a church member, 50+ children and adults receive a nutritious meal of chicken, rice and vegetable soup funded by HAF. Cecelia and I have the privilege of going last night to help feed this precious children.

Their favorite question was "Quiere mas?", Do you want more?, and bowl by bowl those who were hungry became full. Gloria, our cook, is a wonder as one small portion of rice was left in the pan.

We prayed and I told them of the plans to have Vacation Bible School with them on July 12. They anticipate it with much excitement.

I anticipate with much excitement seeing them again next Friday with another bowl of soup to nourish their bodies, a smile to nourish their hearts, and our Savior to to watch over them.

A Day of Hope in Quimistan

On Saturday, June 20, 2009, the first hospital, Centro Medico Quimistan," Gracias a Dios”, had its grand opening celebration. A group of local doctors have had a dream to build a local facility for years. Having finally found financial backing, their dream is now a reality. The needs are great as the nearest facility is hours away.

We were invited to attend the celebration which was recorded for the national news. Despite heavy rains, the ceremony began with an introduction of all the doctors, the cutting of the ribbon, a few speeches by the doctors, and a consecration by a Catholic priest who prayed for the future patients and the hospital staff followed by a party complete with musicians and food.

Although, we left early, we heard later from Sister Martha that the festivities lasted until 9 that night. Of course they had a lot to celebrate!

Thoughts On Losing Donald But Gaining a Gecko

Sometimes when you think the adventure is over, the adventure is just beginning. Such was the case with our team's trip home.

We arrived at the San Pedro Sula airport safely and in plenty of time. There was even electricity, something that was thrilling to note for those of us from last year's June trip. Ardyn had made plans to travel on to Porte Cortez and was to meet her friend there at the airport to get her there. Remember what I said about making plans in the first blog of our trip? Well, God obviously had other plans because when Ardyn called her friend to see where he was, he said he thought he was to meet her the next day! Fortunately, El Abuelo was still there and was able to give her a ride back to Quimistan, where she made arrangements to go with Roxanne to Porte Cortez on Monday, as Roxanne needed to pick up her vehicle there anyway. It's all good, as Ardyn is fond of saying.

In the San Pedro Sula airport, one of our members was briefly detained while he disposed of a lighter that Security had found in his luggage. Otherwise, the next leg of the trip went flawlessly.

Once in Atlanta, things became interesting. Our group split up: half to ride home from Atlanta with Bruce, and the other half to catch a later flight to Columbia after a four-hour layover. Unbeknownst to the Columbia group, the Drive Home group was delayed in leaving the airport due to luggage problems. After waiting for their luggage to clear Customs, and against his wishes, Sam's luggage turned out to be on its way to Miami, and much wrangling was needed to take care of this issue. After waiting in the parking lot for three hours, Bruce was finally able to take his crew home, finally arriving in Aiken right at midnight.

Back in Atlanta, the Columbia group settled in at their gate for the long layover. After killing time traveling the shuttle all over the airport and eating a leisurely and long-awaited junk food meal, we discovered 40 minutes before our flight that we were at the wrong gate. We high-tailed it to the correct gate, and boarding soon commenced. Lauren, Christa, Annalise and I presented our boarding passes and were sent on down the walkway. Donald was detained, but that didn't worry us too much as we thought whatever problem he had encountered would be handled quickly and he would be on his way. No way. Apparently, his boarding pass showed he was booked for an earlier flight which he had missed, and this plane was too loaded down to take him. When we realized what had happened, panic took over as we realized that he was stranded. We were not allowed to get off and he was not allowed on, but we did manage to get Christa's cell phone to him so we could converse. Donald was very laid-back about the whole ordeal. Although cash-poor by this point in our travels, he had a credit card with him and was able to use it to spend the night in a hotel, taking an early morning flight to Columbia on Sunday.

The rest of our group, only four in number now, made it to Columbia and went to pick up our luggage. Although our personal suitcases didn't make the flight due to slow processing in Atlanta, our empty trunks did. One trunk was partially open when it arrived, with its lock missing. Upon further inspection, it was discovered that a gecko was within, having made the flight as an illegal alien. Christa immediately foresaw the possibilities and closed the trunk with the intent of capturing it when we got home to have as a pet. Again, things didn't go as planned. When we opened the trunk at home, the gecko resisted our efforts at hospitality and scurried off to live in the cracks and crevises of our kitchen cabinets, where he is no doubt well-fed by the numerous critters found within.

The next morning, Christa and I met Donald at the Columbia airport, none the worse for wear and in good spirits after a solid five hours sleep and a good hotel breakfast.

So our adventure once again ended. And yet, I have no doubt that God has another adventure in store for us, keeping us safely in his loving care while stretching our capacity to cope when things don't go as "we" planned. It's all good.

Dia Diez

First off I want to say thank-you to everyone who prayed for me and the team while we were down here. I also want to express my gratitude to God and my amazing teammates for the fun and success that we had on this trip. This year was a good bit different that my experience two years ago but God still managed to touch me on this trip. My love for Honduras was renewed through the expressions of gratitude and happiness on the faces of the Hondurans that we visited or helped in ways ranging from a smile to the beginnings of a cafeteria. Down here everything is different from things in the United States and to be down here is such a humbling experience that I will hold in my heart forever. I am sad to be departing from all of my new and old Honduran friends but I know that if God wills it I will return to this wonderful country as soon as possible.
Dios te bendiga, hoy y siempre. (God bless you, today and always.)
~ Lauren

I praise the Lord for opening the door for me to come and experience this trip to Honduras. Also thanks for the support of my family and friends and especially for your prayers. Before I came I asked God to open my eyes and heart to see his wonders and he did and I also saw things I have never seen before. Thanks to the team for showing me their love. I truly witnessed it for these ten days.
One thing the God taught me on this trip was to be who he wants me to be and just be myself.
God bless,
Lila

This Honduras trip has been absolutely amazing. Many people might ask, "Why pay so much money to do work?", or, "Why would you go to a different country when you could be doing so much work back in your own country." My answer? Just go to Honduras. I learned that it doesn’t matter where you minister Christ’s love, or who you share Christ with, as long as you have Christ in your heart.
The AGAPE slogan is "United By The Same Blood". This could not be more true. We are all the same. We all need to be cared for. We all need to see Christ. We all need love. Honduras has opened my eyes and opened my heart and shown me that we are all "united by the same blood." I have been blessed in so many ways to get dirty, sweat, and share Jesus with people thousands of miles away from home. Honduras is true agape love.
~Annalise~

Once again, I feel like I have received so much more than I have given. For me, the most touching moment was this afternoon as we were saying our good-byes to the family we were helping in Santa Clara. Lyncho, one of El Abuelo’s right hand men, told us that he was grateful that we had come and helped with the building of the house, school, and cafeteria, but he was most grateful that we accepted his family’s gift of lunch yesterday. I can only imagine how much the food for the simple bean soup cost his family, probably more than they make in a week, yet they were proud to be able to serve us and thanked us for that opportunity! The grandmother of the family, Eloise, who stands about four feet tall, gave me hug after hug and kept asking if I would return next year. Truthfully, before this trip I was thinking this would be my last visit because I am not a big fan of sweat, dirt, and hard work, but after being with these people this week and experiencing their generosity, gratitude, and love, I don’t think I’ll be able to stay away. And El Abuelo? Cecelia said it best when she said, "If I didn’t believe in Jesus, I’d believe in El Abuelo!" He is a true Man of God!
Humbly, Beth

Honduras - Amazing People, Amazing Place. For people with so little in material wealth, the Hondurans are a most gracious and accepting people. It certainly has been inspirational to work with the people of Quimistan and Santa Clara. My experiences these past ten days are sure to remain with me for years to come. My hope is that others will take the opportunity to travel to Honduras on one of the upcoming mission trips. I am sure the trip will be worthwhile not only for the friends you will make but also for the sense that you are fulfilling Christ’s calling to help those who are in need.
- Regards, Brian

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." ~John 15:13
I will not forget the people I have met, here in Honduras. I am very grateful for my American friends (esp. CeCe), who welcomed me to the group, and for the Hondurans whom I got to know and grew quite fond of. They will truly be missed. I enjoyed my entire Honduras experience; however, the parts that stand out were all while spending time with or working alongside some great people. [Attached is a picture of us and our new friends Nelson and Miguel–preparing to plant bean seeds]
-Ardyn :)

"Half of the people can be part right all of the time,
Some of the people can be all right part of the time,
But all of the people can't be all right all of the time."
I think Abraham Lincoln said that, and that has absolutely nothing to do with my experience here in Honduras. Were I writing a paper for my English 4 class in 11th grade, I would probably have had to find some way to tie that in to my main idea. As I am not in that class, however, I will simply tell you how I feel, and that is that, for the third year in a row, the people have welcomed me here with arms wide open, my compatriots have been there with words of encouragement every step of the way, and guidance and protection has rained down from above endlessly. Which is an example of irony, because it is raining right now. But anyway, thanks to everything coming together perfectly, of course this has been another success of a trip and I hope we have made a difference in the lives of these awesome people here.
- Donald

This place of Honduras welcomes all who pass through and its people show contentment and joy, and they have the same capacity to be generous as that of people who can securely support their own family. Most of all, their graciousness and thankfulness for the work done for them is quite a nice gift, for as long as they are recipients of happiness and express joyous feedback, it is easier for others, such as the people of this group from abroad, to be granted with those feelings surpassed only by radiant beams of sunshine.
– Eric

This is my second trip to Honduras and from the moment I stepped off the plane, I felt like I was home. I have missed this country since my last trip and I am so happy to be back. Honduras is so different than Aiken and I feel like it suits me. The people here are so sweet and kind. Though they have many problems, they never let it ruin their mood. Some of the nicest people I’ve ever met were from here. It amazes me that their lives are so difficult but yet during worship, they praise the Lord for all of the blessings in their lives. I think we could all learn something from their faith.
-Cecelia

Dia Nueve: 6/18/09

Our time in Honduras is all about planting seeds, something we’ve done a lot of both literally and figuratively. Our first full day here, some of us planted seeds on a hillside in Santa Clara. We planted them among weeds and rocks, but in fertile soil. Torrential rains threatened to wash away all our efforts, and indeed some seeds were washed down the hillside. Yet, despite the setbacks, the rain did nourish the remaining seeds, which took root and sprouted with amazing tenacity.
Within a week, we could see the results of our work as the seedlings burst forth and spread their leaflets.


So too we have seen the results of other seeds we have planted. The footers for the new school and cafeteria are solidly in place, forming a strong foundation for the building yet to come.
The walls of the house we are building are rising higher each day. It won’t be long before Guillermo's family will be moving into a brand new house, something that would not have been possible without the help of HAF.

Yet, just as the rain threatened to wash away our seeds, so too have there been setbacks. On the way to Santa Clara today, our trusty van had a flat. No problemo. Freddy had it fixed within ten minutes. The first group up the mountain to plant found themselves with no bean seeds. Oops! No problemo. After a 20 minute rest, we had the beans in hand so planting could commence. Brian has struggled all week to procure the proper type of wood for his desk-making project. No problemo. After three days, the wood arrived and he was able to build his proto-type. Roxanne has struggled all week with arranging transportation, translators, and materials so that we could do our work effectively. Although it has been a headache at times, she has persevered and everything has fallen into place.

At the school in Santa Clara, Christa, Donald, and Roxanne helped with a fluoride treatment for the children. Just as the seeds flourished with the rain, this treatment will help strengthen the children, the future of Santa Clara.

Even as we have given, we have received. Today Guillermo's wife took pride in serving us bean soup for lunch, one of the best meals we have had thus far, and served with such love that we were humbled by the gift.

The school, cafeteria, house, bean-planting, fluoride treatments, the two sessions of VBS...all are about planting seeds, agape seeds that will take root both here in Honduras and back in the states as we are all nourished by our work here.

-written by Lila and Beth (too old to mention)

Dia Ocho: 6-17-09

There were two groups of people today; one went to Banderas to do VBS-ing, and the other went to Santa Clara to continue work building the foundation for the school and the cafeteria. Donald, Beth, Christa, Annalise, Lauren, Lila, and Brian ventured to Banderas for the morning. Contrary to popular belief, VBS does not stand for Vacation Bible School; it stands for Vivacious Biblically-inclined Students! The ve_be_es- iendo, as the Hispanics say it, was ultimately a success although the kids seemed to be reluctant at first. There were approximately 35 kids Kindergarten - 6th grade and they were given bags full of school supplies made by the 4th grade students at Aiken El(ementary). The kids were greatly excited upon receiving their tote bags and many of them changed colors as a result of such excitement.
The crew that went to Santa Clara consisted of Cecelia, Ardyn, Eric, Sam, and Roxanne. Two activities that they alternated between were concrete mixing and wheelbarrowing the very same mixture of concrete, but, of course, before it dried. Changing wardrobes was not an activity. Lunch was a gift today, as the group had an hour and a half break. Entonces, Sam Ardyn, and Erikric went adventuring through the metaphorical jungle that is not really metaphorical because it is real. The three of them ended up taking many wrong turns and got lost as they were intending to go to the bean fields and make sure that the beans had not gotten washed away by the rain. Reaching the intended destination was achieved after all, and indeed there was a grand celebration when the beans were found to be intact and growing. While this undertaking was going on, Lila and Brian came from Banderas to Santa Clara for some heavily traumatic and concrete work. After this, Eric, Cecelia, and Ardyn helped to pick up garbage around the town in Santa Clara.
As soon as we went home the excitement ended. And then the day ended. And then the blog ended.

A picture was taken of a stove that uses 75% less fuel than other stoves and it’s being constructed, and tomorrow she’ll be able to use it.

-Eric (17, although he may not live to be 18 after this blog writing)

-Note from the Editor: In the spirit of youthful enthusiasm and intellectual prowess, I have elected to publish this post as it was written. Readers need to beware that some information contained within is not strictly factual (no one actually changed colors). Also, be aware that important work did occur that was not delineated within: fluoridation was done at Banderas, and relationships between the Hondurans and the Americans (Canadians included) were cemented, as were the walls.

Dia Siete: 6/16

June 16th

A Day of Foundation Building in Santa Clara –As told by Sam to Ardyn

“We left at 8:00 in our limousine for Santa Clara. As soon as we unpacked our stuff, the foreman of today’s job was ready to go. Now what does ready to go mean? It meant that we had to get with mixing concrete, hauling it down to the foundation of the building, where others were helping fill the trenches with rocks.

"Now what do we mean by ‘mixing concrete’?...Well...first you have a pile of sand, then a pile of very small rocks, then you mix, in a pile, 25 shovels full of rock with 28 shovels full of sand....then that is mixed together on the ground...then you get a 100 lb bag of cement mix, pour it over this mixture of sand and rock....and mix all of this together. Get the idea? Now.....you make a hole in the middle, and pour two 5 gallon buckets full of water into the hole. This looks like a small volcano. You start shoveling the cement, rock and sand over the edge and into the water, keeping the volcano intact as you go around the edge. The water mixes the sand, rock and cement together, and finally, you have the wet concrete that we use to pour over the rocks to make the foundation.

"Others faithfully carried large rocks (from 40 lb rocks to 1 lb rocks), for Otoniel (the boss) to place in the trench. (Which we had dug over the past few days–2' x 16")

"As it gets warm down here in the middle of the day, ( Apparently about as hot as in a South Carolina cotton field–use your imaginations, Canada) we took a long lunch break and ate our peanut butter sandwiches with water and gatorade. We are not complaining, because we had a great breakfast, consisting of sausage and eggs, beans, cheese, tortillas, and pico de gallo–(chopped up tomatoes, onions, peppers..etc)”

Just as we were finishing our lunch, El Abuelo came over carrying plates of chicken, rice, tortillas, beans, and salad, cooked home-style by the family whose house we are helping to build. El Abuelo was hosting a group of school children from San Pedro Sula, and had made arrangements for their lunch, which we profited from also.

We think that these pictures will allow ya’ll (lol) to bring all of this together and to see the foundation building and friendship making with the children.