Safe Arrival in Quimistan

 At long last, after a 3-day delay due to the effects of our recent ice storm, the first HAF team of 2014 arrived safe and sound in Quimistan at about 2:15 PM.  

We are, unfortunately, missing one of our intended members, who contracted the flu yesterday and had to cancel at the last minute.  We miss you, Leslie, and hope you are feeling better soon.

The 6 of us are about to go get some lunch, unpack, and settle in.

More later.

Maynor's Home

Many of our missionaries will have met Maynor, one of our local supporters who works with all of the in-country HAF programs.  From medical to education to evangelism and construction, Maynor has been a blessing to our mission.

Last year Maynor and his wife, Jessie, were blessed with a baby girl.  Many of us wanted to help and donations were made to specifically help Maynor build a new home for his family.  This Christmas they were able to move in to their new home. 

Join us on a trip this year - not only to see this home and meet the new baby, but to experience first hand the sharing of God's Love through the programs sponsored by HAF's volunteers and donors.

Feeding Bodies and Souls

Sunday

This is always my favorite day of the week, as we get to be there as the kids are fed spiritually, as well as physically.  In the morning, Sandra led the Sunday School activities at Tejeras, and then we helped pass out the meal, prepared by a mother of the community, and financed by HAF.

 

 

 

In the afternoon, we again visited the AP Bible study classes and helped set up a delicious meal prepared by Gloria.  This was followed, as usual, by some time to talk to and play with the kids.

 

 
 

 

  

 

As we fly home tomorrow, our prayer is that God will continue to shine his Heavenly Grace,  Peace and Joy upon the beautiful people, and especially the precious children of Honduras.  Adios for now; God willing, we will return.

Re-Re-Visiting Los Panales Escuela

Part of our remaining team (Dan and Bonnie) returned with a new battery, a multi-meter and prayers that we could sort through the electrical issues preventing the use of the solar panel system at the Los Panales school.  The battery fit fine and we began troubleshooting the light circuits. The compact fluorescent lights, which were supplied with the solar panel back in 2008, turned out to be the culprits.  No, they were not just burnt out....they were actually shorted out and tripping the 'breaker' in the DC to AC inverter.  But once we replaced them and re-wired a couple of switches, we had lights in both classrooms and in the kitchen.

The fun began when the leader of the community asked if we could try the TV.  The solar power system provided the power and a scrap piece of co-axial wire along with a broken antenna got us going. Add a stick to hang the antenna from the school roof and we were amazed by good reception on at least 4 channels. But our amazement was quickly over shadowed by a small sister and brother, around 3 years old, that had never seen TV.  Behaviors around the world are surprisingly consistent: small child + TV + 'cartoon network' = a frozen stare.  We were blessed that the cartoon was both educational and wholesome.  After three trips involving sharing the love of Christ, water balloons, a Hygiene clinic, and a repaired solar power system; we left Los Panales better than we had found it.

The smiles were all the payment needed.

Partings and Partnering

Saturday

This morning, we managed to get a good team photo before the tearful departure of half of our team, as Naomi, Megan, Dane, John, and Bill left for the airport about 8:30 AM.

 

Later, Kathy and Tommy, with the help of AP student Ingrid, spent most of the morning organizing the glasses, toothbrushes, and toothpaste for future use.

Meanwhile, Dan and Bonnie returned to Los Panales to complete our solar panel project there.  (See the next blog entry for the final chapter in that story!)

After lunch, we visited with Martha’s Bible study, which drew about 60-65 children.  Following an entertaining dance by some of the students, the class divided up into 3 groups to study from Galatians while memorizing chapter 1:11-12. 

For dinner, we enjoyed a wonderful meal of chicken, rice, potato salad, and a fruit cocktail prepared by Sonia Santos, the teacher at the Nueva Esperanza school.  This was to express her grateful appreciation for the work that our HAF teams have done for their school and community.

While we missed having our other teammates present, the remaining members had a very full day, enriched by just a few of the many blessings we continually experience while in the Quimistan area.

Going to the Mountain

Buenos Noches!

Because of the rain earlier in the week, we did not get to visit Texoxingales until today. The rain made the roads more treacherous than normal, but our driver, Luis, got us there without any problem. We started the morning by painting the inside of the new classroom salmon pink. During a break for fresh air, the student president presented us with a plaque recognizing our support for the education of the children in Texoxingales. Some of the kids had also spent time coloring pages and writing notes to thank us for all that we had done at their school! It was a very touching presentation. We were then treated to lunch cooked by Juan Jose's wife, Vilma.

In the afternoon, the team split up to administer an eyeglass clinic and play with the children. We had several activities going with the children - soccer, bubbles, balloons, jump rope, frisbee... We pulled out all the stops! At the end we even got out the water balloons! About 25 adults came through the eyeglass clinic. Most adults seemed to need reading glasses. There were many smiles after the fittings!

This evening we attended church in Quimistan. The music was loud and joyful! The lay leader preached on several passages. Through Bill's translation, we understood that the message was about God building us up through the Holy Spirit. Also, fidelity and obedience are important factors in living a Christian life.

Tomorrow,  five of the team members depart for Atlanta. We pray for safe travel, that our time here has made an impact, and that we keep these memories dear to us in the days ahead.

Adios!

Concrete and Coffee

Hola!

This morning we set out to Rosa's house to continue work that the team from North Carolina had started. With the help of Fidel, we were able to pour the supports for the roof over the septic tank. We also helped unload new construction supplies and transport a pile of course dirt closer to the construction site. Our driver, Luis, helped us the whole time we were at Rosa's.  He toted two bags of concrete that weighed in at close to 180 lbs! We were blessed to have help. We also played with Rosa's children as well as several neighborhood kids. We gave each child balloons and replaced the popped  ones. Then, we took Rosa's children on a ride in the wheelbarrow. They giggled they entire time they rode - so sweet!

After we finished our construction work, we headed up to Juana's house in La Montanita. She graciously gave us fresh coffee and pineapple pastries! We got to see her justa stove, tilapia beds, and coffee still being roasted on a mat.  We were also able to bring a baby scale and splints. One woman had a 3 month old baby, Briana, that we were able to weigh! Juana also showed us some of the embroidery she and the women have been working on recently. After working so hard, her hospitality felt like paradise!

In the late afternoon, we all went our separate ways to  spend time with AP children. Bill went with Tommy to interpret for his visit with one of the children he sponsors. On their shopping trip, Bill was suddenly stopped by an 18 year old boy. Years ago, this boy had been injured very badly. Bill had carried him to get medical help. The boy remembered that so vividly that he was able to recognize Bill on the spot. He even came and spent time with the team this evening! Bill's experience shows us all what an impact we can make doing even the smallest acts in God's name.

Hasta Luego!