Buenas noches!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Pictures..
Scroll down to see some pictures from saturday and sunday...tomorrow we'll try to post monday and tuesday pictures. ;)
y mas....(and more)
As promised, here are some day-late details about our Monday activities, and hey, it's only 9pm and I've been up and working since 6, so I might decide to write about both days...we'll see.
Breakfast on Monday was served at 6:30am and was delicious as usual. The women who work in the kitchen are wonderful and work so hard! After breakfast, we had a group devotional on the deck of our dorms, then we headed back to Los Pinos and separated into two groups once again. One group headed back to a project that was started on Sunday and also build a house. I hear they had some difficulty with their house, as the walls were so close to the side of a mountain on one side, and directly against a neighbor's house on the other, that they had to build their walls from the inside out! While they were at their site, the other group was building a house for a sweet elderly lady, Aurora. The buildsite was once again down a steep mountain (par for the course these days) and we carried down all the materials for the house...lots of wood, shovels, massive buckets of nails, chainsaws, etc. etc. etc. Again there were a ton of children around the site, and there is a serious lack of wide open spaces to play with the children here, so we were on a rooftop and tucked into the side mountain in spaces to try and keep the children far away from the chainsaw! The teams once again worked in perfect unison and harmony and God was the ultimate build lead on each site, coordinating everything beautifully, including the weather! I am so grateful for the expertise and manpower and 150% effort of every person here. No one is ever too tired, too worn out, or too busy to help with someone. I haven't heard, "no" one time since I've been here when anyone has been asked to do something. It's a blessing to work with these people.
At the end of the day we had two almost-completed houses. We have to leave the sites each day by 5 or very soon after because it gets dark here so early and it's not safe for us to be on the mountain after dark...don't worry about this, our leaders are very, very, very mindful of our safety and well-being. So, anyway, we were so close to being finished with both houses, but decided it was for the best if we sent people back the next morning to finish. So we gathered all the tools and headed back to the truck, where people had stolen the lamina (roofing) out of the back and told us it was because we left it there...left it in our truck...but that's the mindset here sometimes, if it's ungaurded, it's fair game. We were all safe though, and left without a struggle so it was all bueno.
Some very cool things happened at Aurora's site, the neighbors and children came out in mass droves and they helped! It was crazy to see how they just jumped right in and wanted to help us, and the children are always a blessing (precarious and rowdy as they may be sometimes). Please ask us about the different ways were blessed here, there are a ton of stories, and also from the other site, I don't know as first hand about that site because I wasn't there, but I've heard some awesome stories!
One hilarious note from Monday: When we had finished the floor of Aurora's house, Donna yelled up the mountainside to Aurora (and about fifty of her neighbors-seriously) "tienes bruha?", because she wanted to sweep the floors and make them nice for Aurora...well, Jen starts yelling at Donna, "no! no! no! YOU ARE ASKING IF SHE HAS A WITCH!" needless to say, uncontrollable laughter ensued with the whole group and the Hondurans on the hillside just sat staring blankly at Donna. We have yet to let her live this down, and encourage each of you to ask if she has a bruha the next time you see her!
Ok, guess what kids...you will have to wait until tomorrow to hear about our Tuesday activities, for I am once again exhausted!
Much love to all! I was so encouraged when I read the blog comments from yesterday, thank you so much for your prayers and keep them coming! Their effectiviness is felt and seen. God has been with us every step of the way and it is evident in everything we do!! We are here to serve Him and His people and He is honoring it in so many ways. Thank you again for your love and support and prayers, you have no idea how much it paves the way for our work here!
Hasta manana!
Breakfast on Monday was served at 6:30am and was delicious as usual. The women who work in the kitchen are wonderful and work so hard! After breakfast, we had a group devotional on the deck of our dorms, then we headed back to Los Pinos and separated into two groups once again. One group headed back to a project that was started on Sunday and also build a house. I hear they had some difficulty with their house, as the walls were so close to the side of a mountain on one side, and directly against a neighbor's house on the other, that they had to build their walls from the inside out! While they were at their site, the other group was building a house for a sweet elderly lady, Aurora. The buildsite was once again down a steep mountain (par for the course these days) and we carried down all the materials for the house...lots of wood, shovels, massive buckets of nails, chainsaws, etc. etc. etc. Again there were a ton of children around the site, and there is a serious lack of wide open spaces to play with the children here, so we were on a rooftop and tucked into the side mountain in spaces to try and keep the children far away from the chainsaw! The teams once again worked in perfect unison and harmony and God was the ultimate build lead on each site, coordinating everything beautifully, including the weather! I am so grateful for the expertise and manpower and 150% effort of every person here. No one is ever too tired, too worn out, or too busy to help with someone. I haven't heard, "no" one time since I've been here when anyone has been asked to do something. It's a blessing to work with these people.
At the end of the day we had two almost-completed houses. We have to leave the sites each day by 5 or very soon after because it gets dark here so early and it's not safe for us to be on the mountain after dark...don't worry about this, our leaders are very, very, very mindful of our safety and well-being. So, anyway, we were so close to being finished with both houses, but decided it was for the best if we sent people back the next morning to finish. So we gathered all the tools and headed back to the truck, where people had stolen the lamina (roofing) out of the back and told us it was because we left it there...left it in our truck...but that's the mindset here sometimes, if it's ungaurded, it's fair game. We were all safe though, and left without a struggle so it was all bueno.
Some very cool things happened at Aurora's site, the neighbors and children came out in mass droves and they helped! It was crazy to see how they just jumped right in and wanted to help us, and the children are always a blessing (precarious and rowdy as they may be sometimes). Please ask us about the different ways were blessed here, there are a ton of stories, and also from the other site, I don't know as first hand about that site because I wasn't there, but I've heard some awesome stories!
One hilarious note from Monday: When we had finished the floor of Aurora's house, Donna yelled up the mountainside to Aurora (and about fifty of her neighbors-seriously) "tienes bruha?", because she wanted to sweep the floors and make them nice for Aurora...well, Jen starts yelling at Donna, "no! no! no! YOU ARE ASKING IF SHE HAS A WITCH!" needless to say, uncontrollable laughter ensued with the whole group and the Hondurans on the hillside just sat staring blankly at Donna. We have yet to let her live this down, and encourage each of you to ask if she has a bruha the next time you see her!
Ok, guess what kids...you will have to wait until tomorrow to hear about our Tuesday activities, for I am once again exhausted!
Much love to all! I was so encouraged when I read the blog comments from yesterday, thank you so much for your prayers and keep them coming! Their effectiviness is felt and seen. God has been with us every step of the way and it is evident in everything we do!! We are here to serve Him and His people and He is honoring it in so many ways. Thank you again for your love and support and prayers, you have no idea how much it paves the way for our work here!
Hasta manana!
Monday, June 8, 2009
More from Honduras
Hola! We are here! We're in Honduras! I think Donna already posted that, but I just wanted to reiterate that we did in fact survive our travel day and we are here, safe! Thank you, Lord!
I'm going to break down this blog into a few parts to tell you about the last few days. We'll start with Saturday...(side note: I apologize for the delay in updates, but the "rainy season" has hindered our internet access a bit...also, it has caused us to drive through torrential rain runoff in an old school bus, calm down, we're okay!)
Saturday was our travel day and most of us had been awake since early morning Friday, so by the time I went to sleep on Saturday night, I had been awake for something like 39 hours, and I'm pretty sure that was the case with most. It was well worth it though. When we arrived in Honduras we were picked up from the airport and immediately wisked away to Good Shepard Children's Home, which is an amazing home for children. We were greeted at the gate by armed gaurds, which was a bit of a shock for me, but they let us pass and the fun began! The guys with us, especially those who had visited before, were so excited and ready to play soccer with the kids, and the kids were equally ready to play! Those of us who did not want to play were busy coloring, making bracelets and playing other games with the children. We were not able to stay at Good Shepard long due to our travel day agenda and we loaded back onto the bus, said "adios" to our new (and old) friends and headed off to Villa Gracia, our home for the week.
Villa Gracia was more than I could have expected, considering the homes I saw on the way up the mountain, it truly is a haven; safe and beautiful. We ate a wonderful meal, received a quick orientation, had a group devotional and WENT TO SLEEP! I have never slept so soundly in my life...(until Sunday night! ha!)
Sunday morning started with an amazing breakfast at 7:30am, followed by a group devotional, and then church at Los Pinos. The church service was primarily in Spanish and we were blessed to have Nathan and Janet translate some of the service for us. It was beautiful to have the mixed Spanish/English congregation and it was evident that we were all there praising the same God. After the service we had an opportunity to play with the children from the congregation and community for a while and then we headed to our first worksites of the trip. We split into two groups for three projects. Some of us headed to a house near the church building where we built a complete roof. The second project was digging into the hillside to create a foundation bed below a house that was beginning to slide. The dirt was very sand but was mixed with garbage, clothes, and other waste (if you know what I mean). All of this had to be carried in buckets up steep steps (we were on a mountainside). Side note: also mixed into the dirt was a GIANT tarantula...yep...tarantula. Third project was to start the corner posts for a new house. However, it was located down a muddy trail, one hundred feet below the nearest walkway. All of the material had to be carried down the steep slope. I cannot begin to tell you the hardwork that the team put into these projects. We were absolutely exhausted; the travel day exhaustion turned out to be light in comparison. But it was all worth it and it was evident that God was providing strength that we did not have on our own. Second side note: at the same site as the tarantula, I overheard some little girls yelling, "serpiente! serpiente!" and let me tell you, even to those of us who don't speak or understand a lot of Spanish, THAT translates! However, it was just a tiny baby snake, so all was well.
The projects were so rewarding and the people we were helping were so grateful and adamant that God had sent us as a miracle. They are all affiliated with the Iglesia de Cristo of Los Pinos (the Church of Christ in Los Pinos) and have been recommended for help by the Preacher who has been helping as at almost every site. The faith of these people is incredible and has touched my heart profoundly. They have so little and we have so much and yet their faith far surpasses mine; it's truly amazing.
Please know that the we have done so much and met so many amazing people and played with children who are loving and sweet and absolutely filthy and I'm sorry that this is somewhat lacking in detail, it would take weeks to give every wonderful detail and we are exhausted! Please take time to sit with us when we get back and look at our pictures and I'm sure we will all want to share the intimate details of the ways and specific people and children and experiences that have profoundly touched our hearts.
Tonight, however, we are going to sleep! ;) Love to all, tomorrow we will write about today's experience, we'll probably always be behind...lo siento!
I'm going to break down this blog into a few parts to tell you about the last few days. We'll start with Saturday...(side note: I apologize for the delay in updates, but the "rainy season" has hindered our internet access a bit...also, it has caused us to drive through torrential rain runoff in an old school bus, calm down, we're okay!)
Saturday was our travel day and most of us had been awake since early morning Friday, so by the time I went to sleep on Saturday night, I had been awake for something like 39 hours, and I'm pretty sure that was the case with most. It was well worth it though. When we arrived in Honduras we were picked up from the airport and immediately wisked away to Good Shepard Children's Home, which is an amazing home for children. We were greeted at the gate by armed gaurds, which was a bit of a shock for me, but they let us pass and the fun began! The guys with us, especially those who had visited before, were so excited and ready to play soccer with the kids, and the kids were equally ready to play! Those of us who did not want to play were busy coloring, making bracelets and playing other games with the children. We were not able to stay at Good Shepard long due to our travel day agenda and we loaded back onto the bus, said "adios" to our new (and old) friends and headed off to Villa Gracia, our home for the week.
Villa Gracia was more than I could have expected, considering the homes I saw on the way up the mountain, it truly is a haven; safe and beautiful. We ate a wonderful meal, received a quick orientation, had a group devotional and WENT TO SLEEP! I have never slept so soundly in my life...(until Sunday night! ha!)
Sunday morning started with an amazing breakfast at 7:30am, followed by a group devotional, and then church at Los Pinos. The church service was primarily in Spanish and we were blessed to have Nathan and Janet translate some of the service for us. It was beautiful to have the mixed Spanish/English congregation and it was evident that we were all there praising the same God. After the service we had an opportunity to play with the children from the congregation and community for a while and then we headed to our first worksites of the trip. We split into two groups for three projects. Some of us headed to a house near the church building where we built a complete roof. The second project was digging into the hillside to create a foundation bed below a house that was beginning to slide. The dirt was very sand but was mixed with garbage, clothes, and other waste (if you know what I mean). All of this had to be carried in buckets up steep steps (we were on a mountainside). Side note: also mixed into the dirt was a GIANT tarantula...yep...tarantula. Third project was to start the corner posts for a new house. However, it was located down a muddy trail, one hundred feet below the nearest walkway. All of the material had to be carried down the steep slope. I cannot begin to tell you the hardwork that the team put into these projects. We were absolutely exhausted; the travel day exhaustion turned out to be light in comparison. But it was all worth it and it was evident that God was providing strength that we did not have on our own. Second side note: at the same site as the tarantula, I overheard some little girls yelling, "serpiente! serpiente!" and let me tell you, even to those of us who don't speak or understand a lot of Spanish, THAT translates! However, it was just a tiny baby snake, so all was well.
The projects were so rewarding and the people we were helping were so grateful and adamant that God had sent us as a miracle. They are all affiliated with the Iglesia de Cristo of Los Pinos (the Church of Christ in Los Pinos) and have been recommended for help by the Preacher who has been helping as at almost every site. The faith of these people is incredible and has touched my heart profoundly. They have so little and we have so much and yet their faith far surpasses mine; it's truly amazing.
Please know that the we have done so much and met so many amazing people and played with children who are loving and sweet and absolutely filthy and I'm sorry that this is somewhat lacking in detail, it would take weeks to give every wonderful detail and we are exhausted! Please take time to sit with us when we get back and look at our pictures and I'm sure we will all want to share the intimate details of the ways and specific people and children and experiences that have profoundly touched our hearts.
Tonight, however, we are going to sleep! ;) Love to all, tomorrow we will write about today's experience, we'll probably always be behind...lo siento!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
We made it!
Hello All! Just want to let you know that God faithfully brought us safely to HondurasJ Our time in the country has already been eventful- soccer with the kid’s at Good Shepherd, driving through rivers of water running through the streets from yesterday’s rainfall, a surprise gift of watching the US vs. Honduras soccer game and devotional before falling into bed and awaking to a beautiful sunny Sunday. Can’t wait to see where God leads us today! We’ll write more later. Just know that we are safe, we are blessed, and we are delighted in the ways God is being revealed and how He has graciously chosen us to be a blessing- making a difference in the world in the name of and through the power of Jesus.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
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