Honduras Agape Foundation Mission Trips

Wrap Up Day means Inventory!

2012-02-10T21:22:00.001-04:00

We spent the morning cleaning up and inventorying supplies. Today was the hottest day yet in Quimistan but the weather has been a blessing in that we did not get any of the heavy seasonal rains.

We totally emptied our storage area (under some stairs at Martha's) and made sure the dental trunks had not been disturbed. The Evangelism materials were inventoried and organized for the next time VBS is delivered. The Team supply trunk was also inventoried.

Today we met with the Red Cross to start to understand what they are doing and especially what data they are collecting.

The trip has gone well with over 350 Hondurans being touched by the medical activities and over 200 attending Vacation Bible School sessions. We ended the day at the Tejeras Feeding. Tejeras is a very poor group of homes along a major highway. The feedings sponsored by the Foundation occur three times a week. Our mission Team blog ends with the many faces of Tejeras.

MT2 signing off - may the Lord bless all who help the poor and bless the poor with His grace!

Our smallest, yet 'wildest' VBS

2012-02-10T09:02:00.001-04:00

Jicaro - pronouced "Hic-a-ro" - another short but difficult drive to this village outside Quimistan. While not one of our 'holistic' villages, the Foundation has invested in latrines and electricity for the one room school.

Welcome sign to Jicaro with the school in the background.

This group of kids was our smallest for the medical activities and Vacation Bible School, but they had a 'wild' spirit that made the day fun. At the teacher's request, we flexed our schedule to fit the medical and VBS in between 0930 and 1230. The adults in the village had been told to come at 1pm for eyeglass fitting. Twenty kids in the class, another four walk-ins and then two dozen adults were served today. The photos below show each stage of the process:

Handwashing with John and Ingrid instructing.

Toothbrushing with Estela and Stanley instructing.

Parasite medicine (de-worming) delivered by Sam.

Fluoride rinsing with Roxanne and Maynor swishing away.

Main Vacation Bible School presentation - Stanley, Ingrid and Estela delivered the message.

Games with John and Maynor - who do a great job explaining the Fruits that are in play.

Music with Ingrid and Sam - the kids knew which song best? "If you are Happy and you know it..."

Drama with Dan, Daniel and Sam/Rox. We performed two skits: one where Jesus heals the paralyzed man and one where Jesus saves the condemned woman from stoning.

Eyeglass fitting with virtually the whole team involved (even some playing with the kids outside). This picture is earlier in the week, but each set up was the same. Registration at the door, screening and Focometer measurements center left, fitting from the boxes on the right (both distance and readers), and finally selection of sunglasses.

I think I can speak for the whole Team when I say this has been busy, tiring, fulfilling and fun. With the Lord's help we have managed to reach out to:

Tejeras

~90 kids for Fl, DeW, Tbrsh 57 kids, 8 adults in VBS ~20 adults fitted for glasses

Banderas

~70 for Fl, Dew, Tbrsh ~65 in VBS ~40 fitted for glasses

El Pinal

~60 for Fl, DeW, Tbrsh ~50 in VBS, age 5 & up ~30 fitted for glasses

Jicaro

~24 for Fl, DeW, Tbrsh ~20 in VBS ~24 fitted for glasses

We feel truly blessed and extend our thanks to the Foundation's supports, the Team, our Honduran members especially, and to the various community leaders and teachers who helped us demonstrate God's love - AMOR!

From Mountains to Dental Chairs

2012-02-08T23:27:00.001-04:00

One half of the team headed back to the US this morning. Unfortunately, we have heard their flight was delayed, so they had to spend extra time at the airport.

The remaining team members - John, Dan, Roxanne and Sam - along with Maynor and Daniel, delivered Bibles and children's Bible study materials to La Montanita. While not far, this was another high mountain village where the drive up was interesting to say the least. The views from the village were spectacular, even on a cloudy day.

We delivered the Bibles to Vilma and the Pastor of the Good Samaritan Church and left materials for two other churches. Vilma is one of our Community Health Workers and shared much appreciation for HAF and the work of Dr. Tino and Maynor. Common medicines continue to be hard to come by in the village.

Maria, who works with the little Catholic church, shared coffee with us (locally grown of course). While visiting with her family we also met a Red Cross volunteer who has been coming to La Montanita for a year and tracking the health issues in the village. We were pleased to hear that he had seen a dramatic drop in respiratory problems after the 'Justa Stoves' were installed. This information confirms what Dr. Tino had told us about the health benefits he had seen from Justa Stoves in Teo. The HAF donations and volunteer hours have provided a long term health benefit in these communities.

The day ended with many hours spent on configuring two donated dental chairs with light arms so that the next team, which will focus on dental work, does not have to hold flashlights. It was harder than we first thought, but nothing a cow college engineer, an Episcopal priest, an entomologist, and an ex-nurse - along with the help of our Honduran interpreter and the Lord on High - could not conquer.

The road up the mountain to La Montanita.

Out guide for the last quarter mile to find just the right home for Bible delivery.

The view from the mountain side.

The team delivering Bibles to Vilma in La Montanita.

Vilma, her 4 year old daughter, her husband the Pastor, and Father John.

Daniel explaining some of the Red Cross materials to Roxanne and Maria during our coffee break.

Coffee bush bloom and a single berry left after picking. Coffee is the major cash crop in these mountains, but the Team was baffled as to how anyone could pick berries on these steep slopes.

Dental chairs being set up in the local hospital in Quimistan. They should be ready for the next mission team.

Visits to Teo and El Venado (The Deer)

2012-02-07T19:43:00.002-04:00

This was the longest road trip of the week up the mountain to Teo and El Venado.

Here we are in the village of Teo (Texoxingales).

In an effort to strengthen the Christian education in the outlying community, HAF has begun providing curriculum to ages preschool through adolescence. Above is the transfer of these materials in Teo. We will be excited to learn about feed back, in April, when the evangelism chair meets with the teachers.

Here we are arriving in El Venado. Our purpose was to do medical activities and VBS. Unfortunately, we did not accomplish this task because of a miscommunication -- the school was locked and the teacher was gone.

Dan and Allen examined the bridge at El Venado, at the request of the construction committee, for possible future work.

Vilma, the wife of the Teo Patronato, provided lunch to us, at the last minute, and we are enjoying a meal in their home.

We bagged rice and beans last night and distributed it to people in El Venado and along the road to Teo.

A picture of our team, translators, and 2 AP helpers at Martha's

3 little miracles that occurred today:

1 & 2. We forgot to bring our lunch along, as well as the children's snack for VBS. VBS did not happen and lunch was generously provided by Vilma. Later we realized we had also forgotten the CD player - music would have been very difficult.

3. A gentleman, who was a leader among the local coffee growers, came along while the men were inspecting the bridge and shared with them that the Honduran coffee growers association out of San Pedro Sula was going to build a better river level vehicle crossing ("Plancha" in Spanish) that would make the bridge unnecessary.

Our Day at El Pinal

2012-02-06T23:17:00.002-04:00

Today we drove about a half hour out of Quimistan up a very rough road to the village of El Pinal. HAF has worked in this village before and funded the construction of one of the school classrooms.

Entering the village of El Pinal.

Starting VBS.

The music workshop underway with Sam joining in..

The art class at work.

Relay races with Father John as the turn-around post!.

Maynor explaining The Fruit of the Spirit-patience, after playing a game.

The children getting their snack and activity bags at the end of the session.

Little children observing.

Special moment---one of our team members, who was in this village 4 years ago and bonded with a child, was able to reunite with him again.

Final note - the VBS material (which was a tremendous effort) is excellent. We have had to tweak the materials around a bit, but each day we have gotten better with the presentation. Today, we were all quite pleased.

Sunday in Honduras' Quimistan Valley

2012-02-05T23:20:00.001-04:00

The above photos show: the team cutting out parts for the Fruits of the Spirit tree (VBS), attending Martha's Sunday School class at Tranquilidad (a surprise to the team), the blessing water being poured around the perimeter of the property, back at Martha's site and the continuation of class, feeding the children, Vilma teaching AP class in Quimistan, and feeding our AP children.

Special moments: meeting with the AP students and noting how they have grown, distributing the gifts from their sponsors, and the friendliness and love shared by the Honduran people.

Delivering VBS in Banderas

2012-02-04T23:39:00.001-04:00

This is a one room school (1st through 6th grade) in Banderas where we did our activities today: Vacation Bible School, eyeglasses, hand washing, deworming, tooth brushing, and fluoride treatment. Note that HAF provided electricity to the school several years ago.

The children are listening intently to the lesson.

Stanley is helping out.

The relay races.

The art activity----coloring the "Fruits of the Spirit" tree.

One young child is enjoying some of the items in her "take home bag".

Tonight at dinner, a birthday celebration for Maynor was enjoyed by all, including his wife Jessy.

Special moments: Seeing the happiness on the faces of the folks when we were finally able to fit them with the correct glasses, watching the children enjoy the activities, and attendance of many mothers and their interest in what their children were doing. It appeared to be an entire town function. We thought we might possibly have 40 children attend, but had over 60. We were tired, but VERY gratified when it was all done!!

Tejeras Treatments and Vacation Bible School

2012-02-03T23:41:00.003-04:00

On Thursday night after dinner, under the direction of Sandra, several AP boys did a dramatic presentation of passages from Samuel. Following the play, AP girls did a wonderful candlelight creative dance to music. Thank you Sandra and the children.

Friday turned out to be a long, tiring but rewarding day. We spent the morning and afternoon at the Tejeras school. It started with eyeglass measuring using the focometer and then fitting adults with glasses. The new storage system for dispensing eyeglasses worked very well. While this was going on, the children went through the handwashing, deworming, tooth brushing and fluoride treatment stations.

After lunch, we did vacation bible school using the new curriculum. All the children attended the main lesson on the theme "Fruits of the Spirit" at the beginning. Here, AP students Estilla and Ingrid helped lead the teaching and did a wonderful job. Stanley also spoke about the fruits while Sam helped the kids get tall enough to stick them on our tree. Afterwards, the children divided into groups and did music, art, drama, and sports. At the end the children were fed an evening meal.

After finishing at the school, we went over to the Tejeras community along the road and fed the smaller children. We also helped hand out some of the 25 dresses we had given to Pastor Wilmer for distribution. These beautiful dresses were handmade and donated by a lady in Aiken. It was a joy (one of the Furits of the Spirit) to see the little girls' faces light up when they received their dresses. What a wonderful gift for them!

At the end of the day, we reflected on how wonderful it had been. God was using our heads, hands and feet to spread the gospel and help the people of Honduras. Praise the Lord!

Organizing Day

2012-02-02T22:53:00.005-04:00

We spent the morning going over Vacation Bible School materials and getting individual assignments from Roxanne, who is leading us in this effort. Above, you see us packaging little items, that support the lesson, to go home with each child. We then went into a handwashing, de-worming, tooth brushing, and fluoride update.

In the afternoon we re-organized glasses. Dan has come up with a new system to store the glasses to make it easier for distribution - we are anxious to try out it out tomorrow.

Most of the team (save for Dan, who met with Dr. Tino) then drove to Santa Clara to visit the White Dove school run by A and S. We are chatting in front of one of the classrooms. They have done an amazing job of setting up this school. They are ready to begin instruction tomorrow for pre-K clear through 4th grade. Each year they are attempting to add an additional grade.

A gave Allen a tour of the road drainage problems near the White Dove School that HAF funded to improve.

After dinner we were entertained by children from Sandra's church. They did a very inspiring drama to a musical passage, based on Samuel. Afterwards, some older girls did a lovely creative musical dance by candlelight. We were all moved and impressed with how well these children performed. A great deal of effort went into the costumes.

We Made It

2012-02-01T22:02:00.000-04:00

Here we are in San Pedro Sula. We were a bit late getting here, but all went smoothly. We were thrilled to see Maynor and Daniel waiting for us. After loading our luggage, we made the trip to Quimistan, met up with Roxanne and Sam, and settled in. Gloria had a lovely meal of fried chicken, french fries, and fresh salad waiting for us. Then, we were off to Tejeras to feed the children. Upon arrival Sandra was just finishing up her bible study. We proceeded to feed the children and watched the happiness in their faces as they were being served. We noted the little boy who got severly burned, earlier, and he seems to have adjusted quite well. Please note, below, Gloria serving, 2 AP students that are helping out, as well as Pastor Wilmer.

We all gathered in the early meeting and Dan informed us of how the week would go and what our responsibilites would be. Tomorrow will be our organizational day.

Packing Day for first 2012 Mission

2012-01-31T08:51:00.001-04:00

Team preparations have been underway for weeks now and departure is tomorrow. We have been planning, organizing and today - packing the mission trunks.

A very large Thank You goes out to our Evangelism Committee for all of their preparations for Vacational Bible School. Beyond the lesson plan, music and scripture; the materials needed for hosting several hundred kids in multiple locations were quite a challenge. Nearly 200 pounds of everything from Bibles to balloons....from music CDs (in Spanish of course) to burlap sacks for the races. The VBS efforts are our first priority followed by some medical work - fluoride treatment, eyeglass fitting, etc.

Pray for us to hear and share His word. May we be ready for change... for His plan, not ours, is what we truly seek.

We will be in Quimistan from Feb 1st to 10th, and one couple is already in country ahead of the main team.

A Saturday Morning at La Acequia

2011-11-14T00:40:00.001-04:00

On Saturday we visited the Estaban Guardiola school in La Acequia to assess their requests for assistance. This school seems to be alive and growing! They have recently added 7^th and 8^th grade classrooms, with help from the community. They have requested HAF funding for an additional classroom to house a 9^th grade class. They are also in need of desks and chairs for 5 classes of 45 each, or a total of 225 units.

Even though classes are over for this year, we noted that some of the boys had already taken an interest in the 11 new computers recently obtained from the government for use next year.

This week we have covered a lot of miles and seen many worthwhile projects to be done and many other needs to be met. We have been able to cover only a few in this blog. Please pray with us in the coming weeks and months as we make the tough choices to determine which of these dreams may be realized soon, and which ones will have to wait to see if sufficient funds will become available to cover them.

Thank you all, family and friends, for your support. Las Bendiciones de Dios!

Tommy

From the Woods They Emerged

2011-11-13T01:06:00.001-04:00

“I do this to help them have hope for a better future,” explained Señor Gutiérrez. The teacher had hitched a ride part way and walked the rest of the way to be there when the students arrived. One by one they began to emerge from the woods. Twenty-six yellow tops, twenty-six chocolate brown skirts or slacks. Each student was a seventh or eighth grader in a community no larger than about 400 people.

They come every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon to the two-room elementary school in Las Minitas. Noé Gutiérrez teaches in the morning in San Francisco del Valle, and three afternoons a week he rides a mo-ped to Las Minitas to teach these students—for no pay. It’s a bit of a challenge, considering that they have no books.

We had received a letter requesting some help to buy books for these rising 8^th and 9^th graders for next year. The teacher, the pastor of the local church, the president of the Patronato, and the president of the group of students had all signed the letter. So I wanted to see for myself what’s happening there. I saw what’s happening. It’s hope.

As I usually do, I asked the students “Why are you doing this? It’s a lot of work for you after you do your work in the fields, isn’t it?” One by one they responded.

“Yo quiero ser una doctora.” (I want to be a doctor).
“I want to be an engineer.” “. . . a business administrator.” “. . . an attorney.” “. . . a computer operator.”

Do they understand everything about these careers? Surely not. Will they all reach their goal? No. But some may. Señor Gutiérrez is encouraging them to think beyond their Las Minitas world of poverty, disease, and hopelessness. He has asked simply for help to buy books for these students. At about $40 each for 26 students, it seems to us to be easy to do. But for Las Minitas it may mean that the other kids will have to go hungry.

Most villages in Honduras have needs and we can’t meet all of them. But maybe can meet some of them as the needy emerge from their woods into the light.

Allen

A Busy Friday

2011-11-13T00:06:00.000-04:00

Hiking in La Montanita

After bidding farewell to Jerry, who was to fly home today, Karen, George, and I enjoyed the scenic, 40-minute ride to the mountain community of La Montanita. We started out in the schoolhouse, with meetings on Bibles/Sunday School literature needs, construction of additional latrines/stoves, and higher education.

Schooling in LM only goes to 6^th grade. This past year, HAF sponsored 4 children to attend 7^th grade in Pinalejo on Sundays. We met with 3 of them. (The fourth was out of town on an errand.) The 3 we talked to expressed their gratitude to God and HAF for the opportunity to continue their education. All 4 did well in school, and wish to continue with 8^th grade if possible. There are 12 more now graduating from 6^th grade, but no information yet as to how many would like to attend 7^th grade. Most of the 12, no doubt, will be required to go to work to help to help support their family.

Following the meetings, we spent an hour or so hiking to 3 of the 4 churches in LM, which sometimes involved a steep and treacherous path.

At the Church of the Good Samaritan, the pastor's daughter, models one of the 25 chairs donated by HAF.

We finished up our LM visit with a cup of coffee at Juana’s home, while her granddaughter did the laundry.

Kitchen Request at Milpa Arada

On the way home from La Montanita, we stopped at the Milpa Arada school, near Pinalejo. The kitchen there is not usable, except for storage, and they have requested help torenovate this building, including replastering inside and out. New beams are also needed, as the existing ones have been destroyed by termites.

Tommy

Thursday - Flying Birds and Dragging Shoes

2011-11-11T22:21:00.000-04:00

Thursday we were swarmed by smiling kids looking for hugs. What a great welcome we received at White Dove school in Santa Clara! Following the pathway lined by a block-long chain of whitewashed rocks alongside the road, we had parked and climbed out like clowns from a car in the circus, to be welcomed by Suyapa. The students who were there on the last day of exams behaved politely and with discipline as they are being taught, but they simply were not able to withstand being picked up and hugged and tickled and loved.

We saw the construction underway on the bathroom and the third-grade classroom which both should be completed before the next school year begins in late February. Of course Lencho was there, diligently laying brick. We marveled at the added landscaping which gets better at each visit, and noted the added covered porch at the entrance to the multipurpose room that is quickly becoming a veritable community gathering place for all sorts of meetings and events.

After hearing the story of how Channel 6 out of San Pedro Sula had shown up one day to take a few shots that might be part of a larger story of the five White Dove schools being started up around the area, we were able to view the more complete story. The “few shots” turned into a complete video clip for the evening news, easily generating such a flood of calls from viewers that the station was pleased to re-run it later for those who missed it. Those of us who have witnessed how this ministry has grown from a few kids around a rickety table on a little porch, to this little bilingual elementary school with 35 students could be excused for exhibiting some tears welling up as this little video vignette went along. It’s not difficult at all to envision a future in which some of these kids have become leaders in their country, having the background of a good education, good moral and spiritual grounding, and an obvious love for their country and their people who still need good leaders.

We had a lengthy discussion of needs at the school—such things as a fourth-grade classroom, curriculum books, an office, computers, and even North American teachers! We discussed how the school includes simple meals for the students—two meals every school day. We talked about the possibility of student sponsorships for the elementary school students as well as for eight students who graduated from the Santa Clara public school and need help to attend the colegio school in Pueblo Nuevo, grades 7, 8, and 9.

But where did “dragging shoes” enter the picture? As we were leaving Santa Clara, we heard strange noises from a rear wheel of the vehicle. After carefully limping back to the ranch, Daniel took the car to a local mechanic who confirmed that a parking brake shoe had come unbolted and was dragging intermittently on the brake drum. A simple fix was done, and the team is ready to go again tomorrow, to La Montanita and other spots yet to be named.

Allen

Wednesday - Meeting with IHDER

2011-11-10T23:22:00.000-04:00

IHDER is an acronym for Instituto Hondureño de Desarrollo Rural, or Honduran Institute of Rural Development.

On Wednesday morning, we met with the IHDER people, who have performed research on some of the villages where we have worked. Our intent was to learn about these projects and the progress that has been made on them, and gain some insight into what they have learned. They were forthcoming about the problems which they have encountered in collecting information and expectation for completion of the last data gathering and report preparation in the next month for “Teocingales”, as it is spelled on their map. We also saw their office facilities, which are in a house in Quimistan.

Jerry

Wednesday evening, we invited Margeaux Yost, the local Peace Corps worker, to dinner, where we swapped many interesting stories, hints for mission work, and tidbits of information.

Tuesday—Nueva Esperanza and Search for Brisas Del Mar

2011-11-10T23:11:00.000-04:00

Today started with a visit to the small aldea of Nueva Esperanza high up in the mountains near the Guatemala border. We took about an hour-and-a-half ride up the scenic, bumpy, windy, narrow, dirt road and finally arrived at the elementary school. Here, the school children were finishing up their end-of-year exams in preparation for their three-month break, scheduled to start the next day.

While waiting for pastors and various community leaders to arrive for a meeting with the team, we walked around to examine the school roofing job that had been completed by the May HAF mission team along with help from community members. We noticed a couple of new chimney stacks exiting from the roof over the kitchen (the building on the right) and upon further examination noted that members from the community had constructed tile chimneys to vent the smoke from the kitchen stoves. It was good to see that the community has continued to be involved here.

During recess, each of our team members had opportunity to display his style playing soccer (using a hollow plastic ball) with a few of the boys. I can only imagine that these boys and the other children watching don’t get this much humorous entertainment very often!

After recess, community members began arriving for a group meeting. Representatives from three small churches, members of the Patronato (village government leaders), Sonia (the school teacher), and other community members joined us for a lengthy discussion about the community needs and opportunities for continued partnership with HAF. All of the church leaders expressed interest in receiving additional Bibles for their congregations and materials to teach Sunday School to the children. Other major issues raised by the community included concern over potential destruction of their water supply and a desire for additional bridges over the streams to allow children and adults to cross safely.

Following the meeting the team walked up the road to visit one of the streams where the community had requested assistance constructing a bridge. On our way back, the teacher took us to the site of a cardamom processing facility, where we observed the large tank containing cardamom berries that were being dried and prepared for packaging. Cardamom is one of the largest cash crops for that community.

Having completed our community visit, the team loaded back into the team vehicle for the next leg of our journey—a lengthy trip climbing mountains and fording streams in search of the community of Brisas del Mar.

We had recently received a request for assistance in constructing a school for this community, so we wanted to visit to see what was needed. After about an hour and a half of searching and asking directions from people walking along the road, we were finally told that we would never make it to the community without a 4-wheel drive vehicle. So, we decided to abort this mission and return back to Quimistan. Needless to say, we were all ready for a quiet, relaxing evening back at home base.

Karen

Monday Afternoon

2011-11-10T01:12:00.000-04:00

After lunch, we left Teo to visit the village of El Venado (The Deer) and met with 30 or more of the residents (including several kids) to determine their primary needs. Their biggest concern seemed to be a very large bridge that was badly in need of repair. It still gets a lot of use, but I certainly did not care to cross it!

I had my usual fun with bubbles, while George favored stickers. Karen was a big hit “face painting” balloons.

We finished up a very full day by celebrating Jerry’s 65^th birthday.

Tommy

Assessment Team Off to Good Start

2011-11-10T00:49:00.000-04:00

Sunday

As most of you know by now, the Assessment Team, consisting of Jerry, Allen, Karen, George, and Tommy, arrived safely on Sunday afternoon, settled in and discussed our plans and goals for the week. The Internet connection was very slow or non-existent for the first couple days, possibly caused by the rain, clouds, and fog. We will try to catch you up to date in the next day or two.

Monday Morning

Our first stop was Teoxingales, or Teo, for those of us that have problems with Spanish pronunciation. We have accomplished much with these people, and we discussed future construction needs. The main water line requires a special tool for repair, and numerous homes still require latrines and Justa Stoves. These needs and other work were discussed with Juan Jose Carbajal, the head of the Patronato, at a meeting in the recently upgraded lunch room. The attached picture shows Juan in a child’s school chair. The other picture shows Janet, the school teacher with two of her students in front of the kitchen stoves.

George

While at Teo, Karen and Allen led a second meeting to evaluate community needs for Bibles and Sunday School literature. Several pastors and teachers were in attendance.

Later, we toured 3 of the churches in town, and finished up with coffee and sweet rolls with Juan Jose and Vilma, where we also shared the PB&J sandwiches that had been packed for our lunch.

We also noted the new pila was working very well.

Tommy

Day 10-Macaronis

2011-07-11T23:04:00.003-04:00

Today was our last full day in Honduras and our final blog! We headed out early to La Moñtanita, after a breakfast of toast, eggs, and bacon. At La Moñtanita we finished the railing and gave the rest of the children de-worming medicine and fluoride. After going to Juana’s house to eat our sandwiches, we headed down the mountain. On the way down, we stopped at a poor family’s house and gave them clothes and balls. Jeff and Maynor also gave the 6 children and the dad de-worming medicine and fluoride. Before heading back to the compound, we stopped at the supermarket to pick up some macaroni and cheese to take back to the United States. Unfortunately they didn’t carry it. We arrived back at the compound and picked up Martha to go to the grocery store. There we bought food for 3 families, and we delivered it to the families. They were very appreciative of the food. Then we went to check on the progress of Sandra’s new house. Progress had been made. We helped shovel dirt in the backyard, until the rain came. On the way back to the compound, we stopped to pick up Topogigios (Honduran popsicles). We came back to the compound for our last dinner. We had chicken and beef enchiladas and macaroni and cheese. After dinner we said goodbye to our new friends on the compound and Sandra’s son Abner. Now we are all packing to go home tomorrow. This trip has impacted us in many different ways. We now appreciate more what God has given us. It has opened our eyes about how blessed we are. We hope that we carry our experiences back home and help others find God’s love. We hope you guys have enjoyed the blog. Look forward to hearing from us next year!

Abby brushing her teeth.

The finished rail at La Moñtanita.

The house people we delivered clothes too.

The two families we delivered food too.

Abby and Anna eating Topogigios!

Abby & Anna

Day 9- Buenas Noches

2011-07-10T23:59:00.003-04:00

This morning we woke up and had breakfast. Abby requested flour tortillas so that was part of our breakfast. We then left to go to Martha’s Sunday school. After listening to Martha teach, we helped hand out lunch to the children. When they all finished their lunch, we played with them. Jeff played soccer with them, and Abby and Anna had children fighting over holding their hands. They all wanted some attention from the visitors. Then we all played 3 different Spanish games, which the teacher taught us. We are all sad we won't be there again next week to see the new friends we made.We went back to the compound for a quick lunch of spaghetti before going to the AGAPE Promise Sunday school. There we served a snack to the children and went into the courtyard and played with them. We left to go to Tijeras. Once there we delivered a ball to Kevin, a little boy who was badly burned while collecting bottles at the dump. Abby and Anna stayed and played with Kevin and his brothers, while Daniel and Jeff went to deliver beans and rice. On the way back to the compound, we delivered books to the hospital in Quimistan. Daniel stopped and bought us popsicles. We had a dinner of beef and fried plantains before heading out to the AGAPE Church. As the service was ending the power went out, but the Pastor continued on with his prayer.It was a different experience than back home!

Rixie and other girls praying at Martha's Sunday School class.

Karen singing at the AGAPE Church.

Nellie's daughter Jenny with a homemade dress from St. John's.

AP student Kandy is proud of her new dress from her sponsor.

Kevin with his new book and ball!

"I wash you car!"

2011-07-09T21:05:00.001-04:00

Today half of our group left to go back to the United States. Now it is just Abby, Jeff, and Anna. After dropping Annie, Melanie, and Bob off at the San Pedro Sula Airport we went to Puerto Cortez and Omoa. The girls and Jeff went swimming. It was cool that we could swim and see the mountains at the same time. We returned for dinner and had fried chicken and rice.

Anna, Abby, and Jeff

Day 7-"Is that chocolate!?"

2011-07-08T23:08:00.000-04:00

This morning for breakfast we had eggs, ham, beans, and pineapple. Then we left to go visit people’s houses. We visited houses that were built by previous groups, and we delivered beans and rice and clothes. Again, we were amazed that small bags of beans and rice could bring such gratitude. We went back to eat lunch, enchiladas. After lunch we went to Compassion’s after-school program for children. There we all played with the children. Pablo (Bob) blew up balloons and blew bubbles. Annie and Jeff played football. Abby and Anna played volleyball. Melanie painted the girls’ finger nails and colored with them. Then we went to the Tijeras’ feeding. Gloria cooked fried chicken pies for them. At the end, we helped hand out cookies and tennis balls. We were all moved by how patiently the children waited even though we know many of them were hungry. They also helped their little brothers and sisters. We hope that we have learned something from these children. Returning home we were greeted by the children of the compound. We played with them. Then Sandra’s children and grandchildren came over so we played with them also. For dinner we had whole fish and Anna’s and Abby’s special macaroni and cheese.

Abby & Anna

With editor Pablo's assistance!

Day 6-“We fly high!”

2011-07-07T23:54:00.000-04:00

Today Melanie went off to visit some people while the rest of the group went to Copan. The drive there was the scariest one we have had. We went over many bumps, and Abby hit her head a lot. Once there we bought out tickets and met our guide Tony. We were very impressed that our guide could speak 5 languages, having lived in Honduras all his life. We visited the Mayan ruins, and then went in the tunnels. The tunnels were actually not made by the Mayans, but by archeologists.

After touring the ruins we went to lunch. Then we went souvenir shopping. There were little kids trying to sell dolls to us. Anna bought one because the little kid was so cute. He got 20 lempira (approximately $1) for it. When he walked away, he was smiling really big then started jumping up and down happily. This is an example of how appreciative the people in Honduras are. Anna felt good that she helped the little boy and his family. Giving is more blessed than receiving!

We arrived back at the compound for a dinner of beef and fried plantains. Then we walked downtown for ice cream. Rafael tagged along with us. We had an adventurous motor taxi experience on the way back. The adults rode together in Juan Pedro’s taxi and the girls and Rafael rode in Carlos’s taxi. The driver was not used to people from the United States looking as old as they are because he thought Abby, 14, was 25!

Group picture minus Melanie at the ruins

Abby, Anna, and Annie with Tony

Abby, Anna, Carlos, Annie, Juan Pedro

Anna, Rafael, and Abby walking to get ice cream

Annie, Anna, and Abby at lunch

Abby& Anna

Blog from Melanie

My day in Quimistan was busy and blessed. What a joy to visit old friends! Tony who lives here on Miss Martha’s ranch was my translator. Those who have been on previous trips will remember some of these friends. On the way to visit Alexis we met Ernestina walking up the street. Her smile is just the same. Her father who is 98 lives with her. Found that Alexis is living with her mother, so Ernestina got in the motortaxi to show us the way. Alexis looked better! Cecilia and Kenia are in first grade! Since they were in school (praise the Lord) I returned to visit the girls in the afternoon. Several times during the day, I stopped the motortaxi driver so a little handmade dress or beans and rice could be given to a family in need. Tony and I had a delicious lunch at Shirley’s. Shirley was there with her baby. Visited with Jenny Suyapa and a compassion child, Wendy Sanchez. Spent some free time talking with Sandra and Gloria. Then happened to meet Americus with her 3 sisters who were visiting Martha. Seeing God’s love through old friends: a wonderful way to spend the day. Thank you Lord for Your many blessings!

Alexis with her girls

Shirley with her baby and dad

Melanie with Ernestina

My new dress!

Day 5-Melby

2011-07-06T22:44:00.000-04:00

After a breakfast of pancakes and fruit, we headed out to Teo. We brought along Daisy from the AP program to help us with VBS. The ride there was an adventure up the mountain roads. Once there the kids finished school while we got organized to start VBS. We had some time so we blew bubbles with the kids and played with a beach ball. Then we started VBS by having Anna and Annie do a puppet skit,which received a loud applause. After that, we divided into 3 groups. Anna and Abby did crafts, Jeff and Bob did games, and Annie and Melanie did music. The kids really enjoyed playing musical chairs, and Abby and, Anna enjoyed watching the kids color. They also liked espada, espada, escudo (better known at home as duck, duck, goose, but modified to fit the theme of VBS). At the end we fed the kids a snack of bread and juice. We gave the children de-worming medicine, and Annie taught them how to brush their teeth. After brushing their teeth, they received fluoride. Many of the kids didn’t like the taste of the fluoride. We took a break for a lunch of chicken sandwiches. Then Melanie, Jeff, Mayor, Daniel, and Daisy headed out to deliver rice and beans to some of the village people. Annie, Bob, Abby, and Anna stayed back at the school. There we played soccer and a version of dodge ball. Anna and Bob handed out silly bands, pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers, and paper to the children. Every time the book bag was open a swarm of children came. The children would tap our arms till they got something, even if they already had one of them. By this time, Anna had to move away from all the kids because they swarmed her into a corner. Luckily a very nice boy, Melby, would tell the kids to back up and be patient. At the end he got an extra big notebook because he was so nice. He used the silly bands to help teach us Spanish animals. After that the people came back from handing out beans and rice, so we left to come back to the compound. We played cards with Daisy, then ate dinner. Dinner was tilapia, rice, and vegetables. Anna and Abby bought macaroni and cheese at the supermarket the other day; and since fish is not their favorite, Sandra cooked it for them. It made them happy because it was American food. We were all tired from our busy day so we headed back to our house to relax. Just as we were about to post the blog on the internet the power went out, but within a minute the generator kicked on.

Group picture

Workers fixing the screen

Melanie handing out beans and rice

Children spitting

A little boy coloring

Duck, Duck, Goose

Anna handing out stuff to the kids

Abby, Melby, Anna, and Annie

Anna, Abby, Annie, & Bob

Day 4-Eduardo, Kevin, and Louise

2011-07-05T23:29:00.000-04:00

Annie showing how to brush teeth

Handing out beans and rice

Abby and Anna with their new friends :)

The new rail

Louise hiding from the camera

After breakfast we went back to La Moñtanita. We had to finish painting. The children in the classroom got let out of school so we could paint their classroom. The teacher helped us paint. We took a break and gave the children de-worming medicine and then taught them how to brush their teeth and gave them fluoride. Annie helped demonstrate how to brush their teeth to 3 different groups of children. Abby and Anna played with the children. The boys made a game of running away from us whenever we approached. Sometimes Anna was able to sit by them, but when Abby arrived they ran away. While 5 of us were eating PB&J (Anna got a banana and jelly sandwich), Annie distracted the children by blowing up balloons. We then had to finish painting the room. Melanie, Anna, and Abby left to deliver beans and rice to some of the village people; and Bob, Jeff, and Annie finished painting. As we were leaving La Moñtanita, Anna and Abby saw their friend Louis, so we had to roll down the window and talk to him. We stopped at the supermarket to pick up more rice, which supermarket man carried out. We had some time before we left for dinner so Abby and Anna went to play soccer with Rafael, Carlos, Josephine, and Maria. We ate a dinner of fried chicken, french fries, rice, and beans at Gojita's restaurant. The movie Tangled was played for us in Spanish with English subtitles. When we arrived back, Abby and Anna’s room smelled really bad because of our shoes--we figure that we are working hard because of the smell from our shoes! In spite of the humorous tone of this blog, we all feel that we are helping the people of Honduras.

The painted classroom

Abby&Anna

Day 3- Chingmesa

2011-07-04T22:57:00.001-04:00

This morning we woke up, ate breakfast and then went to La Moñtanita. Driving up the mountain was scary; Hondurans drive differently than people in the United States. Once there, we started tearing down a rail at the school. The locals took charge of the work. Abby and Anna didn’t feel very useful so they got out a beach ball and played with the children. They were very rough and liked to hit the Americans in the face with the ball to see our reaction. After that, we ate our lunch of PB&Js. (Anna being special got to eat a chicken sandwich.) We had extra sandwiches so we gave them to Brian, a little boy, and Maria, a little girl. We had more time to play with the kids so Paul, aka Bob, blew up balloons and wouldn’t give them to the children without them saying “balloon”; Annie blew bubbles with them; Melanie colored with them; and Jeff, Anna, and Abby played with the beach ball some more. The children got out of school so we started painting a classroom. It was very difficult because the walls were bricks. There were only 3 paintbrushes so Anna and Abby went to play soccer with some kids; even if they got injured they got back up and played. On the way back to the ranch, we stopped at Maria’s house for coffee and bread stuffed with pineapple. Driving down the mountain was worse than going up; we had to make a 7-point turn to get back down the road. We stopped at the supermarket and met supermarket man carrying our 100 pound of beans and rice. Arriving back at the ranch ,we saw Abner and Rafael. Before dinner we played with them. They ate dinner with us. Dinner consisted of pork chops, rice, tortillas, and vegetables. At the end we had ice cream. Rafael and Abner ate a lot of it so when we played soccer with them afterwards, they were hyper. Anna and Rafael won the game in the rain against Annie, Abby, and Abner. All of us put together bags of beans and rice to hand out in La Moñtanita and Teos.

Abby & Anna

The rail before

Painting the schoolroom

Bread filled with pineapple

Bob blowing up balloons

Anna giving Maria a sandwich

Melanie and Annie working

Jeff and Abby working

Maria, Abby, Rafael, and Anna

2011-07-03T23:33:00.000-04:00

2011-07-03T23:21:00.000-04:00

Day 2

2011-07-03T23:12:00.003-04:00

We woke up and ate a breakfast of pancakes. Then we left to go to Martha’s Sunday School. There Annie and Anna did a puppet skit in Spanish. Afterwards we played with the children and handed out beach balls. We came back to Martha’s Compound for lunch. After lunch Abby, Anna, and Annie played with Rafael. We colored with him and blew bubbles. After that we left to go to the AP Promise school. There Annie, Abby, and Anna did the puppet show again. We all handed out food to the children there and played on the playground with them. We came back and played soccer with the kids on the compound. Then we had a dinner of eggs, fried plantains, and beans. We went to church. It was a very different experience. At the end, the three girls got a blessing to find the right Christian partner, and we think maybe a future fertility blessing also because the pastor’s wife touched our stomachs.

Anna

Arrival in Honduras

2011-07-02T22:03:00.000-04:00

The 6 member July group arrived safely today. We had to sit an hour on the tarmac in Atlanta while they searched for someone’s luggage who didn’t make the flight. We arrived in Honduras about an hour late. After going through customs and getting our luggage, we were met by Daniel and Maynor. The trip to Quimistan was interesting. There was a big storm that blew trees over on the road; fortunately Daniel was able to miss all the ones on the road. After looking at where we were staying, we had a dinner of fried chicken, French fries, and rice. After dinner the adults planned the activities for the next few days, while the three youth, Abby, Annie, and Anna, went out and played with the kids. We played tag and soccer with the children. Then Anna found out they liked Justin Bieber so we listened to him on an iPod. Also the kids loved playing with our cameras, so many pictures of them are on our cameras.

Anna

2011-05-26T23:40:00.001-04:00

It is a little weird waking up this morning knowing that it is our last day in beautiful Honduras. This trip has been an abundant blessing to all of us and it saddens us team members knowing tomorrow we will be back in the U.S.A. The morning started as all mornings do; a great breakfast, followed by a short meeting of the plans to come. The plans were that some of us would go to Moñtanita to measure a railing for replacement, while the others hung back to go shop a little. The trip to Moñtanita went fast and before we went home we had to stop for some fresh bread! Sarah really loved that part because she was able to play with the newly born puppies that were at the bakery. Before we knew it we were back down the mountain. We were all excited to get to the waterfall and swim and relax a little! As we arrived to the ranch we all ate a little lunch and proceeded to head towards the falls. The hike to the falls was a hot one considering that the fields beside of us were burning crops! As soon as we reached the “jungle” part of the hike, things cooled down for us a little. Seeing and hearing water was a sweet relief! We arrived at a waterfall that was not that far ahead, but heard that the waterfall we were going to was bigger and better. Hiking around the first waterfall we started to see the beginnings of a big pool of water followed by an almost 25ft waterfall! We all were excited not only to see the water, but to know that swimming and jumping in were ahead! The team took no hesitation to find their way to the top of the falls to jump in.
The water felt amazing and was the perfect temperature for swimming.

After a few hours of swimming and down time, we headed back towards the van to make it to the ranch for dinner. Our dinner was very good, as always, and filled us up quite well. Afterwards Daniel took Aaron, Alex, and I to see about purchasing a Honduras soccer jersey. While we were out, Dane bought Jose (a 10-year-old kid at the ranch) a brand new soccer ball to play with.
Coming home we ran into Jose walking on the road to the ranch. We picked him up and took him with us. When we got out of the car we told him that the new soccer ball he had been holding and playing with was his. It was great to see his face light up as he realized what was really going on. Following that we knew that the time had come for packing. So here we are, packing away and waiting for the morning to leave for our flight. Jarred is also giving Debbie, our translator, a couple of dreadlocks tonight since she decided to spend the night with the girls. This trip has touched us in so many ways. The children, families, scenery, and translators have been truly a blessing to us. Our trip here was to serve the people and do God’s work, but I believe I can speak for us all when I say that we are equally as thankful for them as they are for us. It has been hot and it hasn’t been the easiest thing, but we are here for God’s glory to shine through us and all of that seems to go away when you think about why we are here. God has moved in us, and God has moved in the people here. Nothing else matters! This has been a great trip, and we can only hope that our next one is as good. We will come home and carry out the same qualities we show here. To be a light to this world and share the love of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior! We hope you guys have enjoyed this blog, and we love you all! Expect to see us home sometime tomorrow!

God Bless,

Jim Coleman

(editing by Sarah Webb)

Is it a boat or a hat?

2011-05-25T23:58:00.000-04:00

¡Holá! from Honduras! This morning we went up an extremely curvy, bumpy, and dusty road up a mountain on the way to Tao (Texoxingales). We went to “Tao” to build benches and to screen in a cooking area that the previous screening had withered away. We arrived at the school and immediately were bombarded with kids of all ages with nothing but smiling faces. After removing all of the wood from the classroom for us to build with, we set up a bench-building station under a big tree in the schoolyard.

We all grabbed gloves, hammers, nails, tape measures and started our projects. The bench team began to piece together the bench legs as the screening team ripped off the old screening. Some of the children started holding the nails for us while we were hammering together the benches. One side of the kitchen area had rotten wood around the windows that had to be replaced. After a few hours of working and sweating, we started to see a lot of progress. After taking a small break, the children gathered around and started making hats and boats out of old newspapers. By this time, the screening was mostly done so Jim and Sarah began playing with the children. While Sarah made hats (that were actually boats) with the kids, Jim took pictures and showed them.

The children love seeing themselves on the camera screen! Shortly after, both projects were finished and we quickly gathered to head towards the van. The ride down the mountain was refreshing with a little AC, some water, bananas, and a PB&J! On the ride down the mountain we arrived at an overlook and took a few pictures of the beautiful mountains and scenery. As we arrived back to the ranch, we packed up and left for Santa Clara. Armed with toys and a new ball pump, we arrived at Santa Clara and dropped off all the toys for the children. It was a quick trip, but was just as satisfying. We arrived home to the glorious smell of fried chicken and papas fritas (French fries)! A quick meal and devotion from Aaron and we are ready for bed. We can only hope that tomorrow is as good as today, but we know it will be. Our day tomorrow will consist of a ton of fun and fun times at a nice waterfall! Who doesn’t like a waterfall?!

God Bless,
James Danger and Sarah

Day 7 - "That's a rock!"

2011-05-25T19:44:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, the team headed to Sandra’s new house in Quimistan to level the ground around the site. Sandra is a teacher at the Agape Promise school, and cooks and takes care of the groups that stay here.

Chris, Allison, Joe, Dane, Aaron, Alex, Erin, and our crew of translators and drivers worked on the “landscaping” crew. We started with a huge mound of dirt (and rocks) behind the house, and made steady progress in moving wheelbarrow loads to the front and sides of the house, where they were leveled out. We are now pros at shoveling and wheelbarrowing, and with the addition of all the dirt that was in our socks, that mound was much smaller by the time we left.

Jerry, Morgan, Brad, Sarah, Jarred, and Sam basically wired the entire house for electricity, which was quite an accomplishment. It got off to a slow start without the presence of fish tape, so they used cable instead to push through to the outlet, then pull the wire through. Once the fish tape arrived, the wiring went much faster. There were no wire strippers, so the team used wire cutters (or knives) to cut off the insulation on the ends of the wires. Most of the team handled the two-receptacle circuits, while Jerry the electrician handled all the overhead lighting and hooked up the breaker box.

We ate lunch at a restaurant in Quimistan, which had actual air-conditioning! The food was delicious, and was a buffet that included chicken, ribs, and pork chops. It was a little hard to keep working after all that, but we went right back to shoveling and wiring like champs.

After we finished working at Sandra’s house around 4, we headed to a souvenir place for some shopping. Debbie and Daniel helped us out with the bargaining, and everyone was able to make plenty of handmade Honduran purchases.

Overall, it was a great day of service, and even though some of the jobs were a little difficult, it was a real opportunity to remember our purpose in being here. We continue to be amazed by how God is blessing this team and ministry, and look forward to Texoxingales and Santa Clara tomorrow!

Erin

(with an electrical consultation from Morgan)

Day 6 - May 23, 2011 - Blessed to be a Blessing

2011-05-24T23:25:00.000-04:00

Around thirty more children at the school were left to take the de-worming treatment, dental hygiene education, and fluoride treatment. Although we weren't brave enough to ingest the banana flavored treatment, many of us swished the bubble-gum flavored fluoride with the last class of kids and took a group photo.

After climbing the mountains to Nueva Esperanza, our tasks were to paint new chalkboards for the classrooms and put on a roof of the last classroom building. When we arrived into the community, it was palpable that God had already prepared our way to work with ease to finish the projects. Sanding the aged chalkboards brought a bounty of dust under our fingernails while some of the team put the hot tin roof on the last building. We were able to finish two coats of pea green paint on the two chalkboards. Two of the school buildings we worked on previously in the week had not been used for 14 years and are now available for teaching to begin once again. Hopefully the space will allow the community to start a kindergarten classroom soon.

The community showed us gracious hospitality by providing our lunch of chicken and rice and delivered an afternoon snack of donuts and coffee. Upon finishing the projects, the community gathered in one of the classrooms to read a Psalm of thanksgiving (Psalm 100), pray, and give thanks for how the Lord has done mighty works among us. Folks who gathered for the meaningful closing celebration included a Pastor in the area, President of Nueva Esperanza, President of the Parent Teacher Association, Director of the School, President of the Water Board, and women and men of the community. The community presented us with a plaque and the community will post the HAF logo on the school. We closed our time together by playing Frisbee and soccer with the energetic school children.

The team arrived back at the ranch in time for a bocce ball tournament and showers. Martha and Gary Thompson joined us for evening meal. Martha shared her story with us and we were blessed by the ministry in this area and her words of counsel as we live out our Christian faith. Surely, the presence of the Lord is in this place and we are blessed to be a blessing to this community.

We send our apologies to the next group using the eyeglass assortment. Part of the group spent two nights and four hours sorting the eyeglass project and doing the best we could to get them in order for whomever will be using the filing system in the future.

Allison Kelly

One big day of fun!

2011-05-22T23:09:00.002-04:00

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Day 5

Following a brief, but delicious, breakfast prepared by our wonderful cooks Sandra and Gloria we packed up and headed out to Martha’s Sunday school. Once there the children greeted us with several well disciplined songs as well as a few solo performances by some of the braver children. After joining in with the children in singing a few collaborative and interactive songs we performed a short skit. In the skit, members of our group acted out the well known story of the good Samaritan which illustrates the values of compassion and sacrifice. Following the skit we helped Gloria distribute her homemade lunch to the children. After they had finished their lunch the children were ready for playtime! Alex, Joe, Dane and Aaron quickly volunteered to join in on a soccer game that some of the young Honduran boys had started. After only a few minutes we realized that we were extremely unprepared for what was to be a royal butt whooping. The intensity of a Honduran midday sun and the surprising skill and athleticism of the young Honduran boys quickly had us panting and sweating harder than any of us could recall. And while we were out playing soccer, the other members of our group played several games with the children. After about an hour and a half of playtime it was time to say goodbye and head back to the ranch for some lunch. Following our lunch we had a short period of rest before we piled into the vans and headed back out to help Vilma, an Agape promise volunteer, feed and entertain a group of children known as the AP group or Agape Promise children which have been sponsored by individual citizens from the U.S. We fed them a light supper of quesadillas gave each of them some well deserved candy. After the kids had finished eating we went out into the courtyard and played several games with the children involving Frisbees and hacky sacks. After a few hours of fun it was again time to say goodbye. So we reluctantly departed and headed back to the ranch for the night. So in all it was one big day of fun!

Alex Stutts

Days 3 and 4: "Our God is so big, so strong, and so mighty!"

2011-05-22T01:02:00.002-04:00

So, the unavailability of the internet has led to a little delay in blog updating. This blog will therefore contain the goings on of the past two days!

Day 3 was quite a busy day. It all started with our arrival at the elementary school in Quimistan. The task at hand: de-worming medication, tooth brushing lessons, and fluoride for 867 awesome kids! The kids were all very excited to see us and swarmed the team immediately. The operation was set up in 3 stations.

The first was the delicioso banana flavored de-worming station. Erin, Aaron, Allison, Jerry and Brad, with Maynor’s help, delivered the tasty treat to the kids and sent them on to the next area. Station 2 consisted of dental hygiene lessons from Morgan, Joe, Chris, Jarred, and Daniel (translator Daniel). The kids were each given a toothbrush and travel-sized tube of toothpaste. We did our best to dole out the pink ones to the girls and the blue and green ones to the boys. Morgan provided a demonstration of the proper technique with a giant mouth model. We could
tell that many of them were not used to brushing their

Jerry was serenaded with the Happy Birthday song by one
of the classes. Such a cool gift!

teeth. There were lots of laughs and possibly some gagging when it came to brushing their tongues. Lots of spit flew at the next station! Sarah, Dane, Alex, and Debbie (our other translator) reported mixed feelings when it came to the bubble gum flavored fluoride’s taste. After coaxing the children through the required one minute swishing regimen, it was quickly and forcefully expelled from their mouths. Both the tooth brushing and fluoride station team members were extremely careful to stay out of the firing range. The kids aren’t shy when it comes to spitting!

After a delicious lunch of tilapia fillets and rice, the team finished up with the treatments and prepared for the Tejeres feeding. Jim provided assistance when needed at the de-worming station and took untold numbers of pictures.

One of HAF’s newest projects is the feeding of about 70 children from the roadside community of Tejeres. Some three years ago, team members saw the hungry children and their families gathering food from the dump near their homes. The team took them a meal later in the week and notified the foundation. This was only the beginning of Tejeres feedings. As of about a year ago, the kids have been fed on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Gloria cooks and serves some of the meals, and a lady from a local church serves others. The entire team got to go and witness this incredible event. Two of the children that stood out were Kevin and Dooley. Kevin had just returned from a 3 month Boston hospital stay in the States. Only he was granted permission to leave Honduras after being severely burned from melted plastic at the landfill that he was collecting for his family to sell. He had sustained third degree burns and needed skin grafts, treatment he could only receive in the USA. The surgeons were only able to save his thumb on his right hand. Dooley was another heart breaking case. It was after Wednesday’s feeding that she was run off the highway by a gas truck, causing her to break her arm. Dooley couldn’t hear the truck or screams of her mother to get out of the way because she is deaf. She was taken to the Quimistan hospital for x-rays and a cast. Our hearts were all touched by the joy the kids had over simply receiving a meal. They were all smiles when Alex and Jarred whipped out an American futbol.
Friday saw the touching of many hearts and the joy of many children!

Okay. So now we’re all up to date. Let’s continue on with today!

The team headed out in the van and Turnipseed Excursion around 9:00 after being briefed by Allison for Vacation Bible School. After driving about 45 minutes through windy, dirt mountain roads, we reached the village of La Montanita. The kids were waiting for us when we pulled up to the school and unloaded the Armor of God teaching materials. Four stations, consisting of art, music, Bible teaching, and games, were put in order. The kids were divided up into four groups, and the rotations began!

Morgan and Aaron delivered a kid-friendly Gospel presentation and Armor of God lesson with the help of translator Daniel. Two of the Agape Promise university students, Vilma and Laura, were also there to help lead the kids in prayers of confession and prayers for protection against the attacks of the enemy. The kids really enjoyed throwing the foam darts of the enemy at Sam and Chris as they defended themselves with Allison’s crafty and creative belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, helmet of salvation, shield of faith, and sword of the Spirit. They were also taught to be eager to share the Good News with the sandals of peace. Everything flowed extremely well with the transition from English to Spanish, and the kids really seemed to catch on to what we were telling them. The presence of the Holy Spirit was truly in that place!

Beautiful songs of praise echoed throughout the school grounds as Erin, Jim, and Sarah led the kids in worship. Erin beasted it up with her macho Spanish skills as there were not enough translators for them to have one. They reported that the kids were enthusiastic and engaged, a true testament of the Lord’s faithfulness to come through in times of need.

Jarred, Dane, and Joe led the kids in some exciting Bible games. The kids especially loved the parachute exercises. They also enjoyed participating in the relay in which each person had to don the full “Armor of God” before they could run for their turn. Lastly, names were learned as the rag ball was thrown around the circle. I can testify to the fact that fun was had, as some of our Bible lesson participants struggled to keep their focus because of the screams and laughter of those outside the classroom.

Finally, the art station! Once they were taught how to color and were assured that it was okay for them to do so, their creative sides were unstoppable. Alex, Brad, and Jerry were witnesses of extreme shield of faith and sword of the Spirit decorating. The otherwise completely obedient children found it difficult to pry themselves away from their masterpieces.

The team feasted on our packed PB & J’s at the home of Juana, one of the ladies who operate the little bakery established recently in the village. They were able to start the bakery with proceeds from their handiwork making "tortilla cloths" that are finding a market in the U.S., plus a loan from an area Catholic church. That bakery provides work for women of La Montanita, who also cooked the delicious snacks for Bible school. We were able to see the beehive-style adobe oven that makes the operation possible. It was after seeing a breathtaking pineapple plantation down the road that the team returned to the school to finish up the afternoon.

Once back at the school, the guys led a discussion with other young men of the village about the importance of refraining from drug use. Apparently that has become a recent problem for some of them. The Spirit had opened their minds to receiving the message the guys shared. From what I hear, it was a really cool time of sharing. The girls talked with Debbie, Vilma, and Laura our about college and tried to encourage them to stay strong in their Christian walks. We really enjoyed learning about the differences between education in the US and Honduras.

We have had no shortage of God experiences since our arrival in Quimistan. We truly serve an awesome God. Hope all is well in the US of A! We do miss our families, but I can assure you, all is well in Honduras!

Over and out,

Morgan

Day 2: Nueva Esperanza

2011-05-21T01:38:00.001-04:00

After a quick breakfast, we all loaded into our two vehicles and drove about an hour and a half up a winding mountain road to our first job site, observing the rolling mountains and beautiful scenery as we went. Our destination was Nueva Esperanza – a small village up in the northeastern corner of Honduras, close to the Guatemala border.

Our job was to put a roof on two school buildings, and basically move everything out of the old school building into the new ones (books, chairs, benches, books, etc). The buildings we worked on already had concrete structures and metal roof trusses. All we needed to do was put up the roofs.

The roofs were to be built using 3X17 pieces of aluminum, all placed and bolted together. The pieces had been stored in one of the school buildings, so we had to carry them all out and lift them up onto the roof. One group lifted them up, and one group placed and bolted them down. The first building was a simple 4-12 (for every 12 inches, it drops 4 inches) A-type roof, 30 feet in length. One side took about an hour and fifteen minutes to complete. The other building was just a smaller version of the first. For the second side we just switched teams. The team that had been on the roof lifted up the aluminum pieces, and the team that had lifted up the aluminum pieces got up on the roof.

So far heat has been a major issue on this trip. Highs are in the upper 90’s/lower 100’s, and lows are in the mid to upper 70’s. Needless to say, working up on an aluminum roof during the hottest part of the day was an exhausting experience, but, for a group of well trained, hardy, conditioned veterans, a task we met with neither fear nor hesitation. We jumped on it like a spider monkey.

We had finished both roofs by about 3:00pm. After spending some time carrying loads of books and desks into the newer building, we were done work-wise for the day. We drove a bit further into the mountains and took a short hike to a small waterfall, passing a fairly intimidating looking ant hill on the way. We would’ve liked to take a dip but nobody brought swim trunks. Instead, everyone just used the opportunity for a photo shoot.

On the way back down the mountain, we stopped at a lookout and got out to look at the vast stretches of mountains. At the lookout, there was a family that had laid their corn out to dry. At some point, the family started gathering up their corn and placing it in sacks to take back to their homes and grind up to make tortillas out of. The team spent a good deal of time helping the family gather up their corn. Then we finished the trek down the mountain, which due to bumps, constant turns, and sporadic speed increases, led to some cases of nausea and car sickness.

That’s pretty much our first working day in a nutshell.
Thanks for reading, folks.
Brad & Jarred

For more pictures, go to:
http://s604.photobucket.com/albums/tt125/TakingUpArmsjc1/Honduras/

Hot, Sweaty, and Ready to Work

2011-05-18T19:46:00.002-04:00

We arrived in Honduras today after a very pleasant flight from Atlanta even though the team was running on no sleep!

We made it through customs in San Pedro Sula pretty quickly (and with all of our luggage)! Then we loaded all the trunks and suitcases on top of a truck and got in a van to drive the hour and a half to Quimistan. On the way, we got to experience first hand how the locals drive. (It was very exciting!) It was eye opening to see all the people and houses in the villages that we drove through to get to the ranch that we are staying at.

When we arrived we were greeted by Sandra, one of the cooks, with a big hug. We got to enjoy tortilla chips with a meat/potato compote and a yummy homemade salsa. Then we toured the area stopping at all of the sites that HAF is active in. We stopped by Tejeres, where the feeding programs for the children take place, then we toured the Quimistan hospital that Martha (the owner of where we are staying) helped fund. Then we traveled to the site of the children's home that the Turnipseeds are working to build. It was a beautiful location, surrounded by mountains, and Sam explained all the plans that they are hoping to put in place in the future.

We can't wait to see what God has in store for tomorrow! (Hopefully a cold front :)

In Christ,
Sarah & Erin

(And snaps to Jim for the pictures)

2011-03-05T00:24:00.000-04:00

Time to Say “Adios”

Today (Friday) was our last full day here. Roxanne, George, and Tommy served 92 children this morning, providing antiparasitic medicine, dental hygiene, and fluoride treatment at the Milpa Arada Elementary school. Our dental team once again exceeded expectations, treating about 25 patients in a full, 10-hour work day. Overall, our team has had a great experience. Below, they have described it in their own words.

I've really enjoyed this trip. I was lucky enough to jump in on this particular medical trip last year and was chomping at the bit to get back this year. I love the small team we have had and our ability to see many different villages and function as a small unit. George is our Captain, keeping our ship running. Tommy is the Photo and Toy man, always able to get the kids smiling. Roxanne is the team busy-body and detail checker, never letting a detail pass her by (or trying at least). I'm just the young muscle and and all-around Gofer ('Go for' this or 'Go for' that). And of course the Dentists + Karen are the working clinic slaves. They toil away in the clinic salt mine till all is done. ;-) I've really enjoyed this chance to work for the Lord and help these children see the love of Christ, as well as help ourselves see it among each other.
- Dane

What a wonderful week this has been! It has touched and changed my life in so many ways. I came with a little hesitation and left Honduras blessed by God! God is truly doing his work through this organization. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to serve God.
- Kevin

Another great trip with a small team that did more with less. The dentists were wonderful, and we witnessed a miracle at the Tejeras feeding on Wednesday evening. It doesn’t get any better than that. Praise God for His awesome power!
- George

Even after six years, God continues to bless the missionaries by allowing us to witness His grace and love for His people in need. My heart was touched by the children at Tejeras as we fed them and I saw the gratitude and thankfulness in their eyes. What a wonderful mission. We on the dental tam are so lucky to be able to provide help for the children of Quimistan and the surrounding villages. The addition of a third dentist this year was great! Looking forward to returning next year. God bless.
- Charlie

Once again, I must say goodbye to my Honduran friends and 'family'. It doesn't get any easier with time, in fact, it may be more difficult as I do not know when I will return due to my mother's health. But what I do know is that until I return I will cherish the memory of each child I was able to hug; each time when I asked if they understood what I was telling them about how much Jesus loves them in my Spanglish and they responded they did; the servant's heart of my team mates; the hospitality of Dona Martha; the beauty of the flora and mountains; and the love of our Lord Jesus given in return for the privilege of coming as His hands and feet. Until next time, bendiciones a Dios!
- Roxanne

Why do I keep coming back to Quimistan, Honduras? The 1000+ pictures that I have snapped over the past 10 days does not begin to describe the beautiful surroundings, the wonderful hospitality, the fun of playing ball or blowing bubbles with the kids, the expressions of gratitude, and the friendliness of the people. It is awesome to experience so much faith from a people with so little material possessions, as I attempt, in my small way, to witness my faith to them.

To serve here is truly a privilege. As this team has worked together to make life a little easier for the people of Honduras in many different ways, I am once again reminded that you can’t outgive God.
I cherish every smiling face I have seen (and I have seen a lot of them here), every “Gracias” I have heard, and every “Bendiciones a Dios” that has been earnestly bestowed on us during this trip. I look forward to returning soon.

Until next time, “Adios, amigos”.
- Tommy

Dental Update

2011-03-04T00:47:00.003-04:00

On the way to the dental clinic about 7:45 a.m. for , we ran into some “Quimistan rush hour” traffic.

Once at the hospital, the dentists maintained their rapid pace today by adding about 20 to the growing list of patients served, bringing the total to about 50 thus far, with one more day to go. Below are a few of the highlights of the day.

Say, "Ahhhhhhh".

Look Ma, no cavities!

This will hurt me more than it does you. (And it does!)

After this shot, this 8-year-old had 4 extractions and 1 filling.

One pulling and 3 pulling for her.

Even greater than the dentist's technical skill, used here under less than ideal conditions, is the compassion with which it is performed. When the kids cry, we all cry a little, even when we know it is for the best. So it is with God in our lives. Sometimes we wonder why He allows bad things to happen, or does not seem to be listening to our prayers. But we must trust that God's Plan is in our own best interest, and that it will be accomplished on His own time schedule, and not ours.

Tommy

Visit to El Pinal School

2011-03-03T23:47:00.002-04:00

This morning, after getting the dental team delivered to the hospital, two team members, Dane and George, plus Stanley went to the Escuela Republica de Canada in El Pinal to provide de-worming medication, dental hygiene training, and fluoride treatment to 68 students there. The school was not open today, but most of the children were in uniform waiting for us at the entrance to town as we arrived. A young man had the key and unlocked the gate and classrooms for us. Dane explained that we were there because Jesus had sent us to Honduras to share His love with them.

Besides the children, we also provided de-worming medication to about a dozen adults. On the way up to El Pinal we picked up two walkers and gave them a ride to town saving them each at least an hour-long walk up the mountain. On the return trip we provided rides for three ladies who were coming to Quimistan to shop.

Though these hygiene trips are mostly the same routine, each of them is a little different. As we plan to serve God in one way, we never know what else He may have in mind for us to do along the way.

George

Visit to Santa Clara School

2011-03-03T00:31:00.001-04:00

This morning, after getting the dental team delivered to the hospital, three team members, Roxanne, Tommy and George, plus our interpreter Stanley, went to the Santa Clara School. We provided de-worming medication, dental hygiene training, and fluoride treatment to 79 students there. We actually had to go to three different school buildings to find all of the kindergarten and elementary students.

Roxanne explained that we were there because Jesus had sent us to Honduras to share His love with them.

A good time was had by all of us, and I think the the children especially enjoyed spitting the fluoride after their 30 seconds of swishing it around in their mouths.

George

Miracle at Tejeras

2011-03-02T23:37:00.000-04:00

I just witnessed a remarkable event.

About 65-70 children were fed who would have otherwise gone hungry. And then a true miracle happened. A few clothes had been donated to these children who have nothing. I was really sad because I knew there wasn’t enough to go around. To my amazement, as each child came forward, there was a new piece of clothing for them.

Once again, the Lord had provided and overcome my doubt.

Randy

Hit the Ground Running

2011-03-02T00:34:00.002-04:00

That’s what the dental team did today.

After a tiring, nearly 12-hour trip from Aiken to Quimistan, Karen, Charlie, Randy, and Kevin took about one hour to unload, unpack, eat lunch, and change clothes. By 3:30 today, they were setting up and seeing patients. Ten young people were treated today in four hours, ranging from simple cleanings to multiple fillings and extractions.

We praise God for their safe arrival and for the good, compassionate work that was done today. No one will need to rock them to sleep tonight.

Tommy

Dental Team Has Arrived!

2011-03-01T16:32:00.002-04:00

The dental team, consisting of Kevin, Randy, Karen, and Charlie arrived at the ranch at 2:20 p.m. today.

We thank God for their safe arrival and know that they have a busy 4 days ahead of them. Please join us in prayer for their work to be completed safely and effectively, as they are truly the hands of Christ in action as we serve the people of Honduras.

Tommy

Visits to SC & LM

2011-03-01T12:34:00.000-04:00

Yesterday (Monday) we visited 2 villages. In the morning, at the White Dove bi-lingual school in Santa Clara we were greeted with “Good morning!” from pre-K through 2nd-graders, 34 in all. Classrooms continue to be built and dedicated teachers are able to share the love of God with these young students through help from our many HAF supporters. Education is a vital step to the success of these small, impoverished communities.

In the afternoon, we drove to La Montanita, armed with Bibles, kindergarten materials and blackboard paint. The teacher was excited to see all the new supplies. We explained to her that these gifts were from the St. John’s Pre-school, and that they wanted to continue their support on an on-going basis. She will let us know of specific needs.

We repainted the blackboards in 2 classrooms, doubling the size of the one in the kindergarten room.

Later, we took the Bibles and some other supplies to Reina’s home, where we enjoyed great coffee and pastries! Dane and I kept the kids busy, while George and Roxanne talked “business” with Reina and Vilma, the local evangelism coordinator.

Back in Quimistan, we sterilized instruments and brought in tables, in preparation for the dentists’ arrival tomorrow.

Tommy

Surprise Meetings at the Hardware Store

2011-02-28T23:34:00.001-04:00

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

2011-02-28T00:14:00.000-04:00

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

2011-02-27T09:52:00.000-04:00

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

2011-02-27T00:11:00.000-04:00

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

2011-02-27T00:05:00.000-04:00

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

2011-02-26T00:19:00.003-04:00

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

2011-02-25T15:44:00.000-04:00

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

2011-02-24T23:54:00.001-04:00

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

2011-02-24T23:49:00.000-04:00

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

2011-02-24T23:20:00.000-04:00

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

2011-02-24T22:47:00.001-04:00

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 . . .

2011-02-08T20:07:00.002-04:00

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

2011-02-08T19:51:00.001-04:00

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.