The following is a day by day account of how the group from Wisconsin, USA spent their tie at the New Hope Village in Honduras. They are the first group to visit our new home. We look forward to seeing them all again next year as the kids and staff all greatly enjoyed their visit!
Friday, November 18th
We Made it!
Hola!
Our group of 13 has landed in Honduras safely. But it's already an adventure.
All of our luggage (more than 26 bags) was loaded into the back of one
small pickup truck owned by CVoH. We packed it as tightly as possible, but it was still overflowing. During the drive out of Tegucigalpa, one bag bounced out of the bed and just hung alongside
suspended by rope. Jeff, the National Director of Children’s Village of
Honduras, was driving the truck and stopped to check on the rogue bag, but
because it was tied to other bags, he wasn’t too concerned.
The rest of us crammed into a small Toyota van, which overheated on the
steep climb up into the mountains surrounding the city. We waited for a
bit on the side of the road until the next van could be dispatched. The
weather was beautiful. 75-degrees and sunny.
We arrived in Valle de Angeles and checked into the hotel and will get the
chance to visit the Village to have dinner with the kids. Most
of us have been up since 3 am, but we are all very excited. More later...
The New Hope Village
We made it to the Village in time to meet the kids and take a
tour of the grounds before dark. There is no twilight in Honduras, it's
like a switch goes off. From light to darkness…
The children were very warm and welcoming. The kids ran up to us and
stayed close by all night, held our hands, giggling and smiling all the
while. Some spoke some English, but mostly we talked to them in broken
Spanish. They were patient with our attempts and laughed and smiled all
the time. There are about 30 kids in all, ranging in age from 8 to 23.
The Village is in the country, about a 30-min walk from our
hotel. We saw lots of locals along the way. They all seemed to be doing
something, working, painting, fixing old cars and motorcycles. One shouted
"Que pasa Gringos!" as he drove by. All were very friendly and nodded or
smiled as we passed.
We had a simple dinner of rice, chicken and corn tortillas with kids. It
was deliciosa! Afterwards we played with the younger kids, and their
German Shepherd pup Moxy, and took lots pictures.
We capped the night with ice cream at a shop near our hotel. They were
closed, but gladly reopened for us.
Hugs from Honduras!
Saturday, November 19th
GOOOAAALLL!
We had breakfast at the hotel this morning, scrambled eggs, toast,
watermelon and pineapple. Then we walked back to the Village.
The kids were doing chores and preparing to present us with a welcoming
program. Soon a few came out and we walked into the courtyard where they
have a makeshift soccer field with goal posts made of tree limbs. We
started kicking a soccer ball with the boys, and as more came out we
spontaneously started a game.
Art, Bob, Steve and Paul played along and the language barrier disappeared
as high fives, fist bumps and shouts of "gooooaaaallll!!" broke out. It
was a great way to bond with the boys who seemed so shy yesterday.
After an hour of playing soccer, it was time for the welcome program. The
kids did several skits to music, some in costumes and makeup. They also
danced and sang songs (including Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star in English).
It was wonderful and heartwarming. At the end, all the kids sang together.
And when it was over they motioned us up to dance with them. There was
lots of smiling and laughter as they tried to teach us their dance steps.
Soon we were back out on the soccer field for another game. We played for
another hour while the girls danced together. About the time all of the
boys were ready to collapse, the girls came out to play. Janet, Megan,
Amy, Faith and Grace joined in and then the boys came off the sidelines.
It was chicas vs. chicos for awhile, but the players on the teams changed
quickly searching for balance. We learned you can't have too many Gringos
on one side! We played and played until some of us could barely move.
Bob was surprised when some of the kids snuck up behind him and cracked
eggs and poured bowls of water on his head. This, apparently, is a
birthday tradition in Honduras. Birthday Boy Bob was a good sport, but it
could have been worse. Sometimes they even hit you with rotten tomatoes
and ash.
Mike and Amy are celebrating birthdays while we are here as well, so they
now know what to expect. Amy is not looking forward to it (her birthday is
on Thanksgiving). Since she is a swimmer, we said she should wear her swim
cap. Too bad she didn’t bring one along!
Lunch with the kids was rice with pataste (something like squash) breaded
and fried with cheese and a red sauce. Deliciouso! Then the kids got Bob
one more time with two more eggs (we didn't even have to egg them on!).
Pun intended.
We left in the mid afternoon and toured the town of Valle de Angeles a
bit. Bob Seitz led us into a wood carving shop and walked through the town
square. There were many other people out shopping and enjoying the day.
Dinner was with our group where we shared a family style meal of grilled
shrimp, chicken, conch, and beef. We are not lacking for good food!
Tomorrow we will attend a church service with the kids, and then have a
picnic lunch at Parque Obrero. On Monday we will begin our
construction project, led by Mike (who is an engineer by trade). Others
will do crafts with the kids and prepare for the Thanksgiving meal. We all
have our own talents! And luckily Megan is a professional chef, so we are
in good hands for serving Thanksgiving dinner to all.
We're so looking forward to the days ahead!
Hugs from Honduras!
Sunday, November 20th
Sunday at the Park
We started today being awakened by crowing roosters at 5:30 am. There are
two good things about that. First, there's no snooze button on a rooster,
so they crow again anyway. Second, roosters do not rely on electricity.
Power at the hotel has been off and on. It was off this morning. We've
also had difficulty with running water at times. And running hot water at
other times. Hondurans take it all in stride. And we are learning to do
the same. Truthfully, it’s not much of a hardship. We just take the basics
for granted sometimes.
At breakfast they served cold cereal, which we thought was perfect given
the situation. But then they came out with stacks of hot pancakes. No idea
how they cooked them, but they were good! Joan and Mike led us in a
devotional.
The kids came to us this time, riding in a big rented school bus. We all
drove to nearby Santa Lucia for church. We arrived a bit after the service
started and found seats in the back and along the aisles. It was a
beautiful Catholic church with paintings dating back to the 1800s. Of
course the service was entirely in Spanish, but it was good to be there
with the children and we were able to sing along to some hymns.
After church we walked back through the town and bought some cookies from
street vendors. We returned to the bus and drove a short distance to Parque Obrero and chose a picnic spot. Steve and Paul played another
soccer game, this time on a full size field, and they were worn out after
an hour! Again it was fun to connect with the kids through sports.
Bonnie, Art, Shirley, Bob, Janet, Mike, Joan, Amy, Faith and Grace played
parachute games with the girls and smaller boys. The kids also went on
swing rides, rode bicycles and horses and hiked down along a river. We had
hot dogs and chips for lunch. Then we played some more games with all the
kids: Water balloon toss, Americano Football, cards and more.
It rained a bit, but nothing dampened our spirits, and we learned the
names and stories of most all the kids after spending the whole day
together.
The bus dropped us off at the hotel at 4:30 pm and we said goodbye to the
kids. Amy struck up a conversation with another group of American
missionaries at our hotel. Turns out they were from Washington and knew
Amy's cousins who are from the same area. It’s a small world after all!
We took Moto-Taxis (aka tuk-tuks) to a restaurant where we had pre-ordered
our meals. The food was good, with plantains, fresh salsa, beef, chorizo
and fish. We walked back to our hotel in a light rain, but still stopped
for ice cream at our friendly local shop, now a nightly tradition.
Tomorrow we will begin our construction project at the Village.
We have some plans, some tools, and lots of lumber. We'll see how it goes.
Those not on the construction crew will do crafts with the kids and
preparation for Thanksgiving dinner will also begin!
Hugs from Honduras!
Monday, November 20th
And So It Begins!
Today started with a breakfast of refried beans, toast and ham, cheese and
onion omelets. Janet led us in a devotional. Grace didn't make it to
breakfast because she got sick during the night. She ended up staying in
bed most of the day and Amy stayed back to care for her. Hopefully she
will be back in action tomorrow.
The rest of us walked to the Village, although part of the
group was delayed when they stopped to help a local man get his service
truck unstuck from the mud.
Mike, Bob, Steve and Paul started to work on the construction project with
help from some of the older boys. The task is to build shelves for storage
and an in-house store in a space that was once used as a horse stable. The
problem was the building plans did not take into account the actual space
challenges or the building supplies on hand, so Mike and Bob had to
redesign the plans.
Progress was slow, but a prototype standing shelf was mostly complete by
the end of the day, and the construction crew believes the lessons we
learned today will make the days ahead much easier.
Joan helped Bob Seitz unpack all of the clothing and supplies in the main
office, then worked with the kids to write letters back to our Sunday
School students.
Bonnie started unthawing the turkeys and planning for Thanksgiving dinner
- a major task ahead.
Art and Janet baked peanut butter and oatmeal raisin chocolate chip
cookies with the little kids, while Faith and Megan did some craft
projects with them as well. Shirley worked with one of the older students
on her English to help her get ready for University and pharmacy school.
For lunch we had bean and rice soup with chunks of beef. Then it was back
to work.
The day passed quickly because there was so much to do. But everyone
enjoyed the time we spent working more closely with the kids and building
relationships with them.
For dinner we walked to a restaurant owned by a retired U.S. Army officer
and enjoyed a variety of pork, fish and chicken with sides of yucca,
steamed veggies, rice, plantains and French fries. Ice cream at our
traditional spot capped the night, although we have depleted their supply!
The owner said more flavors would be available on Tuesday.
Tuesday is Mike's birthday, so in anticipation of an egging, Bonnie and
Joan fashioned a clear plastic bag poncho and pants outfit complete with a
bulls-eye target.
Hugs from Honduras!
Tuesday, November 22nd
Construction and Destruction
Breakfast today was delicious porridge and French toast. But poor Grace
couldn't have anything to eat other than a bit of dry toast. Her stomach
was still hurting, and so she spent the day recovering under Amy's care.
Paul and Faith led the devotional.
The rest of us walked to the Village and spent the day doing
more of the same tasks and activities as the day before.
With lessons learned, advice from Bob Seitz, and some practice, Mike, Bob,
Steve and Paul picked up the pace of construction and really made some
progress until...a minor disaster struck. In the process of moving one of
the longer pieces of lumber into place, it slipped and fell onto the water
spigot for the sink and broke it off entirely. Water gurgled up and
suddenly we had a beautiful indoor water fountain. We couldn't find a shut
off valve, so we had to shut down the water pump for the entire facility.
Water was still flowing out rapidly so we formed a mini bucket brigade to
bail it out of the sink. Finally the water slowed and stopped. Just then
one of the boys walked out with his hair full of shampoo suds. He must
have been in the middle of a shower! It took removing some of the wall,
but we fixed the PVC pipe and capped it. The water was turned back on and
nothing leaked. It was probably best not to have a water spigot in what
will be the store room anyway, so no real harm was done.
Janet and Art mixed four batches of cookies and baked four loaves of
bread. And they always had a crowd and lots of little hands helping. In
fact, the raisins for Art's trademark oatmeal cookies were disappearing so
quickly, they had to be hidden to make sure there was enough for the
dough.
Bonnie and Shirley read books with the kids and played games of Scrabble
to help them learn English. Joan completed the letter writing to our
Sunday school kids, played UNO with the younger children and worked on
reading with one of the older boys.
Faith made crafts with the girls and little kids and played soccer and
Tipi Tag (sort of like freeze tag). She also got some impromptu Spanish
lessons from the older girls.
For lunch we had a casserole dish made of smashed plantains with a thin
layer of beef and a side salad and slice of watermelon. It was so good
that Janet asked for the recipe.
Unbeknownst to the rest of us, by midday Grace was feeling better and she
and Amy tried to walk up to the Village, but about halfway there she
started to feel sick again, so they turned back.
The rest of the afternoon the construction crew worked to build shelving,
but when Mike and Bob went to anchor them to the walls, they learned the
bricks and mortar were not strong enough to hold them in place. More
reengineering to do for the engineers!
We stopped working about 4 pm and ended the day with another game of
soccer with the boys.
After all the fuss, the kids must have forgotten it was Mike's birthday
(either that or Bonnie called off the hit) and that was just fine with
Mike. We all sang to him at dinner.
Grace was pretty much back to her normal Gracie self and felt well enough
to join us for dinner in town and we all enjoyed having the whole group
together with some great pizza and pasta to boot. Of course, we had ice
cream afterwards and enjoyed the new coffee, eskifruta (kind of like
peach) and chocolate/orange flavors.
Hugs from Honduras!
Wednesday, November 23
Preparing for the Feast
Today started with a breakfast of eggs over easy, fried plantains, toast
and ham. Steve led us in the devotion using I Corinthians 13.
Grace and Bonnie rode in a Moto-Taxi to the Village and the
rest of the team walked up. Grace got a warm welcome from the kids after
being absent for two days.
The construction crew got right to work with new plans developed the night
before by Mike, Bob and Steve. They are feeling good about their progress,
but they still have a lot to do!
The real theme of the day however, was preparing a Thanksgiving dinner to
feed 100 guests. We cooked eight 10-lb. turkeys! Each turkey was cleaned,
cut in half and put into one of two large stock pots for boiling by Bonnie
and Joan. After several hours, the turkeys were removed, deboned and
shredded by Bonnie, Art, Joan, Megan, Janet and Bob Seitz. Art and Janet
also baked four more loaves of bread. And Shirley and Megan peeled lots of
potatoes. The broth from the turkey boil will be used for gravy and soup.
Amy played her flute for the kids and taught them "Somos Uno" (We are One)
and Jesus Loves Me. Suddenly some of the kids suddenly turned shy, but we
hope they'll all sing along tomorrow. And a couple of them have said they
will definitely sing with her.
Lunch was tostada-like fried tortillas topped with beef and potatoes,
onions and Queso Fresco. Excellent!
Faith and Grace played parachute games with the kids, while others did
puzzles, read books, played cards and other games with them. Of course we
capped the day with a game of soccer.
Dinner was the best yet according to most of the group. It was a
traditional Honduran meal of beef, refried beans, avocado, plantains and
rice. Chimmi Churri was offered as a topping. And we all enjoyed fresh
hibiscus juice.
New ice cream flavors were an additional treat at our regular stop for
dessert. And we also got to see a wedding party because their reception
was at our hotel.
Tomorrow will be a big day. We are all thankful for so much, including the
blessings of our families, our church and these children.
Hugs from Honduras!
Thursday, November 24th
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving Day dawned in Honduras with brilliant sunshine and mild
temps. We had omelets with toast, plantains and refried beans for
breakfast. Bonnie led us in the devotional.
We walked to the Village with great anticipation of the day
ahead. Even though it was just another day in Honduras to the locals, it
was a holiday to us. And it was our chance to serve the children and staff
a traditional American meal prepared with great love.
The construction crew went to work on their project, which was starting to
shape up into a very functional storage closet and store. They also
installed a new sink that had been broken earlier.
Everyone else worked on preparing the Thanksgiving dinner (except Faith
and Grace, who helped keep the children busy and out of the kitchen as
best they could). The shredded turkey was returned to the stock pots and
warmed in seasoned broth. The potatoes were boiled and mashed. Megan, a
great addition to our team, and also a professional chef, took on the
gravy.
We had light sandwiches for lunch and some of the team members even
enjoyed the Packers v. Lions game on TV.
By 4 pm, the dinner was ready. And we all lined up to serve the children
and staff. Lafit, one of the Village staff members, gave the table prayer
in Spanish. The children came forward eagerly, and because there was
plenty of food, we heaped it on their plates. Most came back for seconds,
some even had thirds. And many snapped up extras of Art's cookies and
bread to save for later.
We ate after everyone else had their fill, and it was delicious. There
were even plenty of left-overs.
The kids presented us with a special poster they made to thank us with
individual drawings, doodles and all their names with greetings in
English.
It was getting dark by the time we said our goodbyes for the day. It took
longer than normal to leave and felt more emotional, probably because it
was such a special day and because all of us know our time together on
this trip is coming to an end. Leaving the Children's Village for the last
time on Saturday is going to be very difficult.
We somehow found room for ice cream and celebrated Amy's birthday with a
piece of cake Bonnie had found for sale in a local shop. Amazingly both
Mike and Amy escaped the birthday egging that Bob endured earlier in the
week. But there's always tomorrow...
Hugs from Honduras!
Friday, November 25th
Mission Accomplished
The day started with corn flakes, bananas and pancakes. Bob Seitz gave the
devotional, a moving talk about how all of us would be changed somehow by
this mission. We didn’t doubt him. But we also didn’t know just how right
he would be until later.
The electricity went out at the hotel before we left, and when we arrived
at the Village, the power was out there as well.
This was not a good sign for the construction crew, as their goal was to
finish their work by lunch. For the first time since Monday, the sounds of
the circular saw and electric drills were silent. But the crew quickly
switched into old-school-mode with a hand saw and screw drivers and got
down to business. And with his baking duties wrapped up, Art joined in for
some extra manpower.
Janet, Megan, Amy, Faith and Grace did beading projects with some of the
kids, while Shirley, Joan and Bonnie read books with others.
For lunch we enjoyed want many of us considered the best use of turkey
left-overs ever...shredded turkey soft shell tacos with home made
tortillas, quesillo blanco (white cheese) and fresh salsa.
Power was restored (on-off-on again) and the construction crew was able to
complete their work and even had time to enjoy some Football Americano
with the kids.
Later in the afternoon, the mission team split up and some returned to
town while others took a hike with the older kids into La Tigra National
Forest. Together they followed a steep and challenging trail to a
spectacular waterfall vista. Honduras is truly a beautiful place. Wild,
lush and exotic.
Dinner was another traditional Honduran affair, with the Village staff
joining us for a great farewell experience and great food once again.
Tomorrow we will celebrate several graduations with the children and say
our goodbyes to them.
We are all anticipating a difficult and emotional parting after bonding
with the children all week.
Hugs from Honduras!
Saturday, November 26
Somos Uno (We are One)
We started what we knew would be a emotional day with a breakfast of
porridge, scrambled eggs, toast and ham.
When we got to the Village, some of the kids were already
engaged in a playful water fight. Soon the battle escalated and it was an
all out water war with everyone getting involved. Water balloons were
dropped off the balcony, buckets of water were thrown, and people were
dragged into the sprinklers. Some were soaked, some were splashed, but
everyone got wet. It was spontaneous good clean fun and the kids loved it.
We loved it too.
With direction from Bob Seitz, Mike, Bob and Art kicked into construction
mode once again and made a TV table that was designed, cut and built in
just a couple of hours.
Amy, Faith, Grace, Janet, Joan, Shirley and Megan put together a 600-piece
global map puzzle with some of the kids. And Steve and Paul played catch
and Football Americano with others. Somehow Paul managed to run headfirst
into one of the wooden goal posts while catching a long pass, but his
injuries were minor and Bonnie patched him up with a big bandage. And he
figured after a week of working with power tools, playing soccer with the
kids and even hiking through steep trails in the park, it was really no
big deal.
We had a hamburger and potato hot dish for lunch with rice, corn and slaw.
Then the kids put together an artificial Christmas tree in the dining area
and decorated it.
Amy played her flute and some of the kids sang along with her to "Somos
Uno" (We Are One). Afterwards, Bonnie thanked the children for the time we
spent together and told them all how much we love them through an
interpreter. Then she and Joan presented special gifts from us to the
graduates of 6th Grade, 9th Grade and High School.
All too soon it was time to leave. The children ran to each of us and gave
us hugs, sometimes accompanied by little notes and drawings. Photos were
taken. Kisses were given. Hands were held. Tears were shed. Then more
hugs. And more tears. We knew departing would be emotional, but it was
more than any of us expected. We had grown to know and love these kids so
much in the short time we had together. We missed them deeply before the
gate even closed.
Some of the children walked with us because they had a scout meeting in
town. But the extended goodbyes weren't any easier.
We had a couple hours of down time to contemplate everything before a
quick dinner at Taco Express. We finished with a meeting where Bonnie gave
a devotional and we all took communion together. Our group really bonded
over the experience and we supported each other.
Tomorrow we will take a van back to the airport in Tegucigalpa and begin
our journey home on the busiest travel day of the year in America. With
any luck, we'll land in Milwaukee at about 10 pm. And none of us will ever
be the same.
Hugs from Honduras!
Sunday, November 27
Home!
We all made it home safely tonight after a long day of traveling. We
started with breakfast at 8 am, an hour later than normal. The roosters
were still crowing from 5-6 am though, so we didn't exactly sleep in.
After a breakfast of eggs, salsa, plantains, toast and refried beans we
gathered our bags and loaded them into the pickup truck from the
Village.
The drive to "Tegus" was uneventful. No luggage bounced out of the bed of
the pickup and our hired passenger van was reliable. The mountain views on
the drive were spectacular. The airport was busy and check-in took some
time. The security line was long as well with only one X-Ray machine. When
it was time to board they individually searched through everyone's
carry-on luggage as well.
We all watched movies on the way to Atlanta and time went by quickly. But
our minds kept going back to the kids and the events of the week. We still
have a lot to process from the experience.
Going through Customs was a breeze and it felt good to be back in the U.S.
Most of us celebrated with some Ben & Jerry's ice cream in familiar
flavors.
The flight home to Milwaukee was packed but uneventful.
We are thankful for our church family, and for all the support we have
received from so many. We are all truly blessed! We are very thankful for
the experience of meeting and serving these children. Each one of them is
so very precious. And they will always hold a special place in our hearts.
Hasta luego. Until we meet again, dear ones
Hugs to Honduras!
We Made it!
Hola!
Our group of 13 has landed in Honduras safely. But it's already an adventure.
All of our luggage (more than 26 bags) was loaded into the back of one
small pickup truck owned by CVoH. We packed it as tightly as possible, but it was still overflowing. During the drive out of Tegucigalpa, one bag bounced out of the bed and just hung alongside
suspended by rope. Jeff, the National Director of Children’s Village of
Honduras, was driving the truck and stopped to check on the rogue bag, but
because it was tied to other bags, he wasn’t too concerned.
The rest of us crammed into a small Toyota van, which overheated on the
steep climb up into the mountains surrounding the city. We waited for a
bit on the side of the road until the next van could be dispatched. The
weather was beautiful. 75-degrees and sunny.
We arrived in Valle de Angeles and checked into the hotel and will get the
chance to visit the Village to have dinner with the kids. Most
of us have been up since 3 am, but we are all very excited. More later...
The New Hope Village
We made it to the Village in time to meet the kids and take a
tour of the grounds before dark. There is no twilight in Honduras, it's
like a switch goes off. From light to darkness…
The children were very warm and welcoming. The kids ran up to us and
stayed close by all night, held our hands, giggling and smiling all the
while. Some spoke some English, but mostly we talked to them in broken
Spanish. They were patient with our attempts and laughed and smiled all
the time. There are about 30 kids in all, ranging in age from 8 to 23.
The Village is in the country, about a 30-min walk from our
hotel. We saw lots of locals along the way. They all seemed to be doing
something, working, painting, fixing old cars and motorcycles. One shouted
"Que pasa Gringos!" as he drove by. All were very friendly and nodded or
smiled as we passed.
We had a simple dinner of rice, chicken and corn tortillas with kids. It
was deliciosa! Afterwards we played with the younger kids, and their
German Shepherd pup Moxy, and took lots pictures.
We capped the night with ice cream at a shop near our hotel. They were
closed, but gladly reopened for us.
Hugs from Honduras!
Saturday, November 19th
GOOOAAALLL!
We had breakfast at the hotel this morning, scrambled eggs, toast,
watermelon and pineapple. Then we walked back to the Village.
The kids were doing chores and preparing to present us with a welcoming
program. Soon a few came out and we walked into the courtyard where they
have a makeshift soccer field with goal posts made of tree limbs. We
started kicking a soccer ball with the boys, and as more came out we
spontaneously started a game.
Art, Bob, Steve and Paul played along and the language barrier disappeared
as high fives, fist bumps and shouts of "gooooaaaallll!!" broke out. It
was a great way to bond with the boys who seemed so shy yesterday.
After an hour of playing soccer, it was time for the welcome program. The
kids did several skits to music, some in costumes and makeup. They also
danced and sang songs (including Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star in English).
It was wonderful and heartwarming. At the end, all the kids sang together.
And when it was over they motioned us up to dance with them. There was
lots of smiling and laughter as they tried to teach us their dance steps.
Soon we were back out on the soccer field for another game. We played for
another hour while the girls danced together. About the time all of the
boys were ready to collapse, the girls came out to play. Janet, Megan,
Amy, Faith and Grace joined in and then the boys came off the sidelines.
It was chicas vs. chicos for awhile, but the players on the teams changed
quickly searching for balance. We learned you can't have too many Gringos
on one side! We played and played until some of us could barely move.
Bob was surprised when some of the kids snuck up behind him and cracked
eggs and poured bowls of water on his head. This, apparently, is a
birthday tradition in Honduras. Birthday Boy Bob was a good sport, but it
could have been worse. Sometimes they even hit you with rotten tomatoes
and ash.
Mike and Amy are celebrating birthdays while we are here as well, so they
now know what to expect. Amy is not looking forward to it (her birthday is
on Thanksgiving). Since she is a swimmer, we said she should wear her swim
cap. Too bad she didn’t bring one along!
Lunch with the kids was rice with pataste (something like squash) breaded
and fried with cheese and a red sauce. Deliciouso! Then the kids got Bob
one more time with two more eggs (we didn't even have to egg them on!).
Pun intended.
We left in the mid afternoon and toured the town of Valle de Angeles a
bit. Bob Seitz led us into a wood carving shop and walked through the town
square. There were many other people out shopping and enjoying the day.
Dinner was with our group where we shared a family style meal of grilled
shrimp, chicken, conch, and beef. We are not lacking for good food!
Tomorrow we will attend a church service with the kids, and then have a
picnic lunch at Parque Obrero. On Monday we will begin our
construction project, led by Mike (who is an engineer by trade). Others
will do crafts with the kids and prepare for the Thanksgiving meal. We all
have our own talents! And luckily Megan is a professional chef, so we are
in good hands for serving Thanksgiving dinner to all.
We're so looking forward to the days ahead!
Hugs from Honduras!
Sunday, November 20th
Sunday at the Park
We started today being awakened by crowing roosters at 5:30 am. There are
two good things about that. First, there's no snooze button on a rooster,
so they crow again anyway. Second, roosters do not rely on electricity.
Power at the hotel has been off and on. It was off this morning. We've
also had difficulty with running water at times. And running hot water at
other times. Hondurans take it all in stride. And we are learning to do
the same. Truthfully, it’s not much of a hardship. We just take the basics
for granted sometimes.
At breakfast they served cold cereal, which we thought was perfect given
the situation. But then they came out with stacks of hot pancakes. No idea
how they cooked them, but they were good! Joan and Mike led us in a
devotional.
The kids came to us this time, riding in a big rented school bus. We all
drove to nearby Santa Lucia for church. We arrived a bit after the service
started and found seats in the back and along the aisles. It was a
beautiful Catholic church with paintings dating back to the 1800s. Of
course the service was entirely in Spanish, but it was good to be there
with the children and we were able to sing along to some hymns.
After church we walked back through the town and bought some cookies from
street vendors. We returned to the bus and drove a short distance to Parque Obrero and chose a picnic spot. Steve and Paul played another
soccer game, this time on a full size field, and they were worn out after
an hour! Again it was fun to connect with the kids through sports.
Bonnie, Art, Shirley, Bob, Janet, Mike, Joan, Amy, Faith and Grace played
parachute games with the girls and smaller boys. The kids also went on
swing rides, rode bicycles and horses and hiked down along a river. We had
hot dogs and chips for lunch. Then we played some more games with all the
kids: Water balloon toss, Americano Football, cards and more.
It rained a bit, but nothing dampened our spirits, and we learned the
names and stories of most all the kids after spending the whole day
together.
The bus dropped us off at the hotel at 4:30 pm and we said goodbye to the
kids. Amy struck up a conversation with another group of American
missionaries at our hotel. Turns out they were from Washington and knew
Amy's cousins who are from the same area. It’s a small world after all!
We took Moto-Taxis (aka tuk-tuks) to a restaurant where we had pre-ordered
our meals. The food was good, with plantains, fresh salsa, beef, chorizo
and fish. We walked back to our hotel in a light rain, but still stopped
for ice cream at our friendly local shop, now a nightly tradition.
Tomorrow we will begin our construction project at the Village.
We have some plans, some tools, and lots of lumber. We'll see how it goes.
Those not on the construction crew will do crafts with the kids and
preparation for Thanksgiving dinner will also begin!
Hugs from Honduras!
Monday, November 20th
And So It Begins!
Today started with a breakfast of refried beans, toast and ham, cheese and
onion omelets. Janet led us in a devotional. Grace didn't make it to
breakfast because she got sick during the night. She ended up staying in
bed most of the day and Amy stayed back to care for her. Hopefully she
will be back in action tomorrow.
The rest of us walked to the Village, although part of the
group was delayed when they stopped to help a local man get his service
truck unstuck from the mud.
Mike, Bob, Steve and Paul started to work on the construction project with
help from some of the older boys. The task is to build shelves for storage
and an in-house store in a space that was once used as a horse stable. The
problem was the building plans did not take into account the actual space
challenges or the building supplies on hand, so Mike and Bob had to
redesign the plans.
Progress was slow, but a prototype standing shelf was mostly complete by
the end of the day, and the construction crew believes the lessons we
learned today will make the days ahead much easier.
Joan helped Bob Seitz unpack all of the clothing and supplies in the main
office, then worked with the kids to write letters back to our Sunday
School students.
Bonnie started unthawing the turkeys and planning for Thanksgiving dinner
- a major task ahead.
Art and Janet baked peanut butter and oatmeal raisin chocolate chip
cookies with the little kids, while Faith and Megan did some craft
projects with them as well. Shirley worked with one of the older students
on her English to help her get ready for University and pharmacy school.
For lunch we had bean and rice soup with chunks of beef. Then it was back
to work.
The day passed quickly because there was so much to do. But everyone
enjoyed the time we spent working more closely with the kids and building
relationships with them.
For dinner we walked to a restaurant owned by a retired U.S. Army officer
and enjoyed a variety of pork, fish and chicken with sides of yucca,
steamed veggies, rice, plantains and French fries. Ice cream at our
traditional spot capped the night, although we have depleted their supply!
The owner said more flavors would be available on Tuesday.
Tuesday is Mike's birthday, so in anticipation of an egging, Bonnie and
Joan fashioned a clear plastic bag poncho and pants outfit complete with a
bulls-eye target.
Hugs from Honduras!
Tuesday, November 22nd
Construction and Destruction
Breakfast today was delicious porridge and French toast. But poor Grace
couldn't have anything to eat other than a bit of dry toast. Her stomach
was still hurting, and so she spent the day recovering under Amy's care.
Paul and Faith led the devotional.
The rest of us walked to the Village and spent the day doing
more of the same tasks and activities as the day before.
With lessons learned, advice from Bob Seitz, and some practice, Mike, Bob,
Steve and Paul picked up the pace of construction and really made some
progress until...a minor disaster struck. In the process of moving one of
the longer pieces of lumber into place, it slipped and fell onto the water
spigot for the sink and broke it off entirely. Water gurgled up and
suddenly we had a beautiful indoor water fountain. We couldn't find a shut
off valve, so we had to shut down the water pump for the entire facility.
Water was still flowing out rapidly so we formed a mini bucket brigade to
bail it out of the sink. Finally the water slowed and stopped. Just then
one of the boys walked out with his hair full of shampoo suds. He must
have been in the middle of a shower! It took removing some of the wall,
but we fixed the PVC pipe and capped it. The water was turned back on and
nothing leaked. It was probably best not to have a water spigot in what
will be the store room anyway, so no real harm was done.
Janet and Art mixed four batches of cookies and baked four loaves of
bread. And they always had a crowd and lots of little hands helping. In
fact, the raisins for Art's trademark oatmeal cookies were disappearing so
quickly, they had to be hidden to make sure there was enough for the
dough.
Bonnie and Shirley read books with the kids and played games of Scrabble
to help them learn English. Joan completed the letter writing to our
Sunday school kids, played UNO with the younger children and worked on
reading with one of the older boys.
Faith made crafts with the girls and little kids and played soccer and
Tipi Tag (sort of like freeze tag). She also got some impromptu Spanish
lessons from the older girls.
For lunch we had a casserole dish made of smashed plantains with a thin
layer of beef and a side salad and slice of watermelon. It was so good
that Janet asked for the recipe.
Unbeknownst to the rest of us, by midday Grace was feeling better and she
and Amy tried to walk up to the Village, but about halfway there she
started to feel sick again, so they turned back.
The rest of the afternoon the construction crew worked to build shelving,
but when Mike and Bob went to anchor them to the walls, they learned the
bricks and mortar were not strong enough to hold them in place. More
reengineering to do for the engineers!
We stopped working about 4 pm and ended the day with another game of
soccer with the boys.
After all the fuss, the kids must have forgotten it was Mike's birthday
(either that or Bonnie called off the hit) and that was just fine with
Mike. We all sang to him at dinner.
Grace was pretty much back to her normal Gracie self and felt well enough
to join us for dinner in town and we all enjoyed having the whole group
together with some great pizza and pasta to boot. Of course, we had ice
cream afterwards and enjoyed the new coffee, eskifruta (kind of like
peach) and chocolate/orange flavors.
Hugs from Honduras!
Wednesday, November 23
Preparing for the Feast
Today started with a breakfast of eggs over easy, fried plantains, toast
and ham. Steve led us in the devotion using I Corinthians 13.
Grace and Bonnie rode in a Moto-Taxi to the Village and the
rest of the team walked up. Grace got a warm welcome from the kids after
being absent for two days.
The construction crew got right to work with new plans developed the night
before by Mike, Bob and Steve. They are feeling good about their progress,
but they still have a lot to do!
The real theme of the day however, was preparing a Thanksgiving dinner to
feed 100 guests. We cooked eight 10-lb. turkeys! Each turkey was cleaned,
cut in half and put into one of two large stock pots for boiling by Bonnie
and Joan. After several hours, the turkeys were removed, deboned and
shredded by Bonnie, Art, Joan, Megan, Janet and Bob Seitz. Art and Janet
also baked four more loaves of bread. And Shirley and Megan peeled lots of
potatoes. The broth from the turkey boil will be used for gravy and soup.
Amy played her flute for the kids and taught them "Somos Uno" (We are One)
and Jesus Loves Me. Suddenly some of the kids suddenly turned shy, but we
hope they'll all sing along tomorrow. And a couple of them have said they
will definitely sing with her.
Lunch was tostada-like fried tortillas topped with beef and potatoes,
onions and Queso Fresco. Excellent!
Faith and Grace played parachute games with the kids, while others did
puzzles, read books, played cards and other games with them. Of course we
capped the day with a game of soccer.
Dinner was the best yet according to most of the group. It was a
traditional Honduran meal of beef, refried beans, avocado, plantains and
rice. Chimmi Churri was offered as a topping. And we all enjoyed fresh
hibiscus juice.
New ice cream flavors were an additional treat at our regular stop for
dessert. And we also got to see a wedding party because their reception
was at our hotel.
Tomorrow will be a big day. We are all thankful for so much, including the
blessings of our families, our church and these children.
Hugs from Honduras!
Thursday, November 24th
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving Day dawned in Honduras with brilliant sunshine and mild
temps. We had omelets with toast, plantains and refried beans for
breakfast. Bonnie led us in the devotional.
We walked to the Village with great anticipation of the day
ahead. Even though it was just another day in Honduras to the locals, it
was a holiday to us. And it was our chance to serve the children and staff
a traditional American meal prepared with great love.
The construction crew went to work on their project, which was starting to
shape up into a very functional storage closet and store. They also
installed a new sink that had been broken earlier.
Everyone else worked on preparing the Thanksgiving dinner (except Faith
and Grace, who helped keep the children busy and out of the kitchen as
best they could). The shredded turkey was returned to the stock pots and
warmed in seasoned broth. The potatoes were boiled and mashed. Megan, a
great addition to our team, and also a professional chef, took on the
gravy.
We had light sandwiches for lunch and some of the team members even
enjoyed the Packers v. Lions game on TV.
By 4 pm, the dinner was ready. And we all lined up to serve the children
and staff. Lafit, one of the Village staff members, gave the table prayer
in Spanish. The children came forward eagerly, and because there was
plenty of food, we heaped it on their plates. Most came back for seconds,
some even had thirds. And many snapped up extras of Art's cookies and
bread to save for later.
We ate after everyone else had their fill, and it was delicious. There
were even plenty of left-overs.
The kids presented us with a special poster they made to thank us with
individual drawings, doodles and all their names with greetings in
English.
It was getting dark by the time we said our goodbyes for the day. It took
longer than normal to leave and felt more emotional, probably because it
was such a special day and because all of us know our time together on
this trip is coming to an end. Leaving the Children's Village for the last
time on Saturday is going to be very difficult.
We somehow found room for ice cream and celebrated Amy's birthday with a
piece of cake Bonnie had found for sale in a local shop. Amazingly both
Mike and Amy escaped the birthday egging that Bob endured earlier in the
week. But there's always tomorrow...
Hugs from Honduras!
Friday, November 25th
Mission Accomplished
The day started with corn flakes, bananas and pancakes. Bob Seitz gave the
devotional, a moving talk about how all of us would be changed somehow by
this mission. We didn’t doubt him. But we also didn’t know just how right
he would be until later.
The electricity went out at the hotel before we left, and when we arrived
at the Village, the power was out there as well.
This was not a good sign for the construction crew, as their goal was to
finish their work by lunch. For the first time since Monday, the sounds of
the circular saw and electric drills were silent. But the crew quickly
switched into old-school-mode with a hand saw and screw drivers and got
down to business. And with his baking duties wrapped up, Art joined in for
some extra manpower.
Janet, Megan, Amy, Faith and Grace did beading projects with some of the
kids, while Shirley, Joan and Bonnie read books with others.
For lunch we enjoyed want many of us considered the best use of turkey
left-overs ever...shredded turkey soft shell tacos with home made
tortillas, quesillo blanco (white cheese) and fresh salsa.
Power was restored (on-off-on again) and the construction crew was able to
complete their work and even had time to enjoy some Football Americano
with the kids.
Later in the afternoon, the mission team split up and some returned to
town while others took a hike with the older kids into La Tigra National
Forest. Together they followed a steep and challenging trail to a
spectacular waterfall vista. Honduras is truly a beautiful place. Wild,
lush and exotic.
Dinner was another traditional Honduran affair, with the Village staff
joining us for a great farewell experience and great food once again.
Tomorrow we will celebrate several graduations with the children and say
our goodbyes to them.
We are all anticipating a difficult and emotional parting after bonding
with the children all week.
Hugs from Honduras!
Saturday, November 26
Somos Uno (We are One)
We started what we knew would be a emotional day with a breakfast of
porridge, scrambled eggs, toast and ham.
When we got to the Village, some of the kids were already
engaged in a playful water fight. Soon the battle escalated and it was an
all out water war with everyone getting involved. Water balloons were
dropped off the balcony, buckets of water were thrown, and people were
dragged into the sprinklers. Some were soaked, some were splashed, but
everyone got wet. It was spontaneous good clean fun and the kids loved it.
We loved it too.
With direction from Bob Seitz, Mike, Bob and Art kicked into construction
mode once again and made a TV table that was designed, cut and built in
just a couple of hours.
Amy, Faith, Grace, Janet, Joan, Shirley and Megan put together a 600-piece
global map puzzle with some of the kids. And Steve and Paul played catch
and Football Americano with others. Somehow Paul managed to run headfirst
into one of the wooden goal posts while catching a long pass, but his
injuries were minor and Bonnie patched him up with a big bandage. And he
figured after a week of working with power tools, playing soccer with the
kids and even hiking through steep trails in the park, it was really no
big deal.
We had a hamburger and potato hot dish for lunch with rice, corn and slaw.
Then the kids put together an artificial Christmas tree in the dining area
and decorated it.
Amy played her flute and some of the kids sang along with her to "Somos
Uno" (We Are One). Afterwards, Bonnie thanked the children for the time we
spent together and told them all how much we love them through an
interpreter. Then she and Joan presented special gifts from us to the
graduates of 6th Grade, 9th Grade and High School.
All too soon it was time to leave. The children ran to each of us and gave
us hugs, sometimes accompanied by little notes and drawings. Photos were
taken. Kisses were given. Hands were held. Tears were shed. Then more
hugs. And more tears. We knew departing would be emotional, but it was
more than any of us expected. We had grown to know and love these kids so
much in the short time we had together. We missed them deeply before the
gate even closed.
Some of the children walked with us because they had a scout meeting in
town. But the extended goodbyes weren't any easier.
We had a couple hours of down time to contemplate everything before a
quick dinner at Taco Express. We finished with a meeting where Bonnie gave
a devotional and we all took communion together. Our group really bonded
over the experience and we supported each other.
Tomorrow we will take a van back to the airport in Tegucigalpa and begin
our journey home on the busiest travel day of the year in America. With
any luck, we'll land in Milwaukee at about 10 pm. And none of us will ever
be the same.
Hugs from Honduras!
Sunday, November 27
Home!
We all made it home safely tonight after a long day of traveling. We
started with breakfast at 8 am, an hour later than normal. The roosters
were still crowing from 5-6 am though, so we didn't exactly sleep in.
After a breakfast of eggs, salsa, plantains, toast and refried beans we
gathered our bags and loaded them into the pickup truck from the
Village.
The drive to "Tegus" was uneventful. No luggage bounced out of the bed of
the pickup and our hired passenger van was reliable. The mountain views on
the drive were spectacular. The airport was busy and check-in took some
time. The security line was long as well with only one X-Ray machine. When
it was time to board they individually searched through everyone's
carry-on luggage as well.
We all watched movies on the way to Atlanta and time went by quickly. But
our minds kept going back to the kids and the events of the week. We still
have a lot to process from the experience.
Going through Customs was a breeze and it felt good to be back in the U.S.
Most of us celebrated with some Ben & Jerry's ice cream in familiar
flavors.
The flight home to Milwaukee was packed but uneventful.
We are thankful for our church family, and for all the support we have
received from so many. We are all truly blessed! We are very thankful for
the experience of meeting and serving these children. Each one of them is
so very precious. And they will always hold a special place in our hearts.
Hasta luego. Until we meet again, dear ones
Hugs to Honduras!
