Honduras Mission - Again, Thanks For Your Support

Tasty Treatments!

Our mission projects have continued although we were not able to be there. In addition to providing the desks and benches that we have highlighted, the gift of a healthier life has been given to 800 elementary school children in Quimistan as they received fluoride and anti-parasite treatments. We are grateful for the generous financial contributions of the members of First Presbyterian and the assistance of local personnel in Quimistan who administered the treatments.

Honduras Mission -- Thank You For The Gifts

20 Desks and Benches Completed!

When the trip was canceled, there was great concern about the desk/bench project since the wood had already been cut and the rainy season was in full swing. Yovany, the local man who cut the wood, offered to assemble the desks and benches for a nominal cost. He assembled one, took a photo, the desk designer (Bruce Eberhard) gave a thumbs up and 19 more were completed. The next hurdle was how to transport them to the little mountain village of Teoxintales , a treacherous two hour drive from Quimistan. Yovany took it in stride, loaded them on his pick up truck and now they are stacked in the school's classroom ready to be painted. Story to be continued...

Honduras July 2009 --Eberhard Family Teamwork Gets the Job Done!

Working together, Bruce and Brian Eberhard built the model for the desks and chairs our team will be building in Honduras. They created step by step instructions, complete with photos, so this project will be one our handy team can manage. Beth, Brian and their daughters are leaving for Quimistan this Wednesday. While there, they'll be building a model so we'll have a sample to follow when we get to Honduras. We are blessed to have such willing, capable supporters for this project.

June and Ken Blohm

Honduras July 2009 -- Three Questions

Three Questions:

---What is your purpose and motivation for going to Honduras?

--- Recount a fearful time in your life. Did you feel God's presence?

---What is fearful about the mission trip to Honduras?

At our last meeting, we broke into small groups to answer these questions.

One person suggested if God calls, we go. Another person, who had been there many times, said that the people call him back to Honduras, particularly the children, who have very little in the way of material things but are grateful and happy in spite of everything. They also have unwavering faith. What can we learn from them?

Many people in the group expressed fears about the trip to Honduras. What to expect? Will we be able to accomplish the physical tasks of building a desk and chair? Will we be able to communicate although we do not speak much Spanish? Some even mentioned the fear of it being too hot! And this from a person who lives in South Carolina! We must remember that Jesus said "Do not be afraid, trust in me."

By being in these small groups, we were able to get to know each other and to express our feelings.

Carol Hidlay

Honduras July 2009 -- Gissel

Gissel is the reason I am so happy to be going to Honduras. She is a smart, beautiful girl who lives in Quimistan and is part of the Agape Promises Program. This program seeks to help children remain in school and graduate by finding sponsors who will provide funding and create a personal Christian relationship with the child. I have sponsored Gissel for two years and can't wait to give her a hug and tell her (in Spanish, I hope) how proud I am that she is doing so well in school.

Joan Graham

Honduras July 2009 - Have You Seen This Desk?

One of the team's activities is to build desks and chairs for the villages that First Pres had adopted. Bruce Eberhard volunteered to build a sample for us so we would know what materials to order plus to learn how to do this. Bruce and his son, Brian, built the sample last weekend. The unveiling will be this weekend at church. Where will it be?

Honduras July 2009 -- Who Are We?

As our mission team builds desks and benches for the village school who are the ones most likely to be:

* Organizing a work plan and assigning jobs?

* Rapidly assembling and building?

* Listening attentively to the team member next to them?

* Eying the wood scrap pile for marionette material?


Well, that might depend on who are the lions, beavers, golden retrievers and otters among us! At our meeting on April 29 we took a personality inventory to gain an understanding of the different ways we might carry out our various mission projects, recognizing that who we are is a gift from God and what we do with who we are is our gift to God.

-Holly Shoaf-OKula