Saturday, January 31, 2009

Closing Impressions

We finished today in a grande celebración and fellowship with local believers at Iglesia La Cosecha (The Harvest Church) in Quimistán. This was an incredible experience to be welcomed by brothers and sisters in Christ and worship with them in honor of our Savior. We did not understand much of what was said, but agreed that God was honored by the worship service and our interaction with local believers there.

Earlier in the day, Karen and I returned to Santa Clara to spend a few hours encouraging our new friends. I was able to make a short video of the people working on Mrs. Amalia’s house and learned more about that effort. Later, I encouraged Arturo to provide a short tour of the brick manufacturing microenterprise that I also captured on video. We will try to post these videos in the near future for those who are interested.

Also during today’s visit to Santa Clara, Karen was able to spent time talking to Brenda, one of Mrs. Amalia’s daughters who wants to become a nurse. She had a wonderful visit with Brenda and was able to encourage her to pursue this goal even in the face of what may seem like overwhelming obstacles. Please pray for Brenda.

Other events of the day included: A visit to the Agape compound clinic to meet with Dr. Elsa; time with Letitia at the Quimistan health department discussing VBS materials and deworming treatments at local schools; and a meeting with Katie Wooten, the Peace Corps volunteer in Quimistán who, unfortunately, is returning to the U.S. soon but hopes this is only for a short time. Our attempts to arrange meetings with Pat from Cristo Salva or Rob Turner from Boise State University’s Clean Water Club were unsuccessful. We will continue these efforts later.

Thank you for supporting this outreach in Honduras. We have been able to join in a conversation God started with the people of Santa Clara many months ago. In my brief time here, I have witnessed the power of God’s goodness as He opens peoples’ eyes and hearts, and changes both lives and lifestyles. Santa Clara is a community in the midst of an awesome transformation, and we have the joy of playing a small part in the opening stanzas of a grand concert God has scheduled in this place.

“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish. Matthew 18:12-14 (NLT)”

Ron L.

Living Water is On The Way!

A long-awaited day became a reality on Thursday as the Samaritan’s Purse pickups pulled into the Santa Clara school yard. They came to introduce the community to BioSand water filters as a major element for reducing diarrhea, worms, and other water-related diseases that are endemic to rural Honduras.

We had been told on Monday to expect a six or seven man team from San Pedro Sula, so we were amazed to see about ten guys pile out of the trucks and begin preparing for the 2 PM community meeting. We learned early in the day that the power in town would be out all day, and we knew the meeting was structured with a PowerPoint presentation and sound system. But not to worry—this team has obviously faced similar situations. They started their portable generator and got everything together and working right on time.

Invitations and informal chats across the fence had alerted every family in town of the meeting. Experience from earlier community meetings made us cautious; in a bold assessment, we were able to have faith that as many as 30 people--maybe 40 at most-- would show up within an hour of the announced starting time. But when the time came, we didn’t have 30 or 40. We had about 60. Within a few minutes, the crowd had grown to 70. Eventually the count was 92. Community leaders said this was a record turnout by far.


The presentation was an overview of the process used by Samaritan’s Purse of Canada when they bring BioSand water filters into a community. Their goal is to put a filter into every home in the community, and to get the residents of the community to build the filters themselves. This meeting was the first of a series, culminating in the beginning of filter fabrication by the community in July. Because of contributions to Samaritan’s Purse, they only ask for a nominal amount of money (40 Lempira, or about $2.21) for each filter.

Another interesting event in this meeting was the presence of Adolfo Leon Otoniel, Director of Community Health Evangelism (CHE) for Central America. Karen had arranged to meet him when we were in Copan last October, and followed up with arrangements for him to be in Santa Clara this week. As we talked with him Thursday morning we asked him if CHE has had any collaboration with Samaritan’s Purse. To our surprise, he told us that the CHE organization has begun evaluating possible collaboration, and that was one determining factor leading to his presence at the meeting. He had come earlier in the day to walk around the village in order to assess general conditions of the town considering the possibility of introducing CHE concepts of pure water, hygiene, and public sanitation—all within an evangelistic framework similar to that of Samaritan’s Purse. So this was an excellent merging of similar efforts, all aimed at improving the health situation in Santa Clara—both the physical health and the spiritual health.

Wednesday in Santa Clara

Another long day in Santa Clara with places to go and people to meet. The day started with the usual greetings from the children, who always come running to us as we get out of the cars, with arms open wide and smiles from ear to ear. Whenever I see them it reminds me of the joy our Father in heaven must have whenever He sees us running into His loving arms for peace, love, and security.

A couple of us went to the municipal office in Petoa to obtain a permit for cutting a tree to provide lumber for Mrs. Amalia's house. We had a chance to meet with the vice mayor to discuss the ministry of the HAF both in Quimistan and Santa Clara. This was a great chance for us to explain our vision of spreading the love of Christ by partnering with local leaders and facilities such as the Pueblo Nuevo clinic and Samaritan's Purse Office in San Pedro Sula.

After this visit, we took one of the children from Santa Clara to the clinic in Pueblo Nuevo to get some antibiotics for bronchitis. In this visit we learned that the doctor is on vacation for a few weeks. The patients who need a doctor's expertise are referred to the nearest facility, about 45 minutes away in Trinidad. Those who can afford bus fare can go, if they want to take the chance that they might or might not get treatment that day. That's the stark reality of medical care available in these small communities. Fortunately, the nurse was able to dispense the needed medications.

The rest of the morning was spent going door to door to all the homes in Santa Clara to pass out invitations to the community meeting with Samaritan's Purse on Thursday to discuss the upcoming BioSand Water Filter project.

In the afternoon, the men hauled bricks while I had an opportunity to meet with the women of the town to discuss health topics, sanitation, hygiened, clean water, and Justa stoves. While I had been told I would be talking with mothers of newborn babies, I ended up meeting with about 15-20 women of all ages. From that meeting, I learned that most of the women here believed their water was safe, so it was difficult to convince them otherwise. On a positive note, however, they all agreed that the respiratory problems of their community are largely due to their inefficient wood burning stoves and almost all of them were enthusiastic about the possibility of working on improving that situation by building Justa stoves.


All in all, I was pleased to see the response of the community members to this meeting and believe that it is during group interactions like this that community-wide change can have the greatest success.

Karen

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

A Day in Santa Clara

Today was 'bonding day' in Santa Clara. While Allen and Ron helped to move bricks from the brick factory to the house being built, Karen worked with several neighborhood children--coloring and just enjoying interactions. By noon, the bricklayers had completed the third course of brick above the top of the windows, and began the stepped brickwork on the two gable ends of the roof.

About mid-morning we walked down the long, steep hill to visit Rosendo and Reyna and their eight children including a 21-day old baby. We finished that three-hour visit with Karen and Allen sitting on the floor with five of the kids playing UNO. Neither of us won, but we celebrated with the winner.

The highlight of the afternoon was a meeting with students who will be able to attend school this year as a result of an anonymous donation to the foundation. The students range from 7th grade to 11th grade. One of the boys wants to become an engineer; one girl wants to be a journalist, maybe a TV newscaster. Another girl wants to study vocal music at the university, and a third who likes English was encouraged to consider becoming a UN translator. The oldest girl there, who had to drop out of school during the seventh grade because her family couldn't afford to keep her in school, expressed a fervent desire to become a nurse. She will talk more with Karen as the week progresses. But mostly we tried to instill in them a desire to do their best in school to prepare themselves as potential future leaders of the country.Front row, left to right, are Ruth, Paola, Nuri, Dalila, Julissa, and Estuardo. Back row, L to R, Francisco, Byron, Marlon, and Brenda. Carlos was away picking coffee; Bryan was making baskets; Esther and Manuel were unavailable.

The evening session of a home group with one of the community families was led by Ron, with participation by the assembled group as well as comments from Karen and Allen. Introductory comments from Rick Warren's book "A Purpose Driven Life" opened the discussion which evolved into emphasis on how our relationship with the Lord needs to be walked out in our relationships with our neighbors.

After the long day we wished the home group members a heartfelt "hasta mañana"

Allen

A Promise of Clean Water--Eventually

Folks in the Santa Clara community have been drinking contaminated water for many years, in the same manner as many, many other communities in this country. Those days should be coming to an end this year through the efforts of Samaritan's Purse and worldwide supporters of their clean water program.

Monday we met with Brad Phillips, National Director-Honduras, of Samaritan's Purse of Canada. Final arrangements were made for a meeting in Santa Clara on Thursday, when Misael Baquedan will bring a six-member team to the community to begin discussions.

The team will describe how BioSand filters will be made by the community members and installed in each home at very low cost (i.e., 40 Lempiras, or about $2.12 per family) to provide pure drinking water. Subsequent meetings through the next few months will be arranged with organized groups within the community to teach the importance of combining pure water with hygiene practices and sanitation to attain the full benefits--reduction of gastrointestinal problems from contamination by human and animal waste, worms, and other harmful things sometimes found in the water.

Earlier communications with Samaritan's Purse pointed to a March-April beginning of the work. But a different community already engaged in a similar program recently requested additional filters, so the timetable for beginning the physical work in Santa Clara can't begin before July. The revised schedule was a disappointment, but the potential improvement is worth waiting for after all these years.

The actual physical work will begin (in July?) when a team brings twelve filter molds to the community and trains the people there on how to fabricate the filter housings of concrete, how to set up the filters for operation with rocks, gravel, and graded sand, and how to maintain them to assure continuing good water supply. Perhaps our July mission team will be able to participate in this phase of the work, working side by side with the community members.

Following installation of filters in about 100 homes throughout the community, Samaritan's Purse will provide follow-up meetings at one, three, six, and twelve months to assure that the filters are continuing to perform as intended, and that families are well able to do the necessary maintenance of filter bed quality.

As a result of the contacts our translators made with Samaritan's Purse on behalf of Santa Clara, a neighboring community of Las Minitas will also be included in the program. That will add about 90 families to the group who will one day have pure water and--we hope--healthy kids.

This is just one more example of how we are trying to not only cure medical problems, but to avoid them in the first place. The approach also will encourage community self-help and cooperation as a way out of bad situations.

Allen

A Busy Day in the City

Monday's trip to San Pedro Sula brought us the new experience of traffic jam, Honduras style. But it was no match for our intrepid driver who boldly went where few dare go and delivered us to The Ark--a family ministry church where our translators worship when in SPS. The principal of the trilingual church school there described their mission and vision, and progress toward their goals.
The vision looked terrific except for the last line--conquer the nations. More Conquistadores? Actually, no. We had a very interesting discussion on the cultural differences in how this word is interpreted. In the Honduran culture, loving couples 'conquer' each other with their love and caring concern. There is no hint of violence or force; it's a process of wooing and winning. That's part of the vision of the school. Their goal is to woo and win the nations for Christ.

Karen struck up a conversation with some of the students who had returned from a two-week intensive training trip to Washington D.C., and was able to go far beyond just "Como se llama" and "Me llamo Karen." This place is a bright light in the country. You just might see some future leaders of the country coming from this Mennonite school that's supported largely by a major Catholic funding source. The principal is a man of God who began a ministry 26 years ago under a tree. Now in its tenth year, the school is building more classrooms in a three-story addition, This will allow them to add a 10th grade in 2009, continuing the plan to add a new grade level each year.

We also visited their day-care center that had 31 at-risk children of working mothers in a poor neighborhood. The kids there were like the others we've seen--hungering for a hug, a smile, a kind word from an adult. They get those at that place.

Allen

Sunday, January 25, 2009

But Wait! There's More!

Seven team members returned home today, and one new member arrived. So until next Saturday, the team remnant here will be Allen, Karen, and Ron. The week's agenda is being finalized and will be concentrated in Santa Clara, where the house-building continues toward completion. We will attempt to carry on with updates on what God is up to there, recognizing that it will be difficult to fill Tommy's shoes as blogmeister. So check in tomorrow night or Tuesday for an update.

Allen

Saturday, January 24, 2009

A Day of Reflection

As the sun sets in Quimistan and on our trip here these past 10 days, the team would like to thank all of our family and friends who have supported us in so many ways. I have asked each team member to briefly reflect in the final post for this trip on the many great experiences that we have shared together.

• You can see the hand of God was at work in the formation of the team as each member brought different gifts to be used in His service. - June

• We experienced the power of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to spread the love of Jesus Christ by providing medical treatments to people in small villages, food to those who searched through the garbage, religious training to children, building new homes, and giving a loving smile to all we met. - Ken

• On our “to do” list was to fashion a protective cover for our auto-refractor instrument – so it was done. - Lee

• This has been a wonderful experience. It has shown what great things can be accomplished with prayer, humor, and dedication. - John

• God’s presence was ever-present throughout this trip, from forming the team to the changes that occurred while here, which opened new opportunities to serve the people of Honduras. - George

• Seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Worshiping together joyfully with fellow Christians in a foreign language I don't half understand. Working on a home which will help ease the strain on a very poor but loving family and joking with the workers and the family. Being able to tell the people with whom I work that we are here to show God's love to them all. Provisioning a home at the end of our stay and knowing we have made a major difference to that family. I thank God for allowing me to be part of all these things. - Jerry

• Jesus taught us “Love one another.” Honduras draws the love to the surface like cream, to be enjoyed by the people of Honduras. - Stephen

• Words cannot explain how much I’ve enjoyed the warm, loving Hondurans I’ve met, and the incredible Christians I’ve served with this week. - Claudia

• Smiling faces, hugs of joy, squealing children, tears of joy and sadness, God’s handiwork in the countryside, and a team of brothers and sisters uniting with the purpose of manifesting God’s love among the people of Honduras - - these are the treasures I carry with me as I move forward in faith along the journey God has placed before me. To God be all the glory for the great things he has done and will continue to do here in Honduras and in the lives of those who’ve been touched by the people here. - Karen

• Evidence of God's caring concern keeps popping up in new ways in new locations. The Foundation continues strengthening the medical and educational outreach in and around Quimistan as we expand our outreach to Santa Clara--building a house for a truly needy family while using bricks made in a new little village enterprise there, preparing to build fuel-efficient vented stoves to reduce respiratory diseases, and working with Samaritan's Purse to bring pure water to every house in the village. Mrs. Amalia was so gracious today, thanking God for bringing help to her family and village. The awesome part is realizing that God has chosen to work through us to bring hope to those who have felt abandoned. - Allen

• I am very thankful and humbled to have been a part of this well-oiled machine that has worked together extremely well as we shared Christ’s love with the wonderful people of Honduras. - Tommy

A Day of Reflection

As the sun sets in Quimistan and on our trip here these past 10 days, the team would like to thank all of our family and friends who have supported us in so many ways. I have asked each team member to briefly reflect in the final post for this trip on the many great experiences that we have shared together.


• You can see the hand of God was at work in the formation of the team as each member brought different gifts to be used in His service. - June

• We experienced the power of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to spread the love of Jesus Christ by providing medical treatments to people in small villages, food to those who searched through the garbage, religious training to children, building new homes, and giving a loving smile to all we met. - Ken

• On our “to do” list was to fashion a protective cover for our auto-refractor instrument – so it was done. - Lee

• This has been a wonderful experience. It has shown what great things can be accomplished with prayer, humor, and dedication. - John

• God’s presence was ever-present throughout this trip, from forming the team to the changes that occurred while here, which opened new opportunities to serve the people of Honduras. - George

• Seeing old friends and meeting new ones. Worshiping together joyfully with fellow Christians in a foreign language I don't half understand. Working on a home which will help ease the strain on a very poor but loving family and joking with the workers and the family. Being able to tell the people with whom I work that we are here to show God's love to them all. Provisioning a home at the end of our stay and knowing we have made a major difference to that family. I thank God for allowing me to be part of all these things. - Jerry

• Jesus taught us “Love one another.” Honduras draws that love to the surface like cream, to be enjoyed by the people of Honduras. - Stephen

• Words cannot explain how much I’ve enjoyed the warm, loving Hondurans I’ve met, and the incredible Christians I’ve served with this week. - Claudia

• Smiling faces, hugs of joy, squealing children, tears of joy and sadness, God’s handiwork in the countryside, and a team of brothers and sisters uniting with the purpose of manifesting God’s love among the people of Honduras - - these are the treasures I carry with me as I move forward in faith along the journey God has placed before me. To God be all the glory for the great things he has done and will continue to do here in Honduras and in the lives of those who’ve been touched by the people here.

• Evidence of God's caring concern keeps popping up in new ways in new locations. The Foundation continues strengthening the medical and educational outreach in and around Quimistan as we expand our outreach to Santa Clara--building a house for a truly needy family while using bricks made in a new little village enterprise there, preparing to build fuel-efficient vented stoves to reduce respiratory diseases, and working with Samaritan's Purse to bring pure water to every house in the village. Mrs. Amalia was so gracious today, thanking God for bringing help to her family and village. The awesome part is realizing that God has chosen to work through us to bring hope to those who have felt abandoned. - Allen

• I am very thankful and humbled to have been a part of this well-oiled machine that has worked together extremely well as we shared Christ’s love with the wonderful people of Honduras. - Tommy

Big City Shopping Spree

As a treat for the AP children who helped make our VBS week a success, three team members and translators accompanied them to San Pedro Sula on Saturday for a time of shopping and lunch at the local mall. For many of these kids, this was a treat that occurs only a few times a year.

For those of us from the U. S., it served as a brief reminder of the things we take for granted - - shops full of clothes, books, specialty items, and food to suit any taste. Interestingly, when given a choice of food at the food court, most of the kids opted for Pizza Hut, Quizno’s, or Burger King. Pepsi was, of course, still the preferred drink of the day. The sights and sounds of our brief time there presented a stark contrast to the simpler village life we’ve become accustomed to since our arrival here.

Karen

VBS at Santa Clara


Our VBS week wrapped up in style, as we ministered to about 70 kindergarten and elementary age kids in the village of Santa Clara. Two of our AP kids, Carlos and Vilma, led the teaching time, and the children joined in enthusiastically as we sang, colored, made bracelets, and played outdoors.


This was an extra special time for all of the team members, both old and new, as we celebrated the joy and love of the Lord with the precious children we have come to love dearly in recent months. At the end of the program, the VBS kids and 20 additional children were treated to a special lunch prepared by members of Mrs. Amalia’s extended family.



At the end of our time, I felt the disappointment of realizing that the fun we had shared with the AP kids and village children all week had come to an end. Fortunately, I carry with me many fond memories of our time working together.

Karen

A Job Well Done

Yesterday (Friday) I completed construction of the auto-refractor transit/storage case. It is configured to restrain the instrument inside the plywood box, having dimensions of 18” by 24” by 27” high.


The case is fashioned as a box fitting over the instrument, and its supporting nesting fixture that fastens to the base with locking devices. Handles are on all 4 sides for convenient handling.

This task had its frustrations, due to limited material and tools, but it was quite enjoyable to do something I don’t often do.

Lee

The Village by the Road

On Friday afternoon, I met with our translator’s friend, Serafin Menjivar, who lives along the road. He has 4 children. His 2 older daughters were at the dump when we arrived, looking for 2 and 3-liter plastic bottles. They can sell 100 bottles and get 10 lempira (about 53 cents).

Serafin had 10-15 bags of empty bottles stacked beside his house. He built the house of adobe block as a squatter on government-owned right-of-way, as did most of the other families living there. He has water from the town of Quimistan, but no power. Water is only available in the evening and at night, and costs 30 lempira (roughly $1.60) per month. He lives in the third home on the left from the bridge. No homes above his have water, and no homes along the road have power. The homes above his on both sides of the road get their water from the river. Their biggest needs are food and medical care. Most of the children attend the school at Luz de Valle.

Serafin works part time at the brick kiln in town as a kiln firer. In fact, he has been hired in the past to work at the kiln in Santa Clara. He attends the Monday and Friday night services now and then. He says the services are usually led by a church member, not the pastor.

We went back later for the evening service. It was an amazing scene! Once everyone arrived, there were around 175 present, about 100 of them children. The church had prepared a meal, and after the service everyone was fed a small plate of rice, vegetables and chicken, with 2 flour tortillas and a drink.

The service was started by the youth/children’s director, then the pastor spoke for a while. The service concluded with an evangelist from El Salvador, a friend of the pastor’s. He closed with an altar call, to which about 40 children and adults responded.

WOW, what an evening to behold! The Lord was truly present there by the road. The light for the entire building was provided by a single Coleman gas lantern hanging from the edge of the lean-to porch /patio.

Praise God for small miracles! Everyone was fed a small meal, and Martha gave out small bags of rice and flour to every family present.

George

Friday, January 23, 2009

Impressions of Santa Clara

Thursday, Jan. 22

One my visit to Santa Clara Thursday, a few things stood out to me about the people. First, they are all very friendly, especially the kids. You can’t pass anyone along the street without saying “Hola!” or “Buenos dias!” They can find fun in anything, from watching the “gringos” beat up on a rock, to playing with their homemade scooters. How many of our kids or grandkids would be happy with a toy like this?


Also, they are very industrious. Most people I saw were either sweeping their dirt front yard, washing clothes or dishes, cooking or preparing food, or some other chore. When I checked on the progress on Mrs. Amalia’s house, I was pleasantly surprised to see at least four of the family members helping out, including two of the kids.


This family is very needy and very deserving of a new house, but they are not sitting there watch it happen; they are actually helping it to happen! Helping folks in the name of Christ feels great, but helping those who will pitch in and do what they can to assist us feels even better!

Tommy

Thursday, January 22, 2009

VBS at El Pinal

Today was another great morning with the VBS Program. After a bumpy, windy, and at times muddy road trip up the mountain, we arrived at the community of El Pinal. We had the privilege of joining the AP kids in presenting the VBS program to about 69 elementary age children. They were all dressed in their school uniforms as they crowded into the classroom. Juan Miguel, from the AP program, took the lead teaching the lesson today, and did a fantastic job of presenting the material and engaging the children in the activities. The children were very enthusiastic and eagerly volunteered to help put the balls on the demonstration salvation bracelet, and perform the motions to the songs. As Claudia and I shared with each other, it seems the program gets better each day!







One special surprise of today’s program came toward the end, as the principal of the school. Jairo Alberto Enamorado, presented the Honduras Agape Foundation with a certificate of recognition for our collaboration to benefit the education of the children and youth of the community. As Jerry accepted the certificate, he reminded them all that we were there to manifest the love of Christ to the children and their families, and that all the credit for any work done belonged to God alone.

After the deworming medicine and the “swish and spit” fluoride treatment, we had some free time to play with the kids while waiting for our ride to arrive. We pulled out the bubbles, the jump rope, and the all-favorite, the digital camera, to entertain the crowd. A great time was had by us all. To God be the glory!


A special thanks goes out to the municipality of Quimistan for providing a driver and 4-wheel-drive vehicle to take half of our VBS team up the mountain safely.

Karen

Us Against The Rock


We began yesterday to chip away at a large rock that was blocking a culvert under the road at Santa Clara. We used sledge hammers, cold chisels, a pick, and finally a grinder. All of these, with a large supply of elbow grease, finally got the job done. We defeated the rock, but I’m sure that in the morning when I feel the aches from infrequently-used muscles, I will know that the rock put up a good fight.



The ditch should work, though, and that’s the important thing. The aches will go away, but the drainage ditch will stay and, I pray, be a benefit to the folks of Santa Clara.

All in all, the project was a lot of fun. It was a great experience to work for the love of the people there, and for the glory of God.

It has been a privilege to be a part of this ministry, and I thank God for leading me here at this time. If Vanna, my “piano-banger”, or Robyn are reading this, I didn’t lift the sledge hammer over my head.

John

To El (Pinal) and Back

We have returned to Quimistan from El Pinal. It is bar none the worst piece of road on which I have ever driven! It was all dirt road and must be horrid in the rainy season. I would not be comfortable driving when the road was wet. What am I talking about, I was not comfortable driving today!

It has not rained here for three days and there were several places where the mud holes had ruts a foot deep and the road dropped off at the side into a small drainage ditch. In other places the "road" was a narrow path in the center between two ditches about a foot deep. No room for error. At other places the road was a wall on one side and down the hill on the other. Obviously hacked out of the side of the hill for some reason, possibly a logging road.

They have a sewage system and apparently water but I believe there was no electricity. All over town, they were drying beans on tarps. It is apparently the industry of the town. I am told they get 12 lempira (about $0.64 ) for each pound. They also grow corn and probably some coffee. I saw some pigs and chickens. The town is very small, but there is a church of good size in a large field on one end of the town and small Catholic church at the other.

The people very much appreciated our visiting and caring for the children. The school principal presented Honduras Agape Foundation with a certificate of appreciation from the school for construction of the classroom. I am told that our construction forman came to this site daily on a bicycle during the project. I might walk it, but ain't no way I would do it on a bicycle!

Jerry

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Adopt a Village – Visit to Las Montanitas


This afternoon, five mission team members went with the medical brigade to Las Montanitas, a village First Presbyterian Church in Aiken has adopted for 2009. Las Monitanitas means “little mountains.” The village sits in a small valley surrounded by large mountains. It is a peaceful location that reflects the beauty of God’s creation.


As we arrived, many of the children ran out to greet us with big smiles on their faces. It is a typical example of the villages in Honduras reflecting inner happiness and faith in their God, although they have little in material things.


People lined up outside the local three-room school awaiting their visit with Dr. Elsa and nurse Edith. This team performs medical exams and dispenses medicines without cost. Today, the medical brigade saw 55 patients.

About 100 families live in this agricultural area, with no available electricity. Over 125 children attend the local school, which provides classes for kindergarten through 6th grade. For children who want to go on to the 7th grade, they need to travel to a village 20 minutes away. No public transportation is available, so they are dependent upon rides from local residents who may have a car. As a result, not many children receive an education beyond 6th grade.

As the team headed back down the mountain to Quimistan we reflected on what a blessing it was to share our love with these wonderful people.

Ken and June

Attack on Drainage Ditch Rocks

In Santa Clara, Arturo and others have installed a drainage culvert under the road that leads to his house and others. There are two very large rocks in the culvert that have been blocking the free flow of water, and the water backs up and covers the road during heavy rains. They asked if we could help remove the rocks. We purchased a sledge hammer and a couple of cold chisels, and spent several hours attacking the rocks, making little ones out of big ones. It was sort of like “Cool Hand Luke” working on the chain gang. We have made good progress, but still have a ways to go.

George

==============================================================

I went up to Santa Clara today to work with the house builders. It was a good day. In the afternoon, we worked to break up rock in a drainage ditch. It will take another day of work to finish, but the road will be flooded less often because of our labors. It was another chance to tell them that we are here to show the love of Jesus to the people of Honduras. The kids are fun to play with... some of our group gave balloons to them and taught them to fill them with water and then squirt it. There is a sink built sort of like a window box just outside the window of the house just uphill from where we were working, building another house. We were looking up and saw a small pair of hands, struggling to reach to the faucet with a balloon... after at least four attempts, the child finally got the balloon around the faucet and turned on the water. Whoever it was, was really working at it and having just as much fun as we were.

If you still have young children, have some fun with your kids today. They are a gift that you will only have for a few more years.

Jerry

A Gift From God

Too often we take the things people do for us for granted. Last night, we took time out of our busy schedules to recognize Maynor, our HAF coordinator here in Quimistan. He manages all of the requests from each of the Foundation committee chairs with efficiency and care. Whether it is to schedule a vacation bible school, coordinate a construction project, schedule the doctor and nurse to visit a village, or assist in the coordination of a mission trip, Maynor handles it all with a smile.

Maynor will be completing his second year of support to the Foundation next week. On February 4, he will be celebrating his 28th birthday.

A dinner was held tonight with all of the missionaries to honor his service to the Foundation. Allen and committee chairs spoke glowingly about his contributions to their efforts in supporting their programs and activities.

God works in wonderful ways. We are blessed he sent Maynor to us to assist us in spreading the love of Jesus Christ to the people of Honduras.

June and Ken



All Parts of the Body of Christ

Praise God that Jesus is Lord of All! The eleven Honduras Agape Foundation missionaries this week include five Presbyterians, three Baptists, two Methodists, and one Episcopalian priest partnering with Pentecostal Holiness pastors and other believers to share God's love with the people of Honduras. As a first time "Missionary," I am amazed and thrilled to see all that the HAF is working to accomplish here. HAF has improved schools, medical care, and homes for so many. God has blessed HAF with an incredible network of Honduran believers who have much love and faith, and lots of connections! There is a HAF office and a full-time Honduran volunteer in Quimistan, as well as local doctors, nurses, and a lawyer to help HAF with its mission in the area.

For all of you at home who financially support HAF and the AP students, I see your money being well spent to improve the lives of some of the world's poorest and to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. Ephesians 4:4-6

Claudia

Jicaro Day for VBS

Tuesday, Jan. 20

Today I attended the second VBS session, held at the “Escuela de Rep. Venezuela” school in Jicaro, about 20 minutes of dirt road from here. There were about 4 dozen kids and another dozen or so adults and babies outside. The AP youth took the lead today in presenting the same message described in an earlier post. Arabely did most of the teaching, with Karen and Claudia in supporting roles. The session was again followed by deworming medicine and fluoride.

But I’ll let the pictures below tell the story.

Tommy


[Teaching the Gospel]


[Making bracelets]


[Coloring fun!]


[Preparing the deworming medicine]


[Down the hatch!]


[Demonstrating the fluoride]


[Swish and spit!]


[New toothbrushes]


[And a good time was had by all!]


Tuesday, January 20, 2009

The Justa Stove

This morning, after we got the work started in our home construction in Santa Clara, we went over to another village to see a Justa Stove. This stove has a small (about 4-5 inch cube) fire box which discharges the hot gases to a two-foot-wide, shallow chamber which allows only about an inch below the griddle surface and then exhausts into a chimney through a large exit chamber. The area around the fire box is filled with wood ashes. They act as an insulator and keep the heat at the cooking surface.

This stove has several advantages over the typical wood-burning fireplace. The griddle is much more substantial and good metal; it burns only about 1/3 as much wood for the same temperature at the cooking surface; the smoke is removed from the cooking area and therefore does not cause lung problems.

We received a very good demonstration of the way the stove works and how they are built. The organization that builds the stoves charges 110 USD for each one, and the recipient must build the base for the stove. Of course, if we can obtain or build the cooking surface ourselves, we can build the stoves ourselves much cheaper than the “dealer price,” which includes material, labor, and travel expenses. I truly believe that we can provide a real benefit to many people with these stoves.

Jerry

Update on the Dump Situation

I had a follow-up meeting with Martha and the pastor of the Assembly of God church, concerning the people who live along the road and who go to look for things at the dump. We found out there are 38 families including over 60 children in this group. I was provided with a list of the families, including the names and ages of the children. On Sundays, when the children meet, they have approximately 150 children, including the above 60. They are always fed a heavy snack after Sunday School.

Asked if they provided any food during Monday and Friday evening services, they said ‘No.’, but were considering starting a feeding program. I asked what the cost would be to start such a program at those two gatherings. They will have an estimate for me before we leave. Martha, Arturo, and I plan to attend the service next Friday.

God continues to work.

George

VBS Brings ‘Light’ to Luz de la Valle

Monday, Jan. 19


Being in Honduras is such a joy! We had 62 in attendance at Vacation Bible School (VBS) in the Luz de la Valle (Light of the Valley) school Monday. The 7 Agape Promises (AP) youth who volunteered to help were fabulous in leading the lessons, crafts, and games. Vilma should be in show business – she is very outgoing and a great teacher. She and Juan Miguel are senior AP kids, and both are wonderful young people. Juan is an enthusiastic and well-spoken leader.


There were 12-15 parents who attended VBS, and they were very engaged in the lesson. We felt that this was the first time many of these children had heard the Gospel message. Karen’s lesson taught about God’s love and creation, heaven, sin, Jesus’ sacrifice cleansing us from sin, and growing in our faith. Each concept was represented by a color, and the kids made bracelets using beads of each color. Our prayer is that the children will remember the lessons each time they wear their bracelets.

After VBS, the children had snacks, and we administered deworming and fluoride treatments.

We have had a blessed Monday, and look forward to 3 more VBS sessions at 3 other schools in the area this week.

Claudia

Monday, January 19, 2009

A Very Productive Day

I went to Santa Clara to work on the Amalia's house with Steve. There are fourteen people living in a rather small Bajarike (stick and mud) house. At least their stove vents outside, but can you imagine cooking on a wood stove in Honduras? We are building a three-room brick home just down the hill. We originally expected to be adding to the home, but the slope of the land just would not allow it. They will now have two homes and a bit more privacy than they may otherwise have had.

[looking down the hill at the new house]


[looking up the hill toward the old house]

At lunch, we were treated by the Amalia family to the local version of burritos, which consists of two soft corn tortillos about three inches across, with beans, a bit of egg (and at other times possibly sausage) and some of the local cheese in between. They also offered some of the local "pica diablo" salsa tabasco, which is a relatively typical and moderately hot tabasco-style sauce.

After lunch, we were taken to Pueblo Nuevo, where we toured the local clinic. The Foundation paid to repair the roof on the clinic and to paint it inside and out. The place looks very good and they have a sign in front of the building which states the roof was repaired using funds from Honduras Agape Foundation "manifestando el amor de Jesuchristo a la gente de Honduras" (To show the love of Jesus Christ to the people of Honduras). I think that is pretty special. About 45-50 people who come to that public clinic every day and will see a message of God's love because of their new roof. We also visited a family with 4 children who live in a stick and mud shack beside the road, on land which does not belong to them. We gave them some provisions, including sardines, hot dogs, beans, rice, pasta, margarine, eggs and butter for about $16. Oh, yeah. We also gave the kids a bag of cracker jacks.
--
‘Too hard’ does not equal ‘not required’.

Jerry

George Meets God at the Dump

Last Saturday I discussed with Martha Thomsen the situation at the dump. Many children and adults scavenge through plastic bags, looking for food scraps and other items of potential value. I expressed to her that we have a strong calling to provide help to these people. She said that she was also concerned about this problem, and had gone to both her cousin the Commissioner and the Mayor to ask that the dump be fenced in and access-controlled. Since she then went back to Nebraska for a time, and nothing has been done in this regard.


It was determined that it was now time to revisit this issue. She called a minister friend who came by, and we discussed the problem with him. He agreed to meet at 10:00 a.m. today (Monday) at the dump to assess the situation first-hand.

When I arrived at Martha’s home this morning, she had assembled not one, but four pastors to visit the dump. We prayed before we left, and such a prayer I have never experienced! There was a Power present in the room with us, as Martha, the four pastors and I were praying. We went to the dump and no one was there except for the dump keeper. He said people usually arrived later in the day, between 11:00 and 1:00, when the big dump trucks from the factories came to dump their stuff. He opined that most of the people who come live by the road between the dump and the bridge.

We left with a schedule to return at 11:45. When we returned, they were only 2 boys there, and they confirmed that they lived by the road. One of the boys mentioned that a pastor came and met the families on Monday and Friday evenings. One of the pastors with us knew him and called him. He arrived about 10 minutes later. He is the pastor of the Assembly of God church in Quimistan. He also has Sunday School for the children by the road, about 60, on Sunday morning.

He also is a dentist, and has a practice in Quimistan. His dental clinic is next to the church, and a block from the HAF office.

We have a meeting Tuesday at 5:00 to discuss how we might partner to help these families. PRAISE GOD, a ministry and a dental contact in one meeting!

George

Agape Promises Reception

As is our custom during our mission trips, we have a reception for all of the AP students. Today, we had 41 of the 47 attend. The primary purpose of today’s activity was to celebrate our 2 recent high school graduates. On behalf of the foundation, they were presented with Spanish language copies of Rick Warren’s, A Purpose Driven Life.


Each of the graduates spoke about their experiences as part of the Agape Promises program. They thanked God for His help in completing their course work. They also challenged their fellow students to trust in God, work very hard, so that in the coming years they will be receiving the same recognition.


The missionaries put together their theatre talents and presented a HAF version of the Good Samaritan. The children really enjoyed the “drama”, especially the part where Jerry was beaten down by the robbers. All appreciated a wonderful lesson on God’s love and caring.

The missionaries served a delicious lunch to the children, including a very special dessert.

Ken & June

Sunday, January 18, 2009

A Day of Praise and Thanksgiving


Today was a busy day! Following a start to our auto-refractor training video, we attended Sunday School held this morning by Martha Scarlett Thomsen here at Delfina Village. Over 50 children took part in the singing, praise, and worship service, which included a snack. Among other things, Martha also shared her testimony, and her nephew Abner gave the message.


Following lunch, we went to the weekly Bible study held for the Agape Promises children at the kindergarten in Quimistan. The younger children met in a classroom, while the older ones met outside. After the study was over, we brought all of the children back to the Village to spend some time with us. (More details about that tomorrow.)


We were also thankful today for the safe arrival of the rest of team, Allen and daughter Karen Livingstone, Claudia Meadows, and Stephen Burdette. The day concluded with a welcomed first glimpse of the sun since we got here.


Good night.

Tommy

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A visit to Little House of the Roses, an Episcopal Group home in San Pablo. The house was started by Dianana Frade, wife of the former bishop of the Diocese of Florida.

There are 50+ girls, ranging in age from pre-k to high school. The girls attend either local schools or the international school, where instruction is in English.

At present, 13 graduates are in college, with one about to finish dental school. An impressive record!

The school provides the services of a social worker, a psychologist, and a chaplain. There are also enrichment classes in dance, arts, & crafts. Some of the artwork is sold to help support the school.

In addition to the group home, there is a clinic, a food ministry, an intensive residential language school, and a retreat center, due to open in March or April in Pueblo Nueva.

It was an informative and uplifting trip. The Holy Spirit was present. Thanks be to God!

John Keeler