I have some photos and video of the home we are building, the workers, and the beautiful vista from the mountain top above our work site. I'll post those when we have a stronger Internet connection. It's hard to say this, but despite the unbelievably difficult drive into the village, this may be the most beautiful site we have seen in all these years of coming to Honduras.
Friday, January 27, 2017
Work Day #1
We are working in the village of Agua Caliente in Linaca. It is a beautiful location up in the mountains north of Choluteca. The land is hilly and rocky and has lots of cows grazing in pastures... a very different setting from the sugar cane and melon fields south of Choluteca. It takes us 1 hour and 30 minutes each way to travel there, with 1 hour and 15 minutes of that time being on dirt/rock roads. Beautiful views but an unbelievable drive. We met the mother and son for whom we are building the house today. The father is a police officer who works in Tegucigalpa and he will be at the site next week. The family and community members are very sweet and appreciative.
Pastor Carlos led us as job foreman today with Jose (and Joel) driving, Maida translating, Bob playing the hola game, Suzanne coloring with kids (and helping fill joints), Brad learning all the construction roles and graduating beyond rookie status after the first 2 minutes, Steve running the saw, JB handling everything between the saw station and the house, Tom, Dennis, and Joel laying block, and tremendous help from Wilmur and the village workers who mixed mezcla and kept up with us all day.
Our goal today was to finish 5 courses and Pastor Carlos said we had to stop at 3:30 because of the long drive home. We were so far ahead of schedule that we had 4 courses done before lunch, took some extra time for the traditional post-almuerza siesta, and still finished by 2:30 PM. Amazing how smoothly it went. We were blessed by shade most of the day, a cool breeze to counter the 95 degree temp, and entertainment provided by a cow/pig pasture about 10 feet from the home work site. Bob jokes: "Look that calf is milking this for all it's worth." "Utterly amazing."
Pastor Carlos led us as job foreman today with Jose (and Joel) driving, Maida translating, Bob playing the hola game, Suzanne coloring with kids (and helping fill joints), Brad learning all the construction roles and graduating beyond rookie status after the first 2 minutes, Steve running the saw, JB handling everything between the saw station and the house, Tom, Dennis, and Joel laying block, and tremendous help from Wilmur and the village workers who mixed mezcla and kept up with us all day.
Our goal today was to finish 5 courses and Pastor Carlos said we had to stop at 3:30 because of the long drive home. We were so far ahead of schedule that we had 4 courses done before lunch, took some extra time for the traditional post-almuerza siesta, and still finished by 2:30 PM. Amazing how smoothly it went. We were blessed by shade most of the day, a cool breeze to counter the 95 degree temp, and entertainment provided by a cow/pig pasture about 10 feet from the home work site. Bob jokes: "Look that calf is milking this for all it's worth." "Utterly amazing."
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Rookie (MVP) of the Day
Brad Harvey is the new member of this year's team. It is always great to see the trip unfold through a new set of eyes. He had the unfortunate luck that his checked bag did not arrive in Tegucigalpa with the rest of our luggage. Mike Green will make the 2.5 hour (each way) trip back to Teguc on Saturday to pick it up, but in the meantime Brad is taking it all in stride and not letting this affect the start of his experience at all. That's a fire fighter for you... problem encountered, work around it and move on with your mission!
Arrived at Mount Horeb campus ouside Choluteca
The new site is great. It is a bit strange that this routine which we are so familiar with is now new to all of us. Loving the new large bunk house, beautiful kitchen, sunsets and seeing old friends: Mike, Jose, Martha, Pastor Carlos, Rudy, Wilbur. Bienvenidos a Honduras!
The road to Choluteca
Expanding the transcontinental highway to 4 lanes. That's a tough feat around the curves of these mountains. Maybe we will get some guard rails.
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Departing to Serve
From our Commissioning service on Jan 22, 2017
DEPARTING TO SERVE
The Commissioning of the Honduras Mission Team (responsive)
LEADER: Genuine faith is revealed in acts of service and love, a willingness to be vulnerable and walk in the way of the cross. This week a team from our church family will travel to Honduras to reveal this kind of faith.
PEOPLE: We pray God’s blessings upon John Baldwin, Joel Brown, Steve Brown, Tom Childrey, Dennis Ellis, Brad Harvey, Bob Kimball, and Suzanne Sanford. As they go in the power of God’s Spirit, may the people among whom they serve see Jesus in them, and may they discover something new about God’s purpose in their lives.
LEADER: Not all of us will go on this journey but those who do represent not only Jesus but this community as well.
They serve as an extension of this church family.
PEOPLE: Therefore, we pray for their work and witness, for the relationships they will build, for the ways in which our extended family will be enlarged and enriched.
LEADER: May those who go realize that you are not alone on this journey. God is with you and so are we. May you also recognize your true identity as God’s hands and feet.
MISSIONARIES: In the words of Mother Teresa, we will be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in our faces, kindness in our eyes, kindness in our smiles, kindness in our warm greetings. In the places of great need we will be the light of God’s kindness to the poor. To children, to the poor, to all who suffer and are lonely, we will always give a happy smile. We will give not only our care, but also our hearts.
DEPARTING TO SERVE
The Commissioning of the Honduras Mission Team (responsive)
LEADER: Genuine faith is revealed in acts of service and love, a willingness to be vulnerable and walk in the way of the cross. This week a team from our church family will travel to Honduras to reveal this kind of faith.
PEOPLE: We pray God’s blessings upon John Baldwin, Joel Brown, Steve Brown, Tom Childrey, Dennis Ellis, Brad Harvey, Bob Kimball, and Suzanne Sanford. As they go in the power of God’s Spirit, may the people among whom they serve see Jesus in them, and may they discover something new about God’s purpose in their lives.
LEADER: Not all of us will go on this journey but those who do represent not only Jesus but this community as well.
They serve as an extension of this church family.
PEOPLE: Therefore, we pray for their work and witness, for the relationships they will build, for the ways in which our extended family will be enlarged and enriched.
LEADER: May those who go realize that you are not alone on this journey. God is with you and so are we. May you also recognize your true identity as God’s hands and feet.
MISSIONARIES: In the words of Mother Teresa, we will be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in our faces, kindness in our eyes, kindness in our smiles, kindness in our warm greetings. In the places of great need we will be the light of God’s kindness to the poor. To children, to the poor, to all who suffer and are lonely, we will always give a happy smile. We will give not only our care, but also our hearts.
This year's trip
We are travelling to Honduras to build a home for a family in Agua Caliente, Linaca (north of Choluteca)
We are travelling with a smaller group this year, 8 people, but have continued the tradition of having at least one new member in the group.
Suzanne is a second year veteran, Bob still holds the record for most trips, and the rest of us are somewhere in between.
Family:
George Adalid Amadar - father
Nery - wife
Jose -son 8 yrs.
Please pray for this family, for our safe travel, for those that are not able to join us this year, and for all those that we will meet and serve in Honduras.
Our trip dates are Thursday, Jan 26 - Feb 2, 2017.
We are travelling with a smaller group this year, 8 people, but have continued the tradition of having at least one new member in the group.
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Bob Kimball
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Dennis Ellis
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Tom Childrey
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Steve Brown
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Joel Brown
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John Baldwin
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Suzanne Sanford
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Brad Harvey - new
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Suzanne is a second year veteran, Bob still holds the record for most trips, and the rest of us are somewhere in between.
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