As always I had an interesting drive up to Quimistan with members of the Tranquilidad board. I have traveled with them to be present for the dedication of the Tranquilidad children’s home on Sunday. The home looks great and is in some ways stunning considering the condition of the land that was purchased just a few years ago. Tranquilidad (TQ for short) is an ‘related’ to HAF because TQ was founded by the Turnipseed’s who were involved in the early years and founding of HAF.

A tremendous amount of work, frustration, sweat, tears and prayers have yielded a home that will care for needed children in the Quimistan Valley. I think I can speak for all of HAF, when I say we wish them the best and know that His hand will continue to guide their mission.

Maynor and I will the opportunity today to travel to many of the 2015 construction efforts that HAF has been able to support. Truly amazing how much your donations, along with the hard work of the mission teams and the local villagers, have produced this year. More to come…. from a place far, far away ….. but very close to my heart.

Here are several pictures of the new kindergarten at Los Panales.  This is our biggest construction project for 2015.

Today is our last full day of activities here in Honduras. Rather than fervently working on a project today, we travel back to Teo because the community leaders and teachers had asked that we return and celebrate the work on the school and community. We loaded up early in the autobus and traveled the long and winding road back up the mountain to Teo. We have seen little rain here in the valley, but the roads in the higher elevations were horrendous and the sippy hole gigantic… Pablo did a great job of keeping us safe and an even better job of not getting us stuck in the middle of one Olympic swimming pool size mud holes.

After we arrived, several of the team members went on a short hike up the mountain and gazed at the border of Guatemala… Some stayed behind to guard the infamous magical music machine from Hodo’s collection. There we sang songs while some locals entertained us with their musical talents. I did not understand the words, but it sounded wonderful. The remaining members ventured out into the community and ended up at the local pulpria, which is not a pub, but better known to the gringos as a convenience store to sit in the cool shade and sip on a cold Coca Cola and chat with the locals about the price of rice in China… Que Pasa and Larry spotted a newly deliver batch of machetes and purchased one for personal protection… Thank goodness there was not a 3 day waiting period for a back ground check. The hikers arrived shortly after that and were drenched in Honduran humidity while gasping for air to fill their depleted lungs. No rest for the wicked my friends; the Hondurans were yelling at us, ‘Venga’ which means to come along.

We were told that the B-B-Q would be held on the river and it was a short 15 minute walk… Yea Right! 15 minute walk in Honduran translate to a 40 minute gringo! We traveled down a narrow goat path dodging mud holes, grassy trails (watch out for snakes) across two streams and finally crossing the river to a sand bar where the grill was set up and the food was being prepared… The grill was not quite a Webber grill master; it was more like a Ford truck wheel on a stand and the food was cooked over homemade charcoal… We swam in the river with some children from the school, did a little sun bathing, now officer Donnie looks like a lobster! After the meal we packed up and took the 15 minute Honduran hike back up the trail to the village and departed amid the showers of gratitude from many gathered to wish us well.

Along the journey back to Quimstand Pablo Francisco saw a snake lying in the road… He slid to a stop and proceeded to pick the darn thing up and started playing with it! Taunting those, like me who only dislike 4 kinds of snakes, live one, dead ones, poisonous and non-poisonous ones… That is one crazy dude! We arrived at the compound shortly thereafter, cleaned up to eat out tonight at our favorite Chicken Joint, Gorditias followed by some Futbol at the indoor stadium. Then we again returned to the compound to begin the process of packing up to head home tomorrow. We miss our families and I know they miss us very much as well. This has been a great mission trip; I want to thank everyone for your love support and dedication to this project. For the prayers, financial support, text messages, emails to keep us in tune with the events that have transpired while we were away.

Tonight I sign off as the Blogmaster for 2015 with some lyrics from the band Cinderella and their song, “The Last Mile”

I got a long way to go before I reach the light of day… Monkey’s on my back I gotta find a better way… Same old story never get just what you want… The more you got the more you want… Sometimes you do and then you don’t… I guess I’ve always been a travelin’ man… Cause when I’m movin’ I can make a stand…

And walk the last mile…

Cast of the 2015 WUMC Mission Team in order of appearance:

Senor Jefe Chris                                         Chris Lakey

Marco Francisco Valle Valle                  Mark Reavill

Jefe Mater                                                   Jerry Kilby

Hodo                                                              Tom Schardt

Officer Donnie                                           Donald Thornton

Hunterzilla                                                  Hunter Combs

Nico                                                               Nick McNeil

Wilur                                                             Will Stutts

Rosie                                                             Perry Lowe

Larry                                                              Lucie (Lu) Cooper

Que Pasa                                                      Kay Hayes

Madster                                                       Madison Hayes

Special thanks to Daniela Reyes, Maynor Casstillo, Pablo Castillo, Maynor Villanueva, Mario Orellama Transportation, Sandra, Gloria and Delmin kitchen staff, Honduras Agape Foundation, Wilkesboro United Methodist Church, Asbury & Hanes Grove United Methodist Church, Lewisville United Methodist Church, and to our families and friends, those who helped in many ways to support us this year; God Bless and good night.

Marco Francisco Valle Valle

The new day brought forth an urgency to complete the jobs assigned to our team, for the time draws near that we will return to the land of honeydew and we shall drink the milk of paradise… Before I get too emotional I would like to compile a few thoughts and comments on our daily activities.

The team took a brief side trip this morning to La Montanita to visit our friend Rosa and her children. Tenida was at school, but Karlos entertained us as always. Senor Hodo, a man on a mission, came bearing many Regalos (Gifts) of love. Two years ago when we began to work on Rosa’s house, he fell in love with the Rosa’s children… which is not a difficult thing to do here. He was not able to come last year when we built the bedroom on her house, but the connection was formed with this family that even a language barrier could not separate them. I am reminded of when Jesus commanded that we love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind and strength and to love others as well. I have seen much love between my brothers and sisters with the people of Teo, Qumistand, Tejerias and the other communities that we have visited this year. Every time that I come to Honduras, I come with the hope of making a difference or sharing a blessing for someone, but as all ways, I am the one who is blessed. While at Rosa’s home, she brought out a photo that Michael Norton took while I was here last October. Rosa, me and the children… The smile on her face when she showed it to me caused my emotions to cascade over me like a waterfall; I just simply had to walk away… that is the kind of love that I am talking about, the love of God’s beautiful creation, because she was created in His image. These are my words, but I know that I speak for everyone here; they would agree that the love of Jesus has been poured out unto the people of this land.

Enough mushy stuff, time to keep the readers entertained with the witty and often confusing lingo of this author… We returned to Luz de Valle school around lunch time today to complete the Mayan Pit of Doom while Senor Jefe Chris the Scorpion King, Hodo, Officer Donnie and various others preformed some seriously needed repairs to the plumbing in the schools bathrooms. The Mook was once again sifted and tossed about, doused with a liberal democrat amount of agua, stirred and carried to the pit to be packed tightly in the joints of the bricks. From the ashes arose the Pit of honor to a towering level near that of Que Pasa height… 32” tall. Today was an interesting in the field of Mook, because I had multiple Mooking partner; first Que Pasa, but she had to retire because we did not have the wood to build scaffolding for her…  then Madster, Larry and Rosie, each took a turn Mooking with me, but soon they too fell away with exhaustion. The celebration began shortly before the first playing of Pink Floyds ‘Pulse’ album was finished; the Mayan Pit of Doom was completed! We gathered around the Pit to pay homage with a ceremonial Mayan dance of dedication while the sacrifice was being prepared… Whom shall we sacrifice?  Earlier this morning, some of our team had decided to sacrifice Juan Pablo Montoya, because we had hiked the trail of Doom in search of the legendary Chili El Diablo this morning. Much to our sadness and disappointment, there was no intestinal inferno peppers to be found… Amid our disappointment Pablo said, (rough translation) “Oh, you can buy those peppers in Qumistand.” His fate was sealed at that moment! We ventured back into the uncharted jungles of La Montanita to join up with those left behind… The Pit was filled with debris from the school, Pablo placed on a rack to be grilled… alas no one had a match to start the fire… By Grace he was saved.

We said our good byes to the school teachers and remaining students and traveled to Tijerias to walk along the road and hand out bags of beans and rice to the families that lived there… The food gave us a chance to share in our blessings as a team but more importantly it gave us the chance to share Love of Jesus and pass out Bible tracks written in Spanish. We returned to the compound to dine on chicken tortillas, to fellowship with one another and sing songs of praise. Daniela’s uncle brought in the café and honey order tonight so that we can savor the Honduran experience after we return home this weekend.

Marco Francisco

After watching the sun rise from the veranda above the college dorm this morning we gathered in the mess hall to chow down on some fruit and cereal. Loaded the van and truck with tools, supplies and contented souls to head out to our respective job sites. Jefe Mater, Marco, Office Donnie, Hodo and Hunterzilla returned to the villa de camino to finish installing the roof for the bathrooms. Jefe Mater started pulling the wires… let me rephrase that, he and the others held a 30 minute meeting to discuss the art of pulling wires and using his micrometer to center the light boxes to within .002 +/- .001 thousandth of an inch on center… perfection like this does not come cheap folks! Major Hodo helped me install to razor sharp tin on the roof, unfortunately his cowbell was out of tune and had to be airlifted to San Pedro Sula for repairs. After the roof was completed I went to the Luz de Valle school to start laying bricks for the Mayan Pit of DOOM. Jefe Mater, Hodo, Officer Donnie and Hunterzilla stayed behind to finish the wiring project after they finished their mandatory union café break(s) and joined us soon after.

Meanwhile… Senor Jefe Chris the Scorpion King and his Scottish kilt donning clan battled the dredded pool of cess in the school yard… Larry, Que Pasa, Madster, Wilbur, Nico and Rosie and lest we never forget to mention the india loco Hondurans consisting of the two Maynor’s and Juan Pablo Montoya. Master Jefe Daniela came by earlier in the morning to lay out the footing for the Pit of DOOM, which happened to be directly over the drain field for the latrine pit, can you say, “Gag me with a spoon”… they stabbed it with their steely knife, but they just can’t kill the beast. Some reports surfaced that there was several members of the clan that wanted to paint themselves with the blacken soil they had discovered, one person thought that had struck it rich like Jed Clampett and was planning on moving to Beverly Hills when we returned… I think they will need to visit a doctor and get a couple of shots of penicillin personally.

After Daniela returned, he saw the light of day and the err of his ways and moved the Pit of DOOM away from the pool and the team pounced at the opportunity to dig another footing, this time on dry land…  let the Mooking Feista begin! I feel as though I need to give a refresher course on the term MOOK. It is a substance that consists of multiple ingredients; course and fine aggregates, water, Portland cement and a lot of sweat… The law of the land requires that when Mook is on the ground, you must have a partner to Mook properly… our teams motto is: Two Working As a Team which meets all criteria for local, state and Federation building codes. Remember folks, Safety First! Lift and sift, time to turn before you burn, don’t let the volcano spill over until the time is right. It is a fine art that has been passed down by many generations, but it took some American ingenuity to take this time honored tradition and create a new buzz word in the land of Qumistand… The word is MOOK! And Mook we did!

With the footings dug in a cess free zone the Mook was poured and the bricks were laid in the heat of the day. My Mooking partner for the day was none other than my old friend Larry. She said it was her first time Mooking, but her rapid and swift ability to wield the trowel lead me to believe she had Mooked before… I had a moment of guilt Mooking with Larry because my long time Mooking partner B-Rad the Blog Master could not come this year. Sorry buddy, if you can’t Mook with the one you love… Mook with the one you’re with.

As the sun, that brought such hope of a new day, the sweltering heat of mid-day had begun to fade behind the tree line, the Pit of DOOM was half way complete. Tomorrow we will have our first sacrifice with Senor Jefe Chris the Scorpion King leading the service. We returned to the compound and dined on pork chops, rice and salad prepared by our beautiful cooks and hostess Sandra and Company. See you on the dark side of the moon.

Marco Francisco Valle Valle

Play time is over, today we returned to work, for that is why we are here, to serve God… by serving others. The teams split into two separate groups again, Senor Jefe Chris aka the Scorpion King, and his second Lieutenant Jefe Mater lead the merry band of brave warriors into battle against a might foe…a long thin mohawked critter called paint brush and their long neck allies the paint roller. Larry and the crew will add to this post later. The rest of the team ventured back to the land of el Comino to battle a fierce grasshopper tribe known as the Stripped Stickum’ Clan; who by their nature are swift, cunning and silent…

Naturally the day began in full Honduran tradition… go to the job site and look at what materials you need… take a two hour break until the materials arrive, drink all of your water from the cooler to remain hydrated in the shade until it is all gone, kick it into high gear for an hour and then eat lunch… After lunch go back to work feeling as though you have swallowed a liter of sand and your mouth parched like the Goby desert for the rest of the day… In truth that is not exactly how it went down, but it’s really close.

Hodo played lead cowbell in preparation for his audition for Blue Oyster Cult reunion tour next year. I am telling the man has great talent… Officer Donnie drew first blood today while handling the metal studs for the roof, so he was reassigned to Hodo and assisted the youngsters Hunterzilla, Nico and Rosie in completing the screening project of the Federation outpost project / church / kindergarten. Their mission for the day was to seal up the unwanted seams and limit the kamikaze grasshoppers from infiltrating the students during their studies. Daniela and Marco Francisco began constructing and welding the metal rafters for the Banos… once they were welded into place they began to lay block and packed mook in the gaps and create a nice tight seal… There is nothing worse than being sniped by an over grow grasshopper while taking a break from the action… if you smell what the Rock is cooking…  After the screens were stapled in the team cut and installed some wooden trim to finish off the job. I will give the young lads credit, the Amish would be jealous of their craftsmanship; job well done guys!

Maynor Grande brought a young student named Ana to visit us at the job site after lunch. She goes to the university in San Pedro Sula in hopes of becoming a teacher here in Honduras someday. I would like to give a big shout out to my employer Vesco ToyotaLifts of Hickory for donating a laptop computer to her so that she can keep up with her class work.  By mid-afternoon most of the team left for a short side trip to the river Kwai for a little cooling off time; while Daniela, Marco and Hodo stayed behind to get fried, dyed and laid to the side… Our mission was to finish the roof framing in preparation for the installation of the tin sheeting first thing in the morning before the sun bears down on us and cooks us like a gringo egg… sunny side up!

The evening at the compound was spent in the company of Samuel and Roxanna as we dined on Tilapia, veggies and a couple of Jalapeno peppers for good measure. Many team members shared their experiences and interactions with the local children and people of Qumistand. Still others shared their encounters with a risen Savior and Lord with heart felt stories from their day of service. Until I am more aware and coherent of my own universe, Buenos Noches Amigos!

Marco Francisco Valle Valle

Today Jefe Mater, Senor Jefe Chris aka The Scorpion King, Wilbur, Madster, Que Pase, Larry, both Maynors  (Maynor Grande and Maynor Dos) a long with our fearless driver Pablo Francisco Valle Valle went back to the Luz de Valle School with hope of finishing the work begun Friday.

When we arrived Jefe Mater and Wilbur tackled making the electricity safer and they did an awesome job.  After a discussion with the teacher about stains and paint for the cabinet doors the rest of us jumped into sanding the trim and giving the walls a second coat of paint. The kids were peeking in as usual and we could hear them in the school yard making monkey sounds so Senor Jefe Chris had to put in his two cents of monkey noise to the delight of the children.

It was a long hot day of sanding, painting and staining. We were grateful that the Maynor’s arranged with one of the teachers to prepare us some local coffee and it was muy delicioso!  But Jefe loco monkey Chris the Scorpion King says it is muy braino! This is his Wilkes county version of very good in Spanish!

Before we headed back to the compound we took a side trip to a nearby river where some took a quick swim and all of us enjoyed some fellowship. We finished off the night with a wonderful meal prepared by Sandra and her wonderfully awesome kitchen crew!

Larry, Madster y Que Pasa

 

 

The light of a new day has crested… the mountain tops glistened… the birds sing praises for the illumination of the Qumistand valley… the team was snuggly tucked into their beds, with the dreams of finding the sacred river flowing through their heads…  Not a creature was stirring not even a scorpion, for he knew his days was numbered, te mato by the shoe…  I arose from the clamor when I heard the splatter, the screams the chatter, I exclaimed! Amigos, what is the matter? Safe at last we gather into the hero’s blue chariot… today we are in search of the sacred river Alph…

Today we took another day trip adventure to the Pulhapanzak waterfalls in Buena Ventura, Honduras. 12 gringos and 8 locals stuffed into a van built to haul 15… It’s not a job, it’s an adventure. Super Mario was at the helm along with his first mate Pablo Francisco navigating the winding roads. Passing thru the port of entry San Pedro then we headed south on a new super highway into the unknown. Many Kilometers pass and before you knew it, the bliss of smooth pavement abruptly ended and Mario began to weave violently as though he was playing a game of ‘wack a mole’ for the last ten miles… there on the horizon I saw the end of the rainbow, the pearly gates of our destination, the sacred river of bliss, Rio Alph.

The first adventure consisted of an ancient tradition of lassoing ones self to a cable and gliding across the river 11 times while releasing a primal scream to awaken the ancient spirits of the river so she would flow at maximum velocity. While most of the group participated in the custom, there was a remnant of sanity that remained on the ground to record the events and preserve some history just in case the river found their offerings unacceptable and swallowed them up…

We gathered at the last crossing below the falls and ventured off to the falls, or maybe a better way to describe it; to walk, climb and crawl thru the middle of the waterfall… We journeyed beyond the gates and trekked perilously along the rocky face of the gorge trying to avoid slipping on the rocks and plummeting in to the river 75 feet below us. We arrived at a basin pool just to the left of the waterfalls… the point of no return, jump into the pool or be left behind. The group’s bravery and enthusiasm over whelmed the guide… our willingness to continue journey and sacrifice ourselves with cannonballs splashes to acrobatic flips into the pool. From that point we joined hands and formed a human chain, closely watching out for our comrades so that all would reach a small shelter in the mountain side. The guide took half the group around the rocky face of the waterfalls; our only safety measures a piece of frayed cable to grip and pull youself along until you reached another small cave directly behind the falls… there we gathered and caught our breath and took in all the splendor as our heart pumped vigorously and our veins swollen with adrenaline… We transverse down to the shelter and the remaining people summited the waterfall cave while we watched the water flow uphill… That is not a typo. The updraft from the falls created such an event that defies the laws of nature, the water was flowing up the side of the cliff. Once everyone was safely back, we formed the human chain and returned to the pool with shouts of acclimation and joy. There many ventured up the mountain side donning war paint of mud stripes to the highest point (about 30 feet) and jumped into the pool!

Afterwards we traveled back to the compound and dined on some Americana food at Wendys in San Pedro Sula. The evening was spent laughing and watching GoPro videos recounting the day’s adventure and crowning Que Pasa MPV of the day. She is the oldest member of our team, yet she completed all of the adventures with a smile on her face the entire time. Tonight we rest for tomorrow we come down to reality and go out to serve the one true Lord and help the people of Honduras.

Marco Francisco

 

 

The Ruination of the Twelve – At Jefe Mater’s request, 12 missionaries and 8 additional passengers set out on a road tour to the UNESCO Heritage Site of the Mayan Ruins of Copan. As with any comedy tour (Bob & Bing have nothing on us) we were packed tightly in a 14 seat van and travelled down the Honduran Autobahn for 2 ½ hours to reach our destination. Our Honduran handlers promised us a smooth, cloud-like ride on the much improved highway, but alas, while the road was smoother than town roads in and around Quimistand, it turned out to be a spine adjusting jolt where we all got to know each other a lot better. Stopping for a break was like watching the Shriner clowns emerge from an impossibly sized car in the center ring. Our tour guide Fidel was a fount of information and kept us entertained for more than two hours in the midday heat. He took time to reference the book of Ezekiel and the vision of that prophet concerning the ruins. He was a most gracious host and certainly demonstrated what 25 years of service to the site can produce.

The Feeding of the Herd – One highlight of the day was stopping in the town of Copan at Jim’s Pizza for a well-deserved break from the tour. Our intrepid leader tried to feed the gathering in a biblical fashion by ordering eight 10 inch pizzas and expecting the waitress to collect several trays of leftovers after the meal. Cooler heads prevailed (read minor uprising) and an additional 6 pizzas were placed in the ovens. Soft drinks and water was consumed in large quantities! Somehow, three young street children found us and convinced us to buy their small corn husk dolls and bead necklaces that they had made at home. They were too cute to refuse and we bought out their entire inventory. They happily joined us for lunch and thanked us with a stirring rendition of the Honduran National anthem and a spirited goodbye in their local dialect.

A Close Encounter of the Avian Kind- After lunch (and not receiving permission to nap on the tables), we headed to Macaw Mountain for a late afternoon encounter with the very colorful birds of Central America. This sanctuary rehabilitates macaws, parrots, owls, toucans, etc. and either returns them to the wild, if possible, or cares for them and keeps them on display to educate the visitors. At the end of the tour we were invited to strike a scarecrow-like pose and have the birds perch on our arms, shoulder, and head.

The Recap- The history of the Mayan’s 2,000 year reign, balancing a thousand years before and after Christ, was a testament to the ingenuity and perseverance of a group of highly developed engineers, artists, astronomers, and rulers who endeavored to pacify the gods they served by sacrificing their citizens into oblivion. The actual cause of their demise is still unknown. The fellowship of the missionary group, the outreach to the communities we serve and the message of grace transcends the language barrier and solidifies the Great Commission in the book of Matthew. We are the hands and feet of Christ until the final day of judgment.

Hodo, The Magical Musician

 

5:05am Denver time is late for me in the normal world… but as the birds of prey warmed up their vocal chords, I laid in complete silence chasing my thoughts while gazing through the window nigh to me; contemplating and praying about the task before the team today. I picked up my iPhone and began to listen to some music and the song “Nobody’s Hero” was playing. That is my inspiration for the blog, no Easter eggs today. I wanted to begin writing it while I was listening to the music and share some lyrics:

But he’s nobody’s hero… Saves a drowning child…. Cures a wasting disease… Hero…lands the crippled airplane…. Solves great mysteries… Hero…not the handsome actor Who plays a hero’s role…. Hero…not the glamour girl Who’d love to sell her soul…. If anybody’s buying Nobody’s hero…

N.Peart

I began to question what does a hero look like? Do you need to be famous or flamboyant? The lyrics of the song would suggest not. I do not consider myself a hero, yet I see many hero’s around me… those in the room next to me… those in the other sleeping quarters here… those who stop and take time to help someone without prejudice… Hero’s come in many sizes, shapes, ages, genders and colors… I will simply call them Nobody’s Hero, yet they are my hero!

Today we will divide into two separate armies of ants. One will trek into the lower Qumistand valley to a school, Luz de Valle or for those who need some help, Light of the Valley which was built by the Federation in 2008. They will do some renovation updates and much needed painting in one of the classroom. Larry and Que Pasa have accepted the challenge to report on this work. The remaining ants will travel in constant motion to the Tejeras community just outside of Qumistand to assist some local people and the pastor building bathroom facilities and pila for the church there, for which yours truly will report on the progress there.

The Tejeras project started off a bit slow this morning. After a visit to the local hardware store known as Lowes to us, Jefe Mater got the team going on screening in the windows while Daniela and Marco went shopping for lumber needed for a lintel over the door openings and some nails to secure it. We returned and found Karlos the block mason back on the job. He has missed a few days because of a new virus carried by mosquitos call (Chicacongoua) or as Senor Jefe Chris says, Chica Doodle…

Together we completed the block work for the bathroom and it will be ready to install the rafters and roof on Monday. Team Zilla, Nico, Wilbur, Rosie, Office Donnie and their leader Hunterzilla finished digging the latrine pit behind the bathroom to a final depth of 12 feet! While they were on break from digging, they put on their Village People hat and lead by none other than Hodo the six string magical musician stapling two layers of wire mesh to the window opening to help with bug control. One fine mesh for insects and a course layer to protect the first from small curious fingers.

The heat today was difficult for all of us because we have spent most of our time in the mountains this week, so the blast of humidity combined with seasonal temperatures was slightly on the un-bearable side. Relief came in the form a storm that blew into town around 3pm local time to cool us off. After the shower past, the children began to arrive to receive a meal prepared by our kitchen crew of Sandra and Gloria. The rest of the team arrived shortly after to help serve the children their food, to sing songs and play games until time for us to return to the compound and eat dinner.

As a side note, I want their recipe for Pico de Gallia, the world’s best salsa bar none! Tomorrow we will take a day trip to Copan and tour the Mayan Ruins, until then folks.

Marco Francisco

Senor Jefe Chris, Que Pasa, Madster and Larry along with Little Maynor, Big Maynor, and Pablo went to the Escuela Luz del Valle (Light of the Valley) to paint. The wonderful school children already accomplished much of the sanding. While painting we discovered that we had invaded the home of a gecko. He was a very large gecko and could send the Gieco gecko packing! The children and gecko now have a room that is a beautiful shade of light purple. While we enjoyed the relative “cool” of a building with ceiling fans, we often thought of the other part of our team working next to a hot highway.  The children were naturally curious of our work and we were surprised to find that they knew a few words of English. They were sent scrambling when our fearless crazy leader Chris acted like a loco monkey but they came back for more fun.

We went to join the other team at Tejeras, help with the feeding program……

Some people may wonder why we travel to a foreign country to paint, to build, to fix, to sweat, to spend long unpaid hours performing jobs that seem unrewarding…… but it is to be a blessing to others, to bring a physical comfort and the love of Jesus.

Larry and Que Pasa

 

Today we ventured back to the mountain community of Teo. With sure and certain hope we would complete the electrical project for the school and the footings for the picnic tables. It is a time that we can celebrate the gifts that we brought to this community, not necessarily the lighting system for the school or the construction of a picnic table, but the gifts that each one of the team members brings in their heart… along with the sharing of their gifts and talents.

Beneath the surface of our team is the agape love of Jesus Christ. That love is the very foundation of our team and our purpose for being here in Honduras. It is the motivation within each one that causes us to push a little harder, especially when we are tired and exhausted. Although I was busy trying to complete the task assigned to me, I was able to step back and watch the interaction between the gringos and the people of Teo…  I sensed a bond of love and kinship being formed between everyone. We tried our best to communicate with broken Spanish to the children even using sign language in an attempt to share the love that was set in our heart… to make a difference no matter how small… to share the true light which is found in Jesus. Today is also a time of sorrow as well. We know that when we leave this mountain community a small part of our heart will stay behind… Every road we travel and community that we visit, there we will deposit a small imprint of love, a love that we discovered many years ago for some… for others it is a refreshed spirit. None the less, our hope is that all have seen the torch bearers of Christ bring an infectious love that will bring forth the light of hope… to be shared for the generations to come well after we have exited stage left.

Marco Francisco