We started the morning off singing, “Jesus Loves Me” during our early devotion time. This song carried us through the day.

“Little ones to Him belong … .” In the boys and girls of Tejeras we saw His children.

We big ones are also His children. “For the Bible tells me so.”\

After early morning devotion and a scrumptious breakfast, we headed up the mountain road to the school at Los Panales. Our first activity was a four part hygiene clinic: hand washing, deworming pill, learning to properly brush your teeth, and a fluoride treatment.

After over 50 children participated in the VBS Parable of the Sower, it was time to have some outdoor fun.

Jeff Wallace and Dominic Martorana are both on their first Honduras mission trip. Jeff has lived most of his life in Aiken and is a retired editor of the Aiken Standard. He attends St. John’s United Methodist Church. Dom (pictured below) was raised in New York City and was a career carpenter. He is a member of St. Mary Help of Christians Catholic Church in Aiken.

Los Panales request from the team was to help construct three badly needed bookshelves. The principal and teachers thanked us many times for all the work that has been done at the school, including today’s shelves.

“We know that for those who love God, that is, for those who are called according to His purpose, all things are working together for good.” Romans 8:28

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Galatians 6: 9-10.

Sometimes God’s plan trumps ours. The plan to drive up the mountain on a rain-slicked paved road to a school at Arena Blanca was quashed by unsafe conditions.

The team’s schedule for the day was altered.

A quick decision was made to visit the school in Tejeras where we presented a skit on the Parable of the Sower to eighteen precious children.

Coloring sheets and crayons were handed out, and the children used their creativity to bring the picture to life.

The time concluded blowing and popping bubbles to delighted laughter.

Before lunch we traveled to the community of Milpa Arada and visited Jose Santos Guardiola school to deliver fans.

While there the team presented the skit to a class of 3rd and 5th graders. They were then given a booklet and coloring pencils to illustrate the message. The class was given school supplies and a Frisbee to enjoy for the rest of the year.

Everyone loves a success story and Dr. Laura’s is a remarkable one. She was one of AP’s first students and completed her dentistry education in Honduras. Last year she opened her first office in Quimistan in a recently built structure with new equipment. If you need to schedule a cleaning, call 8823-3608.

Tranquilidad Foundation sprang out of HAF and serves abandoned children in the Quimistan area. The team got a brief tour from founder Roxanne Turnipseed and learned of its proposed mission to place children in homes with loving families.

Team leader Cindy Fuller is in her fourth mission trip to Honduras. She is a retired United Methodist preacher and lives in Aiken, South Carolina.

Chuck Scarton is on his second Honduras mission trip and is a member of Saint Mary Help of Christians Catholic Church in Aiken. He is a retired engineer.

With the birds calling in the distance, the team met on the front porch for a devotion about feeding the hungry and taking care of the needy. And thats what we did.

The squatter village of Tejeras is located along a busy highway with the church just yards from the semis roaring path. That does nothing to dissuade more than 80 children from learning about God’s love for them.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink …” Matthew 25;35.

The Sunday School children were fed and served drink by our team. The children receive a similar meal by Honduras Agape Foundation (HAF) three more times a week.

AP students in the middle school and high school meet in their own groups and at separate locations where they worship and share with their leaders and one another.

We enjoyed fellowship and food with both groups bringing us back to the Bible verse that started our day.

The team realizes the impact HAF has on these students and their religious and educational growth. Our team is humbled to play a small part in God’s plan for them.

Wheels up at 7:10 a.m. from the Augusta airport, and the team arrived 6 hours and 20 mins later at San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Airport. We were met by Maynor Castillo and his crew who delivered us to our safe haven for the week.

After a quick but delicious meal, the team loaded into the bus for the short ride to Quimistan where the AP students waited for their back to school shopping excursion.

The students were delighted with their school supplies, book bags, uniforms and other necessities. We were rewarded with smiles on their faces and hugs from their loving arms.

After returning to our home for the week, the team closed the day with a recap of events and plans for Sunday. The evening closed with a prayer of gratitude. We are all excited about being Jesus’ hands and feet.

22 May, 2019

Many things to consider that may cause one to suffer on an adventure like we have been on for the past 2 weeks; first and foremost the heat… For all of those who think there is no such place as hell… they should experience the oppressive saturation of humidity and pure hell like heat as it is found here, no relief can be found, it is a 24 – 7 ordeal… and if you multiply that times a few you may catch a glimpse of an eternity filled with endless suffering… that would be the beginning of a great revival.

Second on the list is the highways and byways the litter the landscape. If I wanted to live here, I would start a chiropractor service… its like shooting fish in a barrel, so easy it would sell itself. My chiropractor loves it when I come here because it takes so many visits to get the kinks out after getting my back that has been wrenched on the pothole blessed goat paths. Granted I know this is not the USA, and the HDOT is a non existent form of public service, But I am only speaking the truth to the conditions we experience i.e. The driver knocked a hole in the oil pan on the bus this afternoon on the return journey… the struggle is real.

Third is the manifestation of the insects that thrive in such conditions… mosquitoes half the size of a silver dollar… spiders in every nook and cranny… I never have to tap my shoes out at home to check for scorpions… but we have encountered a new variant worth noting this year… a tiny member of the crustation family but packs a wollop if bitten by it… the fire ant. These boogers are from another realm, because one bite or sting creates discomfort that will last for several days, blisters and swelling will appear at the site.

Enter B-Rad’s encounter yesterday while digging a new sewer line for the bathroom complex. He had to visit the local urgent care center last night seeking relief from the multiple bites he received. This morning his ankles looked like some on poured hot grease on them with the mammoth blisters protruding from the wounds. Payback is rough when you tea bag the Jefe. Under strict orders from the doctor… no mooking allowed. Taking this to heart, B-Rad spent most of the day basking in the shade while D-Jaying mas DOOM for the crowds.

The  adventures at the job site today included Mook slinging, metallic binding, Weight lifting, shade squatting and roofing.

A. slingshot… engaged. This time honored tradition or necessity to cover the walls with a thin layer of Mook to create a smooth surface for paint. The thin runny mixture is put on the wooden float, than a small amount is thrown at the wall to promote the adhesion of the Mook to the blocks… easier said than done. We watched in amazement as Juan made this look so easy… he could put that shot on a dime like a sniper. After the wall is covered you level it out with a screet board than you block it smooth with the float. We attempted to imitate Juan in this process with mixed results, but at the end of the day all of the interior walls was complete.  I had to pick my arm up off of the ground and carry it around because it was so sore.

B. The Federation used a sub to weld the metal studs together forming the roof super structure per code and blueprints. He and his son worked on the ground all day cutting and welding… Eventually the entire roof structure was complete… there in lies the problem and the next topic of discussion… installing this 12′ x 30′ metallic beast on the building.

C. A call of arms went out and a dozen people gathered to hoist this beast into,its final location. Some high riggers scaled the walls to guide it into place. After a few adjustments and the final measurements were taken, Wilmer welded it into place.

D. Shade squatting. This is a time honored tradition that Pastor Rey is famous for, but he has been limited this year because there is no internet or cell service so he cannot scrape, facebook, read Fox News, or watch A sarcastic Trump press conference. Good news is, with the roof installed, it provides adequate shade for all… maybe Pastor Rey will work on the building a little more. For other references see B-Rads situation.

E Roofing. After the mammoth lift, the team packed up and headed down the mountain to the Fereration compound for the evening meal. Maynor, Wilmer, the welder and Marco remained at the site to install the roofing.  It could have been done tomorrow, but apparently the subs contract required that he install the tin and finish the job in order to get paided the full amount. Once complete we headed down the mountain to a late dinner.

Tonight we rest for tomorrow calls for a fist full of Mook to be slung.

Marco Francisco Valle Valle

 

21 May, 2019

Reflected light
To another’s sight
And the moon tells a lover’s story

My borrowed face
And my third-hand grace
Only reflect your glory

You’re still out of reach
Form a dream to rise to
Earthshine

The hours spent on this communication portal is both taxing of ones mental strength and physical stamina after boiling under the Honduran sun that is a few miles closer than what we are accustomed too in North Carolina… in that same breath it is not my intentions to be comprehended nor mutter around in a mundane form of communication, but to hone my literary skills… something I normally do not have time to do in my “normal life”.

This format allows me, the artist to conspire, conflict or be conjoined in the literary imaginations of the beholder. I find great solace in various genere of artistic expressions be it auditory, visual or literary. It is up to us the audience to soak in the performance, which is my hope to inspire, motivate or even confuse, but in the end I hope to teach the very essence of God is all of creation… we too, like Paul need the scales to be removed from our eyes to see the truth.

The teams reported adventures can become mundane and boring because our itinerary is typically limited to one project in one community during our 2 weeks while visiting here… so to only report our travel, our work progress and the dietary menu is… well mundane at best. In the early days, B-Rad and I were partners in crime and together we would these blogs, but he has chosen to step back and allow me to take the helm of the disaster piece… alas, the days gone past are just that, my rhetoric for the evening is complete… here is the news.

Today, began as any other, the birds of a different feather chirped, quacking with a primal scream to which it basically woke some of us from our slumber…  the weak returned to their beds while others (me) marveled at the beauty of the landscape in the morning mist. As the sun arose, it brought forth the beauty of new day full of unknown adventures in the mountains. Our goal was to complete the concrete reinforcement beams along the top of the walls of the new structure in order that the roof framing can start tomorrow if Maynor has the metallic structural pieces ordered… and can be delivered to the job site in a timely fashion.  Pastor Rey, Mater, B-Rad, Houdini and Marco assisted Juan Jose in forming the top of the building in preparation for an elusive Mook lift scheduled for later in the morning.  Dimebag, Lama, Easy and Joselyn sorted out the dresses and shorts that were make by the women at Wilkesboro UMC. Huge shout out to them for their continued support in our endeavors!

The time came to sift and lift, turn before it burns and play everyone’s favorite pastime… who wants to get into the Mosh Pit of Mook? With DOOM blaring across the valley, we filled the wide gap with an extra chunky load… stabbing viciously with our steally knifes, pounding it repeatedly until a smooth creamy liquid rose to the top as a sign that we had done our job properly.

After lunch the team continued to play in the Mooking grounds, but to a different tune… not sonically, but a mixture of Mook… one more the consistency of a high liquid content… like the pulp at the bottom of a glass of orange juice. It will flow between the tight cracks as Juan Jose gave us a breif lesson in slinging… Honduran style. The 2:30 Cafe wagon was right on time… those mandatory union coffee breaks are such a buzz kill and disruption to the works progress… not for me to judge, it’s just not my cup of joe.

By 4:30 all of the Mook had been used up, the sun was beginning it’s journey to the other side, we packed up our weapons of mass construction to traverse down the mountain once again to the humble abode we call home for a few weeks every year. Lupie and Suyappa greeted us with pork chops, veggies and all of the trimmings to fill our tired empty little bellies. We assembled about 100 bags of rice and beans to be distributed in the community tomorrow .

While reflecting on the days adventures on the front porch and taking notice to the moon which was in its last phase of its cycle, I was drawn into Mr. Pearts lyrical drama on the same event, with the his lyrics in mind and a portion pasted to the beginning of this entry… my meditation was complete before I put fingers to the ipad.  Buenos Noches form the Communication Portal from the of milk and honeydew controlled by the Overlords of the Federation. Until next time, Adious!

Marco Francisco Valle Valle

 

20 May, 2019

The 1994 breakthrough album ‘Throwing Copper’ by the band Live featured a hit entitled ‘Lighting Crashes’ hence the title of the blog and the thematic rescue of our emotional roller coaster day.

Lightning crashes a new mother cries
Her placenta falls to the floor
The angel opens her eyes
The confusion sets in
Before the doctor can even close the door

Lightning crashes an old mother dies
Her intentions fall to the floor
The angel closes her eyes
The confusion that was hers
Belongs now to the baby down the hall

Ed Kowalczyk pours out his soul vocally as he carries the song through it melodramatic tempo, as one life begins and another dies, the circle of life is completed. For me, this music is comforting in many aspects as I analyze the days events and try to assimilate a few words for my teammates, friends and family in recounting 3 specific events.

Today was culmination of a long emotional struggle. One of my daughters found out she was pregnant late last year… the due date was sometime in late May early June. During the planning stages of the trip I was unsure if I would be able to go this year because of this event.  With a firm due date of the May 29th set, I crossed my fingers and agreed to come to Honduras this year primarily due to the fact that Daniela resigned as construction coordinator and the team needed me to attend and over see the project… All was well until a few weeks before we left for Honduras, she found out the baby was in a breach position and needed to have a C-section delivery scheduled on May 20th. You can see my dilemma and emotional struggle.  After many prayers and considering all of the needs, Collectively my family and I came to a decision to allow me to come to Honduras and impact many lives in the community that had waited for quite sometime for this project. Today my forth granddaughter Rylee Ann Hackett was born at 8am this morning, the mother and daughter are doing well. Certainly an emotional high for me, but sorrowful as well because of my absence.

As the team assembled this morning, David our new translator received word that his older sister, who had been battling cancer was not doing well. He also had to make a difficult decision to press forward and go up into the mountains and continue the project for Teo. You could tell his heart was heavy with emotions thru out the day. Before arriving at the compound, David found out that his sister had pass away from the illness… we gathered and prayed for him as he prepared to journey to San Pedro this evening to make preparation so say good bye to his loved one. Our hearts ache for his loss though we did not know her, but we worship a faithful God that does know her and calls her one of his own, Godspeed for her and prayers for the family.

Our evening concluded in the dining hall as a supprise birthday party had been planned for Senor Mater aka Jerry Kilby.  For many years and trips to Honduras, the dates have coincided with his birthday falling some where in the two weeks we are here. He too, has to make a decision to attend this adventure and his family are some what left out of the celebration of this event. Thanks to Maynor and everyone for the party, it just keeps getting bigger and bigger and I know Mater loves all of the special attention he receives.

Serving the Lord requires a certain amount of sacrifice, these may be extreme examples of that… but the rewards and blessing overshadow the short term loss for each.  God bless and goodnight from the Federation frontline portal entry point.

Marco Francisco Valle Valle

 

 

 

19 May, 2019

Somewhere in a galaxy… far… far… away… Blog masters log: In the 6th Katun of the 13th Vaktun a group of gringos traveled a great distance from the spotlight of the all seeing eye of the Solor Federation infidels to the Copan Valley. Marco Francisco took in all the wonder of his extended Valle Valle families empire that once ruled this region of Copan with a white powdery iron fist only to be brought down a more powerful and corrupt organization… La Maquina Politica. The landscape littered with remnants of days gone past… the reign of blood now ceased from the echoes of chaos… this was but the first of the Ruins we visited on the road today. We travel onward… upward… downward… side to side through the maze of roads to our final destination of the Mayan Ruin complex.

This 1 kin trip scheduled for the team by Pastor Rey for a little rest and relaxation with an added educational benefit for most of the team.  Pastor Rey, Mater, Houdini and Marco had visited the site before while it was the first time for B-Rad, Lama, Dimebag and Easy Rider. Federation employees Maynor and David our driver Super Mario and Honduran guest Joselyn and Lucila joined us on this adventure.  Our tour  guide was a German migrant who had lived in Central America for sometime who’s English was still coated with a thick accent of barley and bratwurst. Pastor Rey told him I had once lived in the fatherland many Katuns ago. It was difficult for me to change gears form my broken Spanish to ‘Deutsch Sprechen’, but I thought it would be nice to speak to him in his native tongue.

The journey began as we entered into the complex through the garden area. Our guide took his time to explain that in the early day of exploration they constructed a landing strip in this area so the archeologists could bring in supplies… for there was no road to this area. He went on further to tell us that when the road was constructed in 1969, it was the first paved road in Honduras. The vegetation in the garden was a mix for traditional Mayan and local species. One particular tree that had thrones protruding from its bark was said to represent the 3 realms of Mayan belief… the trunk or base of the tree was for the here and now while the roots system represented the 9 circles of the underworld and would grow up to 40-50 meters deep  finding water. As the branches and leaves projected upward they were a representation to illustrate the 13 levels of a Mayan heaven.

From the garden we moved into a grassy courtyard where a select few stones were strategically set for the Mayan gurus to tell time and day for their uber complex calender. In this area there was a monument to the 13th Mayan king who through his own administration of blood letting with a stingray barb to the junk… (loud gasp across the portal) to promote his virility just before being Be-headed. Moving from that preverbal nails across the black board area… we entered into the sports arena… even ancient civilizations needed a sports fix to break up the mundane rituals… including constant be-headings. This game between combatants… part soccer, part basketball, part pro wrestling  used a stone ball near or equal to the size of the goal.  They could not use their hands or feet to assist, but to throw it with the nook of the elbow… these teams were hand picked by the royals. On one side was the elite and on the other the common who never won a match… sounds like the Patriots of the NFL.  The loser of the match was… you guessed it… be-headed.  You could place your bet that the final score would always be 1-0! We gathered at the base of the great burial mount that was thought to contain 7 Mayan kings, each one in succession building a tribute to themselves greater than the last… not much has changed has it? We toured the great temple area and the kings palace in amazement and awe at the shear maginture of the construction techniques used to move the stones and the details enshrined in each block.

Rallying at the van we traveled to the downtown market area to dine on some local pizza,  shop for a few gifts and trinkets from the vendors that littered the streets. The second leg of our journey culminated at Macaw Mountain for and evening tour of the bird reclamation and rehab center for this beautiful species of feathered lore. Most of these birds were rescued from their unnatural habitat and brought here to be made healthy again and eventually be released into the wild once again… most of the time that was at the Ruin site which is not very far away as the Macaw flies. We journeyed back across the long road to ruin towards the primary Federation to our primary compound for an evenings rest and preparation for our return to Teo and complete our primary objective of constructing a new bano complex for the school.

Goodnight Portholeos here from the dark side of the moon.

Marco Francisco