Our day started out at the crack of dawn as we headed back to Santa Clara at precisely 7am. Since the students at White Dove Bilingual School were not in class yesterday afternoon, we distributed the tote bags full of school supplies and shared encouraging words with the children. The students were able to talk to us in English and even sang a few songs for us. After too short of a visit, we said goodbye and headed back to Quimistan. On the way back, some of the team members stopped to cross the suspended bridge that crosses the river. A few years ago, some of us had to cross the same bridge and had to jump over the boardless areas. Luckily the bridge was fixed this time and our team was able to see one of the most beautiful spots in all of Honduras.

On Saturday, we witnessed an amazing love story as Jenny and Arthur were reunited with their sponsor child, Riccy.  Today, we experienced the birth of another love story, one that is just beginning.

 Our day started with more dental health training in F. Bogram school in Quimistan.  The six of us who were sick yesterday were much better and able to participate fully.  We finished the training with a total of 814 children seen.  Tomorrow we’ll go back to watch as the children brush their teeth after their snacks.

While we were there, Tracey developed a relationship to one of the girls, an eight-year-old named Reina Isabella (Queen Isabella for you non-Spanish-speakers).  Reina was very shy and withdrawn.  Her clothes were ill-fitting and torn.  The other children made fun of her.  Reina attached herself to Tracey and stayed by her side silently throughout the morning.  When it came time to go, Tracey was asking about how best to sponsor her.  She and a couple others walked Reina down the street to the SuperMercado to buy her a new uniform.  Reina ate lunch with us, and proudly showed off her new shoes, one with buckles that worked and actually fit. Tomorrow, Reina will go to school proudly wearing her new clothes.  Of course, this was not in our plans for the day, but it was all part of  His.   And who knows, Tracey may just have adopted a child.  For sure, she has fallen in love.

 The second half of the day was spent at Santa Clara.  Although no one said so, it was evident that all had fallen under the spell of the village and the remarkable transformation one couple has made to the whole town.  In the space of two years, they have built 3 homes, a school of 18 children for preschool-first grade, with plans for expanding each day, and a trash collection system that has the town looking so much better.  Oh, I forgot, justa stoves and water purification systems, with more plans in the works.

 We’ll go back tomorrow to give the children the tote bags and school supplies in person.  As I said, we all have fallen in love with Santa Clara, but Cecelia in particular.  It will be hard for her to leave tomorrow.                                                                                                             

Love.  Not planned for by us, but given  freely by Him, our Lord and Rey.
Blessings,
Beth                                       

Some of us have had the best day. Others have had a very rough day. 6 people in our group have gotten sick from an unknown source. However, the rest of us continued on in today’s projects.
We started today at Francis Bogram Elementary school where we taught more than 300 students how to brush their teeth. We gave each of them a toothbrush and toothpaste that were donated by churches, individuals and dentists from Canada and the US. God’s angels are everywhere! We also gave each of them a deworming and fluoride treatment. Our favorite parts were watching their faces as they tasted the banana deworming treatment and jumping back as they spit the fluoride at our feet! The kids were most excited about the stickers that they earned for “swooshing” fluoride for 30 whole seconds!!

After lunch, we set out for the Agape compound to play with the Compassion International children. When we got there, the children were still in their classes so Jeff Ray, Abby Ray, Cecelia Newman, and Daniel-the interpreter climbed to the top of the water tower. From there, it felt like we could see all of Honduras. The mountains surrounding us felt like God’s arms embracing all of His beautiful children. As we climbed much slower down the tower, the children came out to play. We had SO MUCH FUN with them!!! Over a few hours, we played everything from kickball to futbol to having a massive water fight. We even managed to throw in a few manicures. Everyone left with smiling faces, happy hearts, and very pretty, sparkly nails.

The fun continued as we came back to Sister Martha’s. Our team members enjoyed a delicious meal together and had a lot of downtime. Some picked on each other (Arthur), some played basketball with the locals, and some just hung out. As the night comes to a close, our hearts are about to burst with our strengthened love for the Lord, each other, Honduras, and Pepto Bismol.

Please pray for those still suffering from sickness tonight and for the continued health of those of us who are not sick. Gracias….

by Cecelia, Abby Ray, Tracey and Jenny

Easter in Honduras is much different than in America, obviously.  Most of their celebrations occur the week before, during Semana Santa.  Easter is geared towards the adults, with few customs involving children.  Today we introduced a new concept to the children which, judging from the reaction, may become an instant tradition. 

Our own teenagers started the day with an American custom:  the Easter basket.  Each of the five girls got a bag of Easter treats, which they enjoyed immensely (as did the adults, who did a little mooching themselves).

After breakfast, we headed over to Martha’s Sunday School, where 186 students listened as Martha read the story of Easter using the Resurrection Egg kit, with our team members pantomiming the story as she went.  After the story, we played games and colored with the children, until a brief rain shower sent us all back under the shelter.

 In the afternoon, we headed over to the kinder to visit with about 50 Agape Promises children.  Again, we acted out the story while one of the teachers read it to the children.  Then we had the older children hide plastic eggs for the younger ones, followed by an Easter egg hunt for the Honduran teens.  Any doubts we may have had about whether the Honduran teens would like to hunt for Easter eggs was quickly dispelled by their eager antics to find the eggs! We focused on the egg as a symbol of new life, and I dare say they got it!  Both groups, both morning and afternoon, really enjoyed the story of Easter as told with the Resurrection eggs, and it is likely that next Easter quite a few may again clamor for an Easter egg hunt!

A quick change of clothes and we were back at church, La Cosecha this time.  As far as we could tell, no mention of Easter was made, the sermon being about the plagues of Egypt.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Back home, we had a late dinner and then worked another two hours sorting toothbrushes, toothpaste, and school supplies for tomorrow’s activities.  Whewww…a long day, but old relationships renewed,  new ones forged, and the concept of new life reinforced.

Blessings,

Beth

What an incredible day! The most moving event occurred at the very end of a long day. But first things first…we had a very smooth day of travel and are so thankful for that. After settling in to this beautiful compound, we set out to explore the community in which we will be working this coming week. First, we visited the hospital which just opened last June. What a wonderful place they have built! There are facilities for x-rays, labor and delivery, pediatrics, dentistry, OB-GYN, an on-site laboratory and emergency medicine. A much needed blessing for this community.
Next, we visited many of the houses that have been built by Agape teams over the past 8-10 years. It was a pleasure getting to visit with these families. As a first-time team member, this was quite an eye opening experience. It is amazing how little these people have and how happy they are despite it. God is great!

Today the Texoxingales community received word that the Foundation approved the purchase of piping that will enable them to restore water to their community.  Their present water source has been drying up in the last few years as the community population expanded.  Recently they have had water for a few hours a day at best, and increasingly some homes in the community go for days with no water.  A new water source will provide copious amounts of water, but will require about 3,000 feet of new piping.  Men of the community are ‘machete-ready’ and ‘shovel-ready’ to start tomorrow hacking a path through the jungle-like underbrush and digging trenches in the hillsides to lay the water line.  They are exceedingly grateful and genuinely thankful for our help, expressing profound prayer for God’s richest blessing on the benefactors who are enabling them to dig themselves out of their dire situation.

Allen

Today we met with a small group from the Tejeres community to continue assessment of their needs and discuss possible steps forward on biosand filters and latrines for the 50 families in that community.

The approach we agreed to was to begin with a community discussion on health aspects of contaminated water, led by the HAF nurse.  Second would be a discussion of community health experiences in Santa Clara before and after installing the filters, led by a community leader there.  These two discussions would be followed by installation of one or perhaps two filters as a demonstration.  With adequate community acceptance, perhaps a summer mission team and a local expert from Santa Clara could teach them the principles of use and care of a filter, and could teach them how to build their own filters.

Regarding latrines, the community acknowledges a great need.  Lack of adequate water would necessitate a dry latrine versus wet.  As with the water filters, the preferred approach would start with a single dry latrine as a demonstration of how to build and maintain it.  Acceptance of the new latrine concept by the community could lead to more being built over time.

Allen

When the women of Teo said they wanted an automatic molino we were dumbfounded, not having any idea of what that was.  They told us it turned wet corn into masa which then becomes tortillas.  Today we went to see one in action in Pinalejo.

Little children arrived with bags of corn, in the hopper they went with water dripping in from above and out came masa.  Hopefully the photos tell the story.

Dr Constantino joined us again this morning.  First, the big news…..Dr Elsa had a baby girl, Sofia Natalia.  Mother and daughter are doing well. 

Our primary goal was to get his feedback on a draft agreement with the Quimistan Hospital.  We had a valuable exchange of ideas.

The Hospital will have the technician who installed and services all of their high tech equipment, examine the autorefractor to see if it can be resuscitated.  Please pray for a good result so we can once again provide this outreach.

Laura and Vilma are freshman in college and the first Agape Promises graduates to be sponsored for higher education.  School began in February and this was our first chance to sit down and get an update.  They are our role models as we seek to develop a program for future AP graduates. One of their subjects is English so we’re hoping the next meeting will be in English.  You can’t help but be enthusiastic about their future as you listen to them.

Ken and June