Everybody Returned Home Safely

As of Monday afternoon, everybody has returned home from Quimistan. Here is the assembled team before anyone returned home.

Left to right: June, Richard, Allen, Vanna, Sam, Flora, Jerry, Kathy, Brittany, Michael, Melanie, Charles, Roxanne, Ken, Danny, and Shirley.

Now that we have had a chance to catch up on stacked mail, newspapers, e-mail, and other things that all of us face, I’m hopeful that several of the team members who haven’t yet posted anything here will be able to give their perspective. Everyone experienced the trip in their own personal way, and the richness of those views can help explain why we went, what we encountered, and how we know we need to go back in the future.

Allen

It´s about time to pack up!

We shut down the eyeglass fitting clinic this morning, finished work on the new bathroom-shower building at Jicaro School, and completed some administrative details. After lunch, we did a Tour of Homes to see the three homes built during the last year as a result of funds contributed to, and through, Honduras Agape Foundation. These three bring the total to 37.

Right now, several team members have hopped on the back of the church pickup to go up the road a few miles to the souvenir shop. We´ll have dinner, go to church this evening, and take our last opportunity to go across the street to Shirley´s for ice cream. Then it´s packing time to be ready for an 8 AM departure to the San Pedro Sula airport. Shirley has a flight out about 11:30 AM to go back home to Canada, and the rest of us will leave there about 2:30 PM. We´ll go home to Mississippi, Georgia, and South Carolina.

Our time here has been another time of coming together of the Body of Christ for the team members with each other and with the local church members. We´ve been able to serve lots of folks from outlying communities as well. I think every team member feels incredibly blessed to have been able to be here and help where there are such deep needs. We´ve agreed in our team meetings that it´s hard to communicate the full range of our feelings to our friends, families, and churches back home.

As mentioned in earlier messages, we´ve been thrilled to see how the young people and adults from the church here are reaching out into neighboring communities with all kinds of helps.

I´m hopeful that when we get home and have time reflect a bit, some other team members will be able to sit back and express their experiences here. Several of us have taken lots of photos, so there can be a lot that capture special moments I´ve missed.

So until we get home, I´ll just say Hasta Mañana!

Allen

God Opens Eyes in Quimistan

Buenas tardes de Quimistan! Well our trip is wrapping up and God has definitely been at work through us as we have been here. I have worked in the clinic all week (along with Kathy, Vanna, Shirley, Flora, and the very faithful and helpful interpreters Jackie, Daniel, and Pablo). We have seen close to 60 patients each day and sent nearly 80% away with glasses. I wish I could send a picture or video that would convey the literal eye opening experiences these people are having.

One man was introduced to the room by Vanna with, “this man is 82 years old, we cannot get a reading from the autorefractor and he sees BLURRY near and far.” Well what can you do? The first pair of glasses I tried covered half his face but were +325 in each eye and caused him to bounce (as well an 82 year old man can) in his seat. “Sí mira! Clarito, clarito!” (Yes, I see! So clear, so clear). Well we tried many pairs of updated lenses but he was in love with the first ones. There have been many who are that excited and lots who have gotten reading glasses in lieu of longer arms.

I have been so blessed to be here to receive the hugs and see the happy faces of everyone, especially the ones we can help.

Pictures to follow when we return to los Estados Unidos.

It´s Still Okay here to touch!

It´s been gratifying to see that here, a teacher who loves her children is still allowed–even encouraged–to hug them. Do you think we´ve lost something in the U.S.? I think we face that danger.

This is the teacher at Jicaro School (also known as Republic of Venezuela School) with two of her students during the first day of Vacation Bible School there. This same teacher treated the visiting team to dinner the evening before.

In addition to being memorable due to a delicious meal, the evening was made even more memorable when the electricity went off a couple of times during dinner. Quick recovery with flashlights and candles gave a certain atmosphere we´ll look back on fondly. We even finished the evening with hugs all around.
Some things simply have no suitable substitute.
Allen

Project Dedication at Los Hornos School

Sunday the visiting mission team was treated with a lunch at the Los Hornos school, for dedication of their new facility with six bathrooms and two showers for the students. This was built with the help of Foundation funds.

We were greeted with the sounds of a three-man marimba band as we drove up the hill to the school. The director of the school and one of his teachers greeted us with a wonderful lunch and heartfelt expressions of thanks for what they have been able to do with our help.

We even had a ribbon cutting ceremony performed by Rene Herezano, President of the MPA Ministry that had proposed and overseen the project, and by Michael Norton, President of the Honduras Foundation.
Here you see team members Brittany, Kathy, and Shirley discussing the new facility with the director of Los Hornos school, relying on our capable translator Daniel for help. The culmination of the dedication was awarding of certificates of appreciation to Pastor Jerezano and to each of the team members, and handshakes all around from the school director and his teacher.

VBS at Luz del Valle

On Monday, Roxanne and I (Allen) went to the Luz del Valle (i.e., Light of the Valley) school for their Vacation Bible School class–Day 2. About 45 students showed up. At first they were apprehensive, not really knowing what to expect. That didn´t take long to change to enthusiasm and participation in memorization and games.
You can see here that Roxanne joined in during the games–to the extent of being captured in the trap. The kids loved her as much as she loves them.
As we find everywhere, all children love to have their picture made. Here are some from Luz del Valle.
But the bottom line here is not the fun and games. It´s the learning that´s going on all the time. For example, the chart here from 1st Corinthians taught them that Christ was victorious over death, and we can be confident that He is able to bring us victory over our difficulties.

Photos from Jicaro School VBS

We´ve talked a lot about the Vacation Bible Schools conducted for two days at four different schools in the Quimistan valley. Here are some photos of a group at the Jicaro school, a one-room school in the country. The first photo shows the classroom full of children with several parents peering in the window and a teenager from the Quimistan MPA church teaching the class. If you look closely, you can see that we were imparting God´s word to the whole community including even a neighborhood dog.

The next photo shows the teacher, Vilma Maria, who captivated the children with her fast-paced enthusiasm.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the children memorized several Bible verses emphasizing that “Jesus is the friend of all the children” which we can recognize as ¨”Jesus loves the little children, all the little children of the world.” The students then worked in groups to make posters showing children of all types, which were then displayed as shown here.
Next, each student in turn picked up the sign which had the name JESUS written on it. As the student displayed the sign to the rest of the class, he or she repeated the Bible verse that states (roughly) “Let the little children come to me, for they are part of my kingdom.¨”

Similar training was occurring at all four schools around the area. Team members assisted (with the help of excellent translators), but the real preparation and work was done by the young people in the church. Wow!

From Roxanne to our supporters

Hola hermanos y hermanas,
May you feel the joy that we all feel today. Thank you for your support which enables us to be here representing all of you. As always, the joy of the Lord is present here at the Agape Church. We have enjoyed worship, fellowship, meals and today, an excursion with our brothers and sisters in Christ.
The VBS reached over 200 children and was a wonderful experience for all. What a joy to see teenagers in our Agape Promise program leading the programs telling children about our Lord and Savior. It is these same children who have grown in their love of Christ and have gained confidence as they succeed in secondary school and are serving others.
The clinic is busy with patients visiting Doctora Elsa, and many coming for vision exams and lenses. We are averaging 60 exams a day.
The construction of the sanitation facilities in Jicaro are progressing well….no thanks to me as I have not lifted a shovel or a block there thus far….but God has provided willing and able men to assist.
May God bless you this day and He is most assurdely blessing me.
Your sister in Christ, Roxanne