On Tuesday morning dad woke up and told us that he didn't think he would be able to go to the second school. You see, while we were checking in our luggage on Saturday, he wrenched his back, and by now it was feeling so bad he knew that if he went on the bumpy roads he might become immobile. So . . . Caleb and I just went out with the team that day, and dad went to a Honduran chiropractor. Thankfully it did make him feel a lot better, and he was able to go the next day.
Anyway, we left that morning around 8:30 and after a couple hours of REALLY rough roads, we finally made it. I just LOVED how the children laughed as we pulled up. And when we got out of the pickup they ran up and stared and smiled at us like they had never seen a "gringo" before!!
The solar team finished in record time, I believe, and the fiesta time went really well. We did pretty much the same things as the day before, except we divided the children into three groups because there were a lot of little kids. The school was up on a kind of hill, and the yard was HUGE, but right in the sun. Everything went well, though, and when the solar team had finished we all went up to the buildings to hear Allen R.'s speech and see the lights go on! I was really touched when Allen talked about how he had wondered in the past why God hadn't given him any children, but then God gave him the children of Honduras. That was pretty neat.
Right when we arrived at the school, the clouds were kind of threatening, but thankfully God held off the rain and we made it safely back to our hotel before supper. If it would have rained, we would have been stuck at the school or on the road - those mountain trails are so terrible, they would have been impassible if it had poured. It was neat to see God work - all three days of going to the schools it only sprinkled once (and it was the rainy season)!!
The third day was not much different from the other two as far as the fiesta and solar set-up went. This school was the smallest (as far as the amount of kids) and we had to go through a couple gates to get to it! When we arrived it was pretty neat seeing all the kids lined up waiting, holding their Honduran flags. They had also put up balloons and a welcome sign for us.
When we had finished the games and crafts, we made animal balloons for the children. I'm not good at making them, so I just blew up the balloons (with a pump) for the others. :-) The kids loved them!!
It was kind of sad leaving the last school knowing that there wasn't going to be another one the next day. But is was so neat seeing the smiles, and knowing that your team hopefully impacted many family's lives for the better. Please pray that many, many people would come to know the Lord through what we did.
On Thursday we drove back the couple hours to Tegucigalpa, then that afternoon we went to a little town to do shop for some souvenirs. That evening we all went out to our celebration dinner at the M. family's favorite Chinese restaurant! :-) Friday was our day of departure. We took off from the shortest runway in the world, and looked out the window for our last glimpse of Honduras. We finally arrived at our hotel, ordered in some pizza, and went to bed!! We had to get up the next morning VERY early to catch our flight that would take us to Minneapolis. We had to stay at the Minn. airport for a few hours, but finally we boarded the last flight that would take us HOME!!!!
Mom, Daniel, Lydia and Ethan met us with a welcome home balloon and homemade signs. We were all so glad to be together again!!!
We thank the Lord for a great trip - and we thank all of you for your prayers and support!!!!!
Instead of posting pictures here, I've decided to put all of them up on a Picasa web album. It will be open to invited readers only, so if you would like to see them please e-mail me and I will send you the link. Thanks!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Missions Trip Part 2 - Our First School
Sunday morning we got up early and got ready to go to church (the M. family's church). It was a very interesting and new experience for us. For music, there were drums, electric guitar, electric bass, keyboard, and an electric violin. The singers had beautiful voices. And during the songs, there were dancers that were dressed in matching clothes who danced with flags to the praise songs. That was neat! The whole service lasted 4 hours, so we were ready for lunch when we came out! :-)
Right after a quick lunch we loaded up the bus that would take us to Choluteca. The 2 1/2 hour drive was very nice - I just love the mountainous view!!
Just before we arrived at the hotel it started pouring. When it stopped we unloaded all our things and brought our personal stuff to our rooms. Dad, Caleb and I shared a room that had three beds (that was nice!) and the other team members split up - 2-4 in each room. The hotel was pretty nice - the rooms had air conditioning (for which we were grateful) and our room also had a free pet gecko!! :-)
The next morning we again got up bright and early, had breakfast and devotions, and prepared our things for the first school. I was kind of nervous since I didn't totally know what to expect!
There were three or four pick up trucks that we loaded all our stuff into. The guys had to tie the ladders and pole to the back of one of the trucks, and Caleb and Juancho rode in the back of that truck, holding on to them. Riding in the back of a truck was a real adventure for Caleb, but it's something they do all the time in Honduras!
After 2-3 hours of driving on roads at least twice as bad as most gravel roads here, we finally arrived at our first school!! They had balloons and a welcome sign up, and all the children were waiting outside to greet us. Most had uniforms on, but there were some kids that came from the surrounding area that couldn't afford to buy uniforms (and therefore couldn't go to school).
The Solar Team started unloading right away, and the Fiesta Team had the children each grab a chair and bring it outside. We had them all sit down, and we led them in a couple songs (one in Spanish, and one in English), and also a fun action sentence (I . . . saw a man . . . who was strong . . . and danced like a monkey). That may sound silly to you, but the kids just loved it!! They had huge smiles on their faces, and they laughed whenever we "danced like a monkey."
The next thing we did was the Gospel bead bracelet. There are five colors (yellow, black, red, white and green) that help you explain the Gospel (the Garden of Eden, sin, the blood of Jesus, that makes you clean and white, so we can have eternal life). This whole first part of the fiesta the translators were doing a lot of the work, but Sharon C. and I helped teach the song in English, did the actions to the songs, and we also helped the children tie the knots on their bracelets. Oh, and I was the "official" team photographer/videographer, so I kept busy with that too. Another fun thing we did while the kids were in their seats was reading the story of Noah's Ark to them. Sharon read it and the girls translated. We read it a second time and had the kids hold up some animals and go through the ark. By the way, my sister Lydia colored all the animals for the kids and Sharon copied them and had them lamenated, then put on big popsicle sticks! Great job Lydia! :-)
After the sitting down time, we had the children split up into two groups - one to do the parachute games, and one to do the relay races. Gabriella and I did the parachute first, then we switched sides and did the relay races. The kids just LOVED throwing the balls up in the air, and even some of the adults enjoyed helping to throw the balls back on the parachute. :-)
It was quite hot out this whole time, but I put lots of 70SPF sunscreen on, along with a wide brimmed hat and we also of course drank from our water bottles. For lunch the hotel had packed us sandwiches and we also had cold Pepsi (ahhhh!).
During the lunch break the kids all brought their chairs to one of the classrooms where they colored their paper butterflies that we had given them, then used double-sided tape to attach a Popsicle stick and some colorful ribbons. After that Allen R. (who started SonLight Power) gave his speech to the children, then brought them inside for the dedication. Jay had raised the money for this school, so he dedicated it and the lights went on! Each school, besides lights in each classroom, also got a TV and VCR player, and two DVDs about Jesus. We also gave the teachers a huge bag full of supplies like scissors, markers, crayons, pencils and lots more. Each school was also able to keep the parachute and beach balls, and three new soccer balls. And each child was given a bag of school supplies, a tract, a pretty bead necklace, and the crafts they completed.
We left our first school weary and hot, but very happy that we were able to bless the children and share Jesus with them!
The Honduran dancers at the church
This was taken right after we arrived at the hotel
Caleb loved riding in the back of the pickup!
Here's the school all decorated for our arrival
The Honduran children were SO cute!
The Solar Team (with help from some locals) starts digging
Showing them how to do the bead bracelet
Dad and Caleb helping out
I love how the bright red sucker matches the lady's dress!
Reading the Noah story
Even the mothers liked to listen!
The Solar Team putting up the pole
The base of the pole - that's Mr. M. writing in the cement
I just love this picture - that girl is so adorable with that big smile on her face!
The parachute games
Dad with some of the children
The beautiful Honduran mountains
Jay with the head student, turning on the lights
Dad, Caleb and I with the children
Right after a quick lunch we loaded up the bus that would take us to Choluteca. The 2 1/2 hour drive was very nice - I just love the mountainous view!!
Just before we arrived at the hotel it started pouring. When it stopped we unloaded all our things and brought our personal stuff to our rooms. Dad, Caleb and I shared a room that had three beds (that was nice!) and the other team members split up - 2-4 in each room. The hotel was pretty nice - the rooms had air conditioning (for which we were grateful) and our room also had a free pet gecko!! :-)
The next morning we again got up bright and early, had breakfast and devotions, and prepared our things for the first school. I was kind of nervous since I didn't totally know what to expect!
There were three or four pick up trucks that we loaded all our stuff into. The guys had to tie the ladders and pole to the back of one of the trucks, and Caleb and Juancho rode in the back of that truck, holding on to them. Riding in the back of a truck was a real adventure for Caleb, but it's something they do all the time in Honduras!
After 2-3 hours of driving on roads at least twice as bad as most gravel roads here, we finally arrived at our first school!! They had balloons and a welcome sign up, and all the children were waiting outside to greet us. Most had uniforms on, but there were some kids that came from the surrounding area that couldn't afford to buy uniforms (and therefore couldn't go to school).
The Solar Team started unloading right away, and the Fiesta Team had the children each grab a chair and bring it outside. We had them all sit down, and we led them in a couple songs (one in Spanish, and one in English), and also a fun action sentence (I . . . saw a man . . . who was strong . . . and danced like a monkey). That may sound silly to you, but the kids just loved it!! They had huge smiles on their faces, and they laughed whenever we "danced like a monkey."
The next thing we did was the Gospel bead bracelet. There are five colors (yellow, black, red, white and green) that help you explain the Gospel (the Garden of Eden, sin, the blood of Jesus, that makes you clean and white, so we can have eternal life). This whole first part of the fiesta the translators were doing a lot of the work, but Sharon C. and I helped teach the song in English, did the actions to the songs, and we also helped the children tie the knots on their bracelets. Oh, and I was the "official" team photographer/videographer, so I kept busy with that too. Another fun thing we did while the kids were in their seats was reading the story of Noah's Ark to them. Sharon read it and the girls translated. We read it a second time and had the kids hold up some animals and go through the ark. By the way, my sister Lydia colored all the animals for the kids and Sharon copied them and had them lamenated, then put on big popsicle sticks! Great job Lydia! :-)
After the sitting down time, we had the children split up into two groups - one to do the parachute games, and one to do the relay races. Gabriella and I did the parachute first, then we switched sides and did the relay races. The kids just LOVED throwing the balls up in the air, and even some of the adults enjoyed helping to throw the balls back on the parachute. :-)
It was quite hot out this whole time, but I put lots of 70SPF sunscreen on, along with a wide brimmed hat and we also of course drank from our water bottles. For lunch the hotel had packed us sandwiches and we also had cold Pepsi (ahhhh!).
During the lunch break the kids all brought their chairs to one of the classrooms where they colored their paper butterflies that we had given them, then used double-sided tape to attach a Popsicle stick and some colorful ribbons. After that Allen R. (who started SonLight Power) gave his speech to the children, then brought them inside for the dedication. Jay had raised the money for this school, so he dedicated it and the lights went on! Each school, besides lights in each classroom, also got a TV and VCR player, and two DVDs about Jesus. We also gave the teachers a huge bag full of supplies like scissors, markers, crayons, pencils and lots more. Each school was also able to keep the parachute and beach balls, and three new soccer balls. And each child was given a bag of school supplies, a tract, a pretty bead necklace, and the crafts they completed.
We left our first school weary and hot, but very happy that we were able to bless the children and share Jesus with them!
The Honduran dancers at the church
This was taken right after we arrived at the hotel
Caleb loved riding in the back of the pickup!
Here's the school all decorated for our arrival
The Honduran children were SO cute!
The Solar Team (with help from some locals) starts digging
Showing them how to do the bead bracelet
Dad and Caleb helping out
I love how the bright red sucker matches the lady's dress!
Reading the Noah story
Even the mothers liked to listen!
The Solar Team putting up the pole
The base of the pole - that's Mr. M. writing in the cement
I just love this picture - that girl is so adorable with that big smile on her face!
The parachute games
Dad with some of the children
The beautiful Honduran mountains
Jay with the head student, turning on the lights
Dad, Caleb and I with the children
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Missions Trip Part 1 - Arriving in Honduras
Here is part 1 of the story of our missions trip. WARNING: I like telling detailed stories so if you don't like detailed stories just look at the pictures. :-) ha ha ha
Dad, Caleb and I woke up at 3am on June 4, and mom drove us to the airport. We flew to Minneapolis, then to Memphis, then finally to Atlanta. We stayed the night there, and woke up early the next morning to get to our next flight, where we met up with the other team members. Only after we landed in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, did we find out that it is the shortest runway in the world (for large planes)!!! We all cheered when the pilot made an extremely smooth landing. :-)
After taking forever to get through customs, we finally finished, gathered our luggage together and loaded it all into Mr. M's van (we stayed at the M.'s house for 3 nights during our trip). That van was stuffed to the gills!! Dad, Caleb and I all sat in the front, and it was so full that dad had to sit on my lap! :-) Thankfully the M.'s house was only 4 blocks away.
We arrived and unloaded everything, and then had lunch. The M. family is a very nice Christian family, and we really appreciated their kind and generous hospitality! They all speak both English and Spanish (Mr., Mrs., 8 year old Josue (pronounced Hosway), and 6 year old Esther).
That afternoon Sharon C. (the lady who was doing the fiestas with me) and I went through all our supplies and organized everything for the fiestas. We had SO much stuff to give to the kids and their teachers, so that took quite a while to get together. Fri. and Sat. the others also worked on getting our solar equipment out of customs (it had been stuck there for several weeks), and then preparing it for the schools. That night we went out to Pizza Hut for supper. Yes, there are a lot of American restaurants in Honduras!! The Pizza Huts we went to were 2 or 3 times as big as the ones here, and they had a play land!! :-)
The next day (Sat.) we spent the morning doing various things, and that afternoon we went on a tour of the city. We drove up this big mountain, and at the top we were able to see the whole city. It was beautiful!! That night we watched a soccer game between the US and Honduras. Soccer (or football, as they call it) is a HUGE thing in Honduras! The US won, but I'd have to say that Honduras played very very well. :-)
Since we flew in on a weekend, were weren't able to start the schools until Monday. It was nice to have those couple days to settle in and rest before we went to the tougher work. :-)
Part two to be coming soon (hopefully)!! :-)
Our first view of Honduras
This is our team from the US (along with some of the M family).
L-R: Marcus, Allen, Phil, Sharon, Me, Mr. M., Caleb, Luke, Jay, Dad, and Josue and Esther in the front
Customs
Loading the van
Eating at Pizza Hut
Phil playing with Josue
Sharon playing with Esther
No, this store wasn't named after my nickname! :-)
Tegucigalpa
Dad, Caleb and I woke up at 3am on June 4, and mom drove us to the airport. We flew to Minneapolis, then to Memphis, then finally to Atlanta. We stayed the night there, and woke up early the next morning to get to our next flight, where we met up with the other team members. Only after we landed in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, did we find out that it is the shortest runway in the world (for large planes)!!! We all cheered when the pilot made an extremely smooth landing. :-)
After taking forever to get through customs, we finally finished, gathered our luggage together and loaded it all into Mr. M's van (we stayed at the M.'s house for 3 nights during our trip). That van was stuffed to the gills!! Dad, Caleb and I all sat in the front, and it was so full that dad had to sit on my lap! :-) Thankfully the M.'s house was only 4 blocks away.
We arrived and unloaded everything, and then had lunch. The M. family is a very nice Christian family, and we really appreciated their kind and generous hospitality! They all speak both English and Spanish (Mr., Mrs., 8 year old Josue (pronounced Hosway), and 6 year old Esther).
That afternoon Sharon C. (the lady who was doing the fiestas with me) and I went through all our supplies and organized everything for the fiestas. We had SO much stuff to give to the kids and their teachers, so that took quite a while to get together. Fri. and Sat. the others also worked on getting our solar equipment out of customs (it had been stuck there for several weeks), and then preparing it for the schools. That night we went out to Pizza Hut for supper. Yes, there are a lot of American restaurants in Honduras!! The Pizza Huts we went to were 2 or 3 times as big as the ones here, and they had a play land!! :-)
The next day (Sat.) we spent the morning doing various things, and that afternoon we went on a tour of the city. We drove up this big mountain, and at the top we were able to see the whole city. It was beautiful!! That night we watched a soccer game between the US and Honduras. Soccer (or football, as they call it) is a HUGE thing in Honduras! The US won, but I'd have to say that Honduras played very very well. :-)
Since we flew in on a weekend, were weren't able to start the schools until Monday. It was nice to have those couple days to settle in and rest before we went to the tougher work. :-)
Part two to be coming soon (hopefully)!! :-)
Our first view of Honduras
This is our team from the US (along with some of the M family).
L-R: Marcus, Allen, Phil, Sharon, Me, Mr. M., Caleb, Luke, Jay, Dad, and Josue and Esther in the front
Customs
Loading the van
Eating at Pizza Hut
Phil playing with Josue
Sharon playing with Esther
No, this store wasn't named after my nickname! :-)
Tegucigalpa
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Honduras Update
We made it!! Dad, Caleb and I are in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. So far everything has been going pretty well. The only problem is that the supplies for the solar power haven't all come yet. So please be in prayer about that.
I probably won't be updating on here until we get back, but we do plan to put several posts, when we can, on the SonLight Power blog.
Thank you for your prayers!!
I probably won't be updating on here until we get back, but we do plan to put several posts, when we can, on the SonLight Power blog.
Thank you for your prayers!!
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