The Airport Fiasco: Thursday

We went to the airport in Teguc today to try to buy some puddle-jumper tickets for my cousin Steph, her son Christian, and Paul for tomorrow, since the airport still has not been opened to large jets yet. Upon arriving at the airport, we found soldiers lined up along the sidewalk, their riot gear by their sides. They were definitely expecting a riot to break out since it had just been announced again that the airport wasn't opening. The airport is such a good thing for the city, and thousands of people have lost their jobs because it hasn't been open. The economy and the people really need the airport to reopen. Unfortunately it has developed into a political battle because the current communist president wants to remove the American presence from the country, and his solution to this is to suggest that the airport be moved to the US Airforce Base called Palmeriola, which would eliminate the base and therefore the Airforce. This is really not a probable solution, since the major airline carriers United and Continental will not agree to continue service if the airport is moved. The people of Honduras are very upset by the injustice that is occurring, and there is a certain hysteria circulating the city. Just today it has become rather dangerous to travel to San Pedro Sula (location of the other airport) because a strike occurred today where a mob of people formed a human blockade across the highway and would let no buses through, a protest to the rising bus fares in the city. One of the Torch groups who were here this past week were on their way to the coast, and were stopped in this traffic for a good part of the day. I took this picture as we were about to get in the car…I am not posting this so that you will worry…we are all taking the necessary precautions to ensure our safety, and there is no reason for me to be afraid. Honestly, I'm not - I just pray that this can be resolved soon so that the thousands out of work can go back to their jobs and the much-needed business can return to Teguc. Please pray for the safety of everyone traveling in and out of San Pedro Sula, and that the riots and unrest that have occurred will be effective in bringing about change.

Not your average spider...

so i decided i needed a more light hearted post after my downers from the past few days...so a couple of days ago there was a surprise waiting for us in the kitchen sink. luckily Mark found it before we did...we just got to play with it before we let it go!!! such a fun experience...it was huge!!!! christian was so excited about it, and freaked everyone out at breakfast!

Day 7:The Dump

And I thought yesterday was difficult. Today we stopped by the grocery store and bought dozens of bags of bread, jars of peanut butter and jelly, and bags of water (the cheapest way to buy them; just imagine the contents of a water bottle poured into a sealed sandwich bag) to take to the dump. When I say dump, I mean like a landfill. Acres upon acres of trash piled sky high. The smell? Just take a whiff of your kitchen trash and multiply that by millions. The flies? Same thing. The vultures? Flocks upon flocks of them, probably almost as many as the flies. Why then, you would ask, would we be taking peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and servings of water to this place? For the people that live there. Never have I seen a situation so desperate, so primal, and so disgusting as hundreds of people calling a landfill their home, a place where they fought vultures for decaying piles of spaghetti, the women dressed like men so as not to draw unwanted attention to themselves, glue was bought before food to eliminate the hunger pains, and everyone rushed to the incoming dump truck to start digging through the new trash. As Steph and I were getting the meals together to hand off the back of the bus, I saw the faces lined up, covered in dirt, some in masks (skin diseases, flies, not sure?), hunger-hollow eyes, all eager for a full, maggot-free meal. I could barely stomach the smell, let alone the idea that this is what these people called their lives. Nothing could have prepared me for what I witnessed today, and it is still difficult to write about it. There was desperation in my heart as I tried to think how God could allow this amount of suffering to take place, a method of survival so humiliating and raw. I wanted to change it right then and there, put the people on the bus and get them out. That however, wasn't going to solve anything. This is what they knew, many of them for probably all their lives…they were making a few cents here and there by recycling plastic bottles and tin cans; the trash they ate in, slept in, lived in, was their source of income. I still believe there is a reason for everything, and I know that what I witnessed today will never leave my mind, I will always have images engraved in my conscience, and I will always be tempted to throw a full bag of chips or a couple cans of soda in the garbage knowing it would make someone's day at the dump to find an unopened bag of food. I pray that God will continually remind me of how bad it could be, and that the people living at the dump can look to God in their dire circumstances and find solace in Him. I don't know if I can effectively relay to you the reality of the dump through pictures, but it is worth a shot. I didn't get a chance to take any pictures, so I need to borrow some from Lorie, so hopefully i can put those up soon.

Day 6 Hospital Escuela and the Blind School

Today was an incredibly hard day for me. I knew before I came that there were going to be things that I cried about, things I wouldn't handle well. Today, I found one. We went to the community hospital, the largest public hospital in all of Central and South America. We were laden with chairs for the mothers standing at their children's beds, candy and toys for the patients. I went along with my new friend Sean (old enough to be my dad) and we prayed with several mothers and passed out the goodies we had packed. They were all very thankful, and very eager to pray with us, it was such a blessing. The children were rather amused with my spanish, and I didn't care because I got them to laugh. We went into the pediatric cancer ward also…I went around to some of the beds, which were in a very cramped, very busy waiting-room like area. I found a very young boy sitting by himself, so I sat down on the floor by his chair and started talking to him. He was very grave, and seemed very nervous. Once I got him talking, which took a lot, I found out the kid was two. Two. I pulled out some coloring pages and crayons for him to use, but he wanted me to color for him. While we were coloring his grandmother joined us…I'm not really sure where she was while he was sitting by himself. I introduced myself and she sat there quietly while Jose and I played. He really started to warm up to me, and it didn't take long for me to really get him laughing. In the pictures he is smiling, and that is exactly the way I want to remember him…he was two years old, taking steroids as part of his treatment (thus the chubbiness), and back at the hospital for another painful treatment, and the best thing I did that day was make his wait entertaining. He was such a sweet little boy, and he had undergone so much more in his two years than I have in my eighteen. I also met another girl, named Jenny, who had had her right leg amputated half way up her thigh. Her mother and sister were both with her, and we got to talk for awhile. Her mother really wanted a doll for her, and none of us had any, so I told her that if I was back at the hospital in the next ten days (that's how long they'd be there) I would bring a doll to her. In the same room as Jenny was a little boy who absolutely adored Paul. He had a feeding tube, and was with both of his parents. So cute, as the picture shows. Paul is definitely a magnet for the cutest little boys. After Hospital Escuela we went to the blind school, which was absolutely amazing. Here I became buddies with Carlos, who from what I could tell was not completely blind but very close. He played a few songs for me on the piano, and really loved taking pictures…I was a little reluctant to hand over my camera at first, but he was so excited to take pictures…now, as you can imagine, a nearly blind person taking pictures may not produce the most desired effects…I had a ton of pictures of just my torso, no head, but he was able to take a few good ones, and I will always be able to tell which pictures were his. What an amazing child. My day was full of amazing children, all struggling to take on the trials they were presented with. It was not until that night at devotional that I broke down. I am realizing that God has given me a response system in which I have enough adrenaline pumping in my body when I am faced with something difficult to hold back my tears, so that I can be strong for others, but later it catches up to me. I cried for Jose, sitting in that waiting room by himself, and for Jenny, depressed in her wheelchair, and for Carlos, asking me if the pictures he had taken were good. God has blessed me with no signs of cancer as a toddler, two legs to walk on, and blue eyes to observe the world, but He has blessed Jose with a determined spirit, Jenny with a very supportive mother and sister, and Carlos with an amazing ear for music. God is good, and He knows exactly what He is doing. I find comfort in that God does not give us challenges we cannot handle, and I will constantly pray for Jose, Jenny, and Carlos, and every other child struggling as they are to have the strength each day to handle their struggles, as I know that God is the only one who can help me through mine. Today was really hard, yet I know that it will be these hard days that will make me praise God even more. Please pray that I have more hard days while I'm here - I feel that I have become too selfish and too comfortable in my comparatively easy and carefree life…I am reminded of the song, "My heart is hard, my soul so weak, the ways of evil cut so deep, I need you Lord, to come inside, and gently break my heart. Break my heart, dear Lord, tear the barriers down, show me Father, where to start, and gently break my heart."

Day 5: Nuevo Oriental Clinic

Yay for clinic days! Monday we went to the village of Nuevo Orientale and set up clinic in the church there. We had Gayle, Phyllis (our nurse), Lindsey and David (our pharmacy folks), Rachel translating for Gayle, and me doing some translating as well. After we were able to get into the church (finally), we set up quickly and sent the church caretaker out with 30 numbers to give to families. We started receiving patients, and it did not take long to fill up the benches in the small church. We saw mother after mother with several children circling around them, most comparably young to have so many children. Almost everyone had a cold, and many had stomach problems and parasites, evidence of which we had found earlier in a nearby outhouse. Can you say grossly fascinating? Probably the most common problems were bug bites. Some of the little children were covered in them, and here I was whining about the three that I had gotten the night before. All of the families were very patient, especially when we had some mix ups with the number system. These families need so many basic forms of healthcare, and most illnesses are a direct result of the environment in which they are living. It was so fulfilling to provide these very deserving families access to healthcare, even if we were only seeing patients for four hours. Like Gayle said at the end, even if we were only able to help one person today, it all would have been worth it. While their medications they received were going to provide physical comfort, we also knew that many would be able to sleep better, eat better, and live better having received the encouragement and the knowledge so readily available to them that day. Please pray for the families that we treated, and for the continued success of the traveling medical clinics that reach out to these isolated communities. i had so much fun speaking spanish...i think i'm obtaining a Honduran accent...sweet!!! the clinic was really alot of fun, and i can't wait to be in Santa Ana doing the same thing!!! and unfortunately, i was too busy to take some pictures, but i'm really going to try harder!!!

Day 4: Iglesia de Cristo en Los Pinos

On Sunday we went to Los Pinos for church...one of the poorest neighborhoods we visit. it is absolutely amazing to worship with the poor....because in the church we are all brothers and sisters. we sang in both english and spanish, and i was so moved by the spanish songs...they are so beautiful...especially when i understood the words!!! this church is truly an example of the parable of the widow who gave everything she had to the church, even though it was two small coins...the poorest of the poor come every sunday and give what few lempiras they have (one Lempira is about 5 cents US) to the church. you feel so blessed in comparison, but they too consider themselves to be blessed, and they have so much faith in God. i feel so uplifted, a feeling that comes only from worshipping in a church like Los Pinos. please pray for the people of Los Pinos...they are truly, truly in need.

Day 3: las hermanas de Cristo

today was by far my favorite day, well out of three. we went to The Good Shepherd Children's home in a town i don't remember the name of, but it was definitely way out there (an hour and a half ride on the school bus, my favorite!) when we arrived, the children (there were a total of around 200) came in droves to the bus. it was a barrage of "hola! hola! hola!" and hand grabbing and hugging. they were adorable!!! we started making toys for the kids, and i had to use my spanish right away...i was so excited!! of course after the hour and a half bus ride i really need to use the restroom. i asked one of the girls who clung to me right away, "puedes indicarme al bano?" (can you show me to the bathroom?) so she takes me by the hand and leads me into her casacita (the dorms) and shows me the bathroom...when i come out of the bathroom the girls are sitting on one of the bunks whispering, no doubt about the fact there was a peliroja gringa (red-headed white girl) using their bathroom. the girl took me out again and introduced me to her best friend. i took out some candy i had brought to give away, and as soon as i brought my backpack around to the front, a flock- no a mob- of kids circled around me. it is rather hard to give things away, because they want so much, and they'll lie, like, "y uno para mi hermana" (and one for my sister), a request i replied to with "donde esta tu hermana?" (where is your sister?) the girls i was with were very good at interpreting my spanish, and helped me tell the other kids what i needed them to do. the girls, the two in most of the pictures, were 9 and 10... their names were Astrid and Leslis...i couldn't understand them until i asked them to spell their names...only then can i really know how to pronounce them! the girls were so sweet and led me by the hand everywhere. they told me they had been there two years. i also happened upon the most vivacious 9-year-old boy ever...Marvin. he is SO small for a 9 year old...probably due to serious malnourishment and failure to thrive, conditions arising from his situation before coming to the children's home. we played "futbol americano" for awhile, and then got our food. while we were sitting there eating, another girl came up, stared for a little, then turned to Astrid and Leslis and muttered something. i asked, "hablando sobre mi?" (are you talking about me?) and she gave a bashful nod of her head and said, "si, sus ojos." (yes, your eyes) my blue eyes bring me more attention than ever, along with my red hair. paul said that he had told Marvin to come find me, and he didn't know who his sister was, so paul said "la peliroja" and Marvin knew exactly who he meant. the children were so good to me when i spoke spanish, which was all day. i told them that they were going to help me with my spanish, and they most certainly did. i learned so much from them, and i only felt slightly stupid stumbling about with my limited vocabulary. the kids were all so loving and eager to hug you and play with you. i also got to play around with a 2 year old boy named Alejandro, who was also very very sweet. while i was talking to Astrid and Leslis, they were joking around alot, telling me crazy stories, and then when i told them about my brother being here, Astrid said to me that her and Leslis were sisters. I responded in disbelief - Leslis looks part African-American- and Astrid flashed me a smile and said, "Si, somos hermanas de Cristo", or yes, we are sisters in Christ. i about cried. these two best friends, who no doubt had been through so much, were best friends and found an even greater bond in Jesus. like i said, i learned so, so much from these girls today. when it was finally time to leave, i reached into my backpack and realized i had little to give them...so i gave Marvin a small container of Pringles, and a pack of crackers each to Astrid and Leslis. i wanted to give them so much more. i think another group will be going back while i am here, so i plan to get them some clothes to give them and definitely tic-tacs for Marvin (he loves them!)....poor Leslis was wearing a velour and lace long sleeved shirt in the blazing sun today. paul also had many admirers today, mostly 2 and 3 year old boys who hung on him like monkeys. so adorable. i wanted to take so many of them onto the bus....what an amazing day. when i said my final goodbye to Astrid and Leslis, i told them that the three of us were "hermanas de Cristo, siempre" (sisters of Christ, always)...i teared up when i waved for the last time out the bus window. i will never be able to forget the beautiful hearts i encountered today. Thank you God for this amazing experience. hopefully the pictures will upload today...if they do, then i will upload the ones i referred to in the previous post...until tomorrow!!! God Bless.

day 1: Santa Lucia y La Valle De Angeles (Valley of Angels)

from what i have been told, i had an incredibly crazy and interesting first day in Honduras. i was on a house building crew, and we were to build a house in a village outside of Santa Lucia. one of the things i learned very quickly is that just when you think a Honduran road has to end, it doesn't. the roads go on and on and up and up and around, getting narrower and narrower, which of course presents some problems. One of these we encountered immediately, which was that the school bus we were riding and that was carrying our tools would not be able to make it to the site. so we hailed down a small pickup truck off the highway, offered to pay him, and loaded our supplies and people into the truck. the first hill was so steep that he stalled out, and had to back all the way down and try again. we continued up the road, going on and on for what we were told would have only been a 25 minute walk. not true. it was about a 25 minute drive. we finally made it up to a steep, sharp curve that would have been impossible for the truck to pass. so he started to back down, and sent his back wheel into a 3-foot ditch on the edge of a cliff...to the point where the axle was about to break. so we unloaded all of our tools and tin and lifted and pushed the truck. after several frustrating tries, we got the truck unstuck... a few of the crew had continued up the road by foot to scope out the sight where we would be building. they returned, telling us that it would be impossible to build there because it was just a sheer cliff. all our efforts had essentially been wasted. frustrating? oh yeah. i wish i could have taken pictures, but i was a little preoccupied with, well, everything. i can't even explain the shock i was experiencing about what i was seeing. it is still hard for me to digest all of it. so onto our 2nd site, which was also in Santa Lucia. we again went up a very high hill (um, there's lots of them here) and walked out until it looked like our next step would be a freefall off the cliff. here we found a man pointing to an 8 ft x 10 ft space where he wanted his house. the problem: we build 20 x 20 houses. this sight wasn't going to work for us either. after a few phone calls and alot of waiting in a bus, we were given a third site for the day. upon arrival, we were told that it would be a short walk, about 100 ft, to the site. wrong again. the hondurans definitely measure differently. it was about 3/4 of a mile walk along a very uneven road...luckily the truck delivering the wood hauled our tin and tools for us. we were finally able to build...third time was a charm for us. i found myself incredibly useful in hauling wood, but not so much with hammer and nails. i mean, one or two nails, yeah no problem. 50 in like 10 minutes, um no. the day was very frustrating for all of us. but when i thought about it, i realized that two different people, a man with no hands and a man with several children thought they were getting a house today, and didn't. my frustrations about not being able to hammer a nail fast enough or build a house where it was needed were nothing. the expectations, the hopes, of these people were dashed with one look at their property. God knew what He was doing to us, as usual. what a humbling experience....and despite our setbacks it was still incredibly rewarding when we helped a 70-year-old man and his wife who had been living in a hole in the side of cliff into their brand new house. as the frail woman gave me a grateful hug, i knew that all of my sweat and blood (the thorns are killer here) and frustrations were so worth giving this couple, who had lived in terrible conditions all their life, a new start. God was given the glory as we finished up the house on friday, and we really didn't feel the need to mention the trials from the day before. it has been a great two days...i am so tired, i have blisters, a second knee-cap on my right leg from a nasty bug bite, greasy hair and terribly sore muscles...and tomorrow we go right back out again. i thank God for the strength He has given me to complete the tasks laid before me and the rest of the crew. tomorrow we go to a children's home to make lunch for them and play for the day...i am so excited. i will try to keep you all posted. God bless! (and i promise some pictures tomorrow!!!)

the start of a very long, incredible journey....

at the end of my second full day in honduras, i finally have time to update the blog. i feel like there is so much to write, which is probably because SO much has happened over the last few days. paul and i landed in San Pedro Sula, Honduras at 11 a.m. Wednesday, and sat in the small airport for 5 hours until our flight to Tegucigalpa, the capital. The airport in Teguc (short for Tegucigalpa, i'll use this throughout) is the airport i was supposed to fly into, but it was closed to international flights because of a plane crash that killed 5 people. One newspaper headlined the story as "aeropuerto de muerte" or, airport of death. so we finally boarded a plane to the capital...the plane we flew on is the one in the picture. definitely the smallest plane i've ever flown in. the picture of paul also has the pilot in it...this should give you an idea of how small it actually was....and when we took off, there was NO air flowing inside the cabin...and it was at least 95 degrees... it was the closest i have ever felt to panicking because of claustrophobia. luckily there was some air flowing once we were cruising, so we survived. the flight was beautiful because we could see the landscape because we were flying so low. it was so strange to arrive at the Teguc airport, where once we got off a man took pictures of us walking to the baggage claim area...just some evidence of the political strain in the country right now. we met Janet safely and drove out of the city to where we would be staying. i think i'll do posts on a day to day basis...so this was the end of traveling day. ok i'm having problems uploading the pictures along with the post, so i will get them up ASAP.

My new blog!!!

hey everyone!!! i am starting this blog so that friends and family (and anyone else!) who have supported my trip to Honduras or have expressed interest in it can stay up to date on what i am doing while i'm there. i recently purchased a digital camera, and i am obsessed with taking pictures, so i should have plenty to post once i arrive in Honduras. i fly out June 18th, one week later than i had planned, but complications with the airport in the capital city have prevented me from getting there any earlier. please pray that there are no more setbacks and that i have a safe trip, and for my cousins and brother who will also be traveling there. thanks again for your support, and check back around the 18th!!!