2023 Team

2023 Team
The 2023 Team

Friday, March 17, 2017

Making Progress

I noticed that everyone crawled out of bed a bit more slowly this morning. That tends to happen as the adrenaline from anticipation wears off, and the missioners start to settle into a routing. Plus, we are not used to the altitude here. Everyone, however, is doing a great job of staying rested and hydrated. This morning was a little cool and windy, but this afternoon is sunnier and warmer.

Work continued on the houses after our breakfast French toast and fruit. By the way, Bruce tried to pull off the trick of scaring the girls with a spider that the guys looped over a beam and dropped down into the middle of the table where the girls were eating. He was totally disappointed when Reanna just picked it up off her plate and tossed it aside.

After breakfast most of the missioners continued nailing the siding into place, while other missioners began delivering the gift bags. Gift bag delivery is an experience we like all missioners to have because they see the homes that the families live in. Though most of them are quite clean, all of them show the poverty that exists in this area. As you can see from the pictures below, the families are very grateful for the gift bags. Not all of the homes have dirt floor, and it’s difficult for you to tell from the photos, but there were two homes this morning that had dirt floors. All of the houses are extremely difficult to reach. Some of them we could drive close to and then had to walk with the bag.

Since it’s Friday, and even though the Hondurans don’t follow the “no meat” rule because they very seldom eat meat anyway, we followed it. Lunch consisted of tuna noodle casserole, taro chips, fruit, and machateadas for dessert. Tonight the menu says cheese tacos (quesadillas) with sauce and beans.

For our blog followers: I hope to blog after lunch for the remainder of the trip. That means you’ll be able to read of our adventures by supper time. It will also allow me to go to bed when the other missioners do so I don’t get too tired. I miss out on some of the building, but I can’t do everything I guess. Since Linda usually is there when I am not, the photos will be covered.

Tonight I will give the missioners a chance to send messages to you. I hope to have those posted before bedtime tonight. We are enjoying your comments, especially since I read them aloud at the end of our junta. Special message to Jeremy: I’ll relay your new challenge to the missioners tonight. Bruce did forget to do the push-ups this morning, but we talked about it over lunch to be sure it gets done this afternoon. Tomorrow will be day 3 of the challenge, and Monday will wrap it up, as it will be the 4th day. Yesterday they had a Honduran audience who truly enjoyed the push-up performance.


As I finish today’s blog, I hear a program taking place on the school grounds. They are honoring fathers because today is Fathers’ Day in Honduras. Many of the children do not have fathers in their lives; there are lots of single mothers here. Actually, just as I was typing this the principal asked me to go outside to see the fathers that were here. She stated that they have 2,000 students and there are only 70 fathers who are in the homes of those students. Perhaps there are a few more, since some could have been at work, but that would not be many. It is quite sad that most of these children will grow up without a father in their lives. We all know that fathers make a big difference in the lives of their children.










lady does laundry in the lagoon

home in NC





Dan feels right at home as he changes a tire







returning from a gift bag delivery to the white house on left



students cleaning the school grounds

clothing store in NC

the roads we travel



Honduran home in Nueva Capital

traveling to work

Push-Up Challenge on Thursday




the homes we see












Proof that we are hydrating










Missioner Blogs

Hey famil,y all is good in Honduras. The food is actually really good here. I miss and love you guys. See you soonJ Brady Livermore

Hey family and friends, how’s life back in Iowa?  Nathan Weber climb any snow piles lately????? Gerardo miss you a lot. Family, hope you guys are holding down the fort back at home. Give buddy a hug for me, love ya, Brian Sauer

Hey Family, it’s been pretty fun so far. The food is pretty good if you like tortillas with everything. The sleeping accommodations are pretty good too. It’s like a big sleepover, but with a lot more snoring. The bad part is that around here the vehicles communicate by honking their horns. The water trucks start driving around 4 a.m. so that’s about the time we all wake up. Chandler, I gave Paola her gift. Her mother and her really appreciate it, and they remembered you. She said she cried a lot when you left last year. Love and miss you, Deven Paulsen

Hola mis amigos Jado and Narb, how is the ACN doing without me??????? Miss y’all and I’ll be fluent in Espanol when I return. Adios, Cooper Eugene Sebastian Davis

Hey mom and dad love ya. I learned some Spanish over the trip so far. Some of the phrases I learned are: Gordo=Fat; Tengo mucho hombre=I am very hungry; Gringo=White man; Vamos a jugar futbol= We are going to play soccer/ Let’s play soccer. My favorite thing to say is “Andele.” The weather is good. I am hot. The food is AMAZING. Adios mi familia! – Ralph

Hi Livermore family. Hi to Bob, Carol, Sydney, and Ryan. Don’t worry, Brady is still alive. Just wanted to say Hi! –Love Steph!!!!!

Hey fam bam! Love and miss you all, yes that means Doug and Paris as well. The food is amazing, and I am having a blast. See you all later! –Love Maddog6820

Hey Mom and Dad, things are going well, can’t wait to tell you all about what’s happened when I get back. I’ll be coming home with a little color, more specifically red. It’s very hot. Tell Cole I really miss him. –Lucas McCarty

Hello parents! Starting things off with the most important question: how is the dog? Give her a big hug for me. Honduras is great. Nice and warm. A bit breezy though. How’s my bracket doing? Oh, the food is muy delicioso. I have many things to talk about when I get back. I am really missing Metallica too. Also I’m getting pumped up for the Styx concert. Thanks, Carli! –Colin Wise

Hola Family and friends, things are going good and the houses are progressing. I am beginning to learn a small amount of Spanish. The food is great and filling. The kids are very caring and loving and very good at soccer. Can’t wait to tell you all the stories and about the people I have met. BFS employees, I’m taking good care of Mango. Lastly, I owe someone a shoutout so here’s your shoutout.   –Thomas Holzman

34 comments:

  1. I had to laugh because I totally can see Reanna doing that!! She is not scared of to much,...she grew up in the country how could we be?!! Thats my girl! What an amazing progress you all are doing, So exciting to see! The smiles on the little children touches the heart. What little they have can bring such a big smile! Will have to ask Reanna if their tuna & noodles are better than mine! I will anxiously await for my message! Love hugs prayers & everyone sleep well!

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  2. Thank you, Atze, for wearing purple pants. Now we can pick you out of the crowd. Work hard. We miss and love you, including the cat. Dad and Mom, and the very loud cat.

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  3. I can't explain how emotional it is to see the pictures everyday! What you all are doing is amazing work. I can't believe the progress you have made in 2 days! It breaks my heart to see the children live the way they do but you being there shows they just love being around you! The smiles from them are glowing! Mom MIB won their game at state playing tomorrow for Championship! I miss you all love you tons!!!!

    Mom & Tod

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  4. Hi Haley! Taya says, "I love you Haley! Why are you not in any pictures doing push ups? Where is Ralph? I can't find him in any pictures! Tell Catherine and Hannah, hi too. I can't wait to see all of you! "

    Thanks again for the pictures. It's hard to imagine the poverty the Hondurans live in. What a blessing the gifts and homes are to the people in need. I'm sure this is a very humbling experience.

    Sending hugs and prayers your way. Haley!

    Love you! Mom, Dad, Alexis, and Taya

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  5. ☘️☘️Happy St Patrick's Day everyone! ☘️☘️Thank you so much for keeping us posted on the progress you have made. It is great to see everyone working so hard. Lucas Patrick I noticed in the pictures that you forgot to put sunscreen on your arms. I hope it's not too painful. Also, does someone have a razor you can borrow? Cole and I are in Denison for the weekend. I'm sure he will keep you posted on the Notre Dame game tomorrow. Miss and love you, Mom

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  6. i miss you ree why'd you leave me

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  7. Funny how Bruce tried to pull the same trick that we pulled last year. Come up with something knew and maybe that will work!

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  8. Hey Cathy, Its Robert. We sure miss you! Hope you're having a good time! Thought I'd give you an update: the Vikes picked up LaTavius Murray from the Raiders but Flash C.P. went to the raiders. We saw some pictures of you and we are so proud of you. Love ya, keep up the good work!

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  9. Hey Thomas, it's Christopher. I miss the country music in the morning. Keep doing those pushups and working hard. That goes for Dustin, too. We like seeing all the pictures and all that you are doing. I'm getting my school permit soon. Can I take your truck to school then?? Just kidding! We miss you.

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  10. Catherine, we loved seeing the picture of you holding the little girl! We were a little scared when we saw you had a hammer! Keep up the good work!! Very proud of all of you!

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  11. Wow, what an amazing day! By the progression the houses look like you have all been working hard. It is awesome. I think about all of you and I am sharing your pictures and messages with my staff at work. Miss you Steph! Your Dad has even been following the blog on his phone. Who would have thought he would have figured it out��������. Take care. I enjoy the pictures!

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  12. Enjoy all the.pictures. Madison i see.you.can help outside and r really enjoying it. Your dad and doug are really missing u. So am I. I didnt see.u.doing any pushups let's see what u can do.
    Keep hydrated. And make the best u will make a big impact on these people's lives. Love mom

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  14. Hey Colin! Hope all is well. I love reading the blog and enjoy all the pictures. It really warmed my heart seeing you giving the little boy a piggy back ride. I don't know who enjoyed it more. Gabi and I have the house to ourselves tonight as Dad is in Ames for meetings. Watching March Madness...you and I are tied for first. Love and miss you!

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  15. Hey Maddog6820- LOVE the pictures- looks like you are having fun while also working hard!! I am excited to hear all about it. Miss you here- Piper is excited to see you when you get back. Love you!-big sis

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  16. Happy St. Pat's Day!

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  17. Denis- Kade, Kenzley, and myself took the 90 second COLD water shower challenge. Kade made it the longest! Looks like the group is making a lot of progress and it is a lot of work. The kids enjoy looking at the pictures in the morning. Please continue to stay safe and God bless all of you! Have Fun!

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  18. Hi Dustin, it looks like you all are working very hard and getting a lot done. Very proud of all of you. Keep up the great work. Thank you so very much Carolyn and Linda for all the updates and all the wonderful pictures. Love all your smiles Dustin it helps us to know that you are doing great. Take care. Love and miss you.

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  19. Ralph… Did someone call you Gordo? How rude… LOL. I thought you might lose some weight while you were there, but it sounds like the food is pretty good. Have you had to wash your clothes yet? We haven't had to do as many loads with you gone! I want to see some pictures of you playing with the kids. Have you delivered any gift bags yet? Your bracket is doing pretty well so far… I think Jeremy said you have 19 pics right so far. Only one more day till your birthday… What a great way to spend your 18th birthday! Can't wait to see/hear how they celebrate birthdays in Honduras! Grandma and grandpa say hi and they are proud of you and miss you. They just can't figure out how to post and grandma thinks google is giving her a virus or something… Oh grandma! Talk later… Get some sleep. I bet you miss your sleep the most?!?!?!

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  20. Well, well, well! I had never seen Catalina putting a nail on the wall. Now, I can see that she will have a lot experience doing it. Juan, I think you are gaining a helper in those duties from now on here in the future.....! Very happy to see everyone with big smiles! We miss you. Besos y abrazos Vale y Gigi

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  21. Deven, we were so excited to hear from you today. Sounds like you are having a great time and working hard. I had to drive your pickup to work today and I had so many people wave at me. Guess everyone knows your little red truck. Don't worry, Thomas, I remembered to honk both times I passed your house. Glad you are liking the food as we were worried about that. Thank you for all the pictures. We love to look through them. I look at them several times a day. Everyone please stay safe and we look forward to more blogs and pictures. Love, mom, dad, Drew and your furry friends

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  22. Hey everybody! I know you're having an absolutely amazing time in Honduras. Enjoy the time you have with the kids, you'll be missing them before you know it! Have you all had the opportunity to travel down the stairs outside the compound and back up the mountainside? I know we all enjoyed that last year :)
    Megan Kellen

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  23. Greetings from the Von Arbs! We are enjoying seeing everyone's hard work. Deven - Saw your mom driving your pickup today and think she's keeping it. Coop - I thought Jordan would hang out with me while you were gone, but haven't seen him yet. He will have to hang with us though if he wants to go to Carver and watch the Hawks play Sunday! Blessings to all missioners!

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  24. Hi Dan and Jade... Looks like you are staying busy! Looks like you had a great time delivering gifts to the families! I love seeing all the smiles. Dan I guess you can't get away from work, changing a tire in Honduras, I bet you had all the same tools? Jade it looks like you are having a blast you always have a smile! Sage is gone tonight, she went to Le Mars. I went uptown for the fish buffet with the Paulsen's. The animals are doing great, Oakley is getting bigger everyday! Keep the pictures coming, I enjoy all of them! Love Mom

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  25. (This is Carli Bollin, but I don't understand the sorcery that keeps erasing my message. Sorry if you receive it 17 times) Hi everyone but mostly Colin! I love reading the blog every day. Looks like you're having a good time and making progress. I've gotta echo Diane with the piggy back picture. So cute. Meanwhile, Mom took off a couple days for me and guess how we spent it- cleaning the store room! Typical Carli move. We have some killer before and after pictures, but your progress on the houses is much more rewarding! Keep the pictures coming! Love and miss you! (Ok that last part's directed solely to Colin, sorry team)

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  26. Hey steph (this Brandon I'm with Carli don't get this)saw your message glad your doing good hun sweet mention btw jk;) So I have bad new we're going to the field Friday now I guess so that sucks didn't do much today got off about two I sold my watch for 100$ so that's cool cause I broke lol I went kidding through a river with Harvey and our new Cpl today in my truck it was so shady but we survived Harvey's truck broke down so we didn't get home till like modnoght it was funny I miss you and love you I hope you know that be safe babe��

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  27. Hello Hannah. Hope u are enjoying yourself​. We miss you.Love Mom and Dad

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  28. This is Syd, hi Steph! We miss you a lot! oh you too Brady. mom and dad say hi. Hope you guys are having fun, love you!

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  29. Lucas, unfortunately Notre Dame lost today. I hope everyone is having a productive day. Enjoy getting to know the kids and have fun playing soccer with them. We are proud of all of you for your decision to go to Honduras. I hope you are soaking it all in and will have great memories that will last a lifetime.

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  30. Brooke,you are tied for ninth in your bracket, because there are eight tied for first. I am tied for twenty-third, and there are sixteen tied for ninth. Dont' plan on being ahead of me for long! We love seeing all your pictures. We miss you, Zac

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  31. We want to be the 1st to wish you happy 18th birthday Mikey! Grandma Shirley told me to tell you happy birthday too. Be careful celebrating tomorrow.

    Grandpa says, "tell Ralphie happy birthday and I love him and miss him!"

    We miss you a lot and can't wait for you to get home. Miss seeing your happy face every day. Look out the window every day for you. Grandpa says get home cause the fishing boy needs carried out!!


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  32. Sauer!! Nope sorry Brian all the snow is bout gone can't wait till your back.

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  33. Thinks look to be moving good, I love the pictures of all the young people working hard. I love to see you working with your hands to literally lift up these kids and parents hopes for a better life. Take care all and keep up the push up challenge.

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