Day 4

Sunday March 27, 2011


Pavement and a cold drink. These were the two things I think we were all most thankful for today!!! Our morning started out with pancakes and mass. Both were wonderful. That is the wonderful thing about a catholic mass, it can be anywhere in the world and you know what is going on. The church was full and we got welcomed with applause from the congregation. No animals running through or on the altar this year though!Immediately after mass we loaded the bus for Sulaco. This was an almost three hour drive on nonpaved roads, but beautiful mountain scenery and lots of sites going through different towns. Along the way we got a glimpse at the house of the “stick lady”, drove pass a huge gaping hole on the side of the road, had to bypass many cows, and waved at lots of Hondurans. Our first stop in Sulaco was the sewing school which is now just a place of business for some of Sister’s former students, and the woodworking school which is also no longer operating as a school. There were some purses and pillows, quilts, etc for sale at the sewing center and some woodworking pieces for sale as well. It was a good opportunity for some of us to get some souvenirs and support the local workers. The next stop was the mal nutrition center. There were at least two children that were not only there when we were there last year, but my previous year as well. It took the children just a short while to warm up to our group, but it did not take our student long to get the children to go to them and even play. Niko had a child on his back, Nick invented an indoor soccer game, and Devin and some of the girls had a few of them outside. We also presented our beds. For those of you who don’t know, SCHS raised money and bought 12 pack n’plays to take to the center. Even though they do not have many children now, in a few months they will and there are just not enough beds. Thanks to the generosity of our Catholic community that is no longer a problem. Mrs. Bureman even made sheets and extra mattress pads for each bed so they would be more comfortable. We also we able to give them 9 large cans of formula, and in a bank account in their name our community has raised and or contributed a total of $2,156. Thank you so much to all who were involved in these gifts. It is such a great feeling for us all to know we have made a difference in a place that so desperately needed it. This is always a painful visit. The children are severely mal nourished or they would not be there, and although it is fun to play with the kids, it is a hard lesson for the students to realize why they are there. The other hard thing for Sister and I was to see the lack of toys, books, and stimulation for the kids. GEHLEN PLEASE HELP. There is literally nothing there. Maybe on your visit you could bring some toys? We all left with a very depressed and empty feeling.

Sulaco was very hot, so it was a nice end to the day to walk to a friend of Sister’s named Dulce who had VERY cold cokes waiting for us and “fritos” which was a fried dough pastry. We board the bus for the long ride home. We got back very late so that is why this blog is very late. We had a hamburger for dinner. The students say they are ready to get back to the hard labor tomorrow. Our work day will be a little different. Don and Greg are running a Clinic. Don has a list of 30 “patients” and Greg may be pulling teeth. The people of this mountain have not seen nor do they access to Dr.’s. so this is a real opportunity. We love and miss our families, but everyone is doing great and is very happy. Thanks to all our family and friends for the comments. It means so much to us. Bob, thanks for handling everything, and Trace I love and miss you too! Jack and Ty have fun at school tomorrow (ha ha) and I love and miss you both.

Until tomorrow………..SCHS Mission 2011