Hurry Up and Wait

Rise and shine this morning occurred at 6 a.m. Everyone got up fairly quickly; however, I predict that will change toward the end of the mission trip. It IS rather noisy here at Santa Teresa. The roosters are a bit confused because they started crowing at approximately midnight, the dogs never did quit barking  (and believe me there are a lot of them), and I think the first bus’s loud horn started blaring at 4:30. Most of them didn’t need their wake-up call, except to let them know when to dress for breakfast.

We ate eggs, refried beans, sausages,tortillas,  potatoes, and tomatoes. There was also orange juice and Honduran coffee. We have definitely been eating well.

The student missioners were split into several groups for today’s work assignments. We were ready to work at 7; however, we had to wait for the translators who had a little trouble getting here. Then there was a bit of confusion as to which tools should go to which work site, where the supplies actually had been stored, exactly how to go about building, a meeting with the Honduran contractor, and the transportation for one of the building crews. Nonetheless, the two building crews were finally under way and making great progress by the time we ate lunch. The paint crew also had some difficulty getting the paint brushes to work, finding rollers and paint pans, and getting the paint to spread properly. In the end they actually finished painting the full top portion of the whole preschool building. They have only a 3 foot section along the bottom of the full building to paint green and the project that was expected to take the full time will be completed on Saturday.

The only group that encountered absolutely no obstacles or difficulties was the English teaching group. Our English teachers taught 127 Honduran second and third graders. It’s fun to hear them coming up to each of us to practice their new English skills. “Hello – good morning – good afternoon-please-thank you-what’s up?- and the beginning of the “head, shoulders, knees, and toes” song.

Lunch today was rice with chicken and vegetables, cheese, watermelon, and tortillas. Supper consisted of tacos, rice, tortillas, pineapple, and watermelon. We are definitely being fed delicious meals.

Everyone got to take a 60 second cold shower this afternoon. A few of the boys played soccer for a while after work, and the girls have been enjoying some conversation with Andrea, who is Marta’s daughter. She helped today with translating at one of the work sites. She’s fitting in wonderfully with the girls.

We had a nice junta tonight and had a bit of free time. Bedtime will be at 10 so everyone will be ready to go to work in the morning.

Thanks to everyone for their comments. Hello to my family, most especially to Mya, Cayden, Paige, and Marshall. I hope everything is going well at home.

Some of the missioners took the opportunity to write notes to you today. They follow this blog.

Miranda Bunkers: Hey everyone, everything is going awesome! Today we started our jobs, and it seems like we will be a very fast crew. We are further along than what we expected. And mom, yes, I am staying hydrated and I luckily was not one of the three that got fried. I miss everyone talk to you later!

Mariah McCarty: Hola everyone! Today was our first day here and it was a lot of work, but we accomplished a lot and had a blast. And I, unlike Miranda, am one of the burnt ones. The people here are so generous and welcoming it is truly humbling. It is a whole different world here, and I can’t wait to tell all of you the stories. Cole-thanks for watching Flounder :) Adios until later!

Megan & Patrick Livermore: Hey guys! All is well and we are working hard so no worries! Today I have learned that patience is key, and so is sunscreen…curse our Irish heritage.  #yahoo #omaha  Anyways We love you guys tons!

Adam Sitzmann: Hey everybody, it’s been really fun here so far! So far I have assisted in starting on one of the houses and helping with teaching English. I’ve also been playing a lot of soccer down here. Well, see you guys in a little bit. See ya!