We Lay the Foundation

I have just returned from our nightly junta. It’s almost nine o’clock, but I wanted to get back on track with the blogs, which I’ll usually do at night. If time permits, I’ll try to also do one earlier in the day. However, that is a much busier time for us, and it might now always happen.

Missioners with Dilcia and Javier

I’ll try to get the highlights of the day. I obviously cannot be everywhere during the day, but the impactful things always come up at our juntas.

Building picnic tables

Today the group has already finished the three picnic tables for the school, transported most of the wood to two of the house sites, taught five sessions of English, built the frame for one of the houses, repaired some of the wiring at the school, attended our first group liturgy, and attended the school’s Father’s Day ceremony. In between all of that, there was still time to play with the children.

Carrying wood to a house site

 The three head builders – Bruce, Pat, and Dave – along with Carlos, Julio, Frank, Fr. Doug, and I visited the three house sites to check out how everything was going to work. At each site we met the mothers for whom we are building. Lots of emotion was apparent when we met Dilcia. Dilcia is the mother of Enrique, Paola, and Javier, the family we met living in dire poverty last year when delivering gift bags. She started to cry as soon as we arrived. Thanking us over and over, she told us that what we were for them was an answer to her prayers. She told us she now considered us family and always would. Every time she sees us she thanks us, as do all of the children.

Teaching English lessons

Much of our junta discussion centered around poverty and how Honduran poverty compares to what we see in the States. Though all agreed there is poverty in the States, now that we are witnessing Honduran poverty, we realize the difference. The missioners know that the luck of where a person is born truly has a bearing in his lot in life. All of us on this mission trip are so blessed.

Sorting items in the library

OOPS! We just had a lot of excitement here in the compound. One of the young Honduran students who lived here was unfortunate to have a birthday today. His “friends” decided to turn him into a birthday cake by carrying him outside and dumping eggs, flower, and water on him. We enjoyed the excitement and sang Happy Birthday to him.

Framing a house

Hopefully, everything will settle down here shortly so we missioners can get some rest!