Working in the Mountains

Oh My Gosh, I can't believe I forgot to mention receiving our 26 bags. I guess it was because our junta had just finished and it had centered around what we were seeing in the Hondurans. Not one person mentioned anything about receiving his/her personal bag, finally. They discovered they could make do with very little if they had to. I never heard a complaint; perhaps a little sigh when they did not arrive the second day.

The missioners head to work on Saturday morning.

This morning I have "pulled my gran jefa" card (big chief) and stayed back in the compound to do some blog work. Hopefully, I will get to bed before midnight tonight because I will be blogging throughout the day. I plan to join one of the work crews later in the morning.

Getting crew assignments from Bruce.

 I have not mentioned much about the food. Almost every person is enjoying the Honduran food. Last night Chandler mentioned that he is a picky eater, but he has been so hungry after working on houses all day that he is eating everything. We have had chicken and rice, spaghetti and chicken, tacos (Honduran style), and cooked beef and rice. We have tortillas at almost every meal. We have had machateadas as a special treat. Those are a type of sweet fried bread. For breakfast we have had eggs, french toast, and pancakes. We have had lots of vegetables and fresh fruit. It has all been delicious.

Pat and Fr. Doug with Dilcia, a recipient of a home last year.

We had Mass last night just before supper. All of the Masses have been outdoors. Tomorrow we will travel to Santa Lucia where we will attend Mass at Santa Lucia Church. Fr. Klein will concelebrate. The church is 500 years old and contains many artifacts from Spain and other places. Afterward, we will walk to Marta's brother's "oasis." He is a teacher in a Honduran college and has built this place with all types of plants and areas for meditation. There is a water fountain, benches, and even a hammock tied between trees where one can relax and enjoy his/her surroundings. Marta will supply us with Honduran sandwiches and fruit. We will then travel on to Valle de Angeles - Valley of the Angels. It is the Honduran tourist area. There are shops there where the missioners will be able to purchase their souvenirs. There is even an ice cream shop, so I'm sure plenty of missioners will enjoy an ice cream cone tomorrow. It will be a special treat for them.

Carolyn speaks to Principal Jessica about the garden project while Marta translates. Dave is ready to take on another project.

Today I am including lots of photos. We have tried to get one of each missioner so you can see they are actually doing something. They are definitely NOT on vacation. This morning they were awakened at 5:30. I must admit, it took a little door pounding to get the girls out of bed this morning. I was just about to get their room key! After preparing for the day - using the restroom, brushing teeth, eating breakfast, and gathering the tools needed, Bruce announces their crews for the day, and they're off. I've included a photo of the team walking to work so you could see that it's no "walk in the park." They will work on their assigned jobs until 11:45 and then do the reverse walk back to the compound. They will eat lunch and perhaps have a little free time to take a siesta or play with the kids. We are generally back to work by 1 to 1:30. The afternoon is always hotter. Though the temperature was around 90 degrees yesterday, you know that it's much hotter standing in the sun with very little breeze. Frequent water breaks are required; in fact, the adults must insist on them to keep everyone hydrated. We work until 4:30 and once again make that walk UP the steps and back to the compound. Students may then take a shower (that cold shower feels pretty good), do laundry by hand at the pila, visit, play with the Hondurans, etc. We have been eating supper at 6:30. We also have to get in our junta before the end of the day. Last night we did it at 8:30 and pushed everyone into their rooms shortly afterward.

Enjoy the photos. I hope to get some students to write notes later today. I will put those up tonight.

a Cindy selfie with some new friends

Kathleen, Paris, Sydney and Janet teach a song in both English and Spanish to the students.

Jill working on a house

Josie and Sydney work with their little helper.

Working on a bunk bed

Joe takes time from his work to pose for the camera.

Bruce ponders his next move.

Roman and Krayton take a break from their work on the house.

Chandler, DJ, and Brayton ride with supplies in the military transport truck.

Mike helps unload the wood.

Dylan carries wood to a house site.

What a surprise - Linda with a baby!

Pat and Tom work on framing.

Phil does a little of the higher work while on the ladder.

The Megans nail on the siding.

Scott confers with his Honduran helper.

Chandler and Evan check out the siding.

Deb helps with the siding.

Carly, Meghan, and Keaton work on bunk beds.

Brady, Carson, Joe, and Brayton work on bunk beds.