Work Day #2

Friday, March 31, 2017 Noon

After Mass and a nice supper of tostadas (with hamburger/vegetable mix topping) we all enjoyed a couple of hours of down time. All took advantage of some time to sit around and visit, get to know some of the Hondurans, or even get a short nap. We ended the day as always with our nightly “Junta”. There was a lot of good sharing about our first full day in Honduras. All were feeling good about getting the projects going. It was great to see the whole team working together. After a lot of work where progress was not so evident, all of a sudden it was time to lift up all the stud walls that had been built. Wow, it looks like a house coming into existence. Someone noted that they were looking at the women who will live in them and their faces broke out in a big smile.

After Junta it did not take long for most to head for bed. Full days on our mission mean tired bodies and minds. A good night’s rest led to missioners eager to get back to work. Most of the crew headed out to the houses and a few stayed back to keep sorting all the donations that will be given out to families. It was right to work as all grabbed hammers and walls appeared quickly.  I think most everyone had a chance to work on developing their hammering skills. A lot got accomplished as the houses began to take on a solid shape. By lunch time we were ready for a break and a good lunch of tuna casserole.

The crew will get back to work after a lunch break. Tonight we will eat early so we can join Padre (Fr.) Patricio who will have mass with some of the students (in Spanish). (Blog post by Fr. Doug) [More pictures will be posted tonight.]

 Mac…..Hey KHS fans, family, and friends,

Your support and prayers are so welcome!  We had a great day yesterday as you could see…just wait for today’s pictures.   The school here is being given 3,000 dollars for scholarships!  Thanks for YOUR donations.  We are also committing to funding a garden long term.  Water here on the mountain costs the locals a lot of money., and the garden needs someone to tend it, so thanks to all of the donations we can provide funding to make this garden one that will benefit the people here in Nueva Capital.  Marta, our contact here in Honduras is heading up this garden project.  There is much more, but this took me 10 minutes to type and the kids are waiting in line.  Love to Babe, Nic, Jon, Pat, and Matt.  Mac

Kate Tom….Hey Kuemper and family,

I wanted to express to you how incredible all of you are. The amount of donated items to the Honduran people was incredible. Over the past two days, I have spent my time sorting all of the items donated and while I was doing that, my heart warmed. It made me smile to know that we will be making so many families happy with your generosity.

Fay, mommy misses your hugs so much. Corey, I miss hearing your big laugh. Have fun with your grandparents! (Mom, please tell them my message.)

           

Megan Pudenz…..Hey fam,

How’s the cold weather? Lol I’m sure you’re pretty jealous;) I can tell you right now it’s a lot different waking up in Honduras than it is waking up in my nice quiet bed. The people here are great! I can’t count how many hugs I’ve gotten today. Love you all, miss you lots<3 p="">

Katelyn Schulte

Hello all classmates, friends, and family! Our trip has been really fun so far. Dearest Gracie, thank you for being so nice and writing down my homework and of course, praying.  It is really hot down here, and the people are absolutely amazing! Thank-you for the continued support and prayers!

Paige Tiefenthaler

Hello everyone! The trip has been awesome so far. I’ve had a lot of fun getting to know my fellow students, the adults, and the native people. Everyone is very kind and very helpful whenever we are working on projects. Thank you for all the prayers! We appreciate them!

Lauren Promes

Hola Madre y Padre, how is life back in the good ole CC! Here in Honduras is absolutely amazing! Apparently I’m pretty good at siding with a hammer and nails… though you will never see me do it again. I miss you guys so much and can’t wait to see everyone again. Give Kreighton, Brecken, Tegan, and Hayes a kiss for me!

P.S. tell Taylor if she loses my streaks I wont be happy!

  

MiKayla Blum

Hello family! Our trip has been wonderful so far. I learned some new construction skills today, which was really fun. I miss you all so very much! Also tell Maci (my dabbing friend) I miss her so much and will be back soon to dab with her. Thank you for all the prayers!

Kate Dickman

Hi mother, I miss you!  I thought I should write on this so you wouldn’t be sad that I was the only one not to write haha.  They have tons of fruit here so you don’t have to get me some for when I get home.  I’ll make sure to get you your souvenir no worries.  Enjoy your trip and don’t miss me too much, love you J

Brandi Eischeid

Hola everybody,

            Our mission trip has been incredible so far. We have gotten to see and do so much. The kids here are all adorable, they are so friendly and they give so many hugs. It is a really great feeling to know that we have such a huge impact on the Hondurans. Thank you for all the support through our whole trip. Hasta luego!

Fr. Doug

They let me have a hammer today and I hit the right nails. I’m so impressed with all our missioners especially our students. Everyone is so eager and willing to pitch in and get things done as well as enter into the experience.

Full Work Day

The missioners were allowed to sleep in this morning, since they’d had a long day yesterday. Even so, that 6:30 wake-up call seemed very early to all. We ate a breakfast of French toast and fruit before heading to see last year’s homes. That gave the missioners a chance to see what their finished product would look like.

Actually, the missioners loaded wood into the back of the military transport truck in preparation of the work day. They loaded only the wood needed for the house frames. They also loaded all the tools necessary for the day.

Everyone next headed to the home sites for the Kuemper homes. Mike wanted everyone to meet the Honduran families with whom they’d be working. Dave gave a little background information about the families, since he and Janet had met them in January. The ladies do run a tortilla business to help support their families.

The framing wood was unloaded on the concrete pads so the team could go to work. The majority of the team returned to the compound to empty and sort the black duffle bags of all the collected goods. That took place in the library so all the materials could be spread around the room in preparation of creating large trash bag “gift bags” for the families that the principal assigns the team. It was amazing to see the generosity of the Kuemper families as I looked around the library. More than 30 families will benefit from your gifts. Believe me, it will be like Christmas for the families who will receive these bags next week.

The team came together for a lunch of chicken and rice, tortillas, and fruit. After a little break from the sun, it was back to work for all. The McCarty brothers, Dan and Mike, worked on a separate project left-over from the Gehlen team. They worked to disassemble the bunk beds that had been left behind for 6 families so those families could carry the pieces of the beds and reassemble them in their own homes. I noticed that they had a good time together. I’m glad Gehlen (their alma mater) left that opportunity for them. It is much appreciated.

The missioners got to enjoy their first cold showers after working in the day’s heat. The comments I heard were that it really wasn’t as bad as Mr. McCarty had said it would be. It probably felt good after the heat of today. We then celebrated an outdoor mass with Fr. Doug.

We recently supped on a missioner favorite – Honduran enchiladas (a flat hard shell, crumbled hamburger with chopped potatoes and carrots, shredded cabbage, tomato sauce, shredded cheese, and a tomato slice) and cantaloupe or banana.

The missioners had a little time this evening and throughout the day to play with the local children. Since more than 2,000 children from kindergarten through 9^th grade attend this school, there is no shortage of little children to hug, swing around, and play with. From 6:30 a.m. through 8:30 p.m. you can find children inside the school grounds. One session runs from 7 a.m. – noon, the next from noon – 5 p.m., and then there is a special session from 5 – 8 p.m. The final session is for older students and adults who never had the opportunity to attend elementary school because their parents couldn’t afford it or they had to work to help support their families. This is one busy place!

In a little over 30 minutes we’ll have our junta for the night and call it a day. It was a great first day in Honduras. Tomorrow the missioners will start nailing on the outside siding while a few remain at the compound to continue sorting gift bag items. I will be leaving Honduras after being here March 2 – 8 and again from March 15 – present. I’ll expect Mike to keep you informed – and entertained – with all the days’ events throughout the remainder of the trip. I’ll be following from home! Although I’m sad to be leaving my Honduran friends, I am very much looking forward to seeing my family and friends back home. Adios, mis amigos!