Tables and Beds

Saturday morning began with a meal of ham & cheese quesadillas at 6:30; then it was time to build bunk beds and picnic tables. We stayed at the compound today to work, since there were no classes. Of course, there are always some children around, but not 1,000 of them.

The crew set up a type of assembly line for the beds, and it didn’t take long for them to take shape. Tom got his crew working on the vertical gardens. They had to cut pop bottles in half and zip tie them between the slats. They placed whole bottles on top, which will be used for watering the plants lined up below them. On Monday the agricultural military personnel will show up to help get everything planted and in place. The garden crew also fixed up the gardens from last year so they are also ready for new plants.

We ate steak, refried beans, salsa, tortillas, and fruit for lunch. Bruce then had everyone head right back outside to continue working on the beds and tables. One thing that you should know about the bunk beds is that they must be fully assembled to make sure everything fits together. Then they have to be disassembled to fit through the doorways of the homes they are going to. All the bolts and other assembly materials for them are stored in a Ziploc bag to go with the families. One of our construction crew always trains a Honduran in how to put them together because we won’t be there to transfer them to the homes. We do assemble the beds that were made for our families so we can surprise them with beds and other gifts on House Blessing day.

Bruce gave the work crew a break after the beds and tables were done so they could get a little rest. If we didn’t force them to take breaks, these missioners would run and play soccer with the Hondurans, play with the little kids, and find chores to do. Therefore, we insist on periodic rest breaks. We’re also pushing the drink breaks to keep them hydrated.

We surprised the missioners afterwards with a short trek down the road to a pulperia. That’s a little restaurant that sells a limited amount of items. We enjoyed a Coca en bolsa, also known as a Coca Cola in a bag, and that’s exactly what it is. They take a little baggie, pour some soda into it, put a straw into the baggie, and hand it to the patron. We also had some little bags of chips before returning to the compound.

Some of us toured the compound after that. Others decided to take the chance to lie down. And others challenged the Hondurans to a Honduras vs U.S soccer match. As I type this blog, I hear the U. S. was smoked, the typical result here of every soccer game.

We’ll be eating supper (shredded beef tacos) at 7 and junta will follow. Before retiring for the evening, we’ll go through the protocol for our Sunday. We’ll be spending all of Sunday away from Nueva Capital, as we’ll be attending Mass at the Basilica de Suyapa in Tegucigalpa. We’ll tour the original church after Mass and have a chance to light a candle for our departed loved ones. Our next stop will be Santa Lucia, quite a picturesque village. Marta’s brother has a property there that I like to call the Oasis. The kids can hike the grounds, rest in a hammock, sit around one of the fountains, etc. We’ll have a picnic lunch and then head for Valle de Angeles for our shopping day. More on that tomorrow.

At this time I’d like to jump back to tomorrow at noon. A group of us visited the school’s cafeteria during their lunch time and were delighted to see them serving Then Feed Just One food to the students. They allowed us into the kitchen, where Steve and Juan took turns stirring the ginormous pot of rice. Then we each took turns scooping the TFJO food onto plates for the children. We spotted the TFJO bag atop the 5-gallon bucket they had poured the bags into before pouring it into that huge pot of boiling water. On the way out we stopped the boy carrying some flattened boxes so we could check which events they’d come from. We found St. Mary’s Storm Lake, Heelan Sioux City, and Whiting. Though we were disappointed to not find Gehlen among the few boxes we saw, we’re pretty sure there were some at one point. It was nice for our team to witness the food being served on this end.

If any missioners decide to send messages later, I will try to send them before retiring for the night. Because we’ll be gone all day, know that tomorrow’s blog will be quite late, but I will get it done before I head for bed so you can hear all about our shopping day.

Thanks for continuing to follow our blog and sending those wonderful messages! Mya, I saw yours and am glad to hear the dogs are good! I hope Angel is good also.

Missioner Blogs 3-16

Aubree-

Hello to everyone back home! I miss you all and can’t wait to tell you all about this mission trip. Hey Landon I hope your face doesn’t look like much of a square anymore, and I hope you have a job when I come home so you can fill my car up with gas.J To the rest of my family, I bet the house is very quiet, and I bet you can’t wait for me to come back! Rachelle, I am glad you are keeping the weight room under control, get those gains! See you all soon!

*****

John

Hello to all family and friends back home.  We are doing wonderful work here in Honduras.  This is an experience of a lifetime.   We had a big day today building all the beds & tables.  Very proud of our team and what we have accomplished so far.

Congratulations to my daughter Taylor back home who was hired yesterday to be a kindergarten teacher next year.  Very proud of you and all your hard work getting your degree and getting your first teaching job.

Taylor, I made Katie cry a bit today when I told her your news.  She says congratulations and can’t wait to see what the future holds for you.

To my co workers at Schuster….Hopefully Don has not had to use his “Dad voice” too much this week!

Love and miss you Kim!

*****

Bruce -

To Pam, Love and miss you!