Honduras Building Mission Teen Blog

Trench: One Year Later

2009-04-06T21:03:00.002-05:00

So upon my return to San Buenaventura I immediately went to check on my trench from the previous year. To my delite i saw that it has been used nicely and is now home to pipes that handle sewage I guess.....? Whatever the trench is still awesome. This year has been even better then last year so far due to the fact that there are even more kids here this time!!! It has also been very cool to see some of the kids i remember from last year again this year!!! Today we worked, ai helped cement a floor......exhausting. I also dressed up as a clown yesterday for the field day and learned that small children either love clowns......or have an extreme phobia of them. I And yes for all of you wondering......i´m still finding a way to work out hre in Honduras everyday......haha

-Casey Ward

Holy Week in Honduras

2009-04-04T22:01:00.008-05:00

(OK. I posted this on the wrong blog. It was meant for mine... The teens will be doing this from here on out... Amanda)

This is my first experience spending Holy Week here in Honduras. It is already clear it will not be the normal Holy Week. At home, this is a somber time as we move, day by day, to the foot of the cross. Here…it seems impossible to be somber. I realize everyone has a different reaction to what they see and experience here but to me, our time is about witnessing fruits of the Resurrection.

But first…Our morning started very early – 5:45 AM at St. David’s to caravan (thank you Cottage School and Lloyd, Peter, and Mike) to the airport. Until you see 28 HUGE suitcases, 28 pieces of carry on, including a guitar, you have no idea how much stuff a group can haul around! Several of the suitcases contained ceiling fans (thank you Steve and the great folks at Progressive Lighting!) There had been many groans and complaints about the early hour. After we whisked through checking in and seeing the endless line of people waiting we all saw the wisdom of our early start. By the time we got to the gate, Philip had awakened enough to zip tie Carolyn’s backpack to the chairs. Um… no one has scissors, knives, etc to cut the zip tie on that side of security. While the grown ups puzzled over how to liberate the backpack, Carolyn, Mary, and Maddie found a policeman to help. He was very accommodating, especially when we all fingered the guilty party! Philip turned beet red as the policeman called him over. He received a stern “warning” with threat of intense interrogation if it happened again. (Not to worry, Hollie and Steve, the policeman was enjoying this as much as we were…)

The flight was comfortable, full, and uneventful. While we were waiting in the very slowly moving immigration line we suddenly heard a loud THUMP. Anna was on the floor! She had brilliant idea to sit on her roller bag forgetting about the roller part. As she sat, the wheels moved and WHUMP down she went. Auburn, in a display of Christian charity, immediately doubled over laughing! Getting through customs was no problem, although they did pick one of bags to inspect – the one with 93 beanie babies! “Por los huelfanos” (for the orphans) I piously said. They cooed over how cute the beanie babies were and sent me on my way.

After a quick lunch at Erika’s, we headed off to San Buenaventura. The people who hadn’t been there since last year were amazed at the changes. I was here 3 weeks ago and I was amazed at the progress too! The school roof is on, doors installed and window frames in. Toyita and Abel’s house, where the teenaged girls are living has been painted.We had a wonderful time playing with the children. The new folks are already in love with them. I will let some of the pictures speak for themselves.

We returned to Erika’s – a full house this time. There is another group of 21 (15 teens) here from S. Carolina. They are eating on the patio where we normally eat and we are eating in the lower courtyard. Right now, we are all hanging around the living room while Philip is playing guitar. We did a quick icebreaker led by Amy and then Compline.

So back to Holy Week here. Each day is filled with such joy, hope and triumph over the most horrific situations. In March, the teenaged girls at SBV eloquently communicated in a drama they wrote and performed for us that we must all put the past behind us...be thankful for our blessings...and trust in God. That is what we see and fall in love with here. The Lord is risen indeed!

Everyone is pretty tired,especially poor Fredrick who flew into Atlanta last night from Germany... Hasta la vista!Auburn and DilciaAnna with Dulce and Suyapa Amy and one of the precious nursery boys.Maddie and the kidsCool Cindy!Frederik and MiliedyTeens by the chapel (minus John who was looking for Cindy)Mary and Dunia John, his girl Cindy, and the kids
Me with Astrid, Reina, Paty, and Elias

Holy Week in Honduras with the Jovenes! (pronouced Ho-ven- ess)

2009-04-01T10:17:00.002-05:00

We are just days away from the second annual teen mission extravaganza! We return to the lovely San Buenaventura and the precious children... We arrive on Saturday, April 4. Visit this blog every day and follow our activities and see pictures of all of us!

2008-04-14T20:36:00.001-05:00

sorry about the pics be all broken up
it will only let you upload five pictures at a time
there may be more to come

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Pictures From the Week

2008-04-14T19:29:00.003-05:00

The Last Day

2008-04-13T22:44:00.002-05:00

Saturday was a great day. We went to the "President's House" and learned a lot. Then we went to the Cathedral in Tegucigalpa. It was very beautiful. After a long morning we went to San Buena Ventura for the last time. First, we ate lunch with the kids and watched a program they had planned. We heard a few testimonies and they were sad yet happy.
I have never known such a mature ten year old such as Julio. He has been living at the home for what he says, five years. Before he came to the home he had to work to support his family and was beaten by his step-father often, and his mother did nothing.
After the sad part we went outside and played with water balloons and tie-dyed. The kids seemed to enjoy this a lot. As we were having fun I realized that we were forming real friendships with these children. What surprised me the most was when a little boy ran by me and said, "Adios, Alyssa." I knew that it was Moises, but I did not know that he knew me. This was very cool and I will always remember that moment.
That day I got some of the best hugs ever because all these kids really want is some love from the people they care about.
Leaving was extremely hard. I didn't want to get in the van and just drive away. I walked as slowly as I could just to be able to spend that little extra time with these children. But what made me happy was that I knew somehow I would be back there again.
Already Missing LAMB...
alyssa

The Las Afternoon

2008-04-12T22:11:00.002-05:00

So this afernoon we hung out with the kids at San Buena Ventura. IT WAS AWESOME!! I have never had so much fun doing absolutly nothing. We basicly hung out the entire time and served as human jungle gyms for the kids to perform acrobatics on. I aslo discovered why hispanic countries tend to be good at soccer. We sat around and did soccer tricks for 4 hours, and time flew by. The enviorment and spirit of the game was amazing. I also made friendships that will last me a life time. When the whistle blew signaling that it was time to leave, I experienced one of the saddest momments of my life. The kids didn't want me to leave, and I didn't want to leave either. I didn't want to leave because this week with those kids, I experienced true happiness.

last day of work

2008-04-11T19:05:00.002-05:00

Today was our last day on the work site and our last day of spending time with the workers. Thoughout the course of the week I have felt like I have been in the way and seriously slowing these people down. They are hard workers and fine craftsmen... and they were very patient with us. They outworked us and earned the equivalent of $25 dollars for the week. I pray that God will help me to remember them next time I am frustrated with someone's ignorance or complaining because I can't afford something I don't really need anyways. I pray that they sensed my admiration and that they know I hold them in the higest of regards.

Trench Pictures

2008-04-11T09:09:00.001-05:00

The End of the Trench

2008-04-11T08:50:00.002-05:00

Ok so Thursday morning before lunch i setout on a mission. To finish the trench!!! And man was that a grueling morning. I have concluded that back in Georgia, if you ever needed to dig a trench for a foundation or something, I'd be the man to ask. I've gotten it down to a science. Here is the order of tools your use. First pick, then shovel, then shavlin thing, then shovel, then pick, then shovel, then javlin thing, then shovel and so on. The last 10 minutes before lunch were possibly some of the ,ongest minutes of my life......I mean I had about 3 more feet to dig......but I wasn't getting any closer!!! It was very confusing. Anyway, after lunch I came back and dominated those last couple of feet with a few swings of my mighty pick/shovel/javlin thing. SO there you have it. The story of the trench.

-Casey Ward
Theta Nu Theta Co-founder

2008-04-11T08:37:00.001-05:00

Philip, the high flyer!
Painting the playground wall:

Katie and "Matt"

2008-04-11T08:10:00.001-05:00

Katie and Matt:

Curses, foiled again!

2008-04-11T07:34:00.002-05:00

I got up extra early so I could post the story of Matt and Katie. Rats. She beat me to it but her account of the incident is accurate! There was much hilarity last night as we shared our high and low points and recalled some of the other funny moments over the past week. One recurring memory is of Alyssa on our first night. We were tossing a hacky sack around and the recipient had to answer a question from the thrower. Becky tossed it to Alyssa. The hacky sack landed on the ground and Alyssa said, with much conviction, "I didn't NOT catch it. It just didn't hit my hand." (She stands by that to this day.) Philip (who by his own admission only pays attention about half the time) got confused the other day and asked Pamm if the lights had flickered or had he come in on the back end of a blink! Maybe the sun is getting to us!

Lost in Translation

2008-04-10T22:57:00.009-05:00

Hey! Katie again... I am only posting this story because I have been told that someone else will if I don't. I'd rather have a say in how this story is told. This is a long story, but stick with me... there's a fun ending :)

On Tuesday morning I was set on working much harder than I had the day before. As a result, I found myself shoveling sand ("arena" en espanol) into a wheel barrow to take to another location. Knowing my limitations, I filled the wheel barrow about half way. Just as I was about to carry my load away, a Honduran worker came over, stuck out his hand and said, "Matt". I assummed he was intoducing himself so I put my hand in his and said , "Katie". Matt then proceeded to mime out that he would take the wheel barrow where it needed to go and that I should finish filling it up because he was "muy fuerte!". As I followed him I remember thinking, "Matt is a strange name for a Honduran, I must have heard him wrong." I continued to follow Matt around for the rest of the day and help him with whatever he was doing. I was sure that I was the best helper he had ever seen... or at least the best gringo helper he had ever seen.

Later that evening we were talking about our "highs" for the day and I explained my time with Matt. I also asked if anyone knew what his real name was because I was pretty sure that I had misheard him. Well, as it turns out, his name is Abel... which of course sounds nothing like Matt. The team helped me to recount my steps of that morning, and we realized where I went wrong. When Abel walked up to me that morning he saw the half filled wheel barrow and thought, "I will carry it... and I can certianly carry a full load. I will have this attactive young gringo fill it to the brim!" He then stuck his hand out towards the pile of sand (which happened to be right next to me) and said, "Mas" (meaning "more" in english). I then introduced myself... and looked completly insane.

I wish I could say that was my first and last embrassing moment with my friend Matt (as I like to call him), but I have made a fool of myself numerous other times while in his presence (I tend to follow him around quite a bit because I think he is a patient, kind, and an amazingly hard worker... and I kind of feel like his sidekick, "Agua Chica!"). I will miss Matt and smile often when I think of him.

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now."
Phillipians 1:3-5

Videos

2008-04-10T19:13:00.002-05:00

VIdeos from the LAMB Insttitute

2008-04-10T08:02:00.003-05:00

These videos are from the LAMB Institute on Wednesday. They are very cute.

Hey Guys

2008-04-09T23:05:00.002-05:00

Today was very moving. It reminded us all why we are here and that God's presence is everywhere.
Short Blog... being rushed
Alyssa

Wednesday

2008-04-09T20:00:00.002-05:00

oda we went to the extreme poverty area of Tegucigalpa and it was pretty grim. I found it to be horrifying that people can manage to live in such conditions. I will keep all of them in my thoughts everyday and I advise you to do the same. We also went shopping today. I bought a pretty awesome hammock and more importantly a special postcard. Anyway, on a happier note, work on the trench will resume tomorrow and I hope to complete it. I will report back tomorrow with more information.

-Casey
Theta Nu Theta out......

Tuesday

2008-04-08T23:02:00.002-05:00

Crazy

2008-04-08T22:29:00.002-05:00

Hey
Today we were talking about how miracles continue to happen through the LAMB Institute and how there is tremendous hope for the people surrounding LAMB. During our quiet time I decided to read the Bible and when I opened the Bible I saw a rainbow and it showed me that God is here in Honduras helping us along the way.
More updates to come...
~Alyssa

The Trench

2008-04-08T22:19:00.003-05:00

I will have everyone know that the trench that was started at approximatly 11:15 A.M here in Honduras is coming well. After a long 45 minutes John and I went to lunch, only to return afterwards to resume our project. After a laborious hour we asked the foreman how we were doing. He told us we were half way done, it needed to be twice as deep. This is when John abandoned me, I continued on and worked on the trench. At 4:00 after relentless pounding of picks, and shovels I had finished half the trench to the foreman's specifications. I am half way done witht the trench that will eventually turn into a garden type flower bed. I will report back with more info on the trench on Thursday.

p.s.- Long live Theta Nu Theta

2008-04-08T21:20:00.005-05:00

hey! katie here...

we have been here for two days now and i have seen a number of things worth commenting on, but the thing that keeps catching my attention is how unsafe this environment is.

st. david's is blessed to currently be in the process of adding a building to our campus. every thursday we sit down as a staff and have an update, and without fail one issue that always comes up is how to keep everyone safe considering the current project- more specifically, how to keep our youngest members away from harm. we keep doors locked, block off areas with chain-link fence, and post signs- in both engligh AND spanish. and we still worry to come degree.

the last leg of our travel on sunday included a bus trip. i had prepared myself for visions of poverty, and even to see children living and playing amongst the less than wholesome conditions... but it was still strange to see kids playing just feet away from very busy streets. and then i saw a young child run past a manhole... without a cover! i was shocked! no fences or signs. and more shocking- it seems as though this is the norm! our first day on the worksite was interesting, as the children played at the worksite because thier playground is still under construction. kids playing with hammers, chewing on nails... a far cry from what you would experience at the building sight at jeffords hall!

the children and workers are beautiful. I can see a hope and peace in them that makes me mildly envious. sometimes our "blessings" can prove to be a distraction from the one thing that provides true, never ending satisfaction- our Lord Jesus. I'm trilled to call all of them my brothers and sister in Christ and I am thankful for what i have already learned from my short amount of time with them.

pics from monday

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Pictures from Monday

2008-04-07T22:50:00.003-05:00

Amanda here... Just a couple pictures from day 1:

Laura and Cindy:
Lunch:
Philip at the chapel:
Carolyn color coordinating her work outfit!

2008-04-05T09:30:00.002-05:00

ONLY ONE MORE DAYY!

this is carolyn! im soo excited to go! this time tomorrow we'll be on a plane!

How to post a blog

2008-04-03T10:15:00.007-05:00

So, to post your own blog that people can comment on... be sure to sign in (upper right hand corner of the blog page) and you should be on the dashboard. There is a link (see below) to click to add a new post. That puts you into a text editor that lets you add pictures, web links, spell check, change the color of your text and all sorts of stuff. Then you click the Publish Post button! Note: you can save your post as you go...not a bad idea, especially in Honduras!

Welcome to the blog!

2008-04-01T15:15:00.004-05:00

Hi, guys! Amanda here. I just created this blog for YOU to use while we are in Honduras. I hope everyone blogs everyday. (Remember, your parents and your priests will see it!) I can't wait to get there! If you have some suggestions about how to make the blog cooler, let me know.

Happy blogging! (was that dorky?)