Mangoes con Chile y Arroz con Leche

Last Thursday and Friday were both school days for the boys because we are trying to finish their school before I leave for the States on June 24th. In the afternoon on Thursday I went up to the property to join the work team, did a little sanding for the bookcases they were making for the class rooms, and then played soccer with the men from the community. Friday night we all went out to eat at a nice restaurant in the city because it was the teams last night in Honduras. During the school day I accidentally dropped AJ on his head and we believe he had a mild concussion. He threw up a few times during the afternoon but was alright after that. Now he just has a little lump on his head. The dinner was delicious and I ended up eating what other people didn't because they weren't going to take home the left overs. It reminded me of when I was in Belize and for dinner I wouldn't order anything and just eat everyone's left overs. Saturday I ate breakfast with the team because I had to walk Nancy up to the property to join the team for breakfast. After breakfast I went home and rested for a few hours because I was fighting off a cold. I returned to the property after lunchtime to say goodbye to the team. It was sad to see so many familiar faces but it was a huge blessing to have them here. They left but I decided to stay in town so I could be at the property for the church service rather than going to the airport with them. The team made assembled 7 bookcases and bathroom dividers from wood for the local ministry. I left the ministry to pick up our little 4 year old neighbor named Estephanie who comes with us now on Saturdays. We went up to the property and I had to keep explaining to her that Val was in the city dropping off the team at the airport. The service on Saturday was good. Yanci brought me mangoes in chile with out the salt because I tried them the week before and said they had too much salt. Little gestures like that make me so joyful because I know I am connecting with the people. I shared my mangoes with people and helped collect offering. When the kids were released I went to help with the little kids class. After wards I played with my normal crew of little ones. Eventually I walked Estephanie home and then had to walk a young girl named Fiama to her cousin's house where her mom was. Fiama is the girl whose 15th birthday we went to the week before and her family is very close to us so I enjoyed the walk. When we got to her cousin's house she invited me in and I sat and talked with her family for a while. They gave me arroz con leche which is a delicious desert and some candy. I appreciate the hospitality of the Honduran people so much, they treat you so well even though they have so little. I was glad to bond with more of their family and to have extra time out in the community. Sunday I decided to go up to the property because Luis started a soccer league for the men of the community. The games were exciting and I got to spend even more time with people from the community which was very enjoyable. My favorite part was in the afternoon when a few girls came up named Angie and Genesis. They are always at the property and i just bonded with them recently. Angie had a huge attitude with me at first but now she is a sweetheart. They came and sat with me and cheered against the teams I was cheering for just to be difficult. After the games I played some soccer with the girls and then eventually a soccer game with the guys started up. Last night I went to bed early to kick the rest of this cold. Today the boys had school, we skipped the workout this morning cause everyone was pooped and now Wes is doing homework, Val is cleaning, Ed and AJ are at the property working and I'm online catching you all up on my life. I'm sure this next week wont be quite as exciting with the team gone but I'll tell you about it anyways. Adios and God Bless.

Time to Get Dirty and Sweaty

The last week or so has been pretty hectic. The boys had school regularly last week and the work team from one of my home churches in Dixon arrived Friday night. After a day of travel they were wiped out so we did quick devotions and went over the schedule for the upcoming week. Saturday we all went up to the ministry for the church service. I helped Dan Royer with the young boys and the two other classes had a puppet show performed by Nancy and Hannah (more team members). Pastor Mavis preached and Luis(the founder of the ministry) translated. the entire service went well and it was cool that the work team got to see the ministry in action before they began the physical work. On Sunday we all went to the Valley of Angels. The team did some shopping for souvenirs. I left early with Val to go to the day care ministry in the city to set up for a valentines day party. The party went well, many of the children came to celebrate. We had a dance performed by the kids of the sunday school class in the community. We also had crafts and a pinata in the shape of a heart filled with candy that the kids loved to hit with a stick. I enjoyed spending time with the kids and I have been translating for the team members. I am understanding a lot more and can see improvements in my Spanish which makes me happy and encourages me to keep on learning. On Monday the physical work at the local ministry began and the boys and I helped out with the team. The first thing we did was move all the wood that they are using for bathroom stalls and cabinets. Carrying some of the plywood sheets reminded me of the summer I worked dry walling. After we moved all the wood I went to check on the sewing classes for the ladies of the community to see how they were going. I recognized a lot of the women from the ministry and ended up playing with a few kids that were there with their mothers. I also had to make a few trips throughout the day because Nancy got sick and moved into my room for the rest of the week so I returned to check on her and make sure she was taking medication to heal her. After lunch we continued work, but there wasn't much room or work to do because the team was using the equipment and the wood so I went back to the sewing class again and hung out with more kids. We drew pictures with crayons and construction paper and played games. Monday night there was a special meeting at the ministry for men of the community. Pastor Mavis preached on what it meant to be a christian man and Dan Royer translated. Afterward Pepe Royer led an awesome prayer time with the men and it was very powerful. On Tuesday I wasn't sure whether or not I was going to get to go into the city to work at the day care ministry because if Nancy wasn't feeling well I was going to stay home with her. Fortunately she was feeling up to it and I was able to go. We dug up/leveled of the ground to lay cement, put up screens on the patio windows so kids could not throw toys out into the street, painted the inside of the day care, and then mixed/laid the cement slab. The work was physically hard but very rewarding. The kids now have a much safer day care to go to every day. After we were done working we loaded the truck and van and I sat down on a ledge with some kids from the community that live near the day care. A few kids turned into about 10 or 15 who were all related and lived in the same building with each other. I knew one of them from the day care and saw many of them around. I sat and talked with them, learned their names, and got introduced to the whole family. I thought I would only be there for a few minutes but then one of the ladies in the community offered to feed us because she saw our work. We also helped a family of the community move a bunch of brick to a roof to add on to their house. It was great bonding with many people of the community but my favorite part was being with the children and just sitting with them climbing all over me just taking and laughing. One of the team members even asked me if I ever get sick of kids climbing all over me and hanging on me and I immediately said no. I love the joy that kids are to me and how even after a day of hard physical labor they give me so much energy when they are around. After we ate the dinner which the lady from the community prepared for us we headed back to Zambrano covered in sweat, dirt, paint, and cement but all happy with how the day went. Today the boys are starting school back up so I am at home with them while the team is working at the local ministry. I am going to head up there to work when the boys are done with school which should be shorty after lunch. Please keep lifting the work team up in prayer as this week continues and for God to bless the work they are doing here in Zambrano. Adios and God bless.

Falling in a Creek

This last week had its up and downs but it was still a good week. Tuesday I didn't end up going into the city with Val because Ed had to go to prepare things for the work team coming down on this next Friday. Instead I stayed home with the boys and did the normal school routine. In the afternoon I taught AJ about defensive linemen and showed him some drills. Wednesday was another normal school day for the boys and in the afternoon Val and I decided to visit some of the people from the ministry. We visited Maskol, a 15 year old living by herself because of very sad circumstances. Her mother is in the States with her only brother and her father is living in another town with his other family. Her aunts live in town and are supposed to be helping her out but they have turned their back on her. She told this to her mother and her mother blamed her and now hasn't talked to her in 2 months. Now she must support herself but its hard to get work before you turn 18. Val is thinking and praying about ways to minister to her. Luckily she lives next door to Christian's family and they are close and help her out when they can. So we visited both Maskol and Christian and his family and I really enjoyed that time. It was nice to get out in the community and visit. Thursday the boys had school and in the afternoon I went up to the property. This week a dental brigade was at the property offering free dental care so I got to see Christian and his family again. I helped out a little bit with Val's English class then played soccer with the older guys. I didn't score any goals but I had two or three assists. AJ went up to the property with me to hang out and watch soccer. He also helps with the English class. I am happy that he wanted to come outside of the house because him and Wes are usually content with sitting inside the gates for weeks at a time. I would lose my mind if I did that. Friday we didn't have school. We instead went up into the mountains for a dental/medical brigade. The three hour drive each way was hard on the back because the roads were horrible. We got there and Val helped with the medical part of it but there wasn't much for me, Ed, and the boys to do so we decided to go on a hike. We went up and down a lot of trails and eventually found a creek. We followed the creek downstream and pretended like we were on man vs. wild trying to find civilization. It made for some hilarious moments and we crossed the creek multiple times and got a little wet. One time I jumped to land on a rock and completely slipped falling into the creek on my butt soaking my leg. The hike back was pretty hard because it was mostly uphill. Me and AJ were soaked and had to sit for a few hours in the cold soaking wet. Over all the day wasn't really enjoyable other than our hike but Val got to minister to the mountain people and I know it meant a lot to her that we came along even if there wasn't much for us to do to help out. Saturday was a more enjoyable day because we all went up to the property for the Spanish church service at the property and we got to see all the community members who attend. We also brought along one of our neighbors, the 4 year old named Estephanie who gave us bananas when we were working on the road a long time ago. I hung out with Christian and the little guys for a long time and then played a little soccer with the teenagers. Saturday night we sat around and watched Remember the Titans which is one of my favorite movies. Sunday we had a school day to make up for the day we missed on Friday and then went into the city at night for church in English. The service was good and I really enjoy the pastor, he has such a strong faith and it is apparent in how he leads the church. Last night after we got home I played the guitar for a while and then took a book out to my room to read for a while before bed. While I was reading I heard a loud shotgun blast and just kinda blocked it out even though it was close. About 5-10 minutes later I heard it again and went back into the house to ask Val what was going on. We think it was the guard of the tomato fields that are all around our property. The tomatoes are starting to ripen so there is a guard with a shotgun every night. Were not sure what he was shooting at but we are hoping that everything is ok and no one got hurt but we wont know until we talk to the man farming all the fields. After a while I got to sleep and slept in today because the Schuberts had to go into the city to renew their residency. This morning I just checked e-mail and decided to post since I have a day off. That catches everyone up on whats going on here. I'm pumped for the work team to come on Friday because it will be a nice change of pace to work with them. Please pray for the team, Maskol, and for continued protection over our household. Adios.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

One more week down in Honduras and it was a busy one. The weather warmed up a bit but it is still a little chilly. The boys finished their semester with exams this weekend so I spent some time getting their grade reports ready to send in. The lowest grade on any of their final tests was a 90 so I expect that they will have all A's and B's for the semester. I told the Schuberts this last week that I did not feel the Lord was calling me back to Honduras for another year which was hard for me to tell them because I enjoy how close we are all and I wouldn't want things to change. They assured me that things won't change and I was happy to get it off my chest. Last Thursday AJ and I went up to the property and helped Val again with her English class and after wards I played soccer with the young men of the community. Soccer was fun except for the spill I took which resulted in me hitting my left side-butt pretty hard on the concrete field. I woke up the next morning with a nice pain in the butt and the Schuberts went running without me. It is still a little sore today but it feels a lot better compared to that first morning after wards. Saturday up at the ministry was good. One of the 15 yr old girls made me a card telling me that Jesus loved me. I was honored that she thought of me when she was making a craft. I feel like I am connecting with more and more people each week and deepening the connection as my Spanish improves. I have been taking lessons every day on my computer and trying to use what I learn on Saturdays and other times when I am in the community. Sunday we went into the city to the house of one of Ed and Val's friends and we got to watch the Superbowl. It was the first time that the boys had seen it. Wes looked forward to the commercials and AJ wanted to see the game. I was so happy to get to see the Superbowl because I can't remember the last time I missed the big game. I rooted for the Cardinals because they were the underdog even thought they lost i enjoyed how great of a game it was, although that defensive lineman from the Steelers that scored the touchdown at the end of the 1st half should have been MVP. Today the boys started their 2nd semester, which means Wes has one more class on top of the other 5. Today I also started football lessons with AJ and I went over the positions with him and then over offensive lineman drills because he is built like a lineman. Tomorrow we will go over defensive lineman drills. I am looking forward to the work team that is coming from Dixon in a few weeks cause it will be nice to see some familiar faces and work along side them. Tomorrow I will be in the city with Val pretending to be a bodyguard and hopefully getting to see the kids of the day care ministry in the city. I got to see my support from the quarterly report that is sent to the Schuberts and I am amazed how God is continuing to raise up financial support for me here in Honduras. I have already surpassed my goal and now I have freedom to give the extra money away to the ministries or the families of the community as the Spirit leads me. Thank you all for the support and love you all have shown me. God bless.