To all my faithful blog followers, I apologize for not writing in the past couple days. Things have been busy and computers have been inaccessible. I'll try to summarize the last three days the best I can in one entry. All is well here in Honduras. Nobody has become sick, most nerves have been quelled, and the little time we have left here is beginning to show signs of a bittersweet kind of feeling as we wrap up what has been a great trip for everyone!
Friday we made a lot of headway on our second house. The house at the first site where Karsten, Stephen Kelly, Jeff, and Cary were working was finished! The man who will move into it, named Alejandro, has been living in a tin shack (really, it's just a tin roof with some palm leaves as walls) for the past twenty-four years. He will experience four walls, a new tin roof, and electricity for the first time! It was an exciting time for him! The second house began slowly rising from the ground as we worked double time on stacking cinder blocks and filling gaps with mortar. I think some of the kids strangely fear their new skills as they are afraid their parents may exploit them upon their return! After a delectable PB&J lunch in the town hall with ice cold bottles of Coke and Pepsi, we set out for Tres Piedres with some of the kids from Armenia. This is the swimming hole that the kids love to play in. I told a couple people that despite how hard life is for so many of the kids of Armenia, they do have some perks, such as Tres Piedres swimming hole:) Most of the kids here have to fulfill the roles of absent adults in their lives and some are even the bread-winners for their family. Anyway, we all had fun swimming and jumping off giant bolders, some of us risking expensive cameras, carrying them across the river on our heads to get a few good shots.
Saturday was our free day, and we got up bright and early to head out to Cayos Cochinos for some snorkling. Our group was split in two as we headed out in outboard motor boats for a 45 minute ride in the ocean to some islands off the coast. It was a beautiful ride as the coastal mountains of Honduras loomed behind us on the horizon and the small islands ahead of us seemingly emerged from the ocean around us. It was a breathtaking view as we approached the islands. The water was so clear, you could see straight below you for thirty feet. When we hit a patch of smooth water, it felt like you were gliding across a pane of glass. We got a tour of serveral islands, were dropped off at one to swim for a bit, then we snorkled for about an hour in a barrier reef. The reef where we snorkled is the second biggest in the world next the the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, and it was everything you would picture in tropical water--coral, bright fish, schools of even brighter fish, crystal clear water. It genuinely felt like we had stepped into a postcard. After snorkling, we headed off to another island for lunch under a thatch-roofed hut. Most of us had fried fish (the entire fish!), plantain chips, and rice and beans. It was great. By then we were exhausted, so we headed back to the mainland and some of us were entertained by others falling asleep on the boat and trying to stay awake simultaneously. Quite a sight.
Moving on to today...the president of Honduras was arrested and deported this morning. Hmm. Evidently, he has been calling for some unconstitutional ammendments to the constitution and has finally suffered the effects of his attempts. The military showed up to his front door this morning, guns blazing, and ousted him. So...the US Embassy sent out a warning to all Americans in Honduras to stay indoors in the case of riots or protests. Seeing as how the president's approval rating is at an amazing high of 30%, nothing happened. We had plans to attend a church service in Armenia, but that was obviously cancelled. We did, however, have "gringo" church at the Pettengills where Ben Noble, Katie, and I led music. That went well. The rest of the evening has been spent hanging around the house. I got a Benedryl from Samantha who promised me it would have no side effects, but she didn't hold true to her word, so I was out for a couple hours. I should have read the label. It was a well-deserved nap, though. Thanks Samantha!
Tomorrow we head out for our last day in Honduras! Hard to believe. I'm sure we'll split the day between work and saying our goodbyes and taking pictures with the people we've gotten to know. This may be my last entry as I'm sure we'll be pretty occupied with packing up tomorrow night for the long day ahead of us on Tuesday. Thanks for following the Honduras blog! You can be looking forward to getting some nice pictures and great stories from everyone when we return. A dios!
Mateo
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Shoes and Meds
It's hard to believe we've been here in Honduras for five days. Everyone seems to be growing accustomed to the schedule and demanding physical labor and are enjoying the stay. Yesterday was a big day in Armenia Bonito. We continued work on our two housing projects. We started laying cinder blocks for the foundation of one home and spent hours mixing concrete and mortar. Cement trucks and even portable mixers are non-existent here; instead, we pile sand and concrete mix on the ground, mix it with shovels, then form a big crater in the middle. The crater is then filled with water, and we fold the mixture from the outside of the crater into the water and repeat it all the way around until everything is mixed together on the ground. It's a pretty neat trick.
After our four hour work morning, we had an authentic Honduran lunch cooked by the home next to our work site. We ate tacos on homemade tortillas with refried beans and chili-infused onions. It was a very domestic experience! Afterward, we held a shoe drive at the town hall. We brought three bags of shoes from the states that John, Ben Kinnebrew, and I picked up from a guy in Florida who donated them to us. It was a chaotic scene! We had about 260 pairs of mostly women's and girl's sandals in piles inside of the town hall, and when we arrived from the work sites to start the drive, there were nearly 300 people standing outside. What made it even more chaotic was that the culture of Honduras doesn't embrace the tried and true method of forming a line, so people were pushing and shoving at times to get inside. In true American fashion, however, we were able to form them into a tidy line and distribute most of the shoes. Some people weren't able to receive any because of the magnitude of the crowd, but a lot of people from the community received a pair of brand new shoes. It was definitely a highlight of the trip.
Moving on to today, we did more of the same this morning at the work sites. One of the houses that Karsten, Stephen Kelly, Jeff, and Cary were working on was finished today as they erected the remainder of the roof. The rest of us were able to relive a childhood dream and dig a ten foot deep and eight foot wide hole in the ground. It will eventually be filled with stone and concrete and will become a ceptic tank for the house we're building. The first foot or so was good topsoil, but the rest was pure sand, so it was a very laborious process to dig it out. It was especially hot today, so we took a lot of breaks and drank a lot of gatorade and water. Sometimes it seems like no matter how many liquids you put in your body, you just can't keep up with the sweat that drips off your body...literal drops.
After the morning work session, Karsten, Stephen Bankson, Ben K., Samantha, Katie, Julianne, and John helped set up a medical clinic in the town hall. Erin Pettengill, a registered nurse, hosts the clinic every Thursday, and they are able to provide basic healthcare for those in the community. I walked in for a few minutes and saw Karsten and Stephen holding an infant down on a table as Erin operated on an absess on his forehead. She had to use a scalpel and syringe to remove all the liquid from the wound. The poor little boy was screaming and writhing the entire time, but he turned out just fine in the end. The scene was very eye-opening for serveral kids on the team. The rest of us took a flock of kids to the soccer field to play with them and get them away from the business of the clinic. The field itself was littered with trash, and we spent an hour or so cleaning it up. About fifteen kids helped us complete the task and were very excited to receive praise from all the "gringos." After we finished cleaning up, we loaded up a pick-up truck (with about 20 kids and four adults!) and drove ten minutes up the road to a beautiful swimming hole in the river called "tres piedres" (three rocks). Aptly named, it is a pool of clear water with three giant boulders to jump off of. It was another one of those picturesque scenes as the mountains rose in the backgorund and the beginnings of the coastal jungle formed near the mountains. Ben Noble, Jeff, Cary, and I had fun throwing the kids around in the water while Katie and Julianne kept the little "ninas" occupied in the sand and shallow water. We'll be heading back to Tres Piedres tomorrow for some well-deserved fun and refreshment. After we left Armenia Bonito for the day, we headed back into La Ceiba and ate another authentic dinner at a local buffet. Randy and I each got a plate of different foods and tooks turns picking off each other's plates for a well-rounded dining experience. We'll see what adventures tomorrow holds for us!!
After our four hour work morning, we had an authentic Honduran lunch cooked by the home next to our work site. We ate tacos on homemade tortillas with refried beans and chili-infused onions. It was a very domestic experience! Afterward, we held a shoe drive at the town hall. We brought three bags of shoes from the states that John, Ben Kinnebrew, and I picked up from a guy in Florida who donated them to us. It was a chaotic scene! We had about 260 pairs of mostly women's and girl's sandals in piles inside of the town hall, and when we arrived from the work sites to start the drive, there were nearly 300 people standing outside. What made it even more chaotic was that the culture of Honduras doesn't embrace the tried and true method of forming a line, so people were pushing and shoving at times to get inside. In true American fashion, however, we were able to form them into a tidy line and distribute most of the shoes. Some people weren't able to receive any because of the magnitude of the crowd, but a lot of people from the community received a pair of brand new shoes. It was definitely a highlight of the trip.
Moving on to today, we did more of the same this morning at the work sites. One of the houses that Karsten, Stephen Kelly, Jeff, and Cary were working on was finished today as they erected the remainder of the roof. The rest of us were able to relive a childhood dream and dig a ten foot deep and eight foot wide hole in the ground. It will eventually be filled with stone and concrete and will become a ceptic tank for the house we're building. The first foot or so was good topsoil, but the rest was pure sand, so it was a very laborious process to dig it out. It was especially hot today, so we took a lot of breaks and drank a lot of gatorade and water. Sometimes it seems like no matter how many liquids you put in your body, you just can't keep up with the sweat that drips off your body...literal drops.
After the morning work session, Karsten, Stephen Bankson, Ben K., Samantha, Katie, Julianne, and John helped set up a medical clinic in the town hall. Erin Pettengill, a registered nurse, hosts the clinic every Thursday, and they are able to provide basic healthcare for those in the community. I walked in for a few minutes and saw Karsten and Stephen holding an infant down on a table as Erin operated on an absess on his forehead. She had to use a scalpel and syringe to remove all the liquid from the wound. The poor little boy was screaming and writhing the entire time, but he turned out just fine in the end. The scene was very eye-opening for serveral kids on the team. The rest of us took a flock of kids to the soccer field to play with them and get them away from the business of the clinic. The field itself was littered with trash, and we spent an hour or so cleaning it up. About fifteen kids helped us complete the task and were very excited to receive praise from all the "gringos." After we finished cleaning up, we loaded up a pick-up truck (with about 20 kids and four adults!) and drove ten minutes up the road to a beautiful swimming hole in the river called "tres piedres" (three rocks). Aptly named, it is a pool of clear water with three giant boulders to jump off of. It was another one of those picturesque scenes as the mountains rose in the backgorund and the beginnings of the coastal jungle formed near the mountains. Ben Noble, Jeff, Cary, and I had fun throwing the kids around in the water while Katie and Julianne kept the little "ninas" occupied in the sand and shallow water. We'll be heading back to Tres Piedres tomorrow for some well-deserved fun and refreshment. After we left Armenia Bonito for the day, we headed back into La Ceiba and ate another authentic dinner at a local buffet. Randy and I each got a plate of different foods and tooks turns picking off each other's plates for a well-rounded dining experience. We'll see what adventures tomorrow holds for us!!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Coke From a Bottle
The nights here are thick and humid. With no air conditioning in the house, it can be difficult to fall asleep at night despite the fact that we have four fans in our room. We were a lot slower to rise this morning, but once we had some coffee and Fruit Loops in us, we were ready to go! We headed out to Armenia Bonito at 7:30 again. I rode in the back of the Pettengill's truck along with a few others. The fresh, tropic air was refreshing...except of course when we were stuck behind a diesel truck!
We continued work on the two houses in the community. Stephen Kelly, Karsten, Jeff Prager, and Cary Darden continued laying cinder blocks and leveling the inside of the foundation with dirt while the rest of us started mixing cement to pour in the trenches we dug yesterday. Most people would picture an enormous cement truck or at list a portable mixer; please feel free to abandon those visions. We piled up rocky sand into a large pile at the worksite and interspersed layers of cement mix with it. Then, we dug out the middle to form a crater and poured water in the resulting cavity. Using brute strength and shovels, we then mixed the sand and mortar gradually into the pool of water. Our first attempt was nearly catastrophic as I accidentally dug too far into the side and released all the water from the pool, resulting in cement shoes!
After lunch in the small town hall, Karsten, Samantha, Jeff, and I helped two of the missionaries host an English class. We had about fifteen people come, most of which were kids. Only three adults came. We taught them food related vocabulary and how to introduce themselves in English. It was a lot of fun for both ends as they laughed at our Spanish and we corrected their English. Afterwards, we hand out some of the goodies from the WIC committee in the church. It was a great success!
After English class we had a couple hours of down time which was filled with jovial conversations, kids climbing over us, and a venture to the river. Most of us jumped in and swam with the kids. I'm sure in your mind you are picturing a menacing, brown, murky river with phiranas and man-eating crocodiles swimming about, but it was in fact the exact opposite. Crystal clear water running over a bed of beautiful, multi-colored stones as wild horses grazed on the banks, all the while the majestic Pico Bonito rising through the settling clouds behind us. Picturesque to say the least.
The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was dinner out in La Ceiba by the beach side, delicious local food, and a table full of ice cold glass bottles of Coke. There's just something about Coke from a bottle. We're all looking forward to a good night's sleep and a successful day three!
We continued work on the two houses in the community. Stephen Kelly, Karsten, Jeff Prager, and Cary Darden continued laying cinder blocks and leveling the inside of the foundation with dirt while the rest of us started mixing cement to pour in the trenches we dug yesterday. Most people would picture an enormous cement truck or at list a portable mixer; please feel free to abandon those visions. We piled up rocky sand into a large pile at the worksite and interspersed layers of cement mix with it. Then, we dug out the middle to form a crater and poured water in the resulting cavity. Using brute strength and shovels, we then mixed the sand and mortar gradually into the pool of water. Our first attempt was nearly catastrophic as I accidentally dug too far into the side and released all the water from the pool, resulting in cement shoes!
After lunch in the small town hall, Karsten, Samantha, Jeff, and I helped two of the missionaries host an English class. We had about fifteen people come, most of which were kids. Only three adults came. We taught them food related vocabulary and how to introduce themselves in English. It was a lot of fun for both ends as they laughed at our Spanish and we corrected their English. Afterwards, we hand out some of the goodies from the WIC committee in the church. It was a great success!
After English class we had a couple hours of down time which was filled with jovial conversations, kids climbing over us, and a venture to the river. Most of us jumped in and swam with the kids. I'm sure in your mind you are picturing a menacing, brown, murky river with phiranas and man-eating crocodiles swimming about, but it was in fact the exact opposite. Crystal clear water running over a bed of beautiful, multi-colored stones as wild horses grazed on the banks, all the while the majestic Pico Bonito rising through the settling clouds behind us. Picturesque to say the least.
The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was dinner out in La Ceiba by the beach side, delicious local food, and a table full of ice cold glass bottles of Coke. There's just something about Coke from a bottle. We're all looking forward to a good night's sleep and a successful day three!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Day 1
Well, we made it safe and sound to La Ceiba, Honduras! The journey was smooth and easy. I sat next to Stephen Kelly on the plane during his first ever flight. He did great! Ben Kinnebrew saved the day at the bus terminal after we landed in San Pedro Sula by interpreting what the attendant was saying to me. No hablo espagnol. Way to go Ben! There was a lot of hurrying up to wait, and after was seemed days, we pulled in last night around 6:30.
The Pettengill home here is great. There are two dorm-style rooms upstairs filled with bunks. The girls have it made and the guys are crammed eleven in one room. That's what I call bonding! We all fell asleep by 10:00 and were up by 5:45 to make ready for the day today. After breakfast (a traditional cereal and milk buffet) we headed out to Armenia Bonito, a small community just outside of La Ceiba. It is a poor village that the Pettengills spend most of their time in, and everyone was very excited and welcoming! The village itself is nestled in the foothills of a beautiful mountain range called Pico Bonito (beautiful peak). It really is a stunning backdrop and almost seems an antithesis to the poverty of Armenia Bonito. After arriving, we were divided into two groups. One worked on a cinder block house while the other went to a separate site and began digging trenches to lay the foundation of a new home in the community. It was hard work (although I must admit I did very little as Mike Pettengill and I had to go back to La Ceiba to run a few errands and take care of payment for our snorkling trip on Saturday). Ben Noble was a veritable force! Katie, Samantha, and Julianne spent a lot of time with the children and helped a few local women in the community bake coconut bread over and open fire. The worksite where the digging was taking place was filled with the pleasant aroma of cilantro emitted by nearby plants. It added quite an authentic touch to our work.
The second half of the day we hosted a kids club for about 25 children of the community. It was a lot of fun! Our team put on a skit about the story of Samson. John Goings delivered a stunning performance as the hero of the story while Katie played the controversial Delilah. Randy narrated the skit in Spanish (quite well I might add), and all the kids had fun laughing at all the silly gringos. Afterwards, we split up into groups and made paper bag Samson puppets. Hilarious. The day ended there, and we headed back to the Pettengills for cold showers, black beans and rice, tortillas, cole slaw, and watermelon. Mike then led a short devotional, we cleaned the dishes, and now we're vegging out, playing cards, reading, or blogging. It was a great first day and even better indicator of the week ahead.
The Pettengill home here is great. There are two dorm-style rooms upstairs filled with bunks. The girls have it made and the guys are crammed eleven in one room. That's what I call bonding! We all fell asleep by 10:00 and were up by 5:45 to make ready for the day today. After breakfast (a traditional cereal and milk buffet) we headed out to Armenia Bonito, a small community just outside of La Ceiba. It is a poor village that the Pettengills spend most of their time in, and everyone was very excited and welcoming! The village itself is nestled in the foothills of a beautiful mountain range called Pico Bonito (beautiful peak). It really is a stunning backdrop and almost seems an antithesis to the poverty of Armenia Bonito. After arriving, we were divided into two groups. One worked on a cinder block house while the other went to a separate site and began digging trenches to lay the foundation of a new home in the community. It was hard work (although I must admit I did very little as Mike Pettengill and I had to go back to La Ceiba to run a few errands and take care of payment for our snorkling trip on Saturday). Ben Noble was a veritable force! Katie, Samantha, and Julianne spent a lot of time with the children and helped a few local women in the community bake coconut bread over and open fire. The worksite where the digging was taking place was filled with the pleasant aroma of cilantro emitted by nearby plants. It added quite an authentic touch to our work.
The second half of the day we hosted a kids club for about 25 children of the community. It was a lot of fun! Our team put on a skit about the story of Samson. John Goings delivered a stunning performance as the hero of the story while Katie played the controversial Delilah. Randy narrated the skit in Spanish (quite well I might add), and all the kids had fun laughing at all the silly gringos. Afterwards, we split up into groups and made paper bag Samson puppets. Hilarious. The day ended there, and we headed back to the Pettengills for cold showers, black beans and rice, tortillas, cole slaw, and watermelon. Mike then led a short devotional, we cleaned the dishes, and now we're vegging out, playing cards, reading, or blogging. It was a great first day and even better indicator of the week ahead.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Nearly There
Well, it's 1:59 pm on Saturday, June 20th. I'm all packed up and eagerly anticipating our departure for Honduras tomorrow morning! The youth of HLPC, Randy, and I have worked really hard to reach this point, and we're so thankful for God's goodness to us throughout the whole preparation process! He has faithfully provided for all our needs!
I'm expecting a lot out of the trip. I expect it to be uncomfortably hot, although I feel amply prepared given the weather this past week. I've never really enjoyed sweating. I definitely prefer the cold. I expect it to be a cultural overload at times, but I have always enjoyed experiencing other cultures. I'm excited about being immersed in the culture of La Ceiba. I'm looking forward to staying with the Pettengills and being a part of their ministry. I found out yesterday that we'll be working all week on two houses in the poor community of Armenia Bonito, and I'm praying that we'll be able to make some real progress and have some great opportunities to meet the people of this village. Hope I can get some decent sleep tonight!
I'm expecting a lot out of the trip. I expect it to be uncomfortably hot, although I feel amply prepared given the weather this past week. I've never really enjoyed sweating. I definitely prefer the cold. I expect it to be a cultural overload at times, but I have always enjoyed experiencing other cultures. I'm excited about being immersed in the culture of La Ceiba. I'm looking forward to staying with the Pettengills and being a part of their ministry. I found out yesterday that we'll be working all week on two houses in the poor community of Armenia Bonito, and I'm praying that we'll be able to make some real progress and have some great opportunities to meet the people of this village. Hope I can get some decent sleep tonight!
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