Report from Honduras

Our team will be making a presentation at the church on July 15th at 6 pm.  Anyone is welcome to come!  We will be serving dessert that night.  Also, you can check out the video that Ashley Troxell put together of our team's week in Honduras...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQlSrBahfh0&feature=plcp.

We're Home!

After about 18 hours of traveling yesterday, we finally made it home!  We arrived in Raleigh around 12:30 am.  We had a great, safe trip, and we would like to thank all of y'all for your prayers!  There will be a presentation Sunday night July 15th at the church to show a slideshow and tell all about our trip.  We are so grateful for all of the Lord's blessings that we saw this past week and can't wait to share them with you!  Also, if you would like to keep up with what is happening in La Fe, Ashley Troxell (one of the missionaries we worked with) is writing a blog as well!  http://lifeinlafe.blogspot.com/
If you would like to keep up with more of the work of the other missionaries who work in La Ceiba and Armenia Bonito, the Pettengills also keep a blog. http://www.pettengillmissionaries.org/home

back in the US

A day of fun!

Enjoying the falls

It's Friday!  We had a wonderful day hiking through the rain forest and swimming in the waterfall.  We left at 8 am this morning and got back around 3:30.  On our hike we saw lots of cool things such as frogs, lizards, insects, plants (including nutmeg!), and fungi.  We spent about 2 hours at the falls and enjoyed playing in the pools and in the waterfall.  Following the hike we had a chance to go souvenir shopping. 
Tomorrow morning we will leave La Ceiba at 6 am for our 3 hour bus ride back to the San Pedro Sula.  We will then fly out around 12:12 (Honduras time, so about 2:12 home time).  We have a 5 1/2 hour delay in Atlanta and will then arrive home around 12:30 Sunday morning.  Please pray for safe travel and that all of our baggage arrives in Raleigh with us.  We can't wait to see all of y'all!
Also, I wanted to leave you with one quick blessing that I meant to share in yesterday's blog.  Yesterday, the duct tape that was holding Megan's tennis shoes together came off, and they were in need of repair.  We remembered the shoe repairman of La Fe, who we mentioned earlier in the week and has helped us with the walkway.  Megan and Mike took her shoes to him, where they were repaired very well.  We were then told later in the day that the shoe repairman had no money to feed his family that night, but since we had him fix the shoes he could now feed his family!  God always has perfect timing!

Service, Soccer, and Sweets

schlepping rocks

Today was the last day of construction and we are all exhausted, so this is going to be a quick update!  We spent today working on the walkway.  We finished placing river rock on 3/4 of the walkway (the foundation of the concrete) and almost finished placing the concrete on 1/3 of it.  Working together, we formed a line to make schlepping the rocks easy.  The concrete was then mixed at the bottom of the hill and carried up in buckets.

carrying concrete

Done for the day!

About half of the team went to help teach the ESL class at 2 pm.  They helped teach the English words for  different body parts.  You will have to ask them (Lisa, Tom, Marcia, Mike J, Megan, Emily, Austin, Nate, Mitch) how the curriculum was taught when we return, as I stayed behind to help with the walkway.

Around 4 we wrapped up where we were on the walkway and then went to say goodbye to the children.  They have been such a blessing to us and will be dearly missed!

Teaching ESL

For dinner we were taken to a restaurant and fed Honduran cuisine.  It was very tasty!  Our meal consisted of tortillas filled with refried beans, scrambled eggs and cheese, tortillas stuffed with cheese, and something called a taquito (kind of like a crunchy enchilada).
We were then taken to play soccer with the missionaries, their families, and the interns.  It was a lot of fun, but please pray for all of our soccer injuries!
Following an hour of soccer, we were treated to a well needed cold treat at Baskin Robbins (thank you mysterious Ice Cream Fairy!!)  It was the perfect thing to help cool us down from a long day of work and play!

soccer

Tomorrow we will be hiking the rain forest in the Honduran mountains.  This should be a lot of fun, and a good way to experience Honduras! We can't wait to tell you about it!
Once again, thank you so much for all the prayers and support.  We could not have done it with out y'all!  You are as much a part of this team as those who were sent!

River Day

washing clothes

We had a wonderful time at the river this morning!  We got to play with the kids, learn how to wash laundry by hand, and wash the kids' hair.  Many of us gave the local women a big laugh as we (mainly futilely) washed our clothes in the river under their supervision.  While some were washing clothes, the rest went out and played frisbee in the river with the kids.  Once all of the clothes washing was done, we went to a more shallow part of the river to wash the children's hair.  Since about the age of 2, most of the kids are required to do their own bathing, so they enjoy having someone else scrub their head.  Physical touch is not something that the kids get much from their mother or their father (if he is around).  We were encouraged to take the kids in and really show them they were loved by taking the time to really scrub their hair and comb and braid the girls' hair.  The boys were more reluctant about having us wash their hair, but some let us and they really seemed to enjoy the head massage.  Afterwards we spent about another hour playing with the kids in the river.

washing hair

After the river we came back to the compound to eat lunch with another couple of children.  These boys were brothers and are a part of a street kids ministry that is based here.  One of the missionaries on this team focuses on children who work the streets, often dealing drugs.  These children are a lot less trusting than the kids of La Fe since they generally are not supported by anyone, but have to fend for themselves.  The missionary does not just give to these children, but tries to show them the love of Christ through other ways.  It has been explained to us that we do not want to be seen as 'Walmarts' but instead as people who love the children unconditionally.  The lunch that we had with the kids today is more of a privilege for them instead of something that we 'owe' them.  They are required to let the guests go first, and they have to wash their own dishes.  Please pray not only for these children, but for their families, who the missionary is ultimately trying to reach.
Following lunch, we stayed at the compound and helped with needed jobs such as installing ceiling fans, reinforcing bunk beds, and other small jobs.  Some people also had the opportunity to learn how to make tortillas from the lady who made them for our meal tonight.
Tonight we had every member write a couple of sentences about how this week has had an impact on them, and we would like to share them with you!
Jay: We've already been more involved with the local people than on any Calvary missions trip I've been on. Praise the Lord for protection from the heat and for healing Mike J.  The Honduran people, poor as they are, are very friendly and welcoming.
Austin:  I look at the sense of community that exists in this much poverty and it is incredible.  An exchange of stark poverty and community, and wealth and individualism.  True community can exist within areas of success and wealth, but not like the community in La Fe.
Lisa:  What a wonderful Calvary team God has put together...different gifts, different personalities, one body!
Nate:  Everybody here, the locals, the missionaries, and the crew, have been so nice and encouraging.  This has been an amazing experience.
Tom:  Street kids are being loved with the gospel.  I told one of them that God is like re-bar- He gives us strength inside.
Mitch:  None of the kids really like me. (editorial comment: Not true!)  I enjoy trying to be crazy even when the kids look at me like I'm silly.
Ginger:  This week God has shown me how to be content with little, through the people of La Fe.  They are so joyful even though they have so little.
Mike J:  The people of Honduras live in a culture of mostly unbiblical, sinful lives.  Dedicated people try to love them unconditionally, while battling poverty, lust, and little education.  It's very sad.
Marica:  You can send supplies.  You can send money.  You have to send people to supply the real need-love.
Emily:  This week has been all about unconditional love.  Seeing all the kids, what they have and don't have, and still being content.  It's amazing and has definitely brought me closer to the Lord.
Megan:  God has greatly blessed me so far on this trip.  I have loved being able to spend time with the local Honduran kids and families.  I also love the way their faces light up when I practice my Spanish with them.
Mike L:  Honduras is definitely a land of dramatic contrasts.  The beauty of the mountains at sunrise or the local river in La Ceiba/La Fe contrasts with the dire poverty.  Overall, this trip working in La Ceiba has been very rewarding, and we pray God's blessings on all the ongoing efforts here.
Gwen:  The little boy who has touched my heart is Dandrie.  He is about 12 years old.  He is often seen consciously caring for his 1 year old brother, Elke.

Ask us about this when we get back...

Jeff:  It's been an easy and difficult week-easy to love the children, who are bright, energetic, and friendly, but difficult to see the people in very stark conditions, both physically and spiritually.

Tomorrow is our last day of construction, and we will be spending the afternoon helping with the ESL class in La Ceiba.  Please pray that we will be content with the work that we finish, and that we will continue to show God's love to the children tomorrow.
Thanks for the comments, we can't wait to tell you all about the trip!  There is so much more to tell!

Kids Club and Construction

singing

lesson

We began today by leading Kids Club for the children of La Fe.  We arrived early and played lots of games with the kids.  We are always amazed with the energy that they have, and how excited they are to have us play with them!  We then began around 10 am with some songs that they know and then Mike and Tom taught a lesson.  We taught them about God being the Bread of Life (John 6:35), and that He is the way, truth, and the life (John 14:6).  We then began a craft with them which involved coloring, which we have learned is something that all of the children love to do.  Megan had organized for them to color in a Bible verse, which was then framed with colorful foam core, and then they were allowed to put foam core stickers on the final product.  The kids also loved the stickers, so we were very glad that we brought more than enough!

crafts

Following kids club we went and ate lunch under some trees at the edge of the town.  We have been amazed with how inviting the locals are!  Today, one of the men came up to us and offered for us to use his bathroom, which is significant, since they are seen as rare amenities and are not open to the other villagers.

moving soil and rocks

After lunch, we all went to the construction site and worked hard at preparing the incline so that it will be ready for concrete.  I would like to praise God for putting together a team who works so well together!  Mike L. headed up the project by communicating with the Mayor to get the vision for the project, the rest of the team then worked to move, rake, and pack dirt and rocks to create a foundation for the concrete.  In this heat and humidity we are all learning that we cannot work as hard was we normally do at the construction site.  Team members would work for about 15 minutes and then switch off with another member who was resting.  Those who were resting spent time getting to know the locals and the kids who came by to observe the project.  It was also a HUGE blessing to have several of the community come and help us.  The shoe repair man, who we mentioned yesterday, was a big help in particular.  He was the perfect man for schlepping the wheelbarrow full of dirt and rocks down the hill to dump where needed.  There was also another local who helped us dig the dirt to be moved down the hill.  At the end of the day we were trying to convince the Mayor that we needed dig a "french drain" before the concrete was poured.  This ditch would be filled with concrete several feet down to prevent rain water from eroding the sidewalk once it has been laid.

All done! (for now)

At the end of the day the missionaries took us to 'Tipicos', a local restaurant.  It was very tasty!  The meal consisted of beef, pork, chicken, sausage, and plantain chips with re-fried beans.  We are all loving the local cuisine!
I would also like to share the ways that God has been using each of the members of your team down here in Honduras.  These kudos were called out by team members at our last meeting...
Jay: Being such a blessing to the kids!  They love to play soccer with him and play with his camera, and he was a big help during the crafts today
Austin: Being so eager to reach out and try to communicate with the locals.  He has picked up the language very quickly!
Lisa:  Finding every opportunity to show love to the locals, especially the women of the community
Nathan:  Always being a helping hand, ready to do what ever is needed
Tom: Heading up the lesson for the kids today.  His proficiency with the language has been a HUGE blessing!
Mitch:  He has been very eager to try and reach out to the kids that we have met, and work hard to get to know each of them better
Ginger:  Heading up the music for Kids Club as well as the devotions
Mike J: Having such a great attitude about everything.  His positive attitude has been such a blessing!
Marcia:  She has such a gift with the children!  She works hard to try and understand everything that the children try to communicate with her.
Emily: The kids absolutely love Emily, especially the little girls!  She takes time to talk to them, play with them, and get to know them each individually
Megan:  She did such a great job heading up the crafts!  The kids absolutely loved it!
Mike L:  Heading up the construction for the ramp.  He helps us catch the vision, and then re-catch it as the Mayor changes his mind on what he wants done and then translates into English for action.
Gwen:  She is the perfect person for organizing work shifts and making sure we all stay well hydrated!  She keeps track of how long people have been working, and then making them switch out with someone when they need to take time out to rest and hydrate.

Honduran Bovine :)

There are a couple of prayer requests that we would like to mention, particularly for tomorrow.  The children in La Fe have a big problem with head lice.  We would like to pray for the team members as we play with the children and pick them up.  Tomorrow we will be going to the river with the kids to wash their hair with real shampoo and learn how to wash clothes in the river.  Please pray that God will protect all of us from the lice.  We are trying to have the attitude that Jesus worked with lepers, and head lice aren't nearly that bad.
We also want to give our kudos to you!  All of your prayers are greatly appreciated, and we love hearing from you (especially the missionary jokes :))!

Building Relationships

Playing with the kids

Today was an exciting day filled with construction, helping with a health clinic, and getting to know the families.  We all worked in La Fe but were spread into a couple of different groups.  The group that worked on construction worked on building a sidewalk.  We were taught patience as it took some time before the construction actually began.  The mayor was the head of construction, but did not show up until mid morning.    While waiting for the mayor to arrive, the team members played with the children and helped a local man build some steps; he was a shoe repair man.  He told Tom and Mike that the city was named La Fe, because they have faith that God will not bring another hurricane that will wipe the town out, like Hurricane Mitch did previously.  They also got to meet the man's sick wife, who is a Christian.  Tom and Mike prayed for her, and both husband and wife were very grateful for the team's help.  Once the mayor arrived the team transported dirt and rocks to lay down to be the foundation for the concrete to be mixed later.

Moving dirt

Another part of the team, mainly Jeff, Lisa, and Ginger, spent the day helping Erin (the missionary who is an RN), her daughter, and an intern run the medical clinic.  Those who wanted to be looked at were given a number and were then called into "intake".  Here we recorded heights, weights, blood pressure, and blood glucose levels.  We recorded what their complaints were and they were sent to wait until Erin was ready for them.  The complaints seen ranged from a cough, to an infant exam, to wound care.  It was sad to see that most of the issues could be fixed by a change in nutrition.  Bottled water and bottled soda both cost the same so the locals tend to choose to drink the sodas.  They do not see it as extra calories, but it greatly increases the incidence of diabetes, dental disease, and hyper-activity in kids.

Working at the clinic

Later in the afternoon we went around with some of the missionaries to do home visits with the locals, and played with kids down by the river. We stopped and talked with a group of boys who were playing together and learned their names, ages, and where they were in school.  One boy was headed to 7th grade, which is a big deal!  Children are only required to complete 6th grade, and most do not proceed further since their families need them to work.  We also talked with an older woman who recently moved to La Fe.  La Fe is generally a place where people move if they no longer have the financial ability to live elsewhere.  Please pray that God will bring joy into her life!

Playing with the kids

Mitch, Austin, Nathan, and Emily spent time playing soccer with some of the kids, while the other members got out puzzles and games for the other kids to play.  Please pray for us as we will be leading Kids Club in the morning for these children.  Pray that they will be open to the Gospel, and that we will be able to show the love of Christ to them, even through a language barrier.
Please also continue to pray for the team to stay healthy and well hydrated!  Particularly pray for Mike J. as he has especially struggled with the heat.
We would also like to report some things that we would like to praise God for.  First, Lisa's bag arrived tonight!  This is an exciting story that we can't wait to tell y'all more about when we return (turns out it wasn't Delta's fault).  Second, it has been such a blessing to have Tom and Mike on our team who can translate for us and communicate with the local residents!  We would also like to praise God for all of y'all and the encouraging notes that Mrs. Hackney helped to gather together. They have been a great blessing to all of us!  Finally we would like to praise God for the blessing of Gwen W.  and her birthday today!  It seems she had a wonderful birthday here in Honduras.
Thank you for your comments, and continue to let us hear from you!  We are still waiting for a missionary joke...(hint hint B.H. :))

Getting to Know the Culture

We have had a wonderful Sunday worshiping with the local missionaries and the community!  This morning our group and the missionaries and their families met and worshiped together.  We sang some and then Mike Pettengill preached from 1 Timothy 1:12-20.  We learned about why God does not want us to have idols and the effect that the preaching of the gospel will have on a listener.
After the service we loaded up into their 15 passenger van and took a tour of the city, and La Fe, where we will be working this week.  We drove up to the coast and then back through town where we learned a lot about the local culture.

coast line

La Ceiba is one of 3 major cities in Honduras, and is known as the partying city.  The majority of downtown consists of bars and clubs.  The women of the town have many children which are often fathered by different men.  It is rare for the children to have a father figure in their life.

local bar

La Fe is a very poor city that basically consists of squatters that have taken up residence.  The locals are in the process of officially owning the property of La Fe, but at this moment the government could still come and uproot them if they wanted to.  The mayor of La Fe will be helping to lead all of the construction we work on this week.
The culture of La Ceiba and La Fe consist of two main groups of people:  descendants of the Mayans and the Garifuna.  The Garifuna culture came from an uprising on a slave ship.  The ship was shipwrecked on the Caribbean coast and La Ceiba was one of the main places where they took up residence.  The two cultures do intermingle, but both have their own separate religions and traditions.

Small glimpse into La Fe

 The local infrastructure came about when Dole stationed in La Ceiba to harvest pineapples and cantaloupes.  Dole provided lots of jobs for the local community and running water through parts of the town.  Dole no long ships out of La Ceiba as the coast is too shallow, but the products are still harvested here and shipped to a bigger port.  
We also learned that the name of the town, La Ceiba, comes from a tree called la ceiba.  This is a large softwood tree which was once used to make life vests.

La Ceiba tree (sorry it wouldn't rotate the picture).  White stuff is insecticide.

After the tour we came back to the compound and were taught a course called Darkness to Light.  We learned about the incidence of child sexual abuse and the signs to look for if we suspect a child is being abused.  This is evidently a big concern in this area, and the missionaries are trying to help with this problem.
Around 4pm we went to a local church called Iglesia Gran Comision (Church of the Great Commision) which met at a local school. The sermon was on lives that inspire.  The passages used were Matthew 16:24-25, Galations 2:20, and 1 Peter 1:14-15.  The main point was that Jesus should be our inspiration.  We are consecrated to God, we have a clear vision of where we are going to go when we die, heaven is our home, and we respond by showing compassion to help others in need.  We should live to be an inspiration to others that they may also follow Christ.  We sang lots of upbeat songs that were led by a full praise band.  The singers who led the music had very beautiful voices!
After church we came back, had supper, and were orienteered on what we will be doing tomorrow.  Some of us will be helping with the local medical clinic and the rest will be constructing a sidewalk.  In the afternoon some of us will go on home-visits to get to know the people of La Fe.
It was great to hear from y'all in the comments!  Megan has had a great birthday, along with 2 others here.  We are also very excited with having Marcia on our team and can't wait to work with her tomorrow!

We've Made It!

We've made it!  After about 10 hours of traveling we have begun to settle in.  We would like to praise God for the safe travels, allowing all of us to make it through customs (Mike J. got held up due to having the same name as a man on the no-fly-list), and for the majority of our baggage making it through safely.  Lisa's checked bag didn't leave the Atlanta tarmac, but it should arrive here either tomorrow or Monday. 
We have met several of the missionaries we will be working with and have been informed of the plan for the week.  However, as we all know a plan is a platform for change!  We have been encouraged to be very flexible. 

Team photo at the compound

In regards to hydration, we have also been informed that we need to drink 1 liter an hour!  It is also highly recommended that we alternate between water and gatorade.  Please pray that we will all hydrate appropriately and avoid any problems with heat exhaustion. 
Our first meal in Honduras was one of local cuisine, which was very tasty!  So far, there are no stomach problems, but please continue to pray that it stays that way :).
Tomorrow we will be attending a church service in the morning with the missionaries here at the compound where we are staying.  Next we will be getting a tour of our worksites which will be followed by a program led by lead missionaries about sexual abuse and things to look for while we are here.  We will then attend a local church in the afternoon.
Please pray that we all get lots of well-needed rest tonight and that planning goes well tomorrow.  Also pray that Lisa's bag arrives in a timely manner.  Finally, please pray that we will all be very flexible this week.

View from the roof of our compound

Thank you so much for your prayers, and let us hear from you!  Since most of us did not bring our phones, this is our one line of communication with you.

At O'-dark-30 tomorrow morning the Calvary missions team will be meeting at the airport to head to Honduras!  Please pray for safe travel and calm nerves and stomachs.  We are excited for this amazing opportunity and can't wait to report back to you!  Please check back every night as we will try to update the blog.  We can't wait to tell of the wonderful mercies of our loving Savior!!

Preparing for Honduras!

     It's that time of year again!  In about 3 weeks the Calvary Missions Team will be headed to La Ceiba, Honduras.  We are excited for what God has planned for us, and we ask that you would pray that we follow Him every step of the way.  

     Many prayers have been answered in ways that we could not even imagine.  We have been provided with well priced plane tickets, flights on the dates requested (and at decent times), safe and comfortable dorms, and already have full funding for our trip!  Please continue to pray as we wrap up necessary preparations such as planning material for the kids, travel arrangements, vaccinations, and passports.  Please pray for the missionaries in Honduras that we will be working with and the families to whom we will be ministering.  Once again we are very grateful for your prayers and support, and we cannot wait to tell you about the wonderful things God is going to do on this trip!