Good old fashioned revival meeting!

Some things no one mentioned in the blog before because they happened on the last night and final morning before we left San Jose. After that we had no access to the internet as the hotel in Tela as we had expected (it was out of order). On Thursday night all four church's congregations gathered at Gladis' church for a guest speaker from the Dominican Republic. He and his entourage took "the stage" (actually the back yard of the people who live next to the church). It was incredible how they transformed the front area of the church into an outdoor ampitheater atmosphere, they brought giant speakers from somewhere and strung a couple of lightbulbs across the yard. They had a microphone and keyboard hooked up to an amplifier (all run off car batteries) and the place was packed! With about 15 rows of benches and plastic chairs - obviously borrowed and brought over from all the churches - there was standing room only. Had to be at least 500 people there. We sang, we prayed, we heard testimony, hands were waving, people of all ages - it was awe-inspiring. I especially enjoyed seeing some of the bibles we donated being waved in the air and WWJD bracelets on the teens in the crowd. It was supposed to start at 7, but actually didn't start until 8 and by 9 we were exhausted and ready for bed. People could still hear the rejoicing through their ear plugs (too keep snoring and rooster noise out) at 10 p.m. It was neat. Friday morning before we left, the youth bible study class from the Catholic church came to meet with us and discuss questions they had. We both sangs some songs for each other and then said our goodbyes to the health committee and other kids that were hanging around to see us off. It was a great way to end our time in San Jose.

Mike returns to his flood damage and is thankful.

Yes we're all home. Back to our familes and the lives that we left before San Jose. I've been home by myself all day, doing laundry and cleaning up after my flood. There are still many boxes of things that are wet and I'm trying to decide what to save and what to pitch. But the experience of San Jose is still very much in my mind. I keep wondering how far along they are on the toilets and sink in the kindergarten, whether the children are washing their hands like we taught them and whether the people we gave bibles to are using them. I think about the children, wondering what Eddie, Stephanie and Belke are doing. I think it will be awhile before the time we spent there fades from my constant memory. I hope it stays for awhile. Thank you all for a wonderful and rewarding week. We did a lot and I can only wish that it will make a difference. We go down their to give our time and our talents and hundreds of pounds of needed materials, but it seems as if we leave with much more than we took. Hope to see you all at the get together. Mike

Please pray for the Honduran Government

Hopefully you have all heard the news by now that the Honduran Government is experiencing a coup. It began on the morning we left. We were aware of the unrest most of the week thanks to to our Shoulder to Shoulder coordinator having a cell phone and getting reception up on the mountain. Praise God we did not run into any delays due to rioting. The people there are very concerned over this and ask that we pray for their leaders to uphold their constitution which the president was trying illegally to change. It is a very scary situation, their future is at a terrible risk. I am praying for the democratic process to work as it should and for peace among the people. Their country seems divided between the "rich" and the poor. Unfortunately, the president spent much of their money that was to be used for desperately needed infrastructure on campaigning for his cause. Extremely sad, they have so many needs. Especially in light of the recent 7.1 earthquake that happened last month. Recovery is extremely slow.

Eye surgery news...

I wanted to let everyone know, that we have been praying about helping a little girl we met last time (in 2007) with crossed-eyes. And our prayers were answered on the last day in San Jose. We found her mother and got permission to pay for the surgery. It will happen on August 4th when a Opthamologist Pediatric Specialist will be visiting the city at the base of the mountain (El Progresso). Unbelievable, the surgery cost is $250.00 Praise God. Special thanks to Dr. Bower for his referral and for all the surgeries he performed in El Progresso last week while we were at work in San Jose.

Home again

Hola Amigos! Well, I remembered a little spanish and learned a few more words too. It's good to be home. First stop, the ice cream shop. There was a great surprise warm reception at the airport by our pastor and a family members with signs and flowers - really nice. And Sandra Lane was late and missed us at the airport - so met me at the ice cream shop with her sign and pom poms - simple adorable as usual. My favorite part was that in her excitement, my scrabble queen friend spelled mission wrong - misson on the sign. And she is NEVER late - so it was perfect as everything in Honduras is late - we call it Honduran time. It's hard to adjust to, but after a week, you get used to it. So it was no problemo for me. I just logged on to read the blog and the comments from friends. They are great. I'm so proud of the team and all the hard work that was done. It was worth every bead of sweat. I'm relieved we all made it home safe and am looking forward to next time. Now, it's picture sorting time and presentation preparation getting into action. The pastor mentioned we are already scheduled for July 19th - GREAT! Time for bed, I'm exhausted.

I just heard from Susie. They are in Houston, ready to board the flight to Pittsburgh, which is on schedule. They should be arriving about 8:45. In case any of you have heard about the coup in Honduras this morning, there is no need to worry. There were members of the Honduran military at the airport to ensure it stayed open, but they saw no other signs and had no difficulty.

Jack

Susie asked me to let everyone know that they are in Tela. They don't have Internet access at the hotel, so they haven't been able to post or send email. Susie found a wifi network with her iPhone while they were having lunch and was able to get a short message out to me. We won't likely hear anything else until they reach Huston tomorrow.

Jack

Hola, Amigos! Wow! What a week! It's hard to imagine the emotional rollercoaster that this week has been. From the worshipping from the heart and the sharing, loving right-in-God's-arms highs to the utter nothingness of the peoples' possessions, and from the absolutely Godliness of the faith and generosity of these amigos, to the sad, sad plight of the ones who have little access to health and welfare assistance.

To have a house here is a blessing, but one room with open doors and windows and no furniture, personal space or posessions to put in it seems spartan. And children everywhere. Smiling, shy, beautiful, scrubbed, hopeful, wide-eyed faces that steal your heart away. My instinct is to gather as many as I can fit in armfulls and hug them. If anything will bring you back to San Jose it will be the memory of those beautiful faces.

Tonight we had spindown and my stone in the circle was Hope. As long as we remember that Jesus has sent us and we are His hands, we feel hope, Amen. We met with the Health committee and they said "Thank you" and we said "No, Thank YOU"!

See you soon,

Sam

This morning we did the community cleanup. Finally! My Mom's been talking about it for at least a week. Now she's talking about the Tayla or at least what we'll do there. Anyways, the community cleanup went muy muy bien (very, very, very well). The entire place looks cleaner! I got bitten by at least 10 bugs, so I had to quit, unfortunately. At lunch we had noodles. They were so good, I had 3 helpings! We later found out they cooked the noodles in chicken broth (hint, hint, church cooks). The kindergarten was the best behaved bible group we ever had! Everything went smoothly. Some of the things we did were sing and sign Jesus Loves Me, read a couple of books, and even a puppet show! There were about 30 kids there and a couple of parents too. The teacher was very appreciative, and the bathroom we started on Monday, the community construction workers have almost finished - amazing.

Good night,

Bo Lenhardt :-)

Hi Everyone back home,

What a terrific day we had!!! As usual we were up early for breakfast and hurrried up the mountain to the school----had to be there by 8:00 AM. We set up stations in the play-yard. One station was for teaching about bacteria & the proper way to wash hands, another was placing fake bacteria on their hands---viewed it with UV light--then had them wash their hands to rid the bacteria---viewed their hands with UV again---surprisingly most of them were successful with hand-washing. Susie & others had students looking at bugs & bacteria via microscopes. Genevieve and others demonstrated how water becomes contaminated and how to prevent such. The kids were really interested. The children here have very little but they are typical kids; boys teasing girls, running playing tag, girls telling secrets. Our children have it so nice---they have no--- idea how these littles ones hike a gutted,dirt road far up a mountain to get to school. They look much nicer attending school then our kids: they wear uniforms, which generally are neat and clean. They are respectful and helpful. Before we left the school six children---three girls and three boys in native dress performed dances of Honduras. A long hike back in the hot, hot sun for lunch.

After lunch we hiked to the Community Center for elementary children's Bible study/ministry. The building is hot as blazes and nearly 200 children of different ages came; mothers with babies and most of us.

They learned the Ten Commandments with finger/hand signing-----they did great. Then we had them make bookmarks for their Bibles---they loved that---what a job that was!!! Next we had them do Ten Commandment puzzles. We only had 60 Bibles to give this group---we tried to give to family groups, but we had no idea if they were family or not. At the end 80 children were lined up out on the road hoping to get a Bible. We had a raffle for the last seven Bibles. We gave 57 Bibles to teenagers the day before and on Monday gave almost as many to adults. Seeing all these children anxious to do whatever we had for them to do, was heart warming.

I know as a fact that I have never sweat so much in my life---water poured down my face like many steady streams/a flowing brook. Our clothes get soaked. Oddly enough, even though the natives feel that it is hot---they perspire very little and seem to tolerate the greater than 100 degrees in the center with no problem. The kids are active and happy---never complain of the heat or how many miles they walk/run. They gather around us in flocks; smile and wave as we walk by their tiny, plain homes. We see them sweeping the dirt in front of the houses. They love candy just as our kids do---get a little money and go to a tiny store to buy candy---they ask for "shicken". At last I bought a Pepsi yesterday.

This evening we were invited to a prayer meeting at a woman's house---Esther----she is one of our cooks. You would not believe the terrain we hiked--it is so exhausting, but we made it----saw a coral snake on the way---Bo was excited.

The house was so small yet it was packed ----they permitted women and children in the tiny room along with the men who were leaders and our interpreter. It was a very moving service---they were so thankful to God for us and all we have done for them. They read several Bible verses. prayed and sang songs. They sing with such gusto especially the little children. They are wonderful people/children of God.

We are now back, enjoying the most beautiful starry sky---sweating again. Must go----the bugs are attracted to the light of the computer and driving me nuts.

Keep us in your prayers as we do you. This is a wonderful, successful mission.

God Bless!!!

Carole

Hola amigos in Pittsburgh. I bet you wish you were here. I clock the roosters each morning...seems to differ by how wet or dry they are??? On wet nights (we're talking thunderous rain), they have squawked as early as 12:30 am, and definitely by 2:30 am, but on dry nights, they usually give us until 3:00 am each morning. Then we are treated to a scene not unlike 101 Dalmations, with the dogs howling across vast distances...only it's with roosters, hundreds, across these mountains...an incredible and unbelieveable sound (especially when using the outdoors bathrooms in the middle of the night, and one squawks right behind you!) It is a wonderful experience, really, to hear, and they make all kinds of sounds, with a rare "cock-a-doodle-doo" thrown in. Their sounds continue until the sun is up....and by then the pigeons roosting outside our door and the birds are chiming in, as well as village dogs, goats, and whatever else is wandering around.

Today, we ate breakfast quickly, and rushed on the rocky village road to get to the school early (by 7:45 am), so that we could set up 4 stations, 2 with Henry the Hand for handwashing techniques, and 2 with microscopes to see germs. We "ran" many grades today, first, second, third, seventh, eighth, and ninth grades, with grades three, four, and five scheduled for tomorrow. The older students saw photos of bacteria, with teaching from our wonderful minister Medardo, who doubles as interpreter, teacher, custodian, and driver, who is passionate about cleanliness due to the swine flu pandemic here (over 1,000 cases) which their government is doing nothing about. We had teams of 4 at each table, with our wonderful Honduran teen interpreters helping, as usual, with everything.

We worked until noon, then had a program from a few students, celebrating their culture through dance. Can't wait to show you all the pictures of this week. After lunch, a walk back (I call this the Health Spa...walking up and down rocky dirt roads in sweltering heat, sweating profusely all day long...checked on the scale, and I have lost 4 pounds so far!!!), we had a great lunch, a beef soup with bananas, yucca, and carrots, with lime juice squeezed into the sauce. A quick lunch, then a race back to do the next program at the local community center, where we were conducting a bible lesson (10 commandments with hand signs for each, a puzzle game of the 10 commandments, a bookmark craft, and a bible for all).

A joy: Sharing art, a universal language, with the students, first coloring books, then liquid acrylics on paper to train for the mural, and then, after questioning the principal for interest and desire, a wall mural on an outside wall of the school, depicting a rainforest scene with animals. I brought over enough supplies to paint the entire length of the building with many scenes from a book called "The Umbrella" by Jan Brett, which the interpreters are translating now, to be presented tomorrow for the school's library. The second grade teacher loves art, and is excited to take on the project which we started. I was able to draw one mural (14 feet by 10 feet) and with the help of Bo, and 3 of our 5 teen interpreters, make a good start on the drawing...always surrounded by crowds of curious students.

A sadness: passing skeleton dogs on the streets, and around every building, with heads down, eyes averted, searching endlessly for food on the ground... They often meet with harsh words, kicks, or stones, and I have never seen anyone show kindness or pet a dog yet... they breed unwanted and unloved...so different from many dogs in our country.

Carole will tell you about the incredible afternoon!

See you Sunday night, Barry and Rebecca!

Love to you all,

Andrea

• Lesson number one learned in San Jose: Don't play cards with children who will play better than you. I just lost seven times in a row to a girl who had only seen the card game played once, yes once.
• Lesson number two learned: Don't take out your camera unless you want to be trampled by a stampede of children. (Don't underestimate them; they can be just as frightening as a real stampede.) "Take my picture! Genny, take my picture! Can I take the picture? Let me do it!" You also have to show them the picture after you take it or else you'll be stalked until you show them.
• Number three: Taking showers in the rain is possibly better than the ones you take behind doors.
• Number four: The people here are the nicest strangers you'll ever meet. Their smiles are as frequent as the rain.
• Number five: I'm debating telling every modeling agency in the world that if they're looking for a person who is drop-dead gorgeous, knows how to work a pout, and has got attitude and facial expressions that will strike them blind, they should go straight to San Jose.

This place is beautiful and so are the people that spend their lives here.

No te creo!

Genevieve

Today my daughter, Genevieve, and I are in charge of sharing the news of our Honduras mission activities. Yesterday, Monday, several of us took the long, rocky road to the school - just a short distance past the center of the village. We were greeted by the principal - Melida Argentina Lopez - a gracious, dedicated woman who has been in charge of this school of 380 students - grades 1-9 - since 2005. We arrived during recess, and there were students running and playing everywhere in their navy blue and white uniforms. We discussed how best to set up our educational activities - all focused on the importance of keeping clean and drinking clean water. We plan to practice handwashing, demonstrate how germs can be spread, and talk about the good and bad practices that affect water quality. We'll also be setting up microscopes - some with prepared slides and others for observing known objects from their everyday life. Andrea worked out the details of painting a wall mural with some of the students, depicting the plants and animals of a rain forest. The principal could not have been more accommodating, even going so far as to give us a set of keys to the school grounds and to her office, so we can set up in advance and keep donated supplies and equipment in her office. As we walked amongst the students, all of whom were friendly and polite, we recognized many of the children who join us for fun and games at the Clinic. There is something so special about that spark of recognition and the big smiles after just a few days here. On our return, we stopped to see the progress of the new bathrooms at the kindergarten building. The teacher came out to ask if there were any way we could come to visit her students. This morning is our only free time, and she rearranged her entire schedule to make this possible. We'll read stories and do our handwashing demonstration, leaving her lesson plans and soaps for the students.

Today is also the day for painting the walls and columns of the Clinic, but as I write I can hardly hear myself think as the rain drums like thunder on the roof. This is the rainy season, so important for the growth of their crops. They dealt with a draught in May - hard to even imagine - that set back the plant growth. I am certain that draught is over now! The Honduran people that we have met - both children and adults - have a way of making us feel so welcome. There are no doubt many reasons for their kindness and friendliness, but after observing them at their Church services and at our adult bible study yesterday, I would say they are truly filled with faith and are living out their faith in their treatment of us and in their treatment of each other. It is very impressive, especially in light of the difficulties of everyday life here. It makes me want to re-examine not only my way of life, but the depth of my own faith. God bless you all and keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Diane

P.S. To all of our family - we send our love. You seem so far away, and yet still so close.

Hola Family and Church Family and Friends!!

Rain Rain Go Away!!! It has rained every day we have been here and Thank God!! The only way we could get clean was to shower in the rain. Since the water at the Clinic was not working we had to improvise someway. Today all of our prayers were answered, it did not rain and the water was working. Madardo (not sure of the spelling) was the miracle worker for getting the Clinic water working!

Enough about the Water but of course, that is what our mission is about "Sweet Water". Let me get on to how our day went today. A crew of us worked at the kindergarten getting the ground dug and preparing it for a bathroom addition to the Kdg building. The remainder of the crew went to visit the school and make all the arrangements for our education part of the trip, teaching the students about cleanliness and clean water. It was a very busy morning and by lunch time we were all HOT and exhausted!! We had more work to do though after lunch. All but Hurst, John, Sam, Gus and Airon made our way up "Heart Attack" hill to the community center. There Carole, Mike and Josie presented a fairth service and participation to the adults of the community. We were very happy to have a turnout of 40. Actually, we praised God for the turnout. They are such polite and caring people and take their faith seriously. We gave them all bibles to take home. They really love getting the bibles. To end the program we sang their favorite song, "Alabare" It was great to see the Joy on their faces, while they sang.

While we were at the Community Center, "The Guys" worked with the contractor, Felix, on the kindergarten bulding. In all ways, it was a very busy and gratifying day. I thank God that I have this opportunity to "Pay Forward". If you read the Upper Room Meditation for June, you will know what I am talking about.

To all that went on the Mission Trip 2 years ago, the Community Center has not cooled off!!!! , MACANUDO 2007 Team!!!

To all families and friends, God Bless you and we all send our love.

P.S. Kuriger Family, at least I do not have to see the kitchen for 10 days and I know you tried your best!! Love ya Always, Mom AKA Gram.

Hola Everyone,

We are having a great time here and the people are wonderful. Yesterday was marked by torrential downpours and since it was our second day without water we were actually pretty happy about the rain. Nearly all of us put on our bathing suits, grabbed some soap and took a shower in the water that was pouring off the tin roof of the clinic. What fun that was! It was like being a kid again.

Today we are breaking ground on the new bathroom for the kindergarten here. This morning we met the contractor at the kindergarten and decided on the plans. Originally we were planning on rebuilding the existing out house and fitting them with proper flush toilets and a sink. Some of the tear down work was supposed to be done by the local contractor prior to our arrival but when we got here we found that this instruction had been lost in translation. This turned out to be a blessing because when we met with the kindergarten teacher she asked if the bathroom could be attached to the school building because she is not able to look after the kids when they leave the school building to use the outhouse and this has always concerned her. Of course we were happy to oblige and asked if she would like a door opened into the school building so that the kids would not have to go outside to get to the bathroom. She was very pleased with this idea and gave Alisa a hug. We then gathered our tools and began working. If not for the miscommunication the kids would have a better outhouse but it would still be an outhouse. You can't tell me God isn't at work here. How wonderful to be able to provide this to the community! We will have pictures of the construction when we get back. Everyone there can be proud of what your support in prayers and donations has provided to these people.

That's all for now, love to all back home and to Diane & Chris, I miss you.

Love, Hurst/Dad

As I sit here right now, the only word that comes to mind is AMAZING! We have been here since Friday afternoon and all is well with the team. We are safe, eating well and blessed. The faith of our host village, San Jose, is apparent in many ways and denominations. It is truly a blessing to have been called to participate in this mission and we are looking forward to the week ahead. We will be doing some construction on the outdoor toilets at the kindergarten, painting the medical clinic and spreading the Word through bible studies for various age groups. It seems strange to be sending this via blog from such a remote area (solar energy and satellite) but we want you to know that your support of this mission is reaping benefits. I cannot wait to share everything upon our return though I am excited about everything that is yet to happen in the week ahead. The weather has been nice as far as I am concerned...it has been 80-85 degrees and overcast daily and seems to rain on the mountain nightly. Daylight is 5:30 am and it is dark at 7:00 pm. We have already attended several services and the faith we have observed is incredible...we are learning from the Hondurans, as I anticipated.

God bless and keep us in your prayers,

John

We had a fun day yesterday with a lot of down time where we could play with the local children. It amazes me how we can be sitting on the porch for 5 min and suddenly have 15 kids grouped around us waiting for something to happen. We painted with them yesterday and even got them to sing along with us as we practiced a few songs. The best activity was after dinner when one of the girls asked if I would play with her. We sat down and I was trying to remember the words to a clapping game when Andrea came over and got us started on "Waliata" (I have no idea how to spell that!). The kids thought this was hilarious and we continued with Mary Mac, A Sailor Went to Sea, etc. Then we moved into songs like the Chicken Dance, Hokey Pokey and the Bunny Hop. It was so much fun and the kids just laughed and laughed. It was hard to stop when it was time to go to church.

We attended a service at Gladys' church last night that was very moving. It's wonderful to see such dedicated, passionate people who pour their whole heart and soul into serving God. They asked us to sing 3 songs which they seemed to really enjoy even though we really only had 2 ready. I guess it's not the qulaity of the singing, but the intention of the singers that makes the difference. One of the bible readings was Psalm 23 which really spoke to me. "The Lord is my Sheperd, I shall not want..." Even here where we don't have running water or air conditioning, the Lord provides for our wants. He sent us a wonderful rain storm to cool and cleanse us yesterday. I felt like a new person after that, both physically and spiritually clean. What a blessing for us all.

This morning we are off to a service at the Catholic church, then we are going to work on getting our bible study and educational materials ready for the week's work. I can't wait to see what else the day brings.

God Bless

Susie :^)

P.S. Hola, Genevieve and Felicity!

Hello everyone. This is Mike. As Hurst said yeseterday, we all arrived safely. We collected our bags, met our interpreters, piled into the back of three pickups and headed up the mountain. The ride was a steep, bumpy and long as we returnees remembered, but we all got here in one piece.

After getting settled, we ate dinner and were in bed by about 8:00 PM, our time (two hours behind your time.)

Today, we all walked to town to explore. We went to the kindergarten and it looks like we'll be able to do the needed plumbing work. Hurst and Sam think we can replace the old poorly functioning toilets with new ones. They are sorely needed.

The kids, as before, are everywhere and we attract them like magnets. They are a joy to be around. Yesterday, Andrea went through picture books with them and, today, they drew pictures and painted.

Our only problem is the clinic didn't have water for awhile. It's Saturday evening and we do now, but before that we relied on the rain. It's rained hard twice and the cisterns fill easily. This afternoon it poured and some of us took advantage of it by showering under the cold water rolling off the roof.

It was great fun.

Tonight we go to church at the small church across the street. We've practiced two songs to sing to them and we sound pretty good.

We are all well and excited to begin completing the mission tasks we came here to do.

We love hearing from all of you.

We are here

Hurst signed in under Alisa letting everyone know we are in San Jose safe and sound but have no phone access. Trip went without incident.

Gotta run.

Blessings,
H

Two Weeks and counting!

Hello friends and family! At this time, in fourteen days, our team will be finishing up lunch in the village, getting to know new friends and for a few of us, reuniting with old ones. A year of planning is coming to fruition. Everything it getting kicked into high gear! Education and ministry are in a flury of activity and we need your prayers. Our final class/meeting will be this Sunday, we have our packing party and send off dinner next Friday and our send off/commissioning service will be on June 14th. Thank you for all for your support. Daily updates to this blog will be starting on June 19th for 10 days. Enjoy! Have a great day.