We are building a church in El Quebrachal that is almost identical to the one pictured above. We started building it this year while in El Quebrachal in July, and we are hoping it will be done by the time we return so we can have a church service together! Those who have called me to give me updates have said the walls are already up and they are starting to do the roof :) I am so excited and I can't wait to see the church up on the hill overlooking the soccer field. The church in El Quebrachal will have bells in both towers so that they can call those in surrounding aldeas to join them for church services. We are so thankful to God that our church was given the resources to be able to fund the building of a church in El Quebrachal. Laying the foundation this past July was an event that will never be forgotten by the missionaries on my team, or the residents of El Quebrachal. It is one more of many events that we have shared together that have made our bond stronger.Monday, September 28, 2009
A Church for El Quebrachal!
We are building a church in El Quebrachal that is almost identical to the one pictured above. We started building it this year while in El Quebrachal in July, and we are hoping it will be done by the time we return so we can have a church service together! Those who have called me to give me updates have said the walls are already up and they are starting to do the roof :) I am so excited and I can't wait to see the church up on the hill overlooking the soccer field. The church in El Quebrachal will have bells in both towers so that they can call those in surrounding aldeas to join them for church services. We are so thankful to God that our church was given the resources to be able to fund the building of a church in El Quebrachal. Laying the foundation this past July was an event that will never be forgotten by the missionaries on my team, or the residents of El Quebrachal. It is one more of many events that we have shared together that have made our bond stronger.
Rancho El Paraiso - It really is a Paradise
Freshly cut grass at Rancho El Paraiso. When we are on our mission in Olancho we stay at Honduras Outreach Inc.'s ranch, which is located near San Esteban. From the dorms you can see the big wooden cross with the mountains in the background. The picture doesn't do it justice! It is beautiful there and one of our favorite places to relax is in on the porch which looks out onto
this view. There are rocking chairs and hammocks that line the porch, and they are always full in the early mornings and late at night. Star gazing is a popular activity since the view is nothing like you've ever seen. Given that we are in the "middle of nowhere" with out city lights or pollution clouding the sky, you are able to see every star that exists, which always leaves our new members in awe. It is also quite common to see a shooting star! 
Home Improvement Project: Cement Floors
Dirt floors are common in the homes of those who live in rural Honduras. Part of our mission is helping the residents of our assigned aldea put cement floors in their homes. The main reason is to improve health, since having a dirt floor can lead to various infections in their feet. The first step is clearing the floor and leveling it. The residents do this before we even arrive. The also bring sand and water to the home in order to make the cement when we get there. To make cement mix a bag of cement with 70-85 shovels of sand. After it is mixed, we make a "crater" where we can pour water. The water is poured in until the crater is filled to the top, and then we take the cement/sand mix from the outer edges of the crater and 
carefully place it in the water. We continue doing this, until the top is covered and we can no longer See the water. We call this the "crater dance" because we walk in a circle around the "crater" as we are adding the mix to the water. Afterwards we reach the right consistency, we bring the cement into the house in buckets where a pro smooths and levels the floor. The finishing touches are an extra layer of pure cement (without sand) and a design made with a red powder. We aren't involved in this part since it takes a very skilled hand to do it!Monday, September 21, 2009
Making Baleadas
I have many favorite Honduran foods, and Baleadas is one of them! However, it is important to make them from scratch, or at least it is to me. I tried the lazy way of buying store bought tortillas when I didn't have time, but it wasn't the same. I decided to go watch a pro make flour tortillas with her hands (no press!) and practice making them myself.
First I tried to guess how much of each ingredient she was using since she doesn't measure. She was making baleadas for about 30 people, so she used a 5 lb bag of flour. They she put two sticks of melted butter and a swirl squirt of that cream called Sula. The "swirl squirt" is pictured above. I think she added some Mazoloa oil as well, but I don't remember how much. After she mixed that together she would add water until it was the right consistency.
Next, you have to roll the dough into balls and place them in rows, slightly touching, and cover them with damp paper towels. She said it is better to let them sit for awhile before making the tortillas (it helps them keep their shape when your stretching them with your hands). After she has all 60 or so done, she takes the first ball she made and shapes it into a round disc, and then does some magic to make it stretch out into a huge, perfect circle. She places it on the comal to cook it and then it's ready to eat!
At the same time, you should have the beans going! If you've already soaked and boiled beans, then you can do one of two things. One option is blending them in the blender, the other is to refry them while mashing them into an almost paste-like substance. When they're done, spread them on a tortilla, add some Sula, and enjoy :)
First I tried to guess how much of each ingredient she was using since she doesn't measure. She was making baleadas for about 30 people, so she used a 5 lb bag of flour. They she put two sticks of melted butter and a swirl squirt of that cream called Sula. The "swirl squirt" is pictured above. I think she added some Mazoloa oil as well, but I don't remember how much. After she mixed that together she would add water until it was the right consistency.
Next, you have to roll the dough into balls and place them in rows, slightly touching, and cover them with damp paper towels. She said it is better to let them sit for awhile before making the tortillas (it helps them keep their shape when your stretching them with your hands). After she has all 60 or so done, she takes the first ball she made and shapes it into a round disc, and then does some magic to make it stretch out into a huge, perfect circle. She places it on the comal to cook it and then it's ready to eat!
At the same time, you should have the beans going! If you've already soaked and boiled beans, then you can do one of two things. One option is blending them in the blender, the other is to refry them while mashing them into an almost paste-like substance. When they're done, spread them on a tortilla, add some Sula, and enjoy :)
Rural Honduras - What is school like?
When Honduras Outreach Inc. began working in the Agalta Valley, many of the aldeas had one school room, if that. Grades K-6 would be taught in a single room with a single teacher, to about 80-100 students. After 20 years in the Agalta Valley, we have seen some significant changes. For one, HOI has a kindergarten in every aldea with a separate teacher. Many of the aldeas now have two additional school rooms for grades 1-6, with at least two teachers. This is a huge improvement which has had a significant impact on how education is valued in the region. More children are going to school, and more are interested in continuing school after sixth grade even though many of their parents either never went to school, or only went for a couple of years. Thankfully HOI runs a scholarship program to help students continue their education, and has built a middle school and high school in Culuco near their ranch. If anyone wants to help their website is http://www.hoi.org/.
As much as the situation has improved, it is important to note that it is still no where near ideal. Many students still go to schools where they have to sit on the floor because there are no desks or chairs. In addition, many do not have school supplies so it is hard to complete assignments. They can still use further assisstance in the form of donations or missionary work. Each mission team brings a school kit for each child in their assigned aldea, so there is the option of bringing supplies directly to the children.
The special part of helping this way is the experience you have when you walk into a school room and see how little they have, therefore giving yourself the opportunity to better understand the situation. Secondly, the smiles on their faces when you hand them a new spiral notebook and pencils are priceless. And thirdly, the message that you send them that they are worth the visit means the most of all. When they see you standing in their school room, they know for certain that you care, and that they can trust you. Afterall, they don't ever see anyone from the government coming to help them, so for some we are their last hope.
Try drinking this
For those living in El Quebrachal, their only water source is this "river" which runs through the village. It is used for bathing, livestock, washing clothes, and drinking. It is 98% contaminated and most people must take medication for intestinal worms 3 times a year or more. Children are sent to the river on donkeys to collect the water in plastic jugs and take it back to the house where it is kept in a large barrel.
The water is not treated and usually attracts mosquitoes. The mosquitoes can cause additional problems since they carry malaria and dengue fever.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Making a home, Honduran (Rural) Style
This year, while working in San Buenaventura (near Gualaco), I had the opportunity to do a lot of "mudding", or as the Hondurans call it, pegando tierra. I usually don't do room additions or house construction because most of our projects have been putting in cement floors and latrines. However, pegando tierra is my favorite job of all because it resembles working with clay (for those of you who are artists).
One day, while working on a house, I started to ask one of the elderly men there how long it took to make a house from start to finish, and what all was required to do it. I had heard in the past, when working in other aldeas, that pegando tierra was a "woman's job", so I also asked him if he had helped to make his own house. He told me that in his aldea, women and men always worked together to build a house, and that it took approximately one to three months to complete. The first part of the job was to find a place to build your house. In Olancho you can claim land as your own, and if no one objects with-in a certain time frame, you can keep it. After choosing a place to build a home, they go up into the mountains to get 3 types of wood. One is used for the frame of the house, which includes the four corner posts, the posts for the doorway, and the posts to support the roof. The second type of wood is used to make the grid that they create for the construction of the walls. the third types is used to tie each place where two pieces of wood cross over each other. This, he explained, took the most time.
After creating the frame, they would put the roof on, which is usually made of tin these days. In the past it would have been a thatch roof. This is necessary to keep the walls out of the rain as they dry. To create the walls, the couple would get a clay-like substance that they have in certain parts of their terrain, and mix it with water. This creates the "mud" that they pack into the grid to make walls. This can also take a significant amount of time, especially when there are only two people doing it. However, when we work in large groups with the residents, we usually finish in two days.
My experience in Honduras right after Mel was kicked out
Feelings of excitement and pure joy sent my heart racing as I stepped out of the airport and onto Honduran soil once again. It is difficult to explain the love I have for the country of Honduras and its people because it is so immense. What I can say is that I have felt a calling since my first mission in 2002 that has lead to a deep devotion to those in the Agalta Valley. The calling is so clear that there is nothing that would make me doubt where God wants me to be. Therefore, I was not concerned with worldly things such as politics when it came time for me to travel to Honduras this summer. I knew I was going to do God’s work, and that His work outweighed everything else.
However, the political situation has had an effect on the mission. When I saw the despair in people’s faces this year, I knew that my presence would mean something much more significant. We passed aldea after aldea whose residents had mounds of sand for floors that would not be laid. We saw countless children running about aimlessly due to the cancellation of classes, knowing that in addition to cancelled classes, they would not receive school supplies or hygiene kits this year. You can see the heavy burden the parents carry in their eyes. First the recession, then the political unrest, and then the final blow, no missionaries to give them the hope they so desperately need.
When we went to the middle school in Culuco, Leslie thanked us repeatedly for making the trip. She told us that many at the ranch and throughout the valley felt forsaken, but our presence there that week gave them hope. Of course, she didn’t refer to us as simply missionaries, but as close friends who had come to comfort them when they felt all alone. For the two weeks I was there, I was able to work in two aldeas doing mission work. The relief I saw in people’s eyes when we arrived brought me to tears. I knew that there was not anything more important than my presence at that time in that place. God’s work is not always easy or comfortable, but it is necessary. I love these people like they are my family, and this week I began to see how much we are loved as well. Sometimes people worry that some of the residents of the aldeas are more focused on receiving material items or home improvement, but I can assure you that this is not the case. We worked the two weeks we were there, but more importantly we spent time with our friends building stronger relationships and assuring them of our love for them. They were not worried about who was getting a floor put in as much as they were worried about being held. I will tell you that both young and old would come to me just to be hugged and told how much they were loved. That is what they want more than anything, because they have been feeling forsaken.
These past two weeks were the most meaningful weeks of my life because I was able to understand what we really mean to them. Sometimes it was through the smiles and laughter that I was able to initiate despite the rough times they are going through. And at other times it was through the worried and saddened faces of those who were delivering the news of another cancelled trip to a aldea. I saw God’s love, and the love between those in the Agalta Valley and those on the mission trips. The current situation has made everything so much clearer to me. We are more closely knit that most would initially think. We have become family, and amount of love they have for us is indescribable. As we were told by a close friend in El Quebrachal this year, the week we are there is like Easter and Christmas rolled into one. It is the best week of their year, a week that allows them to feel showered in love, comfort, and joy. Therefore, I can only imagine the pain that some must feel when no one shows up. I guess it would be like preparing for all of your family to come to your home to celebrate Christmas this year, even though their won’t be presents because of the financial strains. However, you are comforted by the fact that you will see them and be able to spend time with them. Then, when the day comes, no one shows up and you are alone. It is heartbreaking to think about because it is when we are alone that we realize how much we really love our families and need them.
I thank God that I was able to go on to Honduras these past two weeks, and that for the most part everything the media has been saying was just exaggerated for ratings. The only thing I saw were some road blocks, which did delay our arrival to Tegucigalpa but did not affect us during our mission week. In addition, the road blocks consisted of a group of people standing in a line to block traffic, but doing so peacefully. They were socializing, sharing picnics and relaxing. Yes, that is right, they are the same timid people we have come to know and love. Being with them this week gave them some assurance that they are loved and cared for, but I know that it goes further than that. There is something between us that is of God, something so powerful and influential that it cannot be explained. However, I was able to feel it this year, and understand it better due to how desperately they needed us, and we needed them. I know that when I give all my worries to God and focus on others, I am opening up the doors for God to use me for great things. He showed me the power of his love this week through our friends, just as he showed them through us. This bond created through God’s love by his children has proven to be stronger than any worldly matter, and has enriched my faith and theirs. I must thank Honduras Outreach Inc. for this experience because unlike many other organizations who have been overcome by fear, they have kept their focus on God. It has proven to be a wise choice and allowed us to have the most meaningful mission trip of our lives.
However, the political situation has had an effect on the mission. When I saw the despair in people’s faces this year, I knew that my presence would mean something much more significant. We passed aldea after aldea whose residents had mounds of sand for floors that would not be laid. We saw countless children running about aimlessly due to the cancellation of classes, knowing that in addition to cancelled classes, they would not receive school supplies or hygiene kits this year. You can see the heavy burden the parents carry in their eyes. First the recession, then the political unrest, and then the final blow, no missionaries to give them the hope they so desperately need.
When we went to the middle school in Culuco, Leslie thanked us repeatedly for making the trip. She told us that many at the ranch and throughout the valley felt forsaken, but our presence there that week gave them hope. Of course, she didn’t refer to us as simply missionaries, but as close friends who had come to comfort them when they felt all alone. For the two weeks I was there, I was able to work in two aldeas doing mission work. The relief I saw in people’s eyes when we arrived brought me to tears. I knew that there was not anything more important than my presence at that time in that place. God’s work is not always easy or comfortable, but it is necessary. I love these people like they are my family, and this week I began to see how much we are loved as well. Sometimes people worry that some of the residents of the aldeas are more focused on receiving material items or home improvement, but I can assure you that this is not the case. We worked the two weeks we were there, but more importantly we spent time with our friends building stronger relationships and assuring them of our love for them. They were not worried about who was getting a floor put in as much as they were worried about being held. I will tell you that both young and old would come to me just to be hugged and told how much they were loved. That is what they want more than anything, because they have been feeling forsaken.
These past two weeks were the most meaningful weeks of my life because I was able to understand what we really mean to them. Sometimes it was through the smiles and laughter that I was able to initiate despite the rough times they are going through. And at other times it was through the worried and saddened faces of those who were delivering the news of another cancelled trip to a aldea. I saw God’s love, and the love between those in the Agalta Valley and those on the mission trips. The current situation has made everything so much clearer to me. We are more closely knit that most would initially think. We have become family, and amount of love they have for us is indescribable. As we were told by a close friend in El Quebrachal this year, the week we are there is like Easter and Christmas rolled into one. It is the best week of their year, a week that allows them to feel showered in love, comfort, and joy. Therefore, I can only imagine the pain that some must feel when no one shows up. I guess it would be like preparing for all of your family to come to your home to celebrate Christmas this year, even though their won’t be presents because of the financial strains. However, you are comforted by the fact that you will see them and be able to spend time with them. Then, when the day comes, no one shows up and you are alone. It is heartbreaking to think about because it is when we are alone that we realize how much we really love our families and need them.
I thank God that I was able to go on to Honduras these past two weeks, and that for the most part everything the media has been saying was just exaggerated for ratings. The only thing I saw were some road blocks, which did delay our arrival to Tegucigalpa but did not affect us during our mission week. In addition, the road blocks consisted of a group of people standing in a line to block traffic, but doing so peacefully. They were socializing, sharing picnics and relaxing. Yes, that is right, they are the same timid people we have come to know and love. Being with them this week gave them some assurance that they are loved and cared for, but I know that it goes further than that. There is something between us that is of God, something so powerful and influential that it cannot be explained. However, I was able to feel it this year, and understand it better due to how desperately they needed us, and we needed them. I know that when I give all my worries to God and focus on others, I am opening up the doors for God to use me for great things. He showed me the power of his love this week through our friends, just as he showed them through us. This bond created through God’s love by his children has proven to be stronger than any worldly matter, and has enriched my faith and theirs. I must thank Honduras Outreach Inc. for this experience because unlike many other organizations who have been overcome by fear, they have kept their focus on God. It has proven to be a wise choice and allowed us to have the most meaningful mission trip of our lives.
God Moment
This was originally written for our church newsletter after my 2008 mission. We have a section called "God Moments" where people share personal experiences where they felt God's presence. This is one of many that I had while in Honduras:
God moments. I have had many over the years, especially when I’ve been on missions. They have left me feeling a number of different ways and have helped me grow in my faith and understanding of God. They also remind me of how much I still have to learn, and how God is full of surprises. This was the exact message I received one day in Honduras last year. We were in El Quebrachal, working with old friends from the village, when it was brought to our attention that there was a young woman who was dying of throat cancer. As I was listening to one of the villagers I felt a deep urge to ask to go to the woman’s home. I have become a strong believer in prayer, and I thought that by going to pray with her in her home we would be able to give her some peace. I knew that she didn’t have access to any medical care or medicine for that matter. I knew that I should expect to see someone who was very thin and fragile, someone who would only be able to look back at me when I spoke to her. After listening to the villager tell me about her, I told other members of my team. There were several others who wanted to go to pray with her in her home, so we arranged to do so the following day.
When we arrived at her house the following day, I saw the person I had imagined, only something was different. We were there to give her peace, or so we thought, but she was so peaceful already. I didn’t see the fear or anguish that I expected to see in her eyes, but a calmness that could only have come from the Holy Spirit being present in her. The religious figure from the village, Antonio, had entered the house with us. The words that he spoke will stay with me forever. I had always wondered why some people died a long and drawn out death. I couldn’t find any reason in prolonged pain. However, Antonio began by telling us that God does not punish us or test us, but that instead he prepares us for heaven. Whereas many people would view what was happening to this twenty seven year old woman as undeserving pain, he did not see it that way. He said that God does this to bring us closer to him and create a stronger relationship with him before we die.
Until that day, I’d never thought of terminal illness in that way. I had watched people in my family die from terminal illnesses, and had always wondered what it would feel like to be in that position and if they were angry for having to suffer. However, after going to visit the woman in El Quebrachal, I gained a new understanding. Maybe the last months of a terminal illness aren’t at all like I had imagined them to be. Maybe it was like Antonio said, a peaceful time because you become very close to God, and are able to focus solely on him. Then I began to think of other times in life where God makes it hard for us. The reality is not that we are paying for something that we’ve done, but that he putting us in a position where we have to lean on him for help. So now, I try to be patient and search for the understanding when things are difficult, because I know that he is calling me back to Him. I also know that given the way of life in Honduras, many of the villagers have already known what I’ve just discovered. I always learn something from them, every time I visit, and I thank God for the opportunity to be in that place so that I may learn more about Him through the people there.
God moments. I have had many over the years, especially when I’ve been on missions. They have left me feeling a number of different ways and have helped me grow in my faith and understanding of God. They also remind me of how much I still have to learn, and how God is full of surprises. This was the exact message I received one day in Honduras last year. We were in El Quebrachal, working with old friends from the village, when it was brought to our attention that there was a young woman who was dying of throat cancer. As I was listening to one of the villagers I felt a deep urge to ask to go to the woman’s home. I have become a strong believer in prayer, and I thought that by going to pray with her in her home we would be able to give her some peace. I knew that she didn’t have access to any medical care or medicine for that matter. I knew that I should expect to see someone who was very thin and fragile, someone who would only be able to look back at me when I spoke to her. After listening to the villager tell me about her, I told other members of my team. There were several others who wanted to go to pray with her in her home, so we arranged to do so the following day.
When we arrived at her house the following day, I saw the person I had imagined, only something was different. We were there to give her peace, or so we thought, but she was so peaceful already. I didn’t see the fear or anguish that I expected to see in her eyes, but a calmness that could only have come from the Holy Spirit being present in her. The religious figure from the village, Antonio, had entered the house with us. The words that he spoke will stay with me forever. I had always wondered why some people died a long and drawn out death. I couldn’t find any reason in prolonged pain. However, Antonio began by telling us that God does not punish us or test us, but that instead he prepares us for heaven. Whereas many people would view what was happening to this twenty seven year old woman as undeserving pain, he did not see it that way. He said that God does this to bring us closer to him and create a stronger relationship with him before we die.
Until that day, I’d never thought of terminal illness in that way. I had watched people in my family die from terminal illnesses, and had always wondered what it would feel like to be in that position and if they were angry for having to suffer. However, after going to visit the woman in El Quebrachal, I gained a new understanding. Maybe the last months of a terminal illness aren’t at all like I had imagined them to be. Maybe it was like Antonio said, a peaceful time because you become very close to God, and are able to focus solely on him. Then I began to think of other times in life where God makes it hard for us. The reality is not that we are paying for something that we’ve done, but that he putting us in a position where we have to lean on him for help. So now, I try to be patient and search for the understanding when things are difficult, because I know that he is calling me back to Him. I also know that given the way of life in Honduras, many of the villagers have already known what I’ve just discovered. I always learn something from them, every time I visit, and I thank God for the opportunity to be in that place so that I may learn more about Him through the people there.
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