Time flies...

Since the last post we have been very busy with team stuff, projects, and allowing the interns to get an even better feel for the culture.
I realized that despite the interns work in the community, they still couldn't completely understand how a lower class Honduran family functions on a day-to-day basis. I talked to the interns and one of the workers at the project and the decisions was made for his family to take in our interns for a short period of time. They arrived in the afternoon, experienced a typical Honduran dinner, and spent the evening with the family. Going through all the normal chores and daily activities, the interns got a glimpse of what its like. It was a huge learning experience for all of them, and even though they didn't get as much sleep as they wanted, they definitely appreciated it.



We only have one LeaderTreks team with us right now. They are from Indiana and we are enjoying getting to know them as always. This weekend was exciting as we took them to the waterfall and then enjoyed dinner at our favorite local restaurant. They have been working hard at the worksite, conducting VBS, and embracing the Honduran experience. They also did a great job at our small soccer tournament that we played out in the community. This team will return to Indiana on Friday and we’ll be getting two more team on Saturday. They are only weeklong teams and they will be the last two student teams for the summer.
The interns are busy with their projects and are focusing on a strong finish. They fly home on August 7th, exactly two weeks from today. It is so hard to believe that the summer is almost over! The time has flown by but God has done some amazing things through both the celebrations and the struggles.
That is all for now
With love,

Alfredo Cerrato

A Relaxing Mini Vacation

On June 31 we said goodbye to two teams, one team from Benttree and another from Baylife. It was quite a treat to interact and work with each of these teams. We didn't have any new teams arrive, but we did get to welcome Amanda to the family for two weeks. Amanda just graduated from high school in The Woodlands, TX and plans on attending USC in the fall. She was apart of the last two medical teams that performed multiple surgeries in Tegucigalpa. This time she is just here on an individual basis to visit before she heads off to school.

Since we had this two week break, we decided that it would be a good opportunity for "the family" to relax and enjoy the country. We boarded onto the Providence bus Wednesday morning with the ten of us, Mizael (the architect at the project) and his family of four, Mr. Alfredo (the bus driver) and his family of three, and Douglas (the accountant). Yes you gotta it there were a total of 18 of us, all of our luggage, and enough food to feed the group for four days.

Our first stop was at Lake Yajoa where we enjoyed a peaceful afternoon filled with swimming, riding horses, and playing soccer. Thursday morning we took a boat ride on the lake then packed up and headed to Tela for some fun on the beach. We arrived in Tela around three o'clock, relaxed at the pool and on the beach, and then had a nice group dinner at the strip on the beach.

Friday we had an amazing tour around Punto Sal, which is a small island that was about a 45 minute boat ride away. We got to walk through this national preserve and view all the different vegitation and animals. Our tour guides were amazing and they showed us many interesting sights while on our boat ride, they also let us swim through a small cave on the way to the beach for lunch. We had fresh fish on the beach for lunch and then spent the rest of our time snorkeling, playing in the water, and napping in the hammocks. A few interesting highlights of the trip.....we saw monkeys, ate termites straight from their nest, and had coconuts and almonds right off the tree.

Saturday morning we enjoyed a little more time at the beach and then packed up and headed home to get things in order for the start of this week.
Sunday we attended church and then had a small house party while we watched Italy win the World Cup.

Now it is Monday morning and we are all working hard to make the most of the second half of the summer. We will follow normal routine this week and then welcome another team on Saturday.

Thanks for checking in with us and keep looking for new updates!

Alfredo Cerrato

Busy Busy Busy

We are busy as can be and enjoying every moment of it. This past weekend we said farewell to our first two teams and welcomed the next two. The group that left consisted of a high school team of 14 from Benttree Church in Dallas, Texas and the other was an all men’s team of 11 from Baylife Church in , Florida. Both teams worked extremely hard and did a fantastic job. In fact, the Baylife team set a new worksite record. These hardworking men laid 872 blocks in their four days of working on the clinic. That is incredible! They definitely set the standard for the summer. We will see if any teams can beat or even match their record as the summer continues. Thank you to both teams for your participation and hard work! The two teams that just arrived are from the same churches. The group from Benttree is another high school team of 15, and the Baylife team is also a high school team of 12. They all arrived safely, settled in their houses, and started their first full day at the worksite this morning. They have some tough work ahead of them for the next two weeks, but I know they well do great. Our interns just completed their second full week of work and are moving forward with full force. This is definitely a huge learning process for all four of them, but they are doing great. Bonnie and Kaitlyn have completed interviews at 34 homes which is approximately 150 people. Wes is busy with guitar lessons and creating a songbook and logo for the church. Jade is maintaining this website, preparing bible studies as they continue to move through the book of Isaiah, and she is also helping out with many other administrative details. The family is great and we are all enjoying watching the World Cup and playing soccer in our limited amount of spare time. Keep checking for updates! Alfredo Cerrato *REMINDER* - You can click on the pictures to get an enlarged view.

The Summer Has Officially Begun!

The summer is in full swing and we are off to a busy start. Our team of four interns arrived last Monday and will be staying with us until August. They have spent the last week getting to know each other and becoming acquainted with the culture and their surroundings. They have been able to experience all sorts of local activities such as participating in an exciting soccer game, a trip to the market a time or two, walking the streets to buy glass bottled coke and ice cream, and a festive parade in down town this past Saturday.

The team is made up four college students all from the United States and they each have individual tasks that in some way correspond with what they are studying in school. Kaitlyn is one of our interns from Franklin, TN; she is 19 years old and will be a sophomore at Belmont University. Bonnie, another one of our interns, is from Nashville, TN; she is 21 and will be a senior at Agnes Scott College. Together these two young ladies will be conducting a census that includes approximately 300 homes in the community of Aquas del Padre. The goal of this census is to gather as much information concerning the medical and socioeconomic habits of the community and compile them into a database. In this way, we may better understand the needs of the community and therefore be prepared for many circumstances that may arise as we help aid the community. Wes is our only male intern; he is 20 yrs old, from The Woodlands, TX and will be a sophomore at Asbury College. While here in Honduras he will be working with our local church and the musical aspect of worship. Right now all of the songs are sung acapella, and many members are interested in learning to play instruments and adding music to the songs. The challenge here is that our small list of songs does not have chords accompanying them. Wes’s job will be to put these words with chords, teach guitar lessons, and put together songbooks for the congregation. Our final intern is Jade from Ganado, TX; she is 21 years old and will be a senior at Texas A&M University. Jade is our lead intern and is here to help support the other interns in their projects, do any type of scheduling concerning the group, prepare the daily bible studies as they are going through the book of Isaiah, and assist in the set up of this page so that we can keep everyone updated regularly about what is going on with Providence World Ministries.
As far as teams are concerned, we had a LeaderTreks group of 15 arrive from Dallas on Saturday. This is the first of a series of teams for the month of June. They will be here for two weeks working hard at the worksite trying to make considerable progress on the first orphan home.
I am so excited about what the Lord has in store for this summer. It has already been interesting to see our family temporarily grow from 6 members to 10. There is definitely not a dull or quiet moment in the house. Thanks for the prayers and support.

Keep checking for new postings!

Alfredo Cerrato