Saturday, May 30, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Feliz Dia de Madre
The teachers and school children worked hard to prepare a delightful presentation for Mother's Day. Mother's Day is an important and well celebrated holiday in Honduras. The children wore traditional dress and danced the "sleepyhead" dance for their mothers. They sang songs and played games together with their mothers. Dona Marthita, whose husband is the pastor at Eben-Ezer church in Siguatepeque, came to share a gospel message with the moms. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed a fruit dessert with a specialty - whipped cream topping!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Welcoming the Familia Salgado to La Providencia
The second set of house parents moved into their new home yesterday! We welcomed them with much joy and enthusiasm! They were presented with a few symbolic gifts: a pineapple representing the hospitality, love, mercy and grace they will share with all who enter their home; bread representing Jesus Christ, the bread of life from whom they will draw their strength, grape soft drink! (in place of a bottle of wine) representing fellowship and joy and in Christ we always have reason to celebrate, and a childrens' bible to use to instruct the children in the truth of the Holy Scriptures! Then we all shared chinese food! and cake :) It was a lovely afternoon. The house father shared their vision for their home, one simple yet important thing - to teach the children about the truth and love of the Lord. 
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Celebrating the Resurrection of Christ
Today we hosted the 1st Annual Easter Egg Hunt at La Providencia! 600 sweet filled eggs lay in wait for the children! We used "Resurrection Eggs" to present the history of Christ's death and resurrection to the children and their parents. They were captivated! Staff members painted faces, shared the gospel and led the children in song and prayer. We divided the children by ages for the hunt and "Uno, dos, tres...Vayan!" They took off to collect eggs! They were delighted to find candy inside! Afterwards, we shared donuts, juice and soft drinks.
Thanks to those of you who purchased the eggs in the USA last year, stored, loaded and shipped them to us on a Providence In a Box Container. The name of Christ was raised and sweet blessings were received! 
Friday, July 27, 2007
2007 July Team Folsom
Day 8
After such an exciting day yesterday I figured today would be a nice laid back day. Since we were done working concrete all of us were looking forward to sleeping in this morning. The plan for the day was to head out to the "waterfall" that we have been hearing about for months and then to finish the day out with dinner at the Cerrato family home.
Guadalupe had a wonderful breakfast of french toast and scrambled eggs ready for us
when we awoke. Alfredo and the gang arrived around 8:30 and gave us a rundown of what to expect at the waterfall and to review some safety precautions. He also made it very clear that we were only allowed to jump at only 2 designated locations. The whole thing is sounding pretty scary/fun at this point. A last minute scheduling change prevented Alfredo from coming with us but he was sending along Douglas in his place. Douglas has been to the falls almost as many times as Alfredo and would keep us in line and intact.
We all piled into the bus with Alfredo "Dos" Gutierrez at the wheel and began our 2 hour trek. Driving on the roads in Honduras is something that everyone should experience at least once in their life. There is nothing more exciting then passing a slow moving semi truck going downhill on a blind curve. Don't worry its perfectly safe and its legal (everyone does it so that makes it legal right?), its all part of the imaginary "3rd" lane that is apparently built into all Honduran roads, at least the paved ones. If you would like a brief rundown of the traffic laws just ask us when we get back but the short answer is: Its all just a suggestion. The drive was beautiful and took us back along a less beaten path away from the busy highway that is also know as the "Dry Canal".
When we finally arrived at the park where the waterfall was we all unloaded, changed into our
swimming trunks and ate lunch. We then headed to the observation point to look at the waterfall before beginning our walk to the bottom for our guided swim/walk/climb/jump tour. The falls were amazing! They are about 140 feet high and beautiful with tons of water flowing over them. We went back to the bus to meet our guide and the Wheaton team needed to drop off their cameras, luckily for us we brought along our trusty waterproof (hopefully) camera. After a short walk we were at the bottom of the 
falls and our guide lead us through a wood and barbwire gate and onto a muddy and rocky trail. We then had to make a 3 foot jump into a pool and wade across. At this point we are maybe 100 feet from the bottom of the falls and it feels like you are standing outside in a torrential rain storm. We then crawled over rocks and felt our way through mini rushing rivers until we were actually standing underneath the waterfall. The sound 
was deafening, it was almost hard to breath because of the amount of water raining down on you but the sight was something I have never experienced before. The guide then took us to a cave that was also behind the waterfall, it was completely dry inside and had some very "molten" type rock formations that you can see in some of the pictures. After making a few other stops at the falls we began making our way back out away from the falls. Almost to the gate we stopped for the big jump. This was close to a 30 foot jump into a pool of water and it was so cool to watch everyone jump in from this height. We all made our way back to the bus and headed for home. There is no way to accurately describe the feeling of being behind the waterfall and even the pictures don't do it justice but it will definitely be something I remember and it was a great end to a fantastic week here.
After we got back and cleaned up we all met up at the Cerrato home to share a meal of tacos that Guadalupe had prepared. Tacos in Honduras are not the tacos we think of at home, they are more like large taquitos and way yummier (not sure if that is a word or not but they are). We had a great time talking about our time here and expectations that we had about Honduras before we arrived and our thought now that we have been here for a week. We also had Alfredo and family sign a large river rock that we found while mixing concrete at the La Providencia site and we are planning to add the rock to our pile of partnership rocks at the church.
We will be leaving for the airport tomorrow around lunchtime and leaving is going to be bittersweet. I know I am going to miss everyone we have met here but we are leaving knowing that Alfredo is continuing God's mission here in Honduras in a way that only he can and that God will continue to bless his work.
After such an exciting day yesterday I figured today would be a nice laid back day. Since we were done working concrete all of us were looking forward to sleeping in this morning. The plan for the day was to head out to the "waterfall" that we have been hearing about for months and then to finish the day out with dinner at the Cerrato family home.
Guadalupe had a wonderful breakfast of french toast and scrambled eggs ready for us
when we awoke. Alfredo and the gang arrived around 8:30 and gave us a rundown of what to expect at the waterfall and to review some safety precautions. He also made it very clear that we were only allowed to jump at only 2 designated locations. The whole thing is sounding pretty scary/fun at this point. A last minute scheduling change prevented Alfredo from coming with us but he was sending along Douglas in his place. Douglas has been to the falls almost as many times as Alfredo and would keep us in line and intact.
We all piled into the bus with Alfredo "Dos" Gutierrez at the wheel and began our 2 hour trek. Driving on the roads in Honduras is something that everyone should experience at least once in their life. There is nothing more exciting then passing a slow moving semi truck going downhill on a blind curve. Don't worry its perfectly safe and its legal (everyone does it so that makes it legal right?), its all part of the imaginary "3rd" lane that is apparently built into all Honduran roads, at least the paved ones. If you would like a brief rundown of the traffic laws just ask us when we get back but the short answer is: Its all just a suggestion. The drive was beautiful and took us back along a less beaten path away from the busy highway that is also know as the "Dry Canal".When we finally arrived at the park where the waterfall was we all unloaded, changed into our
swimming trunks and ate lunch. We then headed to the observation point to look at the waterfall before beginning our walk to the bottom for our guided swim/walk/climb/jump tour. The falls were amazing! They are about 140 feet high and beautiful with tons of water flowing over them. We went back to the bus to meet our guide and the Wheaton team needed to drop off their cameras, luckily for us we brought along our trusty waterproof (hopefully) camera. After a short walk we were at the bottom of the 
falls and our guide lead us through a wood and barbwire gate and onto a muddy and rocky trail. We then had to make a 3 foot jump into a pool and wade across. At this point we are maybe 100 feet from the bottom of the falls and it feels like you are standing outside in a torrential rain storm. We then crawled over rocks and felt our way through mini rushing rivers until we were actually standing underneath the waterfall. The sound 
was deafening, it was almost hard to breath because of the amount of water raining down on you but the sight was something I have never experienced before. The guide then took us to a cave that was also behind the waterfall, it was completely dry inside and had some very "molten" type rock formations that you can see in some of the pictures. After making a few other stops at the falls we began making our way back out away from the falls. Almost to the gate we stopped for the big jump. This was close to a 30 foot jump into a pool of water and it was so cool to watch everyone jump in from this height. We all made our way back to the bus and headed for home. There is no way to accurately describe the feeling of being behind the waterfall and even the pictures don't do it justice but it will definitely be something I remember and it was a great end to a fantastic week here.After we got back and cleaned up we all met up at the Cerrato home to share a meal of tacos that Guadalupe had prepared. Tacos in Honduras are not the tacos we think of at home, they are more like large taquitos and way yummier (not sure if that is a word or not but they are). We had a great time talking about our time here and expectations that we had about Honduras before we arrived and our thought now that we have been here for a week. We also had Alfredo and family sign a large river rock that we found while mixing concrete at the La Providencia site and we are planning to add the rock to our pile of partnership rocks at the church.
We will be leaving for the airport tomorrow around lunchtime and leaving is going to be bittersweet. I know I am going to miss everyone we have met here but we are leaving knowing that Alfredo is continuing God's mission here in Honduras in a way that only he can and that God will continue to bless his work.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Team Folsom - July 2007
Day 7
We had such an exciting day today, so I am really excited to be able to write this blog!
My day started at 6:00, without an alarm clock (the sun comes up SO early here!) Every morning, Guadalupe (or Guatatamale as Zach says) and I stumble through a conversation. This morning she taught me how to make tortillas :)
After breakfast, we went back to the work site. We figured that we'd be done by lunch, but ended up being done way before that. The biggest expected
highlight was the completion of the patio. We figured out today that we have mixed (by hand) and poured 500 square feet of concrete. It was very rewarding to see the finished product of our labor. But the biggest surprise highlight was when Zach provided comic relief by losing control of a wheelbarrow full of concrete.
On the way back to the apartment, we made one stop at another orphanage where we met a boy named Carlos, who had a very contagious laugh! Once we arrived at the apartment, we all showered and then headed out to the market. We had a great time looking at the variety of people and wares. I got a comal to practice making tortillas at home (I also got a Honduran cookbook a few days ago), and Zach finally got his machete.
We came back, and headed off to a nearby hotel for dinner with the Cerrato family, and our new neighbors from Wheaton.
We were surprised that it was a Honduran buffet! I have learned many new names for foods since I've been here. The first day we were here, we had enchiladas, which I would have called tostadas. Tonight, I had a taco, which I would have called an enchilada.
And so ends our day. We're back at the apartment relaxing and enjoying the evening. Tomorrow, we're going to see "the waterfall" , and don't have to leave until about 9:00, so we're hoping to sleep in - but with the early sun, I'm not so sure about that. We pray that everyone at home is doing well.
OH - And an answer to a couple of questions that we've received...
1. There is a picture of Marisol with a wide open mouth. She's not laughing, crying or screaming... she's yawning :-o
2. There is a picture of a tree that is heavy with fruit. I thought when I took the picture that it was guava, but it's not. We're still trying to figure out what exactly it is, but apparently it gets to be the size of a watermelon, and they drink the juice from it.
3. Hoekstra is Char's maiden name, and we noticed the sign on the side of the La Providencia bus, and thought she'd get a kick out of seeing it.
4. The warehouse is actually full of tools and construction equipment right now. (And a side note for the guys - there's actually an oil change station in the middle of the warehouse, like the one at Jiffy Lube with the hole in the floor) There are loads of clothes being stored in one of the clinic rooms though, and more coming soon.
5. Daddy (Chuck) threw Zach in the pool because he, and Zach's mommy and daddy, thought it would be fun.
6. Marisol took a picture of Daddy's (Chuck's) feet because she loves looking at feet and toes.
7. Domino's pizza and Wendy's is amazingly (and frighteningly) exactly the same as in the US. Wendy's even has a L20 (20 limpira=$1US) menu.
We had such an exciting day today, so I am really excited to be able to write this blog!
My day started at 6:00, without an alarm clock (the sun comes up SO early here!) Every morning, Guadalupe (or Guatatamale as Zach says) and I stumble through a conversation. This morning she taught me how to make tortillas :)
After breakfast, we went back to the work site. We figured that we'd be done by lunch, but ended up being done way before that. The biggest expected
highlight was the completion of the patio. We figured out today that we have mixed (by hand) and poured 500 square feet of concrete. It was very rewarding to see the finished product of our labor. But the biggest surprise highlight was when Zach provided comic relief by losing control of a wheelbarrow full of concrete.
On the way back to the apartment, we made one stop at another orphanage where we met a boy named Carlos, who had a very contagious laugh! Once we arrived at the apartment, we all showered and then headed out to the market. We had a great time looking at the variety of people and wares. I got a comal to practice making tortillas at home (I also got a Honduran cookbook a few days ago), and Zach finally got his machete.
We came back, and headed off to a nearby hotel for dinner with the Cerrato family, and our new neighbors from Wheaton.
We were surprised that it was a Honduran buffet! I have learned many new names for foods since I've been here. The first day we were here, we had enchiladas, which I would have called tostadas. Tonight, I had a taco, which I would have called an enchilada.And so ends our day. We're back at the apartment relaxing and enjoying the evening. Tomorrow, we're going to see "the waterfall" , and don't have to leave until about 9:00, so we're hoping to sleep in - but with the early sun, I'm not so sure about that. We pray that everyone at home is doing well.
OH - And an answer to a couple of questions that we've received...
1. There is a picture of Marisol with a wide open mouth. She's not laughing, crying or screaming... she's yawning :-o
2. There is a picture of a tree that is heavy with fruit. I thought when I took the picture that it was guava, but it's not. We're still trying to figure out what exactly it is, but apparently it gets to be the size of a watermelon, and they drink the juice from it.
3. Hoekstra is Char's maiden name, and we noticed the sign on the side of the La Providencia bus, and thought she'd get a kick out of seeing it.
4. The warehouse is actually full of tools and construction equipment right now. (And a side note for the guys - there's actually an oil change station in the middle of the warehouse, like the one at Jiffy Lube with the hole in the floor) There are loads of clothes being stored in one of the clinic rooms though, and more coming soon.
5. Daddy (Chuck) threw Zach in the pool because he, and Zach's mommy and daddy, thought it would be fun.
6. Marisol took a picture of Daddy's (Chuck's) feet because she loves looking at feet and toes.
7. Domino's pizza and Wendy's is amazingly (and frighteningly) exactly the same as in the US. Wendy's even has a L20 (20 limpira=$1US) menu.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Team Folsom - July 2007
Day 6
When we got to the construction site we got right to work and my dad, mom, and Chuc
k were doing concrete and I was in the bathroom learning how to put mortar on the tiles. The others did 6 loads of concrete today. They expect that they will be done with all of the patio before lunch tomorrow and I think that everyone was glad to hear that. After we were all done with the work for the day we went back to the apartment and took our showers and the other research team and Alfredo and everybody here sat down and talked about stuff and me and Daniel were doing alot of everthing. Alfredo and Daniel left and we all got ready to go play some football (soccer). 
We started at 6:30 and played until 8:30. We had 4 teams that were playing and we switched off and who ever scored one they got to stay in and the other team left and a different team went in to try to beat the team that scored. It is Sabrina's birthday and she turned 21, so on the way home we stoped to get some ice cream and it is very good. We got back to the apartment and we are now resting and getting ready to go to bed!!!!!!!!!!!!
When we got to the construction site we got right to work and my dad, mom, and Chuc
k were doing concrete and I was in the bathroom learning how to put mortar on the tiles. The others did 6 loads of concrete today. They expect that they will be done with all of the patio before lunch tomorrow and I think that everyone was glad to hear that. After we were all done with the work for the day we went back to the apartment and took our showers and the other research team and Alfredo and everybody here sat down and talked about stuff and me and Daniel were doing alot of everthing. Alfredo and Daniel left and we all got ready to go play some football (soccer). 
We started at 6:30 and played until 8:30. We had 4 teams that were playing and we switched off and who ever scored one they got to stay in and the other team left and a different team went in to try to beat the team that scored. It is Sabrina's birthday and she turned 21, so on the way home we stoped to get some ice cream and it is very good. We got back to the apartment and we are now resting and getting ready to go to bed!!!!!!!!!!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)