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Sunday, March 28, 2010

183 Pictures in 3 Minutes

Thanks for your prayers for the team. Tonight at Global Cafe, we shared what God did and is doing in Honduras. This slideshow was part of our presentation.

Enjoy the best of a week's worth of photos. They are set to the music written to celebrate Honduras making it to the 2010 World Cup. You can also view them one at a time after the slideshow.






You can see a larger version at http://www.asburywgm.org/slideshows/Honduras_2010b/

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Last post from Honduras

Due to internet issues this was written in Honduras, but was posted after we returned.
Hey guys,
Sorry it has been so long since our last update, but the last few days we have been really tired, really excited and really busy. So here is our last update from Honduras itself.

Friday, we started painting the front of the conference center. It was really nice because we were able to interact with the boys as they passed by throughout the day. During our afternoon break, Heidi and I (Adrienne) had the opportunity to ride on the front of Omar’s four-wheeler. It was the first time I had ever ridden on one!! Then, one better, Heidi and I each got to drive the four-wheeler with Thad sitting on the front giving us directions, lol! It was great!
That night we had a very nice farewell dinner with a nice table setting and the staff served us. After that, our team headed over Jerry and Sherri Murphy’s house to hear their testimonies of how they came to know Christ and came to the mission field. Since I’m not sure they would like to have their story shared over the internet, basically neither of them came from Christian homes. Their story was very different from most missionaries and very inspiring. Omar showed up a little while later after we had finished and hung out for a while.

This Friday night was different from most Fridays because throughout the week the missionaries had been planning a pancake breakfast for the boys at 11pm that night. So the Bible Institute put on a worship night for the boys in order to keep them awake. After we finished at the Murphy’s, Heidi, Omar, Mark and I went to the service. We hung out and sang songs until Heidi and I had to leave at 10:20ish for our staff meeting at 10:30.
As we got up to leave, Omar came running over and asked Heidi if she was ready. Earlier at the Murphy’s, Heidi had told Omar that she had her testimony written in Spanish and wanted to share if there was time. So Omar left us and ran over to those in charge and came running back and told us that it would be better if both of us would share. Problem – the adults weren’t there so I had no translator. But we followed God’s leading and said yes. Heidi shared hers first in Spanish and then I stepped up to the podium. I shared some of mine in Spanish and anytime I switched to English, Heidi would do her best to translate. At points, the boys began to shout out and help us find the right verbs, conjugations, and grammar, lol. Overall, my testimony was very interactive, lol. But it was told and Jesus was able to use it to give them hope.

After we gave our testimonies, we rushed over to the conference center to get ready for the breakfast. Christian, the director of the school, opened and then Heidi and I did a skit about making and eating pancakes since the boys had never really eaten them before. A little while later, Mark and a girl from the Bible Institute on campus, Daniela, lip-synced to the new Honduran World Cup soccer song. I have never heard boys shout and cheer so much in my life! During the meal, Nathan went table to table doing magic tricks with a message which the boys really enjoyed. That night ended with saying our goodbyes and finishing with some really good conversations with some of the boys.

Saturday morning, we said our goodbyes and pulled out around 8am with heavy hearts, said to say goodbye. Around lunch time, we arrived at the Valle de Angeles, a big shopping area in Tegucigalpa, to spend the afternoon shopping with some of the missionaries. Then we went to the guest house in Teguc where Heidi’s host family from the summer came to visit. Mark and Heidi went with them to dinner and Jerry, Sherri, Nathan, Colleen and Terry Hawk, and I went to dinner at a typical restaurant called El Gordo. It had fantastic food! Last night ended with us dumping the rest of our pictures together and flipping through them. After some last minute packing, we went to bed.

This morning we had breakfast around 8am, and now we are waiting in the airport for our flight to Houston to get ready to leave. We have no wireless here so we are going to post this when we land in Houston. This is our last post written in Honduras. L We are getting on the plane with hearts of sorrow from leaving our new found family members behind but with an excitement and hope for the future, not only for the school but for the boys and even for our lives in missions in the future. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel through flights, customs, and immigration, and finally a drive back to school. And keep the school and missionaries here in your prayers as they work out some of the new visions that God has given them. Thank you for all of your prayers and support. We have a final round of pictures coming soon.

Dios les bendiga, (God bless you all)

Adrienne, on behalf of the team

Friday, March 19, 2010

A quick note about a full day

We just wanted to get a quick note out to let you know that we are packing as much as we can into these last days at the farm, so it may be Saturday evening before we get more pictures up.

Yesterday's work project saw us doing more digging and concrete work as we made cement drain pads for the downspouts. We spent the afternoon in Catacamas seeing what a typical Honduran town is like. We ate at a local restaurant with great smoothie-type drinks.

Today we will be painting because it is dry enough. Before and after pictures will hopefully accompany our next post.

Thanks for your continued prayers as we say our goodbyes this evening. We have made many friends and there will probably be some tears.

Nathan for the team

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Proof we really have been working!

Today we nearly completed our main work project here at El Sembrador. While it will only take a few seconds to scroll through the pictures, we can all testify that it was three labor intensive days!

The courtyard that turns into a pond during rainy season. It becomes very slick when wet and even had some mold problems.
Our first task was to remove the 2 inch thick brick tiles without breaking any others around them. Mark ran the angle grinder for hours!
The dust made it hard to breathe and made a real mess, but the bandanna's were fun for pictures!
Then came removing the tiles. After this picture, we found that a mini sledge hammer and a chisel were the best way to go.
When I took this picture about half way through day one, I thought we had done the hard part. Little did we know that there was about 1.5 inches of mortar to cut through and about 4 inches of cement under that to cut and pound and chisel through and that was before using a pick to dig through rocks and clay. The majority of that process was on Tuesday, and it was so dusty that we didn't bring our cameras out much.
Heidi and Adrianne spent much of Monday and Tuesday making the replacement tiles. They had to fill the forms with concrete and tint the top 1/8 inch to match the current tiles as much as possible. The forms and dye were made by Thad Gouge, the missionary who is our project manager.
We did have some help from some Honduran friends. Mark was always able to make them smile.
Jumping ahead to this morning, we made sure the slope was perfect which required more digging, but it was fun to finally get the pipe in the ground.
While the color on the bricks does look a little different now, the color was matched to an original piece of brick, so with a little weathering, they should match great!
We still have a few tiles to put mortar around, but we are otherwise finished! It even rained tonight so we were able to get a real life test. The drain passed with flying colors!
Tomorrow we will be painting part of the front of the building. Thanks for continuing to follow us in your prayers!
Nathan for the team

Hammers and Chisels and Saws..Oh My!

Yesterday, was another great day and our second work day. We are happy to say that the trench is now ready for us to begin installing the pipes and drains! It took a lot of sawing, hammering, pounding, chiseling, digging, cleaning, and muscle power to finally get the remaining grout and several inches of cement out of the trench, but thankfully we are ready to begin the next step today. We are very thankful for all the hard work of the Hondurans that are helping us with the project. Adrienne and I finished two more batches of homemade bricks, so we should have enough by now. We are pleasantly surprised at how much we have finished so far and our goal is to be completely done by dinner tonight. Please pray that this goal can become a reality.
Last night they had a special worship service in the Chapel here on campus. Normally the service is every Wednesday night but it was a day early because of a special group that is here until this afternoon. The service was really good. Several of the students at the Bible School here put on a shadow screen drama. They did an absolutely amazing job and the message of the drama was very powerful. It was the story of what many of the boys here have lived - being raised by a single mom with nothing to eat, but once they come to El Sembrador, it gives them the opportunity to have a better life, based on a Christian foundation. Please pray that God continues to work in their lives. The end of the service they gathered around the group that is here and prayed for them.
After the service, Adrienne and I had the opportunity to help one of the boys with his homework and talk with a few others. Thankfully, Spanish is improving for both of us - in understanding what they are saying and being able to speak it ourselves. They are patient with us and I think, are thankful that we are trying.
As long as the internet stays up, hopefully we can get some more pictures posted today. Well, it's time to work so may each of you have a great day and stay tuned for more.
God Bless,
Heidi, on behalf of the team :-)

Monday, March 15, 2010

Sabbath and Work Day #1

Yesterday (Sunday) we had the opportunity to attend church in Catacamas, the nearby city. We arrived a few minutes early and it was fun to watch everyone filter in and fill up the good sized sanctuary. The praise team up front led worship for about an hour. Thankfully they had projectors on both sides of the stage area so we were able to somewhat sing along. Their worship is very free and relaxed but full of thanksgiving to our Lord. It was really cool to praise God continuously for that long.
After the time of singing, we saw three babies get dedicated to God. They were so adorable! After the dedications, the pastor gave the sermon, which lasted about 45 minutes. He preached from several different passages but mainly from Romans 12:1-2 and transformation through Christ.
We returned to the El Sembrador campus and after lunch our team took a restful 1 1/2 nap ~ this was much enjoyed after traveling, touring, and getting used to a new language the past couple of days.
At 2:00 we gathered at the softball field and played a fun game. (Just for the record the score was 22 to 13 and Nathan and Heidi's team beat Mark and Adrienne's team). It was a great time of fellowship and fun playing softball. Having such a small team has been kind of nice because we have gotten to interact with the boys a lot.
After dinner we went over to the Gouge's house, a missionary family that is here for a year. What a blessing to hear their story and how God has led them here! Please be praying for them as they continue to listen for where God is leading after their year is up. Also, they are going to have another baby so please pray that everyone stays healthy! We also began plans for a special event for the boys on Friday night right before we leave early Saturday morning for the Tegucigalpa guest house.

Today (Monday), was our first work day. Our task this week is to install a drain in the patio at the Conference Center. When it rains, all the water pools in the middle of the patio and can't drain out and off the back. This is a problem because it stays there and molds in the hot sun. We are cutting out the middle row of stone bricks to install a pipe that will carry the water out the back. It's a little slow going but thankfully we were able to accomplish much more than we had originally thought today.
Adrienne and I also had a new opportunity today ~ we learned how to make the new bricks that we will lay over the pipe later this week! It's a little bit of a process but it's fun to learn.
After lunch we took a small break and toured the school building. Christian, the El Sembrador director, led us through and shared his passion for the boys' education and vision for the school. Please be in prayer for the school as a whole and that they can continue to improve their educational programs and have enough funding to do so. His heart for the boys and that they can be their very best is evident! His enthusiasm is encouraging and inspiring.
After we finished some more work on the patio and new bricks, my dad and I got to see some of the boys finish slaughtering one of the cows on the farm ("pobre vaca" ~ poor cow, a quote from one of the boys).
After a long day of work, our muscles are tired but in a very good way. Dinner is about ready so I best be going but thank you for your continued prayers! I think we have all really enjoyed our time so far and are excited for the remainder of the week. More pictures will be coming in the morning so stay tuned!

God Bless,
Heidi :-)

Hot, Sweaty, Dirty... Doing great!

Our internet has been out for over a day, but it hasn't slowed us down here. Below are some pictures from Saturday's tour of the farm. Read the previous post from Mark to help the pictures make more sense. We will have more pictures and report from our first real work day tonight or tomorrow morning. - thanks for your continued prayers!





















Saturday, March 13, 2010

Saturday, Farm Tour (Blast from the past from the old guy!)

After a Friday that hit 100, the cool breeze of the evening was welcome, but the ceiling fan helped the most. But fans don't work when the electricity is shut down to allow the water to rise in the pond for tomorrow's work thru the hydro-electric plant.

This morning, we met with the work coordinator, to plan for a landscaping project that should allow water to be tiled away from a courtyard that gets flooded.

The farm tour showed the working trade school shops of wood carving, wood furniture manufacture and repair and lathe work. The highlight of the tour, for me, was the welding and metal fabrication shop. The order of the day was building, painting and assembly of bleachers. We think they'll be used for a special ceremony when the IO committee, and family of the founder come on Monday. Lincoln welders serve the school side very well!!

"Pig Farm": Landrace, Yorkshire and some leftover Hampshire and Duroc made for a great product in just 5.5 months. We can learn again about nipple waters, drip spray and help keep the whole herd cool. Heidi remembers it being like Uncle Lyles farm, in Nebraska, USA.
The instructor for the Mechanics shop is state-side, so the teaching lab, while waiting for parts has several started projects. By the way, we may need to secure some gently used mowers and 4-wheelers to help with the chores.

The Swimmin' Hole: 33 of us headed to the river, chest-high for a water version of keep-away.
The trip out showed most of us helping ourselves to gawava, a tasty ping-pong ball-sized fruit. It's best when ripe, but seldom gets that far!!

On the return, I got a blast from my past, seeing the nations first automatic milking machine and parlor in action. It reminded me of my own time in the parlor. With work assignments for boys (and one girl) included seeing each baby calf in its own hut and all stages of heifer development. The mature herd was steady and 156, much like the premium Holstein herd of Boys Town, Nebraska, where work ethic, community pride and the connection to life cycles through animal husbandry were nearly identical.

Personally, finding PEPSI, cold in glass bottle took me back a few years, too. But I'm bounced back to the future when I realize the infrastructure in place since 1999, post-Hurricane Mitch allows wireless internet and this blog site with us.

Finally, as I post, whether young or old, I am amazed at the Power of God as presented through the spontaneous testimony of a young man named Cessa. Now 18, he shared that his family, including the mean stepfather has not ever visited him at the farm in 8 years. But to him his one true family is his reason for planning for college and then a lifetime career in the navy. I was proud to be included in his welcome to Adrianne, Heidi and I as brothers and sisters in his Christian family! Oh, yeah, it will be fun to hear Cessa's stories after he makes a special presentation of a wood-carved relief map of the school farm to the new President of Honduras tomorrow after church! Join us in prayer for our extended Christian family!!

Mark for the team

A few pictures from Friday

3 AM - These smiles seem a little forced, but the excitement was real.
5:30 AM - More Awake, ticketed and ready to go.
12:30 PM - Arriving in Honduras! (Yes, we are 'glistening,' it was over 90 degrees when we landed)

The heat was a perfect excuse for ice cream!
We had a change to observe the countryside from the truck. (F150 if anyone is interested) Sorry I didn't take more of the beautiful scenery!


Our next round of pictures will be from the farm. We will be taking a quick tour this morning before getting to work!

Friday, March 12, 2010

Safely at El Sembrador

Hey guys,
So we left this morning at 3am to Cinncinatti and hopped a flight to Houston around 6:40. :) After a breif wait in Houston, we left for Tegucigalpa at 9:15 (central) and arrived here around 12:25. :) The flights went well. We were able to be near the windows for the spectacular views across the country. Our landing in Tegucigalpa was a little rough but went very well considering the extremely short landing strip :) We hit the ground and immediately we felt the brakes get slammed, lol. :) It was a good time.
We then proceeded to stand in line at immigration and fly through customs; finally, leaving the airport about 1:30 with our missionary host Jerry Murphy and all of our luggage. :)
As we left Teguc, we just stared out the windows trying to take in all of the sites and trying as much as possible to get a glimpse of understanding of the people that we would meet here (well, at least this was what I was doing, lol). We stopped at a gas station and soon discovered that they were actually out of gas. So we bought our drinks and snacks (Yuquita and Plantain chips, yum!) and left to find another station before finishing our 3 hourish drive to El Sembrador.
We stopped again around 3:30 at an old rest stop and met with some missionary volunteers that were just heading back from El Sembrador, had some ice cream and then we finished the length of our journey.
Traveling down winding, concrete, gravel, half-paved, no lined roads, we reached El Sembrador in Catacamas in time for dinner! :) They put us up in some very nice hotel style rooms in the confrence center and are even letting us sleep in until breakfast at 7:30! :) Woot!
Well, right now we are in the process of cleaning the kitchen and then it's off to debrief and settle in for the week/night. :)
Pictures will hopefully be coming in the next post! :) Thanks for all of your prayers!

-Adrienne - on behalf of the team :)

On our way!

It is nearly 3AM and we are loading the car for the Cincinnati airport. By lunch, we will be in Honduras! Pray for good connections on our flights and that all of our luggage makes it. We are excited about what God wants to do in and through us this week. Thank you for partnering with us through your prayers!!

Nathan for the team