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 :-)
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
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 :-)
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
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 :)
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
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