Day 8

This morning began with a few sad goodbyes to the little boys leaving to go home. It made for a little bit of a rough start to the day being that we had to wake up at 5:45 to see them off, plus all of the emotions that come along with goodbyes anyway. But before we realized it the rest of the team was up ready to start another full day.

The first stop planned was Mi Esperanza.  It is an organization that helps train women in trades that will allow them to earn an income and support a family.  Sewing and hairstyling are among the trades the women learn.  We toured the building and saw the training rooms (including the new salon that was designed by our stylist Caity Davis).  After, we went to the store where all proceeds go to the furthering of Mi Esperanza's vision.  (Perfect timing for Mother's Day) 

Next we headed out to the farm run by Bread for a Hungry World in Zambrano. All of the products of the farm go towards feeding the people of the dump. We dug through some hard rock and set up posts with cement for an overhang on top of a few of their compost piles. 

After finishing up what we could there, we went up to the orphanage called Didasko. Corey Bryant had been absolutely dying to go back there since visiting a few weeks ago and we all quickly understood why.  The area was beautiful and the kids were even more so! We were all swept off right away to the playground for some running, climbing and swinging to start off our vist. Then we set up a movie and brought in a popcorn machine that everyone seemed to enjoy (including the bus driver, Edwin).

We ate dinner at a new burger joint in Teguc.  (I know... we can eat burgers at home...but they had a  touch of Honduras in them)  It was called La Matambrita.  Afterwards we returned to the house for our last evening together.  We talked about continuing our passion for serving God after the trip.  We worshipped and communed with passion as a family with One Father.  We are all upset that week has come to a close, but overjoyed with the memories made and the relationships created.  

Written by: Caity Davis and Michael Wallace 

Day 7 (Photos)

Mother Teresa Home

Casitas Kennedy

Day Seven

Today was a very special day for me as we were set to visit the Mother Teresa orphanage where I was most impacted on my first trip here. We started off the morning by going to the village of Moa Loa where we spent time playing soccer, playing with the kids, and visiting the village daycare and food serving house. Before leaving we also passed out our remaining food bags to a few of the families in the village. Next we visited the Casitas Kennedy which is the orphanage that all the children in Honduras are run through before they are distributed out to more long term orphanages. The orphanage was celebrating Mothers day which meant that many of the children had mothers visiting. We spent time playing with a few of the other children in the meantime. We had some group bonding time on the playground as we played a few rounds of  "trust fall" where we took turns falling backwards off of the playground equipment into the waiting arms of our fellow team members. Some rounds went better than others...lol. We spent the next few hours after that at Mother Teresa where I was reunited with Kenny, who I have completely fallen in love with. Seeing his smiling face put a smile on my face that nothing could take away! Being able to hold and spend time with him is what these trips are all about, showing God's love. If I could figure out a way to bring him home with me, I would do it in a heartbeat :) I am constantly amazed by the love the children in this orphanage have to give and the joy that is brought to them simply by giving them your attention and showing them love. There was a big difference from last year when the kids were acting chaotic to this year which was much more reformed because they have hired a teacher which spends one on one time with the kids each day teaching them motor skills and discipline. After dinner we spent the night at Breaking Chains where we helped to do a feeding for the homeless of Honduras. In Isaiah 56 we find God talking about the fact that it was not just Israelites who would become children of God, that eunuchs and Gentiles would also be accepted into God's family. Often times as Christians, or even simply as a people who are blessed with an adequate amount of money and luxuries, it can be easy to forgot that Jesus died that ALL would be saved. I am constantly overwhelmed by a people who, by the worlds standards, have so little but are always the first ones to praise God for all He has done for them. It is a source of motivation for me in my daily life, that I would strive to not just call myself a follower of God, but to be truly thankful for the blessings in my life and to always put others before myself. I am so thankful to be a part of what God is doing in Honduras and He is DEFINITELY at work!

-written by Stephen Carter

Day 6 Photos

Before

During

Jesus Statue (El Picachu)

Day Six

This here blog is being written by Joshua Davisson and Eric Somerville, please do enjoy.

Today was a very emotional and intense day, we built a house for a 47 year old woman who had 12 children and 8 grandchildren, 16 of whom all lived in the same small "house" . When we arrived we did not see the build site right away, to our surprise it was an addition to her current living arrangement and it was back behind her house. It was a very tight squeeze but in the end it paid off more than any of us expected it to. And upon completing the mother wanted to say something to all of us, she began to cry and said "I want to thank God first, and you all second..." This stood out to me personally because this should be the attitude all of us take when we do works for others, this is the primary building block to our faith. As it says in James faith without deeds is dead. As the day wound down we had dinner and began to head for the Jesus statue ,which is inspirational in itself, when we got there it was just becoming dark and we had the most beautiful view I think I have ever seen. You could see out across the entire city and the statue itself was enough to take your breath away. After taking in the site we met underneath the statue and had a time of worship and devotion. It was an amazing time to sit and talk amongst one another about the day and our thoughts so far on this trip. It's been a life changing trip, moment after moment, and a week of my life I will never forget. I am constantly amazed at the amount of love that can be poured out of one group and the amount of love one person can take in. To say I have found the true meaning of love is an understatement. Up to this point in my life my view of love has been skewed, God is love.
-Josh & Eric

Day Five

Wuzz good? Day five started out with a delicious reheated breakfast from Caity.  We then did some finishing touches on our food bags that we prepared for our feeding with the Mayor of Tegucigalpa's wife.  We arrived at the facility to the sight of a crowd of women sitting and waiting for the mayor's wife and the food bags to arrive.  After unloading the bags and waiting she arrived to the applause of the crowd.  We were called to the front and after we were cordially welcomed, they gave a quick speech and we began handing out bags. The event organizers maintained control and prevented any chaos.  We took a picture of our group and the Mayor's wife for the newspaper.  Then we were off to our next destination. (Daniel Wallace)

We then traveled to the dump site and handed out food and water to the people there with Mark Tindall.
They typically scrounge through the rubble looking for plastic and cardboard in amongst the cattle, vultures, and dogs. The view is unfathomable...pictures can never do justice to the situation at the dump.  Alan and Mike described how it used to be at the dump....years ago girls were not allowed to go.  Now we are able to go and mingle  It was a life changing day for me and the rest of the team as well as we saw God's love radiating through us and onto the Honduran people. There was even one man at the dump that gave me his bracelet even though I had nothing to give in return. (Lindsay Tejan)

When it was time to leave, a man jumped on the back of the bus and got a free ride down to the bottom of the dump. After that the stench lingered in the air for what seemed like forever. We were supposed to build a house but instead we went to Breaking Chains to help clean up the rubble from their old roof as they are getting a new roof.  The work was hard and incredibly dusty. We had a group of guys lifting wheelbarrows full of brick in to the back of a dump truck.  We had to separate the tin, tile, wood, and cement.  Many people from the community ranging from toddlers with wheelbarrows, to teenage Moms, to a man with one leg ... all along with our team worked for hours.  Although we didn't finish, we were able to fill two dump trucks before we had to leave. (Liz Grimsley)

We came back to Taco Loco for dinner.  A feast everyone who does a mission trip to Honduras should experience.  Tomorrow we build again!

Day Four Pics

 Shopping

 Setting up the store

 Standing in line patiently

 Soccer in Nuevo Oriental

 The village road

The Basicila

Beautiful Stained Glass windows

Night time soccer....

Day 4 ~ Tuesday

Greetings from the Honduras Team on this wonderful Tuesday evening.  After a wonderful breakfast of eggs, toast, and beans made by the angel Saundra, it was time to head out for the day.

Our first stop was Valley of the Angels. Valley of the Angels is a community with lots of little shops and restaurants. This is where our team was able to purchase those tangible memories to bring back to the States for ourselves and our loved ones. 

Once we arrived at the Valley of the Angels, we got a wonderful surprise.  The "brothers" met up with our team to spend a few quality filled days helping us and allowing us to enjoy their company.  The brothers were first met at Casa de Esperanza a few years ago and have since been passed back and forth between there and their parents house.  Although they have been through so much, their attitudes and ability to help out and pay attention speaks numbers about those individuals who have helped to form them into the men they are.

For those of us who met the boys for the first time, it was almost as if we had known them for quite a while.  It was an instant "click" and didn't take long for them to be hanging all over us, hugging us, and just spending the day loving us.

Leaving Valley of the Angels, we headed off to pass out the clothes you all helped to donate at Nuevo Oriental.  Through a great team effort, we were able to raise over 1200 Limps.  Each person who came into the donation center was able to pick 10 items for 20 Limps (basically $1).  Normally the proceeds would go back to the donation center to help pay for food, clothes, or other necessities to help keep them going.  Since the money has been raised to keep them afloat for the rest of the year, we decided it would be best to give the money to the four workers. These wonderful ladies sacrifice their time and lives to help some of the poorest of the poor and in return earn hardly any money.  Each lady received about $16, which to us would be hardly anything. The thanks they gave and the look on their faces when they realized the money was for them was nothing but a humbling experience.

After the Valley of the Angels, we headed off to one of the largest Basilicas in all of Honduras.  This church was incredible in size and detail.  We were able to snap lots of photos and best of all, we were able to be the first team to go up on top of the Basilica!  We got to walk around the edge of the balcony used and look down at this beautiful creation.  Our team snapped lots of photos, so be sure to ask someone to check them out!

After dinner and a little R & R, we headed out to the Seminary where we met up with some local Honduran folk to play a few games of soccer.  If you have ever seen any of them play soccer, you'd be amazed!  It took us quite a few games, but we were finally able to score on them!  And also, Steve Carter decided it was best to score on his own team because he wanted to score and felt that was his best shot!

After a few hours of sweating our butts off burning some more calories, it was time to head back home to end the evening.  We had praise and worship then devotions.  After devotions came a special celebration. 

Today is the birthday of one of our team members--Nathan "Coz" Cozzens. In order to celebrate his birthday and also the birthday of Eric Somerville (later this week), we had some amazing cake. Happy 27th Birthday Coz!

Well, that about wraps up our Tuesday in Honduras. Tomorrow is going to be one busy day so its time to finally get to sleep!  Buenos Noches from the team! Keep up those prayers and thanks again for all the financial, emotional, and spiritual support you have provided!

-Eric Orlando

Build Day Two ~ Monday

Hello Everyone! Had a great day today, this morning had a great breakfast very tasty and nice. After breakfast we went to build house number two for a family of three. It was so wonderful and inspiring, everyone pitched in and pulled together with great uplifting attitudes. It was so wonderful to see everyone connect with the people there. After we got done building we went to Mi Esperanza (The Women of My Hope). This is a place (run by Lori Connell) that helps women and trains them in computers,sewing, cosmetology, and other different tasks to help them with life skills and trades. We cleaned a couple rooms and rearranged and organized for Mark Connell. They are expecting a container with about 700 boxes so we made the area easier to get to. After we left Mi Esperanza, we went back to the house for a little bit, cleaned up and went to the homeless shelter to hand out spaghetti. It was gone within 10 minutes. The group got to learn about the homeless shelter and how it came to be and how it runs. After we left the homeless shelter we got to enjoy a wonderful dessert from La Creperia. The belgas are like heaven on a plate... very delicious! It was very good to enjoy and relax with the group tonight. While doing devotions we talked about what led us to come to Honduras and how God works His wonders to get us to where we need to be. Had a wonderful day can't wait to see how we can help others tomorrow.

(Sincerely Kelsie)

Day Two Pics Continued

 Church

 Caity and Oldman

 Lunch

 Michael and Daniela

Liz getting down with the Casa kids during the rain

Sunday in Honduras

Sunday in Honduras took us to Santa Ana to attend church with the Casa Kids and the people that live in the surrounding area.  The church is on the same property as Casa de Esperanza.  As usual the kids were pretty excited when they saw us all sitting in the church.  They sat with us until it was time for them to go to Sunday School.....the service was pretty awesome for us.  A little frustrating as it was ALL in Spanish but it was fun to hear the songs and feel the enthusiasm the preacher had in his sermon.

After church we went over and visited a few minutes with the Casa kids and then we were off to lunch. We ate at Cafe El Gringo.  This is a small cafe type setting run by Byron who is from the States and his Honduran wife, Pamela.  All the monies from the cafe go into his ministry that he is working diligently to create.  The food was awesome and the smoothies were amazing.

Then we were back at Casa for an evening of fun with the kids.  Trampoline and soccer appear to be two of the favorite things to do....but every kid had some hugs and loving from our team.

I (Vicky) must say that I was extremely impressed with our team.  They were absolutely fantastic with the Casa kids and pretty much everyone left a piece of their heart at Casa today!

Our day however was not over....we came back and packed 120 food bags with shortening, coffee, sugar, pasta, pasta sauce, rice, beans and bouillon cubes. It was an amazing effort and the music and dancing just added to the speed of the team.

Day 2 Pics

Preparing to build

The family's old house

Lauren Flick with the kids in the village

Alan Flick and Kelsie Tuttle hammering it down...

Nathan Cozzens working the chain saw magically

                                                       And we're done...                                                       

 Smiles of delight and gratitude

 Fun at KFC with the kids from Casa de Esperenza

Lots of soccer, chicken and the best hugs ever!!!

Build Day 1 ~ Saturday

Today started out rough because there were only 4 of us to build a house that we had planned to build with the whole group. Luckily, Mark Connell and some Hondurans from Breaking Chains (a homeless ministry) along with some community members were there to assist us. We arrived at the build site at around 8:30. We unloaded the wood and carried it about 200 yards to where the house was to be built. Next, we started to dig the holes for the foundation and discovered we were digging through rock! After about an hour we started setting posts. The rest of the build went smoothly and by 2:00 that afternoon, we were ready to dedicate the house for the family, right as the rest of the team showed up. Perfect timing! During the dedication, the abuela (grandmother) stepped forward to pray. Her prayer was fervent and heartfelt. The family receiving the house was very thankful and full of emotion.

After the build, the whole team travelled back to the house to unload all of luggage and get a rundown of what to expect during a Honduran mission trip. Then we got to take all of the kids from Casa de Esperanza (an orphanage in Honduras) to KFC for dinner and to play. For some this was an exciting reunion, for others, it was the first time getting to meet these wonderful children. We all had a great time!

The night ended with a great group devotions and some games for everyone to get to know each other better. We are all looking forward to a great week of service, learning, and fun times.

(Alan, Lauren, and Coz)

First Day Pictures

Waiting at the airport

Tram ride in Atlanta

The Sky Team...shirts given to us by Delta...aren't they generous?

Devotions

Honduras (Atlanta) Day One ~ Friday

I Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Well....the Send Me Out team is really living that verse today.  After a pretty smooth departure (some moving around of items to make the suitcase weigh 50 not 56), a fairly quiet flight...we were just outside of Atlanta when the pilot came on with an announcement.  Of course at this time one is wishing for the weather in Atlanta (even though we would never experience it or at least we didn't think so).  No...not a chance...his announcement was that there was some weather conditions in Atlanta that prevented us from landing.  We were 8th in line and needed to be in a holding pattern.  OK...our flight to Tegucigalpa was supposed to leave at 10:05...we were to land at 8:47.  Tight to say the least but we can do it.

On second thought, cancel that, our pilot then told us that we did NOT have enough fuel for more than 5 minutes...we needed to go to Chattanooga to refuel.  Now, later we found out that our plane had sat in CAK overnight...why did they not fuel it just a bit more!!!  So anyway...we get to Chattanooga and we were the 3rd plane waiting for fuel.  Anyway by the time we were fueled up, our flight to Tegucigalpa had already departed with 4 team members on board.  10 of us are now about to be stuck in Atlanta.

So here we are...at the Ramada (not complementary of Delta) in Atlanta.  We ate a much needed lunch (the plane also was not stocked to give everyone another snack while we waited in Chattanooga) at Quizno's and had pizza and Chinese delivered for dinner.  Tonight Josh Davisson led our devotions with the above verse hitting home.  We are the only Jesus some of this people will ever see...so we need to live it, breath it, share it.

Tomorrow, we will fly into Tegucigalpa and head to the build site to meet up with the rest of our time.

God has Sent Us Out to make Him known and we will start being his hands and feet tomorrow!!!