By Wednesday, I was almost running on empty. The dust from tearing down a structure the day before + the neighbors burning something in a big barrel all day did a number on my lungs, throat and sinuses. Two build teams went out on Wednesday to the village of Mola Loa (excuse the spelling if I am wrong). This village is largely populated and loved by most everyone who has been there in the past. It is very mountainous (that sounds ridiculous even as I type it since everywhere is!) and hard to get to build sites. The houses to be built were relatively close together and the wood had been delivered and the sites cleared! Always a good thing. Most of the Homewood group went to a site to build a house in memory of a young man named Ty Osman. He was a dear friend of our very own Katherine Stewart and passed away in a tragic accident during spring break. The Stewart family raised money to build a house in his honor - he had been to this village himself on a mission trip and he and Katherine shared the bond of that. The house build was led by two of Katherine's friends, Erin Castleman and Savannah Presley. I was not on the site because there were too many people but I have heard that they did a sensational job and it was an emotional but good day. I was on the other house site. It was a hard build but a good one led by brothers, Larry and Jerry Sawyer. I had woken up with a cough and as the heat of the day along with the sawdust progressed, I felt worse and worse. By the time we made our way down the mountain, my throat was on fire, my head hurt and my voice was gone. Many were shocked that I had lost my voice - but I think they were grateful! Ha! That night we loaded up to go to the Jesus Statue. It is about halfway down the mountain that we stay on and is about 70 feet high and made of concrete. It is a statue of Jesus with his hands outstretched to the city below. The view is spectacular and we had a great time of worship. Once we returned to Villa Gracia, my dear friend, Nikki, gave me a superduper dose of a cough syrup with codeine in it and I started an antibiotic. I slept really well that night! My voice was hoarse but back the next morning. Now, a week later, I still have a cough but am better.
On Thursday, the Homewood group went out to build our last dedicated house. It was in honor of our youth minister and his wife, Tim & Andrea Mills. Once again, we had to haul wood to the site .... back, back, back to a beautiful, big grassy spot. Not a hard build but a hot one. Steve Castleman and Charles Dismuke led this house which was awesome since this was their first time to go on the Honduras trip. Very smart men! Of course, Koski was with us as well! The kids from Homewood are such hard workers. Don't know if I have mentioned this or not but a man from South Carolina told everyone his goal was to "work like a girl" - he was speaking mainly of the Homewood girls. All of our kids worked hard every day, built a whole bunch of houses, hauled wood great distances and several moved tons of cinder block from one place to another.
On Friday, I had the opportunity to go to a special needs orphanage. I was interested in this because I work with special needs children for a living. I was surprised that it was realtively clean, all the children were up either walking around, in wheelchairs or strollers and they themselves were clean. I toured most of the facility and the rooms were pleasant and tidy. Remember to put this all in perspective though. Clean in Honduras is not clean in America. There were all of ages of children from about 2 through young adults. I fell in love with a little girl named Paola. She was beautiful. She had very low muscle tone, was blind and appeared to be ill. They allowed me to help change her clothes and take her out of the stroller. She had fever, a rattle in her chest and a cough. I carried her down to a breezeway where we could get some fresh air. Ellen held her for a few minutes and she was going to sleep. A worker came and held her nose so that she wouldn't go to sleep. This disturbed Ellen and me. At lunchtime they tried to let us help feed some of the children. The children had feeding issues and the food they gave us to feed them was not easy to swallow. I finally had to turn it over to one of the workers. She literally shoved a big mouthful of food in the little girl's mouth and pushed it down her throat. It was hard for me to watch.
After lunch we loaded the bus and were taken to another orphanage downtown. It was called Casitas Kennedy. There appeared to be mostly teen girls some of who were pregnant. We were there at the dance class time and were invited in to watch - the teacher had different small groups get up and perform "dances" to Honduran music. It was not very appropriate - then, she called up a boy and girl around 10 years of age. They did a very provacative dance that made all of us uncomfortable. After that, I had my interpreter go and tell her thank you but that we did not have much time left and we wanted to go back out to the playground to spend some time playing with the children. Once outside I saw a young man who appeared to be in the medical profession. He introduced himself and told me a little about the place. He was Honduran but spoke perfect English and was in his last semester of school to be a psychologist. He told me that the home was run by the government and picked up kids off the streets. Alot of them were teen girls who had been raped and were now pregnant. He was there to counsel one of them. It was a hard and emotional day for us all.
Saturday was the last work day for our team. We went to the city dump to feed lunch. We first went to Mi Esperanza to purchase with a purpose. Mi Esperanza is the organization that my friend Lori Connell started to help women support their families by teaching them a skill. They can choose from sewing, computers, hair stylist, manicurist or if they have a skill sometimes get a loan to start a business. After we shopped for souvenirs and gifts for our friends, the kids laid out bread on wooden benches and started an assembly line of bologna, cheese and mayo. When they finished the sandwiches we loaded back on the buses and headed toward the dump. We made a stop to buy fruit and another stop to buy bags of water. The dump is a melting pot of trash, people, cattle and vultures. As big garbage trucks make their way up to the top of the mountain to dump what the rest of us consider trash, these people wait eagerly for. When a truck starts to dump its load, all of the things mentioned above swarm to get the best vantage point to dig through it. The smell is horrid, the people filthy and the air stagnant. A few handed sandwiches, fruit and a cookie to the people lined up at the back of the bus. The rest of us unloaded and passed out water. These people don't get a lot of physical touch so we are encouraged to touch them. A pat on the shoulder or arm, to not be afraid to shake their hand. The children are the hardest part for me. Once we were back on the bus and headed out you could hear a pin drop. Everyone was in their own world and several of the girls were crying. We had all cleaned our hands as best we could and I got tissues out and walked down the aisle giving them tissues. Sometimes there are no words. They just needed to process on their own.
We went back to Villa Gracia and a storm was coming. Several of us had signed up to go down the hill a little ways to a home for abused teen girls that is run by an American missionary and his wife. It was an incredibly beautiful place that was built as a private home in the 1960's. The view was like nothing I had ever seen. We took fixings for ice cream sundaes, fingernail polish, make-up, hair things and things to make jewelry with. We had never been there before and were warned that they might not open up to us or accept our visit. We were thrilled with our time there. It was a great visit and the girls smiled if only for a brief moment. Our teen girls did a great job of interacting with them and making them feel special.
It was a great way to end our time of work. I have failed to mention the time of worship that we had every night while in Honduras. We sing praise songs, have a devo from a volunteer and then the floor is opened up for people to speak about where they saw God that day. It is a special time and I will keep those moments in my heart and mind forever. The relationships get closer, the work gets done as we get more experienced and hopefully, God is glorified in every second we are there.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Relationships - Near and Abroad
I apologize for not blogging since Tuesday morning. Our internet has continued to force us to unplug from the outside world which can be a good thing. The title of this post came to me because I see many lives being intertwined in such amazing ways. I am so grateful for my friends from Homewood and this opportunity to make lifelong memories with them. I have also been blessed beyond measure to make wonderful friends from different parts of the country - places I have never visited but get to learn about because of them. I cried and cried when my friend, Gail Blaylock, left on Wednesday morning. She and I met three years ago and just clicked. I could listen to hear talk for hours. I miss not only her but her family and all the other friends I have made over the years. When we get to reconnect in Honduras it is like a family reunion. Another type of relationship that I see is so many in our TORCH group making relationships with the people of Honduras. The teens meet children, connect with them and always want to go back to that village to see them. The amazing thing is that you would think with so many people living on a mountainside that the chances would be slim but they always seem to find them again. The main reason for these relationships is our common bond in our Savior, Jesus Christ.
On Tuesday I went to a village close to the dump on the other side of the river. It was a small crew of about 14 and two of those were children. The good news is that the wood was already there!! We had a massive teardown of a three room adobe brick house with a tin roof. We started with the roof and our youth minister's wife, Andrea, cut her hand at her thumb will taking a piece of tin to throw it down the hill. The tin here is razor sharp even if old and rusted. It cut clean through her glove. We stopped work, put a clotting agent on it, wrapped it and called Mark to come and take her to the hospital. Back to work! It did not rain on this day and the dust from knocking down the walls was incredible added to the fact that the next door neighbor was burning trash in a barrel the entire day. A couple of hours later the neighbor cam running to say a woman on up the hill was pregnant and her water had broken. She wanted us to take her to the hospital since we had a truck. At first, we weren't sure what to do but when we looked up and a man was carrying her down the hill we knew we had to help. Her arms were flailed out by her side and she seemed to be in shock. We had to unload the backpacks from the truck and somehow get her in the truck. One woman got in the other side of the back seat to hold her head, another woman with two babies around 6-7 months old jumped in the front seat and then I poured some cool water on her face and squirted some in her mouth. The man carrying her was struggling not to drop her. I bent down and lifted her up from behind. She was dead weight. Larry Sawyer and David Koski "drew straws" to see who would go. Larry won (or lost) and got in the driver's seat. We didn't want him to go alone and I offered to go. Kathy Sawyer said "You might have to deliver a baby if you sit at her feet!" So.....I stayed behind! Larry delivered her safely and we do not know if she had the baby, if they are safe, etc. I do know that we did what we could to help. A new friend to the trip, Janie from Little Rock, asked about a bano (bathroom). I went next door and asked and they sent us up one more house. They pointed behind their house and away we went. I have been in a lot of bad ones but this was probably the worst. They had taken 4 sacks that red beans come in (big bags). Put up 4 sticks about 4 feet high. Inside they had dug a hole in the ground and then sat a toilet bowl on top. Their were flies and other bugs I cannot name flying around it. I went first to reassure her. I came out and said "OK it's all yours" She is very tall so when she went in you could see her from almost the waist up! She was really uncomfortable but I held the sacks together because the wind was blowing them and talked her through it - just to try and keep her mind off where she really was. The realization hit her when I said, "Just think about these people. They do this every single day...even in the night and pouring down rain" Kind of puts our life and what is important in perspective. Bottom line, the house was built, the woman was grateful and nobody was any worse for the wear.
Time to go out for the day.....will try to catch up on Wednesday - Friday later.
In el nombre de Jesus....
On Tuesday I went to a village close to the dump on the other side of the river. It was a small crew of about 14 and two of those were children. The good news is that the wood was already there!! We had a massive teardown of a three room adobe brick house with a tin roof. We started with the roof and our youth minister's wife, Andrea, cut her hand at her thumb will taking a piece of tin to throw it down the hill. The tin here is razor sharp even if old and rusted. It cut clean through her glove. We stopped work, put a clotting agent on it, wrapped it and called Mark to come and take her to the hospital. Back to work! It did not rain on this day and the dust from knocking down the walls was incredible added to the fact that the next door neighbor was burning trash in a barrel the entire day. A couple of hours later the neighbor cam running to say a woman on up the hill was pregnant and her water had broken. She wanted us to take her to the hospital since we had a truck. At first, we weren't sure what to do but when we looked up and a man was carrying her down the hill we knew we had to help. Her arms were flailed out by her side and she seemed to be in shock. We had to unload the backpacks from the truck and somehow get her in the truck. One woman got in the other side of the back seat to hold her head, another woman with two babies around 6-7 months old jumped in the front seat and then I poured some cool water on her face and squirted some in her mouth. The man carrying her was struggling not to drop her. I bent down and lifted her up from behind. She was dead weight. Larry Sawyer and David Koski "drew straws" to see who would go. Larry won (or lost) and got in the driver's seat. We didn't want him to go alone and I offered to go. Kathy Sawyer said "You might have to deliver a baby if you sit at her feet!" So.....I stayed behind! Larry delivered her safely and we do not know if she had the baby, if they are safe, etc. I do know that we did what we could to help. A new friend to the trip, Janie from Little Rock, asked about a bano (bathroom). I went next door and asked and they sent us up one more house. They pointed behind their house and away we went. I have been in a lot of bad ones but this was probably the worst. They had taken 4 sacks that red beans come in (big bags). Put up 4 sticks about 4 feet high. Inside they had dug a hole in the ground and then sat a toilet bowl on top. Their were flies and other bugs I cannot name flying around it. I went first to reassure her. I came out and said "OK it's all yours" She is very tall so when she went in you could see her from almost the waist up! She was really uncomfortable but I held the sacks together because the wind was blowing them and talked her through it - just to try and keep her mind off where she really was. The realization hit her when I said, "Just think about these people. They do this every single day...even in the night and pouring down rain" Kind of puts our life and what is important in perspective. Bottom line, the house was built, the woman was grateful and nobody was any worse for the wear.
Time to go out for the day.....will try to catch up on Wednesday - Friday later.
In el nombre de Jesus....
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Stepping outside the box
We have had very sketchy internet service, thus the reason I have not blogged but one time. Welcome to Honduras! On Sunday we went to the Valley of the Angels for shopping and lunch. We left there and headed to Mi Esperanza to hear about the work Lori does there and meet up with the final group to arrive from Little Rock. It was good to see my friends Jason and Renada! I met them my first year here and Renada was one of my roommates. She and Jason were married just a month ago and are now rooming with about three other old married couples in one room with bunk beds! Again, welcome to Honduras!
We went from Mi Esperanza to an inner city church downtown called Breaking Chains. It was started by a young woman named Amber Foster about 8 years ago. She is doing an amazing work there. It is housed in an old mansion - you would never know from the outside. Once you enter the doors it is a huge old house with a courtyard in the middle. It is in terrible shape but now that she has the funding she has actually purchased it and a new roof has been put on. She feeds homeless children and teens at least three days a week and has church on Sunday. There are three families that live there and the homeless can come in at night to sleep. We worshipped with them and then fed them pizza.
Afterward, we went to the home of another missionary who works with Breaking Chains named David Logue. He hosted our entire group in his home (120 people!) and it was catered by Taco Loco. They serve amazing food and the portions are enough for 3 people. I love their guacamole!!! While we were waiting for them to cook our dinner on his patio, we had out devo.
Yesterday my dear brother, Steve Castleman, led a house build. I was not there but heard he did an amazing job...I think Amy helped quite a bit! Just kidding! They had a challenge as it took them two hours to tear down the existing structure. The crew was small as well so needless to say they were completely exhausted last night. There was also a VBS, ceiling work at Breaking Chains, and concrete work and playing with children at Jovenese Children's Home. I went to the Children's Home because that is where a boy named Dennis lives. My friend from Oklahoma, Gail Blaylock, met him three years ago and has been trying to get help for him since. He is going blind and needs some surgery. Several of us were left at the children's home to feed lunch, help clean and play with the children while the rest of the group went further up the mountain to do concrete work. The plan was to swap at lunchtime. They never came back - which made me a little uneasy as the only people at the Children's Home were two young women from Lipscomb doing a summer internship and they had only been there a few days. None of us speak Spanish and they knew some. Around 4:00 the rest of our crew returned. The bus had gotten stuck in mud when they got to the place they were pouring concrete and it didn't make sense to swap after they spent a lot of time getting the bus out. A tractor and a car finally had to pull it out. I felt so bad because my friend Gail and her husband, John, did not get to spend any time with Dennis. If only I had known, they could have gotten off the bus first and stayed instead of me. Gail got to spend about 5 minutes with him before we had to head back to Villa Gracia because it was over an hour long drive. I sat with her and we talked about him and other things. Her family is leaving tomorrow and I will miss her so much. We have become dear friends.
There is a man on the trip named Hannibal. He is from South Carolina and did not know any of us. He is so nice and very big and strong. Last night, he was talking about working with our girls from Homewood and he said they amaze him. Not only can they work circles around him but they talk the entire time!! He said from now on he will tell people "I worked like a girl" when he has worked hard! Our kids continue to surprise and amaze me with their servant hearts, great attitudes and incredible work ethic! They do not complain about little inconveniences and teach us (their parents) life lessons.
I titled this post stepping outside the box because I do not usually go to "play with the children" - it is what I do 9 months out of the year so in the summer I need a break from that. However, I colored, played football and tried to entertain them the best I could yesterday. I was rewarded by many good-bye hugs. I am blessed to be a mother. I will not ever grow tired of being one and love my girl so much and cherish her hugs.
I am off now to see what today holds. I know this - God is with me.
We went from Mi Esperanza to an inner city church downtown called Breaking Chains. It was started by a young woman named Amber Foster about 8 years ago. She is doing an amazing work there. It is housed in an old mansion - you would never know from the outside. Once you enter the doors it is a huge old house with a courtyard in the middle. It is in terrible shape but now that she has the funding she has actually purchased it and a new roof has been put on. She feeds homeless children and teens at least three days a week and has church on Sunday. There are three families that live there and the homeless can come in at night to sleep. We worshipped with them and then fed them pizza.
Afterward, we went to the home of another missionary who works with Breaking Chains named David Logue. He hosted our entire group in his home (120 people!) and it was catered by Taco Loco. They serve amazing food and the portions are enough for 3 people. I love their guacamole!!! While we were waiting for them to cook our dinner on his patio, we had out devo.
Yesterday my dear brother, Steve Castleman, led a house build. I was not there but heard he did an amazing job...I think Amy helped quite a bit! Just kidding! They had a challenge as it took them two hours to tear down the existing structure. The crew was small as well so needless to say they were completely exhausted last night. There was also a VBS, ceiling work at Breaking Chains, and concrete work and playing with children at Jovenese Children's Home. I went to the Children's Home because that is where a boy named Dennis lives. My friend from Oklahoma, Gail Blaylock, met him three years ago and has been trying to get help for him since. He is going blind and needs some surgery. Several of us were left at the children's home to feed lunch, help clean and play with the children while the rest of the group went further up the mountain to do concrete work. The plan was to swap at lunchtime. They never came back - which made me a little uneasy as the only people at the Children's Home were two young women from Lipscomb doing a summer internship and they had only been there a few days. None of us speak Spanish and they knew some. Around 4:00 the rest of our crew returned. The bus had gotten stuck in mud when they got to the place they were pouring concrete and it didn't make sense to swap after they spent a lot of time getting the bus out. A tractor and a car finally had to pull it out. I felt so bad because my friend Gail and her husband, John, did not get to spend any time with Dennis. If only I had known, they could have gotten off the bus first and stayed instead of me. Gail got to spend about 5 minutes with him before we had to head back to Villa Gracia because it was over an hour long drive. I sat with her and we talked about him and other things. Her family is leaving tomorrow and I will miss her so much. We have become dear friends.
There is a man on the trip named Hannibal. He is from South Carolina and did not know any of us. He is so nice and very big and strong. Last night, he was talking about working with our girls from Homewood and he said they amaze him. Not only can they work circles around him but they talk the entire time!! He said from now on he will tell people "I worked like a girl" when he has worked hard! Our kids continue to surprise and amaze me with their servant hearts, great attitudes and incredible work ethic! They do not complain about little inconveniences and teach us (their parents) life lessons.
I titled this post stepping outside the box because I do not usually go to "play with the children" - it is what I do 9 months out of the year so in the summer I need a break from that. However, I colored, played football and tried to entertain them the best I could yesterday. I was rewarded by many good-bye hugs. I am blessed to be a mother. I will not ever grow tired of being one and love my girl so much and cherish her hugs.
I am off now to see what today holds. I know this - God is with me.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
A Wild & Crazy Start in Honduras
After a non-eventful and safe trip, we arrived in Honduras and made it quickly and easily through customs. We were greeted by Mark, Lori, my friend Jason Jones from Louisville and all the TORCH bus drivers. The others that arrived were our friends from Oklahoma. From there we went to lunch at a local restaurant. Steve Castleman LOVED the bean/cheese dip with chips. Then it was on to Villa Gracia to get settled in. I am rooming with Jennifer Presley, Carol Walden and a sweet new friend from Oklahoma named Lori Pink. We are in the same room I was in on my first trip here 3 years ago. That night we were all exhausted since we had been up since around 2:30 that morning.
The next morning, since not everyone was here yet, the whole crew went to one location to build 2 houses. We jokingly divided into Oklahoma vs. Alabama to build. Our house was built in honor of the Homewood Church of Christ Youth Group by a generous donation from Mike & Lori Ermert. We did have a couple to switch sides though! We had to haul enough lumber/tin/supplies along with our backpacks up the mountain. The housesites were relatively close and we could see each other working. It was extremely muddy and therefore hard to haul the lumber. The lumber consists of several sizes and lengths. The biggest boards are 3 by 4s that are 18 feet long. It was super hot and we were all getting a little lightheaded. Oh, did I mention that we first had to tear down the existing structures before we could begin building the houses? The work seemed to be going pretty slow probably because we had so much lumber to haul on top of actually building. After lunch Mark announces the good news - there is another load of wood being delivered that we need to unload and haul up the mountain! Some "newbies" thought he was joking because he is known to do that, but the rest of us knew he was telling the truth. I realized I have really bony shoulders as they are now sore and bruised! Around mid-afternoon, it started to rain (more like monsoon) along with thunder and lightening. Remember, the roofs are tin! Our crew was actually in our house and had the roof done at this point. The woman we were building the house for had very little in the way of possessions but did own an old box springs and mattress which had been leaning up a against a barbwire fence with a tarp partially covering it. We fought our way through the rain and mud to get it and haul it up into the house. It got wet and muddy but we saved it. Suddenly, I heard people start to scream. As I looked up and out the open space that would soon be the final wall of the house, I saw my dear friend from Oklahoma, Stan Berry, falling backwards through the air. He and Steve Castleman were on the back of the other housesite working when Stan lost his footing and did a backflip off the mountain. He fell 20 feet or so into the rubble that was the house that was demolished to build the new ones. He fell among boards with nails sticking out, trees, old rusty tin and other dangerous things. When he landed, he slumped over and then pulled his head up and all we could see was blood. His daughter, Allie, who is Ellen's dear friend, was at our worksite with horror in her eyes. Ellen and I quickly took her down to where he was. Her mother, Cheryl, was already there along with several of the men, one of whom is a doctor. Stan was conscious but obviously in a lot of pain. Cheryl had taken off her shirt so they could use it to put pressure on his head. David Logue, a missionary who lives here, then took off his shirt and gave to Cheryl. She was so cold and was in shock as well. Ellen raced back to our worksite to get her rainjacket. We had her take off the David's t-shirt and put on Ellen's jacket. The men then helped Stan up and walked him down the mountain to David's truck. Allie wanted Ellen to go with them to the doctor. Stan ended up with 12 stitches in the back of his head, cuts and scrapes on his knees, bruised ribs and a fractured right wrist. He is in some pain but so thankful that it was not worse. It could have been so, so much worse. We are thankful to God for his protection! They arrived back at Villa Gracia that night around 10:00. Really long day - especially since they were drenched when they left for the doctor. He asked Ellen to be his "assistant"! He had another patient there as well. He was explaining to Ellen what was wrong with her. Turns out, she had sesmoiditis in her foot just like Ellen does! Ellen told him she had it too! He gave the patient a shot and Ellen then had to apply pressure to it! Ha! Maybe she will rethink being a doctor! Afterwards, the doctor went to dinner with them at the local McDonald's! Welcome to Honduras!
Yesterday, I went to build a house with my friends from Louisville. We built it in honor of Willie McDaniel. It was a muddy site already but then we hit a water main! Who knew there even was a water main....which consisted of a 1 inch pvc pipe. The other house site was about a half mile on up the mountain and we had to haul all the lumber up to it. Several of our kids were on the lumber hauling crew and did an amazing job after having hauled 3 loads the day before! Tim Mills led that crew and the house was built in memory of Carol McLaughlin by her husband, Jim.
Today, our group spread out in several directions. Some helped with a VBS in one community some went to a children's home, others to the dump and 2 more houses were built. The house site that a majority of our group was on was beautiful. It was also out in the country close to the two from the day before. The lumber haulers had delivered our wood and even organized it for us so we could get right to work. The house build was extremely smooth and quick....of course, we did have some really, really experienced men with us! This house was built in honor of my sweet friend, Nikki Koski, by an anonymous donor at Homewood who loves her and her family a lot! She was overcome with appreciation.
We have had rainstorms every day until today. I am now hearing some rumblings of thunder. Tomorrow is the Lord's day and we will go into town and worship with those at Breaking Chains. It is an inner city ministry for homeless kids. I will post about our day as soon as I can.
Godspeed to you all.
The next morning, since not everyone was here yet, the whole crew went to one location to build 2 houses. We jokingly divided into Oklahoma vs. Alabama to build. Our house was built in honor of the Homewood Church of Christ Youth Group by a generous donation from Mike & Lori Ermert. We did have a couple to switch sides though! We had to haul enough lumber/tin/supplies along with our backpacks up the mountain. The housesites were relatively close and we could see each other working. It was extremely muddy and therefore hard to haul the lumber. The lumber consists of several sizes and lengths. The biggest boards are 3 by 4s that are 18 feet long. It was super hot and we were all getting a little lightheaded. Oh, did I mention that we first had to tear down the existing structures before we could begin building the houses? The work seemed to be going pretty slow probably because we had so much lumber to haul on top of actually building. After lunch Mark announces the good news - there is another load of wood being delivered that we need to unload and haul up the mountain! Some "newbies" thought he was joking because he is known to do that, but the rest of us knew he was telling the truth. I realized I have really bony shoulders as they are now sore and bruised! Around mid-afternoon, it started to rain (more like monsoon) along with thunder and lightening. Remember, the roofs are tin! Our crew was actually in our house and had the roof done at this point. The woman we were building the house for had very little in the way of possessions but did own an old box springs and mattress which had been leaning up a against a barbwire fence with a tarp partially covering it. We fought our way through the rain and mud to get it and haul it up into the house. It got wet and muddy but we saved it. Suddenly, I heard people start to scream. As I looked up and out the open space that would soon be the final wall of the house, I saw my dear friend from Oklahoma, Stan Berry, falling backwards through the air. He and Steve Castleman were on the back of the other housesite working when Stan lost his footing and did a backflip off the mountain. He fell 20 feet or so into the rubble that was the house that was demolished to build the new ones. He fell among boards with nails sticking out, trees, old rusty tin and other dangerous things. When he landed, he slumped over and then pulled his head up and all we could see was blood. His daughter, Allie, who is Ellen's dear friend, was at our worksite with horror in her eyes. Ellen and I quickly took her down to where he was. Her mother, Cheryl, was already there along with several of the men, one of whom is a doctor. Stan was conscious but obviously in a lot of pain. Cheryl had taken off her shirt so they could use it to put pressure on his head. David Logue, a missionary who lives here, then took off his shirt and gave to Cheryl. She was so cold and was in shock as well. Ellen raced back to our worksite to get her rainjacket. We had her take off the David's t-shirt and put on Ellen's jacket. The men then helped Stan up and walked him down the mountain to David's truck. Allie wanted Ellen to go with them to the doctor. Stan ended up with 12 stitches in the back of his head, cuts and scrapes on his knees, bruised ribs and a fractured right wrist. He is in some pain but so thankful that it was not worse. It could have been so, so much worse. We are thankful to God for his protection! They arrived back at Villa Gracia that night around 10:00. Really long day - especially since they were drenched when they left for the doctor. He asked Ellen to be his "assistant"! He had another patient there as well. He was explaining to Ellen what was wrong with her. Turns out, she had sesmoiditis in her foot just like Ellen does! Ellen told him she had it too! He gave the patient a shot and Ellen then had to apply pressure to it! Ha! Maybe she will rethink being a doctor! Afterwards, the doctor went to dinner with them at the local McDonald's! Welcome to Honduras!
Yesterday, I went to build a house with my friends from Louisville. We built it in honor of Willie McDaniel. It was a muddy site already but then we hit a water main! Who knew there even was a water main....which consisted of a 1 inch pvc pipe. The other house site was about a half mile on up the mountain and we had to haul all the lumber up to it. Several of our kids were on the lumber hauling crew and did an amazing job after having hauled 3 loads the day before! Tim Mills led that crew and the house was built in memory of Carol McLaughlin by her husband, Jim.
Today, our group spread out in several directions. Some helped with a VBS in one community some went to a children's home, others to the dump and 2 more houses were built. The house site that a majority of our group was on was beautiful. It was also out in the country close to the two from the day before. The lumber haulers had delivered our wood and even organized it for us so we could get right to work. The house build was extremely smooth and quick....of course, we did have some really, really experienced men with us! This house was built in honor of my sweet friend, Nikki Koski, by an anonymous donor at Homewood who loves her and her family a lot! She was overcome with appreciation.
We have had rainstorms every day until today. I am now hearing some rumblings of thunder. Tomorrow is the Lord's day and we will go into town and worship with those at Breaking Chains. It is an inner city ministry for homeless kids. I will post about our day as soon as I can.
Godspeed to you all.
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