The Good Samaritan

On Thursday our group (except Andrew, Lizzie & Catherine) went to a village close to the dump to build a house in honor of David & Nicki Koski. As soon as Mark told us that the name of the village meant The Good Samaritan, I knew that was where their house should be. David & Nicki have the biggest servant hearts of any couple I know. (Proof of that is that while typing this, there was a knock at my door. When I answered, it was David standing there with 3 Frosty's!) Anyway, we headed out and had to deliver tools to two other house sites. We finally got to our house site to find the young woman we were building for. She was 6 months pregnant and sat and watched us all day. Our kids work so well together and each one of them have their own talent in building. We also had with us three new friends from Farmville Church in Richmond, VA. A young couple named Reed & Lauren Saelor and a woman about my age named Susan. We were off to a great start but our chainsaws were not. Wade Barker is a hoss with a chainsaw but even he was getting so frustrated. It slowed our process down a lot. Amy & I offered to pay for a new chainsaw if David would go and purchase one but he said no, we would make it. He did finally go back to another house site and got a different one. It was not much better but we got the job done. There were lots of children and adults sitting around watching us. We played with the kids and I had taken lots of things to give away. It was beginning to get dark. David Lowe, a missionary here in Teguc and friend of Mark's, drove up and said, "I'm sorry guys but we have to load up and get out of here. We can't be in here at dark." We were all very sad because we wanted to successfully finish the Koski house. We still had to finish the door, cut the window, trim the sides, put the latches on the door and window and gather everything up and load the truck. Koski asked David to call Mark and ask him to please let us finish. We began to work faster and harder. Mark said ok but hurry. David Lowe pitched in to help and before we knew it we were finished, praying over the young woman and taking pictures of her with David. Then, it was loading up two trucks with all of us, our backpacks and tools to go down to the main road where the bus awaited us. It was a wonderful day and we were all excited to be able to do this for David & Nicki!

Today, our team went in several different directions. We had people building a house, visiting the hospital, building a fence at a "ranch", delivering food, and I went to a children's home to clean out a bodega "shed". The kids who went to the "ranch" had an "awesome" time according to them. The hospital was emotional for them and Erin said she was really proud of Riley because she knew that was out of his comfort zone and he handled it so well. Amy, Katherine S and Savannah gave up their spots with the hospital crew because 3 more people were needed to build a house. That is not what they wanted to do but their servant hearts took over and they went where they were needed. Their house build went great and it was a smooth day even though they had to wait an hour for their wood and then the Honduran children who were trying to help were sending it flying piece by piece down to the house site so fast that they couldn't catch it! The children's home I went to was Casa di Esperanza. It was out in the country and Koski encouraged me to go if I had not been. He went also to visit with a young man named Bryan that Todd & Melissa sponsor. I got to work with Bryan and he was such a sweet young man. The bodega was full of everything from 50 lb bags of chicken feed to baby bottles. It had two big loft type shelves at the back of it and I started out on one of those organizing bedding and beds. I found many "petrified" mice - not scared of me - just been there a long time! It was pretty creepy! We swept and swept and cleaned out and rearranged all day. Karen, the director, was so excited and appreciative when she came to look at the end of the day. The children put on a show for us on their concrete soccer field. Several of the girls did a group dance, they took turns singing in pairs, and had an art contest. It was really cute and we clapped and hollered for them all.

Tonight, we went to the Jesus statue down the road to have our devo. It was really awesome! Mark talked about how the darkness hides the poverty but now that we have seen it we are not in the dark anymore. We are in the light and cannot go back or forget. Now, we must keep pushing forward and cannot pretend anymore that it does not exist. It was a great time of worship.

I cannot thank all of you enough for your prayers for us. The only people who have gotten sick are adults! We have had two accidents where stitches were involved but not with any of our kids. They are all healthy, happy and incredible. I am so proud to say they are ours!

Well, I have eaten my Frosty and now sleep is calling me. Only one more work day....unbelievable how fast time flies here.

until i get my computer from the kids again,

i am

Running on faith!

Juvenile Detention

I will blog about the experiences of others later today. We headed out in different directions but nobody built a house. I think everyone was ready to experience something different. We had people doing everything from Gatorade runs to building a gravel road (Amy!) to going to a boy's home to going to the girl's detention center to working at a school. So much to accomplish, so little time.

Ellen and I went to the girl's juvenile detention center. It was out in the country in a secluded area. A one story block building that was very dirty and old. We stopped in town at a restaurant that Lori had ordered lunch for the residents from. It was a really cute little restaurant that was very clean with glass top tables and wrought iron chairs. It had so much character. I had our translator tell the owner how much I liked it and that I had once had a catering business and helped my sister in her restaurant so that was why I was so interested. When we arrived at the prison we were led into an "auditorium" type room where about 25 girls were waiting along with some ladies who were either teachers or administrator types. Some of the girls were wearing matching uniforms that consisted of navy plaid jumpers with white shirts and white knee socks. Several others were wearing just regular clothes. Several of the people who were with us had gone last year and explained that the ones not in uniform were the "upper end" of the hierarchy and were in charge. It was obvious in short period of time that the other girls did what they were told by these girls. For example, we had several crafts they could do and one of the stations was a nail painting station. I noticed that only the girls with regular clothes, make-up and jewelry were the ones getting their nails painted. When I would ask the others they would refuse.

We served them lasagna, salad and sodas for lunch. They were taking their plastic forks and hiding them in their clothes. Several of our girls were asking why. We told them that it was so that they could us them as weapons.

I heard many stories from these young girls. For instance, one girl was 14 years old. She is three months pregnant, has killed someone and is in a gang called MS 13 that evidently was started in Mexico - has moved to the states and is bad news. In the gang, she is a drug and arms trafficker. We asked her how long she had been there and she said two months but that she thought she wouldn't be there long. When we asked why she said "Because they have no proof that I killed that person." Another girl has been there 1 1/2 years and her sentence is 3 years so when she turns 18 in August she will be moved across the yard to the women's center. Just looking at them and thinking about them being Ellen's age and younger was very hard. They don't know any better or if they do, they have no other choice in life.

On a lighter note, God is so good. A lot of you know that I have been struggling with my foot for several months. I have specifically asked people to pray that God would heal my foot so that I could really give it my all here. Well, every single day it has gotten better. It hardly hurts at all and I have been on my feet all day every day! Please keep praying for it but while you are at it, thank Him and praise Him for hearing our prayers.

Margaret, Lori, Pam, MA and Liza left us today. It was a sad morning. They really worked so hard and we didn't want them to leave. The kids loved having them here so much. Godspeed to them.

Tonight we are going to the Jesus statue. We did not go last year so we are looking forward to it.

until later,

I am .....

running on faith

Monday & Tuesday

On Monday our whole group (except for Koski who had different fish to fry for Mark) built a house in memory of Brian King, Alex & Kristian's dad. We built on a site that Alex and some of our other girls & I had cleared on the first day (the Poo Mud lot!) We were glad that we got to build on that lot. Our team really worked well together and the kids worked so hard all day. Margaret & Pam are beasts that can sling a hammer and have learned really quickly how to build. Lori was also a big help as she had been here before. There were over 30 kids who we had to keep occupied and out of the way which was really difficult. We worried about rain all day but it held off until right at the end when we were about finished. Alex wrote scripture on one of the floorboards and sweet notes about her dad. It was a very emotional day but was great. The house was for a young woman and her little girl who looked to be around two years old. I was so proud of the way the kids worked so hard and got along. They did this for their friends and that meant so much to Alex & Kristian. We did not finish until after 5:30 - Mark and David arrived at the end of our finishing up and kept saying, "Come on, we gotta get off this mountain. It is about to be dark." It rained really hard when we got back and cooled things off which was welcome.

On Tuesday, several went to the hospital, some to deliver food close to Valley of the Angels, some to build a house with Koski and 4 of us went to the Jimmy Hughes Children's Home & Rehab Center. I have heard the food delivery went well, the house site was finished by 3:00 and the hospital was emotional as it usually is. The visit to the children's home & rehab center was interesting. We were told there would be work for us to do as well as playing with the children but we actually just played with the children and listened to Father Salvador and a young woman tell us about the facility.

We have 5 leaving us tomorrow and it will not be the same without having a Dance Party with Margaret in the morning! I am sure my blog is not doing the stories justice --- maybe because I do not know what all is going on. That will just make it exciting for you to all hear about when we return.

until tomorrow..... i am

running on faith,

Lee

Sunday - A Great Lord's Day

Sorry to everyone who anxiously awaits my blog updates....Saturday was long and tiring and we have not been around Villa Gracia today. I will try to update you quickly on the last two days....It is 11:30 now and I should be in bed.

Saturday we built 4 houses. Three of them were within shouting distance and you could see them. Most of our group was building and a few others were on a wood moving crew. Two of the three houses were up a steep hill so they wood had to be hand carried up. After they finished that daunting backbreaking task, they went back to Villa Gracia to load up bags of food and delivered them to people in another village. God is merciful and good because even though the three houses were started at different times, we all finished within about 30 minutes of each other. The house site I was at was for a young couple. He is 20, she is 16. They are expecting their first child in August. They were very grateful (as all the recipients are) for their new house! Our very own Margaret Rickard was co-foreman on one of the houses "up top" and I hear she did a fabulous job! Way to go Margaret!

On every work site I have been on, our kids are working so hard and there is no whining! I continue to be so proud of them. We had a little meeting tonight and they are all healthy, having fun and glad they are here. For that, I thank God. My biggest prayer request is that you continue to pray for their health. Last year was so hard on them and I just want everyone to stay healthy.

Today we left Villa Gracia around 8:30 to go to Los Pinos to church. It was a wonderful experience. We outnumbered them by a ton and the preacher apologized for the size of his crowd. They had had a revival last night and it didn't end until 4 a.m.! Ryan Connell Hernandez' husband, JC, acted as translator today and he did a great job. We were told that our contribution to the church today was around $1,200 - their contribution is usually around $10! Wow! What a joy to be such a part of a blessing for them!

After church we went to a large mall called Cascades. We ate lunch and had a small amount of time to shop - mainly at the new Walmart there. That was very interesting! A lot of things you would normally buy in a large package, you can actually buy in small packaging such as cookies, candy and granola bars. We left the mall and went to shop at Mi Esperanza - personally my favorite part of the extracurricular activities here ! Lori just finished moving the storefront into a larger area and the things the ladies have made to sell are amazing! Honey - don't look at the credit card bill! Ha! Lori always gets a kick of how much I buy - I just can't help myself :)

We came back to Villa Gracia for a short time and then headed back down the mountain to town to a friend of Mark & Lori's house who has his own ministry here. His name is David Lowe and he is the nicest guy - I mean how many people would invite 130 people over to their house for dinner? Taco Loco came and catered it and the food was incredible! Amy Castleman and myself sat on a little table out on the patio and watched everyone go by getting their food. We were making sure there was enough guacamole left for us! It was soooooo good and the portions were huge. Then a short devo there - that is why we were not on ustream tonight - and back to Villa Gracia. It was very hot today and even though we did not work, we are tired.

it is late, very late and tomorrow will be another long, hard, rewarding day of the Lord's work, so i must sleep so that i can keep....

running on faith,

lee

Friday - An Interview with Amy Castleman

I am not a very clever blogger so I am going to interview my dear friend, sister in Christ and roomie in Honduras - Amy Castleman.

What did you do today? I tore down a house, built a new one, bought shortbreadand banana bread from a Honduran lady with Margaret, ate watermelon and mangos.

What was your favorite part of the day? I really enjoyed that there were some children at the site today. It was fun to watch them, play with them and watch the people.

Name something that you saw today that you had never seen before? the outhouse behind the lady's house. It was so unsanitary. Also the level of poverty.

Name something funny you saw? It must have been dress up day for the children who actually have the opportunity to go to school. They were so sweet and cute. We saw a leopard, lion, dinosaur and a princess in a tutu with Mickey Mouse ears!

All of the kids and adults are doing great! They are working hard, having fun, not really getting sunburned - it was hot today and some of them had some red cheeks and necks (and Kelli Stewart has one red ear - not sure how that happened!). They are eating as well as they can. I try to walk through at breakfast and dinner to make sure I see them eating. If they are eating, it probably means they aren't sick! Tonight, one house crew did not get back until 7 p.m. Not sure how that happened - maybe too much watermelon and mangos (just kidding) They did an awesome job today! Those kids were stuffing it in! BBQ chicken, salad, tri color pasta and roll.

Thank you for your prayers - we feel them! Specifically pray that our hearts will be pricked to really have a deeper relationship with God, that we will be an example to each other and those we come in contact with and that we ALL STAY HEALTHY!!!!!!!

it is late, Mama Lee is tired, but she is still

running on faith

P90H and other musings

Day 2 -

We awoke to some beautiful weather this a.m. Went for a short run at 6 with some great people including Lori Connell. Running buddies.....I promise it was in the 60's! It was awesome but the altitude will kill you.

Most of our group went to build houses. Several went with David Koski - not sure who all....Lori, Margaret and Pam I know. Several of our kids including maybe all the boys went with my buddy from Oklahoma, Stan Berry, to build another house. Amy, Elyse, Kelli and Lizzie were with two great guys from Louisville, KY. Alex, Kristian, Liza, Margaret Alice, Erin, Savannah and Catherine A. went with me and two other super youth ministers, Bobby and Clint, to level sites for houses. The building crews had good days. Our leveling opportunity took us to two sites. One has a lot of work still to be done. We worked on it for about 2 and a 1/2 hours and then left to go to another site that we thought we could complete today. The ground at both sites was really muddy and hard to get the shovels into. Alex came up with a great new way. She got to the top of what we were digging out and with her feet and legs began pushing the dirt down. Kristian soon joined her and we got pretty silly. Clint said we were not doing P90X but P90H (P90 Honduras). Alex then began doing "ballet" feet to move the mud and we called it P90H Ballet Style! Guess you had to be there but it was pretty funny. Bobby and Clint were the only guys and they kept saying how impressed they were by how hard we were working. I told him we "don't bring no sissies to Honduras"!

Dinner was meatloaf, potato salad, green beans and carrots and a roll. Iam not a fan of the meatloaf but the rest was good. Some people loved it though so I guess it was just me.

Tomorrow we will build 3 more houses, pack some food and do a VBS, have another day of leveling (Mark wants it done so we can build a house there.....I'm thinking it is a long term project!) and perhaps have a small group go to the hospital.

The singing in devo tonight was beautiful as usual and we sang my favorite song...Do Not Fear. I remember hearing it for the first time last year on my first or second night and I just cried because I was afraid...Tonight I sang it in worship and praise to the God who has redeemed me and called me by name. Can't wait to see what tomorrow holds.

time for much needed sleep so I can keep

running on faith,

Lee

Welcome to Honduras!

Literally, because I just typed the entire day and the internet went down and I lost it all and am now starting over. Ok - let's try again!

The day was great and God answered all of my prayers from no security glitches to safe travel to no lost passports to MOST IMPORTANTLY no lost children! We were reunited in Atlanta with our Indiana and Kentucky friends as well as the group from DF in Birmingham.

We arrived around lunchtime and were greeted outside the airport by our friends from Oklahoma! What a sight for sore eyes they were! We were off to a reputable restaurant for a Honduran lunch consisting of your choice of soft drink in a bottle, beans with goat cheese & chips, corn tortillas with a platter of chicken, some other kind of meat and a fried cheese. We were then back on the buses for our ride up the mountain about 5,000 feet to Villa Gracia. A few of our kids went with Mark to the warehouse to pick up tools and such. Once at Villa Gracia, Lori gave us our room assignments and we spent the rest of the afternoon getting settled, visiting with old friends and making new ones. Another small group of our kids went with Mark to pick up lumber for our first build.

Dinner was a lettuce salad with a vinegar/onion dressing, baked chicken, yummy rice and a roll. We also put our money in the "bank" and got limps in exchange to spend, got our tshirts and nametags. Afterwards Mark led our devo/orientation. DO NOT DRINK THE WATER! If you cannot take a shower without opening your mouth - we can put some tape on it!

Everyone was very tired and after showers (some had them earlier) were already telling Mama Lee goodnight and heading to bed. We have been up a really long time. They have all been great and I am so proud of the way they are being responsible and showing respect thus far. God has great things in store for us.

Please continue to pray for our trip - for health, for hearts to be moved and changed and that at the end of each day we can say we showed Jesus to somebody and gave God the glory.

until next time I am ...

running on faith

Lee

Honduras Round Two - 2011

As I sit at the computer and try to focus my thoughts, my stomach is churning and my heart is racing. So much left to do, so little time. Updating my blog was on the list though - so here goes...
I look back and realize that I have not posted since Clay's birthday. Wow, what a slacker I am. This year has flown by so fast and so much has happened. I finished my 7th year at the elementary school, Ellen is now an official Junior in high school and driving herself around and somehow I volunteered to lead our group to Honduras! I knew when I got home last June that I would go back. It seemed so far away and now we are approaching the 36 hour countdown! The year has been extremely challenging in many ways and Satan has been trying his best to have his way with me. I will not let him win! I am blessed to have an amazing husband and incredible daughter that love and support me. Also, a lot of people who lift me up every day in prayer...you know who you are! I could not make it without you so thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Now - on to the trip......We have an amazing group going this year and I am so excited! Several newbies ( that was me last year! ) and lots of oldies. We have 6 adults and 16 teens. David Koski is our "token adult male" and I am thankful that he finished his son-in-law's new dental practice building on time so he could go with us. He has been at least 10 times and has so much talent and a servant's hear like no other. Thank you also to the "mamas" going! I was pretty scared last year being the only one :) but the kids made it so easy and I love them all.

This time last year I was so apprehensive and this year I am just so stinking excited! I felt so vulnerable not knowing what to expect. God had a plan and it was to show me that I had to depend completely on Him. I cried the first 12 hours last year until I submitted to Him. Once I did, I had the time of my life. I know He has new lessons for me to learn this year and I ask that you pray that I am open to learning.

I will try to update as much as possible while we are in Honduras. Sometimes we do not have the luxury of internet service - or power for that matter - until my next post, I am

running on faith.....