Monday, July 6, 2009
Hola!
Thank you all so much for your much needed support during my 8-day trip to Honduras. I kept a journal while I was there and below is everything I wrote. It was a crazy week full of unexpected surprises so I hope you enjoy reading about it.
More pictures...
The blog program wouldn't let me upload certain pictures into my posts so here are some of the pictures I want everyone to see. There are still about 10 pictures that it won't let me upload so hopefully by the time you're done reading I will have them up...
Beautiful Siguatepeque.
Our house.
The girls preparing a yummy papusa dinner for La Providencia's community night.
Meet Jorge. The most Americanized Honduran I've ever met.
Erin and Buck.
On the way to the waterfall!
Beautiful Siguatepeque.
Our house.
The girls preparing a yummy papusa dinner for La Providencia's community night.
Meet Jorge. The most Americanized Honduran I've ever met.
Erin and Buck.
On the way to the waterfall!
Day 1 - June 24
Happy birthday Mom! Today I had to wake up at 3:15 to get to the airport. It was a crazy day of traveling, but I’ve been amazed at all the cultural differences ever since the plane landed in Honduras. Let me just say – knowing the Spanish I know has been so helpful in my interactions with everyone here.
Our plane left Nashville at 6:15 for a two hour flight to Miami. Then we got to spend four hours at the Miami airport! Of course there were no sit down restaurants like at the small Nashville airport, so we had to eat nasty food court pizza. I feel like we had already left the country when we were in Miami – the flight info was all in English and Spanish.
Here’s where all the fun started – we landed in San Pedro Sula at 2:30. We had to arrive early to avoid driving at night. San Pedro is three hours away from La Providencia in Siguatepeque so we had a bit of an interesting drive. Cole, Trey, Bake, and I rode with Jorge, our host, so we could get groceries. We never ended up getting them, so we just got Burger King (my 1st whopper ever [pronounced whop-pear there]) and headed to Siguatepeque.
The cultural shock is immediate – Hondurans drive like madmen. Everyone honks – it’s as if it’s not even rude. People walk inbetween cars at the stoplights selling fruit, car adapters (?), etc. Some people even travel by horse and buggy in Honduras! I love it! There’s so many motorcyclists/bikers too. Everyone uses the road and let me just say – pedestrians DO NOT, by any means, have the right of way.
When I travel lately, something big always seems to happen. Last July, there was a bomb threat at LAX just after we missed our rental car shuttle, forcing us to flee down Sepulveda Blvd. with what seemed like everyone else in the world. In May, the driver of the Fly Away shuttle I was on sideswiped another car, causing major delays and racial tension between the drivers. Today, the big thing that happened was very surreal – something I’ve never been forced to witness. We were driving in heavy traffic through San Pedro Sula and noticed a bunch of policia cars and a huge crowd of onlookers at a crime scene. A lady had been shot in the chest. Usually in the states (every time I’ve been around something like this), all bodies are concealed under a blanket on a stretcher. This poor lady was just lying there. I’ve never seen a dead body before so unfortunately the first had to be a murder victim. However, this opened my eyes to the corruption in this world and reminded me that I am down here to work and help those in need – to help construct a safehaven for innocent orphans away from the gang violence that seems to corrupt this country and therefore establish no sense of trust between citizens (hence the barbed wire protecting every house). We were nervous about putting baggage in the back and having it stolen.
Off to Siguatepeque.
Honduras is beautiful! Very green. Lots of mountains. Unfortunately, it’s hot. It was 97˚ when we landed in San Pedro. Thankfully, La Providencia is in the mountains and a bit cooler. Again, the road was filled with bikers and pedestrians as we drove through villages. Jorge is such a cool guy. He’s 23, a native Honduran, studying biology in Tegucigalpa (the capitol), and hosting families coming to La Providencia the next three months. His English is impeccable. There’s absolutely no trace of Spanish descent when he speaks.
Driving for three hours got a little interesting since a 7.1 degree earthquake just struck San pedro a few weeks ago! That’s worse than the earthquake off of Sri Lanka a few years ago. Jorge said there was a huge fear of tsunamis since sometimes they don’t come till 8 hours after an earthquake hits. Bridges fell and chunks of the road had fallen off so the drive got real dangerous at times.
We’re staying in a rented house with room for all 30 of us. It’s surrounded by a huge wall with barbed wire so we’re definitely safe. I’m in a room with Cole and Wally. So far we’re having a blast!
Our plane left Nashville at 6:15 for a two hour flight to Miami. Then we got to spend four hours at the Miami airport! Of course there were no sit down restaurants like at the small Nashville airport, so we had to eat nasty food court pizza. I feel like we had already left the country when we were in Miami – the flight info was all in English and Spanish.
Here’s where all the fun started – we landed in San Pedro Sula at 2:30. We had to arrive early to avoid driving at night. San Pedro is three hours away from La Providencia in Siguatepeque so we had a bit of an interesting drive. Cole, Trey, Bake, and I rode with Jorge, our host, so we could get groceries. We never ended up getting them, so we just got Burger King (my 1st whopper ever [pronounced whop-pear there]) and headed to Siguatepeque.
The cultural shock is immediate – Hondurans drive like madmen. Everyone honks – it’s as if it’s not even rude. People walk inbetween cars at the stoplights selling fruit, car adapters (?), etc. Some people even travel by horse and buggy in Honduras! I love it! There’s so many motorcyclists/bikers too. Everyone uses the road and let me just say – pedestrians DO NOT, by any means, have the right of way.
When I travel lately, something big always seems to happen. Last July, there was a bomb threat at LAX just after we missed our rental car shuttle, forcing us to flee down Sepulveda Blvd. with what seemed like everyone else in the world. In May, the driver of the Fly Away shuttle I was on sideswiped another car, causing major delays and racial tension between the drivers. Today, the big thing that happened was very surreal – something I’ve never been forced to witness. We were driving in heavy traffic through San Pedro Sula and noticed a bunch of policia cars and a huge crowd of onlookers at a crime scene. A lady had been shot in the chest. Usually in the states (every time I’ve been around something like this), all bodies are concealed under a blanket on a stretcher. This poor lady was just lying there. I’ve never seen a dead body before so unfortunately the first had to be a murder victim. However, this opened my eyes to the corruption in this world and reminded me that I am down here to work and help those in need – to help construct a safehaven for innocent orphans away from the gang violence that seems to corrupt this country and therefore establish no sense of trust between citizens (hence the barbed wire protecting every house). We were nervous about putting baggage in the back and having it stolen.
Off to Siguatepeque.
Honduras is beautiful! Very green. Lots of mountains. Unfortunately, it’s hot. It was 97˚ when we landed in San Pedro. Thankfully, La Providencia is in the mountains and a bit cooler. Again, the road was filled with bikers and pedestrians as we drove through villages. Jorge is such a cool guy. He’s 23, a native Honduran, studying biology in Tegucigalpa (the capitol), and hosting families coming to La Providencia the next three months. His English is impeccable. There’s absolutely no trace of Spanish descent when he speaks.
Driving for three hours got a little interesting since a 7.1 degree earthquake just struck San pedro a few weeks ago! That’s worse than the earthquake off of Sri Lanka a few years ago. Jorge said there was a huge fear of tsunamis since sometimes they don’t come till 8 hours after an earthquake hits. Bridges fell and chunks of the road had fallen off so the drive got real dangerous at times.
We’re staying in a rented house with room for all 30 of us. It’s surrounded by a huge wall with barbed wire so we’re definitely safe. I’m in a room with Cole and Wally. So far we’re having a blast!
Day 2 - June 25
I put my ear plugs in early last night at 9:30. We had to get up at 7 today. Surprisingly, breakfast was great! Eggs with a slight kick, refried beans, some wafer that Cole described as a vanilla wafer without the vanilla, fruit loops (we’re in Honduras?), and amazing pineapple.
We had to drive about 20 minutes to the worksite (La Providencia). We get a personal tour so I’ll about the history tomorrow. We basically split up into teams and performed one big task. Us seniors – Cole, Anna, Elise, Savannah, and I had to dig a big ditch, mix concrete, and pour it in and lay bricks on top. It was fun! My arms got really burned (worked for 5 hours). I’m really enjoying interacting with all the people here. They’re all super friendly at La Providencia. I’m realizing how much Spanish I do know. Last year’s class made me feel so behind. Josué y Jorge helped us get everything right. We love talking to Jorge about his experience with American things – music, movies, etc. He likes Shania Twain!
Jorge told us that Michael Jackson died today. If he’s telling the truth, R.I.P. Mikey.
Lunch was yummy fish tacos. They tasted just like Wahoo’s. There’s kids running all around playing during lunch. Jaime (prounounced Jee-ay-me) and I had fun playing catch and riding on my shoulders. It’s a different world when you’re six feet off the ground!
The CPC family team is here too. They got here last Friday and leave Saturday. The Graves, Snodgrasses, a kid in my sophomore d-group, and some other doctors’ families are here. I’d love to do something like this with my family – hopefully Kenya later on.
The family team hosted a community night tonight for all the kids that attend Academia La Providencia and their families. For some strange reason the theme was 4th of July so I decked myself out in mom’s patriotic scrub top (mom, you didn’t lose it – I stole it. I can’t believe you actually wear that to work!), red boardshorts, and knee-high blue socks.
There was a good turnout – the place was pretty packed. You have to be super social here as an American or else everyone will just stand against the wall and smile at you. I stayed at the balloon-making station for a while – I learned how to make a great perro bomba (dog balloon)! I don’t know how many times I said “¿Quieres un perro?” tonight! Kids could get stick-on tattoos, facepaint, hair braiding, etc. Kids here love bubbles. It’s a perfect conversation starter ;-)
We had papusas brought in from some families in the community. Lots of people don’t like them but I thought they were alright! My picky days are over! We served dinner to the community – I messed up and would offer it to them by saying “¿Quieres desayuno?” (Do you want breakfast?)! Everything winded down before dark – it’s not god to be outside real late. We have a little worship service each night as a team and someone shares their testimony. It’s been a long, sweaty day and it’s 10:15 so I’m off to bed…
We had to drive about 20 minutes to the worksite (La Providencia). We get a personal tour so I’ll about the history tomorrow. We basically split up into teams and performed one big task. Us seniors – Cole, Anna, Elise, Savannah, and I had to dig a big ditch, mix concrete, and pour it in and lay bricks on top. It was fun! My arms got really burned (worked for 5 hours). I’m really enjoying interacting with all the people here. They’re all super friendly at La Providencia. I’m realizing how much Spanish I do know. Last year’s class made me feel so behind. Josué y Jorge helped us get everything right. We love talking to Jorge about his experience with American things – music, movies, etc. He likes Shania Twain!
Jorge told us that Michael Jackson died today. If he’s telling the truth, R.I.P. Mikey.
Lunch was yummy fish tacos. They tasted just like Wahoo’s. There’s kids running all around playing during lunch. Jaime (prounounced Jee-ay-me) and I had fun playing catch and riding on my shoulders. It’s a different world when you’re six feet off the ground!
The CPC family team is here too. They got here last Friday and leave Saturday. The Graves, Snodgrasses, a kid in my sophomore d-group, and some other doctors’ families are here. I’d love to do something like this with my family – hopefully Kenya later on.
The family team hosted a community night tonight for all the kids that attend Academia La Providencia and their families. For some strange reason the theme was 4th of July so I decked myself out in mom’s patriotic scrub top (mom, you didn’t lose it – I stole it. I can’t believe you actually wear that to work!), red boardshorts, and knee-high blue socks.
There was a good turnout – the place was pretty packed. You have to be super social here as an American or else everyone will just stand against the wall and smile at you. I stayed at the balloon-making station for a while – I learned how to make a great perro bomba (dog balloon)! I don’t know how many times I said “¿Quieres un perro?” tonight! Kids could get stick-on tattoos, facepaint, hair braiding, etc. Kids here love bubbles. It’s a perfect conversation starter ;-)
We had papusas brought in from some families in the community. Lots of people don’t like them but I thought they were alright! My picky days are over! We served dinner to the community – I messed up and would offer it to them by saying “¿Quieres desayuno?” (Do you want breakfast?)! Everything winded down before dark – it’s not god to be outside real late. We have a little worship service each night as a team and someone shares their testimony. It’s been a long, sweaty day and it’s 10:15 so I’m off to bed…
Day 3 - June 26
TGIF – last day of work before we break for the weekend. Basically the work routine today was the same as yesterday. I slept so good last night so I had lots of energy. Breakfast, again, was great. Pancakes (prounounced pan-k-k’s here). We worked on our same projects as yesterday – we were a little less productive today. I was really wishing I could be in the clinic with the medical team from CPC so maybe I’m realizing I want to do something medical in the future. Josué was being a perfectionist, as usual, so our job took a bit longer. For lunch we had awesome pollo con ensalada de papas. The drinks here are a little different – supposedly it’s just that they aren’t made with processed sugar.
I went to the baño after lunch and had to break up two kids fighting over a bouncy ball – I didn’t know what to say! Lezmón eased up to me though and showed me his toy car.
We got a tour from Israel Holliday today – the international director of Providence World Ministries. It’s really neat hearing the business side of everything along with the passion that started this whole thing. Here we go…
La Providencia was started by Alfredo Cerrato – a guy from CPC. He lived here for 8 years with his family. He moved to Houston recently and his family is living in Tegucigalpa for the time being. His son, Daniel, is with us for the entire week and flying home with us to stay and vacation with the Graves.
The new big wig is Israel Holliday – also from CPC. He explained to us the entire plan for La Providencia. When it’s finished, I definitely want to come back for whatever kind of celebration they’ll have. Right now, on the 84 acres, there is a medical clinic, the “comedor” (multi-purpose building) with a huge dining hall and lower level for the school. There are 2 homes built to house orphans parented by local Honduran couples. Israel went an dpicked up 3 new orphans from what he said were “indescribable conditions.” Lastly, there is a big warehouse for all the tools and stuff.
The school has a Pre-K and Kindergarten now. As these 35 kids get older, a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, grade and so on will be added to progress their education. As this happens, new students will move in to fill in the lower grades. With the completion of La Providencia will come a new K-12 school building. These kids are given the best – they get regular medical check-ups every 3 months along with constant care, meals, etc. Their whole mission here is to give the best (care, facilities, etc.) to those who have nothing.
There’s a sponsorship program available for $40/month, $480/year, or a one-time $1700 fee that supports one child. They really stress the advocate family to come down and meet their child. The cool thing is that PWM doesn’t want the kids to know who is supporting them financially, so when they come down, the kids just view them as close friends, or even godparents, who just happened to strike up a relationship with them at LP.
I kept thinking of things that could go wrong with a donor-funded NPO like this, but after listening to Israel more, PWM really knows what they’re doing and will keep going until LP is finished.
When LP is finished – I’m guessing in 10-15 years – they plan on only having buildings on 20 of the 84 acres. The new buildings would be 12 total orphan homes, a widow home, and the new school building. They plan to build a three acre lake with tilapia, a zipline, a professional size soccer field with stands that the national team could practice on (they like practicing at higher altitudes for some reason) to provide a little more income.
The rain and thunder came after the tour so we packed up early and headed home. We’ve all been laughing hysterically playing Egyptian Rat Screw (card game). Everyone’s been a little crazy. We had some kind of chicken stew for dinner that was better than it sounds. It was in some sort of spicy marinade.
We don’t have to get up until 8 tomorrow. I offered Mimi an allergy pill tonight for her coughing and of course, it got worse. Supposedly she’s had coughing attacks like this before so she should be alright.
Tomorrow we’re going to the waterfall!
I went to the baño after lunch and had to break up two kids fighting over a bouncy ball – I didn’t know what to say! Lezmón eased up to me though and showed me his toy car.
We got a tour from Israel Holliday today – the international director of Providence World Ministries. It’s really neat hearing the business side of everything along with the passion that started this whole thing. Here we go…
La Providencia was started by Alfredo Cerrato – a guy from CPC. He lived here for 8 years with his family. He moved to Houston recently and his family is living in Tegucigalpa for the time being. His son, Daniel, is with us for the entire week and flying home with us to stay and vacation with the Graves.
The new big wig is Israel Holliday – also from CPC. He explained to us the entire plan for La Providencia. When it’s finished, I definitely want to come back for whatever kind of celebration they’ll have. Right now, on the 84 acres, there is a medical clinic, the “comedor” (multi-purpose building) with a huge dining hall and lower level for the school. There are 2 homes built to house orphans parented by local Honduran couples. Israel went an dpicked up 3 new orphans from what he said were “indescribable conditions.” Lastly, there is a big warehouse for all the tools and stuff.
The school has a Pre-K and Kindergarten now. As these 35 kids get older, a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, grade and so on will be added to progress their education. As this happens, new students will move in to fill in the lower grades. With the completion of La Providencia will come a new K-12 school building. These kids are given the best – they get regular medical check-ups every 3 months along with constant care, meals, etc. Their whole mission here is to give the best (care, facilities, etc.) to those who have nothing.
There’s a sponsorship program available for $40/month, $480/year, or a one-time $1700 fee that supports one child. They really stress the advocate family to come down and meet their child. The cool thing is that PWM doesn’t want the kids to know who is supporting them financially, so when they come down, the kids just view them as close friends, or even godparents, who just happened to strike up a relationship with them at LP.
I kept thinking of things that could go wrong with a donor-funded NPO like this, but after listening to Israel more, PWM really knows what they’re doing and will keep going until LP is finished.
When LP is finished – I’m guessing in 10-15 years – they plan on only having buildings on 20 of the 84 acres. The new buildings would be 12 total orphan homes, a widow home, and the new school building. They plan to build a three acre lake with tilapia, a zipline, a professional size soccer field with stands that the national team could practice on (they like practicing at higher altitudes for some reason) to provide a little more income.
The rain and thunder came after the tour so we packed up early and headed home. We’ve all been laughing hysterically playing Egyptian Rat Screw (card game). Everyone’s been a little crazy. We had some kind of chicken stew for dinner that was better than it sounds. It was in some sort of spicy marinade.
We don’t have to get up until 8 tomorrow. I offered Mimi an allergy pill tonight for her coughing and of course, it got worse. Supposedly she’s had coughing attacks like this before so she should be alright.
Tomorrow we’re going to the waterfall!
Day 4 - June 27
Mimi ended up going to the hospital last night. They thought me offering her an allergy pill triggered her coughing attack, but she started coughing again today so we’re not really sure what caused it.
There’s now work on the weekends so today was the big waterfall day. We got to sleep in until 8 and then get on a bus for 2 hours to get there. It was so worth the drive. This waterfall was HUGE! I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought we would just go, see the waterfall, and swim in the swimming area nearby. But no…we had a guide who took us BEHIND the waterfall. It was the coolest thing – remember, this thing is gigantic (at least 100ft.) – directly beneath it would easily kill you. Once we got closer, there’s no such thing as “looking up.” All you see is the person in front of you and the water that’s splashing in your eyes. (We were on a small trail of rocks if you didn’t catch that already). Once we got behind it, the guide turns to me (the first person), points at a small opening, and tells me to crawl into it! I’m not the biggest fan of small, enclosed spaces behind a rushing waterfall, but I went up and it was just a small little cave with nothing really to see.
We hiked back up, swam a little in a dammed river, got some cokes, and headed back. We stopped at a really cool hotel for a late lunch on the way back. It rested against the biggest lake in Honduras so the views were spectacular. The food was alright – I had chicken fajitas. Shortly after we got home, the cooks at the house had dinner waiting for us for some reason – it was yummy but extremely unhealthy deep fried tortillas with beans/meat/cheese on top. Let’s just say my stomach wasn’t feeling the greatest when I went to bed.
There’s now work on the weekends so today was the big waterfall day. We got to sleep in until 8 and then get on a bus for 2 hours to get there. It was so worth the drive. This waterfall was HUGE! I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought we would just go, see the waterfall, and swim in the swimming area nearby. But no…we had a guide who took us BEHIND the waterfall. It was the coolest thing – remember, this thing is gigantic (at least 100ft.) – directly beneath it would easily kill you. Once we got closer, there’s no such thing as “looking up.” All you see is the person in front of you and the water that’s splashing in your eyes. (We were on a small trail of rocks if you didn’t catch that already). Once we got behind it, the guide turns to me (the first person), points at a small opening, and tells me to crawl into it! I’m not the biggest fan of small, enclosed spaces behind a rushing waterfall, but I went up and it was just a small little cave with nothing really to see.
We hiked back up, swam a little in a dammed river, got some cokes, and headed back. We stopped at a really cool hotel for a late lunch on the way back. It rested against the biggest lake in Honduras so the views were spectacular. The food was alright – I had chicken fajitas. Shortly after we got home, the cooks at the house had dinner waiting for us for some reason – it was yummy but extremely unhealthy deep fried tortillas with beans/meat/cheese on top. Let’s just say my stomach wasn’t feeling the greatest when I went to bed.
Day 5 - June 28
Today was awful. I woke up at 1am and threw up off and on until 4. I wonder what caused it?! Must have been those DEEP FRIED tortillas! Thankfully, we stayed inside all day long because of the political uproar:
The current Honduran president is very popular with the poor people (72% of Honduras). He is poorly educated and uses that, combined with his political-savvy mind, to appeal to voters. Last week, he randomly fired the head of the military. Obviously, this is a power play (like Chavez) to extend his reign as president. Firing the military head was essential because the military’s side purpose is to protect the Constitution, which specifies a president’s term to only last a certain number of years. Voting for president takes place tomorrow (I think). I’m not sure if he got his name on the ballot or not. I do know he is in hiding. Anyways, supposedly today wasn’t a great day to leave this fortress we call home. I haven’t heard of any specific riots or protests but I’m sure it’s been worse in Tegucigalpa than Siguatepeque. The only thing we had planned was church and that closed so today was a great day to stay in bed.
Buck was throwing up all night to. He chilled all day and is feeling a lot better now. Today is his birthday :( We might have gotten a 24-hour virus from Matt Graves that almost everyone else on the family team had. I didn’t throw up the rest of the day. I ate very little and didn’t get out of bed very much. When I did, I’d get nauseous real easily (this place doesn’t smell too great). My temp was 99.6 in the morning and 100.0 late afternoon. I’m glad I know how to take care of myself now without much help (tip: TAKE ADVIL!). After throwing up this morning, I had strep throat symptoms (my experience with which was worse than getting my wisdom teeth pulled) so I’m glad all that pain went away.
It’s 7:10 and I feel great. I as able to eat a few pieces of pizza (Domino’s!) My body responds well to good ol’ gringo food! I’m going to bed now to catch up on my sleep. The power’s been off and on from the thunderstorm. It’s been getting harsh and harsh = great when it comes to rain so my sleeping conditions are working to advantage!
The current Honduran president is very popular with the poor people (72% of Honduras). He is poorly educated and uses that, combined with his political-savvy mind, to appeal to voters. Last week, he randomly fired the head of the military. Obviously, this is a power play (like Chavez) to extend his reign as president. Firing the military head was essential because the military’s side purpose is to protect the Constitution, which specifies a president’s term to only last a certain number of years. Voting for president takes place tomorrow (I think). I’m not sure if he got his name on the ballot or not. I do know he is in hiding. Anyways, supposedly today wasn’t a great day to leave this fortress we call home. I haven’t heard of any specific riots or protests but I’m sure it’s been worse in Tegucigalpa than Siguatepeque. The only thing we had planned was church and that closed so today was a great day to stay in bed.
Buck was throwing up all night to. He chilled all day and is feeling a lot better now. Today is his birthday :( We might have gotten a 24-hour virus from Matt Graves that almost everyone else on the family team had. I didn’t throw up the rest of the day. I ate very little and didn’t get out of bed very much. When I did, I’d get nauseous real easily (this place doesn’t smell too great). My temp was 99.6 in the morning and 100.0 late afternoon. I’m glad I know how to take care of myself now without much help (tip: TAKE ADVIL!). After throwing up this morning, I had strep throat symptoms (my experience with which was worse than getting my wisdom teeth pulled) so I’m glad all that pain went away.
It’s 7:10 and I feel great. I as able to eat a few pieces of pizza (Domino’s!) My body responds well to good ol’ gringo food! I’m going to bed now to catch up on my sleep. The power’s been off and on from the thunderstorm. It’s been getting harsh and harsh = great when it comes to rain so my sleeping conditions are working to advantage!
Day 6 - June 29
I was in bed for a straight 12 hours last night! I felt great today. We worked from 9-5. I got tired a little quicker than everyone else but hey – more breaks for me! We all complained a lot today after being stuck inside all day yesterday. We all miss America and Sonic slushes (I’m hoping I have one waiting for me at the airport on Friday). Work sucked until lunch (which wasn’t too great either [Chinese]), but it was fun after that. Savannah, Matt, and I continued our plumbing project and chatted it up with Josué (ok…apparently I don’t know that much Spanish after all). After working with PVC pipe all day, I pity my dad for all his troubles with it at home.
We were supposed to do VBS but the school’s closed because of the protests so we just worked all day. I stopped complaining after talking to this girl Kristen who’s staying here until Halloween. She goes to APU so I made her play 20 questions with me about all the stuff we both know/places we’ve been in Pasadena. Another group got in yesterday from Sacramento but Nick – who decided to work with us and not his group – didn’t leave the greatest first impression.
Now everyone (5 people) is getting sick. We’re all convinced that Matt got sick from the family team (most of whom were sick) and brought it over to us. I think the food Saturday night just sparked it for me and Buck. Thankfully, it’s only a 24-hour virus and everyone seems to be getting rid of it within that timeframe.
So while three people were throwing up on the bsu rdie back to the house, we decided to stop at the Texaco station and stock up on American snacks! I’ve never been so excited to go to a gas station before. You can get a lot here for $5! Which is good because dinner tonight was no bueno. I’m trying to trust the cooks but if I see grease I stay away (except the yummy Domino’s grease of course).
We’ve just been hanging out and enjoying yet another GREAT thunderstorm (sorry Meghan you’re missing out!). I gave my testimony tonight in front of all the healthy people. It was kind of liberating I guess to tell random people my story and all the emotions behind it.
My mom is going to love me for doing this journal! She’s a scrapbooker so if a trip is not on paper then it is not properly remembered.
4 more days! 4 more nights. The countdown has begun! I promise, everybody, I willg et the most out of my last 3 days here! Tomorrow’s my birthday so it should be a fun day. It’s 10:40 and I’m not going to bed because someone is throwing up in my bathroom right now! I’m off to play my 1,007th card game of the week!
We were supposed to do VBS but the school’s closed because of the protests so we just worked all day. I stopped complaining after talking to this girl Kristen who’s staying here until Halloween. She goes to APU so I made her play 20 questions with me about all the stuff we both know/places we’ve been in Pasadena. Another group got in yesterday from Sacramento but Nick – who decided to work with us and not his group – didn’t leave the greatest first impression.
Now everyone (5 people) is getting sick. We’re all convinced that Matt got sick from the family team (most of whom were sick) and brought it over to us. I think the food Saturday night just sparked it for me and Buck. Thankfully, it’s only a 24-hour virus and everyone seems to be getting rid of it within that timeframe.
So while three people were throwing up on the bsu rdie back to the house, we decided to stop at the Texaco station and stock up on American snacks! I’ve never been so excited to go to a gas station before. You can get a lot here for $5! Which is good because dinner tonight was no bueno. I’m trying to trust the cooks but if I see grease I stay away (except the yummy Domino’s grease of course).
We’ve just been hanging out and enjoying yet another GREAT thunderstorm (sorry Meghan you’re missing out!). I gave my testimony tonight in front of all the healthy people. It was kind of liberating I guess to tell random people my story and all the emotions behind it.
My mom is going to love me for doing this journal! She’s a scrapbooker so if a trip is not on paper then it is not properly remembered.
4 more days! 4 more nights. The countdown has begun! I promise, everybody, I willg et the most out of my last 3 days here! Tomorrow’s my birthday so it should be a fun day. It’s 10:40 and I’m not going to bed because someone is throwing up in my bathroom right now! I’m off to play my 1,007th card game of the week!
Day 7 - June 30
One week - we made it! I lied last night when I said I promise to get the most out of the rest of the trip...
It’s time to go home.
I had a great birthday today (we celebrated at Wendy’s), but today was rough for a majority of the team. As of right now, 27 out of the 29 of us have gotten sick in some form. I think only 4 of those 27 HAVEN’T thrown up.
Today was supposed to be typical work day. The 10 of us that weren’t sick went to the worksite and worked for about an hour until Dana fainted and Caroline got real dizzy. The doctor ordered all of us to stop working and sit inside the clinic’s waiting room to prevent the rest of us getting sick. We all felt pretty helpless. We had nothing but lame jokes and pocketknives to entertain us and we couldn’t go back to the house and be around all the sick people and whatever virus is floating around there. I’ve been wondering all day what we’re going to do the next couple days. People keep getting sick so even if they feel fine tomorrow, I doubt the doctor would want us to work or do VBS and be around all those kids.
After about an hour, we went up to the comedor to see what was for lunch (we don’t go up there expecting to eat anymore). Of course! Honduran hot dogs consisting of a pound of condiments on top of a discolored hot dog. Wally decided to try it but gave it to Biscuit (the tick-infested dog) after one bite. Biscuit ate everything except the hot dog then ended up eating it with what seemed to be a bit of hesitation.
Off to Wendy’s! Jorge is good at keeping us happy. He’s been with us all day. He worked at the site with us the first couple of days, but has ceased all work to finish a birthday gift he’s been making for me. I found a small piece of wood the first day and, being the Boy Scout I am, pulled out my knife and started widdling it to a point. Jorge stole it to finish what I started and promised he would give it back to me finished for my birthday. Sure enough, it is now back in my hands.
Anyways…David drove us to Wendy’s. We passed it on the main highway but there was road construction so we had to drive an extra 15 minutes to go through all the backroads and approach it from the back. Detours here aren’t quite as easy! I had 100 limpiras to spend (5 bucks) so I got a delicious spicy chicken sandwich and a frosty. We ended up going back to the house afterward. All of our sheets had been stripped off the beds to be laundered at La Providencia. The doctora came while we were “working” and dealt with everyone’s sickness. She ended up taking Anna Bliss, Trey, Erin, and Claire to the clinic to get blood tests and…their favorite part…stool samples! Thankfully, most everybody had gotten a little better by the time we got back after taking some meds (the doctora thinks it was a bacterial infection).
At our nightly meeting, Stephanie had a little announcement…In the morning, we’re leaving at 5 for……..the airport. Yeah…turns out there could be a little political violence on Friday when we’re supposed to leave. The Organization of American States has taken over the political crisis in Honduras and has decided to reinstate the President on Thursday – a decision that could result in riots and protests getting in our way of the airport. Not only that, but we don’t want to get stuck here if the violence is so bad that the military has to take over. A flight was found yesterday with EXACTLY 28 seats left (we don’t need 29 – Daniel is flying to the states with his mom). We will fly out tomorrow morning at noon and go home through Atlanta. I’m hoping the roads are okay in the morning and everything goes smoothly. I’m off to pack…
It’s time to go home.
I had a great birthday today (we celebrated at Wendy’s), but today was rough for a majority of the team. As of right now, 27 out of the 29 of us have gotten sick in some form. I think only 4 of those 27 HAVEN’T thrown up.
Today was supposed to be typical work day. The 10 of us that weren’t sick went to the worksite and worked for about an hour until Dana fainted and Caroline got real dizzy. The doctor ordered all of us to stop working and sit inside the clinic’s waiting room to prevent the rest of us getting sick. We all felt pretty helpless. We had nothing but lame jokes and pocketknives to entertain us and we couldn’t go back to the house and be around all the sick people and whatever virus is floating around there. I’ve been wondering all day what we’re going to do the next couple days. People keep getting sick so even if they feel fine tomorrow, I doubt the doctor would want us to work or do VBS and be around all those kids.
After about an hour, we went up to the comedor to see what was for lunch (we don’t go up there expecting to eat anymore). Of course! Honduran hot dogs consisting of a pound of condiments on top of a discolored hot dog. Wally decided to try it but gave it to Biscuit (the tick-infested dog) after one bite. Biscuit ate everything except the hot dog then ended up eating it with what seemed to be a bit of hesitation.
Off to Wendy’s! Jorge is good at keeping us happy. He’s been with us all day. He worked at the site with us the first couple of days, but has ceased all work to finish a birthday gift he’s been making for me. I found a small piece of wood the first day and, being the Boy Scout I am, pulled out my knife and started widdling it to a point. Jorge stole it to finish what I started and promised he would give it back to me finished for my birthday. Sure enough, it is now back in my hands.
Anyways…David drove us to Wendy’s. We passed it on the main highway but there was road construction so we had to drive an extra 15 minutes to go through all the backroads and approach it from the back. Detours here aren’t quite as easy! I had 100 limpiras to spend (5 bucks) so I got a delicious spicy chicken sandwich and a frosty. We ended up going back to the house afterward. All of our sheets had been stripped off the beds to be laundered at La Providencia. The doctora came while we were “working” and dealt with everyone’s sickness. She ended up taking Anna Bliss, Trey, Erin, and Claire to the clinic to get blood tests and…their favorite part…stool samples! Thankfully, most everybody had gotten a little better by the time we got back after taking some meds (the doctora thinks it was a bacterial infection).
At our nightly meeting, Stephanie had a little announcement…In the morning, we’re leaving at 5 for……..the airport. Yeah…turns out there could be a little political violence on Friday when we’re supposed to leave. The Organization of American States has taken over the political crisis in Honduras and has decided to reinstate the President on Thursday – a decision that could result in riots and protests getting in our way of the airport. Not only that, but we don’t want to get stuck here if the violence is so bad that the military has to take over. A flight was found yesterday with EXACTLY 28 seats left (we don’t need 29 – Daniel is flying to the states with his mom). We will fly out tomorrow morning at noon and go home through Atlanta. I’m hoping the roads are okay in the morning and everything goes smoothly. I’m off to pack…
Day 8 - July 1
We got back to Nashville tonight at 8 (sure beats 11:30). Everything went perfectly today. We left Siguatepeque around 6:30 and arrived in San Pedro Sula at 9 – a perfect three hours before our flight. The only problem we had with checking in is that three people could not get their boarding pass at the check-in counter. They were given a “seat request” form. They were assured they would receive a boarding pass at the gate and sure enough, they did. The roads were clear to San Pedro except for one stretch that ended up just being congested traffic. There were militiamen lining the streets and a large group of people near the epicenter of the delay but there were no signs of riots or protests.
When I said there were exactly 28 seats left, did I fail to mention that 11 of those were in first class? Yep…I got STUCK in first class for 3 hours to Atlanta! Turns out the height of my birthday was not going to Wendy’s! The flight was great. Plenty of leg room, plenty of service, and plenty of movies to choose from on our personal TVs (coach had them too so fly Delta in the future!).
We arrived in Atlanta at 5:30 and had to catch an 8:00 flight to Nashville. Excuse me, an 8:01 flight to Nashville! Being back in the states was definitely comforting. I had so much fun in Honduras, but I didn’t want to mess around with all the political stuff going on. It was very surreal that we were actually leaving. We were in Honduras for 6 days, but it felt much shorter. I wish we could have done VBS and spent more time with each other as healthy human beings.
All in all, I’m very happy that I was able to take advantage of this great opportunity and go to Honduras. Thank you to everyone who supported me financially or through prayer – both were important, but with everything that happened down there, the only thing any of us wanted from everyone back home was prayer. This was definitely an interesting first mission trip! I would really love to go back again and help finish what we started. La Providencia is a very special place in a unique part of Honduras. The passion that has been poured into this project will continue to flow until it is completely finished. I will definitely be down there to see the finished product. I can only imagine the full impact that La Providencia will have on the community of Siquatepeque and Honduras as a whole.
Please pray for peace for the Honduran people during this time and everyone at La Providencia – the Holliday’s, their newly adopted Honduran son, Jude, and their other 3 children. Jorge. Josué. Davíd. Mario. Alfredo. Tomás. Alejandro. Everyone.
Don’t forget to check out PWM’s child sponsorship program at http://providenceworldministries.org/sponsorship/
One by one we can make a difference.
When I said there were exactly 28 seats left, did I fail to mention that 11 of those were in first class? Yep…I got STUCK in first class for 3 hours to Atlanta! Turns out the height of my birthday was not going to Wendy’s! The flight was great. Plenty of leg room, plenty of service, and plenty of movies to choose from on our personal TVs (coach had them too so fly Delta in the future!).
We arrived in Atlanta at 5:30 and had to catch an 8:00 flight to Nashville. Excuse me, an 8:01 flight to Nashville! Being back in the states was definitely comforting. I had so much fun in Honduras, but I didn’t want to mess around with all the political stuff going on. It was very surreal that we were actually leaving. We were in Honduras for 6 days, but it felt much shorter. I wish we could have done VBS and spent more time with each other as healthy human beings.
All in all, I’m very happy that I was able to take advantage of this great opportunity and go to Honduras. Thank you to everyone who supported me financially or through prayer – both were important, but with everything that happened down there, the only thing any of us wanted from everyone back home was prayer. This was definitely an interesting first mission trip! I would really love to go back again and help finish what we started. La Providencia is a very special place in a unique part of Honduras. The passion that has been poured into this project will continue to flow until it is completely finished. I will definitely be down there to see the finished product. I can only imagine the full impact that La Providencia will have on the community of Siquatepeque and Honduras as a whole.
Please pray for peace for the Honduran people during this time and everyone at La Providencia – the Holliday’s, their newly adopted Honduran son, Jude, and their other 3 children. Jorge. Josué. Davíd. Mario. Alfredo. Tomás. Alejandro. Everyone.
Don’t forget to check out PWM’s child sponsorship program at http://providenceworldministries.org/sponsorship/
One by one we can make a difference.
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