This week has just flown by. It feels like yesterday we stepped out of the plane and into the van with Don Raul.
Today we went to Valle de Angeles around 10, and stayed there until 3. We drove up into the mountains, and then back down into another valley. It was an incredible place. There were so many stores and shops and restaurants. We all had people back home to buy things for and were eager to explore the area, so we decided to start with lunch. I think by now we were all sick of beans and cheese and rice, so most of us got spaghetti or some kind of steak. The restaurant was right next to the main square, which was playing christmas music with marimbas. After lunch, I enjoyed a nice café mocha from Esspresso Americano. It only cost 19 Lempira, which is about 1 dollar. Some of us stayed in groups to go shopping, while others wandered alone. There were many wood carvings: boxes, sculptures, instruments, etc. There was also jewelry, shirts and other clothing, food, machetes, coffee, and much more. We had to leave around 3 to be back in time for the pizza party and stopped at a fruit stand to buy some mangos, oranges, and pineapple.
When we got back, we went to Ming Wong´s market to buy 12 sodas for the boys and girls. The pizza was already on its way. We served them pizza and drinks as they came in to the cafeteria in groups. After the children ate, we sat down and ate what we could. We were afraid that we wouldn´t have enough, bu there was plenty left over.
After dinner, we decided to make a bunch of balloon swords ahead of time for the boys. We walked out with our piles of balloons, and all the boys came running. Through all the yelling, stomping of feet, and popping of balloons, I think about half the balloon swords survived. Then the boys ran up asking us to turn the swords into perritos, or little dogs. Eventually a game of hide and seek started up. There was very little hiding or seeking... mostly yelling and running... Being tagged means virtually nothing, except that you get to sit in jail for a few seconds, until another boy runs up and tells you to keep running. We all bought El Hogar t shirts, and some of us had the boys sign our shirts. At 7, the boys were called in for bedtime, and we headed back to the house for a night of catchphrase and prayer.
We are all going to miss this place dearly. I know that the boys have left a lasting impression on all of us, and I hope that we have served El Hogar well this week. We are dreading the immensely long travel day tomorrow, but are eager to be home with our families and friends. Please keep us in your prayers as we make our way back home.
Hasta mañana!
Joe
Friday, March 14, 2008
A look at the last few days
Hola!
It has been a busy week, and everybody is very sore right now. The reason? The concrete monstrosity that we finally conquered! When we returned to the work site on Wednesday, we loaded up a dump truck with bits of wood and plaster to be hauled off. Then Don Gustavo pointed to a concrete ledge supported by three columns and attached to six steps, gave us a small axe, and told us to take it down. After much pondering and the discovery of rebar in the concrete, we got a big sledge hammer and pounded the concrete off the rebar. In the distance we could see Don Gustavo and the other workmen laughing at us. Our only consolation was that they didn´t have any better ideas. Everyone got a chance to master their feer of heights, balance on rebar, and show of their swinging skills. However all the college students in their prime were pute to shame by Bill taking out four times as much concrete each turn. Let´s just say the whole thing was comical.
Wednesday we went out to the other school run by El Hogar, the agricultural school. After an hour and fifteen minutes of insane driving through beautiful mountain scenery (yes, the geology major took lots of rock pictures) we came to the farm. The plants were beautiful and the students were very polite, although more shy than the boys from the technical school. Most of them are from very small communities in the mountains, but a few came from El Hogar. They must have a 6th grade education before entering the school, and then they acquire agricultural skills as well as credit for 7th-9th grade. After that they can return to their communities, get a job, or complete 10th and 11th grade to attend a university.
We saw a lot of things on our tour of the campus. There were agitated geese, berries for red dye, dogs, goats, sheep, stupid chickens, horses, cows, calves, and pigs. The pigs were by far the most interesting. The little ones looked like babe (Liz was very proud of her picture) and the papa pig was about 350 lbs. On her way to look at the massive pig, Gracie smacked her head into the doorway of the shed. Our guide was very upset, but Gracie was fine. She has a cut on the only part of her head not covered by bangs, but it makes her look hardcore. We told her she should have said that it happened while we were smashing the concrete.
The boys and girls are still the real joy here. Every afternoon we hug and wave to the girls as they leave to go back to their separate house for the evening. Carmen plasters her face against the window while Ana waves and smiles. At meals when they are supposed to be silent, the boys furtively wave and talk to us. Once evening program starts, things go wild. The game is tag, and the rules are somewhat like Calvin ball. Someone counts to veinte while everyone else runs away/hides. Once you are tagged three things can happen: you can be dragged to jail, join in tagging people, or just keep running. Sometimes tagging is good enough and other times you have to take them down. Once in jail you wait for someone who is free to come tag you and say "libre!" Then you can run again. After some indeterminate time a new person is chosen to be "it" and the game continues. We got tired really fast. As an alternative we brought out sidewalk chalk Wednesday and Thursday night. It is very disappointing for a student in an instituion of higher learning to be outsmarted in tic tac toe by a 7 year old. These kids are amazing in their energy, intelligence, and love.
In the evenings we continue the catchphrase war. Even though Bill is a Rhode Island Red Chief turncoat with too many irons in the fire, we still love him and encourage him saying "don´t give up the ship!" Many inside jokes have sprung from the furious fued. Wednesday night team 1 was within two points, but the margin has spread somewhat to three. We can still catch them! Afterward we have compline and share our highs and lows of the day. The only lows lately have been feeling only moderately helpful at the work site and the monotony of the food. I never thought I would get tired of tortillas, rice, beans, and cheese until I bit into a burrito one morning. It was the most unappetizing thing I had ever tasted, so I gave the rest to John who will eat almost any quantity of almost anything. This could be annoying when at home, but it is very useful when you are expected to eat everything on your plate.
The team has bonded so well this week. There was great teamwork on the work project and so much love given to all the kids. I am thoroughly enjoying the trip and being surrounded by Spanish tutors and translators. Through this whole week I can feel the work that God is doing in our lives and the lives of these kids, even if we can´t always see it.
Hasta luego!
Kate
It has been a busy week, and everybody is very sore right now. The reason? The concrete monstrosity that we finally conquered! When we returned to the work site on Wednesday, we loaded up a dump truck with bits of wood and plaster to be hauled off. Then Don Gustavo pointed to a concrete ledge supported by three columns and attached to six steps, gave us a small axe, and told us to take it down. After much pondering and the discovery of rebar in the concrete, we got a big sledge hammer and pounded the concrete off the rebar. In the distance we could see Don Gustavo and the other workmen laughing at us. Our only consolation was that they didn´t have any better ideas. Everyone got a chance to master their feer of heights, balance on rebar, and show of their swinging skills. However all the college students in their prime were pute to shame by Bill taking out four times as much concrete each turn. Let´s just say the whole thing was comical.
Wednesday we went out to the other school run by El Hogar, the agricultural school. After an hour and fifteen minutes of insane driving through beautiful mountain scenery (yes, the geology major took lots of rock pictures) we came to the farm. The plants were beautiful and the students were very polite, although more shy than the boys from the technical school. Most of them are from very small communities in the mountains, but a few came from El Hogar. They must have a 6th grade education before entering the school, and then they acquire agricultural skills as well as credit for 7th-9th grade. After that they can return to their communities, get a job, or complete 10th and 11th grade to attend a university.
We saw a lot of things on our tour of the campus. There were agitated geese, berries for red dye, dogs, goats, sheep, stupid chickens, horses, cows, calves, and pigs. The pigs were by far the most interesting. The little ones looked like babe (Liz was very proud of her picture) and the papa pig was about 350 lbs. On her way to look at the massive pig, Gracie smacked her head into the doorway of the shed. Our guide was very upset, but Gracie was fine. She has a cut on the only part of her head not covered by bangs, but it makes her look hardcore. We told her she should have said that it happened while we were smashing the concrete.
The boys and girls are still the real joy here. Every afternoon we hug and wave to the girls as they leave to go back to their separate house for the evening. Carmen plasters her face against the window while Ana waves and smiles. At meals when they are supposed to be silent, the boys furtively wave and talk to us. Once evening program starts, things go wild. The game is tag, and the rules are somewhat like Calvin ball. Someone counts to veinte while everyone else runs away/hides. Once you are tagged three things can happen: you can be dragged to jail, join in tagging people, or just keep running. Sometimes tagging is good enough and other times you have to take them down. Once in jail you wait for someone who is free to come tag you and say "libre!" Then you can run again. After some indeterminate time a new person is chosen to be "it" and the game continues. We got tired really fast. As an alternative we brought out sidewalk chalk Wednesday and Thursday night. It is very disappointing for a student in an instituion of higher learning to be outsmarted in tic tac toe by a 7 year old. These kids are amazing in their energy, intelligence, and love.
In the evenings we continue the catchphrase war. Even though Bill is a Rhode Island Red Chief turncoat with too many irons in the fire, we still love him and encourage him saying "don´t give up the ship!" Many inside jokes have sprung from the furious fued. Wednesday night team 1 was within two points, but the margin has spread somewhat to three. We can still catch them! Afterward we have compline and share our highs and lows of the day. The only lows lately have been feeling only moderately helpful at the work site and the monotony of the food. I never thought I would get tired of tortillas, rice, beans, and cheese until I bit into a burrito one morning. It was the most unappetizing thing I had ever tasted, so I gave the rest to John who will eat almost any quantity of almost anything. This could be annoying when at home, but it is very useful when you are expected to eat everything on your plate.
The team has bonded so well this week. There was great teamwork on the work project and so much love given to all the kids. I am thoroughly enjoying the trip and being surrounded by Spanish tutors and translators. Through this whole week I can feel the work that God is doing in our lives and the lives of these kids, even if we can´t always see it.
Hasta luego!
Kate
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
More Honduran Adventures
On Tuesday, we ventured out the city to St. Mary's Technical School. Approximately 90 boys, some of whom graduated from El Hogar and others from impovrished communities, study to become capenters, electricians and metal workers. The school will soon offer courses in automotive mechanics and air conditioning. The campus is beautful with new dormitories, classrooms, dining hall and kitcken amd the chapel is almost finished. After a delicious lunch of arroz con pollo, frijoles refritos and tortillas, we spent some time visiting with Don Lazaro who has been with El Hogar for 29 years. He told us that with the techical diploma the graduates would be able to obtain jobs and support themselves and their families. We spoke with some of the boys and met Marvin who is sponsored by a friend of Bill Joyner. Liz asked what the boys needed/wanted. The answer--the girls' email addresses. I continue to be amazed at the love the staff at El Hogar have for the children. One young man, a graduate of El Hogar, cares for 46 boys in the dormitory and teaches classes as well for a very small wage. Please continue to support us and El Hogar Projects with your prayers.
Peace,
Pat
Peace,
Pat
Monday, March 10, 2008
HOLA!
Hola! I think I will start off where Liz left off. All of us agreed that last night was pretty awesome because the boys seemed to finally open up to us. We spent almost the entire hour of their "night activity" running around playing tag and soccer, but the hugs and the smiles and laughter they shared with us was what really hit home. After the boys went to bed, we came back to the volunteer house for a few rounds of Catch Phrase (a game similar to charades and Taboo) where the Cool Team (aka. team 2: John, Joe, Chrissie and me) dominated! We have decided to keep an ongoing score for the week because the Uncool Team (aka. team 1: Bill, Liz, Kate, and Gracie) is hoping for a comeback.
This morning we met with Doña Claudia (the director of El Hogar) who shared with us some of the stories of the boys and girls. Although very heartwrenching to hear, the stories encouraged us even more to pour out our love on these children. As Doña Claudia said, we are not just here to work or play with them, but to be there brothers and sisters. More than anything they want love, care, and attention that many of them did not receive before they came to El Hogar.
After our meeting with Doña Claudia, we spent about two hours hauling a pile of wood up a steep hill to make yet a larger pile of wood. We suspect that tomorrow we will have to bring the wood back down the hill. The old dormitories are being torn down and new ones built in there place and the wood we hauled this morning will most likely be reused. By 12, we were pretty tired, dirty, scratched up, and a little sunburnt, but had a fun time bonding over our accomplishments. Not to mention, we all got a pretty good work out (especially Thunder and Lightning....aka my arm muscles) and I think to some of us the watermelon snack made up for it all.
This afternoon we were scheduled to work again, but instead went to the wake and burial of the grandmother of Cesar and Melandro, two of the boys at El Hogar. The boys were very close to their grandmother and this loss was very hard for them, especially Cesar, because she was the only family he had left besides his sister. But in this moment of sadness, our hearts were touched by the way the other boys embraced and supported Cesar and Melandro. Eight of them came to the burial and we watched as they put their arms around each other as they walked along the pathway toward the grave.
I can see God in this place...it´s a place where hungry, poor and desperate children find mercy, where the lost and neglected find not just a home, but a family, and where empty hearts find not only friendship and love, but the love of God. I feel so blessed to be here. I will leave with this quote by Frederick Buechner that speaks a lot to me: "The place that God calls us is that place where the world´s deep hunger and our deep desire meet."
Lane
This morning we met with Doña Claudia (the director of El Hogar) who shared with us some of the stories of the boys and girls. Although very heartwrenching to hear, the stories encouraged us even more to pour out our love on these children. As Doña Claudia said, we are not just here to work or play with them, but to be there brothers and sisters. More than anything they want love, care, and attention that many of them did not receive before they came to El Hogar.
After our meeting with Doña Claudia, we spent about two hours hauling a pile of wood up a steep hill to make yet a larger pile of wood. We suspect that tomorrow we will have to bring the wood back down the hill. The old dormitories are being torn down and new ones built in there place and the wood we hauled this morning will most likely be reused. By 12, we were pretty tired, dirty, scratched up, and a little sunburnt, but had a fun time bonding over our accomplishments. Not to mention, we all got a pretty good work out (especially Thunder and Lightning....aka my arm muscles) and I think to some of us the watermelon snack made up for it all.
This afternoon we were scheduled to work again, but instead went to the wake and burial of the grandmother of Cesar and Melandro, two of the boys at El Hogar. The boys were very close to their grandmother and this loss was very hard for them, especially Cesar, because she was the only family he had left besides his sister. But in this moment of sadness, our hearts were touched by the way the other boys embraced and supported Cesar and Melandro. Eight of them came to the burial and we watched as they put their arms around each other as they walked along the pathway toward the grave.
I can see God in this place...it´s a place where hungry, poor and desperate children find mercy, where the lost and neglected find not just a home, but a family, and where empty hearts find not only friendship and love, but the love of God. I feel so blessed to be here. I will leave with this quote by Frederick Buechner that speaks a lot to me: "The place that God calls us is that place where the world´s deep hunger and our deep desire meet."
Lane
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Hola de Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Hola! WE MADE IT! We`re here, we`re safe, and we`re all having fun. Yesterday was a very long day, marked by running (and yes, I do mean running) to make our flight in Miami, struggling through broken Spanish with the Honduran border guards to get through baggage claim, and braving some dare devil-like traffic to get to camp (think Go-Karts-Gone-Wild). But we made it.
The camp is beautiful. To enter into the gated facility, one simply has to lay on the horn for about 15 seconds and a small little boy with a rag-top head will come running to open the door. Then when you drive in, you`re greeted by a small grove of trees providing some shade, beautiful murals depicting children holding hands beneath rainbows and messages of peace, and droves of little boys wearing jeans and t-shirts with logos like the Chicago Bulls on them.
The staff have been nothing but generous. They STUFF us with food (and it is custom in Honduras to finish everything on your plate), provide us with very nice (and cool) places to stay, and encourage us to play with the kids. And speaking of this kids--they`re amazing: kind, gentle, and generous. On our first day, we were told to un-pack, settle in, and then GO PLAY! This was a bit intimidating, as the kids knew how to play a mean game of Soccer and didn`t seem to need our help, but as soon as we made a gesture that we wanted to play, they welcomed us in with open arms. Slowly they warmed up to us, and by yesterday evening, they were climbing on Gracie (who was dressed up in a cape as Superman) and giving us all huge hugs goodnight.
Today was even more fun. We went to the Episcopal Church service with the boys at 10:00am (which was a bit difficult for Kate and I, considering that we don`t speak a word of Spanish) and the service was great--especially the lively music accompanied by a full drum set, back up singers and bongos. Then this afternoon we treated some of the kids (apparently the Honor Roll students) to lunch at McDonalds. Though they were really excited about this, I was still stunned by how politely the boys and girls treated those at the restaurant and how well the cooperated with the adults. When it was time to go--it was time to go!
Tomorrow we start our work at the camp. We`ll be helping to finish tearing down one of the old dorms in which some of the boys lived. That basically means hauling a bunch of wood from one spot to the next, pulling nails out of boards, and hopefully a little sledge-hammer action if we`re lucky (but don`t quote me on that).
We miss you all dearly and hope that you`re enjoying the blog. We just checked the score of the UNC-Duke game (which took almost 10 pain-stakingly momentous minutes for the page to load) and we`re THRILLED! The room erupted into screams and shouts of joy. GO HEELS!!!
Well more from the other team members will hopefully come soon. Just keep a lookout for updates. Adios amigos!
Liz Gilliam
PS--the quote of the day: (while braving the drive to church this morning...) "There is no sports bra in the world that could prepare me for this kind of driving." --Anonymous
The camp is beautiful. To enter into the gated facility, one simply has to lay on the horn for about 15 seconds and a small little boy with a rag-top head will come running to open the door. Then when you drive in, you`re greeted by a small grove of trees providing some shade, beautiful murals depicting children holding hands beneath rainbows and messages of peace, and droves of little boys wearing jeans and t-shirts with logos like the Chicago Bulls on them.
The staff have been nothing but generous. They STUFF us with food (and it is custom in Honduras to finish everything on your plate), provide us with very nice (and cool) places to stay, and encourage us to play with the kids. And speaking of this kids--they`re amazing: kind, gentle, and generous. On our first day, we were told to un-pack, settle in, and then GO PLAY! This was a bit intimidating, as the kids knew how to play a mean game of Soccer and didn`t seem to need our help, but as soon as we made a gesture that we wanted to play, they welcomed us in with open arms. Slowly they warmed up to us, and by yesterday evening, they were climbing on Gracie (who was dressed up in a cape as Superman) and giving us all huge hugs goodnight.
Today was even more fun. We went to the Episcopal Church service with the boys at 10:00am (which was a bit difficult for Kate and I, considering that we don`t speak a word of Spanish) and the service was great--especially the lively music accompanied by a full drum set, back up singers and bongos. Then this afternoon we treated some of the kids (apparently the Honor Roll students) to lunch at McDonalds. Though they were really excited about this, I was still stunned by how politely the boys and girls treated those at the restaurant and how well the cooperated with the adults. When it was time to go--it was time to go!
Tomorrow we start our work at the camp. We`ll be helping to finish tearing down one of the old dorms in which some of the boys lived. That basically means hauling a bunch of wood from one spot to the next, pulling nails out of boards, and hopefully a little sledge-hammer action if we`re lucky (but don`t quote me on that).
We miss you all dearly and hope that you`re enjoying the blog. We just checked the score of the UNC-Duke game (which took almost 10 pain-stakingly momentous minutes for the page to load) and we`re THRILLED! The room erupted into screams and shouts of joy. GO HEELS!!!
Well more from the other team members will hopefully come soon. Just keep a lookout for updates. Adios amigos!
Liz Gilliam
PS--the quote of the day: (while braving the drive to church this morning...) "There is no sports bra in the world that could prepare me for this kind of driving." --Anonymous
Friday, March 7, 2008
Chrissie's First Ever "Blob"
Funny story: So my parents just dropped me off at the church and my mom said to my dad, "Do you have the link for the 'blob'?" Let's just say my mom's not too computer savvy...(don't kill me Mom!) hopefully she'll find out how to read this.
We're sitting in the campus center with around 8 hours until leaving for Greensboro: Liz is preparing last minute necessities for the trip, Joe is background entertainment playing the piano, Kate is reading a book for enjoyment, Lane is doing Chemistry homework-impressive, Gracie and John are on their way, and here I am...typing my first ever blog. We're planning on pizza, movies, and an early night as Pat and Bill are coming to wake us up at 4:00 in the morning. Good thing the church always has coffee!
Although we're really excited for this trip, I know in the back of our minds are the questions running through the mind of every Carolina student, faculty, and staff after the horrible incident this week. It's difficult to be separated from our Carolina family while we're all mourning the loss of such a beautiful soul. The questions of "why?" and "how?" cannot and will not stop circling in the back of our minds. We have lost someone in our generation who made the world a better place in her mere 22 years than most people do in a lifetime. We're angry, frustrated, hurt, and confused, and being out of the country-we won't really know answers that hopefully will come out this week. All we can do is pray for her family, friends, and the Carolina family while we try to overcome this loss; however, this just doesn't seem enough to commemorate someone so beautiful inside and out. The comfort we have is the fact that we have a small piece of our Carolina family with us and we have our church family, friends, and our families thinking and praying for us back home.
We're anxiously anticipating the experiences that awaits us this week-the language barrier, the boys, the new food, the fact that we have to drink water from bottles all the time, the home visits, the market, the building, and so much more. It's going to be great to grow closer as a group and grow as individuals learning about ourselves, others, and God's place for us in the world.
Off we go to Honduras! While our friends are all laying out at the beach somewhere, we'll be wearing jeans, big t-shirts, and stumbling through sentences. Please pray for us, read our blog (or if it's my mom "blob"), email us Carolina/Duke scores and any news from back home. We'll update our blog every few days and you can see amazing pictures and hear about all the fun stories we have to share. We hope you'll sit back, read them, and enjoy them throughout the week!
Chrissie Ezzell
We're sitting in the campus center with around 8 hours until leaving for Greensboro: Liz is preparing last minute necessities for the trip, Joe is background entertainment playing the piano, Kate is reading a book for enjoyment, Lane is doing Chemistry homework-impressive, Gracie and John are on their way, and here I am...typing my first ever blog. We're planning on pizza, movies, and an early night as Pat and Bill are coming to wake us up at 4:00 in the morning. Good thing the church always has coffee!
Although we're really excited for this trip, I know in the back of our minds are the questions running through the mind of every Carolina student, faculty, and staff after the horrible incident this week. It's difficult to be separated from our Carolina family while we're all mourning the loss of such a beautiful soul. The questions of "why?" and "how?" cannot and will not stop circling in the back of our minds. We have lost someone in our generation who made the world a better place in her mere 22 years than most people do in a lifetime. We're angry, frustrated, hurt, and confused, and being out of the country-we won't really know answers that hopefully will come out this week. All we can do is pray for her family, friends, and the Carolina family while we try to overcome this loss; however, this just doesn't seem enough to commemorate someone so beautiful inside and out. The comfort we have is the fact that we have a small piece of our Carolina family with us and we have our church family, friends, and our families thinking and praying for us back home.
We're anxiously anticipating the experiences that awaits us this week-the language barrier, the boys, the new food, the fact that we have to drink water from bottles all the time, the home visits, the market, the building, and so much more. It's going to be great to grow closer as a group and grow as individuals learning about ourselves, others, and God's place for us in the world.
Off we go to Honduras! While our friends are all laying out at the beach somewhere, we'll be wearing jeans, big t-shirts, and stumbling through sentences. Please pray for us, read our blog (or if it's my mom "blob"), email us Carolina/Duke scores and any news from back home. We'll update our blog every few days and you can see amazing pictures and hear about all the fun stories we have to share. We hope you'll sit back, read them, and enjoy them throughout the week!
Chrissie Ezzell
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