Sanctuary

“…with thanksgiving
I’ll be a living
Sanctuary for you”

Yesterday was our last day. (again I was too tired to blog) It was a joyful day. We started with the second half of our field day. Amy and Joey had us all very well organized. The children were put into 3 groups – oldest (“king size”) middle (“fun size”) and the little ones (“snack size”) We had 3 stations – tie dying, egg hunt, and the Cha Cha Slide (a fun line dance.) I was on the team with the fun size kids that included Melvin. Melvin is a precious child who is severely vision impaired. He has glasses which don’t seem to help much but, for unknown reasons, wasn’t wearing them for the egg hunt. So when we let the children loose to find the eggs, I grabbed his hand to help him. He kept repeating in this tiny little voice, “juevos, juevos, juevos…” (eggs, eggs, eggs) So we came upon the first egg nestled in the pine straw. I said, “Melvin, mire!” (Look) Melvin peered down at the ground and picked up a rock. (My heart ached at that moment.) I showed him the egg and he figured out that the bright colored blobs were eggs. We kept going, me pointing out the eggs. Several of the other children would run up periodically to check how many eggs Melvin had and would hand him one. They had been told they could find 4 eggs. Melvin ended up with 6 because it was so dear how the children were watching out for him. They were monitoring each other’s cache of eggs to make sure everyone had their 4. Dilcia wasn’t doing well so they were giving her eggs too. Fernando had found 6 and the kids scolded him. He very tearfully relinquished two. It was so sweet how generous these children are with each other.

Casey and John led the Cha Cha Slide. The kids loved dancing with the teens and started to pick up the dance right away. The funny thing was that John was using hand motions to indicate to the kids what to do since they couldn’t understand the directions in the song. The kids picked up his hand motions as part of the dance.

The tie dying was great, led by Carolyn, Anna, Bonnie, and Amy. This was a great success. The teens had twisted and rubber banded the T Shirts the night before. All the children got beautiful shirts and were so proud of them.

Meanwhile, Renee and Leonard continued to work. They were determined to finish the painting on Cottages 3 and 4 – and they did!

After lunch we all just chilled with the kids until it was time for the various ceremonies to start. At 1:45 all the teams, staff, and several of the children gathered in the courtyard to dedicate Cottage 4 to Wheeler. He thought we were gathering to wrap up the week. But..no! Oeland, from the other team, played guitar while we sang, “Lord we lift your name on high.” Then Suzy led us in a prayer of thanksgiving. Next I got up and read a Resolution expressing thanksgiving for Wheeler and Bonnie read the words on the plaque that will be mounted in Cottage 4. Suzy invited the children to say something. Daniel, Jimmy, and Julio all did. They were so dear expressing how appreciative they are for these beautiful cottages. It was wonderful.

After the dedication, we all walked up to the Chapel for a Good Friday service. I cannot begin to describe how beautiful, moving, and inspiring it was to worship in that space. We sat there facing those large (still open) windows overlooking the absolutely gorgeous scenery. This is truly God’s house. We sang “Sanctuary” – must have been written for this moment in this space. Wheeler read the psalm and I read the Passion. Suzy preached a sermon. She is always able to reach out and touch each person’s heart when she speaks. She invited people up to receive prayers. Several people went up to ask for specific prayers. Suzy would pray over the person. Two people from SC also came up and prayed over several of their team members. The Holy Spirit was powerfully present with us.

After the service, the children arrived. They put on their program, emceed by Xiomara. Xiomara is 13 years old and so poised. The little bitties came up and sang a couple of songs. Just like our services a couple of the little girls, including Jocelyn with a wide grin, belted out the songs while a few of the children stood there and stared at us! The fun size boys did a wonderful drama acting out the Good Samaritan story. It was marvelous, especially seeing Daniel as the burro on all fours carrying Julio, the Good Samaritan. Sergio was the victim and at first lay there “beaten and robbed” with a big grin suppressing giggles. When Julio came upon him and ministered to him, he lifted up Sergio and plopped him, face down, on the burro’s back. We roared! The girls danced for us, Julio sang a solo. He has a beautiful voice. The teens acted out a drama to music about the temptations in the world and how Jesus is the answer. After the drama, Reina came out and explained to all of us what we had seen. We all knew that they are all children of people who had succumbed to these temptations. It is so emotional to see them act out their own histories knowing they all have very deep faith and find joy each day from their relationship with their Savior Jesus. There were several other dances. Julio was in every one of them. He is very talented. In the midst of the dances there were technical difficulties. So Suzy invited people to come up and give their testimony. The only person who did was our own Casey. There were 60 people there, 25 of them teens from our group and the SC group. It took such courage to stand up and tell everyone about the struggles he has had with colitis and how that has helped him become closer to God. At the end, just as Xiomara was about to dismiss us, Suzy asked her to give her testimony. No words can describe this but let me try… She explained that before coming to SBV she had lived in another children’s home, not a very nice one. At age 9 she had gone to the police herself and announced she wanted to go to school but her parents wouldn’t let her. She was placed in this other home for 4 months. She didn’t explain how she moved from there to SBV but she confessed that she was unhappy when she arrived. She explained that she assumed it would be just like the other home. Of course, it isn’t and she went on to describe how her life has changed since coming to our Children’s Residential Home. The strength, courage, and faith these children have are so humbling and inspiring to us. We have much to learn from them. It is so evident that God is present here with His great love and healing power. How can I leave here again?

We had long tearful goodbyes. Maddie was crying very hard as she hugged the children for the last time. Mary was also visibly upset at the thought of leaving. On the way home, just about everyone was talking about when they would return.

An update about some of the children I have written about this week. Wheeler delivered the neck collar to Victoria for her son Adam in La Cantera. We pray this has brought him relief. Anna Karina has crutches now and has been to see a private doctor about her foot. He said the black skin where the graft is is ok, it is a scab. We are still not sure about that but at least she is able to move around the property. Tatiana is still in need of prayer. She remains in the hospital. We heard yesterday that the nail had moved backwards and was in her small intestines. Please pray very hard that she doesn’t need surgery. Jorge still needs medical care. Things move much too slowly here, especially in Holy Week. I will continue to press for him to come to the US for treatment. Please keep Jorge in your prayers.

We reluctantly leave today. Be gentle with your missioner when they return home, especially those making their first trip. Reentry into our US lives can be very difficult and jarring.

Thank you for reading this blog, for your prayers and support. Stay tuned for the next set of entries when we return to this most beautiful and sacred place.

Hasta la vista! Bendigos de Dios!






Auburn preparing the egg hunt for the little bitties (snack size)









Mary doing the Cha Cha Slide














John leading the Cha Cha Slide


















Karen and Genesis


















The guys














Lovely Suyapa















Melvin


















and they´re off!













tie dying

Fernando and his shirt

Dedicating Cottage 4













Suzy singing a praise hymn

The ¨victim¨

















The Good Samaritan and his burro

Alex and Alex

Auburn and Alexander

Alyssa and Julio

Gina hula hooping

Xiomara

Seidy

Cindy

Elias

Mirza

Bonnie and Yonibel (Jonny)

Great day

Today was our last full workday. I am proud to announce that Bonnie, Renee and I finished cleaning the school and the Chapel. We couldn’t have done it, of course, without Geoff, The Chunker King. Geoff chipped off all the hardened mortar and stray concrete – a huge job. Renee became the Threshold Queen, working diligently to reveal perfectly formed thresholds in doorways that looked like nothing was there. It was particularly inspiring to see her work in her TinkerBell top and pink bandana kerchief. Adrienne, her daughter, would be so… um… horrified. Perhaps I can talk Renee into wearing it to her high school graduation. Amy also wore a TinkerBell top. I was rather plain in my Construction Barbie outfit. Next year I am buying a Dumbo top. The windows on Cottages 3 and 4 are just about done – just a little bit of ladder work to do. The laundry/kitchen building is painted with two coats, as is the playground wall. The Director’s Cottage is done except for one room which another group will paint next week. There is a cement pad in the front of the school mostly finished thanks to Philip and the St. James team. John stepped in as a caretaker in the nursery because much of the staff is off for the holidays. Everyone was really working hard really focused on getting as much done as possible.

Please keep Tatiana, age 5, in your prayers. Some people from another team were working on the furniture in the nursery and a stray nail was left behind. Tatiana swallowed the 1 inch nail. She has been in the hospital all day under observation. We hope she will be able to pass it with no pain or damage.

I was so happy to see Esly again. She was there yesterday and today helping with the children. Esly is a beautiful young woman (18) who came to LAMB after having been raped by her step father. Her daughter, Angely, was born there. She has graduated from LAMB and is now on staff. Angely still lives with us but I imagine when Esly gets a bit older and able to support herself, she will take Angely home with her. We would all support that as she has always been a good mother.

We got back to Erika’s, cleaned up and went to Cristo Redentor for Maundy Thursday service. For once the North Americans were late! We thought the service started at 6:00 but it actually started at 5:30 which means it really started about 10 minutes before we got there. The North Americans outnumbered the Hondurans this time because all 3 teams were there – 51 of us. The service was lovely and very moving, especially the foot washing. Bonnie was deeply moved by it. She and I joined the Honduran Lay Leaders in washing people’s feet. It was a real joy and privilege to be side by side by our Honduran sisters. After the service, they served an Agape dinner. Although we had dinner waiting for us at Erika’s, we had no trouble snarfing down tamales and fruit they had prepared for us. Suzy had brought Cesia Maria and Aaron Joshue. They are so cute. Cesia has grown since March and is as lovely as ever. AJ is a pistol and knows it!

Back at Erika’s, all the gr’ups (grown ups) decided to turn the tables on the teens. We rushed into the food line first, then we took “their seats” at the long dinner table. (That really rattled them!) During dinner we sang loud, obnoxious songs and bumped them as we went back for seconds. Then we ran into the living area and draped ourselves over the furniture. The look of shock was hilarious. They did not recognize themselves at all. We absolutely roared. They finally caught on and started acting like us. Admonishing us for hogging the sofas, exhorting us to be role models, and announcing our bedtime was 10:30 – no exceptions. It was a blast. A great time was had by all.

The kids are preparing for our field day part 2 tomorrow. The adults packed all the loot we bought at Giancarlo’s and Valle. I don’t know about everyone else, but I am exhausted.

This has been a truly Holy Week for all of us. Thank you to all our family, friends, and parish families for your support and prayers. I hope we can bring back some of the joy and share it with you all.



Tinkerbell Renee


















Esly and Angely













Frederik and Aaron Joshue















The CLEAN Chapel!














Pig pile













Bonnie and me moving furniture in the Chapel














Karen´s feet being washed














Foot washing with Wheeler













Renee and Cesia Maria at church

Surprise!

Back to work! We were all happy to get back to SBV and make progress on our various projects. Leonard, who had been ill on Monday, returned to work with gusto. He joined Frederik finishing the laundry room floor. This is grueling work and the two of them were tireless. This is important because late in the afternoon I found Leonard daintily scraping bits of paint off of Cottage 4 patio. I announced I was going to take his picture and did despite his objections. I am certain that he did not want the first picture of him working being that instead of the muchas macho work he had done all day. Right after taking that picture I snuck up on him and snapped him scrapping paint off of Amy’s shoe. Score! Bwa-ha-ha-ha.

This was the day that things clicked for everyone. It always happens on these trips. You start out on day 1 kind of bumping into walls. The work is slow and you feel really awkward doing it. Because of this, it doesn’t feel like you have made much progress and there is a slight sense of disappointment. But then, you figure it out. You get into a rhythm, the work flows and you can quickly see the fruits of your labor. The other thing that clicks is why, in a very deep way, we are here. That turbo charges everyone and, wow! It was so cool to hear the teens burbling on about how hard they had worked and how much progress they made. They were very serious in discussing how much more needed to be done and how they would manage to get it all done before we left. They are kids on a mission… Very cool.

Geoff, our youngest member, was a real star this morning. He painted the bottom half of Cottage 4 – all 4 walls! Then he came back to the school to resume his role of “Chunker King” by chipping hunks of concrete and mortar of the floor. Karen, Joey, and Amy painted the windows of Cottage 3 a beautiful red. Amy became the Clean-up Queen. Their paint rags were used hand wipes! (ewww) John, Auburn, and Anna put a second coat on the playground wall. I was particularly moved at how important this was to John because, as he said, “My dad had a lot to do with getting the playground built so I really wanted to be a part of it.” Indeed, Jess did have a lot to do with it. I had tearfully called him and asked him to help me get the equipment shipped. He took over that entire task which was extremely difficult and time consuming. He was a Godsend to me and the children who now so enjoy the playground. Carolyn, Casey, Alex, Maddie and Mary made great progress in the Director’s House painting it a lovely yellow. Alyssa and Pamm got the treat of going to Suzy’s house to babysit the children all afternoon. Because this is Holy Week, everyone is going on vacation, including Reina and Tomasa who help take care of Suzy’s 9 children.

Bonnie, Renee and I worked in the school cleaning the last of the rooms. Of course, the workers are still plastering and putting on the last bits of roof. Just as we declared victory in a room, they would come in and start slinging mescla around again, dripping globs on the floor, etc. Sigh. We did all we could and then moved up to the Chapel to clean it up for Friday’s service. That is where we will go tomorrow.


We rushed back to Erika’s and everyone quickly showered so we could meet in the living room for Reflection from 6 – 6:30. This was a change in our normal routine and necessary because we had to keep Wheeler away from the upper dining area during that time, because…WE GAVE HIM A SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY!!! 89 years old this month! Both teams in house joined together for this joyous event. Erika had arranged for a taco bar which was wonderful. (Papusas – YUM) Of course we had a cake and cards and a gift. The funny thing was that I had to get the team up to the dining area first and give them time to get in place. So, as everyone was filing upstairs to dinner I, with a somber face, told Wheeler that I needed to speak to him and Bonnie. This was a total ruse so naturally I couldn’t think of a single thing to say. Wheeler was worried there was a big problem and Bonnie was baffled as I rambled on. So, when I figured they had enough time to get set, I said, “Oh never mind. Let’s eat.” As we walked towards the steps, Wheeler groaned because all the lights were out. Of course, the electricity goes out regularly here so it was entirely possible that it was a blackout. Bonnie and I escorted him the steps so he could deal with the problem. As we got to the top of the steps, the lights flipped on and 40+ people jumped up and shouted, “Surprise” and immediately sand Happy Birthday! He was speechless – truly surprised. Dinner took a long time because everyone went back for seconds or thirds on the papusas. The chef was frantically patting them out as the line of hungry teenagers grew! Papusas are sort of like quesadillas. We had birthday cake, singing once again, and then our team presented him with his gift – a photo album chronicling his life since coming to Honduras. We had such a wonderful time going through each page with him. This was a labor of love created by Renee, Joey, Bonnie, Karen, Anna, Alyssa, Amy, and me. Each page he would exclaim, often reminiscing or telling us a story. I can’t wait for his family to see it and hear him explain each picture on each page. At the last page, he spontaneously begun to pray a prayer of thanksgiving which was so moving for all of us.

Another big day tomorrow…God is great, God is good. Let us thank him for this wonderful place and all these lovely people. Amen.


Amy, Clean up Queen












Karen´s window


















Leonard scraping Amy´s shoe













Joey painting the window


















Casey, Mary,Alex, Maddie painting the Director´s Cottage












Lovely Carolyn painting on the ladder











Bonnie passing a cinder block thru the Chapel window to Renee












Auburn and Anna painting the wall











Surprise!













Bonnie and Wheeler dancing to Mariachi Band











Chef making papusas a mile a minute








Birthday Cake!













The photo album!


















BFE and GFE (Boyfriend, Girlfriend Emeritus)













Bonnie, Wheeler, me













Wheeler´s thanksgiving prayer

A day of contrasts

This is Tuesday´s blog but I am writing it early Wednesday morning. I was just too tired last night...

Yesterday was a day of contrasts and emotions. We started out in Flor del Campo visiting the school, El Cordero. El Cordero in English is called ¨God´s Littlest Lambs.¨ Their are about 220 children in preK - 5th grade and 60 in the Daycare program. The kids are off this week so we missed seeing them and their assembly. I was sad the new folks couldn´t see that. Next most of us walked to La Cantera. 4 or 5 people stayed back at the school - La Cantera is a very intense experience. Some went last year and felt that was sufficient. Others knew they wouldn´t be able to handle it. Geoff, our youngest member, stayed back and managed to lose a tooth! (It was loose already, of course.)

We walked through the entrance to La Cantera. I was a little bit nervous because we had a black garbage bag (for stealth purposes) with 6 pairs of shoes for Sonia´s children. Leonard was carrying it and we tried to shield him and the bag from view. The entrance to La Cantera often has many men loitering there. They have never bothered us but we have never had anything of value with us. I was relieved to see 2 policemen there. Holy Week is the biggest celebratory/vacation week of the year so there are alot of policemen everywhere. We got to Sonia´s house with no problems at all. Another, smaller team was with us so our crowd was about 30 people. We had to go into Sonia´s house in shifts. I am sorry to report that her mother,Iris, is not doing well at all. She has terrible respiratory problems and can hardly breathe. She needs oxygen but there isn´t money for it. Nevertheless, she was very happy to see us. Sonia was thrilled with the shoes for her children and also a picture of one of her sons, Esteven.

The kids, especially Maddie and Mary, were visibly moved by Sonia´s life and the family living quarters. Sonia is the embodiment of strength, courage, and faith. She makes 1000 tortillas a day, puts them in a basket on her head and sells them in Flor. At night she takes a treacherous route to go to school. All this is to be a role model for her children and to give them a better life. She is always so sweet to us and welcomes us into her home with open arms.

Next we went to Victoria´s house. This left most of us in tears. She has such a sad story. She has cancer with little hope of treatment. Her son, Adam - about 13, was with her. The day before he had been repairing a fence and fallen. They live on a the edge of a cliff. He badly twisted his neck. He couldn´t straighten his head and was in agony. She took him to the hospital which involves standing in line all night long. The doctor told her that he needs a neck collar, which would cost $16. He might as well have said it cost 1 million dollars. So there was this child with this head cocked to the side in visible pain. We immediately promised we would get him a collar. It was heart wrenching to visit them and they ask for our prayers. The people we meet there, even in these most desperate circumstances, always ask us for what they value the most - prayer.

We returned to El Cordero to reunite with the rest of the team. It is at this point the day takes a sharply different turn as we head off to go shopping. We loaded up the van to go to Giancarlo´s, the pewter shop. We went to the downtown location because our normal spot is closed. We all got out except for Bonnie and Karen who went with David to find a medical supply store. Happily it was open and they bought a collar for Adam and crutches for Anna Karina.

We were productive in Giancarlo´s thanks to Renee who was helping us select items for the art auction. Renee is an extremely gifted designer and has a great eye for things that are unusual but also would be likely to sell. After Giancarlo´s we went to Chili´s for lunch. I know. Odd. Our lunch plans had gotten a bit discombblulated and when the kids saw Chili´s the die was cast! It was a fun and raucous lunch.

Next stop was Valle of the Angels. Off the kids went in packs to help the Honduran economy. Several of them were delighted with their purchase of a t-shirt that proclaimed them ¨100% Gringo¨! Bonnie, Renee and I made my favorite shopkeeper´s month. I walked into the store and announced, Ïm back!¨and he jumped up and threw his arms around me! After emptying his store and hauling it all to the van, we headed towards the square in search of ice cream. Boy did that taste good! We bought a few more things along the way but were severely hampered by lack of money! Oh, well, there´s always the next trip.

Last night we gathered with the other team staying at Erika´s for an evening with Suzy, the founder of LAMB. She was wonderful as usual. She read some Scripture and share her reflection on it and then patiently answered all our questions. We sang and laughed and had a great time. Afterwards our group met for a bit of reflection of our experiences of the day and the week. Wheeler told us about the newest CAP project (Community Assitance Project that supports the extreme poor in Flor and La Cantera.) A little girl, Priscilla, has been taken in by her aunt. Priscilla was abandoned by her mother and unwanted by her father. She is blind and the size of a two year old. Priscilla is 7. We are helping her aunt care for her and, in particular, providing a diet designed to promote growth so she can catch up. They are giving her Ensure and other high calorie, high protein foods. Of course, her aunt would never be able to afford that. Wheeler reports that despite her awful experiences she smiles and seems happy. She doesn´t speak but I don´t know if she is physically unable or just hasn´t had the care and nutrition. I am certain we will hear more about Priscilla as time goes on. Please add Priscilla to your prayer list.

It was a very long, emotionally draining day so I fell into bed. Today we return to SBV for more work and time with the children we all love. Tonight is a very special night... stay tuned for more about that!

Team Picture on the soccer field at El Cordero

Giving shoes to Sonia Teens outside Sonia´s houseBonnie and Maria LouisaChurch in La Cantera

Lunch at Chili´s

Suzy