Mission work in Honduras: 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!