Saturday, February 16, 2013

Philippians 1: 3-7
"I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart,for all of you share in God's grace with me......"

It is so hard to believe the week is over. The verse from Philippians was the focus of our devotions this morning, which were held on the bus as we pulled out from Hotel Buena Vista at 7 am. I know I will keep the people of Santa Cruz close in my heart. It is not likely that we will see the village again, but we CAN be confident that the good work started will continue.

Being a travel day, I thought I may not have anything exciting to write about. Well, was I wrong! The road from Copan Ruinas to San Pedro Sula, is two lanes up and down the hills, with 230 curves, no lane dividing lines, many potholes, and lots of traffic. The scenery is a mix of beautiful mountains with grazing cows, terraced coffee fields, and shacks built from sticks dotting the sides of the roads. It is not uncommon to see children playing along the side of the road, while semi trucks zip past. There are security checkpoints, which until today, we were waved on through. About an hour out of Copan, we reached one of these checkpoints, and were pulled over by the Direccion Nacional de Servicious Especiales De Investigacio. A rather stern looking officer, with the name Nunez embroidered on his pocket, took our driver's papers and went back to the office. He returned to the passenger door of the bus, and asked for our passports. Sue pulled out the copies of our passports, which she so wisely kept handy, and passed them to him. He stepped out the bus, then back in, and wanted to see our real passports, one by one. That's when I started to sweat. He only spoke Spanish, and Gloria was telling us to hand them one by one, row by row. After a few tense minutes, Office Nunez returned to the middle of the road, and said we could go. But, Nehamias, our driver, had not had his papers returned. At this point, both Gloria and Nehamias were both out of the bus. We all watched a bit anxiously as we saw Gloria and Nehamias exchange words with the officer. Nehamias returned to the bus and sat. We watched as Gloria got on the phone on the side of the road. What seemed like an eternity, but was most likely only about ten minutes, we watched and waited, wondering what was next. Gloria came back to the bus with Nehamias'' papers, and said we could go. She said the police were corrupt, and were trying to extort money from us. Gloria had contacted the Mayor of Copan by phone, who promptly got in his car and started to the checkpoint. This bit of info must have changed Officer Nunez' mind about detaining us. A few minutes back on the road, Gloria got another call from the Mayor. He had called Officer Nunez' boss and gave him a stern reprimand. Ha! That will teach him! He didn't know who he was messing with when he took on Gloria Wheeler!

The rest of the return trip was rather uneventful. Old and new friends sharing experiences, stories, laughs, and joys. We are all tired and weary, but it is a good feeling. I thank God for blessing us with this trip.

We would love to share more with you about our experiences. Please feel free to stop and ask questions. There are so many stories to tell.

-Holly Cory

Friday, February 15, 2013

Another early morning with a 6:30 AM breakfast and a 7:00 AM departure. No need for an alarm - the roosters take care of that!

How can it be Friday, already!? We began today as usual gathered in the parking lot outside the bus for our morning devotion. Peter was with us in spirit all week as Sue read his selected scripture verses and reflective questions.

This week we reflected on Paul's words in I Corinthians --and the concept of starting something that you had to leave to someone else to complete.

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. (I Cor. 3:10)

We completed one house to the bond beam this week and started a second house. The team laid over 210 block today! By 3 o'clock we were done sifting sand. We had made our last U-block, laid our last block, sewed our last curtain (that happens when you run out of fabric) and sang our last song together with the children. We leave the project for the villagers and other groups to complete, which is often a difficult part of a mission trip. Dave did take one last run up the mountain to take a picture of our progress (and wash the mortar out of the wheelbarrow) before the bus departed.

This week we also pondered John 15: 1...I am the vine and you are the branches...how has GPMC equipped you to bear fruit and how has GPMC shared in that equipping? We send our thanks to those who have been praying for us this week and for the cards we received last night! So many of you were with us atop a mountain in that schoolyard today. From the children who made the very popular songbooks, to those who shopped for the donations that filled the bags we gave out at the farewell celebration -- we felt your presence. In addition, your financial contributions enabled us to buy flashlights and medication for each family and will continue to support the construction in the village.

The entire village of Santa Cruz gathered at the school and representatives from the village lead us in prayer and spoke to the group, giving their thanks for our work. We all left a piece of our heart on that mountainside. It was very emotional to say, "adios" especially to Antonio and Dominga, two of the village children who stole our hearts.

Our last evening devotion together was followed by the "paper tortilla" awards, cribbage, puzzles and a concert by the "Dave Tucker Band"!

When we gathered in prayer today, our Honduran brothers asked God for the strength to complete their village project. I join them in that prayer ~

-Beth Dionne

Thursday, February 14, 2013

'Tis Valentine's Day, this fourteenth of February. And beneath the roses and chocolates and romantic dinners, beyond the paper-covered shoe boxes adorned with lace and ribbons, and between the lines of treacly poems on Hallmark cards lies the idea of love.

And though we are far away from you whom we love, we are surrounded by 'amor' here.

Here is love.

In the jubilant face of ten-year-old Antonio when he pulled from his pocket the friendship bracelet he made... and proudly presented it to Alison.

In the earnestness of a father we met in Chonco who said that his greatest dream was to send his daughter to high school. And the tears that came to his eyes with the quiet statement that followed: "I know I won't be able to."

In the tight grip that a young boy kept on the tiny hand in his, not abandoning his little brother even in his curiosity of us.

In the dedication of the young female school teacher in Santa Cruz, who rides a scooter twelve kilometers from town to instruct children, all of whom will probably finish their schooling in sixth grade.

Here is love.

I write at the end of another exhausting, exhilarating day. The feral dogs and ubiquitous roosters awoke us this morning, long before the sun did. Savoring the papaya, watermelon, french toast, and yogurt and granola was diminished a bit in our urgency to get to the work site before the heat zapped our energy and ambition. We dropped most of the men off to hike up to the site while the rest of us rode on to Chonco to visit the school. Compared to the one-room schoolhouse in Santa Cruz, their three-room school felt enormous. Beth brought red heart lollipops for all of the children, who received their treat with both shyness and delight. We left books for the classrooms and walked back down to the bus with the sound of the children's singing still echoing in our ears.

Gloria told us that another church group that worked in Chonco included a woman named Mary who was 72. Too frail and unsteady to climb the treacherous slope up to the community, she remained at the base, watching, perhaps, the young children play soccer on the little field by the stream. Mary returned the following year with the mission team, fully prepared to watch again. To her surprise, she looked up the slope and saw concrete stairs that the men in the village built just for her. The villagers call them "Mary's Steps."

Here is love.

Ah, the progress we made today! Hundreds of homemade concrete blocks and hundreds of pounds of homemade mortar between them make almost a complete house. The walls are finished! More importantly, through the painstaking instruction of our men, the Hondurans now know how to build a house from start to finish. While the men have labored with sand and cement, the women have sewn curtains for their homes and dresses for their daughters.

And the children, the gorgeous, gorgeous children, played "Loco Ocho" and sang songs and made Valentines. Several of the older children, tongues out in fierce concentration, wrote between the stickers they pasted all over their red hearts, "Dear Alison, I love you. Thank you for playing with us."

Here is love.

I am writing in my hotel room, as the rest of the group is eating a pizza dinner in town. (I promise that I am not being punished; I am, rather, injured and Drs. Mike and Jo recommended I not move.) Outside I hear a game of soccer in the alley; I peeked out to watch and saw teenaged boys using a torn rubber ball for their game. The condition of the ball matters not; their intensity rivals that of the players on the Honduran national team. Yesterday every shop we entered featured men in a corner huddled around a small television set tuned to a soccer game. The cry of "Scooooooooooooooooore!" may be understood in any language.

Antonio, the little boy who has stolen all of our hearts, does not go to school. Why, we are not sure. But he loves to be around us, and today he carried several bags of sand up the precipitous slope to the work site. He and I ran back down the mountain, whooping with glee, yelling, "Rapido! Rapido!" When Sally gave him a granola bar in appreciation for all of his hard work, he accepted it with genuine gratitude. I saw him take a bite of it, then he raced back up the mountain. When I reached the top, I spied his little sister with most of the granola bar in her hand.

Here is love.

As we walk along the paths, cows, wild dogs, turkeys, chickens, and ducks casually wander in front of us. At first it felt startling and bizarre; now it just normal. Before my spectacular fall on a rock this afternoon with dear Patty McCracken, I was walking along the road when a little tut-tut cab drove up. The driver insisted that I get in, bag of sand and all. I did, and although I do not understand much Spanish, I could comprehend that he was speaking from his heart. "Muchas gracias," he said. "Thank you for all you are doing for our community." If only I could have told him how our lives have been enriched just by being here.

Here is love.

Here is God.

Happy Valentine's Day.

--Shawn Henry

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Jesus said unto him, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:34-40

Wednesday was a good day. We experienced some of the native Honduran culture with part of the group visiting the Mayan ruins of Copan and another group traveling to a coffee plantation outside of Copan village. Both groups had amazing adventures and enjoyed taking in the local sights. Speaking as one who went to the coffee plantation, it was an educational experience learning about coffee growing and production. We had a wonderful guide who was native Honduran and spoke perfect English. He managed to cheerfully and expertly field a plethora of questions from our group about the surrounding vegetation as well as the technicalities of coffee production.

We were taken by wagon pulled by a diesel tractor up a steep and winding dirt road to 3500 feet where we started the walk back down through a beautiful forest with coffee plants, herbs such as cilantro which look different than what we have at home, banana trees, and other vegetation that made us feel like we were in a rain forest. The plantation is not categorized as a rain forest since there isn't much rain in Honduras, but there were beautiful streams and waterfalls surrounding us at various times. Vocal yellow-beaked birds flew overhead. There were also swinging wooden bridges to cross, single file. We enjoyed lunch at an open air cabin followed by a delicious cappuccino. Returning to Copan, we shared conversation, laughs, and life savers.

Alison and Dave worked at the building sight for part of the day, but returned to the hotel when even the Honduran men said it was too hot to be working in the sun. Consequently we are leaving for the building sight an hour earlier in the morning...at 7am.

There were many of us who helped the Copan economy by purchasing some of a native pottery and other Honduran souvenirs in town. The people were very friendly; some could speak English and others just looked at us and occasionally said, "Hello" in English. We answered, "Hola", our common greeting. The usual mode of transportation is by foot, although there are many motor taxis ready to take passengers up the stone roadway to their destination.

Upon returning to the hotel, we spoke with a young woman, nicely dressed, pregnant, sitting on the hotel steps with her husband. She was selling hand made bracelets and necklaces...most were $2. We all made several purchases. Very humbling.

After gathering for dinner and devotions led by Sue Acton, Beth Dionne led us through the very organized procedure of filling 20 bags with items for the families of the village where we are working. The list of items included flashlights, toothbrushes and toothpaste, bars of soap, vitamins, clothing, flip-flops, toys, balls, socks, and other items we would consider basic needs. We will give the families their bags on Friday.

Even though talking and giggling could be heard from at least one of the rooms...you know who you are...most of the group were fast asleep as this blog was being written. Reflecting on the day, listening to the soft falling rain, the occasional caw of a bird, bark of a dog or call of a child, I can not help but reflect on the passage by Matthew. What if we all could love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and love our neighbor as ourselves. What a different world we would have.

It is almost another day. So many blessings to enjoy and love to share. Xoxo

-Jane Fox

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Most of us were asleep by 9 last night. During the night we were serenaded by the sounds of the night here in Copan...barking dogs and crowing roosters. All made it to breakfast by 7 ready to get back to working along side the people of Santa Cruz. We worked from 8:30 to 4 and work we did! We continued to sift a mountain of gravel, haul pails of sand up steep hills, make cement blocks, build cement walls of a home, sew curtains with the village women, make friendship bracelets with boys and girls of all ages and share lots of laughter and smiles with our new friends. Evening found us sharing each others experiences and growing closer as we bond over all we are seeing and doing together. Despite language and cultural differences, a universal understanding of each other's desire to work hand in hand is making things happen here in Honduras.

-Karol Swenson

Monday, February 11, 2013

The day began cloudy and cool with temperatures in the mid 60s. After a hearty breakfast at 7:00 we departed for Santa Cruz. Sue Acton completed devotions leaving us motivated to begin our work. We stopped briefly in town to secure supplies with a short diversion to the pharmacy.

When we arrived at the village of Santa Cruz, we received our job assignments from Dave Tucker.

Jo, Sally, and Ross sifted sand at the mountain base. Sue, Beth, Karol, Patty, Shawn, Holly, and Mike carried buckets of sand to the job site. We received frequent assistance from the village children, who amazed us with their strength and determination!

Dave, Jim, Scott, and Alison worked on the job site preparing the footings and constructing the house with the men of Santa Cruz. Kathie, Mary, and Jane assisted with sewing and crafts for the children.

As the day progressed the heat and humidity did as well. We were very excited to stop for food prepared by Gloria, which was delicious and enjoyed by all.

After lunch, we returned to work with an additional assignment to make blocks at a home site even higher up the mountainside. The footing on the path was dangerous but no one was injured.

We returned to the hotel and many enjoyed the pool. Dinner was at 6:30 and again it was exceptional! Scott delivered devotions which inspired us all to continue our work on Tuesday.

-Mike Dionne

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Nope - not an arrival in Honduras as planned. Wake up call at zero dark thirty for a 6:30 shuttle from the Houston Hilton airport hotel. Two hotel nights already and not yet in Honduras! Nice hotel, especially with vouchers from United; to include food vouchers which pretty much covered our group dinner last evening at the hotel restaurant "Vino" - fun, chatty and wine revealing. United was on time out of Houston and we had a smooth flight. I am reminded it's Sunday - Sue is passing out a GPMC bulletin for Feb 10 on the flight. Now we're here in Honduras and after immigration and customs we see Gloria's smiling face. To the bus with tons of luggage filled with our donations. The 3 hour drive to Copan and Hotel Buena Vista is a beautiful one; mountains surrounding us - bare patches as witness to the de-forestation that plagues the country. Along the road you see the shacks that remind us of the desperate poverty that awaits us in the village of Santa Cruz. Omigosh - we've stopped in Santa Cruz en route to the hotel. It is a HIKE - up-up-up. The planned 20 homes are a climb amidst chicks, pigs, cows, and all manners of little people and parents. Now to the hotel! We had a wonderful dinner at the hotel, followed by a debrief by Gloria about the village of Santa Cruz and what to expect this week. Sue led us in devotions and now we will call it a day!

-Kathie Morinelli

A view from one of the homes in Santa Cruz

Our pig friend

Some of the children of Santa Cruz eager to greet us

Our first trek up the mountain to check out where we will be working

Mary Garlough with her new friend helping her down the mountain

Dave Tucker assesses the situation to find out what we will need to start working

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Day 1 3 shuttles, 2 hotels, 5 escalators, 3 meal vouchers (unless you're Ross and you get 4), 1 elevator with 16 GPMC travelers, 2 terminals, 2 airlines, dinner for 17, and limitless patience.

We started out so hopeful and relieved that we didn't have to worry about a weather related delay like last year. This will be so much better!

10 of us slept at the Hotel near the airport and the other 7 left from home at 4 am. We all met at security check-in at the North terminal for our United flight. We breezed through security, although Mike Dionne was seen giving the security agent a hard time.

We board right on time -- this is great! We're told by the captain that we are number 2 on the runway for takeoff. We sit, we sit, we sit some more. What's going on? We'll, it's just a small thing. The steering isn't working. So now we're stuck on the runway and have to wait to be towed off. We've now been on the plane for an hour and a half. It's been determined that the repair will take too long and this plane is going nowhere.

Back in the terminal, Kathie Morinelli puts on her tour guide hat. Up to the desk she goes and we all sit down like weary travelers with no clue of what is in store for us. After a long while, Kathie informs us that there no more United flights available, but they will be putting us on a Delta flight. We will have to fly to Houston and have to wait until tomorrow to fly to Honduras. We're given vouchers for 3 meals and a hotel in Houston.

Off we trek through the North terminal and catch a shuttle to McNamara. By this time, we are all starving and find a place to eat. We then gather at our new gate, killing time by trying to get our Delta sky miles via cellphone. Our plane is at the hanger but we are not boarding. We continue to wait and are finally told that the plane has no heat --swell. At this point, the GPMC group couldn't care less about heat, just get us out of Detroit!

The plane eventually gets heat, we board and take off for Houston. Upon arrival in Houston , we begin taking bets on whether or not our checked bags will be there for us. To our surprise, they are there. Like tired little children, we follow blindly behind Kathie to ground transportation. The third shuttle bus of the day shows up and the poor driver looks at the size of our group and our 35 bags. We manage to all squeeze in the shuttle and arrive at a gorgeous Hilton hotel. We scatter to our rooms, reconvening for dinner all together at 6:30. Good food, good conversation and awesome beds end day 1. Having begun our day at 3:30 am, we have put in a 17 hour day and we are tired puppies.

-Mary Garlough