We're halfway through the trip and it has been full of adventure.
But first, please pray for Bert who has been sick as a dog the last 3 days in his room.
We are doing a variety of manual tasks to help build homes for people living on the street or stick houses. We're led by Tim, an American who came here 37 years ago with Heifer International, met Gloria and stayed despite the entreaties of his family in Pa who kept asking when are you coming home for a real job.
In fact it is a real job; they have formed their own virtual Peace Corps And host about 20-30 church groups a year who come down for a week to work.
The development we are working on is under construction on a hillside overlooking the sewage ponds. Burning of the garbage is a regular happening led by stray dogs and the omnipresent turkey vultures.
The cement block houses are being built by individual families and we are doing everything by hand such as carrying supplies, screening sand, mixing mortar and phraging ( the word of the day). The cement mixer consists of a 73 year old and a 72 year old lovingly referred to as the Masters of the Mix.
Naturally it was in the 90s yesterday and we're all medium rare. Yet in case you think of wimping out, you look at the surroundings and thank God for the serendipity of where you were born. But the smiles on the kids make it all worth while.
You also learn about the people you're with - whether a discussion with Gloria about the root causes of the undocumented immigration of kids from here to the U.S. Or the drug war and gangs to learning one of our gang taught history at South to my kids.
Speaking of youngsters, I work along side males aged 73,72,70,and I'm the kid at 68!
Finally no good story could leave out Copan's own version of the howling Diablos (dog packs) who serenade us in the middle of the night joined by alternate choruses of Roosters( must be the tenors). Now I know where Hooper got his training! :0)
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