Las Alfombras de Comayagua

One of many "alfombras" and  still in the process of being completed.

Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is very much celebrated here in Latin America. Many people take vacation during this time. Most banks, businesses and even the buses shut down, at least for Good Friday, sometimes for the entire week. Good Friday, the day Christ was crucified, is, as one person put it, the day most respected in Honduras.

Comayagua is about 30 minutes from where we live. The road winds up over a mountain, as most roads here do, and drops down into a much drier valley than that which Siguatepeque lies in. Comayagua is one of the oldest cities in Honduras, founded in 1537.  It was the first capital of Honduras and it's Spanish heritage is still visible in much of the architecture. It is home to two of Honduras' oldest cathedrals, one of which has in it's tower one of the oldest, if not the oldest working clock in the Americas, made sometime in the 13th or 14th century, or as some claim, the 11th century.

Comayagua has also, for the past 50 years, been famous for it's "alfombras" or "carpets" that people make in the streets each year during Semana Santa. These carpets are made, for the most part, from pine sawdust which has been dyed different colors. They are elaborate, intricate, colorful and very Catholic in the way that they portray the Crucifixion of Christ. I am well aware that there exist many differences between Catholics and Protestants, but I must say, the Catholic Church seems to be to able to express, in both art and tradition, the solemnity and momentousness of Christ's death in a way that we Protestants seem not to

Mark, Charley, Luis, me, Thomas, Barbe, Corey, Gavin, Garret and Kirsten. Standing by the fountain in the Central park, the Cathedral built in 1650 with the oldest working clock in the Americas stands behind us. Both clock and cathedral have been renovated.

Because of this solemnity, as we walk along the streets admiring the artistry with which each carpet is created, there really is a sense of worship and remembrance in the attitudes of the people around us. A nun, eyes closed, lips moving in silent prayer stands alone, surrounded by people. Families move together, slowly, through the calles, taking time to admire each carpet. The usual throbbing, pulsating, hard driving beat of music emanating from loud speakers, so prevalent in most of the cities here is absent, prohibited by law for this one Day. For this I am very thankful.

We eat pupusas purchased from street vendors, washing them down with Pepsi. We're in the minority here, Coca Cola being the drink of choice for most Hondurans. We have invited some of our friends from Siguat to ride with us. Reyna, Gaby and some of their family have come. Trey, the Wells and Luis are here too, and a new friend we have met only recently while at the retreat in Valle several weeks ago, Charley Jackson, has driven all the way from Tegucigalpa to spend the day with us. Charley lives on one of the mountains surrounding Teguc, in a very dangerous part of town. He loves the Honduran people in his neighborhood and helps them as much as he can, when he can. We love Charley and it is an honor to have him as a guest in our house.

Luis and me enjoying a lunch of papusas.

Las Familias Mendosa y Garcia (I hope I got that right)

Thomas and Luis filling bottles with sawdust.

After the procession has passed, children rush into the streets to fill bags and bottles with the sawdust from the carpets.

It is a beautiful day. The weather, which had been cold and rainy only the day before, is perfect. The ride from Siguatepeque in our van filled with friends has been an incredible blessing to us. I want to say thank you to my brother Jon, for suggesting we buy a van for our trip down here. It has become, as our friend Kirsten calls it...the Party Bus. Aren't road trips with friends the best! We're already planning several more.

I want to take just a moment, this Resurrection Day, to acknowledge the One who gave His life for me and for whom I live. We are here in Honduras because of Him. I know that there are many of you who are following my blog and our life here in Honduras who do not profess faith in Christ, and out of respect for you I do not express, overtly, in this blog my religious sentiments. (I write another blog for that). But, I would be remiss if today, as Believers around the world celebrate Easter, I did not give thanks for what Jesus has done for me. Without His death and resurrection, my life, both now and for eternity, would not be the same.

La Ducha

First I want to say thank you to all of you who are lending to help Allan and Nicole start the chicken farm. Since Saturday morning when I first posted this project, almost 30% of the funds needed have been pledged. I want to apologize for the extremely poor grammar and spelling in Saturday's email. I was in a hurry and forgot to proof it and do spell check. Totally embarrassing! I did want to clarify two things. 1. Any amount you wish to loan is gratefully accepted, but because this is a pilot program smaller loan amounts are recommended. 2. Your loans are not tax deductible nor do we guarantee repayment.

La Ducha
This is what most people in Central America use to heat the shower water, if they use warm water at all. Most of these "hot water heaters" are 240 volts. Because of this, some people call them "widow makers". I cringe every time I reach up and turn the switch on or off, wet and standing in a pool of water. Water temperature is regulated by the water flow. You want cooler, turn up the water volume. For those worried about the dangers of this system, a cold shower would be the obvious solution. Of course, a Gringo taking a cold shower runs the risk of having a heart attack.

La Ducha

Another thing that seems to happen often is what one man I know refers to as "stray voltage". Sometimes when you turn on a faucet you get a little tingle, especially if your hands are wet. I think it's because most houses here are not properly grounded.

Some of the other things I miss in the bathroom are; a really long, hot, strong shower, shaving with hot water, (most tap water is only cold water) being able to brush my teeth and rinse with tap water and, last but not least, being able to flush used toilet paper down the toilet. All these things just take some getting used to.

A few other updates.
Friday I went to Comayagua to get my RTN number. Having this makes me an official taxpayer here in Honduras. As best I can tell this is equivalent to our Social Security number, but with out the benefits. I needed to get this in order to import and register our van, but it is used for almost all other business transactions as well.

After a few colder days, the weather has now turned hotter and a bit more humid, but not unbearably so. I think it was about 90 F yesterday. We are headed into the hottest, driest month of the year, April. The air is hazy, partially from the humidity, but also because many farmers are burning their fields in preparation for planting as soon as the rainy season begins.

Water rationing has begun in earnest. Many people are only receiving water every 3 days and some as little as every 8 days. I know one lady who hasn't had water for 2 months in her "barrio", this perhaps for reasons beyond rationing.

I am closing in on a location to drill our first well in June. Getting the well drilling up and going has been a little difficult because of a lack of funding for the project, but thanks to New Generation Fellowship in Jacksonville, FL we will have opportunity to do this soon. They will also be our first team. We lovingly refer to them as "our guinea pigs".

Last Saturday, we went on a hike with the Wells and the Foster boys. Hiking down a trail through a pine wood, we eventually got to a small waterfall with a swimming hole. There were quite a few young people already there. This is Semana Santa and traditionally it is week when many people head for the beach or the rivers to swim. Afterwards we stopped at the Mennonite farm for home made ice cream. I also made the mistake of asking for manteca instead of mantequilla, the difference being lard and sour cream. Take it from Christina, lard does not go well on frijoles. Oops!



The swimming hole





The advantage to living in a free country. We can still do this here.

Our First BAM Project; starting a chicken farm with a micro loan

This post is dedicated to our first Bam project. I'm so excited about this. I have been planning, researching, working and praying for this for many months. There is another, smaller project in the works as well. If this is your first visit to this blog...bienvenidos!

Allan and Nicole

Below is a brief synopsis of our first BAM project and the couple asking for a micro loan. Before I introduce you to them I want to explain something. This small business venture was not my idea. It was theirs. Why is this important? Because it means that it is far more likely to succeed. To work to make your own ideas and dreams come true is always better than trying to make someone else's ideas come true. All I did was bring some wisdom and experience gained from my many years of self employment to the venture and help bring you and them together. So, I want to make sure that the credit goes to these folks, for their intuitiveness in searching for a business that suits them and for being willing to accept my small role in this and agreeing to the requirements we ask of them wholeheartedly. Allan and Nicole, may God richly bless you and those who lend to you in this new venture.

I first met Allan and Nicole a little over a year ago. Oddly enough, if my memory serves me correctly, it was over a carton of eggs. But let's start at the beginning.

Allan
Allan is Honduran, born in a small village somewhere in the mountains on the North Coast. One of nine children abandoned by their parents, he was raised by his older siblings. Allan graduated from the 3rd grade and never returned to school. Instead, he and a friend decided several years later to head for the US. They were fourteen years old. They walked and hitchhiked their way north, working when they could, begging for food when they couldn't. Several months later they crossed the Rio Grande and were picked up by INS. Kept in a detention center for six months, Allan was eventually united with family members who lived in Dallas and was able to remain in the US legally because of them. He taught himself English and improved his reading all the while working as a house painter.

At some point he began attending church, eventually ending up in the church Tony Evans pastors in Dallas. Under Evans' teaching and God's leadership, Allan developed a real heart for missions and evangelism. In 2010, Allan failed to renew his paperwork with INS and was told he had to return to Honduras. He returned with enough money to buy a small, adobe house on a large lot in one of the small aldeas outside of Siguatepeque. He has done a wonderful job remodeling the house. It is cozy, quaint and very comfortable. Allan is a pastor and an evangelist at heart. He's not sure that he will ever see himself as the pastor of a church with a buildings and all, but he has several families in the aldea that he cares for and who faithfully meet in his house every Sunday.

Allan is one of the friendliest guys you'll ever meet. He is also one of the most talented too. There is no doubt in my mind that he is made for self employment. As we have talked about BAM philosophy...he gets it. Already he is thinking of ways that he can help the people in his home church through this business. He's inventive, intelligent and has previous experience raising chickens.

Nicole
Nicole is from Texas. She loves children and has worked in camps and an orphanage often over the years. That's what brought her to Honduras. While studying Spanish in Siguatepeque, she met Allan. She loves Allan, their baby daughter, Honduras and Jesus, not necessarily in that order. One of the things she dreams of doing is becoming a mid wife, a very useful thing to be in a country where many women still have their children at home. She and Allan work together and share the privilege of loving the people in their church family.

The Venture

Allan built this building to be a shop or store. It may hbe the nicest coop ever.

Allan wants to start a small chicken farm. He believes that 150 hens are a good number to start with. He has raised chickens in the past, but with only a few and when you're dealing in eggs, volume is what makes the difference. He already has the coop, the outside area is fenced in and he is building the feeders and beds. He has invested a fair amount of his own time and money preparing for the hens. He already has a client who has agreed to take 30 cartons of eggs a week. Eggs are much used here and the market for selling them is good.







One of the unique things about this venture is that Allan wants to buy Rhode Island Reds. They produce brown eggs which are preferred and which sell for slightly more and are not as common around Siguat. (This meets one of my strong suggestions, that of seeking a niche market or having something different than the majority.) He will also make much of his own feed with corn that he will begin growing, mixing that with several other ingredients that are cost effective and readily available.



Requested Loan Amount
These RI Reds cost more initially than the usual white hens and have to be brought all the way from Copán. The hens are nearly ready to begin laying and have all their shots. The cost per bird is 200 L or about $10. 150 birds is $1500 USD. Allan would also like to borrow $125 USD to buy a feed grinder/mixer. Total loan amount that he is asking for is $1625 USD. He has agreed to a repayment schedule of 1 year with a payment of $137.42 USD per month.

My Analysis
I have reviewed with Allan the cost to produce an egg, the cost of the feed and the market. I believe that the market will support this business and that the profit margin as well as growth potential is what it should be. There is plenty of room to grow, not only up, but sideways too, i.e meat birds and chicks. Although the loan amount is more than the $1000 range I prefer for a micro loan, to buy fewer hens would not be wise and could lead to failure. The fact that he has a sizable order each month already in place adds to the probability of success and therefore receives my recommendation.

Allan is a born salesman, understands the Principles of Good Business and asked, before we even got to the subject, that I would hold him accountable for the way he operates his business and his relationship through that to others. He understands that the hens will remain as collateral until the loan is paid. The fact that he has also invested a sizable amount of his own money in the project is a plus. I believe that Allan will succeed in this and that he will bless others as he is blessed.

How to Lend
If you would like to lend to this project, please email me at mwolfe.ent@gmail.com with the amount you would like to lend. Also, please go to our website, to the Economics page, read through the information, especially the disclaimer at the bottom of the page. At this point in time, I understand that most of you who will lend to this project know me personally. For those of you who don't, you may want to just follow along through this blog for awhile. I would if I were in your shoes!

If you are in the US, please make your checks payable to:

Michael Wolfe, BAM Acct.
P. O. Box 101,
East Wilton, ME 04234.

If you are in Honduras, email me or call me at 3216-3287 and we'll figure out some way to meet up.

Thanks to all of you who give, pray and believe in this project. May God bless each of you for your generosity.

Mike

BAM !!!

As I have looked at all the different ways we Americans have tried to help others who are in material poverty around the world I have often asked, "Why don't we just bring them jobs?" Jobs are what most men really want, not handouts. Jobs are the reason so many leave their families and come illegally to the US. Jobs are what WE want, so why not them.

There is a growing movement or philosophy in the area of missions that recognises that bringing legitimate, self-sustaining, profit producing businesses to third world countries is one of the very best ways to alleviate poverty and, from a religious perspective, make disciples. This philosophy is referred to loosely as "Business as Missions". (BAM) (For a more in-depth view of this, please read the Lausanne Occasional Paper No. 5, which gives a really great explanation of the principles behind BAM)

Having been self employed all my life, I am passionate about small business. It is my desire, that while I am here in Honduras, that I not only help men develop small businesses in order to support their families, but that I live my own life by the same philosophy, actually modeling the things I am trying to teach, which of course is the only way to truly make disciples. Not only do I want to help men start their own business, but I want to impress on them the vision of using BAM principles themselves to help other men. Building off of one business and expanding that into the community, putting people to work, helping start other small businesses is part of that vision. The possibilities are endless. All it takes is vision, imagination, capital, good research and people who see the potential and want to work.

In order to set the stage, so to speak, to present our first applicant to Go and See Ministries' BAM Economics, I first wanted those of you who follow this blog (and others I will be emailing) to understand more about BAM philosophy. Please click on this link to go to the Economics page of our website, which gives our vision, beliefs, and an overview of the expectations and requirements for those who want to participate and apply for a micro loan.

We currently have two applicants with whom we are working. In few a days I will be posting on this site information on our first venture including; a bio of the man requesting a micro loan, an overview of the small business he wishes to start and the amount of the micro loan he is requesting. I have already vetted him, worked together with him to perform a market analysis, a profitability analysis and determine a repayment schedule that fits his expected revenue. All micro loans are administered interest free, but borrowers are required to make one additional payment at the end of the loan. We will use these payments to help make other loans.*

If, after viewing the first project, you would like to make a loan, please click on this link, read the entire page including the section concerning your loan and contact me via email or by using the "contact" button. After the loan has been administered and the business started, we will give you regular updates on loan repayment. In addition we will give you real life stories of the business and it's progress.

For those of you who are concerned about these kinds of things, we want to be very clear. BAM is not meant to compete against or replace the local church or traditional missions organizations. It is only a part of what God is doing here in Honduras. For those of you who are motivated by humanitarian reasons and not religious ones, have no fear, you will be helping to change and improve many lives with your loan. Thank you!

Our Weekend Retreat with HFMM

HFMM weekend retreat at Valle de Angeles, HN March 15-17, 2013 (group photo) Can you find the Wolfes?

 

Back in September of last year I wrote a post about how we had joined the Honduran Fellowship of Missionaries and Ministries, (HFMM) primarily for the help they would provide us in acquiring residency status in Honduras. After this weekend they have become so much more to us.

 

Although we have connections with Camino Global and others, we are on our own down here. What we didn't realize is that there are many others like us who have started their own ministries, some connected with churches in the States, others not. HFMM has brought many of us together. Their missions is to unify the many different missionaries working in Honduras, to help everyone network with each other and to provide a spiritual umbrella over independents like ourselves. This ministry is not limited to independents only, but includes missionaries who already belong to an organization. HFMM does not involve themselves in anyway (unless asked to) in anyone's work. They are here to support and encourage. If you are a missionary in Honduras, I highly recommend that you consider joining HFMM. You won't regret it!

 

The entire facilities of Villas de Valle had been booked for this retreat. Even so, rooms at another hotel in Valle de Angeles had to be booked as there were so many people attending. Our boys had a really awesome time connecting with other American teens living in Honduras, which was very good for them. Ben celebrated his 15th birthday while we were there. It was quite a party with over 150 people attending.

 



 

 

For Barbe and me the weekend was an incredible blessing. We have had a few transitional difficulties, and to see many others struggling with the some of the same things made us see that we are not alone in all this. We returned with a new focus, encouraged in a way that we have not been in I don't know how long. John and Adrianna Mattica, the director and pastor of HFMM and his wife are exceptional people. It is an honor to be a part of their fellowship and under their care.

 

Barbe and Kirsten waiting on fajitas in Santa Lucia

Friends of ours, also members of HFMM and missionaries with Camino Global, Corey and Kirsten and their two sons traveled with us. We had a great time on the trip to Valle, even stopping in Tegucigalpa for good ole American fast food. On the way home we visited Santa Lucia, another quaint Honduran village, and had lunch. We arrived back home Sunday afternoon around dark, tired out, but very content. A very special thanks to our friend Trey (Roberto) for staying with Tiger for the weekend.

 

Note: In the next few days I am going to be posting on this blog a ministry update that I am passionate about. I have not said much about this to anyone, but have been planning for this particular event for quite some time. Please watch for this.

Sharing the Sorrow

Yesterday I had the privilege of sharing in the sorrow of a good friend. It is a privilege when we are invited into the intimate moments of another's life. Weddings, births and funerals...times that require a certain closeness in order to fully participate in the joy or the sorrow of the moment.

It was heart wrenching to watch my friend, tears running down his cheeks, climb down into the small grave and take the tiny casket of his premature, still born baby in his hands and place it on the hard earth. It had begun to rain, unusual for this time of year, which only added to the somberness of the moment. We stood together, huddled under umbrellas, circling the grave, silently, as men stepped forward taking turns slowly shoveling the hard clumps of dirt onto the small casket.  Someone began to sing softly, Amazing Grace, others joined in. An old, familiar song, sung in another language, and twice as beautiful because of it.

I watched my friend take a small wooden cross, made with his own hands, the name of his child hand carved into it, and place it at the head of the grave. He took his turn at the shovel, placing each shovel full of dirt with same care with which he does all his work, filling the edges of the grave, mounding it up.

For my friend, it is the hope of the Resurrection that gives him peace in this moment of sorrow. It is the belief that this child, with whom he was unable to spend even one day here on earth, will be waiting for him in Heaven.



 

Excuses, Excuses

I've got a hundred reasons why I haven't blogged more often since we arrived. All of them are good and all of them are excuses. First it was a lack of Internet, then it was getting unpacked and then I felt lazy...blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Excuses, excuses! So you wanna' know the truth?

The real reason is nothing has really happened to write about...and that's kind of anticlimactic in a way. I mean come on, a new country, a new life...what's up with that? Oh, I could find something to fill a post about, but I wanted something really news worthy. And it just hasn't happened.

Okay, so it isn't like we haven't done anything at all. We've made new friends, reconnected with old ones, visited some new places, but most of what we've done has just been prep work, feeling things out, nosing around, laying the groundwork. Truthfully, I'm not sure if some of the things I'd like to see happen actually will and so I hate to write about them. For instance...

Barbe and I went to La Lima last Saturday to meet a lady about doing some work in a children's home. The visit went well, but there is nothing definite. We have two BAM projects we are working on, but they are in the "talking" stage and besides, I don't feel at liberty yet to discuss them as they involve other people and other people's business. I went and looked at a potential site to drill a well. The man said he'd work on getting a permit, but he hasn't got back to me yet.     See what I mean?

I'd love to show you some pictures of the church we've been attending the past two weeks. But I'm very hesitant to do that. There's no building, we meet outside under a tin porch roof, sitting in plastic chairs if there's enough to go around. The little, one room, adobe house the porch is attached to was built with Hope Coffee funds. Eight people live in this 12' by 20' (+/-) house and it's a huge improvement over what they lived in before. They're very poor.

Maybe I'll show you some pictures someday, but here's another thing that keeps me from writing. In some strange way, I know if I publish those photos I will be exploiting the poverty of these people for my own gain. You see, when confronted with poverty it's very easy to showcase it for the reaction it produces in those unused to it. I love being able to bring these people some relief from the hardships of life, but in a way, and I don't think I'm alone in this, it has a way of building one's self image when we parade it before the camera. That's not why I go there. These people are my friends, some of them are brothers and sisters in the faith. I go because each of these people are precious in the sight of God and I am no more valuable to Him than they are. But oh, how careful we must be.

It's easy to get a God complex down here. It really is. With the flip of a phone we can cause unimaginable blessings to rain down upon you, if you are one of the chosen ones. You pray, we answer. It's both wonderful and frightening at the same time. We swoop in, well fed, satisfied, with all the answers, all the solutions to all the problems...and leave just as easily, back to our nice homes with indoor plumbing and a weeks worth of food in the pantry and a credit card in our pocket and a pat on the back. How easily we leave behind the dirt, the hunger, the chill wind blowing through the glassless window. We of course know better, we are not God. We too have our problems, but what must it look like from the other side?

No, I don't want to be found guilty of exploiting my friends, or anyone for that matter. I'll show you pictures someday. Someday when I've earned the right to, because I've spent enough time there for them to call me friend.

Okay, so there's the "naked truth"  Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way, the only one who sometimes questions the darker side of my own motives in the stark light of reality. And even worse, dares to publish them. Nah, I can't be that different than the rest of humanity can I?

Now for the newsy stuff.

For the first time in my life, well since I was in my early twenties any way, we are on sort of a budget. We haven't really sat down and calculated exactly how many Limpiras a month we have coming in and how many going out, but when we do I'll share that with you too. I think you'll see why so many people are choosing to retire in "third world countries". Ha, don't let that those three little words fool you. Life is good here if you have a few dollars to bring with you.

Anyway, being shorter on cash than on time, (yes, I'm still unemployed...I hate that word) I have begun fixing things that I would have, in the old world, sent out for repair. I did brakes, an oil change and replaced a solenoid on the van. I have repaired the washer...twice. I have installed our newly purchased gas range and even fixed a copy machine belonging to a friend. I contracted a burglar to slip through the bars on the boys bedroom window to unlock their bedroom door. It's a good thing for us these kids are so thin here. None of us could have done it...and that's a fact, as my good friend Ted would say.

Thomas and I fixing the drive coupler on the washer



Sylvi, the burglar, slipping through the 7" gap in the bars



 

We also go to Doña Eva's to buy packets of fresh tortillas quite often. They crank out tortillas at an amazing rate.

 

 

Mounds of tortillas waiting to be flattened by hand and cooked







The finished product

 

 

 

Was It Worth It?

 

Some people have wondered if driving to Honduras was worth it. Wouldn't it have been easier to fly down and to ship our belongings in a container and buy a car here in country? It's a valid question and I would answer it in this way. Yes...there's no doubt it would be easier.

If your goal is to just get to Honduras and get started with whatever it is you are coming for - then more than likely this would be the best way for you to go.

However, if you are like me and enjoy the journey then all I can say is, "Drive!" To me, life really is about the things we experience, the memories we make and the people we meet along the way. The 23 days we spent on the road more than met all those requirements and expectations. When I think about the time we spent at Casa de Esperanza, or Costa Esmeralda and Lago Atitlan, I wouldn't trade those memories for anything.

Barbe and me with Angeles @ Casa de Esperanza, Cd. Victoria, Mexico

Was it a perfect trip? Good Heavens....No! We were in that van together for 23 days and almost 4800 miles. What do you think?  We got on each other's  nerves, had some tense times and bickered with each. We had so much gear piled in the back of the van and of course it seemed that every time we needed something it was at the bottom of the pile. We weren't always happy campers. But, I wouldn't trade those memories for anything.

Barbe and our other child

Ben, enjoying having the whole seat to himself, somewhere between here and there.



The Boys, doing what they do best! Costa Esmeralda, Mexico

How did driving compare financially to flying and shipping? I'm not really sure. For one thing, I have yet to pay the import tax on the van. Also, having done this once I know where I could cut some expenses. Next time I would bring more items - either more of our own things, things to sell or try to combine the trip with someone else and share the cost. But, it never was about all that to begin with. The finances or the stuff, that is.

Would I do it again? Absolutely, but having done it once already I would look at it from all the above viewpoints. It really was a long trip. Exceptional, but long.





An evening walk along the Costa Esmeralda, Mexico

Barbe and me. Panajachel and Lago Atitlan, Guatemala

Settling In

It's hard to believe we have been here almost a month now. Our first two weeks were pretty much filled with getting settled in our new house. Unpacking, finding places to put everything and adjusting to life in Honduras again. I have built some first class bookshelves using concrete blocks we bought from a local block maker and 1 by 6 pine boards purchased at ESNACIFOR, the government forestry school across the road from us.

The house we have rented is new and very nice. I, personally, am less than thrilled with living behind a wall with razor wire running across the top, but that is the way most houses are built here if the owner can afford it. The thought process here goes something like this; if my house gets broken into it is my fault because I didn't have a wall or a dog or bars on the window to deter the thieves. The property is located very close to SEBCAH where we lived last year, so every evening the boys are able to go and play American football with friends there. We have also been going to MEDA, another seminary just down the street from us, to play volley ball once or twice a week. The new Maxi Dispensa is just across the street and is very convenient for groceries, although the new Del Corral is still our favorite store.

My boys stand out in a crowd down here!

We also go to the farmers market on Thursday's and Sunday's for fresh vegetables and fruits and to the Mennonite farm/boy's home in Villa Alicia for meat, cheese, yogurt and sometimes ice cream. Everything the Mennonite's make is top quality, homemade and very, very good.

A view from our morning walk

Barbe and I walk almost every morning up the dirt road from our house to the top of the hill, turn left on the cow path, left again on the road that runs back through the fields, across the bridge and back through our neighborhood to our house. It's about a two mile walk and is very pleasant. We have begun to meet people along the way and I think they are getting used to seeing these two crazy gringos who walk for exercise, not because they have to. I have lost over twelve pounds since we left Maine.

Spanish class

The boys are on a much more rigid school schedule than before and are doing really well with it. We are a bit behind this year as we were on the road for so long getting down here, but that's okay as most of the Honduran schools run opposite ours in the States and go through the summer months. Along with all their other classes, we study Spanish together as a family everyday and have chapel on Wednesdays. We are also working on a documentary and have already presented an economic project for our BAM ministry which was really fun for us and those who participated. We did all the research for the project and then presented an actual scenario with real time events. It was a blast! (more on that in another post)


I am having a bit of a hard time adjusting to unemployment. So of course my mind is already churning out ideas for the future. As most of you who have followed my blog or have visited our website know, we want to support ourselves while we are here and believe that business, providing jobs, is the best way to alleviate poverty and help others and ourselves at the same time. I will be completing the Economics page on our website soon so you can see what that looks like for us. So far, those we have talked to have been overwhelmingly supportive of our ideas and see the immense value, which if implemented, these concepts will have for them and their communities. I am excited to see what God is going to do through us!

I was convinced before coming here that that this move would be something very good for our family and I remain even more convinced of that now. We are already seeing evidence that this life change that we are making is producing positive results in our lives. I am, at some point, going to devote an entire post to this subject and am looking forward to sharing some of what we are experiencing as a family with you.