Robbed

Mark had a really great time back in the States. Walking into the airport and seeing him there was awesome. It is good to have him back.

We left the airport around 7:15 and drove into San Pedro Sula. I had a part to pick up for the well drilling rig and we decided to swing into the McDonald's just before downtown SPS for a quick breakfast. It's an area of fast food restaurants and shopping plazas, all which have guards and fairly secure parking...or so I thought.

Locking the car, we left Mark's suitcase loaded with necessities from home and his back pack with his brand new computer in it as well as passport and iPod in the back seat behind heavily tinted windows. Twenty minutes later we came back out, opened the door and...everything was gone, even Barbe's camera. We were in shock for several minutes, then pissed off and then...

Apparently, according to the surveillance camera, two cars pulled in shortly after we parked and within two minutes had punched out the door lock, cleaned out the car with the exception of a bag of bananas and were gone, politely closing the door after themselves. I'm pretty sure they followed us from the airport, watching for their chance. Fortunately for us, that chance was while we were not in the car. These guys usually don't worry about killing people.

I kicked myself for not parking in front of the windows, for not setting the alarm, for not having Mark bring his backpack in with him...for being to trusting, for being to slack. Kick, kick, kick.

Can I have one of those honest moments with you again? Yeh? Thanks. You know what one of the hardest things for me was/is? Seeing my son so happy to be back, having just had a really awesome time in the States...a place where he would really rather be...and 10 minutes after getting here being robbed of literally everything he owns. Seriously, he has the clothes on his back left. I could see the tiredness from the all night flight hit him, the disappointment, the hurt, and me, still being his Daddy...I wanted to shoot someone, or at the very least break some one's nose. I planned all kinds of sting operations, ya' no, like flash cash in the airport and then sit in the back seat with a shotgun and wait for them to open the door into eternity. Shockingly unrighteous stuff for a quasi missionary.

Another missionary who has been here for a long time said this to me when I talked to him about these feelings, "Mike, Honduras can really beat your kids up." Personally, I don't think it's just Honduras. I think Kenya, or South Africa, or Brazil or...any place that's not your home can do this to you. I hate the possibility that he could be right.

So, our innocence is gone. The reality of life in Honduras has finally hit home. This kind of stuff and worse happens here a lot, not so much in Sigaut, but in the cities, and these guys are almost never caught or even pursued. But here's what I've been thinking over. There's a several ways I can go with this. I can say that the toll on us isn't worth it, the risk to my family isn't worth it and head for home. Or... I can do what I see so many others here do; get really cynical about the culture, the government and people and hide behind walls and not go anywhere or do anything, you know, let the fear control me. OR... I can learn from this, be more on my guard and realize that if we are going to live here, then this comes with the territory.

I can tell you this; I don't want to turn cynical, stop loving people, stop reaching out, stop trusting. If I allow that to happen I might just as well go home because I will be of no earthly or heavenly use here. I can't allow one or two bad guys who I never even met face to face replace in my heart and mind the thousands of kind and caring people I have met here.

If God has called us here, and everyday that goes by I am more convinced of that, then I must come to terms with the fact that things like this will happen. It's part of life here and you can only protect yourself so far, the rest is up to God. And really...that's true no matter where you live. 

Drilling for Water

Ben running the drill rig.

For the past week and a half my drilling crew and I have been in Oriente. Ben, Thomas, Trey Russell and Alexis have worked hard keeping the Bentonite flowing, changing drill rod and bits and running the rig. I haven't had much time to do anything else, like blog, because the men of Oriente are posting a 24 hour watch on the equipment while it is there and I really would like to get done asap so they can go back home. We did take Sunday off and will take tomorrow off as well as I need to go to San Pedro Sula to pick up some parts and Mark who is returning from the States, but I am in hopes that by Thursday we will have drilled as deep as we can and can pack up the rig. Trusting that it will be deep enough and that the well will produce water. Of course we won't know until after we develop the well.

I've got some great pictures and will blog about all of this soon.

I just love this little guy. His name is Alfredo and he's like Oriente's village burro. He just wanders around and visits here and there. I had to close the pick up door because I thought he was going to hop in.

A Whirlwind Last Few Weeks

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of activity. As a matter of fact I would place last week as possibly one the most productive weeks of my life, certainly one of the most interesting.

Between hosting a business partner from the States, several days spent in both San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa in meetings with top government officials and businessmen, meetings at a hospital, two children's homes and evenings spent with some very unique individuals, there was very little time for anything else.

This Monday we finally were able to begin drilling a well in Oriente, a much anticipated event. I'll do another post on that as it has been interesting, to say the least. We are praying that we will hit water, as the community of Oriente only receives water every eight days at most, and then only a pila full.

Oxen pulling our trailer into the well site as it was inaccessible by pickup.

The weather has been superb here in Sigautepeque. I don't know what other years have been like, but so far I love the "rainy" season. Usually the days are beautiful, but about 6 o'clock a storm will roll in to wash the sky and the streets of dust and to turn the hills a verdant green. Temperatures have been in the high 70's to low 80's, surprisingly mild, as we are further south and closer to the equater than Miami. Of course the higher elevation has something to do with that. Down on the North Coast or in San Pedro Sula it's an entirely different story. Far hotter and much more humid.

A beautiful day filled with adventure.

The small Bible study we do every other Sunday afternoon in Cerro Azul , a small village at the end of the road far up in a narrow valley between mountain peaks, has been a real blessing to us. Last Sunday, as I sat on the front porch where we meet, relaxing, listening to the sound of the river as it rushed downhill over huge rocks, a gentle breeze making the afternoon idyllic, I realized that after all the hustle and bustle of the past week, all the important meetings and events, there really was no place I'd rather be at that moment than right there studying the Bible with these people who have become friends.

Everyday I am so thankful that we have the awesome privilege to be here, doing the things we are doing. living a life that few people will ever live. Jesus says in the Gospels that if you lose your life for His sake, you will find it. Before we came down here, as I was letting go of the things we had, my business, America, family and friends, I thought a lot about this Biblical principle. I wondered if it was really true. I can only say this; in the six months I have been here I have experienced life in a way that I have never before experienced. In another place, Jesus says that He came not only to give us life, but He came to give us abundant life. That is the way I would describe our life here....abundant.

A friendly little burro who wanted to be petted. I think he would have hopped in the pick up with us.

A personal account from my sister who recently visited.

Hi, I'm Amy, Michael's sister. I live in Maine. I recently had the wonderful opportunity to visit Michael and his family in Honduras. I love to travel and knew I would enjoy it very much.

Pottery in Por Venir

 Of course the highlight of my trip was seeing my nephews whom I love very much. As far as the actual Honduran experience went… I loved it!  Seeing what Michael and Barbe are doing there, the way they are working and helping more unfortunate people than themselves was very inspiring. I too would love to do that.

Being able to see where the water purification systems are being installed for entire villages is overwhelming. Just knowing the difference something like this makes in people’s lives and health is astounding. If each of us would donate a few dollars to these projects it would be amazing what we could do. Aside from the physical and material side of helping, the spiritual help Michael and Barbe are offering people who desire it is filling a great need also. There are so many who are hungry for the presence of God in their lives there. I wonder; is it because when people have so much less that their realization for the need of something more is stronger? I was touched by these people’s desire to serve God. So much so that I had a true change of heart in that area of my own life. Thank you Jesus for loving every person on this earth. I was struck by how grateful and uncomplaining these amazing Honduran people are. We are truly a spoiled nation full of complaining and selfishness. I am speaking about myself as well.

Typical house and scenery in HN

I had the opportunity to meet many people. From other missionaries who feel a calling to help others in all different areas and ways, to Hondurans. All of them were wonderful, warm, loving people. I have to say I did not meet a single person I didn't love. I am a huge lover of children. So, as you can imagine, I was gripped with emotion over every beautiful child I came into contact with. Some more than others, but all tore at my heart. If I could have taken home as many as I wanted to, my house would have about a hundred running around in it now.

One of the girls from church.

I have to say also that I was so impressed with my three teenage nephews. Mark, Ben and Thomas are true troopers. They get involved in helping and show true caring in action as well as spirit. I am so proud of them. I am proud of my sister in law. it is not easy adjusting to life in a  another country, not to mention the language barrier. She deserves an applause. I am proud of my brother Mike. He is working so hard to carry out all he feels he should do and be. I am sure God is very proud of these soldiers. I know I am.

Now… about the country itself. Beautiful! Very beautiful!  The mountains and greenery, the flowers and fruit, so close to paradise in a so many ways. Am I going to visit again? Absolutely! I am already looking forward to my next visit. I look forward to seeing all my new friends again and of course my family. I encourage everyone to open their minds and hearts and consider visiting there too. It’s a big, beautiful world out there.

Sunday's farmers market Barrio in San Juan

A boat on Lago Yojoa 

From Mike:

We had an awesome time with Auntie Amy too. She just fell into step with everything we were doing. I was really amazed at how much Spanish she remembered from our Guatemala days. Bring Terry with you next time! 

Unidos para Siguatepeque

Me making the opening comments with the help of my translator Jorge in the first meeting of United for Sigautepeque

Yesterday I had the honor of bringing the opening statements at the first meeting of United for Siguatepeque. Gathered together at CELebracion were many local pastors, leaders of NGOs, the Mayor of Sigau, doctors and businessmen. We came together to address the problems that the youth of this city are facing. The purpose driving this meeting was the idea that there are convergence points that exist between the Church, Government and community leaders and that when we merge our efforts where these needs meet, we will be able to accomplish our goals much more effectively. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first meeting of this kind and with this purpose to take place here. The results were outstanding!

The idea for this meeting was a joint effort between myself and Tim Hagler. The opportunity came out of the time I have spent with the Mayor discussing water issues, wells and other problems in Siguat. The idea for the forum came from a long time dream Tim has had for an event like last nights. Timing is everything, and the time was right for this.

We began the meeting with coffee and cake in the ComuniCafe. It was amazing to watch and listen as men and women from the community visited with each other, drinking coffee and eating pastries. Eventually we moved upstairs to begin the meeting officially.

Tim Hagler (right) with David Guevara (left) and Pastor Noel (center)

From the beginning of this event, I was and remain convinced that in order for something like this to work it must be every ones. I opened the meeting making this fact clear and asking each of us to use "me" less and "us" and "together" more. If you have the time, watch this 9 minute video of my "speech". The quality is awful, the sound poor and I am even uglier than usual, but I believe that the message of "unitedness" is one we need to hear more. Click on this link to go to YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCY703asyCQ 

Here's another great video Ben took, coming from the street into the meeting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvAIX__6k3g&feature=youtu.be

One of the small group discussions

So what came out of this meeting. Well, a good sense of unity, talk of a youth center and another meeting scheduled for next month. For me it really has been an honor to be able to be a part of something like this. I do not know what the future holds, but I do believe that as we work together, in what ever form that takes, we will be more effective and accomplish more of the things we hope to see happen. Things like a future and a hope for our children.

A Little Goes a Long Way

WARNING: I am going to ask you for money. 

Recently, we wanted to do something special for one of the ladies who has stuck with Allan and Nicole and their little church plant in Oriente through thick and then. She needed a window put in her house. Her bedroom window only had chicken wire and a shower curtain to cover it. When it rained, their beds got soaked. Dengue has been running rampant here and it's spread by mosquitoes. Shower curtains and chicken wire don't stop mosquitoes very well. Or bad guys.

Our home church, NGF, Jacksonville, FL left funds for us to use to drill a well with. I squeezed a little extra out of that account and with the help my carpenter friend Trey (actually he did it all, I just cheered him on) we built and installed wooden shutters...for $45 USD

This is RoseMary. She sleeps in this room and she was there "helping" us install the shutters. She's laughs and giggles a lot. She's adorable.

Trey, Ben and Thomas cutting the frame, me taking photos and cheering them on.

Trey is fitting the frame into the window opening.



The finished product

One happy little girl.

Okay, so here's my pitch and you know how much I hate doing this...you know...asking for money, but we would really appreciate your help funding some of the small things we do to help people.

As you know we pay for all our own living expenses here and I hope to continue being able to that, but...until I get a job, which I'm hoping will happen fairly soon, we are a little short on cash, at least from the budget which went out of the window a long time ago's perspective. We have opportunities here to help in little ways over and over again with things that really do make a difference in some one's life and doesn't cost much.

 Needs like those below.

Today I was able to buy blood pressure medication for an elderly lady who can't afford it and who's blood pressure was over 200. We bought it with a little of our money, a lot of money from a fellow missionary here and some from the little church we go to. Meds for the month, $35 USD. A little here goes a long way.

Last month we took her some food...about the same amount $ wise.

A little bit does go a long way here. Anyone want to join with us? Email me at wolfeent@copper.net

~Thank you NGF for providing the funds for this project.~


A Boy Scout in Honduras

When we left the States, we left many things behind. For Thomas, one of the things he left behind and misses most is Boy Scouts of America Troop 546, Temple, Maine. We had discussed the possibility of him continuing in the Boy Scouts under their Lone Scout program. But to be truthful, it sounded, well...rather lonely. A Lone Scout in a foreign country camping out by himself, it just didn't sound appealing and so Thomas was prepared to give up scouting.

To our complete surprise, several months after we arrived we learned that the Fosters, Meeks and Colbaths had formed a "troop" in El Socorro under the Lone Scout rules, but meeting together. We even found a used Boy Scout shirt in a second hand store for Thomas as he hadn't brought his.

Thomas at Jardin de Gracia, El Socorro, HN July 2013

Several weekends ago, we had an overnight camp out. Thomas was "grub master." He needed to do this in order to rank up. We had brought our big tent with us and some of our camping equipment when we moved here, so between all of us we were able to make due nicely. Sitting around the fire that night, telling jokes, performing skits, eating hamburgers and swatting mosquitos it almost felt like we were back in Maine.

The next day our goal was to do a 5 mile hike using a map and compass. Our destination was a waterfall with a decent swimming hole. As we hiked along the dirt road, which became a trail leading down through the pine woods, we stopped occasionally to check the compass and refer to our map. For some strange reason, although in the States I have an excellent sense of direction, here in Honduras if you ask me to head north, I usually head east...or south...or west. Other Gringos seem to have the same problem and it may be because the country/geography of Honduras actually runs NW to SE and the Caribbean coastline actually faces north. Or maybe it's because I have yet to find a decent map of Honduras to get my bearings with. Or....

Anyway, the trail is rather steep leading down to the swimming hole but very beautiful. I wish I could say the same about the hike out, but hey, we made it. The boys swam and dove from the high bank for awhile and then we cooked hotdogs over an open fire for lunch, before heading back to base camp for a review of our maps and the weekend.

Several weeks later, the Fosters who are administrators at Jardin de Gracia, (check out their website) had a STM team from Oklahoma come down to help for a week and Mr. Coates, one of the team members, gave the "troop" a class on the US Constitution and it's Amendments in order to satisfy the BSA requirements of learning about what it means to be a citizen of the USA. He did a really good job and I learned a lot of things about the Amendments that I did not know or had forgotten.

Mr. Coates and the Boy Scouts of Honduras

I am really thankful that God has provided for so many of the relational needs each of us have here. Barbe now meets with a group of women who meet every other week. We have our home fellowship group on Wednesday nights which week after week is a huge blessing. The men's breakfast each Tuesday morning at 6:30 am that we started at Granja D'Elia and which is attended by a number of us men and our sons is another weekly encouragement and something I look forward to. Visits from our home church and Auntie Amy have also been awesome for us. The boys have made many friends here, as have Barbe and I, and all this in only six months.

And Boy Scouts too!

 

If there are any other boys here in Siguatepeque who are interested in joining the Boy Scouts of America and our "troop" contact James Foster or click the link in this post to learn about the requirements which you would need to meet in order to join. We'd be more than happy to have you join our "troop".

Providing Pure Drinking Water in Schools

Most of you know that one of the things we planned on doing here in Honduras was to drill wells. And that is still going to happen...soon. I have been waiting for a permit, which I now have, to drill a well in Oriente, one of the barrios in Siguatepeque. Our home church, NGF in Jacksonville, FL raised the money needed to drill this well and came to here to help. However, I was unable to get the permit from the City in time for their arrival. What did happen though, is that my friend Paul Hosier (BMDMI) stepped up and offered to let my team install one of his water purification systems which an elementary school in North Carolina had raised money for. In addition, NGF was also able to pay forward another system which Paul and I installed two weeks ago at a rural community school in El Pacayal.

Me showing a group of young guys at the school how to measure the chlorine content in the water.

Paul and I worked so well together on these projects that we have decide to form a loose affiliation between ourselves and Dave Bettany (Water Ambassadors Canada) which we call Pure Water for Honduras. All three of us are working together, pooling time, resources and knowledge to bring purified drinking water to schools. Besides the actual water, we will also be returning to the schools to teach classes on health, sanitation, healthy relationships, etc.

After installing the system in El Pacayal, the school administrator, Lesly Garcia, planned an entire ceremony to thank us and several other members of the community who had helped supply building materials for the building where the system is located. It was really a beautiful morning and the event with several skits put on for us by the teachers and students was well done. Lunch was provided and a ribbon cutting ceremony followed by the lifting of glasses filled with purified water.

Me, cutting the ribbon, Paul Hosier (right) Lenin (left)

Boys doing a skit

A toast to clean water

A young school girl filling her Coke bottle with pure water.

Another skit performed by the students at El Pacayal Elementary



Ben, talking with one of the schoolboys as they fill a bottle with pure drinking water.

The water purification system we are currently using was designed by Water Step, and uses table salt to produce chlorine which is circulated through two holding tanks. The system is fairly inexpensive to purchase and install, but does require continued oversight as the water in the holding tanks needs to be re purified each time the tanks are refilled. Because of this, I am looking into other types of purification systems which require less maintenance. However, we have been able to reduce the cost of each system by $1,100 USD by sharing the same filtration unit and battery with each system we install. Most organizations place a complete unit in each location and then show someone how to use it and walk away trusting that the unit will be properly used, but because we want to continue to be involved in the process, personally insuring that the system is being used and used properly, building relationships with the community and doing follow up training and education, we are able to use one filtration unit and battery in many locations. Not only are we assured of correct usage, but we also feel that this is a much better use of the funds donated towards this project.

 

Filtration units from Water Step

Holding tanks, the shelf in the center is to hold the filtration unit



Another very interesting thing that has come out of the delay in the permitting process is that I have been able to spend a lot of time with the Mayor of Siguatepeque. As he and I have driven around the city looking at and discussing water problems and solutions we have been able to talk about some of the other problems which face Sigaut. Through these discussions, he and I will be working on several other water and community projects together. Because I do not represent any particular organization, this has given me the freedom to work uninhibited with the City and also to network with other organizations who will able to add value to things we hope to see accomplished.



Myself (left) the Mayor (center) and Tim Hagler (right) discussing an upcoming event we are planning.

If anyone would like to donate towards one of these water purification systems, we would very much appreciate it. For $1000 USD ( a bit more if we need to build a shed) you can supply a continued source of pure water to a school and a small community. We cannot do this with out your financial support and there are many schoolchildren in this area who would benefit greatly by having pure drinking water, not only to drink while at school, but to take home to their families.

Barbe and I would love to have you as a church, or as a family, raise the funds to purchase and install one of these systems and then come and help us do it. I promise you that it will be one of the most memorable things you will ever do, especially as a family. If you are interested in obtaining further information on this project you can email me at wolfeent@copper.net