On Being a Father

On being a father

Of all the things I have loved doing in my life, being a father to our boys has been the greatest of all. I am not sure why that is so. All I know is that from the day our first son was born something wonderful happened, and as I looked in awe at this newborn baby that Barbe and I had created, I  realized that I was being given the greatest gift, the greatest responsibility and the greatest opportunity in this world. All of this was summed up in one word; Father.

On the Father's love

The life change that had prepared me for this moment had taken place a little over three years previous. I had come to know my Heavenly Father in a profound and life changing way. The hardness of my heart, the selfishness and the hurts of the past were slowly being erased and replaced with a new and gentler spirit. As I experienced firsthand the love He has for me, surely it prepared me to love my own children in a way I probably never would have or could have done before.

On quantity time versus quality time

From the age of 18 months, each of my boys took turns going in the truck with me. Right up until the day we left for Honduras. Those years I spent with each of my sons roaming the highways of America are the best memories of my life. I have often heard the debate over whether or not quality time with your children is better than quantity time or vice versa. Having experienced both I can tell you the answer. It is neither one nor the other. It is the combination of the two that creates the relationship and develops the character. Without a quantity of time there can really be no quality time, because it is through the quantity that quality happens, unscheduled and unplanned it comes about as naturally as the transition of the seasons.

On friendship

My boys are my best friends. They always have been. When the boys were young, sometimes being  "father" came before being "friend" - and we discussed that. Now that they are young men, that is reversed. Sure, I'm still respected as Dad, but our relationship has changed and continues to do so as it has shifted into an adult friendship. Even though the three older boys no longer live with us, we continue to spend huge amounts of time together, working or just hanging out. I love being with them. 

As we work together to build a family business, we have all had to learn to work and communicate with each other in new ways. It's been challenging, but rewarding. I tell them often that should their desires lead them away from here, I'll support them completely in any life decision they make, but I can tell you this with certainty. I wouldn't be as happy as I am here in Honduras if they weren't here with me. After all, they're my best friends.

On discipleship

I've seen all the evangelical books written on how to disciple your children. I've even read a few. I have listened to hours and hours of Christian radio. There's some good stuff out there, but here's the thing; I never intentionally discipled my boys. I always meant to and I've even felt guilty when it didn't happen, but it seems like life was always happening and somehow I never got around to it.

My views on all of that have changed. 

I watch my boys, well they are no longer boys, but young men. I watch them live their lives, make decisions, make choices. They are not perfect, but they are young men of conviction, integrity, honest and trustworthy, respectful. They understand the value of  good customer service, of a good work ethic and are learning to take responsibility for their failures. As I watch them I realize that these are my own values. I didn't sit them down once a week and teach them these things. Instead, what happened was that as we lived life together, day after day, week after week, year after year, as we spent a quantity of quality time together, they learned from watching me. Sometimes we did discuss values and beliefs, but mostly it was just us, living and doing life together. That's discipleship. Oh by the way - don't worry. You don't have to be perfect at living life. Some of life's greatest lessons where taught at my worst moments. It's all about how we choose to respond when it's over.

On breaking the generational curse

Whether we want to admit it or not, we take with us into our own families some of the bad things we learned from our parents who probably learned it from their parents. These are called generational curses because they are passed down from generation to generation. We don't intentionally pass it on, but in order to break the curse, it must be done intentionally. 

In our family we have a generational curse that my dad passed down to us. Did it come from his parents? I don't know, but I suspect it did. That curse is the avoidance of discussing any hurts and wounds caused to or by each other. Instead we avoid it and each other and in it's extreme we have been known to "disown" a family member if they have offended severely enough. My dad and his younger brother had a falling out many years ago and didn't speak to each other for over 40 years. 

My dad passed away two years ago. He found out he had terminal cancer and had only two weeks to live. Most of his children were there for those two weeks. I think all of us hoped that before Dad passed away that he would bring healing to us by talking about the wounds and the hurts of the past, by telling us he was sorry for his failures as a father, that we were deeply loved in spite of everything. Predictably, and even in the face of eternity, he studiously avoided any mention of the past. No I love yous. No attempt to make things right. Instead, the generational curse boldly flaunted itself during those two weeks, taunting us even as the moment to end it passed unredeemed. And we all like fools went right along with it, letting the curse control us, succumbing to it's lie that it's better to just avoid the past. And now those things can never be said this side of eternity. Oh, how I regret it.

I am not ashamed to admit to the tears that are running down my face even as I write, and as I write these emotions I find myself talking to my dad, telling him I love him and that I forgive him, and vowing to myself once again that my children will always know how much I love them, because I decided long ago that in my own life I was breaking the curse, and in my own family - that curse is ended. There is nothing my children can do or say that will make me love them any less than I do at this moment or than I ever have. No choice, no anger, no lifestyle, nothing. They are my children and I will love them until the day I die with an unfailing love, and I tell them that - often.

On a Daddy's love

I love George Straits' song "Love without end, Amen". The refrain goes like this:

"He said, "let me tell you a secret about a father's love,

A secret that my daddy said was just between us.

 He said, "Daddies don't just love there children every now and then.

It's a love without end, amen, it's a love without end, amen."

On one hand it makes me sad, because I wish I could tell my boys that it really is "a secret that my daddy said was just between us", but that just isn't so. On the other hand, I'm happy when I see them loving their 4 year old brother Carlitos, the way they talk to him, explain things, listen to his endless questions, take him with them when they go out. I'm happy because I know that they themselves are going to be good fathers and someday they will sing this song, with all our family's story, to their own children - and mean every word of it.

Rotary Drill Rig - Investment Capital Needed

When my family and I arrived in Honduras for "six months, maybe a little longer" we had every intention of returning home to pick up life where we had left off. Over six years later we are still here!

Not having planned on staying, we did not then, nor have we since, asked for financial support, but instead have supported ourselves since the day we arrived through our own savings and through business.

Starting with our language school, the Spanish Institute of Honduras, we have now grown to five separate businesses. Inversiones Wolfe Honduras began as a distributorship of Sawyer water filters and now encompasses a whole range of water filters, well drilling products, water pumps, and more. Our retail store will be opening soon in Siguatepeque with Grundfos Pumps being our main product line.

In October of 2015 we received a loan through the Camino Foundation  using funds donated by a wealthy Texas businessman to purchase a Bucyrus Erie 22W cable tool rig. With the purchase of that rig, Pozos para Todos was created and is the well drilling arm of our clean water for Honduras initiative.

Our rig drilling near Belen, Honduras

The BE22W has been an excellent rig for us to start with. It uses a drilling method developed by the Chinese that dates back to the 3rd century. Basically, a heavy drill string is lifted and dropped repeatedly in the bore hole breaking up the rock and soils as it drives deeper and deeper. The cable tool rig has drilled millions of wells around the world and the BE22W was the rig to have until the rotary rig became popular in the 1960s.

Our BE22W at work.

As with all improvements and inventions, the rotary rig was developed to overcome several of the disadvantages the cable tool rig has. Speed of drilling was a major improvement. Wells that took 6 days to drill, can now be done in a day and a half. Mud drilling using a Bentonite clay and water mixture keeps the bore hole open even in unconsolidated materials, and when drilling in hard rock, the air driven, down the hole hammer (DTH) makes drilling through granite and basalt rock fast and easy.

As we have grown and expanded, it's has become very clear to us that in order to drill in every area of Honduras, and in all types of geological formations, we must upgrade to a top head rotary drill rig with mud and air capabilities. I have located one in the USA that I believe will meet our criteria, and most importantly - our budget. After my inspection and purchase of the rig, the sellers have generously agreed to come to Honduras to drill a couple of wells with us in order to educate us on the rig's functions.

Our budget for the purchase of the rig, including transportation from it's location in the northern USA to Honduras, import taxes, extra drilling rod, extra bits and miscellaneous equipment is $85,000 USD.

In order to purchase the rig, we are looking to borrow the amount needed through a structured, interest bearing loan. The loan could come through one individual, or through many people lending smaller amounts.

One of the things I am learning here in Honduras is to depend on others to help accomplish the work we are doing. Back in Maine I would just walk into the bank and take out an equipment loan like I have done many, many times before. It's not that simple now. Banking in Honduras is complicated. However, by seeking investors to fund our projects, we have made new alliances and friendships. We recently hosted an investor from Canada. In a whirlwind visit we showed him what we are accomplishing through business and through donations that fund some of our social/missions projects. He was impressed enough to commit half of what we need to purchase the rig, or to be used somewhere else as needed.

With the new drill rig, our goal is to enlarge our on-going water filtration program in the public schools to include drilling wells. There are so many schools in Honduras where the children have no access to clean water. In addition, we have also been working with several donors, municipalities and NGOs to help communities that have no water. Both of these types of projects are very close to our hearts as we work to make a difference in Honduras.

Then there is the strictly commercial side of the business that pays the bills and supports us that is continuing to grow. Water is a growing need in Honduras and with rivers tapped out or badly contaminated, new wells are the obvious source to meet the growing demand. Whether it is for a municipality, a business or private residence, or a missions compound, water wells are in high demand as a dependable source of clean water.

If you or someone you know is interested in helping us fund this much needed drill rig, please contact me by email at mwolfe.ent@gmail.com  I will be happy to provide more details on our projects, projections and loan terms. Please feel free to share this post.

Thanks to each of you who has followed my blog over these past years and has made this journey with us! 

Observations on Honduras - post elections

It's been two weeks since I withdrew from Great Facebook Politics War and declared neutrality. I have to say, it's been more difficult to remain uninvolved than I had thought it would be. My main recourse has mostly been to just stay off Facebook altogether. When I have gone on, I immediately regret it, as the whirlwind posting of left and right wing propaganda seemingly has continued unabated. However, I have experienced some positive results these past two weeks. My blood pressure has been lower, and I'm much less argumentative in general.

As the battle continues to rage in the USA between the left and the right, I have been thinking about Honduras since the elections and the riots last November. I read today that last week the First Lady of Honduras went to the US border to inspect detention centers. (As first lady, the country's child welfare services falls under her oversight.) I personally, was very happy to see her go and review the situation firsthand. During her visit, she admonished her own people to "stay home for the safety of your children". She also said that President Orlando is committed to addressing the issues in Honduras that are encouraging Hondurans to leave their own country. I view Honduras accepting their responsibility in this problem as a huge step towards solving this issue of illegal immigration.

The absolute number 1 reason people make the dangerous and costly journey north through Guatemala and Mexico is economics. It isn't fleeing violence or gangs, although these do play a role in this story; it's in search of jobs.

I find it very interesting that, with the exception of two families, of all the many men and women that I have interviewed who have made the trip illegally, none have had any real desire to become American citizens and live in the USA forever. (The two families would actually like to become US citizens someday and went north in the hope of providing their children with a better future) Instead, what I have seen time and time again, is that as soon as the individual arrives in the USA and finds employment, they first begin sending money home to their families to help support them and second, begin sending money home to build themselves a house for when they return and third, they begin saving money in order to start a small business...in Honduras. (Please read my post "Why I'm mad...and sad" )

What role has crime and violence played in illegal immigration? While the media has portrayed illegal immigrants as "refugees" fleeing a war zone, this is not at all accurate. I live here in Honduras. I know what I'm speaking of. With the exception of gang controlled barrios in the larger cities, most of Honduras is a reasonably safe place to live. Typically, if you mind your own business, don't get mixed up with trouble makers and leave other's wives and girlfriends alone, you'll be okay. If you live in one of the gang controlled areas. then it's true that staying safe is much harder. However, that leaves the rest of Honduras for people to move to in order to "escape" the violence. Ah, but there's one problem: those places don't have much in the way of jobs either, so when they finally do decide to leave the barrio they head to the US instead of a safe town in Honduras. This is why I say with confidence that the ultimate motivation to travel through two countries illegally and risk life and limb is economics, plain and simple.

People close to President Orlando have told me that since the November elections and riots and particularly the death of his sister in a helicopter crash during that same time, that these events have affected him dramatically. He is a more serious person and he is serious about bringing change to Honduras. He has chosen to work closely with the United States and the war on drugs, illegal immigration and organized crime, believing that this is best for his country. If this is true, I couldn't agree more with his decision. (Please read my post "When the righteous prosper the city rejoices")

What Honduras and Hondurans need are jobs, with foreign investment being at the top of the list on where those jobs come from. With Orlando's Plan 2020, he hopes to encourage foreign investors to see Honduras as a legitimate investment opportunity. His plan seems to be bearing fruit already; Green4U Technologies just announced their intention to invest 20 million USD in a new electric vehicle assembly plant in Honduras. This is incredible news for Honduras!

Today I spoke with a man I have known for years and who is one of the most honorable men I know. He's a coffee grower, barely eking out a living as coffee prices have plummeted over the past few years. I asked him if he thought it was right for Hondurans to go to the USA illegally. He said this, "I think it would be far better for people to stay here and find a way to support their families, but if you have nothing, you do what you have to do."

For those of you who know me personally, I'm sure you have heard me say over and over again,     "Stop complaining and start doing something to change the world around you." 

We are committed to investing in and providing jobs to Honduras. If you would like to partner with us in helping Hondurans stay home by providing jobs, please contact me for more information at mwolfe.ent@gmail.com. We welcome you to come and experience firsthand what Honduras offers investors.