Monday, April 23, 2012
My take on the recent Vision Trip to Honduras
To properly describe my recent trip to Honduras, I first have to start by detailing my trip last year. Last year we had a work trip, with the goal of helping out at the school and doing some sort of work project. The project we were involved in was helping to build a house. There were over 20 of us that went: men, women, and children, all together in a school bus.
Every day the school bus would drop us off at AFE in the morning, and then I and 2 other men would travel to the work site where we worked closely with a handful of locals. None of us from the states were particularly skilled in construction, so we easily took direction from the foreman and other locals. As expected we ran into translation issues, but the scope of our work was somewhat limited, so it was easy to manage. After the morning was done, we would travel back to the school for lunch, then back to the house for a few more hours. When the day was done we went to the hotel and cleaned up and got ready for dinner.
During our few days there, we were able to get an amazing amount of work accomplished. Even though we didn’t make it a goal to accomplish so much, in 1 week we took a concrete slab and made it a fully functional house with 2 bedrooms and a kitchen/living space. It felt great to accomplish so much and know that a deserving family would benefit greatly from our efforts.
After I got home and the post-mission trip glow faded, I began wondering if I really helped by going down there. Surely the locals could have completed the job just as well, and the cost of my travel, hotel, and food could have provided better tools that would have made the job easier and faster. Additionally, everyone else in our group kept talking about how great it was to connect with the kids and how much they look forward to seeing them again. All I ever saw was the work crew, they were great guys, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to see them again.
I spoke with Pastor Rey about what I could truly help with and he suggested that I would be able to help people in the dump community just by being there. Being involved in Bible studies, helping the kids, and just being friends was the most important things I could do.
Once the discussion for a new trip came up I decided that if I go, I would focus on being with the kids, not on building something. I would still build if needed, but it wouldn’t be my primary goal. I was delighted when I heard that this wasn’t going to be a Mission Trip, or a Work Trip, but rather a Vision Trip. We weren’t going to focus on how much we can get done, but on making friends and sharing of ourselves. I was in…
So when asked what I “accomplished” during this trip, all I can say is that I painted a couple of windows, something that could easily be accomplished in an 8 hour day, not 12 people over 6 days. The real question is who did I impact, and I think that would be a couple hundred kids. Just by playing with them, being friends with them, and being there I made their lives a little better, and possibly changed them permanently for the long run.
I was personally impacted by how open the kids at AFE were and how open they were to me as a stranger. Minutes after arriving on campus we went to the auditorium and I sat down in the crowd, immediately a boy named Wilson scooted over to me, grabbed my hand, and held onto it. He didn’t want me to entertain him, he didn’t need me to teach him, or be anything special, he simply wanted me to love him. Even though I don’t know him, speak his language, look like him, have any candy, or anything else, he wanted me. As the week went by, similar situations happened with different kids, while playing, taking pictures, or just sitting in the shade, I was amazing how open their hearts were to allowing a gringo into their lives.
One of my favorite quotes is from the movie Return of the Jedi, “You're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view”. While at AFE and the surrounding dump community I found lots of great people, lots of resources, and lots of beauty, but I also found a point of view that was, for lack of a better term, stuck. During this trip I learned how just a few well-chosen words to a child can possibly change a point of view, or at least open them to another point of view. Now I understand what Pastor Rey meant by saying that being there was one of the most important things I could do.
Now I am looking forward to our next trip. The only concern I have now is how much time I am able to spend there. Between work schedules, and the schedules of the rest of the team, I may only succeed in getting to spend 1 week a year. If this were an ideal world, I would be able to take a 3 month sabbatical and spend more time getting to know the people there, and of course learn how to speak with them
Cross posted to http://blog.edgoad.com and http://wcafe2012.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Tuesday, Day two at AFE
Our Be Flexible rule came into play first thing this morning. Greg, the only one that speaks enough Spanish to really get by down here (he lived here for two years) was sick. So, Ed, who is the only other one of the group that has ever driven down here (on vacation last year), was promoted to replacement driver. (Luckily, Greg felt better to join us by lunchtime.) And, luckily, there were enough of us in the van that have been coming down here for several years, that we easily navigated our way directly to the school.
We did some craft activities with the children and then went out onto the 'campo' for a rambunctious game of kickball. Due to my bunged up knee, I opted out of the sports!
As stated in a post two before this one, my computer has chosen a terrible time to be troublesome. I had located some images on-line yesterday that we wanted to paint on the walls in the nursery. But with my computer crashing last night and not loading my profile, or any Windows programs, I can't access any saved photos, nor have I (so far) figured out a way to get photos off my camera. I had decided on the theme of Noah's Ark in the nursery and the photos were of an ark (of course) and pairs of animals/creatures. I didn't think there was anyway I could draw all the pictures and get them painted, but we (Jana and Christi offered to help) would try to get through as many of them as possible. Since I couldn't get to the images I had saved, I followed the Be Flexible rule and I brought them back up through G**gle and took a photo of them with my camera.
Just in case we got all the arc and animal photos done, I though we could put some bright 'fun' pictures on other walls, so I had photos of sailboats and hot air balloons too.
Problem solved. Almost. Jeony said we could paint anything on any wall in the nursery, including the kitchen and bathroom if we wanted to. Today, we decided to ask the nursery school teachers what they specifically would like painted, and they asked that another "Alphabet Wall" be painted on the "classroom" side of the nursery. They also wanted a "Counting Wall" and something painted in the bathroom. So the drawing of the outlines was begun today. Oh, did I tell you we didn't have any paint, brushes, or supplies yet? Yep. We hadn't yet made it to the hardware store. Adam and Greg did bring paint to the school in the afternoon.
This afternoon the team also took meals up to the workers in the dump. There is no way we can feed every person up there, but those that get a meal are one less that is hungry. In addition to the 150 plus meals handed out, there were 300 bags of clean water distributed. It is very hot down here and it is very easy to get dehydrated.
After leaving AFE, we had some uncommited time before dinner. Some took advantage of the hotel pool, some read, some went to Espresso Americano for a coffee fix, and Rick and I went to Gloria's store. (The team met her last year while here. She runs a Christian based music school and was in the process of trying to set up a 12 step program through her church.) She wasn't there but we went in to look at the items, and she walked in a short time later. She had been trying to get in touch with one of our team members from last year to tell him some amazing news: she was successful in getting the recovery group started, and it was so successful, that there are 300 attendees and has resulted in it being split into three groups. We had wanted to get to her store from the day we arrived, but timing didn't allow it. Today was the first opportunity. Gloria doesn't usually come to the store on Tuesdays because it is in the opposite direction of her home and group location, but she had to make a delivery to her mother. She had only made a brief stop. I think we were meant to run into her today!
It's late, I should be asleep, but another group checked into the hotel yesterday afternoon. They were out by the pool yelling, screaming, drinking and singing until two oclock this morning (yes, I was still awake, not wanting to be). They started up again two hours ago tonight and are going strong. I hope they quiet down soon.
We did some craft activities with the children and then went out onto the 'campo' for a rambunctious game of kickball. Due to my bunged up knee, I opted out of the sports!
As stated in a post two before this one, my computer has chosen a terrible time to be troublesome. I had located some images on-line yesterday that we wanted to paint on the walls in the nursery. But with my computer crashing last night and not loading my profile, or any Windows programs, I can't access any saved photos, nor have I (so far) figured out a way to get photos off my camera. I had decided on the theme of Noah's Ark in the nursery and the photos were of an ark (of course) and pairs of animals/creatures. I didn't think there was anyway I could draw all the pictures and get them painted, but we (Jana and Christi offered to help) would try to get through as many of them as possible. Since I couldn't get to the images I had saved, I followed the Be Flexible rule and I brought them back up through G**gle and took a photo of them with my camera.
Just in case we got all the arc and animal photos done, I though we could put some bright 'fun' pictures on other walls, so I had photos of sailboats and hot air balloons too.
Problem solved. Almost. Jeony said we could paint anything on any wall in the nursery, including the kitchen and bathroom if we wanted to. Today, we decided to ask the nursery school teachers what they specifically would like painted, and they asked that another "Alphabet Wall" be painted on the "classroom" side of the nursery. They also wanted a "Counting Wall" and something painted in the bathroom. So the drawing of the outlines was begun today. Oh, did I tell you we didn't have any paint, brushes, or supplies yet? Yep. We hadn't yet made it to the hardware store. Adam and Greg did bring paint to the school in the afternoon.
This afternoon the team also took meals up to the workers in the dump. There is no way we can feed every person up there, but those that get a meal are one less that is hungry. In addition to the 150 plus meals handed out, there were 300 bags of clean water distributed. It is very hot down here and it is very easy to get dehydrated.
After leaving AFE, we had some uncommited time before dinner. Some took advantage of the hotel pool, some read, some went to Espresso Americano for a coffee fix, and Rick and I went to Gloria's store. (The team met her last year while here. She runs a Christian based music school and was in the process of trying to set up a 12 step program through her church.) She wasn't there but we went in to look at the items, and she walked in a short time later. She had been trying to get in touch with one of our team members from last year to tell him some amazing news: she was successful in getting the recovery group started, and it was so successful, that there are 300 attendees and has resulted in it being split into three groups. We had wanted to get to her store from the day we arrived, but timing didn't allow it. Today was the first opportunity. Gloria doesn't usually come to the store on Tuesdays because it is in the opposite direction of her home and group location, but she had to make a delivery to her mother. She had only made a brief stop. I think we were meant to run into her today!
It's late, I should be asleep, but another group checked into the hotel yesterday afternoon. They were out by the pool yelling, screaming, drinking and singing until two oclock this morning (yes, I was still awake, not wanting to be). They started up again two hours ago tonight and are going strong. I hope they quiet down soon.
Monday. Day one at AFE
We got to the school early enough to unload the van of the medical supplies we brought to Hollie for the clinic, and got a brief tour by Adam of the updates to the existing structures and the plans for the new building under construction. The newest building will be three stories, as is the current high school building, but because of the elevation, it will be a full floor higher. The lower floor will have a library, a study hall, and a medical clinic. The second floor will be the Elementary school, getting all the elementary grades (1-6) in one building, and the third floor will be an open social area. It will have half walls and a roof, but the upper wall area will be left open. The plan is to have cafe tables and chair, and maybe a small snack bar located there.
The first building constructed on the campus currently has the 1-4 classrooms downstairs, and the mission team room, the music class room, and a small souvenier store where the students sell items. Once the 1-4 grades move to the new building, the plan is to start some vocational/trade type classes in the rooms they vacated.
The group of five showers that were built between building #1 and the kitchen/cafeteria/assembly area are being remodled this week. We are converting three of the showers into toilet stalls. This entails chiseling out the concrete and brick to free up the pipes which were of sufficient size for shower drainage, but too small for toilet waste, to be removed and larger pipe to be put in.
The Alphabet Wall that was painted in the nursery room four years ago, was demolished earlier this year when they took out the wall to double the size of the nursery since there are now so many toddlers that spend the day at AFE. Pastor Jeony asked that the walls be repainted pictures since everyone misses the ones that were destroyed.
Finally, the exterior of the buildings are being repainted. The sixth graders had been doing some of the painting to fulfill their National education requirement of community service. They tried, but it needs to be finished and touched up a bit where they started.
So, those are the work projects we will be assisting with as time allows. The first half of each day is designated to interacting and doing activities with the children (one classroom at a time). This morning, yearbook photos were taken of each teacher and child. In addition to being in an actual yearbook, the children get a copy of the photo to put into tongue-depresser photo frames they made during activity time.
We also played rousing games of soccer and frisbee out on the 'campo', the dirt/gravel soccer field adjacent to the school. It is absolutely amazing the amount of energy the kids have since they are fed twice a day at the school and aren't as hungry as they were before starting school. It's not so amazing that I am a klutz and did a spectacular wipe out while attempting to catch an errant disc thrown by a 1st grader. Blood resulted from a couple of places. No more sports play for me as my knee is scraped raw.
After we left the school for the day, we headed back to 'base' to clean up and then go to the hardware store to pick up the supplies we will need for the work projects. Unfortunately, we arrived at the store just as it was closing, (for the second day in a row, we tried Sunday, too), so we went back to the hotel and walked to the restaurant at which we had planned to eat dinner. It, too, had just closed. So we went out for Chinese.
Rule number one of these trips is BE FLEXIBLE. We get a lot of practice following that one!!!
The first building constructed on the campus currently has the 1-4 classrooms downstairs, and the mission team room, the music class room, and a small souvenier store where the students sell items. Once the 1-4 grades move to the new building, the plan is to start some vocational/trade type classes in the rooms they vacated.
The group of five showers that were built between building #1 and the kitchen/cafeteria/assembly area are being remodled this week. We are converting three of the showers into toilet stalls. This entails chiseling out the concrete and brick to free up the pipes which were of sufficient size for shower drainage, but too small for toilet waste, to be removed and larger pipe to be put in.
The Alphabet Wall that was painted in the nursery room four years ago, was demolished earlier this year when they took out the wall to double the size of the nursery since there are now so many toddlers that spend the day at AFE. Pastor Jeony asked that the walls be repainted pictures since everyone misses the ones that were destroyed.
Finally, the exterior of the buildings are being repainted. The sixth graders had been doing some of the painting to fulfill their National education requirement of community service. They tried, but it needs to be finished and touched up a bit where they started.
So, those are the work projects we will be assisting with as time allows. The first half of each day is designated to interacting and doing activities with the children (one classroom at a time). This morning, yearbook photos were taken of each teacher and child. In addition to being in an actual yearbook, the children get a copy of the photo to put into tongue-depresser photo frames they made during activity time.
 |
| The 3rd grade class lining up for their yearbook photos. |
We also played rousing games of soccer and frisbee out on the 'campo', the dirt/gravel soccer field adjacent to the school. It is absolutely amazing the amount of energy the kids have since they are fed twice a day at the school and aren't as hungry as they were before starting school. It's not so amazing that I am a klutz and did a spectacular wipe out while attempting to catch an errant disc thrown by a 1st grader. Blood resulted from a couple of places. No more sports play for me as my knee is scraped raw.
 |
| Photo take after it was cleaned up. |
After we left the school for the day, we headed back to 'base' to clean up and then go to the hardware store to pick up the supplies we will need for the work projects. Unfortunately, we arrived at the store just as it was closing, (for the second day in a row, we tried Sunday, too), so we went back to the hotel and walked to the restaurant at which we had planned to eat dinner. It, too, had just closed. So we went out for Chinese.
Rule number one of these trips is BE FLEXIBLE. We get a lot of practice following that one!!!
Computer Crash
My laptop has cancer. As of yesterday afternoon, it no longer recognizes my profile, and no amount of tweaking the settings has restored it. I can log in in Safe Mode, but can not access any Windows programs, including my photo files.
So, until a more tech savey mind than mine can figure out what is wrong, the posts are going to be text only. Until then, photos will resume only if #1) I find a way to download photos from my camera directly into the blog, or 2) other group members publish from their computers. So sorry. Please bear with the inconvenience.
So, until a more tech savey mind than mine can figure out what is wrong, the posts are going to be text only. Until then, photos will resume only if #1) I find a way to download photos from my camera directly into the blog, or 2) other group members publish from their computers. So sorry. Please bear with the inconvenience.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Sunday in Tegus
We started the day off by going to church out at the Amor y Vida church in the Linda Miller community where Pastor Jeony lives and preaches. He had an interesting sermon out of the gospels that said, in effect, that we, as individuals, "aren't all that", and not to feel self important. He said not to pick and choose which portions of God's commands, expectations, and offerings were applicable to us but to realize that they were ALL applicable to us. We can't ask for a double sized serving of love, comfort, and rest and leave the portions of service and works on the plate.
After service Jeony gave us a tour of the seminary building that is being built next to the church. It sounds like it will be a great facility. The gound floor will be classrooms. The second, a kitchen, living room, computer room and administrative offices. The top floor will have six bedrooms, restrooms, and a laundry room. His hopes are that seminary students will come for a couple week period, twice a year, for training, and they will live on site. When the seminary students are not there, the facility will be used to house visiting mission teams. I think the majority of us in our group thought this was a fantastic idea. For years, we have
wished that there was some lodging or housing option that would allow us to be closer to the school and the area we serve so that we could develop better relationships with people by spending more time with them. By staying right within their community, we will have that opportunity!
Following church, we went to lunch and then went up to Unidas, the park that has gardens, a zoo, a replica of a Copan ruin, and the Picacho statue. This is a HUGE statue of Christ that is visible from just about every location in Tegucigalpa. You can even see it from AFE if you look really hard.
We met a young Honduran soldier named Ricardo who actually grew up in Florida and returned to Honduras and joined the military. He was a nice kid who willingly posed for a lot of photos.
After the park, we came back down to the motel where the group split up. Some stayed to rest and swim, and some went out to buy supplies for the week and dinner for the evening meal. After dinner we had our shared devotion and called it a night. We have an early breakfast call, 06:30, before we head out to AFE for our first work day.
After service Jeony gave us a tour of the seminary building that is being built next to the church. It sounds like it will be a great facility. The gound floor will be classrooms. The second, a kitchen, living room, computer room and administrative offices. The top floor will have six bedrooms, restrooms, and a laundry room. His hopes are that seminary students will come for a couple week period, twice a year, for training, and they will live on site. When the seminary students are not there, the facility will be used to house visiting mission teams. I think the majority of us in our group thought this was a fantastic idea. For years, we have
wished that there was some lodging or housing option that would allow us to be closer to the school and the area we serve so that we could develop better relationships with people by spending more time with them. By staying right within their community, we will have that opportunity!
Following church, we went to lunch and then went up to Unidas, the park that has gardens, a zoo, a replica of a Copan ruin, and the Picacho statue. This is a HUGE statue of Christ that is visible from just about every location in Tegucigalpa. You can even see it from AFE if you look really hard.
We met a young Honduran soldier named Ricardo who actually grew up in Florida and returned to Honduras and joined the military. He was a nice kid who willingly posed for a lot of photos.
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| The AFE campus is actually visible in this photo if you look really, really closely. Find the blue rectangle (building) just to the right of the bare tree trunk. Look to the right in a straight line for a small red square (building). There will be a red rectangle (building) slightly above and to the left of it. The small red square is one of the AFE buildings. |
After the park, we came back down to the motel where the group split up. Some stayed to rest and swim, and some went out to buy supplies for the week and dinner for the evening meal. After dinner we had our shared devotion and called it a night. We have an early breakfast call, 06:30, before we head out to AFE for our first work day.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Daily Devotional 1 Corinthians 4-6
In a nutshell:
#1 Let Go and Let God. We are not Him. We get in His way when we inflate our importance. Let Him be Him and us be us, and things will run a lot smoother!
#2 Be the right type of yeast. Set a good example. A little yeast, whether good or bad, will quickly spread through the dough, affecting the whole thing. Hypocrisy will set back any cause you are trying to promote, so do and say what you mean.
#3 Lukewarm Christianity is prevalent. We've been washed, sanctified and justified in the name of Christ and though we may feel we have the right to do anything, not everything we can do is beneficial.
#1 Let Go and Let God. We are not Him. We get in His way when we inflate our importance. Let Him be Him and us be us, and things will run a lot smoother!
#2 Be the right type of yeast. Set a good example. A little yeast, whether good or bad, will quickly spread through the dough, affecting the whole thing. Hypocrisy will set back any cause you are trying to promote, so do and say what you mean.
#3 Lukewarm Christianity is prevalent. We've been washed, sanctified and justified in the name of Christ and though we may feel we have the right to do anything, not everything we can do is beneficial.
San Pedro Sula to Tegucigalpa
We spent the night in the Tamarindo Hostel in San Pedro Sula and in the morning re-loaded our stuffed van and started for Tegucigalpa. We chose to fly into SPS instead of directly to Tegucigalpa for a couple of reasons; first, the airfare was lower, and second, because most of us have made this trip several times in the past, we wanted to see a little bit more of the county to get a feel for Honduras as a whole, not just the area we have been exposed to. It was an eye opener. For some reason, I thought the rest of the country would appear "less poor" than Tegucigalpa since much of Tegucigalpa had been wiped out during Hurricane Mitch 14 years ago and they still haven't recovered. To my surprise, driving through other cities and towns, everything looked the same as Tegucigalpa and the area surrounding it. It better showed me just how materially poor the whole country is.
We had a several hour drive in front of us and broke it up with some stops every couple of hours to stretch. We stopped at a park across from Lago de Yojoa for a bit, climbed up an observation deck for a look around, played on the playground equipment, and listened to a trio play a zylophone. None of us opted to go into the butterfly museum/enclosure, although I wanted to.
After refilling our water supply, we continured on towards Comayagua. We stopped outside of the city and had lunch, and then continued on to go see the Comayagua Cathedralsecond oldest, continually working weighted bell tower clock in the world. (The oldest is in London... but they are doing date testing to see if this one, built in the 1800's, is actually the older of the two.)
While we were in the bell tower, a full scale downpour started. Luckily we were nice and dry. From the bell tower we ran across to the cathedral interior and looked around until the rain ended, and then continued on our way. Lets just say we are completely spoiled by the freeway system we have in the USA. They're working on it here, especially in the area of the US joint military base (proposed future site of the relocated Tegucigalpa International Airport), but in areas where construction hadn't yet been continued, oh my.
Once we arrived, we checked into the Hotel Mac Arthur, where we also stayed last year. (Part of me wished we still stayed at Hotel Boston where we stayed for a couple of years, simply for sentimental reasons). Once settled, we had dinner and then crashed.
We had a several hour drive in front of us and broke it up with some stops every couple of hours to stretch. We stopped at a park across from Lago de Yojoa for a bit, climbed up an observation deck for a look around, played on the playground equipment, and listened to a trio play a zylophone. None of us opted to go into the butterfly museum/enclosure, although I wanted to.
After refilling our water supply, we continured on towards Comayagua. We stopped outside of the city and had lunch, and then continued on to go see the Comayagua Cathedralsecond oldest, continually working weighted bell tower clock in the world. (The oldest is in London... but they are doing date testing to see if this one, built in the 1800's, is actually the older of the two.)
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| In the plaza in front of the church, the paving stones were layed so that they form a shadowed image of the face of the cathedral. |
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| As we were leaving, I spotted this face in one of the paving stones. Do you see it? |
Once we arrived, we checked into the Hotel Mac Arthur, where we also stayed last year. (Part of me wished we still stayed at Hotel Boston where we stayed for a couple of years, simply for sentimental reasons). Once settled, we had dinner and then crashed.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Daily Devotional 1 Corinthians 1-3
In a nutshell, three things:
#1 We are to get along and not argue and fight amongst ourselves while we are here. We need to present a united front and let God's love show through us.
#2 We don't have to be eloquent, persuasive speakers....which is good because most of us don't speak Spanish! God has routinely used people that are not the "expected choice" to teach/lead/preach to others. The weak instead of the strong, the poor instead of the rich, etc. As long as we let Him lead us, we will model what it is He wants us to using actions instead of words.
#3 We aren't in control over every aspect of our trips down here. We don't control what, or when, things get done. It is up to us to do the part God has in mind, whether we be planters, starting a project, or weeders, cleaning up obsticles to, and finishing a project already started by someone else, or the reapers. What we most stand to reap here, is the relationships with the people which is the main reason we come.
#1 We are to get along and not argue and fight amongst ourselves while we are here. We need to present a united front and let God's love show through us.
#2 We don't have to be eloquent, persuasive speakers....which is good because most of us don't speak Spanish! God has routinely used people that are not the "expected choice" to teach/lead/preach to others. The weak instead of the strong, the poor instead of the rich, etc. As long as we let Him lead us, we will model what it is He wants us to using actions instead of words.
#3 We aren't in control over every aspect of our trips down here. We don't control what, or when, things get done. It is up to us to do the part God has in mind, whether we be planters, starting a project, or weeders, cleaning up obsticles to, and finishing a project already started by someone else, or the reapers. What we most stand to reap here, is the relationships with the people which is the main reason we come.
Friday, April 13, 2012
2012 Washington Cathedral Family Work Trip To AFE
For the sixth consecutive year, Washington Cathedral has sent a team to the Amor, Fe, y Esperanza (AFE) school located across the street from the city dump outside Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
This year's team, as last year, is a family trip, with children accompanying parents. This year's team is much smaller than last year, and the itinerary has been tweaked from the norm to allow those of us that have been on prior year's trips to see a bit more of the country. So, as I type, we are in the Houston airport, waiting for our flight to San Pedro Sula. Tonight we will stay in SPS, and tomorrow will drive to Tegucigalpa.
This year's team are Greg G, Rick K, Ed and Jana G, Karen H, Christi and Madison H, and Kevin, Debi, Rachel, Jacob, and Katie R. All but Kevin, Jacob, and Katie have been here at least once.
We forgot to take the customary 'at the airport before leaving' team photo, so we took it once we arrived in San Pedro Sula.... only to remember later that Jana, who had come down two weeks prior to attend language school, was waiting for us on the other side of the Customs and Immigration barrier. So, she isn't shown in this year's photo. She did make it into the photos of several years past.
This year's team, as last year, is a family trip, with children accompanying parents. This year's team is much smaller than last year, and the itinerary has been tweaked from the norm to allow those of us that have been on prior year's trips to see a bit more of the country. So, as I type, we are in the Houston airport, waiting for our flight to San Pedro Sula. Tonight we will stay in SPS, and tomorrow will drive to Tegucigalpa.
This year's team are Greg G, Rick K, Ed and Jana G, Karen H, Christi and Madison H, and Kevin, Debi, Rachel, Jacob, and Katie R. All but Kevin, Jacob, and Katie have been here at least once.
We forgot to take the customary 'at the airport before leaving' team photo, so we took it once we arrived in San Pedro Sula.... only to remember later that Jana, who had come down two weeks prior to attend language school, was waiting for us on the other side of the Customs and Immigration barrier. So, she isn't shown in this year's photo. She did make it into the photos of several years past.
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| Unfortunately, the older man that took the photos didn't get them in focus. This is the best one. |
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