Saturday, March 9

Dear friends and family,

I am happy to report that, with no travel complications, 13 wonderful, dirty, emotionally and physically exhausted women have returned home safely from a wonderful week at El Hogar.

 The Saturday schedule at El Hogar is a bit more relaxed than the school week so we did not have to hurry off to morning devotion and breakfast but could savor our last morning together. The sound of voices, giggles and the scent of coffee were deemed by all a wonderful way to wake up and ease into each day. This will be missed upon our return.

 After we finished packing, we headed up to the dining hall for a breakfast of pancakes with honey and then outside to spend a few last moments with the children. Pictures were snapped, notes to children from madrinas were shared, hugs were exchanged and tears spilled down many a cheek. Jimmy, the Assistant Director, gathered the children for a final farewell and after a few more hugs and photos we piled into the vans for our short trip to the airport.

 

Our travel was smooth and easy, even allowing time for a quick celebratory glass of wine at the Cuban Restaurant and Bar aptly placed right next to our gate. We closed out a special week with the same joy, love and energy that had surrounded us all week.

 As the leader (somewhat by default!) of this energetic group of fabulous women, it was for me a privilege and a blessing to be able to share with them a place that I hold very near to my heart, to experience the joy and the heartbreak, the resilience and the hope that is El Hogar Projects.

 On the night we arrived, I dug into the first bag of Dove chocolates (a women’s team staple!) and pulled out the familiar red wrapped chocolate. On the inside of each wrapper is a saying or a phrase, along the lines of a fortune cookie. Last Saturday night, my phrase was “You are exactly where you are supposed to be.” I could not have said it better myself!

 Now, I also believe I am “exactly where I am supposed to be”- home with my family and friends and all of you who know the hope and love of El Hogar.

 

Welcome home, team! I miss you already!

Much love, Betsy

 

 

Day 7
A week can feel like the blink of an eye. And it can feel like a lifetime.

Seven days ago we arrived at El Hogar and were greeted with open wide arms and hearts. Where else in life can you meet someone for the first time and be received with such complete, unconditional love? Relationships solidify here with a smile, a hug and wink. And you are bonded for life. It can take weeks, months, years to build trusting relationships. But at El Hogar love happens at warp speed.

Our last full day here was a busy one. Before breakfast stood with the children as the sun rose higher in the sky and listened to Claudia Castro congratulate Dormitory 4 for being a great example for the rest of the students.  Apparently, one boy had been causing problems, offending other students.  A teacher sat down with the kids and the boy apologized to his dormmates and asked their forgiveness.  And they all forgave him. Claudia held the boy - and his dormmates - up as models of how to live in community.  We offend, we forgive, we move on. The children erupted in applause.

After breakfast some of us observed in the classrooms, and others helped fit the younger students with new shoes. There are no words to describe the face of a 7 year old girl slipping her foot into brand new sparkly pink and white sneaker - maybe ther first pair of new shoes she has ever owned. Cinderella, over and over again. Unfortunately, not everyone was so lucky.  We ran out of shoes in the smallest sizes. But we have been assured, more shoes are coming.

By mid morning, we squeezed back into the van and headed out to shop in a small town called Valle de Angeles. Afterall, we felt it was our duty to contribute to the Honduran economy. We succeeded brillliantly! We came home with Honduran-made pottery, tiles, fabric, jewelry, leather goods and woodwork. After gathering our goods we enjoyed a nice lunch with the dental team and climbed back into the hot van. At several points during the day, we received emails or texts from home with details of the snowstorm, how many inches was accumulating, who was shoveling sidewalks, which schools were closed.  Meanwhile, we were enjoying the 80 degree sunshine!

Our last stop of the of the day took us to the girls school in Santa Lucia where we were able to add the finishing touch on our garden project.  When we visited the Technicial Institute, we purchased three colorful butterflies (mariposas) that the boys in the welding class had fashioned out of metal and painted in bright colors.  We attached the mariposas to the brick wall behind the garden where they now hover over the flowers.  They added a touch of whimsy to the garden. We couldn´t wait for the girls to see them!

Later that evening, the girls arrived at El Hogar and told us how surprised they were by the garden and the butterflies. The teachers and students organized a goodbye party full of music, dancing, laughter and tears. As the children sang us a song, their voices competed with the screeching of cicadas and the honking of horns on the street outside. But I don`t think anything could drown out those voices.  We felt enveloped by the love of these small children with enormous hearts, these children we have known all of our lives.  Or at least that´s how it felt in that moment. Hadn´t we always known them?  How else could we love them so much, so quickly? As the congo line wound its way through the courtyard joy bubbled up in all of us, as did a few tears.

It doesn´t feel like a week could possibly have slipped through our fingers. And yet it seems inconceivable that we only met these children a week ago.  Tomorrow will be a tough day. We know that the children of El Hogar are so loved. So very loved. And so very blessed. But boy, will it be hard to say goodbye.

Julie

Day 6  Road Trips!

We gathered as usual at 7:00 am for the morning devotional with the children led by Professor Heyser. His story was a lesson about God`s all-knowing presence in our lives.

After breakfast of eggs, mini-hot dogs, and tortillas we headed off to our home visit. This is the home of Joel and Mario, two students at El Hogar. Joel came with us but his younger Mario chose to stay at El Hogar.  Claudia and the Canadian mission team came also. We drove out to the countryside and were met by Joel`s mother, father and four siblings (the eldest son does not live at home). We trudged 1/4 mile up a steep dirt hill to get to their home, crossing our fingers that the growling mangy dogs would not attack. Claudia made it no problemo in her high heels. We came with clothes, rice, cornmeal, and other staples. The family lives in a two-room shack; one small space is the kitchen, the other a bedroom. The house is very orderly, the stone floor was swept clean. The family had great dignity and welcomed us graciously. The father, standing outside his sheet- metal shack, informed us, "God has given me everything I need, I just don´t understand it yet."

Claudia Bell and Judy left with Claudia to return to El Hogar. Claudia B. taught English to the 4th, 5th and 6th graders today with Judy as here able assistant. Claudia B. has become an invaluable part of the teaching team this week, filling in wherever needed with an energy that continues to amaze us all.

The rest of us went on to the Technical Institute with Raul at the helm of our trustworthy van. Lazaro, the beloved director of the Institute, was there to greet us. He gave us a tour of the woodworking, metal and electrical workshops. We also went to the automotive and computer training workshops. Enrique, the computer and math teacher, explained the budding computer training program. He expressed the need and hope for 20 more computers so that computer training can be a offered full-time.We went to the chapel, sat in the pews, and watched as the altar curtains were drawn exposing a glorious painting of Jesus and angels. We paused to give thanks for the abundance of this day. Then off to the dining hall for a delicious lunch of chicken, rice, french fries, and lemonade.

We piled back in the mighty van to head to the Farm. Our van rides have become a highlight of our days. Here we share stories of our lives, pass snacks, and laugh until we cry. Margo and the Canadian team followed us in their car. Half way there they passed us, waving green Port Royals out the window. We jealously howled at them, licked our parched lips, and tried not to covet our neighbors` goods. As we came closer to the Farm there was a sudden bang and the van started to tilt. Raul expertly pulled to the side of the highway. We emptied out of the van and surveyed our very flat rear tire. Raul rose to the task. As we stood in the blazing sun, he methodically began to change the tire. Cars honked as they passed and we were disheartened. As God would have it, a man (angel in disguise?) in a pick-up truck pulled over to help us. He and Raul changed the tire in no time. He was a good man, married to an American from Michigan whom he had met on a mission trip. We were safe and we were grateful. We piled back in the van and arrived at the Farm where we were warmly greeted by Jony.  This place is heaven on earth, serene and abundant with living creatures, vegetables, ponds, and flowers. The highlights were the tilapia pond, squawking geese, the enormous pigs, tiny piglets, and the cows. The first crop the tilapia has been frozen and hopes are high for ongoing success.

Back to El Hogar for a spaghetti dinner and a birthday party for all volunteers and children born in January, February and March. Our Julie was a meember of this birthday bunch.The cake, made by the children in the bakery, was delicious. All the children were given Beanie Babies. We played with the children - basketball, Uno, jump rope, and jewelry making- until they were called for bed. We said a long goodbye to Brenda, Jen, and Lisa, our new dear friends from Canada.

We went back to the volunteer house to finally clean up and reflect on our day. We prayed for Jason, Liz, Sandy and the Kinchen family on this day of Jason's father's funeral. We prayed for those who intended to be with us but could not come - Liz, Jenny, and Sara. We gave thanks for the the last minute addition of Janet, whose medical and gardening expertise has been tapped time and again.With only one day left until we leave, I feel the clock ticking and wish I could turn back time. Knowing that the snow is falling in Boston makes us all welcome the warm sunshine even more. Each day with this supportive, compassionate group of women has been grand. I wish I could bottle their energy and enthusiasm to bring back through customs to keep forever.

I leave you with a line from my favorite evening prayer that Julie shared with us:

May the forms of your belonging - in love, creativity and friendship-
Be equal to the grandeur and the call of your soul.

Yours truly,
Pam    -   with Susan M.`s support

Day 5 Teaching, planting and giving

After a brief devotion outside with the children standing patiently at attention listening to the story for the day and sharing a recap of last nights festive evening we were off to our various assignments. 

Today we split into three different teams to complete our tasks.  Claudia, Eileen and Judy stayed here to substitute teach for a 4th grade teacher who couldn`t be at school.  This assignment came on a bit suddenly but Claudia as usual took it in stride and whipped up a lesson about math, greetings and salutations in English, readìng a play in Spanish (each child had a part) and then the children had free reading time.  In the afternoon the team rotated teaching 3rd, 2nd then 1st grade English and studied colors, clothes, body parts and sang Head Shoulders Knees and Toes and did the Hokey Pokey.  Then, later that day Susan Malloy caught up with the child she sponsored, Ashley Nicole, who asked her questions in English she learned from Claudia's lessons in class today !

Meanwhile, by the bodega, with the Canadians, Susan Malloy stepped up to the challenge of beginning to clothe 104 children.  Under the expert guidance of Margo and her team, they set up a kind of store for the children to select t-shirts, underwear, pants, socks and shoes.  The children`s faces lit up as they showed their appreciation of their new items in their sparkling eyes and big smiles.  Some of the shoes were completely worn through with a hole or 2 in the soles.  It was wonderful to see some of the girls faces when they put on their new white and pink sneakers or beaded flip flops !  It is not an easy task organizing clothes and sizes for this many children but Margo and her team did an admirable job.

Over in Santa Lucia, the rest of us worked on completely filling in the new flower bed with red earth and "pollo" manure and completing the landscape design in front of the girls dorm with a beautiful chalice shaped walkway (some of us wondered if this chalice shape was a subliminal repressed desire for a glass of wine that we haven´t had in 5 days ...) that Julie and Janet had planned and spread small white stones over a pebble base to complete the pathway.  Then we placed all the plants, some bird of paradise, inpatients, gardenia and other native plants to create a welcoming entrance for the girls new home.  We also created brick borders for the palms, pots filled with herbs and a few larger plants in large pots.  All in all a successful mission and satisfying day.

Back at El Hogar life went on as usual with children everywhere diligently doing their chores, sweeping and cleaning around the campus while others were finishing up classes and still others trying on new shoes right up until dinner time.  Some of us even squeezed in a half hour of yoga with our experienced instructor Pam, who helped center us amidst honking horns sitting in traffic and squeals of children`s happy playing just outside the auditorium.

After dinner the evening was balmy and perfect for playing games with the kids so we brought out jump ropes, games like Jenga and Trouble, coloring books and spiderman puzzles and the kids were excited to join in.  New this evening was a lively game of basketball with some moms challenging the kids in a fast paced game that left all of us sweaty and laughing afterwards.  Kevin, Jill´s sponsored child, who we deemed El Hogar´s little Rondo, had quite the moves dribbling between his legs and keeping the ball away from us with fierce determination while Mychael, Louise van Gelder, Brett and David´s child, played with the passion of Shaquille O`Neil, with one arm and one strong leg (he had been beaten by his mother when he was a child).  He wanted to be treated equally in every way exemplifying a pride and resilience that made us smile.  They had such joy for the game that it was a blast to play with them.  Later Kevin and Jill realized they had gymnastics in common and proceeded to the nearby wall to do handstands together. 

In the volunteer house we wrapped up our day all together again with a time to reflect after reading poetry and inspirational passages chosen by Julie.  Sitting on the adirondack chairs built by the boys at the tech school and sharing some thoughts and moments about our busy days offers a peaceful end to days filled with emotion and bonding moments.

We send our thoughts and prayers to Liz, Jason, Savannah, David and Sandy Kinchen who will be attending Jáson´s father´s memorial service tomorrow. 

Buenas Noches,
Kate

Day 4
March 5, 2013

We began a sparkling and slightly warmer day in Honduras with the 7am gathering in the courtyard.  What a treat today as Profesor Heyser played the guitar and led the children in a lovely ballad to end the devotional.  After a hearty breakfast of scrambled eggs and refried beans, all of us except Judy (more on that later) piled into the van for Day 2 at Santa Lucia.  We were in a hurry to get there so that we could say goodbye to Padre Mateo, and Raul could take him to the airport.  We hope you are home safely now Padre Mateo!

Some of us spent the day digging and planting under Janet and Julie´s expert direction.  Everyone moved frequently between activities, making it hard to remember who did what, but here is a sample...Janet, Blanca and Claudia went with Raul to the nursery to pick out plants.  We set out three containers along the front of the girls´ house and filled them with herbs.  Julie, Kate, Pam, Eileen, Susan M and Jill dug what seemed like enormously large holes, filled them with enriched soil and planted four new palms along the driveway.  Celia, Kate and Eileen worked on the vegetable garden behind Matt´s house.  Betsy, Kate, Claudia and Susan H finished painting one of the first floor bedrooms a bright robin´s egg blue, that together with the yellow kitchen and peach bedroom makes that apartment warm and cozy for a future group of girls.  Jill, Pam and Susan M helped Ana, the cook who came up with us from El Hogar, prepare a fabulous lunch of roast chicken, salad and mashed potatoes, all from ingredients supplied by the farm school. 

Meanwhile, Judy defected to the Canadians (just kidding!).  Margo Mingay, Susan Franklin and their team from Canada are here this week to bring needed clothing and supplies and organize the bodega which houses all of it.  Judy joined with them today to sort and organize the inventory.  This afternoon they set up what they laughingly called a store for some of the grades to come and choose new clothing: 4 pairs of pants, gym clothes, underwear, socks and sneakers.  5th grade boys can be amazingly choosy when picking out jeans!  After it started taking too long, reinforcements in the form of two teachers joined in to keep the process moving along. 

Back at Santa Lucia, the afternoon continued with Blanca and Claudia´s Excellent Adventure.  During a brief visit around lunchtime by the previous owners of the property, George and Victoria Beckham, we heard about a stunning private garden behind the walls of the property across the street.  Naturally Claudia and Blanca had to investigate!  Since the wall that the Epiphany men built last October cut off access to that side of the property, they climbed down the scrubby hill behind the house, crawled under some barbed wire and called on Dona Cristina next door, who apparently had the key to this garden.  (Fortunately they did not encounter the scrappy wild dog that Padre Mateo chased away yesterday.) Once inside the wall of the garden they were treated to what they described as a tropical paradise with lush plants, fish ponds and turtles.  Who knew?  They came back more sedately down the road from the upper property line.  We ended our afternoon a short while later greeting the girls coming home from school, who came walking home from the bus down that same road with their housemother Karin. 

The way home included a bit more than the usual adventurous trip up a steep, winding cobblestone hill in our van, when halfway up the hill Betsy, Eileen and Kate, who were in the rear seat of the 15-passenger van, felt the seat jolt and drop almost to the floor.  With the entire bus screaming with laughter, including us, we looked up to see our paparazzi teammates´ cameras snapping away.  Raul took our predicament more seriously, stopped the van on the steep hill, and had us get out so he could fix the seat.  We started off again, only to stop after about another 50 yards.  Raul thought it would be prudent to lock the back door, just in case.  We arrived home without incident.

The late afternoon saw the beginning of some new relationships.  Two brothers who arrived at the school this year, Durlan and Kevin, met their new madrinas Pam and Jill.  The boys glowed with happiness when they realized what a madrina was.  Claudia B translated for them, and said it was a privilege to witness this new beginning for both boys and madrinas.  Betsy met with her Carlos, who came to visit with his mother and two brothers.  Carlos graduated from El Hogar three years ago and now attends a private high school.  Betsy is still his madrina (and always will be), and he comes to see her whenever she is in Honduras.

The evening was quite special with a surprise Fiesta for Dr. Campi in the new dining hall.  Dr. Campi is the dentist who started the dental program here a number years ago.  He raised the funds to build a first-rate dental clinic at El Hogar to provide care for the children, many of whom had never brushed their teeth before they arrive here.  The amount of work that some of the new children need is substantial.  Twice a year Dr. Campi brings a team of dental professionals to Honduras to see the children from all four campuses.  Dr. Campi is planning to retire, and more dentists are needed to continue his great work.  Tonight´s celebration of his gifts included a slide show tribute, recorder music, traditional dances and of course, marimba music, along with a feast including pineapple upside down cake made by the students.

Following dinner we met with our Canadian friends in the volunteer house for a brainstorming session.  Margo, Susan, Jennifer, Brenda and Mary shared stories of innovative and successful fundraisers, giving us some great ideas to think about.  We ended our busy day with a thoughtful evening devotional prepared by Susan H.

buenas noches,
Eileen

DAY 3
Monday, March 4

Today was filled with laughter, tears, hugs, and friendship. We started our day with 7:00 am devotionals in the courtyard with all the children, Claudia, Gladys, Margo, the dental team, and a service team from Toronto. The early morning was unseasonably chilly. Short-sleeved cotton shirts were not enough to keep the children warm. Sweatshirts magically appeared for everyone. Together we prayed, gave thanks for our time together, and honored the gifts we had to share.

Then breakfast. Pancakes, honey, orange juice and of course coffee! After breakfast Claudia came to speak with us. She told us heart-wrenching stories about several of the new children who had just arrived in January. A few of the new boys and girls were brought in to meet us as their pre-El Hogar stories were told. How on earth could children be exposed to such extreme poverty, physical abuse and neglect, and still greet us with a smile on their faces and hugs aplenty? As our tears flowed and stories unfolded we came to realize the pain, suffering, hope and joy that is the story of each El Hogar child.

Then on to Santa Lucia to the girls` new home. Raul took us on a hair-raising bus ride to this glorious place. Here we visited ailing Matt at his spacious home. He had the purple cast on his arm and a big boot on his foot. Still he greeted us graciously. Matt will fly to his U.S.A. home tomorrow to have a doctor examine his broken hand, foot, and lacerations. We wish him well.

We dug a garden and built a brick wall outside the girls` lovely dorm that overlooks a vaste expanse of fields, mountains, and vegetation. Some of us painted a dorm room, others planted vegetables outside Matt`s house. The day was warm and sunsplashed.  We had pizza at Matt`s house for lunch.

Back to El Hogar to shower and read. Laughter follows us wherever we go. So do the children. Hugs and smiles are ever-present. Here is a place where a heart can break with sorrow one minute and overflow with love the next.

Dinner time! Pasta and salad and the ubiquitous Coca-cola. Then playtime in the courtyard. Football, crafts, coloring, soccer, jewelry making, and tons of hugs. Then we met for our team end-of-day devotional at the volunteer house. We prayed, read scripture and poetry, highlighted our day, cried and laughed some more. We are tired and sore and blessed. We acknowledged, each in our own way, that we are here to share our gifts and ask for God´s guidance in all our works.

With God`s Grace,
Pam

Day 2 Sunday at El Hogar

Day 2
Hola loved ones!

To catch everyone up, since last night´s blog was brief, we had a blissfully easy trip. Flights were on time with no "weather" like I encountered en route in Chicago on Friday. There were no close calls with connections. Susan M. made a new BFF who apparently runs the airport in Tegu, and got his card for Raul, should he ever need an "in" there.  Susan H. overheard the pilot telling someone who asked that it was a great flight ¨"until the end."  He apparently thought he could have done the landing better (apparently it was only his second time doing that tricky approach).  We thought he did a great job and were relieved not to know that he´d only done it once before. Customs was a breeze until they got to the last bag -- mine. Apparently, they are not used to people bringing cat food into the country. The officials poured over the ingredient list, brought in supervisors, asked me whether I spoke Spanish. I pantomimed whiskers and meowed, more or less with a straight face, and they let me through. I am certain the younger of the guys muttered something about my making his life complicated. It was the one time I was grateful Liz was not with us. Betsy told me to make no mistake, she was going to hear about it. Sorrrrrrry Liz.

Having been at El Hogar a year ago, everything from the smells to the shape and color of the flowering trees felt familiar. There were no shortage of greeters as we pulled up. Raul, Matt and the kids sweeping the driveway made us feel like long lost relatives. We got settled in quickly and took ourselves on a quick, self-guided tour, during which some of us successfully laid eyes on "our kids." After some extraneous activities like unpacking and eating, we went off to look for the children.  They were squirreled away indoors in various locations, due to the unexpectedly cool, blustery weather.

We found the youngest boys in a classroom watching a video while their teacher got the room ready for the next week. As soon as we stuck our heads in the TV went off, and legos, puzzles and crayons materialized. I excitedly beckoned to Carlos to come say Hola to his Madrina. He reluctantly stood next to me for a minute, barely tolerating my fussing over him, before taking off to play something that involved smashing toy cars into people and things. Fortunately, several charming young men were more than happy to play lego football with me (we invented it), while another with a fever and a runny nose fell asleep on my lap. Every time I stole a glance at Carlos he was pelting or pounding someone with something. After a few gentle discouraging facial expressions, I gave him what we call in my family "the hairy eyeball." He grinned diabolically. I wondered what had happened to the shy, snuggly little guy I met last year.

This morning, as we were filing into the sparkling new dining hall for breakfast (cinnamon buns made by the kids no less), I was tackled in a huge hug. I looked down and realized that the hugger was Carlos.  It made my week right then and there. I was so glad I had impetuously decided to join this great group of women in the eleventh hour. I also laughed thinking "great! one more moody child in my life."

A while later, we met Raul for church and found out about Matt's accident last night (he fell off a ladder breaking his wrist and hurting his ankle). It put a big damper on our spirits, until we arrived at church and saw that all of the boys from the Technical School were joining us. After everyone else in the packed church had received communion, a solemn line of little boys from El Hogar marched up the aisle, hands clasped together. I looked at the proud, serious expression on Carlos´ face, where there had been a diabolical grin the night before, and realized that he found the Holy Spirit as palpable in that place as I did.

We took the children for the usual "treat" of lunch at an American fast food restaurant, in this case McDonalds. When we came back, some of the more weary among us headed back to the guest house to do something quiet or "rest their eyes."  The rest of us changed and went over to the auditorium where we had our own treat, a private yoga session with our in house guru. It was wonderful to have a chance to tend to our own travel-tensed muscles before the week begins in earnest tomorrow. We are off to the countryside to plan a garden. Thanks be to God!

Good Night!
Janet