Destino del Reino: A Work of Faith

Destino del Reino, Destiny in the Kingdom. What a story! What miracles! I first "met" Rhonda Jackson a month or two before leaving for Honduras. Surfing the web, looking for an orphanage in Honduras to visit, I came across Destino's website. As I began to read Rhonda Jackson's story and testimony I knew I had to meet her and see what God has done and continues to do through her. I'm not going to retell her story, but please, please go to her website Destino del Reino and read it for yourself. I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

The home and school she has built is about 8 miles out of Seguat and then 2 miles off the main highway on a dirt road. It is a beautiful setting. Very peaceful. Rhonda was sitting on the front porch visiting with the father and step mother of one of the children she calls "hers" when we arrived. Rhonda has, at this time, 18 children living with her. We use the word "orphans" quite often, but in reality most of the children here in Honduras and Central America who are in homes are not orphans. In general, these kids have one or both parents living, but because of poverty, health, alcohol, drugs etc. they abandon their children or leave them to live with a relative who can't feed them either. When Rhonda takes a child in, the parents must agree not to ask for them back. They are allowed to visit from time to time. I met all of her children...and they are wonderful kids. Happy, smiling, willing to talk, romping around the yard with each other and the dog.



Rhonda with some of her children



Future Jr. High Building

 Besides the home, she has a school with 300 students, grades kinder to 6th. She is in the process of constructing a junior high building and is in hopes of having a gym some day. She only takes kids who have no money to pay for school. Her buses run 5 days a week picking up the kids. She feeds them lunch and provides uniforms for them. The school itself, is immaculate, well constructed, and well supplied. There are classes in Spanish and English. This gift of an excellent education to these children is priceless.

Upper level of the school



Kinder classroom



As I walk with Rhonda around the grounds I realize that with out a doubt she falls into my category of ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things because of their faith. It is absolutely extraordinary what she has accomplished in 12-15 years. She would correct me here, "No, it is what God has accomplished through me. I'm just crazy enough to believe God, His promises and His Word." And she does. She points out miracle after miracle, talks freely of those who are coming to Christ and of the future dreams she believes God has given her for the land and the children. If I were to write the Book of Hebrews, the 11th Chapter today using present day examples of men and women who live by faith as evidenced by their actions, Rhonda would most certainly be in that chapter. Rhonda, your faith is a living example to all of us. Thank you.

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (ESV

Cows in the Outfield

We celebrated Jon Olvera's birthday on Friday. His wife Trish, Mark and our teachers went to the farmers market and purchased everything we needed to make baleadas, pupusas, frijoles and the different types of flour for the tortillas. Our teachers, and several of the women working here, helped us make everything. It was quite a process, but well worth it! Following that I went to an orphanage outside of Seguat that I have been so excited about visiting since before we got here. I can't wait to tell you about this place!

Saturday was a beautiful day. The sun was warm, the evening cool. I guess that describes just about every day we've had so far. We did sleep in a bit. My brain was fried and I was completely exhausted by Friday evening. Barbe's surgery, sleeping at the hospital and Spanish classes...my operating system just wouldn't process one more verb.

We started the day by joining a number of the folks here at SEBCAH out in the bean field. The seminary has quite a lot of unused farm land and Travis and Julie Hester have been working at turning some of it into bean fields in order to supply the seminary's kitchen with organically grown beans. It was good to see people socializing as we worked our way down the rows together. Thanks to everyone for their help, including the Fogals and their group from California. I love your excitement about being here!

Later that afternoon we took all the kids from SEBCAH and went to the baseball/soccer field near La Escuela Bilingue where Julie teaches. Baseball is not played much here, soccer being the national sport, but Travis has been coaching the boys from SEBCAH and some of the boys from the Bilingual School every week. This was the first game. Everyone had a lot of fun and it was amazing to see some of the kids really begin to "get" it. As you can see from the photo, some of our outfield consisted of cows. One of the boys hit a home run sending the ball right under one of the cows noses. As the outfielder ran to retrieve the ball I could see he was nervous. Being the jokester that I am a couldn't help myself. I yelled, "!Cuidado! es un toro". (Careful, it's a bull!) We all had a good laugh as he pulled up short and carefully inched forward. The teams ended the game with a prayer huddle. Travis is doing such great job with the kids. Keep up the good work Travis! I'm really hoping you'll put together a men's softball league. LOL

SEBCAH vs Escuela Bilingue 2/18/2012

Special thanks to all those who donated uniforms and equipment. It couldn't have happened without you!
Photos courtesy of Julie Hester

Meet the Nelsons

I don’t know Tim and Julie or their life story all that well, but I do know that they are a family that has chosen to live their lives in a different way than the majority of Americans. Tim’s parents were missionaries here in Honduras. He grew up here, speaks Spanish fluently and is very comfortable in the culture.  Not that he “fits” in, after all a 6’5” blonde haired giant is hard to miss in a country where the average male is 5’5” (a rough est.). He and Julie met at Moody Bible Institute and were married several years later.  After graduating Moody they continued their education, Tim in architectural drafting, Julie as an LPN. After working only a few years in their chosen careers, they felt called to fulltime foreign missions. CAM placed them in Costa Rica where they lived until coming to Honduras several years ago. Tim is a gifted administrator and enjoys using a lifestyle approach to discipleship. Julie is “Aunt Julie”. Her's is the house all the kids want to hang out at. They both have the gift of hospitality and enjoy using it. 

While Julie and I were waiting for Barbe to come out of the recovery room following her emergency surgery, I had the opportunity to interview her. One of the first questions I asked her was this, “In your most honest moments have you ever regretted your choice to live life as you have, giving up the careers, the two story house and 3 car garage with all the toys and moving to a foreign country?” Without a moment’s hesitation, she replied, “Not once, not ever”.

I asked her to define what success or a successful life meant to her. She thought for a moment and said that for her it would be this, “A successful life is having done all that God has asked of me.” I think that may be the best answer I have heard.

When I ask about her children, Julie’s face lights up. Both children are living with grandparents in MN and attending college. She misses them, it is obvious. Both are graduates of the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace  program. Both are interested in returning to missions after college. Julie says that both her children have world views that are different than the kids they are attending school with now. Superficiality seems to be the word that comes up most often when they describe what they most dislike about American culture. Does she have any regrets about raising her children in a foreign country? Again, a resounding no!

There is a great paradox that exists (in my opinion) most of the time with American missionaries. From what I have seen in my travels, most American missionaries live quite well, often far better than most of the lower class in America. But, to put things in context and in all fairness, they often live far below the level they could be, if living in the US. In Tim and Julie’s case, if they had continued pursuing careers in the US, I’m sure they would be bringing down $200,000 or better a year. Here it’s probably a quarter of that. The paradox is this: While living poor by US standards, they are living rich by the standards of the country they serve in. Julie recognizes this paradox and has had to come to terms with it herself. I asked her what conclusion she had reached. “We have learned to enjoy whatever God has given us and to be content with that.” Currently they are living in a small duplex on campus, having just moved out of an efficiency apartment. One of the things I really appreciate about them is that even though a larger house was available they chose not to take it. Any comments or opinions on the subject are welcome. It is certainly something I have wrestled with personally as I look at my life and the future.

Always prepared to pick up and move, I wanted to know what they take with them. Most of the time it is easier to sell or give away household items and start from scratch on arrival in the new country. However, there are a few things like pots and pans received as wedding gifts that are both useful and filled with memories that travel with them. A few pictures, games, toys and of course Tim’s books make the list as well. Their philosophy has always been to leave any place they leave better than it was before. Isn’t that the Boy Scouts motto too?

Well, there is much more I could tell you. As Julie said, to every question I asked she responded with a story. I asked her if Tim were here, what would he say to sum up all my questions. She laughed and said that Tim, who loves his life here, would say, “Just suffering for Jesus”.

Valentine's Day in Seguat w/video

Our teachers, bless their hearts, (that's not what we were really saying) decided we Gringo men probably needed some help with Valentine's day. I guess they must think we lack Latin romanticism. They decided as part of our "schooling" we needed to sing a love song in Spanish to our wives as a surprise. So with only a few minutes to practice and a few sneak peaks at Rabito on You Tube, we gathered at our house and as you can see by this video...made complete fools of ourselves. Fortunately, our wives seemed to enjoy it. The teachers then made each of us say something mushy to our wives, in Spanish of course.

Please enjoy the Honduras Spanish Language Institute Men's Choir as they sing Pacto con Dios.

If you have trouble viewing the video directly from the blog, please click the following link to view on You Tube. HSLI Men's Choir, Valentine's Day Production 

 Afterwards we had "tres leches cake" and visited for awhile. 

Seriously though, thank you "Maestras" for your help. Thank you also for the fun you bring to the school and for your patience with all of us tongue tied, Spanish lacking, mispronouncing, grammatically incorrect, improperly conjugated, crazy Gringos. 





The Conspirators









Mercedes: Her Story, part 2

Her Story

I want to tell you a little bit about my life and how I came to know and trust my life to God.  I had begun attending church, but for the first two years the changes in me were very small. I was trying to assimilate the life in Christ, but I had not turned my life completely over to Him. Then something terrible happened. My husband disappeared. That was more than seven years ago and we still don’t know what happened to him. It killed me totally. Inside I felt as though I was a coffin. I felt this way for over a year. At one point I almost gave my son up for adoption because I felt as though I couldn’t care for him. But, I saw how much he needed me and slowly I began to live again. During this time I realized I had two choices. I could either walk away from God, blaming Him for all that had happened, or I could hold on to Him even tighter. I chose the latter. Over the next several years I spent hours praying and fasting. Slowly I began to see and to trust in God. He returned life to me. I learned to forgive people, to fear the Lord and to have a real love for Him. In my opinion these are the beginning principles for power and real life with God. I am employed in God’s Kingdom, serving Him in the area of evangelism at the church, Christ is My Rock. While I take charge of His work, He takes charge of my son, my life and my family.

I asked Mercedes if she is ever discouraged. She said, “Yes, sometimes, but not for long. I just begin singing praise songs to Jesus and soon my discouragement passes.” Her peace and contentment is obvious. Her trust is also evident. How so? Let me share this story from her life.

Mercedes is an excellent teacher. Several years ago she worked for the Peace Corp here in HN teaching their volunteers Spanish. (I want to put this in the proper context. Mercedes is a single mother, in Honduras with NO government support available. Steady work here, especially that pays enough to live on, is very difficult to find.) The Peace Corp offered her and several other teachers a permanent contract at a level of pay far above the equivalent Honduran wage scale. I think most of us would have accepted the offer on the spot, seeing it as God’s blessing on our lives. Not Mercedes, she asked for time to pray about it. After 3 weeks she came to them and declined their offer. Shocked I think is the word used to describe their reaction. Why, they wanted to know. This is a permanent contract with a possible visa. These are her words. “After seeking God’s will, I knew that he wanted me to learn to trust Him completely and I know if I take this job my trust will be in the Peace Corp.” Not taking the contract meant losing her job. She went for a year after that with no work whatsoever. And she looked, everyday. During that year, somehow, they always had food on the table. For her it is a miracle. She tells me that it was during this time she truly learned to trust God. She spent many afternoons visiting people in her neighborhood, talking to them about the love of God. Eventually she found work in an orphanage.

Note: One month ago, the Peace Corp pulled out of Honduras leaving those who chose the “permanent” contract, without a contract.

Mercedes continues to live in Comayaqua. She is fortunate to own her own house. It is small, but it is hers. She is very active with her church. She volunteers each Saturday at the church to help children who are having difficulty in school. Three nights a week she and several other people visit in the neighborhood near the church and have lead many people to Christ. Because of this, the church is growing by leaps and bounds. On Sundays there is standing room only.

James (2:17) tells us that faith without works is dead. He then goes on to give examples of people who believed God and lived their lives accordingly. Mercedes is a living example of this.

Mercedes: Her Story

I began this part of my Quest, this searching for people of great faith, several years ago. I had great expectations of encountering some of these people here in Honduras. That is one of the reasons I am here. I have not been disappointed. However, I never imagined that one of the first would be my Spanish teacher. Allow me to introduce to you a woman of tremendous faith, trust and confidence in Jesus made evident by her words, life and actions.

Mercedes

Mercedes was born in Cerro Azul, an aldea in Central Honduras. She says it is a beautiful place located within the boundaries of a National Park. A rushing river splits the town in two. Hills surround it and outside of town is a waterfall of great beauty. It is some 15 minutes off the Pan American Highway. Her father and mother have very little education, but plenty of natural ability. Her father for many years has been the lead Councilman (rough translation) of Cerro Azul and a coffee grower. He is well liked and respected by all. Her mother has an entrepreneurial spirit and has done well buying and selling food and agricultural items. 

None of her older siblings continued their schooling, but Mercedes wanted to go on to college. She attended Instituto Leon Alvarado, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Promotion. During her time at college she met and eventually married Jairo. They have a son, now eleven, they also named Jairo after his father.

Several years after meeting each other they began attending church, but only superficially. When their son was five years old, her husband disappeared. No trace, no indication of unhappiness, no word from him since. As Mercedes tells me her story, tears begin to trickle down her cheeks, she is still devastated. So is her son. They both miss Jairo and not knowing how or why are probably the most difficult things of all now.

I asked permission to write her story here. When she agreed, I asked her to write down what she would like me to say about herself. The following is what she wanted to express. I have taken the liberty to reword her writing while at the same time attempting to retain her expressions and thoughts. I have added some additional aspects of her life to the story. Because of the length of this page I will continue her story tomorrow.

Urgent: Prison Fire in Comayagua

Early this morning a prison in Comayagua, 30 minutes from Siguatepeque where we are, caught fire. Over 300 prisoners are assumed dead and possibly 500 or more have escaped. These are really bad guys. Your prayers, not so much for us, but for the many innocent people who may become victims of these escaped men with nothing to lose is appreciated. Click this link to read The New York Times article.


Two of our teachers live in Comayagua. Cindy and Mercedes w/son Jairo. We offered to let them stay with us tonight if they would feel safer, but they both said they thought it would be okay. Pray for their safety tonight.

The Quest Begins

I have said very little about my Quest since we arrived. Things have been very busy and learning Spanish has been my top priority. However, I have not forgotten and I have had some success already. Although my Quest is uncompromisingly spiritual at its source, here in this life it is impossible to separate the spiritual from the physical. In this Quest, this search, I am looking for three separate “treasures”. Go back to my first post. My definition of Treasure is “something of extreme value, rare, lost, noble.” The first treasure, the one I want to write about today is this; I am purposely searching for ordinary people who either exhibit great faith and joy in their lives, in spite of their circumstances, because of their personal relationship with God; or they are ordinary people who because of their faith in God they are accomplishing extraordinary things; or ordinary people who have chosen to live their lives differently because of their faith.

Why is this important to me? Well, that will have to wait for another day, another post. In the meantime, I hope you stay with me because I already have some very interesting people I want you to meet. Tonight I will introduce the first…

And the Grand Total Is...

Okay, before I disclose the total amount Barbe's surgery cost us, I need to tell you what is included in the cost. First though, she is home and looking gooood! Still sore around the middle, but healing well. She may even feel well enough to go to the banquet tonight at SEBCAH . The seminary students are returning from a long break and tonight is the kick off of a new semester.

So, here is a list of what is included in Barbe's stay at hospital. Emergency room visit, 2 ultra sound exams, anesthesia, surgery, recovery room, 3 nights hospital stay, all antibiotics, pain killers, iv's etc. including what she needs here at home, meals and (here's the biggy), they even insisted we take the remainder of the toilet paper roll with us. For all this, and the care really was awesome, drum roll please.....$1,695.00 USD.
Does anyone else find this amazing? Our trip insurance should pay for all this, even if it doesn't...I'm a happy man tonight. My wife is back in good health and my wallet retains it's health as well. Life doesn't get any better.

Muchas gracias a todo de Ustedes en Hospital Evangelico y Gracias a Dios.

Hospital Evangelico and an Update on Barbe

First of all, thanks to all of you for your concern, prayers and well wishes to Barbe. Special thanks to Julie Nelson for spending sooo much time here at hospital translating and caring for us. Also to everyone at SEBCAH for keeping the boys well fed (this info is for you, Mom) and cared for. Barbe is doing exceptionally well. She is walking around a bit and of course drinking plenty of fluids. One thing I forgot to mention is that along with the ovarian tumor she also has a kidney infection. Between the two things she was a very sick girl.

Barbe and I have both been very pleased with the care the nursing staff has given and the quality of the doctors. This has really turned out to be a blessing. As some of you know, we do not carry medical insurance in the States, however we did buy trip insurance with emergency hospitalization benefits. Unless I missed something in the fine print, this operation should be completely covered. The mass the doctors removed was quite large and it was only a matter of time until it needed to come out. A coincidence  that it happened here? I think not.

Hospital Evangelico, where we are, was founded in 1949 by CAM . In keeping with their philosophy, it passed into National hands as a non-profit organization in 1969.  It continues to have many out reaches beyond the actual facility. Their website, Hospital Evangelico , is well worth the look if you’re interested in that kind of thing.  

The hospital is in a beautiful setting atop a hill overlooking Siguat and the mountains beyond. Stepping into the hospital is like stepping back to 1960. The emergency room is small.  Glass fronted, wooden shelves line the walls. The green tiled corridors have screen doors at each end which allow warm breezes to blow through. To go from emergency to the wards you need to pass through an open air, but  covered patio.  At one end of the building is an open (non private) ward with some 20 or so beds in facing rows.  The other end has private rooms. We are in #7. The nurses wear white dresses, some with the classic nurse’s caps. The nurse’s aides (correction: student nurses from the training institute) wear smart blue dresses with white, pleated aprons. There are modern conveniences like Wi-Fi and cable TV in the rooms. The beds however, are cranked up and down by hand. Everything is spotlessly clean.  Although the hospital does have a CT scan, ultra sound and X-ray, the annoying beep, beep, beep that fills more modern hospitals is missing from the ward,  actually allowing the patient (and the patient's husband) to get a good night’s sleep. :>)

Emergency Room

There is a public hospital in town, but the stories that come from there are not good. I can say this, I am very glad that CAM had the vision 63 years ago to build a hospital here. It also makes me realize how hopeless some of these wonderful people who live far up in the mountains, without adequate transportation must feel when they fall ill or are injured badly. We truly have so much to be thankful for in America.

Barbe's Emergency Surgery

Barbe went to the emergency room at 3:30 am today with incredible abdominal pain. At 3:00 pm she had an emergency surgery to remove a large tumor that was wrapped around and twisting one of her ovaries. Although it will be 2 weeks before the biopsy is back, she is doing very well and the doctor did not think there was much reason to think the tumor is malignant. We are believing that it is not.Thanks to all of you we were able to contact on short notice for your prayers. Everyone here at SEBCAH is taking good care of us.

El Rincon

Today was a class outing, a field trip, a place to practice what we've been learning. So into the Toyota "busito" we went followed by Mark Fittz's Ssanyong Musso. Out of town, past the pottery shops and along the road to La Esperanza turning right onto a dirt road leading to the "aldea" El Rincon. Aldea is the word used for a village or a collection of houses. El Rincon is in a beautiful area surrounded by hills. The roads are dirt, mud when it rains, chickens, dogs and children wander the streets. Clothes, hand washed in the pila, are hung on the fences bordering the road to dry. Most of the house have enough land to raise a garden and a cow on. There are few small shops, a grade school and a soccer field. It seems quite peaceful here.

We broke into three groups accompanied by our teachers. Our assignment was to ask anyone we encountered what life in the village was like. My team spent quite awhile talking with a man who owned an upholstery shop. He had a great sense of humor and seemed to enjoy talking with us, showing us his work and discussing El Rincon. Later, we returned to the language school and shared the data we had collected, using this time once again to practice Spanish in public.





Our Teachers, Delia, Mercedes, Reina, Cindy, Yesi, & Gaby



Our School Feb. 9, 2012

The Gringo Boys Go to VBS

All this week the boys, along with the other kids here at SEBCAH, pile into a 16 passenger minibus, I guess there were 19 in it today, but...anyway, they head across town to one of the local churches, Roca de los Siglos for a VBS outreach. Because most of the buildings are made of concrete block, the acoustics are usually terrible. Even so, it was very beautiful to hear the children singing the Honduran National Anthem. They followed that with some very energetic songs with words and actions we didn't really understand. To my VERY great surprise it didn't keep the boys from getting up in front with some of the other kids to help lead the songs. It was so funny watching them, especially as they tower over most of the other kids and are so obviously "gringos". I am thankful that they have so many young people here to spend time with. We didn't get many decent pictures as the lighting inside was not good and Barbe and I have not been back since the first day.

Superbowl

Our house is in mourning. In honor of our loss we will be observing a day of written silence.

The Potter and the Clay

Wow! What a week. By Friday evening both mind and body were exhausted. I wish I had paid closer attention in high school to my English teacher. Now I'm learning both Spanish and basic grammar.

Anyway, Saturday is here and time for a little fun and relaxation. Mark and Michelle took the Campbell family and us just outside of town to an area known for it's pottery. This is a family operation and the man in the photo began working as a potter when he was seven. He has been making pottery for 40 years now. His son seems to be following in his footsteps. I enjoyed watching the boy, because he new exactly what to do and never stopped working the entire time we were there. He is putting feet on banjo playing frogs.

Many of the pieces are made in parts and put together before they are fired. When he receives a large order from the shops in Tegucigalpa or San Pedro Sula, he is able to make 50 parts an hour. Of course he has a tender bringing him clay and taking away the formed  pieces, but I still find it amazing. Later they will paint some, glaze some and fire all of it. Some of the vases are taller than I am and very beautiful.

Some of the kids were allowed to try their hand at making a simple vase or cup. They agreed to fire what we made and will have them for us next week. They were all very kind and we appreciated them allowing us to visit.

As I watched the vase becoming a vase under the hands of the skilled craftsman, I couldn't help but think of the verses of scripture in which we are referred to as clay and God as the potter. Upon reflection, it certainly gives a different perspective on our lives and the "choices" we make.

Looking forward to a day of rest tomorrow and the SUPERBOWL! Yes, we will be able to watch the game. The boys were worried that we wouldn't be able to watch American Football here. The party starts at 5 pm at Tim and Julie's. Come on by if you're in the neighborhood. GO PATRIOTS!

Achin' Bacon: or A Firm Foundation, It Matters How You Start

Oh my achin' bacon! Yesterday afternoon I went to El Campo de San Fransisco to help pour footings for a small church building. Allan and his wife Nicole are planting a church in this small village on the outskirts of Siguat. They live in a small, but very comfortable and cozy adobe house on a hill above the church. Allan is Honduran, but grew up in the States and Nicole is from TX. They are expecting their first child in May. I will introduce them soon.

Back to the reason for the achin' bacon. The ditch for the footing had already been dug, by hand with a pick axe. Glad I didn't have to do that! We mixed the cement with shovels on the ground. 10, 5 gal pails of sand and gravel to 1, 90# bag cement, mix that together, dig a hole in the center of the pile, pour in 15 gals of water and begin mixing from the outside in. Shovel the mix back into 5 gal pails, carry to the ditch in which rocks have now been placed to give strength and take up space. Add concrete and more rocks as needed. Repeat process. Repeat process. Repeat process...

About 4 pm we stopped and had fresh tortillas, beans and coffee (very tasty) provided by Danny and his wife, a Honduran family helping start the church. Danny's grandmother donated the land the church will be built on. When it was time to go, Danny gave me a bag of corn tortillas his wife had just made and Romaine lettuce fresh from the garden. All in all... it was a great day.

Honduras Spanish Institute

Honduras Spanish Institute is the official name of the school we are attending. The school uses the facilities of SEBCAH a Bible seminary established in 1986 to train local men to be pastors. Although neither institution is owned by Camino Global  (previously CAM Int.), it is overseen by CAM missionaries who help with the administrative aspects. CAM's desire has always been to eventually turn over anything they start to the local church, helping them become autonomous and self supporting. The really cool thing about this school is that along with helping to support the seminary, it also provides much needed work for local people.

Students receive individual, personalized instruction. The atmosphere is very relaxed and informal. We are staying on campus in one of the small houses used for STM teams, but small apartments are also available. It is very secure here. Siguatepeque itself seems very safe, at least during the day. It is a busy town, especially in El Centro. The sidewalks are usually full of people walking, shopping or visiting. The only downside I can see is that there is not much to "do" in town and although it is relatively nice, I don't think it will ever be an Antigua, Guatemala. Fortunately, there is a lot of ministry opportunities here to keep us busy that our host missionaries are more than willing to help us with. For example, in the next several days we plan on going to a "campo" in the hills above Seguat to pour the footing for a small church building, I will begin building a sheep pen here on campus and we will help one of the Hope Coffee Farmers harvest his crop of coffee beans.    

As far as school goes...I'm loving it! I have surprised myself with how much Spanish I remember from my studies in Guate 31 years ago. The three hours of class time flies by. Barbe is doing really well. She has Delia, the Director as her teacher and she is all business. Barbe's notebook is filled with homework each day. I on the other hand, often get into long conversations with my teacher finding that far more interesting than the study of "verbos irregulares". The three boys are also doing well and are finding it encouraging when they are able to exchange new words each day while playing soccer or basketball with the Honduran kids.