Where are you?

We have not posted in a while because we have been in the States for Christmas and been very busy. Let me update you on what we have been doing.

I returned home on December 7th only to leave on the 8th with Shelly on an all-expense-paid cruise to the Bahamas which one of our friends generously gave us for Christmas.

We returned on the 11th and I went to Bowling Green, Kentucky for the rest of the week to help my aunt and uncle decorate the church for my cousin's , Amy Lofton, wedding. She married Sam Hartford. They are at Disneyland right now on their honeymoon and I am sure they are enjoying the Christmas spirit there.

I have been running around this week trying to get residency paperwork done and all the other things we need from the States which we cannot get in Honduras. We will be returning to Honduras on December 28th. Ben Osborne, an engineer friend of ours, will be returning with us to get right to work laying out our children's homes in the field which we will build them. He will give us his expert advice on the best places to build them. I am excited to see what he suggests. It is going to be a great place to live for those kids!

Shelly and I have had a whirlwind 2006 and look forward to God's blessings in 2007. We want to wish all of you who continue to read our blog a Very Merry Christmas and a blessed 2007! Let us continue to work together to make a difference in this world. Thank you for all your love and support of our mission. Check back with our blog after the 1st of the year to read what is happening then.

Adios.

Chad

Skype

We have discovered a new way to communicate for FREE! You can't beat that. Go to www.skype.com and register and download the software and be able to talk to anyone in the world who has skype free of charge. Your computer needs to have a microphone and it works just like a telephone except over the internet.

Once you download it, try to reach me at chad.j.hedgepath. If I am at my desk, I will answer and we can talk. Hope it works for some of you! You can use it as an instant messenger device also.

Pictures

December 2006 Report

We have been on the mission field for 4 months now learning Spanish and working with Mission Lazarus and it has been challenging yet rewarding at the same time. We left our comfortable jobs where we knew how everything worked and moved to a country where organization does not exist and started from scratch on learning the ends and outs of Mission Lazarus and the work being done here. It is an honor to be one of God’s servants and help make a difference in Honduras even if it is simply by providing a poor village man a job for a day to provide food for his family that night.

Since this is our first report, we want to start off by thanking each person who is praying for us, giving financially for our support, or writing us an email or personal card. You have allowed us to do this work without wondering what will happen next because we know that God will take care of us. Thank you for supporting us! We want to make sure you are aware of what we are doing since you are investing in us. Even though we cannot put everything in this report, we will make sure to inform you of our specific areas of responsibility.

Shelly has been working closely with Mission Lazarus’ Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC) in San Marcos closing the year out and getting prepared for next year. The children are out of school from December until February for “summer break.” There will be a new Director of the school in San Marcos next year which excites Shelly as they both work together on new ideas and strategies to make sure those children are given a quality, Christian education. She has also been sorting through hundreds of boxes of donated school supplies which are desperately needed in all the ECDCs. There has been a resource room established at the Mission Lazarus office in Choluteca and the organization of it has begun to be better utilized next year. Thanks to the cows on Las Palmas Ranch, all the children are receiving at least a glass of milk a day which provides needed protein to their slim diets. What a blessing that has been to those children!

We have given more identification to the Mission Lazarus Children’s Home. We have named it Mission Lazarus Refuge at Las Palmas and I continue to work on our paperwork for IHNFA, the Honduran Child Protective Services, for approval. So far, it is a 22-page packet of information which consists of an overall plan, budget, discipline plan for children and workers, credentials of those who will be working with the children, and much formal information needed for approval. IHNFA is extremely excited about Mission Lazarus Refuge and look forward to allowing us to open the doors as soon as possible. We are in the process of interviewing a lady from San Marcos to be our Honduran Director as she is well qualified for that position. We have put together a list of people within Mission Lazarus who will be working with the children on a regular basis and I am excited about what that holds for each of those children in providing for their spiritual, educational, and medical needs.

As far as the physical home itself, since Honduras has begun the non-rainy season, we have taken off the room of the middle part of the “big house” which existed when Mission Lazarus purchased the land and the roof of the back of the house which allows us to raise the walls to make more headroom for the bunkroom upstairs. We are looking to finish this project in the coming months with a new roof, new bunkroom upstairs, new bathrooms, new staircases, new kitchen and new dining room for the children to move into. What a blessing this house will be for the children! We are eagerly awaiting a group from Berry’s Chapel church of Christ in Franklin, Tennessee to come down in February to build our second home in the location where the rest of the homes will be located. We have an engineer coming the end of December to help us lay out the homes in the field to better utilize our space.

There is so much going on around Southern Honduras that Mission Lazarus is working hard to make a difference in. From building a Children’s Home from scratch, attending the medical needs of Hondurans in Las Pitas, vaccinating cows on Las Palmas Ranch, teaching children the Bible through school to helping Jose, a homeless man on the side of the road near San Marcos, we are thankful to be God’s servants and have an opportunity to be a part of the work of Mission Lazarus. We encourage you to research all the areas of Mission Lazarus by surfing the website at www.missionlazarus.org. Please continue to pray for Mission Lazarus and the team of missionaries (including Ally and Jarrod Brown and Jake Tincher) here as we try to make a difference in Honduras. You are helping us do just that. God bless you!

Chad

They are great when they work...

Computers are great...when they work! Landon Roeder and Jonathan Smith traveled down on Thanksgiving Day from Nashville, Tennessee to spend 5 days working on our computers at our office. They have thrown around words and numbers that I have no idea what they mean but have produced a much better internet and network system for us at Mission Lazarus. They even wired and helped us get ready to make three additional computers available for our preachers and others who need to stop by to use a computer. Landon and Jonathan have put together those 3 additional computers which are on the shipment from Nashville which should leave very soon. I have enjoyed having them stay with me at the apartment. We have been to all the local restaurants which are safe to eat at and they have enjoyed some authentic Honduran food.

Shelly left for the States last Wednesday to be with her family for Thanksgiving and I will join her later for Christmas. If you get a chance, stop by Bath and Body Works at Cool Springs Mall in Franklin, Tennessee to say hello to her while she works. She is working there as holiday help to earn a few extra dollars for Christmas gifts. She was reunited with her baby, Tristan, on Wednesday also and sounds much happier now. Tristan has been in the States for 5 weeks without her.

Thank you Landon and Jonathan for repairing our computers! You have helped us more than imaginable. I think we have the best network in all of Honduras now!

Chad

Pictures of the past 2 weeks

1) Picture of the stage area at our annual area-wide church service where 800 people were in attendance.

2) Shelly made me a birthday cake for my birthday on November 12th. We had a party with our Mission Lazarus Team.

3) New school building built by the men from Indiana for a community near Mission Lazarus Refuge at Las Palmas Ranch.

4) Water heater for the house on our new coffee plantation, Finca San Lazaro, in the mountains.

5) Early Christmas at our Mission Lazarus school in San Marcos de Colon.

The MAGI BOXES have arrived!

A large truck full of Magi boxes pulled up to our warehouse late yesterday afternoon to be unloaded for children who have no idea that a gift is awaiting them. For the many of you who put together a box for these Honduran children, simply saying "Thank You" is not enough but you can know that you will make an impact on them that they will never forget. We are talking about thousands of children who will receive a gift this Christmas because of the caring hearts of so many individuals. Our warehouse is full! Thanks to you.

Christmas time in the States is a time for family for many and a time to give a gift or two to those you care about. Navidad in Honduras can be a day just like any other day, nothing special, but for those children who receive a gift, a simple box, it is not just a normal day. It is a day where those who pass out the boxes get to see the biggest smiles on children's faces because of someone in the States who took time to make a difference in their life. This opportunity for Mission Lazarus is one where relationships are built and the opportunity to share Jesus with others is started.

Thank you for investing in the children of Honduras. Thank you for caring about Mission Lazarus and our outreach. Thank you for sharing Jesus through a simple box!

Chad

It's not just milk. It's not just a cow.

We had a group of 11 men here this week from Indianapolis, Indiana building a school building in a nearby village from Las Palmas Ranch. They did a great job and have really helped us begin to build a relationship with those people. We have not been in the office all week so that is why we have not updated our blog until now. I did want to share the below quote from one of our school directors about the importance of milk for our school children. Our cows on Las Palmas Ranch are producing the milk for the children which many of you have helped purchase. You won't look at milk the same if you read the below.

I do have to say, "GO VANDERBILT. BEAT TENNESSEE!"

"Milk is a powerful nutrient. And it becomes so much more powerful when it comes with all the love with which you have sent it to us.

The way in which you have decided this day to help us, is a blessing that we do not have in our homes. But this blessing is now present in our school!

Each and every day we drink a glass of fresh warm milk. Some days we have extra milk to make caramel, cheese, or cottage cheese, all foods that we could not make before at our school, and are absent in our homes.

You should know that we never want to wake from this dream of always drinking a glass of warm milk each day and sharing homemade caramel with classmates during recess! At the same time, we know there are many children in our community that have the same need for milk as we have.

The Mission Lazarus Refuge at Las Palmas does a great work and we are very thankful to God for these projects and for you for seeing using the eyes of Christ and sending us this cow, knowing as you do that this cow is not just a cow."

Karla Moncada
Director Early Childhood Development Center
San Marcos de Colon

The New Barn

This past weekend we had a group of 10 guys from Lebanon, TN and Houston, TX come down to build the barn that we need for hay, tools and tractor storage. They put the roof on the barn and laid the concrete floor in the storage area. They also laid concrete flooring in the storage shed where all the horse supplies are kept. Here are some pictures of the work they did. Thanks guys for all your hard work!

...Priceless

(Written by Jarrod Brown, our missionary partner.)

Can I get two tickets to Heaven please, oh, first class, window seat please...

Three hundred sixty two thousand four hundred dollars. $362,400.00

In Honduras...

Average family lives on $1.17 per day.
Day laborers average $3.17 per day.
A banana costs $0.01.
Medical consultation with medicine costs $0.53 at the Lazarus Clinic.
$10,000.00 builds a nice church building.
$2500.00 builds a nice wood house.

Three hundred sixty two thousand four hundred dollars. That’s how much money was spent by Americans this year that came with mission teams for short term mission trips to Honduras.

I was born and raised in the church of Christ. I was baptized on July 12, 1987 at the age of 12. I was given a King James Version Bible with my name on it in gold. I read scripture, passed the Lord’s Supper, missed camping trips and ball games to be at church.

I had all of that but I had never let the Holy Spirit touch my heart. Change my life.

On a whelm I went on a mission trip to Honduras in July of 1998. My first mission trip. This was the first trip of the rest of my life. It’s hard to explain what happens, but a change takes place when you go to a third world country on a mission trip. In my case, I was helped much more than I was able to help the people we came to serve.

Now as a missionary living full time in Honduras for almost six years I get to see both sides of the short term mission trip. Let me see if I can explain it.

First from the point of view of the local peasant in Honduras.

The vast majority of the peasants in Honduras proclaim to be Catholics. Not because they go to church, know the creeds, or read their Bibles, but because it’s their culture to be Catholic. To pray to plastic figurines in their houses, and to have a brainwashed concept of what evangelical preachers stand for. But, the one thing that all of these peasants have in common is that America, the Great United, is the Promised Land. On any day in any village I, a Spanish speaking white guy with a four wheel drive truck, can draw a crowd to hear me preach because of their curiosity about Americans and their longing for the Promised Land. So when a group of Christians follows the Holy Spirit’s guidance, the Bible’s teachings, and their heart and they are baptized for forgiveness of their sins there is much persecution. Family members quit talking to them, neighbors criticize them. However when a group of Americans comes to a village to provide medical treatment, perform VBS activities with the children, or builds a house for a widow, the church is encouraged. That even though they live thousands of miles away, speak a different language, and live a different culture, they are brothers. All having been adopted through the blood of Christ.

Where evangelical Christians are not found on every corner but where everyone admires Americans, a visit of Americans to a young church can leave behind a sense of belonging, a sense of we really are doing what’s right, and the church is encouraged.

If you ever visit the humble jungle village of Las Pitas and you stay for church, you will receive the warmest welcome. Farmers who have a 3rd grade education and live entirely off the land will greet you with a big smile, a firm handshake from their leathery hands, and applause as they welcome you to their service, in the open air heat of southern Honduras. They are happy, honored; they feel privileged to have you with them.

Now from the point of view of the visiting American.

How can people be so excited about walking three hours to church, up and down mountains? How can they sing so loud, off key, and not care? How can flip flops be mended to get more miles out of them? How can 3 hours of church in 115 degree heat be enjoyable? How can barefooted children with busted toe nails love Sunday school so much? How can you live in a dirt house with a dirt floor?

How can you live without cable TV, high speed internet, and telephone in one package? How can you live without a blackberry? How can you live without a washer and dryer? How can you live without shoes? How can you live on rice and beans?

How can you love God so much? The answer is simple; they don’t have all the things in their lives that distract us from God. They can’t get it 90 days same as cash. They can’t super size it. They can’t ask Santa for it. All they have is God.

It’s intangible. It can’t be adequately explained with ink. How can you put a price on what’s its worth to finally understand what it means to be a Christian, to belong to a family that spans language and cultural barriers. To be able to experience Christianity in it’s purest form. Not worried about clothes, hair styles, new buildings, praise teams, politics, time limits, or meetings, just worshiping God. Is that worth Three hundred sixty two thousand four hundred dollars? No, no way, not on your life...It’s priceless.

Our mission is two fold, serve the locals with God’s love and minister to Americans who only have a third person relationship with God...No matter the cost.

The Betanco Family

This weekend we were able to help a family of six get out of terrible living conditions and go to a place where they are much safer. A sinlge mother of 23 years old and her 5 children were living in a house that barely had walls, was out in the middle of no where and they were barely surviving. Juancito, the preacher at the church in San Marcos, and I went to her house on Thursday to check out the living conditions and to give them some food. I was completely shocked when we drove up. I have seen pictures of these kinds of living conditions here, but I have never actually been there to see it with my own 2 eyes. It was unbelievable. On Friday night Ally called Chad and I and told us that they were planning to move the family to a house of one of the older brothers from the church in San Marcos. He is having a hard time getting food to eat for himself, so we figured out a way to help him and this family. The mother of the children is going to cook all the meals for this man, Juaquin, and he will give the family a room in his house to live. What a dea, huhl! Saturday night while it was pouring down rain in San Marcos, Chad and Juancito moved some mattresses over to the house for the children to all sleep on. Sunday morning we all went over there and cleaned up the place, moved things around to help them get situated in the house and fed them breakfast. After breakfast Chad and I went to the market to buy some of the basic things that they would need, pots and pans, laundry soap, dish soap, toilet paper, a broom, a mop, and some other things. They were all at worship last night with smiles on. I think they are a lot happier in their new place.

Our Apartment

Pictures of the Last Few Days

The first picture is of our stuff from our shipment. It arrived Friday morning very early. The second and third pictures are Chad feeding a calf and me milking his momma at Las Palmas Refuge. On Thursday we handed out chickens to the families that are part of our nutrition program. Chad got to tie their feet together and then handed them to me to give to the people taking them home.

Christmas is Tomorrow!

You might think I am crazy, but tomorrow is Christmas for the Hedgepath's. Our shipment is to arrive at our warehouse tomorrow morning at 7:00 am. We will be there ready and waiting with bells on. I am eager to see what it looks like. We have not seen our belongings since May. It will be great to dig through all the boxes and remember what we packed. I am sure we will be surprised with each box. It is going to be a great day!

We had a rewarding and frustrating day in Honduras today. We got in the truck this morning to go to the church to help pass out chickens to the children who are in the food program, but the truck would not start. I believe it was Shelly's driving yesterday but we won't go into that right now. Just kidding. The battery was dead. So what do you do in Honduras when that happens...start walking. And that is what we did. It was good exercise!

What a great experience we had at the church building. Each family got 4 chickens so that they can get more protein in their diets with the eggs. I was in charge of tying their feet together so the families could carry all of them home upsidedown. What an adventure!

Since we did not have a truck to drive, we stayed at home and waited for Jarrod to bring his toolbox so we could fix the battery. The battery cables were corroded and needed to be tightened but since all my tools are on the shipment and not here yet, we sat and waited. Honduras tries your patience.

We cut a deal with Jarrod and Ally and offered to provide the spaghetti and sauce if they would provide the meat and we would have supper together and give us a chance to check all our emails at their house since we were not able to go to the office today. It is nice to sit with another family and talk new and interesting things.

I forgot to tell something historic about today...Shelly milked one of our cows! ON THE FIRST TRY! She was so excited. We have pictures of everything today and will try to get them on the blog the next couple of days.

Adios.
Chad

Well, we reached a milestone this morning. I drove in Honduras for the very first time ever. I was a little nervous, but I did very well. The guard at the office laughed at me as I spun into the parking space. Chad says I get to do this every day now until I am comfortable. I hope it doesn't take too long. We are searching for a car to buy. Right now we are driving a rental truck. Hopefully we will find one before the end of the week.

I tried to include some pictures today, but it just is not working for me. I will try again tomorrow. I think it is because I am trying to download my Norton Anti-Virus from the web at the same time.

Getting Settled

Shelly and I arrived safely in Honduras yesterday but something happened which has never happened in my 12 years of traveling here. We flew into the runway backwards. Usually there is only one direction down a runway, but not in Honduras. Many are accustomed to the hairpin turn around the mountains in order to land in Honduras. This time we fly in over the cliff at the end of the runway and landed going the wrong way. It was much easier. It was a straight shot from the air so that made the landing a little less stressful. Those who have been here will appreciate that.

We have spent the day organizing our office. Shelly and I share an office which makes for a lot of adjustment. It is also about half the size of my old office at BC so you can imagine how close we are. It is just another adjustment amongst so many others. We cleaned our apartment last night and went to bed at 8:45 pm. It was so good to get to bed early. We loved being home but sleep was not one of our priorities while there. When the sun goes down here, it is bedtime. We seem to be adjusting to that well. We will be back at it tomorrow, organizing and planning. There is so much to do it is difficult to know where to start. By the way, out container with all our personal items has not arrived here yet. It is in Honduras but stuck in customs. They take their time here. We hope to get it on Monday. This is going on 11 weeks living out of suitcases. We will live though.

Adios.
Chad

Heading Home

We have enjoyed being in the States for a few days visiting family and friends. It is nice to have some of the "luxuries of life" but we are ready to head back to Honduras and get busy working. Please pray for our safe travel tomorrow as we leave Nashville at 6:00 am and arrive in Tegucigalpa, Honduras at 11:40 am. Tristan, our dog, is staying in the States for the next 5 weeks until he is reunited with Shelly on the 22nd of November. That will be an adjustment for Shelly. We will talk to you in a few days.

Update on Shelly

Nothing showed up on Shelly's x-ray yesterday so the doctor told her to just keep a watch on it and get back in contact with him if the pain returns. She was relieved to hear the news.

Our money total for Tuesday night is up to $96,110. Isn't that exciting!

The next blog you get from us will be from Honduras next week. Hopefully our internet problems will be fixed. Talk to you then!

Chad

Getting Everything Done

We are in the process of getting all our last minute errands run and making sure we stock up on supplies to take back to Honduras. We leave Monday morning at 6:00 am. I want to give you an update on Shelly's stomach problems she had while in Guatemala. She visited a stomach doctor on Wednesday and had to go back on Thursday for another x-ray to see if she has gall stones. If so, she will need to have surgery over the Christmas holiday to remove her gall bladder. We are still waiting word on it so we will keep you informed. Please pray about that.

I am going with my Dad tonight to see a high school football game. I am excited about it since it will be the first football game I have seen since last year. Let us hear from you. Let us know what is going on in your lives. Adios.

Chad

$90,100

As I sit in front of the computer now, that is the amount raised last night at our 2nd Annual Fundraiser Dinner for Las Palmas Refuge. We had a great evening with at least 250 people in attendance (doubled from last year). The food was great and the atmosphere was spectacular. We could not have asked for a better evening. Our goal of $100,000 will be accomplished by the end of the year. This amount will take care of all expenses with the children's home for the entire 2007 year. What a blessing!

I want to share two stories I shared with the group last night of some dedicated individuals. The first is Guilford McKay. He has a large farm in Franklin, TN which he has used in the past to milk cows professionally. He has donated all his milking equipment to Las Palmas Refuge for us to use to milk our dairy cows on the ranch. This will provide the most milk out of each cow which will provide not only for our children at Las Palmas but our schools also (300 children). This will allow us to sell the milk also to reach the goal of one day Las Palmas Refuge being self-supportive from the ranch itself. That will be a great day and Guilford McKay has helped start that goal.

The other is Kim Parker. She is a family member of mine and took orders at her work for hot plate lunches one day. She got up at midnight to cook all morning the hot lunches she was going to deliver that day. At $5 a plate (what a bargain) she brought me a check last night for $500. She even said that she was amazed at the donations in excess of $5 that many people from her work gave including several Honduran women out of their poverty and hardship. Kim and Frankie can not necessarily sit down and write a check for that amount but they found a way to provide for the children of Honduras. What a difference they are making!

God is good and He always provides. The people present last night are making a difference in Honduras that they will never fully understand. We are going to change the world one child at a time with the guidance of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for being a part of this great ministry in Mission Lazarus!

A huge thank you goes to my mom, Debbie Hedgepath, and Pat and Mac Hughes for putting many hours into the planning of this evening. What a blessing they have been to me! Also, thank you to the Hayes', Lawson's, Anderson's, Lankford's, Will Baxter, Lacey Hughes, Andrea Hobbs and the Berry's Chapel church for their continued support and participation.

Save the date of Tuesday, October 9th, 2007 as the next time to gather and help the children of Southern Honduras.

Chad

Home Sweet Home

We arrived in the States on Friday night, October 6th. It is so nice to have a hot shower with pressure and clean water coming out of the faucet to brush your teeth. We had a very difficult time last week in Honduras with our internet so that is the reason for this being the first blog in a while. We have a huge fundraiser dinner tomorrow night for Las Palmas Refuge which we are excited about. You can imagine that things are busy right now getting ready for that so we will blog more later this week. Talk to you then.

We are finally in San Marcos, Honduras. We arrived last night around 9:15. It was a long ride from the airport, but we made it safetly and are ready to get to work. We stayed at Jarrod and Ally Brown's home last night and today we are going to get settled in the apartment where we will live for the next few months. Please pray for us that we adjust well to our new life here. We will write more later!

List of Tools

This is the official wish list for power tools and accessories needed at Las Palmas Refuge in Honduras for building the houses on site. This entry goes with the one following.

Porter Cable ½” right angle drill – model #7556----------2 ea.
Porter Cable ½” keyless chuck drill – model #2614-------2 ea.
Porter Cable 3/8” keyless chuck drill – model #2610------2 ea.
Wood drill bit set –1/4” to 1” -----------------------------2 ea.
Metal drill bit set – 1/8” to 1” ----------------------------2 ea.
Porter Cable 7 ¼” circular saw – model #324mag---------2 ea.
7 ¼” circular saw blades – combination / framing---------24 ea.
Porter Cable Tiger saw – model #9741--------------------2 ea.
Tiger saw blades – wood cutting---------------------------24 ea.
Tiger saw blades – metal cutting---------------------------24 ea.
50’ electric extension cords--------------------------------5 ea.
Porter Cable Job Boss Air Compressor – model #C3551----2 ea.
50’ air hoses-----------------------------------------------6 ea.
Male and female quick coupler hose connections------------18 ea.
Air hose splice / repair kits---------------------------------12 ea.
Teflon tape for threaded connections—rolls-----------------2 ea.
Porter Cable Framing Nailer – model # FM350A-----------2 ea.
#10 galv. ring shank wire collated nails – box---------------5 ea.
#12 galv. ring shank wire collated nails – box---------------5 ea.
Porter Cable Finish Nailer – model #FN250B---------------2 ea.
2 ½” straight galv. trim nails – box-------------------------5 ea.
2” straight galv. trim nails – box----------------------------5 ea.
1 ½” straight galv. trim nails – box-------------------------5 ea.
Porter Cable Stapler – model #NS150A---------------------2 ea.
1 ½” narrow crown staples – box---------------------------3 ea.
1’ narrow crown staples – box-------------------------------3 ea.
¾” narrow crown staples – box-----------------------------3 ea.
Porter Cable Jig Saw – model #9543------------------------2 ea.
Jig Saw blade sets – metal and wood cutting – package------3 ea.
Dewalt Mitre Saw – model #715-----------------------------1 ea.
Dewalt 10” table saw w/ stand-------------------------------2 ea.
Extra 10” blades for table saw--------------------------------12 ea.
Framing Square----------------------------------------------6 ea.
6” Speed Square----------------------------------------------6 ea.
Tri Square----------------------------------------------------6 ea.
20 oz. framing hammers--------------------------------------6 ea.
16 oz hammers-----------------------------------------------6 ea.
10# sledge hammer------------------------------------------2 ea.
Flat bar – wonder bar----------------------------------------6 ea.
Pencils-------------------------------------------------------many
24’ extension ladder – 250# capacity-------------------------2 ea.
6’ step ladder – 250# capacity--------------------------------4 ea.
Single electrical rough in boxes – plastic new work------------500 ea.
Double electrical rough in boxes – plastic new work-----------250 ea.
100 amp panel boxes – Square D-----------------------------6 ea.
Meter base---------------------------------------------------6 ea.
Wire nuts – red-----------------------------------------------1000 ea.
Wire nuts – yellow--------------------------------------------1000 ea.
#14 – 2 w/ ground romax-------------------------------------4000 lf.
30# felt paper – roll-------------------------------------------50 ea.
2 ½” galv. deck screws – 50# boxes---------------------------5 ea.
Field line 4” slotted black pipe---------------------------------3000 lf.

Update on Tools

Shelly and I will complete Spanish school tomorrow at 12:00 pm. Be thinking about us between 10:05-10:15 am tomorrow as our names are called out at our graduation ceremony. We are excited about it! We will fly to Honduras on Saturday and will begin working bright and early Sunday morning. We are eager to see what God has in store for us next. We will be returning to the States October 6th for 10 days for our fundraiser dinner and to visit friends and family.

I am also including the most up-to-date email below from Mac Hughes who has put together (along with Mike Hayes) our first team of men to come down in February to build the first house at Las Palmas Refuge. Mac needs your help in paying for the tools which are necessary to build the house in 7 days. Remember, any amount counts! Is it worth it? What a difference all of us can make if we just give a little. God blesses in amazing ways!

Please pray for Shelly and my safety over the next few days and be sure to take a look at Mac’s email below.

Adios
Chad

Berry’s Chapel is opening a commercial Home Depot account for this effort. This will benefit all groups that travel to Las Palmas to do work in the coming years. Anyone that wants to participate in this additional effort can make donations payable to Berry’s Chapel Church of Christ – Las Palmas Tools and mail to:

Mac Hughes
308 Monticello Road
Franklin, Tennessee 37064

Folks can review the list we put together to see exactly what these donations will purchase. It is my goal to raise the necessary funds, make the purchase from the Home Depot where James Lynn works, and deliver all of this to Healing Hands for a shipment at the end of October ’06. I will need to have everything delivered to Healing Hands two weeks prior to shipment.

The commitment that James has at Home Depot will allow us to get about $14,200 retail value for right at $11,500.

Thanks!!!

Mac Hughes
THE HUGHES GROUP, LLC
615.790.4482
615.504.8777
mac@thehughesgroupllc.net

Journal #26

Our days are very limited at CSA. We cannot believe we have been here 2 months. Sometimes it feels like 8 weeks and other times it feels as if it has flown by. Our brains are full and there is not much more that can be put in them. This has been an intense time of study but I believe it will be all worthwhile when we actually talk to the Hondurans in their language.

We are very busy getting everything done at the last second so I must go to my next task. Be thinking about us between 10:05-10:15 am on Friday as our names are called out in our graduation ceremony at school during the break. You might just be able to hear the fireworks go off from the US!

Chad

Journal #25

This weekend was our last one in Antigua. Friday night we had dinner with our “gringo” friends at a little Italian restaurant. It was a great time. Saturday we were invited to go with our family to a town about 30 minutes from Antigua called Chimaltenango. They wanted to go to Guatemala City but had heard the traffic between here and there was terrible. There is a new “mall” in Chimaltenango that they wanted to go visit. There were tons of shoe shops and cell phone stores. There was also a big grocery store so Maria did some grocery shopping. We walked through the grocery store with them and found things we have not seem since we have been here in Antigua. We found peanut butter, something I have been craving for about 2 months now. We also saw different kinds of cereal, Ramen noodles, Aunt Jamima Maple Syrup (we have been hoping for some on the table on the days we have pancakes for breakfast), and other things we have missed since being here.

When we got up to the counter it was one of those moments that made me take a second look. The cashier had rung everything up and the total came to 1,131.95. That was Quetzales, but I at first thought it was dollars. It shocked me for a second and then I thought about it. I told Chad that if I went to the store and saw the total as $1,000 I would flip. I guess the people here do not have that problem due to they are used to it. I know that is it something I am going to have to get used to especially in Honduras because the exchange rate there is 19 Lempiras to $1.

We loaded the car with groceries and headed back into the mall area. We had found a food court while we were there earlier and so we decided to eat dinner there. It was about 5:30 and our family had a Lions’ Club meeting to attend, so we thought that would be the easiest way to take care of dinner. I had Taco Bell and everyone else had McDonald’s. It was really good. I had been craving nachos!

Sunday morning we decided to get up early and go to Hotel Casa Santo Domingo for their famous breakfast buffet. We have talked to many people who have recommended we go there. We arrived there about 8:20. Our breakfast was very good. We had fresh omelets, hot chocolate, bacon, sausage, muffins, fruit, cereal, hash browns, and coffee. As you can see it was huge but wonderful. We did not eat lunch because we had such a big breakfast.

We walked to the church building after our breakfast. There was a guest song leader and speaker. The song service was beautiful. There were about 45 people present and it seemed that every person was singing to their fullest. The lesson was very powerful. He spoke about how we as Christians can defend ourselves in spiritual warfare.

Journal #24

This has been a tough week. I passed my Grado B test on Wednesday with an 84. I dove right into Grado C. Silvia, my teacher, had an internet student from 4-6 pm Tuesday-Friday so she asked me if I wanted to take 2 hours in the afternoon (2-4 pm) since she was here anyway. She had nothing else to do and was willing to teach me some more. I thought it would be a good idea so I started the additional 2 hours on Wednesday after my regular 4 hours. 2 more hours make a big difference.

We have moved at a very fast pace and taking classes in the afternoon does not give you as much time to study in the afternoon and evening. Plus you are covering more material. I am glad that I did it for 3 days but am glad that it is over. We are halfway through Grado C already and I should be able to take the test next Friday. I will end my Spanish class experience with a test. How appropriate!

We usually have no life outside of school and studying since it is so intense. This week has been even more "lifeless" for me with all the hours. Our days are limited now and we want to cram in as much as possible. Next week will be an intense week for both of us.

Our friends we have made here are leaving tomorrow so things will quiet down on that end. It was great to see all of them graduate today during the break. Only 5 more days and I get my diploma! Fireworks may go off when it happens. We are going out to eat with all of them tonight to celebrate and say good-bye. Other than that, our (or at least my) weekend is full with studying. I am eager to get to Honduras to see how much I have actually learned. Have a great weekend!

Adios,
Chad

Journal #23

Yesterday I got to visit the market again, but I went to the Artesian area of the market. I bought a beautiful poncho to wear to school because it has gotten very cool here in the mornings. Chad is in class during the afternoon for the rest of the week. His teacher has an afternoon student from 4-6 and so she asked Chad if he would like to come back from 2-4. He agreed and I think he is enjoying the extra class time.

Things are quite tranquil here right now. We are studying more and more because our time left is so short. Things are beginning to change around us. Our friends are leaving this weekend, class is coming to a close, and we are getting ready to head off to our new home in Honduras. Please pray for us that these changes will be easy for us to manage and that we are safe in our upcoming travels. Please also pray for our friends T.J. and Holly McCloud as they are leaving next Tuesday for a 2 year commitment in the Dominican Republic. They will be working with children. Also, please pray for our friends Blair and Brad. They are going to another town in Guatemala to help with special needs children. They have not made a time commitment, but know that there is work there for them.

It is amazing the number of people we have met while here in Antigua that are going into the mission field. God has truly blessed us with the presence of such loving people. We have met so many people that are devoted to helping others and serving our Heavenly Father. There are many families here that have given up their comfortable lives in The United States to go to a foreign land to help others.

Chad and I will be in Nashville the week of October 8th for our annual Las Palmas fundraiser dinner. Please know that we would love for each and every person to be in attendance to get an update on our work and the progress taking place at Las Palmas Refuge.

Shelly

Journal #22

My teacher and I talk every day about food and recipes. Last Thursday we were talking about things that we really like to eat for breakfast. I could not help but to mention homemade cinnamon rolls. She asked me how to make them and I told her a guesstimated recipe. I decided that afternoon while I was on the internet at school to find a recipe that I could share with her. I found one in English not really thinking clearly about it until yesterday in class.

Chad was not feeling real great Tuesday morning and so I decided to lighten his load and carry the computer bag to school. When we arrived at school I just took the bag with me to class and when I got to my table I remembered that I had the recipe saved on the computer. I thought what a great activity for me and my teacher to do – I could translate the recipe into Spanish for her. We had a great time and I learned more vocabulary, and these are words that are part of my favorite hobby, cooking. Lucy, my teacher, wrote while I read the English and translated to Spanish. It only took us about 25 minutes. I did have to rely on my dictionary for some things.

We visited Hotel Casa Santo Domingo for dinner on Sunday night. Our friends that we have met while here, Holly, T.J., Blair, Brad, and we all went to eat because this past weekend was their last one here in Antigua. We wanted to celebrate with a nice meal. We all met outside of one of the Catholic Cathedrals and walked to the restaurant about 7 or 8 blocks away. Most of the day Sunday was cloudy, but not much rain, not until we were having dinner.

We had just sat down in the restaurant and the rain started. It was such a beautiful sound and it kept getting harder and harder as it fell on what I assume was somewhat of a tin roof. As we talked we kept noticing how we had to keep adjusting our voices to be heard over the rain. We left the restaurant at about 10:00 and the rain had stopped just a few minutes before. We had a lovely dinner and the atmosphere with the rain made for a perfect evening together. We then woke up Monday morning and it had turned winter over night. Not really but it sure felt like it all day on Monday. I was told that starting Monday the temperature would only get cooler from now until January. Yesterday however was an exception. It was freezing in the morning and all during class, but in the afternoon the sun was out bright and shiny and it was like a nice summer day. It was not too hot, but not to cold either. I walked to a little café to study with Blair and it was just the perfect day to walk around and enjoy the sun. While we studied a little rain storm came through and passed very quickly. When we were ready to leave the sun was out again and it was a great walk home.

We only have 7 more days of language school. I cannot believe how quickly the time here has gone so far, but we are ready to move on and get to work in Honduras. Please continue to pray for us as we finish up here in Antigua. Our brains are tired, but we have more to learn.

Shelly

Journal #21

This weekend was one of my favorites so far in Antigua. I got the privilege to cook lunch for our family in their house. Of course I had some help because I am not used to cooking with a gas stove. It is something I better get used to though. I went to the grocery store with Maria on Saturday morning. We were going to buy as much there as we could and then go to the market for the meat. We were having spaghetti. Maria had told me earlier that morning that it would be best to go to the market to buy the beef for the sauce. She said the best thing to do was buy it in a slab, take it home and clean it and then put it in the food processor to grind it. I have no clue how to clean meat. I am accustomed to just dumping it into the pan from the container it came in at the store. Anyway, we ended up buying already ground beef from the grocery store and I did not have to do all of the cleaning and stuff.

I started preparing the dessert around 10:30 because I was going to have to use the oven. As many of you know, I was going to make a chocolate cobbler about 4 weeks ago and the oven was not working so I did not get to make it. It still has not been repaired, but Friday for lunch Maria made lasagna. It took about an hour and a half to cook. I asked if I could try to make my chocolate dessert on Saturday and she said she thought it would be fine.

I got everything ready, poured all the ingredients in, lit the oven and put the dessert in to cook. An hour later I checked the oven to see how things were going and the oven was cold. It had completely gone out! Luckily, the daughter-in-law was making an apple pie also and she needed an oven too. She called her friend down the road and asked to use her oven. We loaded the car, one of the maids and I held the desserts, and when we opened the door to leave, there was a car parked outside blocking the driveway. While the two of us holding the pans waited in the car, the other maid and the daughter-in-law went looking for the driver of the car. Here there are signs on every garage door telling people not to park in front of the door. When the driver of the car returned to the car, about 15 minutes had gone by and he just jumped in his car without an apology or anything. The daughter-in-law just said to him that we had been trying to get out for 15 minutes and he just drove away.

We were then on our way to the friend’s house. When we drove out of the driveway the pans sloshed all over the place. Luckily the chocolate had a larger pan under it and did not get all over the place. The apple did spill all over my lap. We went a back way to the house because it was the time of day where there was a lot of traffic. We of course got stuck behind a delivery truck that was trying to turn around in the middle of the road and everyone was blowing their horns. It was crazy. We finally got through and arrived at the house. The oven was ready and we put the pans in. I went back to the house to finish preparing the rest of the lunch which was already late. We were supposed to eat at 1:00 but due to our oven problems we did not eat until 2:15. Our meal was very good, but I was glad it was over.

This was an experience to teach me that everything is not always going to go exactly as planned and I need to be willing to change and not get frustrated. I learned a big lesson and realized that everything turned out the way it was supposed to in the end.

Shelly

Journal #20

Saturday, September 16, 2006

Let me catch you up on what we have been doing. Thursday afternoon we went to the official flag raising ceremony in Central Park which begins the holiday festivities. There were at least 1,000 people there if not more. The mayor and governor both gave a short speech and the holiday began. It is a very festive time for Guatelmaltecos.

We enjoyed our day off yesterday from school. Besides regularly talking in Spanish with our family, we put the language aside and took a break. A needed one! You can only take so much. Yesterday afternoon we went with our family to the material store because Maria wanted to buy some material for some new tablecloths. She bought 5 different ones and will sew them to fit her table. I entertained Ana Inez (the 2 year old) at the store while the ladies shopped. The store was more of a medium size warehouse with rolls of material on shelves. Ana Inez thought there was a monkey on the second floor and she wanted to go see it. It was not safe to go up there so it was fun trying to keep her down. You can imagine a her and I making monkey noises back and forth to each other to keep her occupied.

After that, we ran back home to pick up the son and go out to their family farm where he works. It is in Duanas which is only about 20 minutes away. Maria's husband established the farm and worked it for many years. His son has now taken it over since his death. It is not large, only about 5 acres maybe but they have every square inch of it covered. The largest and most productive part of the farm was an acre worth of tomato plants. It was quite impressive to see. They sell them for salsa. He had two cows which are named after his daughters (How about that for a compliment) and about 50 pigs which were absolutely HUGE. If you have been around pigs much, they are just plain SLOBS! He breeds them to sell their piglets. There were several ready to be sold. He has 3 concrete tanks of fish, advocate trees, orange trees and flowers which he grows. It is a nice job for him and their family and seems to provide the necessary money needed to survive. We enjoyed seeing the farm and how proud they are of it.

Today does not feel like Saturday since we had yesterday off. Shelly and I keep thinking that we should be in church this morning but that is not until tomorrow. Shelly is fixing lunch for us today. She is making spaghetti. All the ladies have gone to the grocery store to find all the needed products. She is also making CHOCOLATE COBBLER! No, the oven is not fixed so it will take about 2 hours for it to bake. I hope it turns out. Just think, chocolate cobbler with vanilla ice cream. My mouth is watering as I type. We shall see if it turns out.

Other than the update, we are doing well. Enjoying our break and look forward to finishing strong the next 2 weeks. Shelly and I both want to cover a lot of ground so we plan on working long and hard to finish. One thing, we have had some problems with some of your emails going into our Spam file and we cannot get all of them. If we do not respond to you in a few days after you send your email, please send it again to make sure we get it.

Have a great rest of the weekend!
Chad

Feliz Dia de Independencia!

Parque Central es loco! (Central Park is crazy!) Today started the "official" day of Independence for Guatemala even though they have been going crazy all week. The tradition is to have all the schools show up at the park (which is in the middle of the city) and run around the road with torches to symbolize something. We have asked many times why but have not recieved an answer. They seem to enjoy it and that is all that matters.

They all have whistles and blow them as they run so you can image the noise a thousand school kids are making as they run around with fire. There is food all over the park as seen in the pictures above. I am not brave enough to try any though. I like my health right now. It should be interesting as the evening progresses because we have been told that it gets even more crazy at night. Shelly and I are going to bunker down in our room and take it easy.

We have a day off tomorrow from school. A three day weekend will be nice. Even though our teachers did give us a little more than usual work to do, we will enjoy the time off. Everything is suppose to be closed tomorrow. We have been told to get everything we need for the weekend today because of that.

We are doing well. Our time is limited in Antigua now. We are on the backstretch and working hard to finish strong. We are both trying to finish Grado C before we leave. I will take my test on Grado B on Wednesday and then work like crazy to finish C. My teacher is up for the task though so that is encouraging. Have a great weekend! We will enjoy the day off for you. You owe us one for Labor Day anyway.

Adios.
Chad

Journal #19

Tuesday, September 13, 2006

We did not write yesterday because it was a bad day for both of us. In class, we could not even remember the basics of Spanish. They say you have some of those days because you are learning so much so quickly that you are literally saturated. I believe it after yesterday. Shelly and I had to get away from Spanish for a while yesterday afternoon so we took a long walk around Antigua (Shelly was actually looking for the Dunkin Doughnuts because she was craving one but we never found it). It was good to get Spanish off the brain and do something else.

I went to bed right after supper which was about 8:00 pm because I had a huge headache. I woke up this morning at 6:30 a.m. and was ready to start the day. I could tell a huge difference. My teacher, Silvia, even questioned if I was the real Chad today. She thought I was a clone. It is amazing what sleep can do for you. We both feel a whole lot better today.

Guatemala is getting ready for their "4th of July" which is Friday, the 15th. People are decorating their homes and businesses with flags and such. There is a huge flag raising ceremony in central park tomorrow at 6:00 pm to commence the special day. There are to be thousands of people present. I think we are going to try to stop by there on the way to Bible study.

We finalized our travel plans to the States this week. We will be arriving in Nashville on October 6th and returning to Honduras on the 16th. I will be giving Berry's Chapel a short, but important, update on us on the 8th. We are excited to return back after 2 months. It will be so good to see people we love.

We have our 2nd fundraiser dinner for Las Palmas Refuge set for October 10th. If you are hearing about this for the first time, YOU ARE INVITED! Get with my mom (Debbie Hedgepath) at hedged@Brentwood-tn.org or Mac Hughes at mac@thehughesgroupllc.net for more information. I hope to see many of you there.

We are receiving a great donation from Franklin Special Schools for the Mission Lazarus preaching school. They are donating a 40' trailer full of school desks and furniture. That will help these men as they study to preach the Word of God and adjust to their new building they just moved into.

Have a great rest of the day and be thankful for the English language that we know so well.

Adios amigos!
Chad

Journal #18

Monday, September 11, 2006

This weekend we visited the Casa Popenoe. It is an old colonial style house that they have open for tours every day. It belonged to a family that lived here many years ago and it is a typical Guatemalan house. It was a self guided tour and we were there about 30 minutes. It was neat to see what the inside of the original style homes look like. There was one really neat part. Upstairs there is a room that has hundreds of little houses for birds built into the walls. There are windows where the birds could come and go as they chose, but they had a place to protect themselves and get food. It is a really neat thing to see. I wish we had taken pictures.

Sunday we went to worship and afterward we wanted to go somewhere a little nicer than Burger King or McDonald’s for lunch. We ended up at a restaurant called “Las Palmas”. Can you believe it? It was not a Mexican restaurant either. Anyway, everything about the restaurant was excellent. The service was great. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was beautiful. We tried attaching photos of our experience there, but it is not working today. We will try again tomorrow.

Saturday morning I got the opportunity to accompany our “Senora” to the market to buy food for the weekend. We went to a different area of the market than where Chad and I have been. The prices were unbelievable. We bought 4 pounds of potatoes for about .50 cents and 4 pounds of tomatoes for about .75 cents. She bargained with people and even told one man that she would buy from him but his prices were higher than someone else’s. Oh well, there are tons of people that shop there. Chad and I returned Saturday afternoon because he wanted to see where I went that morning. I could not get over how much of the food had disappeared in a little more than half the day. There are so many vendors, that I know some of the food has to go bad before they sell it.

Chad and I were walking a talking about the things the local sell here. It is a wonder that any of them make any money because they all have practically the same things that they are selling. We went to an area Saturday afternoon that has souvenir type items. Each booth that we walked passed, we saw the same things. They sell authentic blankets, jewelry, table linens, clothes, etc. The only difference we could see was the colors are all different. They even have the same patterns. It is just amazing to think that they make money selling those things.

Well, we have 13 more days of class and we are counting. We are continuing to study hard and learn a lot. Chad will have his Grado B test probably next Monday or Tuesday. I began Grado C today and hopefully will finish late next week and get to move on to Grado D the week before we leave. This is my teacher’s plan. We are communicating more openly and the fear of messing up is gone. When we do say things wrong everyone is so willing to help us say it correctly and explain why. That is a great help.

Shelly

Some of our favorite things!

Journal #17

Thursday, September 7, 2006

Well, this week is flying by. Chad and I were talking just before lunch today that it is already Thursday and we are already out of class for the day. The time here is going so quickly for us, but yet it seems we have been gone for so long. Today is our one month anniversary of starting our classes in Antigua. My mom brought this to my attention through a comment she wrote on our blog today. It is amazing what we have accomplished in just one month. I am excited to get to use what I have learned in my every day life.

I am going today to study with our friend from Texas. She and I both have our Grado B test tomorrow. I thought this morning in class how nice it would be to study with someone instead of trying to study alone. Yes, I have Chad to study with, but he and I are not at the same level in our book. I am looking forward to the afternoon.

We will go to Bible study tonight. We have a new lady that wants to joins us. She is from Washington state and seems very nice. Chad talked to her today for a while during the break at school and learned a little about her. I am hoping to get to know her this evening as we study together.

We visited the market on Monday afternoon. I am telling you it is unlike any market I have EVER been to. If you can imagine the largest flea market you have attended and quadruple it. That is probably not as large as this market. I wish you could see it. I could not get over all the booths they had there. There were shoes, clothes, baby items, leather shops, food, food and more food. They had meat (chicken, beef, sausages, pork, etc.) hanging everywhere. I am sure there were things that we could not identify. I also was totally amazed at all the fruits and vegetables that these vendors have. Saturday morning I am going with Maria, our host mother, to do her shopping at the market. I am excited about that experience. I am sure some of you have experienced something like this before. It was a first time experience for me and WOW I am amazed.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week. Only one more day until the weekend. Lots of love to you all!

Shelly

Journal #16

Tuesday, September 5, 2006

There is nothing exciting to report today. We have to study even more each day as we learn a ton of verbs and their irregular declensions. The more we get into the language, the more difficult it becomes. We are marching on though. It will come to us (hopefully sooner than later).

We had a large crowd for lunch today. All the regular family was present along with another son and his family. We had a total of 11 around a table for 8. It was enjoyable though. It gave us a chance to hear others talk in Spanish and try to understand their dialect. We had rice, chili (almost like in the States) and fruit. It was good.

I asked for a new teacher this week and that has been a good decision. I really liked my other teacher but he was talking too much English to me and we spent too much time on his personal problems. My new teacher is named Silvia. She leaves her house at 6:00 am in the morning to catch a bus to travel to school. After 3 buses and 2 hours of traveling, she arrives at school. How about that for dedication! She hardly speaks English which forces me to listen more and look up more words for myself if I am going to understand her and she understand me. It is challenging but I can already tell I am more confident talking out loud because she forces me.

I am a good book worker. I can understand what is being said on paper, but when it comes to speaking, it is a challenge. My brain does not want to function that way. It wants to keep everything inside. I am learning that you can not translate everything into Spanish to comprehend it. You have to depend on your knowledge and understand what is said in Spanish. I want to translate everything in order to understand but I have to break that habit. It is difficult but I am making progress. You truly have to know two completely different languages.

Shelly and Tristan are taking a nap on the bed. I need to start studying more verbs and complete my homework. I hope you are having a great day back at work! For those who have asked me to write our journal in Spanish, here you go: Que le baya bien!

Chad

Journal #15

Monday, September 4, 2006

Shelly and I did not go to Nancy Moon Gonzalez’s house this weekend in Guatemala City. We sat in the coffeehouse where we were to meet her for an hour on Saturday before her husband, Manuel, showed up. He said that Nancy was really sick and that the weekend was not going to work out. We were able to talk to her on his cell phone. We had packed a suitcase (probably weighing 100 lbs.) for them to take to Gerardo Flores in Honduras when their youth group goes to Baxter in two weeks for a youth seminar. It will lessen our weight for our plane trip to Honduras at the end of the month. Manuel still took it which was a relief. We plan on visiting them next weekend.

It has been a rainy weekend. They say Antigua gets more rain in September than any of the other months combined. I believe it. It has rained and rained and rained. It is nice to hear the sound of the rain outside as our room is wide open to the breeze (and sounds of the day). The rain sounds so much better than the trucks, horns and dogs.

Today is Labor Day in the States. We do not have Labor Day in Antigua but there is a stirring in the city for Independence Day. Guatemala’s Independence Day is September 15th and the celebration has already begun. Decorations are going up around town and you can tell that the Guatemaltecos go all out for this. We have heard that the 15th is a day full of activities but you would think it is already here. The city is very busy right now.

We went to church on Sunday morning and for the first time, I really felt a part of the congregation. People recognize us now. You know that awkward time period when you first go to a new church and you are trying to feel everything out. I guess Shelly and I are past that now and settling in. They do not use songbooks at church but they have seen that we are not able to sing without the words because we do not know the songs. When we arrived on Sunday, the song leader instantly gave us a songbook to share and mentioned the numbers before they sang which they have not done before. It was comforting and encouraging.

I was thinking (and have been thinking) since Shelly was sick what a blessing it is to be part of a church that accepts you no matter where you are. God provides in mysterious ways! Can I be honest with you? It would be very easy for Shelly and me to not attend worship and Bible study each week. We hear many people say that they are “going to do their own” or that they are “going to seek out other alternatives” to worship. “Test the waters” to see what is out there. It made me start to think about what we would have done when Shelly was sick if we had never met Dr. Raul Duran. Would we have had to go to the hospital to get her checked out? In third world countries, that is a very scary thought.

It opened my eyes to see that God blesses His children who are faithful to Him. Does God hold back blessings in our lives because of our unfaithfulness? I believe so. You may not agree with me but it can be seen in the Bible. Shelly has gotten better physically because of a preacher/doctor who teaches at the Iglesia de Cristo in Antigua, Guatemala. The only one for that fact. What kind of coincidence is that? I don’t believe in coincidences alone, I believe in HOLY coincidences where God puts the right people in your path at the right time.

My last lesson at Berry’s Chapel was about how God has placed people in my life up to this point to steer me in the direction I am going today. God is not done though. He is continuing to put people in my life who I need at just the right time. Isn’t God powerful? God is working in our lives and He has the power and authority to provide us with every need which we may have if we are faithful to Him. It makes me think about my commitment level. What is yours?

Chad

Journal #14

Friday, September 1, 2006

We went to Bible Study last night. The building is an old hotel with a kitchen, 2 bathrooms and 4 rooms downstairs and the rooms/living quarters upstairs. When we got there, there was a circle of chairs set up in the first room where you walk in and then we have Bible Study in the room to the right. Everyone was in there getting ready to start. We sang for the first 25 minutes. Chad and I have learned that when we have a songbook and are able to sing along with the congregation we learn more Spanish. After singing, we stood for a prayer and then the preacher got up to share the lesson. He wrote the scripture Matthew 6:25-34 on the white board that is in the classroom.

He spoke for a few minutes and then started splitting the congregation into 2 groups. He asked 6 people to go into the other room where the circle of chairs were set up and the rest of us stayed in the room where we were and formed a circle with our chairs. He came over to explain to us what we were going to do and he asked me to lead the discussion in our group. It was me and Chad and 4 Guatemalteca women. We each shared something that we thought Jesus wants us to know in our lives today from the scripture in Matthew 6. I immediately began to feel pressure because I was afraid I would not know what they were sharing with us. However, it was quite the opposite. I was able to understand and write comments that each person had shared.

After we finished in our groups, we had about 10 minutes; we all came back together to discuss what we had learned. I had taken notes and Chad was asked to share what our group had talked about. He had to do it in Spanish. I could tell he was very nervous because he has never spoken in Spanish in front of a group like that. He reviewed what I had written and asked me how to pronounce a few words and then he was called up to speak. He did a terrific job. The people agreed with the things he was saying so we knew they understood him. Afterward he was applauded for the job well done.

We both learned a huge lesson last night. We both had fear and anxiety about the job we were called to do. But, God helped us through it. That was just a preview of the enormous job that we have ahead of us. I truly believe that even though we have anxiety about what we are doing, God is going to take the fear away and He is going to succeed through us. We have all been called to do a special job and that is to share the good news of Jesus Christ to others. No matter where we live and no matter what our income is, we all are to work for God. I am certainly glad we had the opportunity to be a part of the wonderful fellowship last night. Our friends did not go with us last night and today when we shared with them what we did they were saddened at the fact that they chose not to attend.

May God bless you this Labor Day weekend!!

Shelly

Journal #13

Thursday, August 31, 2006

First, Shelly is feeling better. She has had a tough week trying to get over this sickness. She still has some cramping in her stomach but we are going to talk to the preacher/doctor at Bible study tonight about it. We shall see what he says. She is much better though.

August has flown by. It seems like just yesterday we moved to Antigua and now we only have a month left here. It has become home for us over the last month. It is amazing to see the progress we have made in speaking and understanding the Spanish language since we first arrived. I knew nothing!

I always find it interesting to study what things cost in different countries (especially third world countries). It gives me a feeling of where they are economically and how far a dollar truly goes. I want to share some expenses, incomes, costs of things here in Antigua, Guatemala. Thinking about this reminds me how blessed we are!

Guatemalan money is called Quetzal. $1 = 7.62 Quetzales. This will give you a reference on how much the following is:

My teacher makes Q15 an hour (He works 8 hours a day, 5 days a week).
The average yearly income is $2,000. (Honduras is $600)
6 small homemade corn tortillas delivered to your house costs Q6.
1 childhood vaccination costs Q500.
A combo meal at Burger King (Whopper, fries and coke) costs Q21.
A coke in a can costs Q5.
1 pound of laundry (washed, dried and folded) costs Q5.
1 ½ pounds of whole cashews cost Q30.
A phone call to the United States costs Q1 per minute (with a calling card).
A bottle of Pedialyte costs Q21.
A small bottle of Philip’s Milk of Magnesia costs Q16.
A nice supper out on the town (according to US standards) costs Q80.
A gallon of gasoline costs Q28.
.10% of a paycheck goes to Social Security which functions as health care in most businesses.
Being on this adventure = priceless.

I had to throw that last one in. We found out today that the church staff was going to Rafferty’s for a celebration lunch for Margaret’s 5 year anniversary at Berry’s Chapel. We bought a calling card two weeks ago and decided to use some of it to make a surprise call to them. We finally caught them on Margaret’s cell phone (what did we do without them?) traveling back in the van to the church building. It was so good to hear their voices and have a short conversation with each one. Hello again Margaret, Will, Jerrie, Alejandro and Guilford (I know Guilford is reading this)!

Shelly and I have regressed ourselves to listening to Barney in Spanish. That is what we are doing right now as we type. What you will do to learn Spanish and entertain yourselves at the same time! We better concentrate on Barney so we will talk to you again soon.

We love each and every one of you!
Chad

Pictures of Historic Antigua

Ruins from the cathedral pictured below.

This is the cathedral.

You can see the 12 apostles

with Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit in the center.

You can see the volcanoes smoking.

Historic Antigua

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

We went on an amazing walking tour of Antigua last Saturday. We began the 3 hour journey in Central Park at the big fountain. Chad and I have yet to see the fountain running, but that is another story. The park is surrounded by government buildings. We first went to the building where the mayor’s office and the office of property tax are located. There we had a tremendous view of one of Antigua’s three active volcanoes (you can see it smoking on the left in the picture above). We had not been able to see that volcano until the tour.

We left that building and walked across the park to look at the other government building. While the tour guide was talking, a procession came driving by. In front, there were men in the back of a pick-up truck all dressed in red and white robes. The next vehicle was a tractor trailer truck pulling a trailer. On the trailer were men in robes, tons of flowers, a statue of Jesus and a box that looked like a coffin. Then there were about 8-10 more cars behind that with lots more people dressed in robes. There was a big PA system they were using to announce that Jesus is alive and He does good things in our lives. They had a great message. (A picture is included above)

After we talked a while in the park, we went into the main cathedral. There was a first communion just getting started as we entered. It was really strange inside. There were all these real life figures in showcase boxes that people go to pray. There were candles lit on tables in front of each one. The tour guide told us that the majority of the Catholics are Mayans. They worship differently than the Catholics here in Antigua. They have a different language that they speak also.

We went in and sat down for just a few minutes, and then we walked down the side of the sanctuary to the back door. There we entered the ruins of the old cathedral. An earthquake came through Antigua in 1976 and knocked a lot of the building down. We went down into a crypt that was in there. It was a little creepy to me. Then we walked around and looked at all the restoration that they are doing to that building since the earthquake. You are going to see at the end of this journal that one of the main themes of our trip was “CRYPTS”.

From there we went by a place called the Popenoe House, which is a home that is a typical colonial Guatemalan casa (house). They were not open, so Chad and I are going to visit there Thursday or Friday. We then went to the Jade factory and listened to the history of Jade in Central America and had a tour of the workshop. We then got to shop in the Jade showroom. Of course, I found a ring that I really liked, but it was $500 so we passed on that. The website for the Jade factory is www.centramerica.com/jades.

Then, we went to Elizabeth Bell’s office. She was our tour guide for the day. At her office she gave us a lot of her personal recommendations of places to go in Antigua. Beside her office is the Hotel Casa Santo Domingo (a 5 star hotel). It was an Old Catholic Cathedral and a family bought it to excavate and build on. We visited 3 museums inside there. Then, before we left we visited 2 other crypts. Those were bigger than the first one we went in. They also had actual bones in them that the archeologists had found when doing their archaeological digs. The hotel is gorgeous also. We of course have not had the opportunity to stay there but just the aura of it is amazing. Their website is www.casasantodomingo.com.gt. This is a site you don’t want to pass up.

This was a neat experience and I am sure that we only brushed the surface on the history of Antigua. It was very informative.

Shelly

UPDATE

Chad scored a 93 on his first test.

He graduated this morning from Grado A to Grado B.

Way to go Chad!!

I am better today also. I am still very weak, but I am sure the more rest I get and the more Cipro I take I will get back to normal. Thanks so much for all your prayers. Chad is going to send our journal later this afternoon.

Love to you all!

Shelly

Journal #12

I have to make this short because my head is barely above water with so much to do. I will fully update you in a day or two but here it goes...

First, Shelly is sick so I am taking care of her. Her stomach started cramping on Friday afternoon and has not really settled. She has run a fever at times. She rested it out all weekend but was not feeling better this morning so I knew we needed to call a doctor. (I have a journal article in the waiting on how God provided in this situation.) The preacher at church is a medical doctor so we called him this morning and asked him to come to the house and check on her. She did not go to school. During our break, I went back home and he had come. She has a digestive infection and he told her to take 2 bottles of Pedialite today. She is also to start the Cipro we brought with us. (Thank you Larry Crockett for the prescription.) She is not to eat anything more than crackers and soup. I believe this will make her feel better. God will take care of her!

That has really been my weekend. We did go on the walking tour Saturday morning before Shelly started feeling really bad. It was so interesting! I will post pictures and tell you about it later.

I am swarmed right now because I have my test tomorrow. I am not as fluent as Shelly and got frustrated today with some oral practice. Sometimes it just does not make sense. Oh well, I will survive.

I need to go to the pharmacy right now to get Shelly's Pedialite, then tend to her and then study for the rest of the day. Please say a prayer for her infection. I will continue to take care of her. We are in this together. She should start to feel better tomorrow if not this afternoon.

Chad

Journal #11

Shelly is sure studying hard!

SMILE!

We are at Trae Frateli Italian Restaurant after Bible Class. The best in Antigua!

Happy 26th Birthday TJ!

These were the after-dinner mints that came with the bill.

None of us had sore throats though!

We just finished another week at Christian Spanish Academy (www.learncsa.com). That makes 3 weeks completed and 5 more to go. It gets frustrating at times because you want to speak Spanish so badly but your brain is not ready to do so. Thinking out all the correct tenses and such can be a headache. One step at a time will get us through. It is hard to only take one step though.

We had an enjoyable evening last night with our friends. We went to Bible study at 6:00 pm and then went to a great Italian restaurant (it is actually a franchise out of San Francisco) called Trae Frateli. We were celebrating T.J. McCloud's 26th birthday. He and his wife, Holly, are from Nashville also. We did not know them before we moved here. She bought him a cake which was like tres leches (three milk cake) with strawberries and the restaurant served it to us. It was good. We enjoyed our time together.

Tomorrow we are taking a walking tour of Antigua's ruins with Elizabeth Bell (an American woman who has lived here for 30-40 years. You can look at her website at http://www.antiguatours.net/. It starts at 9:30 am and ends at 12:30 pm. I am looking forward to it. There is so much history in this town. We will be able to see it up close and personal tomorrow.

The rest of the weekend will be spent energizing and studying. I finished the first book today and will have my test on Tuesday. I need to review and make sure I have everything in my brain. We will talk to you again on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Chad

Picture of the Iglesia de Cristo in Antigua, Guatemala

Here they are finally! Today is a good computer day. These are pictures of the church building we have been attending. They have a great flower committee! We will go back tonight for Bible Study at 6:00 pm. We plan on going to supper after with some of our friends to celebrate one of their birthdays. I believe we are going to try the Italian restaurant we have heard so much about.

You won't believe what happened today! We were eating lunch in our house with our family and Ana Julia (the daughter-in-law) left the table to go to the kitchen. Each day we have what they call "fresca" which is a watered down version of some kind of fruit punch. Today it was raspberry. She reappeared out of the kitchen with a bowl of ICE! Yes, you read correctly. She had ice and she was going to actually put it in our glasses WITH our drinks. Can you believe it? It exists in Guatemala. I don't know why she chose today to put ice in the drinks for it was as lukewarm as any other day, BUT now I know there is ice in the house. I will have to investigate some more on it. It tasted great. I used it as far as it would go with 2 small glasses of ICE WATER!

I have two more chapters in Book A to finish tomorrow and I should take the test early next week. I know many of you are curious on how that will turn out. You will have to wait and see!

I am working on a great journal about 2 "domesticas" at our house. It will be one you will not want to miss. Stay tuned. Thanks for reading and keeping up with us.

Chad