Do I have a wonderful wife or what? Her blog yesterday made me break down and cry. I am so blessed to have her and I take advantage of that. Life is so precious and we need to take time to share with those who are closest to us.
I am back in San Marcos now. I arrived back last night after spending the day with Sandra and the brothers. We went to Gerardo's office at Baxter first to find some things which was difficult. We then went to the hospital to pay his bill which ended up being about $1,100. The family is putting together a list of funeral costs so that we can help. I will share that with you when I receive it this weekend.
My guesstimate is that the total cost for Gerardo's expenses will be about $3,000. If you are interested in giving to that overall expense, you can make a check to Berry's Chapel church of Christ and mail it to 7052 Sunrise Circle, Franklin, TN 37067. Please designate on the check that it is for Gerardo Flores. I will personally make sure it is put towards his expenses.
Please keep Gerardo's family and especially Sandra in your prayers. This is so tough for them because Gerardo was such a special person for the family. He will be missed.
Chad
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Greater love hath no man...
I just want to express my thoughts and feelings on the events of this past weekend. I am in TN right now and Chad is in Honduras. Chad called me on Thursday telling me that our brother and precious friend, Gerardo Flores, was in the hosptial again after many previous visits this year. I prayed for Gerardo that day asking God to comfort him and give him the relief from the horrible pain that comes with his illness each time. Friday, Chad called me in the middle of the afternoon, which was weird because he usually calls me later in the evening to tell me about the events of his day. I answered the phone and Chad said, "Shelly, Gerardo died!" I immediately lost it and asked questions about what happened and was trying to get a grip on what was going on. Chad remained very calm and walked me through the details. He told me he would let me know when he knew more.
He called me about an hour or so later with new information and still very calm and collected. I told him that I wanted to fly to Honduras to be there with him and with Sandra, Gerardo's wife and his family. We decided that would not be necessary and we left it at that. We talked a couple more times that afternoon and evening.
Saturday Chad went to Tegucigalpa and spent the day with Sandra and Gerardo's family making sure that they were taken care of. He was there comforting, offering his help, and just there as a a shoulder for them to cry on. I received calls throughout the day on Saturday and then again on Sunday catching me up on everything. All he could talk about was making sure that Sandra and Gerardo's family were taken care of.
I write all of this to say that my husband, Chad Hedgepath, is truly a servant of God. I cannot express how proud I am of him and the way he has poured out his heart to this family in their time of need. Chad was very close to Gerardo and has lost who he considers his best Honduran friend, but instead of asking for comfort from others, he was there to comfort others. Gerardo was a servant just like this and I think that is why he and Chad understood each other so well. It did not matter if he was sick or having difficulties in his own life. He was always "laying down his life" and looking out to help carry someone else's burdens. I know Gerardo is smiling at Chad and saying, "you are such a man of God, thank-you for taking care of my family."
Chad, I cannot thank God enough for blessing me with you as my husband. I am so blessed to have you in my life. You are such a strong hold for me and the greatest example of what a true servant really is. You give of your love to whoever needs it. Not just to those that you choose, but to all that God puts in front of you. Thank you for your example and for being that support for me and so many others. Know that even though I am not physically there for you right now that I will always stand beside you and support you in everything that comes our way. I love you so much.
Shelly
He called me about an hour or so later with new information and still very calm and collected. I told him that I wanted to fly to Honduras to be there with him and with Sandra, Gerardo's wife and his family. We decided that would not be necessary and we left it at that. We talked a couple more times that afternoon and evening.
Saturday Chad went to Tegucigalpa and spent the day with Sandra and Gerardo's family making sure that they were taken care of. He was there comforting, offering his help, and just there as a a shoulder for them to cry on. I received calls throughout the day on Saturday and then again on Sunday catching me up on everything. All he could talk about was making sure that Sandra and Gerardo's family were taken care of.
I write all of this to say that my husband, Chad Hedgepath, is truly a servant of God. I cannot express how proud I am of him and the way he has poured out his heart to this family in their time of need. Chad was very close to Gerardo and has lost who he considers his best Honduran friend, but instead of asking for comfort from others, he was there to comfort others. Gerardo was a servant just like this and I think that is why he and Chad understood each other so well. It did not matter if he was sick or having difficulties in his own life. He was always "laying down his life" and looking out to help carry someone else's burdens. I know Gerardo is smiling at Chad and saying, "you are such a man of God, thank-you for taking care of my family."
Chad, I cannot thank God enough for blessing me with you as my husband. I am so blessed to have you in my life. You are such a strong hold for me and the greatest example of what a true servant really is. You give of your love to whoever needs it. Not just to those that you choose, but to all that God puts in front of you. Thank you for your example and for being that support for me and so many others. Know that even though I am not physically there for you right now that I will always stand beside you and support you in everything that comes our way. I love you so much.
Shelly
Friday, December 07, 2007
A Great Man
The world lost a great man today. Gerardo Flores passed away this afternoon after suffering from sickle cell anemia his whole life. He was only 35 years old. He has been in and out of the hospital all year and was there when he died. His family will have his body in their home tonight and will move it to their church building tomorrow morning. They will bury him on Sunday afternoon. Please keep his wife, Sandra, and his family in your prayers.
I will never forget Gerardo. He was my best friend in Honduras. I loved his smile. I loved the way he shaked his shoulders when he laughed. He was always so optimistic and happy. He would do anything to help you out. I have never met anyone like him in being so giving all the time. He would make the time to spend with you and made you feel like the top of the world. I love him. I will miss him. I cannot believe that I will not be able to see him face to face any more. I have so many memories of him that I will cherish forever.
Thank you Gerardo for being so special in my life. Thank you for being so encouraging and teaching me more than you will ever know. I want you to know that I will do whatever it takes to see that Sandra and your family are taken care of. I can't wait to see you in Heaven.
Chad
I will never forget Gerardo. He was my best friend in Honduras. I loved his smile. I loved the way he shaked his shoulders when he laughed. He was always so optimistic and happy. He would do anything to help you out. I have never met anyone like him in being so giving all the time. He would make the time to spend with you and made you feel like the top of the world. I love him. I will miss him. I cannot believe that I will not be able to see him face to face any more. I have so many memories of him that I will cherish forever.
Thank you Gerardo for being so special in my life. Thank you for being so encouraging and teaching me more than you will ever know. I want you to know that I will do whatever it takes to see that Sandra and your family are taken care of. I can't wait to see you in Heaven.
Chad
Thursday, December 06, 2007
The Right People at the Right Time
Baxter Institute (a Christian university in Tegucigalpa) is having their graduation on Saturday. They had groups of Americans start arriving yesterday and I traveled to Teg to pick up two men who wanted to see the projects of Mission Lazarus firsthand. Little did I know that it would be one of those great life moments. I did not know they men and had to have the President of Baxter introduce them to me. We rode for 3 hours to San Marcos getting to know each other.
We woke up this morning and left the house at 6:30 am to go to the ranch for my weekly devotional with the workers. I showed the men around the ranch and talked about what God was doing through Mission Lazarus. We then traveled back into San Marcos to see some more things and pick up their luggage from my house so they could travel back to Teg this afternoon.
I wanted to take them by Gloria's house to see her and her 7 children. Gloria is dying of congestive heart failure and they are some of the poorest of the poor in San Marcos. They have no running water, not bathroom facilities, no electricity and many times no food and live in house which is not even considered a shed. They are filthy dirty but have smiles on their faces all the time. I love this family and strive everyday to provide their basic necessities. While we were in the house, I asked if they had any food. THEY HAD NOTHING! Not even a crumb. One of the men caught onto it. He handed me $20 as we walked out the door and said to do whatever we could with it to help them out.
We immediately went to the grocery to purchase a $20 provision which is enough food for 2 weeks for this family. After we delivered the food to the house and the men realized that they had just helped this family beyond what we could ever imagine, we got into my truck and drove off. I told them that I strongly believed that God put them in that place at that time to help that family. These men came to Honduras for a graduation but felt compelled to visit San Marcos de Colon and was introduced to a family that needed their help at that very moment. I thanked them for being there and for providing and for making a difference in that family's life even though it may only be temporary.
The man in the back seat starting saying something in response and then got choked up. In a cracked voice he said, "We are the ones who are truly blessed. That family made a difference in me." Isn't it amazing how God works? He puts us in situations to be a blessing but transforms us through the process.
God was present today in a big way in my life. I am so grateful to have been in Gloria's house today and allow God to work in the lives of those two men. What a blessing! Be careful to not pass up what God might be asking you to do today. Thanks Thomas and Raymond for visiting!
Chad
We woke up this morning and left the house at 6:30 am to go to the ranch for my weekly devotional with the workers. I showed the men around the ranch and talked about what God was doing through Mission Lazarus. We then traveled back into San Marcos to see some more things and pick up their luggage from my house so they could travel back to Teg this afternoon.
I wanted to take them by Gloria's house to see her and her 7 children. Gloria is dying of congestive heart failure and they are some of the poorest of the poor in San Marcos. They have no running water, not bathroom facilities, no electricity and many times no food and live in house which is not even considered a shed. They are filthy dirty but have smiles on their faces all the time. I love this family and strive everyday to provide their basic necessities. While we were in the house, I asked if they had any food. THEY HAD NOTHING! Not even a crumb. One of the men caught onto it. He handed me $20 as we walked out the door and said to do whatever we could with it to help them out.
We immediately went to the grocery to purchase a $20 provision which is enough food for 2 weeks for this family. After we delivered the food to the house and the men realized that they had just helped this family beyond what we could ever imagine, we got into my truck and drove off. I told them that I strongly believed that God put them in that place at that time to help that family. These men came to Honduras for a graduation but felt compelled to visit San Marcos de Colon and was introduced to a family that needed their help at that very moment. I thanked them for being there and for providing and for making a difference in that family's life even though it may only be temporary.
The man in the back seat starting saying something in response and then got choked up. In a cracked voice he said, "We are the ones who are truly blessed. That family made a difference in me." Isn't it amazing how God works? He puts us in situations to be a blessing but transforms us through the process.
God was present today in a big way in my life. I am so grateful to have been in Gloria's house today and allow God to work in the lives of those two men. What a blessing! Be careful to not pass up what God might be asking you to do today. Thanks Thomas and Raymond for visiting!
Chad
Friday, November 16, 2007
Heading Home...
We have been BUSY! In the past week, we have moved another family into a Mission Lazarus home, had our last day of school in our 3 schools, taken the children from the refuge on a field trip to Tegucigalpa, had the district final evaluation in our San Marcos school, visited Duyure where we plan to open a new school next year, celebrated Chad's 31st birthday and tomorrow is our Kindergarten graduation. We have just crammed it all in haven't we.
Monday we are flying home to see our families. We are so excited about the time we are going to get to spend there. Hopefully over the next few weeks we will get caught up on our blog. I just want to wish everyone a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Enjoy the time with your family and make sure to tell each and every one of them how much you love and appreciate them.
Shelly
The children at the refuge especially enjoyed celebrating their "tio Chad's" birthday.
Monday we are flying home to see our families. We are so excited about the time we are going to get to spend there. Hopefully over the next few weeks we will get caught up on our blog. I just want to wish everyone a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Enjoy the time with your family and make sure to tell each and every one of them how much you love and appreciate them.
Shelly
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
I want to post pictures, but...
Our internet is not working great today so I cannot put the pictures I want to share with you on the blog. I will keep working on it this week.
We are doing fine. It has not rained in 2 days which is BLESSING. We need lots of sun right now to dry things up a little. Everything is soup. Mission Lazarus is helping with food bags to those effected by the floods 2 weeks ago. Bags are going out on a daily basis for families. That is encouraging.
We are just working hard at this moment. Hope you are also.
Chad
We are doing fine. It has not rained in 2 days which is BLESSING. We need lots of sun right now to dry things up a little. Everything is soup. Mission Lazarus is helping with food bags to those effected by the floods 2 weeks ago. Bags are going out on a daily basis for families. That is encouraging.
We are just working hard at this moment. Hope you are also.
Chad
Friday, October 12, 2007
Flooding Pictures
It has now been raining for 96 hours straight. Some of it is just a sprinkle, but for the most part it is pretty much a steady rainfall.
The above 2 pictures are of a bridge that you have to cross over to get to Jarrod and Ally's house. There were people on the other side telling me to bring them food because they could not get across to go to the market. Of course, I wanted to help, but obviously couldn't.
Shelly
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Rain, Rain, Go Away, Come Again Another Day!
It has been raining for the past 72 hours. It is unbelievable how much water the clouds hold. We have been told there is a tropical storm around and it is supposed to continue raining for the next 3 days. Chad goes to the ranch every day with his rubber boots on. There is so much mud and water, I think it will be a while before this place dries out.
Yesterday, Meredith Jones and I trekked up the mountain in San Marcos to visit a little girl from school that has been having seizures. There was no other way to inform the mother of the doctor's appointment that she has without visiting her at home. We could not get the car all the way there, so we parked and walked. Let me begin by saying that we had been in the office all day in Choluteca and I definitely was not planning on going mountain climbing in my Merrell slip-ons. It had already been raining for 2 days, but there was a break in the rain so we decided to go for it. We walked, or should I say slid, up one road and had to look for the trail that leads up to this family's house. We found it and I am not kidding, it is straight up. It was beginning to drizzle somewhat but we thought, hey we've gone this far why not continue on. The lady that lives on the corner told us it was not the best idea because the rocks we would have to walk on were slick. Ignoring her advice, we decided we could make it. Very slowly, one step at a time, we made it and there were two little boys at the top applauding us as we arrived. We found the house and went in to talk to the mother. As we stood in the canopy area talking to her it began to pour. We visited for while and then said our good-byes. We were already muddy and wet, so we decided just to deal with it, head back down and not worry about the rain. About half way down, one of the little girls brought us an umbrella, but by that time we were already soaked and were more concerned with each step that we took as to whether we were going to end up covered in mud. Neither of us wanted to slide down on our rear end so were were taking it very carefully. I remember Meredith making the comment that going us she never thought about having to come back down. We finally reached the car again and all we could do was laugh. It was an experience that I will NEVER forget. Meredith called me this morning and we were still laughing and reminiscing about the rainy adventure that we went on.
Tristan cannot stand the rain nor getting wet. Here is a picture of him that Chad's mom took last week during "bath time." You can tell he was just so excited!
Yesterday, Meredith Jones and I trekked up the mountain in San Marcos to visit a little girl from school that has been having seizures. There was no other way to inform the mother of the doctor's appointment that she has without visiting her at home. We could not get the car all the way there, so we parked and walked. Let me begin by saying that we had been in the office all day in Choluteca and I definitely was not planning on going mountain climbing in my Merrell slip-ons. It had already been raining for 2 days, but there was a break in the rain so we decided to go for it. We walked, or should I say slid, up one road and had to look for the trail that leads up to this family's house. We found it and I am not kidding, it is straight up. It was beginning to drizzle somewhat but we thought, hey we've gone this far why not continue on. The lady that lives on the corner told us it was not the best idea because the rocks we would have to walk on were slick. Ignoring her advice, we decided we could make it. Very slowly, one step at a time, we made it and there were two little boys at the top applauding us as we arrived. We found the house and went in to talk to the mother. As we stood in the canopy area talking to her it began to pour. We visited for while and then said our good-byes. We were already muddy and wet, so we decided just to deal with it, head back down and not worry about the rain. About half way down, one of the little girls brought us an umbrella, but by that time we were already soaked and were more concerned with each step that we took as to whether we were going to end up covered in mud. Neither of us wanted to slide down on our rear end so were were taking it very carefully. I remember Meredith making the comment that going us she never thought about having to come back down. We finally reached the car again and all we could do was laugh. It was an experience that I will NEVER forget. Meredith called me this morning and we were still laughing and reminiscing about the rainy adventure that we went on.
Tristan cannot stand the rain nor getting wet. Here is a picture of him that Chad's mom took last week during "bath time." You can tell he was just so excited!
We are trying to stay dry for the most part. I do ask that you pray for the many families here that do not have cover for their heads and for those that are in danger of flooding. Please pray for their safety. Our friend Gerardo Flores is also very ill and I ask your prayers for his recovery. If anyone knows of a specialist that could help him, please let us know. We are very concerned for his health. He has sickle cell anemia, but we believe he needs other tests due to the severity of his illness.
Shelly
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
The Time of our Lives
We had a great time with my Mom and Grandmother. They will never know how much it meant to us for them to be here for 5 days with us. We saw everything and they went home with a better understanding of what we do exactly. Pictures do not do justice to this place. You have to see it to believe it and understand it.After touring everything, we enjoyed a night in the Marriott in Tegucigalpa on Sunday night. It was sad to see them leave on Monday but we appreciate the time they spent with us. We will remember it forever.
Mom and Memaw,
Thank you for spending your money and time to fly down here to see us. It meant the world to us for you to be here sharing with us. You will never understand how much. We enjoyed sharing with you what we do on a day-to-day basis and experiencing with you some of the poorest situations in Honduras. We love you very much! Thank you for coming and we look forward to seeing you again really soon.
Love,
Chad and Shelly
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Mom and Memaw
We are having a great time with my Mom and Grandmother right now in Honduras. They are seeing everything and enjoying getting to know what we do everyday. Mom just bought a digital camera and she is taking a ton of pictures. She will have a great diary of photos when she gets home if you want to get with her to see them.
We just finished supper. All the ladies made chicken enchiladas, rice, guacamole dip and Rocky Road candy. It was delicious. I also just finished writing my devo for the ranch workers in the morning. I look forward to sharing with them in the morning. It is such an encouragement.
I will write more later with some pictures of my Mom and Grandmother. Have a great night's rest.
Chad
We just finished supper. All the ladies made chicken enchiladas, rice, guacamole dip and Rocky Road candy. It was delicious. I also just finished writing my devo for the ranch workers in the morning. I look forward to sharing with them in the morning. It is such an encouragement.
I will write more later with some pictures of my Mom and Grandmother. Have a great night's rest.
Chad
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Almost October
Can you believe that tomorrow will be October? Time is flying by. We have been busy with my cousin, Amy Lofton Hartford, and her husband's visit with us last week. They took their vacation to spend a week with us. We showed them all the projects going on early in the week and then went to Roatan for the last half of the week. They left yesterday. We thoroughly enjoyed them being with us for the week. It is awesome to have family (and friends) around you sharing in what you love to do. Thank you Amy and Sam for your visit and come back really soon!
Roatan was great. It is the Caribbean island off the shore of Honduras. It is the biggest revenue producer for Honduras since it is totally geared toward tourism. They have 3 or 4 Carnival cruise ships dock on the island for the day which produces major money for the country. They have been voted the top 5 dive sites in the world. The weather was HOT and the water was crystal clear. Sam and I spent one morning snorkeling and seeing the beauty of God's creature below the surface. What a sight!
I began Amy and Sam's visit with a bad cold. I had a 102 degree fever, cough, headache, pains in my body for 2 days when they first arrived. I was not very fun to be around. I still have my cough right now but it is getting much better. I am on medicine and think that all will go away by the first of the week.
We are gearing up for my mom and grandmother's visit this Wednesday. They will be here for 5 days and we cannot wait for them to see all the projects. We will have to put some incriminating photos of them on the blog for everyone to see while they are here.
It is a sunny day here and we are catching up on rest and computer work today. Enjoy your day and let us here from you soon!
Chad
Roatan was great. It is the Caribbean island off the shore of Honduras. It is the biggest revenue producer for Honduras since it is totally geared toward tourism. They have 3 or 4 Carnival cruise ships dock on the island for the day which produces major money for the country. They have been voted the top 5 dive sites in the world. The weather was HOT and the water was crystal clear. Sam and I spent one morning snorkeling and seeing the beauty of God's creature below the surface. What a sight!
I began Amy and Sam's visit with a bad cold. I had a 102 degree fever, cough, headache, pains in my body for 2 days when they first arrived. I was not very fun to be around. I still have my cough right now but it is getting much better. I am on medicine and think that all will go away by the first of the week.
We are gearing up for my mom and grandmother's visit this Wednesday. They will be here for 5 days and we cannot wait for them to see all the projects. We will have to put some incriminating photos of them on the blog for everyone to see while they are here.
It is a sunny day here and we are catching up on rest and computer work today. Enjoy your day and let us here from you soon!
Chad
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Update
We have been extremely busy lately with day to day activities that I have not had the chance to actually sit down and update our blog. I do want you to know that we moved our children into the new house last Friday and it was a day I will never forget. Their faces expressed every emotion I could ever imagine them having. Just to give you one little hint of what it was like...we played in the sinks for an hour with the HOT water. They were amazed. Their showers will never be the same. What a blessing!
I am putting together a full report to send nationwide with pictures and such but wanted those who read our blog to actually know that the children are in their new house thanks to the work of our skilled laborers on the ranch and our home congregation, Berry's Chapel. I cannot wait until the next one if finished so we can experience that great day all over again with some new children. Maple Hill is building that one and are ready to work.
We also celebrated Independence Day in Honduras last Saturday in the new house (it is the biggest house out of all the missionaries). We invited Doris Corrales, our Director, and her family who have a rich history in the San Marcos area and the ranch itself. We had a spread: tacos, pasta salad, beans, tortillas, brownies, cookies, coke...the works. It was awesome! The kids enjoyed the leftovers on Sunday also.
I am sorry that I do not have pictures to post but Shelly has the camera in Choluteca today. I am working here in San Marcos. I will be sending a massive email out soon with all the details of the new house and the children. Thanks for your prayers in our start-up and making this dream become a reality. Talk to you soon.
Chad
I am putting together a full report to send nationwide with pictures and such but wanted those who read our blog to actually know that the children are in their new house thanks to the work of our skilled laborers on the ranch and our home congregation, Berry's Chapel. I cannot wait until the next one if finished so we can experience that great day all over again with some new children. Maple Hill is building that one and are ready to work.
We also celebrated Independence Day in Honduras last Saturday in the new house (it is the biggest house out of all the missionaries). We invited Doris Corrales, our Director, and her family who have a rich history in the San Marcos area and the ranch itself. We had a spread: tacos, pasta salad, beans, tortillas, brownies, cookies, coke...the works. It was awesome! The kids enjoyed the leftovers on Sunday also.
I am sorry that I do not have pictures to post but Shelly has the camera in Choluteca today. I am working here in San Marcos. I will be sending a massive email out soon with all the details of the new house and the children. Thanks for your prayers in our start-up and making this dream become a reality. Talk to you soon.
Chad
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Children's Day
We celebrated "Children's Day" in our schools on Monday, September 10th. The entire country celebrates this day every September 10th to honor the children. It is such an exciting day for the children. The mayor's office and the bank in Choluteca even donated pinatas and candy for us to use. There were 20 pinatas, 456 packs of cookies, 500 lollipops, and no telling how many pieces of candy that just the children in the Early Childhood Development Centers enjoyed. There is no telling how many tons of sugar the children in the entire country consumed in this one day.
One mother donated her time to make these yummy cupcakes for the children.
There were games planned for all ages.
And, even the smallest of the children had a great day!
This day was the highlight of my week. Although I was unbelievably tired when it was all over, it was absolutely wonderful and fun. It was discussed numerous times during the day that in the United States "Children's Day" is not celebrated or really even thought of because really every day in the US is children's day. We take for granted parties, celebrations, candy, and treats that these children only see once a year. I cannot imagine attending another party without thinking of the faces of these children when they were celebrating their special day. Thank you to those who donated money or materials for us to use for this special day!!
Shelly
Saturday, September 08, 2007
A night at the theater
Yesterday was a big day for Mission Lazarus Refuge. 4 representatives of IHNFA, Honduran child protective services, visited our homes to inspect them and see if we are ready to open. WE PASSED ALL INSPECTIONS! They were thrilled with our new house and were excited for the children that will move there. We also took them to visit a brother of the Beltrands who wants to move with them. He chose not to move last year. He is 16 years old and very quiet. It will be the beginning of a new life for him. We then ate lunch together and then visited the Beltrand children in their house. They were pleased to see the difference in them.
Last night we went with some of our friends (Doris Corrales and her family and Sabastiana, our social worker for the home) to a theater in Choluteca to support a children's home there who was selling tickets. It was a one man play about drug addiction. It lasted about an hour. The actor did a good job by himself. But only in Honduras do you visit the theater and see people eating corn on the cob while they enjoy the show and pull out their flashlights when the lights go out to continue the play. Near the end of the show, the electricity went out and there was a pause for about a minute and then 4 or 5 flashlights were brought out to continue the show. It will be a memory forever.
All in all, yesterday was a great day! It was intense but great to spend time with some representatives from IHNFA who we are becoming friends with. We are looking to move the children next week into the new house. What a day that will be.
Chad
Last night we went with some of our friends (Doris Corrales and her family and Sabastiana, our social worker for the home) to a theater in Choluteca to support a children's home there who was selling tickets. It was a one man play about drug addiction. It lasted about an hour. The actor did a good job by himself. But only in Honduras do you visit the theater and see people eating corn on the cob while they enjoy the show and pull out their flashlights when the lights go out to continue the play. Near the end of the show, the electricity went out and there was a pause for about a minute and then 4 or 5 flashlights were brought out to continue the show. It will be a memory forever.
All in all, yesterday was a great day! It was intense but great to spend time with some representatives from IHNFA who we are becoming friends with. We are looking to move the children next week into the new house. What a day that will be.
Chad
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Back to Business
We are back to business here in Honduras. The storm has passed and is a thing of the past. Truthfully, nothing happened besides about 30 minutes of extreme rain. No flooding here, no damage. We will wait for the next one though. It is that time of year.
Today our Mission Lazarus doctor visited San Marcos to check up on the children in the nutrition program and as an outreach of the church. We took all our children to him for a check up because with that many children, somebody is always sick with something. They all checked out pretty well. We need to have some other exams done on two of them but they will be fine.
I did meet some of the cutest children today. We are helping another family who has a sick mother and 6 children. 2 more do not live with them since they are a little older and can take care of themselves. I told this family last night that I would be at their house around 7:30 this morning to go to the doctor so everyone needed to be ready to go at that time. When I pulled up this morning, all the girls were dressed to their best in their cute dresses and had smiles that are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. They loved riding in the car. Remember, they went to see the doctor and they were THRILLED. They were able to get treatment also and take home some medicine to feel even better.
There is something about this family that makes me want to help them. They were first brought to our attention because we were told that the mom was dying and that they had nowhere to go when that occurred. We finally found them (which is more difficult here) to interview the mom and see what the situation was. It was not as bad as we had heard but still needed our attention. The mom is sick and is very poor. They live in a shack which does not even have complete walls. She is a good mom though. She tries her best, she is just poor. It is not a situation where the kids are mistreated or anything like that. They are a neat family and we are going to continue to help them in any way we can. It may be building them a new house or just supplementing their food. The mom has a doctor's appointment in Choluteca at the hospital on Sept 15 to find out specifically what is wrong with her. That will give us an avenue as to what to do next with her.
The sad thing is, we are bombarded every week with situations like this. We want to help all of them but we just simply can't. But for those who think the church of Christ is not doing anything in this world, know that the church here in San Marcos de Colon, Honduras is making a difference in the lives of the poor. The mom has never been to church but had a huge smile on her face when I dropped them off (after getting cookies and coke for everyone because they behaved so well) and said, "Everyone today was so kind to us. Thank you."
My challenge to you is to go out and be kind to someone before the day ends. You never know what kind of impact that will be on them.
Chad
Today our Mission Lazarus doctor visited San Marcos to check up on the children in the nutrition program and as an outreach of the church. We took all our children to him for a check up because with that many children, somebody is always sick with something. They all checked out pretty well. We need to have some other exams done on two of them but they will be fine.
I did meet some of the cutest children today. We are helping another family who has a sick mother and 6 children. 2 more do not live with them since they are a little older and can take care of themselves. I told this family last night that I would be at their house around 7:30 this morning to go to the doctor so everyone needed to be ready to go at that time. When I pulled up this morning, all the girls were dressed to their best in their cute dresses and had smiles that are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen. They loved riding in the car. Remember, they went to see the doctor and they were THRILLED. They were able to get treatment also and take home some medicine to feel even better.
There is something about this family that makes me want to help them. They were first brought to our attention because we were told that the mom was dying and that they had nowhere to go when that occurred. We finally found them (which is more difficult here) to interview the mom and see what the situation was. It was not as bad as we had heard but still needed our attention. The mom is sick and is very poor. They live in a shack which does not even have complete walls. She is a good mom though. She tries her best, she is just poor. It is not a situation where the kids are mistreated or anything like that. They are a neat family and we are going to continue to help them in any way we can. It may be building them a new house or just supplementing their food. The mom has a doctor's appointment in Choluteca at the hospital on Sept 15 to find out specifically what is wrong with her. That will give us an avenue as to what to do next with her.
The sad thing is, we are bombarded every week with situations like this. We want to help all of them but we just simply can't. But for those who think the church of Christ is not doing anything in this world, know that the church here in San Marcos de Colon, Honduras is making a difference in the lives of the poor. The mom has never been to church but had a huge smile on her face when I dropped them off (after getting cookies and coke for everyone because they behaved so well) and said, "Everyone today was so kind to us. Thank you."
My challenge to you is to go out and be kind to someone before the day ends. You never know what kind of impact that will be on them.
Chad
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Update on Felix
We are safe! We stayed in a hotel in Choluteca last night very safe and secure. It was a concrete building with a generator so we had power all night even when the electricity went out. It rained extremely hard for about 30 minutes last night and then gently rained the rest of the night. No damage was done but we are still trying to find out exactly where it is now. There are conflicting reports on the internet and television of where it is exactly and what it is doing. The sun is trying to pop out here in Choluteca right now.
Thanks for all your prayers and concerns. It was a stressful night but we made the most out of it. All of us ended up watching Evan Almighty last night since it seemed appropriate due to the amount of water coming our way. We are back in the office this morning working. Talk to you again later when we hear more.
Chad
Thanks for all your prayers and concerns. It was a stressful night but we made the most out of it. All of us ended up watching Evan Almighty last night since it seemed appropriate due to the amount of water coming our way. We are back in the office this morning working. Talk to you again later when we hear more.
Chad
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Hurricane Update #2
Hello to Everyone!
It is 5:18 p.m. on Tuesday evening. We wanted to let you know that we are safe and sound in our hotel. It is a concrete building and we are away from the river. It is raining pretty hard here right now and the wind has picked up quite a bit. Just wanted to let those of you who are checking the blog that we are o.k. Please continue to pray for our safety.
We'll write more in the morning.
Blessings!
Shelly
It is 5:18 p.m. on Tuesday evening. We wanted to let you know that we are safe and sound in our hotel. It is a concrete building and we are away from the river. It is raining pretty hard here right now and the wind has picked up quite a bit. Just wanted to let those of you who are checking the blog that we are o.k. Please continue to pray for our safety.
We'll write more in the morning.
Blessings!
Shelly
Hurricane Update
As of 12:55 pm (Mountain Standard Time) we are safe and preparing for Hurricane Felix to come in. The southern part of Honduras is directly in front of the storm which should pass over tonight or early tomorrow morning.
It has just begun to rain here. Shelly, Jarrod Brown, Alli Brown, Meredith Jones and I (our missionary family) are moving to a hotel in nearby Choluteca (1 hour away) to be close to one another and closer to the capital (2 hours away). This will allow us to keep track on what is going on closer to our offices in case there is a need for a relief effort.
Everything is calm right now. No major wind, just rain. I anticipate the rain to pick up over the next few hours before tonight. The bad thing is that with a few days of rain mudslides will occur which effect those in the mountains who are extremely poor. Please pray for their safety as it is extremely difficult for them to leave.
Thank you for all your emails asking about us and we ask that you pray for this country and the people living here. This storm is bringing up bad memories of Hurricane Mitch in 1998 for many of them. We will keep you posted on this blog with what is going on as long as we have internet connection and a cell phone signal.
Chad
It has just begun to rain here. Shelly, Jarrod Brown, Alli Brown, Meredith Jones and I (our missionary family) are moving to a hotel in nearby Choluteca (1 hour away) to be close to one another and closer to the capital (2 hours away). This will allow us to keep track on what is going on closer to our offices in case there is a need for a relief effort.
Everything is calm right now. No major wind, just rain. I anticipate the rain to pick up over the next few hours before tonight. The bad thing is that with a few days of rain mudslides will occur which effect those in the mountains who are extremely poor. Please pray for their safety as it is extremely difficult for them to leave.
Thank you for all your emails asking about us and we ask that you pray for this country and the people living here. This storm is bringing up bad memories of Hurricane Mitch in 1998 for many of them. We will keep you posted on this blog with what is going on as long as we have internet connection and a cell phone signal.
Chad
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Pictures
Tristan is ready to ride a horse. I am trying to get more pictures on the blog of our past week but am having trouble getting them to download. Give me time and I will have more pictures to show. Have a great day!Chad
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Great Meeting
We just finished a great meeting with all the "Directors" of Mission Lazarus. It started at 8 am and ended at 11:30. There were 22 people present from all the areas of Mission Lazarus which covers a good portion of the southern portion of Honduras.
It was the first time for this type of meeting where we get everyone together to talk about what is going on in their area and how we can help each other. I thoroughly enjoyed the meeting. It was great to see everyone's face in one location sharing with one another.
It also reminded me how big this mission is and how much it has grown just in the last year. We have some great people working for the Lord here in Honduras. A big lesson I am learning is that there are great, Christian men and women all over the world who are not necesarily like me. We live in two different worlds but they are children of God just the same. We just need to give everyone a chance to introduce themself.
It makes the children's song "Jesus Loves the Little Children" come to light for me:
It was the first time for this type of meeting where we get everyone together to talk about what is going on in their area and how we can help each other. I thoroughly enjoyed the meeting. It was great to see everyone's face in one location sharing with one another.
It also reminded me how big this mission is and how much it has grown just in the last year. We have some great people working for the Lord here in Honduras. A big lesson I am learning is that there are great, Christian men and women all over the world who are not necesarily like me. We live in two different worlds but they are children of God just the same. We just need to give everyone a chance to introduce themself.
It makes the children's song "Jesus Loves the Little Children" come to light for me:
Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world,
Red, yellow, black and white,
Jesus loves the children of the world.
The question for all of us is, "What are we doing to develop a relationship with those who are not like us?" Let's step out of our comfort zones and get to know someone new...not like us!
Chad
Thursday, August 16, 2007
A week with the men
We have had a great week with Mike Johnson, Ken Schauer and Justin Latimer who are from Maple Hill church in Lebanon, TN. I took them back to the airport yesterday after they have spent the week with us in our house working on the electricity in the cabins for our visitors. Tristan even made some new friends with them and did not know what to do without them there this morning.
Our groups are pretty much over and we have some "scouting" trips set up for the next month by those who are interested in working with us in the future. We will take time to show each of them around the Mission Lazarus projects. It has been an extremely fast paced summer. It really seems like yesterday it was June 1st and now it is the middle of August.
We are catching up on office work now and getting back to our regular routine if there is such a thing in Honduras. I know it is extremely hot in the States right now and I just want to let you know that we are officially cooler than there right now. I cannot say that many times through the year. Stay cool and keep praying for us and the mission here. Hope to hear from you soon.
Adios.
Chad
Our groups are pretty much over and we have some "scouting" trips set up for the next month by those who are interested in working with us in the future. We will take time to show each of them around the Mission Lazarus projects. It has been an extremely fast paced summer. It really seems like yesterday it was June 1st and now it is the middle of August.
We are catching up on office work now and getting back to our regular routine if there is such a thing in Honduras. I know it is extremely hot in the States right now and I just want to let you know that we are officially cooler than there right now. I cannot say that many times through the year. Stay cool and keep praying for us and the mission here. Hope to hear from you soon.
Adios.
Chad
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Pictures
A cute little girl on the island last Friday with her bag of new clothes.
A boat (canoe) full of interns going to the island.
The interns conducting a VBS at the island.
Baby hammer-head sharks.
Nohelia and Gabriella (two of our children) with their cute hairdues.
Is that Shelly hitting the pinata?Sunday, July 29, 2007
Eventful Week
This has been an eventful week in Honduras. We said goodbye to the 12 interns by having a grand cookout at their house Thursday night. Jarrod and Ally prepared grilled steak, chicken and shrimp for everyone. It was delicious. It was a great night just to be together and wrap up our time together.
On Friday, Shelly and I took the interns with Ronald Millon to an island to conduct a VBS and women's health seminar. We loaded everyone on small canoe-like boats to get to the island and all the interns kept saying they felt like they were on an African safari. It does come across like that. They did an excellent job spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to those on the island on their last day in Honduras. We ended the visit to the island with an announcement to the residents that Healing Hands International is going to help run pipe to the island to provide water. They have never had this and it will be a blessing to everyone.
Shelly and I then said our goodbyes to the interns and headed to another island with Ronald to find out what their needs are. They are in need of a bridge (which we are going to provide) and some septic systems. We hope to work with them more in the future.
Saturday was the biggest day of the year for San Marcos de Colon. It was the final day of the fair and the biggest party day. So many people were in the city. Shelly and I were tickled last night because just as the music was to begin and the party to kick it up to the next level, the electricity went out and a monsoon came through the city. That shut everything down. About an hour later, the rain passed and the electricity came back on and the next thing you knew, everyone started coming out of their homes and shelters and heading to the party. When we went to bed at 11 pm, the music was loud and going strong. We have heard that they went until 4 am.
The fair is over now and people are beginning to head back to their regular lives which is great for us. Maybe things will quiet down here. We have lived in a constant state of loud sounds this whole week. We have a group arriving on Wednesday to do some medical work. We will host people until August 15th and then settle back down into our regular schedules.
Let us hear from you soon. Email us: chad@missionlazarus.org and shelly@missionlazarus.org. We want to know what is happening with each of you and where you live. Remember that we are in the middle of nowhere and anything new and exciting is great to hear.
Chad
On Friday, Shelly and I took the interns with Ronald Millon to an island to conduct a VBS and women's health seminar. We loaded everyone on small canoe-like boats to get to the island and all the interns kept saying they felt like they were on an African safari. It does come across like that. They did an excellent job spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to those on the island on their last day in Honduras. We ended the visit to the island with an announcement to the residents that Healing Hands International is going to help run pipe to the island to provide water. They have never had this and it will be a blessing to everyone.
Shelly and I then said our goodbyes to the interns and headed to another island with Ronald to find out what their needs are. They are in need of a bridge (which we are going to provide) and some septic systems. We hope to work with them more in the future.
Saturday was the biggest day of the year for San Marcos de Colon. It was the final day of the fair and the biggest party day. So many people were in the city. Shelly and I were tickled last night because just as the music was to begin and the party to kick it up to the next level, the electricity went out and a monsoon came through the city. That shut everything down. About an hour later, the rain passed and the electricity came back on and the next thing you knew, everyone started coming out of their homes and shelters and heading to the party. When we went to bed at 11 pm, the music was loud and going strong. We have heard that they went until 4 am.
The fair is over now and people are beginning to head back to their regular lives which is great for us. Maybe things will quiet down here. We have lived in a constant state of loud sounds this whole week. We have a group arriving on Wednesday to do some medical work. We will host people until August 15th and then settle back down into our regular schedules.
Let us hear from you soon. Email us: chad@missionlazarus.org and shelly@missionlazarus.org. We want to know what is happening with each of you and where you live. Remember that we are in the middle of nowhere and anything new and exciting is great to hear.
Chad
Sunday, July 22, 2007
The San Marcos de Colon Fair
Well, I have finally found some time to blog. We have had groups here since June 1st and that has kept all of us pretty busy. I don't know what it is going to be like when it is just Chad, me, Jarrod, Alli and Meredith. We are not going to know what to do with ourselves. I am sure there will be plenty of things for us to get in to.
Yesterday was the opening day of the San Marcos de Colon Fair. It was an exciting day. Chad and I began our day with breakfast at about 9:30 and from then on we were with friends and had such an amazing day. The parade was to begin at 10:30 a.m., so we invited the 12 interns and the Beltrand children and their caregivers over to watch (the parade went right in front of our house.) The interns showed up around 9:45 and frosted the cookies while I made coffee and got other things ready for the kids to come at 10:00. We all enjoyed a wonderful refreshment time with cookies, rice Krispie treats, coke and coffee until the parade began. It started right on Honduran time, 11:15 a.m.
After the parade, we took the kids and went walking around town. I do not have any more pictures from the day because it was not really safe to carry the camera with us due to the crowds of people in the streets. We walked to the other street where the parade was going through and got to see the horses again. There was a pick up truck bed full of men playing instruments and the horses were dancing and prancing to the music. Then, it started raining, so we went and hid under some trees in the park for a while until the rain slowed down.
We went up to the holding area where the horses were eating and the riders were having a celebration. There were also some little shopping booths and some fun stuff for the kids to do. The little kids jumped in a blow up elephant and the big kids played on a big blow up slide. They had so much fun that they had to of course have something to drink and a little snack afterward. They needed to leave, so Chad and I stayed and walked around a little bit and then decided we would go watch the bull riding.
It was so funny. The bulls would come out of the shoot bucking and kicking for about 10 seconds and then they just stood there with the rider on them. There were 3 men that were dressed up like clowns that had red cloths and spears. They were teasing the bulls to make them run around some more. Up in a little booth there was a live mariachi band. Latin America culture is to have the speakers set so loud you cannot hear what is being said. The music overpowered everything. A little while later, the MC guy announced that they were going to have a soccer game in the middle of the corral. He began collecting money from the crowd to pay the winning team. Some people were giving $5 and $10. He ended up with about 3,000 lempiras, about $150.
They began the game with a large bottle rocket. The object of the game was to get 5 goals. The guys played for a few seconds and then a large cow with huge horns was let loose into the corral where the men were playing. Everyone went crazy. It was so funny watching the guys try to get away from the cow and the cow trying to figure out which one she was going to go after next.
It was a fun day. We were beat when we got home. It was really neat to see the similarities and differences of how they put on a fair here. There were parts that reminded me of being at the Williamson County Ag Center at the Fair.
Thanks for reading!
Shelly
Yesterday was the opening day of the San Marcos de Colon Fair. It was an exciting day. Chad and I began our day with breakfast at about 9:30 and from then on we were with friends and had such an amazing day. The parade was to begin at 10:30 a.m., so we invited the 12 interns and the Beltrand children and their caregivers over to watch (the parade went right in front of our house.) The interns showed up around 9:45 and frosted the cookies while I made coffee and got other things ready for the kids to come at 10:00. We all enjoyed a wonderful refreshment time with cookies, rice Krispie treats, coke and coffee until the parade began. It started right on Honduran time, 11:15 a.m.
There were floats and everything. The best thing about parades here is that they not only throw candy from the floats, but they also throw bags of frozen chicken and homemade cheese. I about got knocked out by a flying bag of cheese.
After the floats they had some really nice cars and then horses. They were all really cool. The horses were the neatest to watch. Some just trotted right on through and stayed in line. The best ones though were the ones dancing. We had a horse from Las Palmas that participated in the parade along with one of our ranch foremen, Holman. Don't they look good?
A little side note; Chad and I just found out this past week that we are going to have another baby horse. We are very excited. This white stallion is the daddy.
After the parade, we took the kids and went walking around town. I do not have any more pictures from the day because it was not really safe to carry the camera with us due to the crowds of people in the streets. We walked to the other street where the parade was going through and got to see the horses again. There was a pick up truck bed full of men playing instruments and the horses were dancing and prancing to the music. Then, it started raining, so we went and hid under some trees in the park for a while until the rain slowed down.
We went up to the holding area where the horses were eating and the riders were having a celebration. There were also some little shopping booths and some fun stuff for the kids to do. The little kids jumped in a blow up elephant and the big kids played on a big blow up slide. They had so much fun that they had to of course have something to drink and a little snack afterward. They needed to leave, so Chad and I stayed and walked around a little bit and then decided we would go watch the bull riding.
It was so funny. The bulls would come out of the shoot bucking and kicking for about 10 seconds and then they just stood there with the rider on them. There were 3 men that were dressed up like clowns that had red cloths and spears. They were teasing the bulls to make them run around some more. Up in a little booth there was a live mariachi band. Latin America culture is to have the speakers set so loud you cannot hear what is being said. The music overpowered everything. A little while later, the MC guy announced that they were going to have a soccer game in the middle of the corral. He began collecting money from the crowd to pay the winning team. Some people were giving $5 and $10. He ended up with about 3,000 lempiras, about $150.
They began the game with a large bottle rocket. The object of the game was to get 5 goals. The guys played for a few seconds and then a large cow with huge horns was let loose into the corral where the men were playing. Everyone went crazy. It was so funny watching the guys try to get away from the cow and the cow trying to figure out which one she was going to go after next.
It was a fun day. We were beat when we got home. It was really neat to see the similarities and differences of how they put on a fair here. There were parts that reminded me of being at the Williamson County Ag Center at the Fair.
Thanks for reading!
Shelly
Thursday, July 19, 2007
We are still here
Don't think that we have fallen off the face of the earth. We are still here trying to catch up now after several groups. Give me a few days and we will post some new writings. Adios.
Chad
Chad
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Pictures
The "old" house renovated. Downstairs will be a house for some new children
while the upstairs will be offices, a library and a storage room.
Current state of our first house built.
(Elvin and Oscar) Two happy workers
One happy student at school.
Two of our "tias" (aunts) who take care of the children.Sunday, June 17, 2007
A Great Day at the Beach
Last week was kind of like spring break here in Honduras for schools. Friday we took the Beltrand children and their caretakers to the beach to have a vacation day. It was a beautiful day. The children had NEVER been to the beach. We left their house at 8:00 that morning, stopped at the ice factory to fill our cooler and headed to Los Delgaditos. When we got there the kids did not know what they were supposed to do. Everyone was hungry so we all ate ham and cheese sandwiches and enjoyed yummy cold cokes. Then Chad ran and got in the water. Soon after him, everyone had found their way into the water too.
They had so much fun. Iris is the only one that was not too fond of the water. She would go in but did not like to go where she could not stand up. We buried Gabriella in the sand, Geovani and Leonel made sand castles, Diana rode the waves, Nohelia and Iris played in the waves as they broke, and everyone had a great time. Doris, Danilo (our driver) and his two children went with us also. At about 11:00 they all went on a walk down the beach because the "lanchas" were coming in with their catches from the morning. They went down and visited with the fishermen and Danilo came back with fish and shrimp that he had bought to take home for supper. The rest of the time we were there we kept a count of all the boats that were coming in with seafood to sell.
The 2 Claudias got into a sand fight. It was great getting to see them all pitch in and throwing sand all over the place. Little Claudia was covered in sand! We got some great pictures of the day. We took a break at noon to eat lunch. Claudia had made a big pot of rice, veggies, and chicken. Chad had made brownies the night before to take with us. We ate and then decided we better get ready to leave. We had a 2 hour trip back to San Marcos. Chad decided he would drive us back to Choluteca because he wanted Danilo to have some time off from driving that day. We all loaded up in the van and backed up about 10 feet and we were stuck. Chad got the van stuck in the sand. Danilo, Chad and Doris all went and found rocks to put under the tire that was spinning to give it some traction, but that did not help. Eventually the man that runs the area where we were came over with 2 shovels and we dug out the sand and tried some more rocks under the tires. Chad went across the street to get someone to bring a truck over to pull us out and while he was there, Doris, Danilo and the man from the beach got the van out. We were able to head back toward home.
We stopped in Choluteca at Wendy's and got everybody a Frosty. We were all sitting there quiet. We were all so tired that we just sat there and ate our Frosties. After eating their frosties, the little ones went to the play ground to play for a while.
We had a great day and I think the children will never forget the experience they had that day. We hope to go again soon.
Shelly
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Funday Sunday
This morning we woke early to join up with the Mayfair church of Christ (Huntsville, AL) group to go to Choluteca for worship. We had an area wide meeting today in the Central Church in Choluteca. There were 12 congregations present with 760 in attendance. We have 2 groups of North Americans here right now and they were all there along with the 10 interns and all of the Mission Lazarus team members. It was great to see some old faces that we do not see on a normal basis.
After worship we took the Mayfair group to Cedeno to the beach for lunch. We arrived around 1:15 and ordered our food. At 2:30 our food was brought to the table. It was so yummy! Chad and I had fresh fried shrimp and freshly peeled french fries. Everyone enjoyed the time we spent there.
This Mayfair group is spoiling us. They have rented out a restaurant here in San Marcos to cook all their meals like at church camp. They have invited us to join them whenever we can. Yesterday we had BBQ sandwiches and chips. Last night for dinner we had very yummy spaghetti and garlic bread. We are heading there now for chicken salad sandwiches. We think we will be hanging out with them the rest of the week.
Shelly
After worship we took the Mayfair group to Cedeno to the beach for lunch. We arrived around 1:15 and ordered our food. At 2:30 our food was brought to the table. It was so yummy! Chad and I had fresh fried shrimp and freshly peeled french fries. Everyone enjoyed the time we spent there.
This Mayfair group is spoiling us. They have rented out a restaurant here in San Marcos to cook all their meals like at church camp. They have invited us to join them whenever we can. Yesterday we had BBQ sandwiches and chips. Last night for dinner we had very yummy spaghetti and garlic bread. We are heading there now for chicken salad sandwiches. We think we will be hanging out with them the rest of the week.
Shelly
Friday, June 08, 2007
Update
We haven't forgotten about you on the blog. We have just been that busy and have not had the opportunity to sit and type. We have a group here from Crieve Hall church in Nashville, TN and another arriving today from Mayfair in Huntsville. We are swarmed with people on top of our regular day to day activities. It is fun to see the groups here interacting with the locals and practicing their Spanish. They really do help us out to get things done faster.
Well, the book. We finished the first copy of the book and had a group meeting about it last Tuesday night. Everyone is looking over it and revising it as much as possible and we are to meet again Monday night. It is thick! It is a great accomplishment that will help us in the future. It is still a work in progress though.
We will have another IHNFA training seminar on Monday for all our teachers and care givers for the children. It will run from 8 am - 3 pm. We will serve everyone lunch again. It is so beneficial for our employees to get this kind of training in children's rights. We are expecting 50 again.
The interns are doing great. They are working in all our areas and doing a lot of helpful things. We plan on joining them tonight to make homemade pizza. It is becoming our Friday night tradition with them.
Everything is running smooth right now so we must be thankful for that. I have just spent the last 3 hours looking for and repairing the motor on my truck's door to lock-unlock the door with the security system. The motor went out 2 days ago. It is not easy to find things in Honduras. You have to get use to that and understand that it might take several hours to get the simplest things back in the States. I found one though and the lock is fixed.
We are about to head up the mountain back to San Marcos to work up there this afternoon. Have a great weekend and we want to hear from some of you. Let us know what is going on in your lives. My email is chad@missionlazarus.org.
Chad
Well, the book. We finished the first copy of the book and had a group meeting about it last Tuesday night. Everyone is looking over it and revising it as much as possible and we are to meet again Monday night. It is thick! It is a great accomplishment that will help us in the future. It is still a work in progress though.
We will have another IHNFA training seminar on Monday for all our teachers and care givers for the children. It will run from 8 am - 3 pm. We will serve everyone lunch again. It is so beneficial for our employees to get this kind of training in children's rights. We are expecting 50 again.
The interns are doing great. They are working in all our areas and doing a lot of helpful things. We plan on joining them tonight to make homemade pizza. It is becoming our Friday night tradition with them.
Everything is running smooth right now so we must be thankful for that. I have just spent the last 3 hours looking for and repairing the motor on my truck's door to lock-unlock the door with the security system. The motor went out 2 days ago. It is not easy to find things in Honduras. You have to get use to that and understand that it might take several hours to get the simplest things back in the States. I found one though and the lock is fixed.
We are about to head up the mountain back to San Marcos to work up there this afternoon. Have a great weekend and we want to hear from some of you. Let us know what is going on in your lives. My email is chad@missionlazarus.org.
Chad
Thursday, May 31, 2007
The rain is here
It is raining "cats and dogs" in Honduras today. We have basically been without rain since October of last year and are just beginning 6 months of the rainy season this week. It rained most of the night and is continuing now. It is good to see a lot of rain. It does produce mud all over the place but the fresh air and coolness the rain brings is worth it. You just have to wear rubber boots wherever you go. Shelly and I bought some heavy duty plastic mats to put in her truck on Tuesday in Tegucigalpa which will keep the mud in the proper place.
We are still working on the BOOK if you have read previous blogs. It is coming along very well. I am proud of the work Ronald and Doris are putting into it. It will be a very valuable resource to have once it is finished. By the way, they have begun painting both of the homes on the ranch so we are only a few weeks away from opening them.
We have a big seminar for all our care givers and teachers tomorrow with IHNFA (Honduran child protective services). It starts at 8 am and goes to 3 pm. We have 3 speakers on the rights of children, lunch, a question and answer session and a finale with diplomas. I am excited about the day.
10 of our interns arrived on Tuesday to work for 9 weeks. 2 more will come in June and July. They are from all over the country and are excited to be here. They will spend time in all areas of Mission Lazarus and really get to work one on one with the locals and find out what it is like to be a missionary in a third world country. We are glad they are here.
Chad
We are still working on the BOOK if you have read previous blogs. It is coming along very well. I am proud of the work Ronald and Doris are putting into it. It will be a very valuable resource to have once it is finished. By the way, they have begun painting both of the homes on the ranch so we are only a few weeks away from opening them.
We have a big seminar for all our care givers and teachers tomorrow with IHNFA (Honduran child protective services). It starts at 8 am and goes to 3 pm. We have 3 speakers on the rights of children, lunch, a question and answer session and a finale with diplomas. I am excited about the day.
10 of our interns arrived on Tuesday to work for 9 weeks. 2 more will come in June and July. They are from all over the country and are excited to be here. They will spend time in all areas of Mission Lazarus and really get to work one on one with the locals and find out what it is like to be a missionary in a third world country. We are glad they are here.
Chad
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Teacher Appreciation Day
We had a wonderful celebration Saturday with our teachers, cooks, guards, and other employees from both our Early Childhood Development Centers. Our theme was "You Are Special" based on the children's' book by Max Lucado. We began at 10:00 in the morning with a devotional and Chad had planned an activity for everyone to do. First he showed the movie of the book, but the computer battery went out in the middle of the movie so we had to finish it after lunch. Due to the computer quitting, we went on and did the activity. Each person had to get with a partner and talk about things that make them special and then they each had a sheet of paper to write why their partner is special. Those were all read aloud to the group and then each person got to take the paper home that was written for them. We rewarded all the men with a lantern spot light and the women with a coffee mug filled with goodies. Then, we had lunch. It was a very enjoyable day and everyone had a great time.
It is so important anywhere to make your employees feel appreciated. Most of all we wanted to make sure that they know that they are important in God's kingdom and in the work here on this earth that they are doing. I know that the activities of the special time we had together will have an impact on them for a long time.
Shelly
Friday, May 25, 2007
The Book...
Doris Corrales (our Honduran Director of ML Refuge), Ronald Millon (our Honduran Director of ML) and I are working hard on completing a book that no one has ever done before. We want to be the first (or maybe one of the first) children's home in the world to have a book that outlines every aspect of it...from discipline, daily schedule, rules, contacts, medical, you name it-it will be in there. We want to be able to hand this book to all our employees and they fully understand their role and what needs to be done at what time and what needs to be done if something goes wrong. It is a huge undertaking but we are taking it one step at a time.
We have been working on various aspects of it for 2-3 months now but it is crunch time. We have set the date of June 7th to have it completed. We got serious yesterday. Doris and I leave San Marcos at 6 am to travel 45 minutes to Choluteca (where our office is located). We start with a prayer with our other workers at 7 am and then hit the computers. We do not leave the office until the assigned project for the day is complete. As of day 2, it is working well. It will be a complete book when we are finished and one that will help our children's home run smoothly (or as smoothly as possible).
We had a meeting with IHNFA (the Honduran child protective services) this morning and they are coming to do a seminar on the rights of children for us next Friday. We are inviting all our tias (aunts who take care of our children) and teachers from the schools. We will begin at 8 am and go until 3 pm. Each person in attendance will get a diploma which is great to have on record for our workers. I am excited to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and some real progress being made.
Shelly and Roxanna (the director in the school) have put together a Teacher's Day tomorrow for all the teachers in our schools. I will lead a devo at 10 am and the party will go until 2 pm. They will have lunch also. It should be a great day. I know Shelly is excited about it.
Pray for our efforts in working on the book. It is a huge undertaking but something that is very necessary.
Chad
We have been working on various aspects of it for 2-3 months now but it is crunch time. We have set the date of June 7th to have it completed. We got serious yesterday. Doris and I leave San Marcos at 6 am to travel 45 minutes to Choluteca (where our office is located). We start with a prayer with our other workers at 7 am and then hit the computers. We do not leave the office until the assigned project for the day is complete. As of day 2, it is working well. It will be a complete book when we are finished and one that will help our children's home run smoothly (or as smoothly as possible).
We had a meeting with IHNFA (the Honduran child protective services) this morning and they are coming to do a seminar on the rights of children for us next Friday. We are inviting all our tias (aunts who take care of our children) and teachers from the schools. We will begin at 8 am and go until 3 pm. Each person in attendance will get a diploma which is great to have on record for our workers. I am excited to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and some real progress being made.
Shelly and Roxanna (the director in the school) have put together a Teacher's Day tomorrow for all the teachers in our schools. I will lead a devo at 10 am and the party will go until 2 pm. They will have lunch also. It should be a great day. I know Shelly is excited about it.
Pray for our efforts in working on the book. It is a huge undertaking but something that is very necessary.
Chad
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Update
Shelly and I are back from the States. It was great to be home, celebrate Mother's Day with our moms and be a part of my cousin's wedding. Emily and Jared were officially married on Saturday and the whole day was wonderful. It was an honor for me to stand before them and marry them. They are in Jamaica this week. Pray for their safety and the start of their new marriage. They will be living in Gallatin, TN.
I am running around today checking up on things. Shelly traveled to Choluteca today with Roxanna, our school director, to purchase some items for the Teacher's Day on Saturday. They have asked me to do a devo for it. They are taking time to just show our teachers how much they mean to Mission Lazarus and how glad we are to have them a part of us. They will have a delicious lunch for them and several other activities. It starts at 10 am Saturday.
It is warmer here than in TN. We have had to adjust back to the heat. It was 93 yesterday but it did rain hard for about 30 minutes last night. We are adjusting back and getting back into the routine of things. Our 12 interns show up next Tuesday for 9 weeks. I am excited about them and the experiences they will encounter.
Thanks for reading our blog. Let us here from you: chad@missionlazarus.org
Adios.
Chad
I am running around today checking up on things. Shelly traveled to Choluteca today with Roxanna, our school director, to purchase some items for the Teacher's Day on Saturday. They have asked me to do a devo for it. They are taking time to just show our teachers how much they mean to Mission Lazarus and how glad we are to have them a part of us. They will have a delicious lunch for them and several other activities. It starts at 10 am Saturday.
It is warmer here than in TN. We have had to adjust back to the heat. It was 93 yesterday but it did rain hard for about 30 minutes last night. We are adjusting back and getting back into the routine of things. Our 12 interns show up next Tuesday for 9 weeks. I am excited about them and the experiences they will encounter.
Thanks for reading our blog. Let us here from you: chad@missionlazarus.org
Adios.
Chad
Monday, May 14, 2007
In the States
Shelly and I are in the States right now until the 21st. I have the opportunity to perform my cousin's wedding next Saturday in Bowling Green, KY. I also had the opportunity to talk to the congregation at Maple Hill church of Christ last night in Lebanon, TN. It was a great evening and great to see their enthusiasm for Mission Lazarus. They plan on paying for and sending a group of 40 men next February to build our next house at Mission Lazarus Refuge.
Shelly and I both got to spend Mother's Day with our moms which was special for everyone. We also spent today at the lake with Shelly's family on their pontoon which is always enjoyable. We have many people to see and much work to do before the 21st here in the States. We will get back with you on our blog when we return to Honduras.
Oh, I almost forgot, I got word today that one of our children we take care of, Diana (13 years old) was baptized last night in San Marcos de Colon. She has been thinking about it and finally made the decision last night. What a great announcement! I am so eager to get back to Honduras and give her a big hug and help her start her Christian walk. Please keep her on your prayer list. God is good!
Chad
Shelly and I both got to spend Mother's Day with our moms which was special for everyone. We also spent today at the lake with Shelly's family on their pontoon which is always enjoyable. We have many people to see and much work to do before the 21st here in the States. We will get back with you on our blog when we return to Honduras.
Oh, I almost forgot, I got word today that one of our children we take care of, Diana (13 years old) was baptized last night in San Marcos de Colon. She has been thinking about it and finally made the decision last night. What a great announcement! I am so eager to get back to Honduras and give her a big hug and help her start her Christian walk. Please keep her on your prayer list. God is good!
Chad
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Pray without ceasing...
We as Christians can do just that. Over the past 10 months that Chad and I have been here in Central America there have been a lot of prayers offered on our behalf. I just want to take this time to thank each of you for the prayers. I had a little accident while horseback riding a few weeks ago and know that if there had not been those "never ceasing" prayers of so many of you things could've turned out a lot worse for me. Each day in our Early Childhood Development Centers we talk to God with the children impressing on them the importance of petitioning God for blessings as well as thanking Him for the life He has given to us. We have this one little boy, Luis Sernando, at the school in San Marcos that reminds me so much each day during our devotional time that God wants me to be as a little child and come to Him with the slightest little things and He will be there to listen. Luis is 3 years old, but look at the example he is to so many. Just a little food for thought. God bless you!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Taking Another Step Forward
Today is a historic day for Shelly and me. I am sitting in our apartment writing our blog on the internet.
What is so special about that? WE HAVE INTERNET IN OUR HOUSE!
I thought this day would never happen. Our internet connection before this was 45 minutes away in Choluteca but with the advancement of cell phones in Honduras, we now have internet over a cell phone connection. This will give us the opportunity to stay connected more and have a convenience in our life.
Nothing is convenient in Honduras...except internet service now...when it works. I try not to get too excited about things because you never know what might happen in Honduras but for now, I am celebrating.
Thought I would share my enthusiasm. The little things that make you happy in Honduras are amazing!
Chad
What is so special about that? WE HAVE INTERNET IN OUR HOUSE!
I thought this day would never happen. Our internet connection before this was 45 minutes away in Choluteca but with the advancement of cell phones in Honduras, we now have internet over a cell phone connection. This will give us the opportunity to stay connected more and have a convenience in our life.
Nothing is convenient in Honduras...except internet service now...when it works. I try not to get too excited about things because you never know what might happen in Honduras but for now, I am celebrating.
Thought I would share my enthusiasm. The little things that make you happy in Honduras are amazing!
Chad
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
Los Photos de la Semana
Got enough cushion?
Priceless face of a boy on an island we visited last week.
These eggs have not been colored for the picture. They are ready to be cracked for lunch.
Shelly took this picture on our way up the mountain from the office in Choluteca.
Dia de los Trabajadores
Monday was Labor Day in Honduras. We have spent since last Friday showing our employees of Mission Lazarus that they are special and we do care about them with pool parties, cookouts, and visits to the beach. It has been enjoyable to get the workers out of their normal day to day jobs and spend time with them in other places in Honduras with their families.
We are busy this week doing all that we do. I am asking myself, "What do I do to keep me so busy?" But as Shelly said last night to her mom on the phone, "Staying busy keeps life interesting." There is not a dull moment here in Honduras. Between spending time with the children to keeping up with paperwork to working on the ranch, time flies by here.
I do ask that you keep our very good friend, Gerardo Flores, in your prayers. He is in the hospital again for the second time in 3 months with his sickle cell anemia. He is very sick once again. We are searching for more definite answers to what is going on and may have to consult with some doctors in the States. Please pray for him and his wife and family as they are very worried about him. We plan on visiting him tomorrow in Tegucigalpa.
Chad
We are busy this week doing all that we do. I am asking myself, "What do I do to keep me so busy?" But as Shelly said last night to her mom on the phone, "Staying busy keeps life interesting." There is not a dull moment here in Honduras. Between spending time with the children to keeping up with paperwork to working on the ranch, time flies by here.
I do ask that you keep our very good friend, Gerardo Flores, in your prayers. He is in the hospital again for the second time in 3 months with his sickle cell anemia. He is very sick once again. We are searching for more definite answers to what is going on and may have to consult with some doctors in the States. Please pray for him and his wife and family as they are very worried about him. We plan on visiting him tomorrow in Tegucigalpa.
Chad
Thursday, April 26, 2007
A new roof for an old house
We are in the process of putting a new roof on the Beltrand's current house because we had a thunderstorm last weekend which flooded their home. The clay tiles did not hold up which I expected anyway. We are putting tin down first and then putting the tiles over that. It will be much better. The men should finish today.
We have a heat wave today and tomorrow in Honduras. Businesses and schools will be shut down tomorrow because of the Spring Equinox. I never cared much about it before but in Honduras, the sun's rays are extremely close to the earth and it causes an extreme heat wave and is dangerous to be in the sunlight too long. They are to cut the electricity for 2 days here starting today sometime. The temperature is to get up to 115 degrees. It is HOT! It has been raining a few days this week which means the rainy season is very close. The rain helps out everything so I am excited about seeing it more often.
We had yet another birthday party last night for Doris, our Honduran director, and Danilo, our bus driver for the kids. I forgot my camera so I do not have photos. We had two cakes so that each could have one. Shelly made them. The kids loved them. They were chocolate and strawberry. We all had a great time.
Keep up your prayers. Thank you for keeping up with us. Send some cool weather our way!
Chad
We have a heat wave today and tomorrow in Honduras. Businesses and schools will be shut down tomorrow because of the Spring Equinox. I never cared much about it before but in Honduras, the sun's rays are extremely close to the earth and it causes an extreme heat wave and is dangerous to be in the sunlight too long. They are to cut the electricity for 2 days here starting today sometime. The temperature is to get up to 115 degrees. It is HOT! It has been raining a few days this week which means the rainy season is very close. The rain helps out everything so I am excited about seeing it more often.
We had yet another birthday party last night for Doris, our Honduran director, and Danilo, our bus driver for the kids. I forgot my camera so I do not have photos. We had two cakes so that each could have one. Shelly made them. The kids loved them. They were chocolate and strawberry. We all had a great time.
Keep up your prayers. Thank you for keeping up with us. Send some cool weather our way!
Chad
Thursday, April 19, 2007
The Ranch is Coming Along
Above are the pictures as of Tuesday of the new home on the ranch at Mission Lazarus Refuge. For those who worked on the septic tank, you can not see that both of them have been capped and are ready for their special substance. We are shooting for the middle to end of May to have our inauguration of the first two homes (one of them being the old house which we are renovating). We are currently taking care of 11 children off the Mission Lazarus property where they will call home. Please pray fervently that these two homes can be finished quickly and we can move the children to their new home.
Chad
Meet our Tias
Meet our two newest tias (aunts). Their names are both Claudia so it makes it easy for everyone to remember. I call the one on the left Claudia #1 and the other Claudita (small Claudia). They are a blessing from God. We have had 2 other ladies in the house with the Beltrand children and they have not worked out. For the first time, we decided to go ahead and put 2 ladies in the house with them since that is what we will do on the ranch. It has worked beautifully. They are great at helping the children with their homework and making sure they are doing what they need to be doing. They know how to discipline with love but still make a point of behaving. God has blessed us with these two ladies. Please pray that we will continue to find women like them to serve in our other homes. We will be interviewing some more women for future jobs on Monday. Please pray that that goes well.
Chad
Muchas Fiestas
HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOHELIA!We had another party Tuesday night for the now 10 year old Nohelia. Her smile on her face when she got her new shoes was priceless! We limited each child to one piece of cake this time since we had a disaster last week. It worked out much better and everyone enjoyed the whole night (even after the party).
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