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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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