Today was even more wonderful. We bagged five pound bags of corn and rice yesterday and today we bagged (in one plastic bag) two pound of spaghetti, a small container of tomato paste, a two pound bag of sugar and one stick of butter. The people make spaghetti sauce out of tomato paste, butter and mayonnaise. On Thursday we will go up and down the dirt roads and call out to the people. When they meet us at their doors, we will give them one of each bags of food. (Corn, rice and spaghetti) This happens every Thursday. The feeding of the children happens Monday thru Friday. The mission cooks for the school children each day and some of the local moms come help to cook. Today we met a number of the moms that go to the Bible study at the mission. We were in the streets playing with the children when Bible study let out. The mothers were wonderful. We have a few on our mission trip that can speak Spanish so the helped to interpret. The mothers wanted to know all about us. We communicated the best we could about how many children we had and the ages. Many of the women in the colonia have six to 12 children. Even as poor as they are, they seemed pretty happy. Two mothers sat next to me on a short wall, nursing their babies while pointing out which children were their's in the street. We laughed and talked and I showed them pictures of my family from my cell phone. They thought all my daughters were beautiful and my sons, handsome. I showed them pictures of the snow and they could not imagine what it was like to live in snow. The climate in Honduras is pretty much the same all year long. Tropical. We get a little sweaty by not too bad.
We had a great lunch again and I am learning all kinds of great foods to make. Then a few of us ladies hung out at the leather workshop where two women make purses and ladies leather goods to sell. The work is amazing. We walked through the colonia to see the house that our team is building for one of the mission workers. It can hold up to nine family members. A bunch of big rocks are placed to fill a squared area of about 12x16 feet. Cement is poured over the rocks to make a foundation. The framing goes up, the drywall, framed windows (no glass) and a door. A gutter is put on the house to catch water from the rain. A PCP pipe runs from the gutter and drains the water into the Pela. (Water storage) A big, square cement box. From this they use the water to wash clothes, take baths, do dishes, etc. They do not drink it. Drinking water is more expensive than pop or soda so they buy and drink mostly soda. You can imagine the teeth. Beans, tortillas, rice, spaghetti and what little meat they get is their diet. The homes may have dirt floors and one room for many but the children are clean when they go to school and have clean clothes and hair done. The people take pride in themselves. Can you imagine your whole house being a 12x16 one room? I tried to take pictures from a Realtor perspective but the onle exciting pictures was of the guys putting in the outhouse.
My little Kimerly (not Kimberly) showed up to play again and looked for me. I think she is eight. We played the whole time (2:30 -4:00) and I am getting very good at the clapping games and songs. As we go faster, Kimerly wins every time as I make mistakes. She laughs and set my hands back up into position to play again. We gave the kids bubbles (baboosa) sp? today and my little miss Kimerly did not want to share. I told her I could not play the clapping game with her if she did not share the baboosa. So........She held the bubbles but walked around and let the little ones blow the bubbles from the ring. She would share but not let go of the bottle. When it was time to go, she did not want me to leave. She practices my name over and over and says in Spanish, "you come tomorrow"? Soon there will not be another "tomorrow" and I already am sad to know that day will come. This is not easy but what an amazing blessing. These people have so much more than we in the states do. We have busy lives full of "stuff". They have rich relationships and community and have to depend on God. We take HIM for granted.
I learn so much from them.
Till "tomorrow". Love you all
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