Zoom Zoom Zoom

I am not referring to my new camera lens.

There are enough vehicles at Casa to meet our needs. Most of the time. Here was the plan for today. I was going to leave at 7:00 this morning, go get three of our employees, and be back at 8:30. Marc was going to leave at 8:15, take Janet Hines to the airport and meet the Alabama group. Jen was going to get Heather at the airport. I was going to leave at 4:00, take the employees home and meet the group for dinner.

Things do not usually go as planned in Honduras and then add sick babies to that and you get everyone running everywhere. Last week, when it was time for little Isabel to be released from the hospital, there was no place for her to go and not much chance of finding anyplace with the beginning of Holy Week. INFA gave Casa de Esperanza temporary custody until other arrangements could be made. We are not really equipped or staffed to take care of her special needs. Yesterday she began to run a fever and Ashley and Jen took her back to the hospital. Ashley came back last night and Jen stayed at the hospital with Isabel. There's one vehicle.

About 10:30 last night, little Maryuri spiked a fever and had a seizure. Marc took her to the local hospital and arrived back here around 12:15. Her fever went up again and she had another seizure. Karen called the same doctor and he said take her to Teguicigalpa. Karen and Dorian left with her in the middle of the night. That is two vehicles.

I got ready to leave at 7:00 and wasn't sure what I was going to drive. I decided I would take the van. I could do this. I know I could do this. The van is much larger than anything I am accustomed to driving, but I could do this. I could picture myself creeping slowly down the mountain. And I only had to turn around once. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. That has been my motto as of late. Karen called and said they were on their way back, 15 minutes away. I decided I would wait and drive the vehicle with which I am most familiar. I mean if I am going to creep down the mountain anyway, what is waiting 15 minutes.

I hugged little Maryuri and Karen and I talked business a few minutes and I was off. Forty minutes behind schedule. I saw a huge fire and prayed that it was just brush and not people's homes. I got to Reina's neighborhood, which is out on the Valley of Angels highway and could not find Reina. I was driving in this neighborhood with narrow streets, thanking God that I was not in the huge van. I saw a man in the trash dumpster looking for food and I had nothing in my car to give him. In just a few minutes Reina came running toward my car. Of course, the other ladies were waiting, and had been for quite some time, when I arrived. We got back to Casa at 9:20.

With Jen at Vierra with Isabel, I now needed to go to the airport to get Heather. I left again at 11:00. I got to the airport and, as luck would have it, the Continental flight was late. So, I had a mochaccino supreme. We arrived at Casa at 2:30. I had to shower and change into some clean clothes.

I left again at 4:00, on schedule this time. And I thought when Nicole turned 16, my taxi driving days were over. If I could burn calories by driving, I would have lost a couple of sizes today. Maybe not, considering the mochacchino supreme.

I could see the fire was still burning. I hope people are safe.

Seriously, we love it when people come work at Casa, or come visit us, or come see our work. And we don't mind going to the airport to get them. Our employees have been worrying about the buses not running since Monday. I didn't mind helping them today either. I am here to do what needs to be done. It has been a long while since I did that much driving in one day, though.

I do not think we will make as many trips tomorrow, but this is Honduras.

Terri