Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Josue

Josue continues to have appointments and tests.  Yesterday he saw the ear, nose and throat specialist.  This doctor is giving him one more month to see if the fluid in ears can clear up.  Then, it will be tubes for him.  He has only been off the meds for sinus infection a couple of days and already had another one.  More meds.

Today he saw the immunologist for the second time.  The doctor ordered tests two weeks ago.  Two of those tests were outside the normal range.  One was extremely out of the normal range.  As we suspected, more tests were ordered today. 

Right now, he has more appointments scheduled on the 12th, 13th, and 19th of November and the 2nd of December, as well as getting the tests done. 

This sometimes get weary, but we feel like knowing what is wrong and being able to treat it correctly is better than not knowing.

Please keep this little guy in your prayers.


Terri

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Medicine Time

Around here, someone is always needs medicine.  We created a schedule so it is given three or four times a day, not every hour. 

I think Baby Josue, Olman and Yair are on medicine most of the time.  I do the medicine at 6:00 in the morning.  These three are nearly always in a good mood at that hour of the day.  So am I if I have had my coffee.

Olman cries about nearly everything.  But, he is such a big boy when it comes to medicine.  He gets up in my lap and allows me to give medicine.  He smiles big and sometimes I get a hug from him.

Yair loves the one on one attention he gets when receiving medicine.  One morning he drank his 5 ccs of medicine like he was dying of thirst.  That medicine may not have quenched his thirst.

Josue may be smiling when I walk in, but it does not last long when he sees the med cups and nasal sprays .  He screams and kicks and flails his arms.  One morning he bit me.  I thought he was just doing this for me.  I soon found out I am not that special.  He acts like that for everyone.  To do the nasal sprays, Mirian holds his arms and legs and I hold his face with one hand and quickly spray with the other hand.  He throws a fit the whole time.  As soon as all the medicine is done, he starts smiling again.    Josue may be on meds forever.  I really hope he outgrows this some day.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

I Am On A Soap Box Tonight

I came to here to help these kids.  I love these kids and I love what I do.  I want what is best for the kids.  We decided, even though it was expensive, that the kids should have milk everyday.  We buy enough milk for all the kids to have milk everyday.  Or, let me rephrase that.  We order and pay for enough milk for the kids to have it everyday.  But the milkman has been cheating us.  Karen and I count the order.  There are a couple of employees  that count the order.  If, for some reason, none of us available, then an employee that did not know to count the order accepts it.  When the milkman realized she didn't count it, he was making sure he brought it to that employee every week.  I don't know how many cases of milk he has stolen from us, but it makes me really mad. 

Then, we try to hire enough employees to take care of these kids.  To get them to school and doctor's appointments and everything they need.  The labor laws in this country stink.  They always favor the employee.  We always follow the law and pay the employee what the law says, but some of the things I have to pay for, make me angry.  Can you tell? 

While I am on my soapbox, perhaps, there is a few other things about which I could vent.

Terri


Saturday, October 26, 2013

Barbecue Grill

Last week while the Oklahoma group was here, they built a barbecue grill at one end of the pavilion.  A good hard day's work and a very nice grill was made.  Of course, the group had to try it out before they left.  The kids and the staff were treated to hot dogs last Saturday night. 



Friday, October 25, 2013

Feeling Lucky

Today is one of those "hope-we-can-get-it-all-done" days.  But, we knew it was going to be and I had made plans for that. 

Rosy had to have a cake for school that was big enough to serve 50.  Elena said she did not think she and Rosy could get a cake that big to school on the bus.  I agreed.   I was going to take the cake in to Manos Felices.  Rosy had to have a gift for the teacher, too.  Most things, I got ready last night.  I did get up a bit earlier to get the gift ready to go. 

I left here at 7:30 and took Karla to school.  With the cake seat belted in the front seat beside me, I left for Tegucigalpa.  There are construction projects on every major road, and some minor ones, in town.  Traffic is getting worse every day.  I was hoping to be at Manos Felices by 9:30.  I was on the tail end of the morning rush, so I had no idea how long it would take this morning.  I arrived at Manos Felices at 9:00.  And, the cake was still fairly intact.  I was feeling so lucky.  And confident. 

I went by the mailbox to get my mail and stopped at the pharmacy.  I had quite a list of medicines to buy.  The pharmacy at which I stopped had the whole list of medicines.  What a rarity to get everything in one stop.  Again, I was feeling luck and confident.  Since I was feeling so lucky, I stopped out by the airport for a granita for the road.

I sipped on my granita as I drove up the mountain.  Traffic was slow, but moving.  I arrived home at 10:30.  This was just too good to be true.

I went to the office to put the medicine away and just as I opened the office door, the little plastic handle on the bag broke and I dropped the whole bag.  All of the medicine was in boxes.  Most were in plastic bottles inside the box.  Only one was in a glass bottle.  And only one broke.  It was a medicine called dayamineral.  It has the consistency and stickiness of a really good pancake syrup.  It might be even more sticky than that.  There was dayamineral every where.  And, I mean every where.  The chair.  The table.  The medicine charts.  The floor.  My purse.  My glasses case.  My keys. 

I went to get some rags.  Nothing goes to waste here.  When clothes can no longer be worn, they are cut up for rags.  But no one really believes in cutting them in a size large enough to use for anything.  It took dozens of rags.  The child whose job it is to wash the rags on the pila today is going to hate me.

I cleaned the medicine charts first.  Then my purse.  I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned.  The rags, though wet, would not hold very much of the sticky dayamineral.  I went for more rags.  And cleaned and cleaned.  And went for more rags.  Just when I thought I had everything clean and destickied, I found it inside my purse.  I came down here to my house to tackle that mess. 

I ate lunch and was trying to do something significant in my office.  It was then I accidentally discovered it was in my hair.  I tried to brush it out and then comb it out.  That was something akin to trying to comb cotton candy.

Oh well, it is only 1:00 in the afternoon, I can still be productive in the office this afternoon because, after all,  I am feeling lucky today.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

Trick Or Treat

Trick or treat nor Halloween is not acknowledged in Honduras. 

Because of Emma's sickness, Matt and Nicole were in the States last year.  Haley got to trick-or-treat.  And, she liked it.  Before the Ada group came, we asked them if the girls could trick-or-treat them.  And, did they ever reply with a resounding yes. 

Jami brought costumes, a pink bunny for Emmy and a lady pirate for Haley.  Someone else brought trick-or-treat bags and everyone brought candy.

We decided to trick-or-treat before dinner.  Everyone got off of the bus and went straight to their rooms.  Nicole brought Haley and Emma down all dressed up.


Emma had no idea what was going on but she laughed and giggled the whole time.

Some were waiting at their door for the girls and others shut their door and Haley had to knock on it.


Haley, and eventually, Emmy made  their way to the store to trick-or-treat.  Grammy quickly purchased something to put in their bags.

Haley went outside the store, sat down and began eating her candy.

It was one of those evenings where it was hard to tell who had the most fun, the girls, the group, or Nicole and I.

Thank you team Ada for bringing a little bit of an American custom into the girls' lives.




Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Emotions That Come With A New House

Many times I have told the elation and thankfulness that comes when a family has a house built for them.  But, I have never shared the emotions that some families have before that house is built, especially if they have an existing house.

I have had several new houses.  Most were not brand new, but they were all new to me.  Each time there was an excited anticipation.  Most of the houses involved a corporate move which was always long and drawn out.  I was always ready to be in my new house, get settled and get in some what of a normal routine.  Yes, relief was always an emotion I felt.  After arriving in a new city, sometimes we had to stay in a hotel for a day or two until we closed on the new abode.  But we always had a place to say.  I was never ever scared about moving into a new house.

Yesterday, two houses were built in Lomas Diamonte.  One of the families had an existing house that had to be torn down.  The house had one side that was card board and three sides that were tin.  Not a very good house.  On Monday, the team had to do a lot of digging and moving of the mountain and such to make the lot as large as possible.  This family was thankful they were getting a new house.  When the group left on Monday afternoon, there was some fear.  Some of the family were just plain scared.

Their house, such as it was, was being torn down.  What if something went wrong?  What if the gringos did not finish the new house in one day as promised?  What would they do for one rainy, windy night without a place in which to sleep. Without a place to stay dry?  Would the children get sick if they got cold and wet?

I always knew I would have a place to sleep, even when I left one house and it would be several days before I was in the next house.  I have never known that kind of fear.  I try to imagine what that fear was like.  And, I can't.   But, it sure drove home an important point of finishing the houses in one day.  Even a tear down, which takes longer has to be finished in one day.

Praise God, that two houses were built yesterday and that two families slept dry last night.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Upcoming Groups

If you are interested in working with a group this year, you still have plenty of opportunities.

Saturday, October 19, a small group from California arrives.  They always welcome anyone to join them.

Thanksgiving work week from November 23-30.  This is a week dedicated to building houses.  You also get to eat a traditional American thanksgiving dinner with the children and staff at Casa de Esperanza.

Jesus Banquet.  The Jesus Banquet is December 5.  People come and go all week to participate in that and other activities.  Please don't plan on arriving on December 5.

Another work week December 6-14.  The goal is build 30 houses.  It will take a lot of people to get that accomplished.

Anyone is welcome to come for any or all of these group.  Please let me know soon.

If you can´t come this year, groups are already forming for next year.  Find one that works for you.  We would love for you to come.  Anytime.

Terri

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Team Ada

Today the first of the fall groups arrived.  A group of 26 from Ada, Oklahoma are here and ready to work.  As with all groups, the travel day is long.  This group left Ada at 2:30 this morning.  After lunch and getting checked into the mission house, the group came to Casa for bit.  Then the group and most of the kids loaded into the bus and went to the Cruz de Chatara for a brief devotional and communion.

It was time for the sun to set.  A bit cloudy, but still beautiful.
It was a great way to end the day and start the week with team Ada.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

On A Lighter Note

Yesterday was an awful day and we continue to pray.  But, all days are not awful.

Sunday afternoon I was walking from my house to Casa.  I heard a lot of screaming.  It was not angry screaming.  It was happy screaming.  I turned the corner and realized I had to go back to the house for my camera.

This is what I saw:

One kid was getting in an old tire and one or more was pushing.

They raced.


Katy was able to stay on the tire as Brayan pushed.

Fernando, too.

One kid in the tire, one on top.

Jackson could walk it without anyone pushing him.  And, he could do it for a long way.




And, picture for fun.

The employees, Doris and Kathy were pretty nervous about this fun, until they saw me laughing and taking pictures.  Then they loosened up some.  A little.

The kids wanted to put a kid in each tire and another push and play bumper cars.  I allowed that for about three seconds. I knew someone would surely get hurt in bumper cars.

After having this much fun, no one minded washing their clothes on the pila.


Monday, October 7, 2013

A Sad Day

We have a child that needs psychiatric help.  As I have said before, these children have had a hard life and seen and experienced things most of us cannot comprehend.  And, some of them cannot process these things well.

It was one of those crazy Monday mornings.  Some of the children had school and some did not.  The houseparent in the little house was leaving for her days off and had to be checked out.  Marc and Matt were leaving with the child at the same time the houseparent was leaving.  The other children were not wanting to do their chores because they were wanting to spend every second of time with the child leaving. 

As the child and Marc and Matt got in the car to leave, I was trying not to cry.  Ana sobbed.  I hugged her and prayed with her.  And the tears began to flow from my eyes.  Katy was crying.  I picked her up and hugged her and carried her around for a bit.  I brushed her hair in an attempt to be soothing.  Nothing worked for her.  Jose was curled up in Nicole's lap crying.  Nicole was trying to comfort him.  She, too, was crying.  Fernando, too, was crying and snuggled up to Nicole and Jose.  Then Ana buried her head in Nicole´s shoulder.  And Cindy crawled in my lap with Katy. 

Of course, I was sad.  And, probably would have cried even if the kids had not.  But, as the other kids were hurting so badly, I hurt even more.  Everyone's heart was hurting this morning.

Katy was the only one that was crying and had to go to school.  I encouraged her to settle down.  I always ask one of the children to pray for the day before we leave for school.  Today, was no exception.  It was a subdued ride to school this morning.

Please, please pray for the child that left this morning.  Pray that that one will soon be home with us and pray for the other children and as they try to come to terms with one child being gone.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Sisi

Today Ana had plans to attend a youth group outing.  She told me early in the week what she needed and we had those things ready.  She was really excited.  She knows the rule that her chores have to be done before she leaves.  Today, her chore was folding clothes.

This morning church lasted a really long time.  We sat down to eat as soon as we returned from church and clothes were changed.  Cindy had to take the clothes off the line.  Ana could not fold the clothes until Cindy took them down.  When Cindy gets in a mood, there is really nothing to be done. 

Cindy walked outside as slowly as possible and began to take the clothes down, moving without a worry in the world.  Ana went outside to help Cindy and was told her help was not needed. 

Ana came back inside and was standing anxiously at the window watching Cindy take her sweet time.  I was thinking Ana should not be punished because Cindy won't do her chore.  But, I am thinking to myself if I tell Cindy she has to do her chore and Ana's she will be in a worse mood.  And, no one wanted to deal with that. 

I was thinking about what to do.  Ana is not crying but panic is written all over her face.

Everyone could see what Cindy was doing.

Sweet Sisi walked up and asked what time Ana had to leave.  I told her 2:00 and it was close to 1:15.  Sisi said, "I will help Ana fold the clothes so she doesn't have to not go:"  Sisi got a hug from both Ana and me.

It is moments like this, when you think,  maybe we really are making a difference.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Grades

Today was the day that grades came out for the seventh and eighth graders.  Brayan and Pamela had all passing grades.  Pamela even had some grades that were in the 90`s.  A most definite improvement.  Antonio only had one failing grade and it was just barely failing. 

Everyone has worked hard during the third partial to attain these grades.

Well done Pamela, Brayan and Antonio.