Wednesday, May 2 is the fourth annual dump day. This is the day we raise the money to feed the people at the dump for another year. Last year, we fed every Wednesday except 2 and those were due to circumstances beyond our control. We helped finish the bathrooms at the dump. There were some medical expenses paid for those who work in the dump. We got some of the dump kids in school. And helped the school with things they needed. We regularly bought milk for mothers as long as they promised to keep their babies out of the dump. There was so much more that was able to be accomplished because you generously gave last year.
If funds are sufficient, we want to add a second day each week to feed. There are plans to finish the farm which will employ some of the dump people. Our God is big and He will accomplish what He wants to accomplish. If you can, please contribute to dump day. If you can't, please join us in fasting and prayer.
Thanks for your prayers and support.
Terri
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Saturday, April 28, 2012
April 28, 1980
American citizens were being held hostage in Iran. Just four days earlier, the US had attempted a mission to rescue these Americans. The plan failed. Most newspapers were still abuzz over this failed attempt. But in Amarillo, Texas, the Tindalls were making their own news. Not headline, world news, but nonetheless, it was important news. The birth of our first child occurred that day.
While all the grandparents partied in the waiting room with donuts and coffee, I hated everyone that had told me natural childbirth was the only way to go. A few times, I might have even hated Marc. And while the nachos I ate Sunday night after church tasted really good going down, I hated them too after labor began.
After seven hours of labor, I immediately forgot about pain and nachos and hating people. All that was replaced by an awe and a love that only a mother can know. Our first child, a son, was born. Ryan Marcus Tindall, a name fit for a prince. Of course, he was the most beautiful baby boy I had ever seen. Oh what a joy he was. He was smart and funny. Not everything he did was funny. Nor smart.
He loved his cousins. He loved the rest of the family, too. He embraced life and often wore a huge grin. He was a loyal friend.
That life was cut way too short. Before he saw his 20th birthday. This day is still special, even though it almost always brings tears. Happy birthday, Ryan. I can see your big ol' grin. I will always love you and always remember your special day.
While all the grandparents partied in the waiting room with donuts and coffee, I hated everyone that had told me natural childbirth was the only way to go. A few times, I might have even hated Marc. And while the nachos I ate Sunday night after church tasted really good going down, I hated them too after labor began.
After seven hours of labor, I immediately forgot about pain and nachos and hating people. All that was replaced by an awe and a love that only a mother can know. Our first child, a son, was born. Ryan Marcus Tindall, a name fit for a prince. Of course, he was the most beautiful baby boy I had ever seen. Oh what a joy he was. He was smart and funny. Not everything he did was funny. Nor smart.
He loved his cousins. He loved the rest of the family, too. He embraced life and often wore a huge grin. He was a loyal friend.
That life was cut way too short. Before he saw his 20th birthday. This day is still special, even though it almost always brings tears. Happy birthday, Ryan. I can see your big ol' grin. I will always love you and always remember your special day.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
It Has Been Another Day In Honduras
Today is one of those which I have several choices about what to blog. I chose two of those things.
Sunday, we found out the mayor's wife was visiting this morning. And, in all likelihood, she will be the next first lady of this country. Lucretia is a friend of Marc's and this was quite an honor. She was going to be visiting at a time most of the kids were in school. But the preschoolers were going to be here. Nicole was busy getting the preschool room in tip-top shape. All of a sudden, I realized to get to the preschool, everyone was going to have to go through a room that has more or less become a storeroom. Nicole was not the only person in high gear. I transformed an absolute mess into something pleasing to the eye.
At 10:00, pickups, trucks and SUVs came up the alley with blue flags flying. I made a quick check to see that no one had on a red shirt this morning. That is the opposing party's color. We welcomed the mayor's wife and her entourage to Casa de Esperanza and gave them the grand tour. Lucretia Alvarez is quite the lady and most gracious. It was a pleasure to have her visit Casa. And, she was pleased with what she saw.
After the tour, it was time to visit Nicole and the preschoolers. The kids were not impressed the possible next first lady was in their presence. They were impressed that she had cake and pepsi for them.
Before the kids started on cake, we got a picture of Lucretia with the children. That was a good thing because after they plowed into cake, she might not have wanted to be in the same picture.
Then Reina got up and got her folder, walked over to Lucretia and handed it to her. Lucretia took the folder and graciously looked at every piece of Reina's work and complemented her on it.
It was a pleasure and an honor to have her visit, but Karen and I breathed a sigh of relief when the group left. As they were leaving, Karen's phone rang. Dorian says, don't worry about anything, everyone is ok. Of course, neither Karen nor I had a clue about what he was talking.
Matt, Karol Kelin, and Daniel left here at 9:00 to go feed at the dump. Matt got the food from Anita and was turning into the water place to buy the water. As he was turning, the truck was rear-ended. The van that hit the truck was traveling at a high rate of speed. The three people in the van all had broken bones. Our crew sustained minor injuries. I called and talked to Kelin and to Matt. Then I walked over to preschool to tell Nicole. She already knew and she was really tranquil. Being six months pregnant, Nicole is rarely tranquil about anything.
I came down here to start some work. Marc called and asked me to take Karol and Kelin to the hospital. When I arrived at the water place, all I could say was Thank God no one was hurt worse or killed. The red truck was in horrible shape and the van was in worse condition. And the big rice and bean pots were ruined. Since our group was on the way to the dump, Kelin said it rained beans and rice and Karol said tortillas was EV-ERY-WHERE. I can only imagine. I did not see tortillas or beans and rice, but I had my mind on getting to the hospital. Kelin had a nasty bump on her head and Karol had hurt her back.
We arrived at the ER and the doctors took Karol and Kelin immediately. Karol had to have a skull and neck x-ray and Kelin needed a CTscan. Always, in Honduras, these things have to be paid for in advance. I was paying and they were keeping my receipts. I thought, like in other places, I would get them all in the end. Karol's x-rays were read and all is well. She does have to go back tomorrow for one more test.
We were allowed to watch part of the CTscan. Can you imagine that happening in the US. Both of the girls had to have injections. While they were receiving those, one of the doctors took me on the grand tour of the clinic. It was interesting. He was quite proud of his clinic. Then we were told Kelin's results would not be ready until 4:00. Two and a half hours away. We were essentially done and I had not receipts except the ones from the pharmacy.
In one of those Honduran experiences that always give me a headache, we discovered if you want a receipt, you have to ask for it when the first one is printed. The clinic keeps what they print. So they pawed through all the receipts for the day and found the four receipts we needed and reprinted them for us. By the time this happened, it was just 2 hours until Kelin's results were ready. We all walked to Wendy's and I bought lunch for everyone. We got our food and Kelin says we are not about to eat this food without thanking God that we are all ok. She said the sweetest prayer.
We walked back to the clinic at five minutes til four and were told 20 more minutes. That 20 quickly turned into 50 minutes. Praise God, Kelin's scan showed everything was normal. We got out of there before the 5:00 traffic. I was so thankful that everyone was ok and that we were not hours in traffic.
I got the girls home and walked in the door and said coffee shop. Marc was ready. We walked up to our little haven, Cafe El Gringo and had our favorite smoothies. It tasted so good and I felt so refreshed. On the way home, the queen of klutz, me, fell. I not only ruined a good pair of jeans, I really tore up my knee. Marc helped me limp home. Matt, Karol, Kelin, and Daniel may not be the only ones who are quite sore tomorrow.
This has definitely been enough for one day. I am calling it quits and going to bed.
Terri
Sunday, we found out the mayor's wife was visiting this morning. And, in all likelihood, she will be the next first lady of this country. Lucretia is a friend of Marc's and this was quite an honor. She was going to be visiting at a time most of the kids were in school. But the preschoolers were going to be here. Nicole was busy getting the preschool room in tip-top shape. All of a sudden, I realized to get to the preschool, everyone was going to have to go through a room that has more or less become a storeroom. Nicole was not the only person in high gear. I transformed an absolute mess into something pleasing to the eye.
At 10:00, pickups, trucks and SUVs came up the alley with blue flags flying. I made a quick check to see that no one had on a red shirt this morning. That is the opposing party's color. We welcomed the mayor's wife and her entourage to Casa de Esperanza and gave them the grand tour. Lucretia Alvarez is quite the lady and most gracious. It was a pleasure to have her visit Casa. And, she was pleased with what she saw.
After the tour, it was time to visit Nicole and the preschoolers. The kids were not impressed the possible next first lady was in their presence. They were impressed that she had cake and pepsi for them.
It was a pleasure and an honor to have her visit, but Karen and I breathed a sigh of relief when the group left. As they were leaving, Karen's phone rang. Dorian says, don't worry about anything, everyone is ok. Of course, neither Karen nor I had a clue about what he was talking.
Matt, Karol Kelin, and Daniel left here at 9:00 to go feed at the dump. Matt got the food from Anita and was turning into the water place to buy the water. As he was turning, the truck was rear-ended. The van that hit the truck was traveling at a high rate of speed. The three people in the van all had broken bones. Our crew sustained minor injuries. I called and talked to Kelin and to Matt. Then I walked over to preschool to tell Nicole. She already knew and she was really tranquil. Being six months pregnant, Nicole is rarely tranquil about anything.
I came down here to start some work. Marc called and asked me to take Karol and Kelin to the hospital. When I arrived at the water place, all I could say was Thank God no one was hurt worse or killed. The red truck was in horrible shape and the van was in worse condition. And the big rice and bean pots were ruined. Since our group was on the way to the dump, Kelin said it rained beans and rice and Karol said tortillas was EV-ERY-WHERE. I can only imagine. I did not see tortillas or beans and rice, but I had my mind on getting to the hospital. Kelin had a nasty bump on her head and Karol had hurt her back.
We arrived at the ER and the doctors took Karol and Kelin immediately. Karol had to have a skull and neck x-ray and Kelin needed a CTscan. Always, in Honduras, these things have to be paid for in advance. I was paying and they were keeping my receipts. I thought, like in other places, I would get them all in the end. Karol's x-rays were read and all is well. She does have to go back tomorrow for one more test.
We were allowed to watch part of the CTscan. Can you imagine that happening in the US. Both of the girls had to have injections. While they were receiving those, one of the doctors took me on the grand tour of the clinic. It was interesting. He was quite proud of his clinic. Then we were told Kelin's results would not be ready until 4:00. Two and a half hours away. We were essentially done and I had not receipts except the ones from the pharmacy.
In one of those Honduran experiences that always give me a headache, we discovered if you want a receipt, you have to ask for it when the first one is printed. The clinic keeps what they print. So they pawed through all the receipts for the day and found the four receipts we needed and reprinted them for us. By the time this happened, it was just 2 hours until Kelin's results were ready. We all walked to Wendy's and I bought lunch for everyone. We got our food and Kelin says we are not about to eat this food without thanking God that we are all ok. She said the sweetest prayer.
We walked back to the clinic at five minutes til four and were told 20 more minutes. That 20 quickly turned into 50 minutes. Praise God, Kelin's scan showed everything was normal. We got out of there before the 5:00 traffic. I was so thankful that everyone was ok and that we were not hours in traffic.
I got the girls home and walked in the door and said coffee shop. Marc was ready. We walked up to our little haven, Cafe El Gringo and had our favorite smoothies. It tasted so good and I felt so refreshed. On the way home, the queen of klutz, me, fell. I not only ruined a good pair of jeans, I really tore up my knee. Marc helped me limp home. Matt, Karol, Kelin, and Daniel may not be the only ones who are quite sore tomorrow.
This has definitely been enough for one day. I am calling it quits and going to bed.
Terri
Monday, April 23, 2012
Registering People
In Honduras, it is very important for everyone to have an identity number. This number is much like our social security numbers. We find that people not born in hospitals and/or the extremely poor do not have birth certificates and identity numbers. It doesn't seem to me that this has ever mattered to anyone. But the registry department has decided to find as many people as they can that do not have identity numbers. They want to help these people get registered.
They decided that the most likely place to find a great number of people without numbers is in the dump. Someone from registry called Marc and asked for his help. Marc is spending a great deal more time in the dump these day. He is asking everyone if they have an identity number. For those that don't, he is getting full names and birthdates when known. Today, he collected about 100 names. I have a feeling that he did not even scratch the surface.
I hope the registry department follows through and gets all these people registered. A person cannot do anything here without this number.
Terri
They decided that the most likely place to find a great number of people without numbers is in the dump. Someone from registry called Marc and asked for his help. Marc is spending a great deal more time in the dump these day. He is asking everyone if they have an identity number. For those that don't, he is getting full names and birthdates when known. Today, he collected about 100 names. I have a feeling that he did not even scratch the surface.
I hope the registry department follows through and gets all these people registered. A person cannot do anything here without this number.
Terri
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Cafe El Gringo
Our friend, Byron, recently opened a coffee shop in Santa Ana. It is Santa Ana's newest and only coffee shop. At first, Byron served coffee and smoothies. I promise that strawberry smoothie made with orange juice could be addictive. Maybe it already is.
Each week, Byron is adding something to the menu to make it more a restaurant than just a coffee shop. There are pastries and cakes. Some homemade and some from PriceSmart. He has added spaghetti, hamburgers, quesadillas (Haley's favorite) and french fries, among other things. I like the fish. Tilapia is good, but when I am fortunate enough to be in the cafe the days there is tiburon (shark), then I consider myself very lucky. Fried shark is a heavenly treat I never thought I would find myself enjoying.
Cafe El Gringo is right in the middle of downtown Santa Ana. Which means it is in easy walking distance from Casa de Esperanza. Nicole and I are forming a Sunday afternoon habit of walking to the cafe and having a smoothie or coffee. Marc and I are forming a two-or-three-evening-a-week habit of walking up there.
One Tuesday, Nicole, Matt and I walked up there for lunch. After we ate, we began suggesting new flavors for smoothies. Since Byron had the ingredients on hand, he began to make some of the them. I must say, Nicole came up with a winner when she suggested a banana pudding smoothie.
Cafe El Gringo is becoming quite the social place in Santa Ana. I have run onto Karol and Kelin, John Baird, Richard, and of course, we see Byron and Pamela frequently. We even saw Karen and Dorian up there one evening and had a nice long visit, something we rarely get to do here at Casa. I think a new logo could be, " Cafe El Gringo, where everybody knows your name." Oops! I think the last part of that has already been used.
Cafe El Gringo may become the Dairy Queen of Honduras, a place where all the world's major decisions are discussed and solved.
Congratulations to Byron on the success of this new venture.
Terri
Each week, Byron is adding something to the menu to make it more a restaurant than just a coffee shop. There are pastries and cakes. Some homemade and some from PriceSmart. He has added spaghetti, hamburgers, quesadillas (Haley's favorite) and french fries, among other things. I like the fish. Tilapia is good, but when I am fortunate enough to be in the cafe the days there is tiburon (shark), then I consider myself very lucky. Fried shark is a heavenly treat I never thought I would find myself enjoying.
Cafe El Gringo is right in the middle of downtown Santa Ana. Which means it is in easy walking distance from Casa de Esperanza. Nicole and I are forming a Sunday afternoon habit of walking to the cafe and having a smoothie or coffee. Marc and I are forming a two-or-three-evening-a-week habit of walking up there.
One Tuesday, Nicole, Matt and I walked up there for lunch. After we ate, we began suggesting new flavors for smoothies. Since Byron had the ingredients on hand, he began to make some of the them. I must say, Nicole came up with a winner when she suggested a banana pudding smoothie.
Cafe El Gringo is becoming quite the social place in Santa Ana. I have run onto Karol and Kelin, John Baird, Richard, and of course, we see Byron and Pamela frequently. We even saw Karen and Dorian up there one evening and had a nice long visit, something we rarely get to do here at Casa. I think a new logo could be, " Cafe El Gringo, where everybody knows your name." Oops! I think the last part of that has already been used.
Cafe El Gringo may become the Dairy Queen of Honduras, a place where all the world's major decisions are discussed and solved.
Congratulations to Byron on the success of this new venture.
Terri
Friday, April 20, 2012
The Mechanic
I often share my experiences of living in a third world country. Like the bank not having money and everything having to be paid in cash. Some things are comical and others, not so funny. We are spoiled Americans and living in Honduras is sometimes challenging and difficult and different. One thing that is very different is the mechanic.
There is a mechanic in Santa Ana, a good mechanic, I might add. When one of the cars break, we call him and he comes here. Yes, he makes house calls. Yesterday, he came here and took the brakes off the trooper. He showed us all the broken and worn out parts. Normally, someone takes those parts and goes to Tegucigalpa and finds the needed parts. Yesterday, there was no one that could do that. We asked the mechanic if we gave him gas money would he go buy the parts. He said yes. We gave him money for parts and gasoline.
He returned this morning with parts, receipts, and change. He said he had trouble finding one of the parts and had to go several places. He put new brakes on the car, took it for a test drive, and said all was well when he returned. He then needed $30.00 for labor. He didn't even charge us for his time while he was in town looking for parts.
I do like this little benefit of living in Honduras.
Terri
There is a mechanic in Santa Ana, a good mechanic, I might add. When one of the cars break, we call him and he comes here. Yes, he makes house calls. Yesterday, he came here and took the brakes off the trooper. He showed us all the broken and worn out parts. Normally, someone takes those parts and goes to Tegucigalpa and finds the needed parts. Yesterday, there was no one that could do that. We asked the mechanic if we gave him gas money would he go buy the parts. He said yes. We gave him money for parts and gasoline.
He returned this morning with parts, receipts, and change. He said he had trouble finding one of the parts and had to go several places. He put new brakes on the car, took it for a test drive, and said all was well when he returned. He then needed $30.00 for labor. He didn't even charge us for his time while he was in town looking for parts.
I do like this little benefit of living in Honduras.
Terri
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Growing
Josue always has a very serious look on his face and Olman has a bit more personality. Aren't they cute little guys?
Terri
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)