Some work projects around Helene...

Laverne and Dean getting a much needed new roof under Habitat for Helene funding, with the help from the Newport STM team

Procedure Room work! Its getting there folks, slowly but surely. It has to be ready to be used in January, when a construction team is coming to tear apart the existing clinic, for remodelling by a 2nd January team

Help from the Newport RI team here, too

Painting, painting, painting. It takes at least 3 coats of this Honduran paint to cover. Lots of practice on my house back in the states paid off!

OH come on! you're saying I missed just a SPOT??

 

We do take time to relax and have fun, too. This is on the mainland in Honduras where we went to recooperate from the week long meeting to plan the projects and priorities of the mission for 2007.

This is the vehicle that came to pick some of us up to go white water rafting, quite a sight! It was an old military transport 'bus'.

Me, Camas, Alisa and Emily...before getting wet

About to jump in....Paul, Emily me, Alisa and Camas

Just a birds eye view of a milder rapid we traversed, in fact, we jumped off this rock into the rapids - the guide said it was to remove our "fear of the waters power", it certainly was exhilarating!

 

!Quince! Sept 15th, Independence Day -
celebrated by a parade down the path, all schools participate in their groups, usually with some sort of new uniform if possible.

Being soldiers is a big part of the marching routines

The girls love to do batan dance routines, and practice a month ahead

The boys are the drummers, or in this case they carved wooden guns to carry

 

Emily playing the 'Hokey Pokey' with some of the boys on Children's Day

Out visiting one day, here I am with Tamika, she's 6 weeks old here
Heather has to do Jadiri's hair when she's sleeping or she fights too much. If she wakes up, it has to wait to get braided (or plaited)
I had SueEllen and Esslyn over for a sleepover one night. One of the greatest things for them was to be able to take a real shower, and sleep under a fan all night long. We really had a fun time!

 

Ewings took Camas, Alisa and I out iguana hunting (they do eat iguana, and yes, it tastes like chicken....sort of)

We tramped through some pretty thick jungle searching out those iguana

This was a tailor shop where Emily had some school uniforms made up for Quince. These kids sang songs to us while we waited for them to be paid for and picked up. They just flocked to our boat when we drove up.

Most of the team, minus Camas, plus Tom Hackett, outside Casa Calico

 

Harvest Celebration Sept 7th, 2006

They get all dressed up and go to the Methodist church for "recitations", children and adults alike practice and memorize a variety of songs, poems, Bible verses, or even something that they have made up for the occasion. Its almost as big an event as Quince, the independence day.

 

A few favorites....

a couple beautiful schoolgirls peeking out the HEC door

Cooling off Helene style - bathin' in the sea!

Interesting Pond scene, the oven on the left (old style clay oven) is much more reliable and used than the oven on the right, that has definately seen better days!

Laundry day, one of intense labor using a washboard, several rinse cycles, lots of squeezing, and finally hanging up. Then just hope they will dry despite the humidity, before the rains come!