Honduras--the work, the team, and the teamwork!

We accomplish a fair bit the first week!  Hmmm, I think I will do this through a visual medium again--

Mom ready to paint on the second floor

Olban painting

June finishing up

The team painted all of the rooms on the second floor of the mission house.
Hats off to all who completed the task; it was daunting!

The park BEFORE clean-up

Because there is no garbage collection in most rural communities, litter is the norm.  Even though the free roaming poultry enjoy "the bounty," the team thought it would be nice gesture to clean-up the debris.
In addition, we put wooden seats on the swing sets.  (We replaced the two rigged-sugar-cane-seats.  Although creative, the seats couldn't have been comfortable!)  Given the number of children using the swings after the repair, the gift was a success.
The team also wants to add backboards for the basketball hoops and seats for the teeter-totters.  I cannot wait to hear how those projects turned-out!

Note the wooden seats and the clean park in the background!

Members of the team also put together 3 new bunk beds.

Clayton, Matthew, and Steve--measuring, drilling, nailing, carrying, and assembling the bunk beds

After completing work for the day, Matt was done-in!!!

Not only did the team paint the interior of the mission house, but they also hoped to finish painting the exterior.

Nope, this does not exhaust the list of projects/activities.  Tina, skillfully painted the United Methodist symbol on the front of the church.  (Sorry, I do not have a photo of the completed cross and flame.)  Donna, is teaching Adrianna and Dania to use the sewing machine that she donated to the family.  June, coordinated the vacation Bible School.  (Attendance was between 30 to 50 children and adults—Impressive!)  The team also taught English to anyone who wanted to practice their English skills.

Now, to introduce the team--

(Their "super-person titles" are not all-inclusive of the work that they did.  The labels are, however, the aspects/skills for which I will most remember them.)

Back (from left to right):

Jeremy--The Kid Magnet; Vernon--Super Dad (Hey, it is my blog; I am allowed); Russell--Scaffold Scaler;   Tina--The Artist; Susan; Steve--The survivor (poor guy was very sick); and Donna--Super Seamstress

Front (from left to right):

Clayton--Master Carpenter; Margaret--Super Mom (Smiles!); June--Bringer of Joy; Matthew--The Connector

I am honored to have worked with everyone!  

Honduras--the people

Matt and I just returned from an intensely inspiring mission trip to Honduras.

This particular entry will highlight the people of the town--Subirana, Honduras.  I am incapable of articulating how much the residents/community/team have expanded our lives…

A neighbor--she was pointing to her mom

Coffee bean pickers on pay day, Friday.  Depending on age and experience, a worker can earn the equivalent of $5.00 to $7.50 per DAY. (100-150 Lempiras--Honduran currency)


This January, the Honduran government declared a national emergency.  The Coffee Rust Plague has destroyed a quarter of the coffee plants.  There will be fewer workers needed.

A young boy 

Young girl coloring
Although not pictured, many young adults enjoyed the activity too.

A family watching the market activities…

Boys taking a break from play.  

Dude is 93!  His secret (yes, I asked)--"Don't get mad and don't worry."  I also think his 6:00 a.m. exercise, chopping wood, contributes to his longevity! 

The four amigos…

Love between brother and sister!

young girl on the playground

The soccer kid

Son of the cowboy below

He has excellent horse riding skills!

Doesn't he have a beautiful face?

I don't normally take photos of people, but I was captivated by their faces.  I asked permission to take photos of each person(s), and most (okay, really, ALL) loved looking at their images on the screen.  

Clayton, the group coordinator, brought a photo printer with him.  Brilliant!  I printed a few photos and gave them to "the subjects"…soon, people were asking us to take their photo so they could have a print of themselves.  (Although some Hondurans have phones with camera, they aren't able to print them.)

Clayton and the "magic machine"

If I could, I would definitely pack a photo printer for every "other country" experience.   It was beyond fun to give that gift!  Thank you, Clayton, for making it possible!  

Tombstone, Arizon

Smiles!  Okay, I couldn't say, "No" to a fun afternoon.  We visited a number of authentic
historic buildings/sites in Tombstone and "caught" a couple of the tourists' joys.

Boot Hill Cemetery 

The infamous courthouse with gallows

Downtown main street

The historic Bird Cage Theatre--poker, working girls, shoot-outs,  murders….and now, ghosts!

Tucson, Arizona

Matt and I stayed in Tucson for 5 days.  It is DEFINITELY on our list of places-to-revisit!  

We originally came to Tucson to see a friend we had met in Scotland, Parvati.  This was to be the last time to connect with her in the States; she is heading back overseas at the end of the month.

Parvati and Matt at Samye-Ling Temple in Scotland 2012

Fortunately, Parvati had made arrangements to stay with a friend, Ricia.  Ricia graciously extended her hospitality to include Matthew and me.  Again, we were spoiled rotten!  Ricia enjoys cooking, and Matthew and I enjoyed eating it!  I have come to realize--people who cook well are truly artist.  (I don’t think I could ever learn to look at ingredients in a refrigerator and come-up with something interesting, beautiful, and delicious.) 

Another little tidbit—Ricia types the real-time-closed-captioning for a variety of talk shows.  How cool is that?!

Ricia at breakfast

During our time there, Parvati, Matthew and I hiked in the Saguaro National Parks (East and West), and Sabino Canyon.  New plants to love—saguaros! 

Michael, Matthew, and Parvati

Saguaro National Park West

Saguaro National Park East

Sabino Canyon

Crested Saguaro (1 out of approximately 20000 are "crested")

We also visited a farmers' market, listened to some well-played Celtic music, and went to a circus.  (Given that we haven’t volunteered at a circus yet, I thought I should at least take Matt to one!  Note:  Yes, I recognize that I am "putting off" shoveling elephant dung, but really, we are doing a lot of volunteer work that doesn’t involve odoriferous activities!)

Zoppe' family circus

Introduction of circus performers

The main clown

Final bow….

Thank you, Tucson!  We had a great time!

Tucson--evening clouds

Phoenix, Arizona

Matthew and I were SPOILED ROTTEN! 

Ruth is an awesome cook!

Tom is an impossible tease! (the only kind to be-smiles)

Billy and Ruby are, well, just great!

ALL of them are beyond generous and wonderful fun…

Thank you for everything!

You know, for me, it is impossible to well describe the people I am fortunate enough to call “friends”.  The limit is mine.  Please know that Matthew and I love and appreciate you beyond “my words”.

We had a couple of “firsts” while in Phoenix—

Cotton fields near Goodyear, AZ.

Horse race

Tom and Matt at the track

Ruth, Tom, and Matt hanging-out in the sun at the tracks.

Gong Family

Fun day--Matt was able to meet with his Uncle Jay and yak about learning Chinese characters.  I was thrilled that he saw all of this aunts and uncle in the LA area!

We also drove out to Prescott, AZ, to hang with his cousins.  (We plan to see some of his other cousins too--most of them are on the East coast.)

Amber, Jay, Matt, and Sophia (missing Phyllis)

Selena working on her concept art 

Marco and Matt playing video games.

Fo Guang Shan Hsi Lai Temple

What a wonderful day!  We first went to the temple and then drove to Matt's Uncle Jay's home.  It was good to have some time to re-center and pray…A perfect end to the holidays.

I totally agree.