Sticker shock

Well, here we call them calcomonias...or with another English word making its way into Spanish "stikers."

The government, in its infinite wisdom, this particular time being the President, decided that to save fuel and congestion, each vehicle (except for an arm's length list of exceptions) must pick a day of the week...and park it. The program is called "Today you go nowhere" (loosely translated...I pick on it a different way every day).

In amongst the glowing reports about this program (I have only seen criticism...is it legal? it will not save any fuel or money? how did they decide who would print the stickers? Was that legal? And more), the big thing was that the stickers would be free to those of us that own vehicles. Oh, how nice! But to get them...well, that is another story. They are distributed based on the last number in the license plate, and I got the pleasure of going first (the Defender ends in 1) today to try to find where they were handing them out (at the police station? No. At the police central agency? No. Oh, did you not figure out it would be at a teacher's university? Duh!), and then stand in line with some other thrilled individuals for about two hours, all for the privledge of getting my sticker for the Defender (in case you were wondering, we decided on Tuesday for it) and I get to go back for the Ford, and the Musso (although Valerie might have to go for that one should she arrive on time since it is in her name.)

Ugh.

Extra update information

1. This group was actually more of a feat than even the update suggested. The group ended up totaling 9 people, but several of those came together, as He would have it, in the last month of preparation, and one of the members was a former FCO member who came independent of the group, but whose dates coincided with the groups and ended up being a perfect addition to said group. It continually amazes me as how God's hand is involved with a group dynamic and what is accomplished through Him. The wall work the group did was to help seal the areas below the "container wall" put up on the side of the property where we have had the most...visitors. Children and adults were so determined to get past our wall, that the scant room under the containers was being used as people crawled through. Add to that that the used water (sometimes with added ingredients) from our neighbors was being routed to that side of the property, making carrying materials in the Fords an interesting experience. I anticipate the need to put some further sharp deterrents on top of the wall at certain key points some time soon, as the children still like to explore with climbing over, even if it means a possibility of a dangerous fall for them should they not be as nimble as they think they are.

2. The institute is not a euphemism for the loony bin, which I believe in and of itself is a euphemism. "I keep using that word. I am not sure it means what I think it means." For those of you that have been familiar with the work here since back in the day, the institute is headed by the missionaries that started the Church here, Roger and Elaine Twitchell and Darrin and Chrissy King. Edwin and Jessinia Guerra are also there working with the mission...not just the institute but Church planting as well. The institute involved students from many different Central American countries, as well as the Dominican Republic, and trained the students not just in theology, but also practical methods as well for what a missionary has to do (and in addition to their classroom time, the students participated in the work to begin another Church plant there in Costa Rica.

Cantaranas is a much bigger, compact area than San Juancito, down in the valley near where the sugar cane and melon farms are located. We are hoping that with the leadership developed in San Juancito already, plus Jonatan's being from there, this will allow him to work in San Juancito, as well as have the people to take to Cantaranas while beginning the
outreach there. Not to mention the clothing ministry which brings people to the mission instead of Jonatan always having to take the mission door-to-door. This could open doors in the future for people to branch out from there to other outlying areas near Cantaranas, as we have done brigades there in the past, and there is certainly a need for not only the physical but as always for the gospel as well.

3. Master Provisions is more limited in finding Churches that can provide us the summer clothes that we need for the climate here. Since we need no winter gear of any kind, that eliminates oh, say about 1/2 or so of the clothes that people in climates with a cold winter donate. MP has outlets for that colder gear, but with us not being able to take it, that means we need to find more locations where we can get the clothes we need to keep things going. If we packed the cold gear with the summer clothes, it is not only wasteful, expensive, and space consuming, but most of that winter stuff does not move for months or years, and ends up being used as rags, curtains or some other inventive way other than the intended purpose. This is great for people to get use out of something, as is common here, but not the best use of the ministry. Getting more of the clothing that is needed here makes a huge difference in the success of the clothing ministry, and its impact to the overall mission.
This is huge for the future possibilities of the mission to get involved with Church planting, as it means a way we can potentially start a new store and Church at almost the same time (starting with the store while planting seeds, having Bible studies, etc. from the get go), as well as providing financially for the pastor placed, and some income for the burgeoning Church. We of course would maintain a responsibility to help the work where possible through taking groups, providing furniture, supplies, tracts, Bibles, etc. where possible, in addition to providing a vehicle to get the clothes on a weekly basis back and forth to the store (since they are so far out of Teguc) that could also be used of course for the pastor and for Church needs. Finding the funding for those vehicles is currently the only outside fundraising we need to do for such small plants. Currently we are getting a container every six weeks. Raising this to every four weeks would be great and enable us to reach out just that much more with more stores hopefully following this new "model" we are trying to use.

4. The Impala is the 1965 Impala Valerie and I purchased back in 1996 or thereabouts, from my brother (who helps keep it running while we are here in Honduras.) It has a long history in the Geetingsville area, and other than our time in Bloomington, has spent almost its entire life in that general area. It is not quite the car it used to be when we were able to drive it regularly, but other than trusting in it for long trips (Valerie is traveling without a cell phone) it should serve her well for what she needs. It was never a vehicle that would bring a high price on the collector car market being a four door hard top with a 283ci engine, but it was always special to us (more for me) and all that combined meant selling it when we came here, although an option if absolutely necessary of course, was not something we had to do, and it has come in handy for us several times when back in the US, or for my brother if he has vehicular problems while we are here. The summer before we moved here, I drove it often, and had more than a handful of people come up to me in parking lots to ask about it, and then inevitably tell me "I had one just like it...I wish I had never sold it." That sold me on keeping it, even if we are here for twenty years and have to put a new engine in it. Consider it a pre-investment for Cecilia and Soren when they go to college in the US. One can certainly just about move everything you would need in that car between the back seat and the huge trunk. Do not get me started, lest I share my wild-eyed, well-financed dream for importing it to Honduras, modifying it for mission work with a 4x4 system, diesel engine, and lift kit with a cow-catcher, winch, and skid plates to be able to take it off road, with the bench seats easily handling 6-8 people, and the trunk able to carry enough supplies for brigade work....oooh, it would be quite the unique vehicle here, that is for sure. Now you done did it and got my car glands salivating!

5. Yes, when I sat down to think about everything, it was quite a list of things to do. However, other than doctoring, most of those things required me to be on top of things, but not physically be doing them, which is a good thing. Being a supervisor is fun...when everything goes well. Ah, but supervisors are not so much in need for when everything is well, but rather when the cart falls into the well. I will be glad for the last three weeks in April, as there are no groups and that will allow me, and the mission, to catch up on many of the things I am for the time being putting on the back burner (like paperwork, family time, etc.) Besides, when I had no patients, I was able to write the update!

Eye sore

I am trying not to think about the patient lode today. If I did, well I do not know what would happen, nothing catistrophic or anything I suppose.

Sufficit to say...no simple "I need something to read" cases. More like (I will summarize):

1. The guy who got hit in the head eight days ago and since then his eye is turned in, the lids stay partially closed and he sees very little (oh yeah, I referred him before he barely got in the door...neuorlogical combined with opthamological? I recognize my limits quickly there)
2. A four year old with a high prescription, an eye turned in, and shyness to boot not to mention a schocking lack of being able to read and write. Shocking!
3. The five year old with the huge protusion from his eyelid and recurrent inflamations
4. The second kid that got hit in the eye with a rock at school and it was swollen to the point it was hard to get his lids open (violent schools I guess...the first kid just needed a band aid)
5. The eight year old who struggles to see 20/20 but actually has a high prescription who hates glasses, and getting picked on, and as a consequence has only used his current prescription when he gets headaches and his eyes hurt.
6. Uh, I forget the rest. It was one of those days where when someone comes in and says "yeah, we came because I went to another clinic and they referred me here to see the eye specialist" and I think to myself "well, I can not wait until they get here...oh wait, you mean me."

Do not get me wrong, I love the opportunity and getting to do that work, but being the sole one to make the decisions can be taxing. I need to pray more to get the one who really knows what is going on more involved. Pray I will do that tomorrow, my last official day working in this capacity for a while.

What is in the news?

Honduras news over the past few days (yes, I am still seeing eye patients, poor souls...luckily that has not made the news)

1. Honduran melons banned from the US due to salmonella. Big deal here, and around CA (making the CNN Español headlines) and prompting our president here to make a public spectale of eating one of said melons. Cost to Honduran producers supposedly $8million daily

2. A bus accident yesterday (bus lost brakes, shock of shocks) injured many and killed 27. This will surely make a brief push for better bus inspections...that will then fade away from the limelight yet again.

3. Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones are touring the North coast as purely vacationers. Either their press agents are very good, or the press reports talking about how amiable and gracious they are true to life. I highly doubt I see them visiting here in Teguc any time soon.

4. More promotion for the new traffic-fuel saving initiative promoted by the president, "today you go no where" (ok, that is correctly, but loosely translated) where each vehicle will have one day from Monday through Saturday where it will not be allowed to circulate. You get to pick the day. How this will work, and especially since there will be only one week to get the stickers to identify to the police which day you have chosen...will be very interesting indeed. Especially to see if it actually saves any time, money...or fuel, which is what it was designed for in the first place. Oh what joy.

That is all. Mill about smartly.

Eye matey

Day one yesterday of the experiment of me seeing eye patients went relatively well. I did get some much appreciated practice on CD ratios and all sorts of other fun stuff as well, like being thankful there were no patients when we opened...because all the handhelds I would have used had no charge. Our lack of practice time with Valerie meant I did not know of the phoropter's "quirks" like a lens missing, and the projector requiring fingers of steel, but after some initial stumbling it all seemed fluid...enough anyway.

To say I felt comfortable would have been a stretch, and although I have yet to need it, I always remember the saying that saves one who is in over his head: "when in doubt, refer out."

Doing anything there though is great, because you are sharing Christ in how you treat anyone who comes in, and in what we can recommend (or not) instead of being driven by any other ulterior motive. I was surprised that 1/2 my patients Monday were there for their first eye exam.

Pray this will continue to go well tomorrow (after running errands today) especially considering the other responsibilities I have to fulfill during the day (besides the patients...clothing ministry jobs, overseeing the construction, running an errand for the next arriving container, hopefully that will be it.)

Interesting oddities

I had a meeting yesterday, so despite my best efforts to not start up the car during the latter part of holy week (why leave other than going to to the clinic to check up on the workers on the new clinic?) I was out. Good meeting, discussing future possibilities of communities where we work buying coffee directly from the farmers there. We pray to God for direction on that in the future. For now, enjoy the pictures...

I was intrigued enough by this huge sign on a high visibility/traffic thoroughfare to take a picture...the sign, translated says "this property is not for sale. Inform yourself at phone number..." Now, I am almost willing to call, just to find out why it is they invested that much in a sign to tell me to call so I can find out why they are not selling. Surely it would be an interesting story....or perhaps not.

This is a picture of the current crew on the new clinic building. They worked through Thursday of this week (in a rather unnatural move on our part, we paid them for Friday as a gesture) because they all unianimously voted to do so...they needed the money. The two guys from Sampedrana are living just to the left of the area pictured, to keep an eye on all the valuable stuff out for the construction, etc. To keep them earning, they are working on some rebar projects today and tomorrow. Two guys living, and cooking in a small room perhaps 8' x 6'. And to top it off they do all their necessities in the patient bathroom outside the existing clinic. Hard work, and so far they are doing very well, and as FAME is providing the money to build the new clinic, these guys that otherwise would be unemployed are getting steady work for quite a long time by Honduran standards.

Ah, what would holy week be without burning of the fields, lots, forrests, whatever. This one looked particularily disturbing if you were living down wind, which it looked like quite a few people were(winds out of the North unusual this time of year...keep reading)

Those North winds are part of a very, very unusual cold front moving in...during what is typically considered the hottest week of the year. Now, Thursday I saw cheap pools on sale at the grocery store and bought one for Soren. At $9, how could I go wrong? Well, wrong with the cold front moving in and Soren thinking that as soon as water was deposited, we were good to go. I made him wait until the afternoon. He went in with gusto (even using a plastic chair on the porch for an ill-advised cannonball...which was funny to see him realize that although it looks soft, the bottom when your bottom hits it...is still hard)but after a couple teeth-chattering dips, and me even trying for a few minutes to use a hose to route from the hot water heater...he still looks with awe and desire...but that quickly wanes when he barely gets tootsies planted. Long sleeve shirts and sweat pants were the order of the day today. I plan on getting in...perhaps in April sometime.

What separates the men from the girls

First news first, I got a phone call from Jorge the welder this morning…telling me about his run-in with his brother, and the machete injury he has a result. He was really calling because he needed some crutches. I ran them over (Cecilia was with me for the trip, some last minute bonding time before she left) to him, and got the full scoop. His brother is a little loco in his coco, and was beating their mother with a board or bat or something wooden. Jorge’s nephew (the son of that brother that Jorge has been watching) told Jorge, and with machete in hand, he went out the door on instinct.

Jorge posing for his picture as I told him "people that know you will want a picture to see how ugly your face still is...oh, and to pray for you and your family as well. The smile hides what otherwise was pretty intense pain."


Bad instinct, since the machete wound he has is from his own machete after his brother got a hold of him. Fortunately, the wound is on his leg...not severing his head. Sadly, the incident is indicative of the state of criminal affairs here in Honduras, because after he got home from a rather lengthy visit to the hospital to get the matter attended to, the police came by to investigate. As normal, fearing reprisals, Jorge said he would not be pressing charges. I am not sure what the mother and other witnesses will do, but here if someone is caught, but no witness comes forward in 24 hours…free he goes. This is a story that is relived every day, over and over…part of the problem here with the crime rate, but going into that would be a topic for a research paper not a blog update.

Valerie left for the US as well today, normally I would say “with Cecilia in tow” but that was far from the case. I have seen women here in the airport all the time…sophisticated, stylish, elegant, and self assured in those qualities. Watching Cecilia with her sunglasses, purse elegantly hanging from her forearm, posing for pictures as Valerie verified their exit tax…I could see that in her. Needless to say…she was not crying upon leaving this time as when I left last October, but rather asking every five minutes in the waiting area “when are we going to get to go?” Soren took it all in stride…for the time being. We will see what happens in a few days.

And now that we are alone for the first time in our lives for a long stretch, we participated in some male bonding. First, the shared lunch of two PB&Js (“dada gives me two sandwiches, mommy only one!”) and then a hair cut. Soren's is less pronounced since his hair was shorter to begin with, but you have to start somewhere.


I pity the fool who does not like this hair cut! Let the games begin!

Another normal day

I am still often asked what a day is like here when groups are gone.

Yesterday was such a day. I was to count the patient fees, run to the bank, and then up to the clinic to brush up on the finer points of optometric practice, since I am apparantly going to be the guy next week to see patients.


First however, I got a phone call from the administrator at WER to stop by to see the shipment of brand new shoes they just received. Upon arriving, I noticed, as you can see in the picture, it was a quant gathering of just a 100 or so of WER's closest friends....shoes scattered everywhere, and unfortunately, all dress shoes. I looked for the clothing ministry, but gave up quickly. The many pairs of size 14s and 15s I would imagine will still be waiting there for me should I head back anytime soon.

I then headed to the bank for my quick deposit. An hour or so later, I departed with my deposit slip. One never knows the ways of the bank line. Sometimes it can move relatively quickly...that day one of the lanes was occupied the entire time by someone obviously doing more paperwork and payments than should be humanly allowable. At least I had my Mp3 player to keep me company (no phone or anything else including metal though of course.)


I noticed a recurring low front tire on the Ford over the past week, and it was low enough that even though I filled it...it needed to be sealed. Luckily that means here just a quick trip to the tire stop, $1.50 or so, and you are back on the road. While there I also noticed something you only see during holy week, people getting ready to relax or go to the beach, or both. However, I doubt they were walking all the way to the beach.


I finally got up to the clinic...in time to take care of some issues with the workers on the new clinic, figure out where the electrical work needed to be done in the man cave (aka garage), and address some things and have a meeting with Levi....when Valerie had a counseling patient to see that went until a little past 5:00.


So...the reason for my day? Brushing up....well, experience is a good teacher as well I suppose. I just hope the patients agree.

Matthew 20:30

The group from SOCC is now here. It has been a full week already...and today is only Wednesday?

A part of the group is doing week long training for women about counseling, with the hope that out of this a volunteer center for counseling would sprout.

Part of the group is optometry related, two students, and one doctor who came in 2003 and wanted to come back during these dates that coincide with the group. Monday and Tuesday we did the eye brigades of the week. The first being a normal day in a rural village, the second with that component seeing almost 100 adults, but also seeing around 130 children through a Compassion center at the very Church we were visiting. As usual when God is at work, there were life changing moments during that brigade (the 89 year old who after her first eye exam eyes wide open could see with her new glasses, the woman who had not been able to read, especially her Bible, for 15 years, the little girl pictured here that received glasses to protect her functioning eye, and more) but what really mattered was how the brigade was done...in His name, with the ultimate goal of sharing Christ's love with them, that they might know how it was they came to see.

In addition...some major news is the plans that God is growing for the village of Cantaranas, which is a town about 1/2 hour from San Juancito, where one of the Churches we are in the process of helping administer is located. Since before Jonatan returned from studying with Puente ministries at their institute in Costa Rica, we have been considering how we can use his talents not only in eventually replacing Celio as pastor there, but also in starting a new work. Cantaranas is an area much larger than San Juancito, one we have considered for some time, and now seems the right time. Jonatan will be working with Celio until the Church building in San Juancito is completed, and then will take over the work with Celio leaving, hopefully opening another clothing store with the goal of starting another Church in another area. We are hoping and praying this will all take flight in light of also opening a clothing store in Cantaranas to provide Jonatan the money he will need personally, as well as some for the Church physical needs (chairs, tarps for meeting area outside, etc.) The picture above reflects the house they will rent to use as the store, with the trees providing a space behind the house for Church meetings. We ask for your prayers that Jonatan would be strengthened in this new work, that the building in San Juancito would be completed soon, and that the clothing ministry would be strengthened to be able to continue to provide for these new works.

Run your race

I ran a little race yesterday. Ugh, this is the third year in a row in fact. The "eco-friendly" race they call it. Why? Beats me, I saw no reflection in anything done that would demonstrate how it was friendly to any environment besides noise pollution at the finish line.

It is a 13.5KM trek from Teguc to the small town of Santa Lucia. No big deal, except that almost all the route is up hill. Into the mountains in fact. Two reasons I go back are: 1. It is a challenge, as although I can run much further with some hills, I have not been able to run the entire route of this race (and with a group here this past week and my lack of training, my time was an abismal 1:36) and 2. It is absolutely free, and they give you some water and a t-shirt. As I have said before, it is like they are paying me to race, even though I have not lost my amateur status.

Anywho....In listening to sermons during the run...uh, I mean, race, one thing still bumps around in the corners of my mind, a quote supposedly from a missionary in India:

You can give without love, but you can not love without giving.

Interesting on many levels, is it not?