Tuesday, October 2, 2012

La Jornada

We had a great group from Journey CC here last week. I meant to blog while they were here...but time just simply got away from me...in a busy yet good way.


The group helped a bunch on the dry wall front. We still have to build the front little offices that will be on other side of the stage, but all the rest of the drywall for the building is now, and much of it is finished and the rest is being worked on as I type.




They also helped plant over 25 rose plants, some of which are already opening up and showing beautiful colors. We are trying to protect and nurture them to last a very long time, as we have ant issues on the property...very hungry ants apparently.

The home remedy, short of sprays and such, as prescribed by
the woman that sold us the plants, is to outsmart the ants by cutting coke bottles and putting them around the plants, said bottles which these ants supposedly can not climb.  I am skeptical, but we shall see. 
 




We also got to see the finished façade of the second floor of the Channel 15 building in Talanga. With Jose Luis getting married, we needed a proper parsonage instead of him having to live in the corner of the TV studio. This building effort helps lower the temperature in the TV station, gives us a taller point of reference for people in Talanga, and as well shows us another option for construction of the second floor of the clinic should we chose to go a similar route. Probably a similar color as well. Believe it or not, I had no influence on that color choice! There are still some interior details to address (fixing the floor, putting up some proper room dividers and drywalling the interior) but is big and looks good! Now we just wait to see if the electrical company will authorize us to put in our own transformer on the property to prayerfully solve the electrical problems plaguing the TV station.


We were really in Talanga to help with a food distribution there. Unlike some prior trips, we were all on foot this time, going into the neighborhood directly around the TV station/Church. There were some families Jose Luis had already met or evangelized at least briefly, but also some very Holy Spirit guided meetings...including one woman opening the door to us in tears over her boyfriend leaving her and her young daughter.


We stopped briefly in Cantaranas to see Jonathan and give him some good looking sweet corn, green bean and other seeds to try out in the farm property there. Hopefully by Christmas we will know if they take well there or not. It was also good to see Ana and Victor, who is growing up and out very well. Pray for their family...Jonathan has such a big heart, and now they have four other youth that are living with them in their house! That is good for work and outreach where they can help and be impacted themselves...but makes for tight quarters, and for more mouths to feed as well.


The fill work is almost done on the Church sanctuary there. The next phase for them will be working on the walls. We have helped a little with some funds to buy fill, but less than half of what was needed, plus they have done all the physical work. In addition we have helped the Church in San Juancito which Jonathan also pastors with some funds for roofing materials for the Sunday school rooms there. The Church did all the work and fundraising to get the foundation and walls up, and will be doing all the physical work to get the roof on as well. It is so encouraging to help Churches that want to help themselves and do so much to reach those goals to help reach more for Christ!
 


The last day the group was here we visited the newly opened City Mall. As if it was not weird enough to live across the street from a grocery store, now we still have that and live just down the street from this mall, which is the biggest by far in Honduras, and supposedly the largest in Central America. There are two under ground parking levels, and three levels of shops....but no grocery store as far as I can tell, which is not terribly surprising given the huge La Colonia essentially next door. Only roughly have the stores were operating at the time of the opening, and there were some new US franchises represented (North Face, Hush Puppies, etc.) and more to supposedly come....probably in the short and longer term (I peeked at the movie theater and it looks to need at least a week or more to finish the lobby)
 
 


The food court is huge, and of course there are three Espresso Americanos...one for each level.  I'll also attach a picture at the end here looking out the front door right at the airport.  There is no direct connection or walking bridge from the airport to the mall, and I doubt there will be one forthcoming, but it would certainly be easy to cross the road for those so inclined.   
 
 
 
 
 
Unfortunately Valerie was not able to go with us to take a stroll around...her foot tendon inflammation is still very painful, and she has to be very careful to not walk any more than is absolutely necessary to still be able to work every day. She had an MRI done (thank God for insurance covering 80% of that!) and the results are still being analyzed, but there are possibilities that it could be a long road to heal.


 





 
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