Weekend Recovery, Thanksgiving, Olivia's 1st, and the Ugly Truth

Back on my feet! Although still not 100% and unable to lift anything—including Olivia! But, none the less, we decided to take a little drive to Comayagua, a small town that used to be the capital of Honduras, and there stands the oldest clock and Church in Honduras. It was a quaint town, and we enjoyed a café and lunch in the town square with our friend Darwin- who Olivia is in love with.

Being that I have nearly recovered, we decided to still have Thanksgiving at our home, and have just a few guests. We invited people who work with Tegu, and Darwin’s family. I had prepared a 15lb turkey, potatoes, stuffing, and green beans, and we ended up being 7 adults and 7 kids! What a feast! It was a really amazing night because all of our guests were Honduran, and we were able to show our thankfulness to them by serving and sharing a meal. Each person at the dinner, and many others who were not there (Ali, Gabby, Rocio) all have showed us the “Honduran love” by serving our family and treating us with love. We could not have survived our time here without these friends, and God has provided in every way through these relationships.

Back at the factory, Brian has been very busy to help get things “up and running”. The Tegu team is growing and the factory is looking great. The team has been working on getting the machines working properly, and making the office space workable. Darwin, Steve, and Brian are working together on the floor testing, practicing, and trouble shooting the equipment. When we arrived, there was not much to the factory- now it is really impressive!

Olivia turned 1 year old on November 30, 2009. It was a Monday, and we celebrated with dinner, cake, and a movie just for Olivia. She went crazy over the chocolate icing, and loved the movie Bolt because she loves dogs! She was dancing to the music and I think she had a sugar high!

We will have a big birthday celebration for her December 5th with all of our friends here.



The things we haven’t been showing you…

trash buring at the dump

a child playing outside their home/ store

homes on the side of the roads and in mountians

a typical home- laundry drying

graves to the right bus stop to the left

cow grazing on the streets

farm stand and home in the distance

There have been opportunities to see some of the beauty here in Honduras, and our community makes things joyful and pleasant. But what we have not been able to show you is the ugly truth of what devastation we see every day here. The poverty, filth, and disorder is difficult to swallow. We have not really been able to get footage or photos of the poverty because it is usually too dangerous to take out the camera, or we are just driving past. I did briefly film some of the homes and things that we see along the road side every day, and some other images that I have yet to capture are:

Trash burning in the distance and trash scattered everywhere across the beautiful landscape.

Children with their Mothers walking along side of the busy dirty streets bare foot and in rags.

Dogs digging through trash.

Black smoke pouring out of the buses, cars, and trucks, and people covering their mouths to breathe.

Military men everywhere holding their guns pointed at you.

Security everywhere wit their fingers on triggers.

Skinny cows on the side of the road eating trash.

Broken side walks and dirt roads.

Barb wire and mile high fences around every home.

Children sniffing glue.

Children running through the streets.

Children begging.

Children selling things.

Pretty girls walking with basins on their heads.

Small shacks that are homes.

Trash in the rivers.

Pick up trucks driving past with over 20 people in the back.



They call it “compassion fatigue” when you see this everyday, and it wears at your soul and makes your heart beat slower because it is impossible to believe what you see is real. That we live in the same world where one child can beg, and another can be lavished. Where one woman is loved and another is broken. One man can feel accomplished and another banished. How can I take this all in?

When God speaks to my heart, He ensures me…

I am not able to see what God sees. I cannot see the beginning and end. ALL things work for His greater good, and that is beyond my comprehension. Reconciliation, Redemption, Righteousness- that is in God’s hands. He will shower His love, and in the end, they will all be blessed and loved within the wings of His glory.



I am sorry if any images or truth factors have been hard to see, but we are not here just making friends. We are swallowing the hard pill of reality and finding ways within God’s will to extend love.