Bilodeau Family Blog

Hair Donation

2011-01-26T09:06:00.000-08:00

Before

After

Three braids ready to be donated to make wigs for cancer patients.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T19:27:00.000-08:00

2010-10-04T15:24:00.000-07:00

More Photos

2010-09-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

First Sibling Pics

2010-09-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

Hope Annette Bilodeau

2010-09-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

Twelve days ago we finally got to meet the newest member of our family. Hope Annette was born Sept 12, at 1:13pm at one of the local hospitals. We had hoped and planned for a home birth, but God had other plans this time around. For most of a week, I was sure I was going into labor with lots of cramping and regular contractions. Finally Sunday morning, it looked like things were really happening. We called the midwives and our other support people. Contractions were getting very close and powerful before everyone arrived and we started to worry that the baby might come before the midwives! I decided to try resting to see if that would slow things down. It worked, to well in fact. My labor seemed to have stopped. When the midwives arrived, they tried to determine the position of the baby and quickly realized that she was no longer head down ready for delivery. When I sat down to rest, she had turned sideways into a "transverse" position. Everyone gathered around and prayed with their hands on my belly for God to turn her if that was His will. We tried several techniques to get her to move back into a good position, but she seemed quite content where she was. By now strong contractions had returned putting both the baby and I at risk if my labor continued to progress with her laying sideways across my belly. We decided to head to the hospital. An ultrasound confirmed that baby was laying with her spine over the birth canal. There was no way she was coming out naturally that way. The Dr. explained and the midwives concurred that the only safe option was a cesarean delivery. In about a half and hour, we were prepped and ready for surgery and once in the operating room, it was only a matter of minutes before the baby was out. Her cord was wrapped around her neck and leg. This might be the reason she turned when she did.

We spent four days in the hospital. It was good to come home to familiar surroundings.

Recovery from a C-section is very different from the others births. Definitely not my favourite way to have a baby! But I'm so glad to have her here safe and sound! And thankful that we live in a place where we have access to the technology to have an emergency surgical delivery.

Hope is a good baby. She started nursing well soon after birth and hasn't slowed since! She is a good sleeper too. One night she slept five hours straight!

We are slowly, slowly trying to get back into our routine. We have been blessed by family and friends bringing meals and offering to help. My mom spent a few days with us this week emptying the garden by canning tomato soup, salsa, and hot pepper jelly. The big kids are working hard to help with extra chores and meals. Brian has had work off, but will go back this coming Monday. So that will be the real test of how helpful the kids can be! I am still hurting alot and very slow at getting anything done, but everyday I try to do a little more. Someday I might be back to normal! I hope!

Overall, we are so thankful for this precious little bundle! She is such a blessing already! More pictures to follow...

Due Day

2010-09-02T16:56:00.000-07:00

The meals are in the freezer, the baby things are washed and ready, the house is clean (more or less...) What to do on THE DUE DATE except mope around and wonder if labor will ever start? Go to the beach of course! Brian's work canceled for the day, it was to be a record heat wave, and most beaches should be relatively uncrowded since school is back in session and most people are at work. Actually, it was surprisingly busy the places we passed, but we found plenty of room at the state park we ended up at.

I figured it was a pretty good plan to do all the work and packing to get to the beach because surely I would go into labor and we would have to rush back home...

Well, instead of rushing back home to have a baby, we spent a leisurely day enjoying the big waves and slightly warmer than normal water.

Brian and I looked through name books and still did not settle on the perfect name for this little one. Maybe that is the hold up, the reason she isn't here yet. You can all pray that we decide on something soon!

Pregnant Pics!

2010-06-28T08:16:00.000-07:00

My sister, Amy who is due a month after me, used her fabulous photography skills to capture my happiness about this baby! Never mind the fact that I am nearly as big as a whale! At thirty weeks, I am already bigger than I have been before with the other pregnancies. Our last baby, Andrew was a whopping 9lbs 14oz and I think its safe to assume that this baby could very well break that record!

Update

2010-05-21T11:02:00.001-07:00

I'm sorry I haven't posted before now. I don't have much in the way of an update on Vanessa and Rosa. From what we have heard, they are doing ok. It sounds like Vanessa has many people encouraging her and helping her to make good decisions for the future, but in the end it is still up to Vanessa to be responsible for her daughter. Please pray that she will choose the right path in the days ahead. Pray for good health and protection for Rosa who is constantly battling malnutrition, parasites, and is very delayed developmentally.
Thank you to all of you who left comments on the last post! Since I have been so sporadic with my posting, I wasn't sure anyone was still listening! You all were a big boost to me! Thank you!

Please Pray!

2010-05-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

This really needs to go on the new blog I am starting for Little Hands news, but I don't quite have it up and running yet. I am not sure anyone is still out there reading this, but if you get this and remember hearing about this little family before, please pray for Vanessa and her baby Rosa! I can't post all the details now, but they are in a very desperate situation, mostly of Vanessa's own making and we are very concerned for Rosa's health and well-being! There are some decisions being made that will impact their lives forever, please pray for wisdom and for God's will to be done in all things. Thank you!

Thankful for Protection

2010-04-29T18:56:00.000-07:00

Today, while the kids were playing/cleaning up the back yard, the gale force winds blew a tree down. They heard it cracking and ran, but Faith ran the wrong way and when the tree came crashing down, she was within a few feet of it. We are praising God for His protection!

Life Moves On

2010-04-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

I've given up trying to somehow convey what's like to transition back into life here...I am done trying to bridge the gap between life in Honduras and life here. Not that we are forgetting and leaving that all behind. There are still lots of times that being here/home is just weird and when I see the pictures from when we lived there, it catches me off guard with how I miss this or that and just have a raw feeling of uncomfortableness.
But life does move on...and I am enjoying parts of that too. It's SPRING! I haven't see spring for two years. I haven't started seeds or planted a garden or weeded my flower beds. I truly am enjoying every flower and bud.
I am finally getting some energy back after being stuck on the couch or in bed for most of the past four plus months with morning sickness. A new baby, a new baby girl on the way is a major life change, but one I am so happy about! And glad to be experiencing it here instead of in Honduras! It's been six years since we had a baby in the house...the kids are so much more grown up this time and really excited too. Rachel has been praying for a baby for years and is thrilled to that it's a girl.
Gumpy, Brian's dad came home from the rehab hospital about a month ago. He is ok, not as energetic as in the past, but happy to be back in his own place with his "child bride". Mom is doing a great job taking care of him. They have some help with visiting nurses and therapists. Dad isn't able to move much at all or sit up on his own. He spends many afternoons out on the deck where our kids can visit him and eat Popsicles that Grammie always has on hand. It's good to be close by again.
Brian is working construction and just in the past month finally has steady work. He comes home tired and not loving this job, but very thankful for the work. He is co-leading the mission team at our church and is still actively involved in communication with Maybelline and Jeffery and all the goings on at Little Hands. He took a two week trip back to Trujillo in March. It was a great time of reuniting with the people we love there. He came home wishing he could have stayed longer. I think it is harder for him to be back here than it is for the rest of the family. (Though the kids, even the ones who wanted to come home, frequently ask, WHEN can we go back?) But he can see that God has us here for now. I think it is very likely, almost certain that someday we will end up back on the mission field in some form. But for now, this is ok.
So... life is marching on. There are good and bad things about this stage...true of every stage and part of life, I think. Life is hard, and rewarding, and God is good.

Just the facts...

2010-01-07T07:41:00.000-08:00

Two years ago, we left our family, friends, and comfortable home here in NH and moved our family of six to Trujillo, Honduras. Our goal was to shore up the mission Little Hands, Big Heart, and encourage and mentor Maybelline and Jeffery, the Honduran directors. We spent most of the first year evaluating and revising the current programs and getting to know the families of the special needs kids that LHBH serves. The second year we continued to work at perfecting the mission and gave more and more responsibility to Maybelline and Jeffery as well as making some major improvements on the grounds and to the compound. When our commitment was finished, we were confident that LHBH was in a good place and would be able to effectively carry out its mission.
We packed up, or gave away two years worth of possessions, said good bye to dear friends from church, neighbors, fellow missionaries, all the LHBH staff, and all the precious families and children who LHBH help. We took lots of pictures and tried to squeeze in visits to our favorite places in the final days.
Our trip home was uneventful. Friends from church met us at midnight at the airport and drove us the hour or so to our house. It took two big vehicles to get all of us and all of our stuff here.
Our house had been empty for most of the year as our renters left early. Our belongings were packed into the upstairs and the basement. We started emptying boxes and trying to get settled. Brian spent the first few weeks repairing the ceiling, refinishing the entire downstairs floor and painting.
A week and a half before Christmas, Brian's dad came down with an infection. His parents live next door to us where Mom has been doing an amazing job taking care of Dad since he came home in a semi-paralyzed state back in August. Early one morning, we had to call an ambulance to rush him to the ER with a fever of 106. He was admitted into the ICU and was near death for a week or more. At this point, he is stable and will be transferred to a rehab hospital near Boston in the near future. He is not able talk and is very weak. We are hopeful that he will regain his voice and strength so that the temporary trach and feeding tubes will be removed.
Brian has not started back to work yet and with the uncertainty of his dad's health, it has been good for him to have the flexibility to be available to go the hospital and help Mom make difficult decisions. He anticipates construction work to begin soon and is trying to line up jobs now.
We have not officially started home schooling yet in the new year, but we are starting to get back into the swing of things. I am sorting through all of our curriculum now that I have access to all the books I want/need again.
The kids are playing in the snow every chance they get and happy to have their long lost toys unearthed from the mountain of boxes. They have spent several good times with the cousins and also with friends.
So...there's the facts. Now, how are we doing with all of this? Well, that will be the subject of the next post.

I Hate "Goodbye"

2009-11-12T15:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday and today we visited several Little Hands families for the last time. We had bags of hand-me-down clothes from our kids and other things. We gave each family our photo, a treasured gift here. It is hard to wrap our brains around the fact that this is it...we're saying goodbye for at least a long time...hopefully not forever! But part of my mind can grasp it becuase I can't stop crying. So many dear faces that we will miss and remember the times we've spent together! So many little people that we have prayed and worried over and tried our best to help. I pray that the next time I see them, they will be taller and healthier and have thier hearts full of Jesus!
We have two more days here in Trujillo. We are finishing the packing and trying to take care of a million things while we try to squeeze in times to say good bye to everyone. I hate this part! But since there is so much to do, the time is going by fast! Pray that we will be ready early Sunday morning when the time comes to pull out. Pray that in our sadness, that we can rejoice and be thankful for the friends we have here.

Antonio Chooses Chirst

2009-11-06T13:20:00.000-08:00

Antonio has been helping us with the grounds here at the Little Hands facility since July. He is also father to Reybin, who is one of our L.H. children. Since May, Brian has been developing a relationship with him. Many spiritual conversations have been had along the way. Today, after a long lunch time conversation and study of the scriptures regarding salvation... Antonio has chosen to follow Jesus. He is very serious about his decision and has been weighing it for a while. Today he said, "What are we waiting for? Let's go to the beach so I can be baptized!" In less than an hour, 30 people were informed and drove over to the beach to witness Antonio becoming a new creature... clothing himself with Christ. The surf was rough and full of debris from the tropical storm. After his baptism, pointing to the dirty water, Antonio said..."There is alot of sin in there!" We have been praying for Antonio since last year, before we even knew him. We are so blessed to be able to witness his turning to Christ for salvation. And now he is eager to learn. Please pray for him as he learns and grows.

No More Interent and Tropical Storm Ida

2009-11-05T20:08:00.000-08:00

It looks like we will be out of internet service indefinately becuase of a nearby lightning strike. I'm disappointed because, besides wanting to document more of our last days here, I was hoping to help Maybelline get a new blog established for Little Hands to use. We actually had been working on it right up until the interent went out. We're hoping to get that up and running eventually, but without a way to get online here at the compound, that isn't likely to happen soon.
We're planning for a wet weekend as Tropical Storm Ida is supposed to be paying northern Honduras a visit. We're hoping for a quick get together without to much heavy rain and the flooding that is sure to result!
Our family is packing and getting ready for the long trip home in a week and half. These days are turning into a busy blur. Pray for us. So many things to do and people to see and say good bye to. It is a taxing time for all of us. I may not write again until we are stateside, but hope to post some pictures then also.

Rough Seas

2009-10-22T18:37:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, it was terribly windy and we went down to the beach to check out the surf. There were waves! If you have been here, you know that the bay is usually very calm. Not so on this day!

The wind and rain are COLD! I know we are going to have a major weather change to get used to when we get home since they have already had snow in NH. But as you can see here, even this tropical storm wind and rain feels freezing to us!

Rainy Season

2009-10-22T16:23:00.000-07:00

Well, its for real! The rain is here! After a few days of nothing but cloudy skies and lots of torrential down pours, its safe to say the rainy season has officially begun. There was even flooding in several places. And I heard that the road between here and Taoca was closed due to high water, but that seems to have been short lived.

At night the rain pounding on the metal roof is deafening! We have to shout to hear each other. We also lost power several times and with the heavy rain, very little sunlight gets through so we were eating by candle light even during the day.

This picture is a little odd since its on the diagonal, but I wanted to capture the river coming off the roof and the one rushing down the driveway too. It is amazing how much water can collect in just a few minutes.

One Month Left

2009-10-17T11:50:00.000-07:00

As of today we have one month left before our two year commitment to work here at Little Hands is up and we return home to New Hampshire. Wow, two years flew by and yet our old life B.H. (Before Honduras) seems like a distant dream. It is strange to think of going back to that life and a little stressful too! There are so many things we still want to get done here and so little time to make it all happen. And it is an emotional roller coaster for all of us. There are times we really look forward to going home and then there are times we are torn because of our love for the people here...Pray for us this next month as we pack up and try to decide which loose ends to tie up in the short time we have left.

More Pics of the Washington Group

2009-10-14T16:18:00.000-07:00

Alissa telling stories to a spellbound audience.

Watching and waiting for the tarantula to pounce on its supper.

David waves triumphantly from atop the mountain after a gruelling five hour hike through a tropical downpour.

Sunset at Compamento, our last evening together complete with swimming in the Caribbean, seafood for dinner, and good times talking about our memorable week together.

More of the Washington Group

2009-10-11T08:58:00.000-07:00

We've had a whirl wind week and we're worn out, but grateful that so much got done. This group helped build a tin roof lean-to for the Sunday School classroom at church, held three medical clinics, pressure-washed and painted part of the dorm, helped out with the neighborhood Bible class, and visited some of the families that Little Hands serves.
This morning we got up at 5:30 to say good bye. Once again, we are sad to bid farewell to people we didn't know a week ago, but now we think of as part of our family. We are thankful for all the work that was accomplished and the encouragement that they were to everyone here at Little Hands. We pray for a safe trip home and look forward to seeing everyone again someday.

2009-10-07T18:19:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note..we finally updated Jonathan's blog. You'll find a link at the left side of this blog if you're interested.

Washington Group

2009-10-05T21:47:00.000-07:00

The group from Washington state arrived on Friday at noon. They traveled safely with no problems due to the present political situation. We are excited to have them here and looking forward to this coming week that we will spend together.

Here is the part of the group posing with our kids at the fort during the "town tour".

Sunday morning we attended Limonal Church of Christ and after the service split into groups to visit and share lunch with the church families.

This morning we did our first medical clinic way out in Santa Fe. In five hours sixty patients saw the doctor and received appropriate medicines or other help such as nebulizer treatments. There were also activities for the children and people available to pray for/with anyone who wanted to.

During the clinic, we met Genisy. She is ten months old and is unable to sit or grasp objects. Her head is very enlarged. We hope to find a pediatric neurosurgeon to help diagnose what the problem is and get us started on a plan to help this sweet baby. Please pray that Little Hands will be able to make a difference in her life and that her mother would see how very much Jesus loves and cares for all His children.

The Blue Bag

2009-09-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

The first rule I learned after coming to Honduras was "Be flexible!" The second was almost equally important..."Be prepared!" Shortly after our family moved here, I realized that I needed to have a bag ready to go at a moments notice with a whole list of necessities because you never know what might happen. You never know if the road will be closed and you may end up stuck out in the village for an extended period of time. You never know if there will be any toilet paper available, that is if you can find a toilet available! You never know if the situation will change unexpectedly so that bug repellent or sunscreen become very important to have on hand. Thus, we created THE BLUE BAG! I suppose this is not unlike the diaper bag I carried years ago, which always was loaded down with alot more than diapers! Just for fun, I decided to list out the contents for all interested parties. Who knows, perhaps God will call you to a similar situation and this may inspire you to get prepared!

Sunscreen
Insect repellent
Sunglasses
Toilet paper
Tiny first aid kid
Hand Sanitizer
Granola bars
Inhaler and Spacer
Allergy medicine
Motion Sickness Medicine
Small amounts of other medicines
Pocket Spanish/English Dictionary
Cell phone
Keys

Nixia and baby, Britteny

2009-09-23T19:44:00.000-07:00

Those of you that have come to visit Little Hands in the years past will remember, Nixia. Just recently, she came by to show off her new baby girl, Britteny. As Nixia starts out as a single mom, please pray for her to make decisions in the future that will break the cycle that continues to repeat itself in so many of the young women here in Honduras.

Political Unrest

2009-09-22T12:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday on the way back from SPS to take my parents and nephew to the airport, we found out that Mel Zelaya was back in Honduras, hiding out in the Brazilian embassy. We're currently under lock down with the curfew, that suddenly started yesterday afternoon about an hour before we made it back to Trujillo, still in effect. From the reports that we have heard, there has been some violence in the capital where Mel has asked his supporters to come. Here, things are relatively calm. We're staying close to home, but hope to get out tomorrow and stock up on some food essentials in case things take a turn for the worse. We are thankful to have our water filter up and running again, so drinking water is no problem. We continue to have problems with little or no tap water during the day. (There has been so little rain; this is a problem for most of Trujillo.) Please pray for a peaceful end to the current political unrest. Pray for a quick resolution and protection for the many innocent people already suffering in this country. Pray that we will continue to be a light to those around us.

Day of the Child

2009-09-12T20:59:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated Dia de Nino. All the weekly neighborhood Bible class kids were invited along with all the families Little Hands serves.

There were two pinatas, one for big kids and one for litte ones.

We gave out over 90 gift bags containing candy, small toys, and a Bible tract.

Baby Rosa and her mom, Vanessa were there and they both looked great. Vanessa is still working and beng mentored by a wonderful Christian woman who has worked closely with Little Hands in the past. My mom (and dad) gave Rosa some extra snuggle time.

Mom, Dad, and Blair Visit

2009-09-12T20:51:00.001-07:00

Friday afternoon, my parents and nephew got into Trujillo after the long drive from San Pedro Sula. They will be here to visit for a week. We are so excited to have this time with them. They have already pitched right in working along side Brian today and helping me out with the kids. The kids and I are STILL battling sickness so I really appreciated the extra help. We have a full schedule planned of people we want them to meet and things to do so we are praying that we all are well soon and can start enjoying our time together.

Visit from Tomkins

2009-09-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

Dwight and Joanne Tomkins of the Mission Point Resource Center in Olancho arrived Sunday afternoon and stayed through this morning. We had a lovely visit, spending time talking, sharing, and encouraging one another. Our kids have all been sick since we got back a week ago so I appreciated Joanne's nursing experience and advice. This morning over breakfast, we marveled how blessed we are! As missionaries, we left behind our families, but because of the bond we have in Christ, we have family all over the world. It really was a blessing to get to know the Tomkins and we hope to visit them later this fall.
One other highlight...Sunday night Brian preached for the first time at church in Spanish! His sermon was about how we are the light the of the world. He ended with an object lesson. Before turning all the lights off, he had handed out candles and then very clearly showed how one person living for Jesus can share that light with others until the room was full of light!

More about Jonathan

2009-09-05T16:30:00.000-07:00

Last night they had the wake/funeral and this morning they buried Jonathan. Here in Honduras, when there is a funeral, the family is responsible to feed everyone who comes, which is likely to be crowd. Little Hands contributed some food and drinks to help out. Nancy is very appreciative of everything. We hope to continue our relationship and try to help her make wise choices to prevent a premature birth next time. Thanks again for all your prayer support and kind words for all of us here at Little Hands.

Baby Jonathan

2009-09-04T14:18:00.000-07:00

We just received word that early this morning, Baby Jonathan went to be with Jesus in a perfect place with no more pain or sadness. We are sad, but thankful that he won't have to suffer any more on this earth and we look forward to the day when we will meet him in heaven. Thank you all for praying for Jonathan and his mother.

This is the first loss that we have had while here at Little Hands. It is very difficult for us to understand why we should lose this little one. There is a voice that says "what a waste" that the work we did was for nothing. But then we also know that the help that we give to these children has more to do with others than with the child alone. Yes, we help the child, but we also help the parents and the culture to see the great value that God has for all life. In helping the least of these, we demonstrate the love of God to the children, the parents, and the culture. God created man in His image. All men. Whether poor, or rich, or healthy, or disabled, Jesus died for them all. In the process of helping these famlies, we have an opportunity to explain and demonstrate what it means to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. This is the most important point of all. All of this has been accomplished in this opportunity to help little Jonathan and his mother Nancy.

Please continue to pray for Nancy. She was touched by several people that got involved simply to share the Love of God. I pray that she will enter into a relationship with Jesus and know His peace. Right now, as I write, Nancy is on a bus on her way back to Trujillo holding her Jonathan's body in her arms and sobbing. Please pray for her. And for opportunities for us to minister to her. Our work is not over. We are watching for God's Hand at work.

Pray for Baby Jonathan!

2009-09-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

This little baby needs a miracle! When they arrived in SPS, there were no incubators available to put him in. They gave the mother a tank of oxygen and a mask and told her to hold it over his face. That was yesterday...apparently now there is a team of doctors who are trying to help, but they are giving no hope for survival. Jonathan is now in a coma in ICU.
We are feeling helpless because no one from Little Hands is there pushing the medical staff to give their best effort. Our contact person there in the city is out of the country. It is likely that without someone to speak for them, Jonathan and his poor, uneducated mom will be brushed aside. We were able to contact another Christian friend in SPS and he is asking his pastor to go and be with Jonathan's mom.
Please, please pray for Baby Jonathan! Pray for a miracle that will obviously be God's hand at work! Pray that the doctors will be amazed! Please spread the word to your friends and churches and ask people to cover this baby in prayer.

Baby Jonathan

2009-09-01T08:20:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to relay a story about a little boy that we met just yesterday. His name is Jonathan Gabriel Centeno and he was born premature at 25 weeks . He is very tiny, 2 1/2 lbs., and has been in an incubator for 21 days now. One of the problems is that there is no special equipment or doctors to help this little boy here in Trujillo. He needs to go to San Pedro Sula, 6 hours from here, and be admitted to a hospital that has the necessary equipment and experience. Jeffrey had gone into the hospital to visit one of the children that we help when he met Jonathan's mother, Nancy. She explained the problems to Jeffrey and that she did not have the money to pay for the ambulance needed to take her to Catarina Rivas Hospital in San Pedro Sula. The cost for the Ambulance... $150. While home in the states to renew our visa, some special little girls in one family handed me some money that they had been saving to help the children here in some way. It came to $150. God is so awesome to provide in advance for the needs of His precious ones. Jeffrey couldn't believe when I told him about the gift. We did not have enough money to help this family and he didn't know what to do. As soon as Jeffrey brought the money to pay for the ambulance, they left for San Pedro Sula. Please pray for this family. More to come as we check up on Jonathan.

Out of Contact and Rosa Update

2009-08-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

We have spent most of the month of August traveling, thus I haven't done much blogging. We are in the states now, but should be back in Honduras this week.
Here is what I know about little Rosa. We did see her again before we left Trujillo and she looked good. The last news we heard was that Vanessa and Rosa were staying in a good place where they could get the help they needed. We do not know if the seizure caused any permanent damage.

Udate on Rosa

2009-08-01T11:02:00.000-07:00

Last night, at the hospital, they told Brian that Rosa is better. She has not had any more seizures. They wanted to keep her for 24 hours for observation, but then would release her. This morning, they are still saying that Rosa is ok, but they want to do a blood test before they send her home. That is about the extent of the technology they have here in Trujillo for running any tests. A doctor friend in the states says, the seizure from yesterday may have caused brain damage because it lasted for so long. And all the tests that need to be done to determine the cause or how to proceed from here are not available here, maybe not even in the big city. So, the prognosis doesn't look good. Please continue to pray for Rosa.

PRAY FOR ROSA

2009-07-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

Urgent Prayer Request

Please pray for baby Rosa! This morning Brian and Jeffery took Vanessa and the baby to the hospital. Rosa is having convulsions. Pray that the hospital will have the knowledge and equipment to help little Rosa.

Precious Moments from Wednesday

2009-07-23T20:32:00.000-07:00

Filamena, who's son has a heart problem, is entertaining another woman's son, Rebin, who has CP.

Ruth poses for a picture with her adult daughter who has Down Syndrome. They showed the other families with young special needs children what a difference early intervention can make in their lives.

The three kids facing this way all come from different families and have different disabilities. It was so neat to see them interact and play together.

Meeting of the Families

2009-07-22T21:08:00.000-07:00

Today we had a special meeting for the families of the children with special needs that this ministry serves. It took several hours to get everyone here but it was well worth the effort. Jeffery and several others spoke trying to motivate the parents to make the most out of the help they receive from Little Hands by doing their part. It was a time of encouragement as mothers with children with similar disabilities were able to share with one another.

Roxanna and a helper had 27 kids in the preschool while the meeting took place. It was a busy place!

Mayra made Arroz Con Pollo for 70 people.

Some of the "little hands". (There wasn't room around the table for everyone!)

Here's the group photo, more to follow later.

Weekend Cruise

2009-07-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday afternoon our family and another missionary family went on a boat ride across the bay and into the lagoons. It was an interesting trip. We did not get to see as much wildlife as we were hoping...the crocodiles are only at night, very disappointing to Jonathan! We were amazed at how huge the lagoon was after we came through a fairly narrow canal. There was quite a stiff breeze blowing making white caps on the water and rocking the boat when we hit the swells broadside. I was thankful no one got seasick!

Though not technically a cruise, a good time was had by all. (Actually the cruise part, that was just to see if you were paying attention!)

Update on Vanessa

2009-07-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

By the end of last week, it seemed like we were really making progress and that Vanessa was learning and willing to work hard at taking care of herself and her baby. But over the weekend and yesterday morning, it became obvious that she is very much deceived by the older man who is the father of the baby. After treating her with contempt last week, he has sweet talked her right back to the place we are trying so hard to help her escape from. She thinks he will give her the moon and then some and cannot see how he continues to take advantage of her. We had a long difficult discussion with her and now it is up to her to make wise choices. Please pray that this week Vanessa will see what a snake this man is and that she will commit to live her life in a way that not only is pleasing to God, but also will be the best for herself and for baby Rosa.

Book Review

2009-07-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

In the previous post, I talked about how we are reading through C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. "Roar!" by Heather Kopp and David Kopp has been our companion and helped to facilitate our chapter by chapter discussions. It is great resource and I have been so pleased with it, that I already ordered another copy because I am afraid that the one we have now will be in tatters by the time we are finished! There is a short selection for each chapter in the series and several other sections including glossaries, Biblical references, and articles about various issues that may come up as you read these books together with your children. We bought our copy from my favorite place to buy books: Christian Book Distributors, (www.cbd.com) and right now they still have it for an amazing discounted price. If you are planning to read through the Chronicles with your family, this is a wonderful tool to help you get the most out of C.S.Lewis's most popular books.

Sunday Afternoon Reading

2009-07-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

I have waited for years to read the Chronicles of Narnia to our kids. We started reading aloud after supper when we still lived in the states and while good books are a very rare commodity in this third world country, we have tried to carry on the tradition here as well. Actually, we import all the books we read and that has made us cut back considerably! For a family that was used to getting 30-40 books at the library at a time, having only a few great books to savor together has made us really appreciate the ones we do have! Now that the kids are so grown up, we decided it was time to explore Narnia together! We just finished, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". Last Sunday afternoon, we sat around in our screen porch and listened as Brian read.

After each chapter, we pause and talk about what we read. We've enjoyed some really insightful and humorous comments by the kids. They are enjoying these times as much as we are and we're all looking forward to the next book.

Vanessa's Week of Intensive OJT

2009-07-10T22:23:00.000-07:00

Vanessa has spent the last week under our care 24 hours day. Our focus has been to help her re-establish her milk supply so she can breast feed Rosa and learn how to care for her baby.

Maybelline demonstrating how to clean baby's ears.

Tonight we celebrated with pizza to honor Vanessa for working so hard this past week.

Tomorrow, Vanessa will go back to her house and family, but we plan to continue to help her grow into her new role as mother and woman of the house. It is our hope that she will continue to spend her days here next week when we will focus on cooking and more baby care.

The Adventure Continues

2009-07-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

Things are relatively calm here in Trujillo. There have been disturbances in other places in the country, but not much has changed here. Stores were running low on supplies while the road was blocked, but it was open for a while this morning so things should be restocked soon. People are nervous about the future and how it will impact their family. They worry that their sons (as young as 14) and fathers will be pressed into service with the military. Everyone is wondering what will happen when the ousted president returns this weekend.

We have a group from Washington state working here this week. They are doing a great job in the perimeter fence, building a new sink for the kitchen, putting in a ceiling in the prekinder building and digging a trench for a new water line. While we are keeping an eye on things and making plans in case the political situation deteriorates, life is continuing on. Little Hands continues to serve the community and the families around us.

Please do pray for the people of Honduras and for a quick solution to the problems in the government. If things take a turn for the worse, it could make our situation here very difficult. Right now, Trujillo is still the safest place for us to be. If civil war does break out, please pray for wisdom and clarity in the decisions we will have to make.

Political Unrest

2009-06-27T15:26:00.000-07:00

Please pray for Honduras! Rumors are flying and people are stocking up on essentials, worried about the future. The next few days could show a major difference in the way this country is governed and it is likely that there will be violence. Please pray for our safety and the people of this country.

Baby Rosa

2009-06-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

Rosa, born about one month ago to Vanessa. She is a tiny, beautiful baby. We are concerned that Rosa may not be growing or gaining weight so we are forming a plan to help Vanessa to give her daughter the best possible care. Vanessa is still living with her grandmother, Maria, who is extremely dependent on her. Please pray for this little family and for wisdom for us as we asses the situation and find the best way for giving baby Rosa a good start on life.

Farewell to Ken, Beth, and Ty

2009-06-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

This past week we said good bye to Ken, Beth, and Ty. Our dear friends are heading back to the north country for now. Ken and Beth own a place up the side of the mountain with a pool, beautiful landscaping, and several apartments. It is their plan for this place to be a retreat for missionaries. A place to relax, recharge, and be rejuvenated. They have been a true blessing to our family. Almost every weekend we spent some time there. The kids enjoyed the pool and the adults talked, laughed, and prayed together.
Ken and Beth hope to be back in Honduras in the not too distant future. We will miss their encouragement and we pray that God will bring them back here soon.

"Chance" Meeting

2009-06-16T12:54:00.000-07:00

When we had to renew our visas last month, something happened that I wanted to share. We left Trujiillo a couple of days early for some much needed R&R in San Pedro Sula before out flight back to the US. The first hotel we stayed in is a special treat for the kids. They have the coolest pool with two water slides and other fun things for their entertainment. After a long six hour drive, we were all ready to get out of the car. As soon as we were settled in the room, we made a bee line for the pool. The kids had only been playing a few minutes, when a man with a thick Australian accent came up to Brian and asked very hopefully," Do you speak English?" He went on to tell Brian that he and the family had been on vacation in the states and had taken a side trip in the middle of their sightseeing to come to Honduras for a very special reason. You see, this family sponsors a little girl in a mountain village through a relief organization. In planning their vacation, they decided to spend some of that time coming here and visiting their sponsor child. How cool is that? Anyway, coming through customs and getting to the hotel had given them enough culture shock to make them want to rethink their travel plans. There are armed guards at the entrance to stores and restaurants, very few people speak English, and the heat in the big city is almost unbearable. On top of that, they felt like prisoners in the hotel which is somewhat out of the way and after all the sights of extreme poverty in a third world country, they weren't sure they felt safe enough to go anywhere. So running into us was a big relief to them! Having some experience under our belts, we were able to reassure them and give them a few ideas of how to get the most out of their stay in Honduras. We actually ended up spending quite a bit of time together, sharing meals and shopping at a huge market deep in the city. By the time we had to go our separate ways, we felt like we were saying good bye to dear friends. It was so neat how God brought us together at just right time to meet Tim, Laurel, Annabel, and Charlotte. After we left for the states, they went on to meet their sponsor child in a remote village. Now, they are back home in Australia, but we continue to keep in contact through e-mail and look forward to the day when we can meet again.

Tim, Laurel, Annabel, and Charlotte with their sponser child.

Medical Team from Mississippi

2009-06-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

Last week we spent most of our time working with a group that came to work at the Christian School. Their team consisted of one doctor, several pharmacists, and a dentists with his helpers. The did two clinics out at the Mission Del Caribe church and the rest of the week was spent here in Trujillo. They saw hundreds of people and pulled a huge amount of teeth. Brian and I did some translating for them and helped with organizing and crowd control. The days that we weren't working at the clinic, we were carting the families that Little Hands works with on a regular basis, back and forth from their homes to the clinic. It was a very busy week. The stress of being off our regular schedule was hard on the kids, but at the same time they enjoyed a change of pace. Jonathan used his new found skills making small animals and baskets out of palm branches to entertain the children while they waited to see the doctor. The other kids pitched in when they could and loved spending time with the team. It was exciting to see our family be able to take part in all that was going on.
During his time, Brian developed a bad infection on his elbow. Eventually it had progressed to the point of needing to be surgically drained. We were so thankful that God brought this team here at just the right time to be available to take care of this medical need. Brian is still taking antibiotics and the wound continues to heal.

Jack Turns ONE!

2009-06-06T21:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm a week late! We just got the pictures on the computer tonight and I'm playing catch-up. Last Saturday Maybelline and Jeffery celebrated one Jack's first birthday. It was a big party with tons of people. Maybelline's family came all the way from Teguc and most of the church was there as well. All the excitement must have stirred up the kids from the neighborhood Bible class and they showed up to share in the cake, games, and the car pinata big enough for Andrew and Jack to both sit in it, side by side. I think a good time was had by all!

Lobster Dinner

2009-06-06T21:03:00.000-07:00

Last week Nina brought is some of the biggest lobster tails I have ever seen. About a month ago, we helped her take care of a terrible burn on her leg. To show her appreciation and to hold out her hand in friendship, she gave us this gift. Tonight she came over to help me fix this delicacy. She showed me how to use fresh lime juice to make the meat whiter and take away the fishy taste. We diced up onions, peppers, and garlic to saute with the meat in a lot of butter. Two whole sticks! Definately a heart attack waiting to happen in there! But I decided that if this was my last meal, I couldn't have picked a better one! It was the best sea food I have ever tasted! Even Brian who doesn't even like the stuff, said it was delicious! I tried to impress on the kids that this was a special treat weather we were here or in the states. They are convinced that we should have lobster for every meal. So much for living the life of the deprived missionary family! Pass me some more of that butter slathered "langusta". YUMMY!

Update on Dad

2009-06-03T21:00:00.001-07:00

Dad is continuing to regain his mobility a baby step at a time. Please keep up your prayer support for him and mom. Pray that the insurance company will be satisfied with the progress he is making and allow him to stay longer. One of the goals they are working on now is for him to be able to feed himself. With a special brace on his forearm, he is able to get the food to his mouth. Pray for him to not be discouraged and that the great attitude that he usually has will shine out brightly. If you have a special message that you want to convey to him, please leave it as a comment and we'll pass your thoughts along to him and mom.
Thanks!

Earthquake Aftermath

2009-05-28T18:50:00.000-07:00

Well it has been an interesting couple of days. Several people have pointed out that yesterday we had a flood, today an earthquake...what do we have to look forward to tomorrow? Hopefully a quiet, boring day! I'm ready for it! All day we kept an eye on the updates online and the ocean which is just a mile away and visible from the house. There were rumors off and on all day of tsunamis, but none of them were legit. Brian went out and checked on the families we serve and they are all fine. He did see a house that had cracked and crumbling pillars and other damage. There doesn't seem to be much here in Trujillo. In fact it is hard to tell that there was a major earthquake so close by.
Thanks so much for all your love and support. We started getting e-mails as soon as we were up this morning. It is nice to know so many people care out there.

Shaken, but Not Stirred

2009-05-28T07:35:00.000-07:00

This morning at about 2:30 am, Brian and I woke up. Some one was rattling the door next to our bed, making a terrible noise. Now they were shaking our bed too. What IS that? We both were instantly awake. Brian got up and started turning the fan and AC off so we could hear better and figure out what was going on. The noise and shaking seem to come in waves. Finally it stopped all together. Rachel called from her bed, "Jonathan...what is that shaking the house?" We realized it was an earth quake. How weird! And unnerving! I turned the computer on and looked up recent earthquakes in Honduras. Sure enough there had been one just off shore of Roatan, an island north-west of us. It measured 7.1 in the scale. We searched some more and saw that there was a tsunami warning for Trujillo. Jonathan was up and so the three of us prayed for protection. We weren't very afraid for us because we are on high ground, but we were concerned for our friends who live on the beach. After a bit of searching we learned that if a wave was coming it wouldn't get here until later this morning and there wasn't anything else we could do so went back to sleep.
This morning we learned that at least on person was killed when their house collapsed and a big bridge in Progresso , which is near SPS is out. One of our workers, Roxanna, said her house has one wall that is cracked. It is hard for me to believe that it could be that big of a quake and not do much damage. We are thankful for that and not to stirred up about it since we know that God is in control.

Satellite Up and Running! (and more of Sara's rambling!)

2009-05-27T19:52:00.000-07:00

Right before our trip to renew our visas, Brian finally got the satellite installed. That is another story all in itself that I will have to tell later. And last night he was able to get the cable run to our house so we can use it here too. So now, no more excuses about no posts because of a bad Internet connection. I won't promise to write any more regularly. I would really like to, but I am learning that outside of God's promises in His word, there isn't much that we can really count on in this world. Especially here in Honduras...I can't even be sure that I'll have electricity to run this thing tomorrow or that the house will still be standing!

My case in point...this morning Faith woke us up saying she couldn't get to the bathroom because there was water on the floor. I sat up and put my feet down. Yep, we were flooded again. There was 2-3 inches of water all over the house, all three rooms of it. The supply line on the toilet had broken in the night and while we slept the house filled with water. It was actually running out onto the porch under the doors. Most of our belongings are stored in plastic totes so most things were not wet, but since we had just returned from a trip all the suitcases were on the floor and a lot of dirty clothes. We also had several books and shoes that were totally soaked. The shoes I can live without, but the books make me sad! We cut the pages off the spine and laid them out to dry. I'll put them in plastic pages later. We spent all day sweeping water out the doors and laying stuff out in the sun to dry or hanging things up on the extra lines Brian put up. All the floors are sunken in the middle so the water pools there and has to be swept up over the hump and out onto the porch. We're exhausted tonight, but things are pretty dry and most things cleaned up. So as I was saying...this was not the plan for today, but we are learning to be flexible and go with the flow...yes pun intended!
And I am counting my blessings today too because with all the cleaning up going on, Brian was able to fix the microwave/toaster that has been out of commission since we got here in Feb. Wahoo! I am thrilled to have that up and running again. God is good.

Whirlwind Trip

2009-05-22T21:52:00.000-07:00

We are back in Honduras tonight after a quick trip back to NH to renew our visas and take care of some things there. We were in the states for five days. They are a blur in my memory now. We did get to spend some time with Brian's dad which was good for all of us. We told him how there were people praying for his recovery all over. (Please keep that prayer cover up! He is not regressing, but the progress is in such tiny increments, that it is easy to feel discouraged.) The kids enjoyed feeding the ducks and fish in the river near the rehab hospital where Dad is staying.
We spent a day with all of my family. The kids were thrilled to see their cousins again. Jonathan got to catch some creepy crawlies in the states. The girls and Andrew enjoyed their bikes. They all got a ton of black fly bites, which our bodies aren't used to so they swell and itch like crazy. (I did say that I was glad to leave them behind and could look forward to malaria infected mosquitoes. They are far less annoying!)
We took care of our evaluation for home schooling and a friend jumped through hoops to help us get the books we need for school in time to bring them back this trip. We had hoped to acquire a gently used laptop to replace the one we did have for the kids. It is barely limping along on its last leg, but it looks like for now, we will have to make do with that.
We stayed in our house which is vacant as our renters moved out much, much earlier than planned. My family helped us move some of our things out of the parts of the house we were using for storage back into the bedrooms. It was so nice to sleep in our own beds again! And I couldn't believe how wonderful the flower beds looked. There are many things in bloom and many that will be in their prime in the next couple of weeks. We had hoped to get some things in place as far as having someone living in the house until we return, but that didn't work out either.
Our trip back was the best traveling experience we've had yet. Leaving SPS last week had been the worst so we wondered what we were in for on our return. The lines were longer than usual due to some extra steps in the immigration process because of the swine flu scare. Once we got through that, we were home free. We didn't even have to deal with the officials searching through our luggage/totes. Usually they have to open at least one to determine we aren't a threat.
We will spend a couple of days here in San Pedro Sula to do some shopping and hopefully some resting before we head back to Trujillo on Monday morning. We are adjusting to the hot humid weather again. Doesn't seem like we were gone long enough to need to do that, but right now it feel REALLY hot to us!
We are missing our family at home, but glad to be back and looking forward getting back to Little Hands and our work there.

Poem for Mother's Day

2009-05-10T21:08:00.000-07:00

Jonathan handed me a handmade card which said to read the following poem aloud to the family:

Thank You

Thank you for washing my clothes every day,

And cooking my meals without any pay.

Thank you for washing all of the dishes,

And tending to all of our many wishes.

Thank you for doing a good job with our school,

Even though sometimes I act like a fool.

Thank you for living through your many toils,

Like fixing burns and squeezing our boils.

So we'll double your salary in hopes that you'll stay,

And all of us wish you a very

Happy Mother's Day!

by Jonathan with a little help from Daddy and Rachel

Yes, I read it out loud. And yes, I cried. And yes, I will keep it forever.

Dad's Great Week

2009-05-02T15:33:00.000-07:00

I want you all to know that your prayers are continuing to work. Dad had a much improved week. Everyday he had a great attitude and slightly more movement in his fingers and hands. Such tiny steps of progress, but we are thankful for each one. We did hear this morning that he had another fever and that is not good as it slows him down considerably and the time he has at Spaulding Rehab is going by quickly. The insurance will only pay for a certain amount of rehab.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and words of encouragement and please keep it up. These next few days/weeks are critical not only for Dad's chances of a complete recovery, but also this is impacting our future as we consider our role in helping Mom and Dad deal with these challenges. Please pray for wisdom as we make decisions. Please continue to pray for healing and progress everyday. It has been amazing to see His Hand at work already.

Praise for Dad's Improvement

2009-04-26T21:00:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
I thank you so much for your prayers together this day. I was moved by the thought that we were all praying together at the same time. That so many others cared enough to petition God on behalf of my Dad because of their concern for my family. It is a humbling and overwhelming thought and I am especially grateful for the blessing of the Body of Christ in this day.I spoke with my Mom just a few moments ago to get an update. She said that my father had a really good day today. She said there was a big change in his attitude and in his speech. He still is not moving much at all. But over the past week he has been declining to the point that he has not been talking. When they put him into a wheelchair he would have even more difficulty speaking and would fall asleep almost immediately. Today, they got him out of bed and he started joking with the nurses. Those of you who know my Dad understand his way with people. They put him into the chair and he stayed awake all day and talked and joked for the rest of the day as well. And as for the timing? They didn't get him out of bed until about 11:30, which is when his attitude began to change. By the time he was up and my mother and brothers got there to see him at 12:30 he was talking and joking. His nurse even made a comment about what a difference she saw in him so quickly! Mom said that he was back to his old self again in terms of his attitude and speech. We praise God for this. I feel like my father had gotten depressed and had given up. God has obviously spoken to his heart through all of your prayers. We are thankful and continue to pray that God will bring about healing to his body in such a way as to Glorify God. We pray that this infection that has plagued him for these weeks will go away. That his muscles will become more flexible and that he will begin to be able to move. That he will be able regain his bodily processes and walk and talk and move naturally. That God will fill him with hope and words of testimony of God's greatness that he can share with all that he meets. That he will glorify God in all that happens and point to his greatness and goodness. And we pray all these things in Jesus Name. Will you continue to pray with us? Will you praise God together with us for this good day?

Brian

Special Prayer Request

2009-04-25T18:01:00.000-07:00

PLEASE PRAY FOR BRIAN’S DAD
Please join us Sunday April 26th at Noon EST, in a time of prayer for Brian’s dad, Joe. Many of you know that Joe has been struggling since his surgery. The surgery that he had was supposed to be simple. A month and half later, Dad is still laying in a bed. Nobody seems to know what happened or how to fix it. The therapists at the rehab hospital told my Mom that the nerve endings are not making a connection with the brain. They are not sure if this will ever happen. They will have to send him to a permanent nursing facility or back home maybe in just a few days.

I ask you to pray that God would be glorified in whatever happens next. Selfishly I want to pray for a complete healing - AND I FULLY BELIEVE THAT GOD CAN DO THIS. I also believe that the most important thing is that God accomplish His purpose for each of us- AND I SUBMIT MYSELF TO HIS WILL. It is very hard right now to discern what that means for us. We are at a point of decision concerning our future and there is so much conflict. For this reason, I believe that this decision is very important. And I am torn.

I can't tell you how to pray. But it is important that we do pray. Would you please join us in praying this Sunday? Please also spread the word, and ask other believers to pray for my Dad on Sunday April 26th at Noon EST.

Thank you for joining us in this effort.

Brian Bilodeau

Update on Dad

2009-04-23T22:08:00.000-07:00

We have been getting more bad news about Dad this week. First the doctors told Mom that they think that the nerve endings are not making the connections in his brain and that the damage is most likely permanent. This is very discouraging. Because he is not showing any signs of progress, they are saying he will have to leave Spaulding soon. Where he will go next is unknown. The next blow was when Mom told us that Dad isn't speaking much any more. We cannot tell if this is because he won't or can't. We suspect that what ever isn't working right in his brain is also effecting his speech. But once again, the doctors are perplexed and don't have any help to offer.
Please pray for Dad and Mom and for the rest of the family. We are organizing a special prayer time on this coming Sunday, where we hope to have people all across Honduras and the US praying together at the same time for healing for Dad. More details to come on that.

Life is Hard, but God is Good

2009-04-20T08:26:00.000-07:00

It's been a rough week or so. At the beginning of last week, we all were fighting colds. By Wednesday, Rachel started running a fever. On Friday it was spiking over 104. Saturday, she was in terrible pain on the right side of her chest both front and back and had difficulty breathing. Her temps continued to remain high even though we were giving her meds to bring them down. There is no place here that we felt we could take her and get any real help. After a call to a doctor friend in the states, we determined that we were either dealing with bacterial pneumonia or bronchitis. We couldn't get a definite diagnosis without a chest x-ray and that isn't available until we get to more civilization, a three hour drive. The doctor said to step up her pain meds, start breathing treatments, and switch antibiotics. Saturday was a hard day. By Sunday we were exhausted. On top of the emotional strain, we were getting very little sleep. Some good friends came and got the other kids so Brian and I could get some rest as we took turns caring for Rachel. Following the plan for all the medication, we were giving her something at least every four hours, sometimes every two or even more often. By Sunday afternoon, it looked like the meds and prayer were doing the trick. We kept up the schedule until 1am this morning and then just let her (and ourselves) get some sleep. She did great all night and has had no fever and only minimal pain in her chest. We are rejoicing that God mercifully spared us from further suffering. There were people praying across the globe and He heard and answered us in our time of need.

Last week was also a difficult week with the ministry. We've had some discontent and unfounded complaints with several of the families we serve and some personal attacks from one of the workers directed at us and Maybelline and Jeffery. This, along with the constant stress concerning his dad, on top of not feeling well himself, has pushed Brian to the limit. There were other things too, accidents that just shouldn't have happened and more hold-up in the legal processes to get everything ship-shape for Little Hands that made us feel that Satan has been working overtime to discourage and wear us down. We are reminded that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of darkness. We appreciate so much our family in the Body of Christ all across the states and here in Trujillo covering us in prayer. Even in the midst of all this, we can still see His Hand at work here. So yes, life is hard, but God indeed is good.

A quick update on Brian's dad. He was able to go back to the Spaulding Rehab Hospital since he has had no fever for some time. He is working hard at the various therapies they are doing. It is very hard for him to work since he hasn't been able to use many of those muscles in over a month. We need to pray that he will be making progress so that the insurance will continue to cover the cost for this top notch rehab.

Screen Porch

2009-04-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

Before

Last week, Semana Santa, Brian got alot done on the screen porch. And I got a little done on my sewing. :( But I have to say, I am probably more excited about the porch than the sewing. (I was making organizers for the girls...how could we have come here with next to nothing and still amassed this much stuff?) We both felt the pain of trying to make things up to our perfectionist standards, here, where everything, wood, fabric, etc is substandard. Still, I think the porch is coming along nicely and now he just needs to finsh building the doors and install them. This will be a HUGE blessing to our family. People donated funds last year for this project, but Brian never had time to do it until now. This was a major project. The wood comes in a rough sawn state. He sanded it down to semi-smooth to prevent splinters. (This was done using a grinder with a sanding disk.) Then he painted each piece with a mixture of diesel and bleach, the Honduran equivalent to pressure treating lumber. Finally he painted them and cut everything to length with a skill saw, so the cuts were anything but perfectly straight. After the framing was done, he and Jonathan covered all the openings with a layer of regular screen and then another layer of hardware cloth, kind of like chicken wire with smaller holes. This provides a little more security as it slows down would be intruders. (Hopefully the dog will do more than slow them down!) We saw how important this last layer is because as the porch was still in process, during a break in the work, someone came along and started to rip off the screen we had just put up. If you know Brian, you know whatever he does, he does it to as near perfection as is possible. Well, the porch is not perfect and there are places that he looks at and cringes, but to the rest of us, it is a thing of beauty! (And pretty near perfect too!)

After

Since we live in three rooms, yes all six of us, having one more space to spread out in will be SO nice. And once this is done, it will be a place where the kids can play after dark and not get carried off by malaria carrying mosquitoes. It will be the best place to catch cool night time breezes. We will be able to entertain guests. I can hang laundry and leave it there over night and not worry about it sprouting legs and walking off! And we all will enjoy the hammocks!

Hibiscus

2009-04-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

The kids picked these for me. They all grow around the compound here. Notice our designer coke bottle vase!

Update on Dad

2009-04-07T21:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday they transferred Dad back up to Dartmouth. He was running high temps and not doing well. Now he is back at the original hospital where they did the surgery. They continue to run tests and still cannot pinpoint the cause of his fevers. He is so weak that it tires him to chew his food. I don't think Mom has slept much in the past few days. I know they are both exhausted and discouraged. It has been a LONG month. Please continue to pray for them and for us. Thank you.

Semana Santa

2009-04-05T21:47:00.000-07:00

This is Semana Santa, "Holy Week". It is a huge holiday week here in Honduras and people are flocking here to Trujillo to enjoy the celebrations. It is commemorating our Lord's death and resurrection...what you call Easter. But the intent gets lost in all the partying. 'Holy Week of Wickedness' is what I like to call it as it seems there is alot more sin than saintly deeds going on. The locals call it "Semana Sangana", another phrase that loosely translated means to make merry and make love. So you can see why I put an emphasis on the sinful over any true remembrance of our Lord's sacrifice. Our smallish town is full of outsiders, here to celebrate and spend money! It is great for the economy here. Last year it poured rain the entire week and by the weekend, most people had packed it up and headed home so the large number of people that make their living selling things lost a huge profit. So far this year looks like they'll do just fine. Every place to stay is filled to the gills. We even have a group from a Christian School from far away over the mountains staying in the dorm. We tried to stock up on groceries and essentials last week since this week prices will be high and selection limited as there are just so many more people living in Trujillo's borders. Our workers, as well as many in the entire country have the entire week off from work. We are looking forward to a quieter week here and we hope to get some projects done while everyone else is gone from the compound. We're taking school off even though we've only been at it for a couple of weeks. I hope to get some sewing done and Brian has a major project that he hopes to complete to improve our living quarters. I'll post pictures when I can.

Update on Dad

2009-04-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

Dad was transferred to a rehab place in Boston. However, he continues to be plagued with fevers. If they get to high, they have to send him to Mass General until he is better. Please pray that he will not get any more and that tomorrow when they begin therapy that he will be able to make some progress. He is very weak after being in bed for over a month. We are not sure he will be able to do much until he is stronger. Mom and Dad are both worn out. Pray for healing and peace. Please pray that the doctors will finally be able to figure out what is causing his symptoms and how to best help him recover.

Annoying Men Repellent

2009-04-01T18:31:00.000-07:00

One of the ladies that came a few weeks ago received some unwanted attention from a male fellow passenger who assumed her bare ring finger meant she was available. She hadn't worn her wedding band since it is welded to her diamond. After the annoying incident on the plane, she was very interested in finding a ring to declare herself off limits! Faith and I had been making jewelry the weekend before and we made a very colorful, almost gaudy ring. When we were in the states over Christmas, my sister-in-law let me borrow some of her books and that is where I got this idea. When I found out about a need for an engagement/wedding ring look alike, I got the jewelry supplies back out and fashioned this:

It's not perfect. In fact if you look very close you can see how crooked the beads are.

But I was pleased with the results and our new friend was thankful and wore it all the time she was here.

A Change in this Blog

2009-03-31T17:28:00.001-07:00

You may have noticed a change in this blog toward the more personal and the everyday happenings of our family here. Last year, my goal was to tell about what we were doing with Little Hands. We are in the process of getting the website up and running for the ministry and once that happens I hope to maintain another blog specifically for Little Hands. When we were home this past winter, I kept hearing from family and friends that they just wanted to know that we were ok, still alive, and not carried off by a giant sized cockroach. (One of which we just killed on our bed! GROSS!) So, this year I hope to post more often, maybe everyday about whatever was on the menu, or about the biggest bug of the day, or my latest kitchen disaster. :) I will still try to keep people informed about what's going on here at Little Hands, hence the previous post. But the majority of this blog will be about our family, hence the next post.

Little Hands, Big Hearts

2009-03-31T12:46:00.000-07:00

I haven't been writing about what's going here with Little Hands, but this ministry to handicapped children is alive and well! We are still in the process of evaluating and improving some of our programs: the sewing class and the Children's Neighborhood Bible class are two that we are presently revamping. Roxanna has the developmental preschool up and running. Brian and Jeffery just made a trip to LaCiba with Rosa and her son, Samuel and Santana and her son, Rebin. Both boys have multiple problems and need expensive medicine and therapy. They met with a specialist who is helping us develop a long term plan to keep them healthy. Work continues on tying up loose ends of Little Hands becoming a non-profit organization. We are official now, but there are still many things that need to be taken care of including the registration for the vehicles, the land title, and the reimbursement of the deposit we had to give the bank when we first started this process. Each of these things takes days or weeks longer than necessary. It is maddeningly slow and we see very little progress, but rejoice at every baby step that gets us closer to having it all done!
Things are constantly busy. We usually have several people stop in at some point during the day. Some are here for information, others have a child in one of our programs. We spend alot of time trying to teach and help the families we serve understand how to best care for their child with a disability. Sometimes we wonder how we can impress on these parents, mostly single moms, the importance of doing things a certain way instead of what is easy or familiar to them. We have spent a great deal of time this past month trying to find the best meds for Rebin, and getting his mom to make the commitment to follow through with her part to keep him healthy.
Brian is still the most involved with the ministry, but this year I have already seen the kids take a more active role when possible. Jonathan helps daddy on various projects. Rachel and Faith are involved in the preschool on some days when their school work is done. Andrew is more friendly and they are developing friendships with the neighborhood kids. The kids are all doing well with their Spanish and can usually get their point across. I am on call to play nurse when someone show up with infected bug bites or boils. I hope to start sewing lessons soon with Rosa and possibly another girl who can't attend the entire class we have here as she is expecting a baby in a few months.
So in all, we are thankful for the opportunity to work here and excited to see what things God is doing here. Thanks so much for all your support and prayer cover and encouragement.

Continue to Pray for Dad

2009-03-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

Dad is still in the hospital with very little use of his hands and arms or legs and feet. Some days he seems to have more movement, but then next day is a step back. He had another fever last night. They keep doing MRIs and they are not revealing anything helpful. The doctors don't know why he is not getting better. He was accepted into a top notch rehab place in Boston that specializes in spinal cord injuries, but until he has made progress, there is no way he could leave the hospital. This has been a long, hard journey for Mom and Dad and they are worn out. It has been so frustrating to see one step forward be eaten up by another step backward. Please keep praying for healing, patience, and peace and rest for both of them.

Brian's Home and Dad's Doing Well

2009-03-22T19:36:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to say thanks for your prayers. Brian and the group he was traveling with got here in time for a late pizza supper. (Pizza is our standard guest food; everyone likes it and my family is always happy to see that on the menu.) Their trip was as uneventful as driving on Honduran roads can be!
After a number of examinations, the doctors still cannot understand what is going on inside Brian's father. However, we seem to have turned the corner. He has more range of motion in his legs and feet as well as in his arms. He is still very weak but the doctors are very encouraged and so is Mom. His doctor thinks that the worst is over. He had a good day today and several visitors and I know that that was a boost for them. Dad is a real people person and you can always find a party when he is part of the mix! The doctor says they will spend the next few days weaning him off the steroids and other meds. Pray that he will continue to make progress. We are praising God for every step toward full recovery.

Sewing

2009-03-21T09:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I spent a good part of the day sewing. I worked on a pair of pants for Darwin who will be attending the Christian school in town and so needs new pants for his uniform. (Darwin is Rebin's brother. Rebin has Cerebral Palsy and Little Hands helps their family with nutrition, medicine, transportation to and from better medical care in the big cities, and a limited amount of physical therapy.) Generous donors from the states are making it possible for Darwin to get a good education, including Biblical instruction. Anyway, the fabric was possibly the nastiest stuff I have ever sewn...a heavy 100% polyester dark green woven. How would you like to wear that everyday to school in this heat with no AC? I think it will wear well though...nothing like plastic fabric to withstand repeated washings at the pila. It was hard on me to sew a pair of dress pants without a serger to finish the seams. I even had to make the button hole by hand since the ancient machine I was using didn't have that capability. They came out fine, but don't look inside...all those messy seams with old fashioned zig-zag to keep the fabric from fraying!

I also made some things for us. We needed a curtain that covers the whole window in the bedroom after we took the old AC out of there. I also made a curtain to go under the counter Brian built in our "kitchen" to cover up the open shelves. I made a "baggit" thingy to hold extra bags from shopping and sewed a shirt for Rachel. And lastly, I made a dog bed. In a place where alot of people don't even have beds, I am a little embarrassed to say our dog now has a comfy place to sleep. But I was really tired of him digging up my pots and spreading the dirt all around the porch for a bed. So, all in all I felt like I got some thing accomplished yesterday!

Update on Dad

2009-03-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the MRI showed that Dad's spinal cord is no longer swollen and comfortable cushioned by fluid. That is good, but the bad news is now the doctors don't know why he isn't able to move as much as he could the day before. They will be doing more tests today to try to figure out what is causing the problems now.
Brian starts his trip back to us today. Lord willing, he will get here Saturday evening. Today is Father's Day in Honduras and the kids are wishing their daddy was here. We will all be glad to see him. We've missed him, but I'm glad he was able to spend this time with this parents during this hard time.
We are fine here and still seeing God's protective shield around us. This morning I dropped the dish drainer half full of clean Corell dishes right on my foot. You know the unbreakable kind that when they do break, they shatter like glass. My flip-flops and the entire floor were full of shards. I have a few tiny cuts, but nothing bad. Thank you Lord!
Thank you for praying for us all. Please continue to pray for safety for Brian as he travels and for healing for his dad.

Update on Dad

2009-03-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

Brian's Dad has been moved out of the special care unit into a regular room. The spinal drain and all but one IV have been removed. He is very slowly regaining movement in his legs, and has feeling in his arms. Any progress has been in baby steps. The doctor says that he should recover from the paralysis, but it could take 4 months. Hopefully he will be ready to move to rehab center early next week. Pray that Dad will recover faster than the Dr's predict. Pray for Mom as she tries to find a good rehab place and that their insurance will not make it difficult for them to make sure Dad is getting the best possible care. This is Brian's last day with his parents before he starts the return trip back to Honduras. Pray that he will have time to spend with Mom and Dad and get everything packed and ready to go.

Update: When Brian and his mom got to the hospital today, they had moved Dad back to the ICU because he has a fever and is less responsive. They are doing another MRI and plan to raise his blood pressure again. That did help with the swelling in the spinal cord last week. Depending on what they say, Brian may need to change his travel plans.

Baskets and Flowers

2009-03-17T16:34:00.000-07:00

When my mom, who is a master basket maker, came last year, she brought some reed and made a few baskets for me. This year when we returned, I decided that I wanted a bigger one for fruits and veggies with lots of holes to allow for air circulation. Here's what I came up with:

It's not very strong, but I'm not carrying things around in it. It's main purpose is to corral bananas, limes, and grapefruit. Many grow right here on the property. I am still searching for a place where a flexible vine grows that can be used for basket making. This is a craft I would like to share with the ladies here, but without access to the right materials, it will be difficult.

The other thing I wanted to show you is this picture of the wild flowers that the kids pick and display in old glass coke bottles. All the guests that we have had so far this year have had their rooms decorated with love... and weeds from our kids.

Praise for Safety

2009-03-16T17:08:00.000-07:00

Today at lunchtime, I was planning to warm up some leftovers for the kids here in our apartment. Usually we eat lunch with the workers and Little Hands staff down at the big house, but today I had a bad migraine and wanted to rest. I thought it would be easier to just warm up something here. Well, easy turned out to be scary and in the end a good lesson about God's protective hands. I have always had trouble lighting the oven and today was no exception. After the first match went out, I lit a second one. And that is when it happened. Apparently when I thought the gas was off, it was still leaking into the oven and the second I lit that match it exploded with a big fire ball and a sound like a gunshot. I picked myself up off the floor and ran out to the porch with the kids behind me. We cried and thanked God for keeping us safe. I cringe to think of what could have happened. The kids were sitting at the table right next to the stove when it went off. I don't know how I wasn't seriously burned. We praise God for keeping us all safe. I asked Johnny to come and help me put the stove back together. I won't use the oven again until Brian comes home...maybe never again! So thank you, to all of you who regularly petition God to keep us safe in the hollow of His hands. Today we saw that first hand.

Clarification and Update on Dad

2009-03-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid that my last post wasn't very clear about has happened with Brian's dad. We are trying to fit together the pieces of what we know in order to get a clear picture. The following is what Brian wrote to send out to our prayer partners. I think it will help clarify past events and help you pray more specifically.

Dad had a successful surgery on his spine last Tuesday and was recovering well. He was moved to another hospital last Saturday to recover and, for a few days, was making good progress. He was moving his arms freely, feeding himself, and beginning to walk. On Monday morning he woke up and could not move at all. Nobody is sure what happened. Scans show that his spinal cord is swollen, causing this paralysis. Dad is on a course of steroids to reduce the swelling. They installed a drain in the spine to reduce pressure. they are also elevating his blood pressure to promote more oxygen to the affected area. He was placed in ICU last Wednesday and yesterday was moved to a special care unit because he was progressing. As of today, Sunday, Dad can move his legs better at times but this progress is inconsistent. He is gaining strength in his left hand and can pick up his left arm about an inch off of the bed. So far no movement in the right arm or hand. We are hoping to speak with the doctor tomorrow in order to come up with a plan. There is talk of moving him into a regular recovery room tomorrow. Progress is
very difficult to see. There is no way he can come home right now. So far the doctors anticipate a very slow recovery. Please pray for healing in Dad's body and for a quick recovery. For wisdom in dealing with all of the decisions that are looming. Also pray for safety as we travel back and forth each day. Pray for Sara and the kids as I am away from them. That He would keep them safe and provide all that they need. Most importantly, that we would see how to bring glory to God in all of this.

Prayer Request

2009-03-12T21:04:00.000-07:00

Last week Brian's dad had a surgery done to correct a problem with the vertebrae in his neck. It was supposed to be a very safe procedure and we had hoped that the results would improve Dad's quality of life. Well, long story short, instead of making things better, something else happened, the doctors don't know what yet, and he lost his ability to move his arms and legs. Yesterday morning they told Mom that this condition might be permanent. We immediately started looking for a plane ticket for Brian. Because of where we are in Honduras, we can't make it home in less than a day and half. After we got the ticket, we kept e-mailing and calling to check on how Dad was doing. By yesterday morning, they could see that he had regained some movement in his legs, which we hoped was a sign of good things to come. Brian had already taken the 1am bus to San Pedro Sula. After a six hour bus trip, he made it to the airport and flew out around noon. It wasn't a non-stop flight, but he was able to get in to Boston earlier than we had hoped. A friend picked him and after an hour long car trip, he was at his mom's house. This morning they will go to the hospital which is another hour and a half drive farther north to be with Dad.
Please pray that tomorrow they will see much more progress/alot more movement in Dad's arms and legs. Pray for peace and comfort for all of us. Back here in Honduras, the kids and I miss "the leader of our herd"(as Faith says) but we are glad that he is with Grammy and Gumpy. Pray for wisdom for the doctors and skilled minds and hands if they need to operate again.
In the midst of all this going on with our family, we have had a group here from ACU. It has been great that Mark and Brenda were able to help Jeffery with the group after Brian left. They pulled out early in the morning. It is always great to have people here, but I have to confess I am looking forward to a little quiet time today.
Please cover our family in prayer during this difficult time. I'll try to keep you posted.

Mark and Brenda/First Group

2009-03-06T17:49:00.000-08:00

This week has flown by! Mark and Brenda Young, who started this mission, are here for a visit from the states. We've spent some time talking and planning for this coming year. It's been fun to exchange stories and compare notes. Our kids have really enjoyed some time with this couple who they view as part of our extended family.
The rest of our time has been eaten up with getting things ready for our first group of 2009. Brian and Jeffery are in San Pedro Sula tonight. The group will get in tomorrow and they all will be back here in Trujillo Sunday morning for church, Lord willing.
I think everything is ready. Brian and Jonathan built another bunk bed for the dorm and the new septic tank is finished. Tomorrow, Maybelline and I will make all the beds and make sure everything is in order. If their lucky, the ACU students will even have vases of flowers to welcome them. (The kids pick flowers/weeds and fill old glass coke bottles. Tropical weeds are much better looking than plain old regular weeds like we have back home in the states!)
We're all looking forward to meeting and spending time with more of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Pray that this week will be a life changing experience for the ACU students and that we can be an encouragement to them and they to us!

Star Fruit

2009-02-25T19:27:00.000-08:00

Brian was visiting a fellow missionary's house and noticed a tree full of star fruit. He brought home these and we've been enjoying them. Even Brian who has some food allergies that prevent him from eating many fresh fruits, was able to eat them. How cool is that?! I didn't even know that they grew here!

Jonathan's Blog

2009-02-24T08:40:00.000-08:00

We finally got Jonathan's blog up and running. He just finished his first post about what he did for school last week. I think its great, but then I'm a biased mom! Check it out! His blog address is:

http://www.jonathansadventuresinhonduras.blogspot.com/

Thanks to you dear computer savvy friends out there who helped me get this set up the way I wanted to! I'm so glad God blessed you with brains that work the same was as computers...and that you are willing to help poor me who's brain does not!

Laundry Luxury

2009-02-22T18:26:00.000-08:00

I'm on cloud nine! Brian and Jonathan installed our new washing machine yesterday! What a huge blessing! You just can't appreciate what a big deal this is until you have lived nine months washing clothes for a family of six by hand at a cement box with a metal washboard embedded in it. Last night I did a small bleach load to test it out. It was so amazing! I put dirty clothes in and a very short time, not after an hour of back breaking scrubbing, they were finished, clean, clean, CLEAN! And this machine spins the water out so effectively that things are practically dry when I take them out. Washing by hand ensured that many times the clothes would have begun to mildew by the time they dried because we just couldn't squeeze all the excess water out. The things I hung up last night were perfectly dry this morning. It's dumb to go on and on about a washer, but I just want you to know how very THANKFUL I am to our sending church's elders for insisting that Brian spoil me with this "luxury" item! :) Did I mention that I'm ecstatic!

(Post script...as an added bonus, Jonathan worked side by side with his dad learning how to do plumbing and electrical for the installation. This definitely counts for school as I haven't even unpacked our tote of school books yet.)

Back in Trujillo!

2009-02-20T07:51:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to say that we are back here in Trujillo safe and sound. Brian made an advanced trip before our arrival to get things back in shape in our apartment and with the truck. Things are so much better than last year when it took us over a month after our arrival to get this building livable. Last night we were able to come in and put sheets on the beds and go to sleep. What a blessing!
It was beautiful driving yesterday. There is some tree that is flowering now with lovely pink blossoms that look similar to apple trees. In some places they lined both sides of the road. And the temperature is so nice after COLD New England!

On Our Way Back!

2009-02-17T18:35:00.000-08:00

Well, so much for writing fabulous stories and posting wonderful pictures while we were home! We are one our way back to Honduras and should arrive there tomorrow about lunch time, Lord willing. We are in Houston for the night. Once again we are carrying our limit plus some for luggage. I do have to say though, that after all the traveling we did last year, the kids have really learned to be experts at this and have done very well, even hauling their share of the the stuff. So...we'll be in touch...hopefully before three months have passed!

Samuel and Johnny

2008-11-16T18:06:00.000-08:00

I don't have much...but here's what I know.
Rosa was able to take Samuel to a specialist in Le Cieba. We haven't heard the outcome of that visit or if they were able to learn more from the tests that were scheduled when we left.
Johnny wasn't able to give blood to his brother because he, (Johnny) is anemic. We don't know what condition the brother is in now.
Please continue to pray for Johnny, Rosa, and their children.

Home Safe and Sound

2008-11-16T17:56:00.000-08:00

We made it safely home on Friday afternoon. We were exhausted, but so happy to see family and friends. The next few weeks will be a flurry of activity as we help get ready for my sister's wedding on Nov.28th. I know it will be busy, but I hope to keep you all informed as much as possible whenever we get news from Honduras while we are home. I also hope to write a few of the stories and post more pictures that I didn't have time for when we were there.
So, even though we aren't out there on the field, please stay tuned!
Thanks for all your prayer support as we made our way home. It was a stressful trip and we picked up either a stomach bug or a mild case of food poisoning the morning we left. But overall, it was a fine trip and we are so thankful things went as well as they did.

The Hippy Missionary Family

2008-11-14T15:39:00.000-08:00

These are our traveling uniforms. In the past, we have found it helpful to dress the kids alike, but this time I wanted us all to get into the act. This was a fun project for me and I learned a new tie-dye technique at the same time. And now we can become known as the happy hippy missionary family.

Traveling

2008-11-11T18:10:00.000-08:00

After a night that was short on sleep and very long on packing, we left early this morning for San Pedro Sula. A friend, Emilson drove us in his truck. We travled the back dirt road that used to take hours becuase it was in such bad shape. The government has poured a mountain of effort and money into getting that road drivable as now it is the main way to get in and out of Trujillo. We passed many places were we could see how the water had been, up to twenty feet higher than normal. It was incredible to see where it carved new river beds around the bridges and toppled huge trees by eating away all the soil under thier massive root systems. We are so thankful for the nice and dry weather we have been having that made it possible for all the road repairs to be done in time for our departure today. We had no difficulties getting here and are very thankful for Emilson's willingnesss to drive us instead of the 6-9 hour bus trip.
Pray for us as we make our final preparations. We fly out Thusday and Lord willing arrive home, in New Hampshire on Friday morning. We have said most of our goodbyes. It was hard for us to leave the people we have come to love here in Honduras. The past two weeks have been much less stressful as the flood waters receded and we were able to devote more time to other things. It seemed like just here at the end of our stay for this time, God was opening doors left and right for different things we have wanted to pursue in the past. We are excited to go home and see our friends and family and we are looking forward to what the future holds.

Update on Samuel

2008-11-11T18:03:00.000-08:00

Samuel is home from the hospital, but still not doing well. We are making plans for Rosa to take him to a specialist in La Ceiba in the next few days. When we saw him last, it made my heart sad to watch him struggle for every breath. We cried with Rosa as we prayed for God's protection and healing of little Samuel. This is an especially difficult time for their family. Johnny's brother was in a car accident and is unconscious in the hospital in Tegucigalpa. Johnny left today in time to get there for an urgent blood transfusion for the brother. While he is gone, Rosa is left alone to deal with Samuel's sickness. Please pray peace for this family and that the specialist would be able to help them.

Pray for Samuel

2008-11-07T17:50:00.001-08:00

Samuel is in the hospital with pneumonia again. He just celebrated his birthday on Monday. He is not doing well and the Doctors say he needs to go to Teguc for more testing to see what else can be done to help him. Before he can do that, he needs to heal from this last bout of pneumonia. Please pray for peace for Johnny and Rosa and that Samuel would be feeling better soon.

Wonderful Weather!

2008-11-07T17:36:00.000-08:00

Tropical Storm "Paloma" did turn into Hurricane Paloma, but we were so grateful that as the storm grew more powerful, it slowly made its way north. We haven't had ANY rain yesterday or today and it has been SO beautiful out. It is nice and cool with a lovely breeze. Today we went we took some time off this afternoon an went swimming at a hotel pool right on the beach. The ocean is still dirty from all the red clay that washed into and the beaches are littered with garbage so we didn't spend much time there, but just to be out in the sun was a wonderful change for all of us!
The big trucks have been able to get in and out of Trujillo by that other road and the stores and gas stations are well stocked again. We've have been relieved and feel blessed that it looks like clear weather until we leave.
Tomorrow we plan to move mattresses and essentials over to the dorm. We will sleep there for the next three nights so that it will be easier to clean and pack up this place before we leave on Tuesday. It looks like a couple of busy days before then.

Another Road and More Storms

2008-11-05T08:31:00.000-08:00

Brian did some more investigating and found another option for us when we plan to leave Honduras next week. There is another road that goes to Tacoa in a round about way; it is much longer and bumpier. And it also has two bridges that were damaged, but they are smaller and more easily repaired. So we are hopeful that we will be able to leave as planned.
Please pray that a big storm front moving our way goes north and doesn't dump large amounts of rain on already soggy Honduras.

A few updates:

The shelter sent everyone home. The water has come down in most places.
Brian was able to meet the man organizing help for communities cut off by the water. Hector, Brian and Jonathan were able to get food to a village that had been without food for several days.
People aren't starving here in Trujillo, but the food is running out. Our workers have asked for food and gas for the "chimbo" to cook at their homes. We have plenty of food here, though the kids are getting a little tired of soup. The bank is out of money and in general people don't have money to buy what food there is because no one has been working. Even with all the uncertainty, the happy-go-lucky Honduran spirit still shows. Most people don't appear concerned about the future.

Bridge Out

2008-11-03T18:52:00.000-08:00

Here is the bridge over the Agua Amarrillo, about 5 miles from where we live. We had heard that it was washed out, and when Brian went there yesterday, he saw that this time, the reports were true. There is a huge section in the middle that is completely gone. They are ferrying people and supplies across in an a small boat. This is the main road to Tacoa that I have mentioned in the past and with the bridge out, it will be much harder to get food and clean water into Trujillo.
Yesterday we had beautiful weather with sunshine and a nice breeze. The kids were so happy to play outside! A little bit of sun was good for all of us.
The hole I showed you Sunday is semi-fixed now. We think they just dumped a load of dirt in one side so that road is open to one way traffic in that spot. That problem was fixed very quickly. Unfortunately, the bridge is a much bigger deal and we don't expect it to be passable any time soon.

More Pictures

2008-11-02T21:49:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder to look back at the last few posts...I just added pictures that I didn't have time to upload before. I will probably keep doing that...write quickly and then later try to get a picture or two squeezed into the story line. So it pays to look back as you might miss a picture, worth a thousand words if you don't!

Wash Out

2008-11-02T20:43:00.000-08:00

Last night the deluge started up again and this morning when Brian took several hundred biscuits that Alissa had made over the the shelter, he got to see the damage first hand. He almost drove over this when only half the road was gone. If he had, he would have been stuck on the other side as this is the only way in and out.

This is what is left of the road to the Tacoa. People were walking and riding bikes across the side that is still intact, but we won't be driving through there any time soon. Again, we have heard more reports of bridges damaged or destroyed beyond this point, but don't know if they are true or not. Brian hopes to bike out to the first main bridge tomorrow to see for himself how bad the damage is there. The weather report calls for less rain for the next couple of days, but then we are to get alot again next weekend. Things continue as semi-normal here in Trujillo. The streets that were flooded a few days ago are clear and muddy.( I can't say dry as we have forgotten what that is!) There is no gas, but still some food in the stores. It sounds like the shelter won't need any more help for a while and since we can't drive out there now anyways, we won't be sending big batches of soup. There are others that are cut off and need food. Tomorrow Brian meets with a local man who is oganizing the relief effort to see what else we can do to help.

Please continue to pray for us all. We are still optimistic that eventually things will dry out and we have all the things necessary for survival. We thank God for the place we have to live and for His protection.

Clear Skies

2008-11-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

The rain stopped and the sun was even out briefly. There is a warm breeze and things are drying out. The flooding in Trujillo went down during the night and things are looking good. We heard that to road to Tacoa is open to small trucks but not the buses and heavier traffic. But, since we can't see for ourselves, we can't be sure of the condition of the road. We are frustrated with all the mis-information we get and don't have a way to get any trustworthy news. We haven't heard from the shelter and don't know if they need more help or not. We do have plenty of staples to make more soup if necessary.
Last night, we didn't have any water. We filled several large tubs during the night by collecting rainwater off the roof. This morning Brian was able to find and fix the problem so we now have flushing toilets and water for washing.
Thanks for all your prayer support. God is answering our plea for clear skies and things are looking good!

Flood Waters Rise

2008-10-31T14:33:00.000-07:00

It sounds like Niagra Falls all the time. We have not had much of a break in the rain since yesterday. Last night Brian, Jeffery and a few others took more soup over the the shelter. They went room to room talking about the Lord and handing out Bibles. One per family was the plan, but some young people insisted that they receive one because their families weren't there. A group of teens sat around and took turns reading to each other out of the Bible we had given them. How exciting to not only feed them physically, but more importantly, spiritually!

This morning Brian and I took 15 pounds of cooked beans over for breakfast. On our way, a small river had begun to cross the road for about 10-15 feet. When we left an hour later, it was a 40 foot wide stretch of swiftly running water and the road was beginning to wash out. We made it through safely, but wonder if we will be able to get any more food to the shelter without a boat or much bigger army truck. All over there is more water in more places and higher than yesterday. Thankfully, the big river that we are watching on the road to Tacoa is about the same as it was yesterday. The road was open for a time again. The gas trucks got through and few others.
Again, Brian and Jeffery went into Trujillo and stocked up on essentials. We should be able to make several more huge batches of soup to give out or feed people here for a while if we can't get back to the shelter.
Pray for us! The water pounding on the roof is so loud it is hard to carry on a conversation. Pray that is will let up soon. If we could have a clear day, I think most of the water would go down and things could begin to dry out. The water has covered the road between us and Trujillo in places and the Rio Negro is over the banks and almost over the bridge there.
Our power was out for a short time, but we are thankful that it is back on. We did lose our water. That isn't so uncommon here, but if a water line is broken, which is what we suspect it could be a long time before that is fixed. Good thing we can go outside to get a shower!
I will write when I can...meanwhile cover us in prayer!

All Things Work Together for Good

2008-10-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

The last time we took our clothes to the now familiar laundry mat, Brian talked to the owner,Ruth about what we are doing here. She is quite educated, unusual for Trujillo, and has a daughter with Down's Sydrome. She studied in Teguc, the capital and has a wealth of information and books on special needs children that she wants to share with us. This morning, she came out to the FDC to meet with Roxana and Susana, who has some very unusal and difficult to manage needs. Ruth is very willing and ready to share her insight and experience with our team.
Isn't it neat that in the midst of the rain and flooding, God can use even that to work out good for His children? If it hadn't rained for...how many days? I quit counting, it's been a loooong time! We wouldn't be having such a hard time getting our clothes dry and we wouldn't have been using the laundry mat. But becuase we needed to get our clothes clean and dry, we met this lady. She has been in Trujiillo for years and never had been connected with anyone here. She didn't know that Little Hands existed! Now, we have a great resource right in our town! This confirms to me that God is at work here and that there is more going on than just us struggling through the rain and all the trouble as a result of the above average and early to start rainy season. Isn't God good?

Flooding

2008-10-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

The rain has been almost constant for the past week. Yesterday, we heard that the road out of Trujillo to Tacoa was under water and the bridges were being undermined by the raging river.
Yesterday Brian and Jeffery went to check on the families that we serve who live near the rivers. They convinced two that they needed to leave before the water was in their houses. Some of you may remember the gully next to Jennie's house. It is now full of water and in just a few more feet, it will be in the house. Jenny and her family moved to higher ground. When they checked on Erica's family the river was level with the road and huge puddles were filling he holes in the road. When they left that area, they could see that the water was getting higher. They took Erica and her family to a shelter set up for displaced people. Brian had talked to the lady in charge and asked what else we could do to help.
That morning we had tried to stock up on groceries before the stores were bare since nothing can get in to bring more food. We bought 100 pound of beans and rice hoping to give them out to the displaced families. The lady agreed that that would be helpful. Last night we estimated there would over 100 hungry people waiting for us to bring food. We made a huge stock pot of soup. Then we received word that there were 170 with 40 more on the way. We made another big pot of soup. Right before we were ready to take it over, they said there were over 300. We had purchased plastic cups and spoons and five loaves of bread since there was nothing at the shelter. We only had enough for 200, but figured that was better than nothing. When they got there, there were other people to help serve the soup and while that was taken care of, Brian and Mabelline's brother, Danial, put plastic all around the building because the rain was blowing in the open windows and the people inside were getting wet and cold.

This morning we spent hours picking through 15 pounds of beans to remove the rocks, dirt, ect. Myra and the ladies cooked the beans and 25 pounds of rice. Brian and some others took that over for lunch. We had heard that they needed water also, but when they got there, someone had set up a system for purifying the water. It seems like there are others helping out too and bringing some food as well. We plan to make soup again tonight.
Yesterday all the gasoline in town was gone and there were long lines at the grocery stores. But this morning we learned that the road had been open for a short time in the night/early morning. It seems that the gas truck got through and there were fresh veggies also. I don't think that the regular grocery stores were able to get anything else to restock their shelves.
Please pray for us and the people of Honduras. Pray for dry weather! It was clear this morning and I think the sun even made a short appearance, but now it is pouring again. We feel safe where we are and as long as we don't lose power, we should be fine. We are on high ground and aren't worried about the flooding directly affecting us here. However, we need wisdom about when we do need to be concerned and what to do in case of things deteriorating to the point where we feel it is unsafe for us to remain here. The power was out for a while this morning and so we are forming "what if" plans. We thank God that has blessed us with a safe, dry, and comfortable place to sleep while so many people here have none of those things. We are glad that we are in a position to be helpful to them. Pray that we will be able to continue the help we have started.
I will try to keep you updated. With the power outages, I try to conserve the battery on the lap top as much as possible. Thanks for praying for all of us. I hope to post pictures too, but that may have to wait until later also.

A few other notes:

The shelter is part of a collage/school campus if you can call it that. The building is just empty classrooms. There are no cots and no Red Cross. We don't know if they have any or sufficient bathroom facilities. There are 65+ people in some of the rooms. There are a ton of kids with little or nothing to do but watch the rain come down. During the break in the rain this morning, the ladies tried to wash clothes in the dirty water all around in ditches and puddles. Brian helped string up two clothes lines per room for people to hang their clothes up in hopes that they may dry.

The entire country is being affected by the flooding. Honduras is on red alert. Most people are not going to work. We don't have access to much news, but we do know that there have been widespread problems so this is not just affecting our corner, but a very wide area.