Henry's wife Hemi and her sister Loyda started a women's Bible study several months ago and Henry asked me to meet with them so I could give them ideas. I can tell you, they don't need my ideas. Henry asked me to go and take pictures of the crafts they are making to sell that will enable the women to produce an income and support their families. I was truly impressed by what they had done. Some are crocheting purses with raffia, others are using discarded chip bags to make items to sell. There are ladies that are using pieces of plastic drink bottles to make jewelry. One lady is making coffee to sell so I am judging her coffee this morning to see if the teams would like to buy it.
Some of them do beautiful crochet work and as soon as I can get some knitting needles, I am going to teach them to make knitted items to sell. I would also like some ideas on jewelry making. They are working with items they have on hand but I would like for them to have access to other materials that are available here. It is an established group and Hemi and Loyda will be monitoring the group each week. Any help and ideas will be appreciated.
It is with much humility that I watch them share ideas and help each other. Can you imaging picking up dirty chip bags, cleaning them and then spending hours folding the pieces to weave into a purse? It is also a good solution to help the litter problem.
Today we are going to pick up the team from Vicksburg so I might not have much time to write. They are building a house for Walter and his family. His mother is so happy to have room to for Walter's wheelchair in the house so she won't have to carry him.
On Tuesday and Friday, we will have English lessons with the staff. Angie, the new dentist, will help me.
Pray for us and the women that are trying so hard to make a difference for their families.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, Oh, Lord
My devotion this morning was.. Look at the birds of the air...Consider the lilies of the field...Matthew 6:26,28. We should keep our eyes focused on our Source, God. He knows our circumstances and He will provide. This morning as I was having my devotion and praying, I thought about how I get so uptight about little things that do not matter instead of just focusing on serving the Lord and let Him take care of everything. I think I have learned since I have been in Honduras to depend more on God and that everything is from Him, that He will provide all our needs, not our wants. He doesn't need me to do things for Him but He does need me to serve Him and be willing to go when He calls.
We have had a busy week at Ministerio Sal y Luz as always. There is very seldom a slow moment and when there is, you are grateful. Wednesday, we had a bad electrical storm and then no internet and occasional power or water for several days. Angie and I filled a plastic container and put in the shower to fill with water for a bath, then we found out that we had both hot and cold water in the shower all the time. Our water system at the apartment is complicated because some of the water comes from the tank on the hill and some of it comes from the water system in the clinic. I am discovering by power outages and water system problems what water comes from where.
Every year our board in the US sends a container down with things for the teams and medical supplies for the clinic. This will be my third container to help unload and get in the boxes in the proper place. It is getting more difficult to get the container out of the port because of government paper work. Tonight there will be lots of trucks and people from the villages along with the staff to help unload the boxes. Every year, it has rained while we unloaded the container, maybe this year it will wait until we are finished unloading.
We have a team from Vicksburg coming on Saturday and they need the sewing machines and materials that are on the container. One of the things they will do is conduct sewing classes for the people so they can make uniforms and hopefully establish a way to earn some money for their families. They will help to plant a garden in a village, install a water purification system and have Bible School. The team is also building a house for Walter and his family. Walter is about 9 years old and lives with his family in two small rooms. Walter has a disability that keeps him from walking, talking or any of the things that we would consider normal for his age, but he has the biggest smile and loves everyone. His mother carries him every where and he is getting really big. They have a wheel chair but the two rooms are too small for the chair to be used except outside. They have no bathroom but the new house will have a bathroom large enough for the chair to be rolled into the shower. Isn't God good?
We have a new staff member this year. Her name is Angie Rodrigues from San Pedro Sula. She finished dental school and all medical graduates in Honduras have to work for one year at a government approved facility without pay. She is living in the apartment with me and I think we are doing well. She is a pretty young woman, who speaks very fluent English(Thank you Lord). She has never been away from her family so I hope my being here will make her feel more comfortable. I enjoy being here by myself after working all day but she is young and not use to being by herself. Her father calls every night to make sure she is alright. Angie also taught English for three years so she and I are going to have English classes for the staff.
All the staff members are doing well. Lesly and I went to the doctor to have her eye checked and I think she got a pretty good report. Evis is busy working of grades for the students that are sponsored through the education program. Joseph is trying to keep the internet going and all the computers. The medical staff is working hard to see the regular patients and get ready for the group that is coming.
On Saturday, I went to a retreat with the ladies Bible Study group led by Henry's wife, Hemi and her sister Loyda. Loyda led the discussion by comparing the ladies to flowers and how they have some of the same traits. We all had to locate a flower, which is not hard to do here. Then we had to describe some of the properties of the flower. The ladies had a wonderful time. Some of them brought their children and they played well while their mothers listened to Loyda. We played games and ate and swam in the river. There was one lady there that had a boy around 12 years old that had be held all the time because he couldn't communicate and would leave the group if she didn't hold on to him. She also had to feed him at mealtime. She doesn't have any help and has to work to put food on the table. I was amazed at how well she handled him and how much she loved him and provided for all his needs... just like God does for us.
We have had a busy week at Ministerio Sal y Luz as always. There is very seldom a slow moment and when there is, you are grateful. Wednesday, we had a bad electrical storm and then no internet and occasional power or water for several days. Angie and I filled a plastic container and put in the shower to fill with water for a bath, then we found out that we had both hot and cold water in the shower all the time. Our water system at the apartment is complicated because some of the water comes from the tank on the hill and some of it comes from the water system in the clinic. I am discovering by power outages and water system problems what water comes from where.
Every year our board in the US sends a container down with things for the teams and medical supplies for the clinic. This will be my third container to help unload and get in the boxes in the proper place. It is getting more difficult to get the container out of the port because of government paper work. Tonight there will be lots of trucks and people from the villages along with the staff to help unload the boxes. Every year, it has rained while we unloaded the container, maybe this year it will wait until we are finished unloading.
We have a team from Vicksburg coming on Saturday and they need the sewing machines and materials that are on the container. One of the things they will do is conduct sewing classes for the people so they can make uniforms and hopefully establish a way to earn some money for their families. They will help to plant a garden in a village, install a water purification system and have Bible School. The team is also building a house for Walter and his family. Walter is about 9 years old and lives with his family in two small rooms. Walter has a disability that keeps him from walking, talking or any of the things that we would consider normal for his age, but he has the biggest smile and loves everyone. His mother carries him every where and he is getting really big. They have a wheel chair but the two rooms are too small for the chair to be used except outside. They have no bathroom but the new house will have a bathroom large enough for the chair to be rolled into the shower. Isn't God good?
We have a new staff member this year. Her name is Angie Rodrigues from San Pedro Sula. She finished dental school and all medical graduates in Honduras have to work for one year at a government approved facility without pay. She is living in the apartment with me and I think we are doing well. She is a pretty young woman, who speaks very fluent English(Thank you Lord). She has never been away from her family so I hope my being here will make her feel more comfortable. I enjoy being here by myself after working all day but she is young and not use to being by herself. Her father calls every night to make sure she is alright. Angie also taught English for three years so she and I are going to have English classes for the staff.
All the staff members are doing well. Lesly and I went to the doctor to have her eye checked and I think she got a pretty good report. Evis is busy working of grades for the students that are sponsored through the education program. Joseph is trying to keep the internet going and all the computers. The medical staff is working hard to see the regular patients and get ready for the group that is coming.
On Saturday, I went to a retreat with the ladies Bible Study group led by Henry's wife, Hemi and her sister Loyda. Loyda led the discussion by comparing the ladies to flowers and how they have some of the same traits. We all had to locate a flower, which is not hard to do here. Then we had to describe some of the properties of the flower. The ladies had a wonderful time. Some of them brought their children and they played well while their mothers listened to Loyda. We played games and ate and swam in the river. There was one lady there that had a boy around 12 years old that had be held all the time because he couldn't communicate and would leave the group if she didn't hold on to him. She also had to feed him at mealtime. She doesn't have any help and has to work to put food on the table. I was amazed at how well she handled him and how much she loved him and provided for all his needs... just like God does for us.
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