It's always interesting to be back home for the first few days, because things strike you a little differently after being in another culture for 10 days:
1. Driving home from work yesterday, I saw several people out walking their dogs... unheard of in rural Honduras. Plenty of dogs, no collars or leashes, and they learn at a young age to get out of the way of traffic (vehicular or bovine) or they don't last long.
2. The driver antics I roll my eyes at here in the US would be awarded "Safe Driver" certificates in Honduras - where, as Jay says, "Stop signs are a suggestion. Something you might want to consider."
3. Even with the frost heaves and potholes of spring, our road system and conditions are an amazing blessing and greatly underappreciated.
Peace,
Scott
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
Monday, April 10, 2017
Well, we're back! Gracias a Dios for this entire trip, start to finish, a true blessing. Thanks to all of you who shared our journey by keeping up with this blog. We wish we could have posted each and everyday, but access to electricity and internet, slower operation of on-line services when we were connected, and dealing with Spanish language laptops made it a bit more of challenge than anticipated.
In any case, we were very happy to be able to share at least a part of our trip, to give you a sense of life in this part of Honduras. A big think you to Projet Eden/Adelante for their work in these communities and for these people. It was a gift to be able to be of service while we were here. Please continue to follow Project Eden/Adelante on the webpage ( http://www.projectedenhonduras.org/ ) and Facebook page ( www.facebook.com/Project-Eden-Adelante-128219397252948/ ).
We encourage you to consider being part of a trip. We welcome you to form your own trip group - with your church community, family, and friends. By keeping tabs on the Project Eden sites, you may also find out about any trips that you might join, and All are welcome, and we are happy to provide the details for how to set a trip in motion, and answer any questions that you may have.
Words cannot express the love, joy, and life-giving experiences Project Eden has to offer. Thanks again to all for your prayers and support.
Scott Fitzpatrick
Project Eden Trustee
In any case, we were very happy to be able to share at least a part of our trip, to give you a sense of life in this part of Honduras. A big think you to Projet Eden/Adelante for their work in these communities and for these people. It was a gift to be able to be of service while we were here. Please continue to follow Project Eden/Adelante on the webpage ( http://www.projectedenhonduras.org/ ) and Facebook page ( www.facebook.com/Project-Eden-Adelante-128219397252948/ ).
We encourage you to consider being part of a trip. We welcome you to form your own trip group - with your church community, family, and friends. By keeping tabs on the Project Eden sites, you may also find out about any trips that you might join, and All are welcome, and we are happy to provide the details for how to set a trip in motion, and answer any questions that you may have.
Words cannot express the love, joy, and life-giving experiences Project Eden has to offer. Thanks again to all for your prayers and support.
Scott Fitzpatrick
Project Eden Trustee
Friday, April 7, 2017
Hola mi familia y amigos y amigas in the united states both back home and those who may be reading this elsewhere. Our day is half over which means our trip is almost complete - we sadly fly back tomorrow...and what a pain it will be - the worst portion of the trip is customs in Miami - getting back into the US is not easy or fun. Bleh...
Enough looking forward though - we have enought to talk about for the last two days...As much as I want to, I will make a final post in regards to pictures from Thursday and today, Friday.
Thursday was a special day, an emotional morning to the say the least. If I felt any closer to Christ that day it would have been if I was literally walking at his side. We went to visit Carlos in Catacamas. He is the Honduran Mother Theresa and a very saintly man.
About 10 years ago, Carlos lost his job as a teacher. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with his life until by random happenstance (most likely God's will for him) another man asked him to look after a child he had found abandoned in the montains of Honduras. Carlos said yes. I do believe that man, a friend of his, was an agent of the Lord, asking Carlos to do his work.
Carlos took in this young child and in doing so, opened the door to a wonderful, moving and emotional story. We visited his center on thursday, and almost all of us were on the verge of tears, if not crying (Jim and I let the tears flow). There were about 12 children presently in his care. The most he ever cared for was 22 at one time. His oldest was a young man of 17 and his youngest was a 16 month old girl named Lixy. I don't know all of the children's stories but the ones I do know are heart wrenching.
Lixy - the 16 month old girl - was given to Carlos because the family couldn't pay the 50 dollars a month price of her anti-seizure medications. She has been with them at this point for 3 months.
Bany has been with them a while - at least 4 years - and her story is - well its bringing me close to tears just thinking about it. There was a picture of her as a young kindergarten student - a picture of her kindergarten graduation - with a great smile. Suddenly, she became sick and had to be rushed to the hospital where it was shown her brain was atrophying. She now can't speak and is completly bed ridden - clearly not the same girl she used to be. At that point, the mothers boyriend said "its either Bany or me." - and thus Carlos came to be her caregiver.
Another girl was found living in the mountains trying her best to survive. She was sleeping on a wooden plank and also had clear disabilities.
The last story is of a girl - a girl whom really liked Jim - who was found in a pig sty eating the excrement in order to survive.
These are only a few of the stories but even these 4 are heart wrenching enough. For Carlos to say yes to this ministry is very, very moving. He could have said no. He could have said yes only to that one child. He could have run away after he got more. But he stays. He has teenage helpers who feed and care for the children but you can see by how he talks about the children, how he tears up when telling these stories, that he has put his all into this work. He praised Jesus Christ a lot when we were there and praised him that he was there to help provide for him. He thanked us for visiting and providing donations to the center, though his biggest thanks was for just caring enough to spend time with those in his care. If there was ever a saint I met walking this earth, it would be Carlos from Catacamas. His "Yes" to God was the yes that moved this project forward. I only hope that if God ever gave me a clear request, I would say yes.
He's working on a hospital on the grounds which would include a surgical suite for really sick kids. Currently they have to go to the hospital in town in which if the child is going to die, they don't give the child a change. His wish is that when the surgical center is finished, if a child isn't going to survive the surgery, or if it doesn't look it, they will do their best to make the child comfortable and go out with dignity.
There are other children whose pictures I will be posting when I get back to the states of whose stories I dont know but deserve the care that all God's children deserve. One young girl had the sweetest smile and smiled at everyone who said hi.
Some of the children he has had in the past have sadly, died, but at least they found eternal rest in Heaven. Others have been adopted out, gracias a Dios!!!
Also, to keep the facility away from the government when he is forced to leave his work either by death or other causes, he has given the place to the children so that there will be no questions of where the children will end up when he's gone.
May God protect these children from any more harm and keep giving Carlos a loving and caring heart. May God provide rest for these children given to Carlos's care and that Carlos, being the hands of Christ, continue to his holy work. Amen.
This morning, friday, we delivered meds to a clinic in the mountains - went through jungle - first we had ever been in here in Honduras. We emerged a small mountain town which was absolutly breath taing. After delivering the meds there and at the clinic at the Hogar, we went to Osman's town called El Ocatal where we visited the community garden which was growing quite well and then visited the Casa de Osman (Home of Osman) in which we shared a coke and visited with his family including Osman's 13 year old daughter, Tatiana who is severly disabled (as disabled as a few of the Children we saw in Catacamas) - atrophied hands and non-vocal but has a really sweet smile and just loves vistors. Osman is a really great father to Tatiana, and her mother Laura is wonderful to her as well. Tatiana is close to the groups heart, espiacially since her father, Osman, works for Project Eden y Adelante. I was able to get a few photos posted of Tatiana and I that I will be posting at a later date back in the states when I have more time to do so (as well as posting them on facebook).
We will be doing some kind of assistance for Tatiana as well. The group is going to discuss it.
Gracias a Dios!!!
Miguelitto
Enough looking forward though - we have enought to talk about for the last two days...As much as I want to, I will make a final post in regards to pictures from Thursday and today, Friday.
Thursday was a special day, an emotional morning to the say the least. If I felt any closer to Christ that day it would have been if I was literally walking at his side. We went to visit Carlos in Catacamas. He is the Honduran Mother Theresa and a very saintly man.
About 10 years ago, Carlos lost his job as a teacher. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with his life until by random happenstance (most likely God's will for him) another man asked him to look after a child he had found abandoned in the montains of Honduras. Carlos said yes. I do believe that man, a friend of his, was an agent of the Lord, asking Carlos to do his work.
Carlos took in this young child and in doing so, opened the door to a wonderful, moving and emotional story. We visited his center on thursday, and almost all of us were on the verge of tears, if not crying (Jim and I let the tears flow). There were about 12 children presently in his care. The most he ever cared for was 22 at one time. His oldest was a young man of 17 and his youngest was a 16 month old girl named Lixy. I don't know all of the children's stories but the ones I do know are heart wrenching.
Lixy - the 16 month old girl - was given to Carlos because the family couldn't pay the 50 dollars a month price of her anti-seizure medications. She has been with them at this point for 3 months.
Bany has been with them a while - at least 4 years - and her story is - well its bringing me close to tears just thinking about it. There was a picture of her as a young kindergarten student - a picture of her kindergarten graduation - with a great smile. Suddenly, she became sick and had to be rushed to the hospital where it was shown her brain was atrophying. She now can't speak and is completly bed ridden - clearly not the same girl she used to be. At that point, the mothers boyriend said "its either Bany or me." - and thus Carlos came to be her caregiver.
Another girl was found living in the mountains trying her best to survive. She was sleeping on a wooden plank and also had clear disabilities.
The last story is of a girl - a girl whom really liked Jim - who was found in a pig sty eating the excrement in order to survive.
These are only a few of the stories but even these 4 are heart wrenching enough. For Carlos to say yes to this ministry is very, very moving. He could have said no. He could have said yes only to that one child. He could have run away after he got more. But he stays. He has teenage helpers who feed and care for the children but you can see by how he talks about the children, how he tears up when telling these stories, that he has put his all into this work. He praised Jesus Christ a lot when we were there and praised him that he was there to help provide for him. He thanked us for visiting and providing donations to the center, though his biggest thanks was for just caring enough to spend time with those in his care. If there was ever a saint I met walking this earth, it would be Carlos from Catacamas. His "Yes" to God was the yes that moved this project forward. I only hope that if God ever gave me a clear request, I would say yes.
He's working on a hospital on the grounds which would include a surgical suite for really sick kids. Currently they have to go to the hospital in town in which if the child is going to die, they don't give the child a change. His wish is that when the surgical center is finished, if a child isn't going to survive the surgery, or if it doesn't look it, they will do their best to make the child comfortable and go out with dignity.
There are other children whose pictures I will be posting when I get back to the states of whose stories I dont know but deserve the care that all God's children deserve. One young girl had the sweetest smile and smiled at everyone who said hi.
Some of the children he has had in the past have sadly, died, but at least they found eternal rest in Heaven. Others have been adopted out, gracias a Dios!!!
Also, to keep the facility away from the government when he is forced to leave his work either by death or other causes, he has given the place to the children so that there will be no questions of where the children will end up when he's gone.
May God protect these children from any more harm and keep giving Carlos a loving and caring heart. May God provide rest for these children given to Carlos's care and that Carlos, being the hands of Christ, continue to his holy work. Amen.
This morning, friday, we delivered meds to a clinic in the mountains - went through jungle - first we had ever been in here in Honduras. We emerged a small mountain town which was absolutly breath taing. After delivering the meds there and at the clinic at the Hogar, we went to Osman's town called El Ocatal where we visited the community garden which was growing quite well and then visited the Casa de Osman (Home of Osman) in which we shared a coke and visited with his family including Osman's 13 year old daughter, Tatiana who is severly disabled (as disabled as a few of the Children we saw in Catacamas) - atrophied hands and non-vocal but has a really sweet smile and just loves vistors. Osman is a really great father to Tatiana, and her mother Laura is wonderful to her as well. Tatiana is close to the groups heart, espiacially since her father, Osman, works for Project Eden y Adelante. I was able to get a few photos posted of Tatiana and I that I will be posting at a later date back in the states when I have more time to do so (as well as posting them on facebook).
We will be doing some kind of assistance for Tatiana as well. The group is going to discuss it.
Gracias a Dios!!!
Miguelitto
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Adios.
Vaya Con Dios
It's been a very special few days here at Project Eden/Adelante. We completed the garden in Tierra Blanca on Monday and Tuesday, and today we delivered medical supplies and school supplies to some of the remote villages. It is certainly the dry season, and there is dust on everything - clothes, hair, furniture, everywhere. So much to tell, so little time. Every day is humbling, uplifting, and a true gift from God. Going with the "One picture is worth a thousand words" theory - heres what has been going on:
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| Therese and Jay at morning Prayer Circle. A great way to start each day! |
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