Guide us waking and guard us sleeping

Today, our last full day here, began early with the morning devotional time, which is an all-school assembly led by one of the teachers, who says the opening prayers, followed by a presentation/sermon/inspirational speech by Doña Claudia. Then, we divided ourselves into teams of three to spend time in the classrooms. The students run the gamut. Some are great students, some have almost no interest, some were distracted to have us as visitors, others were motivated. From our perspective we saw determined, compassionate teachers who welcomed us, and who worked non-stop to teach and to love.

Some of the classroom time was interrupted by more furniture moving, which we did cheerfully, and by something else:  food shopping. Because El Hogar is "in between" kitchens we offered to buy the groceries to make 220 ham and cheese sandwiches. That´s a lot of white bread, mayonnaise, mustard, cheese, and ham!

By 10:30 we were loaded into the van and en route to the Agricultural School, a good hour´s drive  from town. Our tour there was thorough, but given our tight schedule, not as lengthy as we had hoped. I loved especially how clean the stalls were for the cows and the pigs, and we were all impressed by the School´s coffee cultivation.

A beautiful drive over the mountain ended in Valle de Angeles, a town near Santa Lucia where locals and toursists alike go for shopping and eating. We loaded up on goods for Epiphany´s Artisan Fair, and dashed back to El Hogar just in time to assemble the 220 sandwiches. Doña Claudia laughed to see the new kitchen inaugurated by a cookery of all men. Before too long we could see all the children lined up outside the new dining center. We said several prayers, then we sang Gracias, then, like unto a grand liturgical procession in some majestic cathedral,  the children marched into their new space to collect their sandwiches. We danced to the beat of the school´s marimba and drums, and wondered when the band will make their way to a 10:00 service at the Parish of the Epiphany. From there we loaded up two vans and headed to a Honduran restaurant where we hosted the Castro family, as well as five of the teachers at El Hogar who are celebrating their birthdays during October.

Yet that´s not all.

Long before we left Winchester this group of nine men met several times to raise money, to get acqainted, and to prepare for this mission. One of the commitments we made at those initial meetings was to pray every night that we were here at El Hogar. And so it was that on our very first night here, Saturday the 13th, we gathered on the narrow enclosed porch at the Volunteer House, sitting in Technical-School-Made adirondack chairs, and we prayed. Every night, all of us, all the time. The Prayer Books, a few of them literally vintage, were donated by the Church of the Holy Trinity in Ocean City, New Jersey, and since I had left all of our prayer material at home, I was especially relieved for this gift from Holy Trinity. There were exactly 9 books. Once we had dug them out of the little bookshelf in the sitting area off the kitchen, we sat quietly, opened the books and discovered that the ribbons were already marked to the office of Compline, the ancient late-night service used by monastic communities throughout generations. Compline has been our prayer every night.

The closing antiphon is from the Song of Simeon, the canticle we know best from Evensong: Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping; that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.

We said this office tonight for the last time. We said it strongly, led by Thom Fries, and we prayed with a fierce, in-the-body-sense that God has blessed us beyond measure. We prayed while picturing in our mind the faces and smiles, the tears and the love of the boys and girls who have befriended us, and we ended with an unswerving resolve to hold the teachers, the staff, and the board of directors in our hearts.

In that meeting with Doña Claudia (mentioned in an earlier blog post) two days ago we asked her how she keeps up her attitude of hope. She answered by admitting that it´s not always easy. Then she said, "But thanks God we can see Him working in the lives of these children every day. Thanks God." Later that afternoon I thanked her for her courage in answering the question so honestly, and for permitting us to see not only her vulnerability, but also her faith. I said, "your life is cruciform, cross-shaped, yes?" She nodded and said, "Yes, it is, but Christ is alive." How right she is, that Doña Claudia! Jesus lived out what was in him, and on that hill, on that cross, he reconciled everything that was at odds, in his own self and in those who surrounded him. He reconciled that which was supposedly irreconcilable. El Hogar does the same thing. And what of us, the people who are his disciples? We know, along with Doña Claudia and the young boys and girls at this school, that what happened there is not the end. Life broke through. It was not possible for death to hold Jesus. Indeed he is alive, and so is El Hogar, and so are the 9 of us who were here this week.

On the back of Doña Claudia´s car is a bumper sticker. It reads Jesus es tu amigo, Jesus is your friend. The men of this trip, this group of 9, were the incarnation of this statement.

As we get ready to return home, to you--our families and our church--I am unspeakably thankful for these "amigos." I believe we have witnessed here that no matter how cruciform shaped life is (ours, or these children's, or anybody's) love and hope transform us into new creations; the glory of friendship unites us in new bonds of affection and respect; and the grace of  Christ, who is alive and who is our friend, guides us waking and guards us sleeping. 

With love--ours and God´s,
Thomas

Day 6, El Hogar

The day started with the now morning requirement of seven AM assembly. We joined in a large circle with most of the children as roll was called. An inspirational story was read by the matron in charge as the remaining children filtered in. The story involved "tres hombres de negocios" (business men) and the team listened with all their might and managed to pick up about every third Spanish word. Returning to the guest house, we compared notes and found that we had nine different versions of the story. Our Spanish is improving but at a slow pace.

This was the day to visit the technical school at Ameriteca. The drive passed along a true super highway which is a big contrast with what I experiemced five years ago. We turned off of the superhighway a few kilometers before our destination and found the familiar rutted gravel road. The technical school campus appeared shortly and we unfolded ourselves fom the van to see an impressive completed set of buildings including the chappel which now boasts a mural which was just completed in 2010.

Our guide, Minor, was a former El Hogar student who spoke with an impressive command of English, thus releiving us from the use of our primitive Spanish. The technical shool director, Lazaro (sp?) a founder of El Hogar provided interesting accounts of the early daysat the school. He sais that he never dreamed that it would grow to be what it is today.

Our return to El Hogar put us back in work mode as we had to move the old kitchen to the nrw dining hall/kitchen. We almost completed that task, with the exception of a large gas oven which we moved out of the old building and into the new building, but not into the new kitchen. It is too large for the doorway and will await the installers which will come tomorrow.

Will (Guillermo)

Day 5 Bricks & Stumps

This morning`s started with the 7 am morning devotional, which today was a little different from Tuesday`s.  Professor Karen started with what sounded like a talk on friendship and confidence, and took two boys into the center of the circle and had them each in turn, fall backwards as she caught them.  This led in nicely to Donna Claudia magically appearing and quickly getting everyones attention as she introduced a student who, as we learned later, spoke to the kids about his current situation.  Jorge Alberto had been a model student until three months ago, when began brooding and being disruptive in class and at the school in general.  Not surprisingly, this led to a meeting with Claudia, where she learned he had returned from a home visit with his father very upset.  Claudia encouraged him to open about about his fears and concerns with her, and he realized that he was loved at El Hogar and by God.  This led to Jorge realizing he could talk with his family at El Hogar, and led him to want to speak to the group.  Being that our Spanish is weak, we didn`t understand everything, but the younger children listened intently as he explained how they could avoid making the same mistake he had made.  As an outsider, it`s pretty obvious that these children are part of something special, and they appreciate it all very much. Claudia, took our group after the morning devotional, and told us how many of the new children have never been hugged, or even been told that they are loved.  It certainly focused us as a team to what the true meaning of this trip is, and it left a very strong impression on everyone.

According to Raoul, the true meaning of our trip, today, was to get about a thousand bricks up the hill at the Santa Lucia site.  If we thought that shovelling dirt and mud for two days was as base a level of labor as could be had, imagine our joy at today`s activities.  Those of us "working the hill" each started with 3 or 4 bricks, hand carried up the hill.  Padre Thomas immediately grabbed 5, thus setting off a competition among the alpha males.  The limit  was reached at 8, but we quickly realized that 4 per haul was the right amount for SIX HOURS of hauling.  Meanwhile, those "working the house" continued with the cleaning and painting on the second floor, wrapping up their work late afternoon, leaving a beautifully painted house for the girls moving in next semester.  At this point, some of the hill crew and some house crew members got together to remove a stump from the pathway of the ever-extending stone (and brick) wall.  One chainsaw, one axe, one shovel, one pickaxe and three Episcopalians were defeated by the stump, for today.  If it is still there next year, we`ll be back with dynamite.

The day ended with Father Matt inviting us to stay for supper at his home on the grounds of the El Hogar girls school in Santa Lucia.  We were rewarded with a beautiful sunset over the hills of Tegucigalpa, accompanied by grilled burgers and cold, adult, beverages.  A good hard day of work.  Unfortunately, the children were in their dormitories by the time we returned and we are not able to play with them as we usually do after dinner.

Buenos noches from HAYE,
Bill W. and Tom H.

Honduras wins big!

Today was an eventful day. We attended our first morning assembly at 7 AM. The students arranged themselves in a square outside the classrooms, sang the national anthem, and Claudia spoke about various topics, from the recent holidays, to being a good citizen. She also announced that the kids would be allowed to watch the Honduras-Canada soccer match that afternoon. She introduced our group, asked Thomas to address the students while she translated, and sent the students off to class.

We went back to our dorm for our first non-pancake breakfast. Cornflakes with whole milk, which were very popular. We then boarded the van and Raul dazzled us with his driving ability and took us to Santa Lucia for day two of working on the girls' dorm. The weather was beautiful, along with the mountainous scenery. Thom and Rick moved outside to help fill in the trench next to the wall foundation, and Thomas and Josh went inside to help paint. When we started yesterday, the trench was about 40 feet long and eight feet deep in spots. Lots of shovels, picks, and a wheelbarrow helped us finish, along with loud rooster crows from the adjacent property.

The painters finished the downstairs bathroom and moved up the outside stairway to start in on the bedrooms. NO PINK! The sixth grade girls have made it clear that they want no pink in their new home, and we have to return a few gallons of pink paint we bought.

We worked straight through lunch hour so that we could watch the soccer match too. We could hear the vuvuzelas from the village as we sat down to watch the game with Matt and Raul. Honduras quickly took control, and the result was never really in doubt. They beat Canada, 8-1. There was at least one goal, header-to-diving header, that we think will be in the soccer highlight reels.

Raul drove us back just in time for a dinner of quesadillas, and then we went outside to play with the kids. Sidewalk chalk drawings, see-saw battles, children sledding as they were pulled on plastic crates, and volleyball without any net were all highlights. We met Julio and Mychael, sponsored by friends back home. We are still trying to iron out the logistics of the dorm keys, as we locked ourselves out, and Claudia had to rescue us.

Ed and Thom F

Day 3- El Hogar and Santa Lucia

Buenos Tardes,

Today, Lunes, was a busy day for the men´s team here in Honduras as we made our first of three trips to Santa Lucia, soon to be home to the first graduating class of young girls from El Hogar.  Although today was the start of a new work week, the schedule was a bit more relaxed as it was actually a holiday here in Honduras.  However, we were never quite clear on what exactly was being celebrated.  Regardless, it meant that the day started a bit later as there was no devotional to share with the kids to start as there will be on all other days.  After breakfast, Raul pointed us in the direction of a large pile of wood in the back of the buildings that was to be moved and loaded onto a truck to be taken to Santa Lucia later in the day.  The group teamed up along with about a half dozen eager boys, and we all moved many long and heavy planks through the campus and down to a waiting truck.

We then piled into the van and pulled away from El Hogar with many waves and smiles from children who were hanging around to see what happened.  Raul took us through the city on the way out of Tegucigalpu and towards the east.  The road took us out of town and into hills and valleys that steadily became more rural as we progressed.  The winding road led us into a beautiful area of the country that is home to Santa Lucia.  The girls school is through the picturesque town of the same name and accessed via a twisting and turning cobblestone road.  The van climbed steadily and squeezed past other vehicles and Raul amazingly delivered us to the site of the school which is nestled high in the hills overlooking the outskirts of Tegucigalpa.  The place is beautiful, just as a number of boys had told us it would be earlier in the day before we had left.  There are several buildings on approximately two acres of peaceful, private property that was acquired with the generous help of friends to El Hogar from Canada.  Matt Engelby is staying at Santa Lucia when he is in country and he was there to greet us.

Work is under way to ready the school for the first graduating class of girls who are scheduled to start classes in February of 2013.  There are 6 girls in the first class, and they are going to absolutely love their new home.  The team split up into two groups who worked on two different projects during the day.  Bill, Tom H., Thomas, Ed, and Josh worked all day shoveling wet, heavy soil from a large pile into a trench that had been dug along the boundry of the property for a new security wall that is going up.  This was difficult work, but the guys made great progress during the day.  Meanwhile, the other group went inside the dorm where the girls will live and began cleaning and then painting a bright new color on the walls.  The dorm is a great space with room to prepare and serve meals on the ground floor, and bedrooms on the second floor.  There is an outside staircase that takes you up to the bedrooms which are off a long and wide open porch that overlooks the valley.  It is stunning.

We broke at noon and made a quick trip back up to the small town center of Santa Lucia to meet the truck loaded with all the wood from El Hogar.  The truck was not able to make it through the tight and twisting streets to the campus.  So we unloaded wood from the truck and loaded it into the van while Raul engaged a friend of a friend of one the workers at the girls school to also load wood onto his very small pickup truck so that it all could be moved.  Wow, what a sight!  It is amazing that the resulting load did not shift and lead to disaster, but the driver skillfully delivered the load intact.  All this wood is going to be used for scaffolding which will be needed to finish the wall over the next couple of months.  After lunch, we finished up projects for the day and headed back to El Hogar.

This is what I had waited for all day.  I had not seen Cesar Yoel over the weekend as he spends his weekends at home.  I grabbed the photo book and cards that had been prepared at home, and went out to see if I could spot him.  It only took a few minutes and I recognized him right away.  I introduced myself and asked Cesar if we could sit together.  I then showed him the pictures and notes, and the letter from Henry whom he had met this past summer.  Kids gathered round and could not wait to look on with Cesar as he took it all in.  His shy personality gave way quickly to smiles as he recognized members of the family.  He also became an instant celebrity as all his friends wanted to see the photos as well.  It couldn´t have been a nicer way to end a busy day.

We are all enjoying our time here and look forward to a return trip to Santa Lucia tomorrow.  What a great day.

Hasta Manana, Rick

Day Two - Settling into El Hogar time

El Domingo was our first full day at El Hogar, and we tried hard to heed Liz Kinchen's advice to stow away the "Type A" personalities, live for the children and settle into “El Hogar” time.   As of day two of our mission trip, we still have a lot to learn about slowing down.  Sunday is the day to attend the Eucharist at the Cathedral, and we were dressed and ready to go an hour and a half early….still not getting the concept of calming down and relaxing.

At 10:15, 19 of us (the 10 adults and 9 children - chosen by Donna Claudia based on academic excellence or exemplary behavior) piled into El Hogar`s compact van for the frantic, winding drive to the Iglesias.  The Cathedral is a small, but bright, airy, modern church.  And with it`s Latin rock band music, modern sculptures of the Last Supper (which might have been been made at the Technical School), it’s a festive and energized community.    So festive that The Peace (La Paz) lasted long enough for everyone in the entire church to greet each other.

The highlight of the day for the kids was the visit to Pizza Hut, which is a great treat for them.  And there, connections were made that will last throughout he week and beyond.  Tom, Bill and Ed entertained the girls Madeline, Maria and Katia with a 19-game tic-tac-toe contest while Rich and Josh made friends with William, Cezar, Luiz and Dennis (a charming, outgoing and very intelligent boy of about 9).  Despite the language differences, we shared many laughs and Padre Thomas (who Tom Hamilton, has affectionately nicknamed “Padre Wiseguy”) commented "I've always wanted to have about 10 kids".  Today Thomas, you have your wish!

All 19 of us crammed back into the van to race back to El Hogar, where we finally DID settle down, and spent the remainder of the afternoon playing with the younger kids.  Ed and Rick were invited to anchor a raucous tug-of-war. And we all joined the kids on the "soccer field", (the concrete courtyard outside the  classrooms) where most of the kids play barefoot, but play with such passion, joy and gusto that they might be playing in the Word Cup. 

And as the kids settle into their Sunday routine of chores and dinner, we’re sitting down to our dinner in the Volunteer House for and an evening of laughs and good stories.  Tomorrow we hear we`re off to build a wall.

Greetings from Tom, Tom, and Tom, Rich and Rich, Bill and Bill, and Josh and Ed!

-Josh