Bridgemans in Honduras 2011!

Finally! It's been weeks since I've made a post-- mostly because I was planning to write about sustainability in missions and our three weeks of training at Missions Training International in Colorado-- but that might take forever. So, I'll just start with our first 24 hours in Honduras-- and publish those posts later.

We returned from Colorado on July 15th to a whirlwind two weeks of goodbyes and packing. The photo above is our commissioning by our home church on Sunday July 31st, our last full day in the US. Packing continued all the way up to ten minutes after we should have left for the airport-- but we made it. The photo below is Jay around 12:30am on August 1st, disassembling our bikes for transport on the container. My hero-- I love my blue bicycle and wanted very much to bring it with us.

Our "packing" involved separating all of our worldly goods into five piles. Two piles staying in Hershey: one pile for our renter (including all our furniture and kitchen items and linens) and one pile for storage in our basement. Three piles going to Honduras: ten suitcases brought down by a short term team on July 19th, twelve suitcases that we brought with us, and a container of items that will be shipped on a container that will come in about three months. It was very complex, but we had lots of help and are glad it's all done!

We packed all night. At 5am on Monday August 1st, Danielle Do stopped by for a goodbye before work. And the Bushman family came to help us get to the airport using a truck and an extra car. Here is Abigail saying goodbye to her best friend Zoe Bushman.

When we pulled up to the airport curb at 5:30am, eleven friends from church were waiting to bring our 12 suitcases and footlocker to the Delta counter where another church friend helped us check our twelve sometimes-overweight bags for free with the compliments of the airline.

From the left, Jay, Gary Garber, Jason Holmes, Jelly Holmes, John Holmes, Steve KEbede (at the counter) Kathy Leonzo, Mike Leonzo, Shari Holmes, Sherry Harr, and Sheila Shaffer.

Sheila Shaffer, Tanyetchka George, and Heidi Garber.

Mike and Kathy had special passes to help us through security and see us all the way to the gate to board our flight to Atlanta. As he gave me one last hug, Mike told me that my shirt was on inside out.

We left Harrisburg at 6:45am, got to Atlanta by 8:15am, and San Pedro Sula around noon (we are in Central Standard time, but don't have Daylight Savings-- so, in the summer, we are effectively Mountain Standard time). Getting our luggage seemed daunting with the crowd and confusion, but a porter was sent by Ruth Castro (Executive Director of CURE Honduras) to look for us and help us through customs! Everything made it including our special booster seats donated by Clek!

What a comfort and relief to see Danny and Ruth Castro waiting for us outside of customs. Danny is the retired spritual director for CURE Honduras. Jay has known them for years-- and the girls and I know them from our trip in 2009. Also waiting for us back at the hospital was Ned Schwentker (emeritus professor of pediatric orthopedics from Hershey-- who we met in Kenya in 2000) who is here for two weeks to help us settle and orient to Honduras as the hospital work.

Outside, two CURE vehicles and our friend Catto were waiting to take our luggages back to the hospital about 15 minutes away.

What a blessing! Charlotte, who is very particular about who holds her, loved Ruth. You can't tell from the constantly serious-grumpy face-- but the fact that she's not screaming means that she's thrilled!

It was fantastic to come back to the familiar hospital where we will be staying until we choose a school and a house. Since I recorded most of our first impressions with our last trip, I will refer you to the earlier posts (on this blog) from 2009 to see photos of the apartment and the people.

After a delicious lunch prepared by Gina, we became Honduran right away by taking a siesta.

After the siesta, we went out with Ned to a local grocery store for some diapers and wipes-- and for dinner at Power Chicken, a local Honduran chain with roasted chicken served with mayo and other local delights. Abigail felt quite dizzy and sick after our exhausting day, needing some reassurance. But she felt better by bedtime and the familiar activity of reading Calvin and Hobbes with Daddy. Charlotte is brushing her teeth.

We all needed a good night of sleep. We got up a bit before six. Jay went to the hospital devotions. The girls and I made some scrambled egg and had them with papaya and pineapple. Here is Abigail setting the table for breakfast.

After breakfast, Jay, Ruth, and Grace (CURE Clubfoot program director) joined us for our first school visit. En route, a phone call made us realize that the school had forgotten our appointment. So we drove by the big international school (known locally as EIS)-- and were allowed in to walk around with our friends. It was beautiful. This is the computer center in the library.

The library which has mostly English books.

One of the reading corners.

Walking by the school store just outside the library. The library has a Subway shop just outside with Wifi.

The primary school cafeteria. The students are 97% Honduran with a large number of the "other" students being third-generation Arab.

The seating area for the primary school cafeteria.

The primary school courtyard with classrooms on two levels. Each classroom has a smartboard. Each class has a teacher and a teacher's assistant.

Another view of the courtyard.

A view from the school parking lot.

We went grocery shopping after the visit. We saw lots of American brands of foods that are familiar-- and they even have the Chinese brand of soy sauce that I use for cooking!

We plans to go back to EIS for our appointment tomorrow-- and then to their smaller sister campus (has grades K-8 only) for testing tomorrow afternoon. And the postponed visit to Santa Maria Valle at 4:30pm

We had lunch at the hospital along with all the hospital employees who eat their big midday meal here. Rice, spiced but not spicy chicken, lightly dressed salad, and tortillas. Watermelon-vanilla juice.

And they even procured and cleaned up a high chair for Charlotte.

After a few more school visits, we will make that important decision-- please pray for wisdom for us. And after we have that settled (school begins in the middle of the month), then we will work on a furnished rental house. Ruth has determined that we will need to live in a gated community for safety. And she says that there are often parks and playground inside the gates that will be good for the children-- as well as being safe enough for bike rides!