Fishing at sunrise

Sunday, Nov. 30th

-- based on observations by Drew and Henk

Seven members of the group rose with the sun this morning so they could join several of the local fishermen on the waters of the Gulf of Fonseca… which were smooth as glass, with a slight overcast to keep down the heat. The fishermen in the two boats `cast their nets first to one side of the boat and then the other` and were rewarded with a sizable catch of various fish as well as several small sharks and sting rays which were immediately thrown back in. The fisherman determined that since the Carpenteros had done all the work – throwing out and hauling in the nets – that the catch belonged to them, and it was therefore decided that these fish should be distributed among the poor of the village.

At 8:00 am the “lazy bones” who had slept in, joined the other team members at Juanita’s home for breakfast. Since it is voting day (the Hondurans are selecting the candidates who will run in next year’s national election), no public gatherings are permitted and this includes church services. Instead, our group sat in the shade of Juanita’s side yard and conducted our own worship. After several songs and opening prayer, Drew read a sermon prepared by his brother-in-law, Rev. Bert Slofstra, which was based on Psalm 23. The familiar verses and inspirational words were even more meaningful as we sat in the beauty of God’s creation on this lovely, lovely island. We ended our worship with more singing – in English and Spanish. What a superb start to a superb day of rest.

After lunch, we hiked out to a remote beach and joined the local ladies of the Diaconia and a number of the village children for a refreshing swim. We then returned to the hotel for clean up and an excellent dinner. As is our custom after dinner, we gathered round the table for devotional time and discussions of our reactions and feelings of the trip thus far. This was truly a day that God had made and we were glad and rejoiced in it.

Saludos
Audrey

Cement Floors 101

(an observation of the construction process by Jim Bezemer)

One of our goals here on Tiger Island is to supply the local villagers with cement floors for their homes. As our pictures indicate, most homes are constructed with sticks and corrugated steel or plastic sheeting for walls; the roof joists are tree branches and the roofing material is usually clay tiles or more steel sheets. Since money is in extremely short supply, most homeowners cannot afford to supply a floor for their homes, which presents a number of health problems. While the ladies do sweep their dirt floors, they can never be cleaned properly and hold disease-causing bacteria that are transmitted to the occupants, and especially the toddlers who spend most of their time on the floor. In an effort to improve the lives and health of the local population, the Carpenteros believe that, after latrines and clean drinking water, one of the main priorities is to provide cement floors. This year we have committed to supplying twenty homes with cement floors.

The Diaconia Nacional/CRWRC, working with the local village leaders, decides which homes are to receive the floors. With funds supplied by the Carpenteros, the local representatives arrange for sand and gravel to be delivered to a few central areas near the main roads. The cement is delivered to, and stored in, the local community center. From these central drop-off points, each homeowner is allotted an appropriate amount of sand, gravel and cement, which must then be transported to the individual work sites. This is no small feat, since many of the homes are accessible only on foot. Many of the pathways are littered with boulders or follow steep inclines and, therefore, all these materials are carried on the backs of the local population. It is amazing to see women carry huge bags of sand and gravel on their shoulders or on their heads… it is even more incredible to see children as young as five or six years old carrying bags of sand that weigh almost as much as they do.

As Carpenteros, we hire local tradesmen to assist with our projects and to ensure that all the work is completed as promised, even if we run out of time on our visit. This year we have hired several local “masons” who are experts in how to construct, and more importantly, how to finish the floors so that they are smooth and waterproof. The Carpenteros group is divided into three teams in order to tackle three projects at once, and each team is assigned at least one mason to supervise the work and teach us the techniques used here.

Prior to our arrival at the work site (6:00 am), the homeowners are expected to have the home emptied of furniture and belongings. Sadly, this is generally not much more than a few hammocks, one or two plastic chairs, a table, a few shelves and, sometimes, a bed. Also in preparation for the work, the homeowner is expected to have water available for use in the cement mixing process. Virtually all the homes have a tap, however, water supply from the local well can be sporadic, so in anticipation of a possible interruption of water service, the homeowner fills up their “pila” (a water storage container similar to a laundry tub) prior to our arrival. In fact, they usually fill up every barrel, pail and bowl available! But sometimes we still run out of water, and then the lady of the house (and the children) will haul 5-gallon pails of water from a neighbor.

The homeowners are also expected to have their floor leveled and ready for the cement. This leveling is usually done with stone and soil. A number of the residents told us that they wanted a good base under the cement floor, so they spent up to a week breaking volcanic rocks (which are found everywhere on the island) with a hammer and placing them individually, in order to insure proper coverage. Some of our pictures show the results of their labor, which is a testament to their skill, pride of ownership and the importance placed on these new floors.

Once the Carpenteros team arrives at the work site, the first job is to find a level spot beside the home large enough to mix cement (not always an easy thing considering the local terrain). Next, we pile the required 40 shovels of sand, 20 shovels of gravel, and one bag of cement. This is all mixed together with several pails of water and the resulting concrete is then either wheel-barreled, or carried in pails, into the home where it is leveled under the direction of the mason. Again, some of our pictures will show how the perimeter of the room receives the concrete first, and when this sets it is used as a leveling point for the rest of the floor. Once the entire floor is poured and leveled, the mason finishes the concrete with a sponge and the final product is beautifully smooth and very easy to keep clean.

Standing back and looking over the finished floor gives us a real sense of accomplishment. The homeowners cannot express their gratitude enough, as they tell us of the difference this will make to them and their children. In a video taken here last year, one mother explained how her two-year-old son could not yet walk because she knew it was not healthy to let him crawl on the floor, so he spent his time sitting in a hammock. Once she received her new cement floor, she placed her son on it and within weeks he was toddling about the home. That is thanks enough!!

Three important lessons

Saturday, November 29 -- submitted by Christine Schaafsma

Another sunny start to the day!


The cement mixing was already underway at 6:15 am for the two floors to be done before lunch. Ken, Henk and Audrey attended the kindergarten graduation ceremony in Tiguilotada in the morning and handed out some of the pencil cases collected at the Spirit and Sport Dinner.

After lunch we all met the members of the new credit union in Islitas and were encouraged by their enthusiasm, as they are stepping forward in faith and action. We were all blessed by this meeting.



Things I have learned today:
(1) Tall people must duck when leaving certain homes to avoid head injuries;
(2) Friday night is party night at the hotel… for others, but not for us who have to get up at 5:30 am;
(3) Top soil has no place in the cement mixing process according to Henk!

Greetings to you all,
Christine

Graduation

Today we had the honour of witnessing a very special graduation ceremony. The community centre, which a team of Carpenteros roofed in 2006, is home to a pre-school, junior and senior kindergarten. The twenty-one children attend from 8:00 to 11:00 am each day, under the supervision of Katrina, their teacher. Ken and Henk are looked upon as the “patrons” of the kindergarten in Tiguilotada – you might say they are the godfathers of the graduating class.

Ken brought greetings from all the Carpenteros and wished the children well as they move on to “a new school” in February. Henk spoke to the seven graduates and told them that there are three important things they need to remember: they must keep God in their hearts, keep their families at their sides and continue as far as they can with their schooling. “Los Patrinos” then presented the little graduates with their diplomas and class photos as well as gifts from the Diaconia Nacional and the Carpenteros.

Audrey

"Having the time of my life"

Friday, November 28 – submitted by Cheryl Nethercott

Hi Everyone!

Today was an amazing day, filled with lots to see and do. We started our morning at 6:00am and worked until breakfast at 8:00 am. If the team was tired from the day before no one showed it and everyone put in 110 % in right from the get go. After breakfast we went to a high school graduation and were shown a hotel and reforestation projects that has great potential for the island’s future.

After the visiting the high school we all returned to our team jobsites and worked for a couple of hours before breaking for lunch. The afternoon was very good as we all accomplished a lot. By the end of the day we had completed pouring four concrete floors for four different families. Not only was it a great feeling to know that we accomplished that much in one day but to know that we did it together with our teammates and with the local community.


One of the best experiences I think I will ever have happened today. I was so scared before coming on this trip that the language barrier would prevent me from doing a good job or being able to have a conversation with people in Honduras, but man was I ever wrong! Today I learned that it doesn’t matter what country you come from or what language you speak; if there is a common goal you can do anything. I have never poured concrete in my life, let alone help a mason smooth the concrete and then level it off. We couldn’t speak to each other as we didn’t understand each other’s language, but we communicated with hand signals and whistles. I learned so much about the job from a man that I couldn’t say one thing to. It was so incredible, and I guess that sometimes the best teachers are the ones that don’t say anything at all.

I’m having the time of my life here; I couldn’t have asked to be part of a better team. Everyone here puts their heart and soul into everything that they do, whether it is working on the jobsite, talking to the people or just playing with the children. I honestly can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring and what other lessons God is waiting to show us.

Just on a closing note that you all might enjoy back home.

On the way back to the hotel our taxi got a flat tire and the poor driver said that was the second one that day. The funny part was that it happened outside of a school, and the kids all stood watching all these crazy Canadians pointing, looking and taking pictures of this flat tire. So don’t worry we are representing Canada for all of you back home!!

Take Care,
Cheryl

“Spiders in Your Bed”

Thurs., Nov. 27th

Hola mi amigos!!

Last night, during our devotional gathering, Ken asked the “first-timers” for their first impressions of the island and its peoples. All four indicated that they were pleasantly surprised that the local people seemed to accept us so readily and were so willing to help out with the work we did. Cheryl said that, while she was tired, she had a good feeling about the things they had accomplished and she very enjoyed playing with the children during breaks. Auk expressed gratitude to the locals for helping so much with her “mini team”.

Drew told us how much fun he had working with the local men – during breaks they tried to guess each other’s ages and weights and this resulted in mostly wrong answers, much laughter… and new friends! Christine met with Gloribel, the visiting health nurse, and was looking forward to the clinics they would hold for the ladies and children.

We were up with the chickens this morning, and anyone who has been here, knows that’s pretty early!! We poured three more floors in Tiguilotada and Christine lead the health clinic in the afternoon, which was attended by about 40 children and 20 mothers.

The children were all given a toothbrush with a squirt of toothpaste and a paper cup with water. They were then shown the proper way to brush and they got to keep their toothbrushes. While the kids colored their “happy tooth” sheets, Christine demonstrated to the mothers the various aspects of basic first aid, including treatment of burns, sprains and cuts; how to perform the Heimlich Maneuver on adults, children and infants and also how to perform CPR. She felt that the clinic went very well, with several of the mothers asking pertinent questions and all seeming to understand that sanitation is very necessary.

Walking around the village at lunch and after work, I saw that there were pens for some of the pigs and others were tethered to trees, which is a definite improvement over letting them run loose. The swing set at the community centre sees a lot of activity as did the various games the Carpenteros brought out at breaks – snakes and ladders was the biggest hit, followed closely by jacks, skipping ropes and Frisbees.

After dinner, devotions were centred on Psalm 139 and entitled “Spiders in Your Bed”. We basically discussed that on our trips, we should expect the unexpected but not expect that things will be like back home. This is where the Carpenteros’ ninth beatitude comes from… Blessed are the flexible for they will not snap!

Buenas noches
Audrey

PS: Thank you for your comments to date. We have included a few more pics with this entry, but it takes 10 minutes to upload each one, so bear with us. For those of you trying to find us on GoogleEarth, simply type in Amapala, Honduras and our hotel is about 1km east of the big dock and are working on the far south end of the island.

Big Smiles, Bigger Hugs

Wednesday, Nov 26

We have finally accessed an Internet cafe in downtown Amapala. So, hopefully we will be able to maintain regular reports for the rest of our trip.

We left Tegucigalpa at 6 am, and after stopping for lunch and our last ice cream cones, we arrived at the Coyolito dock at 10 am and said goodbye to Gregorio and Byron until next week. Two ferry boats brought us directly to our hotel dock and we quickly checked in,changed and drove to Tiguilotada for lunch at Juanita's. Here we were joined by Gloribel, Noel and Lisa of the Diaconia. The clouds that covered the interior, have dissipated and it is about 90F under clear blue skies.

After a fine feast of fish, teams were assigned to three homes to pour concrete floors. Each team has their own translator and mason as well as help from the home owners, so we hope that these floors will be completed today. Tomorrow, we plan to complete three more floors and Christine will assist Gloribel in conducting a health clinic.

I am feeling a bit guilty, as I am sitting in a cool Internet cafe, with a fan blowing breezes on my back, while the rest of the group is mixing concrete in the blazing sun, but my time will come! Please be assured that we are not working your loved ones too hard, as they have specific instructions to rest as often needed and interact with the villagers... building our relationships with them is far more important than building their floors or latrines!

It has been so heartwarming to see these people again, and their big smiles and even bigger hugs show us that they are glad to see us as well. We are looking forward to spending the next days here and visiting with our amigos.

Hasta from Honduras
Audrey

"El grupo" arrives in Honduras - Nov. 25th

Safely in Honduras

Tuesday, Nov 25/08

Greetings to all from the Carpenteros in Honduras – Henk Schilthuis, Andrew and Christine Schaafsma, Auk Vandertuin, Cheryl Nethercott, Ken Vanderlaan, Jim and Audrey Bezemer, Keith Jones, Steve and Jordan Fox.

After a prayer circle and a gracious send-off by ten of our fellow Carpenteros, we were driven by Kevin, Joseph and Isaiah as well as Dave vdM to Pearson International, via Tim Horton’s. Check in and clearing US Customs went off with no hitches and we departed on schedule. The pilots made good time, so we arrived in Miami 20 minutes early and had time for a quick coffee and/or snacks before boarding the next leg of the flight.

Fairly clear skies over Key West and Cuba, gave way to clouds at the Central American coast. We broke through the cloud layer as we descended, between the mountains, into Tegucigalpa… then came a long left turn and touch down. Again, we were able to quickly clear Customs and retrieve our baggage. Ana Joya of the CRWRC, Delia of Diaconia Nacional, our “hermano” Gregorio Sanchez, and our translators Santos and Carlos were waiting for us and made quick work of loading us and our bags into the pick-up and passenger vans. The weather here was sunny and about 22C, but it has now cooled considerably.

After dropping our luggage at the Mision Caribbe B & B, we headed over to the local Pizza Hut for lunch and then back in order to relax for a while. Some of the group members spent time writing journal entries, perusing pictures from last year’s trip or playing ping-pong and foosball with our hosts. Byron, from CRWRC, lead an orientation meeting during which he outlined the programs and partner agencies of CRWRC in Honduras. Delia then thanked us for our visit and for all the work and support of the Carpenteros group. She presented a short video of past and current Diaconia Nacional projects, particularly those supported by the Carpenteros. She then went on to outline our projects for the coming two weeks. Ana then showed a short video prepared by ASJ detailing some of the problems in the Cofradia land dispute, which has lead to three local leaders being murdered and hundreds of inhabitants being evicted from the their homes. ASJ is working to force the government to enforce the good existing laws in order to stop the violence. We were told that while the government does not seem to have the political will to improve the situation, there are people within their organization who will fight to protect the rights of the poor. They ask that we pray for their workers and that God will give them a positive outcome.

It has been a very long, but very good day. We were grateful for those of you who got up in the wee hours of this morning to see us off and we were so pleased to see our friends on our arrival. We thank God we have arrived safely and ask for your prayers for continued traveling mercies as we head to Isla de Tigre early tomorrow morning.

We have been trying to send this report to the web blog page however they tell us that the city-wide internet service is down today. We will have to try again tomorrow. Blessed are the flexible for they will not snap.

Hasta la vista

Audrey Bezemer

They're off!

Twenty-five people gathered in the Fellowship Hall of Calvary Christian Reformed Church, Flamborough in the wee morning hours on Tuesday, November 25 to pray for God's blessing and protection upon the team of Carpenteros who were departing for Honduras. The Hamilton-area group will meet up in Miami with the Windsor team, who are flying out of Detroit. The full team will then travel to Teguciagalpa, where they will be met by Ana Joya from CRWRC. The team will then travel to Tigre Island, on the Pacific coast of Honduras, where they will be meeting with micro-credit cooperatives, pouring concrete floors for the homes of local residents, and solidifying the relationships started by previous teams. If internet access is available on Tigre Island, Audrey Bezemer (and possibly others) will be posting regular updates on the team's progress. Readers of this blog are also asked to post their comments of support and encouragement for those in Honduras.
Via con Dios, Carpenteros, and we hope to hear from you soon!

Pre-departure Prayer Gathering

Every Carpenteros' work trip begins with prayer. If you wish to join the trip participants for the prayer circle prior to their departure for the airport, please meet in the parking lot of Calvary Christian Reformed Church, Highway 8 at Middletown Line, Flamborough, on Tuesday, November 25 at 3:15 a.m.

Destination - Tigre Island

Another 'Carpenteros and Friends' team is leaving November 25 for Tigre Island, on the Pacific coast of Honduras. Here they will be pouring concrete floors and building latrines, visiting credit unions supported by the Carpenteros and hope to return, D.V, on December 9.

We are asking for your prayers during these two weeks as the country will have its National elections on Sunday, November 30. No large public gatherings are permitted on election day, which also means that church services are forbidden to take place that day. Please watch this blog and the Carpenteros' website as we hope to post regular reports directly from this work team.