Greetings!
I apologize for the amount of grammatical/spelling errors in the last post! I re-read it, and was very embarrassed at the amount of mistakes I made! I went back and edited the post, so hopefully it will be more understandable for everyone now!
It’s been a long while since I’ve written, and I apologize yet again. As I’m sure many of you know, I came down with a virus called Dengue. The virus has slowed me down considerably, and has definitely made day to day life quite a bit more difficult. I am recovering very well, and I expect to be back to business within the next day or so. I really appreciate all the prayer support, without which I’m sure my recovery would have been less speedy.
There is quite a bit of new news, so I’ll jump right in and get started.
About two weeks ago we had a new arrival, a thirteen year old girl, seven months pregnant. Her name is Merlina, and she is an absolutely gorgeous girl. Her baby is due September 1st, so unfortunately Chaunte and I won’t be here to welcome the new boy or girl. Merlina is very happy to be here at Casa Grande. I rarely see her without a smile on her face, and I can tell that she has adjusted very quickly. The other girls were very friendly and receptive towards her, and they include her in all the daily activities. Merlina is a very shy girl, so it took me a while to break the ice with her. I believe the Coke and chips I bought her is what finally did it! Shortly thereafter she started greeting me every day (by the title “Tia Leandrie), and giving me hugs. We are able to hold short conversations, but my Spanish is still a little rough! It has been so nice to get to know her. Her story is very sad, and one that I unfortunately don’t have time to share at this moment.
We have had two new mission teams come and go. The first team did dental work on all the girls, and the children, and spent most of their time at Casa Grande. This is unusual for a team to do, because Barry and Penny Compton run two other big projects as well. Usually the teams divide their time between the feeding station, orphanage, and girl’s home, but this team’s main focus was to spend time with the girls. The next team was a construction team that took a HUGE chunk out of the work that was being done at the orphanage. They completely tiled two casitas, and put in toilets and sinks. They were here at the girl’s home some of the time, but their main focus was to get the construction projects finished. There is one more team coming in- a team ballet dancers. They arrive tomorrow, and plan on teaching the girls a dance, which the girls will hopefully be able to learn in time to perform before the team has to leave. These dancers are all teenage girls, who compete on a national level in the States. The girls here at the Casa Grande are ecstatic about the chance to learn a dance. Chaunte and I are also very excited to meet the girls, and can’t wait to see their dancing!
The house mother, Tia Nilda, as returned from her vacation quite refreshed. She has unfortunately come down with a stomach bug of some sort, so if you could keep her in your prayers, that would be fantastic. The girls are almost done with school for the summer, and I can tell they are getting very restless. Many of them are slacking on their school work, and it has been a struggle to keep them motivated. Hopefully they will realize the importance of finishing their school year strong, and with good grades. Their education is after all a very important part of their futures. Without it they will just return to the same situations and messes they were in before Gates of Hope.
I don’t have time to write all I want to, but I hope that this post has given you a good overview of where we’re standing.
We love you, and are so thankful for all the support!
Dios Le Bendiga!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Working Together
Hi Everyone!
I will try to make this update a little more detailed than some of the previous ones.
Firstly I would like to give a more detailed account of Gates of Hope (Casa Grande)
Gates of hope is a home for sexually abused girls. It’s a safe haven for the girls to live in , get an education, and raise their children in an abuse free environment. Most of the girls here are between the ages of 13 and 17. There are currently ten girls living here, five of the girls have children. Each girl has her own traumatic story, and all of the girls are still working through that trauma. The goal of the missionaries is to equip the girls with the proper tools they need to go out into the world, and to be successful in whatever they pursue. These tools are education, and homemaking skills. The most important thing the missionaries hope the girls take with them, is a personal relationship with Jesus, and a desire to serve Him for the rest of their lives.
This past Friday was “yard work day” here at the Casa. Two men came out to cut the lawn (about 2.5 acres of property) using only weed whackers! After the grass was cut, we all went out to rake the grass, pick up trash, and pretty up the yard. Chaunte and I are not the biggest fans of yard work, just ask our parents, but we decided right away, that we were going to make the time of work enjoyable. So we donned our working outfits and hats, and put on huge smiles. We went around whooping and hollering in an attempt to get the girls excited about the work. They were rather skeptical at our attitudes at first, but we must have done something right, because before long they were all laughing along with us. It made the hot work allot easier, and we were done before we knew it. The yard looked stunning when we were done, and I believe all the girls felt proud of their accomplishment. It was so much fun to work together with the girls, and joke around. All the girls are very comfortable with us, and we were constantly teasing each other. After wards we treated the girls with sodas and watermelon.
On Saturday we decided it was time for another yard project. Missionary Allen Tedder had the brilliant idea of building a fire pit so that the girls would have a place to roast marshmallows and hot dogs. For this project we decided to ask for volunteers, instead of enlisting all the girls in the work. Most of the girls were very eager to help, and we got started right away. This was probably the most fun any of us have had working together here in Honduras. We used a wheelbarrow to cart rocks and small boulders to the spot where the pit would be. These girls have got some major muscles going on; I’m amazed at the strength they used to heave the rocks. We had a blast pushing the wheelbarrow, and each other in it! One of the girls helped dig the pit, while the others placed rocks around it. It was a good two hour project, but the end result was amazing. Saturday night we bought chocolate, gram crackers, and marshmallows, and taught the girls how to make smores’. The girls enjoyed themselves immensely. It was so touching to see them laugh with each other, and cuddle with their children around the fire. One of the girls started to sing “Open The Eyes of My Heart Lord” in Spanish, and before long we had a beautiful chorus of voices signing in the night. It was such a blessing to see the teamwork and unity the girls had throughout the entire process. The girls came to us after wards, expressing their thanks for the night’s enjoyment.
The girls are enjoying our devotion time at nights very much. I have talked to the girls about many things, but the main message I want to get across, is that they can do whatever they set their minds to. These girls have been taught that they are worthless junk solely for the use of a man’s abuse. We are trying our hardest to break that mindset, and cycle of depression. These girls all have such potential, and I believe that God has an amazing plan for each and every one of their lives. My hope is that by the time we leave the message that they do have value, and that they are important will be drilled into their heads and hearts. After each devotion we have a short time of worship. The girls have such powerful voices and they put real soul into their songs. It is very touching to see them worship together. They don’t always get along with each other; after all they are ten teenagers sharing the same house! But when they sing, they are united. I can’t describe the love I have for these girls. I feel so blessed to be able to live amongst them. Other mission teams only see the good side of the girls, but Chaunte and I witness their true colors.
I want to thank each of you for your comments and prayers! We are amazed at the amount of followers we have accumulated, and hope that our blog posts serve as a blessing to you. Please pray for unity within the house. There have been some small cat fights the last three days or so. Also pray for safe travel for the new group arriving tomorrow.
That is all the news for now!
Thanks for reading!
Love you guys,
Leandrie.
I will try to make this update a little more detailed than some of the previous ones.
Firstly I would like to give a more detailed account of Gates of Hope (Casa Grande)
Gates of hope is a home for sexually abused girls. It’s a safe haven for the girls to live in , get an education, and raise their children in an abuse free environment. Most of the girls here are between the ages of 13 and 17. There are currently ten girls living here, five of the girls have children. Each girl has her own traumatic story, and all of the girls are still working through that trauma. The goal of the missionaries is to equip the girls with the proper tools they need to go out into the world, and to be successful in whatever they pursue. These tools are education, and homemaking skills. The most important thing the missionaries hope the girls take with them, is a personal relationship with Jesus, and a desire to serve Him for the rest of their lives.
This past Friday was “yard work day” here at the Casa. Two men came out to cut the lawn (about 2.5 acres of property) using only weed whackers! After the grass was cut, we all went out to rake the grass, pick up trash, and pretty up the yard. Chaunte and I are not the biggest fans of yard work, just ask our parents, but we decided right away, that we were going to make the time of work enjoyable. So we donned our working outfits and hats, and put on huge smiles. We went around whooping and hollering in an attempt to get the girls excited about the work. They were rather skeptical at our attitudes at first, but we must have done something right, because before long they were all laughing along with us. It made the hot work allot easier, and we were done before we knew it. The yard looked stunning when we were done, and I believe all the girls felt proud of their accomplishment. It was so much fun to work together with the girls, and joke around. All the girls are very comfortable with us, and we were constantly teasing each other. After wards we treated the girls with sodas and watermelon.
On Saturday we decided it was time for another yard project. Missionary Allen Tedder had the brilliant idea of building a fire pit so that the girls would have a place to roast marshmallows and hot dogs. For this project we decided to ask for volunteers, instead of enlisting all the girls in the work. Most of the girls were very eager to help, and we got started right away. This was probably the most fun any of us have had working together here in Honduras. We used a wheelbarrow to cart rocks and small boulders to the spot where the pit would be. These girls have got some major muscles going on; I’m amazed at the strength they used to heave the rocks. We had a blast pushing the wheelbarrow, and each other in it! One of the girls helped dig the pit, while the others placed rocks around it. It was a good two hour project, but the end result was amazing. Saturday night we bought chocolate, gram crackers, and marshmallows, and taught the girls how to make smores’. The girls enjoyed themselves immensely. It was so touching to see them laugh with each other, and cuddle with their children around the fire. One of the girls started to sing “Open The Eyes of My Heart Lord” in Spanish, and before long we had a beautiful chorus of voices signing in the night. It was such a blessing to see the teamwork and unity the girls had throughout the entire process. The girls came to us after wards, expressing their thanks for the night’s enjoyment.
The girls are enjoying our devotion time at nights very much. I have talked to the girls about many things, but the main message I want to get across, is that they can do whatever they set their minds to. These girls have been taught that they are worthless junk solely for the use of a man’s abuse. We are trying our hardest to break that mindset, and cycle of depression. These girls all have such potential, and I believe that God has an amazing plan for each and every one of their lives. My hope is that by the time we leave the message that they do have value, and that they are important will be drilled into their heads and hearts. After each devotion we have a short time of worship. The girls have such powerful voices and they put real soul into their songs. It is very touching to see them worship together. They don’t always get along with each other; after all they are ten teenagers sharing the same house! But when they sing, they are united. I can’t describe the love I have for these girls. I feel so blessed to be able to live amongst them. Other mission teams only see the good side of the girls, but Chaunte and I witness their true colors.
I want to thank each of you for your comments and prayers! We are amazed at the amount of followers we have accumulated, and hope that our blog posts serve as a blessing to you. Please pray for unity within the house. There have been some small cat fights the last three days or so. Also pray for safe travel for the new group arriving tomorrow.
That is all the news for now!
Thanks for reading!
Love you guys,
Leandrie.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Just another update..
Hello to all!
Sorry that I have taken so long to write this update, we have been extremely busy for the past few days, and I have not had time up until now.
Most of the political drama seems to have blown over, and things seem to be running as they always have here in Tocoa. Honduras was issuing curfews for 6:00 every evening for the past week or so, but I believe last night was the last of these. I’m sure the local businesses are very grateful that the curfews are coming to an end, I’m sure many of the businesses suffered financial loss.
A new team from Kansas arrived on Saturday evening. The girls and their children here at Casa Grande are always ecstatic when new members arrive. This means lots of attention and gifts for them. The blonder the American, the better! The girls are absolutely crazy about fair skinned, light haired “gringos” They are very affectionate, and are constantly hugging and kissing us. I love to watch the interaction between the new members and the girls. There is always some shyness at first, but the ice is easily broken, and bonds are formed very quickly.
Chaunte and I have really started to build relationships with the girls. Missionaries Michelle and Allen are absolutely adored by the girls. They are very genuine and loving. I believe that they are like parents to the girls and their children. They know how to balance discipline and fun perfectly, and are definitely spirit led people. I believe that they represent stability in the lives of these girls. Chaunte and I are like sisters to the girls here. Its amazing how attached I’ve become to them in such a short period of time. I am starting to become aware of their likes, dislikes, talents and dreams. The girls here are all so different from each other, and each one has her own unique talents. It breaks my heart to see such wonderful talent (art and dancing for instance) that is just too expensive to harness. There is one girl in particular that has a beautiful dancing ability, and if she could be signed up for dance lessons, she would be absolutely amazing. Another girl has amazing artistic abilities, but yet again she needs training to reach full potential.
Chaunte really surprised me when she took the initiative to start exercise classes with the girls in the mornings! It started out as a personal thing for her, and then she invited a few of the girls to join her, and before long most of the girls were doing crunches, and stretches! It has become a daily thing now, and the girls have a blast working out with her in the mornings. I plan on starting devotions with the girls in the evenings. I would love to do it first thing the morning with the girls, but that is a very busy time of the day for them, and inconvenient with little ones that are whining and fussing. I’ve decided to start at around 8:15 in the evenings, by which time the girls have showered, put their babies in bed, and had some free time of their own. Kayla, one of the girls here, is from Belize, and can speak English perfectly. She has agreed to help translate for me. Please pray that the devotions will speak to the girls, and plant a desire in their hearts to spend time with God. They are so busy with chores, school and their children, that I think they become discouraged to read their bibles and pray. Hopefully our time in the evenings will help motivate them.
Thanks again for all your kind comments. We love hearing from you, and your prayers are greatly appreciated.
Please continue praying for us as we stay here. Spiritual warfare is so real here, almost to the point that it is frightening. We rely on God constantly, and need all the prayer we can get.
Love you guys!
In Christ,
Leandrie.
Sorry that I have taken so long to write this update, we have been extremely busy for the past few days, and I have not had time up until now.
Most of the political drama seems to have blown over, and things seem to be running as they always have here in Tocoa. Honduras was issuing curfews for 6:00 every evening for the past week or so, but I believe last night was the last of these. I’m sure the local businesses are very grateful that the curfews are coming to an end, I’m sure many of the businesses suffered financial loss.
A new team from Kansas arrived on Saturday evening. The girls and their children here at Casa Grande are always ecstatic when new members arrive. This means lots of attention and gifts for them. The blonder the American, the better! The girls are absolutely crazy about fair skinned, light haired “gringos” They are very affectionate, and are constantly hugging and kissing us. I love to watch the interaction between the new members and the girls. There is always some shyness at first, but the ice is easily broken, and bonds are formed very quickly.
Chaunte and I have really started to build relationships with the girls. Missionaries Michelle and Allen are absolutely adored by the girls. They are very genuine and loving. I believe that they are like parents to the girls and their children. They know how to balance discipline and fun perfectly, and are definitely spirit led people. I believe that they represent stability in the lives of these girls. Chaunte and I are like sisters to the girls here. Its amazing how attached I’ve become to them in such a short period of time. I am starting to become aware of their likes, dislikes, talents and dreams. The girls here are all so different from each other, and each one has her own unique talents. It breaks my heart to see such wonderful talent (art and dancing for instance) that is just too expensive to harness. There is one girl in particular that has a beautiful dancing ability, and if she could be signed up for dance lessons, she would be absolutely amazing. Another girl has amazing artistic abilities, but yet again she needs training to reach full potential.
Chaunte really surprised me when she took the initiative to start exercise classes with the girls in the mornings! It started out as a personal thing for her, and then she invited a few of the girls to join her, and before long most of the girls were doing crunches, and stretches! It has become a daily thing now, and the girls have a blast working out with her in the mornings. I plan on starting devotions with the girls in the evenings. I would love to do it first thing the morning with the girls, but that is a very busy time of the day for them, and inconvenient with little ones that are whining and fussing. I’ve decided to start at around 8:15 in the evenings, by which time the girls have showered, put their babies in bed, and had some free time of their own. Kayla, one of the girls here, is from Belize, and can speak English perfectly. She has agreed to help translate for me. Please pray that the devotions will speak to the girls, and plant a desire in their hearts to spend time with God. They are so busy with chores, school and their children, that I think they become discouraged to read their bibles and pray. Hopefully our time in the evenings will help motivate them.
Thanks again for all your kind comments. We love hearing from you, and your prayers are greatly appreciated.
Please continue praying for us as we stay here. Spiritual warfare is so real here, almost to the point that it is frightening. We rely on God constantly, and need all the prayer we can get.
Love you guys!
In Christ,
Leandrie.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Birthday...Honduras Style
Chaunte had her 15th birthday here in Honduras!
She enjoyed her day immensely, and I think the girls here at the Casa Grande enjoyed it even more than she did.
For lunch/dinner we took her out to a local Balliada place. Balliadas are these fantastic chalupa like things, stuffed with meat, vegetables, and chili sauce. They are really a treat, and very typical of Honduras. We typically eat the Balliadas outside, under a thatched roof, with very loud Spanish music for company! Going out to eat is also a great time to whip out the Spanish, although most of the time I just manage to get giggles out of the locals.
After the Chaunte’s birthday outing, we stopped at a local Pasteleria to pick up the cake we had ordered the day before. The cakes here are really beautifully decorated and very tasty. Because this is Chaunte we’re talking about, the cake was obviously chocolate. We served cake and ice cream here at the Casa Grande. The girls and their children were ecstatic! Apparently they don’t eat chocolate cake very often, because all I heard the entire time was “CHOCOLATE, TORTA CHOCOLATE!!!” As with all Honduran birthdays’, the birthday boy or girl gets to have their face stuffed into the cake. Missionary Allen Tedder did the honors! After only two seconds all the local flies were having a fiesta of their own on Chaunte’s head!!
We enjoy our days spent here at the Casa Grande thoroughly. The girls are very receptive and friendly towards us for the most part. The only real conflict we’ve faced was when the missionaries made some room swaps and different sleeping arrangements. This involved Chaunte and myslef sharing a room with three of the oldest children (Normitta, Nowe and Mario, ages 3-4) It was important to start separating some of the mothers and their babies at night time, but this did not go over too well. For the first few nights we were up most of the night with crying toddlers, but they have finally began to get used to sleeping by themselves.
The girls have taught us how to cook many of the foods they eat here. They take turns cooking three meals daily. I’m absolutely amazed at their cooking skills! They make the best tortillas and fried chicken in the world. It is very neat to see the methods they use, and the time spent in the kitchen with them is very special.
That’s all the news for now. We will be sure to keep you posted.
Thanks for all the support and prayers, we appreciate your comments very much.
Please be in prayer for the current political situation in Honduras. The president plans to reenter the country tomorrow and this could cause some conflict and riots. We are quite safe here in Tocoa, but missionaries Barry and Penny Compton are in a larger city called La Ceiba. If the highways are blocked (like they were yesterday) they have no means of reaching Tocoa.
God Bless!http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=1324d04c2b&view=att&th=122345d418e8c709&attid=0.4&disp=inline&realattid=0.4&zw
Leandrie.
She enjoyed her day immensely, and I think the girls here at the Casa Grande enjoyed it even more than she did.
For lunch/dinner we took her out to a local Balliada place. Balliadas are these fantastic chalupa like things, stuffed with meat, vegetables, and chili sauce. They are really a treat, and very typical of Honduras. We typically eat the Balliadas outside, under a thatched roof, with very loud Spanish music for company! Going out to eat is also a great time to whip out the Spanish, although most of the time I just manage to get giggles out of the locals.
After the Chaunte’s birthday outing, we stopped at a local Pasteleria to pick up the cake we had ordered the day before. The cakes here are really beautifully decorated and very tasty. Because this is Chaunte we’re talking about, the cake was obviously chocolate. We served cake and ice cream here at the Casa Grande. The girls and their children were ecstatic! Apparently they don’t eat chocolate cake very often, because all I heard the entire time was “CHOCOLATE, TORTA CHOCOLATE!!!” As with all Honduran birthdays’, the birthday boy or girl gets to have their face stuffed into the cake. Missionary Allen Tedder did the honors! After only two seconds all the local flies were having a fiesta of their own on Chaunte’s head!!
We enjoy our days spent here at the Casa Grande thoroughly. The girls are very receptive and friendly towards us for the most part. The only real conflict we’ve faced was when the missionaries made some room swaps and different sleeping arrangements. This involved Chaunte and myslef sharing a room with three of the oldest children (Normitta, Nowe and Mario, ages 3-4) It was important to start separating some of the mothers and their babies at night time, but this did not go over too well. For the first few nights we were up most of the night with crying toddlers, but they have finally began to get used to sleeping by themselves.
The girls have taught us how to cook many of the foods they eat here. They take turns cooking three meals daily. I’m absolutely amazed at their cooking skills! They make the best tortillas and fried chicken in the world. It is very neat to see the methods they use, and the time spent in the kitchen with them is very special.
That’s all the news for now. We will be sure to keep you posted.
Thanks for all the support and prayers, we appreciate your comments very much.
Please be in prayer for the current political situation in Honduras. The president plans to reenter the country tomorrow and this could cause some conflict and riots. We are quite safe here in Tocoa, but missionaries Barry and Penny Compton are in a larger city called La Ceiba. If the highways are blocked (like they were yesterday) they have no means of reaching Tocoa.
God Bless!http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=1324d04c2b&view=att&th=122345d418e8c709&attid=0.4&disp=inline&realattid=0.4&zw
Leandrie.
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