Day 3

Day Three was a very busy day. After a relatively cool day on Thursday the typical Honduran heat returned with a vengeance in El Carrizo. We set up scaffolding and layed the row of channel block above the windows and poured it. We completed the walls and started on the gables.

Kristen, Egla, Rachael and Bob sang, colored, laughed and cried with the kids in the church during the afternoon. Bob pulled a muscle in his back just before lunch which mysteriously took him out of work action for the afternoon. In addition several of the team poured the foundation, and laid four courses of block on the pila at Fransisco's house. It was there that we discovered that Hee Haw (in overalls today) is the pig whisperer ... no really ..... he really, really is. There was a pig penned in the yard which was raising a ruckus. Hee Haw approached the pig pen, stuck out his hand and began to rub the pig around its ears and talk to it. The pig promptly layed down and went to sleep. Bob was nowhere close so it couldn't have been one of his stories that put the pig to sleep. We left El Carrizo late afternoon and returned to the mission house for a quick shower and chicken tostadas with slaw and hot sauce (a delicious new menu item, JB) and there was not a shred left in the pan. Surprise, surprise - Bob's back was miraculously healed! Then it was off to Colonias Unidas for worship ... joyous, joyous worship. We sang and clapped to the sounds of Saul and the band (Bob was a guest member, yet another huge surprise). Dudley preached powerfully from Mark 1. Tom sang Amazing Grace beautifully in English and Spanish. Lots of joyous reunions with Saul, Nelson, Bryan and others. Kristen, Rachael, and Dennis were amazed at the spirit of worship in this small church. The Sunday School rooms which we built last year have been painted Baptist Sunday School Room Blue and look great. Pastor Armano was his usual joyful self. A wonderful evening with friends and our God. Finally we returned to the mission house for Day Two of the Festival de Cristina, our three day celebration of Kristen's thirtieth birthday. We began last night with Mike cooking Key Lime Pie. Tonight, on Kristen's actual birthday, we had pineapple jam birthday cake from the bakery across the street with candles. Dennis, Rachael, Keith, Tom, and Kristen also had a birthday party for Kristen with Deysi and her family. Tomorrow night we are preparing a shrimp fest with shrimp, grits, guacamole and tortillas prepared by our group to conclude the celebration. After all that, it is late and we have another hard day of work tomorrow. Until then, you are in our thoughts and prayers, and we gratefully thank you for the opportunity to serve in your name in this special place. You will never know the joy we experience here unless and until you come and see.