San Pedro Sula

Good evening!

The team is in San Pedro Sula enjoying a nice motel. The kids were pumped to learn that the pool is open 24 hours and have been lobbying to stay in the pool until 11:30pm. However, they need to be at the airport at 5:00am so Daniel is struggling to make the call as to what time to end the fun....

He has commented many times in the last week about how well behaved, courteous, and polite this group of young people is. He has been out with groups of many types for quite a while and he says this is the most respectful group he's ever been with. Good job parents!!

They will be in Pasco at about 7:30pm tomorrow Saturday evening. Be prepared for some tired but excited young adults. In my mind they left as teenagers and will return as young adults. The experiences and things they have learned on this trip have helped them to make that transition. Pretty cool huh?

See you at the airport!

--tom

Wow!!

I cannot believe how fast this week has gone!! Tonight is the team's last night in La Masica!! Tomorrow morning they will be packing things up and heading out to San Pedro Sula where they will stay in a motel, and Saturday morning bright and early, head to the airport. They will begin the journey home about 7am and will arrive in Pasco at about 7:30pm.

This has been a remarkable trip for these kids. They say that in the seeds of adversity lay the seeds of a greater benefit. Well, the adversity they encountered with the road block and the long hard detour evidently galvanized their resolve, and they have experienced some remarkable things. I'm not going to steal their thunder but suffice it to say lives have been changed. There will be stories to tell for weeks to come and you as parents and friends can help these young adults re enter our world. The best thing you can do is to listen....really listen to the stories and engage them. Until you have experienced something like they have experienced you cannot fully understand how difficult it is to re enter our society...be patient with them...they may sound like they are rambling, but they need to express what they have seen and experienced.

If you have not been on one of these trips perhaps you should consider it. The next adult trip will be in January or early February. Think about it!!

I'll post more updates as I learn of their progress toward San Pedro Sula.

Bendiciones!

--tom

April Showers....

Hola!

Well they made to La Masica yesterday afternoon. The tents were set up and they started work on a foundation for the next home to be built. Everyone is working hard and by all reports are having a great experience. Daniel commented several times this morning about what a great bunch of kids they are...you should be very proud.

One little ummmm over site? No, that's not it because we talked about it before they left...when they set up the tents they evidently didn't get the rain flies staked out properly. Well, last night there was a little shower...Ok well there was a wonderful lightning and thunder show that was spectacular and shortly after the show the gentle rains began to drench the area. Evidently the talk about the rain flies being properly staked and not touching the tents didn't sink in and there was a bit of moisture that entered the tents...more like puddles from what I was told...or maybe as Rick named it Lake Dean. Everyone was equally wet but it's a warm rain so it's one of those experiences they will all be able to talk about.

Everyone is well and as of noon today, no one had any illness to report. Things are going very well. Gracias a dios.

I'll report more as I get the latest...

Shalom!

--tom

Challenge of the Day

Hey there!

The protesters are a persistent lot...they have not given up and the road is still blocked. However, Daniel and I put a plan together to circumvent the roadblock. We went around it. After checking out the safety of the route they left Comayagua early this morning and traveled many hours on rough, difficult roads. The last contact I had with Daniel this afternoon they were just leaving La Liberad which is about an hour from La Masica. The cell coverage is very poor between La Libertad and La Masica and I'm sure they are in the community enjoying the evening.

Daniel will call me as soon as he gets a cell signal, and I'll update the blog as soon as I hear from him.

Take care!

--tom

Welcome to Honduras!

Hello!!

Well, in Honduras when ever anything goes wrong they have a saying, "Bienvenidos a Honduras!" It means welcome to Honduras...well "Bienvenidos a Honduras!".

This morning when the group was about to start out for La Masica it was learned that there was a strike/protest going on along the only road to La Libertad, one of the towns along the way to La Masica. The people were blocking the road and not letting any traffic through. After a lot of phone calls between Daniel and myself we decided that the best course of action for today would be for the group to stay another night in Comayagua. The motel was very willing to work with us and they are staying in the same place tonight as last night. It's a very nice little B&B that is far from the conditions of La Masica.

This little bump in the road is not all that uncommon. In developing countries like Honduras you have to stay loose and be flexible with all of your plans. You just never know what kind of adventure you will be presented with. Daniel and I had actually talked about something like this happening a couple of months ago...never thought it would happen, but hey, we talked about it!

This afternoon we found an orphanage for the team visit. As it turned out it was a very rewarding experience for the team. They played soccer and other games most of the afternoon, and really enjoyed the kids. The boys at the orphanage really enjoyed the time too.

Our hope is that by tomorrow morning the protesters will have petered out and the team will be able to make their way out to La Masica. Everyone is doing great. There has been no illness of any kind reported.

Stay tuned for more...tomorrow!

--tom

2009 Teen Vision Trip!

Hey parents and friends!

Well they have arrived in Honduras! They got into Tegucigalpa on time and Daniel met them at the airport. All, I repeat, ALL of their luggage arrived with them so all is well on that front. The kids were hungry when they arrived so their first authentic Honduras experience was lunch at Pizza Hut.

They are now in Comayagua at the hotel. They were going to go for a tour of the town square which is very safe during daylight hours. I'm sure they will have some great pictures of a 400 year old church, and various other sites to share with you.

Tomorrow they will be up fairly early and will start the trek to La Masica. They should be there by about noon tomorrow.

I'll report more as I get the info from Daniel...stay tuned!!

--tom