Saturday

It was an absolutely beautiful here in Santa Ana today. I did bits and pieces today. Work on a leaky commode, read some; eat, work on leaky sink, read some and eat; get the children's extra school uniforms out of bodega, read some and eat. Do you see a pattern here? Yep I like to eat. for lunch the ladies here had fried corn tortilla strips and placed chicken cooked in tomato sauce on top of the strips and then topped it with a version of cole slaw. It was really good. Thankfully I had my drink of orange juice with me when I went to lunch. The juice for today was beet and lemon juice. Not bad just couldn't get past the beet thing. For supper we had quesidillas and Karen taught me how to make them the correct way! I usually lose a little weight here because I don't have the high calorie sweets but this time I may gain! I am loving eating the fresh fruit. Pineapples, bananas, melons; I could almost live on them. Well them and caffeine:)
There is always so much going on here that it is hard to keep track of. Today, the house parents were moving as they found another job, Dorian was helping them pack and doing homework and then drove a load to their new home; three hours away. There is a lady here from Fla. who is working on assessing the children and maybe starting counseling. She and her daughter in law came for the weekend. So the lady and Karen spent all day meeting individually with the children. Sandra, one of the ladies who works here got all the children's school uniforms and had the children try them on to see what needs purchased before school begins middle of February.
I will post some pics of the children here at Casa and say goodnight.
I can't get pics to upload tonight, so until tomorrow..............Hasta manana

Friday

I am tired tonight. We got up this morning and headed to the market after Karen got the children ready for visitation with their parents but others were able to take them. I had asked Karen to go to the market with her as I had yet to experience it. The market area is crammed with people, and tents of fruits and vegetables and a few other things. Parking is scarce and a little girl "helped" us park and for "watching the car" you tip her afterwards. The market was a little different. I thought we would have to go from stall to stall but Karen works with one lady and gives her the order (every two weeks) for the orphanage. What that lady does not have, she gets from others. While she compiles the order we look around the others. Well I found four seedless watermelons for $1 which beats Kroger any day. We bought lots for maybe $7. We also found a gentleman selling new pots and pans. Well we decided to buy a set for Karen and Dorian for their first anniversary which is approaching. The box said that lids had 24 carat gold? Doubt that. But they now have a selection of pots for when they want to cook without borrowing from Casa. I thought I was very shrewd and talked the gentleman into throwing in two teeny tiny aluminum cups. When we were done, a boy with a cart pushed the whole order (a lot) to our vehicle. He loaded it and we tipped him and the girl for watching our car.
I was feeling pretty good about myself at this point and we were circling the stadium to get out. The road to bridge we needed to take was stopped and big trucks were backing back down it. So we were stopped in traffic and I decided to take a pic of the homes on the hillside. Well before I knew it a man was wrestling me for my camera. I tried for a while, with both of my hands and both of his hands on the camera. In the end he won and ran away with my camera. If I had taken my arthritis medicine I could whipped him. For one split second, I actually considered biting his hand but decided against it. Karen was upset about me not being careful and I admit that I was stupid and all it took was one second. The fun continued as we pulled on down and told the policia that was sitting there on motorcycles. We circled the stadium again and we neared one store, I saw the back of what I thought was the thief entering a store that I thought was a pawn shop. Well I had Karen pull over and we waved down police and told him...He was hesitant to go into the store as he did not have a gun. He eventually went in and came out with the guy wearing the beige shirt that I saw enter the store....Along with the guy wearing the beige shirt was his employer who owne dthe store. This was not the same guy. Ay, aye aye.....the policeman i think was embarrassed and if we had found the guy selling the camera he wouldn't have listened to us again!
Next Karen took us to a small upscale restaurant called Portico. It was small, immaculate and fantastic food. Then we went to a fabric store for Karen to find some fabric to recover her pillows since she now has a new quilt. Then we headed home. On the way home there were people, dogs, and cows in the road that Karen had to stop for or swerve to miss. There is nothing boring about Honduras.
We arrived back at Casa to find that David had brought the five brothers to visit. As I got out of the vehicle I told Yovanni "Hola, Como estas?" He replied that he now speaks English. They have enrolled all the boys in a bilingual private school. It was so good to see the boys and get their precious hugs. They enjoyed riding the bicycles and visiting with their friends still here at Casa.

Thursday

I woke up to another beautiful day in Honduras. I eventually made it over to where the childre

n are and Karen had them all practicing writing their names. A couple small ones just make marks and pretend that they are. Cindy was proud of hers so I took a pic of it.
Cindy is devious, sometimes mean, always up to something but I love her dearly. She is very intelligent and hopefully her strong will will be used for God and not for bad.
I have been through some tough times with Cindy and it is nice to see her at peace now compared to how she used to be.

We walked to a local park and let the children play. They appeared to have lots of fun and I will post some pics of them playing there.














This afternoon I was able to read some more (I have finished two already) and Karen fixed supper. I think she was afraid that Dorian would leave her if I cooked again. I helped Karen stock the store at Casa with chips etc. as today the frito lay man came. Let me tell you Frito Lay in the states has been holding back on us. They make all kind of stuff that we never see. And Karen says the bread man comes tomorrow. Can't wait to see what they have.
What is peace? Do I have it? Do I chase after it? Sometimes I just pray for peace but fail to do the things in my life that will bring me peace. Like repeating gossip, judging others and just negative thinking. So for today I am trying to practice self-control so that I will have more peace.

Wednesday

Today started with making baloney sandwiches and we then took a trip to the city dump of Tegucigalpa. Trucks are continuously pulling in and dumping. As we entered the dump area, people started running to the truck. We handed out one sandwich with an orange and then they were given a glass of water. They appeared more thirsty than hungry almost. They were very polite and mostly men and boys but there were enough young women with babies to make it even sadder. I took pictures and a couple short videos but they do not do it justice. Some of the people do not live at the dump but come to pick through and find plastic bottles to recycle for money. But some were covered in what appeared to be immense layers of dirt. There were birds and cows feeding on the garbage and people actually fighting them for items. I think of a few times that I have had to go through my own trash because I lost something. That was gross to me. But to go through others garbage and have their garbage as your food? And then I think of medical trash and the like and wonder how any stay healthy at the dump long. There were some cardboard boxes where it appeared that some were staying. Giving them a sandwich, orange and cup of water is so appreciated. But in Honduras, one doesn't have to go to a dump to see hungry, dirty people with really no place to live. It is everywhere.



After the dump we went to a domestic violence shelter's store. It is called the firefly. They make beautiful candles and sell. By doing this they are teaching the ladies how to earn money and the money from the sale of the candles is used for the shelter. I considered it an honor to purchase a candle and make a small donation.
After that we went to a shop in downtown Teguc that specializes in pewter. They also have Lenca pottery which is quite beautiful. I guess Lencas is a type of indians here in Honduras.
We heard someone yell at Karen and we turned to see Rudy outside the store. Rudy used to live at Casa de Esperanza but ran away. He finally returned to his mother where he sleeps at night but during the day, he runs the streets and begs. He was taken from streets since he left Casa and placed in a state orphanage but he has ran away. Rudy was with a couple other boys and I was fearful that he would not say much with his friends being there. He waited outside the store for probably 30 minutes. And he gave me a hug when I asked for one and let me get a picture of him and me.
So for tonight I am feeling tired and thankful. I am thankful that I have been blessed beyond my wildest imagination. I am like one of those people at the dump, searching for what I think is a way to survive but my heavenly Father is standing there constantly, not just occasionally, with a sip of water and a banquet prepared for me. All I have to do is just be there and take what he gives, just like the people at the dump. Am I thankful? Or do I just come to expect that he will be there before I give up and it is all expected. Or do I think I make my own way by "doing"? At those times I am just as silly as those in the dump searching through others garbage to survive.
I am also reading a Joyce Meyer book, and tonight I read about kindness. Their was a definition that you weren't being kind if you thought the other person deserved "niceness". Being kind was to be nice to those that you feel do not deserve it. Ouch! Thanks, I needed that one. All of those that I care about in Ohio, please be careful on the roads and know that I am not missing it one bit!

Tuesday

I woke up today to rain. But I wasn't about to complain when I heard what the weather was like at home. I offered to clean out the bodega (storage building) for Karen today. Any of you who know Karen, know she likes organization. Well lately some stuff had been thrown in there and it was a mess. And of course she had to tell me that some of things seen in there previously were mice, snakes and scorpions. That is what I get for laughing about all those who are dealing with snow today.
Well I managed to get a baby bed apart which was no small accomplishment, and I climbed the "ladder" and put the bed up on the third level with other baby stuff. It was a mess up there but I was finally able to move everything around and got all the baby bed parts organized. And all the other baby stuff organized; strollers, car seats, potty chairs, etc.
To make the bodega even more of a mess, recently another bodega had been cleaned out and tools were added to what Karen considers "her" bodega. So, cleaned out a front corner to put numerous shovels, axes, picks, etc. Then there was the generator, welder and a multitude of hand tools, nails, caulking, etc. Finally this was put in some order and I place several rugs, pillows, etc on shelves. I found a lot of toys that were not being used, such as play kitchen, etc. and the children were happy to have new toys to play with.
By the way, I was glad that I got my tetanus shot updated. Not sure why but there was a new roll of barb wire which I moved but my knee got in the way. Not only did it make a hole in my pants, I have a cut on my leg. Oh, well. It was very stuffy, humid and dirty in the bodega and by the time I was done, I was soaking wet from sweat and very dirty. AI was reminded of Lisa's freshman year at OU when we moved her in, I was sure I was suffering a heart attack. Well today there were a few moments where it felt the same. Boy am I getting old.
After lunch(which I ate every bite) I took a shower and read a parenting book of Karen's. It is all about parenting children of trauma. Very thought provoking. Then I cooked supper tonight. Karen wanted creamed potatoes so that is what she got along with chicken nuggets and mozzarella sticks. Also had fresh watermelon and pineapple which I love. It is cool here tonight so I am sitting on couch with a cover over me, finishing up my day. Oh I found some rice flour here in honduras and it was from Thailand and is cheaper than I can find it in the states?
So for pics I have some pics of bodega and my lunch plate of eggs, refried beans, slaw, and rice. So for tonight I am tired and my muscles are tired and I am trying very hard not to worry about the elderly at home who will be affected by the winter storm they are getting.

Monday

I slept in late today and took it easy this morning. Sat around reading and drinking iced tea. It was another beautiful day but with a little more wind. When Dorian got home from his classes we went into town to get some groceries. Dorian took us out to eat with a gift card he had received. It was really good and after that we went to get groceries. We went to a store that has a lot of American products. The biggest surprise was cheese. American cheese was maybe 4 slices for a dollar. Even cheddar cheese was about the same. Karen wanted some cheese for a potato soup and creamed potatoes that she wants me to make while I am here. So she bought a huge block of cheese and is going to freeze most of it. On the way home The took us to a cross that is here at Santa Ana. It is a cross made entirely of automobile parts. By the time we got to it it was mostly dark so the pics did not turn out real well. I am enjoying taking it easy and spending time with Karen. Here are a few pics.

Sunday

I was very sleepy this morning, and had to push myself to get up and ready for church. Dorian had a good sermon from what I understood. The church is Santa Ana is growing. The temps were in the 70's and just right. Doris is one of the new children here. She is so sweet. She is 12 and can not even write her name. Karen says she has come a long way since she came here...She simply has no idea how to act around people. It is almost impossible to make eye contact with her. She is very shy and backwards but very loving. She just doesn't know how to love and really squeezes sometimes. Cindy Lou is just Cindy. She is maturing and becoming a beautiful young lady. Pamela had surgery on her foot but is doing well. I was able to be in a hammock today and read some. I would say I "lay" in the hammock but that would not be accurate. It would not open out and I spent 1-2 hours fighting it but still enjoying a wonderful, beautiful day. I picked up a book from Karen's bookshelf and it is a Joyce Meyer book. As I began it I was pleasantly surprised to find it is about the fruit of the spirit. Interesting book. Karen also wants me to read a book on child psychology but I just could not get into it today.
I love street fairs and we went to Ojojona today for one. I have never seen so many people in that little village. I love Ojojona, it is so quaint and beautiful and clean. Today there were people, horses, cars, police everywhere. I love a street fair and today was perfect. I will post a couple pics (one of Rosita and myself and Cindy at church) and I will try to post a video I tried to shoot while landing at teguc. I don't think it did the landing justice though. As you watch it keep in mind that I never moved the camera, any views that quickly shift from land to sky to land again is actually how it goes. Well I am ready for bed.........take care.

Quilt

This is the quilt that Lisa made for Karen & Dorian. Talented girls huh?

Antonio & me:)

In Hondo Land

Arrived safe and sound in Honduras today. Both flights were uneventful, just how I like them. It was 76 in Tegucigalpa when we landed today. Not to rub it in, but it was also sunny. I am sitting on Karen & Dorian's back porch now watching the sun begin to set. It is so peaceful even hearing the 13 children talk while they take baths sounds peaceful to me. I did a really stupid thing....Karen has been wanting to have home made bread but flour and yeast, etc is expensive here and she wanted me to help her try to make some from scratch while I was here. Well, I decided to take her some frozen bread dough. Yep you heard me. I took frozen dough in a suitcase. It stayed in the suitcase for 7 hours and I was worried. At one point on the flight from Houston to Tegucigalpa they announced for Anita Vaughan to turn on service light to identify self. It was then that I knew that the dough had been put next to a heat source and has risen, and risen, and I had visions of Ghostbusters type bread dough ran amuck..........but they were simply bringing me my gluten free breakfast. whew....Well they gave me a bowl of corn flakes with gluten in them, a banana, and a bagel. Yep, regular old wheat bagel, full of gluten. Lucky for me I had a bag of Jordan Almonds with me that I had the foresight to purchase in Houston.
I had an awesome surprise when I arrived at Teguc. Jen, David, and Sam had brought the five brothers and their mom to meet me. Yep, Antonio was hugging my neck and calling me grandma nita. Those boys hold a special place in my heart and Antonio triple so. Also got to hug on Saul and Carlos..........And yes I got to hug on Karen and Dorian. When I am here it seems like it is just normal to be here. It is so far from Ohio in so many ways. Oh the bread dough was fine and is rising right now as some rolls, ham & cheese rolls, and cheese bread. See it wasn't stupid after all.......I am just hoping that she doesn't want something more exotic next time:). I will try to post some pics later unsure if the internet here will let me.. Until next time..........

One more day....

Tomorrow after work I will head to Columbus to stay with Lisa so she can drop Sharon and me at airport in middle of night. Actually it will be sometime around 5am. but right now that sounds like the middle of the night. I have most everything packed and am trying to remember what I am forgetting. I am really excited to be hugging Karen and Dorian soon and spending time with some of the sweetest kids on earth. And it will be warm!!!!
But I have to make it through tomorrow first. I am supposed to got MMH for pre admission tests for a procedure when I return home. I don't know how I will fit this in with everything that I need to get caught up at work but I know it will be fine and tomorrow at 4p I will be free for two weeks of my normal daily stress and will exchange it for some good times and hopefully slow times in Honduras. Lisa will be watching Griswald so I am praying that he behaves. Packing for him is almost harder than packing for me.
Hopefully I will have the time and internet to blog while in Honduras...........

A Historic Time?

Oftentimes I have found myself wondering how I would have reacted if I had been around during civil rights marches. Would I have marched or would I been the one of the ones watching quietly from the sidelines? World War II stories have inspired me by hearing how our country stuck together and went through rations to help our troops triumph. Well I sometimes read about those times with envy feeling like I have never lived through a "nothing ever changes" time.
Well I feel like just maybe I am on the cusp of such a moment. Can this be the start of a new integrity of our country? Can we truly change our country? Can God be brought back, not by law but by praying? Can the often silent majority stand up and count?
All I know is that tonight I feel hopeful. And considering the state of our economy, I find myself wondering why. I feel like I am seeing an unfolding of a new chapter, a more positive chapter in America's history. I do not feel like just a new president will change everything. But I do think that those who often feel that they have no voice in our country now feel that they count. I am proud that America has been able to elect a person, regardless of their race. But given the optimism that I feel, I can not even begin to understand what this must mean to those Americans who have always been treated differently because of the color of their skin. In my wildest imagination I will hopefully never know what it feels like to know that my children are at a disadvantage simply because of what they look like. For tonight I am feeling hopeful about my country and I do truly believe that we are ready to turn the corner,.......back to God.

A Special Day

Today my Dad would have been 91. He was born in 1918, and his father died when he was eight months old. He always told us that he didn't know how to do the father thing but he tried. He was youngest of five children who were raised by a single mother. She never remarried until all of her children were adults and gone from home. Dad grew up poor and quit school after only eight years of school. It is hard to imagine how he grew up to be a kind, gentle man given his rough start. He never complained about his childhood or his poor upbringing. I never heard him speak of his mother with anything other than respect and admiration.
This April 18th, Dad will have been gone for four years.....Seems like he was just dropping off to sleep in his easy chair a few months ago. So today brings the sadness back in full force, and while we all have lost a quiet man, who said little but meant what he said, I still see him.
I see him in Brian's red hair, Lisa's calm manners and Karen's commitment to family. I see him when I find myself saying "We'll see..." and I am reminded of his focus and priorities when I look at his GED diploma sitting on my dresser in my bedroom. I remember being so proud of him for getting that. I was probably in grade school then. My dad was an optimist. I don't ever remember him being down about something. He was easy going and slow to anger. So today as I remember and grieve for Dad, but I smile also because I remember his simplicity and pleasure of small things.

Waiting Room?

Todays sermon smacked me in the face. Am I simply using my time here as a waiting room for Heaven? I was challenged to make it more than that and to vibrantly live today. I can't even begin to explain how many ways the sermon spoke to me. Jake, our youth minister was preaching today and today as most times he speaks, he challenges me in huge ways. Sometimes I say amen, that is what I agree with, other times I say hmm, I need to think about this and still other times I say, now way, where did that come from? Well today was all three in one sermon. I am convinced that God is using Jake in a mighty way. (that in itself sorta scares me) So I will let his lesson joggle around in my mind and urge anyone that was not present to order the cd of the sermon.

We are getting ready to go to Honduras in two weeks and I am so looking forward to it. God has made it possible that we will be able to build a home for a family without one in Honduras. Sharon also wants to go to the dump where thousands live. And I want to see my grandson Antonio and watch his smile as he calls me "grandma 'nita" I am looking forward to spending time with Karen and her awesome husband Dorian. She could not have found a better person or one I could love more. Dorian is like my own. And the children at Casa......I will be meeting new ones that I have yet to meet and I will be hugging familiar little bodies like Brayan and Cindy. It is so odd how certain children steal your heart. I have loved everyone of the children but Cindy and Antonio have stolen by heart in ways I can not describe. Cindy has such potential and I hope that I can be part of her future and her success in life. Antonio just feels like family. Another sweet soul who speaks the language of love to my heart is Dilcia who works at Casa. She has such a sweet disposition and her life is not one of ease, but she loves the Lord.
Well it is something like 13 days and counting and I can't wait. I want to relieve Karen some and see she and Dorian spend some quality time together. I want to take care of Karen and make her feel better soon. I want to live not only in the states but in Honduras in a couple weeks, like I am doing more than spending time in a "waiting room"

Happy New Year!

Hard to believe that it is 2009. Wasn't it just last year that I was having trouble trying to get used to 2000. And a couple years before that it was the seventies. Anyways, time is passing us by. I have given up on New Years Resolutions because they too often end up being something else to feel bad about when I don't follow through.
That being said, a New Year brings a new beginning, a fresh start. I hope to develop a deeper relationship with my Jesus this year. I want Him to be the first thing I think about each morning and in everything I do. I want to show Jesus' love to all that I come in contact with. I hope that I can depend totally on HIM to that He can change my life, not be trying to change my life by my efforts or my abilities.
God has blessed me so tremendously with material blessings. I desire to develop into a better steward of what I have to use and seek spiritual blessings more. In the past I have often wished for others to change and do better, thinking that I have the answers or know what is "right". Right is only an idea. I now believe that my relationship with Jesus is what makes me righteous. It is not a belief that I buy into nor is it a group that I can join, it is foremost and only a relationship that I hope becomes more intimate each day of 2009.