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| Paco the gardener |
Saturday's activities
July 2, 2011: Sign Me Up
Today was Saturday and it was the last work day for most of the Torch team. Tomorrow, we will be going to church and having a day of rest. Today, several things were planned. The medical team planned a clinic for the employees of the Mission House where we stay. The other big project was to take a bus out to the Didasko Orphanage, pick up those children and bring them into town to the KFC. That may not sound like a big deal, but these are children who have probably never eaten in a restaurant before. To top it off, we would bring them back to the Mission House and show a movie and treat them with popcorn. A small group was needed to go out to Didasko (about an 1 ½ hour drive)and finish a painting job. I figured most people would want to sign up to take the kids to KFC and I decided that I wouldn’t mind painting.
Diane, Macy, an intern from Freed, Brett, our resident Canadian, and “Grandpa” Brad Johnson and I rode out to Didasko along with those who were going out to pick up the children. Those in the back of the bus entertained us by singing anything from church songs, made up songs, “The Star Bangled Banner”, and everything else they could think of .
They left us at Didasko and we pretty much had the place to ourself. The gardener, Paco, showed us where to paint and we got started. We touched up the outside which was painted green and we moved in to paint the shower room. That was when we realized that we didn’t have enough of one color to finish it. Brett went back to find Paco to see if there was any more paint. He found light blue, pale green and a light orange. That may sound like some crazy colors, but those are typical colors that they use. I won’t be able to describe the design, you’ll have to look at the picture.
We had a nice time painting and visiting with one another. It was a beautiful , peaceful, quiet day because the campus was empty. We were surrounded by more gorgeous countryside. It was nice to take breaks and enjoy the views of the mountains and hills all around us. Our leader sent a small bus to pick us up. (A tour bus had to be rented because one of the Torch buses has broken down during this trip.) The tour bus was much more comfortable than our usual school bus. It had large picture windows, so you could enjoy the views better. On the way back, the driver asked if we minded if he picked some young boys who were on a soccer team. We didn’t mind and the boys were handsome young men and “Grandpa” found candy in his backpack to share with them.
Tonight, the staff of the Mission House treated us to a special meal. They had the tables beautifully decorated and they served us instead of the usual buffet style. We had BBQ chicken, pasta, and rolls. It was delicious.
Whether it’s the rich food, or the water, we often have “digestive issues” when we come to Honduras. It’s something that almost everyone deals with when we are down here. My stomach is a little upset, but I think I’ll be fine. We have been lucky to have several nurses and a doctor with us. I’m actually rooming with Sarah and Lolly and they have done a great job of taking care of everyone. We have had a virus making its way around through several people. We’ve had the normal cuts and scrapes, but really no major problems. We have been blessed with a fairly healthy group.
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Diane and I sat on this porch to eat our lunch. The building we painted is behind and to the right.    |
We are supposed to go to the Valley of the Angels tomorrow afternoon. I hope I’m feeling okay. It’s a neat colonial village with lots of shops. Sundays is the one day that the employees of the mission house have off, so we will be on our own for meals. I will try to post a blog with pictures.
xoxoPJ
For some reason blogger changes my date.
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