We are finally on line with our own wi-fi connection. Charlie told us we can even take the sim card out and place it in our phone to call home. He does not know our technology skills very well yet. However, we will get brave and try it eventually.
La Ceiba was incredible. The memorial for Teresa was a great tribute to a wonderful selfless servant. The orphanage appears ready, it just needs kids. We partnered with Mount Horab Church putting on a women's conference (the men babysat), revival services and vacation Bible school at a church plant in El Pino. El Pino is also where Living Water Ranch is located. It was humbling to see nearly one hundred people worship in a vacant lot with a tin cover over a dirt floor.
It was strange waving goodbye to the rest of the team and then venturing out on our own to Orphanage Emmanuel in Guimaica. If you have heard wild stories about landing at the airport in Tegucigalpa, they are true and cannot do the actual event justice. We will just leave it at that. You must experience it yourself.
There are close to 600 children at Emmanuel ranging in age from infant to late teens. Twenty-four full time staff members and volunteers work 12 hour shifts daily. The staff members take one day off every three weeks, while the volunteers have Sundays off. If it sounds intense, it is. The day begins at 6:00 am. The children start with a morning devotional lead by one of the staff members or volunteers. They eat breakfast and clean their dormitories by 8:00. School begins for the majority of the children at 8:30. At that time the staff, volunteers and children that do not attend classes go to their other jobs.
Joany works the infant house. She is the grandmother to 12 babies. Feeding, rocking and changing diapers seems to take the majority of her day. However, she is getting to establish a great relationship with some of the young mothers of these babies. Spanish lessons are included and at no additional cost.
I do odd jobs around the facility. It mostly involves walking back and forth across the grounds searching for spare parts and tools to fix things such as tile fixtures, sinks, commodes, water lines, clothes dryers and showers. I even helped with the chickens one day, and fed the pigs another. The swine barn brought back great Kermit and Knox City memories. I want to be a pig farmer when I grow up.
We looking forward to the next team of volunteers that arrive on Saturday. Of course we have a vested interest in this group because they are from Grace Point. Continue to pray for us, Orphanage Emmanuel, Living Water Ranch and especially pray for the church plant in El Pino. God is doing incredible things here.
