Before. During. And After.
The online journal of the Hillside UMC/Wesley Chapel UMC Mission Team's trip to two small villages in the Agalta Valley.



Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Last Week In Honduras...




... we practiced safety first at all times, keeping our hands inside the moving vehicle...



... we worked hard on more job sites. More concrete. More shoveling.
 But the Honduran families work alongside us and they work harder than we do!

... we came back from the job sites tired and dirty 
but feeling like we had accomplished a great deal...


:)







... We had a very enthusiastic group for "Biblia" each day. We started with over 100 children and it grew each day as more and more children came along with their older siblings and the Kindergartners came over from their school!







 ( The story was Noah's Ark so we made it "rain"!!)







...We made rainbow streamers...


 ...we played soccer with the children (even with a cast!!)...



... we just spent time with them...





... some of us got to take a quick ride in a MotoTaxi ( thank you to Noe for arranging it!)...



... and part of our team went on Prayer Walks with the local Pastor 
and the Pastor from the HOI ranch..


... then back to the ranch at the end of the day for time
 in the hammocks and rocking chairs ...



... and more soccer for the energetic...


... then dinner followed by our devotion time...


... manana...



                                                                                                                             Posted by Marcie 

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Last Week In Honduras...

After we have breakfast we leave the ranch each day to ride about 35-40 minutes to our village.

 We stay there until about 3:30 each day,
 eating a picnic lunch packed by the kitchen staff at the ranch.

The HOI vans and Land Rovers drop everyone, tools and supplies off at la escuaela (school)
each day. 


(Sorry. I ride in the van with the youth where selfies rule!)


Part of our team divided up into work teams - 3 to 5 each day depending on the work plan.
The rest of the team stays at the school to teach "Biblia" - Bible School.

Our teams built latrines, pilas, and concrete floors.
All of the projects are designed to improve the living conditions 
and health of the children living in the homes we work in.







Every job involves mixing a great deal of concrete and sand with shovels.
 It is hot, dusty work.

Bible School is also hot, dusty work but with the added bonus of adorable children instead of concrete!!









This group of girls spoke a little English and loved using it with us!
Especially please and thank you!!


Playdough is one of the most exciting things we bring with us to Biblia. 
They love it and will play with it for a long time (#teachersdream).


( Creation flip book we made the first day of Biblia)

After we got back to the ranch the first afternoon we took a walking tour and walked to the beautiful river on the property.




This is what you get when you ask brothers to pose for a picture for their mom  with the beautiful river in the background :)
The "I'm falling in picture."


Take 2.
Much better. There you go, mom.


Then back to the bunkhouse to prep for the next day.



We pump up the over 100 soccer balls that we hauled to Honduras.
Soccer is king and handing out soccer balls makes us verrrrry popular.



Before dinner there is always a quick game of soccer with the guards and some of the mission team members.


After dinner we have devotion and head to bed. 
It's been a long, hot day.
But each day we shared how many times we felt God's presence
 in what we were doing in our village.


"Greet all God's people. They belong to Christ Jesus."
                                                                                          Phillipians 4:21



Posted by Marcie