The kingdom is like this...

Friday, August 17th - This week El Hogar is celebrating the anniversary of St. Mary's technical school so there was a picnic/gathering of students from all three schools (El Hogar, St. Mary's and the Agricultural school) out in the Amarateca Valley. If you ever went to a park with 250 kids and faculty then you can imagine what this was like.

Jill and I rode out in a van with Claudia, one or two other faculty members and about 25 kids. This was the sort of van that might have been designed to carry 12 people but with small bodies and some creative seating assignments we did a lot better than that.

There was a barbecue where all were fed (Patty from St. Mary's watched over all the preparation) and then there were various games of soccer, tag and there was swimming too. There were literally hundreds of kids in the pool, some of them not from El Hogar. Later in the afternoon as it was getting especially hot, some of us wanted to go for a swim but were concerned that the little ones might not know how to swim or be overwhelmed with all the people in the pool.

Then we learned there was another pool, up a short walk through the woods. Supposedly this was a private pool. Were we allowed to swim there? What did it cost? (The park was charging for boys to swim in the other pool.) Given the heat of the day and determined to find a place to cool off with our young friends we charged ahead. It was beautiful. No one was there. The sky was clear and the pools (there were two of them) were perfect, blue and beautiful.

We'd gone up there with @ 6 or 7 boys and at first they were shy. One told me he didn't have any money to pay. I told him it was our treat. Then they just put their hands in the pool - we told them it was fine to dive in. And then they did. It was wonderful. They laughed, splashed water on one another and us. (Photo above is Mary sitting poolside and playing.) They couldn't contain their joy. The sounds and expressions of joy were simply amazing. We all felt it and saw it in the faces of the boys and in each other.

It ended up being the best $30 any of us had ever spent. A teenager who worked at the park either saw us walking up to the pool or heard us and he came looking for money. Since he didn't speak any English, I was appointed to work things out with him. Alex began pulling money out of her wallet, determined to make sure the moment lasted as long as possible. After some negotiating (he had to go talk with el jefe after I countered his initial offer) we agreed $30 for all of us. Everyone was in. Everyone was smiling and enjoying the day, the weather and each other's company.

I don't know if any of us will be able to fully explain what that afternoon was all about. We'd gotten to know the boys during the course of the week and had shared laughter and games with them all along. Bu there was something about that place. Being in the water, the hot sun, the laughter, the pleasure of each other's company. Perhaps it was about being away from the harsh realities of the city and the somber details of the boys' lives. Perhaps we were tired from the weight of what we'd been experiencing. Perhaps we just needed a chance to unwind and relax. Maybe it was seeing the boys enjoy themselves. Whatever it was, it will stand out in my memory as more than just a swim in a pool on a hot day.

Someone I respect once told me he thought the kingdom of heaven would be like a party where welcoming music was playing. Food was available for everyone and all were welcome. He described envisioning a huge porch on the house where the party was taking place and people spilling out of the house onto the porch and out to the lawn. It was a cool summer evening with a gentle breeze. This afternoon got me thinking there must be a pool at that house and I have an idea what the sounds and sights are that would come from it.

At the end of the day, we crammed into the van (photo to the left shows Raul, Tim and Dave going 3 across in the front) and made our way back to Tegucigalpa for our last night at El Hogar.
It was a wonderful week and a great way to finish it off.

Photo below is of Lazaro who is the executive director of St. Mary's Technical School. He has been with El Hogar since inception.

Day 6

Today we took a break from working to visit the agricultural school. The school is 35 miles outside of Tegucigalpa - with the city traffic it takes about an hour and fifteen minutes to get there. We arrived while the boys (there are 40 currently at the school) were still in the morning work session and toured the farm with Johnny - who has worked at the school for 6 years. There is so much to see. The boys learn everything there is to know about farming - especially in hard places. They grow vegetables, raise chickens, pigs and cows and leanr how to plow and harvest using both machines (tractors) and oxen. After the noise and intesity of the city, the farm is a haven of quiet, with beautiful vistas and a lake.

Students prepare soil to be used later for seedlings.

After working in the mornings the boys come in for lunch and spend the afternoon in the classrooms, learning more math, science, history and english! The boys who graduate from the agricultural school often return to their rural communties to work and many have gotten internships and then jobs in local agricultural businesses. The food and livestock raised on the farm is income producing and the delicious meals we have had all week at Amarateca come from the farm.

A chicken hides from a brief but heavy afternoon shower.

After a morning at the school we headed to the Valley of Angels for some shopping and touring and lunch. We felt like regular tourists - which was a little strange - but the town is beautiful and our lunch was spectacular. We returned to El Hogar in time to play with the boys after dinner. The rain stopped long enough for us to play outside again and Dave and Tim had the brilliant idea of setting up races for the boys to run - less exhausting and sweaty for this aged crew of volunteers.

Justin & Alex try some hats in Valley of the Angles.


Mary and Tim pose in front of what roughly translates as "Mary's diner" in valley of the angels

Tomorrow we have a picnic with the boys near Amarateca and there is a BIG soccer match planned. We are having so much fun. The boys light up our days.

Alex Burke

Sponsorships

One way that El Hogar funds its operations is through sponsorship of the students. A sponsorship costs about $2K US and covers the cost of education, room and board for one year. It's been such a pleasure this year to be here and be able to spend time with the boy that Read and I sponsor. Upon our return from El Hogar last year we decided to become sponsors of one of the boys here and were matched with a first grader named Luis Elias. We´ve exchanged letters with Luis over the past year, but this is the first time we´ve met face to face. The boys call their sponsors "padrinos" - or godparents. They know that we're behind them, supporting their studies and they want to make us proud. Luis has worked around my significant language deficiencies and we´ve been playing frisbee, drawing pictures and getting to know each other. Luis is such a sweet and energtic little guy - as Claudia says, "He is a very good boy". Last night he spent the better part of his play time working on a card for us that said "I love you". During the morning devotional he can be seen pointing at us and proudly telling his friends "Estos mi padrinos".

Dave Paquette also decided to sponsor a boy just prior to departing for this trip. The little boy Dave sponsors is named Josue ("Jos-way.") He is totally thrilled to have Dave as his padrino - we all got to see them meet for the first time earlier this week and it was tough to remain composed while the two embraced at their first meeting. Now during play time Dave and Josue are never far apart. Claudia told us that Josue was very aggressive and was bullying other boys when he first arrived. He had come from a background of abuse and he didn´t know any other way to relate to his classmates. Claudia came close to asking him to leave, but instead decided to ask him to be a helper to her and the other teachers by looking out for the younger boys. Apparently that approach has worked well as she told us there has been a marked change in his behavior over the past month or so. Each day the boys recite a pledge that includes a statement that they will "use their heads, hearts and hands for peace action" and Josue is now a model of this.

Jill Norton

Day 5

We started the morning off with devotions in the auditorium - today's talk was about perserverance. Claudia (the director of El Hogar) spoke at the end. She holds the boys' attention...imagine a room full of 90 boys 6 years and up...and they stop wiggling and poking each other and really listen. Its an amazing sight. Raul picked us up and we headed to Amareteca for a full day of sand sifting and lifting and nail removal. Jill and I (Alex) spent the morning painting the walls in the electrical shop.

Group with Manuel, a local boy who lives nearby and does odd jobs at Amarateca.

After another delicious lunch from Patty we headed back out for another couple of hours of work before we stopped to watch the boys at the Institute compete to get up a greased telephone pole (in the pouring rain) to win a prize. Total hilarity and ingenuity and courage - check out the picture above. We're looking forward to a picnic with all the boys on Friday.

The rain after dinner kept us indoors - four frisbees, a football, two soccer balls, and 35 art projects (give or take) in about 1,500 square feet! It is total chaos but the smiles never stop. Dave was right - there is so much love here. For the last two nights our day has ended with hugs from the boys as they head (in their lines) to bed. Tomorrow we go to the farm for a visit with the boys there. We're having an amazing time. Alex Burke

Home Visit

Tuesday, August 14th - Today we worked a half day out at Amareteca sifting more sand for concrete and stripping nails from the wooden forms that were used to pour the foundation and walls of the new building. After another excellent lunch from Patti (she is the cook at the Technical Institute) we then went back into Tegucigalpa for a home visit.

Work teams make at least one home visit during their week at El Hogar. In this case we went to visit the home of 3 of the boys at El Hogar. There are 9 people living in 3 small rooms. The conditions were not good but, having been on many of these before, I'm able to see that this wasn't the worst. This house had electricity and the walls were brick and concrete blocks where the worst are wood, carboard or scraps of metal.

In the evening we came back to El Hogar, had dinner and then played with the boys until their bedtime at 7:30PM. Tomorrow we're going to work a full day out at Amareteca, Thursday we're going to go out to see the farm and then stop at Valley of the Angels on the way home and then of Friday we've been invited to go to a picnic with the boys from the institute to celebrate the anniversary of the inception of that school.

Dave and Mary out at Amareteca (you can see over Mary's shoulder where they are expanding the workshop to add more classrooms)

Read and Tim make a purchase at a fruit stand on the way back to Tegucigalpa

(The photo to the left shows Raul - with the Red Sox Hat - who is the volunteer team coordinator and husband to Claudia and Hector who is the caretaker at Amareteca, holding his 9 month old daughter.)

Photos

Alex & Justin Burke

Rev Rich Kunz (executive director of El Hogar) and Jill (photo below)

One other noteTim Lyons (7th member of our team) arrived today. We're happy to have everyone here.

First work day

The team had another amazing day here at El Hogar. We attended the morning devotional which included some amazing speeches (of which few us actually understood due to language barriers) and the Honduran National Anthem which is much longer than the American version! The students start everyday with these motivational, educational talks. We drove out 12 kilometers to the Amariteca campus which is the vocational school outside the city. The students learn woodworking, welding or electrical skills. The campus looks great and the students were very respectful. Our work began at noon sifting and shoveling sand into to buckets and carrying them 2 flights up to the second floor for mixing concrete. We all have a new learned respect for our coworkers! After arriving back at el Hogar we played with the kids until dinner time and were treated to a visit to the girls home in Tegucigalpa. These 6 girls have stolen our hearts, and love to have their pictures taken! What an amazing place this is. So much love. We are very lucky to be here. More work for tomorrow and we all can´t wait.

David Paquette

Arrival

We arrived about 2:30PM local time today and were met by Justin (who had arrived earlier on a flight from the west coast) Rich (executive director of El Hogar) and Raul (volunteer coordinator.) After a tour of the grounds we treated the kids to a pizza dinner. There are only about 60 of them here this weekend as the other 30 or so are away with family for the weekend.

We're all a little tired but very happy to be here. Jill arrives tomorrow (she had to delay her departure to attend a funeral back home today) and then Tim arrives on Monday. Tomorrow we're going to a 10:30AM service at St. Mary's Episcopal Church and then will take this month's honor roll students out for a treat afterwards.

We've been told we'll be working at the technical school this week as they finalize work on that campus.

Read

Final gathering before trip

8/2/07 Last Wednesday 5 Boston area residents going on the 1st Trinity service trip to El Hogar (Spanish for "home") met for dinner, socializing and a chance to discuss final preparations for the trip. Two members of our team (Justin Burke and Tim Lyons) are coming from the west coast and so they were unable to join us.

Jill and Read Norton hosted the gathering and are looking forward to a return to Honduras and El Hogar. This will be their 5th visit but the first with folks from Trinity. Mary Perkins, Dave Paquette and Alex Burke are the other Boston area attendees.

El Hogar is an Episcopalian mission to provide housing, food, education and love for ~200 of the poorest boys and girls in Honduras. The mission includes 3 different residential schools; one for children of elementary and middle school ages and then two for high school aged kids, one a technical program the other an agricultural school. The mission operates on donations, grants and sponsorship programs to pay for the room, board and education of individual students. One exciting development is that just this year El Hogar began admitting girls to their program.

El Hogar has a volunteer guest house on the grounds of their facility for younger kids in the capital city of Tegucigalpa. This is where we'll be staying. If you want more information about El Hogar, check out their web site which has lots of great information and photos: http://www.elhogar.org

We don't yet know what our service project will be but suspect we may be working out at the technical school (St. Mary's) which is in the Amarateca valley about 45 minutes outside the capital. El Hogar now has a computer lab so hopefully we'll be able to keep updating this blog while we're there.

Read Norton