Gracias A Dios Por Todo

2011-08-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

I fell behind with posting birthdays on Facebook. So, here are the birthdays for July and August on the blog.

July 4th, Josselin turned 4 years old.

July 20th, Naomy turned 5 years old.

August 4th, Danna turned 3 years old.

August 6th, Marian turned 3 years old.

August 18th, Anyi will turn 3 years old.

August 19th, Estefani will turn 6 years old.

Current Needs for Mololoa

2011-06-03T15:43:00.000-07:00

Gifts for Special Occasions (for kids and adults):
soaps
lotions
candles
journal books
purses
hot wheels cars
beanie babies / small stuffed animals
McDonald's toys
candy

FeMorZa Daycare needs:
toys of all types
ride-on toys
large dump trucks for outside play
jump ropes
sand pails
balls
cars (all sizes)
playdough
construction paper
coloring books
copy paper
paint
chalk
pencils / pens
adult cough medicine
adult Tylenol
children's cough medicine
children's Tylenol
ice packs
bandaids
Neosporin
wet wipes
sipi cups

The Manna Project Feeding Center needs:
Kool aid mix
bandanas
pencils / pens
Neosporin
bandaids
ice packs
adult Tylenol
knives for chopping and slicing
potato peelers
cutting boards
rags / dish towels
tupperware
large pots

School Scholarship Program needs:
backpacks
pencils / pens
permanent markers
dry erase markers
colored pencils
sets of markers
spiral notebooks
white out
scissors
glue

Thanks,
Jennifer and the kids

February Events

2011-03-02T19:24:00.000-08:00

The kids continue to love the playground.

Four babies - two hands - lots of work.

Celebrating Valentines' Day - Dunkin Donuts Style.

Our lovely bridge that goes up to five feet high to get to the feeding center.

Joseph Said (4 months old) - Wendy's baby

2011-02-11T08:17:00.000-08:00

Christmas in Mololoa

2011-01-07T21:17:00.000-08:00

I have recently signed up for two facebook accounts (one personal and one for "Mololoa Ministries"). It is much easier and faster than the blog to upload photos, so I have posted a lot for the month of December. However, to avoid having to upload all the photos all over again, I am only posting a few on the blog but am including a link for public view of additional photos for those of you who are not already connected to facebook.

Decorating the daycare with the help of Gringos visiting.

For more photos, click on the following link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=50575&=d552f564da&id=184567558226442

On the 11th, all of the workers and their families gathered to have a Christmas party.

To view more photos, go to this website:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=53848&=6ad386ed72&id=184567558226442

The Daycare Family Day was a big hit for all involved. Below are pictures of most of the families that came to enjoy the time together.

I was so exhausted by the end of the day--can you tell? :)

To view more photos, there are four sites with photos of the one day:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=51219&=792fb10a2f&id=184567558226442

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=51217&=21965ed3eb&id=184567558226442

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=51215&=8754dd1527&id=184567558226442

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=51208&=4ef13af418&id=184567558226442

On Christmas Eve day, the ladies cooked a special lunch for the kids. They left at noon to have a longer day with their families. I stayed to clean what felt like a million dishes.

For more photos, go to:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=53838&=e9555368c1&id=184567558226442

Day of the Child at FeMorZa Daycare

2010-10-20T21:15:00.000-07:00

New Faces

2010-10-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

To get to know the new preacher in our ministry, we all gathered one afternoon for good food and fellowship in the church one Sunday in August.

Noel, Johana, Karina, Brissa Aragon

Please keep Noel and his family in your prayers as he ministers to the community we all know and love.

Little Baby Boy

2010-10-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

Wendy gave birth to a healthy, 9.5 pound baby boy on September 23 at 9:00 am.

Soccer Fun

2010-09-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

Terry Reeves' group had a soccer camp with the kids of Mololoa. They took them in their bus to a local astro-turf courts where the kids separated into four different groups based on their ages.

The kids spent time practicing skills with soccer players before they ended the time together playing a game for a short time.

Then, the kids all received soccer jerseys that Terry has printed up for the event. They had a blast playing, but now they have a physical item for the memory which I have continued to see kids wearing long after the group has gone.

Count Your Blessings

2010-08-30T22:44:00.000-07:00

Josue and I tried to take pictures of the river rushing through our yard, but there was not enough light. Around midnight the water around our house had gone down enough for us to take these pictures looking into the windows from the outside.

Here you can see that the water is almost touching the seat cushions of our dining table set and the fridge has turned over due to the amount of water in the kitchen.

The water rose high enough to enter the oven, dryer, kitchen cabinets, and fridge.

The next morning, we reviewed the damage to the bridge beside our house.

After all the water was swept out, you can clearly see the line of yucky mess that remained.

Nasty mud was layered throughout the entire house.

The three guys are standing where we used to have posts marking our property line beside the river. Also, the land was as tall as where you see the grass in the middle of the picture.

The majority of the water entered through this side door at the garage.

The front yard is significantly higher than the back yard. Here you can see how high the water got to our bathroom window (approx. 8 feet high).

The path of destruction of the river that plowed through banana trees on the property in front of our house.

Josue's family and friends were a HUGE help in cleaning the majority of the mess and helping salvage items.

On Saturday, President Pepe Lobo and the mayor of our city held a community meeting in the local Catholic church (a stone's throw from our home) to see how to best serve the needs of the families with damaged homes.

Thank the Lord, we are healthy and safe. Storms like we saw could have had much more damaging affects on our lives. The house is still standing--which is a wonderful blessing. But we are in need of repairs as well as a retainer wall to prevent the river from flooding us again. If you are able to help us financially to repair our home, please email me for more information as to how. jmarnold.tmp@gmail.com

Our Back Yard

2010-08-30T22:03:00.000-07:00

Squeaky Clean Teeth

2010-08-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

On the 4th of July, a group of 25 kids (and their mothers) from Mololoa loaded onto a bus to go to a dental clinic sponsored by Terry Reeves' group. 9 group members worked alongside 5 Honduran dentists and assistants.

To start out the process, one of the Honduran dentists spent 20 minutes with the children explaining how to properly clean their teeth. Then, all the children were given a toothbrush and went outside to brush with the dentist guiding their movements.

Once back inside the building, the dentists began to call children back to have their teeth cleaned in one of the four stations available. While the other children waited two members of Terry´s group sang and played to keep them occupied.

If their was a serious cavity, then unfortunately teeth were pulled. We had a few cryers, but overall it went very well.

The Mud Slingers

2010-08-27T12:14:00.000-07:00

Several different groups participated in removing the NASTY mud caked against the back walls of the church, classroom, and kitchen. Thank you to all of you!

Daycare Play Area

2010-08-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Terry's group who did the majority of leveling out the front play area of the daycare.

Not long after you all left, a hired worker finished the job. So, breathe easy knowing you will not be continuing this next summer. :)

But I am sure that I will have other dirt hauling jobs if you get a hankerin'.

VBS with Keith Boyer's Tampa Group

2010-08-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

Food bags for the kids and their families

2010-08-16T10:40:00.000-07:00

On behalf of all of the Sunday school kids, THANK YOU to Keith Boyer's group for the food bags.

The kids LOVE the new playground

2010-08-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

Words cannot even begin to express our gratitude for the new playground. So, here are pictures of the kids that speak for themselves.

Thank you to everyone in Terry's group who made it possible for our kids to have these smiles!

The only addition we have made to the BEAUTIFUL playground has been two red toddler/baby swings for our littlest ones. They cost us $62, and I am hoping that someone reading this blog would be willing to reimburse the daycare for the expense. Send me an e-mail if you are able to help us out.

Construction Improvements

2010-08-09T13:50:00.000-07:00

Construction improvements have been abundant through the summer months with the efforts of the groups.

The daycare received two new sinks with a sturdy base in April.

In July, Terry's group painted the inside of the daycare a bright yellow and a sky blue as well as some talented artists drew some amazing figures for our walls.

Thank you, thank you, thank you Lonnie and LB for the FANTASTIC murals!

On the 7th of July, the group constructed a beautiful, new playground. The kids were anxious to try it out but had to wait until a side fence was constructed by some of Mark Connell's interns. So, they were finally able to play on the 21st of July. And it has been hard keeping them off of it since. :)

Also, in July I learned that Sparky (Steve Kemp) is a skilled welder. Who knew? He did a great job repairing our fencing at the daycare. Mark Connell's interns painted the new fencing on July 15th. And they are still probably trying to get that yucky black from under their fingernails...sorry guys.

The Palmetto group remodeled the classroom to have a separate storage area and office.

The classroom and church were painted several years ago; however, they were in desperate need of a face-lift. So, the group painted the inside of the classroom yellow and blue (left-overs from when Terry's group painted the daycare). They painted the outside of the church a light blue and the inside white.

A recent donation from one of the group members allowed us to replace the fabric curtains for new metal doors in the daycare bathrooms.

Lost Hat Looking for Owner

2010-08-09T10:22:00.000-07:00

This hat was sadly left behind at the daycare during one of the days that work groups visited.

If you are the owner, please respond to my email to have your cherished item returned.

*A reward would gladly be accepted by the FeMorZa Daycare* :)

Katia Dinabel Varela Carranza

2010-08-06T15:32:00.000-07:00

Keidy's baby girl was born at 2 am on June 26th.

Time Flies!

2010-08-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

Can you believe that today marks FIVE YEARS of living in Honduras for me!?! Sometimes time flies and at other times it passes slowly.

I just read through several of my older blogs from my first year in Honduras. If you want to be reminded of my first days in the country, go to this link of my beginning experiences. http://jmarnold.blogspot.com/2005/09/from-beginning.html

My first goal was 1 year in Honduras. I wanted to take things easy and make sure I could handle the differences between the States and here. Then, when I felt comfortable, I changed to have a three to five year goal of staying. I never expected to be here longer than five years.

But the Lord has kept me here for many reasons. I will trust in Him to guide me as to when I will be blessed to be back at my home church and with my family in Nashville. Keep both Josue and I in your prayers as we consider moving back to the States.

Love ya,
Jen

Precious Prayers

2010-07-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." ~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Red Cross Training

2010-06-27T17:20:00.001-07:00

On the 17th of April, the ladies of the daycare and the feeding center had an all-day course on First Aid given by members of the Honduran Red Cross. It was such a wonderful learning experience filled with guided practice (as the pictures below show).

Wendy, Nancy, Eliza, Ana, Suany, Lupe, Fabiola, Veronica

Reyna

Keidy, Evelyn

Eliza, Nancy

Lupe, Fabiola

Lupe, Ana, Suany

GOT SPOONS?

2010-05-31T15:46:00.000-07:00

Well, we don't have many.

Have you ever tried to eat soup with a fork? Every Friday is soup day in the feeding center. And with our limited quantity of spoons, most of the children are given forks to consume their nutritious meal.

So, yes, this is a request to all of you coming in the summer to visit Mololoa. We could really use some spoons. And if you have more time for yard sales, Goodwill, or asking fellow covered dish attendees AND space in your suitcase, we could use some more forks and even bowls (cheap plastic picnic style is what we prefer--glass and porcelain break too easily).

Thanks,
Jen and the kids

Tasha, Tyler, and Miranda

2010-05-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

I have pictures from Spring Break to share with you all. If you look back in the monthly summary emails, you will find information about when Tasha, Tyler, and Miranda visited Honduras and worked in Mololoa.

They began their work in Mololoa by helping deliver many boxes of rice to the kitchen that were sent from the States.

They shopped for food for families in need and then delivered the items.

The shopped for a mountain of school supplies and delivered most of them.

They honored the workers by cooking a special chocolate chip pancake breakfast one morning.

They helped out in the FeMorZa daycare.

And, of course, they made some friends along the way.

Thanks guys for all your hard work and genuine love!

You have many people anxiously awaiting your return.

December's Visitors

2010-05-11T06:49:00.000-07:00

Well, "better late than never" needs to be applied to this post. I had problems with my camera and with receiving pictures from group members later.

So, finally I am putting up photos of the Palmetto group who labored in love with several projects in Mololoa--including a clinic, a clothing drive, building stairs, repairing Evelyn's house, removing mud from behind the building, and helping out in Sunday school with a special gift wrapping session for the kids to have presents for their parents.

Thank you ALL for your wonderful work and inspiring spirits!

We appreciate it all more than you know. Can't wait to see you soon!

A Short Visit

2010-04-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

Josue and I are in Nashville visiting. We flew in to be gifts especially for my mother's birthday. Here we are all "wrapped up". If we haven't seen you at church or out and about, be sure to give us a call.

Suyapa's surgery

2010-04-19T15:31:00.001-07:00

Suyapa has yet to have her surgery. To clarify things, I originally said she has a tumor to remove. But, actually it is her uterus that has a tumor, and the entire organ is to be removed. She is very scared and is rethinking her decision to go through the surgery.

Please pray for her to have courage and wisdom in what is best for her and her family.

I will continue to keep you all updated as I receive information.

Semana Santa (Holy Week)

2010-04-13T16:32:00.000-07:00

In my recent monthly update, I wrote about my friends from Nashville that came to visit - Dean and Alan. In addition to all their work for Clementina's family ( http://www.jmarnold.blogspot.com/2010/04/house-building.html ), they also saw the daycare, spent quality time in the kitchen, shopped in the Valley of Angels, and visited the Jesus statue. We had a great time!

Our kids always enjoy spaghetti.

Queso Huevo Smamackle were quite a treat for the kids! No crumbs could be found.

He is truly our Rico Suave. What can we say?

Dean, Alan, Jen, Josue

Suyapa

2010-04-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all of you who have been praying for Suyapa (mother of 4 kids and 2 stepchildren) and her family.

She was due to have surgery on Wednesday of last week. However, it was rescheduled to take place today. But I have not received confirmation that she has entered surgery. With the public hospitals here, there is always a chance of changes because of lack of materials and/or staff as well as broken equipment.

She has had good and bad days as far as pain is concerned in the past week. Please be praying for her as she waits to have surgery as well as for when she actually has the operation and recovery.

House Building

2010-04-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

Here are Clementina, Wendy, Wilmer, and Orlin (camera shy his first day to meet me).

This is the land we started with.

Their amazing view from half-way up the trail to their home.
Wood was delivered and hauled up on Friday.

Family and friends helped to deliver the materials.

Quite an intimidating guard, isn't he? :)

This is the "horse road" on a better spot. It was actually worse the farther up we went.

Josue, Dean, and Alan all got turns at the wheel. When they asked me if I wanted to, I told them they were crazy for even considering the idea.

It isn't bad photography; the road was just that bumpy.

This face sums up the entire driving adventure.

Finally time to work alongside friends.

Yes, four posts up with only one corner difficult because it was blocked by the mother of all boulders.

Aldo and Bryan did their share of hauling on Friday and then chipped in to work on Monday.

It was really harder than it looks.

Yes, that is Melvin just walking along the edge having a good ole time.

Bryan was a little anxious with this tricky chainsaw cutting.

Finally, the floor boards begin to go down.

And, yes, the roof is making progress.

The floor is almost done.

Aldo showing off his chainsaw abilities.

Wow, only one wall left.

Final wall up, where are the rest of the workers?

You got it, they are inside starting the cutting of the door.

YEAH! House done with one window and one door.

Happy family with their new home.

Aren't they cute?

Just a few more pictures to know them better. Here are Wilmer (5 years old) and Orlin (4 years old). Brothers who recieved the house. They both go to the daycare FeMorZa.

Their older sister Wendy.

Here are the father, mother, their youngest daughter and oldest son that have allowed Clementina to live with them for four years.

The host family's oldest daughter, Kelyn.

The host family's son Samuel.

The host family's son Ariel.

Another picture of the host family mother and youngest daughter.

The completed home and its amazing view.

When we came back to deliver items: shelf, mattress for a cot, water barrel, toys, shoes, food.

We saw that the family had already (in four days) spent a lot of time fixing up the house, moving in items, building a fence around the property.

They were completely moved in when we visited.

Here are Clementina and Orlin displaying the new food.

Orlin showing off his new shoes. His older brother and sister were not there because they were visiting family.

The host family received a gift of dishware set as well as shoes for all of them.

They all enjoyed looking through the photo album.

But the best gift that they received was the love of the individuals in the Life Group at my home church who allowed Christ to use them to give this family a good, sturdy, clean house.

THANK YOU to you all for your donations, hard work, and prayers for this family and for the ministries here in Honduras. Que Dios les bendiga (May God bless you).

Practicing Sharing

2010-04-05T14:59:00.001-07:00

We just have GREAT kids!

Happy Anniversary!

2010-04-05T14:02:00.000-07:00

A friend recently complained that I do not put enough pictures of myself on the blog. So, here are Josue and I celebrating our 2 year anniversary.

Cute little Angi

2010-03-12T12:56:00.000-08:00

Okay, maybe we need to practice clean-up a little more. :)

Good Morals

2010-02-27T16:29:00.000-08:00

We teach our kids to SHARE everything. They even share when napping. :)

Christmas Eve at The Manna Project

2010-02-24T13:23:00.001-08:00

On Christmas Eve day Evelyn, her daughter Natalia, her nephew Carlos Enrique, and I were busy in the kitchen cooking a special Christmas meal for the feeding center.

The meal consisted of a pork in a heavenly sauce made by Evelyn, macaroni salad, and fruit salad.

Our FIRST Daycare Christmas

2010-02-24T11:23:00.000-08:00

The Christmas party for the daycare FeMorZa was on the 23rd. The party started a short time after the kids woke up from nap time. We started with a pinata that wasn't as exciting for the 2 year olds, but the other kids enjoyed it. Then they ate some cake during snack time. The finale was the presentation of the MAGI gifts for all the children. They were thrilled to receive everything--even toothbrushes, toothpaste, and soap.

The five year olds opened their gifts first.

Then came the three year olds.

Finally, the two year olds up to bat.

Last, but not least, the babies.

Christmas with the Sunday School Class

2010-02-24T10:58:00.000-08:00

On Saturday the 19th, we had our Christmas party with the children of the Sunday school class. We started with food from Pizza Hut as well as homemade banana pudding (which none of them had eaten before--they loved the new dessert). Then we attempted to safely destroy the ever-frightening pinata. Candy from the pinata is worth more than gold to these kids, but they all pulled through without a problem. To finish out the party, all of the students received a MAGI gift from the United States.

Christmas Party with the Volunteers and their children

2010-02-02T12:50:00.001-08:00

Melissa's lovely decorations added quite the zeal to the party.

Okay, whose idea was it to give the baby chocolate frosted brownies?!?

LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO OUR VOLUNTEERS AND THEIR FAMILIES

Evelyn is our Honduran director for the daycare FeMorZa. Her two only children are Natalia and Fernando.

Lupe manages the daycare. Her crew includes Eliza, Keren, Franci, and Bella.

Sonia (FeMorZa) with Kelvin, Cristian, and Ivet.

Suyapa works half the day in The Manna Project and the other half at the daycare. She does a great job of floating from class to class. Her large family consists of Suany, Ana, Carlos, Josue, Samuel.

Nancy (teacher for the infants) with Alexander, Walter, and Angi.

Both Bryan and Johana (siblings) work at FeMorZa. Bryan teaches the three year olds while Johana helps out where needed.

Wendy (fours and fives teacher at the daycare) and her only son, Fernando.

Reyna (TMP) with Marcos and Reyna Margarita.

Veronica (TMP) couldn't be present because of her daughter Cherli's sickness. But Delmer, Nicol, and Nachli came.

The fearless leaders - Jennifer and Melissa (sisters at heart)

New roof for Franklin's family

2009-11-13T13:50:00.000-08:00

~Before~

and...

~AFTER~

Our First Pool Day

2009-11-03T08:49:00.000-08:00

My mother is the best bargain shopper. She has me in training right now. Part of the practicum involved a trip to Target to find these wonderful new inflatable pools for a price that felt like I was stealing.

So, here are the older kids enjoying their first pool day at the daycare.

Bryan wasn't exactly sure about having little girls for pool day.

Of course, the girls were not too sure, either.

But it did not take them long to get the idea and enjoy the time.

The five-year-olds had a blast the entire time they were allowed to play.

Flower Pots for the Teachers

2009-10-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

The day I had planned to make the flower pots for the teachers, I arrived to class to this lovely view of gifts for me.

The teens making pipe cleaner flowers.

The kids showing off their decorated cups.

What a lovely shade of lipstick! Is that "Washable Crayola" brand?!? I hope so...

Filling their cups with dirt (well, mostly small pebbles).

The finished products to give to their teachers.

Independence Day in September

2009-10-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

My work crew for the day, Evelyn making sandwiches in the kitchen while these four handed out the food and drinks.

We really could not have made it throughout the day without Josue. His help was priceless.
Seriously, though, he went to an all-night church vigil and did not get any sleep until he got to Mololoa.

It doesn´t get much better than...

peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,

bananas,

and chips.

When Josue did get his rest, there was no tearing him away from the soccer field.

Anybody recognize the shirt?

Day of the Child at the daycare

2009-10-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

School Scholarship Program

2009-08-31T12:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends of Mololoa,

Thank you for your donations to supply our children with the necessary items for their schooling. Through all of your support more than 100 students ranging from Kindergarten to college, were assisted in having all of their supplies and/or uniform purchased. One pre-1st class and one Kindergarten class (who meet in a building in Mololoa) received uniforms. All of this was able to happen because of your generous financial donations.

Normally, $50 will cover the needs of one child. Thanks to God directing us to sales, we were able to spread the financial donations out to benefit more children. It was incredible (only through the work of the Lord) that every single item we purchased was on discount--uniforms, shoes, backpacks, and all school supplies. Some of the items were up to 75% marked down.

Because of the sales, I purchased in bulk instead of breaking down the receipts into individual kids or families (like I have done in the past few years). So, to be able to send copies of receipts and break down exact amounts spent on each child would be days of work for me. For this reason, I did not make the same information packets like the supporters have received in the past.

Instead of matching each sponsor with children, all of the money was pooled together so that everyone had a part in the educational supplies of all of these students. All of the individuals who donated should have heard from me personally by now through snail mail (please let me know if you have not). For those of you who sent money for specific students, be assurred that they have been provided for.

Many of the sponsored children are pictured below. Unfortunately, for the others, I neglected to have my camera available to get photos. Those shown are grouped as families with their names and grade levels listed.

If you need any type of additional information, I am more than happy to help. I do have all of the original receipts and will be happy to show them to any of the donors who has the desire to review the spendings. If you would like to keep in contact with a sponsored child, feel free to send English letters to my E-mail address for me to translate and deliver.

As always, we need your prayers. For the students, please be praying for their physical, educational, mental, and spiritual lives. And thank you, once again, for loving these wonderful children and allowing them to have this chance to enrich their minds.

Dios les bendiga,

Jennifer M. Arnold Salgado

jmarnold.tmp@gmail.com

One-third of the Pre-school students to receive uniforms

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Marcotulio, 3rd grade & Erick, 5th grade

Carmen, 6th grade & Carlos Enrique, 4th grade

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Nataniel, 1st grade

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Cristian Zelaya, 3rd grade
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Roni, 1st grade & Tania, 3rd grade
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Natalia, 2nd grade

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Selena, 6th grade & Ronal, 1st curso (1st year of high school)
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Rosa, 5th grade
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Maria Virginia, 1st grade

Sintia Carolina, 1st grade
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Maria Jose & Maria Fernanda, 3rd grade
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Marcos, 4th grade
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Junior Cruz, 3rd curso (3rd year of high school)

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Erica, 3rd grade & Cristian Aguilar, 5th grade

Josue Aguilar, 1st curso (1st year of high school)

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Johana, 1st curso (1st year of high school)

Bryan Lopez, University Education classes
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Linda, 1st grade

Melissa & Leonardo, 1st grade
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Cindy Velasquez, 3rd grade

Hector, 4th grade & Oscar, 5th grade

Wendy Velasquez, 6th grade
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Cristian, Pre-1st

Kelvin, 3rd grade
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Elvin, 3rd grade & Junior, 1st grade
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Bryan Bueso, Pre-1st

Velki, 2nd grade

Friend of family Wendy Sanchez, 3rd grade with Lesbi, 3rd grade

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Samuel, Kindergarten

Josue Ayestas, 1st grade

Carlos Ayestas, 3rd grade
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Nicol, 4th grade & Cherli, 2nd grade

Delmer, 1st curso (1st year of high school)
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Alexander, 1st grade & Walter, Kindergarten
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Fernando Lopez, 1st grade

Wendy Lopez, University Education classes

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Franci, 1st grade

Keren, 3rd grade

Eliza, 6th grade

Guadalupe, University Education classes

Work in Guatemala

2009-08-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

Josue was in Guatemala a few days before I arrived, but we never lacked for the ability to make new friends from West Virginia, Tennessee, and Connecticut. Here are pictures of the "camera shy" Josue and some of our new friends.

And of course, there are many more new friends. Here is a picture of the entire group of Bob.

Besides American friends, all of us in the group were touched by at least one (but usually several) child who holds that special place in our hearts. Below are pictures of the children who live on the compound where we were housed...Pablo, Vivi, Josue, Cristofer.

A great deal of work was done to glorify the Lord. One of the projects included building a concrete block house for this family.

While Josue stayed busy at the house site, I and many others found ourselves surrounded by more than a hundred children for a week-long VBS. It was a wonderful time of learning and bonding.

On the last day working at the church (where we not only had VBS but did construction work, also), the leaders of the church honored us with costly gifts of fabric. The designs and handiwork of the fabrics were incredible to see the entire time we were in Guatemala. The dresses of the women and little girls were so beautiful.

But, not all was work. We had some free time that was spent in two different popular cities in Guatemala. Here are pictures of the beautiful Lake Atitlan were we took two memorable boat rides from the coast to where we stayed at the foot of several volcanos surrounded by water.

I have always enjoyed worship services outside on a pretty day. We were constantly reminded of the beauty by the hand of God while we fellowshiped.

Before we left the area of Lake Atitlan, we participated in a dedication of some homes that were recently constructed. It was heart-warming to see the gratitude of these families.

Another breath-taking city was that of Antigua, Guatemala. The architecture was amazing. And even though I cannot name the use of every building in the pictures, the details of laborers are worth putting for you to view.

Thanks to you all!

2009-08-09T17:43:00.001-07:00

The summer groups always energize me and remind me of the passion that God instilled in me. I am so happy to see them come and get to see old friends and meet new people. And the work that is done for the community can never be repaid. Especially here in Mololoa, we can't say thank you enough for the work that Keith Boyer's group has contributed.

Here are pictures of some of the faithful that never forget this humble community.

Another Update

2009-08-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

Just to let those of you know that are concerned, Josue and I are safe in Nashville. We are enjoying time with family and hope to see many friends while we are in town. I'll write soon for the monthly summary.

Love ya,
Jen

Finally, Pictures of Day One at the Daycare

2009-07-08T15:42:00.001-07:00

In case you haven´t read it yet, the information about the first day is a couple of blogs down. So, scroll down to learn about our first day and then take a look at the pictures here.

Josue and Evelyn.

Nancy with Angi on the far left and Tatiana in the middle.

Lupe with Ivet who loved the camera.

Bryan in class time.

Wendy in class time with Adonis (AKA Fernando and Guapo), Walter, and Cristian.

Johana and Sonia.

Aldo with Tatiana.

The fours and fives, Bella (Viviana), Cristian, Walter, Fernando.

Soani as cute as she can be.

Bella and Soani during free play.

Walter, Cristian, and Fernando in free play loving the cars.

Precious prayers of Walter and Bella.

Ivet trying to get comfortable to sleep.

Fernando looking like he is at the beach during nap time.

Update

2009-07-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,
I just wanted to put up a quick post to let you know that Josue and I are doing well in Guatemala. The team members we are working with are more than welcoming. We have had a lot of fun with our new friends and are being blessed by the work here.

This week, Josue has been working on building a block house while I am working with the VBS group at a local church. Pray for the work and for the people we are meeting.

We really miss the work, family, and friends in Honduras. Pray for both of us who are suffering a slight bit of homesickness. Pray for the political situations in Honduras and that things can be resolved peacefully.

Love to you all!
Jen

Safe in Guatemala

2009-06-30T20:34:00.000-07:00

Quick update...
Josue and I are in Guatemala with a group of friends from Nashville until the problems in Honduras are resolved. Please pray for us, our friends and family in Honduras, and the leaders of the country.

Pray also for the work that is being done here in Guatemala to honor our Lord. Pray for Josue and I to have clear minds and to focus on this opportunity to serve another group of Christians.

I´ll post another update as soon as possible.

Con amor,
Jennifer

FeMorZa IS OPEN FOR SERVICE

2009-06-22T15:53:00.000-07:00

Day one in the daycare (or as we are technically called ¨center¨ according to the Honduran government) has finally come and finished without any major catastraphes as we all had feared.

Friday morning Evelyn and I visited IHNFA (the agency in charge of daycares and orphanages) to find out that we could open the daycare. So, we immediately began to do those last minute things you always wonder why in the world you put off doing. We informed all of the registered parents of the opening who also had waited the last minute to get their paperwork together (some which couldn´t have their kids come today because of the lack of paperwork). And all the workers gathered at the daycare to do dry runs of the schedule and refresh their memories of the do´s and don´ts that Melissa taught them. We were all so nervous but in a good way, because we were also so excited to see this day come.

Evelyn (the Honduran director) was there at 7 am as we opened. The workers are on a staggered schedule that is based on when the most amount of children are in the daycare. So, as the hours continued, all the workers nervously and anxiously showed up as the children came bounding in all excited. Every worker realized that they were well beyond prepared and the day went smoother than anyone could have imagined. (Thanks for all you that knew about the opening that were praying for us.)

We only had 8 children out of our registered 19 because the others did not have their paperwork (birth certificate, health certificate, etc.) ready to give us. We expect a slow trickle through the week to reach our starting 19. Melissa was correct in deciding that we needed to start with a low number so that the teachers gain experience and confidence before meeting the challenges that come in larger numbers.

Nancy´s class of babies had Tatiana and Angi. Lupe had one two-year-old, Ivet while Bryan had only one three-year-old, Soani. Wendy´s class of fours and fives was Adonis, Bella, Walter, and Cristian.

Soani gets the credit for our first funny story of ¨kids being kids¨. During Bryan´s class time, he taught about greetings for different times of the day – good morning, good afternoon, and goodnight. He went through them all many times and finally came to the point to where he could quiz his student. She did great with good morning and stumbled through good afternoon. But the classic was when Bryan asked, ¨what do you say to your daddy before you go to sleep?¨ … ¨Give me money, daddy.¨

Thanks again to all who have been praying for all of the leaders, workers, and children. Thank you to all of our financial supporters who have been so patient through this long process. And thank you especially to the Claypoole family for providing the building as a place to protect, teach, and love these little ones.

Daycare update

2009-04-29T09:58:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures of the daycare in its four main sections. These pictures are already below in another blog, but these pictures are a little clearer with more light.

Construction Changes

2009-04-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

This is a picture after finishing the last set of jobs before starting on the new work.

To help protect the property, and as a requirement to prevent the children from crawling out of the windows, these bars and screening material were designed especially for the daycare and then installed.

The front of the building with its new windows.

The sides of the building have this design. The name of the daycare is only on the two windows on the front of the building.

Josue and Jacob (who came to help during Spring Break) working on putting the razor wire on top of the new chainlink fence and metal gate.

The front of the property has the outside boundary of the chainlink fence on blocks.

Then, there is a smaller fence of chainlink and wood that was built to keep the kids corraled in the front area so that they don't wander to the other side of the property.

A Lot of Fun Unpacking

2009-04-27T08:55:00.000-07:00

When the job of unpacking the boxes came, it was like getting to have Christmas in February. We didn't know exactly all that was sent from the States, so it was a lot of fun to see what we have for the kids.

The majority of the materials were at the kitchen daycare next to the church, so we made many trips of items and boxes with helpers.

What a mess to start off!

Adult product testing.

We labeled and numbered as many things as we could.

Bottles were flowing out our ears, but we will need them all.

And, of course, we had to have product testing by the kids themselves.

Junior, 6 years old, son of Xiomara

Walter, 4 years old, son of Nancy

Ivet, 2 years old, daughter of Sonia

Ivet, Junior, and 2-year-old daughter of Xiomara

Angi, daughter of Nancy

Training the Workers

2009-04-26T08:33:00.000-07:00

Group time activities with Melissa.

Book learning about the development of children with Melissa.

Handwriting practice with Kristin who helped out during Spring Break.

Lesson planning for the teachers with Jen.

Filing, filing, and more filing to get organized by Evelyn.

Back row: Sonia, Bryan, Wendy, Xiomara, Evelyn, Lupe, Nancy, Walter

Front row: Alexander, Melissa, Johana with Fernando, Katrina with Angi, Soani

FeMorZa Parent Meeting Day & the preparations

2009-04-15T09:08:00.000-07:00

Evelyn writing a message of welcome to the parents.

Wendy writing a welcome message to her future students.

Nancy helping out with some of the bulletin boards.

Play section for the children ages 3, 4, 5.

Separation barrier for two play areas where mats and carpet squares are located.

Play area for the children in the 2-year-old class.

Baby cribs and a cute bulletin board saying that ¨Children are a gift from God¨.

Play area for the infants and toddlers just under 2 years old.

Our lovely kitchen area.

Outside toys stored by the door.

Classroom area for 4 and 5 year olds´class.

Each child has his/her own basket for storing personal items and projects from class time.

Notes home board for the parents.

Main entrance information center.

Thanks to the family of Phyllis and Calvin Claypoole, we were able to construct the building.

For those of you who didn´t understand the meaning of the name of the daycare, it is a combination of the Spanish words for ¨faith, hope, and love¨ from 1 Corinthians 13.

Mothers talking with Lupe about signing up their children for the daycare.

Evelyn and Lupe leading the informational meeting for parents who will be receiving the services of the daycare.

*Once again, many photos were borrowed from the talented skills of Melissa and Katrina Kluge.

Valentine Celebrations in Sunday Outreach

2009-04-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

*Most (if not all) of the pictures here are gratefully borrowed from Melissa´s camera. :)

Moses

2009-02-05T17:46:00.001-08:00

This past Sunday we began our study of the life of Moses with a grand opening improv play. Josue narrated while two different groups of kids went through the motions of the Bible characters: Pharaoh with four guards, Pharaoh’s daughter with her servant, Moses, his mother, and his sister. We even had some home-made items and last-minute costumes.

Thank goodness my mother supports Josue’s love of camouflage shorts—if not, we couldn’t have casted so many soldiers for the play. We made their swords out of construction paper and wood, which some lucky actors got to take home (to use to annoy their mothers or siblings, I am sure).

Pharaoh showed his noble royalty in a lovely bathrobe and crown from KFC. The pharaoh’s daughter should have felt honored to have one of my favorite dresses for visual appeal. And clearly, a princess needs a crown from KFC to show her heritage.

The servant and Moses’ family owe thanks to Melissa’s fabric collection for their head gear. And of course, what drama wouldn’t have Moses with his baby bottle in a laundry basket floating down a river of blue bed sheets?

The kids enjoyed it thoroughly, almost as much as us adults. We were happy to have David and his crew spend the afternoon with us. They helped in the set-up and process of the theatrical performance, also.

I hope you enjoy the pictures of our production.

Group One…

Group Two…

Coloring afterwards…

December 20, 2008 DECORATING BRUNCH

2009-01-10T11:19:00.000-08:00

December 21, 2008 SUNDAY OUTREACH CHRISTMAS PARTY

2009-01-09T10:26:00.000-08:00

December 25, 2008 CHRISTMAS AT THE FEEDING CENTER

2009-01-08T10:47:00.000-08:00

December 28, 2008 MAGI GIFTS

2009-01-07T09:39:00.000-08:00

Reading the Word

2009-01-06T08:55:00.000-08:00

Here are pics of the kids from November when we studied the Bible as our theme for the month. For our activities, we did the following: colored sheets explaining how the Bible was once written on scrolls, made bookmarks to save our place while reading the Good Book, and made booklets that contained Scripture explaining about the Bible.

Basic Concepts

2008-12-18T17:07:00.000-08:00

In Mololoa, in the church and in the feeding center, we are still learning some basic concepts.

We are still learning…

the importance of handling books with care…

the location of our mouths…

where glitter decorates best…

that the food would taste better once the wrapper is removed…

the places stickers adhere to…

how to use crayons.

Helen Singing

2008-12-04T10:04:00.000-08:00

You know how little children always do the unexpected. Well, Josue’s 3-year-old niece Helen is no different than any others. She never ceases to entertain the family, and unlike some children she isn’t shy about entertaining a large group when it is necessary. This video was taken this past Friday at an all-night vigil at the church. At this point in the night, there were about 40 children and at least 60 adults present.

We were all waiting for a improv drama to take place when one of the hosts asked all the children to come up front and sing for the crowd. Helen was one of the first kids up to the front of the church and sang in a couple of songs with the group. Then she ran back to her mother in the crowd. The host was asking the kids what they want to sing, and none of them would answer. The mother joked with Helen about singing “The Gossiping Neighbor”, and before she had time to laugh, Helen was out of her arms and dashing to the front. As soon as Helen got up to the front, she announced that she had a song, so she was given the spotlight.

If you are wondering why the host and crowd can’t help but laughing so that you can’t even hear Helen, let me explain. The song she sang is a kid’s church song that isn’t common. It is a conversation between a preacher and one of the flock who is having a problem with a neighbor. The preacher explains what God would want her to do in the situation, but the only part of the song that Helen knows (which is what she sang for the crowd) is the church member confiding in her preacher, which goes like this:

I have a neighbor that I want to punch.
I might just grab her by her hair,
Walk the streets of the town
And use her to sweep them.

I was more than embarrassed and ready to explain that the song was actually a Sunday school song teaching against violence. But this is just one example of how what we say doesn’t always come out the way we intended.

Our speech can make such a difference in the lives of others. It can be used for the negative or for the positive. We always have a choice in what we say and how we say it. Remember to choose your words carefully (and, of course, don’t use your neighbor to sweep the streets).

:)

Sunday Outreach

2008-11-20T11:55:00.001-08:00

Here are pictures of our precious kids as they learned about the importance of prayer.