Wednesday, July 8, 2009

In the Midst of Chaos, Life Goes On - Part 1

I haven't posted on the blog much during the political crisis in Honduras. This is partially because I don't blog anonymously, and with such extreme uncertainty in the country right now it doesn't seem to make sense to announce my personal political views. Also, we have a limit on our daily internet usage, and I've gone over my limit several times in the past two weeks. Going over the limit means that I lose my internet access, almost entirely, for 24 hours. Because the internet is my main source of news during the crisis, just about anything not related to gathering news has been deemed "non-essential."

Things are quieting down here, for the moment. Now that a mediator has been brought in to try to resolve the situation diplomatically, I expect -at the very least- that things will be less exciting in Honduras for a few days. I certainly hope so! Because of this, I'm taking this opportunity to use some of my valued internet time to post here on what we're personally doing these days.

Although our thoughts have never been far from the political situation, the work we do has continued, with very little interruption. A major ongoing project is helping with the reconstruction of the houses in El Tablon which were destroyed by the earthquake (remember the earthquake? - seems like a lifetime ago).

The earthquake reconstruction is complicated by the fact that the damage was related to the poor construction practices in the affected area. These villages, until recently, had no usable road to the outside world, so their houses are constructed of earth and wood, and not much else. It turns out that the dirt in that area doesn't consist of the right proportions of sand and clay to make good strong adobe bricks, which was part of the reason the damage in this one area was so severe.

In addition to distributing cement and rebar for the house reconstruction, we have had to instruct the homeowners in new (to them) construction methods, to help ensure that their houses will not fall down again soon! Alan Hayes handled the creation of instruction sheets which were handed out along with the materials, and he and Allen spent time explaining the needed construction methods in detail to the community there.

Now, the first houses have begun pouring their concrete footers, on which they will be building their walls. Here are some pictures:







Oh, and one more neat picture coming up. Remember the pregnant lady who lost her house in the earthquake? Well . . .

8 comments:

Denise said...

I find myself reading your blog weekly and being thankful that you can continue with living, working and sharing with the rest of the world your life in Honduras.

Thanks especially for your photos. They provide so much color to what you write.

Tara said...

We'll continue to pray for you, your family, the people of Honduras and the present situation.

Praise God for a beautiful baby!

God bless you all.

:)

Beth said...

The rebuilding and the new baby give me so much joy! Life goes on...and God is good. We prayed this morning for a good resolution and a solid government for the people of Honduras.

The footers for the new homes reminded me of the construction we did at Villa Verde the first year our team came to Honduras. We were working on a classroom behind the original school. I remember hauling concrete blocks up the hill and mixing concrete by hand. Hard work but great fellowship!!
Thanks for the pictures!!

beckyc said...

Oh, what a precious baby.

Anonymous said...

Continuing to pray for your family and the situation. Gorgeous baby!

Anonymous said...

"it doesn't seem to make sense to announce my personal political views"

Normally I believe in seperation of church and state, and this includes Missionaries in a foriegn land. But in a time of crisis, which is the case here in Honduras, I think it is appropriate for Ministers to reach out not only to the community in which they work but to the world as well. The outcome of the political situation could greatly effect your ability to reach out to the poor. It is often the case that missionaries provide the most accurate information to the outside world. You owe it to everyone to share your thoughts on what is going on. I have been reading your blog for over a year and I would like to hear from your husband on this blog with his opinion on the Political Crisis in Honduras. If people of faith will not speak out, who will?

R. Sparkman, La Ceiba

Beth said...

Dear Trish
Continuing to pray as always for safety and wisdom for your family. We also include the good people of Honduras in our prayers that they will have a good and just government to lead them out of poverty.
We love you!!
Please pray for an mk in Cambodia who was evacuated to Bangkok because she was bitten by a pit viper. Her parents are with her in Thailand. Her siblings are with friends in Cambodia. The family has been on the field only three months. This little darlings name is Catherine and she is 9 years old.
The good news is that someone killed the snake so they knew which antivenom to use. Also, so far, no permanent organ damage but she is still in danger.
Thanks for your prayers.

Jamie Jo said...

As you know, I respectfully disagree with Sparkman about stating your political views, and do appreciate your discretion in covering the situation there in Honduras on your blog. People who know you can email you directly for your slant on things, but in general, well-meaning Christian workers have caused more harm than good by becoming activists in political chaos of their host countries. I still say please use caution. Hang in there. We're praying for you!