August 2nd was Mike Brenner’s birthday and Sunday, August 3rd was Gwen’s birthday.
For Mike’s birthday, he wanted to continue to work on Arnold’s kitchen while the boys were out of school so they could help. If you have ever heard of a barn raising this was similar. Many people working together to accomplish a building project. Each one with a special part. As the day wore on we became a well oiled machine and, by 6:30 p.m., we had all the walls up, some siding on, a door frame constructed, and the roof attached by the end of the day. There was still a birthday to celebrate. Mike favorite meal is all you can eat, make your own, pizza that they assemble in the outdoor kitchen and then cook in their traditional oven (like a pizza oven). Took quite a while to get everyone’s pizzas cooked but they were sure tasty. And if you could not eat all you made there was sure to be a boy who would be glad to polish it off.
When dinner was completed, we headed back to the house to do gifts and cake. Lisa splurged this year and got Mike an enormous bakery bought cake. Each boy got a HUGE piece of cake. We played a game called Left Right Center and used candies as our playing chips. The winner got the entire kitty of all the candy for 14 people playing.
We ran out of day and the compound is short a “watchie” (night security guard) so some of the boys had volunteered to fill in until a new watchie could be hired. They were teams of two working three hour shifts during the night, so some needed to get sleep and some needed to start working so we called it a night.
Gwen’s birthday fell on a Sunday, so the adults had study time together, then we ate breakfast, then we all piled into the truck and headed to church. The sermon was about how we speak to others, how we use words. Pastor Ludy talked about how we have two ears and one mouth. (We understood a little and some we got by hand motions.) Some of you may be familiar with this thought… we have two ears and one mouth so we need to listen first before we speak. Pastor Ludy also said we should speak words of blessing to those around us, and he gave numerous examples.
Pastor Ludy gave each of the “Americano amigo’s” an opportunity to share. Mike shared a thought in Spanish and the Kurt (with the help of one of the boys) shared a thought. When church was done, Gwen made a point of going around and greeting people she did not know. She learned a few Miskitu words when we shared at the villages and she employed them again. “Naksa” means Hi or Hello. A well employed “Naksa”, a smile, and a handshake is the start of making friends.
After church we came back to La Casa del Camino for lunch and then we all piled into the truck to go find a new swimming hole Mike had heard about. It has been very hot here for days so a chance to swim and cool off sounded like a good idea. We went out into the boonies and sure enough there was a pool/pond with two inlets and one outlet, so the water was clear and as safe as you can get around here. We all played in the water and cooled off until some of the folks who got out and sat on the grassy bank started getting bit by no-see-um bugs. Then we packed up and headed back home. We all cleaned up and headed down for Gwen’s requested dinner – a Honduran interpretation of a taco salad (Lisa made it up a few years ago as something different from the usual beans and rice). Following dinner, Lisa filled a piñata with most of the candy we brought down and the boys each got a turn to take swacks. Mike ran the piñata, pulling it up and down on a rope on a pulley. It was good for lots of laughs and we think each boy got a some candy. Gwen got one piece – lots of young men hurling themselves after candy is like stepping in front of a locomotive…. best to just watch and enjoy. 😉
Some of the boys needed to have hair cuts before school the next day (their school has a very strict dress code), so while we waited for them to finish, the other adults played more Skyjo and Gwen played the Sriracha Sauce card game with the two youngest boys. Gwen read the rules and discovered they don’t use all the rules, so she went with the flow and played by the boys “house rules.” It was fun either way.
Gwen wanted to do something different for her birthday this year. She decided it would be good to do a reverse birthday – to give rather than receive. When everyone was assembled, Gwen had them close their eyes. Even all the adults (which surprised them). Then Gwen set an individually wrapped gift in front of each person. And had them open their eyes. For each boy she brought bandanas and personalized combs with their name painted on it too match the color of the bandana and then bought hair gel and scented deodorant and wrapped them all with twine and put name tags on each one. For Lisa we brought her favorite brand of hydration packets and a customized comb wrapped in a bandana of one of her favorite colors. For Mike a customized comb and the game Skyjo (only to find when we got here that he had already discovered it the last trip to the U.S. – but since it is his new favorite game we know it will get used and be well love) all wrapped in a bandana of his favorite color. And for Kurt a customized comb and a love note wrapped in a bandana of one of his favorite colors. (We had to order two packs of six to have enough combs for 10 boys. One pack had seven apparently, so there were enough combs for everyone to get a comb. It was fun for Gwen to watch their reaction and to be able to bless them all with treats they all appreciate.
The crew at La Casa del Camino blessed Gwen with the currently popular Honduran gift of a candy bouquet in a mug with a saying on it. Following the gift giving we had cake. Lisa made a cake (with the help of one of the boys who is super helpful and a servant-hearted young man) and decorated it with strawberry jam and frosting dollops. It was a surprisingly good combination.
Sunday night was also the first night of a new “watchie” (night security guard). You can be lifting up the new watchie, that he would do a good job, not fall asleep, and be a trustworthy employee. As the day was winding down and the boys were heading to bed, there was a commotion outside the compound and Mike and the boys all headed out to see what was happening/protect whoever was screaming. Come to find out when they returned that a local bad apple who was staying with his sisters had the police make a surprise night raid on the house to arrest the bad actor. Lisa said he must have done something really bad since the police don’t normally make raids on homes for thievery. The sisters would have been scared by the raid and one of the boys indicated that one of the sisters who is one of their cooks was afraid for her brother. The police are apparently very brutal to prisoners. Mike came back and said there is always excitement in Honduras.
It was a reminder that life in La Moskitia is hard and there are dangers, but our trust is in the Lord our God.
When things settled down we went back to playing games and the boys headed to their rooms. Gwen mentioned while we were playing that it is really hard to sleep when you are a puddle of sweat. Mike said they had an extra fan we could use. We set that up just before heading to bed. What a difference moving air makes!
Day 10 – August 4
You don’t appreciate what you have until you don’t have it any more. Gwen woke up early to discover the water was not running. Mike had already told us he was letting the tank run out so they could clean it in the morning but be had said what was in the tank would last until morning. Having soap on your hand only to discover there is no water to wash it off caused a brief bit of consternation, and then Gwen used filtered water that we use to wash our teeth to solve that issue. Shortly there after, Mike stopped by our room to say, turn off the fans, the power is getting low. He does everything here by solar power and when the sun does not come out due to clouds there is no recharging of the batteries. We had made an arrangement for one of the local ladies to do our laundry today so it would be clean for packing but no sun means slow drying of wet clothes. We have another load this evening and we are trusting the sun to come out tomorrow to dry it all so we can get it packed. Wet clothes are not good to pack for a variety of reasons, the most important is weight.
After breakfast we went to get more wood to finish up the kitchen and on our way back the sky decided to open up and pour out buckets of water. We stood under the carport for a bit, when we got back, waiting for it to let up and then headed to the house. We played games while we waited for the weather to cease and then headed down to lunch. While we were eating the sky again decided to pour and pour and pour again. Mike decided our project would need to wait. It would not be safe to walk over to Arnold’s because it would be too slippery. So more Skyjo after lunch.
Eventually the clouds let up and Kurt and Mike ventured out to take measurements. Then they came back and cut the wood to the right lengths. Gwen worked on documentation for the last few days that have been quite full while Kurt helped Mike with the wood working. When the younger boys got home from school they were enlisted and the whole crew headed over to complete the finishing work on the kitchen add-on. The remaining tasks were a few more supporting 2x4s and then the exterior siding that remains.
So, Gwen’s thoughts and observations so far: I already know this is a hard place to live after coming last year and the weather is not hospitable if you don’t do heat well. We go backpacking, so I am used to being grubby for a number of days and having do life at the most elemental level. So, watching Mike and Lisa as they do life here and work with the boys, and getting to rub shoulders together as we work on projects, and hear their back stories, and talk about what the future holds, and see God working, and see boys growing in stature and character… it just affirms what I already know… that God does not waste any of our life experiences, good or bad. He can use it all to prepare us for the work he calls us to do. It is so evident as we have learned about Mike in the slow bumpy rides to get supplies, how uniquely qualified he is to be here for this space in time, same goes for Lisa. They each have strengths and weaknesses and they balance each other out. They are also human and they need our prayer covering to maintain when they get tired, when stuff continually breaks or needs to be maintained, when school officials make dumb decisions, and the list goes on. They need prayer coverage to stay the course until the next life phase. They need prayer coverage when trying to take care of stuff in Seattle/PNW when they are miles away. They need prayer coverage for their family back home, that God would divinely protect aging parents when they are too far away to respond quickly. They need patience dealing with teenagers with raging hormones. They need endurance that only God can give and encouragement from the family of God.
