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Sunday, October 1, 2006
THINKING BACK...
 
 In 1971, I had been married to my 2nd husband almost a year, there was a Missionary group leaving from our Church to go to Honduras.
I was asked to go, I prayed & prayed about this, talked with my husband & decided to go.
He did not want to go, as he felt his job would not let him off for 6 mos, plus the fact that altho he attended Church with me, he was not a Christian.
He supported my decision to go, & planned for my son, who was about 3, & himself to stay with my Mom & Step Dad while I was gone. This was good, for I knew my Mother would look after my son well & I would need not worry.
So, there was 10 of us going, 7 men & 3 women...to a 'slum area' a short ways from San Pedro Sula. The plane trip was long, then we arrived but we found it hard to get through customs, many of our things were confiscated.
The trip itself to the village was tiring and stressful, we had to go by horses most of the way (2 per horse), up & down mountainous terrain, through grasslands & swamps, being watchful the whole time due to bandits in the area. At one point I remember having to pull over behind big bushes & tall grasses to muffle our horses, praying while a band of bandits passed us by.
When we arrived, I was not prepared for what met me, it was almost unbearable. A foul stench met my nostrils from the open sewage everywhere. Little children, filthy with raggedy clothes, barefoot, open sores on their tiny bodies.
We were greeted by warm smiles, but suspious eyes, & shown to 2 small houses that had holes in the roofs & the ground for floors. These were to be our homes for the next 6 mos.
The men took one and the women the other. We were given old straw mats to sleep on.
Our first job was to try & patch the roofs as best we could to keep out the rain...as this was the rainy season.
PLEASE CONT TO READ ALL 10 ENTRIES.
sugarsweet056 at 7:00:23 PM CDT
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The children needed to be bathed and their sores treated, after that we talked with the mothers about cleanliness.
There was among our group a man that spoke fluent Spanish, so that was a big help!
We contacted the Peace Corp, and worked with them in arranging immediate emergency food for these people. They came in a couple of vehicles, & a jeep with armed escorts, to bring supplies. How they drove down that grown over narrow dirt road I have no ideal, used to it here I guess.
They had well water, but we taught them the need to boil the water before using.
The village usually had food, mostly from their farming, some fishing, poultry, & the many fruits that were everywhere. But it was stolen on a regular basis from bandits in the hills, leaving them with nothing but fruit for several days to weeks at a time. We showed them how to keep the most part of it hidden, and have only a small amount out at any one time.
We dug a cellar under one of the houses & they would keep a lot of the food there.
We took turns preaching and teaching! Having Services 4 evenings a week in the old Church on the outskirts of the village.
We also did some renovation to the Church giving it a new life!
sugarsweet056 at 6:59:53 PM CDT
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Since there was a cilvil war brewing, we had to always be careful and on guard.
There were bandits living in the hills that would on occassions raid the villages, taking their food, & sometimes raping the young girls. We were told that several people had been killed when trying to stand in their way.
While we were there 2 raids took place, but no one was hurt seriously. They took what little food was available, pushed us all around a little to show how tough they were, then left.
Once, I got pushed to the ground, ended up with a skinned knee & elbow, a few bruises...and one of our men was punched in the face & stomach. All because we blocked a man from dragging an 11 yo girl into the bushes.
They had guns & knives, so as to save your life, it was better to not interfere, except when you HAD to. We were surprised that the man just shoved the girl back to us, muttered something and left. Going to another village I guess.
sugarsweet056 at 6:59:27 PM CDT
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Altho they had a Church , it was in bad shape, needing work , and the people did not come to worship as they should.
We changed that! We got them involved in fixing it up, something they could be proud of.
We talked with and helped educate their Pastor. He was a good man, but had almost lost his faith, we prayed with him and for him.
He re-dedicated his life to God and to his people!
There were regular services, teachings about Jesus, songs, music, many people gave their souls to Christ!
It was a time to be happy, to know God had not forsaken them!
If YouTube is down when you visit, please come back later to see videos & hear music. TY!
sugarsweet056 at 6:58:13 PM CDT
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The people were of White/Indian ancestory, they were very poor, and most lived in houses made of adobe.
The temp was around 80 most of the time we were there. A pleasantly warm season but with a lot of rain.
Life there was tough, no ammenities. Almost primitive.
There was no running water, but they did have the community well.
People simply squatted and defacated where ever they felt the need to go. You would see a woman squatting by her front door, or a child in tiny dirt road (path) that went through the little village. Then the rain made it all one big sewage dump! We taught them how to go into the woods behind their homes, take a stick and dig a shallow hole, then cover it up (we thought of a litter box back home). We had wanted to build a communal outhouse, but they didn't like that ideal.
They bathed & washed their clothes at an inland river nearby.
We encouraged them to bathe more often & taught them about the need to keep clean and wear clean clothing.
Dress was simple, some wore traditional clothing while others chose to dress more like us.
Each family had their own cooking station, kind of like a fire place in our homes.
Then there was a large cooking pit that was used for cooking community meals, ie weddings, etc.
There was no medical help here, other than an old lady who helped birth babies. For serious illness or injury they'd have to go into town.
I recall several days when you could hear gunshots in the distance, they said it was the bandits raiding nearby villages.
It was an accepted way of life.
sugarsweet056 at 6:57:33 PM CDT
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The nearest town was San Pedro Sula, we only got to go once...as it was not safe. So we went, stayed only a short time...got what we needed and came back to the village.
At that time, there was only a few outside markets in the town. But we were able to stock up on our needed items.
It was beautiful, even then, palm trees and pines abounded. Bananas & other fruits grew wildly.
The sun shone from a rich blue sky, and glittered onto the sandy beaches and beautiful sea.
You could see the fishermen out in their boats setting out for a days fishing.
Leaving was bitter sweet, there was so much more that still needed to be done. But we had accomplished a lot.
We had opened these people up to the Word of God, we had helped with their lives. We had done what God had called us to do, it was time to go home.
sugarsweet056 at 6:57:14 PM CDT
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So happy to be home with my family!!! Praise God!
We stayed a few weeks with my parents, then got an apt & moved out.
My husband lost his job and was starting to become verbally abusive towards my son & me. I thought it was the stress of being out of work. (you will need to read my main journal for info)
Another Missionary Group was leaving in 3 mos, families were encouraged to go, after talking with my husband, we decided to go! He would help with carpentry, etc that would be needed. Even though he was not a Missionary, was not a Christian, he did attend Church regularly, & SEEMED to be a good man.
So our group headed to The Philippines, we went to a tiny village outside Manilla. 3 families and 3 single men.
The plane trip was bumpy, it took us awhile to get there. We finally got our luggage after much arguing, grabbing & snatching.
Then found our driver, it took us 2 hrs down an narrow dirt road in an old beat up jeep.
Then a man with a cart & mule met us...we traveled another hour like this, not first class transportation, but God was with us, we sang & prayed most of the way.
We finally saw the village! People ran out to greet us. Surprised that many of the younger people could speak English, this was a pleasant surprise, made our work much easier.
We were showed our accomadations, left to unpack and get a little rest.
This was nicer conditions that the last trip I was on, each family had a hut, and the single men shared a hut.
The people seemed to welcome us, and were glad we had came.
When we had rested & stepped out of our huts, we found baskets filled with fruit, and sweet breads at our door, along with jugs of fresh goat milk & cheese.
Such a warm and thoughtful welcome.
sugarsweet056 at 6:56:55 PM CDT
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We were here to help build a Church, find a Pastor and preach about the Almighty.
These people had clean water & food, not from a supermarket like back home, they raised their food.
We spent many hours just talking with them, visiting in their homes, walking with them, and helping them in their everyday chores. As they fed the chickens & livestock, worked in the rice paddys, & fields...we were there.
They grew corn, sweet potatoes, & sugar cane. All the while we were spreading the word of God as we helped them with their daily chores. As we assisted to harness up the Carabao (water buffalo) to pull the plow, we talked about how Jesus loved us.
They were friendly and warm, they treated us with such respect! The Filipinos are a wonderful people.
They loved my son and the other children that had came with us. Children were a big part of their life. They would play little games with them & sing songs.
So nice to see people who loved children as much as they did.
My son fit in perfectly! He enjoyed his time there, the people, & their children. He made friends fast, and was running and playing with the others as though he belonged there.
Children can blend into most circumstances it seems.
On the days we could, we worked on building the Church, since it rained a lot, we had only certain days we could work on it. But we got it done!
Our Worship Services were outstanding, the whole village would pack into the little Church.
You could feel the Lord's presence, the entire Church was filled with the Holy Spirit.
sugarsweet056 at 6:56:39 PM CDT
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Manila was the capitol, that's the town we went into several times to pick up supplies & just look around.
Many open air markets, as in most countries. Lots of things being sold, people calling to you to buy their wares. LOL
There was several different languages spoken there, depending on the village you were at. Also many varid customs practiced.
Lots of beautiful Palm trees & Bamboo, many flowering plants everywhere. A beautiful land, even though 50% of it's people lived in poverty.
We saw many crocs, monkeys, & snakes, seemed they were all over. LOL
The average temp must've been around 85, it was very humid. Lots of rain during our entire visit.
We were told that earthquakes & typhoons hit frequently, but none while we were there, Praise God!
This was a beautiful country, even back then.
sugarsweet056 at 6:56:16 PM CDT
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By the end of our stay...
We had helped to build a Church, they had a new Pastor and Asst Pastor for the Church, also! Even located a new teacher for their little one room school.
Several families had accepted Christ into their lives. Glory be to God!
Our job was done. :) It was time to leave...thanking God that we were able to come & enjoy these loving people & their hospitality. Thankful that we were able to assist them in some small way.
It was harder than I thought it would be to sit down & sort through my mind, trying to recall what I could from each trip. Plus it seemed all my memories had 'melted' together, so I have tried my best, to put the memories with the right countries. LOL
Hope you have enjoyed my walk down memory lane, keep in mind this was many years ago...I tried to recall what I could, these are the main things that have stayed in my memory all these years, even with all the meds I have to take.
I am not a writer, so this has come from my heart without trying to use fancy words...if you find it to be like a simple 'down home' country girl sitting next to you, telling you about her past, well, that's what it is.
I kept this journal to 10 short entries, so as not to bore you, & not to take too much of your time. :)
Please visit my other pages also...
TO LEAVE A COMMENT ABOUT THIS PAGE, PLEASE GO TO MY MAIN JOURNAL... A LITTLE BIT OF SUGAR, PLEASE. It's private, but you may email me to be added as a reader. TY.
TY to my Graphics Group for the lovely graphics & siggy.
Trophy given by Derasta Creations.
Videos are compliments of YouTube & very much reflect my time in these countries.
sugarsweet056 at 6:55:33 PM CDT
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