So the founders of the building we now use in the garbage dump showed up last week to inspect the premises. The guy in charge is just a humble contractor from Minnesota who has been coming to Honduras since the early 90's. He built the current structure years ago and turned it over to a local pastor and a local missionary but comes back from time to time to replace stolen parts or do repairs. There had been a break-in back in August and Al wanted to replace the current double-doors with one strong, reinforced door so he spent about 3 days tearing out the old one and giving the building a new door worthy of Fort Knox. I actually got a call yesterday from his assistant asking me if I would be willing to get a group of kids together to paint the entire place if the paint and supplies were donated. I agreed...and am crossing my fingers that all will go well.
dino was an ever-present observer over the course of the 3 days that al and his assistant reinforced the front door.
al asked if i knew anything about construction and i wanted to say yes, having lived with bill keiser all my life i should. but honestly i can say that i'm good for hauling things, holding things and following orders...don't ask me to hang doors though.
Another Migrant Crisis
I've lived and worked in Honduras for 10 years both as a missionary, serving the very poorest of society and now as teacher, where I give philosophy and history classes to the children of the very wealthiest. I don't pretend to be an expert on Honduran society and I certainly cannot claim to have many answers with respect to issues of immigration. The whole topic strikes me as far more complex and nuanced than what many voices on either the Right or the Left make it out to be. Nevertheless, I know the milieu in which I live, I know why many poor Hondurans choose to emigrate illegally, I know why many wealthy Hondurans fly to Miami or Atlanta to give birth to their children and I know that all else remaining constant, this current caravan is only the beginning. A poor Honduran lives his life with little to no hope of ever achieving anything approaching financial stability. The people I know make their livings off of garbage collecting, selling unripened bananas and day-laborin...
Comments
Anyway, is that Al VanGorp? I can't fully tell from the photos but it looks like it could be. If so, he goes to the church my three sisters attend in western Minnesota. I know Al goes to Honduras but I thought it was closer to SPS where he went.
If it is him, he is such a GREAT guy and servant of God. He's an expert at everything he does in the construction world. I hope he's enjoying a little break from the winter weather in Minnesota.
I'm sure whatever he is doing and has done it's done with excellence! You are blessed to have him a part of your ministry.
May God continue to bless your ministry!