-
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.

konrad seems pleased with the work, but not too pleased.

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.

again, dino, right there in the mix.

Comments

Cindy in California said…
I've read your blog for several years...not sure how I found it. I think it was through Erin's blog. I'm not sure I commented before either. I've had a love for Honduras since my first visit more than 15 years ago but have never been to La Ceiba. I'm usually in Tegus.

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!
February 16, 2010 at 10:09 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Coming to Honduras

-
Image
The other day in philosophy class I was teaching about existentialism, a philosophy with which I have myriad problems. The universe is absurd, life is meaningless, authenticate yourself with irrational leaps of faith! Hopeless and disconnected from reality if you ask me. Get out of the café Camus, mix with some common folk! Nevertheless, as I was introducing the material I mentioned that the existentialists really probed the questions of Life's meaning and purpose: "How do I create myself to be unique and significant?" "How do I live an authentic existence?" "How do I give my life meaning and purpose in an otherwise meaningless universe?" These seem to be questions that are attendant to societies that possess extreme wealth and privilege and an over-abundance of leisure time. I have serious doubts that 15th Century English peasants or even nobles for that matter, spent much time contemplating how they might make their lives unique or leave a
Read more

10 Years In Honduras

-
Image
My good friend Jessiel Rivera reminded me the other day that it was 10 years ago this month that I arrived here in La Ceiba. I remember my arrival here from Costa Rica fairly vividly. I had been getting teary-eyed on the plane from a combination of sleep deprivation, my longing to remain with my friends in beautiful San Jose and some sad indie music on my iPod. It was a hot and terribly humid Sunday afternoon when I landed in the La Ceiba airport and when I stepped off the 10-seater hotbox of an airplane onto the tarmac I was sweaty, bleary-eyed and disheveled. I looked like a typical gringo backpacker except for my mountain of luggage that I had in tow. Two members of the Central Mennonite Church picked me up in their car; how they knew I was the Gringo they were supposed to collect was beyond me but they got it right. I remember them remarking on the number of suitcases I had brought (3) and their heaviness (maximum weight allowance); and the resulting weight of embarrassment I felt
Read more

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
Read more