Sheila In Helene

Graduation

2010-06-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

This brief trip home culminates and continues (can both of those happen at the same time and be correct?) a vision God gave our youngest daughter while she served in Helene with us for two years. Susanna came to Helene with her sisters and parents in 2004 having just finished her sophomore year in high school. Her routine before she arrived in Honduras included homeschooling, working at a local pharmacy and constant involvement with her friends. Like most teenagers, she had acquired her driver's license which greatly aided our schedule as she played on not one, but two basketball teams. Her life was full already, living four miles from the Atlantic Ocean, babysitting, and actively embracing relationships of all ages. After the second week of living on an island accessible only by an international flight, followed by an hour in a van and then a 35 minute boat ride, it was understandable to say she was in another world.
For the first two weeks, she isolated herself in front of her computer to constantly IM her friends (before Facebook). Her dad and I came to her and grounded her computer use. "Back home is not your focus. It's time to get out and begin your ministry." And she did just that...her ministry. On our staff each person has responsibilities that are specific to them. There are not just jobs to be done. It is something that represents who you are. Since Susanna had learned some sign language, she was a terrific help to her mom who was the kindergarten teacher. One of the little girls in the class was deaf from a childhood fever. Susanna taught her some signs and they had great fun with each other. A year later a youth mission team visited our site. Included in the group was a high school teacher of the deaf and 3 deaf high school students. Susanna and our deaf kindergartener were almost constant companions of the four people visiting who used signs to communicate everything. For Susanna it was heaven to interact and learn more about ministry to the deaf from the teacher. To Kiera it was heaven to see other people who relied on signing in real life. She had never been around so many people who "talked" this way. In the weeks to come, Susanna would discover that God had placed her in Helene as a teenager to show her His plan for her life and ministry.
On Sunday Susanna graduated magna cum laude with a degree in deaf education from Barton College. Four days later, she attended orientation for the master's program at the University of Southern Mississippi with a full scholarship. She will be doing her coursework for a year while working at the Magnolia School for the Deaf and then will intern in Memphis, Tennessee at a school for the deaf. She is especially interested in intervention, working with parents whose child has just been disgnosed with deafness. Working with parents who are dealing for the first time with learning how to communicate with their deaf baby is intervention. We can only look to the Lord and praise Him for His hand in her life. It is exciting to see where He will lead her next.

re-entry in reverse

2010-06-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

It is known among the staff here that the week, esp. the two or three days before we return to Helene, can get crazy. Moving from one culture to the other is stress enough without last minute chores, travel issues and just the anxiety of separation from those we love and leave. It's reentry in reverse. Just like the time before a baby is born, it's transition. Usually in this transition I become a basket case, emotional, oversensitive, ridiculous. This return from the states was escalated the “week of” by feverish waiting for a child to be born. This baby had to be born BEFORE I had to returned.
On Monday (June 7) Larry flew back to Honduras. On Tuesday the doctor tells us that if our new granddaughter refuses to arrive, he will meet us at 6 a.m. at the hospital on Thursday to induce; all of his calculations about the baby's weight show that she is a healthy, fullterm baby. Wednesday, the excitement grew as we tackled the To Do List - little things that make for a wonderful homecoming. The other grandparents are called to come, schedule laid out, groceries picked up. Then in the middle of Wednesday afternoon, I receive a frantic call from my sister in Tennessee. She is enroute to the place where our mother with Alzheimer's resides. The administrator has called her to come as soon as possible. They noticed mother had not come to breakfast or lunch and they found her crying in pain in her bed. My sister plans to take her to ER. I plead with her instead to call EMTs and an ambulance. I promise to come immediately if I need to. When she arrived, there was no question about calling 911. On the busiest day her company had had in the last two years, my sister left work and endured 8 ½ hours with our mother, not only answering questions from the doctors, but the endless repetition of our mom's illness. The same questions over and over. After going through tests and diagnostic procedures to discover our mother's pain was a severe infection, all were back home by 1 a.m.
Thursday morning at 11:25 a.m. Felicity was born weighing 8 lbs. 15 oz. I was so honored to be beside my daughter during the birth process. What a joyous event! The next day was homecoming. And then, as subtle as ever, my transition began to process as I realized my visit was completed, my mission for this time was done. God so graciously walked me through the hassle of traveling back to Honduras without tears shed or the longing ache to stay. It was time to return.
Still I leave my sister in charge once again of our mother and her needs, two daughters with their husband/family, and one daughter who has graduated and moved to a new place,and two precious grandchildren. Some missionaries never have the opportunity to be present at graduations, births, emergencies, deaths, etc. I am thankful for all the people in my family's lives that afford me this opportunity to be here.

Nana for 3 weeks

2010-05-19T16:19:00.000-07:00

I have three weeks to be "Nana" at ground zero in Kill Devil Hills. Week one involved laundry on Monday, mopping and cleaning on the first floor on Tuesday, playgroup on Wednesday, story hour at the library on Thursday, plus a dr. visit, and who knows, maybe a new baby sister on Friday. This is such precious time. There are a lot of memories that flood me as well as some things I had forgotten about taking care of a toddler. One always more wonderful thing is being greeted in the morning from a crib. All smiles, pudgy little reaching arms, nothing like it. The most wonderful way to start a day is just that few minutes of snuggle and lovin'. Off with the night diaper, on with the pre-breakfast diaper. Downstairs, welcome the sunshine as we open the blinds and curtains, sprinkle the Cheerios on th table, sing a morning song, fix breakfast. While breadfast is cooking, we find a pot lid and a metal spoon to be a great instrument. Besides that, they make a lot of noise. On with the bib; I had forgotten how sticky and dangerous oatmeal is to the unsuspecting. Hair is a magnet for it, so is anything else basically. It is also amazing how difficult it is to get into a sealed container, such as a fruit cup. And when we are "done", it is time to move on to other activities immediately. There is so much to see and do when you are 18 months old. I can't remember the last time I stopped and squatted to watch ants march in the crack of a sidewalk, or listen to the machine clearing the lot next door, or watched the wind whipping flags on poles. A day full of this kind of thing is priceless, and such good exhaustion. We are waiting on little sister to arrive. I can't imagine how much fun it will be when she gets here!

the circus, uh, the rodeo

2010-05-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago, we went to the rodeo. We thought it was the circus, but it really was the rodeo. Let me explain...Larry and I went downisland one Saturday to pick up a visiting dentist at the Roatan airport. We planned to return by late afternoon, and because the plane was an early flight, we got up extra early (4:30/5:00 a.m.) to leave at 8:30 a.m. The plane was scheduled to arrive at 10:30, but when we arrived at the airport, the plane was late and the ETA was now 11:00 a.m. We visitied with folks we know on Roatan and at 11:00, we were told the plane would be there at noon. We visited some more, did a Sudoku, drank a soda, and the plane did not arrive at noon. It would be 2:00 p.m. before our dentist would be here. Having expressed several oohs and ahhs, thinking we were jumping through the hoops of a circus ring, we decided to take an intermission and get some lunch. When we returned at 1:30, the whole show was becoming rather anti-climatic. Alas, we were yet in for a true shot "out of the cannon" at the announcement that the plane would definitely arrive at 4:00 p.m. Finally, our suspense was satisfied and our dentist arrived!
But wait,...the real contest began as we tried to "rope" his luggage from the conveyor belt! To no avail, the luggage was not with us and now it was 5:00 p.m. Even with a fast van we could not "round the barrels" (the curves on the road) in time to reach our boat docked an hour away before nightfall. We considered this to be the calf roping event since our hands and feet were tied to the island of Roatan for the night. You see, we cannot travel on the water after dark unless it is an emergency.
Wearing the same salt-soaked clothes we wore from the morning ride down gave us the appearance of clowns which are at circuses and rodeos. Not to mention what our hair looked like, windswept and salt-coated. No shampoo, no toothbrush, noclean...anyway, we had a marvelous time worshipping at rChurch the next morning. A successful round up of luggage at the airport after church, a quick lunch led us on to our boat. Our driver was waiting decked out in a yellow poncho. Larry and I smiled secretly, the unspoken message that the ride home would offer a water adventure unparalleled at any amusement park. And we were right. As our driver carefully manuevered the crests of the waves and then paused in the troughs before speeding ahead. Occasionally a wave would catch us unaware and a great spray of salt water drenched our faces and bodies like someone throwing a bucket of water on us. The ride demanded that we hold onto the seat like a cowboy on a bucking bronco. No cap remained on a head and glasses were questionable. Up and down, back and forth, over and over. We squealed as our own seats left the bench of the boat and we toppled onto each other. Ah, there's nothing like an island rodeo! You never know what will happen next, but you can be sure it will be a real kick in the pants!!!

special days in Honduras

2010-05-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

Holidays and special days have a different slant in this country, or perhaps these islands. I have never been overly zealous for Earth Day, but I encourage environmental awareness. We found this was totally out of place in Helene, along with endangered animals (this would be a story for another day). Some folks are very conscious about litter/trash disposal and their yards are swept (raked) on a regular basis. But we do not have a sanitation dept. here, no regular weekly pickups and garbage is burned to get rid of it. We have talked about Earth Day in school, but it is not a celebrated event.

May 1st is Honduran Labor Day. All businesses close for this day, more so than the American Labor Day in the U.S. This year it falls on a Saturday which would not affect the school schedule, but nevertheless, some students tried to convince us that all schools were to cancel classes on April 26 for Labor Day.

Cinco de Mayo or the Fifth of May is recognized here, but not necessarily celebrated. Someone has told us that the U.S. celebrates this day more than even the country of its origin, Mexico. So far these three days have not taken away a day of class in school.

But now we come to Mother's Day. This is by far one of the most important days celebrated in Helene. Every school has its own festivity around this event. English school did not do a party because there are so many other ones planned. But organizing the Mother's Day gift was planned in advance and pre-empted any lessons for an afternoon. The Spanish school in Bently Bay had their ceremony on Friday morning, the Spanish school Southside planned their party for Friday night. On Saturday the Church of God Pentecost acknowledged mothers with a special evening service. And on Sunday afternoon the Methodist Church had "recitations." The Northside church decided to postpone their celebration for a couple of weeks. They came to the other events and a good time was had by all.

Changing times

2010-04-24T21:21:00.001-07:00

The roar of a bulldozer hit my ears with sudden realization that reminded me that I was in a place that has never had these kind of machines. Almost every day we hear it coming from the west and slowly heading to the east on the path. At least it was a path for a very short time. The broken concrete in front of our building is still in place, but the wooden bridge (as well as our dock) have not withstood the weight and have a few gaping holes. No problem for the bulldozer; it simply goes around the bridge on the ground. As Deirdre and I were on our way to Friday afternoon Bible time on Northside, we heard the bulldozer on the path in the bush. We usually took the path on that route, but on this Friday we had to make a medical stop in Seco. We could see a very small amount of yellow some distance down the path behind us with a little crowd watching. As we returned later we met a few island friends taking a stroll on the newly carved roadway. We were told there is talk of buying scooters and golf carts, and there may be a bus for our teachers to RIDE to school. I have never lived anywhere in all my lifetime where life was changing so drastically. Everywhere I have called home has had an infrastructure in place for over a hundred years or more. Can you imagine where you live without a road of any kind? To reach any destination you can only walk? Ok, well, there ARE boats. This is really fun, but our dinner table talk is all about how our island home is changing, what will be the effect and what will this do to life as we know it on the island called Helene.

a typical "untypical" day

2010-04-10T07:51:00.000-07:00

A most typical "untypical" day is more the norm than the exception here. Many people complain about Mondays being another day in the grind. But in a third world country, Monday equates to nothing different than any other day. Some days do seem to carry more than a fair load. This seems to be exaggerated by our small team this year - only four compared to twice that many in the past. The stress usually happens when we're preparing for a big event like a short term team. Take a particular Tuesday not so long ago.

Larry had a trip downisland planned in a couple of days, but the weather, esp. the water, was not good. So he changed plans and left as soon as possible to buy supplies, groceries, diesal fuel (by far, the most important). that left Deirdre, Dominic and myself to handle anything that could happen - oh, Emily was here to lead Teacher Training. The medical clinic had a few unexpected visits to slow Deirdre from making her home visits for the morning. Dominic and I were busy in constant interruptions - we call them divine appointments sometimes. Emily was preparing for our Teacher Training in the afternoon and had a few tasks for us also. Since Dominic and I had a teaching period in the training, we were also scrambling for time to check our plans and notes. Before we knew it, it was time to eat a fast lunch (not to be confused with "fast food") and change into appropriate clothes for Teacher Training. As we sat in training we crammed for our own sessions with the teachers. Numerous times we left the classroom to "run the kids" - chase them off the deck near our classroom - it becomes a game, and took care of matters with islanders or other visitors to see Larry. Then, the real crunch. There was a water leak somewhere. Note: water is more crucial than even power here! So while TEacher Training was continuing quite well, Dominic was checking every faucet and toilet in every building on our property. After that, all the pipes under the buildings. Before dark, as Training dismissed, the boat arrived with supplies to be carried up the hill and stored, groceries to be put away, and supper to be fixed. All in a day's work. All in what God has for us here.

back at it

2010-03-20T07:14:00.000-07:00

We've been in Helene for a month now and our first STM arrived yesterday afternoon! It has been a busy week with Teacher Training beginning on Monday. Every afternoon from 1 to 6 we have had our annual Teacher Training with FOURTEEN ladies from the island!! It has been fantastic to watch these ladies learn and share and sacrifice their family time. Some who do not even want to take on a teaching job, but simply want to get the English training. We are thrilled to see the interest since the school board had suggested that we start adult education classes in the evenings. Not sure if that is doable yet, but this could be God's directing by opening up the interest.

Everyday here in Helene is such a unique experience. Life is so totally dependent on prayer and God's provision, sometimes on an hourly basis. (well, it SHOULD be always like that, nah?) Next blog will be about a typical "untypical" day here on the site. Always something new.

Recap of 2009

2010-02-28T07:56:00.000-08:00

When we returned from the states after Camas and Emily's wedding, we made a big decision. It did not affect the operation of the mission here in Helene, but it DID change its name. Alternative Missions who established the site here in Helene beginning in the mid '90's decided to concentrate their efforts in other directions and release the Helene ministry. It was suggested that we form our own mission organization to continue on the island until we felt we could successfully leave the ministries in the hands of the nationals. After much prayer and counsel on the matter, we started efforts to become Mission Encounters International. This was quite a challenge to initiate from a third world country! Due to the efforts of a number of folks in the U.S. we were officially MEI in November. We even have a website www.missionencountersintl.com!

The staff left Helene during the first week of December with plans to return in February. The first Board meeting for MEI was held the last weekend of January on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in the middle of an unusual storm for this area - SNOW! It was a special time for our family to be together as Larry and Emily joined Heather Campos, Jim Dale, Scott Griffith, and Burnie Staples, our new Board of Directors. We praise God for these people and their sacrifice.

What happened in July?

2009-11-27T09:34:00.000-08:00

So the last entry in my blog is the end of August. I was actually trying to catch up on the summer months, including Camas and Emily's wedding and getting back to Helene. What happened to four months?? I get the bad, bad blogger award. Will put aside all excuses and cover the past territory and move on to what is happening NOW. It is absolutely amazing how God's timing and work has brought us to this end of November and what He seems to be designing for us in the next month and year 2010. Wow.

First, let me tell a little of our latter half of the year. As my last post showed, we were blessed with two young ladies to be here in Helene as interns and our dear friend Sharon while we were in the states for a whole month to celebrate a special wedding. Dominic and Deirdre were the only fulltime staff here in Helene during that time. What a terrific trip it was, spending time with family and friends. The time was all so short, of course, but what a sweet wedding ceremony and fun reception we had in July. I only wish we had had more time with our families (relatives) and Camas' family. What a treat to have my sister and nephews, too. (I so regret I cannot load pictures onto this post, but my computer crashed.) Larry and I were so blessed to spend time with Camas and Emily - in between their work shifts! We really absorbed the time we spent with granddaughter LucyKate, Bethany and Josh, and Susanna. It was hard to leave, but after all, it was only for four more months. Little did we realize how those four months would challenge us in some new directions! Next post will fill you in...

2009-08-22T19:07:00.000-07:00

2009-08-22T18:52:00.001-07:00

Here's a random shot of our fulltime staff this year in Helene (compare to the picture when we arrived in March). When we realized we would be leaving in July to come to the states for Emily and Camas' wedding, we did not realize David would be returning for a short trip at the same time. Praise the Lord (!) we had two interns arrive who would be here to serve during our absence. Deirdre and Dominic directed the routine activities and kept things going. The next pictures are showing Jennifer and Jessica, our summer interns who have a special place in our hearts and our history here.

ReadAloud

2009-08-22T18:46:00.000-07:00

One of the special experiences many mission teams talk about is their opportunity to be in the English School. Everyday we have a break in the middle of our day. It's the perfect time to have ReadAloud. Here's one of the team members reading a book to the first graders.

2009-08-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

Here we are - teaching staff and STM celebrating our newly remodeled Teacher Resource Area!

2009-08-22T18:36:00.001-07:00

As it turns out, the minister who was to do the ceremony felt the water was too rough that afternoon to come, so Larry ended up doing the wedding with another islander. Larry's knees were bothering him that day so he came by speedboat, docked just outside the house where the ceremony had begun!

from the sidelines

2009-08-22T18:26:00.001-07:00

Fun to watch from the sidelines! Intern Jessica behind me & Dominic & friends on the right.

2009-08-22T18:22:00.001-07:00

Here's the beautiful procession waiting to start down the "aisle" - there are carefully executed steps in the processional and it has been practiced many times in the previous weeks.

an island wedding

2009-08-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

While Sunset STM was with us, they were privileged to go to an island wedding. These do not happen often and when it does, they are a huge event. The bride is actually the sister of one of our teacher assistants. It's fun to see everyone dressed in their best at an occasion like this!

2009-08-22T16:48:00.000-07:00

Job well done!!! and a good time was had by all...

2009-08-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

Half mile walk from lumber locker through bush

2009-08-22T16:40:00.000-07:00

2009-08-22T16:34:00.000-07:00

2009-08-22T16:32:00.000-07:00

More pics of the flooring going in...

Sunset makes its 6th annual trip!

2009-08-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

In the middle of June we were visited by the Sunset Presbyterian STM. They have come every year that Larry and I have been here. We continue to look forward to their arrival every summer. This year proved not to be a disappointment.

Here is one of the STM young ladies looking into a house that has no floor. Their assignment: putting the floor into a house to make it livable for a single mom, her son, her brothers and sisters who live with her. The team worked tirelessly and did a great job!

I'm back at it!

2009-08-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

Just like in the "old days" on TV, the announcer would say, "Now we will pause for a station break. We will return to the regularly scheduled program shortly." That's just what I have done in the past 2 1/2 months!! I apologize to anyone out there who reads my blog, but it just got crazy with an STM and sickness and leaving the country and a wedding and now that we have returned, I now have a class of my own to teach...well, I am back!

I will try to fill in quickly with pictures and catch us all up on what has happened in my life and those who are near me here in Helene, Honduras and the Outer Banks of North Carolina!

down in Roatan...

2009-06-09T10:22:00.000-07:00

It's the week before our one big short term mission team arrives this Saturday. Larry and I went down to do the "meat shopping" last Friday and on Sunday Team Helene went to rChurch (you may remember this as IWC). On Saturday we dropped our passports off at the airport to pay our fees that are required after a certain amount of time here. Banjo takes care of this for us - he is a great friend and ally for us with teams and individuals coming in or anything to do with airport issues. He gets us info about early or late flights. Besides all this, he is a believer who is ordained and occasionally preaches on Northside. We are very grateful to have Banjo as more than an acquaintance here on Roatan. Larry and Banjo are shown here with Jeremy and Melissa Dyke - Jeremy and Melissa are church planters for rChurch (formerly IWC). Jeremy served in Helene in the "early days" and met Melissa when she came on a STM. They were at the airport on Saturday waiting for their home church to arrive for a week of evangelism and mission work. As you can see we all have a lot of fun together.

Ice cream, Part 2

2009-06-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

Just a few more shots of the team enjoying their ice cream!!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

2009-06-02T20:50:00.000-07:00

Our boat has been in repair for almost a month, the heat has been unbearable, a major earthquake...we could come up with a list, but we didn't have to because Larry suggested the entire team go downisland on Friday. We had lunch "out" and a short swim in the pool at a resort, then we went shopping (some "pre-shopping" for the team coming in a couple of weeks) at the new and improved Eldon's, our grocery store on Roatan.

We were almost beyond ourselves to eat a icy cold - well, it DID melt quickly - Heath Klondike bar!! Just one of the delightful creations we miss in Helene.

Who would think...

2009-05-28T21:12:00.000-07:00

As the sun brings early morning light to the island, there's a sense of peace and calm to the outside eye. The night has been anything but peaceful, and many have forfeited hours of sleep to anxiety and alarm. Around 2:30 a.m. we woke up to our bed shaking rather strong and the sure realization that an earthquake was in progress. We held each other, waiting for a much delayed end to the rumbling that seemed much longer than actual seconds that went by. Then it stopped. For obvious reasons, it took awhile to get back to sleep.

Around 5:15 a.m. (and the sun was up!) Ewings - our island friend who is like one of our staff - calls out to Larry, "Are you awake, Larry? Are you awake?" Larry's reply was, "Well, I am now!" Several islanders wanted to know what our computer said about the tsunami that was coming. We laughed and joked about it as the computer was booting and then to our surprise, we found out there really HAD been a tsunami alert, but it had been lifted. The earthquake registered 7.1 (now I am reading reports that say 7.3, if it matters!) and the epicenter was within 50 miles north of us. There was no reported damage on our island, other than TVs and other items that had crashed to the floor in some homes. No one showed up at our medical clinic. But it was the talk on the path. Spanish school was cancelled as we heard all schools in Honduras were cancelled, but our English school was in session. Before our bell rang, a number of younger students told me very excited versions from their viewpoint of waking up in the earthquake. It was great to talk to them and tell them about earthquakes and reassure them that God is in control. He protected us and was gracious, as He is that kind of Father to us. We are thankful the Lord allowed us to "ride the waves" a little differently this time!

How hot is it!?!

2009-05-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

How hot is it? Pretty hot. It's so hot ...

that the dishes I am washing are warm, like they have been sitting in the oven!

that clothes are dying on the line within 30 minutes - just like an electric dryer!

that you simply cannot eat chocolate, esp. M & M's - your hands turn into runny rainbows!

that the cold water out of the shower onto my body is warn water by the time it reaches my knees!

that I am sweating furiously ... and I'm just sitting!

that we are drinking a Nalgene every hour!

It's pretty hot. Pray for breezes!

2009-05-17T16:51:00.000-07:00

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, David has been taking care of other creatures - here, a gecko. This little guy was pretty snappy when Deirdre tried to pet it.

David has also taken under his wing (haha) a chicken that has chosen to sit on her eggs in a box at the tool shed. He plans to build a small coop for her in the near future.

Saturday, part 2

2009-05-17T16:42:00.000-07:00

As Dominic and Deirdre and I left the Northside beach, we discovered that one of the iguana (see previous post) had obviously dropped off the line and was left on the beach. Finding it was still alive, our job was to free it without getting bit! Deirdre held it down while Dominic untangled its claws. I took pictures. Deirdre then picked it up by its tail and tossed it onto a tree at the edge of the bush and off it went! Free at last! We were so happy to save ONE iguana!

what's to do on a Saturday!

2009-05-17T16:17:00.000-07:00

Some folks might wonder what we do here as missionaries on Helene on our possible "day off" = Saturday! May is known as one of the hotter months in the year (followed by September in second place) and we have just this last week come into the reality of this fact. Waking up sweaty is such a different sensation than not waking up sweaty. The sun is tremendously hot even in the early hours of the day that no longer do Larry and I sleep in til 6:30 or 7 and scurry around to get some work done before the heat. The "heat" is already pouring in at 5:45 a.m.! So, to beat the heat, Dominic and Deirdre and I decided to trek to Northside for a swim in the cool Caribbean Sea. Wrong! It was warmer than bathwater! But to our surprise, some of our young friends had been busier than us. Never have I seen so many iguanas captured in one place! Their legs are tied behind their backs so they do not claw. The boys never told us where they got them, but they certainly were proud of their work. They were looking forward to a good meal. And I was simply excited about cheeseburgers on the grill!

1st week of school - part 3

2009-05-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

Ok I just could NOT resist this one. This little guy is the son of one of our teacher assistants who attends kindergarten and is dismissed from class earlier than the older classes. He joined me for an afternoon and we had a great time working a puzzle! How grateful I am for this opportunity that God has given me for this time.

1st week of school- part 2

2009-05-13T19:25:00.000-07:00

Here's a look at another one of our seasoned teachers. Ms. Shanna has been training and teaching with us since 2006. This year she tackles the challenge of teaching a combined class of third and fourth grades. Shanna is very relaxed in her classroom and the students seem to really be enjoying their first week of school!

1st week of school!

2009-05-13T19:14:00.000-07:00

Look, look. See the class. It's second grade in action. Ms. Kiera has one of our larger classes. She is in her third year of teaching and is doing a fantastic job. She keeps a controlled classroom and is planning her lessons almost totally on her own. Pray for her as her confidence continues to build and she expands her experience as a teacher.

2009-05-11T19:38:00.002-07:00

We were finally within hours of our first day of school. Everything was set in place. Any possible scenario had been played in our minds. Like an orchestra, we were fine-tuned, well, ok, maybe not FINE tuned, but we were prepared and our audience (the students!) would not know every missed note. Finally, the hour arrived and our 2009 schoolyear that had hung in question only months ago, became reality. All this sounds so dramatic, but for the stage of the game we are in here in Helene, it is a crucial year. After a month of training, we have four lead teachers and two assistants (prospective teachers) going solo as I serve in an advisor type role. I stand backstage and provide props, cues, and encouragement. It is somewhat difficult to not have my own classroom - (at my age I yet am not burned out by teaching, what's with that?), but I am so thrilled to see these ladies stretch and step up. The rehearsals are over, and the curtain went up. We pray that the spotlight is on Jesus as we minister and serve together.

Heeeere's Dominic!

2009-05-02T08:08:00.000-07:00

As I sit here and reflect on our Teacher Training which has absolutely consumed my life for the last 3 weeks, I am amazed how God puts together people and places for what He is already doing. When Emily left Helene last year, I admit some anticipation about the 2009 schoolyear. As I returned and we opened the school, it seemed her presence was everywhere, in everything I picked up or moved, "the memories were so thick, you could swat them away like flies"(sorry, that line from "Field of Dreams" was appropriate!). But over the last few weeks, our times in the afternoon have become a new sense of what we are doing here in the Helene Christian English School. A big part of the success in our training this year is due to the Lord sending a young man named Dominic Alvarez. Dominic is a talented guy, very articulate, sensitive listener and exactly what we needed for training, an animated speaker. We wondered how our island teachers would react to a "man teacher" in our midst. They love him! Everything from his Gameshow Review to his pictures on the board to our very serious moments in the scripture about how Jesus was a teacher, too. How I miss Em, but thank you, Lord, that Dominic is here.

Teacher Training 2009

2009-05-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

This week we completed Teacher Training 2009 with four of our former island teachers and two new prospects who will be assistants. We have spent every afternoon for the last three weeks exploring positive expectations, classroom management and content mastery. More importantly, we have experienced a strong camaraderie and friendship. We have pulled our topics for training from previous years as well as some new activities designed to get to know each other AND the culture better. This year I have seen these ladies speak more freely and stand before each other with more confidence than I have known before. We are stoked to begin school. On Tuesday when the school board meets, we will be told when our first day of school will begin. Next week we will hold our planning periods - each teacher has a planning time one morning a week - and set up our classrooms. We are getting off to a later start this year, but I believe we will finish strong.

2009-04-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

This is one place we never sing, "Rain, rain' go away!" After almost a month without rain, we began to pray last week for God to deliver some blessed showers our way. And He did! We have had some squalls move through at night or perhaps once a day, but this morning we awoke to a good heavy downpour. And it was very overcast with more short showers most of the day. What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday, especially when our whole team is SO exhausted. Our boat is being repaired and basically, remodeled. Teacher Training met every day this week with great success. Student matriculation (registration) was held for three days and will continue. Our visiting doctor and his wife left this week after a ten day stay. Busy week. But today the rain let us take a break, pull away from the work load, and maybe get a nap.

one month into our 2009 year!

2009-04-18T16:10:00.000-07:00

Today is exactly one month since we arrived in Helene for 2009. We spent almost a week downisland in West End for a sort of prep time/mini-Team Steam. We had our newest intern- Dominic Alvarez, back as a "fulltimer" and a fresh intern who has visited Helene with his church - David Chase. These guys are a perfect match for our team and are really fun individuals.

Dominic will be teaching and training in the English School. He has led out in our Teacher Training that started this week and done an excellent job presenting the information. David will be responsible for maintaining our property and buildings...the "to-do" list really never ends for him. Our former team member Paul Moore spent two weeks with David showing him the ropes in a fast forward cram course on electricity, water system, generator, boat, etc. Deirdre, Larry and I are so grateful to God for the team He has put together for 2009. It is definitely a new start as we face many changes this year in our ministry and direction for the site.

WE'RE BAAAACK!

2009-04-12T12:58:00.000-07:00

A month ago today Larry and I caught a ferry from La Ceiba to Roatan to return to Helene. We had a glorious four month break as we celebrated the birth of our granddaughter and the engagement of our oldest daughter! Family and friends are by far the hardest ones to say goodbye when we leave. But as we arrived on the island a week later, we were welcomed and excited to greet our island friends. LOTS of changes going on this year as we return with FIVE staff. Since we arrived, we have already had several groups of visitors including one of our favorite dentists and his wife. One of the biggest goals in my ministry here with the school was to get the word out about our new community school board. They will make the crucial decisions for our English school this year as we continue to train island teachers and begin a new school year in a few weeks after teacher training. The children are constant in asking when school will start. I remind myself that the first year we came here, school did not start until June, so not to worry about our late start date. God has been preparing things while we were gone and is in the very middle of prep right now.

Team No. 7!

2008-12-30T18:46:00.000-08:00

What fun we had with this team from Pennsylvania! The island kids loved Anna and Samuel!

Then and now!

2008-12-30T18:36:00.000-08:00

Left to right: Directors now and then of Helene site - Dan Fortune (1998-2004), Larry Benson (2004- )

2008-12-30T18:27:00.000-08:00

The week just went by too fast! I am sure some of those

mornings or afternoons of carrying wood and equipment,

hammering, holding boards in place, etc. did not seem that

fast to the team working! We only wish we had had more

time to spend with the folks who gave their time to come and

build the pirate ship for the playground. It will be a constant

reminder of how much you care!

2008-12-30T18:23:00.000-08:00

Many days of fun ahead!

2008-12-30T18:17:00.000-08:00

The smile tells it all!

And the scrap wood pieces make great weapons for these "pirates!"

2008-12-30T18:11:00.000-08:00

getting closer!

2008-12-30T18:05:00.000-08:00

day by day, board by board...

2008-12-30T18:01:00.000-08:00

Here's all the hard work to make a lot of extra play for our students!

Ship Ahoy!

2008-12-30T17:40:00.000-08:00

(My apologies! It has been a very long time since I added to my blog! I am continuing the timeline for our short term mission teams that visited Helene this summer - 2008) Our next team after the Texas STM was from the state of Washington. Contributing the special touch for our playground project was a piece of equipment that looks like a pirate ship! For days students had watched from the back porch of the school to see the hill transformed into a clearing and a concrete block frame and then a wooden form to a fantastic climbing gym.

Reach, teach, and send to South Africa

2008-09-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

One of the special treats with the Texas team is the fact that Joe and Averyl Morris were with them. Actually, Joe and Averyl were first with us! Joe came to Helene in 2002, almost 2 years before our family arrived. He and Averyl were married in January of this year, living in Roatan, traveling quite a bit in their honeymoon year. Averyl is from South Africa, although her home has been in Roatan for the past 17 years. At this posting, they are in the midst of planning to return to South Africa where we believe God is leading them in ministry. They have been involved in working with the refugee camps during two different trips back to South Africa since they have been married (that is, since January of this year!) and their messages reverberated with the burden they have for the people there. Averyl had come to Helene with Joe to do an internship a few weeks before the Texas team arrived. She learned what "outside of your comfort zone" means and was a tremendous help to Brandy in the kitchen. We are honored, Joe and Averyl, that you are continuing what God is doing in South Africa, and that you are a part of our AM family.

Texas team!

2008-09-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

Team # 5 (if you're keeping up with it) was from Texas. Larry and I spent almost 5 years in Texas at the seminary in Fort Worth. Emily was born there, also, so we have sweet memories of the "early married/always broke" stage of our lives. Those years were some of the richest of our lives because of the way we saw God work and provide for us, and because of the friends we were blessed with during that time.

This team worked hard to help build an islander's home and various other construction projects, including the school playground. Before we knew it, another week had flown by and they were posing for the team picture before leaving the island.

at the airport

2008-09-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

All too soon it was time for the team to leave...here we are at the airport, trying to have a little more fun before we said goodbye!

This was really tough for me. some of the folks on this team were only 6 or 7 when I tested them in homeschooling, or just barely a teenager when we were all at Kids Camp, or maybe I have just met them for the first time. I always have a hard time saying goodbye, but they are like family. When I see these young people again, they will be in college, or no longer teenagers at least. They have been so much fun and are so dear to my heart.

finding the Winners' Circle

2008-09-17T13:02:00.000-07:00

here's one winner

2008-09-17T12:55:00.001-07:00

We even had some girls participate...

Paddle, paddle, paddle

2008-09-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

You go out beyond our boat dock, manuever around a buoy, and return for the final stretch.

2008-09-17T12:44:00.001-07:00

Next, you get in the dory, keeping your balance, paddle as hard as you can toward the open sea...

ever heard of dory racing in the Olympics?

2008-09-17T12:40:00.000-07:00

For the dory race, first you have to get the dory headed in the right direction...

2008-09-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

Before this team left, they held a "Helene Olympics" of sorts at three locations on the island. Our Olympic events were somewhat different than the world competition. We included such activities as machete cutting, dory racing, darts, etc. The English school even dismissed early one afternoon to participate and cheer the dory race. The winners are seen with new fishing rods. The only thing we were missing was the Honduran national anthem.

2008-08-29T12:44:00.000-07:00

2008-08-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

2008-08-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

Work on the deck between Classrooms 1 and 2 was completed and the "field" on the new playground was already in use by mid-July. Several teens on the visiting team helped out in the school. The students really enjoy the attention, and the teachers can tackle some of those jobs that we simply cannot do for lack of enough hands, feet, or crowd control!

2008-08-29T10:36:00.000-07:00

One very special highlight of this STM week was a surprise fireworks display for the 4th of July. This actually happened on the 3rd of July because the west coast team would be downisland on the 4th before leaving Honduras on Saturday and we did not want them to miss this holiday celebration. Not long after supper was cleaned up, we were all told to follow the flashlights that took us to our boat dock. We had an amazing vantage point for the fireworks being shot out over the sea. We knew nothing of the behind-the-scenes efforts that brought this event. Fireworks cannot be transferred by airplanes, so they had to be bought within the country of Honduras. Through a friend on the mainland, fireworks were purchased, brought to another city about 6 hours away, placed on the ferry that travels daily from the mainland to Roatan. Larry then traveled downisland that morning to pick them up at a shipping company (and the boat was late arriving). Then he took our normal trip by taxi to our boat, 40 minute ride to Helene, arriving just 2 hours before the fireworks were ignited! We oohed and aahed and quietly watched the glow, concluding with none other than "America the Beautiful." Thank you, Kitty Hawk.

2008-08-27T18:07:00.000-07:00

After two weeks with our graduated seniors, we welcomed two teams, one from the east coast and one from the west coast of the U.S. The west coast STM had never been to Helene before, and the east coast STM was seasoned by one year of experience. Both groups were great together. We took great joy in hosting our dear friends from Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills, NC, where we live in the states. In that glorious place called OBX, you're a neighbor with anyone from the "Banks", no matter what township. We were even more thrilled to see this team spring forth from two congregations who combined efforts to make a mission experience available for both churches. Two major construction projects were accomplished, putting a roof on Bro. Elbert's new house and finishing a deck between Classrooms 1 and 2. We also had a dentist and a promising dental student for a week!

2008-08-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

Here's a parting shot with the team inside the futbol (soccer) goal built for the area that will be our field. Futbol is the sport of choice in Honduras and always the favorite of the boys, some girls, at recess. The young men's team in Helene is called Estrella and they participate in the final championships almost every year. The goalposts thrilled the schoolchildren who have moved them to a couple of locations so that they have the real thing as opposed to the imaginary goalposts we have been using.

2008-08-27T08:54:00.000-07:00

In some of their "spare time" the team learned about iguanas that are a delicacy on the island. With the help of some island friends, the iguana shown here was prepared and served during one of our evening meals. The adventure in catching an iguana is as much a part of the experience as the eating.

2008-08-27T08:46:00.000-07:00

Here's another scene at the playground - the team took turns each day digging out the hill and preparing the foundation.

2008-08-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

The next week in June we hosted a team from Oregon that have made two trips a year to Helene. During Spring Break they promote family-oriented mission trip and another, Senior Mission Trip right after their high school graduation. Thirty folks strong arrived to do several projects, including rebuilding some footbridges on the path in a community over gulley areas from heavy rains. A deck was begun for a shaded area during recess and there was a continuing project from last year - a lot of teams have made this happen - creating a playground for the school. For two weeks this STM pulled weeds, raked tall, coarse grass, leveled the ground, spread loads of sand...you get the picture! A very tedious job. Not to mention digging the foundation for a special piece of equipment - keep following this blog!

more Grace

2008-08-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

Here's one more post from our first week with teams in June. One evening all us ladies spent a fun time making dolls from materials that Grace Brethren brought. Friendships form from moments like this as you can see in the picture of Jarina (from Helene) and a young lady from Ohio. One week is such little time to spend. We are excited this team already has plans to return next year!

Here come the teams!

2008-07-20T15:35:00.000-07:00

Today is a VERY hot, sultry Sunday. The air is heavy and still because a small tropical storm named Dolly is on a path toward Belize and this always pulls the air from the south of it (basically where we are). This leaves us with no breeze, not even a flutter in the trees. A great day for doing absolutely nothing! That brings me to doing something about my blog. I cannot believe that an entire SEVEN WEEKS have gone by since my last entry! But we have been just a little busy...

The beginning of June started our STM "season." STM stands for Short Term Missions and teams from all over come for one or two weeks to join us in construction projects, assist in our school, accompany our medical staff and overall get a taste of real mission action. We host teams from churches, schools, organizations, businesses as well as individual families or couples.We really enjoy this "company" throughout the entire year, but the summer months are the most popular because this time period accomodates most American vaca

tions from school or work. Instead of writing an entry focusing on the school here in Helene, I will spend a few posts telling about each week of our STM blitz.

Our first team of the "nonstop teams for nine weeks" was Grace Brethre

n church from Ohio. They were a great bunch of folks who had never been to Helene before.

I kept staring at one lady in particular who just looked so familiar. It turns out that we both grew up in Memphis, Tennessee and were only two years apart in school, even having had friends through mutual friends. It is just amazing to me how God brings people in touch with each other. I had so much fun walking down memory lane, recalling many of the same events in that city at that particular time period. We remembered many of the same places that have changed from our youthful years. What a terrific way to kick off the season.

It's not Kite Runner, but...

2008-05-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

We have a big wooden box the size of a shipping crate in our school. It holds all the equipment and games students may take outside for recess. One of the boys in my 4th grade class found an old kite one day a couple of weeks ago. He worked with it and got it in the sky. Suddenly, it became the target item for recess. When I left suddenly to make a quick trip to the states, I told my class to be good and work hard. "I just may have to bring you something." Immediately I heard, "Ms. Sheila, can you bring us a kite?"

It just so happened that I found kites for $1 apiece at Wal-Mart so I was able to purchase one for each fourth grader. As soon as I was back in the classroom, the excitement was evident. Two students kept nosing into my "teacher pile" to see if they could find the kites. Then it was time to dismiss and the only reason they had come to school that day had arrived. A light rain was falling, but it did not deter the efforts of at least three to launch their new kites. It's kind of our own version of Kite Runners.

Recess!

2008-04-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

Children all over the world love recess! Here are a few of my students playing UNO during recess. Football (soccer to Americans) is the chosen activity during recess by most children. We also have legos, puzzles, coloring books, bats and balls, and jumprope. One of our American teachers recently introduced double jumproping so we all take endless turns trying to learn that new skill. After recess we have a snack and Readaloud time using books donated to our expanding library. Books are a precious thing here, not found crowding shelves as they do in many American homes.

2008-04-14T15:25:00.000-07:00

This is my 3rd/4th grade class last year - 2007. Our school year runs from February to November like schools in Honduras. I really like this schoolyear schedule better because we do not have such an interruption in learning because of holidays. We emphasize reading and writing English which is the native language of the Bay Islands. But the favored subjects of the students and myself are Bible and geography. The "outside" world is mostly unknown to these students, except for what they see on tv or movies. We seek to give them a worldview that does not focus on themselves alone; it's not all about "we."

Teacher Buddy

2008-04-14T15:09:00.000-07:00

Here's Ms. Dola with me back a couple of years ago. We taught Kindergarten together for a couple of years in the Helene Christian Bilingual School here. Now we teach in separate classes. We are the same age and both of us have three children. She has worked for years to bring more education to the island of Helene. she tutors students after her class at the English school. She is responsible for getting the "college" program established in Helene. College follows 6th grade in Honduras and is similar to American middle school education. It is a privilege to work with Ms. Dola and share our lives together. Pray for her health as age continues to bring new issues to deal with all the time.

City Girl Learns to Hold a Chicken

2008-04-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

I never knew anyone could ever pick up a chicken without being pecked to death! The kids were up to no good with this bird, but they showed me how to hold it for a picture. Having lived in a city until I was 35, (and city girls don't have much to do with CHICKENS), I found out they really aren't as vicious as I thought. Here on Helene, chickens are everywhere. They crow at all times of the night. They can fly. And they can't walk without plunging their necks out first. This city girl is getting an education.

Island with a View

2008-04-11T15:07:00.000-07:00

From our highest vantage point looking to the east, the islands of Morat, Barbaret and Guanaja are in the distance. There are hundreds of islands like this in the Caribbean Sea. Our call is to our island of Santa Elena and others like it, that God's grace may be shared and prove abundantly wealthy in ways that cannot be seen or touched.

Monkeying Around

2008-04-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

This little guy lives in Gumbalimba Park on the island of Roatan in the Bay Islands of Honduras. We visit this park often as we host teams of folks who come to work alongside us on another island named Santa Elena, or Helene. Gumbalimba Park is filled with flowers, iguanas, macaws, ferns, and a few monkeys as well as a cave museum, cactus garden, snuba, and hiking areas. It is a really awesome display of God's creation.