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.

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.

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

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

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!

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...

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.