Holidays in Motion

After getting through Halloween and being in charge of the haunted house at the kids' school,  we barely got a breath of air when we began the journey into Thanksgiving.  Our church hosted a HUGE potluck dinner at a local resort.  It was absolutely beautiful with tons of food and fellowship, the kids swam and played while we all ate more than our bodies could possibly handle. We were not sure what to expect of a Thanksgiving in Honduras, but a great time was had by all along with many new memories.  We actually spent Thanksgiving day at the beach with the kids.

More Birthdays, Goodbyes and Travel.....

This past week Trey went to Texas and Arizona for the week.  It was his first trip off-island in 10 months!  Not only was he able to gain a new appreciation for the the little things that we can sometimes take for granted here on Roatan but he was able to have a ton of quiet time while driving across Texas.  The slower pace of life was much missed, as he juggled his "schedule" to include meeting after meeting in various places from The Woodlands all the way to Flagstaff.  He was unfortunately too busy to stop and see many of the friends he would have loved to spend some time with, but Trey was able to make some contacts with others that would possibly play a part in our future in the next few months.  God has a funny way of placing people in our lives at just the right time to throw us off of what we "thought" or "planned" for our near future.  Gotta love the surprises!

We saw our lastest house guest, Holden, return to Montgomery.  It sure was fun having a teen ager around to help shuffle kids on the scooter and get to to know the youth that we spend so much time with.  It seems like each young person that we have had as a guest in our home these last few months, has bonded with not only our kids and family but also with the youth group. It is so much fun to see the kids grow to know oneanother and build life long friendships.  Both Holden and Taylor have succesfully recruited Kenfor, one of our youth group members, to come to the states once he gets his passport.  We have some amazing kids here on Roatan and the more they can see outsiders that have willing hearts, the more they can visualize all the potential for their future through getting an education and never giving up.

Our oldest daughter, Anna, turned 11 last week.  We had the youth group over to swim and play wii and eat cake and ice cream.  It was a blast!  The weather has been very rainy and cool at night, so the kids were freezing but loving every minute of throwing eachother into the pool and sliding on the make shift slip and slide on our tile patio.  It was crazy and the best part was Anna getting her cake in her face, she loved every minute of it!

We have quite a few things going on with youth group and church each week.  The toddler class that I started, mainly due to the fact that my two youngest are a little disruptive during the kids church class, is doing great.  We have at least three and sometimes four toddlers each week and the older kids are now able to learn scripture and pay better attention to the lessons each week.  We are getting more volunteers so that will eventually free myself and Melissa to actually attend a church service.  I can honestly say that is one of the things I miss most, of course air conditioning and Walmart are pretty high on my list, but attending worship would be wonderful.

Trey and Mike's baseball is still going strong, twice a week practice with their first scrimmage this weekend!  The kids are amazing and such a testament to what hard work and determination can do.

Please continue to pray for us as we make some large decisions about what our family will be doing at year-end.  We have a great opportunity to possibly stay part time here on the island while spending the other part of the year back home, not sure where home would be, but it would be a great break both ways if it should work out that way.  Eyes to see and ears to listen...

Take Care and God Bless,
Connie and Fam

Saying Goodbye is Never Easy

This week we had a blast with the short term mission team from Roopeville, Georgia.  Having met them last summer, we picked up right where we left off and never missed a beat.  Anna and the youth pastor, Chris Altman, were up to their old pranks and rest of the team made it feel like we were back home with southern friends again.  Just hearing their accents when they speak was refreshing to us! 

The team let our youth group pair up with them while they delivered rice and beans and prayed for the families as we distributed care packages to the youth in the homes.  The packages were filled with shampoo, toothbrushes/toothpaste, deoderant, feminine products, etc., all items donated by rChurch members and the church matched the donations too.  Uphill, in the heat, through tiny foot paths into small shacks called homes is where we spent the better part of a day, our youth will reap the rewards of a changed heart for a very long time.

My mom and her husband came to visit and got to see firsthand the ministries that we are a part of here in Roatan, Honduras.  It was so great to see them in the trenches and to hear their response to the life we have chosen to live through the grace of God.  We spent some time at the beach and pool of course and the kids got some much needed grandma and grandpa time.  While we were sad to see them go, we had a wonderful visit!

When we dropped off my mom and Gary, we prepared to pick up our friends, Craig Vance and his 16-year-old daugher Taylor, visiting from our neck of the woods.  So great to see them!  Craig will be here for the next week and then he and Anna will return to Texas while Taylor stays for another couple of weeks to do service work here in Roatan.  So thankful to Ray Koehne for donating his Continental miles and the ticket to give Anna a visit to the states for a couple of weeks.  She is so excited and has planned to spend a few nights with several different friends and family while there.

Take Care and God Bless,
Connie and Family

It has been an absolute whilrwind around here!

The last two weeks for us have comprised of spending most of our time in la colonia with the short term mission teams.  It has been crazy busy and we are enjoying every minute of it!  Well, the heat is a bit much, but at least we are surrounded by water to cool off with!

The team from Talapoosa, GA was awesome last week.  They had VBS, discipleship classes, soccer and baseball sports camps, delivered rice and beans to homes and so much more simply by setting a good example for other youth in la colonia.  This team is amazing in that they really bond with many of the youth and plan to skype with one of the lw4r interns to check on the youth and continue to keep up with all that is going on here with us and the kids in la colonia.  We sure do miss 'em!

One of the young adults from this team actually just announced to his church that he would like to serve in music ministry for his career!  Trey and I plan to help get him back to Roatan to help out before school starts again in the fall. 

Take care and God bless!

Connie

Dropping off and Picking up...

So, every Saturday for the next few weeks we will continue to drop off one short term mission team and pick up another one.  It can be fun to go to the airport because you never know who you might see and get to catch up with.   It is also quite a sight to see our little pick-up loaded down with luggage as well as the lw4r truck all loaded down and then a van and another SUV busting at the seems with people.  We will definitely have to get a shot of that and post it so that all can truly appreciate it.

The team that we dropped off was from Jacksonville, Florida and consisted of 26 people.  It was a huge team for a short term mission trip but with a big team they can have a big impact.   They did VBS, soccer camp, added two rooms onto a house, laid water lines and ministered to the people of the colonia.  Because they had plenty of helpers and were pretty organized, we mainly helped move people from place to place and joined in on the activities.  These next few weeks will be a little crazier with smaller teams but so fun and rewarding.   

The team that arrived today is from Talapoosa, Georgia; 12 people total.  We had the opportunity to get to know them last summer when we helped out with VBS and sports camp.  They are just an amazing group of young adults and leaders, I definitely want to expose my kids to them every chance we get.  It is not often enough that you see first and second year college students that follow the Lord and choose to give back year after year; we pray that our kids will be the examples to others in the same way.  So, instead of using their money to go on some vacation, they have willfully chosen to help the needy children in Roatan, Honduras by doing VBS, soccer and baseball camp, running water lines and so much more just through leading by example.  The kids in the colonia actually remember them and call them by name because they have returned year after year; very cool stuff. 

This should be an exciting week and we look forward to sharing with you!

In the pictures above: Anna is with Aylisa, a girl from the colonia that she met last summer (see 7-6-09 blog); Wiley is in the window of the open-air church; and Anna and Eduardo are running around the house that the team added onto.

Take care and God bless,
Connie and Family

A new family arrives

The Tichi family recently arrived, they have three kids (6, 7, & 8), so our kids are pumped to have even more kids to hang out with and get to know.  They are from Durango, Colorado and have made a three-year commitment to Living Water 4 Roatan.  Wow, they are amazing in their faith and willingness to serve others!

Mike and Trey have been diving once or twice a week and getting to know the island kids that are the dive masters.  Talk about some life stories; these kids from the island have had some pretty tough lives and know nothing else of what life could look like.  It has become a great opportunity for a couple of good dads/husbands to minister to these kids about all the possibilities that this life has waiting for us all.

Last week, their family started taking a truck-load of kids from the colonia over to the ball field to play baseball.  The kids are so interested in learning and playing sports; yet another great opportunity to take our kids and model what being a family can look like.  The kids in the colonia have a very different view of how a family operates; abuse in every form imaginable, neglect, you name it.  All it takes is the commitment on our part to model a positive lifestyle and they will never forget that there really is another way to do life.  Praise God for this awesome opportunity to love on these kids and let them just be kids in an unconditional environment.

Today, we will hit the ball field and hope to eventually get a team or two put together for the fall ball season.  Very cool stuff.  Trey sent out an email to recruit donations of baseball equipment, lots of replies and people cleaning out their old ball bags to donate.  Eric and Tara Kendrick and their two boys arrive on June 21st and it is looking like they will be bringing a couple of extra bags full of everyone's ball stuff!  Thanks Kendrick family!

Take care and God bless,
Connie

New guests....creepy crawly ones!

Okay, so we signed up for this knowing that we would have to forgo many amenities, however, never in a million years did I ever think that we would be living with this many different creatures (inside our home), not near it or around it or passing by it, but literally INSIDE of it!

Our guests that never let us down are the geckos. They are actually pretty cool looking, they are almost albino looking and come in all sizes; small as a matchstick up to as long as a $1 bill. Just be careful when you are eating. If you should hear the familiar chirping sound that they make coming from above you on the ceiling, get out from under them, because they drop poop like a seagull. Too funny the first time that happened at the dinner table, PLOP! Right next to my plate of food; hey, it could have been IN my food.

We also have an unusual amount of gnats if we leave any kind of fruit out. Forget any crumbs on the floor, the wee-wee ants will come fetch it up for you. Also the fruit bats are all around under the eaves of the house. They have their own little chirping sound that they make too and then swoop down starting at sunset. The kids love scaring them, and of course, they are the first to run screaming away when they do swoop down.

Our newest guest was found on the ceiling of our bedroom. A black, fuzzy creature with eight legs; yes, a tarantula, above our bed…so, I was of course freaking out while Trey was balancing on a bar stool with a broom in one hand an empty Pringles can in the other, trying to shoo it into the can. What a sight to see Trey, the tarantula-whisperer at work. Too funny! He safely caught it and now Wiley has a new pet. The kids catch crickets or june bugs and feed the tarantula the live bugs.  Spidey immediately pounces on them and sucks their juices out. EW!

We actually found a scorpion in our bathroom just recently. Must have been seeking water…along with all the frogs that hang out in our out door shower! The kids absolutely love taking a shower with all their “pet” frogs jumping across the shower and out into the jungle trees. Gotta love island life!

There is a large iguana that lives in a tree next to our house, the island guys are frequently stopping by to admire her.  She is bright green and appears to be pregnant; a delicacy for the locals I have heard.  I pray that she stays safe.  The kids love looking for her and seeing if she has grown any larger.

Oh, and a cat had kittens in the woods near our house, so we are so excited about making friends with our newest neighbors.  They are so stinkin cute!  I better get out the sudafed and benadryl...love it that my kids are so into nature, where else could they experience all these walks of life at once?  Embrace the day for sure.

Take Care and God Bless,
Connie and Family

Engineers from Northern Arizona University

Trey spent last week with a group of engineers from Northern Arizona University.  They visited last year and saw the needs of the people of the colonia and couldn't stay away.  They applied for funding for a water treatment facility in the colonia and decided to return and further assess the needs of the people before moving forward.  As it so happens, engineers are very intelligent, but not all people realize what they were so blessed to realize:  when you give to a needy community you MUST provide what they see as their need, not what we as Americans see as their need.  They met with several of the leaders of the colonia, as well as the mayor of Roatan and other engineers from the island.  The consensus was that the people want more clean water and a new school.  So, back to the drawing board to see what sort of support they can get for funding the NEEDS of the people of the colonia.  It is an exciting time to see Trey light up with enthusiasm while being a part of this incredible endeavor.  His heart is moving and he is listening intently for guidance by the One that has placed us here.

Take Care and God Bless!
Connie

Painting the town...er, school

We spent Saturday painting at the Sandy Bay Alternative School.  We ended up completing four classrooms; all very large with very high ceilings.  Whew!  We worked our rear ends off spackling, sanding, taping off trim, painting and chasing kids around.  We had a family from Oklahoma and one from Michigan, several teachers from the school and neighboring schools as well, some of the students and were even blessed to have a paint contractor, Tom Corwin, that took the bull by the horns and made sure we had everything that we would need to complete the project right.  He did a great job and it is evident in the results, beautifully painted classroooms that the kids and teachers can be proud of!  The director, Miriam, was in awe of the volunteers and children that chose to spend a day or two gettting their elbows dirty (or painted) just to give back to the community.  We all ended up at the pizza joint down the road and ate about a dozen pizzas and then hit the hay.  It was fun to let the kids play and the adults hangout and fellowship. 

This day was a great opportunity to show others what Christians are all about, giving back unconditionally. 

Take Care and God Bless!

Connie

Busy, busy, Busy....

This past week has been pretty crazy. Trey worked with the short mission team everyday, all day. Wiley spent most days with him and we pretty much blew off school, but at least he was surrounded by some really awesome work and learned important values and lessons on serving others. The team left on Saturday and they went and saw them off. We spent a couple of hours at the beach and played aerobie, paddle-ball and soccer. After the beach, Trey and the older kids headed up to do church set-up while I put the two little ones down for a nap. With Jeremy coming in late, it was up to Trey, Melissa and the kids that show up to get it all set-up. They did a great job and it was good experience for Trey to practice set-up. Afterward, we had Melissa and the kids over for homemade pizza. Anna brought her friend, Julia to hangout as well. The worship leader’s wife and kids are out of town right now, so Jim came over and ate too. Good pizza, lots of kids running around, it was awesome to hang out with friends and let the kids play.

Sunday was a lot of fun; we had about 14 kids in children’s church which is about double what we usually have in attendance. It was great, they all paid attention and participated in the bible study, they even chipped in and helped with the break down of the church. We met a couple with four kids that Melissa had met at the ice cream shop and invited to church. They are from Michigan and in town for the next few weeks. They hope to participate in some outreach opportunities while here, so we plan to give them plenty of options.

We ended up heading out to the crab races and fire dancing on Sunday night, ended up meeting up with Tom and Jennifer from Michigan and their four kids. Had a blast and stayed out on the beach until after 9 or so. They are a really neat family and we are enjoying getting to know them better. Jennifer joined me on my Monday grocery shopping run and then we met up with her and the kids at the beach on Tuesday for a little bit. The sun hasn’t been this hot in a couple of weeks, so we were not properly prepared for that much sun. We got so sunburned that my kids were delirious that afternoon. They are definitely Coppertone babies now; so cute, but so cranky that night.

Jeremy and Melissa got some bad news on Monday, his grandfather that he is very close to, passed away. He left today for Seattle to attend the funeral and celebrate a wonderful life. Melissa and the boys are on their own for a week, so we plan to have a few sleep-overs and make it fun. We already have a ladies game night on Thursday, so we are getting serious about making the most of her being a bachelorette with two kids in tow.  Pleae keep her and the boys in your prayers for safety and peace of mind.

We have quite a week ahead of us and we will be sure to update often.

If you haven't already, check out our website too, www.vick6roatan.yolasite.com or shoot us an email, we would love to hear from you vick6roatan@gmail.com


Take Care and God Bless,
Connie

March is upon us!

March On!

Saturday, Trey and Anna helped pick up a short term mission team for Living Water 4 Roatan.  They are a group from Florida and the men will be finishing a concrete block storage building while the ladies do discipleship classes with a group of women in the colonia.  They have morning classes and evening classes as well as fun stuff for their children if they choose to bring them, which is usually the case.  Great for the moms and good for the kids too. 

While Trey and Anna were at the airport and shuttling people and luggage, I stayed at the house with the other three kids as well as Jeremy and Melissa's twin boys.  The 16-year-old boy that had kidney failure ended up passing away.  Jeremy was asked to officiate the service on Saturday morning.  So tough to say goodbye to a child, I cannot imagine how tough that would be.  So many feelings and surely anger in not understanding why a young life would be taken so soon.  Trey and I are so very blessed to have such healthy children; we thank God daily for their health and ours.  The island funeral is similar to a funeral in the states except that they take the body in the casket from the house and carry it all the way to the grave site while singing.  Then they lower the casket into the ground and fill it with dirt right then, all while still singing.  It is quite a sight and not something that many would forget.

It ended up being a rainy day, so the kids and I ventured out to take hikes when the rain stopped, almost every time getting chased back inside by the rain.  It was a fun time.  We watched movies, ate lots of peanut butter & crackers and popcorn; we were so low on groceries, which always happens at the end of the week.  Mondays never come soon enough to hit all three grocery stores to see if they will have what we need and then a little of what we just plain and simply want.  Since everything is shipped in, we never know what will make the shipment and what won't.  So, when we find something that hasn't been in the store in a while, we grab two or three of them and run!  Well, we finish shopping and pay first of course.  So funny the little things we take for granted in the states, like a grocery store that actually carries rice crispy cereal all the time or a loaf of bread.  I totally need to blog on grocery shopping alone, it is quite the circus.

Trey and Wiley have been joining the team that came in for LW4R, the past two days.  Wiley is in hog heaven hanging out with the guys and building and playing in the dirt and sand.  When he got home yesterday, he took off his shoes and a huge pile of sand just dumped out on the floor.  He had some fun and we had proof right there on the floor and all over his body and clothes too!  Today they are pouring the roof of the storage builiding, hopefully the rain will stay away until this evening.  It is so nice to have a storm at night, there is rarely any thunder or lightening, which is so different from Texas, but the cool breezes that come in with the rain are like having a/c inside and out.  We love waking up and actually needing our top sheet to keep a little bit warm.  The small things.

Take Care and God Bless,
Connie

My how time flies!

So, it has been one month today that we arrived in beautiful Roatan, Honduras.  It has not been the easiest few weeks but we are all still accounted for!

I have actually struggled with writing the blog, haven't felt interested or moved to do so.  Not sure why since I absolutely love to write and communicate with others that are interested in our story...however, I think I became so wrapped up in trying to be this mom that could withstand any all circumstances and bounce right back, that I got a little side tracked and quite frankly was feeling like a failure.  So sad the pressure that moms put on themselves.  Anyway, after coming to terms with myself and giving it over to God, I have realized that it is okay to make alterations to our everyday life and that we do not exist  because of a schedule instead we exist to fulfill that purpose that HE put in our hearts, to love our husband and kids!

After much discussion and my feeling like a failure, we decided to put Anna in bilingual school.  She had a bit of time dealing with yet another change but she is amazing and doing really well and enjoying herself.  She sang in the talent show with a new friend, Marianna.  She ended up spending the night with us and setting up church and going with us on Sunday.  So fun to expose kids to what life can be like with a loving group of Christian friends/family. 

Anna is thinking about playing on the baseball team.  They have a co-ed team and no softball, just baseball.  We will see after she attends a practice if she sticks to it.  She is also thinking about doing some TaeKwanDo with her friend, Marianna.  They don't have anything sports related for Wiley's age group, so he is thinking about taking some Steel Pan drum classes.  Hopefully the futbol (soccer) league that Trey is working on will happen soon; my kids are all dying to play soccer again, for sure.  

We are getting ready for the first outreach opportunity that Trey and I have organized for the rChurch.  We will be painting some classrooms at the school that Anna attends as well as the colorful fence that surrounds the school.  Definitely hoping to get the kids involved and use this as an opportunity to have a positive impact on kids that we wouldn't otherwise get the chance to do so with.  We will be doing monthly or every other month community outreach projects and alternating with fellowship programs.  So excited to start to see some of the fruits!

Trey is working weekly with Living Water for Roatan and helping Henry prepare for the first short team mission team to arrive the next week or so.  They will be finishing up a storage building and some other construction related items as well as doing some discipleship within the colonia.  The second week of March, the universities that are spearheading the water treatment facility in the colonia will be in for a couple of weeks to meet with locals and get the ball rolling.  Trey will play a big role in those meetings.  He is very excited to see that all the meetings in the past are now coming to a point in which we will now see something begin to take more shape.

That is all for now, btw our internet connection is awful, so I usually always end up having to wait until the evening when not as many people are online...which means I am soooo tired at that point.  Please pray for plenty of energy for me to get through each day and evening after being awoken several times each night by a different child.  I know that one day I will miss the pitter patter of feet in the night. 

Take Care and God Bless,

Connie and Trey

Working on the well

Today, Trey and Anna went up to the Colonia with Henry from Living Water for Roatan.  One of the water wells that supplies water to over a thousand people was having problems and was not generating water like it should.  After troubleshooting the well, they figured out it was a prolem with the flow valve and thus saved a whole lot of time and money in that the pump will not need to be pulled.
Anna got to see some of her old friends that she had met and played with this past summer; best of all, they totally remembered her and were very excited to see her.  She cannot wait for the first mission team to arrive in February so that she can help with VBS and all the fun activities with the kids in the Colonia.
This afternoon we finally got some reliable hot water!  It is only in one shower and not available anywhere else in the house yet, but hey we are not complaining!  The kids were fighting over who got to shower first in the hot water.  The little things.
This evening we lost power for the third or fourth time this week.  But, this time the batteries in the back up generator were not fully charged so we spent some quality time on one of many long walks in the area.  On a good note, we might actually get our container of things delivered tomorrow.  Very excited to have more than two pair of shorts to wear!  Thankfully we did not ship absolutely everything and decided to pack a couple of things in our bags for the plane.  Thank you, God, for that forethought!
Trey and Pastor Jeremy were supposed to go to La Ceiba, but we have been advised by the US Embassy that Americans should steer clear of the mainland because the new President of Honduras is getting sworn in on Wednesday.  They are expecting large demonstrations and riots in the streets along with huge crowds of people.  So, needless to say, they will wait until next week to take that little excursion.

Take care and God bless,
Connie and Trey
http://www.vick6roatan.yolasite.com/