Wrapping up in Pictures

Another session in Roatan has wrapped up. It was a short time, but a time of encouragement to us, and hopefully those we serve.  

Encouraging Moments

We couldn't be prouder! The kids we've spent time with are becoming independent and successful. 

Karla, Jessie and Josian will graduate this November.
They each spent a little over a month
trying out work at their placements. 

Geyzi represented her school as Senorita Independencia in the Independence Day parade. Carlos kept a steady boom boom for marching. Joshua carried a school banner. 

In church, we are pleased to see these faces contributing successfully.

A Few Working Pictures

Larry at work. 😉

Fixing and talking.

Susan at work. 😊

Teaching and talking. 

Beautiful Places

We are blessed to be able to live on this beautiful, tropical island.

The view of the Colonias.

The very best view? From the perch - upper deck in our house.

Beautiful People

Son Rise Church People

Saturday night at Son Rise with the "Specials" - mini concerts.

Special beautiful people for us.

Marciel was out fishing. September is not fishing season.

Beautiful Children - aka Cute Kid Pics

 The Pictures Speak for Themselves:

The local high school gate:

Contrasts - The local gym, and our favourite day-off-day restaurant with AC:

The heavenly turtle:

Did anyone check how many children finished the parade?

How to Finish? An invitation to visit.

Look.  There's a chair waiting for you!

🍁 2019 September Update

Jimena, age 5, carrying firewood to her house

Greetings to you as we enter this beautiful fall!

What are you looking forward to as this new season arrives? The leaves are turning, and the fields are ripening. Kids are back in school, and schedules are resuming. A new season – and for you?

We have just returned from 5 weeks in sunny, HOT, Roatan and are very content with the time we have spent there. This was a time of being, instead of doing. Our time was spent with people we have known for several years so the “Hi – who are you?” questions didn’t need to be asked. We were able to ask more deeply “How are you?” Like here, some people are thriving and some need encouragement.

Sometimes our encouragement required reassurances that living sometimes is tough. Sometimes our encouragement required firmer responses. We want to thank those who keep us in prayer. Frequently discerning a response to those who are in need – lovingly empathizing, lovingly suggesting stay-the-course, or lovingly pushing – requires more than what we could do on our own and we are thanking God for His direction in our interactions.

It is difficult for us to be “being” people. In fact, lots of times we were frustrated because we felt we weren’t making good use of the time we had. And then we would get to the end of certain days and we would know we had been used to make a difference.

After Bible Study, with Greicy,  Greicy's son Dylan, and Geyzi.

After Bible Study, with Greicy, 
Greicy's son Dylan, and Geyzi.

We both enjoyed the times when we were able to spend time with our students. Several of them are becoming independent and are delightful young adults. Jessie, Josian and Karla will graduate from high school in November.  In August, they were out at work placements so we surprised each of them with a visit.  Oscar was very pleased to bring his girlfriend to meet us. That was very special! We also had many visits with Greicy and Geyzi. We have known these two girls since we first came to Roatan.  Both girls are making good choices for their lives. We are sure proud of them all.

In the fourth week of our stay, I was visiting with Sandra.  After we exchanged pleasantries, she said to me “We have no water.  It is nasty!” Water used to come from the wells in the colonias to different sectors according to a schedule of every four days.  Then it was every eight days and then water delivery became more unpredictable. After more discussion, I found out Sandra’s sector hadn’t received water for twenty days and the water in her storage containers had run out at day fourteen. With the hope of water to come soon to Sandra’s house, Larry stopped in to his favourite plumbing store. A deal for a new, large water tank with fittings was made with delivery the next day. We hustled up to Sandra’s house. I showed Sandra a picture of what we had purchased. She laughed – and then she started to cry. She had been praying for help and God had answered her prayers! We were both in tears. We are learning – we left it to the family to make the connections. It did take several days - but, so did the water. After twenty-six days, Sandra received water and happily filled her tank – and all her other containers. Water started to arrive at 7:00 in the morning. Sandra started her pile of laundry soon after.

Ready for the water.

An unpleasant family situation came to our attention. Because we knew this family very well we felt we should take action for the safety of the kids in the household. This is something we don’t like to do. At this time, some resolution has been made although as one of the kids told me today – “it takes time here, Miss Susan.”  At least, we feel that the situation is better for the kids now.

The most frequent question we have when we meet people here is “when are you going back?” While Larry is pleasantly surprised with the progress of the crops, he still anticipates that the corn harvest will be late. We will not go back until after Christmas. That gives us lots of time to connect with many of you and find out what you have been doing. We also have some renovation plans…..

Oscar and Larry confer about
repair materials

At this time we are asking for prayer for:

    🍁 - Son Rise church/pastors as they serve

-       🍁 - the school students as they wrap up their year

    🍁- the special family we are involved with

    🍁 - the serious water situation in Roatan

    🍁 - a time for refreshment and good connections here for us during the fall

Thank you to those who have supported us through this time while we have been in Roatan. Without your help, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do.    

 ~ Blessings,  Larry and Susan  

** for more info about the water problems see roatancampbells.blogspot.com  (Sept. 2019)

💧 Water, Water, Everywhere - Nor Any Drop to Drink 💧

4 adults/teens +3 kids = lots of laundry

**As always, what I write is what I have heard out and about. My writing is subjective - some inaccuracies may exist. 

Mr. Google says that the phrase "Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink"  is from "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It means that despite being surrounded by something, you cannot benefit from it.

This precisely describes the situation here in Roatan. This island is surrounded by the idyllic, tropical Caribbean Sea. This water is so inviting - unless you're looking for a drink of water to quench your thirst, or water to bathe in, or a bucketful to wash your clothes in. 

This week one of my friends sent an "Hola!" After our regular pleasantries she said to me "Aqui no hay agua. Es feo." (Here, there is no water. It is ugly/nasty.) Water arrives at the houses on a rotation throughout her colonia. When water is pumped from the community well, it comes through the pvc pipes into containers on the individual properties. 

Pipes with water go up, up, up to tanks on individual properties.

This area received water 20 days ago. Not long ago, water arrived every 4 days. As demand for water increased the days between water days increased. My friend is hoping she will get water on Sunday or maybe Tuesday. Most people buy bottled water for drinking and cooking but it is much too expensive for laundry and bathing. This family has one cracked water tank and 2 old refrigerators-on-their-sides to store water in when it comes through the pipes, so even being very frugal, they will always be in a water crisis.

People in Roatan are in a serious situation with water. People with their own wells (like us), or cisterns/tanks that can be filled by tank trucks, or people living in gated-communities have water to run down the drain (or water for a cold shower on a hot afternoon!). Many of our neighbours receive water from a local entrepreneur who pipes from his well to many homes, although recently even this water source has had to be rationed. Many hundreds of people who live in the nearby colonias are suffering. Wherever we are, the conversation always turns to water. 

The simple reason that there is no water has to do with the rainy season that wasn't last year. It is bone dry here. A less simple reason for the water problems began before the drought and extends far beyond tiny Roatan. Deforestation is a worldwide issue with various causes. Roatan's reason for water shortage and deforestation are tied together. Both have to do with uncontrolled population growth from unemployed, displaced, frightened families coming from mainland Honduras. (Those displaced Hondurans aren't all going to the US - many are making their way here.) 

Larry read that the police estimate that the population on the island is now 100,000. Ten years ago when we first came, the estimate was 30,000 people. There isn't enough cleared land for houses/casitas (shacks) so widespread cutting and burning occurs. Land is being cleared, and illegally sold and resold so people can put up a shelter. Squatting is common. If and when rain does come, the water will rush down the bare hills and out to the sea.

Recently - so much clearing of land and building. 
Who owns what?  Plan?

I really want to find a positive in this water problem.  I think there is an increased demand for water because more people are enjoying a higher standard of living. There are more indoor bathrooms with showers and flush-ish toilets. People are placing sheets on their beds, using towels and curtains that require washing. Automatic washers were unheard of in most homes we visited when we first came here but now there are some people using them. All of these things require more water. It's a good news/bad news kind of thing.

How does the lack of water affect day-to-day living for many of our friends?  One mom told me that despite only having a small pan of previously-used water, she needs to wash the school uniform shirts each night. The kids must wear their clean uniform each day or pay 5 lempiras to enter the school yard in street clothes. Or, stay home.....  

The church clothes-line is never empty.

Some of our church families have been able to bring their laundry to the church. There is a well on the church property, and many are benefiting from that. A long clothes-line stretches across the church yard and is always full of little-people clothes. While at the church for laundry, people also bring their soap - for a refreshing shower! 

Katie climbs up the hill and down to her family with full bottles of water.  IrmaLinda lives in the highest house I have visited. She lives alone so she tells me she only gets water jugs one time in a week. 

Other families purchase bottles of water at 35 lempiras per bottle (a worker makes 300 lempiras for a day’s work). A “shower” is a bowl of water poured over the head after soaping hair and body. 

Normally, water comes on a regular schedule about once in 8 days. The cost of receiving water is about 240 lempiras per month - more or less depending on the colonia. It doesn't matter how much water you collect in your containers - the cost is the same. Now, the cost is still 240 lempiras, but water comes once or twice a month. 

I think the thing that is most discouraging is the overall attitude of some of the people themselves. There has always been a sense of unworthiness - "What can we expect?" is one defeatist attitude. The other attitude is a sense of entitlement. One colonia had their water system - wells, pumps, and extensive pipeline system provided by a ministry. We have heard more than once "the Americanos are bad. The Americanos need to fix the pump.... build a new well..... etc....."  These attitudes are surprising to those of us who are independent-I-want-to-do-it-myself people. It is as it is.

I want to finish on a positive note. I was discussing this blog with Oscar, one of our students who has graduated and is working. (woohoo!) I asked his opinion of the water problem in his colonia. He said "Maybe we should talk with the whole community and think to buy a new pump and do another one. (well). So that way we can have more and more often."  I didn't hear any negativism in what he was suggesting. This is such a hopeful thing - a positive thinker!

And now I am reflecting on my day so far. I've used water to clean, do laundry, cook, and do dishes. And now? Time for a refreshing drink of water. And my friends in the Colonia - "Esperando agua." In Spanish the verb "esperar" means to wait and also to hope.  "Waiting for water."  "Hoping for water." 💧