🌴 Summer on the Island 🌴

         Roatan Campbells' Connection          August 2024       

We heard it the first morning we were back home. And the second morning. And most of the time between morning and night… Silence… Nothing – a bird chirp, crickets and cicadas - and then nothing. You can sense this silence like it is sound when your ears have become accustomed to constant clamor. Where we live in Roatan it is never silent.

While quiet is what we enjoy here, down-on-the-farm, noise is as much a part of Roatan as heat and palm trees. The cacophony of country-Christian-reggae-rap music, squealing tires, and people calling out are background sounds to living. There is the endless roaring of motorcycles many with anti-mufflers. When all that stops, sometime after midnight, the dogs and roosters start. It is the sound of home when we are in Roatan. Much like silence is the sound of home, here where we will be until January.

It was a slow time in Roatan this month. But we feel we met the goals we had set for ourselves in addition to placing our hands and feet where God led.

Larry was pleased to have meetings with the director of the Sandy Bay Adventist Bilingual School. He saw such good things and encouraged Director Leticia in her work to keep up with maintenance work for the safety of the students as well as being able to manage repairs and needs in a timely way. Currently, the school is being painted. It is marine blue and trimmed in yellow and really attractive. The steps and handrails have been replaced, and walls in two classrooms will receive repairs soon. New desks will be ordered. 

With the purchase of an adjacent piece of land, plans are being made to prepare for expansion. The land is undeveloped at this time and will need retaining walls along the ditch as well as clearing and grading before building can begin. Larry was able to contribute at an on-site planning meeting with the Adventist association engineer as well as a local contractor to get the process started. TTT – things take time. This was something Larry had hoped to accomplish. Without a doubt, there will be follow-up meetings. 

Surveying the new property and exploring options

For several mornings I was able to go to the school to assist the English teachers with reading. The kids study in Spanish and English. But frequently the teachers haven’t time to model and correct pronunciation. I took small  reading groups. Together we just read and talked. What fun for me!

Who would think I would get to do my favourite thing in Roatan?

It was such a pleasure to pop in to visit friends. These women enjoy showing us changes they have made since our last visit. The goal of a visit is to bring encouragement. I am sure we receive more than we give! One evening, Arezzi sent a message of frustration.  She was attempting to sew Vashny’s special dress in preparation for the school celebration of Lempira Day at the school. The thread on the sewing machine she had borrowed kept breaking. The next morning, I climbed up their hill to see if I could help. Once the tension was set and the needle changed, the sewing machine was chugging along. Arezzi received a call that she was needed at work, so she needed to prepare food for her family lunch. I was able to help sew meters and meters of rickrack around the skirt of the dress. Arezzi and Vashny finished the dress later in the evening and into the night. Vashny was brilliant in her traditional celebration dress the next morning.

Honduran traditional dress for Lempira Day

Elissa's clothing tienda. 
Clothes sell for $3 - $5.

Something we have learned during our time in Honduras: when we North Americans put used clothing into drop boxes, and stores like Walmart purge unsold merchandise, many of these items wind up in bundles or barrels in developing countries to be sold. 

On a visit, Elissa mentioned that she would like to open a small clothing tienda in the side of her house. Elissa and I travelled to Coxen Hole where these bales of used clothing are sold. We were able to purchase a bale of “premium” children’s clothing. The bale weighed approximately 100 pounds and cost $275 CAD. The storekeeper and taxi driver placed the bale in the taxi for us. Once we arrived at the house, Elissa and I laughingly lugged it into the house. Overnight, Elissa’s husband found roofing steel to place over the door frame of the side entrance and the next morning Elissa’s store opened! Things like this come and go. Will Elissa’s clothing store still be open when we return in January? 

Bety using phone 
to translate.

We met with all 9 of our students and brought greetings from their sponsors. We were able to confirm that each student is progressing well at the halfway point of the school year. We also connected with several of our former students. That is just sooooo good! One of the housekeepers in our building, Bety, is 28-years old and this year returned to school – grade 7! She attends school on Sunday and completes “mountains” of homework after work each day. We were excited with the opportunity to provide encouragement and support for her to help her with her dream of continuing education. We are so proud to help her.

We want to thank those who keep everything going here in order that we can go and come back smoothly.  We thank God that He always provides for us, protects us and opens doors for us. Thank you to so many of you who keep us in prayer and provide support.  We are always conscious of your prayers.  

                                               

🌞 Sizzling Hot Photos🌞

 

August 2024
When you travel to the tropics in the summer, you know it is going to be a sizzling time. As I am preparing this photo blog, I am settled into a chair - not outside, but inside under the helicopter blades of the ceiling fan - and we are ready for lift-off..... 

While the temperatures are sweltering, it is the incredible opportunities that have really warmed our hearts. We hope you, too, are warmed as you see these smiling faces.

Cute Kids

Of all our pictures, the ones that warm our hearts the most are those pictures of the kids we know. They call out to us as we walk by their houses. They are happy to have their pictures taken. They don't want anything from us but attention. 

(l-r) Genesis, Daniel and their cousin waiting with us at the beach before church,
Lestil and blue-eyed Lola perform, Matthew and a friend in costume at school,
Enoch trying to escape the heat.

Up, Up Visiting

Over the past few weeks we have had lots of opportunities to go visiting. Sometimes Larry comes along, sometimes he finds other activities. Some visits happen as we are out walking. We know our feet are guided to the gate of those we should see. Visits into the Colonias are always up. I have tried to encourage people to move a little closer but that seems to be understood as a joke. (Maybe the idea is lost in translation?) There are 3 main roads/paths that can be taken and we have friends up each path. I enjoy the way up through the Colonia named Monte Fresco (Fresh Mountain). There are tall trees that provide shade and much refreshment along the way. Each visit I stop to take a photo of the "three sisters" tree. 

Can you see the three trunks wound together?

(top l-r) Greicy, her sister-in-law and kids, Dilan and Milli; Sandra and kids,
another Sandra with her youngest, Eliana; (bottom, l-r) Ashley and kids;
baby Alexia with her two (rival) grandmas 

Samona's for Food

We live next to the very best local food restaurant on the island. Samona is Chris' (Chris and Laura) sister. She has a reputation for good food and feeds most of our neighbourhood. 

Tortilla Time

While visiting at Arezzi's one morning I was able to watch her daughter, Keliani preparing lunches for the family. She was making baleadas - tortillas with bean paste filling. Keliani is one of our students and does not like having her picture taken. But she did let me take a few photos as she worked. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, oil and water; knead; pinch off little balls; roll in the hands and then flap, flap, flap from hand to hand to shape. The flat dough-patty goes on a hot, oiled pan for about 30 seconds per side and then it is ready. Bean paste (kidney beans cooked down to paste) is put on half the warm tortilla. It is then folded in half and a baleada is ready for lunch. Do I have a picture of a baleada? Oops - no. I was busy with another activity. 

Lempira Day

July 20 is the day Hondurans celebrate one of their national heroes - the chieftain and warrior, Lempira. In the 1530s, Lempira led a band of warriors to resist the invasion of the Spanish conquistadors. According to tradition, he was tricked by the Spanish and murdered. Honduran money is called the lempira in his honour. School children celebrate each year. I was able to visit with children from two local schools and marveled at native costumes. 

School Daze

There are 3 or 4 kindergarten classes in the kindergarten schools in the Colonia. In the classroom I visited, I was impressed with how tidy and welcoming the classroom was. Modelo is the big public school serving the community of Sandy Bay. Kids from grade 4 - 9 attend in the mornings, and grades 1 - 3 (maybe a kindergarten for none-Colonia children?) attend for the afternoons. Just inside the Colonia, there is the Sandy Bay Adventist School (SABS) with 150+ K - grade 9 students. SABS is the school we support in various ways. During the past few weeks I have had opportunities to practice reading in English with small groups from grade 4 to 9. The Honduran schools are in session from February to November so, yes, it is hot at this time in a room full of active kids. There is a private bilingual school down the beach that is on summer vacation now as it uses the North American timetable.

(top to bottom) Kindergarten school in the Colonia. Look how attentive the kids are!
they love their teacher; Modelo - such a busy school inside the classes and out;
SABS - such polite students, we love them!

Dog Days of Summer