🌴 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.