Hello from Choluteca

Hello from Choluteca,
We have just completed our third and last installation! And this is my first real opportunity to spend some time on the internet. The rest of the team is watching the Honduran Soccer game on a jumbo tron in Wendy´s . A really big deal here.

We have had two very adventuresome days - traveling to parts of Honduras that I don´t think very many people see. We traveled in big four wheel drive trucks driven by very experienced government workers. The roads were more like rock and mud paths up and down and around the mountains. We were in the part of Honduras right across the river from Nicaragua. The scenery is absolutely beautiful and so are the people. But the poverty is extreme.

Along the way we could see women washing their clothing and hair in the creeks. There are no doors on the homes and when we caught a glimpse of the inside - sometimes there was a hammock and maybe a plastic chair. We saw many more horses than cars. A horse was often tied up outside a home, much like we would park a car. In addition to horses, we often had to slow down (or honk) for cows, pigs, chickens, dogs, roosters and turkeys. I think the rule is - if it is big enough to damage the vehicle, slow down - if not, honk and say a prayer for the animal.

Our installations went off without a hitch. We had enough supplies here in Tegucigalpa for all our schools. We are hoping - and praying - the customs issues will be resolved before the next team arrives on Saturday. At the schools each day we are welcomed by smiling children and teachers. The children laughed the most when I attempt to speak to them in Spanish. The little ones just look a little puzzled - the older ones laugh unabashedly.

Our hotel is lovely and comfortable. The food is local and pretty good. The people are genuine and kind. Our team is amazing and I feel like they have all become family. I am sharing a room with three young ladies (all 17 yrs old) from Honduras who are interpreting for us. Gabby, Gabriella and Elizabeth. I will post their photos below. They are all delightful and have adopted me as their Mom!

I will include some photos in this blog post, however, please check out the sonlight power blog for details of each day´s events. www.sonlightpower.org/blog, We are usually not more than one day behind on those posts.

I will give you a sneak peek of day three... the official SonLight Power post will not be until tomorrow. We were greeted with flags, balloons and musicians - and treated like royalty. A very humbling experience. And a little girl in 5th grade gave a speech that made me cry. At the end she crossed her arms over her chest and said she was giving us a big hug from all the children in Honduras.

Tomorrow we pack up and head back to Teguc for some shopping, dinner and a good nights sleep before the trip home on Friday.

More later!