- Published on
It's hard, I can kind of see, to understand the roads in Honduras and what challenges they present to getting around, and doing...anything.
Take for example this picture. To the uninitiated eye, looks like just a road and some gravel.
What you can't see is...
1. How steep this is
2. The dump truck
3. How the truck almost tipped over on the road
4. All the work to unload the precariously balanced truck, and then reload into the Fords to make it the rest of the way.
5. Knowing that this is the EASY farm to reach with a dump truck...not even an option for the other areas we work.
Take for example this picture. To the uninitiated eye, looks like just a road and some gravel.
What you can't see is...
1. How steep this is
2. The dump truck
3. How the truck almost tipped over on the road
4. All the work to unload the precariously balanced truck, and then reload into the Fords to make it the rest of the way.
5. Knowing that this is the EASY farm to reach with a dump truck...not even an option for the other areas we work.
All this to get the gravel there to work on building the clinic next to the Milk Project and church there in Las Botijas.
Just one trip...but represents a weekly battle, just getting around.
Just one trip...but represents a weekly battle, just getting around.
Those who have been around for this year especially, and for a while, know we share about these pesky issues, and our poor vehicles that make the trips and sometimes don't make it back.
In the not-great picture above taken by our customs agent, you can see the next step forward: we have purchased a new Land Cruiser pickup to help the farms/moving material work!
This one will be for Sampedrana primarily. The white 2000 F-250 we have for that farm...has been down almost all year with problems. This Land Cruiser should last 20 years or more with good care, and given the global craziness, we were fortunate to be able to get a new one, and even fully optioned (for us...that means a winch, cow catcher, and other safety equipment) will be about $35,000 all told.
We have been saving what we can from people drinking coffee, but we are still about $17,000 short of having this fully funded. We have been using our group vehicles to help with this, but that isn't helping us maintain those vehicles for when we have groups!
Want to donate to help us pay this off? It will be coming home this week, so it will be working while we figure out how to balance the books, but given the options available, this was by far the clear winner on all fronts.
If you have questions about the backstory of how we could get this with supply chain issues, want to know why this is the best overall option, what it is equipped with that makes it great for this use, or anything else...please send me an email!
If you want to donate though to help us get this funded and take a load of our minds, click here to help!
In the not-great picture above taken by our customs agent, you can see the next step forward: we have purchased a new Land Cruiser pickup to help the farms/moving material work!
This one will be for Sampedrana primarily. The white 2000 F-250 we have for that farm...has been down almost all year with problems. This Land Cruiser should last 20 years or more with good care, and given the global craziness, we were fortunate to be able to get a new one, and even fully optioned (for us...that means a winch, cow catcher, and other safety equipment) will be about $35,000 all told.
We have been saving what we can from people drinking coffee, but we are still about $17,000 short of having this fully funded. We have been using our group vehicles to help with this, but that isn't helping us maintain those vehicles for when we have groups!
Want to donate to help us pay this off? It will be coming home this week, so it will be working while we figure out how to balance the books, but given the options available, this was by far the clear winner on all fronts.
If you have questions about the backstory of how we could get this with supply chain issues, want to know why this is the best overall option, what it is equipped with that makes it great for this use, or anything else...please send me an email!
If you want to donate though to help us get this funded and take a load of our minds, click here to help!
- Published on
Where did I leave off? We are in Columbus Ohio currently, getting ready for several days of ICOM (International Conference on Missions) and then next week to new ground for us, the GMHC (Global Medical Health Conference) and I wanted to give an update...but not comprehensive, as praise God, that would just be too much stuff to fit in one blog post.
Not sure I mentioned it prior here, but we did help start the foundation for the walls for the church in Danli. We could go back in months with another team to get things going further along, but ideally, if we could send them money...they could get it done without our physical help. The great thing is that four the rest of the foundation and four walls (with space finally for windows!) we would be around $5000.
Then will come the second floor/roof, another $5000 or less to do it right. I wonder if anyone is up for a chunk of that? Piece by piece, it will come together.
Then will come the second floor/roof, another $5000 or less to do it right. I wonder if anyone is up for a chunk of that? Piece by piece, it will come together.
The Milk Project construction continues in Las Botijas, and they are growing through the growing pains that come with a new staff, working with the church pastor, and everyone learning about communication and coordination. It will come, just needs some time to iron things out, and prayers for flexibility and good hearts in all while they do.
In Sampedrana, they were working on doing some lice shampooing this month. Also got to see some pictures of them handing out vitamins. We started buying vitamins to add, not every day...but we are working on it. They are expensive as it turns out, especially when gummies won't work with heat.
In Sampedrana, they were working on doing some lice shampooing this month. Also got to see some pictures of them handing out vitamins. We started buying vitamins to add, not every day...but we are working on it. They are expensive as it turns out, especially when gummies won't work with heat.
Lots of rain...more road work. It seems like we talk about this a lot right? In Sampedrana, this doesn't just affect us, but all of our neighbors along the way.
We are working on it. In fact, the guys are working on it quite a bit. But the amount of time, materials, and money to fix this will take years. But we try to remember how you eat an elephant...one piece at a time.
I can tell you this as an occasional driver there...every piece of concrete we can raise enough money to put there, makes me giddy with joy to see every time I go up there.
Jonathan reports they are doing some special services to try to reach people in the community in Cantarranas in the evenings during the week now through the end of the year.
The new plant in Guayavillas is doing better under Javier, with a baptism and some growth...unfortunately the motorcycle we had for him to use to get around and visit more people, but we are working on it.
The new plant in Guayavillas is doing better under Javier, with a baptism and some growth...unfortunately the motorcycle we had for him to use to get around and visit more people, but we are working on it.
vehicle woes continue, which is a pain...but a good pain. We are driving so much, doing so much with the churches, that unfortunately this is just a byproduct of that. If we stayed put more, less issues. Sure, some of the trucks are getting older, and we are working on some replacement plans, but for now, I get excited seeing that the funds have come in for the new clinic construction in Sampedrana (almost done) and Las Botijas (just starting) and the road work. If we worked in parts of the country that were already well established...we wouldn't have these issues. But we are working in areas that are largely forgotten by the government and everyone else.
We are trying to help build something bigger than us, than the areas we serve.
We are trying to help build something bigger than us, than the areas we serve.