Last Update for a while?

Charles here ---- Early Monday morning in Teguc. Everyone else is asleep and I am doing a quick load of laundry. Around 11:30am we head to the airport to pick up an arriving "work team" from the States. We will then all head directly out to Talanga. I am excited to get out there and get started. I imagine our kids are a little apprehensive not knowing what to expect. The work team will also be staying at Proyecto Manuelito all week.

Staying in the "guest house" these last few days has been a good transition period for our kids. They are slowly being introduced to the Honduran culture. The guest house is sort of like a way-station for various missionaries of World Gospel Mission who may be coming or going. I have attached a picture of the outside. All buildings are fortified like this with gates, razor wire, etc. There is the main house (pictured) which has a living room area, kitchen, office, several guest rooms and a small apartment for the couple that is the host...or runs the whole house. There is another large building in the back that is more like a dorm - this is where we are staying. There are different sleeping rooms and shared baths in the hallway. We all eat together as a large group.

Just as a note - being the "guest house host" is something that Ellen and I have talked about doing at some point once the kids are gone. We could conceivably come here for...say 3-6 months and provide that service. Anyway...

I laughed out loud yesterday in church (as we were trying to sing in spanish) because I looked at our kids trying to sing and thought to myself "these are pretty good kids to be such good sports about this whole thing!" I don't know what I would have thought if this had happened to me at that age. The whole process so far has been fairly "Americanized" because we have been hanging out w' american missionaries, eating american food, having internet access, etc. They have not really seen much poverty yet, etc. The real adventure begins today! Now we will really be living in the country-side as the real hondurans do. Although we will still be around American work teams, etc.

I will actually be driving a pickup truck out to Talanga while our missionary friend (Jeremy) drives a school bus with the work team on it. I have driven in Honduras before but not through the mountains! Should be fun. The boys have seen people cutting grass with Machetes and they are excited to try that out! We will try to keep all fingers and toes intact.

Please continue to pray for health and safety for all of us. That is one of our main concerns. We are all doing really well so far. Now we go live with a Honduran couple in a small house with a shared bathroom though....getting a little cozier now :) .

We were able to go to a "Sam's Club" (aka PriceSmart) yesterday and get some snacks for us for Talanga. We also got some skim milk - unrefigerated, in boxes. This way we can refrigerate a box or two as needed and not waste valuable refrig space.

Well...that about does it for now. Thanks for thinking of us...don't forget us...and keep praying. We will update as we can.