August 2011

August marks a personal change in our lives that affects how we will be doing our work in Roatan for quite a while. Our little girl started 1st grade this month, so now we begin a new and wonderful stage of life! But the reality is that she and I will no longer be able to travel as frequently to the island as in years past. So this was David's first of many trips to Roatan 'solo'. It was such an odd feeling to not be there with him, but I embrace this new stage and look forward to supporting him and our projects even more actively from home.

And although WE weren't with David, don't think he was there all alone! He had long-time friend, Philip with him, and new to the scene was Chance Gilbert, a fairly recent alumni of the Discovery program, out living his mission and seeing what direction it might take.


Here are the guys, along with locals to St. Helene, Lindon and Whetsel, attaching a gutter to the roof of the new school. It was extremely hot and humid and a long, tiring job... but worth it in the end! Eventually, these gutters will funnel rain water over to a cistern to be gathered and used.


Here, Lindon is showing us the vegetables the kids in school are growing from the starter kit given to them by friend, Kathy Wells Strand, on her last visit to the island. They have transferred them from the starter pots to the ground and are doing well despite the struggle with insects. The kids were so excited to see something grow that they planted! They had never experienced that before! Hopefully it will spark a new interest in gardening as they desperately need fresh fruit and vegetables.


When the school was dedicated in February, we gave them 3 plaques. It was finally time to hang them on the wall:

1. A list of major contributors to the project
2. The commitment from the community to keep their land clear of trash
3. Two inspiring quotes from Booker T. Washington


Kevin and David.








The trim still needs painted along the bottom of the walls, but see that blank row of blocks just above the windows? That's where your name could be painted - to be a part of the school for all time - for a minimum $100 donation to our St. Helene project. We will continue to sell them until the entire row is sold.

July 2011

Another visit to St. Helene! The school still needs the trim painted (which we delivered on this trip) but is looking good!








We love being there when school is in session so we can say hi to all the kids! Here we stopped by during their English lesson and helped them with ther studies.







Now all that's left of the old school is an open dirt area that's being used as a small soccer field - of course!









This time we made our trip an over-nighter. Many thanks to Larry and Sheila Benson from Missions Encounter International, on the south side of the island, for hosting us and treating us to great conversation, fellowship… and food!! Here is Larry and Sheila (far right) and their team (from left to right)- Molly, Dominick and Ashley. All such wonderful, godly people!



We have come to love the people that make up this community - a very small one of about 22 families of 100 or so people. Through building the school we came to know some of them, but not all. So on this particular trip our commitment was to go door-to-door introducing ourselves to all 22 families and spending some time getting to know them, and they us. We hope to earn their trust over time so that we might all work together to better their community. We had an unbelievable time! Here are some of the beautiful faces of the north-side community of St. Helene:


Pastor Ted (on right) is a pastor at the church on the north side. He agreed to take us door-to-door to make the initial introductions. (Our daughter, Anna, was with us as always, and on this trip we also had my nephew, Billy.)






This is Truman, sitting on the front step of his home. Born and raised on St. Helene, he fishes and dives for lobster for a living, as do most of the men on the island. He doesn't do it commercially anymore, just to live off of. But the fish and lobster are getting scarce. He told us that lately (including the day we met him) he will fish all day and often come home with nothing. The waters used to be plentiful, but no longer. Life is hard.




Another woman, born and raised on Helene, taking care of her grandchild.






This is Rollins Rich, also born and raised on Helene, and is the 3rd oldest man on the island at 83! He is as spry and chipper as someone half his age! He is one of the only people we know of with a garden (about 1/4 acre) and he tends it all himself.



It was a sincere pleasure, and an enriching experience, meeting everyone. We look forward to getting to know them all better in future visits and working together to bring hope, healing and prosperity to this beautiful island.





Lastly, we would like to introduce you to our newest endeavor. We are partnering with a luxury condominium development on the island called "Grand Roatan" and, for every one of their 280+ condos they sell, together we will build a home on the island of Roatan for a qualified family. We are very excited about this project on many levels. Not only will it make dreams come true for locals who could never have thought home ownership possible, but also, it joins tourists with locals and bridges cultural divides. It also shows social responsibility giving back to the communities we come to enjoy and not only taking from it. We hope it will encourage other business people on the island to do similar forms of giving back. There are myriad details to work out, and undoubtedly many hurdles to face, so look for more details on our website as we work through them. But we have already bought our first 12 acres of land and built 1 'test home', seen here. "The Grand" is in its initial stage of construction and has only recently begun moving dirt, but we hope to position ourselves to have homes ready to be built as the first units are finished out.

May 2011

The school in St. Helene has been up and running for over 3 months now and though it lacks a final coat of paint, the 57 children in classes there couldn’t care less about that! This trip to St. Helen, however, showed us a different need in the community.

We had been approached by individuals from St. Helene asking if we could fund them for a job or help them start a small business. Times are definitely tough on the island and income is scarce. Men fish and dive for lobsters to make a living, but when the fish and lobsters go away (as they are experiencing now with the arrival of the lion fish), money is especially hard to come by. And for the women in particular, there are precious few ways to make a living. To make things worse, in the case of two people, they had not received pay for over 7 months for a job they've been doing faithfully. Simply crazy!

These people have become more than just faces in pictures to us. They are our friends. We’ve shared meals together, built a school together, our daughter plays with their children and has become good friends also. So it was especially heart-breaking to have to look our friends in the eye each time and tell them 'no' to their requests. Although an emotionally hard decision, we knew it was the 'right' decision, as we are here for the entire community and not one or two families in particular. In order for the community to embrace us and trust us in the future, we simply could not show favoritism to a select few. But on this last visit, the tears in their eyes when they heard the answer was overwhelming. Desperate to help them in some other way, I asked "Aside from a job, what is your biggest struggle, what is your biggest need?" Thinking they might say clothes, or an engine for their dory (boat), I was floored when each of them individually told me with great humility, "Honestly, what we need is food."


I was in tears as I realized how desperate the situation was for our friends in St. Helene. Sure, they appreciate the new school, but that’s long-term. What they need RIGHT NOW is FOOD! After talking with David, he immediately said we need to start a food bank. Four days later, the first shipment of rice and beans was transported to St. Helene for the 22 families of the north-side community. A huge thank you to Marcos Antonio Ramirez at Comercial Ramirez for getting us this food in bulk at cost, and so quickly. Thank you so very much!

Although we will help with food during difficult times, enabling them is not our purpose. Our long-term goal is to help them become self-sufficient by teaching them to raise crops and animals themselves. There are obstacles to overcome to be successful at this, and we know this will take YEARS to accomplish, but we believe it is achievable and necessary. Calls are already being made to an agricultural university on mainland Honduras with the hope of having interns come spend time on the island with rotating teams to oversee the development and on-going care. The success of this project is critical and will require the 22 families there to come together and function as a community, something that is sadly lacking. We have already been asked by more than one person on the islands to bring the Discovery program to Roatán to help in this matter, and in many other ways. (For details on the Discovery program, go to www.discovery-austin.org)



In the meantime, here are some pics of the rest of our visit in Helene. The first is of an older woman on the island who is diabetic. She had no way of monitoring her sugar levels and so a nurse friend of ours donated a glucometer. Here, we are teaching her how to use it while some of the children look on.

Back at the children's home, we checked in on the kids and the refurbishing of an 'apartment' (room) at the home for the new employee living there. Previously that particular room was a complete disaster and unfit for living, although the man was living there anyway! Now the mold has been cleared away, sheetrock redone, windows installed, and an A/C unit has been ordered. The remaining item is to repair the plumbing, and then the man's wife will also be able to move in with him. They are a welcome addition to the home and the children have come to love and respect them. We have been asked for the safety of the children not to post photos of them for their safety as, unfortunately, child trafficking and prostitution are very high on the island.

In a separate, upcoming entry, we look forward to introducing you to our newest project on the island of Roatán. Stay tuned for the big news!! And as always, thank you for your interest and support.

March 2011

On Saturday, February 26th, about 120 people – adults and children alike – gathered to dedicate the new school building on the north side of St. Helene. It was a beautiful day and a great occasion. As the M.C. of the event, Pastor Martel, announced “Today is a momentous day for St. Helene. Today, St. Helene is on the map!”



Many of the children were present in their school uniforms, with bright blue shirts the color of the Caribbean sea that is always visible in the background. They opened the ceremony by singing the national anthem, led by Darla Pandy, the school teacher we met in September 2009 who first told us of the need on the island, her home town.

At the end of the ceremony, ribbons were cut and the building was officially announced open for school!! As of today, the kids are finishing their 2nd week in the new classrooms and Lindon, the teacher we have been working with, has told us many times already how excited and proud the kids are about their new school! After 8 years of trying, the community’s dream has finally come true.

After the ribbon cutting came a fabulous feast! Our friends at Infinity Bay in West Bay, Roatán provided fried chicken, cornbread and home-made brownies for the entire crowd, and the community provided all the delicious sides. No one left hungry! David and I enjoyed greeting each adult and child as they entered the classroom where the food was being served.





Before leaving to come home, we made another trip to the island and got to see the beautiful kids in their classrooms learning. Here are some photos of each classroom. Kiera is working with the Kindergartners.
Lindon has 3 grades in his class.
Ollie has 2 grades in her class. Attendance is already up from last year and they expect it to continue to grow!








Although the school is up and running, our work is not yet finished. The school still needs to be painted, and the waste water system needs some tweaking. We also plan to have a walkway built around the back side of the building. But for all practical purposes, the school is complete, and we are so thankful for everyone who helped make this dream a reality. And we invite everyone to come make the long, but very worthwhile trip to the wonderful northside community of St. Helene to see the school that sits on a hill overlooking the pristine waters of the Caribbean, where the kids have learned to dare to dream, because dreams really do come true.














Lastly, an update on the children at the children's home. They are doing great! The 4 kids being sponsored to bilingual school through our foundation are being re-sponsored. Our mentorship program now has ALL the kids at the home paired up with a mentor, writing them letters and sending care packages. Also, a new man was recently hired by the home to be a live-in 'father figure' to the children. We got to meet him and have committed to remodeling the apartment at the home where he is living. The work has already begun and we hope to have it completed quickly so that his wife will join him. We will keep you posted!

February 2011

The school is coming along so quickly! Only 7 weeks of construction to date. Pretty amazing when you consider the logistics of getting all these supplies to the island! That speaks to the quality of work that our manager, Kevin Wesley, is doing along with the crew and people of St. Helene.

Floors were poured on this trip. Next is the roofing, doors and windows. The community is picking out the color paint they want and they will paint their own school. They decided on a location for the blocks with donor names. It will be on the front wall of the school - high enough that it has a clean look as you approach the building, but easily visible to anyone who wants to see. There are only a few blocks left to purchase, so if you want one, get your donation in quickly!!

For lunch we were treated to a home-cooked meal by Lindon’s wife, sister and mother. Such a treat! Fresh conk caught right off the island, fried chicken, all the trimmings, and a freshly baked cake. DEE-licious!!! Thank you, ladies!!

The first day of school will likely be around February 15, but the dedication ceremony is definitely set for Saturday, February 26th. There will be a small ceremony at the school followed by a pot-luck. Should be quite a shin-dig as most of the island is likely to show up for the celebration!

We look forward to reporting back with the update. In the meantime, look at some of the beautiful children who are excited about their new school!!

January 2011

Happy New Year!

We brought in the New Year in Roatán and have more updates for you on the school. This was the first time we got to see the construction in person. Prior to that, it was through photos being emailed to us by Kevin. What a thrill to see it and touch it! Here is a view of the school as you see it walking up the hill from the dock.


We visited St. Helene twice during our stay. The first time, everyone was still on holiday so no work was being done, but the second time, everything was in full swing. They are moving fast and we really do believe, barring any long-term bad weather, the school should be ready for the start date in Honduras of February 15th – VERY exciting!!

With us on this trip was Ian from Piranha Systems (the one in the goatee) who will be doing the waste water system for the toilets in the school. His system is a 'green' aerator system that purifies sewage so it doesn’t contaminate the environment which, being so close to the ocean, will protect the beautiful reefs that surround St. Helene. He was excited to see the school and we greatly appreciate his generosity in doing this project for the cost of materials only. The man to Ian's left is Luis, the construction manager overseeing the project. He is doing a fantastic job!

The materials continue to be delivered one dory full at a time. We knew it was a lot of work, but to see it first-hand was impressive. Once they get the dory loaded in Camp Bay in Roatan, they make the 40 minute trip to the north side of St. Helene where they off-load everything by hand from the boat into a wheelbarrow. At the end of the dock, they have to manually carry everything to the top of the beach head that's a good 15-20 foot rise, throw everything back into the wheelbarrow to haul it up the hill to the school, and then off-load it again… to be repeated hundreds and hundreds of times!! Talk about putting 'sweat equity' into a project!



















The old hut they used as a school last year has taken a beating, but thankfully it won't be needed much longer. It is only being used right now to store the school books and desks that will be moved to the new school once it is completed.

David will go back down in a few weeks to monitor progress, then we will all return together in early March for a grand opening celebration and dedication of the new school!






Things are definitely moving quickly. Here's a photo of the school that just came in as I was about to post this blog entry!