Roatan - February 2010

Back from Roatan again! What a whirlwind! We enjoyed spending time with a variety of people discussing education on the island and how to join forces to improve it and add skills training to help people get jobs and make a decent living. More on that to come later!

We had a great time with the children at the home. This trip, I brought everything with me necessary to make chocolate chip cookies with the kids! They were excited about having home-baked cookies, but the funny thing was… as soon as I got everything out and was ready for them to start helping me cook, ALL of the boys were eager to help and were crowding around me, but ALL of the girls scattered like the wind! It was almost as if they were ‘afraid’ of cooking. So of course, we made them all take part and they learned that they actually could do it and it wasn’t scary! It could even be a little bit fun! In the end, everyone helped and the kids enjoyed 3 cookies each. For most of them, it was the first time they had ever had a chocolate chip cookie which, to me is unthinkable!!

While the cookies were baking, there was opportunity to have some quality time with several of the kids. We love them so! We were also able to deliver more letters to the children that have mentors, and collected letters from some of the kids back to their mentors. It’s beautiful to see their faces light up when they receive their cards and letters from their mentors, knowing that someone “far away” is thinking of them and remembers them. I pray that these relationships will be life-long and life-changing.

School started the Monday after we left, February 8th. For the four children who have been financially sponsored through ALF to go to the Methodist Bilingual School, the Schulers worked with all 4 of them through the Christmas break to prepare them for the higher demands that will be expected of them. Sibelis, in particular, was nervous about what to expect in her new school, but the Schulers said she was more than ready to take it on! I look forward to getting a full report on all of them on our next visit! Again, thank you to those of you who contributed to make it possible for these kids to go to the better bilingual school. It will make such a difference in their lives.

The Schulers invited to take us for a walk to meet some of the people they minister to in the area. It was like being in a National Geographic magazine. They introduced us to a 60 year-old man called “Pastor” who lives by himself back in the jungle about a 30-minute hike off the main road. I couldn’t imagine making that hike every day, in the dark, in the rain, etc. We kept criss-crossing a little creek, which of course he and the others who lived along the way, used for bathing and washing dishes and clothes. Other families we met along the way had very rudimentary shelters to live in, which served them well on a nice day, but I couldn’t imagine being “holed up” in them for the months of rainy season. The people we met had next to nothing materially, had no running water or electricity, yet were mostly quite happy, friendly and hospitable. “Pastor” invited us into his home and gave us some fresh bananas called “apple bananas” that I had never heard of before. I’m not a big banana fan, but these were delicious and tasted like a blend of banana and green apple. We were so glad to have had the opportunity to meet “Pastor” and the other families on this hike as it allowed us to see the “real” Roatan. This is how probably 80% of the islanders really live – if not more. And these are the people we hope to minister to and help.

Lastly, it looks like a new television program called Majesty Outdoors will be coming to film in Roatan! The founder and host of the show is a friend of ours and he has been following what we've been doing in Roatan, specifically with the children's home. He approached us with the idea of filming a couple of the teens there. This is exciting as their mission is to minister to fatherless teens! We discussed the idea with Pastor Glen Solomon at the home and he has agreed. We are excited at how this will bless some of the children at the home! To find out more about Majesty Outdoors, go to their website at http://www.majestyoutdoors.org/ We will keep you posted!

January 2010 - Roatan

Happy New Year! It’s already off to a great start here at ALF. We just got back from the island where we were able to let 4 children at the children's home know that they will be able to attend the “bilingual” (or ‘private’) school near the home that provides a better education than the public schools. They are very excited, although maybe a bit nervous, but they have great tutors helping them bridge the gap to get them prepared. Mark and Susan Schuler have a ministry of, among many other things, tutoring many of the children in the neighborhood for both their regular studies and English. They have been hard at work getting these 4 children ready. A BIG “¡Gracias!” to the donors who made this possible!

Also, we had the privilege of introducing 6 of the children to the new Mentors we found for them! Like an individual “sponsor” (but with no financial commitment required), these Mentors will be writing to their child on a regular basis and sending cards and small gift packages for their birthday and Christmas to let them know someone cares about them and that they are uniquely special. 5 of the 6 children have individuals who are Mentoring them, but one little girl was selected by a girls’ club, so she has lots of love heading her way on a regular basis!

On New Year’s Eve day, we went to the children’s home to pass out the very first cards, letters and gifts that these Mentors sent to begin their new relationship with the child they had selected. The kids’ eyes were wide with excitement and anticipation, and they poured over the letters they received. It was such a blessing to see their hearts filled up by receiving love from someone that most of them had not even met yet. We will continue to deliver letters and packages to these children on each trip that we, or an ALF representative, make in order to keep these relationships growing.

While there, we learned that some of the lights at the home had not been working for over a YEAR! With a quick trip to the hardware store the men with us were able to quickly get those lights working again, which I think some of the children were more thankful for than the other gifts they had just received! : )

As for the roof on the children’s home, we had some builders on the island take a look at it and it was decided that it does not need replaced, but only needs some minor repairs where the vents join the roof. That is good news as it won’t be too costly and should be easy to do. We still target our February trip to get this accomplished.

September - Discovery

It was another fabulous training in September! Here are some snipits from the notes that have come in:

“You helped SAVE my life! All my life I’ve been hurt and confused and constantly pitying myself because I didn’t understand why me? Why my family? I have struggled so much with feelings of hopelessness. So many times I have almost completely given up on my life. If it weren’t for my daughter I’d have ened it long ago. That’s how I felt before. Now I have shed all of those negative feelings and am now filled with the joy and peace I’ve been waiting for and deserve! - Rebecca White

“I can’t think of one part of my life that has not been changed by this experience. Mountains were moved – my heart is free. I once believed that the abundant life was not meant for me – that I was the exception to the rule. I came here needing to know that there was more to my life than what I had. You showed me that it is bigger and better than what I had hoped it could be.” - Lynn Erwin

“I came into this program with a feeling of no direction, fear of the unknown, insecurities in who I was and feelings of not being good enough. This program helped me deal with those issues in a way that brought out of me my own answers. I now feel like I’ve been given direction, I do not fear the unknown, I have a better sense of who I am, I do feel good enough and I now have confidence in maintaining what I have gained through this program.” - Raul Giron (?)

“Today I realize I am worthy of love not because of my job but because of who I am.” - Terri Robinson Professional Counselor

“This experience is totally different from anything I have ever been through. It has been good to receive vision and renew my passion for people.” - Stephen Birmham – Pastor

“What a wonderful weekend! I have never had such a life changing experience. I came here a cold-hearted, resentful woman. I am leaving a free, happy woman.” - Jenna Palmer

“I walked in these doors carrying 58 years of shame and anger over what happened to me as a child. I packed 24 years of anger at my ex-husband. I topped that off with years of guilt over how my divorce affected my 3 kids. Today, because of Discovery, I am free of the anger and shame and have forgiven myself for being an imperfect mom.” - Judy Hindelang

“I came into this program with what felt like the weight of the world on my shoulders. Now, I still have some weight on my shoulders, but it’s more like an empty backpack. And for that I would like to say thank you with all my heart.” - Jason Agan

September 2009 - Woodville

Great news!! The money needed to do a feasibility study has been raised! The next step is to find a qualified company to do the actual study, get the results and start designing a building that will support what the study says can be supported by the demographics of the surrounding area. Progress is slow, but it's still progress and we're headed in the right direction. Our next visit to Woodville will coincide with their County Fair where we will see many friends we've already made, and hopefully make some new ones.

September 2009 - Roatan

We just got back from Roatan where we spent the better part of a week building a walkway for the children's home. It goes from the entry gate where the kids are picked up and delivered from school and other activities, up to the front door. Since the yard is mostly dust and dirt, this will allow the opportunity for the kids to get in and out of the house without tracking mud and dirt in everytime they go somewhere - especially during the rainy season. Here are some 'before' pictures.



We couldn't have picked a hotter time to work outside, but it was fun working with the children. They did a lot of the manual labor themselves and we hope they'll take pride and ownership in their accomplishement.


Through no fault of the kids, we broke the water pipe three times! But by the end we had become experts at it and used it as an opportunity to teach the kids how to do some repairs.



In the end, it turned out great! And what a way to bond with the children. They are all wonderful and beautiful and we look forward to our next visit with them. Our next project will be putting a new roof on the house as it has many bad leaks.


Also during our stay we visited a school in Coxen Hole. There were no classes while we were there as it was Independence Day and school was out for the week, but two of the teachers met us there and gave us a tour.



The 2-room school doesn't currently have enough space for their K-6th grade classes, so 2 classes are meeting outside until a new addition is completed. We were so impressed with the passion and dedication this young teacher has for her students and we look forward to returning on a day when we can meet the children.

August 2009 - Discovery! Austin Update

The August training was great and we saw many people make significant breakthroughs in their life. Here's just some of what we're hearing back from the August class:

"I've got my fire back!" ~ Tiffany Paynter

"The lights are back on!" ~ Lynn Clark

"I am not scared to be loved anymore." ~ Anon.

"I realized and have left behind the #1 thing that has been holding me back from being the man God made me to be. My last fear is now gone. I can now walk forward in humility and confidence, making bold and important decisions that it is my place to make and be responsible for. ~ Jeff Washington

"Instead of viewing myself as worthless, I am now priceless." ~ Jan Sibly

"I am always in my head. Now I have learned to let my heart show. I received BOLDNESS! I learned to give my heart a voice." ~ Hope

"I've reclaimed my life, found my heart and discovered God again." ~ Candace Duvall

"I don't have the guilt that I had when I walked in the room. I have so much self-confidence now that I can not believe I have come this far in such a short period of time." ~ Alma Trujillo

"Discovery helped me forgive myself, overcome guilt from the past and regain passion that had been missing from my life for way too long." ~ Jay Hanley

June 2009

Woodville:
In May the Community Foundation of East Texas opened a Life Center account! For now, the money will be collected and used only for the feasibility study. Once the study has been completed and a design has been agreed upon, the account will be used for donations to build the LIFE Center itself. Also, names for a second tier committee were suggested along with potential donors. Things continue to move slowly, but in the right direction. We are scheduled to be out there the first week of July and hope to increase the passion and involvement.

Discovery! Austin:
Discovery continues to hold monthly trainings in Austin and we will be celebrating our one year anniversary at next month’s July training! It’s hard to believe a year has already passed! In June we had our highest number in attendance yet at 47. Also in June, we held our first Relationship Training with 26 couples. Check the “Success Stories” section soon for testimonies from some of the couples. In the meantime, here’s one we received from someone who recently completed the Discovery training on an ALF scholarship:

Words cannot explain how much Discovery has helped me personally! I have never had a sense of peace, happiness, worthiness, and hope as I have after being in Discovery. I am a much more positive person and much more helpful to my family and friends; and I am able to use the tools that I have learned daily to continue to nurture the positiveness that I have gained. I have always dealt with certain issues that I thought were to be my core issues...but coming to Discovery made me face my REAL core issues, and face them and fight them with full force. Dealing with and conquering those issues was the greatest feeling I have ever experienced in my life. It has absolutely changed my life!!Discovery has improved every aspect of my relationships. I am able to be completely open and honest, and not be ashamed or afraid of what others will think of me. That alone makes me a better person; and a more effective friend, daughter, sister, aunt, and girlfriend. I am so much more positive at my job, and I don't let the little things effect me like they used to. I have
found that this positiveness has gotten me so many compliments and accolades than before that it's AMAZING! Discovery has also deepened my spiritual relationship. I am more aware now of my beliefs and the power of my morals and my personal relationship with God.
~ Deborah Toodle

Roatan:
Just back from another visit to the island. We visited the children at the home. They are doing well and most of them just finished with exams. We read books to them and spent some quality time playing and talking together. We bought groceries to fill their cupboards with what they were lacking. They get a lot of staples from others but usually lack fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products and with that many children running around… cleaning supplies!

While on the island this time we got to meet Mark and Susan Schuler, a missionary couple who have lived on Roatan for more than 5 years now. They do a lot for the children at the home such as taking them back and forth to school, having them to their home for tutoring and mentoring, doing devotionals and loving on them in general. They have a true heart and passion for not only the children at the home, but the people on the island and in their community in particular.

We also met up with Cam O’Brien. Cam has lived on the island some 17 years and has a passion to help improve education on the island. During our visit we heard about much of what she has been and is trying to do, including the implementation of 2 “E Learning Centers” on the island which are offered free to children (and adults for English as a Second Language) as a way to supplement their learning at school which is often quite lacking for various reasons. After meeting with Cam, we stopped by the E Learning Center in French Harbour to check it out. The kids there that day were practicing for a play they will be performing in late July. It will be performed in English, so we were able to help them with their pronunciation. They were shy, but quite appreciative of our help!

We are excited to be making these connections with others on the island who have a true heart and passion to give back to the children and island of Roatan. We will be developing these relationships and keeping our eyes and hearts open to areas where we feel it’s a fit for ALF to get involved and participate. We are scheduled to go back out there in a few days. We are keeping an eye on the recent political developments of the country, but so far, everything we have seen and heard from people we know on the island and mainland as well as in the news shows that things on the island remain calm and normal and that the tension remains on the mainland. Unfortunately, though, the economic fallout will hit the entire country and the poorest of the poor will be the ones most affected.