Orphanage Emmanuel in Guaimaca, Honduras: 2014 Honduras HoeDown

Today's the day of the HoeDown! There's a lot of things that need to get done in terms of decorating and food preparation before this can happen (lights, food, a banner, making kiddie bags, planning kids activities, sweeping the courtyard, and table decorations). I woke up very early this morning and since I didn't have internet access, began right away on making up the kiddie gift bags. We found out pretty early that it's also the day that cement needs to get poured at the greenhouse, so just about all of the men are needed that way. A handful of women stayed back to help Bob in the kitchen and I needed to be at school at 8:30 to translate for John's math lesson.

The math lesson was a continuation of what John had done on Wednesday - Algebra word problems. We put the students into groups, just like in my classroom back in Wisconsin (it's a CPM math, feel free to ask me about it sometime), and assigned each group a problem to set up. The class went fairly smoothly and John did a great job explaining the problems. At the end of the class, Profe Ramon mentioned to the students that there are various ways to solve the algebra problems and even though he would've taken a different route than John, the answers came out the same each and every time. He let the students know that it's the practice that's necessary in order to solve problems.

John teaching Algebra

After school, I headed back to the team house to work some more on preparations for the HoeDown before lunch. After lunch, I was needed to help size the grandecitos boys. They are the boys that are in between the medium boys and the large boys, about ages 13-15 who had a house built for them last summer. I had a plaque made for them with the verses that were read during the ribbon-cutting ceremony last summer which come from Psalm 133 - How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore. What fitting words for these boys of this age! The plaque is now hung above the door to their house.

At the grandecitos house, I had to help measure the boys. Luis David (who I've known for the past 7 years of coming down here, and who also has a crush on Alina as of this year) helped me get the boys through as quickly as possible so that I could return to the Team House for more HoeDown preparations. I was very thankful to him for this!

Back at the Team House, we had about 2 hours before the HoeDown began. The men and teen boys came back from doing cement and Nate and Lane (as well as a few others) got to work putting up the Christmas lights so that we'd have nice lighting around the courtyard. Bob was still in the kitchen finishing up the mini-apple pies, and I was decorating the tables with the tablecloths and balloons that Alina worked with others to blow up in the morning. Everything came together pretty nicely and by the grace of God (because I felt the time-crunch) it was finished just as the HoeDown would begin at 6pm.

Our decorated courtyard

Alina and Lori with John doing a photo-bomb

Kelsey, LoriAnn, and Nate ready for the HoeDown

As people came up to the Team House, they were guided to the gazebo where Erin took their picture in front of a beautiful sunset backdrop that Rita had spent the day painting. Then they chatted out front for a while before being escorted to their tables. We found out the container had come, so the men wouldn't be joining us until way later because it needed to be emptied immediately. Their wives were instructed to make a plate up for them and to have it ready. Kelsey did a wonderful job getting our teens together during the week to learn a line dance that would be performed with a select few Emmanuel staff and volunteers. Erin created a beautiful devotion to read before the meal, and Mark finished the devotion with a prayer to bless our food. The meal included Texas toast, pulled pork, chicken, cole slaw, baked beans, watermelon and mini-apple pies. We even had an unexpected, uninvited guest (see below)!!! All-in-all it was a nice time!