Saturday, July 30, 2022
Everyone Misses Alina
Friday, July 29, 2022
Delays due to Internet Chip Problems
![]() |
Map of Orphanage Emmanuel on our fridge door |
Thursday, July 28, 2022
Missing Alina
I woke up about 4am (which would be 5am WI time) in order to get everyone ready for breakfast. We were told that on school days, breakfast happened at 5:40am. Last night I asked the kids when they would like me to get them up so we could be down at the comedor on time and Jaden replied with 4:30am, Noah with 4:45am, and Kaylyn with 5am (she likes to shower the night before). This is how our mornings will run from here on out, provided all goes well with these times.
![]() |
Although very miniature, Jaden got to see his 1st gecko |
After breakfast, we decided to give Jaden a tour of Emmanuel so he could begin to get his bearings straight. Generally we are down here for approximately 4 weeks, but due to Bob and my anniversary trip prior, as well as Noah and Kaylyn's volleyball tryouts in mid-August, we were only able to come for 2.5 weeks. I am hoping that Jaden has enough time to adjust and grow to love this place as the other kids have in that span of 18 days. As we gave the tour of Emmanuel and were sharing stories, Noah announced that he missed Alina by saying this "would be much better if Alina were here". Kaylyn seconded that notion. This was extra special since Noah really doesn't talk about missing his family members.
Our room in the new team house is now set up. Although they had 2 rooms made up for us (guessing one may have been for just me and the other for the kids), we have decided to all be in one room. The bed at the forefront is mine, followed by Kaylyn and Noah (with blankets draping over to both keep bugs out as well as privacy), and lastly by the back window, Jaden. The bathroom here has 2 showers and 3 bathroom stalls with 3 sinks, so we have already finagled how they will be split up and shared.
![]() |
Our room in the team house |
Speaking of jobs, we went in to see Morgan at 1pm about what she would like us to do while we are here. It looks like Kaylyn will be in the casa de tiernos (Toddler House) once again, while Noah and Jaden were to work with Moncho. We later found out (from Moncho) that the work would be too dangerous for Jaden, so Jaden will split time between working with Mike who was varnishing tables in the wood shop and Alexander in the gardens.
Kaylyn and I spent the afternoon on the playground with the medium girls and they gave us a lovely serenade along with dancing, while Noah and Jaden spent time with the small boys in the gymnasium. When it was time to head to the comedor for supper, we chatted with Mike and Lydia about the sink faucets and other supplies that Mike had requested we bring down. They were all able to fit in the luggage we had planned to bring down without going overweight!
After supper, we once again decided to turn in for the night so that we were well rested to begin working tomorrow.
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
Return to Orphanage Emmanuel
This entry has been a long time in the making! After COVID-19 hit in spring of 2020, we were unable to travel to Orphanage Emmanuel in Honduras due to travel restrictions for our typical 4-week stay from the end of July through the end of August. And although many countries had lifted restrictions by summer of 2021, they were not yet lifted in Honduras. This 2 year hiatus has been difficult on both me and the children, so this spring we were excited to hear that the Orphanage would allow teams and volunteers once again after Memorial Day. Of course there are still mask requirements (which is nothing new to me as I had worn one to school each day this past school year) as well as either having been vaccinated (which we are) or a negative COVID test. Again, to be able to return to this place that gives us so much spiritual rest and peace was a true blessing.
With that said, what we weren't prepared for was having the online paperwork filled out to enter Honduras (which involved immigration work as well as passport and vaccination work). Generally the immigration work is filled out on paper, on the plane about an hour before we land. We were not notified of the movement of the paperwork to online forms, and unfortunately I wasn't able to complete all of it prior to our ORIGINAL departure date of Monday, 7/25/22. So we had driven all the way to Chicago, parked the car, took the transport from the economy parking lot to the airport, waited in line, got sent to the back of the line to fill out the online forms, and ultimately missing that plane and had to drive the 3+ hours back home. I am very disappointed in this particular airline for lack of notifying us via email about these online forms, especially since United had emailed me about these requirements (but for Canada) when Bob and I went on our 20th anniversary trip just 2 weeks earlier.
![]() |
Monday's failed attempt to fly (before picture) |
So here we are...once again having driven through the night and arriving at O'Hare, hoping that everything this time has been filled out properly. I even made copies on paper to prove I had filled it out! As it turns out, while in line we met up with another couple who was also supposed to fly out Monday morning (final destination was Honduras) and were denied for the very same reason (as well as not having paperwork filled out to bring their service dog). We chatted while in line and also found out that Guaimaca, the city where you will find Orphanage Emmanuel, was also the birthplace of the husband of this couple...Small world!
![]() |
Wednesday's shuttle from parking to terminal |
This trip is Jaden's 1st time on a plane. He handled it well, both to Fort Lauderdale as well as to Comayagua (Honduras). The airport in Comayagua is new, I believe it just opened earlier this year or last year. But because it was new, there was not yet a place to exchange money or buy chips for phone and internet. This is not problematic for me, but it does slow down the process of letting those back home know that we are doing alright.
![]() |
Jaden's 1st plane ride |
A man named Lucas (recommended by Morgan) picked us up to take us to Emmanuel. It would be a 3-4 hour drive depending on traffic, however ended up being a bit longer due to Lucas' truck overheating in the mountains. Thankfully, his son was able to meet us where the truck broke down and lend Lucas his truck while he waited for other family members to come and take care of this. Due to the delay, I asked if we could stop so I could get the kids a bite to eat because they hadn't eaten since about 2am. Lucas stopped at a gas station where I bought each of the kids a hot dog (normal toppings are ketchup, mustard and mayo), Chokis (a brand of cookie here), and Enjoy juice that was pear flavored.
![]() |
Traveling by truck to Emmanuel |
We got to Emmanuel safely around 4pm. Alexander met us at the new team house and gave me the key, letting us know that church would begin at 4:30pm. He said they would understand if we couldn't make it, but after two years of not being here, I wouldn't have missed it for anything.
We unpacked after church and were in bed by 7pm. It gets dark here around 6pm and with a full day of travel it was very easy to fall asleep early.