Shoup Airlines

August 11th, 2000

Today was kind of a bittersweet day. It was our last day in Santa Elena, so we worked a little and threw a party. We had a ton of toys, candy and two pinatas for the kids. There were no holds barred when those pinatas broke. I’ve never seen so many grateful faces as we gave the families the food. Good times were had by all. The afternoon stretched on and it came time for us to say our goodbyes. It was hard but we got through it hoping to return someday. The village desperately needs to be taught hygenic and sanitary practices, so there are constant discussions on how soon anyone can return. The earliest looks like March. Another idea was to have the Cottonwood (the church) adopt the village, which I think is a great idea. We’ll have to wait and see what God’s will is.

I never did make it back to Honduras, unfortunately. If I remember correctly, the next trip got pushed back to June and I left for ACA in early March. Members of Cottonwood still make an annual trip to Honduras as far as I know. In fact, the group started getting so big they have to turn people away now. Last time I spoke to Tom, they were even getting the school and Aerospace Department involved.

Juan Carlos, the 16 yeard old assistant to the bus driver, has a birthday coming up so we celebrated on the bus ride home. Later that night we attended some small group meetings that for the most part turned into BIG small group meetings. In true Hondurino style, seven of us rode over in the bed of a truck. Once at the meetings, I was immersed in the Spanish but just too tired to think. Surprisingly, one of the guys complemented my pronunciation and accent.

Tomorrow, we head for la playa and a well needed break.

But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds – his name is the Lord – and rejoice before him.

Proverbs 68:3-4

August 10th, 2000

Today was the last full day of work. Tom was back to full speed and most everyone else was feeling as normal as possible. Stomaches were still a bit queezy at times, but everything worked out.

We did a lot of EVERYTHING today: moving blocks, laying cement, speaking Spanish, standing around, partying, and laughing. The rain came like clockwork at 1:30pm and it fell hard causing everything to screech to a halt for about an hour. The rain felt good and gave us a chance to play with the kids. Children are the same everywhere! It’s amazing to see what they knew of our culture and others even though statistics say 85% of these children will never see a light bulb. It’s a blast getting to talk to them in Spanish. I knew taking four years of that was good for something other than describing how much hockey I played the weekend before. Once the rains stopped we got another good hour of hiking cinder blocks up the hill and then it was time to head back home.

Back at the apartment we spent the better part of the evening loading all the food we had purchased for the families of Santa Elena. In total there was 1,000 lbs. of flour, 750 lbs. of beans, 500 lbs. of rice, 300 lbs. of sugar, 250 lbs. of salt, another 250 lbs. of lard, 500 boxes of matches, 300 candles, over 1,000 toys and enough candy to give the entire ADA a massive stroke. Should be enough food to last the village a year.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves.

1 Corinthians 14:4-7

August 9th, 2000

Today, the diarrhea hit and it hit hard. So hard in fact, Tom Zeidlik had to stay at the apartment. I think three other guys were starting to feel the same today but got through it. I’m not feeling bad, but I’m not feeling all that well either. Guess we’ll see who had the chicken and who had the fish.

The day’s work was identical, moving los bloques from the drop site to the future homes. Turns out the trucks can only get so close before they get stuck and it’s up to us to offload the trucks and then hike the blocks up the hill. However, the Lord provided a different path down hill this time and filled me with a new strength for the day.

That’s all we did. All. Day. Long. I don’t even want to do the math, but figure one block weighs between 30-40 lbs., carrying two at a time, and we ended up moving close to 600 blocks today! As we were getting ready to leave another truck pulled up with another load of blocks. I think most everyone was too tired to comment, I just sat there laughing. Don’t know if it was a laugh of insanity or sarcasm.

With all the physical ailments and plain exhaustion, I believe the extra week of stay is being passed on. Planning is already in the stages for coming back in March, we’ll just have to see where I am at that time. Right now, plans are to get hired with Horizon Airlines by next year. Spending this week with everyone has put new light on my heart with Grand Forks. Seems like every time I tell myself I’m going to leave this place God says ‘nope!’ We’ll just have to see what He has in store for me. Working for the airlines, it shouldn’t be too hard a commute, right? (Talk about foreshadowing, geesh. I was hired by Atlantic Coast Airlines six months later)

There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off. Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path.

Proverbs 23:18-19