Monday

My internet has been down and I have not been home for them to come fix it. So I was unable to post from my computer this week.

Monday my coworker and I climbed to the top of Villa Nueva, then went over the back of the mountain to find a tiny spot hidden away from the rest of the world. That is where my boss wants me to teach reading and writing.

My coworker believed there was really only one person interested in the class. She had raised the idea several times but people always had excuses for why they couldn't attend the class. We expected the trip was a formality in order for our boss to realize her idea wasn't going to work.

Here are two photos from the top of the mountain. One is looking backward, toward Los Pinos. The second is a photo of what I saw when I got to the top and looked over the other side. It was quite surprising!

Looking back

Looking ahead

There are only about 8 houses back here. Until very recently they didn't have electricity. They still don't have running water.

The first house we visited started out just as expected. The lady said she could never learn because she banged her head and can't retain anything. I told her there is no pressure. We just wanted to give her the opportunity, but if she didn't want to that's fine. Then her daughter poked her head out. She didn't seem interested either. Nobody in the house (nobody I talked to all day) had finished first grade.

This lady said she bumped her head and can't learn
You can see her house is very humble

The woman said she wished her son would come home because she would like him to study. But he was out running errands and she had no idea when he'd get back. I told her if God wanted her son to be in the class, he would get home before we left. A couple minutes later everyone looked behind me with excitement. Her son walked in the door!

She took him into the house and talked to him. He came out looked at me. He is very timid and a little slow intellectually. I asked if he would like to learn to read and write. He said yes quietly but eagerly, with a gleam of excitement in his eyes. It was clear the desire was there.

That was a pivotal moment for me. That gleam in his eye changed everything. There were people who wanted to learn! He was clearly one. And from that moment on I became eager to teach him.

I thought back to what my boss had said. We needed at least 5 people in order to justify me climbing the mountain and teaching the class. When I first climbed the mountain, if I am honest, I have to say I was hoping we would not get five people to commit. I know another community that is more accessible and has more people who have asked for someone to teach them to read and write. I really wanted to teach them. But after seeing the look in that boy's eye, my attitude changed. Even though he was only one person, I wanted to make sure he had an opportunity to learn.

As we all celebrated the fact that God had brought Luis home in time to sign up, his sisters started to get excited too. By the time we left the house, the two sisters were on the list. My coworker had them make a commitment to God that they would attend 12 classes. The mother made a commitment to God that she would make sure they went.

My first students:

The second house we visited was a 58 year old lady who is one of the founders of the community. She gave the land to our project for our gathering spot.

This is where the classes will be held. It's a very peaceful setting.

She initially said she didn't want to attend the class. Everyone has an excuse. Her's was that her left forearm was injured. When my coworker pointed out that the lady is right handed she still wasn't interested. Once again, I told her we were not there to pressure her. In fact we only want people who are truly motivated on their own. If this class didn't interest her, that is fine.

We were about to leave when suddenly her facial expression changed. I think it had to be God, because she didn't respond to any of our words. She wouldn't even open the gate and let us in. But after her facial expression changed she asked me to sign her up. So I did! She said she will make a commitment to attend 12 classes, and we will reassess at that point.

Then we found a lady with a small child. She said she has to work and can't get home in time for the class. But in the end she too decided that she could get home by the time the class starts. So she asked me to sign her up. She said she will be really happy to sign her name on her checks. She is afraid that someone could steal her pay as long as she is signing with a thumb print. (Remember none of these people can write their full name. A few can write their first name. Most sign with a thumb print.)

Then we climbed up a steep, skinny trail to houses built on top of a huge rock. There we were not well received. We climbed through a barbed wire fence to a house of two ladies and a young girl. One lady said that she would like to attend. She had her hair wrapped in mud or kind of wet muddy mixture. I think it must have been a lice treatment. I'm not sure. The dirty stuff kept falling into her face, but she acted like it wasn't there, so I did too.

On our way out we signed up a 15 year old girl with a baby. She wasn't going to attend because her family was very negative about it. But then she heard that the young boy and his sisters signed up. She is a good buddy of one of the sisters. So she decided she wants to take the class too.

She lives in a place that has mud blocks about chest high. What is finished so far is very nice. It was a new experience for me to see someone living in a house with no roof and only half of the walls.

By the time we left we were surprised. Seven people were on our list! Since then, the lady with the headwrap got a job. So I think we will only have six. Four are teens and two are older ladies.

This week is Semana Santa (Holy Week). In Honduras the whole world travels for Holy Week and everything is closed. Even the hospitals barely have staff. I have put a ton of money into my car and it seems never ending, so I will not be traveling this week.

Next week the reading and writing class will begin. We are all very excited!