Robbed

I was just robbed for the first time. I happened to be carrying more money than I ever carry, and all of my personal ID's except for my passport. I know better and I feel really stupid now.

Someone put a pistol to my back, took my wallet out of my purse, threw my car and house keys away (but I found them, thank God), took my phone and left.

I am still processing it. It hasn't sunken in yet. My pastor agreed to lend me money for gas since I am on E. I have to figure out a way to get some cash and get my credit cards replaced. Unfortunately everything requires a telephone call, and they stole my phone...

This could happen anywhere, but sometimes it's not so fun to live in Honduras.

New Brave Colors

Monday we completed the library! It was extra special because the kids from my club were there, so they got to be the first to use the library. Normally we meet on Wednesday but this week Wednesday through Friday were government holidays. We moved our club to Monday this week so the kids wouldn't miss out.

The library

We have more books stored in the cabinet which we will rotate in

Signing out books!

Wednesday's club was on Monday and Thursday's literacy class was scheduled for Tuesday. But I had to cancel at the last minute because I couldn't find anyone to meet me at the car and walk up the mountain with me. The coworker who normally goes with me was also busy, fitting a week's worth of work into two days.

I was disappointed. I made brownies for the class to celebrate their success on the exams. But there is no way I could go alone. I spent two days trying to get a class member to meet me and walk up with me but only two students have phones. One phone was broken and the other student was working so she never got a chance to pass on the message that I needed someone to come down the front of the mountain and walk up with me. Security would not even let me out of the car without someone there to meet me so there was no literacy class this week.

Monday the employees of Impacto Juvenil were taken out to lunch as a prize for winning the talent show. The restaurant was a house converted into a restaurant with each room converted into dining or cocktail areas. There was a nice pool. We ate outside. It was super nice. I felt strange because I got to go because I went to the retreat but the rest of the volunteers had to stay in the office.

Tuesday I chose paint and bought the supplies to paint my house. Wednesday we started painting. My friend Ana's two boys helped. It was a good way to be able to make sure they were fed this week because the breakfast program where they normally eat was closed. We painted a little and ate a lot. I sent a huge pizza home for them the first night and paid them for their work.

Jired, the oldest, is an excellent worker. I would tell him that something looked fine and he would keep working on it until it looked perfect. David is only eleven. He starts out gung-ho, but gets bored after a while.

I am still super proud of him. He is playing soccer on his big brother's team. It's a big deal because their team is the younger team where scouts look for professionals. Apparently scouts have their eye on Jired. I loved hearing the two brothers tell me how well the other was doing. David is proud because his big brother is the best goalie on the team. Jired is proud of David because nobody else made it through tryouts and also because David can do things that some of his teammates can't do after years of training.

The first day we only got the porch ceiling done. I felt a little discouraged and they felt like we may never finish. But a coworker who used to be a professional painter offered to help. That made a ton of difference. He taught the kids the proper painting techniques and talked to them about "man stuff". We all had a great time and the work got done. We finished rest of the house, inside and out, in two days.

Now I have a bright blue house. It's like a sky blue, but when the sky is that dark shade of blue. It's a gorgeous color. I'm not sure I would choose it again for the outside (or inside) of my house though. Inside is cream with a bright pea green. I won't use this shade of green again, but I was brave and picked colors I had never tried before, so I am proud of myself for that. It's a nice change. I've always wanted to try brighter colors because they are very typical in Honduras. I think a bigger house could have pulled it off better.

The whole house is looking spiffy. The door and cabinets have a fresh coat of varnish. They look amazing! I wasn't going to do that but my coworker insisted and I'm so glad he did. They are my favorite part. Even the metal bars on the windows are clean and white. Now I have two days of rest.

While I was in and out of Los Pinos with the boys I saw another little boy I used to work with. He is only seven but was alone on the streets when I came through. That makes him an easy target for lots of bad things. But my biggest concern is that he was really skinny. I asked if she knows Ana why the boy is so skinny. She said he has not been going to the breakfast program. She's not sure why. My coworker was in the car the second time I saw him. He asked if that was the same boy I was concerned for and said that I should be concerned, he looked boney and unhealthy. I was thinking of bringing him some vitamins but I know his church does not want me to give things to the families they serve. So I just stopped and talked to him, asked him about school and told him I love him.

Today I am going to search around for those little spots that the paintbrushes missed. There are always a few. If I don't do it today they will drive me nuts until I paint again. Then I may read books or watch movies all day. My head aches. Maybe from the fumes.

Fany and I have to walk over to the buy an avocado and some tortillas, but we are hesitant. I bought tortillas on Wednesday evening. I told the boys I had to hurry and drop them off because I don't go to El Hato (or anywhere) after five o'clock. It's getting dark here by 5:30. I had mouths to feed on Thursday (my painters) so I ran over much later than usual. The avocado lady asked why I was there so late in a way that let me know she didn't approve.

On Thursday Fany called me. I could tell she was upset. She said there had been a massacre in El Hato and it was all over the news. I didn't watch. Everyone was talking about it Friday. They know it's right outside my gated community and it's where I buy my produce. It was a good reminder that no matter how many mouths I have to feed, I have rules in place for a reason and I shouldn't bend them.