Ana

One of the many stories yet to come from my trip to Honduras is about Ana. This story sits close to my heart.

Ana is a quiet, smart, beautiful young lady. She has been at the Hogar for about a year. Her story is one that brought tears to my eyes when I heard it, and they rise again each time I share her amazing words.

Ana was abandoned by her parents near the El Salvador border more than 3 years ago. Her five older brothers and sisters (some half brothers and sisters) went to live with their grandparents. When I asked her why she didn't stay there she said "they treated me badly, they were mean to me... so I left". Ana lived on the streets until the government found her and placed her in an orphanage in Tegucigalpa, Honduras (the capital). She lived there for two years before she ended up at the Hogar.

I asked her if she liked the Hogar and how long she planned to stay? She told me (through Sarah who was interpreting) that she was happy and she wanted to stay until she was 26. I asked her what she wanted to then? She told us that she wanted to move to Miami, FL and go to college to be a social worker. When she is done with college she wants to go to Africa and help people less fortunate than her. :) This moment was one that I will never forget. It was at this point in the trip that I was able to put words to the emotions and thoughts that had been running wild all week.

Life is all about perspective.

We see things through our priviliged American eyes. Ana sees life through her Honduran eyes. Neither is wrong, they are just different. To us, Ana is a girl who needs help, someone we would say has nothing. But in her eyes she has plenty, so much that she wants to give to those that have less than her.

After we had shared bits and pieces of our lives with each other, I asked Sarah to see if she wanted me to be her "Madrina"? (Madrina means Godmother.) She told Sarah "I do not want a "Madrina", I want a Mother." I have never felt the love of a Mother, so when I write to her (meaning me, Miss Beeman) I will write to my Mama. I had tears in my eyes.

I know from here on Ana will be a special person in my life, I hope that I can provide her with the love and support that she so earnestly wants.

~Miss Beeman~

Friday

I am sorry I did not write more over the weekend, it was a whirlwind tour (we were very busy)! We left Comayagua at 6am Friday morning and rode on a bus for what seemed like the entire day! We stopped along the way to see many neat things, one of which was a coffee plant, and were able to see how they make coffee.

After that we arrived in Copan just before dinner. Compared to Comayagya, Copan is a much more touristy city and there is more money in the city. It was a beautiful place.

On Saturday we went to the Mayan Ruins site and spent the morning learning about the history of Copan and Honduras. It was fascinating!

Both Friday and Saturday nights we ate at local place with delicious food and great entertainment!

Saturday afternoon we were able to go horseback riding into the mountains and see the city of Copan from up high. I felt bad as many of our horses had ribs and hips poking out, they sure could have used some more food! The best part of the ride was that 4 of the 8 children we brought with us chose to horseback ride, so we were able to share this experience with them!

By Sunday we were winding down and starting to focus on coming home. We had another 4 hour bus ride to San Pedro Sula to get to the airport. This took up our day Sunday. When we arrived at the air port we found out that our flight was delayed an hour and we would not make it to our connection in Miami :( So, here we are Shelly, Nick, Karla and I sitting by a pool in Miami hoping we will get a seat on the flight tonight at 8pm.

While we all wish we were home and able to get organized and share our amazing trip with everyone, we are enjoying some sun and glad to be in Miami instead of some city where we'd have nothing to do (without a car).

I plan on posting some more this week to share some of the more emotional and special moments of this trip, so check back again!

-Miss Beeman

Last day at the Hogar

WOW. It was nearly impossible to leave today! After six short days these children have become as important as the children we all teach and work with at school. They just like the kids at Aquila love to do art, play soccer, dance, listen to music, and read books. Like the children of the US the Hondurans like candy, BINGO, and a hug. Unfortunately they do not have a lot of these things at the Hogar, there just isn't enough money.
Imagine not having dessert (hardly ever), no video games, ho hockey, no brand new clothes when your jeans got "old". Worst of all, imagine not having a Mom or Dad to hug you good night or say good morning. Imagine not having a Grandma or Grandpa that you've never met, nor will you probably ever. Our hearts break when we see this. We are so glad we were able to come and play with these wonderful children. We were so glad to hug them as many times as they needed and let them know they are smart and beautiful and they do have people who think of them often and care about them in addition to their Hogar family!

More soon :)
-Miss Beeman

Wednesday in La Villa

On Wednesday there was a whole bunch of different things going on at the Hogar! I personally worked on washing out the shirts the kids had tie-dyed the day before, working on the brick wall, helping the 2-5 year olds tie-dye their shirts, and then baking with a group of 7 girls. We made over 150 oatmeal raisin cookies and a huge pan of rice krispie bars. They LOVED it. I am not sure if the kids were more excited to eat the treats or if the house Moms were more excited to receive hand held electric mixers, measuring cups, spoons, etc.

Today is going to be very sad. We will be leaving for our tourist portion of the trip so today is our last day at the Hogar. We will have to say good-bye to these 150+ new friends we've made this last week!

Work on Monday

I know this is a little out of order, but here is some video of our work we started on Monday. Chris Kreie took the footage. Our group has done SO MANY things it's unbelievable!
* Tore down 3/4 of a 5 foot wall
* Loaded all the wall into the truck and dumped it at the "farm"
* Removed 3 trees
* Painted 3 rooms (that each sleep 10-14 girls)
* Leveled the beds
* Fixed the electrical in the kitchen
* Repaired the stoves
* Painted a 10 foot wall
* Fixed the basketball hoop

AND MUCH, MUCH more! :)

Here are a few video clips to see us at work.





~Miss Beeman~

Hello SLP friends!!
Today we spent our morning loading up bricks from the wall into the truck and then dumping them out on the farm in the big hole. It was hard (and very dirty) work but with a lot of team work we made huge progress!! :)

At 10 am, the kids invited us to their school for an amazing program. They sang their national song, danced, and took us into their classrooms. What an experience. Hopefully, Miss Beeman will post some pictures of the school.

This afternoon we are planning to bake with the kids, play bingo, and tie dye. I am anxious to see how the baking goes---the kitchen here is VERY different from ours at home.

Thats it for now.

Peace,
Shelly

Omar y Elisa

The wedding last night was very different than a wedding in the U.S. It lasted over 2 hours and they have a civil and religious ceremony. The first is the religious, the second was a Bahi ceremony, which is a religion here in Honduras.

Afterwards we had quite the experience with our meal. It was dark by dinner, so we were hardly able to see what we were being served! When we got to our table we couldn't see a thing, so we were blindly eating food! Good thing we knew what the tamales were! They were muy delicoso!

The bride and groom were lovely, and had many friends and family there to support them. Omar the groom has been a resident at the Hogar since he was 2 years old and lived here until yesterday when he got married! Elisa is the sister of one of the house Moms for the boys. Omar and Elisa have known each other since they were little.

It was truly an honor to share in their special day!

Sarai

mi nombre es sarai. tengo 2hermanas. me gusta bailar. mi actora favorita es miley cyrus. tengo 13 anos. de estar en el hogar tierra santa.

Translation:
My name is Sarai. I have two sisters. I like to dance. My favorite actress is Miley Cyrus. I am 13 years old. I am at the Hogar Tierra Santa.

Sunday Afternoon

This afternoon we stopped at a wood shop to place our order so the craftsmen could have everything done by Thursday when we leave for Copan. The pictures on the sides are examples of the beautiful work they do!

In just a little bit we will leave for the Honduran wedding, I will post pictures of it tomorrow.

Our jobs for Monday include grocery shopping at the brand new extremely large supermarket, tearing down a brick wall, and baking oatmeal raisin cookies with the children.

This has already been a life changing experience for our group. We are just in awe over the culture and how special all of the children are! Maybe tomorrow we will get another blog from one of the students! ☺

If you want to check out another blog go to www.edenprairiehelps.blogspot.com, this is the blog for the Eden Prairie school members that are here!

~Hasta Mañana~
Miss Beeman

Alba Luz

Mi nombre es Alba. Me gusta jugar. Mi actora faborita es halle berry estoy en cuarto grado. Tengo 13 anos. Yo vibo en el Hogar 4 anos. Mi color faborito es el negro. Mi animal faborito es el perro.

Translation:
My name is Alba. I like to play. My favorite acresss is Halle Berry. I am in 4th grade. I am 13 years old. I live in the Hogar for 4 years. My favorite color is black. My favorite animal is a dog.

We made it!

We are safe and sound in Comayagua! The bus ride from the airport took about 4 hours and it was absolutely beautiful! I of course have a lot of pictures that I will add for you to look at.

Tomorrow we will go to the orphanage for a special welcoming ceremony, then we will have a tour and have lunch with the kids. Our cultural portion tomorrow will be visiting the wood shop, then going to the Honduran wedding.

So far I have noticed the geography and land forms are very interesting... We went through a lot of mountains to get to Comayagua and there are points where there are palm trees and pine trees right next to each other.

Santiago, the director of the orphanage told us the kids can hardly wait to see all the wonderful things we brought them! I will make sure to take pictures with their Aquila shirts on.

Hasta luego,
Miss Beeman

On our way...

At this time tomorrow we will be attending a Honduran wedding!

Our flight leaves at 5:30 a.m. we will fly to Miami, FL and then from Miami to San Pedro, Honduras. Our first stop will be to a wood factory where they carve very detailed signs, boxes, and other wooden items.

After we arrive in Comayagua we will go grocery shopping to get the supplies we need for the week. We will also need to get baking supplies for the special cooking lessons we will give the students while we are there. We will teach them to make sugar cookies, chocolate cake, oatmeal raisin cookies, and rice krispies bars!

The first two days Mrs. Shelly and I will we working with six others to tear down a concrete wall (so they can build a new building) during the morning and then in the afternoon we will teach baking to the students.

I will update as soon as I have a chance!
~Miss Beeman

Thank you AQUILA!

Thank you so very much to all of the Aquila families and staff members that participated in our supply drive! The Service Club collected 2 very large boxes of school supplies, educational games, and art supplies to send to the Hogar orphanage! The children of the Hogar can hardly wait for us to arrive with our special donations.

In addition the PTO and staff members at Aquila collected over 80 t-shirts to give to the students in Honduras.

I am very proud of the generosity and compassion in St. Louis Park! THANK YOU!

-Miss Beeman
p.s. Don't forget to follow our adventures by checking the blog over spring break!

Trip Details (passed along)

Check out our itinerary and contact information.

Saturday, March 29th
5:30 a.m. Depart Minneapolis for San Pedro Sula via Atlanta, GA
3:20 p.m. Arrive in San Pedro Sula - board bus for Comayagua
8:00 p.m. Arrive at Hotel Quan in Comayagua

Sunday, March 30th
8:00 a.m. Grocery shopping and visit wood factory
Afternoon - Visit Hogar Tierra Santa
Evening - Attend the wedding of former Hogar student

Monday - Thursday
7:20 a.m. Breakfast at hotel
8:30 a.m. Spend the day at Hogar Tierra Santa
6:00 p.m. Dinner at local restaurant

Friday, April 4th
5:00 a.m. Leave for Copan - travel most of the day
5:00 p.m. Arrvie at Plaza Copan Hotel in Copan

Saturday, April 5th
Morning - Tour Copan Ruins
Afternoon - More sightseeing

Sunday, April 6th
6:30 a.m. Bus to San Pedro Sula
1:30 p.m. Depart San Pedro Sula for Minneapolis via Atlanta, GA
11:30 p.m. Arrive in Minneapolis

Contact Information
Hogar Tierra Santa
011-504-784-2231
E Mail: admindirector@hogartierrasanta.org

Hotel Quan in Comayagua
011-504-772-0070
E mail: hquan@hondutel.hn

Plaza Copan in Copan
011 (504) 651-4039

T-10 and counting

With ten days left until we leave there is so much to do! Aquila will be donating approximately 75 t-shirts to the orphanage!

The Service Club is in the midst of collecting school supplies that we will take with us as well. So far they have collected one very large box of items including notebooks, loose paper, pencils, rulers, and glue. They hope to at least double that amount by next Thursday.

Next week I hope to have a few of the members of our Service Club write an update on the collections.

~Miss Beeman

Updated "needs list"

Some have asked how they can help aside from the school supplies and t-shirts, here is a list of the most recent requests from the orphanage. THANK YOU for your support!

Items for Tierra Santa:
1. 2 blenders
2. Hair trimmer
3. navy blue fabric for uniforms
4. lotions, creams, baby lotion
5. sanitary napkins
6. shampoo/conditioner
7. girls’ and boys’ underwear
8. toothpaste
9. tennis shoes
10. black shoes
11. educational toys
12. measuring tapes
13. hammers
14. cement trowels
15. one or more drills
16. continuity tester for electricity

Collections

We will be collecting t-shirts and supplies up until Thursday, March 27th (the last day of school before spring break). All donations can be brought to the main office and put in the collection box.

If you are ordering a new t-shirt orders must be placed by Friday, March 14th at 3pm in order for the shirts to be made in time for our trip!

If you have any questions, please contact me at beeman.jennifer@slpschools.org or (952) 928-6492.

Thanks,
Miss Beeman

Aquila Service Club

Donation of supplies:
Aquila Service Club is collecting new or gently used school supplies for the children of the Hogar de Ninos Tierra Santa. Below are some suggestions from the Hogar, but anything you would like to give is more than they have!

*Tablets
*Paper
*Pencils/Pens
*Glue Sticks
*Computer Paper (8.5x11)
*Elmer's Glue
*Construction Paper
*Glitter
*Rulers
*Erasers
*Scissors
*Spiral Notebooks

Other ways to help

Other ways to help:

T-shirts
We will be collecting new and gently used Aquila or St. Louis Park t-shirts to bring to the children of the Hogar. If you have a shirt that no longer fits you, or you just don't wear please bring it to my room (AQ 133) or leave it with Mrs. Wendy Knoll in the front office.


If you want to purchase a new t-shirt there is a sign up in the office. The cost of a new t-shirt is $4.00.


Monetary
If you wish to make a donation to the Hogar you can make a contribution to Tierra Santa Support, Inc.(TSSI) which is a registered 501(c)3 tax exempt charitable corporation. (All donations are tax deductible.)

Planning

On March 29th a group of 27 will depart Minneapolis for Honduras. This trip is a "vacation with a purpose"! We will be visiting Hogar de Ninos Tierra Santa (HTS) is located in the Small village of Villa de San Antonio about 20 kilometers from Comayagua in central Honduras. Villa de San Antonio is a town of about 7,000 nestled into the foothills surrounding Comayagua with a population of almost 45,000 people. Honduras with its 7.4 million population and an average annual wage of $1,170 US is the poorest country in Central America. (World Bank 2006 estimates)

There are over 200 children's homes in Honduras. Tierra Santa is one of several in the Comayagua Valley. It is neither the largest nor the smallest in the area, but it is the poorest. There are about 140 children crowded into a complex on under an acre of land at the home. Like most of the homes in Honduras, Hogar Tierra Santa does not receive any government assistance. It depends on the generosity of others for its survival.

We will be working on projects at the Hogar as well as building relationships with the children.

The Aquila Service Club will collect items to send to Hogar de Ninos Tierra Santa. Check back to find more specific details of the project at Aquila!

-Miss Beeman