Honduras Happenings

New Things Are Happening!!

2008-03-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

There is so much stuff happening in La Masica I don't know where to begin!

Maybe an explanation of the first project would be a good place to start..ya think??

We thought we would offer the villagers is a way for them to realize an immediate financial gain. Much of their corn crop is lost each year to insects, mold, and rot in storage. We decided to offer them a way to help store part of their crop in a more efficient manner. We have a design for a corn silo that will virtually eliminate this problem for very little investment on their part. We presented this opportunity to them and they jumped at the chance. There are 18 families in the village and 18 families decided they would like to borrow the money from us to build the silos...I'm not real good at math but I think that is about 100% participation!

As you can see in the first photo above Daniel is having them sign the contracts in a ceremony that was very meaningful to them. They are now committed to this project and the silos have now been built. We will be doing some training and education on the methods of storage and they will realize an immediate financial gain from this.
They can now use about 30% more of their crop and if they choose to sell the corn, they will be able to sell it at a higher price because they will have the option to hold the corn until after the peak harvest season when the prices will be higher. Cool stuff!!

Another thing going on as we speak is that a study of the water source has begun. We will be doing a water system, and the first step is to determine the amount of flow from the source. Then measure the distance from the source to village and begin the cost analysis. That is cookin' right now! We aren't gunna mess around here!

I've got about a half a billion other things to talk about but I'll wait for the next post. I wil really, really try to get back to a once a week posting...at least for a while. Really...I will...

Bendiciones!!!

tom

I'm Still Here!!

2008-02-13T13:16:00.001-08:00

Hi There!

I bet you thought I'd decided to stop updating this, huh?? Well, that's not true. I've been incredibly busy with all the things going on in Honduras, Christmas, helping with finding a new pastor for the church, and all the other stuff that goes with making a living and having a family. But, I hope I'm back on track now.

Here is the latest video presentation about the Adult Vision Trip to Honduras. We had two teams go for a week each and we covered a lot of ground. We stopped in all 6 villages we are working in and everyone caught the malady I have. I call it Honduran Allergies. Many times when I'm talking with the people in the communities my eyes start to water, my nose starts to run, and I get all choked up. There is no doubt that we were more blessed than the people we are trying to help.

Take a look and I pledge that I will try to be more regular in the updates from now on...

Oh yeah. If you notice the map to the right you'll see that we've added another pin. We will be moving ahead and working in La Masica. We have tons of ideas I'll talk about in the next post.

Bendiciones!!
Tom

In Honduras Again!!

2007-11-11T13:56:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys!!

Guess what?? I'm in Honduras aaaaa
gaaaa
annnnn. Yup, we had a workshop at Los Pinos for the representatives of the villages where we will be putting filters. The "Health Promoters" will go back to the villages and begin the process of promoting the concept of BioSand filters and we will be building them real soon in Santa Fe.

We also had some people from another organization called Pure Water for the World attend. They have been putting filters into use here for some time now and we have received a lot of help from them. They are more than willing to share their experience and so in return we invited them to participate in the training, and they sent 5 people. It's great to cooperate with other organizations that are after the same thing we are. Although they are a secular organization, their goals are very similar to ours.

The young lady who put on the training is from the Center for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST) in Calgary Alberta Canada. You talk about a lady that has it together! Andrea Roach did an awesome job of presenting the material in a relevant and entertaining way. Everyone had a wonderful time and the fact that she is fully bilingual added very much to the value and ability of the villagers to understand the concepts presented. She is obviously passionate about the work she is engaged in and truly enjoys the people she is working with. She has an awesome story to tell about how she came to be working at CAWST and sometime soon I'll probably tell that story. Andrea is the one holding Yoda. Andrea, YOU ROCK!!!

I have other stories to tell about this trip but I have the feeling I will be presenting some things when I get back, and I don't want to let the cat out of the bag just yet.

We were used of God again today in a near miss. We were traveling from one of the villages back to Tegucigalpa for meetings on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and a pickup nearly hit us head on. He corrected at the last second over correcting and rolled the truck. A passenger and a young girl were trapped in the vehicle, and fortunately we were able to get them both out.

The driver and the passenger were unhurt but the young lady sustained cuts and bruises and Dr. Daniel Bell (our boots on the ground in Honduras) patched her up and stopped the bleeding until the ambulance could get there. As in all parts of the the world the highways are dangerous places.

I'll be returning home this Friday and I have all kinds of stories and pictures and news to tell 'yall about. Those of you who want to hear 'em will have the opportunity and those of you who don't want to hear 'em will have the opportunity to hear 'em too!

See ya later this week!!

Jalu!! (That's Salvadoran for aloha!! Thanks Andrea!)

-Tom

NOW HEAR THIS!! ADULT VISION TRIP!

2007-10-26T20:33:00.000-07:00

Well the time has come to announce the plans for our adult VISION Trip to Honduras.

This Tuesday evening at 7:00PM in the Upper Room in Life University we will be collecting names of those interested in going as well as giving more information. Even if you just have a mild interest come and get the full story, ask your questions, and find out more about it.

Why do we call it a VISION Trip? Come on Tuesday and find out!!

See you there!!

--Tom

Holy Smoke-Or Not!!

2007-10-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

Wow! One of the projects that I have neglected to talk about is the Fogones Mejorados. This is an improved stove that we will be helping the villagers put in each of their homes. One of the major problems in developing countries is that they cook with wood, and many times the stoves are inside the home or in an area directly outside the home. The family then breathes in the smoke all day and most of the night causing serious lung and respiratory problems.
These ladies are starting the process of building their stove. We have an experienced person from Project Global Village who is training the people to build them for themselves. This is an important point in our philosophy of how to do missions. When these folks build the stoves for themselves they will be able to repair them if necessary, will be able to help others build their stoves, and perhaps can help other villages put in the improved stoves as well, for a profit. This is one way of helping them to increase their income, teach them a skill, and help them develop pride and self confidence.

The design of the stove causes it to use 60% less firewood than the old design. This is huge because there will be less time spent collecting wood, and there will be less deforestation as a result as well. Each stove will have a chimney to allow the smoke to pass out of the cooking area reducing greatly the inhalation of smoke and all of the ill effects that go along with it.

As you can see this young lady is delighted to have a new stove to cook on. Oh, by the way, there is a type of oven built into the stove as well as a metal cooktop. I'm looking forward to some fresh home cooked tortillas the next time I'm in this village!

Be on the lookout for details about an upcoming adult trip to Honduras...details coming soon! Maybe you can have some tortillas too!!

--Tomas (my Spanish name ;-))

September '07 Honduars Update

2007-09-30T19:52:00.000-07:00

Whew!! I'm back from Honduras. It was a whirlwind trip. We were checking on the projects, looking for a new village to adopt, meeting with a couple of organizations that we may be partnering with, and purchasing a new vehicle for Daniel to use while working on the projects.

I will update on the details of some of these activities later in the week but for now I'll post the video we showed in church this morning. It is a quick summary of the trip and maybe it'll give you a little bit of an idea of what went on during my stay.

The progress is just amazing. In Santa Fe, and San Antonio we feel that we are 2 years ahead of schedule. The people have been working their tails off. Take a look and if you feel the urge you can leave a comment. Just click on comment and type away.

Here ya go!!

Live and Direct from Honduras

2007-09-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

Howdy Everyone!

I'm in Siguatepeque Honduras gathering information for the next update. Be patient and when I get back I really will post a full update.

As a little teaser, with the funds raised in this year's golf tournament, last year's golf tournament, and the money Jim Pogue raised with the Churro Machine, we came up with enough funds to purchase the pickup we so badly needed here. I learned last week when I got here that, unlike in the states, you don't just find the vehicle you want, pay for it and drive away with it. After you hand over the money there is a 3-4 day wait until they get all of the paperwork done. Then you have to take the vehicle to the insurance agency and they have to take photos of it. Then if all of the stars are aligned you can use your new vehicle.

We actually made the deal on the truck last Wednesday and with any kind of luck, tomorrow Monday September 17th, maybe we will be using it.

Keep your fingers crossed!!

More to come.....really, I mean it!!

--Tom

Oh Man!!

2007-08-20T17:46:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it was July 30th the last time I posted to this blog! Sorry about that! My summer has been incredibly busy, but you don't want to hear me whine do you?

Trust me, there are new pictures coming, tons of progress being made, and 'yall are going to be pleased.

The Second Annual No Hungry Child Golf Classic is history! We had 21 teams play. The weather was fantastic. We raised a lot of money, and everyone had a ton of fun.

Stay tuned and soon I'll get a real update posted.

Shalom!

Mucho Progreso!

2007-07-30T20:34:00.000-07:00

Things are rolling along in Santa Fe! The water storage tank is almost complete. As you can see in the picture the walls are complete and the plaster has started going on the walls. When they get done with this it will look like a concrete tank. They put the stucco on the walls and water proof it. I was told today that the concrete lid was poured last Friday. I hope to have some pictures later this week.

This is a major milestone for this village. Their old tank is so leaky that it is nearly unusable. In the next couple of weeks they will be filling this tank and charging the new water lines and the people will no longer run out of water. What a change! Along with the concrete floors in the homes, the pilas, latrines, and soon water filters the health of this village is going to make a rapid turn around!

The water system in San Antonio is progressing nicely too. This system needs two tanks and the first one is complete, and they have started on the second one.

In Vallecito the villagers have started on the bridge going into the village. The old bridge collapsed a couple of months ago and in order to get sand and cement and other supplies into the village to do the floors, pilas, latrines and any new homes that they want, the bridge needs to be replaced. We are working in cooperation with the local government to build a new one. Pictures will we coming soon! Really they will.

As most of you know from my incessant whining this is killing me to not be able to be on site as this stuff is happening. The problem is that I need to make a living. If any of you multi millionaires reading this would like to support me I would definitely consider a long term contract.

I will be making a quick trip down in September to work out some things and will then be able to give you a first hand report.

Stay tuned!!

Oh yeah! August 12th at 1:00 pm at Columbia Point Golf Course in the Second Annual No Hungry Child Golf Classic. Our goal is to raise $25000 for our projects in Honduras, so come on out and play or at least sponsor a hole. A family, small group, business, or individual can sponsor a hole for either $250, $500, or $1,000. Let's make this happen!!

Hasta Luego!!

BRICKS, BRICKS, AND MORE BRICKS

2007-07-17T20:12:00.001-07:00

Have you been wondering what the people of Santa Fe were going to do with the bricks that the teens said they were hauling up the hill??

Well believe it or not they had a purpose, a goal, a dream. That dream is becoming a reality with the hard work, sweat, tears, and probably blood that has been shed by the villagers. Take a look at what is taking shape.

This little guy is going to have his place in history. This water tank will be there for many years to come, and he will tell his children about the days when the Cathedral of Joy helped his village make a huge step towards independence.

What better way to move ahead than providing a reliable source of water for the village. Many, many, people will benefit from it for many years.

The tank has been engineered by a professional. Is being constructed under the supervision of an experienced craftsman, and is being finished by the enthusiastic work of the ordinary citizens of Santa Fe.

HOW MANY CHURCHES CAN CLAIM TO BE INSTUMENTAL IN MAKING SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN?!! AND THIS IS JUST ONE OF THE PROJECTS WE ARE DOING IN THE VILLAGE!!

ROCK ON CATHEDRAL OF JOY!!!!!

Holy Cow!!

2007-07-03T20:22:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since I posted to this blog!! Things have been crazy around here!!

The teens are back home..Our adult leaders did a great job!! They returned with the same number of teenagers they left with! Let's keep that ration 1:1 Ok??

I'm joking of course but in talking with some of the teens, they said they didn't want to come home. That is a profound statement considering the conditions they were living in in Honduras compared to here is the US. Yes, they weren't exactly "roughing" it like some of the first teams had to to do several years ago, but it's still not the Hilton.

I sneaked into the teen center last weekend to hear what the teens were saying while they were sharing with the group, and it was awesome. You need to corner one or two of them and quiz them about the trip. These kids will draw on this experience for the rest of their lives. Each one of them was touched in a real way.

Work is still moving on as the villagers are pushing hard to get things done. We have loaned Daniel to Project Global Village this week as Chet has a group of 25 people from the states working in another village and he needed Daniel to help with that group. Next week he will be back out in Vallecito and San Antonio and hopefully we will have new photos of the progress there.

Oh, by the way STAY TUNED FOR INFORMATION ON THE SECOND ANNUAL NO HUNGRY CHILD GOLF TOURNEMENT.

Shalom!!

Vision Trip #2 Photos!!

2007-06-21T20:55:00.001-07:00

In spite of some computer problems in Honduras we finally got a few pictures of the second Teen Vision Trip Team! Check them out at http://picasaweb.google.com/tom.muhl

TEEN VISION TRIP #2 HAS LANDED!

2007-06-18T21:39:00.001-07:00

I got word about noon today that the group had landed in San Pedro Sula. Everyone was well and all of the bags arrived with the flight. They were on their way to Los Pinos and will start work tomorrow. Sorry! No pictures yet, but when I get some I'll post 'em.

TEEN VISION TRIP #1 IS NOW HISTORY!!

2007-06-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

Well, the crew arrived back home in the Tri-Cities early Sunday morning. Very early! So early in fact I only saw two members of the crew at church! Ryan and Jamie Brault. WooooHooo! Way to go Ryan and Jamie. Goes to show when you are young you only need a couple of hours sleep!

I have decided the easiest way to share the photos Daniel sent me was to share them on a web site called Picasa. All you have to do is visit this site http://picasaweb.google.com/tom.muhl and you will see 3 albums. Just click on the album you want to check out and you can then view hundreds of photos taken during the Vision Trip #1. You can also download them if you want to.

Stay tuned for Vision Trip #2. They left this afternoon at about 4:15pm and will be arriving in Honduras tomorrow about noon. Good luck and stay dry!!

Work Work Work Work

2007-06-14T21:29:00.001-07:00

Mixin' Concrete!!

Makin' a Hole!

Takin' A Break

Gettin Mean With Old Concrete

Still Makin A Hole

Everybody Wants To Help!!

Teen Group #1 in Santa Fe

2007-06-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

Well, here they are. Teen Group #1 Standing in Honduras near Los Pinos!! I have had feedback from several people that this is the best group ever!! Way to go Guys!! and Gals!!!

They are working hard on pouring concrete floors, helping with the trenching on the water system, gluing pipe together, digging holes for latrines and a bunch of other
stuff. They actually still have the energy to play with the kids as well!!

Ya gotta check out the pictures of them at the church! Pastor Adam wore a tie!! WOOOOHOOOO! I'll bet that was the first tie in history in Santa Fe. Well, it was his birthday after all. He was preaching too! Everybody speaks Spanish in Honduras.

This is Yadira, our scholarship recipient and her mother!! Yadira is the one in the dress with the blue dots.

GROUP #2 LEAVES FOR HONDURAS ON SUNDAY!! WISH THEM WELL!!

Don't Give Up on Me!!

2007-06-12T05:05:00.000-07:00

Hang in there...There's a new post on the way!! Really there is!

More Santa Fe News

2007-05-24T20:33:00.000-07:00

So....what the heck is this? Well, in a cloud forest you need to do things a bit differently than we do them here. In the US where the water needs to cross the road we put in a pipe or culvert. In the areas where we are working in Honduras the culverts would just get plugged up and wash out because of the torrential rains. So what we do is where the natural drainage crosses the roads we put in a concrete pad and just let the water cross the road. The concrete prevents the water from washing out the road and is an inexpensive way to prevent major road repairs.

We negotiated with the coffee coop that buys coffee beans from the farmers in the area of Santa Fe to help us with the road repairs. They brought their equipment in and graded and graveled and filled lots of potholes in the road, and we agreed to do the crossings. The villagers are doing the work with the advice of some of the experienced people from Project Global Village.

Like a lot of things in the villages we work in, it turns into a community affair. Everyone from the very old to the very young pitch in and help because they can see how improving the road is going to make it possible to get the material into the village to build the latrines and homes and pilas etc. etc.

Oh yeah! I almost forgot about the water system. We now have some of the materials up there. Remember last week they were digging some of the trenches. Next week they will be putting pipe in the trenches. There is still a lot of work to do on the system but they are on their way!!

Until next week!!

--Tom

FREAKS!!

2007-05-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

At the 16th induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, U2's Bono looked out at the crowd and said, "The whole world is full of freaks...Look at yourselves! God makes music out of his mistakes. I know--I'm one of them."

I know exactly what Bono was saying. We who claim to be followers of Jesus, I mean real action oriented followers of Jesus, are indeed FREAKS. We are the minority, aberrations if you will.

An early Celtic teacher once said, "I do not wish you to suppose that righteousness consists simply in not doing evil, since not to do good is also evil." You see, it's not enough that we are not the cause of the poverty in Honduras and elsewhere in the world, but to do nothing about it makes us evil. Take a look at Matthew 25 and see what the results of doing nothing are. You won't like it.

The good news is we are not doing nothing. We are doing a ton!! For instance, in Santa Fe, the village where the teens will be going in June, the villagers are hard at work digging the trenches for the water system. Take a look at the backhoes and the terrain they are working in.

We are partnering with them. They are doing the hand labor, we are supplying 70% of the cost of the water system. They will be organizing an association to levy a fee on each home that will be using the water. They will then repay the 30% that is their share of the construction cost, mostly materials, over time of course. They will own the system. Since they will own the system, they will maintain it out of the revenues of the levied fee.

...A HAND UP AND NOT A HAND OUT!!...

It is you FREAKS that are making this possible. Keep on being FREEKY YOU FREEKIN FREEKS...we are just likely to change the world. We are changing the world in Santa Fe...and Agua Amarilla...and San Antonio...and Vallecito. You just keep watchin!!

San Antonio!

2007-05-09T19:00:00.000-07:00

First of all, I need to confess that I was a bad boy last week. I did not post anything to the blog. With Chet and Lizzeth here and all of the other stuff I had going on I didn't get around to it. I have a million excuses I could use and they will all work, but the truth is I just didn't do it.

Now the good news! Massive things are happening in San Antonio. The water system is underway as you can see to the left. The villagers are in the process of building a new reservoir to hold the water. From here it will enter the piping system and go to the storage tanks, where it will then enter the distribution system.

There will be two tanks built because they way the village is situated. There are some homes scattered among the hills and valleys and it will just work better to have two smaller tanks than one large one.

Daniel says they are moving at light speed to get this done as soon as possible. Remember, this is the village that has the source of water below the level of the homes and water doesn't run
up hill in Honduras, so we will be installing a pump as well. It will be an electric pump because we have access to electricity (a miracle story) and it will be more reliable than a mechanical type of pumping system.

The villagers are working on the water system while at the same time they are building latrines, pilas (sinks), dry wells, concrete floors, and improved stoves as well! Whew!! Oh yeah! And they are also working at their jobs. These guys in San Antonio are not normal!! They really want to make things better for themselves and it ROCKS!!

To the left you can see the backhoes at work preparing the site for the first tank. This is going to be so cool to see this when it is done. All they had before was a 1/2" tube and a 50 gallon barrel to supply more than 20 homes with water...this will be life changing!!
Until next week fellow FREAKS!! (Yeah, I'll explain it in next week's post!!)

Concrete Progress in San Antonio

2007-04-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

This week there won't be a lot of text...Just a new slide show to prove to you that "Concrete" things are happening in San Antonio. Enjoy!!

I wish I was this smart!

2007-04-20T20:41:00.000-07:00

A very interesting thing is taking place in San Antonio. --By the way, you can click on the map under the "About Me" section on the right and get a full screen version of the map so you can get an idea of where San Antonio is. When you are done viewing the map just hit the back button on your browser to return to the blog.-- Back to the interesting thing...When we proposed our package of 5 things we would do to help the villagers we felt strongly that we would not give them the option of choosing a la carte. In other words, it was all or nothing. They could not choose a latrine, but not the pila, dry well, improved stove, and bio-sand filter. The reason for this is every one of the items is extremely important in improving the overall health of the village. Well, no one had ever done this before and we were not certain how it would play in Peoria, but as it turned out we think it was another "God Thing".

Some of the people in the village were living in really bad shacks and we could not in good conscience put concrete floors or improve the roofs of these hovels. What some of the people have done so they could participate in our "Program of 5 Benefits" was to tear down the shacks and begin construction of their own homes out of adobe blocks. They took the initiative to to this all on their own at their own expense. They are making the blocks and building the homes, but we are advising them on some of the construction techniques through some of the Project Global Village experts.
THIS IS HUGE!!

Why you ask? Because the reason they have the confidence to go ahead with this is because we are there helping them with their water supply, latrines, pilas, dry wells, improved stoves, and water filters. They now have the HOPE they have been looking for for generations!
This is all because you guys have the guts to be different...to put your faith into action..let's be frank here...to give the money and trust us to put that money to work thousands of miles away being the hands and feet of Jesus! We aren't just talking the talk but walking the walk.

WE ARE PREACHING THE GOSPEL AND ONCE IN A WHILE USING WORDS!

Like my mama used to say, "Actions speak louder than words."

YOU GUYS ROCK!!

Que dios les bendiga un monton!

--tom

Great News from Santa Fe

2007-04-10T18:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I know I promised 'yall some good news last week. I have some, but I'll get to that in a minute.

How about that Easter worship service? It was great to see the number of people packing out the sanctuary wasn't it? To me, the highlight was when the teens went to the top of the waterfall with the flags and banners tromping out to the fantastic music that Maxine and gang had put together. WoooHooo!!

And now....drumroll please...The Good News about Santa Fe is...and this is really quite an accomplishment...it may not seem like it until you have been in Honduras a few times and gotten to know the Honduran psyche a little bit...but...out of 44 households in the village 44 have verbally agreed to participate in the program that we proposed! Out of that, 15 have decided that they would like to build new homes!

Ok, cool, you say. Yea, more than cool when you know a little more about what we proposed. First, we offered everyone a package of 5 benefits. A latrine, a pila (concrete sink with a washboard), a bio-sand filter, a resumidero (like a dry-well so there would be somewhere for the wash water to go), and an improved cooking stove. This was offered at a very reasonable cost to the villagers. The exciting part of it is that in the past many of the people in other villages have not wanted to do it because we asked them to participate financially. These people get it! You watch. The health of this village will improve dramatically in the next year. We have done a survey where we asked many health related questions and we will do another one in about 18 months when we are ready to complete this project. It will be great to see the change.

Another exciting thing is the number of people who want to "buy" new homes. This is a major financial commitment for them. We do subsidize the cost of the home, but it still costs them a substantial amount of money. Especially when you consider that the per capita income of the people in Honduras is $1100. per year, or about $3 per day. This includes the very rich and the very poor. Per capita income is the total income of the country divided by the number of adults, so there are many with incomes way above this and many with incomes way below this. By the way, the per capita income in the US is $48,000.

The other good news is that a couple of weeks ago we decided to skip to the top of the pyramid of hope and begin to develop some village pride in Santa Fe. We went to the school and proposed a "clean up" day where the kids would go around and pick up garbage. When the adults saw what the kids were doing many of them joined in and helped! A classic example of the kids teaching the parents. By the way, the teacher was really impressed that we would care enough to make the effort to teach the children how important it is to keep things cleaned up.

There are many more things happening each day in all four of the villages. I just don't have the time to tell you about all of them, and make a living too!! I am in contact nearly every day with Daniel, or Chet, or the office in Tegucigalpa. The money that you have committed is being put to good use!! You are truly being the hands and feet of Christ. Thank you for that!!

Stay tuned!!

Tomas

Yadira's School Day

2007-04-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you all remember Yadira. She is the young lady who could not go on to the seventh grade because her parents could not afford to buy the books, uniforms, etc. for her to continue her dream of an education. Well, one day a couple of weeks ago we decided to follow her around and see how she was doing, and if her parents were living up to their end of the bargain. Take a look at this slide show and see what you think.

There will be some really exciting news in the update for next week! Not that this isn't exciting but next week will be cool. Check back often!

By the way, don't tell Pastor Dale I posted this video. It's supposed to be a surprise in one of the services after we calm down from the Easter rush. Oh, and it is on the DVD that is playing on the TV in foyer. If you haven't seen the HDTV that is there check it out the next time you go through.

Hasta luerte! (Later Dude)

Agua Amarilla

2007-03-22T21:44:00.000-07:00

So...What's been going on in Agua Amarilla? The short answer is a whole lot of stuff! Over the last 2.5 years we have helped many of the villagers to build homes, latrines, pilas (sinks), a school/community center, and an athletic field. We have just completed the last of the homes that we committed to help with. Oh yea, we also brought water 9.5 miles through the jungle which has radically changed life in the village. Caridad, the community president tells me every time I see him what a blessing the water system is to the community.

We are now in the process of working with the community to help to diversify their incomes. There are two farming cooperatives in the village of Agua Amarilla consisting of 18 families each. Not all of the members of the community belong to one of the farming co-ops, but most have the ability to join if they have the desire and farming backround. The co-ops currently grow pineapple, yucca, sweet potato, beans, and corn. These crops have low income potential, but are what the people know and are comfortable growing. With their financial condition and lack of reserves, the people are averse to taking risk because if there would be a crop failure it could mean financial disaster. In order to help them to overcome this obstacle we are in the process of helping them to create an experimental farm. They will then be able to try different things without the fear of facing financial ruin or starvation because they tried something unproven.

On the farm we are in the process of building a greenhouse of 17X20 feet which will enable the villagers to produce 12,ooo plants every month. We chose to start the greenhouse because if they direct seed the vegetables there is a very high mortality rate of the new plants. If the plants are started in the greenhouse and are set out after they are 3-4 inches tall, the success rate is much higher. The types of plants that will be grown are green peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, carrots, and beets. There will also be ornamental plants, and medicinal herbs produced. We are also encouraging them to explore the possibility of growing some permanent crops like maracuya (passion fruit), asparagus, possibly strawberries, raspberries and many other things. We have cooperated with Project Global Village in every aspect of the farm and are using one of their "Extension Agents" to work directly with the local people.

There is a group of 16 women who have expressed an interest in growing and marketing the ornamentals plants and medicinal herbs. We are very excited about this because in every income diversification project that I have ever heard about, when the women get involved there is a huge change in the lifestyle of the family.

The plan is to locate a "fruit stand" type store near the main highway between two of the largest cities in Honduras, San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa. This highway happens to be very near Agua Amarilla.

We will be installing two types of irrigation systems. One drip, and the other overhead sprinkler. Both types of systems lend themselves to different crops. Some don't do well with drip and others don't do well with overhead.

Right now we are working with a total land area of 1 manzana which is 1.68 acres. The land is available to expand this in the future if the community so desires and the experiment works.

This is just one of the many projects we are working on. We are in the final stages of the Pyramid of Hope in this community, and are in the process of phasing out of Agua Amarilla. We feel that we have had a successful program here and are although there is more that could be done, we feel that the people are ready to fly on their own. The one thing that we will offer after we get the program fully functional is Bio-Sand Water Filters. Stay tuned on that one!! And as always, we will be sensitive to the possibility of any "Samaritan Projects" that may come to our attention here and anywhere else.

Muchas gracias por todo el apoyo...hasta luego!

--Tom