Welcome back to Honduras breakfast time, it is always amazing. Banana Pancakes, Fresh mango (My favorite) and fresh pineapple, eggs, bacon...while our living quarters is just a big room of bunks, and sleeping can be difficult with the crazy noises of Campamento, I would put our food prepared by 4 ladies at the top of any meals ever eaten on travel. This is the day we missed last year, and a first day of the week that I have never experienced in Honduras, so I was really looking forward to this day.
We began with worship over in the hills near Chachaquata, where they have an open air service in an outdoor structure. A preacher from another city performs most of the evangelical ministry at this area. I had asked Eduardo who this guy was when I saw and heard him on Facebook. Juan Melgar was his name, and he travels about 2 hours each Sunday to attend and worship with the group there. He was a really good speaker, and had a lot of repetition in his sermon, which was very good for someone trying to pick up some of the spanish. He spoke about 4 points that were key in our hope (love, praying, helping others, and suffering). Yet Sonja and Eduardo had to help me later, because Juan kept repeating that these things were the "clabe" of our hope. What is "clabe"? Eduardo said it was equal to "primero", so I understood it was something we put first. Then Sonja later helped my old man ears by sharing that he was saying "llave" which is more like a key or the key thing. This was the first of many spanish lessons during this week. I have also since found in my flash cards that it was "clave" which does mean "key".
I also met Juan's brother Marvin (After I first heard Martin, then Marbin, I just asked Marvin to write his name down for me....haha, now we are facebook friends). There were several brothers and sisters I remembered from last year, and got to speak with them for a bit. Besides the fun times with the kids, connecting with the brethren in Campamento is what I really like doing, and each time I get to know them a little better. Maximo's son, Gabriel, ran up to me when he saw me to show me the disappearing magic trick I had shown him the previous year. He was using a little pebble, and he was doing in excellent. But I quickly gave him a new ninja to work with. And he is about the sweetest huggingest boy I have ever met. Throughout the week, I would randomly feel arms wrap around me, and knew Gabriel was there.
Back at the day care we rested. And yes, I had my Sunday afternoon nap. Two of our friends from 2019 were back with us this week to help translate as needed, Jeffrey Ovando, and Noe Melgar. And at the day care, a continuous game of goat lords seemed to always be going. On this first day, we also got into the first aid kit that Denise had bestowed upon Kendall, and Kendall did well bandaging Davis' stubbed toe (haha, Davis looks like a giant in the picture below).
I got to sit down and chat with another young boy that was helping at the day care. I could see that he really wanted to play the goat lord game, but was trying to learn, not understanding any english. I asked him if he wanted to learn a card trick instead, and he was very excited. It worked well, I taught him the card trick while he corrected all of my broken spanish. His name for me for the remainder of the week was Fabrecio, but at the end of the week, I finally found out from Sam and Davis, it was actually Mauricio. Wow, I butchered that one the whole week, but also thought he had a super cool Godfather name, but I guess I should have known not many would have Italian mafia names here in Honduras. I was wondering why he was always at the day care, and asked if his mother was one of the kitchen workers. No, his mother passed away recently he replied. But I guess the friends there at the day care were helping take care of this super nice kid, and he was always busy helping where ever he could.
That evening we worshipped in town at the church just down the road from the day care. I was able to take a card that the kids at Chelsea had shared with the kids in Campamento. I then told Daisy and Cindy about Siras Dabbs and the cancer he is currently battling. Daisy told me that the kids would pray for him that night, and they did. It was so great to watch kids so far apart become a little more connected through some cards and prayers. I was able to share the gifts we got for Daisy and Cindy (some of the mustard seed necklaces) and their own deck of Goat Lords (with the directions in Spanish). At both the church that morning, and this evening, I was the token song leader (after both Scott Vinsant and Brandon Rawls could not make it this year) and led two songs in English, then led Jesus, Name above all Names in spanish (Cristo, nombre mas alto). I told Eduardo later that song leading was like their futbol leagues...you have the premier league players, the middle tier players, and then the guys in the bottom league. He laughed as my broken spanish told him I was in the Kiddie leagues. Eduardo is like in the MVP league.
After church, many of us went in Maximo's truck over to Bob Wilkerson's house. Bob is a great guy I met in 2019, but was now 94 years old and could no longer stand or walk. Maximo takes the lords supper to him each week. Bob was from Texas, and heard about a need in Campamento about 50 years prior, so he got in his truck and headed down to Honduras knowing absolutely zero spanish. He picked it up over the years, then in 2019 randomly showed up on a Wednesday night bible class and started leading singing (I'll Fly Away...or whatever it was in Spanish) while we were there. I kept thinking "Who is this Gringo?" because he was not with our group. But we got to meet him and learn his story. For this trip, it was great just visiting with him and singing some songs in English, and trying to follow the songs he was leading in spanish at his house. He was a very encouraging man, and I was glad we got to visit with him again. Kendall and I were laughing on one song, because we could not figure it out and finally we starting singing When the Roll is called up Yonder, while Maximo and Bob sang the same in Spanish. I am horrible with remembering lyrics.
Back at the day care, we had another great meal of chicken, potatoes and carrots. And I ate so much, and was sick to my stomach, and tired and ready for bed...but then we had to practice for the skit we would be performing the next day at the school. Sonja did a great job preparing the skit about Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego...so we all joined in and went through a couple of dress rehearsals. Never have I been so ready to lay down. And I don't remember any motocycles, but a very weird dream about taking Maximo to DisneyWorld.
You can see below how we rode everywhere in Campamento, but it was especially different to ride to church in the back of a truck. I also love the one picture below where Maximo is standing between Peyton and Justin Clemons. The two jokes that made Maximo smile when I showed him was when I said it was a "Torre de Gringos (Tower of Gringos)" and telling him that sometimes "Maximo" was "Minimo".
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