Our mission to Honduras was to finish a parsonage for a local pastor and his family in Comali. Most people in the country areas are very poor, struggling with jobs, requiring hard labor and little pay. It is better in the larger cities. There is a vast dichotomy between the rich and poor.				Sayra (inset) is the niece of the Pastor's wife, Junta. Her parents are dead. She now lives with the pastor's family. They are unable to pay for her to go to school. The pastor must have a job as the people cannot support him. Building them a decent home helps him do his job and serve the Lord at the Comali church.
The scenery is beautiful.				The people were on the highways with oxen and burros. A colorful sight.
The view from the highway we traveled each day to the work site. The countryside is lush green from the rains that fall. It is truly a beautiful country.				A scene from a ranch we visited. The owners of the hotel where we stayed owned the ranch. They loved Jesus. They were wealthy in contrast to most. The hotel was primitive by our standards. (we did not have warm water) We used bottled water for cooking, drinking, and brushing teeth.
Surveying the work to be done.				The church to the left of the parsonage.
The church was a simple one room. It looked better inside than out. The children mopped and cleaned the inside everyday while we were building the parsonage so we could use the church for Vacation Bible School.				My daughter, Amy, helped rewire the church. Her husband, Tim, was the "electrician" and head of construction.
This is the parsonage at the end of the week ;nearly completed. Windows were installed, a cement floor and porch put around it, electrical wiring and plumbing put in. Doors were installed inside and out.				This cart went down the road in front of the parsonage and church where we were working and having Vacation Bible School.
I took individual pictures of the children, put them in my laptop, and printed them on my portable printer. Some of them had never seen pictures of themselves.				This little girl liked to put her head on my shoulder and watch me work.
Jesus loves the little children.				and the bigger ones too, even me and you.

One of our team dressed as a clown and was a big hit with all the kids.				Every child soaked up our love and we theirs. They worked their way into our hearts forever
We had over 170 kids for VBS.				Seven children received Jesus as Savior.
School stops at 6th grade. Then they must pay. Most cannot. Tuition, uniforms and book costs are prohibitive for them. Just $300/year for us to send one child to school. It includes a hot meal.				The girl on the left wants to be a nurse, the one on the right, a teacher. Unless someone can sponsor these children, their future is pretty dim. The home below, right, is where these beautiful girls live.
And yet, the people have a peace we often do not. The sweet innocence of the children is a stark contrast to our children whose souls have been polluted by American TV and movies.				The girls (above) call this "home". Below is a peak at the inside. There are two rooms.
This room is the tiny kitchen and living room. The bedroom sleeps four. They do not have electricity, so mostly stay outdoors till it gets dark.				The mother uses this stove to cook tortillas, rice and beans, their usual meal.

			The team.

Photos copyright ©2001 Dawn Tucek