Happy Birthday Gustabo!


As many of you know we have a very special family here that we have kind of adopted. (more about them later) Oneida is the mother of two children, Gustabo (6) and Katrin(2). This past Tuesday- January 24- was Gustabo's 6th birthday and we wanted to do something special with him.

We decided to rent the playground at KFC. This is an awesome playground. Three stories high with a soccer field on the top floor. It is all indoors and air conditioned. For $35.00 you have use of the playground for three hours, invitations, stickers, the area is decorated with balloons and you have two employees to help you. I think that is a pretty good deal. Oneida was so surprised and thankful that she began to cry. Gustabo had never had a birthday party before. Gustabo is a sweet and shy little boy and he was just about to burst with excitement.

Oneida invited a group of boys and girls from the mountain. She also invited her brother- in- law and his family. (They live out past Santa Anna, and had to come up the day before so that they would be on time. They have to ride buses and it takes hours to get to here.) Randy went to pick everyone up at Mololoa. His Land Rover holds about 9-11 people depending on size and shape. Well when he arrived at KFC there were children hanging out of the windows. There were 17 children and 7 adults in his truck. It looked like one of those clown cars at the circus where the clowns just keep on coming and coming. Even for Honduras the truck was packed, you know you have a lot of people in your car when the Honduran people point and laugh.

As all of the children filed into KFC you would think that we were at Disney World, they looked around in wide eyed wonder. Most of these children have never been inside a restaurant much less having the whole playground to themselves. They were all dressed in their very best with their hair slicked back and faces scrubbed clean. Gustabo was really shy at being the center of attention for a while but warmed up pretty quick. The helpers served drinks to everyone and the children were surprised that they could have as many refills as they wanted. With all of the soda that they drank it was a good thing that they had a whole playground to run and play on.
The older boys all went to the top floor to play soccer. Randy managed to squeeze up the curvy slide to the top floor to play with the boys. Katrina loves playing soccer up there and even with her hurt ankle (accident involving a beanbag, area rug and a puppy) she managed to hobble around as the goalie. They have a TV monitor where the adults can watch the "children" play.
The younger children spent most of their time climbing up and sliding down, hollering and chasing each other around and around the play area. The littlest of the bunch threw balloons in the air and slid down the little slide over and over again until you got dizzy watching them.

After about an hour they brought out the food and you can bet we didn't have to call the children twice. There was no whinnying about not wanting to eat now, they all made a beeline for the tables. With fried chicken, mashed potatoes and biscuits to eat the noise level dropped from a loud roar to almost a silence. There was plenty of food, everyone ate until they were full and even had a little bit to take home. And then back to the games. I think I would be ill if I ran and jumped after consuming vast amount of food and drink.

Pinata time. We were able to buy a very large spiderman and fill it with candy. The birthday boy went first and he gave a few good whacks before passing on the stick. The children all took turns hitting the pinata, smallest to largest. Spiderman was a tough guy but finally began to give in to the inevitable and spilled his guts. The attendant was really great to spread the candy around and all the children and a few adults filled their bags with lots of treats.
Chocolate cake. Happy Birthday in English was on the top. Why in English I don't know. We sang happy birthday to Gustabo, again in English, and I don't know why. Gustabo was standing behind the cake looking like a deer caught in headlights. Everyone was staring at him and he didn't have a clue what to do. I was down front and made the blowing motion to him. He's a smart guy and picked up on what to do and with one large blow the candles were out. The cake was good and everyone cleaned their plates. Gustabo was too shy to open his gifts in front of anyone.

The party was coming to an end. Kids put on their shoes and gathered their chicken and candy to take home. We had help taking the kids home (Thanks Jen and Katie) and some people took the bus home. I think that the best part of having the party at KFC is that they do all of the clean up. We drove up to Mololoa and all of the children tumbled out of the truck. We helped Gustabo home and Onedia thanked us through tears for the best day Gustabo had ever had. Not just the best birthday, but the best day.

What a wonderful life we have, we get to go out and spend the day playing and loving children.

Extreme home makeover has an entirely different meaning in Honduras. We have no professional camera crews (but plenty of amateur photographers) and there is never a script. There is no designers and the only crazy guy running around and shouting is Marc Connell. (he has no need of a megaphone). The house plans are simple and vary as land and wood size dictate. Demolition takes only a few minutes and is never as much fun as it appears on T.V. everyone doesn't have their own room and I can guarantee that there is not a big screen T.V. any where to be found. The family will not be sent to Disney World, but the jobsite often resembles a circus. But at the end of the "show" a needy family will have a home.

We were able to help build a home on Monday the 23rd of January. The house was built in Mololoa (aka San Miguel). A family had asked for a house last summer and were in desperate need. Their house was about 8' x 6'. It was made of tin and old, rotted, wooden fence posts with a dirt floor. It did need to be replace and looked like a good opportunity to help the family. And then the rains came down, and they came and came and houses washed away. People were left completely homeless and believe it or not needed a home worse than this family.

She was completely floored last Friday when she found out she would be getting a new house on Monday. It was an answered prayer for this family.

Monday morning we arrived ready to tear down her old "house" and build a new one. When we got there she had already cleared away her old house and had the land prepared for her new home. Her parents came to spend the day and you could see the joy and excitement for their daughter and grandchildren.
The two little boys that will be living in the house are beautiful. Their eyes shine and when they smile their face would light up. Needless to say they were smiling a great deal on Monday.

When we got to the job we were ready to go. I put on my cool work gloves with no fingers and found the hammer with my name on the bottom. I looked around to find out where my skills were most needed and realized that I needed to hold some kids. So I took off my gloves, and gave someone else my hammer. I found a rock to sit on and a baby to cuddle.

There was so much help building the house that I was able to spend the entire day just holding children and there were so many children that needed a little love and attention. The children in Mololoa are so needy. I am not just referring to physical needs, even though I can not minimize the need that so many children have for food, clothing, and shoes. For clean water and shelter. But this day it was the emotional needs that I noticed. There was a little girl that is in torn rags and bare feet. She has matted hair and dirt streaked across her face. Her stomach is round with malnutrition. She looks up at me, her brown eyes still have hope. Even though she is living in a "borrowed" house with a dirt floor. She has four brothers and sisters that she has to keep an eye on. She is 6 years old and in charge of the house keys and the children. The only food in her house was a large bag of beans and all of her clothes would not be considered suitable for rags. I haven't yet seen a pair of shoes on her feet. But still hope shined in her eyes.

Her and her sister both grabbed a hold of my shirt and for the entire day they didn't let go. I reached down and cupped her face in my hands. I told her she was beautiful. I held her. I thought that the children needed some attention. So I was going to show them some attention. Those children gave me so much attention and made me feel so wonderful. They combed their little finger through my hair. It is so beautiful they said. They held my hands and admired my soft skin and clean nails. They patted my cheeks and loved the color of my eyes.

I was reminded yet again that while we came to Honduras as servants what we have learned is that we are the ones being served. We came to provide food for their bodies and they feed our spirit. We came to provide shelter for their families and they show us that the Lord is the one who will shelter us. We came to bring joy with gifts and candy they give us joy with their pleasure and thankfulness for the small things we take for granted. We came to share the gospel and love of our Lord Jesus Christ and we are taught how to accept, how to trust, and how to be joyful in all that he has given. We came feeling strong, benevolent, and knowledgeable.

We realize that we are weak, indulged, and ignorant. Day after day our hearts are broken, day after day our pride is humbled, and our spirit is bruised day after day. But day after day the Lord tenderly binds our hearts, day after day he uses our humility to teach us to lean on his strength and not our own. Day after day he gently fills our spirit with his love. So while I planned on paying attention to the children and making them feel special I am the one who left feeling special.

Oh and the house turned out awesome. The family now has a 18'X14' wooden house with a wood floor. The boys were so excited. They were running around and around the house with their arms out. Their eyes were sparkling and smiles split their faces from cheek to cheek. Their mother walked around in her new home in a state of shock. She just couldn't believe that this house is hers. That her family now has a safe and secure home. I was so happy for her. The Lord provided them with a new home.

We didn't say, "Move that bus!"

We had a prayer thanking God for all that he has done and will do.

This week we have used nails.

Nails to build a secure home for a family,

a place where they can find rest when they are weary, encouragement when they are discouraged, peace when they are in turmoil.

This is a home where

they can see faith, hope and love in each nail.

We used many different sizes of nails on their house. Some small and some large, each one

made for a different purpose(We are all different people, with different strengths and weaknesses, each one with different talents, each one made for a different purpose.).We used hundreds of nails to make sure that the home was safe and secure.

After a while out hands began to throb, they became red and tender, sore, blisters began to form and yet we hammered on. The blisters rose and finally popped, the clear liquid running down our palms, making the handle of the hammer slick. Our hands burned with open wounds, sweat and dirt being ground in with each swing.

Yet we hammered on.

Why didn't we stop? Put down our hammers and say, "No more, this hurts too much.".

Because there was work yet to do. It was up to us to make a sacrifice to provide a place of rest for this family.

Someone else knows about nails. That someone is Christ. He did not swing the hammer, he was swung at. Did his hands ache? Were they red and tender? Did they burn with open wounds, sweat and dirt being ground into them with each swing? Did his blood run down, making the handles of the hammer slick?

And yet he let them hammer on.

Why didn't he stop them? Make them put down their hammers and say, "No more, this hurts too much.". Because there was work yet to do. It was up to him to make a sacrifice, to provide a place of rest for each of us.

So as you swing a hammer and strike a nail, as blisters form and blood runs down, think of a wood cross where a hammer was swung and blood ran down. Each time you draw back your arm and your hammer comes down, striking a nail, think of Jesus being willing to take that strike for you.

The cross is a place where we can see faith, hope, and love in each nail.

Cookies and Juice

We have started carrying cookies and juice in our truck. At the local pricemart store (sam's club)

we can buy a package of 48 four packs of cookies for about $5.00 and a 24 pack of juice for about $5.00. We keep them in our truck and pass them out to hungry children. We run into hungry little ones every time we leave the house. When you stop at a red light, in front of gas stations, and standing on corners. We know that a small pack of cookies and a jug of juice does not have a whole lot of nutritional value, but it does take the edge off of their hunger for a little while.

We also run into hungry children on the mountain of Mololoa. We feel that it is one of the poorest commuities that we visit. We have a special connection to the people in this community. We have spent a great deal of time working there, attending church and building relationships. We feel drawn to this community and feel that we need to focus on helping some of the children here. There are so many children that are alone during the day (moms are working or looking for work, bringing water up the mountain or looking for firewood). We have seen children as young as 4 years old watching a younger sibling while the mother is away. Often older children are not allowed to attend school so that they can watch their younger brothers or sisiters.

It is a very sad situation and often overwhelming to be surrounded by dozens of dirty, hungry children that are so very excited to see us.

We drive to the top and visit and play with the children. As soon as they see our truck driving up they all get so excited. They start jumping up and down clapping their hands. They all start running to us, yelling to brothers and sisters, "The gringos are here, the gringos are here!"

Little children swing half naked babies up on their hips as they run to us. We are surrounded by grinning dirty faces with eyes that are shinning brightly with excitement.

We play with the children, kicking soccer balls, taking pictures and just having fun.

The children love to have their photos taken and willingly pose and smile.

Katrina has made so many new friends and as soon as they see her they all start running, waving and shouting "Katrina, Katrina!" She loves to hold the babies.

We hand out cookies and juice to all of the children as we drive down the mountain. It is some what like a parade. We drive a few yards then stop and pass out cookies and juice. The children line the road jumping up and down as we get closer. The start nudging one another and clapping their hands with excitement. The are very good to make sure they take one and that the younger children are not left out. We drive off with shouts of

Gracias! Gracias!

There is a feeding program in Nueva Oriental that is feeding approximatly 500 children, elderly and pregnant women Monday-Friday. The woman that is running this program is Hondurian and speaks english. Joe has spent some time with her and we are hoping to visit the program soon. The woman is very kind and more than willing to share all of her information on starting and running a similar place in Monoloa. There is already a large church building with electricity in which we might be able to serve the children. We are not sure how all this might work out. This is a much needed program. I can just see all of those little ones sitting down to at least one hot meal a day. I can't imagine how excited they would be to get a meal instead of just a pack of cookies.

We are still in the planning phase and will keep everyone updated with information on how we can all help the beautiful, hungry children of Monoloa. This is a very large project to undertake and we are asking for everyone to keep us in your prayers. When you see so many children that are hungry it can be overwhelming, too big of a job for just a few people, but we have to remember that God is bigger than any problem we could ever face, and that as long as we keep our focus on him he will guide us in everything we do.

Now to him who is able to do far more

abundantly than all that we ask or think,

according to the power at work within us,

to him be the glory in the church and in

Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.

Amen

Ephesians 3:20-21

Our e-mail address is klugefamily@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments we would love to hear from you.

Well as I mentioned in my last blog we would like to share our Thanksgiving memories with everyone. Last year we decided to spend our Thanksgiving in Honduras. We invited our family to come over and were delighted when Randy's mother, grandmother, sister and her family, and our friend Chris DePass all flew over to be with us. We also had our Honduras family with us as well. Karen, Jen Wright, Jen Arnold, Katie, Joe and Rachel. We had a full house, full of friends and family, but also full of love and joy.

Thanksgiving morning began by passing out bags of food to the most needy of people in Monoloa (aka San Miguel). It was a truely humbling experience to see how grateful a mother of several young children is for a bag of beans, rice, some pasta and a few packs of tomatoe sauce. They were the epitome of thankfulness. We had a late Thanksgiving dinner at our house with all of the traditional favorites thanks to Randy's mom (Elina Whitmore) smuggling a few items into the country. Randy's grandmother (Joanna Tomlin) made her Grandmother Graysons cake with fudge frosting. The altitude here is quite a bit higher than Florida and the cake did not look very nice BUT I can tell you that it tasted better than ever and not one person let the looks put them off. Dominic kept everyone laughing until tears rolled down our faces and our sides ached from his larger than life discriptions of Honduras. It was a wonderful way to spend Thanksgiving.





The day after Thanksgiving I usually get up early and spend the day hitting the stores. Randy tags along to haul the packages and to curb my enthusiastic support of the econmomy. This year we got up early, but spent the day hitting nails instead of hitting the stores, and hauling wood instead of packages. We were able to build a safe and secure home for a lovely older woman who had helped different groups build homes for others in her community this past summer. Our group was small in number but large in heart and enthusiasm. The jobsite was easy to get to and we had lots of help hauling the wood and supplies down the mountain. We had to tear down her existing home that consisted of wooden pallets, plastic, and a dirt floor. She had removed her personal belonging and piled them to the side. When I first saw them I thought that it was a trash pile. She had a couch with torn upholstry, two damp and mildewed mattresses, and a baby bed filled with odd and end clothing, cups, blankets, and various household items. It really made you realize how blessed we are in materiel possessions.

It was a wonderful place to work. Everyone in the community was so excited for her. One gentleman brought everyone a tangerine. Randy's Grandmother was given a chair in a shaded area in which to supervise. Nikki, Alora and Elina all spent some time loving some children and painting nails. Katrina and Whitney organized games to keep the children busy and they had a great time. I am always amazed at how easy they overcome the language barrier and make friends. I guess laughter is a universal language. The house went up quickly and "honduras" square.

Randy's sister, Tanya, made a new boyfriend. I thought that the 25 year age difference was a little much, but they seemed quite smitten with each other and spent the day laughing and teasing. Thanks to Rachel and a few Hondurian guys we had no trouble with the roof and the house was finished.


























The woman was in shock, she entered the house and clasp her hands together in front of her. As she stood in the middle of the room sunlight streamed through an open window. She was bathed in rays of light and tears of amazement and joy streammed freely down her face. I was awestuck by the picture she presented. I tried to remember a time that I have ever been so very thankful for anything. I can only thank God for showing me the meaning of being thankful this past thanksgiving.

People often ask us why do we want to live in Honduras. We have tried to explain the many reasons that we feel called to Honduras. Ever since the first time we came in 1997 we have felt a deep connection to the people of this country. We don't know why. We have tried to analyze and rationalize but it just comes down to the fact that we feel that God has placed a calling in our hearts and we had to answer. We don't how long we will be here or exactly what God's plan is for our lives. We are stepping out on faith and we know that he will lead.

We are very thankful for this forum in which we can share stories, thoughts and photographs with all of our friends and family. We hope that you find them informative, interesting, and thought provoking. Please feel free to leave comments or E-mail us at klugefamily@gmail.com
Keep us in your prayers and know that you are all in ours.

We were riding the bus down the mountain named El Hatillo with a small group of about 20 people. April in Honduras can be beautiful. The sky was bright blue with crisp white clouds and the temperature was just right for working outside. The flowers were blooming in a riot of reds and purples; they were climbing fences and spilling over walls. Multitudes of trees were dropping flowers of orange and purple to be scattered by the wind. The day just felt new and bright. We were all excited to be headed down into the city and the mood on the bus was lighthearted and jovial. As we sat at a stop sign I looked out of the window and noticed a man shuffling down the sidewalk. He was an elderly man, his body thin, his clothing worn, but clean. He had a tattered hat on his head and a wooden staff to lean upon. His face was full of so much life. His face was not animated with life, but rather lined and weather with life. It seems to have been a hard life. As he walked he carried a small burlap bag on his back. His walk was more of a shuffle and he leaned heavily on his walking stick. His posture was stooped and his back permanently hunched over. I assume from years of carrying heavy burdens. Looking at this man brought an ache to my heart. It also brought a thought to my mind. We are all like this man in so many ways. The burdens we carry are not physical burdens but spiritual burdens. We let ourselves be weighed down with sin and then just shuffle through this life becoming more and more hunched over, leaning on physical crutches, just living one step at a time, not looking forward, but down. We don't have to live like this. There is someone who wants to lift our burdens off our shoulders. There is someone who wants us to lean on him. There is someone who wants us to look forward. Forward to a life that will know no pain and sorrow. Jesus is that someone. He took all of our burdens. We need to let go and let him carry them, lean on him, and look up to him. I know that that man on the street took no notice of a bus waiting at a stop sign, but in him I took notice of Jesus.


come to me all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give

you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am

gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest

for your souls. For my yoke is easy

and my burden light.

Matt. 11:28-30 niv