Taking it easy........

Saturday morning and I ask Randy, "What do you want to do today?" He answered that he didn't really feel like doing much, we should just take it easy. I wanted to go somewhere. Okay, lets put on our work clothes and go work at Mololoa for a while. The church is getting ready to build classrooms for the children.

Right now we have about 50 kiddos on Sunday and no where for them to have class. They have class outside the front of the church. It is fine during nice weather. It gets a little loud when they sing but we enjoy listening to them. It is not so great when it is raining, cold or when the wind starts blowing up the dirt. The church has decided to use the contributions for classrooms. The two Baxter students that are teaching there on Sunday mornings are only given enough money to cover their bus fares. The members know that they do not have the money for the classrooms, but they have faith and decided to get started doing what they can by clearing away the side of the mountain. They have been working on it for a couple of Saturdays and have made a huge amount of progress. The few tools that they have would be considered trash by most standards. We arrived about 10 am and got started. I tried to use this big "1000 pound"(well it's not really 1000 pounds. But after working with it about 2 minutes it sure felt like it) bar. I was not really good at it and after almost impaling myself I passed the bar on to a kiddo who wanted to help. Next stop for me was a shovel. I really wanted to use the picax but they insisted I use a shovel. I loaded wheel barrels full of dirt and rocks and someone would empty them over the side of the mountain. After a while someone took my shovel away and I was left to picking up small rocks. I don't understand why I was demoted to rock picker upper. I didn't actually hit anyone. And besides they all have really fast reflexes. By the time we were all done working I was pretty dirty and very tired.

After we finished working for the day we went to the top of the mountain for a quick visit with some of the little ones. We found out that Lespi mother had gone to the prison to visit their father and left the little ones alone. She was not due back until the next day. Well the thought of a 6, 5 and 2 year old spending the night alone on that mountain was just a little too much for me. We spoke to the neighbors and told them that we would be taking the children home for the night and would bring them home on Sunday after church. Lespi dressed herself and her younger siblings and brushed their hair, gathered up everything outside, and gave the keys to a neighbor. She is only six years old and in charge of the family.

This is a picture of Belki(5), Bryan(2) and Lespi(6) with their mother.

So we loaded everyone into the truck and headed to the store. Their clothes were little better than rags and we needed diapers ASAP.

They were so excited to get new clothes and Belki held onto the bag with both hands.

When we got to our house I told the girls that they had to have a shower before they could put on their new PJs. Lespi said okay and hopped right in the shower. Belki wasn't so sure. Finally after telling her that if she wanted to wear her new clothes she had to be clean she got in. Once they were under the warm water I lathered them all up and washed their hair with baby soap. They had a great time. Laughing and playing in the water.

I put the baby in with them. He did not much care for

the water and cried, but the water running down

the drain looked like a dirty river. I soaped him up good a few times and when the water ran clear I wrapped him in a warm towel and passed him off to Katrina. He was much happier. Randy played with him on

the floor and he had a great time with cars and a Barney toy

that sings the clean up song. Before long he was saying "clean up, clean up"

The girls stayed in for quite a while. They

finally got out when we ran out of hot water.

We used lotion, put on soft new jammies and then my girls fixed their hair and painted their nails while

I fixed dinner. Jen and her family joined us for

dinner. Bryan fell asleep at the table. The girls ate

pretty good, but the food is somewhat strange to them.

Belki went to bed after dinner. Jen,

her mother and I made tons of PB&J sandwiches

for lunch for the children after church the next

day. Lespi stayed up and played with play-do for a while and then went to bed.

The kids slept all night and woke up early. They had cereal with Randy bright and early and then got dressed in their new clothes. They all looked so pretty in nice clean clothes. We headed out for church and stopped at Wendy's for breakfast. The children ate eggs, potatoes and biscuits.

I can't believe how much those little guys could put away. We went to church and had a wonderful time. For not really feeling like doing much we sure had a busy Saturday.

Just a quick note to let everyone know about Katrinas blog site.

Kats-point-of-view.blogspot.com check it out.

It is awesome how God puts the right people together at the right time.

Gustabo is a six year old little boy who has not felt well for a long time now.

He is very small for his age and very thin.

You can feel all of the bones in his back and his little arms are not

much bigger than his two year old sister, Katerin.

He has been getting sick at his stomach almost everyday,

he is tired and cranky a lot of the time. He always has a runny nose.

We have taken him to the doctor several times.

They have given him medicine for his stomach and told

his mother to watch for him to lose weight. We have been giving him

vitamins for over a year, hoping that it would help.

A couple of weeks ago we found a doctor that would do some more

extensive tests. We now know that Gustabo has a parasite as well as sever anemia.

the doctor wrote him three prescriptions.

The first two we found without a problem, but they didn't have the third prescription.

We gave the medication to Gustabo's mother at church on Sunday

and told her we would try to get the other one somewhere else.

We went to the big 24 hour pharmacy and they did not have it.

We went to price-mart and they didn't have it either.

I was getting somewhat upset about not being able to find it.

I was also beginning to think that I wasn't going to be able to find it.

The doctor had told us that this medication was very important.

That he has to have it everyday and can not miss it .

His anemia is very bad and if we can't get it under control then he could be in a lot of trouble.

I really wanted to find this medicine.

We had to run by the lawyer's office and I noticed that there

was a small pharmacy in the corner and we decided to give it one more try.

The pharmacist spoke English. I was pleased by that.

After he looked at the prescription he told me that it was no longer manufactured

under that name but a new one.

He got the medication, showed me that it was the same, and then ask why I was buying it.

I told him about the work we were doing with the children

in Mololoa and that it was for a little boy whose mother

could not pay for it.

He was very supportive and thankful that we were helping his people.

He gave me a business card I can use to save 30% on our prescriptions.

He then ask if I could wait a minute he had something for me.

Sure I said no problem.

He came out if the back with a box full of Antibiotics, advil,

vitamins, stomach medicine, and more.

I was really blown away.

He then labeled each box in English

so that we would know what was what.

He also said that if we needed more he would try to get some for us.

He said that he would like to work up in the community with us

to help the children. Maybe do a medical clinic and give out free medication.

I never would have went to this small little pharmacy unless I was desperate.

I was turned away from the large commercial pharmacies time and again.

God led me to this little hole in the wall store for a reason.

I went in with a prescription and not much hope.

I left with a box full of medications and a heart full of thanks.

God always puts me where I need to be.

And when I get there it is always so much more that I had imagined.

Oh me of little faith


The day after we arrived home we were blessed to have Terry, Ben, Brian,
Brett and AB come and stay with us as they conducted their annual pre-summer scouting trip. They arrived late Thursday and had to leave early Monday. I was doubtful. How much scouting can you do in 3 full days in Honduras? I really thought that it was a waste of time and money to only come for such a short time. Boy was I proven wrong. God knows what he wants done this summer and he laid it all out right in front of Terry and the gang.

Everyone met at our house on Thursday night Jen A and Katie came after school, Jen W picked everyone up at the airport and we has picked AB up that afternoon. What a great time we had catching up with everyone. It is so good to get together with friends and eat and laugh and share memories and make new ones. We love having people stay with us and these guys were great house guest.

Friday morning the group gathered their courage and said a pray and then left the house with Randy behind the wheel. They went all over the place, Baxter, Valley of Angels, Mololoa, and of course lunch. I was amazed to hear how much they had gotten done in one day. I find that I can usually get one thing done on a productive day and they had driven out to the valley and checked out the church for painting, they stopped at a food market and then delivered food to hungry families in Mololoa. They also spent time looking at possible homesites and meeting the family's that call this area home. And there is always time to play with the kiddos and pass out some cookies and bananas. They set up soccer games and met with old friends at Baxter and even made it up to the school that morning to set up a couple more games. I get tired just thinking of everything that was accomplished. Everyone met back at our house for dinner and planning. Ideas were flying and plans were taking shape. Randy was thrilled to have some new people to play cards with and I love hearing the conversations and laughter in a house full of friends.

Saturday was a day of driving. We first went to Mololoa to pick up Oneida and her children. It took a while to get out of that community. Oneida was sick and could not come but her son, Gustabo started to cry because he really wanted to go. So Randy waited for him to get ready to spend the day and the night with us. (We have taking him to spend the night before and we have such a great time playing with and spoiling him.) We then loaded up, passed out treats and headed to Baxter to meet up with everyone after picking up Fabiola. Off to Comayagua. It is a very long drive. With no restrooms(enough said) to be found. We all met at Wendy's. The only fastfood restaurant around. We met up with Lee Tucker and his family for a tour of the town. We stopped at a local hotel to check it out for a work group to stay at. While we were there a group of soccer players were leaving and Brett was able to set up yet another game. We then went to a church that was locked but found some work that was needed to be done, perfect for a small group this summer. We went to a small town square where wares were being sold, a fountain stood in the middle of flowering trees and shops where you could indulge in an icecream on a hot afternoon. We all had a good time and headed back to Tegucigalpa. We were all meeting at El Corral for a special night out. Well we all arrived at about 5:30. We had forgotten that we had invited a friend to join us at 7:00. We tried to call with no success so Terry came up with the plan to order an appetizer. It would have been a good plan if there wasn't 17 of us sharing. After about one bite each they were gone. The waiter came back and we told him we were not ready yet. No not yet, not yet, almost, yes we know we have been here for a hour, okay we're ready just give us a minute to look at the menu, yes I know we've had an hour to look at the menu. Okay we're ready. We had a terrific dinner. Our friend was 30 minutes late, so over all we were there 2 hours and 40 minutes. Gustabo had a great time, he was the center of attention and really enjoyed his day out. We took him to our house and he played video games with the puppies.

Sunday morning, Brian is leaving today. We all decide to go to Mololoa Church of Christ. With the five guys, Jen A, Katie, Jen W, her cousin (Kristin?), a family of four from Santa Anna, and the four of us the place was packed. The Baxter Students who have been leading the worship service and bible classes are very warm and welcoming. They do not speak English but Leo made an effort to learn how to say, good morning and welcome brothers and sisters in Christ. It was very thoughtful and heartwarming to know that he put in the effort to make us feel welcome. Terry led a couple of songs in English and we had a wonderful service surrounded by friends and family and of course dozens of children. Randy left early to get Brian to his plane. We were sorry to see him go. We all met at Ruby Tuesdays for lunch. We had added Oneida and her two children as well as another little girl whose mother was not at home, to our gang at total of 20 people. We chose R.T. because on Sunday it is buy one get one free. We had a wonderful lunch and then headed out to the Valley for a little shopping. We have to scout out the best stores to direct everyone to this summer. Terry found some artwork, and then some more. We took the kids for icecream and then let them ride horses. Poor Gustabo was so tired from the day before that he could barley hold it together and fell asleep in the truck. On our way out of town we stopped at Center for Hope a wonderful children's home that has 17 of the sweetest little ones. I always leave there feeling so uplifted. I have been to a lot of orphanages and children's homes here and I always have a wonderful time with the children; however I leave feeling sad. I just wish that they all had a family, everyone needs a mom. So while I have a good time and know that the children have a great time with us I always feel a little sad. Center for Hope is a different story. It is small, the directors are a young married couple with a biological daughter that is only two and 16 children that are between 1 and 7 years old. They have their room on the same floor and all of the children call them Mama and Papa. They are happy and well cared for. They are a family. I always feel so good when I leave there. I know that these children have their physical needs met as well as their emotional needs. It is a very positive place and we are blessed to know them. We all played with the children while Terry received the tour of the facilities and made some plans to visit and work out there this summer. It was a great way to end the day. And a great way to end the scouting trip.
Terry and his crew left on Monday morning. AB stayed on another day to squeeze in a few more games of chess with Randy. We always have a good time with AB. He picks on the girls like an older brother and they pick back. We can't wait for him to come back.

Overall it was a wonderful week and we are so excited about this summer and we ask that everyone keep Terry and all the group leaders in your prayers. Leading a group is a terrific blessing, but it is a lot of behind the scenes work and planning, so pray for strength and wisdom and a lot of patience when it comes to dealing with American Airlines. Can't wait to see what God has in store for this summer.

Love to all,

the Kluge Family

It is good to be home!

As most of our friends and family know we were in the states for about three weeks in Feb.
It was so wonderful to see everyone. We spent alot of time with Randy's family. His Mom and Grandmother spoiled us with homemade dinners and great company. Brownies, chocolate chip cookies, peach cobblers and banana pudding were some of the treats they provided for us. The girls spent alot of time playing and visiting with their cousins, swimming in the pool, riding dirt bikes and spending the night with their Nana and Grammie. That is the hardest part of not being in the states. We miss everyone so much. We would like to just pack them up with us and bring them over here. We thank God for providing us with good friends who have become like family to us over here. They have been a blessing. The girls were able to go to Winterfest with Terry and his youth group. They played in the snow for the first time and got catch up with lots of friends. They also had a great time in the sessions. They couldn't stop talking about it. I on the other hand came down with a bad case of the flu and spent that weekend in bed and at the doctor. We were sad to leave everyone but we were all ready to come home. That sounds kind of crazy to alot of people. We have a beautiful home with lots of toys, we can buy what ever we want or need at the grocery and we have Wal-mart. We can drive our cars in the right lane, without being passed on a blind curve on the side of a mountain with a bus headed our way in the other lane. The grass is green, the trash is in cans, no one is using the bathroom on the side of the road, and we don't have to stop for a herd of cows that refuse to pick a lane. There is not a herd of sheep running around the police station(yes this is true. We went to the police station the other day and there was a herd of sheep in the parking lot). We understand when someone speaks to us. We attend church where we know what is being said, where the songs are in english, where we are lifted up and challenged to open our hearts and minds to the spirit of God. Where we are surrounded by friends that love and care for us. We have a wonderful, blessed life which we couldn't wait to leave. Crazy huh? We are a little crazy (yes I can hear the comments about Randy, I know more than a little). We are crazy about this country. God has placed a love for the people that live here in our hearts. There is something inside of us that keeps pushing us, that leads us, that guides us where we need to be (could that be the spirit?). We have a need to serve the people over here in what ever way we can. It is not a feeling that can be denied. It is a burning desire and by following where he leads we are fanning the flames.
People often ask us what we are doing here and how long we will be here. We feel we are stepping out in faith. It is hard for me. I like to plan. I love lists. I even make lists of the lists I need to make. I have very little use for lists here. I make very few plans. This is hard for me. I like a plan. I am realizing that God already has a plan and it is way better than anything I could ever come up with. So when people ask me what we are doing in Honduras I tell them, we are following the leader.

We all have different missions placed on our hearts. We can't all come to Honduras, but we can all make a difference. God doesn't call everyone to a third world country, but he does call everyone. Are you listening for the call? It is hard to trust someone else with the plans, but trust him, he has a plan and it is way more awesome than anything we can imagine.

Thank you everyone for your prayers. Thank you for your encouragment. Thank you for supporting the different projects that we are working on, sending children to school, the feeding program, working with the Mololoa Church of Christ, door knocking and bible studies. God is putting opportunities in front of us and thanks to your support we are able to take hold of those opportunities and give God the glory.

We love and miss everyone

The Kluge Family

What price an education?

Here in Honduras the price is about fifty dollars. We thought that the education in Honduras was free; however we have found out that there is a small fee and all the children are required to have a uniform, books and pencils or pens. Fifty dollars does not seem to be much money to most of us, but it is over a weeks pay for the lucky few who are employeed over here.
There are many children who have to stay home from school simply because their parents can not afford for them to go.

Joe had been working with the minister at Los Pinos and they had found about 20 kids that needed help with school fees and uniforms. We had the parents fill out an application. They agree that the child will regularly attend the local school and keep an average of 75%, that they would have a good attitude and would turn in their progress reports at the end of the year.

The following pictures are a few of the children whose lives will be changed by the generous support of so many of you. They have the opportunity to attend school and to get an education that will hopefully help them to support themselves in the future. Thank you so very much for your prayers and support for all of the work being done here.