Primer Dia y Segundo Dia

Ronny and Austin (3/28 and 3/29):
We started the trip by waking up at 3:00 am, which was terrible. Our plane left at 6:00 am and it was a three and a half hour flight to Miami. We had a two hour layover at Miami where we ate some Chinese and walked around. Our flight to Honduras was a two hour flight and the airport in Honduras was smaller compared to the ones in the US.
We soon found out what the weather in Honduras is like when we stepped out of the airport: hot and sticky. Fifteen kids from the Hogar joined us one the three bus ride to Comayagua from San Pedro Sula. An hour into the bus ride, we stopped at an open air market and bought bananas, pineapples, and a papaya we named Larry.
We arrived at the Hotel Quan in Comayagua and then went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant that was delicious. We packed up the extra food and brought it with us to the Hogar the next day. We went back to the Hotel to swim and watch TV.
Today (Sunday) we woke up and ate a delicious pancake breakfast. We then took a bus to the Hogar where we proceeded to make many friends as soon as we stepped off the bus. All the kids were very excited to see us and were all over us for the rest of the day. We got a formal tour of the Hogar and we could see how the Hogar has been improving over the last twenty years. After the tour, we ate a delicious lunch at Santiago’s (director at the Hogar) that included tortillas, beans, beef, fried platanos, quesadillas, fresh fruit juice, and taquitos. After lunch, we continued playing with the kids and unloading all the supplies we brought for the Hogar. Before we left, they gave a wonderful welcoming program that included dancing and a fashion show. The kids were so energetic and made the day great.
We walked to dinner at a local barbeque joint and enjoyed the great Honduran food. On our way home, we had our first Honduran riding experience. We had sixteen people jammed into a five person pickup. Six people were in the cab while the other ten rode in the back and got some fresh air.

Saturday, March 28th

Our first day of Honduras Spring Break 2009 was a good one. With no flight delays we made it to San Pedro Sula on time at about 1:30 in the afternoon. This was appreciated most by me, due to our malfunctioning bathroom experience from the last trip that delayed our arrival in Honduras by many hours.

We were greeted at the airport by about 15 kids from Tierra Santa, along with Bob and some of the Tierra Santa workers. We had a great bus ride. Of course it was a long trip, but that didn’t really matter since we were all having so much fun talking with the kids. Among the kids who met us there were Leonardo, Christian, Jessica, Alba, Sindy, Sisi, Carolina, and more. What kept the kids the busiest, besides talking and eating snacks, was playing with some of the iPods that people had brought with. They were totally taken by the iPod touch.

On the way to Comayagua we stopped at a fruit stand along the road and enjoyed some coconut milk, fresh pineapple, and mini bananas. We all stood around passing the various fruits from person to person, then spent the next several minutes on the bus passing the big banana stalk from seat to seat until they were gone.

As we neared Comayagua the weather got cooler. Some people were even seen putting on a light jacket. Once in Comayagua we said farewell to our new Tierra Santa friends, settled in, then went to Meng Ying for a traditional Chinese-Honduran dinner. J Bedtime followed soon thereafter as we all had full stomachs and were all very tired after a full day of travel.

Hello all!

The Parker family is getting very excited to travel to Honduras this Saturday. We feel fortunate to be able to take this opportunity to travel together and with others from EP Schools. We look forward to updating you about what we are doing, learning, experiencing, feeling. Thanks for reading.

The Parkers
Jeff, Holly, Allison and Jack

Preparing for Spring Break 2009

Global Connect's group from Eden Prairie, MN is just a week away from embarking on another journey to Hogar Tierra Santa in Honduras. Needless to say, we're all very excited and can hardly wait to board that airplane. Take a look at the handsome faces of all the trip goers. The trip is a great blend of generations. We have experienced trip members and several young people including Kali who is only nine-years-old. It should be a great mix and should make for a very entertaining trip.

At Oak Point Intermediate School in Eden Prairie, students have worked the past few weeks to help the children of Tierra Santa. Students from Mrs. Holtan's class, and other classes, have designed and created their own bilingual children's books that will be delivered to Tierra Santa and placed on the shelves of their library. These students did an awesome job, and the books will be wonderfully appreciated by the children who are awaiting our visit.

Please stay tuned to our blog as we will begin posting daily updates beginning March 29th through April 5th. Wish us well and chime in with your thoughts!

Eden Prairie Schools Service

Why do we do what we do as teaching staff? Why do we seek to help others around the globe as part of Eden Prairie Schools Global Connect? We all choose to make this commitment for a variety of different reasons. But a common link between us all, I assume, is our desire to give back and our desire to make the lives of others better.

As our nation begins a new chapter in its history, I was struck by a line from the inauguration address of our new leader, President Obama. This is what he said today...

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.

This is the work we, as members of Eden Prairie Schools and Global Connect, have taken on. We stand together in support of our friends from Honduras in hopes to do just what President Obama said. His words couldn't be more appropriate.

Tierra Santa is striving to make its farm productive and flourishing. Global Connect hopes to help. Tierra Santa and its supporters are erecting a water treatment facility to provide clean water to its children. Global Connect hopes to help. Tierra Santa struggles every day to fill the hungry bodies of its children. Global Connect hopes to help. And Tierra Santa seeks to meet the educational needs of all its children. Global Connect hopes to help.

Thank you, President Obama, for reminding us of the importance of reaching out beyond our borders to help others. Global Connect hopes that with the continued support of Eden Prairie staff, students and families that we can follow his advice and continue to make the lives of our Honduran friends better.

Video Hellos

During my recent trip to Honduras, many of the kids of Tierra Santa asked me about their friends from Eden Prairie who had traveled to Honduras last spring. Take a look at the following video messages from the kids to these friends. And please forgive my horrible Spanish! :)

Damaris Hello to Jeanne and Sarah

Norma, Norma and Maria Hello to Sam and Jeanine

Leonardo Hello to Nick, Shelly, Ben and Holly

Videos of the Tierra Santa fresh water process

Take a look at the following videos to learn about how Tierra Santa has taken control of its drinking water problems.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Final Days

Since the time flew way too fast during our week in Honduras, I wanted to touch base on a few things we did later in the week that didn’t get written about. On Thursday, our last day at the Hogar, Lisa and I enjoyed baking over 250 sugar cookies with about six teenage girls. We all had a great time. The girls stirred, mixed, rolled and decorated. They loved putting all types of sprinkles on each cookie. Kenia was a huge help with the ovens and swapping pans in and out. I was surprised that none of them asked for or tried to take cookies that had just come out of the oven – definitely not the way it is at home. When we were all done, they each enjoyed a cookie. Tita said they would all eat the cookies after supper that night and I was thrilled that we had made enough so each child could have two. I wish I could have seen their faces that night.

Thursday afternoon was very very hard for me to say goodbye to the kids. Abby and Drew quickly found out how sensitive I am and how quickly the tears come. The week had flown by so fast and it is amazing how quickly relationships formed. On Friday, as we made our way through the Honduras countryside on our way to Tela, I couldn’t stop seeing the kids’ faces in my head and not knowing when I would see them again.

On a much lighter note, we arrived in Tela on Friday afternoon to an incredible view of the Caribbean. Four of the older girls from the Hogar and Jeff, the administrative director at the Hogar, were able to join us in Tela for the last two nights of our trip. It was such a treat to have them along on this portion of our trip and to see the girls experience Tela. On Saturday morning, about eight of us took a boat ride to Punta Sal, a national park, and hiked through the jungle, snorkled, swam and ate a wonderful shore lunch. It was a perfect day!

Over this past week, I have constantly been thinking about the kids at the Hogar, and wonderful what would they be doing now. I look forward to continuing the relationships and seeing the kids again. This trip was an incredible experience that I will be grateful for always.

Some reflections

Reflecting on another trip is a bit of a difficult thing, as I sit here at the J&B Internet Café on Thursday evening. Just like the trip last spring, so much happened on this trip that it’s difficult to condense those experiences into a few paragraphs.

The group was a true band of dynamos, accomplishing an incredible amount of work in what amounted to about four days. Most impressive in terms of overall accomplishments would have to be the new Susan Seitz Memorial Preschool Room that is located in the new water treatment facility at Tierra Santa.

When we arrived, the room was there, empty and ready to be designed and readied for children. To see the before pictures alongside the after pictures is a pretty amazing thing. From the paint crew to John and Geovani constructing the shelves to the crew that found perfect preschool furniture at a store in Comayagua, everything turned out fantastically.

Today we needed to finish and paint the shelving, then organize the toys and teaching materials prior to welcoming the kids to their new school room. Santiago and Bob said a few words about the importance of the room and dedicated it to Bob’s wife, Susan. Following that, all the Tierra Santa kids packed into the room to see Bob and Santiago hang a ceremonial photo of Susan on the wall. Both Santiago and Tahire said several words of thanks to our group from Minnesota, as well. It was a very moving experience, and a fine tribute to a wonderful woman.

The rest of the day including Tricia and Lisa baking over 200 sugar cookies with a group of eager girls, Rose doing haircuts in the courtyard, and the distribution of ball caps, soccer socks and hand-created pillow cases to all the kids. There were big smiles all around, including, of course, on the faces of all of us from Minnesota.

Saying goodbye at the end of the day was difficult, but I must say, not as difficult as the last time I was here. I think I now see the reality of myself returning to Tierra Santa often, and the fact that I know I’ll be coming back in March probably doesn’t hurt. The children are so awesome, though, that spending just a couple months away from them will be tremendously difficult. Part of me wishes I could just pack up my entire family and live in the Villa. But service trips from time to time will probably have to do for now.

This trip was a great one. On the list of unexpected things, were the new relationships I formed with a few of the children at HTS. On my previous trip, I spent a lot of time talking with kids, but much of it was laughing and joking around, nothing real serious. But on this trip, I spent quality time with two children in particular, both of which I barely spoke with last time. Those two kids were Kenia and Nancy. Kenia is 21 and is the child Tricia and I sponsor, and I only really met her late into the trip last spring. This time around I talked with her a great deal and really got to know her on a personal level.

Nancy is a girl who I just connected with on this trip, I’m not sure exactly why. She is such a sweetheart. She is 14 years old and in her second year at the secondary school in the Villa. For the first couple of days here, I kept wondering why she constantly looked at me in a confused way whenever I spoke to her. But eventually I figured out that she is slightly hearing impaired. She and I just clicked for some reason and seemed to always have something to talk about.

Last night gave us even more time to interact. Last night we stayed at HTS until about 12:30 p.m. so that we could take in the New Year’s celebration with the kids. Let me tell you, it was really a highlight for me, dancing with the kids, eating with the kids, lighting a stuffed artificial man on fire with the kids (that’s another story). But the best part of the night for me was just sitting and talking with Nancy for a very long time.

For a long stretch, Nancy, Kenia and Argentina sat in the courtyard. The girls practiced their English. Tricia and I practiced our Spanish. We counted, we sang songs, we practiced the alphabet – we did it all.

I guess to wrap up, this experience matched or even exceeded my first experience at Tierra Santa for the simple fact that I got to know the kids of HTS that much better. They remembered me, I remembered them, and we built on the foundation that was created last spring. I can’t wait to continue building on that foundation even more in the years ahead.

More videos - this time from Wednesday

Wednesday at Hogar Tierra Santa - Take a look!


We're prepping the preschool and writing letters.


You've gotta like John's bottle rocket lighting technique! The burning men on the chairs in this video? We still really don't understand!

Video from Tuesday

Take a look at some video shots from Tuesday at Tierra Santa

The 2nd Best Blog Ever

Today we (Abby and Drew) went to farm in the morning. We were expecting a ton of dirty jobs - feeding pigs, cleaning the tilapia pond, etc - but instead found very little to do. The kids said they were going to start work at about one in the afternoon and didn't need much help. We did, however, clean out the old toolshed. There were a ton of huge cockroaches living in there so it was pretty intense/disgusting. That took about 20 minutes so then we just talked to some of the kids. They taught us some games and we struggled along to play them. I (Drew) was excited to be there because I got to hang out a little more with Geovanni because I hadn't seen much of him this week. So then we left and returned to the Hogar. We took a little Facebook break in the sala because Abby needed to feed her addiction - three whole days is a dang long time. Drew was impressed by his parents immediate response to his nice email (oh wait, it took them over a day to respond - and they don't answer my phone calls). Next, we headed into the preschool room to help out. We got there just in time to help the kids put their handprints on the wall. It was so cute to see their exited faces as they got to play in the paint and help decorate their room. Drew was the best at getting perfect looking handprints on the walls. Then we ate lunch.

After lunch, I (Drew) helped John make the shelves for the preschool. It was really fun and cool to see because Geovanni basically made them himself. He was all over the measuring, drilling, hammering and everything else. It was fun to just chill out and make the shelves rather than run around with kids.

I, (Abby) wrote letters in the school with Rosa and a few other girls. They wrote letters to kids from Oak Point. After that I just talked with Sofia and Sarahi. They showed me pictures and Sofia told me about her family.

After that we went as a group for a tour of the Villa. We saw a huge valley and some of the volunteer's houses for the Hogar. We bought some weird frozen coconut vanilla things and ate them. They were so good! Abby even liked them. Now, we're writing this blog and getting ready for the celebration tonight!

Rose Leapaldt

December 31 New Years Eve. Today we began our day at 7:15 and visited a tortilla factory in Via San Antonio. They made 16,000 tortillas today rather than the average 8,000 due to the holiday. Next, we visited an outdoor market where various goods and foods were sold. We arruved at the Hogar about 9:30 and began our jobs. I helped complete the Pre-K room by applying a second coat of chalk board paint to the lower part of two walls. We all did hand prints along the boarders along with all the nursery school children. The room looks fantastic, bright and cheery. John B. began building 6 large shelving units and the girls plus some volunteer kids painted each a different color. This room will provide the kids with a wonderful learning enviornment inwhich to attend school.

In the afternoon, I taught a class in stamping. I had two helpers but the kids were very busy and it was a crazy class to say the least! At one point, I saw a little boy paint a girl's hair, another
4 year old grab the roller and take off, two little girls arguing and throwing things, and on and I think I would rethink this painting activity before ever attempting it with such young kids.

Tonight, we will have a wonderful meal and celebrate New Year's Eve. at the Hogar with all the children. They have a program planned for us and have been setting up a stage with flowers and
other fun things.

Videos from Monday

Enjoy some scenes from our first full day (Monday) at Tierra Santa.

Rose Blogging from Tierra Santa

Hello from Rose -

Monday, we had breakfast at 7:00 at the hotel and then loaded onto the bus for the Hogar at 8:00. My job today was to prep the Pre-K room for painting. It’s a very nice room on the second floor with lots of windows and ceramic floors. I was able to tape and clean up with Heather before we ended our a.m. work shift. At 1:00 we broke for lunch and then headed out to find Pre-K classroom furniture and storage bins.

We went into Comayagua to a place called Plastic Anna. It was considered to be their Target but it was no bigger than a small hardware store. We purchased bins and storage boxes but could not find tables and chairs. We found a place called Gordon’s and they had the cutest primary colored wooden table and chairs that had pencil shaped legs with actual erasers on the bottom. Downtown is a very bustling place with narrow streets and loads of people traveling about on the narrow uneven sidewalks, too unusual to describe. Shopping here was a cultural experience unlike any other I have witnessed.

Tuesday we began our day by having a cultural experience. We visited a brick yard where each brick was made by hand with wet mud, placed in wooden molds and eventually baked in kilns to dry. No automation here or fancy tools…only hard labor with bare hands and homemade molds. The children around the neighborhood came running, hoping for candy or other goodies. I bet 30 kids arrived in less than 5 minutes. Luckily, Heather had a bag of candy on the bus and each child was given a treat. We commented that we wished we had had a few boxes of clothing to leave behind for these children.

We arrived at the Hogar about 9:00 and began our projects for the day. I continued with painting the Pre-K room. We decided to paint two lower walls with chalk board paint so that the children could use chalk on the walls. We were amazed that the paint store had this product. Nothing is easy to come by here so this was a real accomplishment. The room is really shaping up. Later today, another crew will paint the walls with a second coat of light blue and begin our clean up before beginning the construction of the wooden shelves which will be installed all along one wall. I have jump rope classes this afternoon so I will continue painting tomorrow. Tomorrow, the fun stuff: placing our cute tables and chairs, storage items and all the wonderful posters and education materials into the educational room. We’ll be sure to take pictures before and after so that everyone can see the progress we made to successfully complete this amazing project.

Abby's blog

Last night we had traditional Honduran food for dinner, it was really good! That’s exciting that I really liked it, I even ate it all! That’s a big step! We also went to the grocery store yesterday and got some crunchy peanut butter, cookies, chips and salsa, and Fanta! Today we made bracelet’s again. It was better today, not quite as messy which was definitely nice! But I have lots of bracelets that my new friends made me and a necklace, too! I played with Cici this morning, and…another girl, not sure what her name is, but she loves my camera! Yesterday, all of my pictures got deleted by one of the little girls, so today I’m starting fresh, but I have lots of help with that! This morning Keekay saw me and ran up to yelling “Mi amiga, mi amiga!” Later on today we’re going to jump rope a, dance, play soccer, etc. Tomorrow is New Years Eve! I am getting excited! We are spending all day at the Hogar which will be sweet I’m sure!

I love it here and I love these kids!

Dancing, food, and enthusiasm

After a long day of travel and adventure in Miami airport it was nice to arrive in Honduras and be greeted by children from the Hogar. They rode back in the bus with us to our hotel, although most of us were a bit tired and fell asleep on the bumpy mountainous road.

The first day was all about introductions and hanging out with the kids. Not knowing much Spanish was a challange, but I did figure out that some things don't need words (hand games). We ate lunch at Santiago's house too, who runs the Hogar...it was delicious. His wife prepared an authentic Honduran meal, and since I'm all about eating I was happy!

Yesterday morning I prepared the preschool walls for painting, listening to some music at times and watching the man selling oranges out of his truck. We also grocery shopped for the group which was an adventure with Bob. Bob seemed quite content to watch us silly Americans pick out "safe" food for the week.

In the afternoon I danced with a small group of girls and Abby. We attempted to do some 50's dances to Grease, but the girls actually knew the dances from the movie and showed us a thing or two. Then, Sophia (one of the girls) taught us a dance to a Christina Aguilera song. Fun times.
Abby and I also played jumprope with them and I played hopscotch with some of the little girls.

In the evening we ate another Honduran meal for dinner. My new favorite food items here include the sour cream...yum, and the beans. We were able to walk around the town a bit last night too. While in one of the squares, a young man named Michael (I think) walked out of a side door and took us on a tour of the bell tower. We climbed up and up and were told not to talk as he wasn't supposed to be giving tours. It was neat to get such a good view of Honduras at night, and see how the clock worked. Then, off to search for ice cream for Bob. We found one place with internet access and had a chance to check email and eat ice cream. Thanks Bob!

Some of my favorite things so far this trip include...
1. The food.
2. Hanging out with people at night.
3. Working with the kids and seeing them smile and laugh.
4. Seeing groups of cows run down the street.
5. Donkeys.
6. The chicken, except when I scared it and made it fall.
7. The wood "factory" which wasn't really a factory afterall, just some woodmakers in some guy's backyard. :)
8. The food.
9. Preparing things for the preschool.
10. The view (from my shower I can see mountains...nice!).

I'm excited to go on more "cultural adventures" too. We went to a brick factory today and I gave out candy to the neighborhood kids. That was nice. Bob has some more planned, but he is so mysterious I'm not sure what they are right now.

Well, I'm off to paint some chalkboard paint on the walls of the preschool.
Later.
(Heather Adams)

Tierra Santa - My second trip

Experiencing Honduras and Tierra Santa a second time around is definitely a different experience from the first time. Walking around the home and having many of the kids remember me from my previous trip is such a cool thing. And what’s really fun is that I’m interacting with both the kids I spent a lot of time with last trip and a bunch of kids who I hardly talked to on my previous trip. So I feel like I’m building a whole new bunch of relationships.

One of the kids who latched on to me this trip who didn’t before is Umberto. Umberto is about four years old and is the twin of Keekay. When he sees me across the grounds of the Hogar, he’ll come running up to me and wrap his arms around me. Yesterday he grabbed me by the arm and said, “Vamos. (let’s go). Then he proceeded to take me back to the courtyard adjacent to his bedroom and hop on the swing. I wasn’t sure if he wanted me to push him or take his picture on the swing, so I did both.

We had an amazingly productive day on Monday with multiple classes being taught and a good amount of work being accomplished in the preschool room. Heather and Rose prepped the preschool room in the morning, then a bunch of us, including three Tierra Santa girls, started the painting process in the afternoon.

John and Geovanni went after a dead tree hard core in the courtyard. Not only did they cut it down with a circular saw, but they even removed the stump with an array of tools including an axe, a shovel, and a machete. John has assumed the role of Doug Duchon on this trip. He’s the Honduran Bob Villa, attending to all sorts of miscellaneous projects. In the afternoon it was his assignment to repair a bunch of strands of Christmas lights. He later was proud to report that he managed to fix one strand. John’s other hidden talent in the afternoon was his ability to paint the tops of the walls in the preschool room without a ladder. This may not seem like a big deal, but if you got a glimpse of the Tierra Santa ladder, you’d understand why a 250 pound plus guy wouldn’t want to get up on it.

Of course I was once again impressed by our Eden Prairie teachers and how easily they shifted into “teaching” mode with these kids. Jill, Tricia, Christy and Erin led a craft class in which kids used all sorts of materials to decorated the Christmas boxes that are sent to them by their sponsors. Jill blew us all away with her ability to hand cut each child’s name out of craft foam while keeping all the letters connected. We’re finding out that Jill is a woman of many talents!

And the EP teens really impressed us by how well they could maintain crowd control during their beading class. They must have had twenty or so kids coming and going throughout the morning – kids of all ages and with varying degrees of need. Abby and Drew did an awesome job jumping right in talking, teaching, showing, and interacting with the kids. Lots of bracelets and necklaces were produced.

So…that’s all I’ll say for now, but I missed a whole bunch of other things that happened Monday. Hopefully some of the others will blog about their experiences as well so you can get a view of the day through their eyes. It was just a classic great day in the Villa!

Top Ten

Top Ten things Drew and Lisa learned while playing soccer with the children of the Hogar Tierra Santa:

10. Jersey color means nothing.
9. Playing with one shoe is better than two...playing with no shoes is the best.
8. They are better at English than we are at Spanish.
7. Tires help to keep the ball from going all the way down the street.
6. All you need to play a game of soccer is a ball and a dirt patch.
5. These kids are scrappy.
4. Say the word futbol and all the boys come running.
3. Dirt…even dry dirt…can be very slippery if you swing too hard.
2. Water breaks are not a necessity.
1. Whoever is ahead when the cow comes on the field wins the game.


What a fun experience we had taking the younger boys who we had not spent much time with to play soccer. As soon as we walked into their house and said the word futbol their faces lit up and we had to run to keep up with them on the way to the park. They showed us a few things about how to play the game of soccer…Drew is implementing a few of the pointers into his game back home. Overall, it was a blast and we can’t wait to get out there and play again today!

Sunday in Honduras was a good day! Of course, due to our late night the day before we rose a bit late in the morning. We had a breakfast of French toast at the hotel before embarking for Tierra Santa.

Once at the home, we were greeted by shining, smiling faces. Everyone had a chance to just hang out a bit and get to know some of the kids. And yes, this is easier for some then others. Heather and Tricia reported feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the kids and the fast Spanish-speaking going on. Early feelings of “too much” are quickly replaced with feelings of being right at home, however.

At lunch time, we were treated to a full meal at the home of Iris and Santiago, complete with tamales, beans, tortillas, plantains, pico de gallo and more. It was wonderful and we all pigged out.

Following lunch the kids of Tierra Santa performed a program for us. They sang, they danced – it was a good time. Some of the dances were traditional to Honduras while others clearly had more of an MTV influence. In one dance, some of the women from our group were even pulled up to join in. Erin, I must say, did a nice rendition of the Electric Slide.

In the evening, we stopped at the wood shop to order some hand-carved souvenirs then had a wonderful meal in Comayagua. Sunday was a great day, but Monday will be even better, no doubt!

Best Blog Ever!

Hola! So, here it is Lois and Kimps… This counts for both Abby and Drew because we are both writing this right now.

Yesterday was basically the longest day of our lives. We spent a total of 22 hours in airports, on planes, or on buses. It was exhausting – and Drew ate a pistachio we’re pretty sure. Whoops, but nothing happened so it’s all good. When we finally arrived in Honduras, we quickly found the kids. Sarahi and Geovanni (sp?) were both there and we were excited to see them again! They both asked about our parents and siblings and we struggled through our first conversations en espanol. Then, we traveled by bus under the impression that we would soon arrive at our hotel. We would arrive at our hotel, but not soon. It took four hours to get to Hotel Quan and we wanted to sleep but there were these kids that sort of wanted to play/talk with us. So, we dealt with it. But really, the bus ride was fun. We talked to Geovanni, Sarahi, Kensy, Dulce, and Jacoba and sang some songs as well. When we arrived at the hotel, we just went right to bed.

The next morning everyone was up and ready to go. We all showered (“we all” does not include Drew or Abby) and then had breakfast. Don’t worry, I (Drew) made sure Abby ate something. We had French toast and it was good. Then we headed out to the Hogar right after Drew dropped his water bottle and it broke, so thanks for the Christmas present mom! We got to the Hogar safely and the kids immediately grabbed us by the fingers and took us away. We got a full tour of the grounds and then just had time to chill with the kids. Pretty much Rey is Drew’s favorite right now and Keekay is Abby’s favorite (not that we have favorites). The kids are awesome and will tolerate our poor Spanish most of the time. They like piggy backs and holding your hand. Later, we went to Santiago’s casa for lunch. The food was so good! Even Abby had two platefuls! Quite the accomplishment right there. Drew also had two platefuls, but his probably had way more food on them (Don’t worry, once again Drew supervised Abby’s diet). Then we got to go back to the kids! We’ve met lots of kids that we can’t quite remember their names because when we learned them we didn’t actually understand what they were saying but we get by (one example: Spider-Man). Now, we’re unpacking the suitcases and writing this amazing blog. Don’t worry, we’ve actually interacted with the adults and they are really sweet! So, one down – six to go. Hopefully tomorrow, we’ll have showered! Love you parental units!

Chris - Our First Day Winter 2008

I’m not going to go into too much detail about our travel day on Saturday, but as it was, our day was a very long one. We started at the airport in Minneapolis at 4:00 a.m. and were greeted with a four-hour delay due to a toilet part that needed repair. From there we hopped to Miami and from there to San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Much waiting, some card playing and reading occurred in the many hours we were forced to spend in the airports. The silver lining in the day was our bump to first class on our flight from Miami to San Pedro Sula due to our earlier flight delay. We all felt like celebrities getting our hot towels, our complimentary beverages, and our fancy meals. It was a treat! It’s amazing how differently the flight attendants take care of you in first class!

Speaking of treats, upon arrival in Honduras at 8:30 p.m. we had our best surprise of the day. Santiago and about 15 Tierra Santa children were waiting for us at the airport. I was immediately greeted by my young friends Alba, Jacoba and Miriam. Also there were Geovani and Sarahi, the two young people who came to Eden Prairie in the fall. My eyes got watery as we all exchanged hugs and big huge smiles.

The bus ride to Comayagua was a joy. Everyone was interacting with the kids and getting their first chance to flex their Spanish-speaking muscle. It was particularly fun to see Drew and Abby be the center of attention with a group of the teenage girls. The two EP kids dove right in and began speaking Spanish immediately. Way to go EP Spanish teachers!

As we were serenaded by singing from the kids, including a rollicking rendition of “Feliz Navidad,” many of us drifted off to sleep. A few hours later our bus arrived in Comayagua at the Hotal Quan. By the time we hit the mattresses it was 1:00 a.m. What a first day!

Sending the Kids off to Honduras!

In March, Mitch and I had the pleasure of being a part of the crew that went to Tierra Santa. We are unable to go this time, but thanks to Chris and Tricia Kreie we are sending our daughter and her friend (and the son of our very best friends) in our place. Although I am a bit envious, I am still very excited for them as I know what lies ahead. They are going to hate the hours and hours of waiting and the long drives from here to there, but they are going to love spending time with those kids of the Hogar....and I think the kids are going to love spending time with them as well. How cool to have visitors from the U.S.A. that are your same age!

Looking forward to seeing and hearing about how lives have been changed as a result of this trip. Heaven knows Mitch and I have never been the same since the moment the gates opened and we were greeted by little hands, dirty noses and small voices saying "hola"!

Peace and safe travels!

Lois and Mitch Hegland

Questions from Mr. Flom's 6th Grade Class

Prior to our most recent trip to Tierra Santa, Mr. Flom's 6th grade students from Oak Point posed some questions for me to answer following our trip. Here are my responses. Thanks to Mr. Flom's students for their genuine curiosity!

1) What other major problems are in Honduras besides water pollution and how do they affect Tierra Santa?

Water pollution and lack of clean drinking water is definitely an issue. Very few children in Honduras receive the water they need. Most get just enough to survive. And while it may not be a health problem, so to speak, many Honduran families do not have water that flows into their homes. Many rely on water flowing through open canals as the water they use to bathe in, wash their clothes, and wash their dishes. Many, many homes in Honduras do not have indoor plumbing.

Besides the issues around water, Honduras has many of the same issues that affect developing countries around the world. Remember, too, that Honduras is the second poorest country in the Western hemisphere. Honduras has a huge poverty issue, with over 27% of its adults unemployed, adults averaging incomes of just over $2,000 per year, and 22% of families living below the poverty line.

This nation-wide poverty has a huge affect on Tierra Santa, in fact it's the primary reason Tierra Santa exists in the first place. Most of the children at Tierra Santa are not orphans. Rather, they come from families who just can no longer support them. The families do not have enough money, adaquate homes, or sustainable income to provide for the children, so the children end up at Tierra Santa. Tierra Santa can provide food, shelter and an education - things the children's families cannot.

And speaking of education, this is also a major problem in Honduras. Many children do not attend school at all and most of those who do, stop going after 6th grade. Very, very few children finish high school and a very minute number finish college. It is almost impossible for the cycle of poverty to be broken when children are not receiving a proper education. This is another reason why Tierra Santa is such an oasis of goodness in these kids' lives. All Tierra Santa children attend school as long as they live at Tierra Santa. This means that if students stay at Tierra Santa though their teenage years, they are guaranteed of finishing high school. Many Tierra Santa children also continue through to college.


2) How can kids like us help the water situation?

This is a great question, and I'm not sure I have a fantastic answer. Tierra Santa has taken control of its water problem and has done something about it. Through donors from the U.S. and elsewhere, Tierra Santa has constructed a water purification building at the home. It is not yet operational, but will be soon.

The concept behind the water purification building is that Tierra Santa will now be able to take city water and purify it. This has never been done before. Until now Tierra Santa has been forced to purchase all its water in the form of large bottles that are very expensive. Now, not only will Tierra Santa be able to provide its children will all the drinking water they need, they will also be able to bottle water and sell it to the community, thereby providing a source of income for the home.

This is really an astounding step for the kids of Tierra Santa. They will soon be able to drink all the water they want to. Never before have they been able to do this.

So back to your question, how can EP kids help with the water situation. Well, thankfully, this problem has all but been resolved. We can be grateful and say that thanks to the help of others before us, Tierra Santa no longer has a water problem. The next issue to tackle, I suppose, would be food. Tierra Santa struggles every day to provide adaquate food for its children. Maybe this is the issue that you, as EP students, would like to help resolve for the kids of Tierra Santa.


3) What service project can we do to assist the kids at Tierra Santa?

Again, thanks for this terrific question. Right now the Eden Prairie School District through an initiative called Global Connect, has established two ways that we can help Tierra Santa. Those two things are constructing a new boys home for the boys of Tierra Santa and helping to provide funds to keep Tierra Santa children well-fed for years to come.

Currently Tierra Sanat boys live in two rental homes adjacent to the main Tierra Santa home. Over 15 boys are crammed into each of these homes, causing a less-than-ideal living situation for these boys. Also, besides the poor living conditions, these homes are rental homes which means the landlords could kick the boys out on a moment's notice.

It is imperative that Tierra Santa find a stable, suitable home for these boys. The plan is to build a new boys home on the Tierra Santa property. But, of course, this costs money. Oak Point is planning to do a fundraiser this spring to help fund the construction of the home. You, as OP students, could be instrumental in this effort. I'll be looking for OP kids to play leadership roles in this fundraising process. If you are willing to fill one of these roles, you will be helping the kids of Tierra Santa in a huge way! Let me know if you'll be willing to help!

Regarding raising funds for the food needs of Tierra Santa, we are always open to donations. Anytime you would like to donate money, throw a birthday party in which guests give donations to Tierra Santa rather than presents, or have a lemonade stand in your neighborhood, we would welcome that with open arms. I know that you could get very creative regarding ways in which to help the kids of Tierra Santa. They would greatly appreciate any help you could give them! You have the power to make a difference in the lives of these kids!


4) What is your goal to accomplish the next time you go to Honduras?

I will be returning to Tierra Santa over spring break 2009. Once again I'll be joined by a group of EP teachers, students and families. I cannot wait!

As always, one of main goals will be to build relationships with the kids of Tierra Santa. This is the greatest thing we can do for these kids. Remember, that these kids either don't have parents or never get a chance to see their parents. And at Tierra Santa, there are about 12 kids for every adult. These kids just do not get the adult attention that you do, nor do they get the adult attention they deserve. One of our greatest gifts for these kids is to just give them the attention they deserve - sit with them and talk, play games with them, do craft projects with them, whatever. Then most important of all, we continue those relationships with them after we leave Tierra Santa. These kids need us, and deserve our love and attention. Maybe one day you can visit, too, and forge a friendship with a child a world away.

We also hope to continue our work in the Tierra Santa preschool. On our most recent trip we prepped, painted and decorated the preschool room using materials we brought with us from Minnesota. The next step is to make sure the teachers at Tierra Santa have the skills and tools necessary to utilize this room to the best of their ability. Preschool is a foreign concept to most in Honduras. School starts at Kindergarten, unlike in the U.S. where many kids spend one or two years in preschool prior to entering kindergarten. Because of this, teaching preschool is not something teachers know how to do in Honduras. We hope to give the teachers at Tierra Santa the education they need to help teach these little preschoolers. Educating kids at ages 3, 4, and 5 will be a huge jumpstart for them before they enter kindergarten. Preshool has been shown to provide huge results for kids in our country. We hope the same will be said for Tierra Santa kids in the future.


5) What are some differences between the students at Oak Point and the kids in Honduras?

There are so many differences, but also a huge number of similarities. Tierra Santa kids are kids, just like you. They love to play games, they love sports, they love music and fashion, and they love to laugh and enjoy life. I wish you could meet all of them. You would have a blast hanging out with them and discover that they are very similar to you. Come to Tierra Santa with your family and discover this for yourself! Seriously, you can do it!

The kids of Tierra Santa are different from OP kids in some ways, though. This is true. Many of the kids of Tierra Santa had no schooling prior to coming to Tierra Santa, so in a lot of ways they are not as educationally advanced as kids from Oak Point. For instance, you might find a 13-year-old Tierra Santa child in third grade. That is because the child didn't come to Tierra Santa until they were 10, and never had any formal education prior to that. This is the reason why many Tierra Santa kids don't graduate from high school until they are 20 or 21.

Another difference is that many of the kids of Tierra Santa have had very difficult lives and have experienced very difficult things in their early years. They may haved lived on the streets prior to coming to Tierra Santa, they may have come from abusive homes, they may have faced severe hunger or serious health issues prior to coming to Tierra Santa. Kids in Eden Prairie, for the most part, haven't had to deal with these types of things in life, thankfully. Of course, these types of experiences shape the kids of Tierra Santa. Quite a few children suffer anxiety or depression due to the difficulties they have had in life.

Lastly, not to knock OP kids, but the work ethic of the Tierra Santa kids seems to be stronger that OP kids. Tierra Santa kids are constantly doing work around the home. They don't have custodians to clean up after them. They are responsible for keeping the home and school clean, for washing clothes, and for cooking meals. The kids of Tierra Santa work, work, and work. They take pride in their home and school and take the responsibility to keep things looking good around them.


6) How has this experience affected your life, and how will it help you in the future?

The experience I've had working with Global Connect and interacting with the kids of Tierra Santa has affected my life in huge ways. I'll never be the same because of it. I hope all of you can one day experience what I've experienced. You, too, will never be the same.

I'll never again wish I had a bigger house, or more "things." I now realize that I have enough. I don't need more stuff or more material things. The people of Honduras live with so little. It seems unfair, really, that we in America have so much and people in Honduras have so little.

One thing that struck me from the first instant I was at Tierra Santa was how happy the children and adults that live there are. They all have so little - little food, little water, just the basics in terms of shelter - yet they know how to enjoy life. They seem happy, they seem to know how to live life for the moment and enjoy the things that they do have. We in America have so much yet we struggle at times to be happy.

I've also learned a lot about love - as corny as that may sound. The kids of Tierra Santa are so loving. They open their arms to you for hugs and they have no hesitations about saying "I love you." It's really pretty amazing. Coming back to America I realized how important love is and that I shouldn't have any issues telling those close to me that I love them.

Lastly, I've learned to slow down and not to sweat the small stuff. Life in Honduras is so laid back, and people spend so much time just talking with one another and enjoying one another's company. In our society we're constantly busy, rushing off to the next important thing. In Honduras "NOW" is the most important thing. The other stuff can wait. Talking and chilling out with people is a priority. I really like that and hope to make that a part of who I am.

The lessons I've learned from the kids of Tierra Santa and the people of Honduras are huge. We often think in America that we have all the answers because we're such a rich, successful, powerful country. But we don't have all the answers. The biggest lesson I've learned from these experiences and the lesson I'll take with me in the future, is that you need to open your mind to learn from everyone you encounter in life, even the homeless 6-year-old.


7) Do you think you have made a good impact on these people’s lives, or do you think there is so much more to be done?

Both, really. I know that I've made an impact. Anyone who goes to Tierra Santa and chooses to make an impact, does. It may be small, it may not hugely change the lives of the kids, but going to Tierra Santa and working with the kids definitely has an impact on them. When they see people coming from the U.S. just to be with them, the kids of Tierra Santa feel valued and feel that their lives have worth. We take that for granted in our country, but these kids need to feel valued. Visiting them and becoming their friend, gives them that value.

It's the old saying, too, if I can affect just one kid, then all the effort is worth it. I really believe that. Perhaps one of the kids I meet will be inspired to go to college because of me, perhaps one kid will choose to study English because of me, perhaps one more kid will not go hungry because of me, perhaps one kid will have a roof above their head because of me. If one kid is affected because of my work, then it's all worth it.

But, yes, there is a lot more to be done. We've really just begun our work as partners with Tierra Santa. Eden Prairie Schools Global Connect has many more goals for this partnership. We want to educate as many EP students to the issues facing Tierra Santa and kids from all over the developing world, we want to raise funds to construct the new boys home, we want to lead many future trips to Tierra Santa giving these experiences to hundreds of EP students and families, we want to provide Tierra Santa with the food and resources it needs, and so much more. I hope you can be a part of all of these fantastic projects as we move forward in the future.

8) Because you have seen these kids, has it changed the way you think about how thankful and lucky you are?

YES! Is that a simple enough answer?

We are all lucky to live in the U.S. I know that now for a fact. The problems we have in this country dwarf problems that most Honduras live with on a daily basis. We have drinking water that flows endlessly from our taps, we have food stocked in our fridges and cupboards, we have cars, we have big homes with green yards, we have money to travel and buy the toys we want, we have safe neighborhoods, we have wonderful schools and colleges, we have high-paying jobs, we have garbage collection and clean streets, and we have a government that we believe in and feel a part of. I would safely say that most of us take most of these things for granted. But we shouldn't. We should wake up each and every day and be thankful for what we have.

But more important than being thankful for what we have, we should recognize what others around the world do not have and begin to do something about it. As Americans, we are part of the larger world and we need to remember that. We cannot isolate ourselves from the issues that face people around the globe. This is my opinion, you may disagree, but as members of the world it's not enough that we look out for the concerns of Americans, we need to look out for the concerns of everyone who shares the planet with us.

If kids are starving in Africa, if kids' homes are being bombed in Gaza, if kids are living amongst garbage heaps in India, those are our problems, too. We can't ignore these problems and pretend that they don't affect us. They do. We are very lucky to be America citizens. We need to not just recognize that, but also do something about it to try to make people around the world just as lucky as we are.

Remember, these are my opinions. Don't just read what I say and agree. Learn about these issues and come to your own conclusions. That is the important thing and why you come to school every day.


9) What do you think the process is for water purification?

I'm going to leave this last question unanswered, because in a few days I'll be posting a video that will answer it better than I can in words. You'll see video footage of the water purification building and a man explaining how it works.

Prepping for Global Connect Winter Trip 2008-09

EPS staff members and friends, through Eden Prairie Schools Global Connect, will once again travel to Honduras on a service trip. This time we'll be leaving Minnesota winter behind and journeying down south in December. Our group will be gone from December 27 - January 4.

Please come back often during that week or so to learn about our progress. We are all looking forward to another wonderful experience.

Our plans are to do edcational activities with the kids of Tierra Santa and to help establish the first-ever preschool program at the home. Of course there is only so much we can do in the short amount of time we're there, but we hope to lay the groundwork for a program that can last into infinity. Thanks to the bold work of groups that have come before us, a new building has been constructed that will not only house this new preschool, but through a water purification process contained in the building, will provide clean drinking water for the home.

Again, please check back often and post lots of questions and comments for us as we go!