Bank Celebration

The kids with some of the staff from the bank.

It is very rare that we get help here from Honduras. We have been connected with a local bank in Teguc now for a little over a year. They have came and shared with the kids here at Casa. They came in Dec. to celebrate Christmas with the kids. It just happened to be on Doris's birthday so she had a great party!!!

Renia with her new barbie dolls.

Cindy with her new princess tea set.

Fernando taking his turn at the pinata

Getting ready to cut the cake for a birthday celebration with Doris!

Snack time!!!!

Getting ready to do a relay race

Singing together

Ice Breakers

Adventure

As I had said before my dad came here to visit us and to help out with repairs here at Casa. Well he got here the 18th of Dec and was suppose to leave Jan 8th. Well last Saturday we left Santa Ana about 9am. We thought that was plenty early because his plane did not leave until 1:20pm. Well little did we know that there would be a long line of traffic. When I say long I mean 15km of traffic. We weren't sure what the cause was but knew we needed to get around it to get to the airport in time. Traffic got to be two and three lanes wide and people crowding in front of one another. At this rate we were not going anywhere real fast at all. We found a few dirt roads that took us around and about. Two of the three back roads we took helped us out. One of them really did not help at all, it might have even put us further behind. As time continued to tick we saw we were not going to make it to the airport in time before my dad's flight left. Although we finally did get to the airport about 1:30ish to find out the plane had just left.
So we started reconfiguring only to find out all this week the flights were full. They could put him on stand by every day to see if they could maybe get him on a flight. They actually seemed pretty confident that with being on standby he would get a seat.
So Sunday morning Dorian made other arrangements for someone to take care of things at church and he headed off to the airport with my dad at 7am to make sure they got there in time. Sure enough there was only a little traffic and were at the airport a little after 8. The counter had not even opened up yet. So they waited til 10 am when someone got there. They checked my dads bags and sent him upstairs to wait. They said they would not know until 12:30 or so if he had a seat. So about 12:30 they told him to go ahead and pass security and they said they thought that the y had a seat for him. Dorian waited just in case they did not have a seat for him. Sure enough about 2pm my dad comes walking back out and down to the counter to see what they can do next. What had happened is all of the extra seats the airline had they sold them to another airline that was sold out so therefore there was no extra seats.
Back downstairs at the counter they reassured him that they found him a ticket for Monday. They said not to make much noise because supposedly the plane was full. They pulled a few strings to get him a seat. So my dad was feeling pretty good and knowing he had a flight for Monday.
Well Sunday night/Monday morning my dad and I both got very sick with some sort of stomach bug. So no flying for him on Monday either. The next flight they could get with an open seat was Thrusday the 13th.
He finally was able to fly out this past Thursday and made it home without any major problems.
Oh how it is always an adventure here in Honduras!!!!

Santa Ana Campaign

Santa Ana Campaign

This week here in Santa Ana there is a campaign going on. There have been 5 baptisms so far. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday was spent visiting and studying with those here in the community. Thrusday, Friday and Saturday there will be meetings in the church in the evening.
There is a group of 5 here working and then many member's here from the church are visiting and studying with them.

To God be the Glory. May lives truly be touched and changed!!!!

Will post pictures later!

Birthday's

Ana

Jackson

Happy Birthday Jackson & Ana!!!

Yesterday was Jackson's birthday and Ana's was the 4th. They have been counting down the days til their birthdays. This year they both turned 10 years old. Here at Casa when you turn 10 you no longer have to take naps but you do have to do more chores to do and have more responsibility. Right now they are excited about being 10, but who knows how long that will last before they no longer like doing extra chores.

Hay stacks

The boys in their fort

The girls in their fort

Josue stayed with the girls as their tree was lower to the ground and did not have to jump as far.

1, 2, 3, JUMP!!!! Reina jumping down off the tree into the hay.

One morning the kids had a ball with all of this hay that was cut and laying around. They gathered up piles and made the pile as large as they could and then took turns going up in the tree and jumping off. This kept them occupied for hours and they really didn't fight at all all morning long. Although when they finished they were all itchy and we all had to help one another pick the briers and stuff out of their hair and clothes.

Update Dec. 2010

Happy New Year to everyone!!! Hope that all of you have had a great holiday surrounded by friends and family.
As the new year starts I am looking forward to everything that God has in store for us. God always amazes me by what he has in store for us.
To start the month off I got to get my cast off. Yippppeeee!!! Still healing but feel a 100% better without the cast.
Maryuri and Nohemy also graduated the first week in December from kinder. They were so proud of themselves. They are now ready to go on to first grade. Maryuri has came such a long way since coming to Casa.
Dorian has been around much more and has been able to help out as he finished his classes the second week in Dec. Dorian is not the only one helping as my dad came to visit with us for Christmas and New Years. He has been a huge help and has fixed a number of things!!!
Dorian also went to Nicaragua for a few days to see his family for the holidays. I was unable to go but am anxious to get to go again with him hopefully soon.
We had a good Christmas here at Casa. The kids this year received less. Some of their stuff was given to the kids in the community who have much less.
Christmas day we had the Christmas dinner/vigil at church. The kids stayed up til 1:30am when the vigil ended. The dinner/vigil was filled with lots of fellowship, singing, eating, games, and skits. We also had a good news years. As we had lots of fun and laughter as we stayed up together as a family to see the new year.
It has been a long difficult month as we are short staff with holidays and everyone being off. I for one am very thankful to see things getting back to normal, or as normal as it gets here in Honduras.
So while Dorian and I are tired, we look forward with eager anticipation of what God will bless us with in 2011.
Blessing on you and yours this new year in 2011!!!

New Year's Eve Celebration

Happy 2011!!!!!!!!!!!!
Most of the night was spend outside with the kids running and yelling with their noise makers and glow sticks! The other part of the evening we ate, played games, played PS3,and watched a movie.

My dad playing chicken foot with some of the kids. He was missing out on playing chicken foot because every New Year's Eve he gets together with some people from church. Although playing with the kids just was not the same. They all cheated!!!!!

Jackson with his glow stick

Pizza, chips, and cookies

The "old man" being blown up at midnight!

The kids getting the "old man" ready to bring in the new year. They were having fun drawing his face on him.

Decemeber Visitation

Ana and Jose with their dad at visitation and Reina, Doris, Fernando, and Katy at visitation with their momma and brother.
It is always an adventure when we go to visitation. It is a reminder to me how blessed we really are. Hopefully it reminds the kids too of how blessed they really are.

It's raining, it's raining.......

Cleaning out the old dirty water! The kids decided they would play in it. By the time it was all over with they were all shivering and ready to go take a shower and put on dry clothes.

Christmas Day Dinner

Christmas Tree
This year the church Christmas dinner was held on Christmas Day. It was from 8pm-2am. We needed our time together with taking communion together.
Everyone signed up for food and we all came together and shared everything and had a great supper together as brothers and sisters in Christ.
There was lots of interactive games, preaching, singing, skits, and eating! It was a great night of fellowship together!

Contest to see who was singing louder!!!!

The youth group skit

The kids from the church putting on a small program

The youth even did a modeling show for the new clothes for 2011!!! ;)
Bryan modeling the new out to eat clothes!

Kelin modeling the formal wear!

Dorian leading everyone in singing

Decorating the chuch buidling Christmas Eve

Rosy decorated herself!!!!

Casa kiddos

Casa kiddos Christmas Day!

Christmas morning

Josue

Bryan

Jackson

Sisi

Doris
The kids had a great Christmas. Several people had left gifts and nick nacks for the kids. A lot of the nick nacks we gave away to other kids and some of the kids even cleaned some of their own toys to give away. So it was a year of more giving than receiving.

my boys

Josue and Antonio

DAD

Dad and Maryuri

My dad came to be with us here for Christmas! It has been good having him here. He is Mr. fix-it. He has fixed a number of things and doing a couple of projects. He is here til Jan 8th so I am sure he will get a lot more done while he is here. The kids are so happy to have their sinks, showers, and lights all fixed. And it is so nice to have family here for the holidays!!!!

Thanks dad for all you have done!!!!!!

Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

The kids were all so anxious for Christmas morning! Although no one was up too early. It was about 7:30 when they all got out of bed. It took us about two hours with 17 kids to open all of the presents. They were all pretty patient and waited their turn. Which is hard when there are 17 kids that have presents to open, but they were all excited also to see each other open up their presents.
I am one happy girl because I got a much needed notebook. My laptop had seen the last of its days. I have been saying for the past two years I am going to buy me a new one and just haven't yet. Well my dad is here for Christmas and he got me a netbook!!! Yeah!!!!! Along with lots of other goodies from my family!!! Blessed indeed!!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!!!!!!

Cookies

The kids even got to help make Christmas cookies!

Sisi

Feliz Navidad!

Hope that all of you are blessed this Christmas! In the midst of everything may each and everyone one of you take time to remember Jesus.
Love a little more & share a little more!!! Give the gift of giving and you receive more than you can every imagine!!! Please just don't wait til Christmas rolls around every year to give!!!!
I am blessed to have each and every one of you in my life.

FELIZ NAVIDAD

All night youth lock-in

Last Friday night was the first youth lock-in. It was held at Los Pinos. There were 5 different youth groups represented. Since I had the day off Saturday I got to tag along with Dorian and the Santa Ana youth group. The youth all voted were the next lock-in well is here in Santa Ana March 27th! So let the planning begin!

Los Pinos youth group putting on a modeling show

Dorian preaching at 3am

Interactive games to keep everyone awake

Bon Fire to end the lock-in at 5am

Doris

Here are some of the kids giving Doris her birthday hug before they eat their cake! That is a casa rule, before the kids get to eat their cake they always have to give the birthday person a hug and tell them happy birthday!

Doris had an extra special birthday! There is a bank in Teguc that came to celebrate Christmas with the kids and it just happened to be on Doris bithday. Pinantas, games, cake, candy, and gifts!!!! It couldn't get much better!!!!

Rollerblades

Katy and Jose

A group was here last week for the Jesus Banquet and they brought quite a few pair of rollerblades for the kids. They all love them! They fight over who will where what pair and are asking every little bit when it is their turn. The kids all seemed to have scraps, scratches and bruises but they get right up and try again. So thank you to those of you who brought the rollerbaldes to the kids.

Sadness

For about three weeks now two of our employees mother had been admitted to the hospital. She has been through quite a journey. They did not think she was going to make it long upon her entering the hospital. She went into a coma and was hooked up to all sorts of machines. The Dr.'s told them that it was only in Gods hands if she would get better. Well this Sunday she started to move around and talk. Monday they took off the oxygen and she even drank water. Things seemed to be really looking up. Well Tuesday morning she took a down fall fast and was not doing so well.

This morning at 1 we got a phone call from Dilcia saying her mother had passed away. It was the middle of the night and she was all alone and did not even begin to know what to do. Shortly after we got another phone call from Reina sobbing and wanting us to help. They needed us to bring them some money and go get a casket. They do funerals here in Honduras a whole different way. The usually just prepare the bodies themselves and they keep the body at home around all of the family and do an all night vigil and then the next morning they all walk to the cementary to say to their finally good byes and bury them.

Well they did not have a casket and Dorian and I were clueless as to where to look in the middle of the night to buy a casket. Dorian found out from our guard that there was a place in Ojojona and Dorian headed there to see if he could find one. Sure enough he did find someone who would sell him a casket. Then it was off to Hospital Escuela to get the casket to Dilcia so they could get their mom out of the hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital they would not let him in since he was not family. Dilcia soon came out and they let him come on in. He went with Dilcia's brother to the morge and got their mother. She was just throw aside on a bed in a plastic bag. They picked up the plastic bag and placed her in the casket.

To make all of this even more frustrating. They found out their mother had passed away yesterday at 4 in the afternoon. The only reason Dilcia knew is because she stood up to look over a wall to see her mom laying in her bed and it was another woman. So Dilcia at 1am asks the doctor where her mom is and they tell her she is dead and she died yesterday at 4!!!!

To say all of this those of you who have been here to Honduras and have been to Hosptial Escuela might understand this a little more.

Her mother was in the emergency room part in ICU. The family could not be in the room with her. They had to wait in the emergency room. There was someone there 24/7 incase their mom needed something. There has been lots of long nights and days and there still is a long road ahead for their family.

Please keep them in your prayers! Anyone who would like to help with funeral costs send me a message!

happy happy birthday

Today we celebrated Doris's birthday! She got a really big party as some people planned to come and celebrate Christmas with the kids and it just happened to be on Doris birthday!!!!! She loved it!!! Pics to come soon!

Happy Happy Birthday Doris!!!!

Christmas Cards

Rosy, Pamela, Reina, me, Fernando, Cindy and Sisi helping with the Christmas cards.

Terri and I have been working on addressing all of the Christmas cards. To say the least things have not really turned out as planned this year with the Casa Christmas cards, but it all worked out in the end. Terri and Marc left today to go to the states and Terri wanted all of the cards ready to go to take back with her.

So yesterday she asked me to have some of the kids put the cards into the envelopes and seal them. Well the kids ended up loving it. They kept reading the names on the envelopes and were looking for the people that help support them and that they knew. It was neat for them to find who they were looking for and they looked and looked until they found the card that they wanted to go into that "special envelope".

T

Sisi

Reina

Doris, even helped!

November 2010 Update

November 2010

Hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Hope it was a time to reflect and be thankful for everything you are blessed with. We are blessed without a shadow of a doubt. Even in the hardships and trials we can still find things to be thankful for. Living here in Honduras has put that into perspective. Those around us have so so little yet they are thankful for the little they do have. They find JOY! I pray that each one of us can do the same!

Here at Casa we had our own Thanksgiving feast.The kids love, love, love Thanksgiving! This year they got to particaipate more then they ever have before in preparing Thanksgiving. There was a group here building houses for the week of Thanksgiving and they also got to spend Thanksgiving with us at Casa.

I am sure you are all busy now with the hustle and bustle of Christmas. The kids here are getting excited about Christmas. The kids along with Grandma Joyce put up the tree November 1st. Now the count down is on and the kids ask each and every day how many more days.

Still continue to be in cast, things have been slow with not being able to do a lot, but am on the downhill to have the cast off. Hoping for a good report and that I am on my way to a full recovery.
The kids are offically out of school. They have had their last day of classes the second week in Nov.
So we are now busy keeping them occupied as they are out of school and have a lot of free time on their hands now. Sometimes that can be quiet challenging with 17 kids 24/7!

Blessings to each and every one of you.

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Blessings~

Dorian and Karen Guido

Baptism

A new sister in Christ! After bible study Thrusday night she decided she wanted to get baptized. It did not matter to her that it was in the 50's outside. Praise God we have a new sister in Christ!