It's May and it's still HOT! There are a few radio stations in town that play North American music and one of them frequently plays "The Heat Is On". That was the St. Louis Cardinal's theme song one season in the 80's & when I hear it I'm reminded of my days as a kid going to Cardinal baseball games with my family at Bush Stadium, sitting in the hot summer sun and humidity. So it's a very fitting song for this time of year here in Honduras. Thankfully we don't have the extreme humidity that some areas of the U.S. experience, but it is still very HOT! These days I pray that the rainy season arrives soon. I was told it rains all of May, which would have been a nice break from the sun, I was told wrong.
With the dry season comes a lot of wildfires. Many of these wildfires cause power outages. Some of the power outages last an hour and others last a day or two. When the electricity goes out so does the water. The combination of no water, no fans, no lights, can make for some trying times. I have certainly learned to appreciate running water. I guess it's all relative, when I visit the homes of some of our students, I see that they get by without electricity and running water on a day to day basis. I guess I can handle a couple days. Next time you flip that switch or turn that handle be grateful for the luxury that follows and if your cable bill is more expensive than your water bill, I have good news for you, your rich! I was at the gym the other night when the lights went out, nobody skipped a beat, they just went on working out in the dark as usual, so I did the same. Here is a picture from the gym.
Most of the plants and trees are awaiting the rain as well. Things are dry. The acacias tree is the one thing that does bloom this time of year. It's beautiful and is a nice reminder that everything isn't dead.
I traveled to St. Louis a couple weeks ago to attend my Grandmother's funeral (my father's mom). She was 92, had a great life, a huge family, tremendous health, and even stronger faith. She was a really neat lady. The visitation and Mass were both very nice but the thing I thought about the most during my time in St. Louis was the importance of family. It was a nice reminder to not take family for granted. My grandparents had 8 children, 26 grandchildren, and enough great-grandchildren to field a soccer team. They didn't escape this place without struggles, many I'm sure, but through good times and bad, family was always a priority, maybe not more of a priority than bridge club but they certainly kept their faith and their family at the top of the list. I guess driving to Daytona Beach in the 50's and 60's in a station wagon with 8 kids before the interstate system will either increase your faith in God or causes you to walk away from it. I hope my generation is as committed to their family and faith as my 2 grandmothers were. Here's a recent picture of my Grandma Freesmeier with my cousin Kathleen.
The funeral services took place over mother's day weekend so we ended the weekend by celebrating my Mom and remembering my Grandmothers. It turned into a very nice weekend, lot's of family, lot's of laughs and even more food, just the way Grandma & Mema would have wanted it.
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Last summer I told my grandmother that I would not have a mailing address here in Honduras because they don't have a postal service, so there is no need for an address. She couldn't believe this. She had a hundred questions..."how will you get your bills", "how do you send someone a letter", but she was most concerned about invitations to parties. Well I thought of Grandma the other night. I was at Carina's house and her cousin stopped by to drop off an invitation (pictured below) to a birthday party. That's what they do, they hand deliver all invitations, and as you can see they put a lot of thought and time into them. Grandma didn't like the idea of not having a postal service, but the idea of hand delivering invitations, another excuse to visit friends and family...that she would have loved!
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Pictured below is 5 year old Jose Carlos. He is one of Carina's many Godchildren. Carina and I had discussed enrolling him at Santa Clara Bilingual Elementary School next year but we weren't sure if it was possible. Based on his family situation we both felt this would be a great opportunity for Jose Carlos and his education. However, we discovered there weren't any scholarships available and we weren't sure how we would pay for it. As we were discerning on whether or not we should enroll him we also learned that the kindergarten class for next year was quickly filling up. Without giving it anymore thought, we completed his registration, submitted his birth certificate, and he was officially enrolled. The following day when I arrived to work and opened my e-mail I had a message from my good friend Tim Kleman in Tampa, FL. He wanted to know if I needed anything and if so, how he could help. God always has a plan. I informed Tim about Jose Carlos and our need for financial assistance, Tim and his wife Krista are now paying for Jose Carlos to attend school at Santa Clara Bilingual Elementary. Really a great opportunity for this little guy...Thanks Tim & Krista!!
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Also - A special thanks to my Uncle Rick, his fiance Olivia, as well as my Aunt Janet & Uncle Bob. They have all been sponsoring Sofia who attends our special needs school, Escuelita Nazareth. Sofia is deaf and is able to attend school each day because of the scholarships being provided. Here is a picture of Sofia.
I will end this post with a very unique story about another scholarship student and his friends in Washington. I have been working with his generous friends for the past 5 months. They are paying for Yeltsin (pictured below) and his sister Lidenis to attend Cardenal Rodriguez High School (1 of the 2 Olancho Aid High Schools). Yeltsin has spent a lot of time in Washington receiving medical treatment for Klippel Trenaunay Syndrome (KTS). KTS is a medical condition in which the veins and the lymph vessels do not join together normally. This causes the blood vessels and the lymph vessels to not form properly. This also causes hypertrophy (overgrowth) of the part of the body affected by KTS. His arm has become so heavy it's painful for him to sit upright in a chair and is preventing him from attending school.
Yeltsin's group of supporters in Washington are in contact with Healing the Children and are hoping they can find doctors to sponsor the surgery that he needs in order to have his arm amputated. They have been told that the only hospital capable of handling this disease and surgery is Boston Children's Hospital. If anyone has connections with Boston Children's Hospital or Healing the Children please let me know. We are hoping to send Yeltsin to the U.S. as soon as possible. The sooner he can have the surgery, the sooner he can receive a prosthetic arm, and the sooner he can return to High School. Thanks to the great people in Washington who care so much for Yeltsin, he is lucky to have you in his life.
If you or someone you know are able to sponsor a child please visit www.olanchoaid.org or e-mail me for details, mfreesmeier@olanchoaid.org. Scholarships range from $25 to $100 per month.
