In my May post I wrote about Yeltsin, the scholarship student at one of our high schools that suffers from KTS. If you remember he was not attending school because his arm was so heavy he was not able to sit upright in a chair. At the time we were waiting to hear from Healing The Children and Boston Children's Hospital to see if they would accept the case.
Well I have some great news to share, Boston Children's Hospital accepted the case and in September Yeltsin flew to Boston in order to have his arm amputated. He has been living with a host family and many have donated their time to ensure Yeltsin makes it to his medical appointments and rehabilitation. He did have to return to the hospital after his initial surgery because there were issues with the wound healing correctly, however I have been told he is in good spirits.
Yeltsin landed in Boston as a New York Yankees fan but quickly realized that Boston was no place for a Yankees fan. The former Bishop of Juticalpa, Honduras, Boston native, & Red Sox fan Maurus Muldoon has been one of the key contributors to Yeltsin's adventure. Bishop Muldoon told me he received a late night phone call a few weeks from the hospital, it was Yelstin, just wanting to congratulate the Bishop on the Red Sox victory. Big thanks to Healing The Children, the staff at Boston Children's Hospital, and all the volunteers who have made this possible.
Before, Yeltsin with his father in Honduras.
After, Yeltsin with his new Red Sox shirt & having dinner with some friends in Boston.
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A surprise visit from the New England Revolution Soccer Team & Bishop Muldoon
Thankfully Chicago Children's Hospital didn't accept the surgery.....I would have hated for Yeltsin to spend his life as a Cub fan, life is tough enough. Here's a picture of my parents and their long time friends, Don & Carol Portugal at a Cardinals playoff game a few weekends ago. GO Redbirds!!!
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Here in Honduras, Futbol is all the buzz! Hondurans like to see Honduras win and Mexico lose. Here is a picture of Carina and I watching the Honduras / Jamaica game at her friends house a couple weekends ago.
I'm living in a different home this year. Last year I lived with the other volunteers but with the wedding in November I went ahead and found a house to rent so I wouldn't have to move once we got married. The house is great, however I don't have running water. Some neighborhoods in Juticalpa have constant running water while others do not. The city turns on the water in my neighborhood about twice a week, and that is when everyone fills up their water storage tanks (pilas).
So, how does life work without running water? Well for one you buy a plastic container and put it next to your sink so you have water for dishes and cooking. I bathe outside next to the pila, kind of like a bucket bath, and I make sure I always have plenty of purified drinking water.
So, how does life work without running water? Well for one you buy a plastic container and put it next to your sink so you have water for dishes and cooking. I bathe outside next to the pila, kind of like a bucket bath, and I make sure I always have plenty of purified drinking water.
My outdoor shower.
Drinking water.
I hung a hammock recently, I will get a lot of use out of this. Most homes here don't have yards but some have outdoor covered living areas like this, either in front of our behind the house.
Our friend Laura got married earlier this month, here are a couple pictures from her wedding.
Our wedding plans our coming along. We have the Priest, the church & Guillermo (our wedding planner), I guess the rest will fall into place. Carina is in the capital city of Tegucigalpa today with her aunt shopping for the material for her dress. Her aunt will make the dress. Here is a picture of us sampling the food for the reception & cake shopping. The owner of the bakery was taking a nap (on the floor of the bakery) when we stopped by, guess she wasn't quite done with her siesta because she didn't get up, she just rolled over and started talking cake.
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Now for Carlos (age 23) and his sister Cindy (age 14).
My friend Carlos called me a few weeks ago and asked if we could talk. I have known Carlos and his sister Cindy since I started dating Carina, Carlos is a teacher at one of the schools where I volunteer and Carina's parents have "adopted" Cindy. She goes to Carina's house after school and on the weekends, she will help Carina's mother around the house, cooks, and joins the family for meals. It has been a great way for Cindy to earn money, it gives her a place to go, and she has been the beneficiary of several of Carina's old dresses, shoes, and jewelry.
Meet Carlos (in his white uniform) & his cousin.
About 10 years ago, Cindy and Carlos' mother passed away. Their father was in the picture while their mother was alive but once she passed he found another wife and has since moved to another town where he has a new family, leaving Carlos to raise Cindy. Carlos has served as big brother & "father". Thanks to some women in community (like Carina's mother), Cindy does have female role models, but of course nobody can replace your own mom.
I was well aware of their story because Carina and I had discussed their situation in the past. The thing that Carlos brought to my attention during our conversation was their living situation. Carlos and Cindy don't have a house, they live in a small building (about 8 X 20 ft). Inside the building are 2 rooms where they each have a bed, however there is no place to study, to read, to cook, go to the bathroom, or to relax. A 23-year-old man and 14-year-old girl basically living on top of each other. They do have a water tank outside where they can take a bucket bath but I'm not sure what they do for a toilet. I didn't want to ask, because I was afraid I would embarrass Carlos, I'm assuming they go outside or use a neighbors toilet.
Carlos approached me to see if I knew anybody who could pay for the materials to add a room onto their "house", this extra room would serve as a living room and kitchen, as you can see from the photos they currently keep their refrigerator, stove, and table next to their beds. After visiting the home and seeing how small the building was, I asked Carlos to send me the cost of the building materials for a living room, small kitchen, and bathroom. Carlos, his cousin, and their friends will do the construction themselves, they just need the money to buy the materials.
Carlos e-mailed me the cost of the materials for a living room, kitchen and bathroom. For $1,400 he can buy enough sand, concrete mix, block, steel, wood, nails, and screws to construct these additional rooms. Can you help?
If I could get everyone who reads my blog to send me $30, $20, or even just $10 we could help Carlos buy these materials. Materials are not expensive here in Honduras. If all you are able to donate is $5, then please send $5, Carlos needs it. Every $5 will help as he buys blocks or bags of concrete. If you can help (and I hope you can), please use the PayPal link below or write a check to Michael Freesmeier and mail it to the address below, my sister can deposit checks into my account.
Click Here to pay via PayPal
Or
Mail Check To -
Elizabeth Freesmeier
7244 Althorp Way
Nashville, TN 37211
I don't believe it's possible to help everybody, first a person has to decide that they want to help themselves. If one hand is giving & the other hand is only receiving then we aren't really helping people. This is not the case with Carlos and Cindy, they are certainly the kind of people that are willing to help themselves. Carlos and Cindy both work, both attend school, and both have a great attitude about the life God has given them.
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My friend Carlos called me a few weeks ago and asked if we could talk. I have known Carlos and his sister Cindy since I started dating Carina, Carlos is a teacher at one of the schools where I volunteer and Carina's parents have "adopted" Cindy. She goes to Carina's house after school and on the weekends, she will help Carina's mother around the house, cooks, and joins the family for meals. It has been a great way for Cindy to earn money, it gives her a place to go, and she has been the beneficiary of several of Carina's old dresses, shoes, and jewelry.
Meet Carlos (in his white uniform) & his cousin.
Meet Cindy -
I was well aware of their story because Carina and I had discussed their situation in the past. The thing that Carlos brought to my attention during our conversation was their living situation. Carlos and Cindy don't have a house, they live in a small building (about 8 X 20 ft). Inside the building are 2 rooms where they each have a bed, however there is no place to study, to read, to cook, go to the bathroom, or to relax. A 23-year-old man and 14-year-old girl basically living on top of each other. They do have a water tank outside where they can take a bucket bath but I'm not sure what they do for a toilet. I didn't want to ask, because I was afraid I would embarrass Carlos, I'm assuming they go outside or use a neighbors toilet.
Building where they live.
Cindy's bed & their table for eating.
Carlos' bed and their refrigerator.
A corner for the stove and cooking area.
Carlos approached me to see if I knew anybody who could pay for the materials to add a room onto their "house", this extra room would serve as a living room and kitchen, as you can see from the photos they currently keep their refrigerator, stove, and table next to their beds. After visiting the home and seeing how small the building was, I asked Carlos to send me the cost of the building materials for a living room, small kitchen, and bathroom. Carlos, his cousin, and their friends will do the construction themselves, they just need the money to buy the materials.
Carlos e-mailed me the cost of the materials for a living room, kitchen and bathroom. For $1,400 he can buy enough sand, concrete mix, block, steel, wood, nails, and screws to construct these additional rooms. Can you help?
If I could get everyone who reads my blog to send me $30, $20, or even just $10 we could help Carlos buy these materials. Materials are not expensive here in Honduras. If all you are able to donate is $5, then please send $5, Carlos needs it. Every $5 will help as he buys blocks or bags of concrete. If you can help (and I hope you can), please use the PayPal link below or write a check to Michael Freesmeier and mail it to the address below, my sister can deposit checks into my account.
Click Here to pay via PayPal
Or
Mail Check To -
Elizabeth Freesmeier
7244 Althorp Way
Nashville, TN 37211
I don't believe it's possible to help everybody, first a person has to decide that they want to help themselves. If one hand is giving & the other hand is only receiving then we aren't really helping people. This is not the case with Carlos and Cindy, they are certainly the kind of people that are willing to help themselves. Carlos and Cindy both work, both attend school, and both have a great attitude about the life God has given them.
I don't know Carlos' exact salary but I'm confident that as a teacher at the private school where he works he makes about $325 a month. That gives you an idea of why it's so difficult to save for things like construction materials.
I will send updates in the next couple of weeks in regards to the money that has been raised and what we still need. I will also send pictures as they purchase materials and start construction. I'm counting on you.... THANKS!!
