Camp: day one

Day one of camp is coming to a close and I am listening to the voices of the campers running around playing a game that I believe is called ‘Capture the Balls’ or something like that. We have eleven cabins with about 60 students. Our team is split between the eleven cabins and I have been very impressed with everyone. Last night we met as a team and talked about the importance of jumping in and making the most of our time. And so far that is exactly what everyone has done.

Our theme this week is ‘Identity’ and more specifically how our identity changes when we place our faith in Christ. Please pray for us as we try to build relationships in our cabins that we would share the gospel with our actions and words.

We will be off to bed soon and Lord willing everyone will get some good sleep because we have some late nights and early mornings here at camp.

p.s. We miss you Hannah. We are thankful you are okay but we are not the same without you. We are praying for you.

more pics

Team rocking out at another school.

Katherine looking good for the camera

Happy Birthday Taylor!

Team sings Padre Abraham with a group of students


Outside of the first school Team 2 did their presentation at


Katherine getting ready for the camp

hello from maddie

Hi, this is Maddie. I am so excited for what’s to come and the adventures in store for the team. On our first day in Honduras we had Honduran Pizza Hut which is super good. If they had Honduran Pizza Hut in the United States the pizza would sell like “hot cakes”! We delivered wheel chairs to some Hondurans and it felt like we were changing lives and that all we had worked for was coming to a great result. On the second day we went to a Honduran public school where kids who lived at the dump would go to get an education. It was amazing seeing people give their time to help others. We then gave lunch to people living at the dump. We found that 800 people, just like us just in a different and more unlucky situation, lived at the dump. It was so sad and so moving and it made me feel like I was a super rich, American. Then I thought about all the food the United States throws away every day! We just have so much meat and perfectly good food that we just aren’t hungry for.

Since this weekend everybody has been just lounging around, working and sleeping. The meals have been great and the friends I’ve made are absolutely awesome. I miss my family from which I got at least million dollar masterpiece from my five year old sister and a definite award-winning and super sweet poem from my seven year old brother. I was touched by that mail and I miss them even more now. “I love you!” to my family at home. I can see how God is working through everybody these past few days. Everybody has a great story to tell, Hannah is safe in the US with her family, and Kike is getting better. I have loved this giant adventure and I hope to have more in the future.

Hola everyone

Hey, it’s me, Hannah Bunting!

So far, we are having an amazing trip! The first day was great and humbling. It was reminding me of my muscle disease and that I kind of related to those people coming to get wheelchairs. The second day at the dump was so moving. It reminded me of how selfish the USA is, I mean, if those Hondurans at the dump had OUR GARBAGE to go through, they could be much better off than they are now, and that is only our garbage. The days before Hannah’s and Kike’s accidents were pretty much uneventful, exciting, but easy going. The day of the accident started out really great, but when Jon, Ken, and Joe raced out we were getting kind of worried. At first we were joking around that it was Brock because he was probably the most likely to get hurt, but when we did not hear anything from Jon, we started getting REALLY worried. As we started to get the details, slowly, one after the other, everyone started to break down. The whole experience was hard, but in the end, it brought the team together more than anything else possibly could. The days leading up to now have been pretty relaxing and uneventful. I have made MANY new friends and learned so much about how God shows his love for us. I am beginning to be very grateful for everything I have. I know that I hear that all of the time, to be grateful, but the realization and the reality of it all doesn’t set in like it does when you are in a country that has people, God’s people, digging through trash all day, every day, hardly making more than 0.2 lempira a day; 30 cents.

Bunch of posts from students

A quick note before I post all the students' blogs. Some of these posts were written before Hannah and Kike got hurt which will helps explain why the students wrote what they did. We have not had internet for the last couple days, but the team is doing really well. I read them your comments that I was able to access while in town. We love your prayers and support. The team worked hard today in the schools and is getting ready for camp on Wednesday. We miss Hannah and are thankful she is doing well.
Jon Anderson

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Dear Fam,

We hope you’re having fun at home without us & stuffffffff.

Give Louie baby a kiss for us. (:

We miss you a lot! And we love youuuu. Jeansleeves.

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From Taylor:

Hey family,

I hope you guys are having fun… even if I am not there(: Luke and Noah, I hope you guys are staying true to your promise that you made me (if you don’t remember… it was behaving and not arguing for mom and dad.) I love you all!!

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Hey, this is Katherine!

This trip has been going amazingly smoothly so far, and we have had no real problems. The last couple days have been pretty crazy and busy, but I am having the time of my life! It was great to go to sleep on Thursday night after having such a busy day of traveling, and I am feeling very energized. I am so excited to be at the camp, and I can’t wait to meet my fellow campers in a few days. It is really cool to experience the Honduran culture, which has its similarities and many differences from American culture. I have to say that one of my favorite parts of the culture so far has been the food. It is absolutely delicious! Every meal so far has had beans, tortillas, some kind of meat, fruits, and vegetables. Yum. Today we are preparing for camp. I have already had some awesome experiences, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the trip has in store for me!

Tom,

Happy Birthday! I cannot believe that you are already 10. Congratulations, brother! I hope you are having an awesome day, and I miss you a lot. I have been thinking about you a ton! I sang you Happy Birthday this morning when I woke up.

I’m sure you would love the fruits and juices here! Every day we have a different kind of fruit juice, and all the flavors are new to me. I have also eaten some of your favorite fruit, MANGOS! They are super yummy! I’m really sorry I’m not with you on your birthday, but I know we are both having a great time! I miss you and love you so much. Pass on my love to the rest of the family! I’ll see you soon!

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Hey peoples! Greetings from Olan in Honduras J We’re having an awesome time here watching the USA vs. Ghana game on a cute little T.V. and learning songs in Spanish for our presentation at a Honduran school on Tuesday. Yesterday we had a great eye opening experience at a garbage dump and a ministry there focused on helping people redirect we their lives so they can get out of living in the dump and loving these very people as well. We all learned so much, I’m sure anyone on this team will tell you now. Today has been incredibly relaxing for most of us. Some of us were dragged “four miles” by a cow on a rope, chiseling chunks of cement, or just sorting colored beads. It’s been awesome, and I hope that everyone is doing well back in the States! Thank you all for your prayer and support, and don’t be sad and cry in a corner if you miss us. It’s O.K. that we’re gone ‘cause we’re just having tons of fun, yes? This team is going to do some great things.

Quick updates

Hey guys,

Kristen again. Jon contacted us quickly, letting us know that wireless isn't working at camp right now. They're just as bummed as we are that they haven't been able to post pictures or more updates yet!

CAMP UPDATES:
Today the students were going into the community to make some presentations at local schools. Students were looking forward to doing a kid-friendly/modified version of the "Everything" drama by Lifehouse. They are probably going to 5-6 schools, reaching 1000 students total!

Everyone has been getting excited about camp!

Our group was scheduled to help with the first session of camp that is for ages 12-15; then the week after they left, the next session of camp was occurring for ages 15-18. Change of plans! The two camps are going to merge into one giant week of camp. This means the team has more responsibilities and needs to make some adjustments to programming with a wider audience. They're up for the challenge! Kike was supposed to be in charge of camp, but the doctors have ordered him to take it easy. Lots of local camp supporters are rallying to help, and it's been cool to see everyone cancel plans to be at camp for the week.

In addition to getting things ready (like crafts, games and teaching), the team is helping get the facility ready--painting the dining hall, putting in new benches around the property and putting water seal on the cabins. Camp starts on Wednesday!!

HANNAH UPDATE:
Yesterday Hannah made it safe and sound to West Palm Beach, Florida, where her mom was able to see her before surgery last night. Surgery on her femur went well. Hannah now has a rod in her leg running from her hip to her knee. She also has a broken hand, forcing the doctors to think of some creative ways to help her get around since traditional crutches won't be an option. She'll be in the hospital recuperating for a few days.

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Thanks for your awesome notes of encouragement! It's been awesome to see the love and support of the Blackhawk community. Feel free to continue leaving fun notes for the students.