safe travels

Kristen reporting from Madison. The team made it from Honduras to their layover in Houston. They had a few hours of a delay, but at this very moment they are in the air on their way to O'Hare.

Special thanks to the parents picking up the students!

Show & Tell
Thursday, July 8
7 pm @ Blackhawk in the Underground
Hear stories and see pictures! We'll provide desserts. Everyone welcome!

Keep praying for team member Hannah, who is still in Florida. We're all hoping that she'll be able to be transported back to Wisconsin soon!!

quick update

We are loading the vans as I write so this will be short. Camp ended a couple hours ago with the bus song, ask the students, and now we are packed and heading out to Tela for a two day debrief with some of the leadership team here at the camp.

This morning we shared God sightings from this past week and it was encouraging to hear from everyone about how they saw God work in different ways. The students are tired but in great spirits and excited about the chance to buy some coke in a bag, talk about the trip and get a little down time.

Thanks for your prayers and my hope is that I can write more updates and read all your comments to the team.

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July wonderful Honduras Team from the families back home missing you on this holiday. We hope camp finished well and you have a good time at the beach. See you soon.

Hey everyone :D

Greetings from West Palm Beach, Florida! As many of you can tell by now, I haven't been cleared to go home yet. Or anywhere, really. I've kinda been stuck in bed all day here. At least it means that I am on the road to recovery! My legs still hurts like no tomorrow and my hand is still out of commission (which is sad, because it means no art at the moment), but I can say that I've had a nose job due to my broken nose. Currently, I dearly miss Honduras and the whole team. I love you all.
The amount of concern and care that everyone has been showing has helped a ton, and it helps keep me smiling and enjoying the fact that I'm simply alive after an accident such as that. I am eternally grateful to Kike and repelling safety gear (helmet) because without either of them, my condition would be much much worse.
I hope that everything in Honduras is running as smoothly as it was when I was there. I miss you all and everyone is in my thoughts and prayers.
Sending love from Florida,
Hannah Fricke

camp: day three

We just wrapped up our third day of camp and once again it was a great day. Groups have bonded since day one with the help of high ropes, team building and some messy games. Last night Logan did an excellent job sharing his story with the group before and the first night I forgot to mention that Olan was willing to share her story spur of the moment and did a great job too.

The group also performed the Lifehouse drama that they had practiced before coming as we talked about the new identity we have in Christ after we place our faith in him. We also played a game where I got pudding all over my head which I am sure relates to Jesus in some way. He knows.

We finished the night with the cabins acting out scenes for Spider Man movies but with each group having its own movie genre.

The group continues to do well and I am thankful for a camp that has run so smoothly so far. It has offered a much needed emotional break for everyone involved. Thank you for your prayers and please keep praying as I know you are.

Good night from Honduras

pictures from Hanna M

Our new homes while at camp

Gringos looking good

Jackson showing off that he DOES brush his teeth

a few random pics

The whole crew on day one

Sort of low quality shot from the day we gave out wheelchairs

Another cute kid picture

A little down time just before the campers arrived

Camp: day two

Day two of camp was our first full day and I can tell the students still are on an energy high. They started getting up for showers around 5 am which is just plain sick J After breakfast the cabins spent some time in devotionals and then headed off to one of five different camp activities.

When we have any down time the guys find their way to the football (soccer) field and the girls sit in the shade and talk mostly about the boys. There are a couple on our team, whom shall remain unnamed, that have attracted a lot of attention.

Tonight will be our second session and we will be talking about how the world and everyone in it is broken and that we need help. A number of students here are likely not Christ followers to please pray that God would draw them toward Himself and that those who know Him would grow in their knowledge of God’s love for them.

Our students are doing a great job of making new friends and trying new activities. They are not sticking with just each other which can be a challenge. I hear them learning new Spanish phrases and asking lots of questions. I am very proud of them.

The last things we will be doing before we head to bed tonight is a night game of capture the flag. It is a good way to end our day. We are thankful for your prayers and I will try and post up a more pictures when I can get them.

another happy birthday!

Yesterday was Taylor's birthday and today is Ben's. Please post any birthday wishes you would like to pass on and I will copy them off so they see them.


Thanks all!

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.

Message to Andrea from John Cooper of Skillet

Andrea,

We got to talk to John Cooper at Summerfest. He sent this message to you. We are praying for all of you guys. You are all amazing and we are proud of you. We love you and miss you.

Mom and Dad

Big Adventure

Hi faithful Honduras readers! This is Kristen writing. Various people on staff have been in touch with the team at camp and have told me some new info to post.

On Saturday, half the Blackhawk team went with some people from camp on a scheduled camping trip. Kike is the camp director and was leading the hike; he's sort of like their version of Jon Anderson... with hair. One of the common camp team building exercises includes rappelling down a waterfall, which all went great. It started to rain unexpectedly, so they stopped for safety reasons. Those that had already gone down the waterfall climbed back up the path to the top, which is where the rest of the group was waiting.

On the way up, Hannah Fricke (rising sophomore) slipped and tumbled. Kike was behind her and broke her fall.

Hannah's leg twisted and her femur (the big thigh bone) was fractured. She also hit her head.

When they got back to camp, Jon rode with Hannah to the hospital, and she has been in really great spirits. She got some stitches on her head, and she needs surgery to fix her leg. She hasn't been in much pain (other than when they reset her leg). While at the hospital, Hannah said things like, "It's so exciting to be on an adventure! I know that pain is normally a part that makes something an adventure." Gotta love the resiliency of teenagers!

The other students have been amazing. Even before this accident, they have been praying more on this trip than on any other, which has been bonding them together as a team. They feel very close. The group has been taking a lot of time to process what happened, and they have been acknowledging that this is what it means to do missions -- it involves some risks outside of everyday life.

Jen Bagley (one of the other adults on the trip) spent the night with Hannah at the hospital.

Kike broke his clavicle (collar bone) and a rib, and his face had some stitches and is swollen.

Hannah will be transported back to the States for her leg surgery. Right now, she is en route to Florida on a medical evacuation flight. Our main missionary in Honduras is Ken, and his wife Sue is accompanying Hannah to Florida. Also, Hannah's mom, Carol, is en route to Florida.

The other half of the group was scheduled to go on the camping trip tonight, but instead everyone is going to stay at the camp to help with other preparations. (Plus, it has been raining a lot.)

What can ya do? Pray.
--Pray for Hannah, particularly her air transport, surgery and recovery.
--Pray for Kike, particularly his recovery (both physically and emotionally).
--Pray for Hannah's family, particularly her mom and grandparents who will see her soon yet probably after surgery.
--Pray for camp. This is a lot for the permanent camp staff to process because nothing like this has ever happened. Already the plan has started to shift (with no camping trip tonight), which can be discouraging to students.

The team will certainly continue processing these events. They are encouraged by Hannah's attitude. Her biggest complaint is that she won't be coming back after her surgery like she wants. That has certainly helped give us perspective on her optimism!

The team would love to hear some encouragement, so please leave fun comments!

some more day 2

Hello everyone this is Andrea and Elle!

We are glad to say everything has gone as planned and everyone is healthy. When we arrived in Honduras we went to give out wheel chairs. This experience was moving and good practice for our Spanish. Every person we gave a wheel chair to was incredibly kind, thankful and full of smiles. There was one man that was part of a gang and both of his legs were gone. There was also a really friendly girl that we gave all of our Facebook information to. Now on to are second day and WOW what a day. We don’t think anyone got through the day without having a strong motional experience about what we saw. This was likely a once in a life time opportunity. We went to a school that was teaching children, who lived in a local garbage dump. There we learned a little bit about an everyday life at the dump. Later in the day we actually went up to the dump and feed 200 people. Within four minutes all the food was gone. There was a mountain of garbage and the people worked to find food, cans, paper and stuff for shelter. The peoples’ houses were surrounded by garbage.

The day ended with getting to the camp YAY!! Now we are off to bed and look forward to hearing from all of you.

Day 2

By Kyra Jaehn

Being in Honduras is amazing! As soon as we got off the plane there was a feeling of excitement that no one could get rid of. Even when I was a little homesick I never lost my excitement for this trip! There is so much to learn here and all of the residents are so willing to share with us. When I first came here I thought we were going to make a huge impact, more then being impacted, but I was wrong. Everywhere I go I can see God working through people. For example, today our group went to a school for the children of people who work in a dump. The people living there are literally searching through piles of trash for food and shelter for their families. This school is providing education for children who live in the dump and I find that awesome. So far, all the people I met are so friendly and helpful, I feel very welcome. I hope that as this trip goes on we will make more bonds with the people here and both impact others and be impacted!