Hey there America! J  today we did a lot of work here at Amigos.  We have all been itching to do something all week and today we cleared a lot of the site of grass and surveyed most of the outside of the building.  I am starting to realize that we only have 2 more whole days here to get to spend time with the boys while also trying to help them accomplish as much as possible with the new building.  Some of the boys just jumped in and helped us work in the field.  The older ones were helpful but the younger ones were just walking around swinging machetes. There are a few boys with whom ive spent a lot of time with and really gotten to know.  You would not believe the stories of some of the boys and how they ended up at this little oasis that is Amigos de Jesus.  This place is so great and so beautiful it is hard to remember that just down the street is utter poverty and trash covering the roads and fields.  The food here has been surprisingly good, and last night I helped Dr.D make fried chicken and corn that was grown right here.  It was really good.  This really nice old lady helped us make it, and she was so funny-making fun of me and Dr.D the whole time.   Its been a great trip so far and all the people in the group have really come together. Clue: Miniature

Cant wait to see you all soon!
Miss you and much love,
Mags

Hi everyone!  We started the day yesterday with some great frittatas courtesy of Shawn and Dave.  Kelly, Kati, Murph and I went into Azacualpa with Rob.  We rode there in the back of the pickup truck and really got to see the countryside.  We had to get some groceries, because Shawn and Dave needed some supplies in order to make dinner last night.  I tried banana pop for the first time.  It was interesting, but I really enjoyed it.  We also got some limes that looked exactly like oranges.  We didn’t believe that they were limes until the guy at the store cut one in half and let us try it.  We spent the rest of the day removing grass from the field where we are planning on building the girls’ dorm.  The boys came out and worked with us without us even asking.  It was fun to be able to just work and hang out with the boys.  Then we had dinner at the volunteer house.  Dave was looking fantastic!  Kelly is really annoying me, I’m so done with her.  Did I mention how great Dave has been? (Last few sentences written by Dave while I was getting pancakes)  Thanks everyone who wrote me messages yesterday.  Rachel, I hope you’re feeling all right after the work on your teeth.  Julie, I hope you are having fun in Oklahoma City.  Good luck at your concert.  Clue: Third

Love,
Andy

Hey everyone! Today was a good day.  I started out by going through a massive amount of new art supplies donated for the boys. It was so exciting to see all the new and creative things they have to work with…they all have so much talent but don’t have the necessary means to express it. We also did an art project with them with pastels. They loved learning to use them and hanging them all over the dining hall! We just found out that we’re taking a bus to Copan Ruinas to see ancient Mayan ruins on Friday. I’m pretty excited to go but sad to know I only have one more day left with the boys. I have falling completely in love with every one of them and I have no idea how I’m going to leave them. PAULUS—I’m working on bringing you home a machete, but you haven’t written to me at all sooo… JULES same with you—I could smuggle a boy home for you but you have yet to write to me. Oh and Nicole…I’m over you. Mom—thanks for consistently writing, I look forward to getting your messages.  Convince Roseann to adopt. J Thanks everyone else for writing too…I really appreciate it J Miss and love everyone terribly! See you shortly! 618amor<3 –Mia

Hey there, today Rob (aka Roberto or Santa Claus) took Murph, Kati, Andy, and me into town to pick up some groceries and mail. I sat up front with Rob, and the other three stood up in the back of the pickup truck. It was interesting to see all of the Hondurans look at them as we drove by. When we got back we helped out with the layout of the building though it wasn’t very productive with 6 or so boys around helping. Since there was already a group putting up a level fence to layout the building, the rest of us were trying to remove the grass in the area. The boys are cute when they’re trying to help, but when they start throwing manure covered soil it isn’t quite as endearing. On Thursday we’ll do less of clearing the field and more layout. I think I’m going to help out in one of Scott’s classes. I also went on a run with Grace and Scott (two of the volunteers) to Macuelizo. We crossed the river in our sneakers. It was fun joining them on something they do regularly. SPG and DD cooked us dinner (fried chicken, salsa, pasta salad, corn, and bread). Very good! I’m excited for our last bit of time here, but I also know it will be very difficult to leave the boys. Can’t wait to share more about the trip in person!
Much love, kel

Hey everybody, I hope this finds you well.  Yesterday we spent a lot of time figuring out how to set up the batter boards for the new girl’s dormitory, and figured out our system.  So tomorrow we should be able to knock it out pretty quickly, which is pretty exciting.  Dr. Gross and I had an interesting experience with a lime that looks and smells like an orange.  A couple of people went into Asequelpa (spelling?) to get supplies for dinner, and brought back “limes”.  I kid you not; they were about the size of an orange, round like an orange, orange like an orange, and smelled like a tangerine.  But when you tasted it, it was a lime.  There were no if and or buts about it, it was good.  Dr. Gross and Dr. Dinehart made a special dinner last night that was simply amazing.  I gorged myself beyond all reason.  Fried chicken, pasta salad with pepperoni, corn on the cob, and fresh salsa.  The best meal I’ve had in a while, sorry mom.  I am really looking forward to tomorrow and finishing the batter boards for the building.  And with our system down, and a delicious meal in my belly, there is no reason to not think tomorrow will be a great day.
Love,
Colin

Hi everyone! Today was a great day! We woke up and headed out to the field where the girls dormitory is planning on being built. A few people were doing work on where the building would go and a lot of other people were trying to get rid of the grass on the field by shoveling and stuff. It was a lot of hard work but we got a lot done. I ended up doing for a ride into the larger town near by with a few people and we picked up some things at the grocery. It was so much fun. We came back and ended up working in the field a bit more. It was great too, because the boys all wanted to hang out with us so they just came and did work with us. They are all so perfect, and I am falling in love with each and every one of them. And then for dinner Dr. D and Dr. G made everyone dinner which was so good! It was a great day but I am soo beat, I will write tomorrow and keep you posted. Miss you and love you,
Kati

Hi everyone!  Today we did a lot of work in the field.  First we were told to clear all of the grass by hand where the building is going to go, but then I did some work with the transit with a few other people and we were working until after 5!  The boys ran out to the field after school because they wanted to help, and it was really entertaining (and scary) to see 8-10 year old boys (who are about the size of 4 year old American boys) hacking at the grass with machetes.  Anyway, we had a really delicious “surprise” dinner tonight that Dr. Gross and Dr. Dinehart made for us: fried chicken, pasta salad, corn on the cob, and homemade bread (that the other volunteers made! J)  It has been raining all week which is apparently very rare since it is supposed to be the dry season, but we are hoping for a nice sunny day tomorrow!  We have a lot more work to get done in the field.  Grace: it is DEFINITELY a popularity contest and I have no doubt that you can beat out Catherine’s sorority, so feel free to leave lots of messages!  Oh and I hope that you are getting better!!  Mom & Dad the trip is going well I miss you!  Matt… I’m sad that you didn’t write today (at least not by lunch which is when we get our messages from the internet), I was looking for a good response!  Anyway I will keep updating and I’ll talk to you all when I get back to the US!
-Lauren

Hello lovelies –
I am LOVING the posts, I feel so loved.  Brianne, thanks for sending that email, you are so dependable and the best big ever!!!!! Mom, make sure BOTH of my sisters post before Saturday or else I am not coming home!  I will stay here forever.  Today was a tough day in the field; a lot of manual labor.  We were digging up grass where the building is going to be built.  Tomorrow we are going to stake out the perimeter of the building; I am excited to see how a building gets built!  Tonight Dr. Gross and Dr. Dinehart made us an amazing dinner tonight.  One of the volunteers even made homemade bread!  It was a great day, but it rained again!  The amount of rain and how cold it is here is amazing…you’d have thought Honduras would have been a little warmer.  On Friday I heard we are going to Copan Ruinas, some Mayan Ruins, and I am really excited and that night I heard there is a fiesta for us.  These last couple of days are going to go by so fast, I am going to be very sad to leave.  Until tomorrow,
                                       -Catherine

Hey Everyone!  Today was probably the most relaxed day so far. I got to spend a lot of time with the boys and I actually helped this boy named Jose Luis with Math (yes, I actually have some basic math skills, surprisingly.) We did flash cards and I wrote out problems for him to solve.  He really is a smart kid.  But what impacted me the most was how eager he was to learn.  He sought help after school and we sat outside, while all his friends were running around and playing soccer, but he was still so focused on learning.  A lot of the boys are like that and it really is incredible how determined a lot of them are. Aside from that, I can’t believe I only have two more days here.  Mom and Dad- Thoughts on me dropping out of college and moving to Honduras?  Let me know.  See you all very soon!  Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers!
Love,
Bridget

Hola a todos, la verdad es que en estos dias el clima sorpresivamente ha estado mas frio de lo que pensaba y ha llovido bastante algo que nos ha retrasado un poco. Ruth gracias por los mensajes y gracias por mantener a mama comunicada, dejale saber que todo esta muy bn por aca. Grace gracias por tu mensaje, claro que me recuerdo del mensaje que me mandastes el año pasado. Espero que este año nos juntemos para ablar un poco español y jugar un poco de futbol cuidate mucho.
Ramon

Hola America!  Wow, so we have been here for 5 days with 2 to go and I can’t believe it.  Early this morning we started with the clearing of the grass and topsoil of the outlined girl’s dormitory.  It rained on and off today, along with the other days: so it’s not my fault Mom why I’m not a bronze shade like my Honduran bros.  In the late morning into the afternoon a couple of us traveled into Azacualpa, the larger of towns near Amigos de Jesus.  We went to what was deemed a ‘the home depot of Honduras’ and we drove around roads with us standing up in bed of the truck.  The view of the mountains and terrain was breathtaking.  I later played UNO with a couple of the boys, which was hilarious, and then painted with the boys during Arts and Crafts.  For dinner, the Drs. made us an awesome meal of fried chicken, pasta salad, homemade salsa and bread.  We just capped off the night by using the telescope to look at some stars and the moon.  FRIDAY – we are going to the MAYAN RUINS of Copan!!  I hope Miami is fun BCON and that everyone is having a blast.  Panama City – I hope the gang is all having a cool time and living it help while staying safe.  I can’t wait to see everyone soon.  I love the updates, thank you so much to everyone!
Love you Dad

Hello again!  Today we got rolling on the layout of the new building and began clearing the grass and topsoil.  Originally, we thought that these things would be completed when we got here and that we would be digging foundations; however, there was not much of anything started on the new building because they have so many other daily tasks to worry about.  We are hoping that by marking out the exact layout of the building, we’ll be able to give them a jump start and the construction of the building get rolling.  I hope that you are all doing great and enjoying the snow—I heard we got a good little storm.  Katie, I got your letter—it was beautifully written and I loved it, thank you!  We have just a few days left, so hopefully we can get some good work done before we go.  And also, spend quality time having fun with the boys.  Is amazing the impact that they can have on us and we can have on them with a simple hug.  I’ll check in again soon.  Take care of yourselves.
Love,
John

Hello! Today was not as adventurous as yesterday, however still a great day. We began snapping lines and setting boards for the new dorm building. We also began removing the grass from the work site using machetes, pick axes, and shovels…lets just say it is a very slow and strenuous process. In the afternoon the boys came back from school and ‘helped’ us in the field. I emphasis the word helped because some of them actually did assists us ini our tasks while others simply threw cow crap and dirt at us and each other. I did manage to teach one boy, Nahun, how to rack and use a pick axe. Nahun is turning 16 on Friday but he doesn’t know how to speak and has some sort of mental disorder. However, you will never meet a kid that will get a bigger smile on his face when you ask him if he wants to help you or tell him good job. Probably the saddest thing I have noticed since being here is how smart some of these boys are, but in this country they simply don’t have the opportunities to develop. Two boys in particular Oscar and Christian both show a great interest in learning and helping us with using the transit and strapping lines. Finally, Dr. D and Dr.G told us today that we will be going to Copan to the Mayan ruins on Friday!!!!!!! I am so excited. I have wanted to see them since I first saw pictures of them in 7^th grade Spanish class. I will try to take video but my camera only has 12 min of battery left, sorry Dad.  Clue: Floor
-Matt