Construction Started on the School!

I have been trying to think of what I can write about. I have been wanting to write something to all of you because I feel like I haven’t been in contact with many of you for weeks now. So much has been happening and January has been the busiest month so far. I would like to catch everyone up on the craziness here, since many do not know…

January 2, I started planning the commencement ceremony for construction on the Cocal Gracias school.

January 7, Joel came into town. Joel flew in for the ceremony and to film as much of the construction as he could before going home. Having him down here was a lot of fun. He came prepared with all sorts of ideas on things to do for the update videos, and we worked hard every moment we were out at La Esperanza. Hopefully we will have a video soon for all to see, right Joel?

January 9, we had the Mayor, Alan Reyes, and the district superintendent of the Church, Begardo Bardales, come out to the site with six other dignitaries and they placed the first block for the school. In Honduras, they do not break ground to start a project, they lay the first block. This symbolic event was fun for us because you just do it anywhere. Block laying doesn’t actually start until the second week of construction. After they laid the block, we just picked it up and put it back in the church to use later. We also presented the cards from the Send Your Love Campaign to the community. They were really impressed and I was also. We had over 60 cards to give them. Thank you to all of you who participated in the Campaign. We raised over $1500 with the cards and the result is part of the three classrooms we are now building.

Joel and I went to Tegucigalpa to see about renewing my visa and it did not work, so when he left on January 18, I was off to Belize the following day. I met some fun new people and stayed at the same hotel. Several locals remembered me and I ate most of my meals in the house of a man named Gasper. His mom of 91, he and I, spent most of my one day there to talk about politics, travel, reading, God, construction, and anything else you can think of.

I returned from Belize to find a group from Michigan helping build the clinic, which is the last phase of the La Esperanza project. It will be on the other side of the church from the school. I spent the last few days serving with them at the project site and doing some translation. The school is looking amazing and should be finished in a few more weeks. I am now headed to Danli tomorrow to translate once again for the medical team from Baker City, Oregon. I have been looking forward to being with them since the day they left last year. I will be with them all week and be back on Saturday to film the roof going on the classrooms. After we finish the classrooms, I think I will sleep for a week.

For those of you who remember Franchesca, the girl that some of you helped put in school last year, she is starting her second year in fourth grade on Feb. 11. I am really proud of her and thank you to all of you who have helped her. She is the top of her class and teachers are fighting over who gets to teach her class.

Tio Jaime, who I wrote about in December is doing considerably worse with his cancer and is now bed-ridden. I went to see him yesterday and we talked for several hours. At one point in the conversation he asked for his wallet and pulled out 65 dollars and donated it to the project of the school. He would be embarrassed by me telling everyone about his donation, but it was a really great moment. He gave us what he had and I know it will make a difference.

Anyway, that is it, just a short note to say hi. I hope to get some emails back from all of you equally busy people. I wan to know what is going on in your lives as well. May God bless all of you…

Brian

NEW PHOTOS!!!!!

Joel and I went with Franchesca's family to Barrio Chile above Puerto Cortes and got to ramp around with the new born calf and eat some coconuts...Mmmm...(right Joel?)



Franchesca just looking really great. I am so proud of this girl and the person she is becoming.



Franchesca starts 4th grade on the 11 of February. Here she is with her new Adidas backpack!



This is where I always stay in Belize, Val's Hostel in Dangriga. My bed is the one with all the books on the right. I stay here because Dana, the owner, is really nice, and the hotel is really cheap. Besides she makes coffee and banana bread every morning...



The beach in Belize in the morning...



Gasper and his mom Patrona. She is 91 years old and remembers Dangriga when it was just a farming village.


Begardo and Alex Reyes, the Mayor, shake hands before the ceremony. At the end they hugged...



The head table at the commencement ceremony.



I co-lead the ceremony....



Joel filmed and did sound. What a great guy!



Joel and I with Hector and Rosemery Gomez. It was their vision to build a school and we are doing that now.



Denis and two others hold up the banner from the Send Your Love Campaign.



A familiar face. Chayo who starred in our Documentary on Cocal Gracias came to the ceremony and we got to say hi.




Kile Reeves is our construction foreman and a very good friend of mine.



This is our Construction crew looking cool in the hot sun. (Left to right) Monico - 52 years old lives in Brisas del Mar and is Kile's best friend. Amado - 27 years old lives in La Esperanza. Ariel - 21 years old lives in La Esperanza and is Franchesca's brother. Kile - 45 years old lives in downtown Cortes and is also our co-pastor at church. Amilkar- 45 years old and lives in La Esperanza. He is a block layer like Monico. Mario- 32 years old and likes in La Esperanza.



Kile and me sporting the Cocal Gracias Shirts (we now have more for sale. contact Joel to get one jmcginty@cocalgracias.org)


The land on day one of construction.



Laying the foundation.







Day 6




Two days ago...

So that's it. It is finally happening. I think we can finish this whole school this year in 2008. I would like to see it happen. We still have a lot to build, three more classrooms, an office, bathrooms, a kitchen and a garage, but I an feeling confident. Thank you for all your support on the project. All of you have helped build this school and make a difference.