i'm hungry (i am going to try and humble myself)

I don't know why this ancient computer keeps posting before I am through.

It is so annoying. I never did finish off my last week in potrerillos. Not

only did we have a great baptism for Antonio, we also had a fabulous

church meeting with the dedication of the new chapel The chapel was

filled with 100 extra chairs in the back to accommodate the dental and

medical group from Utah, Smiles for Honduras. The area presidency was

there from Guatemala, three general authorities. They were all very

dynamic speakers. Met a couple from the states that are serving a mission.

Their mission is church security in Central America. The church only

has security in 3 or 4 places in the world, and this is one of them.

the area president's name is Elder Clark. he gave the last talked and

really wowed everyone. very spiritual but very humorous. he sort of

danced down the aisle as he left. he went right by me and i found

myself reaching out my hand to him. my deaf friend bralin was right

across the way. i heard myself introduce myself to president clark and

point to bralin. i told him i was trying to get help for this young man

who is a deaf mute and also a member of the church. he turned to me

and said we can help. he then summoned the second councilor in the

stake to get all the information, names, phone numbers etc. my eyes

welled up with tears. bralin was pretty ruffled because even though

he didn't understand him he knew that he was the big cheese and

that i was talking to him and introducing him! what a total miracle.

i just hope i can make it happen after i leave here. especially not being

able to communicate too well. someone is looking out for that boy

besides me.

love to you all

thanksgiving was a bust!

thanksgiving was a bust this year. i was travelling all day on a bus
from san pedro sule to tegucigalpa. i bought some juice and a type
of a sweet roll at the bus station. when i arrived the family had eaten
their main meal. That night i got a small plate of platanos, beans
and tortillas and a tiny peice of cheese. i will never forget this
thanksgiving, that's for sure. I plan on making up for it at Christmas
this year!!

THREE DAYS LEFT IN POTRERILLOS

SORRY NO ONE COULD READ MY LAST BLOG. I WILL BE TYPING ALONG AND ALL
OF A SUDDEN IT COMES UP, ´´YOUR BLOG HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY POSTED¨
PUCHICA!! THAT IS ANOTHER WORD FOR CARRUMBA, excalmation point. THIS IS
A STUPID COMPUTER. AN ORIGINAL, I AM SURE.

WENT TO HENRY´S SOCCER GAME LAST WEDNESDAY. BRALIN IS ON HE TEAM.
HE DID VERY WELL. OUR TEAM WON. THE NEXT DAY HENRY GOT A TEXT FROM
THE OTHER TEAM´S COACH. HE SAID THE ONLY REASON WE WON WAS BECASUE
THE GRINGA WOMAN HAD BROUGHT THEM LUCK!

WE VISITED WITH THE DEAF ORGANIZATION, LAST WEDNESDAY, CALLED
TELETON. THEY ARE A FREE SERVICE FOR THE DEAF, BUT THEY SAID BRALIN
IS TOO OLD FOR THEM TO HELP, BUT THAT THEY WOULD EVALUATE HIM.
ALSO, THEY GAVE US THE NAME OF A PRIVATE SCHOOL IN SAN PADRO SULA.
THE OWNERS HAPPEN TO BE GOOD FRIENDS WITH HENRY´S BOSS SO WE HAVE
FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES. WE WILL VISIT ON MONDAY AND HOPEFULLY THEY
CAN HELP AND IT WON´T BE TOO EXPENSIVE. IT LOOKS LIKE I AM GOING TO
BE DOING SOME SERIOUS FUND RAISING WHEN I GET BACK. I WILL TAKE MY
SUITCASE ON MONDAY AND AFTER THE APPOINTMENT I WILL STAY FOR
TWO DAYS BECAUSE THE UTAH DENTAL GROUP WILL BE THERE. THEN ON
WEDNESDAY I WILL CATCH A FIRST CLASS BUS TO TEGUCIGALPA. I WILL THEN
BE ON THE LAST LEG OF MY JOURNEY.

BONNIE

I HAVE HEARD TALE THAT THE DENTAL GROUP IS COMING TO THE NEW CHURCH
IN TOWN THAT IS BEING DEDICATED TONIGHT. I´VE HEARD THEY WILL ATTEND
CHURCH ON SUNDAY. DON´T NOW HOW THEY WILL FIT 100 EXTRA PEOPLE IN
THE CHAPEL. IT SURE IS A BEAUTIFUL CHURCH. THERE WAS AN OPENHOUSE
LAST NIGHT. IT WAS ALL VERY ORGANIZED AND FANCY. THEY HAD REALLY
GONE TO A LOT OF WORK. FOR A MINUTE I THOUGHT I WAS BACK HOME. VIDEOED
THE YOUNG WOMEN RECITING THE VALUES IN SPANISH.

STUPID COMPUTER

I WILL BE LEAVING SOON!

Another busy week in

THINGS YOU MAYBE DIDN´T KNOW ABOUT HONDURAS!

Hi friends!

Here are some things you perhaps did not know about Honduras:

You can always tell a true Honduran because they point with their lips.

Women still nurse their babies in public.

Most Hondurans live day to day and hand to mouth. I have witness women buying
three diapers at a time.

The cost of beans is higher than the cost of chicken. Their has been flooding and I
guess they lost a lot of their bean crop.

Younger people favor more liberal causes and leaders and the older folks seem to
favor conservatives. (I´ve been conducting my own personal poll down here).

People still carry things on their heads.

Friday my deaf friend, Bralin, and his mother and I will travel to San Padro Sula to see
a specialist. She was recommended by the church and also by his school. The parents
and grandmother and I all met with the director at the school he just completed. It
was very interesting. No computer and they don´t use American Sign Language,
which I am so sorry for. He would need that if he were ever going to go on a mission.
They sign with something that is specific to Honduras. The alphabet for both of them,
however, look the very same to me. He currently does not sign with any depth only
very basic signs. How sad.

It should cost $30 to see the specialist. He has not been checked since he was 4 when
he was fitted for hearing aids. At four, he did not like them. Anyway it will be interesting
to see what she has to say. Next week I will fill you in on the rest of the story

TWO WEEKS LEFT IN POTRERILLOS

Just wanted to get you all updated on my latest activities. Finally the weather
has turned a little cooler. It´s soooooo nice. It´s probably around 65 degrees
and everyone is bundled up. If they only knew.

Last week was a busy week for Mentors. The guy I live and work with really
works hard to keep up. More and more people are coming for these small
micro loans. Hopefully he will start to earn more or maybe get a small bonus
or something. I finally found a dustpan to purchase here in one of the stores.
They dont own things like paper plates, and cups, napkins, paper towels, and
a rag is even very hard to find. They pick up their piles of dirt with their hands
and not sure what they do with the last few crumbs!!? Anyway I picked one up
at the store for them. Isn´t it the little things in life that make it worth living.
Most everyone walking around looks very nice and well groomed, but they live
in little hovels of gargage and dirt. It´s just amazing to me. I really don´t know
how they can stand it. For this reason I will be glad to get back to the old U.S.A.

Visited Henry´s parents, (the family I am staying with). He is a former bishop
and for the past 9 years he and his wife live way up on the mountainside. It took
about an hour to get there half by motor taxi (a little three-wheeled contraption
not much more powerful than a lawn mower). We hiked the rest of the way, and
it was all on switch-backs and small paths. It was steep and went on forever.
His parents live there and one son with his wife and two children. They have no
electricity and no water. They catch rain water. They live outside. Their kitchen,
and cement stove, and all of their kitchen supplies are outside along with a table
and a couple of chairs, with a tin roof over their heads. They eat in shifts too.
Inside were two cinderblock rooms
with Two double beds and a hammock. They live very simply and retire for bed around
7:00 p.m. It get´s dark about 6:00. They showed me that they had candles. No
tv, radio, nothing. It was actually very peaceful. They were surrounded by their
property and extremely proud of it. The father waved his arm and said, Äll of this
land is mind¨. He farms the land along with his son. They have very little but they
seemed pretty happy. I think they look like they are in great physical shape because
they walk everywhere. The father, gregorio, put me on his horse, bareback, and I
Went for a short ride. It was fun. They have bananas, nd other fruits growing
around them. They raise their own corn and beans. When they get too old to work
their is no government help. The children will have to step in. They are not happy
with the government. All they talk about is how they government lines their pockets,
drive big cars, and have many big homes around. (Sound familiar)? Accept they are
way less fortunate than we are by a long shot.

I am still obsessed by this young guy 15 years old who is ¨sordomuto¨, deaf and dumb.
He is so adorable! He is very smart. His name is Braelin. He loves soccer and can even referee the games
he knows the game and the rules so well. He can´t talk but he can blow a whistle. I
want to talk to he and his parents again. I don´t think he knows the American Sign
Language system. I think he can just sign basic things, nothing too complicated.
I am going to try and visit his school. I don´t think they even have a computer but
he is familar with the computer and loved it. I want to see if I can arrange for him to
spend time on the internet down here. It would really change his life. Of course my
dream is for him to have his own computer. He is pretty locked in. He really dosen´t
attend much church because he just doesn´t understand it but he loves the activiites
and the social outlet. He was bapized by a missionary from Guatamala that knew some
sign language. Anyway, I can´t get him off my mind. He is being raised by his father
and stepmother, but you can tell she loves him a lot and has raised him from a baby.

By the way, some of you have asked how you can contribute to Tom´s foundation,
Nino´s de Carlos. It has been set up at wells fargo bank. It should be under my name,
Bonnie Whitaker as well as ¨Nino´s de Carlos¨.

Listened in on three missionary discussions last week all held right at the house.
It´s been most rewarding. The missionaries are great. One young man from El Salvador,
who acts 20 inbetween lessons etc. Those kids have to horse around a little bit . The
other missionary is a steller 27 year old college graduate. He´s navajo indian. Very
impressive.

Love to everyone. And thanks for your love and support.

Bonnie

Hola from Honduras, yes I am still here!

Just returned from a two day job fair in San Pedro Sule. It was church
sponsored. It seemed to be very well organized. Lot´s of food to buy, a
couple of florists were there, both fresh and silk, and many many others
selling everything from 72 hour kits in clorox bottles to furniture to
copy machines. There was alot of entertainment and it was alot of fun.
I think people were hoping to sell more but then they are in an economic
crisis here too. It didn´t cost them anything to be there so hopefully it
should build up every year.

I invited the 10 year old girl, Dyann to stay with me at the Holiday Inn
for one night. She couldn´t believe it. She went swimming that night
and then again in the morning. She didn´t know what the sugared cereals
were in the little cardboard boxes, fruit loops, etc., but she soon found out.
I think she had a ball. It turned out to be a great hotel, and it wasn´t
cheap as it turned out.

I also met a darling boy at the job fair. A returned missionary from His English was great. Told me a cute story. (Anne here is another story
for you for the Ensign and maybe the Liahona). He and his girlfriend both
went on missions. They bought ctr rings before they left and both wore
them on their missions. When they got back he said they were so in love
and wanted to get married but didn´t have any money for rings. They
had a friend who was a jeweler. They had him melt down there ctr rings
along with another piece of silver jewely and had them made into two
wedding bands. I am going to get their pictures to go along with the story.
I thought it was sweet.

Met a young man in our ward. He is 17, and the only member of the church
in his family. He has brown curly, curly hair and doesn´t look hispanic. He
is so smiley and darling





but he is totally deaf and dumb since birth. I have been
talking to the bishop and Henry the guy I live with about the missions in the
church for the deft and dumb. He signs and I think his parents sign. He
must read lips a little bit too. I am not sure. Anyway, a mission may be his
ticket out of here with lots of new opportunities. I will keep you all posted.
Henry and I are going to go by his house tonight and talk to him, sort of.

The family is having me teach them English every night. The kids are very
interested. Even Lehi, the four year old shows up with a notebook and a
pencil to take notes. He can´t even write. It´s so cute. There school system
is terrible. They hardly even go. One half a day here and there but not on
a regular basis. You need to be in private school if you want to attend on a
regular basis. They don´t know what a fire extinguisher is so I am assuming
they don´t have those either. Nor do they have libraries in the schools or
books. One member of the church thinks the government does it on purpose
to keep the people in the dark. I guess knowledge is power. I have told Dyann
she needs to get an education anyway that she can. I told her she needs to
study English so she can get a job at the Holiday Inn. She loved that idea of
course. I am going to find out how much it is for the public school vs. the
private schools.

All is well. I do have diaherra again but it´s not hideous! Caught a glimps
of myself in the mirror and I am definitly going to have some work to do.
I don´t know what it is about this diet but everything goes to the middle.
Oh great !!! Had a bad cold but am on the mend. Went to a chiropractor,
he is a stake president in San Padro. Turns out he was really a physical
therapist. It still felt good. I think I was aching bad because of the bug
I caught. I didn´t really need a chiropractor at all. Just thought I did.

got some good pictures. U.S: military was there for a retreat.

had a great time on the zip lines that went out over the water. These

children never get the opportunity to see something like this. They

swam in the river and found swings to swing on. They were in heaven!!

Love to you all,

Bonnie

great weekend in Potrerillos continued

Great Weekend in Potrerillos

It is a very hot, humid October day here in Potrerillos. Yesterday was
ward conference at the ward. Truckloads of people were filing up the mountain side. There were lots of red fabric swagged
up on the front of the chapel with lots of flowers. They had really gone
all out. The Stake Presidency was there. It was a very nice meeting
what I could understand. Now let me explain about the language here.
THEY DO NOT SPEAK NORMAL SPANISH. It is all ¨vosotros¨ all
throughout the town. It is really just slang, according to the missionaries,
plus they mumble. I was so discouraged until someone confirmed this
for me. It will be better for me when I get back to Tegucigalpa.

Last week 4 year old Lehi got his foot caught in the spokes of his dad´s
bicycle. It did not look good to me.

great weekend

It is a very hot, humid, Monday here in otrer

ONE WEEK IN THE COUNTRYSIDE OF HONDURAS

I am loving it here. It is so different from anything else that I have ever experienced.
I am so disappointed that I am not a photographer. I am sure I am in National Geograpic
county. Yesterday we went way up in the hills to the church. Everything seemed even
more quaint. I got a picture of a woman about 4 ft. tall with a withered face carrying a
basket on her head. She weighed around 80 lbs. I also took a picture of a woman sitting
in the doorway of her cinderblock house. In front of her on the grass were chickens, roosters,
pigs and dogs all together. I think she liked having her picture taken. All the shacks that
people live in are even smaller, a combination of corrigated metal and old wood, covered
with vegetation and moss. The faces, the smells, the settings. Oh that I were a great
photographer or artist. (I may take up painting when I get home).

Church was great, about 60-70 people in attendance. A 9 year old boy was baptised.
I took his picture afterwards. He then proceeded to ask me for 5 limps, (around $1.00).
I told him I had not brought any money, which I hadn´t. I was a little disappointed and
thought I wouldn´t say anthing to the missionaries. Then I found out, he has no dad
and his mother is completely disabled by an accident. I asked the missionaries how the
family supported themselves and they scrugged their shoulders. They said they had
personally been buying food for them out of their own pockets. One elder is from El Salvador
and the other is from Bolivia. I believe I heard that it costs about $700.00 for an elder to
serve here for two years. We should be so lucky in the states. I think the church may
step in and help. Every young man in the church that has been baptized wears only a
white shirt. Only invesigators come in different clothes. I told the missionaires that I
would like to buy him a white shirt. Maybe that one white shirt will make a difference
in his life. He did seem very prayful and sincere at his baptism, hopefully he will make
it and the gospel will make a difference in his life.

Drove into another town today where they have a mini mall and an ATM. The first
counselor and his wife took me. I then took them to Dunkin donuts for a little treat.
Always thinking of others!

The living conditions are perhaps a wee bit better. At least I don´t have to brave the
weather to get out to the outhouse. But the bathrooms here are still gross and we can
only flush in the a.m., otherwise you get out the bucket of water to flush it out. Not
fun!

I am still hungry but I´ve realized that my clothes are not fitting loosely, therefore I
am trying to talk myself out of eating a lot. To overeat is just not in their nature and
everyone is only allowed one serving and one of anything. I am lucky because I now
get one hard boiled egg for breakfast each morning. The kids eat cornflakes. Have I
told you how absolutely adorable the kids are!! I am taking lots of picutures. Also,
back to the food, I try and stockpile a few little things for my bedroom but the dad
is always with me and it´s embarrasing for me. The dad doesn´t get paid until tomorrow
so someone in the ward is fishing for talapia for our lunch. I love it. We should be back
on track tomorrow.

Love and miss you all.
Bonnie

p.s. the day we moved their dog gave birth to 7 pups but only 4 lived. It was her
first puppies and she seemed very out of sorts in her new surroundings.

I MADE IT TO POTRERILLO!

I have now arrived in Potrerillos, Honduras, a small village in the north. I thought I was going to be staying with a family in the city with a private room,

tv and wireless. It turns out I am living right in the country. It is extremely

backwards and poor. I do have a private room, when i don´t have all three children piled in on top of me all starring at me slack-jawed. All of the kids moved into the room of their parents with a montage of beds and hammocks.

The shower consists of an 4x4 stall complete with a barrel of water and a small

bucket. You can imagine the rest.

The rickety old metal outhouse, 30 feet from the house truly wins the prize,

though. I have to do an out of body to just make it through. I had bad diaherra

the first night of course, and was out there in the middle of the night three

times! I believe you maybe could have heard a few wimpers coming from

someone!

I do know that I am living where I am supposed to be living ,in the right

town with the right family. I am hoping to be a blessing to them. I know

I already am because of the extra money they are earning while I am with

them. After I paid them, the dad, Henry, went out and bought himself

a new pair of shoes. He had been wearing a pair of his father´s 30 year

old squared toed shoes I am sure forever. He also bought his wife a large

heavy plastic bucket with handles. The two younger children can now bath

together in it. Also, I noticed the wife soaking the clothes in it prior to washing

them on the metal grates they use down here. Suddenly we went from one

roll of toilet paper to a nice big roll of 4, plus they were able to buy soap for

the clothes and several other necessities.

I love this family. They are stellar. They are humble. They have family

prayer twice a day and we had family night on Monday with two missionaries.

one from El Salvador and one from Bolivia. There is a brand new mormon

church that has just been built but not dedicated. It seems large and impressive

for such a small, poor town.

This morning I pumped the 6 year old girl on my bike and the dad had the

boy with him. Off to school we went and then on to the office. Yesterday Gladys

the wife and I cleaned and scrubbed the office in preparation for the board

of directors coming on Thursday from Salt Lake. This afternoon I will arrange

some flowers to put in the office and pray that they will stay alive for 24 hours.

It is hot and humid here!! I have been plannning out my arrangement for days

as I walk around and while on the bike. They won´t let me go anywhere alone

and I am grateful because there are no street signs, just little lanes and funky

little paths and I feel often like we are going in circles. So what else is new?

I can barely get around in Provo and Orem!

Yesterday had to be my dream day. It may be all down hill from here. Two

tiny little Honduren farmers, a man and his wife, came it to get a second

micro loan from Mentors. I am not sure what they needed the money for

but i know they want to grow corn and watermellon. As fate had it Julie and

I had picked up about 50-60 packets of seeds at True Value hardware on sale, ç

4 for $1.00. They were so thrilled to be given some packets of seeds to grow.

They loved it when I took a picture of them holding their seeds! Also, I am

working with the lady next door who is a mentor´s customer. She has a

boutique of sorts and it looks like she could use a lot of help. That should be

fun and right down my alley. Also two other women came in yesterday, also

for a second loan. They made jewelry. We had a good talk about their business.

I am not so sure this situation is best for my Spanish, because nobody can

help me with one work and so I am speaking survival spanish. It sort of works

but I don´t feel I am getting better at speaking it, only understanding

cleaned

Thought I had seen it all!

Attended another great birthday party. It was for an 85 year old grandmother named

Paca. She is the mother of the family I am staying with. She adored Tom and they said

she would have been unconsolable

Didn't mean to post, wasn't quite done!

Anyway, I love and miss you all. So far I am loving my experiences here in Honduras.
I am wild about the kids down here. They are all so well behaved and polite. I am
amazed. Hope everyone had a great weekend.

grateful for indoor plumbing!

I was glad the prophet spoke on gratitude today at conference. I have been complaining about the toilet seat down here (to myself of course). The seat and the lid are both broken and separated from eachother. You have to hold on the the seat for dear life so it won't slide
off while you are on it. But on the otherhand I am grateful that they have indoor plumbing and a toilet that flushes!

After the first session of General Conference we ate lunch at Wendy's. It tasted good to me,
but I would have preferred the Honduran food. It has so much flavor. Nothing bland about
it. They make a little fat sausage from pork they call "jeriso'' pronouned like cherriso, but then you have to trill the "r's"' with your tongue. Not even sure how it is spelled.

Tomorrow I am going in to town with my friend, Frank, who I am helping with his schooling.
He is an orphan and a woman in the neighborhood has been raising him but she can't pay
for his schooling. For those of you who don't know I have set up a foundation in Tom's name,
called, ''Nino's de Carlos". With some of the money I have bought a lot of books for kids in
Spanish because you don't see very many down here. But I am thinking about dedicating
most of the money for educations for the kids in the neighborhood whose parents can't
afford the unforms and the books and fees. It's really not that much money and I think it
would be a good use of the money.

week one in honduras

Well I HAVE NOW BEEN in Honduras for one week. I feel great and my sinuses are loving it

here as well. I seem to keep busy. i watch tv in spanish in the morning while i am getting ready.

i could now have a fairly intelligent conversation regarding all of the various countries in central

and south america and Mexico. i no longer watch the news from honduras because the first

morning it showed 13 guys murdered, laying on their stomachs, decapitated with their heads

sitting on top of their backs.

use to live with her and her family when he first got here. they are planning a trip to san pedro

azule, and it just happens that the town i am going to, potrerillos, is on the way and close by.

martha made a phone call to a woman. she is going to check with the bishop up there to see

if i can rent a room from anyone. it would be alot cheaper than a hotel and i really want to

take a trip to copan to the mayan ruins and a few other places. i might be more comfortable

in a hotel but i might as well see what life is like living with farmers in a small hondurian

community. it should be trippy.

i am really enjoying myself. my food is all prepared, my laundry is kept up daily. i watch

tv and study my spanish in the morning and then visit with people all afternoon. what is not

to like about that. i need to figure out how to get pictures from my i phone onto another

computer. i haven`t found a mac down here. it will be fun to share some photos. there are

some photo`s on my facebook from a party that i went to, if anyone is interested.

i love you all and i am sure i will start missing you all soon.

love, Bonnie

i am giving up on capital letters. they are difficult to make on any computer that i have

used down here. sorry about the misspelled words. i spent too many years with flowers

and not keeping up my writing skills.

Well I HAVE NOW BEEN in Honduras for one week. I feel great and my sinuses are loving it

here as well. I seem to keep busy. i watch tv in spanish in the morning while i am getting ready.

i could now have a fairly intelligent conversation regarding all of the various countries in central

and south america and Mexico. i no longer watch the news from honduras because the first

morning it showed 13 guys murdered, laying on their stomachs, decapitated with their heads

sitting on top of their backs.

use to live with her and her family when he first got here. they are planning a trip to san pedro

azule, and it just happens that the town i am going to, potrerillos, is on the way and close by.

martha made a phone call to a woman. she is going to check with the bishop up there to see

if i can rent a room from anyone. it would be alot cheaper than a hotel and i really want to

take a trip to copan to the mayan ruins and a few other places. i might be more comfortable

in a hotel but i might as well see what life is like living with farmers in a small hondurian

community. it should be trippy.

i am really enjoying myself. my food is all prepared, my laundry is kept up daily. i watch

tv and study my spanish in the morning and then visit with people all afternoon. what is not

to like about that. i need to figure out how to get pictures from my i phone onto another

computer. i haven`t found a mac down here. it will be fun to share some photos. there are

some photo`s on my facebook from a party that i went to, if anyone is interested.

i love you all and i am sure i will start missing you all soon.

love, Bonnie

i am giving up on capital letters. they are difficult to make on any computer that i have

used down here. sorry about the misspelled words. i spent too many years with flowers

and not keeping up my writing skills.

Rose Colored Glasses

I am having a ball.  i am in like flint with the kids, thank goodness.  they love the books and

hopefully this saturday i will share all the books, the twister game, yoyo´s with the other kids.  its been

very healing to visit everyone today.  lots of laughing and tears.  i really am  missing tom.

guess what?  there is not one mirror in the house.  maybe that will be healing for me and

perhaps i can get over myself.  i have my own room.  small but private.  there is a small

closet (with no hangers).  Right outside my door is where all the washing is done.  it makes

a nice soothing sound as olga, one of the workers, rubs the clothes back and forth, with

the sound of water flowing and exotic birds chirping.  it is actually very pleasant.  i took a

short nap today with all those soothing sounds in the background. 

 

the food is extremely tasty.  fabulous flavoring.  i´ve eaten rice, beans, plantanos, chicken, and

pancakes.  Maybe it´s good there aren´t any mirrors, exclamation point. 

Olga has come to me three times already to see if i have any dirty clothes.  they are washed before i can

remove them.  the weather is pleasant.  i guess there is a downpour every afternoon.  apparently flooding has been a problem. 

 

i know i am suppose to be here.  plus my sinuses were bothering me when i left, but not at 

all now.  i did forget about all the garbage and dogs etc., outside.  i am trying to keep my

gaze upward. rose colored glasses are great aren´t they. 

 

i am not able to get my international data planworking on my i phone.  i need to buy a phone

soon so i can call them and all of you as well.  maybe i will try to e-mail them.  so i am limping

along with this computer, which i feel is truly an  original. exclamation mark, exclamation mark.

i love you all. and miss you.

 

bonnie

 

i didn´t know carlos had  so many mothers and grandmothers down here.  a lot of them claimed

him as theirs.  i just found out that ritza´s ancient mother was told that he returned to Utah. 

they were very close and they said she would have been too upset.  maybe i´ll have to take

her a ´"letter" from him.  

I Made It!

hi everyone!

 

 i made it to honduras.  had a wild trip.  am writing on the bishop´s computer.  the keys

stick and I can´t make a capital letter.  i feel so at home with everyone.  lots of signs

withBonnie welcome to your home.  the people are so great here.  i think i am going to

have a ball.  children and adults all love the books, especially, the book about the dog

karl, with no words.  it was a hit!!  we are all going out for dinner.  tomorrow when everyone is at work i will try to write more.

 

love you all,

bonnie

Farewell Utah

During the last few weeks I've been studying Spanish, updating my will, buying massive quantities of my vitamins and medications to last the next three months, story books in Spanish, and trying to pack as efficiently as possible.

I'm really looking forward to the dusty streets and easy living of Buenos Aires, my little tight-knit barrio in Teguc. I need to practice my reading aloud in Spanish so I can read to the kids in the barrio, and I can't wait for some muy rico rice, beans, tortillas and platanos (and a choco-banana if I can find it!)

I had a small panic attack in church today while making my final t0-do list, and left after the second meeting. But the thought of the beautiful weather, the wonderful people and a fun adventure will make it all worthwhile. Of course I'll miss everyone in Utah, though, and will look forward to returning before Christmas.

In the Buenos Aires barrio, everyone has their own whistle-call, so if someone needs to see y0u they whistle your call. I'll consider the trip a real success, and myself part-native, if I get my own whistle! Wish me luck!

Love,

Bonnie