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.