March 13, 2012 Sorting Hundreds Of Used Eyeglasses

I know this looks like a modern art mosaic using eyeglass frames!

But it is not!

This hodgepodge of eyeglasses represents VISION for about 400 poor Hondurans.

My friend and fellow missionary, Janet Reeger Hines invited me out to dinner at her place and while sitting there minding my own business enjoying the country view replete with country sounds and the feeling of peace, her sister Mary Reeger Masterson says to me, "I have several hundred pairs of eyeglasses, do you need them?"

Asking me if I need eyeglasses is like asking a chocoholic if he needs a slice of Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake.  Of course I need eyeglasses!  Some years we have as many as 36 eye brigades in small villages or in poor communities of Tegucigalpa.

This year I have only 18 days of eye teams scheduled, but I am positive that number will increase as the year goes on.  It always does.

People in the United States buy new eyeglasses and deposit their old ones into boxes at the optometrist's office and then people bring them down to me.  We share them with a group from Vida Abundante Church here in Tegucigalpa which has a clinic called ZOE.  They and their volunteers sort, read and package the eyeglasses for us to take out to rural village eye brigades.

Thanks to Mary Reeger Masterson and to whoever donated the eyeglasses to her, around 400 poorest of the poor will have the opportunity to see clearly and to read.  My childhood friend Linda Bell from Little Rock, Arkansas also emailed me last week and says she has another1,00 pair of eyeglasses from her Lion's Club to donate. Her club has helped SMART Medical Teams in Honduras for years.

March 24, 2011 Today Is A Sad Day I Am Losing Two Old Friends...

Today is a SAD day.  I am saying goodbye to two old friends.  About 20 years ago my friend Linda Bell gave me a pair of Dearfoam slippers...  I never in my wildest dreams thought I would fall in love...


 But I did...


They are sooooooooo soft, so comfortable, so ...... 


There is no way to explain the sadness I feel as I am preparing to throw them away.  But the truth is they are worn out... There are no Dearfoam slippers in Honduras... 

July 30, 2010 Today I Went To The Beach With My Friends

My friends Linda Bell, Bobbie Warner, Jose Benavides and I decided we wanted to go to the beach for the day... So we did... 

We stayed and watched the tide go all the way down...

This is a Jicaro tree which has a fruit attached to the truck.  

They take the seeds out and dry them and make Horchata...

Next time you are in a Mexican restaurant ask for Horchata... It is really a nice refreshing drink.

These are the shrimp farms close to where we went to the beach.

Reminds me of Stuttgart, Arkansas rice fields...

These are called "garzas" in Spanish.  I have no idea what they are in English... 

But it seems like I should know...

The fishing boats resting until tide goes up again...

A friendly pelican and this is not with a zoom lens.

The sky was gorgeous!!!

This little raccoon was sleeping in a tree beside the beach.  

We got right up under him to take the photo... 

He didn't move...

What a wonderful day!

Thank you Lord for relaxing days.

July 29, 2010 Trip To Chiquimula, Guatemala For X-Rays

It was a short stop on the way to southern Honduras, from Copan Ruins, passing through Guatemala and El Salvador... This is a small town called Chiqumula...  As it happened Bobbie Warner was in a car accident in Little Rock the night before leaving to come and visit me.  She refused to go to the hospital and got on the plane early the next morning, with my friend Linda Bell, and headed to Honduras.  When they arrived in San Pedro Sula, Bobbie was hurting, but we started driving to Copan Ruins anyway.  The following day, yesterday to be exact, I forced her to go to the doctor.  He sent her to Chiquimula, Guatemala for x-rays.  It was about a two hour drive.  So here we were waiting for her appointment.  Rater than wait in a "waiting room for hours, we looked around the city market.

Peeled Coconuts

Bobbie Warner standing in the street in the market.

Eggplant, green peppers, onions and potatoes

Apples, plums and yellow cherries which are called nance

All the colors are beautiful

I wonder why these don't fall over?

Even the children sell fruit.

Another tropical fruit... anyone care to guess what it is?

I am always amazed at the way women carry baskets on their heads.

All the women wear fluffy, frilly, lacy aprons...

Taking a rest sitting and leaning on the coconuts...

Japanese plums with the mystery fruit on top...

Bobbie standing in front of the X-Ray Clinic....

July 28, 2010 Receiving A Few Thousand Pairs Of Used Eyeglasses From A Little Rock Arkansas Lions Club

Last year I had 48 days of eye brigades using used glasses to help poor people see.  COVA now ZOE Clinic sends several of their eye techs with me out into the most remote areas of Honduras.  So when Lion Linda Bell arrived from Arkansas with a few thousand pair of eyeglasses I was elated!  This means we can help more people see!  Thank you Linda, thank you Bobbie Warner, thank you Arkansas Lions and thank you ZOE.

When ever there is a photo op all the locals like to participate.  

Unknown lady on the left, Teresa Searcy in black, Lion Linda K. Bell holding 

all the glasses, Jose Benavides on the right of her and an unknown other 

local on the far right.

Lion Linda K. Bell from a Little Rock, Arkansas Lions Club holds part of the
Lions Club's eyeglass donation while Jose Benavides looks on.

Bobbie Warner (left) from Little Rock area joined Linda and carried 100s of
eyeglasses in her suitcase.  

July 27, 2010 Picking Up My Friends Linda Bell And Bobbie Warner In SPS

Jose and I left very early and drove from Tegucigalpa to San Pedro Sula to pick up my lifelong friend Linda Bell from Little Rock, Arkansas and my new friend Bobbie Warner from a little town outside of Little Rock.  

Linda and I first met in 1970, now several years before either of us will admit to being alive... So we have been friends for a while.  

They arrived on a dual purpose trip.  Both are members of a group of world travelers and they were both adding more countries to their repertoire. They wanted to visit Copan Ruins so we left immediately.  Today was a day of answered prayer.  We got their bags and boxes into the car, we climbed in, paid the parking attendant and then the rain started pouring down.

The water was literally half way up on truck tires.  It rained so hard, we could not talk from the back seat to the front seat without lifting or voices.  The streets got scarily full of water, so we all took out our cameras and started shooting photos.

There were times when we could not see the curbs the water was so high. In some areas small cars were flooded out.  But with our able driver, Jose, we paddled on.  We all felt like ducks!

The rain was hitting the car so hard that the windshield wipers couldn't keep up.  Even the side windows were covered.  I have been in Honduras for years and have never seen rains like this year.  Just about every where that can flood has flooded this year.  

We have been unable to work in Coray much this year due to washed out roads.  Several months ago we got stuck in mud on a dirt road trying to go to Costa de Amates.  I was not sure we would ever get out, but somehow I managed to get the truck out.  I didn't get into the mess, Jose did... But he couldn't get out so I gave it a try.  Other than a hurt ego, Jose's not mine, we had no more difficulties.  Now back to today.

Finally we arrived in La Entrada and I made an executive decision based on Jose's concern for driving in the dark when there could have been mudslides or worse yet a washed out road.  The executive decision was to stay in an unknown hotel in La Entrada and get up early in the morning and head for Copan Ruins. 

The hotel was a pleasant surprise.  It was immaculately clean and we were able to get a room for 4 for $65.

Dinner was average, the food was salty, but we ate (well part of us ate).  Bobbie was in a wreck in her pickup last night.  She arrived today in Honduras and rather than going to the doctor or hospital last night when she had the accident, she came here without sleeping all night and she was hurting all over.  

When we arrived at the hotel she went to bed, without eating, but not before showing me substantial bruising on her back, sides and kidney area.  I was really concerned and have decided that I will insist that she go to the doctor tomorrow morning when we arrive in Copan Ruins.  I know of a good doctor there and I will feel better if we get her checked out.

Hopefully tomorrow will be clear where we can make the hairpin curve ride to Copan Ruins with no problems.  Now for a good nights sleep...  

The lights are out at the hotel... At least part of them.  Guess some light pole is down somewhere.  At least they have a generator.

Casa In Aramicina, Honduras On The El Salvador Border

There are many ways to describe Honduras, each zone of the country has it's own special characteristics. The house below is typical of the area where El Salvador meets Honduras. This particular home is located in Aramicina, Valle, Honduras. The bright colors, the tile around the doors and windows all show the El Salvadorean influence in the area.



I love living in Honduras except when it comes to cooking. I miss fresh herbs and spices and being able to run to Dean and Deluca a few blocks from home if I didn't have what I needed.


There are many things which I just can't find here, like fresh mint, fancy cheeses and good BBQ sauce. I have a friend which brings me Chips BBQ Sauce from Little Rock, Arkansas when she comes to visit. Thank you Linda K. Bell!

I grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas and across the street from the Methodist Church where I attended as a kid, there was a wonderful BBQ place called Chips BBQ. Every Saturday night I ate an English Muffin BBQ Beef Sandwich there. I know that sounds like a strange combination, but the truth is the English Muffin holds up much better with tons of BBQ sauce than does white bread. Meat, cheese, coleslaw and tons of BBQ on a English Muffin and you have a sandwich made in heaven. Chips BBQ is located at 9801 W Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205-2125 telephone (501) 225-4346. Just in case you want to order some of the best BBQ Sauce in the world.


The up side to living in Honduras is that there are several kinds of parsley and "culantro" I think that is cilantro in English. Lots of varities of bananas, many fresh fruits like papaya, mango, guava, pineapple, cashew etc. and all these different fruits are cheap. I buy Calle Lilies at least once a month to place on my table and they too are really cheap. So I complain, but not too be taken very seriously.