The Gringa and Making Flour Tortillas / Wheelchair Giveaway in Choluteca

Finally I have learned to make flour tortillas. It seemed like an ominous task to learn in light of the fact that everyone around me makes 50 tortillas a day and I didn't even know the ingredients. They grab a ball of maza (tortilla dough), throw it into the palm of their hands and in seconds a perfect tortilla is formed.

The maza was intimidating because it is kind of like Grandma Wallace’s biscuits. They throw in a dab of this and a dab of that and there is no measuring and out come these perfect tortillas. One of the things I wanted to do this year was to learn to make flour tortillas. I have now accomplished that goal!

Flour Tortillas

3 1/2 Cups of Flour
1 Teaspoon Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt

Combine well and make a hole in the middle of the mix. This hole is where you will place the shortening and pour the water. (This is the part that reminds me of Grandma Wallace)

7 Tablespoons of Shortening
1 Cup Hot Water

Mix with your hands for 3 minutes.

Make a ball and cover it.

Wait 15 while the dough rests and then make your tortillas.

After the dough sets, divide the dough into golf size balls.

Thanks to my friend Erlinda for loaning me her hands for the photo.

Unless you are Honduran and can do it with your hands, you then heavily flour your cutting board or a placemat and heavily flour your rolling pin and start rolling. Try to make them a round circle. It is a bit hard to do, but practice helps.

Then you place them on a hot griddle to lightly brown. Flip them and wrap them up in a towel! Yes, that is correct, wrap them in a towel. I always have a towel inside a baggie inside the refrigerator. Always! You cannot serve a meal in Honduras without tortillas. Usually I buy my tortillas from a friend who makes them. But now I know how to make them myself! Yea!

By tomorrow they will be perfect for soft tacos and I have a recipe for Mango Avocado Salsa I want to try. I saw hundreds of people selling mangos on the side of the road today, so I will get what I need to make the salsa and give you the recipe tomorrow.

Wheelchairs and Happy Faces

Today was the wheelchair giveaway in Choluteca, Honduras. Doña Sonja Lovo of the Flamingo Hotel in Choluteca, a long time SMART Team volunteer, had been collecting paperwork from recipients for weeks and today was the day. I bought 2 new tires for the truck and headed to Choluteca by myself. It is very rare that I drive by myself, but today was one of those days. I turned on the stereo and listened to my Bible on CD and took off through the mountains. I arrived in almost record time, as I didn’t stop at my usual place to buy cheese and I didn’t stop to visit friends on the way. Over the years I have made many friends along the road and usually I stop and visit with a friend or two on the way.

Today I was in a hurry because the tires that were supposed to take 30 minutes to change were not even at the tire store when I arrived. After waiting for them to arrive, I sat and waited as the guys that were supposed to be putting them on chatted and chatted and chatted. Finally I went out to the garage and picked up the air compressor lug nut taker- off-er thing-a-ma-jig and they decided if they didn’t do the work, I might.

The wheelchair giveaway was a blast as usual! The case which broke my heart was a young woman who was paralyzed giving birth to her second child, a son. She cannot move her arms or legs and has been confined to the bed for five years since he was born.

She is so thin, it is scary, but she has a brilliant smile.

Her Christian neighbor found out about the wheelchair giveaway and made sure all the paperwork was in our hands where she could receive a free wheelchair.

Then her neighbor brought her to the Hotel to receive her chair. The neighbor prayed with her, thanking God for providing the wheelchair which they had been praying for her to receive for several years.

Her husband lifted her carefully into the chair.

The smile says it all!

Free Wheelchair Mission gives us wheelchairs to give away to people in need. Thank you to Ernest and Linette Gaudet Family Trust who donated funds to pay for diesel, bus trips and various expenses for this wheelchair giveaway trip.

Below are the photos of the others who received chairs today.

People were waiting in line when I arrived. They actually arrived early.

As usual the Boy Scout Troop from Choluteca helped us put all the chairs together. They are such a blessing!

After the people were given their wheelchairs and instructions in the parking lot of Hotel Flamingo, we took the group to the street. It caused a commotion and one of the television stations showed up to take video.

Dr.Canales Director of the Hospital Del Sur in Choluteca showed up to receive 5 wheelchairs for the hospital. Since SMART Medical Teams frequently have medical brigades at the hospital we are all to aware of the need for wheelchairs. Last time we were at the hospital a woman that was 9 1/2 months pregnant stood for 20 minutes while they prepared the room for her cesarean.

It is always fun to see the people going home.

Wheelchair Giveaway in San Francisco de Coray, Valle

Way out in the middle of nowhere about an hour off of the main road and through lots of dust and pot holes on a dirt "road" you finally end up in San Francisco de Coray. Many people tell me how dangerous it is to go there, but I find the people once you get there to be kind and gentle. The problem is the robberies which occur along the road. On Sunday morning we headed out early in order to arrive before the full sun and the 90 degree weather began to smother the small forgotten village of San Francisco de Coray, Valle, Honduras. Our goal to meet the needs of a forgotten group of people. I have always made it a point to go into the places where no one else will go. Other medical teams and the foreign aid always seem to go to the areas where it is easy to get to and easy to organize.
When we arrived there were a group of guys at the park, hanging out, thinking of having a soccer game. Well, some of them were asked to volunteer to help put the wheelchairs together and they did. Their plans for the day quickly changed.
Chepe and his cousin Esther quickly joined in to help with the wheelchair assembly.

The local country nurses both showed up to help. They had been contacted in advance to help round up the patients which needed wheelchairs.

No sooner was a wheelchair ready then it was full, the parents were not disorderly, but they quickly seated their children in the chairs as they became available.

After all of the children had received their wheelchairs, it was time for the one adult of the day. He had fractured his hip several years ago in an accident and had never recovered and was told that he never will recover. He waited patiently in line and received the final chair of the day.

This is the photo of all the beautiful people who received wheelchairs in San Francisco de Coray.

Chepe Benavides explains to all the parents and children that Free Wheelchair Mission and SMART Medical Teams made sure that they received their wheelchairs. He also told them to read the users manual furnished by USAID and explained that USAID paid for shipping to Honduras for the chairs.