The Macdonald files

We have taken a week or so off to holiday away from activity for a while.It involved a 9 hour bus ride down to Sambo creek..a sleepy little place near the sea.It is hot down here and even Hamish has succumbed to sun burn.We then took a boat to the Cayos cochinos(hog islands) and stayed for a couple of nights on an island so small you could walk around in 5 mins.It was beautiful and uncommercialized.We sayed in a garifuna community of 17 families and stayed in a hut with 3 single beds no water or electricity.We were given one bucket of fresh water a day to shower in.It had bugs and mosquitos we were glad we had brought a couple of nets,Flora got hysterical the first night as she was bitten by the ants on our sand floor and just got panicky about sleeping in the pitch black..you couldnt see your hand in front of you!The second night was better and cooler and we installed our own ensuite toilet for those night time needs..a tupperware container.The island shared three tilets which you had to flush with a bucket of sea water.It was very basic and very hot but there were only another couple of tourists there.Our kids played with the locals at cards and played tig around all the huts.They had a great time.I ended up having a conversation about the wonders of breastfeeding with a women of 11 children ,had a lovely chat,and we both shared such similar views.We ate rice beans and fish,the kids werent impressed but survived.We watched the men bringing in the fish and gutting them and throwing them to the pelicans.The local people were fantastic.Would love to spend mord time there though I have utmost respect for the simple life I think I would struggle with it long term.Back to sambo creek for a shower(first in 3 days..boy did we need it).Had a good meal and a sleep with air con..luxury.We are heading off somewhere else soon we will catch up soon and hope to put some pics that will make you all want to come to Honduras on soon.Our love to all always great to hear your messages..keep them coming.Rachel and Hamish and Kids.

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Latest Pictures

My birthday blog
Since I last updated we went with a load of friends to some concrete slides which the kids love. The photos are a bit blurred but it’ll give you an idea of Honduran recreation. Life continues with schoolwork in the mornings when Hamish is doing construction, and then we join him later to spend time walking and spending time with the kids. Lovely to spend time with friends and seeing a wider view of some of the work going on here to improve the prospects of vulnerable kids, and bring lasting and sustainable change. The youth group in the village is great and growing and the feeding programme at the school is fun ,our kids enjoy mixing and playing football with them. We try and take the kids swimming once a week I kid myself its for reasons of PE ,not enjoying topping up the tan or cooling off in the midday heat! We all enjoy it.Well it was my birthday yesterday, cant believe I am now 40! Sounds monumental. Darcy kept interviewing me saying “how does it feel never to be in your thirties again!”(don’t you love kids)The fact is I feel blessed to still be alive ,well ,healthy ,happy and looking forward to the next forty God willing.
I had a very special birthday. I could tell something was afoot as there was lots of group giggling between the kids….but I didn’t know Hamish had planned a night away in Santa Lucia(a most gorgeous sleepy colonial village between our village and Teguc).It was a small hotel with only three rooms(one for me, one for him, one for the dog!!)Only kidding!!It had the most amazing view of the old church in the centre of the village and we had our own balcony .We arrived in the dark and the view of the lights of Tegucigalpa was spectacular. The photos don’t do it justice we were very high up..but hopefully you can see what a beautiful place it was.We ate in a little place and she was trying to be romantic and dim the lights we couldnt see the menu we had to use Hamishs torch,made us giggle. I think the best part was hot water in the shower I had three!!just because I could!!It was very low key and local, after breakfast the hotel owner got me a little picture off the wall to give me as a birthday present, how lovely. Just love the people here. You might wonder what Hamish arranged to do with our three!!they were in on the plot and had tea at our friend Diana’s then another friend Eva took them to her house for the night. Its up in the mountains and has its fair share of animal intruders so the kids LOVE going there(I would be terrified).Eva had killed two scorpions that day and left them for Seth, they are now in our fridge and we will be bringing them through customs…or trying! My son! They then met us in Santa Lucia we had left money for the 30 min bus ride..but they were delighted to tell us they had hitched two rides here in pick up trucks! Responsible babysitters!I was glad to see them and they were excited to give me some lovely Honduran gifts.The peace and tranquillity was somewhat lost but they enjoyed twisting round in the hammock and knocking a plant off the balcony! Our lovely friend from Hull ,Leonie came over and we had food ,drinks and a chat in the park there whilst the kids played .We had a lovely relaxing day. When we got home I soon discovered a bit of a party had been arranged .The whole night people popped in.Munda made the cake and people brought various things.Munda sang me a song as her present saying she didn’t have anything because she has no money but she has love in her heart for me, and we had a bit of a dance around and lots of fun playing card games. I was so touched some of the kids in the orphanage brought clothes and jewellery of their own for me, love their hearts. We had a great evening, and I felt so blessed and loved I couldn’t have asked for a nicer day.Today we went to Teguc for church with another couple and thier kids who are working out here.We had a lovely time and stopped for pizza on the way back which was really tasty.We also had liquados which are pure squeezed fruit drinks we had carrot and orange and maraca(Passionfruit) they were sooo delicious!!We have just got the kids in bed and I am obviously doing this and Hamish is reading.I have sunburnt my legs terribly today..only sat out reading for half an hour without cream..thought I would be ok…wow the pain!!be wearing very long trousers tomorrow I think.Well best go.Oh been asked to write a song about the plight of orphans in Honduras which I am really keen to do.Need some help putting some photos to the music and making it into a powerful little video which can be used to hopefully bring change here.Maybe Richard or Lexie could help me put it together..its a great project and wont be hard to do..just need to write the music..got the words.Then record it somehow.All very exciting.I do miss my piano .Well time for bed .God bless you all Rachel Hamish and clan.x

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Pictures of our second week

Well since we last wrote we have enjoyed goi ng to a new youth group started in the village which is doing a great job teaching the youth about the power of God. We prayed for Doreen Batho and there was such a sense of Gods presence and power and we are continuing to pray for that situation. We also went with Leonie to a feeding programme. The children enjoyed serving rice to the school and community there.We took some friends swimming in the park which ended with everyone pushing each other in we had fun.Since we last wrote Flora has lost her front tooth and discovered the tooth fairy travels and deals in local currency.Seth is speaking really good Spanish as are the others really proud of them trying so hard.They even speak in Spanish to each other which is really cute.
I took Darcy and Flora for a drink in a cafe which looked new and had loads of tables it was delicious but so typical of village life here, I will recount the story. We ordered hot chocolate, camomile tea and fresh pineapple juice. Well she sent her little kids shopping..they came back with a pineapple and chocolate powder. Five minutes later they went out with half the pinapple because it was bad and went out for another!!about 20 mins later we got our drinks in various sittings…and well worth the wait but when we came to pay I only had a 100 lempira note(3 pound fifty!!) and guess what..No cambio!!(Change) so her child went on another errand!!Just made me laugh!!!Love the people here no one in a rush and everything is hand to mouth because they cant afford it any other way, but so lovely and hospitable. She showed me the garden which she wants to put tables in and showed me the 2nd floor with the most amazing view of the whole valley.
I love the way horses are still ridden in the streets and random donkeys and horses roam the village. There are chickens everywhere and stray pitiful looking dogs begging on every corner. We fed a few today because were soft and got followed round the village by the mangy entourage. The children named them skinny Billy, big mama (with child….puppies) and old Greg.We finally got shut of them and ended up on a walk which resulted in us being given a puppy!The kids have had a great day..best yet they said.
Our walk was with a group of boys who are always up for some adventure..we walked up to the old silver mines where there is a river and several little swimming holes. On the way the kids climbed a ladder to look into a great big water tank. Then they were fascinated at a very visual sex education lesson involving two frisky horses..Interesting conversation followed! And lots of giggling. Then as soon as the kids saw the water it was off with their shirts and in!! They had a great time was lovely to cool off it was a hot day. Then we played on a rope bridge bouncing me up and down till my feet left the floor which was funny.We continued walking past some pretty desperate looking housing with rubbish everywhere, and I stopped to admire a 4 week old baby boy who was so adorable cant resist a baby. We stopped behind a bit, and when we caught up the kids were playing with a gorgeous little puppy outside someone’s house. We got chatting and they were very insistent that we take the dog as a present!!the kids couldn’t believe that someone would give a puppy away but they looked very poor and certainly didn’t need to find food for more dogs so we agreed to take it to Don Pablo, the guy who looks after the finca ( farm).We carried the lovely little dog on a big detour to hopefully find Don Pablo and hope he wasn’t angry(Hamish was worried we would end up with it!)On the way there we named it Pinky,as it is the colour of a gringo and we thought it looked pale gangly and cute like the Pinky we know and love at home(a la Adam!!!)When we got to the farm Pablo wasn’t there we kept trying to leave it there but it kept following and then he appeared. We presented him with his new dog and he seemed genuinely pleased which was a relief!!What a weird old day. Though the kids loved it, we will go and see the pup lots and adopt it whilst here. The kids are made up. Seth has removed many of its fleas but it still has lots. Well we have a visitor here chatting. The house is never quiet ,always people popping in, a bit like home really. I finally finished a book I had been reading since India, called..the God of small things…a most brilliantly written book, very sad and left me in awe of such great writing…its by a lady called Arundhati Roy and what amazes me it was her first ever book and she won the booker prize!! Love great talent, takes you somewhere else for a little while. Need to get my hands on another book. I love to read but it only really happens when I am away from home. Hamish is still enjoying doing construction work in the mornings and its a good time to chat to the lads. I miss the morning stuff as we try to get schoolwork done then but its still nice to be flexible. Seth is finishing off a story now and its nearing bed time(nearly nine…what is happening to us!)Cant believe we are nearly half way through our stay its going too quickly. We plan to travel later next week and have a little holiday showing the kids some other parts of the country. Not yet decided where to go though it will probably involve some arduous bus trips. Always great to hear from you at home .Love and God bless Rachel Hamish and kids.xx

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