St. George's Episcopal Church
“Growing into Christ + Reaching out in Love”
 905 Princess Anne Street, Fredericksburg VA 22401
Telephone: 540-373-4133 Fax: 540-374-0923

From Thomas Pugh...

Day 8: Musica!

Herro everyone! Very sadly, today was our last day here. Tomorrow we will be leaving at 9:00 sharp. But on to today. We had breakfast at 8:00, as usual. Well everyone except Kurt. He woke up feeling sick, and his condition has not improved too much. After breakfast, we all came back up to the room and chilled for about an hour and a half. At around 10 we all loaded into the bus, and pulled out behind the girls' bus, as we all went to church. The whole service was in Spanish, so we had very little idea of what was going on, but it was still a good time. The peace is so different than it is at our church. Everyone got up and walked around the room, giving hugs. The whole church service is different than ours. Much more festive. After church the girls went back to the compound while we went out to lunch. Our meals weren't bad (half of us got American Hamburgers), but somewhere during our meal were heard what sounded like a gunshot and the power went out. A transformer had blown. So that made lunch a bit more interesting. After lunch we all came back to the compound, and those of us that were feeling up to it went and played with the girls. Kurt was still in bed, I wasn't feeling too great myself, sore throat and light headed, Nick had an upset stomach, and Meghan used the bathroom a little more often than she's used to. But we all ended up playing with the girls at some point, whether it was sitting and talking, playing volleyball, or just goofing around. We all had fun. Then around 6:00 it was time for dinner. We ALL got to eat together (girls included) tonight, so that was a rather interesting experience. The girls had a little performance planned for us, which consisted of big goofy costumes and dancing around. After we had eaten and had been entertained, we went back to goofing off. Inside there were big speakers playing, so we had a dance party. Everyone was either dancing (Jordan and I had a fun time showing the girls American moves) or were outside playing around. Around 8:30, everyone headed outside, and the boys in our group put on a show for the girls in which we sang. Backstreet Boys, Pokemon, Into the Dark, and Such Great Heights were among our wonderful songs tonight. The girls loved it, and kept calling for more. After that, we played around for a little bit more until it was time for the girls to go inside. We all said our good nights and headed up. We had a short meeting tonight, and now we're doing our own thing to get ready for bed. Tomorrow a good number of the girls leave for school at 7, much earlier than we wake up. So we have the option of waking up ourselves to go see them. And that will be the end of our amazing trip to Honduras. This is Thomas saying good night for the last time until next year. Adios!

~Thomas (Kurt's too tired to edit tonight)

p.s. John likes to move it move it

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From Kurt Pugh...

Day 7: Made Up

Herro everyone!! Well, today it'll be just me, Kurt, writing this email, because Thomas has just crashed out. Too bad. Today started just like normal, starting with breakfast at eight, going to the market around nine, and returning around eleven. But as the day progressed, we realized that this was the second to last of our full days. It's a real downer. So today we spent all our time with the girls, playing and talking, hanging and goofing. Jay and Jesse finished the project today, putting the side walls on, and the roof. Unfortunately, we won't be able to install the lockers because they haven't arrived yet. Me, Meg, Justin, Emily, and with a little help from Ricci (the smartest little girl in the world), we finished painting the shelter. The girls had a lot to choose from this afternoon, and the day was action packed. There was a makeup group, an etiquette class, yoga, the reading of Stafford High Spanish class books, bingo and just plain old messing around. Nick got his legs shaved while Thomas, Meg and Megan all got clown faces. Meg and Emily also decided to have a paint fight with me, ending in the result of three completely painted shirts. All the girls in the etiquette class really learned and had fun, with Thomas and Jordan. All the girls even passed and etiquette test, although Jordan failed. With the afternoon drawing to a close, we had a little delicious dinner consisting of meat, bread, and rice. Dinner was over in a flash, and before we knew it we were jumping rope, playing some hardcore volleyball, talking, and tagging. The night also ended too fast, and we all realized just how sad we would be when we leave. We said our goodnights, and most of us went upstairs. Jay, George, Nick, Thomas, David and me all stayed out and played some relaxed volleyball, until we were told we had to come up for the meeting. And here we are now, getting ready for bed, and church in the morning. We'll also be having a talent show, as a going away gift to the girls. Well, hope that I lived up to Thomas's reputation of forwarding the information on the Honduras crew in the email. See everyone soon.

~Kurt

p.s. Thomas is a really pretty boy with makeup on.

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From Thomas Pugh...

Day 6: Ruin'd

Hello everyone! Today was our 6th day here, making our return home that much closer, as well as our departure from the girls. Jordan is quite certain he will be leaving in tears. It's truly that much fun here. This morning we all got up at 5:30, and we had breakfast in the apartment. Then we all loaded up on the bus and left the compound, Copan bound. It started out raining, hard, flooding in some places, but once we got out of the city and into the mountains it cleared up. The whole trip took over 3 hours, so we were in the bus that whole time, with only one stop at a gas station. We all had our iPods or other gear to pass the time, plus we had each other. We finally got there, we got our tour guide (named Jorge), and we were off. The Mayan ruins of Copan were pretty cool. We saw loads of statues and monuments and even a sacrificial stone (we dared George to try it, but he wimped out). We took tons and tons of pictures of the wildlife, the ruins, and each other, oddly enough. It was a lot of fun. Then we ventured to the modern city of Copan, where we had lunch. Lunch was good for most of the group, but for a select few it was horrible, and they all left with tummy aches. They're fine now though. After lunch, we explored the streets a little bit, but didn't stay too long. The girls bought some shirts, and Jay bought some coffee, but for the most part there wasn't much. So a little after 4:30, we piled back into the bus and headed home. The bus ride home consisted of the same activities as the morning's trip, but now with singing. We finally got back to the city around 8:00 and went straight to Power Chicken. We all ate in merriment and purchased awesome shirts. After all that, we got back on the bus, had our nightly meeting on the bus, and came back to the compound where we are resting now. Tomorrow we go to the market, try to finish up our building projects, and play with the girls. Should be fun! Buenos Nochez mi amigos.

~Thomas and Kurt

p.s. We're all really tired

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From Thomas Pugh...

Day 5: Tom Sawyer all over again

Herro everyone! Our fifth day has come and pass already. This week is going by so quickly. Well today was a busy one. We had our breakfast at 8:00 as usual, which consisted of some delicious pancakes. Then at 9:00 we did our "pre-shopping" run to the market place where we did a little bit of shopping and a lot of browsing (Mom, I got everything you requested). Then we came back and tried to spend time with the girls, but most of them were at school. So Jay went to work on his project with Jesse, and Nick, David, and Jordan went to work on painting the wall. Those of us who weren't working or playing with the few girls left were up stairs reading. So that's basically how the morning went until lunch, reading upstairs, working, or playing with some of the girls. Lunch came and went, and the girls returned. So we could finally play. Jay went back to work on the locker building, and Stephen, Meg, and Gail had another day of cooking, which went really well. Kurt had a chance to use the machete he had just bought this morning on some evil grass. George and Stephen went back to the Olympic stadium with the girls today, and they had a fun time there. Since most of the girls had gone too, there wasn't much to do around the compound. The few girls that stayed played with us, and at 4:30 Kurt and I joined Jordan, Nick, and David, and the five of us finished painting the wall. The girls still had not returned by the time we returned, so we went back to doing what we had been doing all morning. (it was during this time I finished the 7th Harry Potter book). At 5 the girls had dinner, and at 6 we had our dinner, and by the time both groups were done with dinner, everyone had returned. So we all went to the play area to do our nightly events of soccer, volleyball, guitar, tag, chatting, and goofing. Tonight it was raining the whole time, and still is now. Big thunderstorm. Anyways, it was a lot of fun. Our nightly meeting was considerably shorter and our lights out is at 10 tonight, because we need to get up earlier than we have all week. 5:30!!!! Tomorrow we go to Copan and tomorrow night we go to Power Chicken! It's going to be awesome. That's all for tonight. Cya tomorrow!

~Thomas and Kurt

p.s. For once Meg ended the night on a good night with ALL the girls!

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From Thomas Pugh...

Day 4: Spring into Action

Herro everyone! Today marks our 4th day of our amazing trip. And today was quite an interesting one. We had an even earlier breakfast so that we could get an earlier start with the girls, but it didn't really make much of a difference. At 9:00, everyone (adults and youth) piled into the bus for our annual bus ride through the hood. We started off by driving by the transition homes, the homes where OLR girls who are in college live at. Then we drove through the Barrio, or el Bordo. It was a poverty stricken stretch of land where most of the houses were made from scraps of metal, there was stolen electricity, no running water, huge families, and many jobless people. It was from areas just like these that most of the girls in the compound had come from. For those who had never seen it before, it was quite the mind numbing, eye opening experience. We ended the tour of the houses shorter than we had in previous years, because our guide felt it had become to dangerous to venture onward. So then our bus ride took us through the city of San Pedro Sula into some of the greenest mountains I have ever seen in my life. We had a beautiful view as we made our way along the winding roads to what would become the girls' retreat center. It was still being built, but it come a long way since we saw it last year. After being there for about twenty minutes, it was time to head back home. By the time we got back, it was lunch time. After enjoying our brothy meal (which Nick claims to be the best soup in existence), we wall went separate ways. Nick, Jordan, and David went to start painting the outer wall they had worked so hard on yesterday. Jesse, George, Justin, and Kurt all helped Jay work on the lockers they were building for the guards. Jessie and Emily went to help paint the girls' fingernails. Bryn went with a few the girls to watch them get their haircut. And everyone else helped the girls cook. Meg was the "Head Chef" with Stephen and Gail second in command. Meg taught the girls to make chocolate chip cookies, Stephen taught them to make soufflés, and Gail taught them to make pies. It was a fun time for all of them. then at 4, all the kids piled into the big bus with most of the girls as we went to the Olympic training stadium Justin and George had visited earlier. There was basketball and a trampoline and a track and a springboard. We had a massive game of basketball going (girls vs. guys), we made some new friends, Kurt and I mastered the springboard with the help of the girls, most of our crew walked the track, and Kurt and I got to box each other (I won). It was a lot of fun for everyone, though it didn't quite live up to the hype George and Justin gave it. So we got back around dinner time, ate, and then went to celebrate the birthday of Jim Ellis, a retired pilot that flies down here 3 times a month carrying goodies for the girls. After that we all went and had our nightly rituals with the girls, playing games, chatting, playing music and just having a great time. At 8 they all went to bed, and then our crew had a little volleyball game of our own. Then we all came back at 9, and had a later evening then we've been used to. So I'm going to end it here because it's lights out in 10 minutes and I need to shower. Good night everyone. Cya tomorrow!

~Thomas and Kurt

p.s. Nick has a new fear of pigs

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From Thomas Pugh...

Day 3: a Day of Transformation

Herro everyone! Day 3 is done, and it was a definitely the busiest one yet. We stared out with our incredibly early breakfast at 8:00. After that we came back up to the apartment and split into our work crews. John, Jordan, Nick, and David went to work scraping the outer wall so we could paint it later. Kurt, me, George, Jesse, Justin, Ben and Jay all started filling the big hole we had dug up with cement, and got a lot of it on us. Stephen, Meg, Jessie, and some of the adults went grocery shopping. Everyone else stayed around to make birthday cards with the girls for a special someone's birthday. Lunch rolled around and we finished the cement about half way through. As we were finishing up I saw the girls coming home from school, which was a pretty cool experience. After lunch, everyone came upstairs to chill for a little bit. A couple of adults went to go play Bingo for about 20 minutes, while Jordan and Nick went back to the wall to finish scraping. then at 1:45 we all piled into the bus with most of the girls to go see Transformers (greatest movie of all time in my opinion). It was cool because while the movie was in English, there were Spanish subtitles. Most of the girls really liked the movie, and we got to sit mixed in with all of them. It was a really cool time with all of them. Then we came back to the compound and it was after 5 o'clock so the girls went to dinner and we all came back up to the room. Most of the adults had stayed behind when we went to the movie, and during that time Maryanne went to a Spanish class, and Jay, Ben, and Janice painted wood. So they were happy to see us when we all got back. At 6 we all went and ate, and the rest of the evening we devoted to the girls, playing volleyball, tag, random hand games (Kurt's gotten pretty good at apparently), talking to the girls, Jordan stunning the ladies with his guitar, and just having a great time. It was most definitely an awesome way to end the night. In the words of Kitty, "It felt like the first real day here". Everyone had something to do. Tomorrow is looking even busier, and we all can't wait. Even earlier breakfast. That's all for today! Peace out!

~Thomas and Kurt

p.s. "Meg is an amazing dancer" -Jordan Dualing

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From Thomas Pugh...

Day 2: Lazy Summer Days (for most of us at least)

Herro everyone! Day 2 is over, and it was a fun one. We had an early breakfast, 8 o clock, consisting of some delicious pancakes. After that it was time to go play with the girls. Luckily for us, they were feeling just as lazy as we were. The morning was pretty easy that way. Some of the girls went with Bryn and Jordan to make Origami, and they made a zoo of different animals. Other girls went with Maryanne and made beaded jewelry with some crazy combinations. Janice, of course, had her morning yoga class, which had its usual great turnout. Jay and Ben went out to buy limber and tools for our building project. The rest of us just played lazily with the girls, some easy games of volleyball, the occasional jump rope games, finger jousting (I am the champion), and simple conversations about the most random of topics. Meg, Jesse, John, Stephen and David began clearing away a stump and digging at the construction site. Around noon, we headed over to the kitchen for lunch. Lunch today was a delicious soup with whole chicken parts still in it. Easily one of the best soups ever. After lunch everyone was off to do their own thing. Kurt and I went back to play with the girls, Jesse, Meg and the rest of the stump clearing crew went back to work, and everyone was having a grand old time. Bryn and Janice taught an etiquette class with Nick participating in showing them the proper manners a "gentleman" must have (I use that term very loosely with Nick). Around 4, George, Justin, Barbara, and Gail went with the girls to an Olympic stadium where the girls go to workout. There were basketball courts, gymnastic equipment, trampolines, and boxing rings. George almost participated in a boxing match with a guy about 5 times his size, though luckily for the other guy George had to leave early. Around 5 the girls all went off to dinner, so those of us that weren't working on the work site went upstairs to chill. Jordan and Nick decided to work on their musical talents and played/sang songs about everyone that walked by. Twas very relaxing. 6 rolled around and it was time for dinner. The Olympians weren't around and the laborers were running late, but we went ahead and started anyways. Meg has requested that I tell everyone about how good the tortillas are, so I will: They were REALLY good. Seriously though, dinner was delicious. So after all our bellies were filled, we went and had a massive volleyball game with most of the girls. Jay made a rather impressive performance tonight, showing up out of nowhere and rocking the volleyball world. At 8 we all went to chapel with the girls (there's one on the compound) and that was for 15 minutes. Then we all said goodnight to the girls, came up stairs and had our daily discussion of the day and the events ahead. So it was a very active and fun filled day. Tomorrow should be awesome, we'll be mixing cement and going to the theatre to see Transformers (my fifth time). Everyone is happy and healthy down here and having a great time. See you all tomorrow!

~Thomas and Kurt

p.s. According to one of the girls, Kurt isn't allowed to talk to anyone. Sucks to be him

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From Thomas Pugh...

Day 1: The Arrival

Hello everyone! Here is the first daily report of our 2007 Our Little Roses Mission Trip. This year, the report design is a two man project, with Kurt assisting myself. So here goes today. As you all know we left Quarles a little after 3, and got to the airport around 4. Our plane left at 6, and we had a nice flight to Houston, where we had about 20 minutes till our flight to San Pedro Sula. that was about two hours. Once we landed, our trek through customs went rather quickly. We loaded up on the bus, and headed to the compound. It was a pretty silent ride there, with the exception of Nick and myself discussing Pokemon the whole way. As we got closer to the compound, the atmosphere on the bus filled with excitement. We reached our destination, and quickly emptied the bus, and went straight to lunch. During our meal, we noticed the girls beginning to swarm around the dining room, poking their heads up over the windows. It was almost like sharks stalking their prey for the right moment to strike. After lunch we walked up to our room, unpacked a little, and then it was finally time to play. And boy did we play! A game of soccer was immediately initiated, along with games of tag and just goofing off. It was almost as if we had picked up exactly where we left last year. The girls needed no introductions, and when they saw us we all got big hugs. We played with them and had fun, just like old times. The girls were so happy to see us, and we were also happy to see them. There were 6 new girls this time around but the way they fit in, you would have never guessed. The new Roses all warmed up to our new missionaries just as fast. Around 2:30 we took an unofficial tour of the compound, one that most of us had already been on. After that, it was more playing with the girls! Though half of our crew stayed inside, relaxing in the AC and preparing themselves for the rest of the week. So we played until dinner, which sported delicious food. Afterwards, we went back out to play for a short while and play some music. Meg and Jordan brought the guitars out, but Jesse and Jordan brought em in. So for our first day, we had one heck of an arrival, and a good time was had by all. As for the rest of the week, we have no schedule because the lady that normally makes it was busy and not available to greet us today. So tomorrow we should have a much better idea of what the rest of our trip will be like. That's all for today.

~Thomas and Kurt

p.s. Justin has a new favorite food: Honduran bananas

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