A Toast to the McMerty Brummer Family

As everyone knows behind every project, there are those few people who quietly go above and beyond the call of duty. For the finca, this describes many people, but there is one pair that truly takes the prize: Andrea and Matt McMerty-Bummer and their 5 wonderful children. Andrea and Matt are both former finca volunteers. Upon finishing their time as volunteers they got married, moved to back to Honduras and adopted three of the finca's own kids as their own; Andrea then became Executive Director of the Farm of the Child. Their love is so grand that in addition to this they have also served as a hospitality mission to current vols living in Honduras. They are forever present and open to anyone who passes by their door. They are there to listen, feed us, talk to us, whatever we need. They are sort of our Honduran guardian angels of sorts.

This past week, they moved back to Minnesota with all 5 of their amazing kids. Andrea continues on as Executive Director, and Matt will continue teaching, but now at a school in Minneapolis. Their selfless dedication to the mission of the farm is truly inspiring. So in honor or their continued selfless service to the farm I would like to offer a toast to their entire family, that they may find peace and happiness in this next chapter in their lives. I hope they know that they are missed, and that everyone at the farm is continually grateful for their presence in our community.

Picture: Myself and Andrea at the Quince

It All Ends...My Vacation In the States

Over the past three weeks I have been truly blessed with vacation time back in the states. I have had the opportunity to hang out with amazing friends and family, live in the luxury of air conditioning and hot showers, eat slow quiet breakfasts while reading current editions of the Washington Post, take ballet class at my old studio, run with my ipod by myself, eat delicious food which did not include rice or beans, among other wonderful things.

Among the many things I did was see the epically amazing Harry Potter premier of the final movie. One of the main advertising lines leading up to the big night was "It all ends." And now, so does my vacation time. I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to pass time with such amazing friends and family. So to all of you who saw me, called me, texted me, or even tried to contact me, thank you...you are what has made my vacation so wonderful!

Pics:
1. At Harry Potter Premier
2. At Nationals Game with my Sister
3. At Notre Dame with my Dad

A Thank You Note to the Wonderful People of Espiritu Santo Parish in Tampa Florida

The farm is dependent upon many people and groups to maintain its being and continue to grow. One group that plays a major role in this is Espiritu Santo Parish of Tampa, Florida. This summer they went above and beyond the call of duty. A group of about 50 came down and worked at the farm for an entire week at the end of June. They not only helped out with the fifteenth anniversary, they also redid most of our electricity, helped out in the school, and built us one of the most amazing playgrounds ever! Our kids are in love with it. So thank you Espiritu Santo, for all your help, but most importantly, for keeping our kids at the finca in you hearts and prayers.

Feliz Quince Finca!

15 years ago an amazing married couple named Vincent and Zulena Pescatore arrived in Trujillo, Honduras with huge hearts and a mission to help the children of Honduras. Their love for each other, God, and the kids soon formed what is known today as the Farm of the Child. Sadly, soon after Vincent died in a fatal plane crash, but his love lived on. Today, after 15 years of hard work on the part of countless volunteers, Franciscan sisters, house parents, and all who serve the finca daily, this love lives on. On June 18, we took a day to celebrate this love, and celebrate the "quince" of the finca.

The atendees of this big day included the brigade form Espiritu Santu Parish in Tampa Florida (a consistent supporter of the farm), a musical and dancing group from our neighboring town of Santa Fe, the McMerty-Brummer family, neighbors, and Zulena Pescatore herself among others. The day began with a beautiful mass celebrated by Padre Felipe of Trujillo and Padre Gilberto (one of the original priests to help the farm get started). One of the highlights was the beautiful offeratory which included Zulena presenting a picture of Vincent, four of our kids, and our littlest girls presenting the farm's pillars of community, spirituality, simplicity, an service. After mass there was a rededication of the prayer garden. Following this was the grand lunch for all of our 200 plus guests. After this we had a presentation in the colegio (middle school). The event started with traditional garifuna dance, folk dance, and my little ballerinas all performing. Then we heard testimonies from two of our teens about how the farm has formed their lives. These were truly moving in their messages of gratitude and sustained hope for the future. After this ceremony we had a finca wide football game, while the rest of us cleaned up and prepped for dinner. Then at night we had a traditional baleada dinner, watched the wedding video of Zulena and Vincent, and then danced the night away while enjoying cake.

There is no way to thank all the people for all the countless hours of work they have done for the finca. What we can do is take one day to honor their memories and celebrate the great love of Vincent and Zulena that still inspires us today. The finca has touched countless lives over the past 15 years, and I am sure it will touch even more in the next 15.

Happy quince finca!

Pictures:
3. Zulena presenting picture of Vincent at the mass
2. Our litte girls presenting the pillars of the faarm at Mass
1. Dancing at the end of the night!

An Adventure in Culinary Management: How I organized two meals for 200 + people at the farm

On June 18, the finca celebrated a big day in its history, its 15th birthday, or in Spanish its "quince". To celebrate we had a mass, lunch, presentation, dinner, and dance, with over 200 people. All the volunteers took on different responsibilities to make this big celebration possible. As a former waitress I thought it would be fun to take on the food for the day. Although some questioned if I wanted to take on such a big responsibility, I thought it sounded fun, and in the end it was! In the process I learned a few lessons about organizing large meals in Honduras:

1. Beans are not just beans. They are an intricate part of the meal and reflection of your own person. One must care for the beans, no mattter what hour they need your attention (this includes transferring them from a freezer at 4:30 AM), without fail. If one thinks the beans have gone bad, get a second opinion, you may just be doubting your work. And lastly, when one thinks they do not have enough beans to create a quality meal, but there are no more, this is a true injustice of life.

2. To cook bbq chicken one needs chicken, grills, sauce, and a 3 liter of coke for the cooks, all ingredients proving essential.

3. Soda is much preferred to hot chocolate, even late at night.

4. Not all knives and limes are created equal, while some may serve for some, they don't for others.

5. Volunteers work great with kids, and also prove great at serving food to large crowds efficiently and with a smile.

6. If you give Hondurans a meal to cook, they will not only cook it, they will produce a meal that is truly magnificent and delicious.

I must give thanks to the many many people who helped me with all the work that went into the food, we would not have eaten such a wonderful meal without all their help!

Bienvenido Jose Manuel!

According to the bible, on Pentecost tongues of fire descended upon the apostles while gathered together in an upper room. There they were blessed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In true symbolic fashion, this year on the eve of Pentecost, while most of us where gathered in the chapel in a Pentecost Vigil service, a new child arrived at the farm, Jose Manuel. Jose Manuel turned 10 on June 27, and is a bright eyed little boy. He has since moved into Casa Virgen de Guadalupe on the farm, also known as house 4, home of our boys from ages 9-12. I have had the pleasure of working with him in his Spanish and Math classes in school and must say he is a true genius of math and his great enthusiasm for learning is infectious. He and his great smile have found a new home at the finca, and we feel blessed to have him as well!

A Change of Pace and Medical Training in One!

The week of June 6 through 10 our school had a week off for the semester break, but instead of hanging out on the farm, myself, the other teachers, and the other vols that could, head into Trujillo to help out the medical brigade from Christ the King parish in Little Rock Arkansas. This amazing group of 100 plus people have been coming to Trujillo for over 15 years. This year they came with 15 doctors, and countless nurses, pharmacists, and site helpers.

We had the pleasure of staying with them for the week in the lovely air conditioned Christopher Columbus hotel, and heading out to our respective sites in local villages to translate for the doctors all week. I worked with Dr. Ed from South Carolina in the local village of Marranones. He has been working with the brigade for 3 years, and has worked with a clinic in Haiti for over 1o years. We saw people from all over with everything form high blood pressure and diabetes, to well baby checks, to patients with epilepsy. It was a true pleasure to translate for so many amazing people, work with Dr. Ed, and work with the entire team, led by our fearless leader nurse Ann, at the Marranones site.

One of my favorite moments of the week though was not at our clinic, but during our visit to the farm with the whole group. A very kind couple who have come on 12 of 15 trips with the group, named Don and Jan, asked me if I knew a girl named Jenny. They are her sponsor and wanted to meet her. Jenny happened to pass by and I introduced them. When I told her these were her sponsors she immediately gave them both a huge hug. I then took a picture of the three of them. In that moment I felt both very at home at the farm and also so grateful for all the work this amazing group of people does every year for the people of Honduras.

New Smiling Energetic Faces...times 4!

Every summer the finca is blessed with "summer vols", these are volunteers who are still in undergrad who come and help us out for the summer. They cover our work while we take vacation, help us with special summer time projects, and generally just share their amazing energy and love with our kids. They arrived mid May and have been working hard ever since. On behalf of all the finca I would just like to say thank you to Annie (Notre Dame '13), Tiffany (Florida State '13), Rose (Notre Dame '13), and Emily (Bethel College '12) for helping out with: covering 1st through 9th grade, covering special ed, helping with maintenance, helping with the brigade construction projects, covering swim and soccer practice, covering our kids houses when our house parents need a quick break, cooking meals in the volunteer house, and helping to run our medical clinic among other things. Most importantly though, these four girls gave up part of their summers to come live in remote rural Honduras and share their amazing hearts with everyone here at the finca. Their quick popularity with the kids is only a small testament to all the work they are doing for us. I hope they enjoy the rest of their summer and know how grateful we are for them!

Photo Index: Annie in Pink in 1st and 4th Picture, Rose dancing in white in 2nd picture, Tiffany in tan on right in 3rd picture

2nd Quarter Highlight Reel--Escuela San Pedro

Late June and early July is one of my favorite times of the year in sports...it's championship season. The season of NBA finals, the Stanley cup, Wimbledon, and this year the Women's World Cup for soccer. So in the spirit of this great season, here is a summary of the second quarter at our school, Escuela San Pedro, in the style of a sports highlight reel:

The big news in terms of the front office is that our beloved Honduran directora (principal) Dania had her baby at the end of May. Her and her beautiful boy are now enjoying some well deserved maternity leave. In her absence, our subdirectora, superstar volunteer Tami from California, is leading the teachers and kids flawlessly.

Our minor league players in first grade are very excitedly learning how to write simple words. Cindy and Carlos now come to after school study hour not asking to copy words, but wanting to show me all the words they can write on their own!

Top performance awards for my students go out Miss Magdalena for working so hard at learning to read on her own (she's so close now!), Mr Rony for winning the math bee for second grade, and Jose Luis and Aly from 5th grade for working so hard on learning sentence and paragraph structure.

I am sure the third quarter will bring many more highlights and smiles!