Last week found me taking a break from the dramas of Bougainvillea Lane in favor of accompanying a Canadian journalist, David Mercer, to Honduras for the filming of video for the Riecken Foundation. We visited villages only accessible by serious four-wheel drive vehicles, even horseback where the indigenous locals talked to us about how important books were to their communities. We visited a remote rural kindergarten where the children have story hours given by Riecken volunteers. In another community we participated in the delivery of the first books the community has ever received.
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Delivering books to villages only
accessible by horseback. |
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A leader of the community hopes that the arrival of books
will "open minds" in Carrizalon, Honduras. |
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| Nice place to film a video |
Getting back from Honduras proved to be a bit challenging as heavy rains the night before our departure closed the main road at the border with a mudslide. Gladly, our car to Guatemala was stranded on the other side of the mudslide so we had only to find transportation to the border and then walk over the mudslide with all of our paraphernalia to get to our car.
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Muddy walk from Honduras to Guatemala
thanks to mudslide and truck full of bananas.
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As for the "jailbird," Alex, he is still in there but apparently is facing greatly reduced charges involving his phone call demanding ransom. He has a team of public defenders (three) who, I am told, are very interested in his case. Perhaps, that level of interest has to do with all of the women and all of the children. Marielos, mother of the younger two who ARE returning to school on Monday, met with the attorney the other day. Estela is meeting with her on Tuesday. I feel quite certain that the group of attorneys are having a good laugh about this fellow with no means whatsoever and all the women and children. I wonder how many other women have meetings with the attorneys. Yesterday I wrote a letter at the request of the attorney indicating that the three older children receive scholarships (from my Rotary Club not me, of course) for school. Apparently, they are trying to confirm Alex's claim that he is penniless. I gave that letter to Estela who will deliver it to the attorney on Tuesday. Late yesterday Marielos came by and she also needs a similar letter. Denis saw his father for a few minutes last weekend but is playing in a band concert this weekend. Marielos doesn't seem inclined to go (good for her) despite the fact that today is Dia del Nino and the jail is celebrating with a pinata for all of the children who show up. Apparently the lawyers are also looking for one more "letter of good character." Marielos laughs. So do I.
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