Back massages and computer expertise (along with friendship, of course) arrived on Wednesday. Jodi and Amos (Janelle’s sister and brother-in-law) and their daughter Karissa came one day earlier than planned so their flight would not conflict with Zelaya’s attempt to return to Honduras. Thanks to Amos, we were able to access photos from our camera disk again. And, thanks to Jodi, Audrey received a massage.

50 more days . . . 49, 48, . . . He’s here! The countdown in anticipation of the arrival of Cousin Josh has been long, but he finally arrived on Wednesday along with Amos and Jodi. Angelica, Ali and Zack are “ecstatic” (as Zack describes his current state of being).

We “gringos” (Horst family, Andrea, Amos & Jodi, us) had a cookout on Saturday. Amos mixed the burgers, Harlan grilled the meat and Dwain fanned the charcoal. Andrea’s potato salad was a taste of PA Dutch, and Angelica’s brownies were taste-bud tingling.

School for the Horst children ended in June, but they wanted to wait for the arrival of Amos, Jodi and Josh for their final program. So, Sunday was the big day. They shared highlights from the year and received awards. Angelica thought it inappropriate for Zack to graduate from kindergarten without a mortarboard, so she created one.

After 3 long months, the avocados have sprouted!

Like many of our friends in Honduras, we have kept one eye on our work and the other on the happenings in the rest of the country. While physically the political unrest has not spilled into Valle we have spent our share of time sitting in the dark with Internet access and electricity being cut sporadically this past week. Six months is not enough time to fully understand the political dynamics of this culture. We’re hoping for peaceful resolution to the current conflict.

Dwain’s infection seems to be improving, but he still has wash and dress it twice a day.