Connecting in the Honduran Hills
The pilot of the 757 has autopilot disengaged over these Honduras hills. He dips into a firm spiral above Tegucigalpa on New Year’s Day, 2006, then lands. A group from Belmont University and Middle Tennessee State University step off the plane. Their first few steps are down stairs, made mobile by a bright blue truck shinning from the heat.
“We are flexible and ready for adventure,” Jenny Rogers says just outside the airport to 27-year-old translator, Hermes Machado. Jenny knows Hermes from her trip last May. He wears frameless glasses and black and yellow Puma sneakers. His Razor phone is clipped to the right pocket of his jeans.
Before leaving the Honduras capital, the 8-member group stops to meet with future members of Jenny’s sister organization, The Clementina Martinez Foundation. The plan is to build a new building to be used as a soup kitchen, medical clinic and resource center in Cane, Honduras.
Jette Halladay, who teaches theatre at MTSU, jumps in and echos Jenny’s thoughts regarding the physical details of the structure. Fellow professors Kimberly Dummons and Maggie Fontanasi-Sieme also sit in the petite yet polished den.
“We want what you want,” Jette says. Her hand movements complement her words. She inflects her voice: We want the building to reflect the people of Cane, Jette says.
Paul Chenoweth heads the group of three journalism and art students from Belmont. He videotapes the meeting. He calmly rests the camera on his lap for a stable shot and keeps the side display flipped in to conserve battery.
Paul captures the moment when Jenny hands Clementina Martinez a check for over $2,500 to legitimize her non-profit.
When cameras click and flash, Clementina smiles at the person, not the camera.
Jenny met Clementina during her first trip to Honduras, in 2000. A member of the Air Force base at Soto Cano told Jenny about a woman who ran a soup kitchen. Clementina has facilitated this kitchen for over 30 years now.
When youth greet her, they often have to bend down to kiss her on the cheek, since she stands at 5 feet and 7 inches. She is somewhat of a political figure in her small town and known by many. She even ran for mayor.
Among other things, the primary project of this trip is to finalize the plans for a new home for “Clementina’s Kitchen,” which currently serves almost 100 youth two meals a day.
Back in the states, Jenny has not always been able to focus on the people of Cane. As a single mother of three, she lost her job and at one point had to pull back from her international involvement.
“The only thing I did—I didn’t quit,” Jenny says.