Today was great in some ways, hard in others. First I'll tell you the great:
I started the day with a yummy breakfast of beans, tortillas, mantequilla and the special cheese they have here, queso fresco. It was even better than I was imagining ahead of time.
The not so great is that my luggage did not come. I am worried now that it may never come.
Also I learned that my cat, Bella, ran away. She has a micro-chip and a collar, but she doesn't really like people and I am afraid she will be hard to find. I am sad and scared for her.
We are so busy, I hardly have a moment to write. Jairo and Lourdes are making great efforts to take personal time with me and check in to see how I am doing. They work so hard ALL day, it is hard to keep up with them.
Today Jairo told me I am a true missionary, like in the bible, with only the clothes on my back. It is almost true, but not fully. Lourdes' sister, Belinda, wears exactly the same size pants and everyone is pitching in to make sure I have what I need. It is hard being in a strange country with none of your personal comforts, but Lourdes explained that when we are stripped of all of our comforts we have no choice but to turn to God. It is hard to see this as good for me, but I am trying. Jairo also told me that he can see God has big plans for me. I have never known Jairo to be wrong about these things. He said that God is going to change my priorities and the outcome of my time here will be far different from what I expect. I don't think I really have any expectations. I don't know what my time here will bring. Only time will tell.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
First Days in Honduras
I need to catch up - so much has happened, and I've been so busy. No time to write. But it looks like I will have a lot of down time for the next 3 days so no excuses.
On Wednesday my flight was supposed to leave San Salvador at 1, but didn't leave until 2. Jairo and Josselyn were waiting for me at the airport. Jairo is into taking pictures on his cell phone. He took a movie of my flight landing and of me getting off the plane and pics of me waiting in immigration. He even noticed that all of the luggage had been picked up and there was none for me. I was told that it would come the next day. Four days later it seems to be permanently lost.
We went from the airport to help Walter. He was a La Colonia, a grocery store, that had taken a bunch of food that didn't sell and put it in crates by the garbage. Walter doesn't have a truck anymore, he has a tiny car, so he couldn't fit the food in his cars. As they say in Honduras there was "a monton"! It reeked of rotten garbage, and we didn't have any way to box it up so we had to put it piece by piece into Jairo's van. I was so stinky and sticky by the end and I knew I had no clothes to change into. Jairo teased me that I was already jumping into the life of a missionary, coming straight off the plane into the garbage for food.
We took it all back to the church and cleaned it up. It was lots of good stuff. Some is very practical and will be useful for the breakfast program. Some is crazy - like Perrier lemon water. But we took it all and it will get used.
Lourdes gave me cards (40!) from the kids. The cards are so cute.
That night we worked at the church until late, then ran around at 8:30 pm, trying to find a store that sold underwear for me. Finally we begged a guard to let us in and quickly ran through to the top of a 3 story store where we bought underpants - all of which later turned out to be too small.
We went home and cooked a delicious dinner of fresh Tilapia, salad, queso fresco (which I had been waiting for for years!) and more. I can't remember it all now.
The next morning we got up early for soup day at the church. This is the kids' favorite day because Lourdes makes chicken soup for the breakfast program. We had a lesson and a time of prayer, which lasted at least a half hour. Then the kids ate their soup and played. They were in heaven.
On Wednesday my flight was supposed to leave San Salvador at 1, but didn't leave until 2. Jairo and Josselyn were waiting for me at the airport. Jairo is into taking pictures on his cell phone. He took a movie of my flight landing and of me getting off the plane and pics of me waiting in immigration. He even noticed that all of the luggage had been picked up and there was none for me. I was told that it would come the next day. Four days later it seems to be permanently lost.
We went from the airport to help Walter. He was a La Colonia, a grocery store, that had taken a bunch of food that didn't sell and put it in crates by the garbage. Walter doesn't have a truck anymore, he has a tiny car, so he couldn't fit the food in his cars. As they say in Honduras there was "a monton"! It reeked of rotten garbage, and we didn't have any way to box it up so we had to put it piece by piece into Jairo's van. I was so stinky and sticky by the end and I knew I had no clothes to change into. Jairo teased me that I was already jumping into the life of a missionary, coming straight off the plane into the garbage for food.
We took it all back to the church and cleaned it up. It was lots of good stuff. Some is very practical and will be useful for the breakfast program. Some is crazy - like Perrier lemon water. But we took it all and it will get used.
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| Perrier, Juice Boxes and Cereal |
Lourdes gave me cards (40!) from the kids. The cards are so cute.
That night we worked at the church until late, then ran around at 8:30 pm, trying to find a store that sold underwear for me. Finally we begged a guard to let us in and quickly ran through to the top of a 3 story store where we bought underpants - all of which later turned out to be too small.
We went home and cooked a delicious dinner of fresh Tilapia, salad, queso fresco (which I had been waiting for for years!) and more. I can't remember it all now.
The next morning we got up early for soup day at the church. This is the kids' favorite day because Lourdes makes chicken soup for the breakfast program. We had a lesson and a time of prayer, which lasted at least a half hour. Then the kids ate their soup and played. They were in heaven.
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| Lessons with the early group |
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| Washing Hands with team work |
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| Chicken Soup! |
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| Little ones |
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