It's been a busy three days. Each night I've come home so exhausted I went straight to bed with no energy to write. Sorry for my absence!
Friday was really fun. When I left in the morning my neighbor ran outside saying I left the outside lights on. I said I did it on purpose because I knew I would be home at 9 or 10 pm. She did not seem to like this idea. I'm not sure why. I explained I can't see to unlock my doors, but this was not a satisfactory answer either. She said she will turn on her lights when she hears me come home, but that is not enough to illuminate my key holes. I ended up running off to meet Jairo at the pulperia, leaving the lights on. I'll have to ask someone if there is a reason, besides the electric bill, not to do that. (They only sell the expensive "green" light bulbs here.)
Jairo invited me to join Walter and him as they look for a new pulpit for the church. We drove all over the city, and stopped at a couple of places but didn't find anything good. My stomach was a off that morning. I was a little nauseous and had a small headache, so I was scared to eat. I think Jairo thought I was trying to be money conscious when I didn't want to eat, but really I was scared of how my stomach would react and I had no appetite.
It was fun to drive through the city and check everything out. I went to some areas where I had never been before. One pulpit store was across from a natural health store, so I found Melatonin for Lourdes. Her fibromyalgia makes it difficult to sleep most nights and Melatonin has been very helpful. She had 6 pills left from those I had brought with me in my suitcase. Now she will not run out and she knows where to get more.
It was fun to get out of the car and walk up and down the street past all of the street vendors. The vendors take up the sidewalk so people have to walk in the street. Jairo was very protective. He grabbed my hand as we crossed the street and told me to watch out for random motorcycles passing between the cars. He said he had to keep me safe so he wouldn't have to explain to the people from K2 how he lost their gringa.
It was also a day that brought back a lot of fun childhood memories. I found myself telling Jairo stories about things my father and I used to do together when I was young, welding in the garage, driving bulldozers and cranes, driving my mother crazy when he built me a balance beam in the back yard and encouraged me to do all sorts of tricks on it. He built a trapeze in the basement for me and rolled me around the yard in the center of a huge inner tube. It was fun to remember and share those memories. I think if my father were alive he would be proud of me living in Honduras and helping kids.
Walter and I took off again and picked up groceries for the breakfast program. Then we grabbed some special bread for the Friday night meeting. We also did some grocery shopping for me. He said he bought new sneakers for running so I asked if I could run with him. He said yes, we can run Saturday morning at the arena. I was so excited! Finally some exercise!
When all the errands were done, I was invited to attend a meeting of all of the people who are leading groups in the church community. We ate ham subs on delicious baguettes. There was a wide variety of people. Some were teenagers, some were from La Tigra. Jairo talked about the cycles of life and how the leaders can support others through these various cycles. He also talked blatantly about the struggles this country is facing and how the violence can affect people, and specific members of the church. He said that we need to be careful what we say in public or on the phone. He is very sure that phones are being tapped and nobody is exempt. He told everyone to talk to their kids and remind them not to even joke in a way that can be misconceived. Finally he talked about the way this violence can lead to depression, withdrawal, loss of faith (there was more, but I forgot). He told the leaders that God has given us the power to overcome even the most horrible circumstances. He used scripture to remind us of God's promises to us.
The last part of the presentation was about future plans for Iglesia en Transformación. It was really cool. He started with pictures of how the church has grown since they moved from La Tigra to this location in 2003. There was only one building at that time. He showed pictures of
(Wow! Something huge must be happening in fútbol because people are screaming and setting off fireworks in the streets!)
Anyway, he showed photos of the building process, then used a program that duplicated the process with computer animation and added how the church plans to expand in the future. It was cool to see the church grow, but for me, personally, I love the little church just as it is.
During the presentation it was raining so hard we could barely hear Jairo as he spoke loudly over the pounding torrents. The power even went out, but I was the only one who seemed to notice. We sat in the dark and Jairo continued to speak. I thought the lack of power might cause things to be cut short, but in this country electricity is not a necessity. The show must go on!
We ended in prayer. We prayed for several health needs and for the Seamans, who are moving to Guatemala. Then we prayed for this country and the violence here. Many of the 24 people were in tears as they prayed for their country that night. Their hearts are aching because of the violence that has already occurred, for the people who live in fear, and for things to return to the Honduras they used to know.
As we drove home through the downpour, Lourdes and I talked about the fact that her family (and I) don't live in fear because we use wisdom and put our faith in God. (In my case I rely more on the wisdom of others.) I thanked Jairo for including me in this day. It was simple, but another wonderful day for me. I love being here so much!
*Please click on "Older Posts" if you haven't read Pizza and Wings*
