Answer: Everyone but the gringa!
Yesterday Lourdes took all of the ladies in her discipleship group, plus Chayito (the therapist) and me to the club. The ladies were so excited! And also very nervous. They had never been to a club before. They had never been anywhere where they had to wear a bathing suit. Lourdes and I came up with bathing suits for everyone. We painted our nails to match our suits. We planned and planned all week. On Monday we prepared a list of things to bring. One by one they admitted they had no towels, so we found towels for the ladies as well. I guess they normally drip dry? Some day when the time is right I will ask.
Tuesday morning we pulled into the church expecting the ladies to be ready and waiting. Nobody was there! Usually they are all very prompt. I was surprised. Finally, one by one, they came up the hill. We climbed into the van and headed out. We arrived to find the club empty, except for one man who was skimming the pool. One of the ladies commented, "Look, he's getting our pool dirty." We told her no, he is cleaning it.
We all changed into bathing suits. There were some gasps when we walked into the bathroom. It was very average to me - two bathroom stalls, three showers, beige tile, no warm water. But to some it was very elaborate. Everyone assured each other they looked beautiful in their bathing suits - and they really did. Somehow I ended up bringing 4 bathing suits to Honduras. God must have known that I would have to clothe some ladies from Los Pinos so they could go to a swimming pool.
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| Clara, Chayito, Jacki, Veronica, Marlin, Lourdes at the Club |
I broke the ice and jumped right in, so I missed the conversation about who could swim and who could not. Turned out only Marlin knows how to swim. She is actually very good! I don't know where she had the opportunity to become so comfortable in the water, but she is. Lourdes and I taught everyone else how to kick and put their faces in the water. Some were even doggy paddling.
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| Clara is out of the hospital and swimming! |
We swam and played for hours in the water. I was the first to get out! I was chilly and needed some sunshine. Josselyn and Jairo joined us for lunch. We all chose to have a plato tipico - typical plate of Honduras. It was enormous! It was steak, two sausages, queso fresco (cheese), beans, tortillas, rice and salsa. We sat in the sun eating, lounging and talking. As the sun got too hot, we moved to the shade. Everyone talked about how good it felt to relax. Only Joss and I don't have kids, so they talked about not having to work, not having to care for the kids. Lourdes made a rule that nobody could call home. I don't think anyone even wanted to.
Here in Honduras, it is very rare that a woman takes time for herself to relax. For the women of Los Pinos it is unheard of and thought to be selfish to think of themselves. But we had prepped the ladies to honor themselves for the day. It was nice to hear them say that they felt so relaxed because I know for a fact that even when they are "relaxing" in their beds at night, they are sleeping with their kids on lumpy mattresses or some sort of pad. They don't have their own bedroom, or even their own bed. I had a wonderful day, but I think I found as much pleasure in seeing my friends relax and enjoy themselves.
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| Veronica and me |
After lunch we went for a walk and explored the rest of the club. It is really very nice - an isolated oasis in the middle of the city. There are several playgrounds and two different areas with tennis courts. There are two fútbol fields, the pool, a sauna, jaccuzi, childrens' pool and a gigantic slide. During our walk I saw a beautiful building at the top of a mountain. I said I was going up there. We didn't know if it was a house, or what. Along the way Joss found the hugest slide I have ever seen. She got a gleam in her eye and I thought to myself, "This is why I love this girl." She maintains a perfect balance of pushing limits without ever going too far. She is awesome! Needless to say, soon everyone was following Joss's lead and screeching as we flew down the slide. It was so fast and so high that I was afraid I was going to burn a hole in the shorts I had borrowed from Lourdes! No joke. My behind was hot!
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| This is the slide - it wouldn't even fit in the photo |
After out hike, we were all hot again, so we hopped in the pool for one last swim. I taught everyone how to play tag in the water. Then they all (except Marlin) asked for diving lessons. We ended the day by all lining up and diving in, one at a time, like synchronized swimmers over and over. Jairo took videos of our fantastic diving. Then Lourdes said it was time to go. I laughed when I heard one mother say, "I don't want to get out yet!"
It was a marvelous day with many of my favorite people! Lourdes was BRILLIANT to think of this as a treat for her disciples.
I will now be joining the discipleship group officially. Lourdes said that the women are still new Christians, but for me it will be an opportunity to develop deeper relationships. I am honored to be included in the group.
On Monday, Marlin and I were working in the kitchen. Marlin took both of my hands and looked into my eyes. She said, "I love you. You know that, don't you? You are the most special friend I have ever had. You are caring and sweet. You are a good friend to me." I told her that she is very special to me, as well. I reminded her about the first time we ever spoke - that I thought she was one of the kids of the Breakfast Program until she told me that two of the kids were hers. I also told her that I thought it was very rare that she approached me because she is usually extremely shy. She agreed that it was not typical for her to start a conversation with a stranger. I told her that she was the first person to talk to me, and she has been wonderful to me ever since.
I try to imagine what Marlin's life is like when she leaves the Breakfast Program and goes back to her home in Los Pinos. I know she doesn't have running water (or a towel). I know she doesn't have a fridge. Her two kids don't have their own bed. Her life is nothing like the way I was raised. But we are friends deep in our souls. Our backgrounds don't matter. We really don't even talk about them much, although we could if we wanted to.
Today Marlin invited me to her house to learn how to make tamales with her on Friday. I told her I want to go, but I'm not sure how I would get home. I will ask Jairo and talk to my taxi driver to figure it out. She said we could do it Saturday if that makes it easier for me to be there. I think Saturday will be better because I don't know any taxi driver who would pick me up in her neighborhood after dark. Tamales take a long time, so if we start after the Breakfast Program on Friday we will be working long past dark. I am really hoping to spend Saturday learning to make tamales with my friend Marlin. What a beautiful opportunity to learn a new skill, spend time with my friend, and get to learn more about her life and her familiy!
Monday Jairo and I went to see the lawyer about my residency. We had to pay the most significant part of the costs. Jairo and I stopped at the bank and I got the money out of my account. He started to hand me the huge wad of cash and I looked at him like, "You want me to carry that????" I think he was testing me. He laughed and asked if I wanted him to hold it. I said yes, please! We parked in a special parking lot this time, since we were carrying so much money. This way we didn't have to walk through the streets carrying cash. Lawyers here do not take checks or credit cards.
I like the lawyer who is dealing with my residency. He is a friend of Jairo's. He asked what I am doing in Honduras, so we told him about the Breakfast Program. His wife is trying to start a similar program in his church, but so far they haven't been able to figure out how to serve anyone except on Sundays. We invited them to visit the church any morning and see how we cook and serve all of the kids. He was very impressed with what Iglesia en Transformación is doing through the Breakfast Program. He also asked how I learned Spanish. I told him through classes. He said I must have learned in other ways because he has worked with gringos and most of them don't know what he is talking about. Jairo told the attorney that he believes I have a special gift for language because I learn fast. That made me feel really good.
Lourdes, Jairo and Walter all left today to go to Olancho. They brought 5 boys with them to visit the six boys who are currently enrolled in the private Christian school there. The five boys will take an entrance exam. If they pass the exam we will begin looking for funding so that they can get out of Los Pinos and go away to school. Lourdes picks only "the cream of the crop" to attend school at El Sembrador. It is very expensive, so she wants to be sure they will be able to last away from home, in a new environment, with a LOT of structure. I have been praying all day for those boys. This is literally a day that will change their lives. If they pass the exam and go to school at El Sembrador, they will have access to an entirely different path.
Marlin and I are running the Breakfast Program together. We make a great team. She cooks and I make sure to help when she needs it. I work with the kids and she helps me when I need it. Today she told me she needed help. She said she needed me to ask the kids to wash their dishes and leave. I started to bolt out the door to do as she asked. She burst out laughing and said WAIT! I was so eager to do as she asked, I hadn't given her time to finish telling me the rest of what she needed me to do. :) We both started laughing. Marlin works harder at the Breakfast Program than any other person, but she used to be very timid. Only in the past month she has found her own voice. Now I find her solving arguments with the kids and making decisions on her own. She never did that before, even a month ago. She is also parenting her kids in a more decisive, consistent manner. I like watching my friend reach her full potential.
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| My friend Marlin is learning not to be timid. |
I was able to call Lourdes this afternoon and tell her that everything had been very "tranquilo" (calm) with no problems at all. I even have a new boy in mind for El Sembrador next year. His name is Yireh.
Today is Halloween. Halloween is very strongly frowned upon here. Nobody sees it as a silly holiday to paint your face and eat treats. In a country where every other day seems to be some sort of holiday, Halloween is NOT. It as seen as evil and anti-christian. The kids are offended by the idea of Halloween and call it the day of the witch. We did not celebrate Halloween today.
