Halloween is a strange day to be in Honduras. My friends here are SO against the idea of Halloween and see it only as satanical. I try to explain that most people use it as a reason to dress up silly and get together with friends, but the people always say, "Don't they understand what they are doing?" Hey. It's a tradition. It's what we do in the US. We don't really think about it that much. We just do what we've done since we were kids and what the generation before us did.
Needless to say, I didn't dress up and go trick or treating today. I never liked dressing up or going door to door before anyway.
But today I learned a new way to go door to door. Many churches in Honduras choose this day to hold big activities. My church decided to go door to door in our neighborhood and evangelize.
To be honest, I was not looking forward to it. I am not one to push my faith onto anyone. Several people have found Christ through their relationship with me. But usually, the topic of religion comes up organically. I was not comfortable with the idea of taking to the streets. In the end I went and it was awesome!
We met ahead of time and read in the bible about how Jesus sent out 72 of his followers, two by two, and told them to be careful.
We took off all of our jewelry and went with nothing but our bibles and some really well done pamphlets. Turned out, that was for the best. The streets were basically empty, except for private security guards. The few people we did meet told us to be careful as they scurried along.
It wasn't the most productive place to evangelize. There just weren't many people. One of our goals was for our neighbors to know that our church is close by. Turns out we really don't have many neighbors. There are tons of houses, but all of them have businesses inside and we were not allowed to enter. So we mainly talked to the guards in front of the businesses, or people we passed in the street.
I have to say that we were well received. People in Honduras are much more open to talk about God. They share their faith proudly. So the main factor that kept us from talking to others was either the issue of safety, or that they were pressed for time. Either way, they were always kind.
We went out in groups of four, two people on each side of the street. That way we always had an eye on each other. I was happy to be partnered with a younger person, a boy who is in college, but on fire for God. I like being around him in general. He is wise beyond his years. I figured between his ability to speak about God, and my gringa face, people wouldn't mind talking with us.
I was right! First we talked with a man who was in the same position as us. He was a salesman trying to sell his goods. He was loaded down with tons and tons of woven crafts and hand carved wooden kitchen spoons. He his goods were tied to him in every place you can imagine.
My side-kick, Allan, started talking to him first. I only said a few words. God was leading Allan. When Allan spoke of leaning on God for our physical problems, the man became very attentive. His facial expression changed and he stood more upright. I think he is fighting a sickness. Actually, I think he is fighting HIV. He was thin and marks on his face that led me to believe HIV could be the reason he needs God. We talked to him about the location of the church and asked his name. If one day he chooses to go to church, he knows where we are.
We also prayed for a security guard. His name was Javier. He was hanging out with the guard who works across the street from the building where he works. I think if he had been alone, he would have been more receptive. When we asked if there was anything specific we could pray for, he thought hard. We kept waiting for the words to come out, but finally he shook back tears and said, no, nothing. So we prayed a general prayer. That man's face is planted in my heart too.
Alan and I met a really cool young man who worked at the car wash. People who have tattoos in Honduras are usually gang related. He had a poorly done tattoo across his forearm that said "Victor". He was full of more light and joy than anyone we met. He said that he belongs to a church and spent last night in an all night vigil. He said he was feeling a little loopy from lack of sleep, but it was a good loopy, since he spent his time worshiping God in the vigil.
We also met a young guy named Jorge. He was walking very fast and did not want to talk to us at first. He was anxious and had something about him that was not quite right - maybe a learning disorder. But he was kind. Jorge loved talking about the US. He said he reads the bible often, but only little bits at a time. I assured him little bits are good! He said he has two sisters in Tennessee and asked if I have ever been there. I said I have and it's a beautiful place. It is his dream to get a job in the United States. I told him it is not as easy as he is led to believe. In fact life in the US can be quite difficult.
We prayed with two women who asked for our prayer. Our last stop was with the guard for In and Out Burger! I never knew there is an In and Out Burger here. Turns out it is right behind the church! We talked to the guard there for a while about how people in the US love In and Out Burger. He is Christian and has Sundays free. He knew better where we are located than we did because by that point we had wandered around on windy roads long enough that we felt disoriented.
When we got back to the church to pray and discuss our experience, they told me to look out the back window. There was In and Out Burger, in our backyard. I gave some of the guys a ride home. As we were getting into the car, there was the guard from In and Out Burger, standing in our parking lot, pointing up to the third floor, where we told him we meet on Sundays. I called to him and greeted him again. I told him I hope to see him tomorrow.
Saturday, October 31, 2015
Friday, October 30, 2015
Happy Birthday Fany!
Fany is on cloud nine today.
It's her birthday. A couple of days ago she said she needs a hair cut because her hair is driving her crazy. I told her I will take her to the salon as a birthday gift if she would like. She said yes, that sounded good. We decided we would go to the salon where I always get my hair cut for $3.50.
Then I thought about also getting Fany a manicure and pedicure for her birthday. My salon always does a good job, but it is more about the results than the experience.
I get my hair cut in a tiny room with very basic stuff. There is a bench where you can sit to wait your turn. You can also leave your purse there. There is one chair for hair washing, a chair for hair cutting, and a chair for pedicures. There's a sink that doesn't work because there is no running water. They bring water in buckets from outside and stick a heater into the water so it comes out warm. You do sit in front of the sink and tip your head back to get your hair washed, like in every other salon. A small pail of warmed water is poured over your head. The water drains out of the sink into a big bucket.
I am totally accustomed to this and don't mind it a bit. I like the way the lady cuts my hair. But I thought for Fany's birthday it would be fun to go to a real salon.
So I posted on the Facebook missionary page asking the ladies there if they know a good salon. Apparently there are two nice salons here. I called and of course the prices were a lot more, but for Fany's birthday I decided to splurge. It was $14.50 for the haircut. I forgot how much the manicure/pedicure and pedicures cost. Whatever it was, it was worth it.
I told Fany I had to stop and have my car alarm adjusted on the way to the appointment. That way when I turned to go to the fancier place, she didn't suspect anything. I had to call to ask where the salon was. She thought I was lost on the way to fix the car alarm. When we parked the car and got out we started to leave the parking garage. The attendant quickly said, "Don't go out there or you will get robbed!" so we followed a very fancy lady through a side door that led straight into the salon.
I said to Fany, "Did he really say we would get robbed if we went outside?" She said, "Yes!" That was strange. But the salon was very nice.
When I told them who we were they immediately rushed Fany away to wash her hair. Another group grabbed me and took me into the manicure/pedicure area. They had regular pedicure chairs, but they sat me down in an area in the back, overlooking the city. About six ladies got right to work setting up a little station for Fany and me. Then Fany was returned to me with her hair wrapped in a towel. She looked like she was in shock. I said that out loud and the girl who had washed her hair told me yes, Fany was in shock. Fany had this blank look on her face like she didn't know where she was or what was going on.
Finally as we settled into our chairs, she began to relax. One lady worked on our hands, while another worked on our feet. We felt very pampered. The ladies were super sweet. They helped me post a photo on Facebook of Fany being "spoiled" as they say in Spanish.
By the time the lady came to cut Fany's hair, she had to ask Fany to sit up straight. The shock had worn off and Fany was all relaxed in her chair. Hahaha! She decided to cut a lot off her hair because she wanted everyone to be able to notice the difference. She told the woman to cut it barely to her shoulders, but the lady actually left it a little longer, with more shape around the face.
We had more than an hour of pampering with our manicures and pedicures. The lady doing my pedicure took extra time so that I finished at the same time Fany was done with her hair cut. Then they whisked everything away, including Fany, and I was left sitting with just my chair, waiting for my toes to dry.
Sometimes it felt like we were surrounded by worker bees, for the number of ladies and the way they all worked together to get things done.
When my toes were dry I found Fany getting her hair blown dry by a different young lady. Fany was having the time of her life! We watched another woman get her hair blown out and I was amazed by how beautiful her hair was. It was like a hair model on tv. Then Fany's turned out just the same! We took lots of photos and enjoyed our time immensely.
On the way home Fany called her husband. She told him that Mary Lynn was bringing home a new woman.
This afternoon I've been reading and writing at my house. Fany has dropped in a few times just to say hello. She is wearing a huge smile along with her new haircut. I am happy that I was able to make Fany smile extra big for her birthday. She is such a good friend to me. I'm glad I was able to help make her birthday special.
Her morning started with a huge bouquet of roses and tonight we are all going out to dinner. Happy Birthday Fany! Friends like Fany are few and far between.
It's her birthday. A couple of days ago she said she needs a hair cut because her hair is driving her crazy. I told her I will take her to the salon as a birthday gift if she would like. She said yes, that sounded good. We decided we would go to the salon where I always get my hair cut for $3.50.
Then I thought about also getting Fany a manicure and pedicure for her birthday. My salon always does a good job, but it is more about the results than the experience.
I get my hair cut in a tiny room with very basic stuff. There is a bench where you can sit to wait your turn. You can also leave your purse there. There is one chair for hair washing, a chair for hair cutting, and a chair for pedicures. There's a sink that doesn't work because there is no running water. They bring water in buckets from outside and stick a heater into the water so it comes out warm. You do sit in front of the sink and tip your head back to get your hair washed, like in every other salon. A small pail of warmed water is poured over your head. The water drains out of the sink into a big bucket.
I am totally accustomed to this and don't mind it a bit. I like the way the lady cuts my hair. But I thought for Fany's birthday it would be fun to go to a real salon.
So I posted on the Facebook missionary page asking the ladies there if they know a good salon. Apparently there are two nice salons here. I called and of course the prices were a lot more, but for Fany's birthday I decided to splurge. It was $14.50 for the haircut. I forgot how much the manicure/pedicure and pedicures cost. Whatever it was, it was worth it.
I told Fany I had to stop and have my car alarm adjusted on the way to the appointment. That way when I turned to go to the fancier place, she didn't suspect anything. I had to call to ask where the salon was. She thought I was lost on the way to fix the car alarm. When we parked the car and got out we started to leave the parking garage. The attendant quickly said, "Don't go out there or you will get robbed!" so we followed a very fancy lady through a side door that led straight into the salon.
I said to Fany, "Did he really say we would get robbed if we went outside?" She said, "Yes!" That was strange. But the salon was very nice.
When I told them who we were they immediately rushed Fany away to wash her hair. Another group grabbed me and took me into the manicure/pedicure area. They had regular pedicure chairs, but they sat me down in an area in the back, overlooking the city. About six ladies got right to work setting up a little station for Fany and me. Then Fany was returned to me with her hair wrapped in a towel. She looked like she was in shock. I said that out loud and the girl who had washed her hair told me yes, Fany was in shock. Fany had this blank look on her face like she didn't know where she was or what was going on.
Finally as we settled into our chairs, she began to relax. One lady worked on our hands, while another worked on our feet. We felt very pampered. The ladies were super sweet. They helped me post a photo on Facebook of Fany being "spoiled" as they say in Spanish.
 |
| Manicure and pedicure at the same time |
 |
| Haircut and pedicure |
By the time the lady came to cut Fany's hair, she had to ask Fany to sit up straight. The shock had worn off and Fany was all relaxed in her chair. Hahaha! She decided to cut a lot off her hair because she wanted everyone to be able to notice the difference. She told the woman to cut it barely to her shoulders, but the lady actually left it a little longer, with more shape around the face.
We had more than an hour of pampering with our manicures and pedicures. The lady doing my pedicure took extra time so that I finished at the same time Fany was done with her hair cut. Then they whisked everything away, including Fany, and I was left sitting with just my chair, waiting for my toes to dry.
Sometimes it felt like we were surrounded by worker bees, for the number of ladies and the way they all worked together to get things done.
When my toes were dry I found Fany getting her hair blown dry by a different young lady. Fany was having the time of her life! We watched another woman get her hair blown out and I was amazed by how beautiful her hair was. It was like a hair model on tv. Then Fany's turned out just the same! We took lots of photos and enjoyed our time immensely.
 |
On the way home Fany called her husband. She told him that Mary Lynn was bringing home a new woman.
This afternoon I've been reading and writing at my house. Fany has dropped in a few times just to say hello. She is wearing a huge smile along with her new haircut. I am happy that I was able to make Fany smile extra big for her birthday. She is such a good friend to me. I'm glad I was able to help make her birthday special.
Her morning started with a huge bouquet of roses and tonight we are all going out to dinner. Happy Birthday Fany! Friends like Fany are few and far between.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
One more kiss
My heart is so full! I got the best hugs and kisses today from some of my favorite kids.
This morning I went to coffee with my friend Carol, then to the airport to meet the English speaking pastors. Carol needed to drop off her car at the mechanic, which is in Los Pinos, so I picked Erika and then went to pick up Carol from the mechanic's.
After dropping off Carol I gave Erika the choice of going to the park, my house, or the mall. She chose the mall. We perused Forever 21 for a while. Then we tried to find glasses for me. She shook her head "no" to over 20 pairs. I could not find a single pair of glasses in a huge store full of every style you could imagine. I have an absurdly narrow face.
After that we were supposed to go to another glasses store, but I got hungry, so we went to the food court. Getting her to make a decision was like pulling teeth. She doesn't like to ask for anything. But finally she ordered a $5 combo plate of fried rice, chop suey and fried shrimp at a Chinese place. The plate was so big we shared and she still had some to take home. Marjory is a great eater! She loves friend shrimp.
After Marjory finished eating she pooped all over so we had to skip gelato, which was fine because we were full. It was quite explosive. Erika didn't have any diapers, but I had wipes and diapers in my car, so we wrapped a plastic bag around Marjory's butt to keep Erika clean, and carried her out to the car.
I haven't seen Erika in ages. It was great to see her. She is still living with her boyfriend. She gave me the BEST NEWS EVER! Her boyfriend's mother invited him to go to church, and he invited Erika, and now they are all going to church together! They are in a small group that meets once/week and they attend church services Wednesday and Sunday. Erika loves the church. She feels supported and comfortable there. She uses the bible she got as a birthday gift every week in her small group. I told her if they ever invite me, I would love to check out her new church.
Erika has never been involved in a church before. This is a huge answer to prayer!
Tomorrow is Fany's birthday. She thinks we are going to her friend's place where I always get my hair cut. It's is a tiny room with no running water, but her friend is a great stylist and she only charges $3.50 for a cut. She has been wanting a hair cut desperately for a few weeks so I told her I'll take her for a haircut for her birthday.
Little does Fany know, I made an appointment at a real salon. Santos is going to take care of Laura. Fany and I are going to get manicures and pedicures.Then Fany is getting her hair cut. Fany is going to love it! She never gets a few hours away from Laura. Santos is taking the day off of work. He said he has his own surprise for Fany too, but I can have her for a few hours. Fany is going to have a great birthday!
Today as I dropped off Erika I saw Maria Fernanda and Dilma. I haven't seen them in a year - since I left the breakfast program. They are so tall! Like, really tall! I think they are at least as tall as I am. I stopped the car, rolled down my window and said hello. Maria Fernanda kept fighting back tears. She kept saying she was so surprised and happy to see me. What a cutie!
Then I saw some adults from the church as I headed up the hill. They were really happy to see me too. But they were on a steep incline so I couldn't stop, so they walked up to the road by Erika's house where we were stopped because a motorcycle was parked in the middle of the road. He knew who it belonged to. I'm not sure if the owner of the motorcycle saw him waving his arms toward where the owner lives up on the side of the mountain, or if he heard my car alarm going off because my car turned into a jungle gym as soon as I stopped, but he came down and moved the bike so we could get past.
Meanwhile, more kids I know came along. I got tons and tons of hugs and kisses. It was awesome. All of it. But I think my favorite moment was when Lorenzo asked if he could have "Just one more kiss." Yes Lorenzo. You can always have one more kiss.
This morning I went to coffee with my friend Carol, then to the airport to meet the English speaking pastors. Carol needed to drop off her car at the mechanic, which is in Los Pinos, so I picked Erika and then went to pick up Carol from the mechanic's.
After dropping off Carol I gave Erika the choice of going to the park, my house, or the mall. She chose the mall. We perused Forever 21 for a while. Then we tried to find glasses for me. She shook her head "no" to over 20 pairs. I could not find a single pair of glasses in a huge store full of every style you could imagine. I have an absurdly narrow face.
After that we were supposed to go to another glasses store, but I got hungry, so we went to the food court. Getting her to make a decision was like pulling teeth. She doesn't like to ask for anything. But finally she ordered a $5 combo plate of fried rice, chop suey and fried shrimp at a Chinese place. The plate was so big we shared and she still had some to take home. Marjory is a great eater! She loves friend shrimp.
After Marjory finished eating she pooped all over so we had to skip gelato, which was fine because we were full. It was quite explosive. Erika didn't have any diapers, but I had wipes and diapers in my car, so we wrapped a plastic bag around Marjory's butt to keep Erika clean, and carried her out to the car.
I haven't seen Erika in ages. It was great to see her. She is still living with her boyfriend. She gave me the BEST NEWS EVER! Her boyfriend's mother invited him to go to church, and he invited Erika, and now they are all going to church together! They are in a small group that meets once/week and they attend church services Wednesday and Sunday. Erika loves the church. She feels supported and comfortable there. She uses the bible she got as a birthday gift every week in her small group. I told her if they ever invite me, I would love to check out her new church.
Erika has never been involved in a church before. This is a huge answer to prayer!
Tomorrow is Fany's birthday. She thinks we are going to her friend's place where I always get my hair cut. It's is a tiny room with no running water, but her friend is a great stylist and she only charges $3.50 for a cut. She has been wanting a hair cut desperately for a few weeks so I told her I'll take her for a haircut for her birthday.
Little does Fany know, I made an appointment at a real salon. Santos is going to take care of Laura. Fany and I are going to get manicures and pedicures.Then Fany is getting her hair cut. Fany is going to love it! She never gets a few hours away from Laura. Santos is taking the day off of work. He said he has his own surprise for Fany too, but I can have her for a few hours. Fany is going to have a great birthday!
Today as I dropped off Erika I saw Maria Fernanda and Dilma. I haven't seen them in a year - since I left the breakfast program. They are so tall! Like, really tall! I think they are at least as tall as I am. I stopped the car, rolled down my window and said hello. Maria Fernanda kept fighting back tears. She kept saying she was so surprised and happy to see me. What a cutie!
Then I saw some adults from the church as I headed up the hill. They were really happy to see me too. But they were on a steep incline so I couldn't stop, so they walked up to the road by Erika's house where we were stopped because a motorcycle was parked in the middle of the road. He knew who it belonged to. I'm not sure if the owner of the motorcycle saw him waving his arms toward where the owner lives up on the side of the mountain, or if he heard my car alarm going off because my car turned into a jungle gym as soon as I stopped, but he came down and moved the bike so we could get past.
Meanwhile, more kids I know came along. I got tons and tons of hugs and kisses. It was awesome. All of it. But I think my favorite moment was when Lorenzo asked if he could have "Just one more kiss." Yes Lorenzo. You can always have one more kiss.
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Tortillas baked on an oil drum
More questionnaires today. We are catching up with the last 20 kids. Over 200 are done!
My co-worker and I climbed up and down Villa Nueva. It rained last night, as it does less frequently these days, so the ground was slippery. I almost fell down on the pavement, which was laid by the association where I work. The unpaved goat paths were even more slippery.
The first home we visited is on the back side of the mountain. Security dropped us off at the top. There was a pick up truck stuck on the "road" (I use that term loosely) up. The men in the back (because here there are frequently men in the back of pickups) were jumping up and down, trying to catch some traction. Our driver shifted into 4-wheel-drive and up we went. We saw the other people arrive at the top about five minutes later. I was glad we weren't going back down in the truck. It's barely a road when it's dry. It was a mess today.
The ladies at the first home were busy making tortillas. I asked their permission to take a photo. Their oven was an oil drum with the top cut off. They said they make 200 tortillas/day to sell. They made it look easy. It's not.
The green bucket at the far end holds the masa, or dough. They know how to take exactly the right amount to make the perfect sized tortilla every time. They roll that amount into a ball, set it between two pieces of plastic grocery bag, and press down with all of their body weight using a piece of wood. Then they throw the flat tortilla onto the oil drum lid to cook.
A second lady is the cooker. The cooker has to flip the tortilla at just the right time. If you flip it too early it sticks to the oil drum and rips. If you flip it too late it over cooks. After the first flip she lets it cook for a moment, then she pokes it with three fingers and it magically puffs up like a pita pocket. That's how she knows it's ready. The three fingered poke is hard to do too. She takes it off the stove with her bare hands and tosses it into the pink bucket.
The pink bucket will be covered with a kitchen towel or a thin cloth and carried on one of their heads down the mountain to sell. I hope they are better at walking downhill then I! Most women wake up at 2 or 3 a.m. to sell tortillas every morning. I would rather be with these ladies. I imagine they sell to customers who want fresh tortillas for dinner.
I got to visit a house that I've been to once before. The grandma remembered me and gave me an extra big hug. She is so sweet! She is caring for several grandchildren and an older girl who has special needs. The older girl came out to talk with us and announced she was drunk, which surprised me, not only because it was 9 a.m. but because drinking alcohol is so strongly frowned upon here. The grandma quickly clarified that the doctor changed the girl's medication and her new medicine makes her very dizzy. Ah - that made more sense.
I noticed again how friendly the people of Villa Nueva are. People greet each other in passing. Little kids all say hi. One little boy walked past and said hello. I was the only one who said hello back, so he raised his voice louder and said, "Hello all!" We laughed and everyone said hello. Then he said, "Good bye all!" and we all yelled good bye. He was a self assured little guy of about seven years old. What a cutie!
We finished early and called another co-worker to show us which homes she serves so we could visit some of her kids too. Her kids lived on the other side of the highway and up the mountain. That was a tough climb. The regular path was washed out from rains and I had already slipped enough that I was nervous. It was steep with spots that you could only dig the tip of your toe into the mountain. I need to get back into the gym!
The homes on the other side of the mountain are more like the homes of Los Pinos, small and made of random boards or whatever materials the people can find. People on that side of the mountain didn't say hello. In fact, a little boy of about four was standing outside his house. As we approached he called inside to his father, "Daddy get the pistol!" I must admit I was nervous. But the Daddy never came out with a pistol, although I did hear him talking inside. My co-worker told me that while I was sitting on a rock outside a home, conducting an interview, a man from the house above us asked her, "Give me something." She told him she had nothing to give and stuck close to me. Probably more for my protection than her own because she could have gone inside.
When we had seen all of the kids we could see the and there was nothing more we could do, we were a little stuck. Security wasn't scheduled to pick us up for three hours. I tried to call my regular cab driver, but he was busy. After my co-workers discussed which buses are safer, we hopped on a rapidito. Rapiditos used to be more safe, but lately I've been told they are less safe than the big yellow school buses which are used for public transportation here. My co-worker was supposed to get off at the stop before me, so we said good-bye and she went to sit down at the front of the bus. Then I waited and watched, but she didn't get off. When we got to my stop I saw her getting up to exit, so I waited outside the bus for her. She said she didn't want to leave me, she wanted to get me as close to home as possible before she let me out of her hands. She said she didn't want it to be her fault if something happened to me. I appreciate that my co-workers take good care of me, but I also don't want to be a burden to them.
I told her if she wanted to walk me home I would give her a ride to the office so she could turn in the reports. She said sure! So we walked to my house from the bus stop together. I was so ashamed at how messy I left my house. I never, ever have guests. But my house is usually much cleaner than it was today. "Me dio pena." It pained me. You can bet I got right to work cleaning as soon as I dropped her off.
Tomorrow I can't work because they are visiting homes all day. I have an appointment for my wrist in the afternoon. There is no safe way for me to leave the neighborhood where they are serving and get back to my house by myself. I'm disappointed because I love getting out, seeing homes, and meeting people. Plus the co-worker they are going with tomorrow is a funny lady. She is the one who sings the ranchero songs. But my boss told me I have to put my wrist first, and the orthopedic doctor wants to see me tomorrow, so...
My co-worker and I climbed up and down Villa Nueva. It rained last night, as it does less frequently these days, so the ground was slippery. I almost fell down on the pavement, which was laid by the association where I work. The unpaved goat paths were even more slippery.
The first home we visited is on the back side of the mountain. Security dropped us off at the top. There was a pick up truck stuck on the "road" (I use that term loosely) up. The men in the back (because here there are frequently men in the back of pickups) were jumping up and down, trying to catch some traction. Our driver shifted into 4-wheel-drive and up we went. We saw the other people arrive at the top about five minutes later. I was glad we weren't going back down in the truck. It's barely a road when it's dry. It was a mess today.
The ladies at the first home were busy making tortillas. I asked their permission to take a photo. Their oven was an oil drum with the top cut off. They said they make 200 tortillas/day to sell. They made it look easy. It's not.
The green bucket at the far end holds the masa, or dough. They know how to take exactly the right amount to make the perfect sized tortilla every time. They roll that amount into a ball, set it between two pieces of plastic grocery bag, and press down with all of their body weight using a piece of wood. Then they throw the flat tortilla onto the oil drum lid to cook.
A second lady is the cooker. The cooker has to flip the tortilla at just the right time. If you flip it too early it sticks to the oil drum and rips. If you flip it too late it over cooks. After the first flip she lets it cook for a moment, then she pokes it with three fingers and it magically puffs up like a pita pocket. That's how she knows it's ready. The three fingered poke is hard to do too. She takes it off the stove with her bare hands and tosses it into the pink bucket.
The pink bucket will be covered with a kitchen towel or a thin cloth and carried on one of their heads down the mountain to sell. I hope they are better at walking downhill then I! Most women wake up at 2 or 3 a.m. to sell tortillas every morning. I would rather be with these ladies. I imagine they sell to customers who want fresh tortillas for dinner.
I got to visit a house that I've been to once before. The grandma remembered me and gave me an extra big hug. She is so sweet! She is caring for several grandchildren and an older girl who has special needs. The older girl came out to talk with us and announced she was drunk, which surprised me, not only because it was 9 a.m. but because drinking alcohol is so strongly frowned upon here. The grandma quickly clarified that the doctor changed the girl's medication and her new medicine makes her very dizzy. Ah - that made more sense.
I noticed again how friendly the people of Villa Nueva are. People greet each other in passing. Little kids all say hi. One little boy walked past and said hello. I was the only one who said hello back, so he raised his voice louder and said, "Hello all!" We laughed and everyone said hello. Then he said, "Good bye all!" and we all yelled good bye. He was a self assured little guy of about seven years old. What a cutie!
We finished early and called another co-worker to show us which homes she serves so we could visit some of her kids too. Her kids lived on the other side of the highway and up the mountain. That was a tough climb. The regular path was washed out from rains and I had already slipped enough that I was nervous. It was steep with spots that you could only dig the tip of your toe into the mountain. I need to get back into the gym!
The homes on the other side of the mountain are more like the homes of Los Pinos, small and made of random boards or whatever materials the people can find. People on that side of the mountain didn't say hello. In fact, a little boy of about four was standing outside his house. As we approached he called inside to his father, "Daddy get the pistol!" I must admit I was nervous. But the Daddy never came out with a pistol, although I did hear him talking inside. My co-worker told me that while I was sitting on a rock outside a home, conducting an interview, a man from the house above us asked her, "Give me something." She told him she had nothing to give and stuck close to me. Probably more for my protection than her own because she could have gone inside.
When we had seen all of the kids we could see the and there was nothing more we could do, we were a little stuck. Security wasn't scheduled to pick us up for three hours. I tried to call my regular cab driver, but he was busy. After my co-workers discussed which buses are safer, we hopped on a rapidito. Rapiditos used to be more safe, but lately I've been told they are less safe than the big yellow school buses which are used for public transportation here. My co-worker was supposed to get off at the stop before me, so we said good-bye and she went to sit down at the front of the bus. Then I waited and watched, but she didn't get off. When we got to my stop I saw her getting up to exit, so I waited outside the bus for her. She said she didn't want to leave me, she wanted to get me as close to home as possible before she let me out of her hands. She said she didn't want it to be her fault if something happened to me. I appreciate that my co-workers take good care of me, but I also don't want to be a burden to them.
I told her if she wanted to walk me home I would give her a ride to the office so she could turn in the reports. She said sure! So we walked to my house from the bus stop together. I was so ashamed at how messy I left my house. I never, ever have guests. But my house is usually much cleaner than it was today. "Me dio pena." It pained me. You can bet I got right to work cleaning as soon as I dropped her off.
Tomorrow I can't work because they are visiting homes all day. I have an appointment for my wrist in the afternoon. There is no safe way for me to leave the neighborhood where they are serving and get back to my house by myself. I'm disappointed because I love getting out, seeing homes, and meeting people. Plus the co-worker they are going with tomorrow is a funny lady. She is the one who sings the ranchero songs. But my boss told me I have to put my wrist first, and the orthopedic doctor wants to see me tomorrow, so...
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Discovering a New Side of Me
I amazed myself today. And God amazed me too.
Today was my turn to present the message I have been preparing for my "clase homeletica". This class started about 6 months ago. Now each of us are taking turns preaching in front of the class in preparation for the real thing - sharing our message with the congregation.
The class has been difficult for me since the beginning. I didn't feel worthy to be part of it.
Then I went to the US in June and missed a month of classes. At that point I told Pastora Ruth that I should drop the class. To me it seemed like the respectful thing to do. But Pastora Ruth told me not to throw in the towel.
My classmates had all chosen themes. Most had even written an outline of their message. I was way behind.
I got right to work and presented my outline. I had seen my peers' outlines. They were filled with red ink. When I got my outline back, it said that I had a couple of things to change, but most of my red ink said that I had done a good job. I figured the Pastora was easier on me because I couldn't handle a tough critique. (I was a pro at negative self talk! That has changed a lot in the last few weeks as God has been healing me.)
Finally, this week was my turn to present my message. I had everything written, I just needed to memorize it all. So I got to work on that. Wednesday I realized they may not have anyone available to translate for me. I sent a message to Pastora Ruth asking if I'd have a translator. She said she wants me to practice preaching in Spanish.
Surprisingly, I didn't panic. I just answered "Okay". And I believed that it would be okay.
As I spent the week with my new co-workers I preached to them in my spare time - one of the benefits of working for a Christian organization. They were a big help. Saturday I spent all day reviewing. In the evening I preached to Fany.
This morning Fany came over with banana pancakes and ginger tea. I dressed in my office clothes. With a full belly, I headed off to church.
I was nervous, but not too much. My peers all said they couldn't see that I was nervous at all.
Everyone prayed for me, and I stepped up to the pulpit. Suddenly my brain went blank. My whole message was gone. Thankfully, I had three sets of notes in front of me. One written out word for word, one outline in English and one outline in Spanish. I glanced down at my notes and began.
I know the Holy Spirit took over because everything went really smoothly. Normally I struggle to read aloud in Spanish, but I practiced until my words came out right. A couple of times during the message I stumbled, but even someone speaking their native tongue can have difficulty finding the right words. I concentrated on eye contact, made sure my voice was loud enough, and did my best not to fidget. My audience even had a good laugh or two!
Pheeeeew! It was better than I hoped.
Afterward the critique was that I should have had a stronger conclusion with a time of prayer, I clicked the heels of my shoes which made noise, and I should have maintained better eye contact when reading the bible verses. Pastora Ruth showed me how to maintain eye contact by reading by using my finger to keep my place when I look up.
Not bad for someone who has never preached before, and who is speaking in their second language!
I feel really proud of myself and excited about all of the work God is doing in me. I am blessed to be in a place where I am challenged to do things I never imagined I could. I'm grateful for my church and church leaders who are helping me to become the best me I can be!
Today was my turn to present the message I have been preparing for my "clase homeletica". This class started about 6 months ago. Now each of us are taking turns preaching in front of the class in preparation for the real thing - sharing our message with the congregation.
The class has been difficult for me since the beginning. I didn't feel worthy to be part of it.
Then I went to the US in June and missed a month of classes. At that point I told Pastora Ruth that I should drop the class. To me it seemed like the respectful thing to do. But Pastora Ruth told me not to throw in the towel.
My classmates had all chosen themes. Most had even written an outline of their message. I was way behind.
I got right to work and presented my outline. I had seen my peers' outlines. They were filled with red ink. When I got my outline back, it said that I had a couple of things to change, but most of my red ink said that I had done a good job. I figured the Pastora was easier on me because I couldn't handle a tough critique. (I was a pro at negative self talk! That has changed a lot in the last few weeks as God has been healing me.)
Finally, this week was my turn to present my message. I had everything written, I just needed to memorize it all. So I got to work on that. Wednesday I realized they may not have anyone available to translate for me. I sent a message to Pastora Ruth asking if I'd have a translator. She said she wants me to practice preaching in Spanish.
Surprisingly, I didn't panic. I just answered "Okay". And I believed that it would be okay.
As I spent the week with my new co-workers I preached to them in my spare time - one of the benefits of working for a Christian organization. They were a big help. Saturday I spent all day reviewing. In the evening I preached to Fany.
This morning Fany came over with banana pancakes and ginger tea. I dressed in my office clothes. With a full belly, I headed off to church.
I was nervous, but not too much. My peers all said they couldn't see that I was nervous at all.
Everyone prayed for me, and I stepped up to the pulpit. Suddenly my brain went blank. My whole message was gone. Thankfully, I had three sets of notes in front of me. One written out word for word, one outline in English and one outline in Spanish. I glanced down at my notes and began.
I know the Holy Spirit took over because everything went really smoothly. Normally I struggle to read aloud in Spanish, but I practiced until my words came out right. A couple of times during the message I stumbled, but even someone speaking their native tongue can have difficulty finding the right words. I concentrated on eye contact, made sure my voice was loud enough, and did my best not to fidget. My audience even had a good laugh or two!
Pheeeeew! It was better than I hoped.
Afterward the critique was that I should have had a stronger conclusion with a time of prayer, I clicked the heels of my shoes which made noise, and I should have maintained better eye contact when reading the bible verses. Pastora Ruth showed me how to maintain eye contact by reading by using my finger to keep my place when I look up.
Not bad for someone who has never preached before, and who is speaking in their second language!
I feel really proud of myself and excited about all of the work God is doing in me. I am blessed to be in a place where I am challenged to do things I never imagined I could. I'm grateful for my church and church leaders who are helping me to become the best me I can be!
Friday, October 23, 2015
Boys
More questionnaires. Today I interviewed kids who really need our club. I referred two of the five I interviewed to our psychologists. One shows a lack of empathy. He is the only young person I've interviewed who answered "No" to the question, "I like to help others who are in need." He said he doesn't care if his friends feel sad. If he is sad or angry he has no adult in whom he can confide. He was also the only boy who answered, "No" to "I believe that things can change for the better."
I am sad for that boy. Lately I am thinking that I have too much empathy for my own good.
Another boy's answers were similar. I reached out and touched him on the shoulder as we talked. He flinched, then pulled his shirt away from his skin as if trying to rid himself of my touch.
I hope they stay in our program. Our therapists are good. They can learn a lot and maybe find an adult in whom they can confide.
I am amazed at the collection of books there at at this club. There is a huge bookcase of books in English. Books, especially in English, are hard to come by here. But the club in Nueva Suyapa has everything from the old faithfuls everyone studied in high school, to books about Michael Jordan. I couldn't stop thinking how awesome that book collection was.
My co-workers helped me practice reading the verses that are part of my message on Sunday. Reading out loud in Spanish is difficult for me. Often I am not sure which syllable to emphasize. Some words in the bible are not so common in every day language. My co-workers loved my Spanish bible. I felt bad because I rarely use it. Bibles here are so expensive that many people don't have one of their own. I would love to be able to buy each of them one.
I notice there is a group of people in Russia who are logging in to read this blog together. Welcome! Thank you for reading! I would love to know how you found me.
Erika called me today. Finally. It has been so long. I left messages for her. Today she finally called. I look forward to talking with her tomorrow.
I am sad for that boy. Lately I am thinking that I have too much empathy for my own good.
Another boy's answers were similar. I reached out and touched him on the shoulder as we talked. He flinched, then pulled his shirt away from his skin as if trying to rid himself of my touch.
I hope they stay in our program. Our therapists are good. They can learn a lot and maybe find an adult in whom they can confide.
I am amazed at the collection of books there at at this club. There is a huge bookcase of books in English. Books, especially in English, are hard to come by here. But the club in Nueva Suyapa has everything from the old faithfuls everyone studied in high school, to books about Michael Jordan. I couldn't stop thinking how awesome that book collection was.
My co-workers helped me practice reading the verses that are part of my message on Sunday. Reading out loud in Spanish is difficult for me. Often I am not sure which syllable to emphasize. Some words in the bible are not so common in every day language. My co-workers loved my Spanish bible. I felt bad because I rarely use it. Bibles here are so expensive that many people don't have one of their own. I would love to be able to buy each of them one.
I notice there is a group of people in Russia who are logging in to read this blog together. Welcome! Thank you for reading! I would love to know how you found me.
Erika called me today. Finally. It has been so long. I left messages for her. Today she finally called. I look forward to talking with her tomorrow.
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Climbing Mountains
Everywhere I went today people were talking about the 7 year old who was killed in Los Pinos last night. Immediately my mind jumped to the 7 year olds I know in Los Pinos. The boy came from a two parent family, which eliminated most of the seven years olds I know. Someone was mad at the father so they beat up his wife and seven year old son so badly that the boy died trying to protect his mother. It really is sad.
I first heard the story from a co-worker as I was rode with security from the main office to our field office. We did home visits and the lady at the first home was talking about it too. She knows what it is like for a mother to lose a child. On October 10th, 2014, her 18 year old daughter was killed. She told me the story, detail by detail.
The daughter always helped her uncle sell tomatoes at the market. The uncle died and left the business to her. She was a great business woman. She washed all of her tomatoes by hand and dried them with a towel, while her competitors just left their tomatoes in a crate, dirty and sometimes split open.
After many arguments, one day the girls competitors got angry and killed her.
The Mom was an interesting lady. Her home was at the very, very top of a mountain. The front yard had amazing views of the whole city. As we approached on a dirt path, we found her pulling a little pig out from under one barbed wire fence, and moving it to the other side of the dirt path to graze in fresh plants and weeds. The pig was making all sorts of grunting noises because it didn't like being pulled by the rope leash that was around its neck.
I was happy to relax on top of that mountain, away from everything below. Walking from the field office to her house was the most dangerous walk I have taken in my time in Honduras. We left the field office with two people who live in that community and walked down to meet another lady who lives in the section we were visiting. Along the way there was a group of 5 men standing across the dirt road. One was carrying a bottle of beer at 8:30 a.m. We stopped before we got to them and called the lady who lives there to come out. She came and walked past them with us. They were staring us down as we walked past. She asked one of the younger ones what was his problem, showing him that his menacing looks didn't upset her. He turned away. Another one said, "Forty Lempiras a bag." repeatedly until she scolded him too. I don't know what he was trying to sell. Drugs I assume.
Turns out that the people in that neighborhood are mad at her. Someone got put in jail and they think that she was the one who turned him in. But she wasn't. We went with her to talk to the mother of the boy who was incarcerated. His brothers won't attend our youth group anymore. She asked the Mom to please talk to her sons. The Mom seems to know that my co-worker wasn't involved, but she said she can't convince her sons and they are headed down the same path that landed their brother in jail for 12 years.
I was walking around in one of the tee shirts that we are supposed to wear in the field. It says "Make Justice" in Spanish. I don't know a better way to translate it to English. I was thinking it's probably not the best shirt to wear around people who are worried that we might arrest them. I think I'll be wearing my "Love Fearlessly" shirt from now on.
We had some free time between the home visits in the morning and the youth club in the afternoon, so I got to hang out with my co-workers at one of their houses. I practiced the message I am going to share on Sunday in my class at church. They said it sounded really good.
We all went out to eat Chinese food together. I was telling them how happy I am to be working with them and serving in such a great organization. Later I learned that the house I visited was the home of the head of the organization. Even my head, head bosses live in the communities we serve. My co-worker lives with one of them. Good thing I love my job and am bubbling over with nothing but good things to say!
The club in the afternoon consisted of twenty five 12-16 year old girls. We all left with a headache, but we got all of the questionnaires done and completed a project with them which gave us feedback about their impression of the services they receive from us. I noticed that the girls seem to be a grade or two ahead of the boys the same age. All of the girls I interviewed were still attending school.
Fany and I went to get my haircut this evening. I have always gotten it cut up in the mountains by my old house, but I decided I don't want to drive up there. The first place we went to was closed. The second place was a dollar more expensive than any other place. I know a dollar isn't much, but haircuts here only cost $3.00 - $3.50 so a dollar is proportionately significant. I thought about paying the extra dollar because it is right by my house. But the lady inside was really grumpy and angry looking, so we left.
Tomorrow we are interviewing fifty kids. Saturday we will be filling out the questionnaire with 100 kids from four youth groups in a different area - the place that is closest to Los Pinos. It's been fun to get around and see all of the different youth groups as well as the communities where the kids live.
I told Fany that last night I was thinking about how happy I am. My life is really good right now! I give thanks to God for bringing me to this moment. I have a church I love, that is teaching me and guiding me. I have a job I love, where I am learning and growing. My family is healthy. I have lots of good friends. All I need right now is $300 more in monthly sponsorship and a haircut. The haircut will be taken care of soon and I have faith God will connect me with the right people to provide the monthly sponsorship. I have never felt this happy and stress free. This is a great time of my life and I am taking the time to enjoy and appreciate it.
I told Fany that last night I was thinking about how happy I am. My life is really good right now! I give thanks to God for bringing me to this moment. I have a church I love, that is teaching me and guiding me. I have a job I love, where I am learning and growing. My family is healthy. I have lots of good friends. All I need right now is $300 more in monthly sponsorship and a haircut. The haircut will be taken care of soon and I have faith God will connect me with the right people to provide the monthly sponsorship. I have never felt this happy and stress free. This is a great time of my life and I am taking the time to enjoy and appreciate it.
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Interrogations Day 2
It was another great day! This time we didn't go house to house. We went to our field office (we have a main office and an office in each neighborhood we serve) and the kids met us there. It was much more efficient, and I didn't end up sunburned today, but I do like walking around in the communities.
Since all of the kids came in at once, I got to do a share of the interviews today. The questions start out asking about school. Every kid I interviewed was 13-16 years old and had only completed 4th-6th grade. A little more than half are still in school. One said he is not in school because he can't get along with the kids there. (I am thinking maybe gang problems but we weren't supposed to ask them anything except the specific questions on the "interrogation" - that's how questionnaire translates in Spanish.)
It was interesting because we asked if they thought it was appropriate for kids their age to drink alcohol. All of them, every single one, responded very firmly NO. The next question was if they believe it is okay for kids their age to have sexual relations. On that question all of them wavered.
They talked about how things are going in their home. All of my kids said they feel safe, someone asks where they are going and with whom, they have rules, and somebody cares about them. One of the boys who was interviewed by a co-worker said that he has nobody to go to with problems, nobody he can trust, he has no dreams for his future, and does not believe that the world he lives in can change. That was so sad to hear.
The psychologist has tried to meet with that boy. He comes faithfully to the boys club, but he doesn't want to see her. He says it's because he gets food at the boys club. In fact the leader of the club gives him anything that is left over because he often goes for days without eating. The part that bothered me most is that he lives with his mother and she works. So many families don't have food because they can't find work. Apparently she does not share her earnings with him. In fact they say she doesn't seem to care about him at all.
I saw some kids that reminded me of certain kids in Los Pinos at a glance. My heart would get all excited, thinking it was them, and then I remembered I was not in the right part of the city to see them. I look forward to the day when I will know and care more deeply for the kids I am serving now.
Tomorrow we have to be at the office at 8 a.m. We'll spend the morning going door to door again. In the afternoon we will go back to the "club" and interview a group of girls. This area has five different clubs of 25 kids each, so we will be there Friday and Saturday too.
After the day was done we had time to sit around and talk. The psychologist talked about working with a girl who was infested with lice. I thought to myself, in Los Pinos every kid is infested with lice. We talked about the kids who weren't full of lice. They were the ones who stood out in Los Pinos.
My co-workers have lots of questions about the US. They think we all live on hamburgers and french fries. Especially from McDonalds. When I explained that is not accurate, they said, "Well, that is just you because you like healthier food. But the rest of the people in the US eat McDonalds often, right?" How do you explain to people who don't have enough money for a cheese burger at McDonalds that in the US people who live on McDonalds, generally do so because they can't afford healthy food?
Something really, really cool happened this morning in Los Pinos. One of my co-workers witnessed it and showed me photos. I can't talk about it here because it could put people's safety at risk. I wish I could!!!!
I am looking forward to tomorrow. My co-workers teased me because it is not their idea of fun, walking from house to house in the hot sun, but I am eager to go. We'll have about a two hour break at lunch time, if we are able to see all the kids in the morning. I am invited to go to one of their homes for lunch.
I'm working on the message that I have to preach in front of my class on Sunday. I sent a text to Pastora Ruth today and asked if I can have a translator. She said no. I need to preach in Spanish. She's right. If this is where I live, I need to be able to talk to people in Spanish. But it would be so much easier in English. So far I am not nervous. I will study and pray. God will give me the words when it is time.
Bummer of the day: I bought a Costco sized box of cereal, ate one bowl last night, closed it up tight and put it back in the box. This morning the bag of cereal was swarming with ants. I really don't know how they squeezed their way in there. Want to be grossed out? I didn't through it away. I put it in the freezer. I am hoping the ants will die and all fall to the bottom of the bag so I can still eat the cereal. The things you do when you live on a tight budget in a country full of ants.
Since all of the kids came in at once, I got to do a share of the interviews today. The questions start out asking about school. Every kid I interviewed was 13-16 years old and had only completed 4th-6th grade. A little more than half are still in school. One said he is not in school because he can't get along with the kids there. (I am thinking maybe gang problems but we weren't supposed to ask them anything except the specific questions on the "interrogation" - that's how questionnaire translates in Spanish.)
It was interesting because we asked if they thought it was appropriate for kids their age to drink alcohol. All of them, every single one, responded very firmly NO. The next question was if they believe it is okay for kids their age to have sexual relations. On that question all of them wavered.
They talked about how things are going in their home. All of my kids said they feel safe, someone asks where they are going and with whom, they have rules, and somebody cares about them. One of the boys who was interviewed by a co-worker said that he has nobody to go to with problems, nobody he can trust, he has no dreams for his future, and does not believe that the world he lives in can change. That was so sad to hear.
The psychologist has tried to meet with that boy. He comes faithfully to the boys club, but he doesn't want to see her. He says it's because he gets food at the boys club. In fact the leader of the club gives him anything that is left over because he often goes for days without eating. The part that bothered me most is that he lives with his mother and she works. So many families don't have food because they can't find work. Apparently she does not share her earnings with him. In fact they say she doesn't seem to care about him at all.
I saw some kids that reminded me of certain kids in Los Pinos at a glance. My heart would get all excited, thinking it was them, and then I remembered I was not in the right part of the city to see them. I look forward to the day when I will know and care more deeply for the kids I am serving now.
Tomorrow we have to be at the office at 8 a.m. We'll spend the morning going door to door again. In the afternoon we will go back to the "club" and interview a group of girls. This area has five different clubs of 25 kids each, so we will be there Friday and Saturday too.
After the day was done we had time to sit around and talk. The psychologist talked about working with a girl who was infested with lice. I thought to myself, in Los Pinos every kid is infested with lice. We talked about the kids who weren't full of lice. They were the ones who stood out in Los Pinos.
My co-workers have lots of questions about the US. They think we all live on hamburgers and french fries. Especially from McDonalds. When I explained that is not accurate, they said, "Well, that is just you because you like healthier food. But the rest of the people in the US eat McDonalds often, right?" How do you explain to people who don't have enough money for a cheese burger at McDonalds that in the US people who live on McDonalds, generally do so because they can't afford healthy food?
Something really, really cool happened this morning in Los Pinos. One of my co-workers witnessed it and showed me photos. I can't talk about it here because it could put people's safety at risk. I wish I could!!!!
I am looking forward to tomorrow. My co-workers teased me because it is not their idea of fun, walking from house to house in the hot sun, but I am eager to go. We'll have about a two hour break at lunch time, if we are able to see all the kids in the morning. I am invited to go to one of their homes for lunch.
I'm working on the message that I have to preach in front of my class on Sunday. I sent a text to Pastora Ruth today and asked if I can have a translator. She said no. I need to preach in Spanish. She's right. If this is where I live, I need to be able to talk to people in Spanish. But it would be so much easier in English. So far I am not nervous. I will study and pray. God will give me the words when it is time.
Bummer of the day: I bought a Costco sized box of cereal, ate one bowl last night, closed it up tight and put it back in the box. This morning the bag of cereal was swarming with ants. I really don't know how they squeezed their way in there. Want to be grossed out? I didn't through it away. I put it in the freezer. I am hoping the ants will die and all fall to the bottom of the bag so I can still eat the cereal. The things you do when you live on a tight budget in a country full of ants.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Questionnaire
I am on top of the world today! Man, I love what God has called me to do in Honduras!
This morning I walked up to the Chinese Restaurant to wait for my ride. Everyone else went into the office, but they told me not to bother to drive there because they were passing right by my colonia.
Today we had two security guards with us. One was driving and one opened and closed the car doors for us. I guess this was in case we had to make a fast get-away.
My co-workers were a lot more alert than I have ever seen them in the past. They were frustrated with the driver because he has a "sticker" (which I believe is probably a magnetic sign) he is supposed to slap on the door of the vehicle so that people know who we are. Today he didn't bring the sticker. Our vehicle looks like what the police would use to go into a community and do a big bust. My co-workers said we were at more risk if we got out of a car without the "sticker" because people get nervous when they see the kind of car we were in.
I noticed as soon as we got to an area that seemed sketchy, the driver opened his window wide and sat where people could see him. I had been sitting in the front seat, but they had me move to the back so that the other security guard could sit in front and roll down his window too. I guess undercover police cars never roll down their windows, so having the windows down would let people know we were not police.
There were so many times I wanted to take a photo! But I can't take any photos of the people we serve. And I can't pull out my cell phone in the communities we serve because it is too dangerous.
I got to see my first boarding house today. It was actually better than I expected. It's a building with rows of doors. A different family lives in a one room apartment behind each door. They all share a common area for washing clothes and dishes. It was interesting to hear my co-workers talk about the "cuartos". Remember, they live in these communities. Living in a cuarto could actually be an option for them. All of them agreed they would prefer not to live there.
It was there, tucked into an hallway, that I was able to pull out my phone and take a some pictures. I asked permission first. They told me to climb up to the top floor and take photos of the landscape.
Five co-workers accompanied me. Two are mentors who live in this colonia. They are both my age or older. One is a pastor. He is super funny. Everyone knows him, but somehow he kept getting us lost. It became a joke between us. He is a founder of the section where he lives. He told me that the area was declared uninhabitable. Now there are a lot of people living there. I loved the section where he lives. It is full of huge jungle plants and trees with little homes underneath. I saw a few houses made of wood slats, but I still didn't see the poverty of Los Pinos.
Two social workers were there because it was their questionnaire that we were filling out. The fifth woman oversees our project. I talked to her a little about me. Half way through the day she put her arm around me and said, "I am going to tell you about me." She held me with her arm around my shoulders and told me about her life. I never knew she is married. Her husband lives in the US. She has an appointment with the US embassy. She is praying she can get a visa to go visit him. She's 30 years old. For the first two years she worked as a volunteer at our association. Now she has been a paid employee for nine years. Her mother volunteered for 9 years, and is now in a paid position. (Her mom is the one who a ranchero song last week at our devotional.) Both have always been actively advocating for their community. Through their advocacy they learned about the association where we all now serve.
I was happy that she wanted to share her personal life with me. As I've said before, I really like my co-workers.
We walked around from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. The sun was beating down on us. We were sweaty and tired. Occasionally we stopped for a minute or two in the shade of a tree. One of my co-workers told me it is important for our safety that we never stay in one place for very long. I never thought about that, but she is right.
Another co-worker said there was a strong police and military presence. I felt comforted by the sight of pickup trucks full of military men with big guns. But she said there were more than usual. That means, she said, that there are problems brewing.
I tried to be as relaxed as possible, but still alert and aware of my surroundings. It's a delicate balance. Nobody wants to be around someone who is anxious. But you also can't be too relaxed. Many people commented that I was there. A gringa always stands out in a community where outsiders are few.
The questionnaire was for every member of our Impacto Juvenil (Youth Impact) program. This area has 73 kids. Most of them completed the questionnaire in their youth group Saturday. We are following up on the rest. The questionnaire was created to see if the kids feel safe in their home, if there are rules and appropriate discipline in their home, if they have an adult they trust, if they have hope for their future and dreams about what they will do, and if they know right from wrong. The kids seemed to enjoy being asked their opinion.
Tomorrow we are going to a different community to complete the same questionnaire. I am working every day this week. Even Saturday. That's fine with me! I love being out in the community, learning and talking with people.
This morning I walked up to the Chinese Restaurant to wait for my ride. Everyone else went into the office, but they told me not to bother to drive there because they were passing right by my colonia.
Today we had two security guards with us. One was driving and one opened and closed the car doors for us. I guess this was in case we had to make a fast get-away.
My co-workers were a lot more alert than I have ever seen them in the past. They were frustrated with the driver because he has a "sticker" (which I believe is probably a magnetic sign) he is supposed to slap on the door of the vehicle so that people know who we are. Today he didn't bring the sticker. Our vehicle looks like what the police would use to go into a community and do a big bust. My co-workers said we were at more risk if we got out of a car without the "sticker" because people get nervous when they see the kind of car we were in.
I noticed as soon as we got to an area that seemed sketchy, the driver opened his window wide and sat where people could see him. I had been sitting in the front seat, but they had me move to the back so that the other security guard could sit in front and roll down his window too. I guess undercover police cars never roll down their windows, so having the windows down would let people know we were not police.
There were so many times I wanted to take a photo! But I can't take any photos of the people we serve. And I can't pull out my cell phone in the communities we serve because it is too dangerous.
I got to see my first boarding house today. It was actually better than I expected. It's a building with rows of doors. A different family lives in a one room apartment behind each door. They all share a common area for washing clothes and dishes. It was interesting to hear my co-workers talk about the "cuartos". Remember, they live in these communities. Living in a cuarto could actually be an option for them. All of them agreed they would prefer not to live there.
It was there, tucked into an hallway, that I was able to pull out my phone and take a some pictures. I asked permission first. They told me to climb up to the top floor and take photos of the landscape.
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| Can you see how the rocks are holding down the roof? |
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| I loved all of the trees and plants in this colonia |
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| Roofs |
Two social workers were there because it was their questionnaire that we were filling out. The fifth woman oversees our project. I talked to her a little about me. Half way through the day she put her arm around me and said, "I am going to tell you about me." She held me with her arm around my shoulders and told me about her life. I never knew she is married. Her husband lives in the US. She has an appointment with the US embassy. She is praying she can get a visa to go visit him. She's 30 years old. For the first two years she worked as a volunteer at our association. Now she has been a paid employee for nine years. Her mother volunteered for 9 years, and is now in a paid position. (Her mom is the one who a ranchero song last week at our devotional.) Both have always been actively advocating for their community. Through their advocacy they learned about the association where we all now serve.
I was happy that she wanted to share her personal life with me. As I've said before, I really like my co-workers.
We walked around from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. The sun was beating down on us. We were sweaty and tired. Occasionally we stopped for a minute or two in the shade of a tree. One of my co-workers told me it is important for our safety that we never stay in one place for very long. I never thought about that, but she is right.
Another co-worker said there was a strong police and military presence. I felt comforted by the sight of pickup trucks full of military men with big guns. But she said there were more than usual. That means, she said, that there are problems brewing.
I tried to be as relaxed as possible, but still alert and aware of my surroundings. It's a delicate balance. Nobody wants to be around someone who is anxious. But you also can't be too relaxed. Many people commented that I was there. A gringa always stands out in a community where outsiders are few.
The questionnaire was for every member of our Impacto Juvenil (Youth Impact) program. This area has 73 kids. Most of them completed the questionnaire in their youth group Saturday. We are following up on the rest. The questionnaire was created to see if the kids feel safe in their home, if there are rules and appropriate discipline in their home, if they have an adult they trust, if they have hope for their future and dreams about what they will do, and if they know right from wrong. The kids seemed to enjoy being asked their opinion.
Tomorrow we are going to a different community to complete the same questionnaire. I am working every day this week. Even Saturday. That's fine with me! I love being out in the community, learning and talking with people.
Monday, October 19, 2015
Fragile: Handle with Care
The Monday morning devotional at the office was once again enlightening. This week the theme was presented by members of our security team. They spoke about being strong and courageous Christians in every moment of our lives, not only when the situation requires. At the end of our time of devotion, I felt peaceful and strong. (And a little dopey from a cold I caught over the weekend.)
After the devotional we have a planning meeting to share what happened in the previous week and plan for the weeks to come.
In the middle of planning one of my co-workers raised her hand and asked for prayer for a woman we serve who is now in Mexico, trying to cross the border into the US illegally. As usual, the leader of my program did not say, "Well, that's life in Honduras." She was upset. She said, "Is she CRAZY?!!?! Why did she do that?" The word "crazy" in Honduras is a very strong word. It is taken very literally. People here don't use it as loosely as we do in the US. The lady who is trying to get into the US left behind four kids between the ages of 8 and 16. Also she is very beautiful. Everyone is worried that Mexican gangs will see her beauty and kidnap her.
That started a chain of prayer requests for the families we serve. One family's young son is in a coma in the hospital from Lupus. Two of his siblings died this year - I am not sure why. One more died of Lupus 2 years ago. This mother lost 3 children in 3 years and has a fourth in the hospital. She has one more child at home, but she won't allow him to leave the house because she is afraid he will get sick or die.
Another co-worker reported that a girl in her caseload has moved to a different city within Honduras. Her parents had to send her away because gang members were sitting outside of her house every day, waiting for her to leave so they could kidnap her. She is 14. She had to leave her family for her own safety. Praise God they had the resources and contacts necessary to send her to a safer place.
Last week at one of our three kids' clubs the gang members came with a clipboard. They called certain boys to come talk with them and asked wrote down their names. We are not sure if they were doing this to show off in front of us, or if they were really taking the names of some of the kids we work with. One of the mentors thought it was more for show.
Heavy rains knocked down the wall of a house that belongs to two kids from our project. Instead of doing the planned activity for the kids' club Saturday, all of the kids and mentors went to the house and cleaned up the flooding as best they could. The lady who runs our program asked if they will need assistance to rebuild the house. She asked the caseworker for the family to let her know as soon as possible. As I said before, she is a woman of action!
We stumbled into a problem with the group for abused ladies. This is a problem I have experienced before. Some of the women qualified for micro businesses. But a few did not qualify. Now there is an issue of jealousy. Those who aren't going to receive small business education say it's not fair.
This spurred a discussion about how to offer support without enabling. Some of the women earned the opportunity for a small business and some did not. Like the woman I wrote about a few weeks ago who believed she should graduated after only attending one class, many people don't seem to get the concept of working to "earn" something.
A mentor who has served his community for many years said it is important that people earn what they receive. Otherwise they become dependent on handouts and are driven deeper into the sense of entitlement that has developed in Honduras.
We brainstormed about how to provide for those who absolutely cannot obtain basic necessities on their own. Sadly, it is absolutely critical that we are very careful what we give, to whom we give, and how we give. For our own safety, nobody can know the provision came from us. Gift giving causes such huge problems that it necessary for us to be creative.
We talked about ways that people can work for basic staples by serving to better their community. We also thought of small jobs for teens who want to work for money. In the end it was decided that the only people who receive free food are families who have nobody capable of working. This could sound harsh. But everyone agreed that the culture of sitting and expecting handouts must not be encouraged.
It was interesting to hear Hondurans speak of this today. It has been a recurring theme for me. At the missionary conference last weekend we discussed how we can support people without causing dependence. Hondurans and long term missionaries seem to be on the same page. Not only do free handouts cause complacency and dependence, but receiving without giving causes a mentality of helplessness. People begin to believe they are not capable of providing for themselves because they are accustomed to receiving and receiving without putting forth any effort.
Some friends sent me an email about two weeks ago. They asked how they can give gifts to certain kids with whom they feel a special bond. A very reasonable question, right? Totally normal by North American standards to express your love through a gift. However, it is difficult to give material gifts, even to special friends, in Honduras. And it's equally difficult to explain why without seeming cold-hearted.
Today a co-worker spoke about the "Me, Me, Me" mentality. Sadly, we live in a culture where many people are not happy to see their neighbor blessed. They only think, "What about me?" Time after time we see that gift giving causes envy, jealousy and gossip within the community. Sometimes gifts can even cause robbery or physical threat. I encouraged my friends to show their love for their special kids in non-tangible ways and assured her that the best teams to ever pass through Honduras showed their love through actions, rather than gifts.
The Honduran culture in general is not big on gift giving, even at birthdays and Christmas. That seems to be a North American thing. Don't get me wrong. Honduran people are very generous. But they are more into expressing gratitude and love verbally or through spending time together. If they want to show thanks in a material way, they may make fancy handwritten cards. I've received beautiful cards from kids and adults alike.
Whether it be for basic provision, or to express love, sometimes the best intentions can turn into big problems when it comes to giving gifts in Honduras.
After the devotional we have a planning meeting to share what happened in the previous week and plan for the weeks to come.
In the middle of planning one of my co-workers raised her hand and asked for prayer for a woman we serve who is now in Mexico, trying to cross the border into the US illegally. As usual, the leader of my program did not say, "Well, that's life in Honduras." She was upset. She said, "Is she CRAZY?!!?! Why did she do that?" The word "crazy" in Honduras is a very strong word. It is taken very literally. People here don't use it as loosely as we do in the US. The lady who is trying to get into the US left behind four kids between the ages of 8 and 16. Also she is very beautiful. Everyone is worried that Mexican gangs will see her beauty and kidnap her.
That started a chain of prayer requests for the families we serve. One family's young son is in a coma in the hospital from Lupus. Two of his siblings died this year - I am not sure why. One more died of Lupus 2 years ago. This mother lost 3 children in 3 years and has a fourth in the hospital. She has one more child at home, but she won't allow him to leave the house because she is afraid he will get sick or die.
Another co-worker reported that a girl in her caseload has moved to a different city within Honduras. Her parents had to send her away because gang members were sitting outside of her house every day, waiting for her to leave so they could kidnap her. She is 14. She had to leave her family for her own safety. Praise God they had the resources and contacts necessary to send her to a safer place.
Last week at one of our three kids' clubs the gang members came with a clipboard. They called certain boys to come talk with them and asked wrote down their names. We are not sure if they were doing this to show off in front of us, or if they were really taking the names of some of the kids we work with. One of the mentors thought it was more for show.
Heavy rains knocked down the wall of a house that belongs to two kids from our project. Instead of doing the planned activity for the kids' club Saturday, all of the kids and mentors went to the house and cleaned up the flooding as best they could. The lady who runs our program asked if they will need assistance to rebuild the house. She asked the caseworker for the family to let her know as soon as possible. As I said before, she is a woman of action!
We stumbled into a problem with the group for abused ladies. This is a problem I have experienced before. Some of the women qualified for micro businesses. But a few did not qualify. Now there is an issue of jealousy. Those who aren't going to receive small business education say it's not fair.
This spurred a discussion about how to offer support without enabling. Some of the women earned the opportunity for a small business and some did not. Like the woman I wrote about a few weeks ago who believed she should graduated after only attending one class, many people don't seem to get the concept of working to "earn" something.
A mentor who has served his community for many years said it is important that people earn what they receive. Otherwise they become dependent on handouts and are driven deeper into the sense of entitlement that has developed in Honduras.
We brainstormed about how to provide for those who absolutely cannot obtain basic necessities on their own. Sadly, it is absolutely critical that we are very careful what we give, to whom we give, and how we give. For our own safety, nobody can know the provision came from us. Gift giving causes such huge problems that it necessary for us to be creative.
We talked about ways that people can work for basic staples by serving to better their community. We also thought of small jobs for teens who want to work for money. In the end it was decided that the only people who receive free food are families who have nobody capable of working. This could sound harsh. But everyone agreed that the culture of sitting and expecting handouts must not be encouraged.
It was interesting to hear Hondurans speak of this today. It has been a recurring theme for me. At the missionary conference last weekend we discussed how we can support people without causing dependence. Hondurans and long term missionaries seem to be on the same page. Not only do free handouts cause complacency and dependence, but receiving without giving causes a mentality of helplessness. People begin to believe they are not capable of providing for themselves because they are accustomed to receiving and receiving without putting forth any effort.
Some friends sent me an email about two weeks ago. They asked how they can give gifts to certain kids with whom they feel a special bond. A very reasonable question, right? Totally normal by North American standards to express your love through a gift. However, it is difficult to give material gifts, even to special friends, in Honduras. And it's equally difficult to explain why without seeming cold-hearted.
Today a co-worker spoke about the "Me, Me, Me" mentality. Sadly, we live in a culture where many people are not happy to see their neighbor blessed. They only think, "What about me?" Time after time we see that gift giving causes envy, jealousy and gossip within the community. Sometimes gifts can even cause robbery or physical threat. I encouraged my friends to show their love for their special kids in non-tangible ways and assured her that the best teams to ever pass through Honduras showed their love through actions, rather than gifts.
The Honduran culture in general is not big on gift giving, even at birthdays and Christmas. That seems to be a North American thing. Don't get me wrong. Honduran people are very generous. But they are more into expressing gratitude and love verbally or through spending time together. If they want to show thanks in a material way, they may make fancy handwritten cards. I've received beautiful cards from kids and adults alike.
Whether it be for basic provision, or to express love, sometimes the best intentions can turn into big problems when it comes to giving gifts in Honduras.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Floods and Landslides
Went to a conference for missionaries of Honduras this weekend. The guest speaker is a pastor who was a missionary in Africa for 20 years. He was great. His time in Africa was during the worst of Apartheid and when the AIDS crisis began.
By the time he left he was suffering from serious PTSD, although he wasn't aware of it at the time. After gaining an understanding of his own problem, he educated himself on the topic and is now treating firefighters and missionaries who also have PTSD. He was more than qualified to speak about identifying and handling stress in the missionary field.
It was nice to get out of the city for the weekend. I made a new friend named Linda. She is my Mom's age and has been a missionary in Honduras for 8 years. I kept thinking about the similarities and differences between my new friend and my Mom.
We were lucky we met Linda because she lives close to the retreat. We ended up having to escape to her house. It rained hard the whole time we were there. One night the rain was so heavy that many people who lived close to the retreat center were washed away and killed. We went to Linda's house because the road back to Tegucigalp was covered by three stories worth of dirt and boulders. It was impassible. They kept clearing out the road, then it would rain again, and they would have another landslide. Finally the road opened and we got out fast during a pause in the rain.
Because all of the traffic had been held up for so long, the 90 minute drive took about five hours. As we pulled up to my house we learned that Pastor John and his family were broken down on the side of the highway. The lady who drove me to the retreat had already driven for hours and still had a half hour drive ahead of her. So she went home and I ventured out to get out friends. Fany joked that I was on a rescue mission.
In the end, all of us got home safely. We were grateful. Meanwhile, they are still tallying the deaths in Siguatepeque. Last night I listened to the rain on my roof. The peaceful, romantic feeling that rain usually brings was gone. All I could think of was the destruction I saw on the news. I hope that one day rain will bring me a sense of peace again, but that will take some time.
By the time he left he was suffering from serious PTSD, although he wasn't aware of it at the time. After gaining an understanding of his own problem, he educated himself on the topic and is now treating firefighters and missionaries who also have PTSD. He was more than qualified to speak about identifying and handling stress in the missionary field.
It was nice to get out of the city for the weekend. I made a new friend named Linda. She is my Mom's age and has been a missionary in Honduras for 8 years. I kept thinking about the similarities and differences between my new friend and my Mom.
We were lucky we met Linda because she lives close to the retreat. We ended up having to escape to her house. It rained hard the whole time we were there. One night the rain was so heavy that many people who lived close to the retreat center were washed away and killed. We went to Linda's house because the road back to Tegucigalp was covered by three stories worth of dirt and boulders. It was impassible. They kept clearing out the road, then it would rain again, and they would have another landslide. Finally the road opened and we got out fast during a pause in the rain.
Because all of the traffic had been held up for so long, the 90 minute drive took about five hours. As we pulled up to my house we learned that Pastor John and his family were broken down on the side of the highway. The lady who drove me to the retreat had already driven for hours and still had a half hour drive ahead of her. So she went home and I ventured out to get out friends. Fany joked that I was on a rescue mission.
In the end, all of us got home safely. We were grateful. Meanwhile, they are still tallying the deaths in Siguatepeque. Last night I listened to the rain on my roof. The peaceful, romantic feeling that rain usually brings was gone. All I could think of was the destruction I saw on the news. I hope that one day rain will bring me a sense of peace again, but that will take some time.
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| One lane of traffic was cleared |
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| You can see why it kept sliding |
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
No more "Asi es"
Saturday we had a conference at my church about The Bible and Human Rights. It was interesting to see that even way back then people were fighting for human rights.
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| The Bible and Human Rights |
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| God is just and loves Justice |
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| My group's presentation at the end |
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| Another group's presentation |
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| Juan Jacobo organized and presented the conference |
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| Participants with Juan Jacobo and his wife This photo is funny because we were all on the right side and I said that a few of us needed to move to the left - you can see what happened |
Monday was our weekly devotional at the office. Everyone was pulling into the parking lot at the same time. A car hit my car as it parked behind me. It startled me. A man from my office was helping the lady park. I got out and said. "She is hitting me." He said, "It wasn't hard." It was hard enough to jerk the whole car with the emergency brake on.
I didn't want to make a big deal about it since these people are my co-workers. I don't know them. They could be head honchos for all I know. But I did check the back of my car. There are so many bumps and scratches from other people who have the same attitude, that I couldn't tell if they had left a new one or not. My car door is also full of scratches and chips from people in parking lots opening their car doors into it. It's frustrating to be a car owner who tries to take good care of your car in Honduras.
The time of devotion was great. About 70 people were there. My friend sang an old Honduran Christian song that she called "ranchero" style for us. I think "ranchero" is Honduran kind of the equivalent of US folk music. Not something they would sing in a church, but all about loving God.
A pastor from a church in one of the areas we serve spoke to us about human rights. He used a lot of the same scripture we talked about on Saturday at the conference at church.
After the devotional we had a monthly monitoring report where they keep track of how we are doing with current goals and set new goals. The man who founded the association was there. He made some interesting suggestions. He reminded us of the goals of the program when it was first founded 18 years ago. We were asked to keep those in mind as we move forward.
We closed with our favorite moment of the month. Many things popped into my head. Watching the kids let go of their balloons after the campaign against early pregnancy was my first thought. Everyone else talked for a long time. (In the US we are encouraged to get right to the point when we speak in public. Here people tend to be more 'flowery' in their public speaking.) I felt comfortable making my favorite moment a theme that I saw throughout the month rather than one specific moment
My heart was pounding as my turn came closer and closer. I prayed that God would give me the words I needed in Spanish and guide me in the content of what I spoke as well. He didn't let me down.
I shared with the group that I am accustomed to hearing people say, "That's how it is in Honduras." ("Asi es.") The people I serve with are different. They never say, "Asi es." They won't settle for that.
I talked about how hard everyone worked to make the campaign effective and fun for the kids. They put in their best efforts for every moment from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. every single day. Although we were physically and mentally exhausted, nobody slowed down or took a break until we finished. It was inspiring.
I also talked about the wise counsel my co-worker gave to the mothers and grandmothers in Villa Nueva. She is young and single, but that doesn't keep her from sharing wisdom about parenting with ladies who clearly respect her and enjoy her visits to their home.
Lastly I talked about our Monday meetings where people share problems they face in the field. Some people don't feel safe doing home visits or the kids are getting into trouble - things like that. I, myself, have fallen into the habit of thinking, "Asi es" when it comes to those things. Thank God my co-workers and the people in charge don't think this way! They are quick to come up with a solution and take action. I like working with people of action! I told them it is an honor to work with them.
Everyone clapped when I was done!
What I said was better than I ever hoped. The words God gave me were positive and encouraging. They clapped to applaud each other for good work. I am happy God used me to encourage them.
Yesterday was the English speaking bible study. We are studying Daniel right now as we pass chronologically through the bible. I love meeting with those ladies! I learn a lot there every week. Sometimes I contemplate staying in bed because it is early in the morning and traffic is horrible. In the end I end up going and I never regret it.
I was supposed to have a doctor's appointment for my wrist yesterday, but the doctor wasn't in the office so they called me to reschedule. I can't get in until next week.
Tomorrow I am going to a retreat for missionaries who live in Honduras. Some friends offered me a ride, but will not know many people there. It will be fun to meet the other missionaries who come from all over the country. They have interesting speakers lined up too.
I love the opportunity to get away. Since it is dangerous to travel I don't get the opportunity to leave the city very often. I'm really looking forward to this weekend.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
Time with family
My nephews are finally old enough to talk to me on video chat! I've been thinking about it for a while and even planned to present the idea when I go home for Christmas.
Every Friday night Mom has dinner with my brother and his family so I thought that would be a good time for me to catch up with all of them at once. But since I'm on vacation this week I didn't even realize it was Friday. Mom and I were chatting as they arrived.
Jack was in front of the camera the whole evening. He'd forget I was there for a second, then remember and make a silly face at the computer. We played Legos, or rather he played and I watched. He sat me (the computer) at the table with them and they ate a ham dinner. With chocolate ice cream for desert. The boys kept feeling me ham and ice cream by holding their spoons up to the computer. I had a great time.
They are going to a pumpkin farm tomorrow. I felt sad when Joey said, "I want you to go! But you can't because you live too far." My favorite line from Joey was after he was told to say excuse me because he burped. His reply, "I can't. My mouth is full." Well, he did have a point. But as my brother pointed out, if he could say all of that with a full mouth, he can say, "Excuse me." That boy cracks me up.
I took the computer into the kitchen and showed Jack the wall where I hang art he made for me. I could hear him say, "Coooool." He liked seeing that his art was hanging in my kitchen in Honduras.
When it was time for them to head back home Jack kissed the computer good bye. Joey did the same.
I love that they are old enough to want to know me better. Jack asked what is my favorite book. He recited the first five minutes of Star Wars. Apparently that's his new thing - Star Wars. Until now, I have had a hard time keeping up with these things! I hope this will be the start of a new custom.
I wish I could go to the pumpkin patch with them. It certainly was nice to spend a few hours with them by computer.
Every Friday night Mom has dinner with my brother and his family so I thought that would be a good time for me to catch up with all of them at once. But since I'm on vacation this week I didn't even realize it was Friday. Mom and I were chatting as they arrived.
Jack was in front of the camera the whole evening. He'd forget I was there for a second, then remember and make a silly face at the computer. We played Legos, or rather he played and I watched. He sat me (the computer) at the table with them and they ate a ham dinner. With chocolate ice cream for desert. The boys kept feeling me ham and ice cream by holding their spoons up to the computer. I had a great time.
They are going to a pumpkin farm tomorrow. I felt sad when Joey said, "I want you to go! But you can't because you live too far." My favorite line from Joey was after he was told to say excuse me because he burped. His reply, "I can't. My mouth is full." Well, he did have a point. But as my brother pointed out, if he could say all of that with a full mouth, he can say, "Excuse me." That boy cracks me up.
I took the computer into the kitchen and showed Jack the wall where I hang art he made for me. I could hear him say, "Coooool." He liked seeing that his art was hanging in my kitchen in Honduras.
When it was time for them to head back home Jack kissed the computer good bye. Joey did the same.
I love that they are old enough to want to know me better. Jack asked what is my favorite book. He recited the first five minutes of Star Wars. Apparently that's his new thing - Star Wars. Until now, I have had a hard time keeping up with these things! I hope this will be the start of a new custom.
I wish I could go to the pumpkin patch with them. It certainly was nice to spend a few hours with them by computer.
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| Jack's Lego centerpiece Joey being silly |
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| Joey with a cheek full ♥ |
Friday, October 9, 2015
Learn More
Interested in understanding what is going on in Honduras? This interview is packed full of information about the problems Honduras faces and what we can do about it. If you have a heart for Honduras, it's worth your time to watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzD0ZUaSrIc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzD0ZUaSrIc
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Second Hand Shopping
Last week I realized that winter clothes will be on the racks when I get to the US. Winter clothes are useful here, but only for a couple of weeks each year. I already have warm clothes. However, I need clothes to wear when it's hot and I have to go to the office.
This morning I searched on Amazon and found some dress pants I could have shipped to my Mom's house. They were only $25 each. But who knows if they'd fit? My best bet for office clothes is used clothing stores in Honduras.
Honduras has a lot of used clothing stores. They bring tons and tons (literally) of used clothing from the US and sell it here. I've found lots of good stuff in my time here. I always go to the same two stores. One has cheap prices. The other has a girl who knows my taste. We have a little routine. I pick out a couple of things to try on and tell her what I'm looking for. Then I stay in the dressing room while she hands me more and more clothes until I find what I like. It's like having a personal shopper. I don't mind paying a dollar more for the convenience.
Let me give you a mental image of her store. It is a small room, wide enough for clothes to hang on the left and right walls, with one rack down the middle. There is a thin aisle to walk on each side of the middle rack. On the tiny back wall there is a mirror and a red curtain. Today there was a little girl sleeping on the tile floor, beneath the mirror. Behind the red curtain is a bathroom which serves as a dressing room, The water doesn't work in the toilet or the tiny sink, which is good because you can pile all of your clothes in the sink and not worry about them getting wet. There is also a pila.
So this pila is inside of the dressing room. As I try on my clothes behind a curtain I am thinking that most North Americans would not like to buy clothes here. I am thinking that I have really gotten accustomed to life in Honduras because these crazy dressing rooms, with kids asleep on the floor outside, don't even faze me any more.
When I find something I like, I step over the sleeping girl and look in the mirror outside. The girl who works there "Ooooohs" and "Ahhhhhhhs" and tells me how pretty I look. Even if I don't. Today I tried on a shade of green that made my skin look deathly pale. She insisted I looked great, and very white. That part was true. I did look very, very white. Most of my Honduran friends talk about wishing their skin were lighter, so maybe the half dead look was a positive thing to her.
While trying on clothes I put on a blouse, pull back the curtain and left up my leg to step over a cement thing in the floor but before I get out of the room I am stopped in my tracks. Three men are standing there, with huge guns strapped across their chest, dressed in military uniforms. They are big. It feels like they take up the whole store. And they are staring at me. I inhale sharply and throw out my arm like a policeman trying to stop traffic. I don't know what that was supposed to do. But that's what I did.
They all look at me. As I write this I realize that I must have been a strange sight to them, too. It's not every day a "gringa" pops out of the dressing room, throws her arm out at them, and freezes with one leg in the air.
Finally I realize that my leg is in the air and my hand is trying to stop bullets. Probably my eyes are bulging out of my head and my mouth is wide open too. I pull myself together, take a quick look in the mirror, then disappear into the dressing room feeling their eyes heavy on me the whole time. I'm grateful the curtain falls completely shut behind me.
There is no threat. I feel so foolish for the way I acted when they surprised me! They are taking a break from work and doing a little shopping. The head guy wants to leave. But one of the other men tells him, "No, you have to take your time and look through everything. That's the best way to shop."
I tried on the next blouse as slowly as possible. When I couldn't hide in the bathroom any longer I walked out with all eyes on me again. I looked in the mirror as if nobody else was there. And then ducked back behind the curtain. When I came out next they were gone.
I told the girl, "They scared me! I am not used to seeing men with big guns like that. I thought I was getting used to it, but I am not!"
She laughed and said, "Don't worry. They scared me too. I was standing here, sorting through the rack of pants and I looked up at them and gasped like you did."
We both laugh. I feel a lot better. As always, she gives me a good deal. I bought 3 pairs of dress pants and 5 blouses for $35. Even better than shopping at Ross! And much more exciting.
This morning I searched on Amazon and found some dress pants I could have shipped to my Mom's house. They were only $25 each. But who knows if they'd fit? My best bet for office clothes is used clothing stores in Honduras.
Honduras has a lot of used clothing stores. They bring tons and tons (literally) of used clothing from the US and sell it here. I've found lots of good stuff in my time here. I always go to the same two stores. One has cheap prices. The other has a girl who knows my taste. We have a little routine. I pick out a couple of things to try on and tell her what I'm looking for. Then I stay in the dressing room while she hands me more and more clothes until I find what I like. It's like having a personal shopper. I don't mind paying a dollar more for the convenience.
Let me give you a mental image of her store. It is a small room, wide enough for clothes to hang on the left and right walls, with one rack down the middle. There is a thin aisle to walk on each side of the middle rack. On the tiny back wall there is a mirror and a red curtain. Today there was a little girl sleeping on the tile floor, beneath the mirror. Behind the red curtain is a bathroom which serves as a dressing room, The water doesn't work in the toilet or the tiny sink, which is good because you can pile all of your clothes in the sink and not worry about them getting wet. There is also a pila.
So this pila is inside of the dressing room. As I try on my clothes behind a curtain I am thinking that most North Americans would not like to buy clothes here. I am thinking that I have really gotten accustomed to life in Honduras because these crazy dressing rooms, with kids asleep on the floor outside, don't even faze me any more.
When I find something I like, I step over the sleeping girl and look in the mirror outside. The girl who works there "Ooooohs" and "Ahhhhhhhs" and tells me how pretty I look. Even if I don't. Today I tried on a shade of green that made my skin look deathly pale. She insisted I looked great, and very white. That part was true. I did look very, very white. Most of my Honduran friends talk about wishing their skin were lighter, so maybe the half dead look was a positive thing to her.
While trying on clothes I put on a blouse, pull back the curtain and left up my leg to step over a cement thing in the floor but before I get out of the room I am stopped in my tracks. Three men are standing there, with huge guns strapped across their chest, dressed in military uniforms. They are big. It feels like they take up the whole store. And they are staring at me. I inhale sharply and throw out my arm like a policeman trying to stop traffic. I don't know what that was supposed to do. But that's what I did.
They all look at me. As I write this I realize that I must have been a strange sight to them, too. It's not every day a "gringa" pops out of the dressing room, throws her arm out at them, and freezes with one leg in the air.
Finally I realize that my leg is in the air and my hand is trying to stop bullets. Probably my eyes are bulging out of my head and my mouth is wide open too. I pull myself together, take a quick look in the mirror, then disappear into the dressing room feeling their eyes heavy on me the whole time. I'm grateful the curtain falls completely shut behind me.
There is no threat. I feel so foolish for the way I acted when they surprised me! They are taking a break from work and doing a little shopping. The head guy wants to leave. But one of the other men tells him, "No, you have to take your time and look through everything. That's the best way to shop."
I tried on the next blouse as slowly as possible. When I couldn't hide in the bathroom any longer I walked out with all eyes on me again. I looked in the mirror as if nobody else was there. And then ducked back behind the curtain. When I came out next they were gone.
I told the girl, "They scared me! I am not used to seeing men with big guns like that. I thought I was getting used to it, but I am not!"
She laughed and said, "Don't worry. They scared me too. I was standing here, sorting through the rack of pants and I looked up at them and gasped like you did."
We both laugh. I feel a lot better. As always, she gives me a good deal. I bought 3 pairs of dress pants and 5 blouses for $35. Even better than shopping at Ross! And much more exciting.
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Morning Traffic
The ladies in my Tuesday morning bible study commented today about how happy I am at my new position. I am going to start referring to it as "Gideon Project" from now on. It's easier that way. Plus, that was written on part of the contract I signed today. Yes, I am officially under contract as a volunteer now! I had to agree not to abuse any kids and to follow the rules of Gideon Project. At the end my co-worker said, "Now I will tell you 'Welcome!' officially!" I thought I was already official. The papers are signed. I am happy and proud to be officially part of such a great organization full of amazing people.
Yesterday we had our weekly devotional. I absolutely LOVE serving at a place that starts their week in prayer. We sang, a professional singer sang for us, a pastor from outside the organization spoke about the importance of prayer. He was funny and thought provoking. Then we had a time of planning for the week to come.
This week is full of holidays. Once again, nobody can tell me what we are celebrating. Everything is closed Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday.
At my Tuesday morning bible study I learned that 7 people were nominated as regional representatives for my area of Honduran Fellowship. I accepted my nomination. I also learned that I was nominated by the leadership of Honduran Fellowship! That is so cool! Now that I have thrown my hat into the race I really hope to win. I would represent 118 adults, plus 7 organizations. I am concerned I don't know enough people to win.
Last night I sat down and wrote my monthly newsletter. It is in the editing process right now. The self confidence boost I received through God's healing on Sunday made that newsletter the easiest I've ever written. I loved writing about all of the cool things that are going on. After looking back through this blog it became clear that God is doing a lot of things in my life right now through the Gideon Project, studying under Pastora Ruth in the classes about preaching at church, and even the nomination, which I did not share in my newsletter because it happened in October.
Yesterday we had our weekly devotional. I absolutely LOVE serving at a place that starts their week in prayer. We sang, a professional singer sang for us, a pastor from outside the organization spoke about the importance of prayer. He was funny and thought provoking. Then we had a time of planning for the week to come.
This week is full of holidays. Once again, nobody can tell me what we are celebrating. Everything is closed Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday.
At my Tuesday morning bible study I learned that 7 people were nominated as regional representatives for my area of Honduran Fellowship. I accepted my nomination. I also learned that I was nominated by the leadership of Honduran Fellowship! That is so cool! Now that I have thrown my hat into the race I really hope to win. I would represent 118 adults, plus 7 organizations. I am concerned I don't know enough people to win.
Last night I sat down and wrote my monthly newsletter. It is in the editing process right now. The self confidence boost I received through God's healing on Sunday made that newsletter the easiest I've ever written. I loved writing about all of the cool things that are going on. After looking back through this blog it became clear that God is doing a lot of things in my life right now through the Gideon Project, studying under Pastora Ruth in the classes about preaching at church, and even the nomination, which I did not share in my newsletter because it happened in October.
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| Morning Traffic |
Sunday, October 4, 2015
See you at the polls!
At church today I received an incredible gift from the Holy Spirit. My heart was healed of a burden I have been carrying around for a long time. I didn't realize all of the ways this burden was effecting me. In just the few hours since church is over I see a huge difference in my self esteem and self worth.
The healing was about issues with my Dad. Many of us have these sorts of things. Almost all of us, I think. We do our best to get rid of them using the tools we carry in our tool belt. But some wounds only God can heal.
I tried to convince myself that it was no longer an issue. Yet for the last 20 years the same nightmares kept popping up over and over when my mind is supposed to be resting in sleep. I wake up and they weigh heavily on me throughout the day. Today I prayed that God would take away my nightmares too. I believe He will.
Since I got home I remembered an email I received from Honduran Fellowship of Missionaries and Ministries. They are an amazing group I joined about a year ago. Through them I met a ton of people and attend some great conferences and retreats. They help connect missionaries with other people and resources. They handle my residency in Honduras and give advice about how to get things done, whether it be filing taxes, travel, legal stuff, deals on hotels... You name it, they do it.
The email I received a few days ago said I was nominated to represent my region for the Honduran Fellowship. I immediately dismissed the email because my mind said that I was not capable and nobody would vote for me. I even went so far as to think that the email was probably a mistake.
After receiving healing today, I decided to check and see if the email was real. I couldn't imagine who would nominate me. Turns out, it was real. Someone else thought I am worthy and capable, even if I didn't.
After reading over the requirements with my new, improved self perception, I decided to accept the nomination. I may even look into ways to promote myself and ask for votes. That would have been tough yesterday, but I feel up to promoting myself today.
It will be a big responsibility. However, I am already doing some of the things that are required - sharing information with other members, praying for members in my region, promoting and attending events held by Honduran Fellowship. About the only additional thing I need to do is create and host events for my region. I could invite people to the events we already offer at my church. For example next Saturday we have a conference on Human Rights. Pastora Ruth would love to have a larger attendance, so it would be win-win! I can also invite people to the workshops at my new "job". Most of those are open to the public, although the public doesn't know it.
I'm liking this new me. I'll sleep well tonight and let you know how it goes at the polls.
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Carne Asada at Alas de Aguilas
Today was our big event to raise money for the church. We did have some meat left over, which we can sell tomorrow after the service. But we sold out of plates, chismol, sausage, beef and Coke. I hope you enjoy these photos. It was cool to see everyone working as a team. Some of these ladies have been working since yesterday. I am too tired to write.
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| Beans, a piece of cheese, beef (or pork if you choose) and chismol |
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| Pork and chorizo on the grill |
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| Nidia, Jorge S. and me hailing traffic |
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| Not so bad being bum rushed when it's by cute kids |
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| Advertising in the rain |
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| We need more chismol! |
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| Coke to go - in a bag. This is very typical here. You bite off the corner and suck on the bag of Coke. |
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| Two satisfied customers |
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| These two worked into the night |
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