Today was the kind of day I imagined for myself when I moved to Honduras. I hope to have many more days like today
My friend Molly and I went to visit some of the people she serves in Los Pinos. It was something we have been thinking about and praying about for a long time. Molly hasn't been able to visit the families she works with for weeks due to gang violence in the area. But we learned, and a local pastor confirmed today, that things have calmed down. I prayed about it with my church group last week, then spoke to Pastor Paysen about it on Sunday as well. Molly and I continued to pray yesterday, last night and today. We felt confident about our decision to go.
Molly is looking for a car, so it is nice for her to be able to go with me. I have the car, but I don't have the connections, so it is nice for me to go with her. Cab drivers charge her extra to drop her off there because they know it is dangerous. Some cabs refuse to take her at all. She said that finding a cab to take her home can be tough too.
I am realizing more and more that our gifts compliment each other well. Molly knows how to get a lot of things done. She knows about resources. I know about working with messed up kids and victims of abuse. So we balance each other. It will be interesting to see God's plans for us a year from now.
I have met the pastor who lets us park in front of his church once before. He is super relaxed, yet very attentive. I liked him since the first time we met. He is not interested in what we can do for him, but is very willing to help us out in any way he can. Today that meant letting me park in a safe spot.
Molly and I talked to him about having a Mother's Day celebration at his church. We are inviting the mothers we know in Los Pinos as well as ladies from his church. It should be a good way to network. Even if we don't meet families we feel called to serve, the more people we know in the area, the safer it is for us there. And of course, it will be a very fun day to celebrate the mothers.
As we stood on the side of the mountain, the pastor pointed out areas on the other mountain that are less safe than others. He pointed to where a pastor from a church nearby had to leave because of the gang activity. They tore her house apart, making it clear to her that they wanted her gone.
Pastor Nicholas lives right by his church, so he has his hand on the pulse of everything that is going on. He has been there for long enough that he is known by the people in the area, so he doesn't have any problems. He said he will talk to key people and let them know why we are around so they will allow us pass freely without problems. That will be a big help to us.
The visits with Molly were great. I can see she loves her families and they love her just like I love the families I serve in Los Pinos. It seems like everyone is sick with dengue in Los Pinos. I got a little nervous when a mosquito bit me, but that was the closest we came to danger all day. Everything was really calm.
Nobody has water. In the first house we visited a 6 year old boy has had diarrhea with blood in his stool since last week. He is vomiting up his food. But there is no water. Thank God he looks basically healthy. They were down to 2 little packages of tomato sauce in the pantry and some rice. Molly brought some food. She is also helping a girl who lives there to go to college and get a job so soon there should be an income in the family. Just last night the girl was hired for a really good, professional job. Everyone is really excited about it and proud of the girl.
We sat down for a while to chit chat. Everyone teased me because my butt was too big to fit into a child's plastic seat. I don't know if I will ever get used to being teased about being too big. It's just something we would never say in the US, although everyone in the room meant it in a kind way. I went home and talked to Fany about it. She said that in Honduras men like women with side saddles and a butt, so I should take it as a compliment. They even have a word for side saddles that is supposed to be complementary, not negative. She said most Honduran women are not built that way, but wish they were. I need to investigate her theory a little further before I believe it. And I need to lighten up.
Another thing that happened in that house was so funny to me. Very Honduras. The lady said openly (in front of the 6 year old boy and a teenaged boy who accompanied us) that she has a lump in her breast and it hurts. Of course, that part is not funny. Molly encouraged her to go to the doctor, but she said she has a really hard time climbing back up the mountain if she goes down to the doctor, so it seems unlikely to me that she will go. She turned to the lady next to her, twisted her bra around so her breast was no longer in the cup and said, "Feel!". So the lady felt. Then she said no, really push on it. So the lady is pressing and with the other hand seeing how it felt compared to her own breast. The lady with the lump exclaimed, "That is not normal." At that point I embarrassed myself by cracking up out loud. I tried to imagine this scenario, with a teenager and a young boy and a stranger visiting, in a home in the US. I love how open Honduran women are about some things. I really do.
The second home we visited was a really nice woman who has HIV. She is the first person I have met in Honduras who I am aware has HIV. I am sure I know more people, but just don't know it. She looked very healthy and seems to be doing well, considering her circumstances. The visit was really nice, but I don't want to go into details because I am not sure if her situation is public knowledge.
Lastly we went up to visit a person who wasn't home. Some other family members invited us inside. They talked about how they really can't work because there are four kids to take care of and also, someone always has to stay home to take care of the house. I know many families in Los Pinos who don't dare leave their home unattended. What a sad thing. I am grateful my friend Ana's home is secure and she can leave when she needs to.
As we walked back out, some little kids who yelled, "Hello!" in English when we arrived, yelled "Adios Gringos!" in a sweet way. Molly and I were burned to a crisp, although my skin didn't turn red until a few hours later. Molly's burn was the topic of conversation toward the end of our travels. Next time we will bring sunscreen and sneakers. Those mountain trails were crazy today!
In each house we prayed over the families and praised God for all He is doing in their lives. I can see how things are definitely very tough, but there is always a light. Despite the illness and lack of food and water in the first house, there is hope with the new job the girl is starting and college in her future. Despite HIV, the lady in the second house is fairly strong and has a productive business. In the third house a young man was mistaken for someone else and shot in the head, but he is alive and his sister has a healthy, beautiful baby that I fell in love with. There was always something good.
Yesterday I got to visit Ana and her family. Samuel is learning so much in school! Isabela is talking and talking. She doesn't let her brothers get away with anything anymore. She is full of personality. Jired is trying to figure out a way to visit the US after he graduates from high school, and David is so tall! He is almost not a little boy anymore. He is turning into a young man right before my eyes! I just saw them all 2 weeks ago, but each of them is growing and changing so fast it's amazing. Samuel told me that he is too skinny. I asked why. He said he is not eating his vegetables. (I used to always pester him about eating his vegetables.) He said he loves broccoli, so I gave him a little bit of broccoli. He gave me his word that he would eat it.
