Going Away Party for Lourdes at the Breakfast Program

Samuel dressed in his best

Camila and her flip flips with toes

 I took pictures as they all filed in for the party.  Each of them had an invitation.  I collected 86 invitations when we opened the gates at 11 a.m.  There were more than 20 people already in the church at that point, preparing for the party.

Ever with Anai, Jose and Memo

Anai and her boots

Jose

Yarely

Belkis with her big brother, Naum

Blanca Flor and her sister, Violet

They sat and waited for the Sarmientos to arrive

Lorenzo and Moncey waited patiently
(note Moncey's new hair cut which she did all by herself)

The Sarmientos in their seats of honor

Preschoolers applauding

Michele reciting a poem

Yarely choreographed a dance

Milagro waiting to eat

Lourdes with special words for the kids

Cindy

Enjoying chicken, salad, and rice

Preschoolers praying for the Sarmientos

Everyone praying for the Sarmientos
Well, almost everyone

Ana and her family with Lourdes afterward
Ana has become our main cook now that Marlin is nearing the end of her pregnancy

Misael

We had a little photo shoot:

Blanca Flor, Kebelin and Lolita

Lolita and Gired are good buddies

The party was a great success.  The preschool class's presentation was super but I didn't get any photos because I was coordinating it.

My landlord, Hermida, invited me for dinner at their house.  They invited the Sarmientos to say good bye.  We had a pork roast, chicken, potatoes baked in the spices of the chicken, special rice, a tomato salad, bread that tasted like pretzels and tres leches for desert.  It was delicious!

Meeting with Jairo

We practiced for Lourdes's going away party today.  It was kind of rocky, but nobody expects perfection from 4 year olds and the kids had fun.  I don't know how many kids we fed today, but it was a lot.  There were more than yesterday.  We ran out of bread.  I'm thinking maybe 105?

Jairo asked me to meet with him before he leaves.  I walked into his office and for the first time it hit me that he will not be here any more.  His walls are bare, his photos are gone, and all that was left were some papers he is leaving for Walter.  I felt sad.  But I know this is best.

We talked first about my safety after he leaves.  Jairo said there are 4 people who will I will go to after he leaves.  Ethel - head of the elders, Carlos - my landlord and also an elder, Samuel Matute - an elder and person who has been really helpful to me, and Belinda since she is my immediate supervisor.

When I first moved to Honduras a year and 1/2 ago Jairo used to tell me that things were bad, but that he had lived through worse in the 80's.  Today Jairo told me that things are as bad as they were in the 80's.  I can't say anything specific, but yesterday someone left the country because the person was about to be kidnapped and held for $2 million.

Jairo said that I should not worry, but I need to be aware and careful, especially around the elections.  He said some people think the Libre party may win the election.  They are killing all of their opponents.  If the Libre party does not win, they have promised to contest the outcome.  Jairo believes it will be a civil war.  He said there is no reason to believe that I will not be safe here.  He said I need to buy a lantern.  I'll need to be sure that I have water and food on hand as the elections approach.  And candles and matches.  When I was here in 2009 the president was pulled out of his bed and taken out of the country because he was not following the constitution.  They immediately turned off the electricity and water.  The lines at the gas station were huge, so I'll have to keep my tank full.  Seems that God gave me that experience for a reason - so I can be more prepared for November and what may happen then.  I should buy a gas stove before the elections.  But I am feeling broke with car maintenance.  Next month I have to pay for annual car registration.   :(  Need to pray for lots of financial blessings!

I will have another meeting with Jairo that will include Belinda and Walter because we need to work as a very tight team after Jairo leaves.  I think we are very capable of being an excellent team.  Both of them are gifted at the roles they have been given.  I hope we live up to our potential.  That is something I need to pray about - you could join me.  I also wrote a letter today that I need to translate to Spanish.  It is for Ethel, head of the elders, thanking her for allowing me to serve here.  I offered to serve in new ways as we go through this transition and the Sarmientos leave, if she would like me to.

Check back tomorrow for lots of photos of Lourdes's going away party!

Right turn

Have you ever made a wrong turn that turned out to be the right one?  That's what happened to me today.  I had to take my car to a Honda dealership.  For months nobody seemed to know where one was.  The man who helped me buy the car wanted me to take the car to a Honda dealer before it had 100,000 kilometers.  Well, today it had 99,600 as I left the dealership.  Nothing like cutting it close.

For a few days I was a little anxious about finding the dealership and then finding my way home.  I made it there fine.  It was a little different than people had told me, but it was still easy.  On the way home I had a few options.  I could go back the way I came, which meant going all of the way back toward the church. That would add about 30 kilometers (and who knows how much time since it was rush hour) to my trip.  Or I could go the way Belinda had shown me, but I had only gone once.

Turned out God was looking out for me in several ways.  I was starving, so I asked a lady if there was any place close by where I could safely walk and get something to eat.  She took me to the cafeteria for the workers of the dealership, but it was closed.  (So nice of her, though!)  Then she talked to another lady and they decided they were going to have the guy who runs the shuttle take me to find something to eat.  He asked where I wanted to go and I told him I have no idea.  Then he took me a couple of blocks where there was everything a hungry person could want - Pizza Hut, Wendy's, Burger King, (Wendy's and Burger King seem to be more popular here than McDonalds) Pollo Campero, Popeye's, Denny's, Chili's and 2 Chinese restaurants.  I ate fast food.  That's how starving I was.  It even tasted good.

At the same time I recognized a restaurant sign and realized I had been that way once with Jose and Karla to go to my house.  As I looked closer, there was no way to turn in that direction, so I asked the guy how to go that way.  He said just turn around in the gas station and you can catch the road from there.  I was thinking and thinking, trying to remember how to get home that way.

After I ate my lunch and could think more clearly, I realized that I could probably also go a fourth route.  I had come down into town from that way several times before, but I don't ever remember leaving that way.  So I started to pray and pray that God would take me home safely.  I read two newspapers (19 people have died from Dengue.  Joss's boyfriend was hospitalized for it and a friend of Eunice's is close to death from it.) and I prayed.  When I left I felt at peace.  The worst thing that would happen is I would get lost.  Then I would have to call someone and try to describe where I was so they could help me get home.

I decided to go the route I had gone with Jose and Karla.  So I headed that way, but somehow I turned too early.  I have no idea how that happened.  UGH!  I couldn't make a U-turn, so I followed a sign to the hospital where Marlin had been, planning to re-orient myself.  That is when I remembered that if I went past the hospital there was a route that would take me to the bottom of the mountain if I did it right.  I have gone that way a few times before and knew that way best of all, but still not well.

As I drove I prayed and envisioned myself driving the route.  It was almost like I could picture my own car going in front of me.  By the time I got to each intersection I felt sure which way to go.  Finally I knew exactly where I was.  I did it!  I made it home the quickest and easiest route.

They say my car needs $500 worth of work plus I know it also needs new tires.  Part of that is an oil change they were going to over charge me for and a light that I tightened so it works now.  I think I'll take it to Quaker State for an oil change and to the mechanic who worked on the car before.  I'm hoping he will fix the rest for about $250 and then I'll only have to deal with the tires.  We'll see.  I really don't understand what the most important thing on the list is.  It is something that sounds like it could be a new crankcase?  Plus they say I need 4 new spark plugs, which is surprising since I haven't driven far since the mechanic cleaned and replaced them in July.  But Walter's buddy will know exactly what I need to do and he will also tell me if there is anything I'm better off doing at the dealership.

Today at the Breakfast Program the kids worked on their presentation for Lourdes.  We are having a special going away party for her Saturday.  All of the kids have an invitation.  As soon as we started handing out invitations earlier in the week, suddenly a bunch of new kids started coming.  Belinda told them that if they came for the rest of the week they would get invitations to the party.  Today we served 92 kids!  We are going to do some poetry, songs, dances, and my preschoolers have made letters that spell out "GRACIAS".  They decorated the letters today with stickers, glitter, drawings and cut out pieces of paper.  The letters are quite lovely in themselves, but the kids are also going to name an attribute that goes along with each letter - like generous,loving, caring, etc.

Yesterday Evelin Michele came over to my house for a visit.  Besides my landlords and Joss, Evelin is my first official visitor.  She goes to college in Texas, but she is home from school for a few weeks.  Evelin was one of my first Honduran friends.  When I first was called to serve here, she was one of the people I talked to a lot.  Now I live only a few minutes from her family's house.

Sometimes I think I take things for granted.  I waited years to be here, feeling like I would never be happy until I got to Honduras.  Now, here I am.  I live in the mountains, just as I always wished for, in a nice house, with great friends and a reliable car.  I am greeted every morning by kids wanting to crawl into my car and hug me.  I didn't know God would be this good.  I imagined my day to day life to be more of a struggle.  And I never thought I'd find a safe home in the mountains!

Well, yesterday the lights did go out for 9 hours.  But that is a frustration, not a struggle.  I guess while I was in Costa Rica they started shutting off the electricity all day.  Not sure why that is.  My fridge stayed cold and the power was on in time to cook dinner so I saw it as a way to save on my electric bill.

Memo wore his suit again today.  Actually he changed it up a bit with khakis that looked better with his sneakers and a button down instead of a tee shirt.  He is so darn funny!

Yesterday at this time I was waiting and waiting to hear how my friend, Pat Pike, fared in surgery.  At the Breakfast Program every single person who was at the church, even Don Juan and Eunice, prayed for him.  We got on our knees (on the one day I wore shorts) and went around the whole circle with each person saying their own individual prayer.  Some of the kids said the most beautiful things.  I am so proud of them.  And none of them but the tiniest moved from kneeling on the cement.  Jairo took video of the prayer and then of us all trying to stand up afterward.

A year ago Pat was supposed to have a small surgery to remove 2 inches of colon.  It was supposed to be an easy recovery.  However, every time they tried to close up his stomach he got very, very sick.  He was in a coma and almost died.  After that no doctor has wanted to close up his stomach.

The surgery yesterday seems to have gone well.  The doctors took out his gall bladder while they were in there.  They said they had to pull everything very tight to close it up and there is a chance the stitches could come open, so Pat has to be very, very careful.  Now we are thanking God for a successful surgery and for a complete recovery.  The kids prayed that Pat will be here in Honduras with us soon.  I think he will!

I told Pat I was going to squeeze his guts out when I hugged him in July.

Time

I've never lived in a place without winter.  I do miss the snow, but not as much as I expected to.  What I miss most about snow is sitting in my house and watching it fall outside.  I get a sense of peace from watching snow fall which is hard to put into words.  I miss the silence of snow.  Some of you will know what I mean by that.  And I miss cooking foods that I associate with snowy days - stews, soups, roasts...  I even miss shoveling at 10:30 at night when I got home from work, when everything is quiet except my shovel scraping on the driveway.  Overall, living without snow is not as hard as I thought it would be.

However, living without winter, spring, summer, and fall to mark time is hard.  I never knew how much I used the change in seasons to know what month it is.  I have been lost since I celebrated the 4th of July in the US.  In Honduras right now it is rainy and sometimes cold.  We are finishing our "winter" although I don't know what makes it winter.  We have another rainy season around January.  But the two rainy seasons don't help me mark time.  I have caught myself thinking that it was January or March right now.  I really have no concept of where we are in the year.  When I realize it is almost September, I can't believe that 2013 is almost gone.

Bibles and baths

What a long day.  But it was very productive.

Yesterday I was invited to "cut the cake" for Daniel (Belinda's son) at 7 pm at Jairo and Lourdes's house.  When I got there at 7 Lourdes and Jairo had gone to buy the cake.  Nobody eats homemade cakes but me in Honduras.  Birthday cakes are always purchased.  Finally Lourdes and Jairo got home at 8:30 with tons of food to cook a full dinner.  We didn't cut the cake until about 10 pm.  Now I know that if someone invites me to "cut the cake" I should arrive hungry.

As I pulled into the church it struck me how awesome the whole Breakfast Program is.  The church was full of kids playing - all doing their own thing.  Cindy (the girl who fell out of the tree and smashed her head) is growing so quickly that people keep mistaking her for her older sister.  She is all arms and legs.  Cindy strolls around with a sense of self assurance she never had before.  As I parked and looked around Cindy strolled out of Eunice's office - part of the morning rituals - everyone passes through Eunice's office to say good morning.  I swear that girl has grown a foot in the past month.

Ana, Marlin's friend, was cooking tacos in the kitchen since Marlin was in the hospital.  She seemed happy to be hard at work.  Belinda set up an office for herself.  It looks really nice.  She was in there playing music and working.  I confessed to Belinda that I really want to read the new bible to the kids, but I am not the best at reading out loud in Spanish.  I asked if she thought any of the older kids might be a good reader.  She thought of a few kids, then settled on Maria.  I have seen Maria, she always says hello to me, but she has not been coming to the Breakfast Program very long so I don't know her well.  Belinda called Maria into the office, handed her King James bible in Spanish and asked her to start reading at a certain verse.  After she finished the first sentence I knew she was our girl, but she read for a while, not knowing why we had called her there.  After she finished Belinda explained that I need someone to help me.

Maria and I went to the classroom and I showed her the preschool bible.  I explained that we are not in a hurry.  We want to stop every few sentences and ask the kids questions to be sure they are paying attention and understand.  I asked her to integrate counting and identifying colors whenever we can. She got it.  Then I came up with the idea that when the kids get wiggly, they can go to their seats and draw a picture of the story we just read.  If we draw after each section that we read and put all of the drawings together, they will have drawings to illustrate the whole bible!  Sounds like a cool idea to me - their own, personally illustrated bibles.

Samuel and the class's new bible

Lunch was such a hit today the kids asked for seconds, which they never do.  Samuel, our pickiest eater, finished his first plate of chicken tacos and was done with the second before anyone else.  A few hours later he asked me for toilet paper.  I checked on him to be sure he was okay.  He was sitting on the toilet with the most horrible look on his face and said, "My stomach is FULL of food!"  That boy is so funny!

Yesterday Belinda told me she was worried about Lorenzo.  I used to work 1-1 with Lorenzo, but when Lourdes stopped coming to the Breakfast Program we stopped doing that because the kids had to leave after they ate.  Belinda asked if I would work with Lorenzo.  I told her I would love to start working with him again!  When Lorenzo came I told him to eat, then play for a while, and afterward we would have class.  He is way behind in school.  I think he has some memory problems, probably from malnutrition.  We worked on identifying A-J.  He can't even recite the alphabet.  We looked at pictures and tried to identify the first letter.  He got a few of those right with lots of help.  I told him we will be together in the class every day for 10-15 minutes.  Even if I didn't teach him anything, 1-1 time is always good for Lorenzo.  I like it too.

After everyone else had gone, Belinda asked me to bathe Misael.  When Samuel saw that Misael was getting a bath Samuel wanted to join in.  I was fine with that because I am still a little uncomfortable being one on one with nude little kids.  I have the North American mind set that I don't want to put myself in a situation where someone might say or think I am doing anything wrong.  In Honduras it is normal for a lady to bathe other people's kids.  I am just not used to it.  Having Samuel there too made me more comfortable.  I tried to prop the door open, but it wouldn't stay.  So I said out loud, "Washing your hair, your ears, your neck..."  The boys giggled and exclaimed "Que rico!" as I poured buckets of refreshing water over their heads.

I made a point to say that they would wash their own private parts.  When I finished Samuel's mom was outside washing her own hair.  I told her I am not accustomed to bathing other people's kids.  She said it is good that people in the US have the mentality to protect their kids.  I took both boys out into the sunshine and covered them in lotion in front of Samuel's mother and brother.  They love getting baths!  This may become a daily ritual now that we have water in the rainy season.  I am going to bring some lavender baby lotion tomorrow.

Before Meylin left for school I called Marlin and let her talk to her kids.  She talked to Belinda for a long time too.  Belinda said that Marlin is doing much better physically, but is sad.  She started eating yesterday and today she even felt hungry.  She thought she might be discharged tomorrow after taking her last dose of medicine.

However, a few hours later Marlin called to say that she was being discharged today.  Then she called to say she needed someone to pay for her to get out of the hospital and buy her meds.  Belinda and I went to get Marlin.  It was a long and ridiculous process.  They wouldn't let us in to get Marlin out!  Finally Belinda got in.  They didn't have the meds Marlin needed.  We tried to drive home in rush hour traffic.  It was horrific.  Finally we made it to Los Pinos as the sun was going down.  Belinda went up to Marlin's house because the crazy hospital forgot to take the IV needle thing out of Marlin's hand so Belinda had to do it.  We got home after 7 p.m. hungry, but safe and sound.

Clara did not get admitted to the hospital today because she was late for her appointment.  We don't know if she will be admitted tomorrow or not.  I am excited to work on the second page of the kids' bibles with them tomorrow and have some 1-1 time with Lorenzo.  If the boys want baths I will be prepared with lavender lotion.

Refreshed

I thought yesterday was going to be my day to relax, but you know how it goes.  Sometimes the days that you have "free" are the busiest.  I washed and hung 3 loads of clothes by 1 pm and soaked beans to cook overnight.  Then I picked up Belinda and we went to the church to get some things for my friend Marlin.  She is normally the cook at the Breakfast Program, but when she went to a Dr appt on Friday they hospitalized her.  She is 30 weeks pregnant and she has lupus, so it is a high risk pregnancy.  She used to have very swollen feet.  Now her feet are no longer swollen, but she lost 10 pounds and is very anemic.  She said she vomits every time she tries to eat.

Marlin is not staying at the same hospital where I served when I came to Honduras the first time with my church from the US.  She is staying in a worse one.  I brought her sheets, but never thought she would need a pillow to put inside the pillow case.  We gave her a towel, shampoo, soap, deodorant, a comb, toothbrush, toothpaste, juice, milk boxes and some snacks in case she might eat any of them.  We even had to bring water and toilet paper.  The hospital does not provide either.

Marlin is frustrated because she is being seen by practitioners.  She said she never sees a doctor.  (I have nothing against practitioners, but I can understand her frustration in this situation.)  She squirmed around a lot, clearly uncomfortable and in some pain.  She said the pain was a lot worse yesterday.  She has a horrible cough and some other sort of infection in her stomach which is the cause of the pain.  She is getting intravenous antibiotics but is not on a full time IV, which surprised me since she said she has not eaten since Thursday.  But I'm not a doctor.

To me she looked okay.  She was lying down when we first got there, but in all of her squirming she ended up sitting.  Marlin's bed was horribly lumpy.  I think even if she hadn't been in pain it would have been uncomfortable.  I brought bright orange sheets.  I hope they serve to lift her spirits.

We talked for a while, assured her that her two kids are well cared for, prayed together and left.  I don't know when I'll be able to go back to see her.  It was the saddest thing - outside the gates were tons of people.  For some reason they weren't allowed inside.  Belinda said that the hospital gets too full of visitors, so they just stop letting people in.  People were crying and fighting with the guards, but the guards stood firm.  Belinda also said that the hospital has recently become affiliated with the university so there have been changes in regulations because of that affiliation.  In any case a lot of people did not get to visit their loved ones.

Belinda and I had to be sneaky.  She has a card that she got from a job in the past.  I think she used to sell meds or something.  Anyway, we went around to the employee entrance.  Belinda gave me all of the bags we brought for Marlin and did some sweet talking.  Then I was allowed in as her burro, carrying everything for her.  We had to go to the 4th floor.  At each level guards questioned us and seemed about ready to shoo us out.  We told Marlin that Belinda got in with her card and I got in with my smile.  :)  But walking past all of those people at the gates who weren't allowed to come in hurt my heart.

The hospital is the same one where I visited Clara when I had a migraine and I threw up out the window and all over the hallway full of people.  I got a headache again this time on the car ride to the hospital, but I stopped and got some coffee for the caffeine and took some ibuprofen.  I was fine.  The maternity part is less crowded and more calm.  People were sleeping in the halls (maybe because if they left they couldn't get back in?).

Tomorrow Clara will be checked in too.  I am not totally clear as to why but there are several things going on with her.  She has placenta praevia and also she has to get another chemotherapy treatment.  Clara and her husband both have to sign papers that say they understand that they are risking Clara's life and the life of the baby when she gets checked in tomorrow.  That would be difficult.

I sat with Clara today at church.  She looks really great - healthy and pretty.  Her hair is growing back in thick, short curls.  But these treatments can sometimes knock her for a loop.  She told me she is nervous, but I also know she is trusting in God.  Clara has been very strong through the whole fight with leukemia, and now with this pregnancy too.  I have never seen her falter, although she says she does sometimes.

Last night after visiting Marlin we went to Belinda's house to paint.  Belinda has moved everything into Lourdes and Jairo's house.  The jovenes (teen) group painted but since they are not professional painters they went through the paint much more quickly than Belinda hoped/expected.

On the way home I stopped at the fruit stand up the street and bought every vegetable that looked good.  I came home and made the yummiest stir fry ever.  I was wishing I had someone to share it with because it turned out so delicious.  But I also realized most people like a some meat in their stir fry, so maybe it was meant just for me.  I was cooking up a storm.  I made some re-fried beans in the crock pot and cooked them through the night so my house smelled yummy this morning.  Then I let them cool during church and bagged them up to be frozen as soon as I got home.  I eat a lot of beans.

Jairo's message today was about being "refreshed" in your relationship with God.  He talked about being religious, going through rituals, vs. in relationship which is growing and being refreshed each day.  At one point he called people who would like to come forward to take the risk and say "Here I am God.  Use me." and refresh their relationship with God.

I had a real inner struggle going on.  Now it seems laughable.  I knew I was supposed to go forward, but three things were holding me back.  One was that I didn't want to seem weak.  I thought that if I went forward someone might think that I wasn't already offering myself to be used by God.  Now, I know that is NOT a reason to stay in my seat if God was calling me to come forward so I prayed about it some more.  Then I realized that I had on really high heels.  What if I had trouble walking to the front?  Would kneeling at the alter be harder in high heels?  (Let me tell you, the enemy can find all sorts of ways into your mind!)  My other thought which was not of God was that people in the congregation might think I was going to the front for show.  I sat and prayed as Jairo spoke and called people to give themselves over and refresh their lives in God.  I knew that I had just come from a time of beautiful encounters with God while I was in Costa Rica.  I saw His hand in everything there.  I also know that I didn't want that to fade away.  I want to keep walking close by His side.

Finally I stood up before I realized what I was doing and walked to the front.  I prayed that God will continue to show me His way and use me as He wishes.  And I thanked him for all He has done for me and the people around me.  My God is not only good.  He is mighty and powerful.  I am so grateful to have Him.

I don't like milk in a box

I love milk.  I like skim, 2% and whole milk.  I am not a picky milk drinker.  But in Honduras everyone I know buys their milk in a box.  I like soy milk, almond milk, rice milk and coconut milk from a box.  But it is time to admit that I can't stand cow milk from a box.  To me it never tastes good.  By the second day it's open it already tastes sour.  I've tried every brand, but milk in a box is always bad.  I need to stop trying to make it work.  From now on I'll stick to plastic cartons.

Today I learned an interesting fact.  Jetty has a new friend!  There is a local girl who has a one year old baby.  Her family is part of the church.  I spoke with her mom and we ended up working out an arrangement that is helpful to both Cindy (the girl) and me.  Cindy comes over and helps around the house to earn money.  She brings her baby daughter, Michelle.  Usually Michelle sleeps during their time here, but today she was not tired.  She was sitting on the couch and Jetty walked over.  Michelle reached over and started petting Jetty.  Jetty enjoyed that for a few minutes, then jumped onto the floor at which point Michelle got a little fussy.  Cindy put Michelle onto the floor and Michelle crawled right over to Jetty, reached out and started petting her again.  Jetty rolled over onto her back and laid there with her belly sticking out, letting the baby pet her.  Cindy said that Michelle has been playing with Jetty a lot lately.  I like this for two reasons.  Since Jetty is stuck in the house all of the time, it is nice for Jetty to have some extra stimulation.  Also I know that most Honduran people do not think it is healthy or normal to keep a cat in your house.  I was concerned that Cindy might be afraid of Jetty.  But clearly, since she allows her baby to play with Jetty, Cindy is not afraid.  It was really cute to watch.  Michelle is only a little bit bigger than Jetty.  They must like having a friend who is the same size!

Marlin had a Dr appt today.  She was hospitalized and may have to stay there for the remainder of her pregnancy.  She is not due until the middle of October.  Tomorrow I am going to see her during visiting hours.  I'll find out what is going on.  I know she has been losing weight.  When I got back from Costa Rica I was looking forward to seeing her, expecting that her belly would have grown over 2 weeks.  However, she was thinner than before I left.  Her cheeks and arms were thin.  She lost 10 pounds.  The Dr told her she is anemic.  I could see dark circles under her eyes.  Please pray for my friend Marlin.  She is a very sweet woman, but this is a high risk pregnancy.  Marlin has lupus.  I am worried about her.

Today was pretty awesome.  The kids know they have to wait until the car is turned off before they can approach it.  I got one leg out when I was surrounded.  I reached down and hugged them and kissed each one on the head.  Then Samuel said, "She hugged me first!  She hugged me first!"  and they were all running around saying she hugged me AND kissed me!  She kissed me too!  It was awesome having kids so happy to receive my hugs and kisses.

Then we sat down and I showed them a new bible that my cousin's wife in Costa Rica gave me for the preschool class. They loved it!  First they looked at all the pictures saying, "That is me!  That one is me!"   Violet had an advantage at that game because she was the only girl.  The boys had to be fast to claim a boy character for themselves.  Then I read Samuel a story about Samuel in the bible and José a story about Jose.  Samuel decided it was his turn to read so he told us a story from the pictures in the book.  It was so funny!  It was about God creating the earth.  He made up his own version.  I got some cute photos, but I haven't been able to upload them from my phone yet.

I've needed a hair cut for a while, but have been putting it off out of habit.  In the US haircuts can be so expensive!  I finally broke down today and stopped to make an appointment for a haircut.  She said come right in, I can do it now.  When I got home I realized I paid $3.50 for the haircut, plus $2.50 for a tip.  From now on I need to remember not to wait so long when I need a haircut.  For $3.50 I can afford a haircut when I need one.

The pastor from my church in the US sent a letter to the head of the elders of Iglesia en Transformación yesterday.  He said he would like to know how K2 (my US church) could best support Iglesia en Transformación.  By this morning the head of the elders had already emailed a response to the office for translation!  Things here rarely move that quickly, but she really liked the letter and is excited to move forward, working together more closely with K2.  I am excited too.  I love the idea of my two church families being closer.  I can see how it would benefit both churches.  Maybe soon I will be helping to host some members of my own (US) church!  The day I meet them at the airport and work side by side with them here in Honduras will be amazing beyond words.

Reasons to be grateful and praise God:

In the past 24 hours I safely traveled from Costa Rica to Honduras.

My landlords drove through an extremely foggy night at 9:30 p.m. to pick me up at the bus stop, getting home at 10:30 p.m. when they had to work early this morning.

Lourdes and Jairo were cleared to leave Honduras and move to the US.  We have been praying for this for months!

I entered my house to find that my landlords left bags of groceries on the table and inside of the refrigerator.

This morning I received an email from my cousin's wife which said that her friend who has 11 tumors and appears to be dying of cancer has accepted Christ!  We have been praying for this.

My friend Arlene told me she found the perfect person to hire as a teacher in her school.  Another thing to check off my prayer list.

My church in the US sent a letter saying that they are eager to know how they can work side by side with my church in Honduras.  They asked me to be a liaison.  They had a meeting at 4 p.m. today and later sent a really powerful letter for me to translate and forward to the elders of my Honduran church asking how they can best support us.

My friend Kerri and her husband have both been out of work for a few months.  However, today Kerri learned she was hired for the job of her dreams!

What an amazing 24 hours!!  (Worthy of 2 posts)

The most exciting news ever!

I am so excited to share the most exciting news ever!  I was not able to blog as I like to while I was in Costa Rica serving with the team.  At first we didn't have internet.  Then I was simply too tired.  We would come home and I'd go straight to bed, then wake up and head out again.  The team did so many awesome things that I couldn't share with you.

One of the things I wish I had written in the moment was when my cousin, Doug, and his wife, Debbie, shared that they have a friend who is dying from cancer.  He is their neighbor in Costa Rica.  He was in Panama receiving treatment, so the male side of the team all lived in his house during their mission.  We prayed for Marc for several days.  Finally on the last night we broke into groups and prayed all through Marc's house.  We prayed outside, in every room, and all gathered on the roof at the end where we sang songs of praise and worship.  We joined hands and declared God's presence there.

Debbie had been planting seeds for a long time.  Marc had gotten down to 100 pounds and was clearly dying.  She and Doug were really anxious for Marc to be saved before he passed.  Debbie has given Marc a bible and talked to Marc about God, but he always made it clear he was not interested.

After the prayer in Marc's house the cleaning ladies said they felt a difference there.  I know that as we finished our time of prayer in the house I was speaking to one of the girls on the team and both of us felt very positive about how God would work there.

Last night Doug and Debbie saw Marc.  He told them he accepted Christ as his savior!  He said that he couldn't wait to tell people.  The man who was treating Marc in Panama told Marc the only chance he had to heal was through God.  Marc told Doug and Debbie that he believes in the trinity, just like they do.  He got up and danced to show them how much better he is feeling.

I am amazed at all of the good news I am hearing today.  God never fails to amaze!  Today I also received an email from Lad, the Assistant Pastor of my church in the US.  He said that K2 is starting a new team to work together with my church in Honduras.  He said I will be to contact person here in Honduras.  He asked what we need, what our goals are, and how K2 can help us achieve the goals.  Sounds great!

Also, Lourdes and Jairo had a successful meeting on Tuesday and plan to leave for San Jose, California, in about 2 weeks.  That is really good news for them, although I will miss the Sarmientos very much.

My bus ride yesterday was relatively uneventful.  All in all I was traveling for 21 hours.  It was a super long day.  But I'd do it again.  Costa Rica was great, serving with the team from Virginia was a very special experience.

PS:  I came home to a table and fridge full of food.  My landlords rock!

Adios Costa Rica

Wrapping things up in Costa Rica.  Went today to help my cousin get some paperwork he needed for taxes and zoning or something.  Those things are always fun - especially in a different language.  Turned out in the end he really didn't need me as much for that as to buy dog food in a pet store.  Hahaha.

We planned to spend the afternoon in the water but there is a horrendous wind that feels like a hurricane outside, so we're stuck indoors.

Tonight someone is picking me up at 1:30 in the morning to take me to the bus station.  The bus leaves at 4:00 a.m.  If all goes as planned I should be back in Tegucigalpa by 8:30 tomorrow night.  My landlords are meeting me at the bus station in Tegucigalpa.  They are so good to me!  I hope the bus is on time.

It's been great to be with my cousin and his wife.  We haven't been able to do this before, so it was really nice.  I had a lot of delicious meals, met some great people, had family time, got to serve the team from Virginia.  Now it is time to go back to Honduras.

Among other things, I will miss the fact that people here spay/neuter their animals and treat them as we do in North America.  I like seeing kids riding bicycles all over the place.  It's super nice to be able to stroll on the beach without concern of being kidnapped or mugged.  But I am eager to get back home to Jetty, my Honduran friends, and the kids at the Breakfast Program.

Tomorrow is the day Lourdes and Jairo go to renew their childrens' visas.  I will spend my time on the bus praying for them when I am not sleeping.  You may want to pray too.  I'll tell you how it turns out for them.

Hope to make it back to Costa Rica again.  It's been a lot of fun!

My first surfing injuries

Yesterday we got a late start on surfing because Doug and Debbie are helping the lady who cleans their house to draw up plans for a house of her own.  Deyanira said her dream house is similar to one of their friends' so we walked through the friend's house, measuring and making small changes here and there.  Doug drafted it all out on paper.  Deyanira was excited to leave yesterday with a plan for the house that will go on a lot of land she has already purchased.

Then we stopped at the surf shop so I could get a rash guard (shirt) to go with the board shorts I found on sale the day before.  It wasn't the quick in-and-out thing Doug was wishing for.  Debbie needed some flip flops and a rash guard for her suit too.  But eventually we made it out of the store and onto the beach.

I told Doug I was feeling a little overwhelmed because, while I had learned a lot in my first lesson, there was still a lot more to know.  He took me out and told me which waves to choose and helped me get turned around on the board.

I didn't do nearly as well yesterday as I did Sunday.  The water was a lot rougher and it was more about fighting through the waves to find the right one.  But it was still fun and I managed to get up every time, even if it wasn't pretty.  Doug's board is a lot more tipsy than the board I used Sunday.  I'm not sure when or how it happened, but I broke my baby toe.  I also crashed into some rocks, but the bruises I got from that are not in places suitable for photos.

My broken baby toe

The funny thing is that last time I was in Costa Rica I broke my toe too.  But that was because I opened a closet door without moving my foot out of the way.  This is a much cooler injury.

Last night I didn't sleep well because we planned a 6:30 a.m. walk on the beach.  I kept thinking I would oversleep.  Plus my toe hurt when I moved.  But it is now 7:30 and all I see out there is a lone surfer.  I think I'll head out before it gets too hot.  Time is flying by!  Soon I will be heading back to Honduras.  I may as well squeeze in as many walks on the beach as I can.

Serving in Costa Rica

Wow!  It's been a while.  A week and 1/2 ago on Sunday my cousin, who lives in Costa Rica, called to say 32 people from Virginia were flying into Costa Rica on Tuesday to serve on a mission team.  They could use my help as a translator.  Since I was eager to visit my cousin and his wife, this seemed like a great opportunity.

On Monday I bought a bus ticket and got everything ready to go.  Tuesday my landlord, Hermida, took me to the bus station at 4 a.m.  The bus left at 5 a.m.  I met some nice people and also had some people from immigration try to swindle me at the border of Nicaragua.  Overall it was a nice trip, but exhausting.  Plus I was still a little sick with a cold.

When I got to the bus terminal in Costa Rica I was still 2 hours from my cousins house.  He had sent friends who held a sign with my name on it so I felt like a famous person.  (Nobody else was greeted that way.)

I got to Doug and Debbie's house and everything was dark.  The team had arrived earlier that day.  They must have been as tired as I was.  It was midnight.  I had been up for almost 24 hours by that point.  So I left my suitcases downstairs and snuck into the bed that I was assigned to.  I was pretty sneaky - nobody heard me come in.

The next day we started with a morning devotion, which we continued every day.  Then we split into 3 groups and headed out to our designated work sites.  I stuck with Debbie that day because she had a lot of logistical things to take care of as the groups settled into their sites.  We rented a pickup truck that we weren't sure was going to endure the week, and ran back and forth between job sites bringing shovels and rakes and brooms, weed whackers, lawn mowers and gas.

By lunch time everyone was ready for a break.  We ate most of our meals at nice restaurants with an occasional packed lunch if there wasn't time to sit down for a meal.  The lady who works at Doug and Debbie's house made some scrumptious breakfasts.  The kids had their first fried platanos and natilla (the Costa Rican version of mantequilla).  She made empanadas one morning and gallo pinto every day, which seems to be very common here - black beans and rice.  Some kids complained about getting rice and beans at every meal, which took me back to the days I swore I would never eat rice and beans again after spending time in Jamaica as a teenager with my family.  But overall, the kids did go out of their way to try new things, kept an open attitude, and seemed to enjoy the new foods.

The second and third day I spent in a tiny village in the mountains.  We served at a little school which was one room for all grades with one main teacher.  I hear they do have a music teacher who comes.  The teacher was an incredible individual.  He has been teaching there for 14 years.  He loves the kids and is very invested in his community.  He told me proudly that there are no bars in his village.

He and I sat after lunch one day and talked about the difference in lifestyles between his village in Costa Rica and my life in Honduras.  He was aware that Honduras was struggling, but he didn't realize how prevalent the poverty is and how much more dangerous it is to live in Honduras.  He showed me around his property and all of the different fruit trees he has there.  Although the property and his home belong to the school, it is clear he is very happy and proud to live there.

When Doug and Debbie asked how they could serve he said that the kids could really use a cement pad to play on when the ground is too mucky from the rainy season.  So each day we mixed cement and created a huge platform.  The whole village seemed to be involved.  Men took days off from work and two of the women who were helping were very pregnant, but not at all afraid of hard work.

I stayed on the work site to help the head of construction communicate with Doug and the team.  Meanwhile another lady who was bilingual spent her days with the kids.  They played games, did crafts, and spent time in the classroom.  After lunch each day we played soccer with the kids and local people.  I normally don't play soccer in Honduras because I am afraid to embarrass myself.  But as an adult member of the team I figured I should set a good example.  It was really fun!  I also learned I am not as horrible as I thought.  From now on I won't hesitate to jump in and play with my kids in Honduras.

I have never experienced community like I did at the Pavona School.  The founder of the village came by and I translated what he said to Doug.  He said that he and the whole village pray for the team throughout the year.  The village waits with excitement for the team to come, and when the team is present, there is a sense of joy and happiness.  The groups each said they felt the happiness within this village too.  It was an awesome experience to work hand in hand with the people there.

Boys up in the mountain school

The finished product

The team was divided into three groups - Faith, Hope and Love

The local village people pitched in and helped the team

Although it is the rainy season, we had no rain while we poured cement

Me with two of the team members and a local lady

My cousin Doug with one of the men who helped him run the job site.

The school kids, me, my cousin's wife Debbie, and the school teacher

The North American fútbol team and some of the kids after a game

On Saturday and Sunday the teams went on monkey tours and zipline rides.  We had surfing lessons and I learned to surf!  We also rode horses up the beach and into the mountains.  It was a nice way to wind everything up.  Last night my family and I went into town and I got a pair of surf shorts and a rash guard (a surfing shirt).  We are headed out today to hit the waves - is that what surfers say?

For any who may not know, Cindy has had the brain scan.  She is perfectly fine.  The stitches have been removed and she is back at the Breakfast Program.  Thank you for your prayer.

Please pray for Cindy

Yesterday I slept and slept and slept.  No tv, no books, just my bed and me.  I did get up long enough to help my landlord line my windowsills with some really cool plants.  They are called "crown of thorns" or something like that.  With the help of the gardener, we put two plant boxes in each window to keep Mincho (my landlord's cat) from breaking in or jumping up there and spraying.  I really like how they look.  It will be fun watching them flower.

In the evening Lourdes called and asked me to send out a prayer request to my prayer team because Cindy fell out of a tree and is in the hospital.  Lourdes didn't have many details besides that Cindy is on an IV and needs a brain scan which will cost $100.  She is hoping that the church members will cover the cost today if they take up a collection.

As I was putting together the prayer request it was so interesting to see the difference between the shy girl in the photo from last July (with her brother Cristian whom I adore).

And Cindy last week:

Wow has she grown!

I will keep you updated as to Cindy's condition.  Lourdes said that doctors in Honduras don't give much information and get angry if you ask.  So please keep this in mind if I don't have much to offer.  I know a lot of people are praying for Cindy.  Thank you.  She and her family are one of the families from the Breakfast Program that I am closest to.  I have visited their home numerous times.  They sent me cheese when I left to go on vacation.  :)  I am going to do everything I can to help them in this difficult time and I know the people of the church will too.  Thank you for your support from the US!

Missed church this morning because I slept until 10:30, which is unheard of for me.  Normally I am up by 7:30 or 8.  I was surprised, but must have needed it.  Since then I have been up and around a lot.  I can tell I feel better when I want to wash all of my bedding and clean the house.  My nose is runny and I still don't have much of an appetite.  I tried drinking a liquado (like a milkshake with no ice cream) but that just didn't work.  I'll keep drinking juice and stay hydrated.  By tomorrow I should be back to full speed.

(CONTINUED)

My internet went out so I didn't get to post this earlier.  In the meantime I found some cute photos of Cindy and learned that my cousin and his wife have invited me to come to Costa Rica to serve a team of 32 people they are hosting.  I will be translating and helping in any way I can.  I plan to leave Tuesday morning by bus and get to Costa Rica that night.  I will miss the kids, but it is exciting to serve in a new way.



Cindy with her classmates on Valentines Day

Bean soup

Took some ibuprofen for the sore throat and went to the Breakfast Program.  As I got there I was kind of in a daze.  Eunice was watching for me and commented about it - usually I go straight in to say good morning to her, but I was wandering past.

I backtracked and went to say hello and she told me she had a present for me.  They were beautiful earrings, shiny grey, and made of seeds.  I loved them AND they matched perfectly with what I wore today.  I got a ton of compliments on the earrings.

I told Belinda I was surprised to be sick since I hadn't seen anyone else sick.  Boy was I wrong.  Gorge's baby sister, Genesis was sick.  She coughed her way through lunch as I spoon fed her.  Misael was sick too.  But he is pretty good at covering his mouth with is elbow!  Violet had a very runny nose.  Samuel and Gorge are coughing too.  Gorge said he has a sore throat.  Well, now I know why I'm sick.

Because this is her first week, Genesis cries every morning when her mother drops her off.  Then she is okay once she gets busy.  Today her mother came back while Genesis was eating.  Genesis stopped eating, started crying and ran for her mother.  Her mother immediately said Genesis didn't want to eat because she doesn't like onions.  I told her no, she had eaten 3/4 of her food eagerly until she saw her mother.  I tried to get her to eat the rest, but with her mother saying she doesn't eat onions, guess what?!?  Suddenly Genesis wouldn't eat.  Eventually I left as the Mom tried to spoon feed Gorge and Genesis, picking around the onions.

We had a delicious lunch.  It was bean soup, which didn't sound good at first, but it was so good!  And perfect for my cold.  Marlin and I sat and ate lunch together.  Her feet are so swollen they look like when you blow up a doctor's glove and it's a big round ball with the little fingers (or in Marlin's case, little toes) sticking out.  It looks really painful.  She said she was crying from the pain yesterday.  She has to go back to the Dr on the 2nd of August, which really means a Dr will do an exam that day and then she goes back on August 8th to get the results.  I hate seeing Marlin in so much pain!  Belinda says Marlin will be fine, but it worries me.  Although I never tell Marlin that.

Tonight was a prayer group at the church.  I wanted to go, but Belinda needed a ride home, so I figured I would drop her off and rest, then head back down.  Unfortunately, I fell asleep for three hours and woke up too late to go.

Tomorrow we are having a BBQ for the jovenes at the Sarmientos.  I am going early to help prepare the food.  I am happy that people are inviting me to help out with things like this.

I hope I feel better tomorrow.  Or at least discover some medicine that helps.  So far the stuff that normally works is not doing anything but making me super sleepy.

Spreading Germs

In the middle of the night I woke up with a sore throat and this morning as I have been up getting ready for the Breakfast Program, I realize I have a stuffy nose and swollen glands.  I was sick 2 days last week with that stupid stomach bug.  (Hahaha  I just realized I was very hesitant to write "stupid" because in Honduras it is a VERY bad word that nobody ever says.)  I don't want to be sick again today!

First of all I can't stand having people think I'm weak.  I also worry they might  think I'm lazy.  The mentality here is that you go to work or keep going about your business unless you are so sick that you can't get out of bed.  Then you go to the hospital.  There is no thought of resting to recuperate faster and nobody stays home to avoid spreading germs.  They think I'm crazy if I tell people not to greet me with a hug and kiss when I'm sick.

Many people take antibiotics every time they don't feel well and they encourage me to, too.  That drives me nuts because I don't want to take antibiotics for a flu and it drives others nuts because they think if I don't take the antibiotics I am not trying to help myself get better.  The worst part is they take the antibiotics for a couple of days and then stop as soon as they feel better.  Everything we learn about antibiotics in North America is down the tubes here.

(As a side note, I have learned after watching MANY people take chicken bones home to their dogs that dogs do not choke or die from eating chicken bones.  Personally I will not choose to feed my dog chicken bones, but the only way I've seen a dog die so far is being hit by a car.  The dogs here eat a lot of chicken bones.)

The thing I worry about most is that I work with a bunch of pregnant ladies and little kids who receive their only nutrients once a day at the Breakfast Program.  The Breakfast Program is not a good place to go if you are germy.

I'll go for a few hours and give less hugs than normal and try to come home early.  We have a special prayer meeting at the church tonight at 5 so I was planning on staying down there all day and attending the time of prayer.  I know it will be really special.  We'll see how long I last.

New kids

Today was a free day in the preschool
The kids love getting out all of the toys.

New Kids:

Gorge enjoyed the cars so much...
he tried to take them home.
His peers explained the rules
and Gorge agreed not to steal from the classroom

 


Jorge's sister, Genesis, cries until she gets into the classroom
Then she has fun!

Donny and Gabriel were new today
This is also the first photo they have ever seen of themselves.

 



New girls drawing together

Myley had a clean diaper today
 

Familiar Faces:

Milagro loves the village



Samuel was busy with big cars



Cindy is getting so big!
She never cries anymore

Yesterday I promised the kids they could have a free day to play with all of the toys today.  They sit every day in a class full of toys and focus on learning their numbers and colors, but we haven't had a day yet for them to just dig through the toys and play.  I chose Thursday because Fridays we usually have a larger group and I thought Thursday would be more manageable.  But guess what?  School was closed today, so we had a TON of kids.

This week some Moms have been showing up with their kids.  We have had to explain that the Mothers can wait out by the gate, but the kids do better if the Mothers leave and let the kids be on their own.

The preschool kids are starting to get the hang of things.  We pray with the big kids.  Then we walk in a nice line to the classroom door where (mostly to practice counting, but also to get everyone's attention) I walk down the line, tapping each of them on the head, and we count how many kids there are.  The kids are finally all counting together.  Today we had twelve kids.  But Memo thought we had 13, so we counted again to be sure.  They enjoy counting loudly.

The two brand new boys could not believe they were allowed to play on the rug.  They didn't even need any toys to entertain them.  They rolled around on the rug saying, "Que rico!" over and over.  Apparently rolling on the rug felt really good to them.  It appeared to be a new experience.

All of the kids did an excellent job sharing and playing together.  They had a wonderful time with no prompts at all from me.  I gave them a five minute warning, and when it was time to clean up they did a great job!

We were lined up at the door to go eat when Memo pointed out that Gorge, a new boy, had stuffed his pockets full of Matchbox cars.  Gorge was trying to take the cars home with him.  I sat down next to Gorge and explained to him that this is OUR classroom to share.  If every person takes the toys home we won't have any toys left to share in the classroom.  Gorge seemed to understand.  Memo burst in saying he doesn't steal from the classroom.  (I realize it has to be REALLY hard for them not to take things home with them.)  I asked Gorge if he could promise me that he would not take anything from the class or from the church.  Gorge assured me that he would not take anything home with him ever again.  I believe him, but I'll keep an eye on him too.

I love that the kids see the classroom and the church as something they want to protect.  They make me proud.  I told them we had a really great day and we will definitely play again soon since they were so good at sharing and putting everything away.  They asked if it will be tomorrow?  When I said no they didn't seem too disappointed.  I think they like the more structured days too.

So long self

Remember a long time ago when Lourdes sat down with me and talked to me about the things I needed to work on?  I was able to thank her yesterday.  She told me she could see big changes in me!  At the time I thanked her for having the courage, love and desire to challenge me to change myself.  She told me that I was so busy protecting myself and building walls that I was limiting myself to only shallow, safe relationships where I was never vulnerable.  She challenged me to give people a chance.  I remember feeling terrified about the idea of opening myself up to people.  The idea was so scary I cried.

But look at me now!  I am so grateful for her feedback.  I am grateful that I was able to hear it in the way she and God intended it for me.  I am grateful that instead of criticism, I was able to hear and see the love that Lourdes was sharing with me.  She was genuinely concerned and wanted a better life for me.

I will miss the Sarmientos when they move to the US.  But because Lourdes confronted me about areas where I needed to grow, I will not be as alone as I might have been.  I will always have their support and now that God has helped me open my heart to friends, I will have the support of many others.

At the same time that I am thankful to Lourdes, I am also thankful to each friend who stuck by my side while I was learning about friendship.  I am extremely grateful to God.  While I did put forth effort to change in the ways Lourdes suggested, I know only He can make the changes that occurred in my heart.  I pray that I will continue to grow in my love for others, continue to keep my heart open and vulnerable, and continue to listen and learn when others speak to me in truth and love.

The Runner

I saw two things today that I have only seen in Honduras.

The first is the boy who runs in rush hour traffic.  I think he runs every morning since I see him often.  I think he runs the same route because I see him within a half mile strip of the same street every time.  I think he is mentally ill.  There are two reasons I think this - one is that no person in their right mind would run down the middle of the passing lane of traffic as fast as they can run during rush hour traffic in Honduras.  The second reason is more about the look on his face.

He is really, really fast and always runs at full speed.  He wears pants cut off at the calf and bare feet.  He is dirty and unkempt.  I have never seen a car beep at him or swerve to go around him.  He is fast enough to keep  up with traffic.  I don't know what he does at stoplights.  I can't imagine him slowing down or stopping.  I picture him zooming through the light at full speed with confidence that everyone else will move out of his way.

I wonder why he runs in the middle of the street during rush hour.  Does he think he's a car?  Does he wish he had a car?  Does he believe that because he can run as fast as a car he shouldn't have to use the sidewalk?  I also wonder what he does during the rest of his day.  Does he run at top speed all over the city all day?  I think any other person would get tired quickly at the speed he runs.  However, for some reason I think that he could run like that all day.

The first time I ever saw him I gasped out loud and was terrified for him.  Now he makes me smile.  Passing him by (he runs in the opposite direction) has become a normal part of my commute.  Someday I hope to get a picture but it will be difficult because he is very fast.

The second thing I saw today that I have only seen in Honduras was my neighbors piling onto their motorcyle.  I did get a picture, but I don't have a way to post it right now and you can't see all of the details.  I learned in my driver's ed class last week that the law in Honduras (though it doesn't make sense to me and NOBODY follows it) is that if a man is on a motorcycle, he must be alone.  If a woman is on a motorcycle, she can have one female passenger.  I double checked with Walter to make sure I understood the law correctly.  Maybe the reason nobody abides by the law is because it doesn't make sense.

Anyway, you all know I am kind of obsessed with machetes.  So today as I was going home my next door neighbors were parked on the side of the street.  Driving the motorcycle was a man.  Behind him was a child who appeared to be about two years old.  And balancing on one leg with an orange and white bag the size of a big garbage bag in his left hand and a machete in his right hand was a man trying to swing his left leg over the back of the motorcycle.  He was trying to get on without falling down, knocking over the bike, pushing the child off, or chopping anyone with his machete.  It was quite an act.

I passed by and pulled up to my gate.  Then I sat and got my camera ready, dying for a good shot of the three people on the bike with a machete and a bag the size of Santa Claus's.  I thought I could get a good shot from inside my car and they would never know the difference.  But after a while I figured they must have gone in the other direction.  I got out of the car and started to unlock the gate, camera in hand just in case, and there they were.  The guy on the back was balancing successfully with no hands on our horrible, rutted road.  He gave me a big grin as if to say, "Look!  I did it!"   I smiled and waved.  Haha!  Life in Honduras is anything but boring.

Now if we can just beat the US in soccer tonight!  I hate going to the Breakfast Program the day after Honduras loses to the US.  It is painful.

No Guasalos

Wow, I can't believe it!  This blog is averaging almost 100 readers every day!  Thank you for joining in on the journey.  I'll do my best to keep you entertained, while being honest and forthcoming along the way.

Last night I didn't sleep until 4:30 a.m.  Jairo told me that the reason there was part of a loaf of bread eaten and the window was open was because a guasalo had come into my house.  He said guasalos eat chickens, cats and small dogs.  Josselyn told me to look it up on the internet but I am so glad I didn't!  They are ugly things.  I wouldn't have slept a wink all night.

Today Don Juan told me they are really hard to kill.  It's a lot like a possum.  I also couldn't sleep because all around my bed smelled like urine.  I checked the sheets, blankets, floor, pillows, and sprayed the doors and windows with vinegar.  I could not figure out where that smell was coming from.  Individually everything seemed fresh and clean, but clearly it was not.

This morning as I was getting ready in a sleep deprived haze, I noticed Jetty sniffing the box spring in that funny way that she does when there is an odd smell around.  I got down on my hands and knees and smelled the box spring.  Male cat urine.  There was no guasalo in my house.  A male cat had come, marked its territory, ate some bread and left.  That explained why the veggies were left untouched.  I cleaned the box spring and headed off for the Breakfast Program.

While I was at the church I received an email from my cousin's wife inviting me to visit them at their house in Costa Rica. Next week they are hosting a team of 32 people who are visiting from the US to serve in Costa Rica.  As I talked to Jairo about my trip he suggested I go while the team is visiting.  He said to go for as long as I like since I could be help because I have hosted a bunch of teams during my time in Honduras.  I thought that sounded incredible!  I am not sure if it will work out or not, but it would be really cool to be able to translate for them and help in any way I can.  I am waiting to hear if the pastor will allow me to join the team or not.  (It is understandable if I can't.  These sort of trips are so special, sometimes people hesitate to let an outsider in.)

When I got back home this afternoon I noticed Jetty sniffing a spot on the wall.  More urine.  And there was one curtain that stunk.  I am sure I will find more spots as time goes on.  In the meantime the curtain is soaking in vinegar and I rewashed the box spring.  It has been raining since last night so in the humidity makes it hard to discern where the odors are coming from.  Hopefully I've discovered most of the spots in the bedroom.  I'll worry about downstairs after I get some sleep.