My cousin Carolyn's wedding in Guatemala - Part One

 

Guatemala was everything I hoped and more.  It was absolutely great.  I got to spend time with my cousins and my Aunt.  I met Edyn and his family, who were all amazing people.  I got to run along Lake Atitlan, which if you Google "Most Beautiful Lake in the world" you can see photos of.  (On the other side of the lake were 3 volcanos.)  And I kept up with my cousins who run marathons!
After the weddings (there were two - one civil and one in the church) I went to visit Los Seaman, a family from my church in Honduras who moved to Guatemala City last year.  My time with them was super too.

I got a camera the third day in, but unfortunately I spent that day in bed.  The girl who has not had any stomach problems for two years in Honduras got an upset stomach and lost a day in Guatemala.  Luckily it was sightseeing day, not wedding day.

In the 48 hours of the civil ceremony and church wedding I took 793 photos.  It took a while to get used to my new camera, but it was a fun learning process.



The mural outside of my hotel window

Flowers from a local market
Given to me by my cousin's wife when I was sick

My cousin Jack (brother of the bride)
And his awesome wife, Kadija

My cousin Lisa (sister of the bride) and me

Boats on Lake Atitlán



CAROLYN AND EDYN'S HOME
Everything built by hand

Gathered in the new house before the civil ceremony

Carolyn explaining the day to come

Carolyn and Edyn's new kitchen


Then the civil ceremony:

Edyn's Mom with Jack's wife Kadija

Edyn, my cousin Jack, Edyn's Dad

Edyn's nephew, mother and sister

Carolyn and Edyn coming in

Carolyn and her soon-to-be nephew

BODA!  (Wedding!)

My family - Aunt Ann, Cousin Jack and his wife Kadija,
Cousin Lisa

The ladies cooked during the ceremony

The ceremony

 

Cousin Liz, signing as a witness

Kadija signing as a witness

Fingerprints for some

The Godfather



Ladies cooking for the dinner after the ceremony

The men served the food

Chicken, a traditional soup, and tamalitos

Delicious!

Being Me

Got back from the gym just in time to shower and catch the sunset.  The sunset itself tonight was not spectacular, but I am able to watch it from one of the most beautiful places in the world.  Which led me to thinking.  The flowers on the tree are gorgeous.  All of the plants, bushes and trees have started to fill in from the fire last year so it feels like my house is more secluded again.  The birds are chirping away.  And today was a great day.

There are a few things in my life I would change if I could.  But if I could be any person in the whole world, I would be me.  To be able to say that in all truth and sincerity is pretty amazing.  I wish more people could feel this way.  There is not one person I would rather be, not another life I would rather live, not another place I would rather dwell.  I really love almost everything about my life right now.

The situation I used to not write about has been really good for about two weeks now.  I am cautiously hopeful it will continue as it is.  The kids love me more than ever, and I have developed relationships with even the toughest of them.  The church members here are so kind, thoughtful, generous and caring.  I have friends here whom I have grown to really love.  They come from all walks of life and they all have something I can learn from.

Today I am so grateful to be me.  So grateful that of all of the people in the world, God chose me to be in this place, at this time, with these beautiful people.  Sometimes I don´t feel worthy of all God has given me.  But I know that is the enemy whispering in my ear.  God wants me to receive from Him, with gratitude and joy, all He has blessed me with.

Thank you for sharing this journey with me.

Feliz Dia!

In Honduras we do celebrate Valentines Day, but here it is different.  And better.  I think you´ll agree.

In Honduras nobody dreads Valentine´s Day because it has another name.  Translated, the name is ¨The day of love and friendship¨.  It is a day full of hugs and love, but it is more focused on friendship.  In Honduras there is no possibility that you won´t have a Valentine.  Because everyone has a friend or someone they love.

It so much more healthy this way.  The kids all made cards for their mothers, or anyone who was on their mind.  I got candy hearts and anyone who could translate them from English could earn them to give to their friends.  (The ones about kisses and ¨call me¨ I gave to the little kids to eat before they left the church.)

Earlier in the week, Don Juan invited all of the ladies of the church for a special meal.  Yes, Don Juan is married.  But remember, in Honduras this is a day about love and friendship.  He bought steak and the ladies grilled it.  Then everyone contributed rice, beans, cheese, chismol - everything for a traditional Honduran barbecue.  Someone even brought strawberries and I brought Dove dark chocolates for desert.

Don Juan refused to eat with us, so it was just a ladies lunch.  It was absolutely delicious.  There were 10 of us and we enjoyed each other´s company as well as the food.  It was especially nice for other reasons too.  We have some new members of the team who have started serving every day as tutors, or to help keep everything in order.  It was nice to sit with them and get to know them a little.  We learned that one lady used to sell food for a living, and we have her cleaning.  What a blessing it would be to have her in the kitchen!

Also Ethel and Eunice joined us.  It was special to have them sit and eat with us because normally we don´t get to eat with them.

And it felt nice just to be treated like special ladies for the day.  Don Juan is a great guy.

So, if you are every sad about Valentine´s Day, come join us in Honduras where we celebrate friendship too.  Or follow our traditions wherever you may be!  I highly recommend it.

Feliz Dia del amor y amistad.  Happy day of love and friendship!

I luff you

Marco Tulio

I got to see Marco Tulio again today.  Yesterday he brought his brother.  Today he brought his brother and his friend Oscar.  His Mom still waits at the door.  She is really nice.  We find a way to chat, even though she is deaf.

Last night I had dinner with a family from the church to talk to them about how I can raise more money.  This morning I got an email from a lady who visited with the team from Ohio a few weeks ago.  She said she was sharing my story with friends.  One couple told her that they would like to help me out financially.

I know I am supposed to be here.  It is so clear to me.  I can see my role here growing almost every day.  So I have faith that God is going to provide the money I need to live here.  The email this morning was exactly what I needed to hear.  It felt like God was affirming that I am on the right path.  It is amazing to me that complete strangers want support me and what I am doing here.

Today I stayed really busy tutoring the kids who are in English classes at school.  They hand me a piece of paper with words misspelled in English that is supposed to be their homework.  They have no clue what it´s about.  It is awesome to watch them go from feeling lost and sometimes discouraged, to proud and confident!  I love teaching them English and they love to learn.  There is already one girl who has asked for help tomorrow.

Today I brought those little candy hearts with sayings on them.  I picked out the ones that said ¨Kiss me¨or anything else inappropriate.  The kids who came to me for English tutoring got to earn candy hearts by learning the words on the hearts, like, ¨Dream Big¨ or ¨Smile¨.  Misael (5 yrs old) was hanging around because he saw the candy.  He heard Lolita say, ¨I love you,¨ and he imitated what he heard.  It was the cutest thing in the world!  Misael spent the morning telling his Mom, me, Eunice and Belinda ¨I luff you.¨ We all told him, ¨I love you, too!¨

When the older kids were done eating I was in the kitchen collecting their dishes.  I taught them ¨fork¨, ¨knife¨and ¨plate¨ in English.  They handed in each item as I asked for it in English.  You´d think they could be annoyed by that, but they loved it!  I am going to integrate a lot more English each day since they all really want to learn and seem to enjoy it so much.

I had a dentist appointment this afternoon.  Two cavities.  Today I just got the cleaning.  Have to go back for the fun stuff.  Shelly, my dentist, used to be in an English class I offered at the church.  She is eager for us to start English classes again and has even rustled up some more students.  Learning English is important to people of all ages.

It feels super good to serve in ways that I feel competent and know that I am meeting important needs of the people here.

My new love

I am in love.  I have fallen in love before.  But this was love at first sight.  I asked his name and when he told me in a strong, clear voice ¨Marco Tulio¨ I fell head over heels.

We had lunch together Monday.  I saw him again today.  He asked where I was yesterday.  He had been at the church looking for me.  I told him I was out getting my residency card replaced since it was stolen last week.  He had missed me!  He even asked others where I was.  So sweet.

I told Don Juan that I have fallen in love.  Don Juan said we are having a barbecue for Valentines Day and I should invite him to the barbecue.  I said I´m not sure his mother will give her permission.  Marco Tulio is only 6 years old.

Don Juan was disappointed.  He told me that he had been so happy for me when he thought I had a real boyfriend.

On Monday a little boy came strolling up the sidewalk all by himself.  I had never seen him before.  His mother was waiting at the corner.  I waved to her and went to introduce myself to him.  I asked if it was his first day and he said yes.  I said welcome and asked his name.  Normally with little kids I have to ask their names three times before I get it right.  But he told me very clearly, Marco Tulio.

He has the hugest, most beautiful eyes and hair exactly like my little brother used to have at Marco Tulio's age, parted on the side with beautiful curls.  Since he was alone, I sat and ate with him.  Monday was pancakes.  I cut them into pieces for him.  Then he told me he really prefers smaller bites and pointed out which pieces he would like cut smaller.  Today we had empanadas.  He ate all by himself.  But he doesn´t like vegetables.  I can change that, right?

My heart was so happy when he asked where I was yesterday.  Although I had encouraged him to come back every day, I hadn´t thought about the fact that I wouldn´t be there Tuesday.

Today he brought his older brother who is 8.  I told them they are very lucky because they have a mom who cares for them very well.  She walks with them after school and brings them to the church, then waits in front while they eat.  I told them not all Moms take such good care of their kids.  They told me that they had another brother, but he was ¨robbed¨.  Somebody stole their brother!  He is 13 years old, they said.  Now I understand a little better why Mom walks with them to the church and waits within eye sight.  Their Mom is also deaf.  She is clearly well educated and is raising the boys well.  Marco Tulio washes his dishes meticulously, even the bottoms.  Clearly he has done it before.

On Monday Marco Tulio asked if we have any school uniforms to give away.  I told him no, we don´t have any school supplies at all.  But we are hoping to get some and praying that God will provide.  He immediately relayed that to his Mom, so she must have told him to ask.  I told him if he keeps coming back we may receive something that could fit him.  He has been back every day since.  Tomorrow I will take a picture of my sweetheart.  He is the cutest thing ever.

Of course Misael and Samuel and Jose and David and the rest of the kids all hold a big place in my heart.  But Marco Tulio stole a huge chunk this week.

Today as I was driving home from the gym traffic was more backed up than usual.  Eventually I saw a crowd of people standing in the street.  They seemed agitated.  I wondered if it was safe to go near them.  But traffic in my lane seemed to be moving with no problem.  As I got closer I saw one policeman directing traffic.  Another behind police tape.  Then I saw two forms on the road covered in brown plastic bags.  I couldn´t tell at all what happened.  It was really sad.

Tonight I had dinner with a family from the church.  It was yummy - roasted chicken, veggies, and rice.  Then we drank tea and had dark chocolate covered almonds with coconut. Delish!

There are currently 39 people signed up for the next swimming class and 48 signed up for the cycling.  Almost 90 people!  Plus the 15 boys on the futbol team.  Our sport program is growing in leaps and bounds.  I am trying to figure out how we will fit 40 people in the pool.  Exciting!!!

Butterflies, cats and dumpsters

Today was the last day of swimming.  The rainy season finally ended last week.  This week has been hot with beautiful sunshine.  Best of all, Wednesday Saul learned how to do the butterfly and Erik learned today.

On the first day of swimming class the coach said the kids would learn all four strokes.  I thought he was crazy.  Of the ¨big kids¨ only Saul and Erik were able to come this week so I made it my personal goal to teach them the last of the four strokes  - the butterfly.

Tuesday Saul practiced using only one arm.  Wednesday I explained to Saul verbally while we rode on the bus to the pool what his next step was, but I NEVER expected him to get it right on the very first try.  He pulled with both arms, lifted himself into the air, and dove down like a dolphin.  It was absolutely amazing!  I was sooooo proud of him!  I was jumping up and down, screaming and yelling.  All of the cleaning staff came to see what was going on.  Saul had quite an audience.  It was awesome.

Saul learned in 2 days what many people can´t do in their life.  This is the same kid who had to work really, really hard to learn to swim the crawl those first few weeks.  It was a huge struggle.  Some people...  Okay, many people would have given up.  Saul was a self proclaimed ¨disaster¨ when it came to freestyle and that wasn´t much of an exaggeration.  Apparently Saul was born to be a flier!

What a super feeling, to experience that accomplishment with him.  To see him glide through the water and know how freeing that beautiful stroke is.  I felt his joy and my own.  It was a happy, happy day.

When the coach arrived and we showed him Saul´s butterfly he said, ¨His stroke is better than mine!  That was all you, teacher.¨  (He calls me teacher.)
I said, ¨Yes.  That was Saul and me.¨

Saul is going to continue in the next swimming class which will start in a few weeks.  I have a plan in my head that he can be a sort of assistant coach if he wants to.  He is very encouraging and it will build his leadership skills and self esteem.  But I also want swimming to be enjoyable for him, so if he doesn´t want to be at the pool in that capacity that would be fine too.

Erik did the one armed stroke yesterday.  He didn´t take off flying like Saul did on the first try today.  It took some laps and a few adjustments.  But in the end Erik learned it too.  So, every bigger kid that finished the class DID learn all four strokes.  And so much more!

Yesterday I was chatting with my friend at the church.  She told me that she is going through a hard time which she has not shared with anyone else.  The good thing is that her kids are thriving.  In the end I think it will be for the best.  But it is still tough.  She also said the only thing they had for dinner the night before was rice.  She felt bad, but her daughter told her that rice is fine as long as they are a happy family.  What a special girl.

I decided I would go to the grocery store and pick up some staples for my friend.  Along the way I passed another friend whom I have been trying to help when I can.  She and I have an agreement that she will ask for help when she needs it.  I may not always be able to help, but I will do what I can.  So I asked her if she needs anything at the store.  She said she doesn´t have any food in her house either.  Oh boy.  I asked her to please make a list of some basic things that would help and bought those things for each of my friends.

I leave the food in bags in the office so nobody knows that I am the one who bought it.  I can´t buy food for all of the people who are in need.  There are so many.

Ana said her kids were so excited to have breakfast today!  I got corn flakes, powdered milk and bananas.  Something most of us would take for granted.  But they were excited.

Here´s the part I have been dying to tell you about all day, besides Saul´s butterfly.  In the bus on the way to the pool suddenly everyone started chattering and pointing excitedly.  There was a man walking down the street, holding a dirty white cat.  The cat was struggling to get out of his arms.

I thought everyone was watching him because people here would normally not pick up a cat or carry it down the street.  Then I realized it was a dirty street cat.  It was not his pet.  The man also happened to be Chinese.

Alejandra, queen of blurting out whatever is on her mind, stood up in her seat and pointed and said ¨He´s going to make chop suey!¨ The bus driver was even freaked out.  I asked if he was really going to eat the cat.  Saul said he wasn´t sure, but it seemed that way.  I asked if people here eat cats.  He said not that he is aware, but it has always been an urban legend.  I swear, I think that man was going to eat that cat.  It was a fat one too.

That was the freakiest thing I saw today.  If I think about people I see every day standing in dumpsters eating handfuls of whatever they can find, it almost makes eating a cat...  I don´t know.  Every single day I see people inside dumpsters.  Scrounging for things inside a stinky, dirty dumpster is bad enough.  Watching people put food in their mouth while standing in the dumpster breaks my heart.

I will never grow accustomed to the sight of human beings standing inside of dumpsters and eating.  I hope.

Yup. I got robbed. But wait - there´s more!

Okay... so... I was robbed.

It happened right after my last post.  Remember I was so excited to go to see the personal trainer?  Well,  I got out of a meeting later than I expected and was hurrying to get to the gym.  In my rush, I didn´t realize I left my purse and my computer on the back seat of my car.  I got to the gym and leapt out of the car without looking in the back seat.

After an awesome workout I got back into the car and noticed that there was more light than normal.  I turned and saw there was no back window.  My first thought was that I left the window down.  Then I saw the glass.  What a shock!

Looking back I think I went through the stages of grief.  I was okay with the purse being stolen.  It was the worst day for it to happen - all of my rent money was inside.  But money is money.  Credit cards can be cancelled and drivers licenses replaced.

About 20 minutes later I remembered I had my computer with me.  That´s when denial set in.  And the feeling that I was going to cry and vomit at the same time.  I kept searching the car for my computer.  I normally don´t ever have it with me.  If I looked one more time it would be under the seat.  Even though I hadn´t put it there.  I still don´t remember leaving my stuff on the back seat either.  Don´t rush.  Lesson learned.  The hard way.

I did have one thing to be thankful for.  My phone was still on the back seat.  Right where everything else had been.  I couldn´t believe it.  They didn´t take my phone.

I called my landlords.  Neither answered.  Then I called a friend from the church who helped me find the car and buy car insurance.  He said he was nearby and said he could come right over.  I said yes, please.  It was about to get dark.

He arrived quickly and called the insurance company.  I called and cancelled the credit card which was actually still in the back pocket of my jeans - where it never is, just like my computer is never in my car, and my rent money is never in my purse.  After I realized my credit card was not stolen I tried to get them to reactivate it, but that was not possible.  Man, that was a bummer.  That was the start of anger setting in.

USBank added the final touches to my anger stage, which lasted all night and into the morning.  Although I was calm and respectful to every customer service representative, they were not helpful or respectful to me. They pushed me over the edge when they kept insisting that I was giving them the wrong phone number. If you live outside of the US, your phone number may have 8 digits, as mine does.  Come one people!  Still, to this day, they are not willing to help me access my account.  Please.  I beg of you.  If you have a USBank account, close it.  They were horrible.

By morning I sent a message to my friend Jody that was not fit for the human ear.  Or eye.  I stopped cursing when I was working with teenagers.  Every now and then something will slip out, but cursing is not really a part of my vocabulary.  Except in those messages to poor Jody.  Sorry Jody!!!  She would send me a message with some advice about how to move forward and I would respond with more cursing.  She finally told me to take a deep breath.  That was when I knew I was loosing it.

Then I realized I couldn´t get out of bed.  I wanted to pull my covers over my head and go to sleep.  Pretend this wasn´t happening.  It was all just a bad dream.  Ugh.

Finally, against every fiber of my being, I dragged myself out of bed.  The friend from church took me to get a new window.  (He brought with him a laptop for me to borrow until I am able to get another computer.)  The guys who do the window installation were out of the shop and wouldn´t be back for a while so he suggested we run some errands.

As we drove around I told him that I really needed to pray because my cousin´s wedding is in three weeks.  Now I need a phone, a camera AND a computer.  I really can´t afford to go to the wedding in Guatemala.  I told him that the strange thing was that I know that logically, but my heart still felt like I was going to go.  So I needed to ask God to put my heart and my brain ¨de acuerdo¨ (on the same page).

He suggested we stop at a travel agency to price tickets.  He had miles to pay for almost the whole thing and bought me a ticket to my cousin´s wedding.  That was when my heart lifted.  Then he asked how much gas I had.  I told him I was fine, I had a half tank.  We went to the gas station and he filled the tank.  Then he told me he has a brand new cell phone at his house which I can have, if I am not particular about what kind it is.  (It´s a really nice phone!)  Our last stop was the bank, where he withdrew enough money to help me get by for a few weeks.

All of this, and we hadn´t even had time to fix the window yet.  God was bashing me over the head with blessings.  I went from feeling like I wasn´t competent to drive because my mind was such a mess, to being amazed and overwhelmed with gratitude.

I suffered a small setback when I realized my USB was in my purse, so all of the stuff on my computer really was gone.  And another jilt when I realized all of my tax crap for the past year was lost.

My pastor from K2, my church in the US, called.  He asked how they could help.  My friend Jody had called him and told him about my bad news.  (Thanks Jody!)  He was a missionary for a long time.  He knew how I felt.  Things like this have happened to him before.  He offered to send cash Western Union and look for a new computer.  Wow!  Thanks Lad and K2!

Driving around the city with no window was bizarre.  Normally I drive with my windows up and doors locked.  It felt very vulnerable and strange.  I did have a black garbage bag duct taped over the window.  I ran out of duct tape so it flapped in the wind.  Anyone could have easily reached in at a stop light.  But they didn´t.  And I got a new window at the end of the day.

The next day my friend arranged for my windows to be tinted so dark that nobody can see inside and for an alarm to be installed in my car.  While that work was being done he let me borrow his big, beautiful truck.  I asked if I could return to the scene of the crime with it.  I was pretty nervous.  But he said sure.  I was dying to work out.  So I went to the gym and I ran.  The first mile was done before I even realized it and then the second, and the third.  Normally I am looking forward to the end of that fourth mile.  But this time I wanted to keep running.  Kind of like Forrest Gump.  I lifted weights and did my stomach stuff.  Then I got back on the treadmill and ran until I felt like I should really be at the church.  I could have run all day.

When I got to the church my phone rang.  It was a guy calling from the airport, asking directions for how to get to the church.  He had my credit card!!!!  Yay Capital One!  They were great!  Capital One´s customer service representatives were the opposite of my crappy bank.  They were kind and very professional.  They called at 6 a.m. Thursday to say the card was being sent.  I received it Friday at 3:30 p.m.  Thank you Capital One!

All of this has been a little hard to process.  I received so many blessings in the midst of a difficult time.  Somehow a lot of people found out and sent kind messages.  The kids at the Breakfast Program prayed the sweetest prayers for me, I was told.  When I went back to the church I got more hugs than ever.  The kids were really sad and upset about what happened.  They told me it was not fair and they were so happy that I am safe.  They are still praying for me even today that guardian angels fly around me and protect me.  I love those kids.

When people from the US heard, some of them said they were happy that I was safe.  My initial reaction was jeepers, my car window was smashed.  That happened 3 times in my own driveway in Salt Lake City.  Of course I am fine.  But then I heard the same comment from many people here, in Honduras.  I realized that yes, God was looking out for me.  He cares for me every day.  That day He made sure I was not in the car when the people saw my computer and my purse on the back seat.

So now I am traveling more conscientiously.  Jairo taught me all of this stuff.  I knew better.  Today I went to the gym with an empty car.  I saw the trainer.  He heard what happened.  He told me his heart hurt when he found out.  The unofficial ¨guard¨ (an older man who helps you park and watches your car as best he can) apologized for not taking better care of my car.  I told him it was not his fault, it was mine.  They each advised me not to come to the gym after 4 p.m. because the parking gets too crazy in the evenings.  I even wrote that in a previous post.

The bottom line is that yes, I was robbed.  But today I was able to share with all of the kids at the Breakfast Program all of the ways God has blessed me through this situation.  Besides all of the material provision, which was HUGE, I felt extremely supported by members of my church in Honduras and in the US.  I think feeling that support was the best part of all.  God has shown me His love for me through many people since Thursday.  In my final stage of grief, I felt nothing but appreciation and gratitude.  I have learned about trust.  I learned to ask for help and accept blessings.  Now I am able to share with people a story of how God cared for me in a difficult time.  It is a great story to share.

Yup.  I got robbed.  But before you feel sorry for me, wait - there´s more!

Full week ahead

Yay!  Today the kids were back!

Yesterday I went to the church early to prepare for class.  After being there a while, the ladies who cook arrived, and all of the kids came in and sat calmly in the circle (which was odd).  Then Don Juan came to tell us that there was no Breakfast Program today because the church was closed.  Surprise!  Everyone had to go home.  I was disappointed.  But it did make it twice as sweet to see them today.

This morning the swim coach said that if even one kid wants to continue swimming past this week, he will be available to teach.  The people who are covering the costs have agreed to continue paying, so this week I am finding out who can continue swimming once school starts.

Some kids have afternoon classes.  The older kids have evening classes.  So I am thinking there will be a few who will be eager to swim.  I already had one boy say he was going to ask his teacher's permission to miss school for the first week so he can swim.  UGH!!  Priorities here are so skewed!  I told the boy very clearly that school is always more important, and he can not miss school for swimming.

I will be excited if we get another week or so of swimming.  I got a little sunburn today.  It was absolutely gorgeous.  Not too hot and not too cold.  I am hoping it stays like this through Thursday so the kids have a perfect ending to their official classes.

Tomorrow I have a meeting with a personal trainer from the gym.  He is an older man - I would guess in his mid 60's.  His son is a trainer at the gym too.  His grandson is studying nutrition and physical education in the US.  Since we chat almost every day, I decided to ask him if there was anything I can do about the fact that my thighs are getting too big.  I understand muscle is good, but I need my pants to fit.

He said it is an easy problem to solve.  I need to exercise with less weight and for a longer time.  Ummm...  My leg exercise is running.  I can't lessen the amount of weight I carry when I run - it's my body weight!  He said he will teach me how to lengthen my muscles tomorrow.  It will be interesting to see what he has in mind.

I am going to offer free pilates classes to church members.  I am thinking I'll teach two classes per week.  One could be at the church for people from the city and one can be up in the mountains for the people up here.  We just have to find a space.  Eunice is going to send out an email to church members telling them to contact me if they are interested.  Sounds like fun.

This is a busy week.  Tomorrow will start with swimming, the Breakfast Program, then we have a team building meeting at the church, kickboxing class and my time with the trainer.  After all of that I have to go home and bake a cake because Thursday after swimming and the Breakfast Program is Isabela's first birthday!  Ana invited me to come to her house and celebrate.  I told her I would bake the birthday cake.

I have some cute photos of Isabela - one that Ana especially loves, so I made copies and got a frame.  I finally found cheap frames!  (And better yet, I found Q-Tip brand Q-Tips!!!  I have been searching for them for almost 2 years here.)   While I was shopping for Isabela's gift I decided to make photos for each of the swimmers to celebrate their completing the program and to keep as memorabilia.  Most of the kids don't have any photos of themselves, so photos are a big deal.  I also made copies of the photos Cindy and her Mom took on Cindy's birthday.  Then I made copies of photos I had of Cindy's siblings and got frames for each of them.

Friday I have a meeting in the morning to discuss my next steps with the sports program.  At night we are celebrating Lolita's quinciñera.  All great stuff, but whew!  It's going to be a long week.  I am glad the weather is invigorating instead of that dreary cold rain.

Today tilapia was on sale.  I grabbed some while I was getting stuff for the birthday cake (although Dr. Oz says tilapia is a useless fish, nutrition-wise).  As I was eating dinner I realized I was getting full.  There was only a little more risotto left in my bowl.  Normally I would either eat it and feel stuffed, or throw it away.  I wouldn't bother putting it away for another time.  I have been thinking differently about food lately.  Overindulging feels uncomfortable when so many people I know do not have food.

Snaffoo

I made a social snaffoo yesterday.  Samuel, Ana's son, was asking me when he could come to my house.  I feel like I don't have anything fun for kids to do here.  Plus it is a long drive, so I haven't invited them to my house.  Although my home is perfect for me, it is small to host Ana, her 3 sons and her baby daughter.  I said that to Ana in front of Marlin.  Ana has a very nice house.  So does Marlin.  But Marlin's house is one small room.  There is a curtain that divides the sleeping area from the living area.  Marlin, her 3 kids, and her husband share the space.  I always feel comfortable there.  I feel comfortable when I go there with a team of a dozen people and we literally squeeze inside.  Marlin never seems to care how many people sqeeze into her house.  She says she loves to have guests.  And here I am complaining that my house is too small to host my friends.  I need to get over that.  I hope I didn't make Marlin feel bad.  Hospitality is a big deal in Honduras.

Tomorrow is the general assembly for the church where we discuss the next year.  This year I am part of the plans for the year to come.  That feels pretty nice.  I am doing stuff for La Tigra and for the church in the city.  Yay!  My landlord, who is part of the leadership team, asked me to talk at the assembly.  I am going to make some notes tonight so I have an idea of what to say tomorrow.

My Aunt is doing well.  She is moving to a place for physical therapy for the first part of the recovery.  This will be good for her.  It will be at least a week, or more, depending how hard she works.

This morning I saw that all of the roads down the mountain were under construction.  There was only one way to skip the roadwork, all of which had one lane closed and was holding up traffic like crazy.  I was happy that I know a few different options so I can skip the roadwork.  I made it home easily.  But there was no other traffic on the hill, which is very strange for rush hour on Friday.  I think they were all stuck down in the city.

The Butterfly

Thinking over today makes me smile.  It was a 6 a.m. day.  Only 3 more of those left.  I've figured out how to time it so that I leave at the same time as my neighbor.  That is so awesome because then I only have to get out of the car once to open the gate.  He passes through (and doesn't have to get out of his car to open it since it is already open) then he closes it behind him.  It is something so small, but I really don't like stopping to get out and open the gate, driving through, parking the car, getting out and closing the gate and getting back into the car every single time I come or go.  Lazy.  I know.  My pastor from the US suggested an electronic gate, but that won't work if you consider how often the electricity goes out.

Swimming was extra great today.  The other coach took the little kids and I worked with the big kids.  All but one (who was sitting on the ladder, not trying) learned how to do the kick/body motion of the butterfly!  Now we just have to integrate the arms and they will be flyers!  The butterfly is really hard to do.  I am so proud of them!  It's super cool to watch them start out flopping all over and the next thing you know, one by one they start gliding through the water like dolphins.  They feel so proud when they catch on.  It is really exciting - a privilege to see.

Next week is the last week of swimming.  I want to integrate the arms for the butterfly and perfect their breast stroke.  I'd also like to teach them flip turns, if there is time.  I will be in the pool a lot next week because they need to actually see some of these things in order to get the right rhythm and understand how to do it.  It has been a steady 57 degrees when I pull into the church every morning.  If there is no sun it doesn't warm up much from there.  I'll be praying for sun next week!

As I got on the bus to leave the club today I was reminded of the girls' powerful socks.  Wow, that bus stunk.  I recognized the smell from when I did the girls fútbol team's laundry.  I told them it stunk in a slang way.  The kids all cracked up at my slang word.  It's not a bad word, it's just funny.  I think it's funny when I hear little kids say it, so I understand why the kids on the bus laughed.  The word is "who-ko".  I'm not sure how to spell it.  It's not in the dictionary and you can't google it.  I'm guessing it is "juco".  It means gross and disgusting - in a bad odor or slimy way.  I'm thinking I can put it to good use and get some more laughs.

My Aunt Cathy learned today that she will be going to a rehab facility, probably tomorrow.  Mom is there to take care of her, but this is even better.  Mom said my Aunt was back to herself today when her pastor, who is also her boss, came to visit.  The people from her job at the church are being very supportive.

Since the kids weren't let into the church today until the food was almost ready, I got to hang out in the kitchen.  Someone commented that it was odd to have me there.  I reminded them that I used to work in the kitchen a lot when I didn't teach the pre-school class.  I was in a really silly mood, but I didn't notice until someone asked if I had too much coffee.  (I hadn't had any coffee.)  We laughed and joked.  Every single kid said thank you when they received their food with no reminder.  That was really nice to hear.  I needed that.

I am still really saddened by the lack of gratitude and by the lying I heard last week.  I keep trying to figure out why the kids were so "off track".  All I can imagine is that maybe there was such an abundance of things for them, they got overwhelmed and went crazy.  Instead of being grateful, they got greedy.  They are not accustomed to receiving so much.  That is the only conclusion I can reach.  I could definitely be wrong.  But for some reason my mind needs to figure out why they behaved the way they did.

I've also thought about why their poor behavior hurts me.  Do I feel embarrassed by their behavior?  Is it a strike against my own pride?  I don't think so.  I think that I want everyone else to see all of the good things in them that I am able to see.  I think that I am so used to being proud of them, and seeing little spurts of poor behavior which is easier to accept, that I am shocked and very surprised by the problems they had last week.  I do think that the group who was here will still love them, despite their less than stellar behavior.  But I wish the group could have seen the kids that I know and love.  They were not themselves last week.

It was fun hanging out with Ana and Marlin again.  I had lunch with Ana.  Then we sat and chatted for a while.  She was really excited because the diapers I got for her daughter had pictures on them.  She even showed me.  Apparently she has never gotten diapers with pictures before.  Sometimes it's the simple things...  Marlin and I had some good quality time too as we were cleaning up.  It was really nice.  Then our time came to a close when a rat ran across the kitchen floor and we had to call Don Juan to come kill it.  Then David ran for the broom.  It was trapped in the corner when I left but I was told they killed it with the end of the broom handle.  Yuck!

We spent all day yesterday cleaning the kitchen.  Don Juan pulled EVERYTHING out of the kitchen.  Literally only the kitchen sink was left inside.  They cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom.  It's sad to think there could still be mice.  This was a brave one.  He came out and ran between four of us as we were standing there talking in broad daylight.  Don Juan found great glee in picking up the dead mouse by its tail and holding out in front of him, wiggling it all of the way to the garbage behind the kitchen.  Gross!

Fire!

Today was our first day back at the Breakfast Program, but it is not back to normal yet.  I learned last night at 10 pm that the boys were not allowed to go to fútbol this morning because they are being punished for a phone that disappeared from the fútbol field last week.  This morning when I arrived for swimming the kids told me that the Breakfast Program will only serve food and therefore the gates would not open until 10:30 a.m. all week.  Good thing the kids know what's going on.

We did have swimming class.  One of the coaches quit, which is disappointing.  Now there is only one coach for all of the kids.  Plus me.  The littler kids did really well today with their new coach.  Most were on their best behavior, except the boy who wants goggles.  After 10 minutes in the pool he got out and cried that his eyes hurt because he knows this coach gives out goggles.  Meanwhile four of the kids his age all learned to do the back stroke.  When we had five minutes left I told them that they could go swim in the small pool, which they love.   As soon as he saw that, he suddenly felt better and wanted to swim again.  The coach realized the boy was being manipulative and did not give him goggles.  I'm betting the boy will be "sick" tomorrow.

We only have 4 days left of swimming!  I am going to miss it a lot.  It's nice to be outside every morning.  I absolutely love working with the kids and watching them learn.  Today one of the younger kids, who used to have a lot of behavioral problems, was the first one to get the kick for the butterfly right.  They are going to continue with the kick tomorrow and work on arms next week in their final 3 lessons.  I am thinking of baking a cake to reward the kids for completing the swimming program.  We only have about half of the 23 who started.  December and January are COLD.  But more than half stuck it out.  I'm proud of them.

Good news!  The 15 year old boy who was kidnapped on Saturday was returned yesterday.  I learned today that he is actually related to a few people I know.  He was in front of his house talking to his friend when men with guns came and abducted him.  This is the first time that I have heard of someone who was released.  The kidnappers called and told the family the terms they needed to follow in order to get him back.  That part is all a secret.  It's better for people not to know.  But I do know that people donated money to help the family get him back.

Today was the first day I was responsible for taking a girl home from the church.  After hearing the details of the kidnapping  (from his front yard!) I was more concerned than usual about making sure she got home safely.  She had permission to be dropped off at her Grandmother's house.  Her grandmother lived way down a narrow alley.  There was no place for me to park and walk with her, and there was no angle that I could watch her walk up the alley.  I was not comfortable dropping her off like that.  She said she walks down the alley by herself all of the time.  But that is not on my watch.

I called the Grandmother and waited until the girl was inside her house.  Then I called her father (who is very, very protective) and told him that his daughter was inside the grandmother's house.  Safely inside.  Wanted to make sure he knew my portion of responsibility was fulfilled for today.  I am going to give her a ride for the rest of the swimming program.  She is the girl whose phone was stolen last week, so she can't call a taxi like she always did.  I don't mind giving her a ride so that she is able to finish the swimming program.

The gym was a crazy today.  Parking was insane.  People were fighting over spaces and driving like maniacs.  I went to a kickboxing class.  It felt great to change it up a little.  Afterward I ran I little.  At first I thought the guy in front of me was flicking cigarette ashes on the floor, which was very odd.  Then I saw that he, too, was confused about what was going on.  Sparks were falling from a light bulb in the ceiling.  Then I could see flames coming from above the ceiling tile.

I walked quickly down the main desk since nobody else was doing anything.  I told them quietly but assertively there was a fire upstairs.  They looked at me and didn't move.  Meanwhile I was wondering how they were going to evacuate the gym because the fire was right above the stairs everyone would use to exit.  Finally a member followed me up the stairs and yelled to the manager to turn off the lights, since that was where the sparks were falling from.  The manager moved in slow motion (Why rush?  There is only a gym full of people's lives at risk.) to turn off the lights, then came up the stairs.

By that point the other member and I decided that someone was welding up there.  They had lifted up the ceiling tile and sparks were falling down through the light fixture.  The manager seemed annoyed that he was bothered.  The other guy agreed with me it really did look like a fire in the ceiling.  Who would guess they would be welding up there during business hours?  Crazy.

People in Honduras really like titles.  I was thinking about that today.  If you are the wife of a pastor, you are called "Pastora" and teachers are often referred to as "maestro" rather than their name, dentists are always called "doctor".  I also know some people who insist on being referred to as "licenciado" which I am told is the same as a bachelor's degree.  I think that is a little ridiculous and for that reason I have a hard time using the term.  But I need to follow the cultural expectations.

Multiplying

Working out at the gym when I am thinking about my Aunt in surgery is much more productive than working out when I am grateful.  I was SLOW today.  But grateful!  Mom went to visit my Aunt this morning.  I haven't heard anything from my Mom yet, but the doctors said Aunt Cathy was sitting up in a chair this morning when another Aunt called to see how Aunt Cathy was doing.

Watched a motorcycle rear-end a taxi on the way home from the gym.  He must have been going fast.  But also the taxi did stop, as they commonly do, abruptly in the middle of the road.  There was a big dent in the back fender from the guy on the motorcycle.  The driver was fine.  Might feel a little whiplash tomorrow.

Must have been "crazier than usual driver day" - which is hard to do in Honduras, because every day here is crazy driver day.  I was in the right lane with my turn signal on just about to turn right and a van in the lane left of me, beeped then turned right at the corner, completely cutting me off and almost causing me to hit him!  I laid on my horn.  Then, a little too late, I remembered the story Marcela told me while we were walking last week.

Her friend was at a stop light.  The light turned green.  There was one car in front of her friend's car.  He didn't move.  She sat where she was, waiting for him.  Finally he got out of his car with a gun and came to her window.  He told her she was lucky she didn't beep at him because if she had he would have used the gun on her.  I need to remember not to beep anymore.  But sometimes it's natural instinct!  An instinct I need to lose.

Still missing the Ohio team.  I have a cool story.  I think I told you that the toothbrushes they brought, and some crafts they had, and money they discovered, and other things were multiplying while they were here.  Well, at the end of church on Sunday one of the team members said to me, "This isn't much, but we wanted to support you here in Honduras."  For me, nothing is too little but I think many people don't understand that.  Anyway, I thanked the person and stuck the money in my pocket.  Later as I was buying cheese for Christian I felt around in my pockets and pulled out the money they had given me.  What I saw was a $20 bill in US currency, which I could not use to pay the cheese lady (she doesn't accept US currency), but for which I was grateful.

That afternoon I went to the airport with Jose and Karla to pick up Karla's co-worker.  As we were all digging through our pockets for money to pay the parking attendant I had a pleasant surprise.  What I thought was a 20 dollar bill was actually a 50 dollar bill!  It was almost like receiving 2 gifts in one!  I got to be happy and grateful all over again.  I still wonder if the person gave me a 20 or a 50.  I'll have to ask when we have contact again.

Dancing the PRAISE GOD! dance

My Aunt Cathy's surgery was a success!!!  They completed 4 of the 6 bypasses.  Doctors said they didn't do the other 2 because she didn't need them!  They expect her to recover well.  Praise be to God.  Funny.  Last night when I talked to my Aunt Cath, she said maybe they would open her up and find that she didn't really need the surgery.  I told her that we could pray for that.  And look - she didn't need 2 of the 6 bypasses!

Today I finally got my butt back into the gym.  Eight days away makes a difference.  My body was no longer craving exercise.  It was dreading it.  But I dragged myself there.  Back up to just over 10 minutes per mile.  Bummer.  But I'll work on that.

My friends finally shared their photos from when we went to Tela to the beach.  Maybe this was one instance I was happy that I don't have a camera.  Let me just say the photos were a good inspiration and motivating factor to get me back into the gym.  When we went to Tela I had only been working out a few weeks and it showed.  My cousin's wedding is in a month and two days in Guatemala.  I will look better in those pictures!

Today my landlord told me she is selling land she owns up here in the mountains.  I told her, No!  Wait until I find my husband and then he and I can buy your land.  We both got a good laugh out of that.  Then she asked if I had any prospects and I told her no.  None at all.  But God has someone waiting for me.

Well, I really wanted to share the good news about my Aunt Cathy.  So there you have it.  A very. very difficult surgery, but with God's hand guiding the whole procedure everything turned out well.  Now I have to go do my PRAISE GOD dance!

Goodbye Ohio Team!

This morning I said goodbye to the Ohio team.  They sang at church and a lot of the people of the church sang along with them.  I think I experienced what it would be like to chant like monks do.  We sang the "Alleluia" song that is pretty well known in most communities.  It was like breathing.  But with beautiful sound.  It was very powerful and relaxing at the same time.  I loved it.

Doug, the team leader, preached about being open to change and living the life that God wants for us.  The congregation really liked his message.  We had a long time of prayer for the people of the church.  We prayed for my Aunt Cathy who will have 6 bypasses tomorrow.  We also prayed for the cousin of a family who are friends of mine.  The cousin is 15 years old and was kidnapped yesterday.  That is all the family knows.  They are waiting to hear from the kidnappers.

After church I bought some cheese for Christian's house.  I asked where his mother was, since she is normally at the service.  He said she didn't come today.  He said her shoe broke and she had nothing to wear on her feet.  He said it in such a matter of fact way.  It broke my heart.  I can't imagine having my shoe break and having nothing else to wear on my feet.  I was telling my Mom the story this afternoon and she said she stopped by Macy's today and bought a new pair of slippers without thinking twice about it.  But Christian's Mom missed church today because she had nothing to wear on her feet.

Where in the world do we start?  Now, with the cheese, they have a tiny bit of food.  But I know each of the kids needs clothes.  They need more food.  Their mother needs shoes.  In a few weeks the kids will need school supplies.  I was planning to buy some of the school supplies.  But I am confused as to what is the biggest priority.  It just seems endless.  I can't do enough.  My heart hurts when I think about Christian and his family.  And yet, they are happy people.  They are amazing.

Today my friends asked me to take them to the airport to pick up a co-worker.  While we waited in the crowd we noticed a friend from church there.  He was meeting his wife.  She flew to the United States two months ago to give birth to their first baby in a US hospital.  Yesterday they finished all of the paperwork and got a passport for their daughter.  Today Raquel and the baby were able to fly home.  Edward got to meet his daughter for the first time!  It was awesome!!

He didn't tell anyone that his wife and new baby were coming home today.  He was surprised to see us there.  We gave him space to meet his new daughter.  I was dying to take pictures.  Lucky for him I have no camera.  He said there will be plenty of time for photos.  This evening he posted on FB the first thing his daughter did was reach out and hold on to his finger.

My friends took me to see the property they are buying.  Everything will be official next week.  This has been a long time coming.  I am so excited for them!  It is a beautiful piece of land in the mountains past the church.  The view is gorgeous.  They plan to start building a house in about 2 years.  Jose said he plans to have a neighborhood prayer group.  He said his home will always be open to people - that was a promise he made to God if he ever got his own home.  I loved the feeling of the property.  I felt a sense of peace there.

I am still thinking about the fact that Doña Olivia is a member of the church now, after I ducked out of a rainstorm into her house five years ago and she asked me about the church I belong to because she needed a church.  My Mom pointed out that you never know when you plant a seed.

I am going to miss the Ohio group this week.  They fly back to the US tomorrow.

Please pray for safe travels for them, the surgery of my Aunt Cathy, and the 15 year old boy who was kidnapped yesterday.  Please also pray for provisions for Christian's family, as well as my friend Ana's family.  Pray that I am open to receive guidance as to how/if/when I can help.

The Coolest Things!

Wow!  What a great week!  First I want to share with you the coolest thing that has happened to me in a long time.  Then I'll tell you about how the week went with the group from Ohio.

The last thing we did today was to take a food basket to Esdras' house.  Esdra lives with his grandmother.  His mother is very mentally ill and lives in the street.  I wasn't sure where Esdras house was and thought I was going to freak out when we turned to go into his house and I realized I had been there before.

The whole situation flashed back to me.  In 2009 I was walking through Los Pinos and it started to rain, so we ducked into this very same house to get out of the rain.  The lady inside was very kind and welcoming.  As we left she pulled me back and talked to me.  She told me in that she needed a church to go to.  I invited her to come to Iglesia En Transformación and waited the following Sundays, looking for her.  I thought she never came.

As I entered her home I was bursting with joy and amazement.  If we were bringing a basket of food to her, she obviously had not only attended the church, but had also become an active member!  I told the people who were walking with me that I had been there before in 2009 and invited her to join the church, but never knew that she did.  Then as I turned the corner and saw who she was, I realized I have spent time with her since I moved here.  She was in my women's group that met on Tuesday nights.  She has been around as Esdras prepared to go to El Sembrador.  I have known Doña Olivia as a member of the church, but I never realized she was the same person who told me she was looking for a new church when I ducked out of the rain and spent time in her home in 2009.

We hugged and talked about the last time I was in her house.  She said she remembered.  She said that she had told her grandson that she knew me, but he told her she was wrong.  We laughed about the fact that we have actually know each other since 2009.  God never fails to amaze me!  What a cool way to end the team's visit.

Doña Olivia with Esdras and Bryon, plus 2 neighbor girls

Now to share with you about the group from Ohio.  The kids had the best time with them, and I did too!  They really cool crafts to do every day.  They did hair cuts and baths and shampooed with lice shampoo.  They were a small team of 8, which to me seemed like a great size.  We got to know them individually.  It seemed like they came with no agenda other than to love the kids in any way they can.  Every morning the kids would ask if they were coming back.  The kids really loved them.

Two of them were going to take turns working in the kitchen each day, but the 2 men who worked the very first day loved it so much, they stayed there all week!  It was a good example for the boys of the Breakfast Program and they said they had a really good time.  They loved Marlin and Ana.  They liked learning about the food.  They even learned how to make tortillas today, which they were very proud of.

Each day the team brought a suitcase full of clothes to donate to the church.  They unloaded, only to return the next day with it full again.  We received lots of new clothes to pass out.  We also were amazed at the way things seemed to multiply.  The first day we told them we were going to buy toothbrushes for the kids.  They said they had 3 boxes of toothbrushes, which was over 100, so not to buy any.  The next day they brought us 6 boxes of toothbrushes.  They said they had no idea how, but 3 more boxes had appeared.

Meylin has needed a new bathing suit.  Hers is painfully tight.  I shopped for a bathing suit for Meylin, but another member of the church said he already planned to buy her one.  Amongst the used clothes they brought, this team happened to have a brand new bathing suit that fit Meylin PERFECTLY.  And it is really cute!  Awesome!!!!

They said even their money is multiplying.  They found money they can't account for in their wallets.

In the meantime, things continue to disappear in the church.  The team was sad for the kids, and prayed for them.  We saw a lot of thievery and lying this week.  I kept trying to say this was not typical, but when it happened day after day, I started to look silly.  I have never seen this problem, especially at this level, before.

The team brought a lot of gifts.  The kids would receive one, then hide it and go back for more.  They lied and said they had never received one, when you could see the bulge of it in their pocket.  It was sad.  I have really never seen this happen before.  Maybe one or two would try to trick us, but never this many kids lying so many times.  It hurt my heart because I worried that maybe the team might not be able to love the kids as much if the kids kept lying and stealing, or trying to steal.

Now that I think of it, we don't normally have tons of fun things around for them to be greedy and lie about.  I felt a little embarrassed, like a mother would.  The kids didn't say "Please" and "Thank You" like I would have expected them to.  Even when I reminded them day after day, they still didn't.  It was disappointing in that aspect.

But they did say sweet things and treated the team well in other ways - other than lying and not saying "please" or "thank you".  I do not mean to say that the kids were not great.  Overall, they were.  I just had never seen this side of them before so it hit me hard.

Last night the team invited me to have dinner with them!  I was so excited and honored.  The place where they are staying is completely amazing.  It is probably the nicest home I have ever visited in my entire life, in a simple and comfortable way.  The owners moved to the US and rent out the house.  The groundskeeper invited me to bring friends to walk on the property, or bring my car and he will wash it, any time I want.

The team was happy to have me visit their house because they were able to communicate with the housekeeper about her great food and with the groundskeeper about some things they needed.  They learned the housekeeper and the groundskeeper are married to each other and have a baby they will meet Saturday.  I was able to get them really settled into the house.  They all told me how much they appreciated my help at The Breakfast Program as well as at their home.  Three mornings I went to the pool first, so I got there 1 & 1/2 hours later.  They said, "We are so happy you are here!  We needed you!"  It was nice to be needed.

I learned that Walter is now in charge of the whole Plentiful Life Program.  He will do a great job.  He knows all about what we currently offer and has ideas for new things we can implement.  I respect Walter's leadership abilities.  He is fair and he offers wise counsel.  He is good at seeing things from different points of view.  He doesn't just take things at face value, he looks deeper.

Samuel and I are meeting about plans for the next semester of the sports program.  Swimming will be over in 2 weeks.  I'm sad about that.  I absolutely love the swimming program and believe it has been a huge blessing to the kids.  It has been a blessing to me!  I will not miss waking up early, but I will miss every other part of the swimming program.  So far I am hearing about starting a cycling team.  The coach will be a man who has raced in the Tour de France and Coast to Coast race, here in Honduras.  They are planning to buy 10 bikes and teach 10 kids to ride, then train them to race.  Sounds amazing!

The week is over.  I had a cold all week with a sore throat.  Yesterday and today I lost my voice!  Yes, the translator lost her voice.  I thanked God over and over that I felt strong, even though I sounded horrible.

Yesterday, as the team was asking for pictures with me, I thought back to my first visit to Honduras and how much I loved getting to know our translators.   They were a special part of my team's visit.  I also tried to think about what Jairo would have shared with the team if he were here.  I shared with the team some local news.  For example, today's front page headlines were about dangerous gangs in Los Pinos who are trafficking women as prostitutes.  Yesterday and today we delivered food baskets to families in Los Pinos.

Here are a few photos.  I will have more in a few weeks.  The team is going to send me the photos they took on a disc or memory card, since I don't have a camera.

Wednesday we went to a used clothing store and bought a new jacket for Christian.
He had no jacket.  The next day it was 57 degrees and WINDY

Haircuts

Smiles!

Milagro, dressed for the cold

We visited Ana's house with a food basket.
This is Jired, David and Samuel with Ana and Isabella

The team brought US a special gift!

It is a plaque to thank us for serving God and the kids

We are grateful for the team from Ohio

Promises

Something was shining so brightly into my window at 3:38 a.m. I thought it was a spotlight or a streetlight.  But we don't have streetlights here.  When I woke up enough to turn around and look out the window behind me I realized it was a beautiful, almost full moon.  My whole room was as bright as if the overhead light was on.  From there I couldn't get back to sleep until a little after 5:45.  Just in time to be sleeping soundly when the alarm went off at 6:15.

I thought the swim coaches weren't going to show up again today.  They didn't come last Tuesday.  One of them didn't come all week.  So I sat the kids down and explained that since it appeared there was no other adult, if they agreed to sit calmly and wait their turn, they could swim in groups of 6.  I felt comfortable monitoring 6 at a time.

They were fine with that - anything to swim!  I trusted them to be well behaved so we all changed into our bathing suits (myself included in case I had to dive in after one of them).  Right as we began warm up exercises one of the coaches arrived.  Yay!  The kids were happy.

He is a retired champion racer, so he has them doing some cool things.  Today they started learning how to do a flip turn!  On November 5th, when they first started, I never imagined that they would be learning flip turns.  Or that some of them would have really beautiful freestyle strokes, with the breathing and everything.  They work so hard.  I'm proud of them.

The girls also told me today that they were happy they no longer wear underpants under their bathing suits and shorts over top.  One girl told me that last week she felt strange because she had never shown her upper thigh before.  But she said that today she felt "tranquila" (relaxed) in her bathing suit with no shorts.

I also thought I might get some backlash from the parents, but the only comment I've heard so far is one of support.  A girl told her mother that I said she could get an infection from wearing underpants under her bathing suit and lycra shorts on top.  The girl told me that her mother said, "Mary Lynn is right!  And I don't have the money to take you to the doctor, so stop wearing so many layers."  Seems like they have all made the adjustment smoothly.

The team from Ohio was waiting for us when we got to the church.  They were shampooing all of the girls with lice shampoo and combing out their hair with lice combs.  Some of the girls got braided too.  And some of the kids got baths.

We had a bunch of new kids today.  Faces I had never seen before.  That's what happens when they hear a team is in town.  There will be more tomorrow.  Unfortunately with the influx of new faces, there are kid who haven't yet learned to respect the rules of the church.  Today the girl whose mother told her to follow my instructions in order to avoid a visit to the doctor had her cell phone stolen.  She has to bring a cell phone because she is not normally a part of the Breakfast Program.  She lives a distance away.  She started swimming classes, so she is at the church anyway and we encouraged her to hang out with us afterward at the Breakfast Program.  Her family are church members.

She has to call a taxi when she is ready to go home so she brings a phone for that purpose.  But today, somehow, her phone got stolen.  I feel horrible for her and really sad about the situation.  She is very, very sweet and caring.  I imagine she is disappointed and hurt that someone stole her phone while she was at the church.

I had been subconsciously proactive with my own things.  I never know who is going to be in and out of my office or the classroom.  So this week I kept my backpack behind Eunice's desk where nobody is allowed to go.  I don't usually do that, but this week I did.

Someone also stole a whole pack of markers the team brought for us.  It is sad, but it is an unfortunate fact of life.

I have been praying about finding a sweater or jacket for one of the boys.  Yesterday I mentioned to the team that there are so many needs, I am not sure where to start, or where to draw the line since my resources are limited.  They needs are constant and never ending.  They asked about specific needs and I pointed out Christian, who is swimming but has nothing warm to put on early in the morning when it's still cold, or after he gets out of the pool.  Today as we were leaving the pool Christian with no jacket told me to look at his shoe.  The whole heel had come apart and he was walking around in a shoe with the heel like a flip flop.  One of the ladies on the visiting team said, "Oh no!  That is horrible!"  when she saw it.  I said some kids have shoes in worse shape than that.  She said, "But he has to climb back up the mountain!"  I told her yes, he does.

The ladies told me the team had a meeting last night and decided that they would like to give me money to use for those things - the needs that I see which aren't so apparent to them.  I told her we would gladly accept it, but the money should be given to Eunice, or I could take them shopping before they leave.  We are going shopping tomorrow.

As I was leaving the church I was chatting with my friend Ana.  I asked how long the diapers I gave her on Saturday would last and if she was using them freely.  She said yes, she was using them as needed (not trying to save by using only one diaper per day).  She still has more than half of the pack left.  She has enough for the next week.  She said she will tell me when she needs more.  I am glad because for some reason I feel like God is telling me really clearly that I need to buy diapers for her baby.  I don't even feel called as strongly about food as I do diapers, which I think is really strange.  So I will make my number one priority diapers and see what else I can do from there.

Ana said she had her first request for me since we made the agreement that she will ask when she needs help.  I asked what the first request is.  She said she will need school supplies for one of her sons.  I instantly felt comfortable saying yes to that.  Lord knows I don't have any extra money, but I can cut back on something.  God always provides.  Ana said she will make a list of the supplies and she can go with me if I need help purchasing them.  I am thinking maybe I'll take her son and let him pick out the stuff on the list for himself.  He might enjoy that.  He is the middle boy whom we make a conscious effort to pay attention to because otherwise he is quiet and falls through the cracks.

So, tomorrow is my Aunt Cathy's surgery.  Six bypasses.  That is a lot.  Today Eunice sent out a prayer request to the church.  I sent out a second request to my prayer team.  It is a very, very difficult procedure.  My family and I are struggling to leave things in God's hands.

A couple of months ago when we had just learned that my Aunt had had 3 heart attacks I was at a women's group.  We had a guest speaker come.  Everyone who knew him told us he was really amazing.  They said he is a gifted healer.

During a time of prayer at the end he came up to me, put his hands on my shoulders and prayed for a few seconds.  Then he suddenly leaned forward and said directly into my ear that my family is okay.  He said that I am worrying about health problems from far away, but God is with my family and he has everything under control.  Everything is going to be fine.  He said there is no need to worry because God is taking care of my family who is not well, no matter where they are.  I felt the most intense sense of relief and peace.  The kind of peace that only comes from God.  So, I have to believe that God spoke to me through this man.  And I also believe it was specifically concerning my Aunt Cathy.

Therefore, I am concerned on an intellectual level.  Mostly because I have never heard of SIX bypasses in my life.  I thought a quadruple bypass was as high as it went.  At the same time, deep down inside I am not worried.  I feel a little foolish because I think a normal person should be worried.  This surgery is not a walk in the park.  But I do have faith in God.  And faith that He would not have spoken to me if He didn't plan to keep his word.

Therefore, I look forward to writing to you tomorrow with news that my Aunt Cathy is in recovery and doing well.  God keeps his word.