Popeye's and McDonald's all in one day!

I got to see and talk to a lot of my favorite kids today. I think we are the only ones left in the city. Everyone else is traveling for Semana Santa (Holy Week).

Fany left Tuesday. She turned off all of the electricity to her house, which means the water can't pump to my house, so I've been going nuts trying to preserve water. Samuel took a bunch of photos of me and afterward I realized I don't remember the last time I washed my hair. Ooops! But such is life.

I've been trying to call Ana for a week but her phone is always broken. I promised them we would do something for Semana Santa. Yesterday I called her son Jired's phone and Ana answered. She went to do tests for a surgery scheduled on Monday and they hospitalized her, not because she is sick, but because they want her on a liquid diet. It makes no sense to me, especially because she just called and asked me to buy her food. She swears the doctor okayed it.

Anyway, that left her kids alone. Her mother was planning to come and stay with the kids Saturday or Sunday, but they weren't expecting that Ana would be hospitalized before her surgery Monday. By the time they found out, all buses stopped for Semana Santa. We agreed they kids would be okay alone for last night. Jired is 18 now. But I would entertain them during the day until Ana's mother gets here.

Ana didn't have any minutes on her phone so I bought minutes for her. Today she told me that the phone company stole her minutes. Fany swears they do that too. Who knows. It's never happened to me.

I called Jired a couple of times yesterday. Each time the kids were calm. You can tell from the background noise if the kids are happy or not. Everything was good and Jired seemed fine. I told him I'd take them out to do something today.

This morning I called at 10 a.m. Samuel was eager to go. He asked what time I was coming, how many hours until I got there, and should he shower and change his clothes yet. Hahaha! He's growing up a lot. He's much calmer these days, not quite as "tremendous" as he used to be.

When I arrived in Los Pinos to pick them up I got to see Kevin. He used to be Jired's best friend when I was at the church with them. He's a super sweet kid - the kind that is just as loving and silly at 18 years old as he was when he was little. He doesn't care about trying to be "cool" which makes him super cool to me!

Then someone called my name from across the street. My contact lenses have been screwed up, so I couldn't see well enough to see who it was. Turned out it was a Kebelin, a girl I used to work with at the church. I haven't seen her since soon after I stopped serving there, but thanks to Facebook we stay in contact. In fact we chatted recently on Facebook and she told me she is pregnant.

A while ago Ana thought Kebelin was pregnant. I was hoping it wasn't true. She just graduated from high school a few months ago and her boyfriend is still in high school. In any case, I was super happy to see her! She ran across the street and gave me a big hug. She still looks the same, only she has a baby belly now. She is due to have the baby June 17th. Her plan is to go to college in September. Sounds like a tough road to me, but I only tell her that I am sure she can do it.

After lots of hugs under the hot sun Kebelin headed home and Ana's kids piled into the car. The younger kids wanted to go to McDondald's but Jired was very set on Popeyes. Jired hardly ever voices an opinion, so we went to Popeyes. The playland was hotter than the weather outside but the kids had fun. Then we went to McDonalds for ice cream sundaes. It was the first time the kids ever ate a sundae. They thought it was a little strange, but delicious! Playland at McDonalds was smaller, but we all decided it was better. And air conditioned. I had my fill of fast food for the year.

Samuel took some great photos. Isa's going through a stage where little things scare her. She's never been a scaredy cat before. In fact, she's the opposite! Maybe it's because her mommy is in the hospital and she's never been without her Mom before.

As I dropped the kids off Jired pointed out that Lorenzo was playing on the side of the road. I stopped and he ran up to the car. We only chatted for a second. After I dropped everyone off he was still there, trying to get a mango off a tree with a stick. There was only one that was ripe. But it fell on the other side of the wall, so he couldn't get it. Poor Lorenzo. His face matures, but he never grows.

As I was standing on the street with Lorenzo, my phone rang. It was his sister, Erika. I figured she had seen me or heard I was in Los Pinos. Word there does travel fast. But no, she just happened to call as I was standing next to her brother.

Erika said Carlos wanted to talk to me. All of the kids had exams last week. Something provoked me to ask Carlos how he did on his tests. He said he did well. Then his mother grabbed the phone. She said I needed to talk to Carlos because he won't go to school. He didn't pass any of his exams. He got a 4 out of 30 in Spanish class.

She said she walks him to school every day, but then he leaves. I asked why and she just said that e says he has no interest in school. Carlos wants to drop out of school and be part of Impacto Juvenil like his big brothers. WHAT!???? I assured her that Impacto Juvenil will not take Carlos if he drops out of school and reminded her that Impacto Juvenil is not about education. It's about morals and values and lots of good stuff, but it is not a substitute for school!

At first I was frustrated with her, but then I realized she is doing all she knows to do. She asked for an appointment with our psychologist. She and Carlos will see the psychologist first thing Tuesday. She's really on the ball! I applauded her for that. Then I talked to her about punishment. I emphasized that I was not talking about physical punishment, but rather consequences for not studying. She is even on top of that! She said that Erika is tutoring Carlos in math and Spanish. He has been studying during vacation. According to her, if Carlos doesn't do well on tests for recuperation on Monday, he will have to withdraw from school. I'm glad she has the appointment with the psychologist Tuesday. He can help her figure things out for Carlos. (Something really cool about Impacto Juvenil is that if one family member is part of the program, the whole family has access to our therapists and lawyers, so Carlos is covered too.)

Carlos got back on the phone and asked when I was going to visit. I told him I am not sure, but that if he does not apply himself at school, I will not be taking him on any fun outings. I will take his siblings, but I will not take someone who is not in school. When I asked why he doesn't want to go to school, he was silent. Finally I just told him I love him very much and I hope he will study. He said he will.

Samuel has been chosen for a soccer team with the local private college

David was great at entertaining the smaller kids. He's such a sweetie.

First sundaes ever!

Samuel took the rest of the photos. You'd never know he's seven years old and it's his first time with a camera!

 Great photos Samuel!

New Stuff!

God was totally amazing yesterday! I had the meeting with my supervisor. She apologized for being late, saying she was learning about church leaders who are being killed by gangs for not paying the "war tax".

I shared with her that I was extremely scared a few weeks ago because I believed my church was being extorted. Turned out it wasn't, but when I explained the whole story she said she would have been scared too!

(Don't worry. We are all safe at the church. We just had some break ins and had to implement more strict security measures.)

That was the perfect segue for me to explain to my boss that God had been asking me to be obedient for a few months and I had been pushing Him away. I explained that God was asking me to go back to the US but I didn't want to, so I kept justifying why I shouldn't. I became grumpy and withdrawn the more I disobeyed. Finally, God had to shock me into listening. Now that I have accepted God's plan, I feel cheerful and have peace again.

She asked when I will leave. I told her that God had clearly given me a date of June 14th for three months. Then she asked if I will leave my things in Honduras and if I will continue renting my apartment here. Once she was sure that I am only taking the cat and enough clothes to get by, she seemed fine. Hahaha!

She also told me that it's very interesting that God gave me the date of June 14th because international flights go up on June 15th for the summer. I didn't even know that. God is looking out for my wallet!

Then came the best part! She has been thinking about how I can best serve Impacto Juvenil and had several new ideas for 2017.

This year I will help a psychologist start a program for incest survivors. I am really excited about that. It will be a great experience for me, and I will have a lot to offer because I have worked with that population in the US.

Also, I will be working with the "Strong Mothers" program to help women start their own small business. I'm not very business minded, but part of the program is building self esteem and that is one of my strengths.

The third new project sounds most fun of all. My boss needs photos and information to share with our donors. Impacto Juvenil is a Christian non-profit organization. She wants me to do one interview per week and write a story with photos of the person I interview. My interview will be used to keep our donors informed. It can write about a mother in beauty classes, or kids from our weekly clubs. I can write about the community projects we do, or guitar classes. She is leaving it up to me to decide who/what I write about each week. It will be a fun way to get to know the people we serve and see the ways they benefit from our program.

I already did my first interview today. One of the girls in my club said she wants to be a mechanic. She has been raised by her grandfather since she was three years old. Her friends told her she must be bisexual if she wants to do such a "macho" job. But her grandfather told her not to pay any attention to the other kids. He will support her dreams. If she wants to be a mechanic, then she should study to be a mechanic. Isn't that cool?

She talked about how she was in a van on the way home from school. The van broke down. She felt scared because it was not safe to be stuck in a van on the side of the road. A man came along on a motorcycle and lifted the hood of the van. He pulled out his tools and took a look. The girl watched everything he did. He explained to her that the van was overheating and needed to cool down. Ever since that day she has wanted to be a mechanic.

This week I will send out a newsletter and tell everyone else about my new responsibilities and about my trip to the US. I'll have plenty of free time because it's Semana Santa (Holy Week). The rest of Tegucigalpa is leaving today for the beach. The streets are full of people with suitcases. The city will soon be empty. I'll have lots of time to write.

First week of swimming

I'm feeling much better now that I figured out what God was asking of me. Church was great, work is fun, and I have peace again. I was lacking peace for a while.

I was supposed to meet with my boss today about other stuff and thought that would be an opportunity to present the idea of going to the US for three months. However, donors from Sweden are in town so she was busy hosting them and we didn't get to meet. She has been nothing but supportive in the past, so I expect she will understand. I think a lot of the reason I didn't want to go to the US, and was struggling with God about the idea, is because I didn't want to let her or my coworkers down.

Saturday we had the first swimming lessons through Impacto Juvenil. The classes are at the gym I belonged to when I lived up in the mountains. It's a private gym with a nice pool which makes it easier to keep track of the kids. But all of the members are watching and asking who we are. One lady asked my coworker where all of the kids came from. When my coworker explained the kids are part of a non-profit program the lady snorted, said "Que ordinario," (a strong insult), stood up and left. We have to be sure we are on our best behavior at all times because we can't give any gym member a reason to complain.

The kids were super brave. They jumped right into the water. All of them went underwater and blew bubbles on the very first try. All but two are comfortable in the water. All but four can basically swim. We'll teach them personal water safety and the four basic strokes. I had my doubts about pulling this off in 10 one hour classes, but now that I see how advanced these kids are compared to Los Pinos kids, I'm not worried at all. They should be good swimmers in 10 weeks.

The hardest part of the whole day was getting them to take off their underwear. Sounds crazy, but it's true! The girls wanted to wear bras and underpants under their swimsuits. Boys were trying to wear shorts over their suits and underpants underneath. Once we got rid of the underwear, we were good to go.

People here are totally not accustomed to bathing suits. When I went to Jamaica I published the photo below. Laura asked Fany why I was nude and showing my "intimate parts". Coworkers commented about how much skin I showed.

Mountains of cleavage are acceptable. Nursing in public, even at church, is totally common. (I'm not saying it shouldn't be. My point is that Hondurans are not at all prudish when it comes to breasts.) Skin tight pants are everywhere from the business offices to the street, even in the heat of summer. But bathing suits are taboo here.

Pastora Ruth (God!) preached directly to my soul on Sunday. We are fasting this week for the exact things that have been on my heart. It was perfect.

This morning we had a devotional about Holy Week. Holy Week here seems to end on Saturday. Nobody speaks much of the resurrection or Easter Sunday. It was the same with our invited speaker this morning. We went back to the Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. We talked about sin and Jesus dying for our sins. We talked about Jesus going to hell and people being rescued from hell. We were told to prepare and dig deep inside, take an inventory - see how we stand with God. But we never spoke about Christ rising from the dead. I don't understand why that part is always left out.

After church I took Laura to the doctor. You've heard me rant about Hondurans and antibiotics. The overuse of antibiotics and lack of education about how germs and how they are spread are my two biggest rants.

Laura started antibiotics Friday. Today is Monday. She and the other kids who were in the waiting room together on Friday were all back for a check up today. No one improved, nor did they get worse. All four still have a fever and cough.

The first three went in before Laura. They all got an injection of antibiotics. I told Fany if the doctor wanted to inject Laura I would pay for blood work first to be sure it was an infection. Years ago the same doctor told me he gives antibiotics not because it's correct, but because it's what the parents expect. If he didn't give antibiotics the parents would say he's a bad doctor.

Thankfully the doctor told Fany the injection is expensive. He said if Laura still has a fever tomorrow, Fany should bring Laura back and then she will get the injection. I hope the fever goes away tonight.

Forrest fires started up again last week. For some reason everyone is freaking out this year. This happens every year. It's nothing new. The city becomes blanketed in smoke and it's hard to breath. This year it's not bad down here, but there have been fires in the mountains. I expect it will get worse until our first rain, which should come in about a month.

Today I got permission to publish photos of the kids on Facebook! I am excited to be able to share photos with people in the US. I was given specific instructions to only publish photos of the kids from the rib cage and above if they are wearing bathing suits. I may have to do some crazy cropping.

It is sooooo hot here. We just sit and sweat. Today it got up to 100.4 Fany said. By 8 a.m. the sun scalded my skin.

20 kids from Villa Nueva learning to swim

♥

Steps of Obedience

Hi guys. Please pardon my absence. I haven't blogged lately because I wasn't sure what to say.

Since February 11th God has been asking me to spend some time in Northern New York. I'm not sure why it was such a struggle for me to come to terms with that fact, but it was.

He's shown me this plan clearly, in many different ways, each time more forceful than the last. He had to be forceful and direct because until yesterday I didn't want to accept it.

I kept seeking different counsel.

First I talked to the leader of the community where I serve. If I leave she'll have a lot more work, so I thought she would try to convince me to stay. But she told me very clearly (on two occasions) that I should go.

My Pastor told me that I should go and if NY didn't work out, there is a place in the mountains of Germany that would be a good option.

Fany said she and Laura will miss me while I'm gone, but she gets it.

Even my Mom is supportive.

Yesterday I met with the leader of Honduran Fellowship of Missionaries. It was in that meeting where God finally gave me peace about the idea. So now I am able to share it with you.

I don't know why I am so stubborn. I knew it was His plan. I guess I just hoped He would change His mind. LOL!

I don't have all of the details worked out but God made two things very clear:

1) I'm to go to Northern New York, where I grew up
2) I will spend three months there

The purpose of my time there is to rest in Him, get treatment for my ankle, and be in a safe place for a while.

I have tons of logical justifications for why I shouldn't go. But if I don't walk in steps of obedience, I am not following God's will. That is not the life I want for myself.

So, on Monday I will talk to my head boss and try to explain all of this to her.

I am praying about timing. So far God hasn't shown me the WHEN part. I'd love to go for July, August and September. That way I could attend two special weddings, be in the US for the 4th of July, and see the leaves change in the Adirondacks. But I have a feeling that's not His plan. I believe He wants me to go sooner.

I will continue to pray about it and let you know how the whole thing evolves. To be clear, I am not feeling called to stop serving in Honduras.

Three days ago was the five year anniversary of my arrival in Honduras. Here are some photos of my anniversary party. We also finally celebrated Isabela's birthday.

The power went out.
We were supposed to have homemade pizza and smoothies.
Thankfully I had nuts & veggie trays.

Carlos made a surprise appearance!
He's working hard in his new school and doing well.

Erika and Alexandra

Isabela and her cake

My coworker (the head of the community we serve) and me.
Other coworkers came, but I forgot to get photos!

Me with Alexandra

Laura, Marjory, and Isa

And me in Jamaica! I really hoped that the trip to Jamaica would get rid of the nagging feeling (aka God's voice) that I was supposed to go to the US. Jamaica was awesome, awesome, awesome! But afterward God showed me even more powerfully that I am supposed to take three months in New York.

The swing outside of our hotel room.
We had one of the four best rooms in the whole place, right on the ocean.
It was only three days, but we made the most of every moment!

Protests

I got home early today. Didn't even make it to work. My coworker called this morning to say that she needed to change our plans and she would meet me at 1:30 at the office where we would ride together to one of the communities to teach the Strong Family Program.

Since I had the morning free I made breakfast for Fany, went to the gym for physical therapy, and called a friend to see if she wanted to meet for lunch. She works for the same organization, but in a different program so I rarely see her.

We went to lunch in a little plaza frequented by college students as it is directly across the boulevard from the University National Autonoma de Honduras (UNAH). The salads were delicious! It's tough to find a good salad here so as two North Americans, accustomed to eating our veggies, we talked about how we often get cravings for a good salad. We could make salads at home, but washing veggies is a pain in the neck when you don't have potable tap water - especially lettuce with it's nooks and crannies.

As we left the restaurant my friend said, "Why is traffic driving like that?" We were on a boulevard with four lanes going in each direction. I was focused on the far right lane because a car had almost hit me twice. However, in the left lane all of the cars were driving toward us on our side of the boulevard!

Traffic in Honduras is crazy. You see lots of things that would never happen in the US. Cars drive in the wrong direction on four lane highways if it means they will get to their destination faster. But this was a whole line of cars all driving toward us. It was outside the norm of craziness.

I hoped to take a quick right and get off the boulevard, but as we got closer to the intersection I saw it was blocked with tons and tons of police. My friend was still focused on the traffic driving backward so I told her to look. There were more than 50 and I couldn't see them all. They appeared to be huddled in a circle on the side of the road and into the side street where I wanted to turn. We decided we could still go straight and take the long way around.

Then we realized the road was blocked ahead. All of the cars were turning around in the middle of the street and driving back against traffic in that far left lane. It was the only way out.

So, I turned around in the road and headed back in the wrong direction. It was actually a short cut for us to get back to the office, so it turned out fine. But we were curious as to what was going on.

She went back to work and I waited for the car that was to take me to the parenting class. My car was scheduled for 1:30, but others had been waiting since 1:00 due to the chaotic traffic two blocks from our office.

I called my coworker. She had come from a different direction and already half way up the mountain with her driver. He offered to come back and get me, but I didn't want them to have to make two trips with the roads so crazy. She said I should just head home.

When I got home I was telling Fany about what I saw. We turned on local news. The situation had escalated quite a bit. I didn't see any police. The military had come with a huge tank-like truck. Students from the university had been protesting the death of Berta Cáceres. She is a Honduran environmental activist who was killed on March 3rd, 2016 for standing up to large businesses who want to exploit natural resources. The students protested today rather than tomorrow because not as many people attend school on Fridays.

The military men were lined up outside of the school with shields and gas masks. They are not allowed to enter that university because it is autonomous. Only the university's privately contracted police are allowed to enter. Students burned tires in the road which is a common practice here because a tire will burn for a long time and is impossible to move. The students locked themselves inside the gates of the university. From inside they threw rocks at the military police. The military police threw tear gas at them and sprayed water from the tanker truck. The whole scene was quite a mess. Both directions of traffic were closed. My friend and I got out just in time.

The US Embassy was closed today because of the protests. They sent out an email warning everyone yesterday afternoon. This weekend it will be wise to stay home and avoid flying rocks, teargas, and overturned cars.

Update and photos

There have been more robberies than usual lately. A friend from my previous church had a man break into her property. She found him in her back yard. She was able to get into the house and lock the door behind her. She called the police, but friends and family arrived long before the police showed up. Eventually he was arrested, which is shocking! Turned out, he was behind other robberies up in the mountains. It's funny, although I live in the midst of dangerous communities, I feel safer here than I did in the mountains.

Another woman was taken hostage (for lack of better word) by people who entered her taxi. This is a common occurrence. She was robbed and driven outside of the city where she was dumped without a phone or money to get home. She did make it home safely. The same thing happened to my friend Cynthia two weeks ago. On Monday my coworkers were assaulted on a "rapidito" (small bus). They are safe but their work phones and other possessions were stolen. Fany and I read a statistic that the bus for El Hatillo (where I lived in the mountains) has an average of 18 assaults every day. The bus is taken over by thieves who enter with guns and rob everything valuable. This, my friends, is why I cannot take public transportation. Every day there are articles in the newspaper about people who are killed if they don't do exactly as the robbers say.

Laura is back at school and doing well. We made cupcakes together on Saturday. She loves to cook.

Monday I went back to work. Three of my coworkers were in the hospital and one of our leaders is very sick too. Doña Angelica, the lady who always accompanied me to literacy class and who has been an amazing friend and mentor, suffered from thrombosis in her leg after surgery for varicose veins. I was really scared for her. She went into the hospital Thursday and was released yesterday. Another coworker had appendicitis, and a third they still haven't diagnosed but she has stomach problems.

My vote for cool project of the week went to a coworker who heard the kids complaining about how "dirty and nasty" their soccer field is. She got a can of paint and asked community members to help. Together, they cleaned up their soccer field. I love the way she empowered the kids. She gave them an opportunity to see they can make a difference in their community and gave them ownership over their soccer field by having them clean it themselves. I admire her and the work she does.

Painting the goal posts

A community working together
In the end, some received a loaf of bread for their work

Last week I got my first physical in five years. They did EVERYTHING. First I got a chest xray, then an electrocardiogram, then blood work, a gynecological exam, and a bone density test. The chest xrays show my lungs and heart are clear. The electrocardiogram showed my heart doesn't use as much force as the average heart, but the doctor said sometimes he sees that in people with a slimmer build. The gynecologist said I am very healthy. I was the only woman she saw all week who didn't have any cysts. The bone density test showed that my spine and legs are perfect, but my hip bones are starting to loose density, so I'm on Vitamin D supplements. The blood work showed my cholesterol is a little bit elevated. I've been obsessed with bacon lately, which is odd for me. The doctor told me to cut out the bacon and come back in three months. Everyone assured me that I am extremely healthy, which felt good. I was worried after not having a check up in five years, so that was a weight off my shoulders.

The coworker I serve most closely with is on vacation until tomorrow. Therefore, I had yesterday and today off. Tomorrow we get back to work with the Familia Fuerte Program. Yesterday I had to work on my resume.

When I first started serving at Impacto Juvenil we didn't have a human resources department. There were less than 100 of us in the whole organization. Now we are 150 people strong! For that reason, we've had to create things like human resources.

I hadn't updated my resume in 10 years! Not sure how I how away with that. Honduran resumes include a photo and your age. They are much longer than resumes in the US. I didn't include a photo or my age and kept it to two pages.

My friend Kim, the one who is quitting smoking in the US, is still doing well. She had a tough time on Sunday, which is normally her least favorite day of the week. Her soon to be husband leaves for work and doesn't come back until Friday night. She said she sat in the convenient store parking lot for 15 minutes with her cash card in her hand, wanting to buy cigarettes, but she left without buying them! I suggested she not leave home on Sunday afternoons from now on and she agreed that would be a great idea.

Two weeks from today I'll be headed for a quick weekend in Jamaica! I'm looking forward to relaxing in an environment where I won't have to constantly be on high alert for my personal safety. If we do nothing more than lounge by the pool and sit on the beach I will be totally content.

Car Shopping

Haven't had a physical since I moved here. In March it'll be five years. So I spent today being poked, prodded, x-rayed, cardiogramed and scanned. I'll get the results Monday.

On the way home I decided to stop by the Hyundai dealership where I bought my first car. Jorge, the same man who sold me my CRV four years ago, was working. I told him I was looking for a Veracruz. He said they are great cars but parts are hard to find here because the Veracruz is no longer in production and it has a bigger motor than the Santa Fe. The Hyundai Santa Fe is very popular here and parts are easy (cheaper) to buy.

Therefore, I decided against a Veracruz. I have friends who have to bring car parts from the US. It's hard enough getting multi vitamins and contact lens solution. I won't be importing car parts.

I saw a nice Santa Fe in great shape with the two extra seats that I like in the back. It was originally purchased in Honduras, not the US. He said cars like that come in frequently. Since I am a previous customer, he will make sure I get a good deal.

When I bought my car four years ago they gave me a super good deal. It was only $200 over the blue book price. Most cars in Honduras are $2000 dollars over the blue book price.

For the first time in a year I have complete peace about buying a new car. It's a big decision but suddenly I don't feel anxious about it. I'm no longer tempted by the Veracruz. Jorge is going to call me when he has a 4WD car with ~60,000 miles.

I am thinking of leaving my car at my friend's car lot with a "For Sale" sign. Going to pray about that idea. It would be okay to be without a car for a while. My ankle hurts too much to drive stick shift right now anyway.

Oh, and my stove almost blew up. That's an exaggeration, but there were flames leaping out of the wall. When I got the dryer and the stove Fany's husband changed the outlets from two pronged to three big, thick prongs. The outlet plate isn't even attached to the wall. It just hangs out of the hole. I am able to connect a 3 pronged appliance but I think the stove and dryer take more current than the wires are meant to carry. The breakers always trip if I try to use anything else at the same time.

I hope that Fany will have someone fix it tomorrow. And I hope my stove still works when I'm able to plug it in again. Can stoves short out?

*Stove is fixed. Fany's husband fixed it.

If you are one of the 500+ daily readers in France, I hope you have time to read yesterday's post. I wrote it with you all in mind. You can scroll down, or here's the link:

A day in the life of someone else

Enjoy!

A day in the life of someone else

Car dealer called back. Said his friend has to pay some bills and lowered the price of the Veracruz to $10,000 cash. Sooooo tempting.

Today was a full day at work. We did the parenting class in the morning for parents whose kids have scholarships through Impacto Juvenil. The kids have to maintain an 80% GPA and attend school 90% of the time. We had to talk to parents about not putting their (underage) kids to work when they should be in school or studying.

After the parenting class I walked with coworkers from the community center to the office. It's only three blocks, but they never let me walk alone. It was funny, they didn't say a word, but suddenly my coworkers surrounded me and we quickly crossed to the other side of the road. I realized what was going on. There were a bunch of gang members hanging out on the street. Later the lady who is a leader in the community told me it is good I said good morning to them. She said one of the psychologists who is not from that area never says good morning and it makes them mad.

A different coworker was robbed nearby so I asked where that occurred. She said it was right where we saw those gang members. It was surprising because the gangs know him. He only lives three blocks in the other direction. That's why she was so protective today. She had been walking on my right, but she cut behind me and walked purposefully between them and me. They all know who she is and respect her, so they won't mess with her or anyone accompanied by her. She even got my coworker's phone back from them!

Once she was walking with a group of North Americans. The gangs didn't see her and they tried to steal the shoes off someones feet! When she realized what was going on she went back and got the shoes back from the gang.

At lunch she pointed out her house. It sits across the mountain from the office. She said that once she sat in our office and watched in broad daylight as people attempted to break down the door to her house and rob her. She called her neighbors and they stopped the break-in. Then she got a metal door.

People have still gotten in though. Once, unbeknownst to her, someone hid a gun in her house. The gun had been used to kill a neighbor boy. She still tears up talking about it. She didn't know the gun was in her house until much later when gang members came to retrieve it. They tried to break in at 2 a.m. but she had everything locked up tight. The next day they barged in and pulled it out of the box spring where they had it stashed. It was covered in a bloody towel so she knew it had been used for something.

As they were retrieving the gun it discharged and almost shot her in the foot! She couldn't eat for a long time and couldn't sleep for months because she felt like she had unwillingly participated in the murder. She asked God to pardon her if she had somehow unwittingly been involved.

My other friend said the gangs used to always come and turn her house upside down searching for someone. It turned out that her mother shares the same name as some infamous woman from a different gang. Apparently it took the gangs several visits, each time destroying my friend's house, before they realized the person they were looking for doesn't live there.

Someone asked if they tied her family up while they tore her house apart. The discussion turned to various ways my coworkers have been tied up or chained while they were robbed. One lady still has this scar "H" shaped scar in the middle of her ankle 13 years later from trying to get herself unbound.

Needless to say, I could not participate in our lunch conversation today. I just sat there listening, trying to comprehend it all. Thank God I've never lived experiences like these. Of seven people at my lunch table, I was the only one who hasn't experienced these things. Even after five years of living in Honduras, it is unfathomable to me how people can live in such circumstances. To them, it's almost normal, which is sad.

A rival gang from Los Pinos recently moved into the neighborhood and took over a house near my coworker. I asked how they were allowed to move in. She said the gang in that sector wasn't strong enough to keep them out, but the Los Pinos gang doesn't have a very strong presence yet either. She said the local gang will have them out within the week. Meanwhile, it is very dangerous in that area.

The Los Pinos gang is trying to be really friendly to my coworker. They've figured out she is a leader in the community and are trying to win her over. She's in a tough spot because if she is friendly toward, or even seen near them, the local gang will be angry. But for the moment it's the Los Pinos boys who are in control, so she has to be respectful to them. It's a very precarious situation. I hope she is able to stay safe as they fight this out.

A couple of days ago a North American friend asked me for prayer. Her experiences of church as a child turned her away from God, instead of toward Him. She never considered herself Christian. But lately she sees the way I try to live in faith. Her boyfriend is also Christian. She is thinking she may like to build a relationship with God. So she asked me to pray for her. She said that she is praying too! She also said that she is going to stop smoking today, on her 47th birthday. Over the years she has tried to quit smoking but has never been successful. She believes that only God can help her stop smoking. My prayer is that this time she'll quit for good, and her testimony will be that she found God when she quit smoking.

I prayed for her throughout the day and sent her birthday wishes tonight. She said she is doing well so far, praying and not smoking. If you'd like to pray for my friend to build a relationship with Christ (and quit smoking), her name is Kim.

Car Shopping

My wish came true despite all of my friends saying I was crazy. The doctor said I need to be moving the ankle more. He said it will hurt and it will swell, but I have to work through that.

He asked if I have a bike. I don't. Then he gave me a choice - go to PT three times/week, or go to the gym three times/week. I love going to the gym and the cost analysis made it an easy choice. It's much cheaper to spend $25/month on a gym membership than $45/week on PT.

Tomorrow I go back to work full time. In the morning we will teach a parenting class in the neighborhood where I spent most of last year. Parents will learn how they can help their kids do well in school. We'll talk about things that most people in the US know, like requiring the child go to school whether or not they want to, and checking to be sure the child does their homework. Many parents here don't feel empowered to require their children to do anything.

A team is coming from Chicago to pray for my coworkers and me in the afternoon. My boss wants me to be there "to speak English with them". I guess that is different from translating.

I ran over to the gym to do my PT. He wants me to go three times/week and tomorrow I won't have time. When I got back I did the hot/cold foot soaking my doctor prescribed. Suddenly I realized I was soaking my foot when I should have been in online Spanish class! Bummer.

On the way home from the doctor I did stop by the car lot. The guy did find me a nice car. It was a 2011 Honda CRV. But it had 40,000 miles more than my car! I thanked him for thinking of me and explained that although it is the year I am looking for, there is no sense in buying a car with more miles than mine. He agreed.

Then he showed me a 2008 Hyundai Veracruz 4x4 for $12,300. That one was super cool. I'd never seen a Veracruz before. It's made for Latin America. It's more expensive because it's diesel which is in high demand here. It will run longer and gets great gas mileage. It seats seven. Two extra full sized seats pop out of the cargo space in back. I would use those for David and Samuel. Currently at least one of them has to ride in the far back and that makes me nervous.

On the outside the Veracruz is the same size as a CRV, even with the two extra folding seats. It still has equal storage space when the seats are folded down. The best part about that car is that it was not imported from the US. Cars brought in from the US can be pieced together from junk. It's a huge risk to buy a car imported from the US. If that car had less kilometers on it, I would have fallen completely in love. It had 171,000 kilometers (106,000 miles).

Please keep me in prayer as I go back to work tomorrow. I am reminding myself not to be discouraged if there is pain and swelling. The doctor says the more I walk, the stronger it will become. If it's still not better in three weeks I'm to go back. I also made an appointment to get a full physical. I feel fine, but I haven't had a check up since I moved here. In March that will be five years, so I'm overdue.

Car?

Well, I'm off to the doctor. I'm nervous. I want him to tell me that I'm being a wimp and I should be out walking around and climbing mountains again. But I wake up with pain and go to sleep with pain and it hurts to walk now, so I figured I better go back. It's been 8 weeks since my original injury.

Yesterday a friend of my mechanic's called. He sells cars and has been looking for a good car for me since last Easter. He said he's got a 2011 he wants me to see. I'll stop on the way home from the doctor. You may find it hard to believe that he's been looking for almost a year and this is the first car he's found worth looking at, but that's how it was when we searched for the car I now own. In fact we looked for more than a year. Patience is the key when buying a used car in Honduras.

Molly is dropping off the rest of Ana's school supplies today. Now all they need is uniforms. Depending what the doctor says, I may be able to buy them this week. Molly has an extra pair of uniform pants for David, so David will now have two pairs of pants. Hurray!

Isa refuses to turn four

Today I feel better, but yesterday and the day before the Chikungunya kicked in strong. Yesterday I couldn't lift a cup with my right hand. I also had trouble getting up when I was seated on the "throne". Sorry if that was TMI. It's like what Ana went through, only not as crippling. Ana says she is better now! Other coworkers are suffering from Chikungunya relapses too. One walked into the community center rubbing her shoulder on Wednesday. I knew what was wrong before she told me. She can't lift up her right arm either.

My ankle has been killing me. It hurts as much as it did when I first got the cast. I have no idea why. I haven't done anything crazy. It started five days after I began PT, so I don't think it was that. I called Friday and made a doctor's appointment. He's out until Tuesday but I'll see him Tuesday morning. Meanwhile I'm resting.

Ana is pretty sure one of the girls we love is pregnant. She's 19 and graduated from high school. But she doesn't have a job or a stable home life and the boy she is dating is young - still in high school. Ana noticed the girl started looking and acting different in November. She's got bags under her eyes and is skinny, except for a belly which she never had before. She's wearing baggy shirts and lycra pants. Ana asked the girl if she is pregnant. The girl answered, "If you had an older daughter and she was pregnant would you hit her?" Ana responded that her soul would be sad, but if that happened she would not hit her. My heart aches. I pray this girl, who has always showed so much promise, is not pregnant.

Yesterday Impacto Juvenil did a class for the Strong Mothers program. Ana was there. Erika and her younger sister Kenya also attended. They talked about pregnancy prevention, disease prevention and safe sex. I love hearing that Erika feels comfortable getting more involved, and is allowed to be involved even though she doesn't have a child in the program. Ana said that she already knew the things they were taught, but many of the mothers did not.

All of the prayers for provision for Ana's kids paid off!!! Tuesday David got a backpack, uniform pants, shoes, and notebooks from Impacto Juvenil. Ana is so grateful. She said none of the other kids got both shoes and uniform pants, but David got both. Ana said the shoes fit as though they were made for him. Plus he was the first of everyone to be called up to get his things. That meant a lot to them, I could tell.

Now they only lack a few tiny things for Samuel - copy paper, thick craft paper, "foamy" paper and cold medicine. I asked Molly if she will be shopping for school supplies this week and can drop them off for me, since I am not driving (or walking).

Also, each of the kids only have one uniform. ONE in this hot, sweaty weather. Jired's uniform pants are two years old and have already ripped. Ana sewed them together and told him not to bend over or they might rip again. I will get them uniforms once I am up and around.

Isabela is so funny! Ana was talking about Isa being four years old now. Isa's birthday was three weeks ago, but she told Ana that she is not four yet because she has not "cut the cake" (Honduran saying) yet. I have to hurry up and get better so I can bake a cake and Isa can turn four! I made a cake for every birthday so far, so I she refuses to turn four without one. Hahaha!

Isa's first birthday

Isa's second birthday (with Ana and David)

Isa's third birthday

Birthday photos from 4th birthday party soon!

Second Attempt

I went back to work yesterday. It was my second attempt after trying two weeks ago and having the doctor put me back on bed rest.

I walked from my house to the taxi, which is less than two blocks. (Still not driving because I'm afraid to work the clutch.) Then I walked from one building to another at work, and through the office. I was back at home by 11:30 a.m. Last night my leg swelled and hurt so much I barely slept all night. It's still swollen and hurting today. But I barely did anything! I'm so frustrated.

The good news is, Ana said she is feeling much better physically. She has no pain at all in her knees now. She laughed and said she will not be needing diapers because she can sit down and stand up from using the toilet. She was not using diapers, but I won't go into detail about how she was managing her bathroom habits when she couldn't bend her knees. Poor lady!

She said emotionally she is doing really well too. The medicine is a miracle drug, she said. She wishes she had started it early because she thinks she wouldn't have gotten so sick.

I told her I had seen the boxes of stuff for the kids of Impacto Juvenil. I'm not sure what David will get, but we will make sure all of the kids have everything they need. She is hoping the church might give scholarships this year. That would help with David's uniform and school books. For this week they are all set.

She said she is really worried about costs that Jired will have throughout the year. Apparently the senior year of high school is extra expensive. I hate how schools in Honduras have so many costs each week for projects and stupid things that none of the parents can afford. Ana said it last night, and I wrote about it last November - those weekly costs are the reason many parents can't afford to keep their kids in school. I told Ana to please let me know if she can't afford things. I know she will do her best to find a way to get things on her own, and will call me as a last resort. I just don't want Jired to be held back his senior year because they can't afford all of the costs.

Erika's sister Kenya got a full scholarship and returned to school! I was so worried about her last year at this time. She didn't enroll and got kicked out of her house for hanging out on the streets. She was only 14, just like Erika when Erika got pregnant the first time.

Now, a year later, she is in the beauty school program through Impacto Juvenil. She's also attending a feeding program in Los Pinos called "El Comedor" which means "The Diner". They offered her a full scholarship through college if she stays on the right track! She said she's not going to be given this chance twice, so she's determined not to mess it up. I'm so proud of her!

Laura started "preparatorio" yesterday. It's opposite of the US. Here they have kindergarten first, then preschool, then first grade. (And public schools only go to 11th grade.) Last year at this time Fany was having a nervous breakdown. This year she is calm as can be. The school cancelled Laura's bus and Laura was without transportation, but Fany stayed completely calm.

She has, however, taken up her annoying ritual of watering the yard full force at 5 a.m. Apparently she believes that if she has to get up early, I should too. It's shocking how hard she can spray the palm leaves on the trees outside my bedroom window. Then later she laughs and asks if she woke me up, knowing full well that she did. Today I was already awake from my ankle. I'm not looking forward to it if she continues the habit this year.

Carlos only had three half days last week, but he is already struggling at school. His previous school only met once per week on Saturdays. At the end of the year got he credit for two years of work. It was great because he's 18 years old and started his education so late in life. However, he is not prepared for a real high school. He's not used to being around so many people, or studying so many subjects, or having so much work. He's feeling very overwhelmed.

The good thing he has a lot of support. My friend says he is adjusting well to his new home. He fits in well and gets along with everyone there. He is making friends in the neighborhood by working out at his "family's" gym. He was invited to go on a Sunday family outing, but chose not to go last weekend in hopes of seeing Molly. The family was disappointed. But they can't make him join them. I'm glad they are doing everything possible to make him feel included.

Molly is doing everything she can too. Personally, I think that Carlos needs to grow some wings and she's not giving him a chance to do so, but I know she is doing what she believes is best. I'd like to see her doing more things with him instead of for him. Or even let him do some things on his own. I have to keep reminding myself that Molly is only 23 years old. She is trying to make up for all of the abandonment and general neglect that Carlos has suffered over his life. Nobody is a perfect parent. She is doing what feels right to her.

Tomorrow and Thursday I will work half days. I hope my ankle can handle it. It's mostly seated work. Today I have Spanish class. Yesterday I was told that I'll be teaching swimming again! Twenty kids from Impacto Juvenil will get scholarships from the Olympic training center! The classes will be every Saturday for eight months starting in March or April, which will give my ankle more time to heal.

A flare up

My friend Molly and I celebrated her four years anniversary of serving in Honduras yesterday. Like me, she came here to serve a specific ministry. Like me, she had a really tough experience but learned a lot and made wonderful connections. She is in the process of adopting two kids she met there. She also met Carlos and Karen there.

Now she is doing a school ministry in Los Pinos, which basically means she is trying to keep kids in school by offering tutoring, school supplies and accountability. Many parents don't care if their kids attend school. They don't bother to enroll them or buy any supplies. Molly gets them signed up and then drops by the house and the schools to make sure they are attending. She's crazy smart, so she is able to provide tutoring too.

When she wanted to celebrate her fourth anniversary I was all for it. For me, the anniversary of the day I arrived in Honduras is more significant than my birthday. I celebrate my anniversary every year with good friends so I wanted make her anniversary special too. However, that's not so easy while I'm on bedrest.

Initially she was going to cook something and bring it over. Then she asked if I thought I could walk enough to go out to lunch if she picked me up in her car. I told her sure.

She chose a cute little restaurant with traditional Honduran cuisine. The food was excellent and the server very attentive, which is unusual in Honduras. The place itself had so many cute details! Check out the way they served us our fresh juice. (below) It's called a guacal and comes from a tree called jicaro. I'm told people from the pueblos used to drink from these, but they are not common anymore.

We stopped at the grocery store to get Ana's medicine and two notebooks for Ana's boys. Most Honduran supermarket chains have a bank and a pharmacy inside. It's pretty convenient since you can't pay bills online. However, the pharmacy which used to occupy this grocery store was suddenly gone. It was empty with boards across the service window.

We didn't have any luck with notebooks either. Honduran kids have very specific notebooks for each grade level and class subject. They come in various sizes with different numbers of pages. I never knew so many different notebooks existed! The store had everything except the type of notebooks we needed.

Luckily, the store where Molly buys all of her school supplies is really close. The lady gave us a discount because we're buying supplies for others. They had excellent prices on backpacks. I got one for Jired. It's totally his style. The zipper and material seem sturdy. That still leaves David with no backpack, but we are hoping he'll get one through Impacto Juvenil next week.

(Shout out to friends in the US who are helping with school expenses for Ana's kids - thank you! We appreciate your help! At this point, whatever they don't get from Impacto Juvenil will be up to us.)

Finally we went to the pharmacy. We both gasped at the price of the medicine the doctor prescribed for Ana. Molly asked if I was still going to buy it. I said yes. In our most recent conversation Ana told me that she can't go to the bathroom because she can't sit or stand. She also said she thought she was "going to die" coming down the steps. She needs the medicine.

At first I planned to hide the receipt so she wouldn't feel bad for how much I spent. But later I thought about how people aren't always great about taking their meds. If she knew how much it cost, she might be better about taking it. I left the receipt in the bag.

We dropped everything off. Jired was psyched about his backpack. I knew he would be. You know how it feels when you find the perfect gift for someone? That's how I felt giving it to him.

When I got home my (uninjured) right ankle was killing me. Nine months ago I got Chikungunya. The pain flares up now and then, sometimes stronger than others. It's been aching for a couple of weeks but last night it hurt a lot.

At that point something clicked. All the symptoms Ana was describing were Chikungunya symptoms - not being able to sit on the toilet, not being able to lift up her arms, feeling like she was going to die walking down the stairs, the pain in her neck and back. It all finally made sense.

I called Ana to share my new theory - that she and I are both suffering from a flare up of Chikungunya. She agreed. In fact, many of her friends who had Chikungunya a year or two ago (Ana had it 2 years ago) are going through the same thing. I think she was relieved to put a label on all of the pain, although she may return to the doctor if she doesn't feel better soon.

Thank God I don't have as many symptoms as Ana. So far I only have pain in my right ankle and right elbow. She says hers has been getting progressively worse for about a month. Yesterday she was able to lift her arms over her head, so maybe that was a turning point and she is on the mend. The expensive medicine helps a lot with stress, she said. She feels much more relaxed. That was good to hear.

We talked about the things she's been praying about lately. She feels like she and her family are invisible. Sometimes she believes that nobody sees the needs they have, or even the positive things they do. I've never known Ana to be down like this. I'm praying for her emotional recovery as well as the physical.

Last week she was offered a job working on a political campaign for this years' elections. She wanted to take the position but wasn't able to because of an upcoming surgery. She had to decide between a necessary surgery and a job that will bring in $150/month for full time work. It was a tough choice. She's hoping the opportunity will present itself again after surgery. I assured her she made the right choice. She said I couldn't imagine how tough that decision was. She's right. I can't imagine.

Feeling Helpless

I feel so helpless!

Ana just called to thank me for a bag of school supplies I sent to the church with Fany yesterday.

When I talked to Ana last week to plan Isabela's birthday she told me she was stressed out. Ana's never stressed. Even when she has no food in the house or when she is diagnosed with cancer she doesn't get stressed. She prays and has faith God will take care of everything.

However, this year she is facing a new situation. Normally she spends about $75 on the kids at the start of the school year, but this year she has not been able to save money. All of the kids wore through their backpacks last year. Their uniform pants are too short and they have no basic supplies.

Usually they receive some supplies from the government through the church. But this year the government donation was extremely small and it has to stretch for all of the kids of the breakfast program. Now that school started back up the church is serving less kids, but there are still about 70 kids with very few supplies to go around.

Impacto Juvenil hasn't handed anything out yet. I'm hoping they do this week. Ana's kids already have homework they can't do because they are supposed to do it with a two subject notebook, which they don't have. This will affect their grades. And there is nothing I can do.

Ana has been taking in clothes to wash (by hand) in order to make money. She washed so many clothes she can't lift her arms. Her back and neck are a mess too. She said she was blessed recently by a neck massage by a friend from the US, which helped a lot, but the doctor wants her to take medication which she hasn't been able to buy. She won't buy the medication for herself until her children have school supplies. Even though she can't lift her arms.

This started weeks ago, when the team from the US was here. At that time she asked for ibuprofen and blamed it on making pupusas for over 100 people. She never mentioned washing tons of laundry by hand.

She probably wouldn't have let it slip that she can't lift up her arms, but she was explaining that she is cutting back to only volunteering two days each week now at the breakfast program because she is exhausted. Between washing laundry for neighbors, cooking for Impacto Juvenil, and volunteering at the church, she feels overwhelmed.

She was told she is putting money before God when she decided to cut back to two days per week at the church. To that she responded that she knows God would want her to work to feed and clothe her kids. She said she has had a lot of quiet time with God and that's what she feels called to do, so no matter what others say, she has peace.

Gosh. I am so frustrated. I feel angry, partly because I can't get out of bed and help her. I also think it's unfair that she works so hard and still is not able to provide for her kids. Never mind a medication so she can use her arms. In reality she is working three jobs - at the church, for Impacto Juvenil, and now washing clothes. On top of that she's a single mom, raising four kids. How could she not be overwhelmed?

I was thinking about back to school time for when I was a child. I had so many new clothes, I often wouldn't wear the same outfit twice for more than a week. David and Jired need PENS. They have one uniform each from last year and the pants are too short. I just can't imagine.

Somehow, God provided everything for Samuel. I had most of it here in my closet. I never knew it was waiting in my closet to go to their house.

I'm waiting to see if Molly plans to go into Los Pinos tomorrow. If she is headed that way I'm going to ask her to pick up two notebooks and the medication for Ana. A friend of mine offered to help Ana with school supplies the last time I wrote about Ana's situation in my blog. I think now the only thing they need are two backpacks and uniforms. But that will have to wait until I can drive.

Ana said her stress is not emotional. She has faith that God will provide for her children to study. She says once she can stop working so much she will feel better. She's right, I just wish I could help.

***** Update***** Molly just called. She doesn't have time to buy the stuff before her trip into Los Pinos tomorrow morning. But she will buy it and take it to Ana on Wednesday. Ana is happy and appreciative.

Rest and more rest

Welcome to my 900th post! This blog has really taken off lately. I'm very happy to report that we average about 350 readers now. Today alone we have almost 1000 and it's only noon! WOW!

Friday morning I decided abruptly to have a day without any communication outside of email. I logged out of Facebook, and put my phone away. It felt so good I continued Saturday and Sunday ignoring WhatsApp and Messenger.

This morning I figured I better check my messages before the mass accumulation became too overwhelming. I was also worried about my church, since there were over 100 from the women's church group alone.

The group messages were mostly people sending smiley faces and thumbs up signs. Honduran women love those cartoon character messenges. They can carry on long "conversations" with no words, just silly faces.

At least the church was fine. Last week we got to church to find a thief had broken in through a window during the night and stolen our musical equipment! It was quite a feat considering we are on the second floor and the first floor is extra tall because it's built to drive tractor trailers inside. I was worried he returned and stole the rest of the church's possessions.

I got back to the two people who asked about my ankle, called my Mom, and now my phone is hidden away again. Sometimes it's nice to hide away from the crappy things that are going on in the world right now.

So, here's a little wrap up. The day I got off bed rest I went to work for three hours. The three hours were spent seated, with my foot elevated. When I got home I was in a lot of pain and my ankle was swollen more than usual. I rested Friday. Saturday I went to a church meeting where I sat for two hours. During the meeting my foot swelled and hurt a lot by the time I got home. Sunday I went to church. Three hours later my ankle was killing me. I did move around at church, taking some photos, and standing during the standing parts. Monday I went to work. After sitting for two hours in meetings my ankle was bursting out of my shoe and hurt a lot. Tuesday I rested but was still in pain.

Wednesday I sent my doctor a photo of the ankle which I took after work on Monday. I explained that every time I do anything, even for only 2-3 hours, my ankle swells and hurt. He said I could come in for a consult if I'd like to, but that this is normal. He said to ice it and go back on bed rest for a week or two. It just needs more time to heal.

I've been back on bed rest again for 5 days now. This morning I woke up and it was much less swollen so I was going to go for a little walk. I showered. By the time I got out of the shower it was reddish purple and swollen again. Frustrating!

I may go for a walk tomorrow, just to get things moving a little and see how I do. I want to see how I feel JUST walking, without driving. I think it's the clutch that is bothering my foot more than anything, so I figure that will be a good test.

This week is a missionary retreat. I had to give up my spot to someone else. That was a bummer. I never usually see North Americans (besides Molly). I was looking forward to some time to sing in English and eat North American food. Oh well.

Fany has been out of town a lot. While Laura is on vacation from school they try to spend as much time as possible with her husband's family. It gets a little boring around here without them. Good thing I enjoy alone time.

Fany says Don Chano is still in a lot of pain from falling off the horse. He was a perfect patient when he was here with Fany. Now that he is at home with his wife he is demanding and grumpy. He's not used to resting.

Lately I've spent a lot of time working on my taxes, reading and coloring in my adult coloring book.

I sent some extra school supplies that I had sitting around the house to Ana yesterday. Fany delivered them for me. I hope once she has donations from the government and from Impacto Juvenil that she will have most everything she needs.

I also sent a stuffed animal for Isa. We were supposed to celebrate her birthday last week, but Isa was sick on her birthday. We rescheduled for the day after, but she was still sick. Then I got put back on bed rest and the boys started school so we had to put off the celebration. Ana says Isa undertands. I sure hope so.

Don Chano

Fany's father in law who lives out in the country fell off a horse on Friday. He's in his 70's and not in the best of health to begin with. He wasn't supposed to be out taking care of the cows, but you know those people who refuse to slow down? That's Don Chano. I think working gives him a purpose.

His wife had quite a scare when a man known for trafficking narcotics came to her door. He told Doña Paola that he found Don Chano on the road but Don Chano refused to get in the car with him. Don Chano just asked the man to go to his house and send his son to get him.

Santos went and found his father, lying over his horse, unable to move. The horse had been spooked by a donkey and tossed Don Chano onto a pile of big rocks. He managed to pull himself onto the horse and get out to the road, but he couldn't go any further.

Santos (Fany's husband) has two vehicles. Each one is always on the verge of dying or dead. This week his big work truck is functioning. Santos didn't think his dad should ride in the work truck for over an hour to get to the city. The road is bumpy, and worse in that truck. It would be a rough ride for his father in that condition.

Fany asked if I could drive and pick up Don Chano to take him to the hospital. I said sure, although I knew it was a bad idea for my ankle. I mean, we couldn't let the man die there.

We tried to find other vehicles but nobody in the little village had a car. I said if he were that bad off, he probably shouldn't wait over an hour for me to get there and pick him up. So Santos headed for the hospital with his father in the big, bumpy truck.

Don Chano was in such pain and Santos was so nervous that he ended up driving to the nearest clinic and taking an ambulance the rest of the way. Santos thought his father was going to die on the car ride!

X rays showed no broken bones so they did an MRI which showed no organ damage. Fany told me they gave him an antibiotic (for bruised rib cage!) and pain medicine. I asked why in the world they would give an antibiotic for bruised ribs. She didn't know.

Santos brought his father home late Friday night. Since then poor Don Chano has been here, with Santos and Fany, in Laura's bed. He needs help to go to the bathroom. It has to be so hard for a man who needs to be working all of the time to sit in a pink bedroom for four days!

He really wanted to go back home and be with his wife. He was worried about her being home alone. He thought people might come and steal the stuff they keep outside the house if they realize there is no man there. But he can't sit up or move around on his own. His wife certainly can't lift him. So he had to stay here.

He asked for some remedies that country people use. Fany kind of laughed about it, but he was in so much pain she gave in. Yesterday Fany gave him a leaf wrap on his ribs where it hurt most. He told Fany he hasn't slept for days, but the leaf wrap helped.

Sunday Fany had him agreeing to get a second opinion, but by Monday he changed his mind. Today Fany called Santos and asked him to please come home from work. His father was pale and hurting. They went to a new health building a block away. I didn't even realize the place is open. Last I knew they were still putting up the walls, but I guess I haven't walked down there in over a month because of my own medical problems.

Fany said it is a really great medical center. It has an emergency room and specialists. And clean bathrooms with soft toilet paper. She told me about the soft toilet paper three times. Toilet paper in Honduras is thin and NOT soft. A place with clean bathrooms and soft toilet paper must be good.

The doctors said he didn't need the antibiotic. Shocker! Instead they gave him an IV of pain meds. They said the pain medicine he was given Friday is nowhere near strong enough. By the time he got home Don Chano was feeling great! He sat down for dinner at the dining room table for the first time. After dinner he relaxed in the living room, watching tv.

They gave him free pain meds to get through tonight and tomorrow with a prescription for more. They also gave him a medication that Fany said is usually really expensive, for free to protect his stomach and something else free to help him sleep. Fany was impressed with that place.

I told Fany to make sure he gets his meds before the eight hours passes so he doesn't have to suffer anymore. She is going to set an alarm so he gets his meds on time. She said her back is really sore from hauling Don Chano in and out of bed. She didn't know if she could do it much longer. But if he gets his meds tomorrow, he may be able to move around and he can home soon.

We both feel horrible that he had to suffer unnecessarily for so long. I don't understand why the doctors here give antibiotics for everything, even bruised ribs.

I'm going to Jamaica!

I was so excited to get back to work on Monday! Normally I can't stand it when they ask a bunch of adults to do hand gestures with songs. It's a very Honduran thing to do, for little kids and adults alike. Yesterday I was hand gesturing and singing away at our weekly devotional.

The topic was so interesting. Since we are a group who works for justice, the topic was about explaining things that aren't just. The co-founder of my organization did the best job I've ever heard explaining why God allows things that aren't fair to happen.

First he told us a story.

We were to imagine that we were about to have a baby. We had to decide between two fates for the child. In once case, the child would have no free will, but would always do the right thing. They would be respectful, loving, kind, helpful - everything good. In the other case the child would have free will. The question he posed was which life would we choose for our child.

All but two of the 150 people chose free will.

Then he talked about all of the unjust things that have happened to members of our organization lately. Sometimes even when they, themselves, made good choices and were fighting for what is just, they were killed as a result of someone else's bad choice (the choice to kill them).

We talked about how free will makes everything more significant. Making a good decision means so much more when you know it would have been easier to choose the "bad" option. Having your child choose to hug you and kiss you means more when they are not duty bound to do so. Hearing "I love you" means more when you know you fought hard for that love.

We talked about how Jesus had free will but still chose to die for our sins. Adam and Eve had free will and even they got messed up in a world much simpler than today's.

So, we can blame God for things we don't understand but in one way or another injustices can be traced back to free will. He even covered hurricanes and cancer. I'll have to ask a coworker about those because I forgot, but I did understand at the time.

After the devotional, as always, we divide into our individual projects. My boss talked about all of the new plans for Impacto Juvenil. Some of them are great! We are going to offer tutoring, build another library and have reading clubs in each library, offer classes up to sixth grade for kids who dropped out. Those things will all be great.

But there is another plan developed by people who sit behind desks and come up with ideas that sound great in theory or look good on paper. Those people don't understand the reality of our work. So, we'll do our best and see what happens. I understand why the office people think the kids will benefit from their plan, but I believe the reality is that people who were already drowning in work will now have a lot more work with few positive results. I hope I'm wrong.

We've been trying to celebrate Isa's birthday for two days. She was sick Sunday and Monday so her mother gave her antibiotics, of course. Today she went to the doctor and was diagnosed with "allergies to the weather". That's Honduran for "she caught the cold that is going around but we like to blame it on the weather because it's easier to blame it on allergies than to educate people about germs, how they are passed, and how to keep from getting sick." They gave her acetaminophen and anti-parasite medicine. Tomorrow her brothers go back to school but Friday is a holiday so we will celebrate Isa's birthday then.

My coworker and I had plans for tomorrow. We were going to schedule the clubs for the year to come. However, she just called to say that she and the psychologist are doing home visits instead. Since I can't do home visits yet I'll be resting tomorrow. It's still frustrating! I hate to feel like I am not able to contribute. But my ankle did hurt a lot today so I know it's best.

Tomorrow I am going to call for another doctor appointment. Everyone is telling me my ankle should look better than it does. I am going to ask if this is normal and get more specific instructions as to what I should and should not do. I can feel it healing. I think it just needs more time.

My friend won a trip to Jamaica for having the third highest sales at her job in the US. It's all expenses paid, plus resort credit and she can bring a guest. Guess what? She's bringing me! She said it was easiest because her other friends can't argue if she tells them she is bringing a missionary from Honduras who needs pampering. Hurray for free trips to Jamaica!!!!