Back in the Community

I decided this week to go about my regular work since my ankle hasn't made any progress in two months. It felt great to be back out, walking in the communities! I climbed mountains again for the first time since December. I got to see the people I love and spend time with them again.

About a month ago we did psychological testing for the kids who have scholarships through our program. Today we shared the results with them. The exam showed us which kids are open to authority, appreciated the opportunity to learn, and then went into detail about how the each learn best, and what struggles they are likely to face in education. By sharing this information with the kids and their parents, we can help create an environment for each student to flourish.

For example, one student's test showed that her biggest obstacle to learning is distractions. The funny thing is that she verbalized this to us before we even gave her the test results. She said the only time she doesn't do well is if the kids in her class are talking a lot and she can't pay attention. Now we can talk to the teacher and perhaps change her seating arrangement. We can also talk to her mom about providing an environment for homework with no tv, radio or outside distractions. I love that we are taking this extra step for the kids who earned scholarships.

My coworker reviewing the results of the test with a young girl.

It's now 6 pm. I thought my ankle might be killing me tonight. So far I feel the same as always. We climbed up and down some CRAZY paths. We just went slow. Going uphill I feel great. Downhill can hurt. That makes sense because it hurts to push in the clutch of my car with my foot extended, which would be the same position as climbing downhill.

Carrying logs down the mountain

He makes it look easy!

Laundry day

The roads and trails were washed out from the rain. It's raining now. Thundering and lightening too. This is the fourth day in a row it's rained. I believe the rainy season is officially here. It's 2-3 weeks early!

The roads are worse then normal

The whole roof missing from the house of one of my literacy students. NOTHING was covering her two small rooms. And to make matters worse, the house is made of adobe blocks, which is just earth packed together with straw. As you can imagine the rain disintegrates adobe quickly if they are not covered by a roof. I've been worried for her all day.

No roof

Reyna always has a smile. Even with no roof and clouds looming in the distance.
Today's rains came soon after this photo was taken.

I also got to see Doña Francisca. You may remember her from literacy class. She was so happy to see me she actually smiled for the camera! Normally she is very stoic. I felt sad because she was on her way to work and she doesn't get done until 8 p.m. I hate to think of her walking around alone at night on the streets.

Back with my students!

In the afternoon I went to a graduation for another class of Familia Fuerte (Strong Families). There was a 10 year old boy in the class whose big dream is to become a gang member. Seriously. He is already being recruited by one of the biggest gangs in the country.

I am glad he is in our program. He is difficult to handle, but God paired him with the perfect mentor - a friend of mine who took that path when he was younger and can talk to the kids honestly and directly about what they are getting themselves into.

I was sad to see that same boy's mother came just at the end of the last parenting class, in time to receive her diploma, get her picture taken and eat the dinner. The mentor had to call and ask if she was coming. It appeared she was more concerned about putting ringlets in her hair than about being there for her son.

My boss asked me to enter a photo contest. I have to take a photo of youth changing their community. The winner gets a new camera! I am trying hard to win for our program. Unfortunately, the deadline is next week. We aren't doing any community projects between now and then. But I do believe God will show me the perfect photo to enter in the contest. We need the camera!

I did another interview today. A 15 year old boy gets up at four a.m. to collect recyclables in order to earn money for his family. By the time he walks to a nearby wealthy community the sun is just beginning to rise. He has been doing this for five years. He doesn't just randomly wander the streets. Specific families set things aside for him to pick up and recycle. He's got a regular business set up.

Profile shot

Last year when I visited him, the mountain was falling on top of his house.
Thanks to a new retaining wall, the earth is staying in place this rainy season.
 This was one of the community projects for our program.

He was very shy about sharing the story with me and didn't want his photo taken. He's embarrassed to admit that he is picking up bottles and cans to make money. Each week he earns about $10 - $12.

Back to Work

Good news! Ana had her surgery yesterday. I called last night but the girl in the bed next to her said Ana was not allowed to talk. She said Ana is fine and the surgery went smoothly.

Today I called again. Ana sounds great! She's really happy. She said she has no pain at all and she can walk slowly. She is eager to get back home. She has to stay on a liquid diet for 7 days because feces could infect the incisions. I loved hearing her so positive and carefree. Maybe it's the pain meds, or maybe she is really relieved. It was not an easy surgery.

Everyone went back to work today. It was good to be see my coworkers! Estela said she really missed me and was glad to be back at work.

For my new role this week I am going to interview and write about a woman who has seen positive changes in her family with the skills she used in the Familia Fuerte (Strong Families) program. I'm also going to interview kids who are about to step out into the world after completing vocational school with our scholarship program. I'll write about that next week. My coworkers are excited for donors to know more about what we do. They are full of ideas about stories I can cover.

I also talked with the psychologist who is working with Carlos and his family. He said he has not seen a need to send Carlos to a boys' home. He asked for Carlos (and Lorenzo, and Erika's) mother's phone number so he could contact her. In the end, it was already programmed into his phone, but I liked that he was concerned and wanting to get in contact with the family.

The psychologist arranged a school visit with the director, teacher, and Carlos' mother. They talked about how they can best support Carlos. He's seen progress in her parenting skills, so he feels hopeful Carlos can remain in the home with some extra support.

Summer may be drawing to an end here. Summer is my least favorite season. The sun is so strong and it gets really dry. The water, which is usually released by the city every 3 nights, comes once/week or less. We had 24 hours of bad fires in the mountains this year, but not weeks and weeks of fires, like usual.

Last night we got a nice, heavy rain! It seems too early to be rainy season. I thought we wouldn't see any more rain for two or three more weeks. But tonight it's thundering and the forecast calls for rain every day. The forecast is more often wrong than right. However, it is possible that the rainy season may be here already!

Celebrating Easter!

This was my best Honduran Easter so far!

In Honduras we take Holy Week very seriously. Most people got off work a week ago on Friday and won't go back until Tuesday in honor of Holy Week. Over time, this vacation week has turned into a time to travel. More alcohol is consumed here during Holy week than the rest of the year put together. Beaches are packed. Only a small percentage of people really remember why they are on vacation in the first place. If they do remember that it's Holy Week, they focus on being sad. Very sad. It feels like Christ never rose here.

A couple of weeks ago I went to lunch with Pastora Ruth and Pastor Paysen. I told them that I think Honduras does most holidays better than the US. But it seems like Honduras totally forgets about the resurrection!

I explained how in the US we talk about the pain of the crucifiction and we honor it. But on Easter Sunday we celebrate! We dress up, we sing and we are happy! I told them I wished that we could celebrate Resurrection Sunday in Honduras.

It really wasn't up to them as neither of them were on the schedule to preach today. However, I got my wish! We sang and danced during worship time! The message was about how infinite God's love is for us, that Jesus died for us. We talked a lot about love. And we also talked about the joy of the resurrection - that Jesus lives!!!

Finally! An Easter in Honduras that felt like Easter!!

Yesterday after I wrote my blog entry, I spent some time with God. I'm the only one around, so I prayed out loud and put each of the situations that were weighing on me into God's hands. I put Carlos into God's hands, and Ana's surgery and her family. I let go of all of the stuff that felt so overwhelming. Each time that something else snuck into my thoughts I turned that over too.

Afterward I made a huge batch of fried rice with tons of veggies, ate a healthy dinner and rested.

Jired asked if he could go to church with me this week. After checking with Ana, I told him sure. They are always welcome at my church. Afterward we went out to lunch and then to the park. Everyone had a good time. They seem more relaxed today than they did on Friday. Tomorrow is the surgery. Ana expects to be released on Tuesday.

Samuel & Isabela

Samuel giving all of the girls a push. He's getting so big!

Samuel, David and Isa

What to do?

Ugh! I'm feeling "inutil" today. Ana isn't answering her phone. Neither she nor Jired can make outgoing calls because they ran out of minutes. Ana's Mom was supposed to arrive this morning, but the day is passing and she is still not here. I can't send minutes to Jired's phone because he is with a different phone company and Ana's phone just eats up the minutes I send to her.

Yesterday as we shopped for things for Ana (public hospitals don't even provide water) I asked Jired if they needed anything at home. He said they are out of deodorant. Isabela was getting tired so I agreed to drop them off and then go to Pricemart (Costco), where I can buy four big sticks of deodorant for the price of two. It was closed yesterday so I went this morning. They didn't have the Old Spice the boys like. (I think that's funny because in my mind Old Spice is for older men.) I had to get Degree. They won't complain, but I know they prefer the Old Spice so I was disappointed

My ankle is hurts a lot today. It's all swollen up again. I think it's a mixture of Chikungunya and the little driving I did yesterday/this morning. Pushing in the clutch is painful. But my other ankle, my knees, elbows and neck hurt too. That is all typical of Chikungunya.

I can't imagine how Ana feels, leaving her kids alone, not knowing where her mother is, and not able to contact anyone! I can't visit her because Jired has to go today and only one person can go at a time. She said she is grateful for my help, but I don't feel like I am helping.

Ana explained to me why Carlos' Mom thought that Carlos should just go with Impacto Juvenil. She meant physically - that Impacto Juvenil take him away and put him in a home. We did that for Carlos' cousin who has always had tremendous behavioral problems. He went to live outside of the city about a year ago and is doing really well now. He's well nourished, getting an education, and his behavior has improved a ton. So they want to send Carlos there. Now it all makes sense.

I worry that if Carlos goes to the same place, his cousin will have a set-back and neither of them will do well if they are together. I am going to strongly suggest to our psychologist that they locate another facility for Carlos. But I am so sad. I have been praying for this little boy for so many years. When I left the church his future seemed hopeful for the first time. Now it seems like he is a mess and unable to be safe or successful if he stays with his family. I feel sad for his Mom. She has to be feeling much more "inutil" and overwhelmed than I am.

All I can do is pray.

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.