It's been a busy three days. Each night I've come home so exhausted I went straight to bed with no energy to write. Sorry for my absence!
Friday was really fun. When I left in the morning my neighbor ran outside saying I left the outside lights on. I said I did it on purpose because I knew I would be home at 9 or 10 pm. She did not seem to like this idea. I'm not sure why. I explained I can't see to unlock my doors, but this was not a satisfactory answer either. She said she will turn on her lights when she hears me come home, but that is not enough to illuminate my key holes. I ended up running off to meet Jairo at the pulperia, leaving the lights on. I'll have to ask someone if there is a reason, besides the electric bill, not to do that. (They only sell the expensive "green" light bulbs here.)
Jairo invited me to join Walter and him as they look for a new pulpit for the church. We drove all over the city, and stopped at a couple of places but didn't find anything good. My stomach was a off that morning. I was a little nauseous and had a small headache, so I was scared to eat. I think Jairo thought I was trying to be money conscious when I didn't want to eat, but really I was scared of how my stomach would react and I had no appetite.
It was fun to drive through the city and check everything out. I went to some areas where I had never been before. One pulpit store was across from a natural health store, so I found Melatonin for Lourdes. Her fibromyalgia makes it difficult to sleep most nights and Melatonin has been very helpful. She had 6 pills left from those I had brought with me in my suitcase. Now she will not run out and she knows where to get more.
It was fun to get out of the car and walk up and down the street past all of the street vendors. The vendors take up the sidewalk so people have to walk in the street. Jairo was very protective. He grabbed my hand as we crossed the street and told me to watch out for random motorcycles passing between the cars. He said he had to keep me safe so he wouldn't have to explain to the people from K2 how he lost their gringa.
It was also a day that brought back a lot of fun childhood memories. I found myself telling Jairo stories about things my father and I used to do together when I was young, welding in the garage, driving bulldozers and cranes, driving my mother crazy when he built me a balance beam in the back yard and encouraged me to do all sorts of tricks on it. He built a trapeze in the basement for me and rolled me around the yard in the center of a huge inner tube. It was fun to remember and share those memories. I think if my father were alive he would be proud of me living in Honduras and helping kids.
Walter and I took off again and picked up groceries for the breakfast program. Then we grabbed some special bread for the Friday night meeting. We also did some grocery shopping for me. He said he bought new sneakers for running so I asked if I could run with him. He said yes, we can run Saturday morning at the arena. I was so excited! Finally some exercise!
When all the errands were done, I was invited to attend a meeting of all of the people who are leading groups in the church community. We ate ham subs on delicious baguettes. There was a wide variety of people. Some were teenagers, some were from La Tigra. Jairo talked about the cycles of life and how the leaders can support others through these various cycles. He also talked blatantly about the struggles this country is facing and how the violence can affect people, and specific members of the church. He said that we need to be careful what we say in public or on the phone. He is very sure that phones are being tapped and nobody is exempt. He told everyone to talk to their kids and remind them not to even joke in a way that can be misconceived. Finally he talked about the way this violence can lead to depression, withdrawal, loss of faith (there was more, but I forgot). He told the leaders that God has given us the power to overcome even the most horrible circumstances. He used scripture to remind us of God's promises to us.
The last part of the presentation was about future plans for Iglesia en Transformación. It was really cool. He started with pictures of how the church has grown since they moved from La Tigra to this location in 2003. There was only one building at that time. He showed pictures of
(Wow! Something huge must be happening in fútbol because people are screaming and setting off fireworks in the streets!)
Anyway, he showed photos of the building process, then used a program that duplicated the process with computer animation and added how the church plans to expand in the future. It was cool to see the church grow, but for me, personally, I love the little church just as it is.
During the presentation it was raining so hard we could barely hear Jairo as he spoke loudly over the pounding torrents. The power even went out, but I was the only one who seemed to notice. We sat in the dark and Jairo continued to speak. I thought the lack of power might cause things to be cut short, but in this country electricity is not a necessity. The show must go on!
We ended in prayer. We prayed for several health needs and for the Seamans, who are moving to Guatemala. Then we prayed for this country and the violence here. Many of the 24 people were in tears as they prayed for their country that night. Their hearts are aching because of the violence that has already occurred, for the people who live in fear, and for things to return to the Honduras they used to know.
As we drove home through the downpour, Lourdes and I talked about the fact that her family (and I) don't live in fear because we use wisdom and put our faith in God. (In my case I rely more on the wisdom of others.) I thanked Jairo for including me in this day. It was simple, but another wonderful day for me. I love being here so much!
*Please click on "Older Posts" if you haven't read Pizza and Wings*
Friday, May 18, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Pizza and Wings (Ant wings, that is)
I had the coolest experience today. It happened of all times, when I was washing dishes! I was listening to some gringo music and singing. A line in the song was "I've imagined it all". I thought to myself, "Is this how I imagined it?" My response was so nice, it made me smile. Yes. Standing in this kitchen is everything I imagined. It is everything I had hope for, dreamed for, worked for, waited for, and prayed for. It is everything I imagined. And it is more. (Come on, you knew that was coming.)
Standing over those dirty dishes I thought about the joy I feel in my heart almost every day. When I was in the states and I thought of what life here would be like, I couldn't imagine that joy. It wasn't a part of me yet. I am a happy person. I have a lot of fun. But it is different to live each day with joy. It is something that can't help but also bring with it immense gratitude.
Yes, I do have bad days here. And sad days - yesterday was one. I have frustrations. But underneath it all, I still have joy. Sometimes the joy is covered up more than others. Usually it is floating above and sometimes bursting over the top of my other emotions.
I am in the middle of fundraising to see if I will stay here, or if I will go back to live in the US. Fundraising is a crazy thing. One minute it seems like God certainly will provide for me to stay. The next I am looking for jobs and apartments in the states. It is hard to plan your future when you are not sure what country to plan it in. So I am trying not to make any plans at all, and live as God leads me. Everything will be okay, so it is safe to let go and see what happens. It's also exciting not knowing where God will take me next. I believe this next year is going to be very eventful, no matter what my house looks like or what language the people around me are speaking.
Today a man from K2 - a man I don't know very well at all - sent out an email. He challenged men of K2 to match his donation to help me stay here and serve in Honduras. Within 30 minutes there was already one response. I am hopeful there will be more. I am grateful that people are stepping forward, placing their faith in God and their confidence in me.
Today Lourdes and I were talking about serving and how people have different styles and different expectations of what it means to serve. She said that I don't ask for much. My immediate response was, "I have more than I need!" What could I be asking for? I have people who care about me. Plenty of people to serve. Pretty much everything I need to serve them well. Sometimes I need a ride to the store. That's about it.
She said she was surprised I didn't want my own office. I could probably have my own office if I asked. There is a space where I could set things up as an office. But really, I don't need my own office. I do most of my "office work" together with Lourdes or Jairo in the kitchen. Or I do things, like this blog, which I do consider part of my work, from home at night. I asked for a light bulb for the lamp on my nightstand yesterday. Jairo brought me TWO bulbs this morning - one was clear and one soft light. He wasn't sure which I would like better. There is nothing I need.
When I got in the car this morning Lourdes was reading the newspaper. I said the usual formal good mornings that are expected here. Then asked how everyone was doing. Lourdes said she is very disturbed, upset and sick to her stomach. She said she has been watching the news. Apparently the kidnappers really did not ever ask for ransom. They tortured Alfonzo Villatoro, then killed him. I will not offer details because you don't need the same images stuck in your mind that I have in mine. Psychologists are analyzing what sort of person would do what the captors did, and the message they were trying to send. Sounds like it was the narcos after all, sending a message that they are in control.
I told Lourdes how nervous I was when they had that announcement on tv last night, then relieved that it was just a positive message from the president. She made a really good point. Why is he saying NOW that he will go after the killers? Why didn't he do everything in his power to save Alfredo Villatoro BEFORE he was killed? Tonight is the funeral. I am happy this is the first night in weeks it didn't rain. The crowds of people will not have to wait in the rain.
The breakfast program was nice today. We made pizza. Which means we took the rest of the hot dog buns that were donated, filled them with refried beans and cheese, then closed them up, piled them on top of each other and shoved them in the oven to warm. I ate one. It was good. Some of the kids had three! They liked them.
The girl who was so naughty yesterday was back this morning with a smile and polite greeting. She tried to sit by herself to eat, but Lourdes caught her before she sat down and steered her to a group of kids. She asked to play the game this afternoon. Lourdes talked to her about her behavior yesterday and asked her to apologize to me, which she did. I gladly accepted her apology and she seemed to have a good day with no problems.
We got to give out some new shoes today. The boys were very happy to get them. One of the boys was the same one who was so happy about his haircut last week. It is so beautiful to see the kids literally transforming through the breakfast program. Haircuts and shoes don't seem like a big deal in the states, but here it's like - I can't think of anything to compare because most of our material things are not as life changing.
A group of students from the college next door needs to get a few hours of practicum in for their psychology degrees, so they came over and helped out. They were really nice and the kids liked them, so it will be good to have them around. It was especially good because after having the whole kitchen full of women for the past 2 days, Lourdes and I were alone today. I think the students will be here for a couple of weeks.
Kids Studying!
After the second group was done, the kids wanted to stay and play. Unfortunately some kids had not cleaned up after themselves, so I asked the kids who were left to please clean up and then they could play. After a few minutes they came running up to me, very excited. I wasn't sure why so I left the dishes in the kitchen and followed them outside. They were proud because of the way they had cleaned everything up! It made me feel good that they knew they could count on me for positive reinforcement. They kept asking "Buen trabajo? Buen Trabajo???" (Good job? Good job???) I said Yes! Great job!! You can all play now. Thank you! (We are working hard on please and thank you.) They played for a while, then I looked out and they were doing homework together. It was so cute I had to get some pictures.
Lourdes said she would like to stay home and rest tomorrow. I am so happy she feels comfortable to do that. The teachers are on strike again tomorrow, so we will have a large group and they will come early. They will also leave early. Walter and I will go shopping for breakfast program groceries afterward. Walter said there is also a meeting that I will attend tomorrow evening at the church. Lourdes and Jairo never mentioned it, but they know I never have any plans, so I'm sure they assumed I would want to go. I didn't really understand what Walter was talking about but what I got was that 25 teachers are coming at 6pm to talk about discipline. I think. Jairo was all excited today. He left today at noon. He said he was going to preach. He had a bounce in his step. He said he will be speaking to students. I'll have to ask him more about it tomorrow.
Tonight I was supposed to be working on some paperwork, but I never got much done. I made brownies, thinking they would be nice to have if we will be at the church for 12 hours tomorrow, but for some reason they turned out like rocks. Not sure how I managed that. I did some deep cleaning, found a small cockroach in my silverware drawer. I also had to sweep around a small gecko. It wouldn't budge, no matter how close I swept. I have to sweep all of the time now. There are these weird ants with wings. They all hatched a few weeks ago and were flying in swarms, then this week they are all losing their wings. I don't know where the ants are going, but the wings are covering my kitchen floor. It's only in the kitchen, thank God.
I hope this country starts to get back to normal tomorrow, now that the funeral is over and the gruesome details are out. The question is, what is normal here? Constant violence and death cannot be the new normal. Not for these beautiful people.
Standing over those dirty dishes I thought about the joy I feel in my heart almost every day. When I was in the states and I thought of what life here would be like, I couldn't imagine that joy. It wasn't a part of me yet. I am a happy person. I have a lot of fun. But it is different to live each day with joy. It is something that can't help but also bring with it immense gratitude.
Yes, I do have bad days here. And sad days - yesterday was one. I have frustrations. But underneath it all, I still have joy. Sometimes the joy is covered up more than others. Usually it is floating above and sometimes bursting over the top of my other emotions.
I am in the middle of fundraising to see if I will stay here, or if I will go back to live in the US. Fundraising is a crazy thing. One minute it seems like God certainly will provide for me to stay. The next I am looking for jobs and apartments in the states. It is hard to plan your future when you are not sure what country to plan it in. So I am trying not to make any plans at all, and live as God leads me. Everything will be okay, so it is safe to let go and see what happens. It's also exciting not knowing where God will take me next. I believe this next year is going to be very eventful, no matter what my house looks like or what language the people around me are speaking.
Today a man from K2 - a man I don't know very well at all - sent out an email. He challenged men of K2 to match his donation to help me stay here and serve in Honduras. Within 30 minutes there was already one response. I am hopeful there will be more. I am grateful that people are stepping forward, placing their faith in God and their confidence in me.
Today Lourdes and I were talking about serving and how people have different styles and different expectations of what it means to serve. She said that I don't ask for much. My immediate response was, "I have more than I need!" What could I be asking for? I have people who care about me. Plenty of people to serve. Pretty much everything I need to serve them well. Sometimes I need a ride to the store. That's about it.
She said she was surprised I didn't want my own office. I could probably have my own office if I asked. There is a space where I could set things up as an office. But really, I don't need my own office. I do most of my "office work" together with Lourdes or Jairo in the kitchen. Or I do things, like this blog, which I do consider part of my work, from home at night. I asked for a light bulb for the lamp on my nightstand yesterday. Jairo brought me TWO bulbs this morning - one was clear and one soft light. He wasn't sure which I would like better. There is nothing I need.
When I got in the car this morning Lourdes was reading the newspaper. I said the usual formal good mornings that are expected here. Then asked how everyone was doing. Lourdes said she is very disturbed, upset and sick to her stomach. She said she has been watching the news. Apparently the kidnappers really did not ever ask for ransom. They tortured Alfonzo Villatoro, then killed him. I will not offer details because you don't need the same images stuck in your mind that I have in mine. Psychologists are analyzing what sort of person would do what the captors did, and the message they were trying to send. Sounds like it was the narcos after all, sending a message that they are in control.
I told Lourdes how nervous I was when they had that announcement on tv last night, then relieved that it was just a positive message from the president. She made a really good point. Why is he saying NOW that he will go after the killers? Why didn't he do everything in his power to save Alfredo Villatoro BEFORE he was killed? Tonight is the funeral. I am happy this is the first night in weeks it didn't rain. The crowds of people will not have to wait in the rain.
The breakfast program was nice today. We made pizza. Which means we took the rest of the hot dog buns that were donated, filled them with refried beans and cheese, then closed them up, piled them on top of each other and shoved them in the oven to warm. I ate one. It was good. Some of the kids had three! They liked them.
The girl who was so naughty yesterday was back this morning with a smile and polite greeting. She tried to sit by herself to eat, but Lourdes caught her before she sat down and steered her to a group of kids. She asked to play the game this afternoon. Lourdes talked to her about her behavior yesterday and asked her to apologize to me, which she did. I gladly accepted her apology and she seemed to have a good day with no problems.
We got to give out some new shoes today. The boys were very happy to get them. One of the boys was the same one who was so happy about his haircut last week. It is so beautiful to see the kids literally transforming through the breakfast program. Haircuts and shoes don't seem like a big deal in the states, but here it's like - I can't think of anything to compare because most of our material things are not as life changing.
A group of students from the college next door needs to get a few hours of practicum in for their psychology degrees, so they came over and helped out. They were really nice and the kids liked them, so it will be good to have them around. It was especially good because after having the whole kitchen full of women for the past 2 days, Lourdes and I were alone today. I think the students will be here for a couple of weeks.
Kids Studying!
 |
After the second group was done, the kids wanted to stay and play. Unfortunately some kids had not cleaned up after themselves, so I asked the kids who were left to please clean up and then they could play. After a few minutes they came running up to me, very excited. I wasn't sure why so I left the dishes in the kitchen and followed them outside. They were proud because of the way they had cleaned everything up! It made me feel good that they knew they could count on me for positive reinforcement. They kept asking "Buen trabajo? Buen Trabajo???" (Good job? Good job???) I said Yes! Great job!! You can all play now. Thank you! (We are working hard on please and thank you.) They played for a while, then I looked out and they were doing homework together. It was so cute I had to get some pictures.
Lourdes said she would like to stay home and rest tomorrow. I am so happy she feels comfortable to do that. The teachers are on strike again tomorrow, so we will have a large group and they will come early. They will also leave early. Walter and I will go shopping for breakfast program groceries afterward. Walter said there is also a meeting that I will attend tomorrow evening at the church. Lourdes and Jairo never mentioned it, but they know I never have any plans, so I'm sure they assumed I would want to go. I didn't really understand what Walter was talking about but what I got was that 25 teachers are coming at 6pm to talk about discipline. I think. Jairo was all excited today. He left today at noon. He said he was going to preach. He had a bounce in his step. He said he will be speaking to students. I'll have to ask him more about it tomorrow.
Tonight I was supposed to be working on some paperwork, but I never got much done. I made brownies, thinking they would be nice to have if we will be at the church for 12 hours tomorrow, but for some reason they turned out like rocks. Not sure how I managed that. I did some deep cleaning, found a small cockroach in my silverware drawer. I also had to sweep around a small gecko. It wouldn't budge, no matter how close I swept. I have to sweep all of the time now. There are these weird ants with wings. They all hatched a few weeks ago and were flying in swarms, then this week they are all losing their wings. I don't know where the ants are going, but the wings are covering my kitchen floor. It's only in the kitchen, thank God.
I hope this country starts to get back to normal tomorrow, now that the funeral is over and the gruesome details are out. The question is, what is normal here? Constant violence and death cannot be the new normal. Not for these beautiful people.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
A Sad, Sad Day
Today is a very sad day. I was awake until late last night watching the news about Alfredo Villatoro's death. He was Catholic. The Catholic Church across the street sang until 1 am last night. I believe it was in reverence to Alfredo Villatoro. They had long services at Easter, but never that late.
I was afraid there would be violent protests in the streets today, so I woke up early and started watching the news again. There was no violence, only immense sadness. As I was lying in bed a helicopter flew overhead and reminded me of the last time I lived here.
For those of you who don't know, I lived in Honduras in 2009 when the president was breaking the constitution. Therefore, he was removed from his bed early one morning and taken out of the country. Most educated people were very happy this happened. They were pleased with the interim president. But the poorer, less educated people were very angry and had horrible protests or "manifestaciones". It was scary. The water and power were turned off. When the power came back on only one radio station was available. They announced a 24 hour curfew or "toque de queda ". Anyone on the street while the toque de queda was in place was arrested. Eventually the toque de queda was reduced so you could leave the house for a few hours in the afternoon, then it was from 8 am-6 pm so people could go to work. Sometimes they would hear about building manifestaciones, so they would play a national song on the tv and announce the toque de queda was pushed back to 4pm. Then people would have to hurry to get back into their houses before 4 pm. There were bombings and shootings and lots of marches with everything in the path of the march destroyed. It was bad. I could always tell what kind of a day it was going to be by the amount of helicopters I could hear in the sky when I woke up.
This morning I heard a helicopter and I did not like it one bit. Crazy how sounds can bring back emotions. But it was only one helicopter. The news was more focused on a teachers strike. It seems to me that the teachers here are always on strike. The first time I visited they were striking because they hadn't been paid in 2 months. (Understandable) The next year when I visited they were striking because the same president who didn't pay them the year before (and hoarded the country's money in his residence) was taken out of the country. They are state employees, so I guess that made sense to them, but... Today they are striking for a pay raise. They will strike again tomorrow, which means we will have a lot of kids at the breakfast program. This morning we had 59 in the early group.
Jairo came to pick me up. We looked everywhere for a newspaper, but every newsstand in the city was empty and abandoned. My mind was still in scared mode, so I initially thought the newspaper wasn't printed, but Jairo explained the papers are all sold out! That was strange. I saw a front page on the news. It said "DOLOR", which means "PAIN". Last week's paper said "LIBERTAD (FREE) ALREDO VILLATORO" in bold across the whole cover. When I saw that cover last week I remember praying that the cover would be an indication of the outcome. This was not the ending anyone had hoped for.
Jairo told me that the latest news is that there was never a ransom request at all. It seems more politically motivated, possibly as a result of a recent drug bust. Another clue that it could have been politically motivated was the red towel on his face and the red socks on his feet. Red is the color of the extreme right winged people. Jairo also said authorities were closing in on the kidnappers last night, right before Alfredo Villatoro was killed.
Lourdes was at a special presentation at Aaron's school, but she came down later. When I got to the church I had big plans for the 100's of hot dog buns and mustard that were donated yesterday. The kitchen was full of women. Hot dogs were already boiled to an odd color and even odder shapes which I can't even describe. The mustard was mixed with mayonaise, as is traditional here. There was shredded cabbage in a bowl and everyone was talking about what to do with it. My vote was to throw it on the grill. Then we could toss the hot dogs on too, to give them some flavor and texture. I was outvoted. The cabbage was sauteed. Lourdes found jars of pickles from the donations and we sliced them into tiny spears. Jacky spread a thick coating of the mayo/mustard on both sides. I added the odd looking hot dogs two slices of pickles and ketchup. Then, the woman who taught me to make pupusas yesterday added the cooked cabbage. She insisted that I add more ketchup on top. She is very bossy to me in the kitchen, but she is an older woman so I must always be quiet and obey. She made a big deal, saying over and over to the other women that I had thrown out the bags the hot dog rolls came in. She picked them out of the garbage. I realized I had made a mistake, but didn't understand why she had to make such a big deal about it. In the end they used one plastic bag to catch a fly and asphyxiate it. I think the rest got thrown away.
The kids got Craisens to take home with them, which was a nice treat. One of my favorite little guys (Misael) got his baby toenail ripped off, along with part of the skin of his toe. Another boy, bigger, kicked him. His mom, whom I adore, and I doctored him up as he screamed in pain. She works in the kitchen almost every day. She is a really hard worker, but she is also a lot of fun. When I first met her I thought she was one of the kids, but she is 26 years old. She has lupus, but it is under control right now. Her daughter is the one who has plans to be a pastor. Her kids are hard workers too.
I had to be extremely firm with one of the girls today, which was sad. Often she eats alone. She can be very mean, but is also frequently picked on. We try to help her socialize, but it is a struggle. Anyway, I looked up while bandaging Misael and there was a shoving match going on. I try not to raise my voice because of the trauma some of these kids suffer at home. So I got up and walked over calmly. I told them very firmly if they did not stop they would not be allowed to play the game. Everyone else stopped and started blaming each other. I said, as I always do, that I don't want them to blame each other. If they cannot play nicely, they cannot use the game. At that point the girl shoved a boy. I stepped between them and she kicked me! I told her calmly and softly that she cannot play the game today. She can play tomorrow, but not today. Then she cursed, which set the other kids off. I put my arm around her and reminded her that she has a choice. She can play another game and use appropriate language or she can choose to leave. She stood her ground for a while, but finally walked away. A minute later I saw her leaving. I felt bad. I don't know if she will eat today. But I also know she understands the rules and we do not allow fighting or bad words. I had to remind myself that it was her choice to leave as I watched her walk away.
We got done early because the kids didn't have to take showers for school, since it was closed. After the kids left I checked my email and found the financial update I've been waiting for. There were 2 new donations, which I appreciate, but no new monthly donations. I talked to Lourdes about the idea that when she leaves in 3 weeks to visit the states, I may not see her again - at least not as soon as we are hoping. Lourdes, the kids and I are still praying that I can live in Honduras, but now we are adding a lot more emphasis on "if it is God's will". If God wants me to serve here, He will be sure I have the finances. One time donations help me do extra things for the kids, but only monthly donations allow me to have a budget to live here.
I vowed not to watch the news when I got home. The news does nothing but upset me, so I am going to keep busy in other ways. Tonight I watched stupid sitcoms. I'm not ashamed to admit it. When you live in a country with so much sadness and hurting, sometimes you need a few stupid sitcoms. It can get really overwhelming when the violence and negativity seems endless. In a poll on the Honduran morning news today, 75% of the people said they do not believe the violence will end. It got to me today. How do these people live like this every day? How do they see a body on tv and not wonder if it is someone they know, when the violence hits so close to home constantly?
Tonight the same announcement they used to announce the toque de queda came on the tv. Ughhh! I heard it so many times when I lived here before and it was always bad news. I got nervous, wondering what was happening, thinking about how much food and water I have in the house. But it was the president saying that swift action will be taken and violence will not be accepted. He assured people that the killers of Alfredo Villatoro will be found. However, I can't help but think of the statistic I saw back when I lived in the states. 90% of murders in Honduras are never solved according to CNN presents "Honduras: The Deadliest Region on Earth".
As much as I want to be here, as much as I love it here, it would be very hard to live with the things these people face every day. Jairo has been trying to tell me. He has so many stories as he drives through the city pointing out various corners where innocent members of the church were shot and killed. I listen to the stories. I think about how terrible it is, but I haven't FELT the pain until now. Honduran people have been living like this, with things only seeming to get worse and worse, since I left 3 years ago. My heart aches today.
I was afraid there would be violent protests in the streets today, so I woke up early and started watching the news again. There was no violence, only immense sadness. As I was lying in bed a helicopter flew overhead and reminded me of the last time I lived here.
For those of you who don't know, I lived in Honduras in 2009 when the president was breaking the constitution. Therefore, he was removed from his bed early one morning and taken out of the country. Most educated people were very happy this happened. They were pleased with the interim president. But the poorer, less educated people were very angry and had horrible protests or "manifestaciones". It was scary. The water and power were turned off. When the power came back on only one radio station was available. They announced a 24 hour curfew or "toque de queda ". Anyone on the street while the toque de queda was in place was arrested. Eventually the toque de queda was reduced so you could leave the house for a few hours in the afternoon, then it was from 8 am-6 pm so people could go to work. Sometimes they would hear about building manifestaciones, so they would play a national song on the tv and announce the toque de queda was pushed back to 4pm. Then people would have to hurry to get back into their houses before 4 pm. There were bombings and shootings and lots of marches with everything in the path of the march destroyed. It was bad. I could always tell what kind of a day it was going to be by the amount of helicopters I could hear in the sky when I woke up.
This morning I heard a helicopter and I did not like it one bit. Crazy how sounds can bring back emotions. But it was only one helicopter. The news was more focused on a teachers strike. It seems to me that the teachers here are always on strike. The first time I visited they were striking because they hadn't been paid in 2 months. (Understandable) The next year when I visited they were striking because the same president who didn't pay them the year before (and hoarded the country's money in his residence) was taken out of the country. They are state employees, so I guess that made sense to them, but... Today they are striking for a pay raise. They will strike again tomorrow, which means we will have a lot of kids at the breakfast program. This morning we had 59 in the early group.
Jairo came to pick me up. We looked everywhere for a newspaper, but every newsstand in the city was empty and abandoned. My mind was still in scared mode, so I initially thought the newspaper wasn't printed, but Jairo explained the papers are all sold out! That was strange. I saw a front page on the news. It said "DOLOR", which means "PAIN". Last week's paper said "LIBERTAD (FREE) ALREDO VILLATORO" in bold across the whole cover. When I saw that cover last week I remember praying that the cover would be an indication of the outcome. This was not the ending anyone had hoped for.
Jairo told me that the latest news is that there was never a ransom request at all. It seems more politically motivated, possibly as a result of a recent drug bust. Another clue that it could have been politically motivated was the red towel on his face and the red socks on his feet. Red is the color of the extreme right winged people. Jairo also said authorities were closing in on the kidnappers last night, right before Alfredo Villatoro was killed.
Lourdes was at a special presentation at Aaron's school, but she came down later. When I got to the church I had big plans for the 100's of hot dog buns and mustard that were donated yesterday. The kitchen was full of women. Hot dogs were already boiled to an odd color and even odder shapes which I can't even describe. The mustard was mixed with mayonaise, as is traditional here. There was shredded cabbage in a bowl and everyone was talking about what to do with it. My vote was to throw it on the grill. Then we could toss the hot dogs on too, to give them some flavor and texture. I was outvoted. The cabbage was sauteed. Lourdes found jars of pickles from the donations and we sliced them into tiny spears. Jacky spread a thick coating of the mayo/mustard on both sides. I added the odd looking hot dogs two slices of pickles and ketchup. Then, the woman who taught me to make pupusas yesterday added the cooked cabbage. She insisted that I add more ketchup on top. She is very bossy to me in the kitchen, but she is an older woman so I must always be quiet and obey. She made a big deal, saying over and over to the other women that I had thrown out the bags the hot dog rolls came in. She picked them out of the garbage. I realized I had made a mistake, but didn't understand why she had to make such a big deal about it. In the end they used one plastic bag to catch a fly and asphyxiate it. I think the rest got thrown away.
The kids got Craisens to take home with them, which was a nice treat. One of my favorite little guys (Misael) got his baby toenail ripped off, along with part of the skin of his toe. Another boy, bigger, kicked him. His mom, whom I adore, and I doctored him up as he screamed in pain. She works in the kitchen almost every day. She is a really hard worker, but she is also a lot of fun. When I first met her I thought she was one of the kids, but she is 26 years old. She has lupus, but it is under control right now. Her daughter is the one who has plans to be a pastor. Her kids are hard workers too.
I had to be extremely firm with one of the girls today, which was sad. Often she eats alone. She can be very mean, but is also frequently picked on. We try to help her socialize, but it is a struggle. Anyway, I looked up while bandaging Misael and there was a shoving match going on. I try not to raise my voice because of the trauma some of these kids suffer at home. So I got up and walked over calmly. I told them very firmly if they did not stop they would not be allowed to play the game. Everyone else stopped and started blaming each other. I said, as I always do, that I don't want them to blame each other. If they cannot play nicely, they cannot use the game. At that point the girl shoved a boy. I stepped between them and she kicked me! I told her calmly and softly that she cannot play the game today. She can play tomorrow, but not today. Then she cursed, which set the other kids off. I put my arm around her and reminded her that she has a choice. She can play another game and use appropriate language or she can choose to leave. She stood her ground for a while, but finally walked away. A minute later I saw her leaving. I felt bad. I don't know if she will eat today. But I also know she understands the rules and we do not allow fighting or bad words. I had to remind myself that it was her choice to leave as I watched her walk away.
We got done early because the kids didn't have to take showers for school, since it was closed. After the kids left I checked my email and found the financial update I've been waiting for. There were 2 new donations, which I appreciate, but no new monthly donations. I talked to Lourdes about the idea that when she leaves in 3 weeks to visit the states, I may not see her again - at least not as soon as we are hoping. Lourdes, the kids and I are still praying that I can live in Honduras, but now we are adding a lot more emphasis on "if it is God's will". If God wants me to serve here, He will be sure I have the finances. One time donations help me do extra things for the kids, but only monthly donations allow me to have a budget to live here.
I vowed not to watch the news when I got home. The news does nothing but upset me, so I am going to keep busy in other ways. Tonight I watched stupid sitcoms. I'm not ashamed to admit it. When you live in a country with so much sadness and hurting, sometimes you need a few stupid sitcoms. It can get really overwhelming when the violence and negativity seems endless. In a poll on the Honduran morning news today, 75% of the people said they do not believe the violence will end. It got to me today. How do these people live like this every day? How do they see a body on tv and not wonder if it is someone they know, when the violence hits so close to home constantly?
Tonight the same announcement they used to announce the toque de queda came on the tv. Ughhh! I heard it so many times when I lived here before and it was always bad news. I got nervous, wondering what was happening, thinking about how much food and water I have in the house. But it was the president saying that swift action will be taken and violence will not be accepted. He assured people that the killers of Alfredo Villatoro will be found. However, I can't help but think of the statistic I saw back when I lived in the states. 90% of murders in Honduras are never solved according to CNN presents "Honduras: The Deadliest Region on Earth".
As much as I want to be here, as much as I love it here, it would be very hard to live with the things these people face every day. Jairo has been trying to tell me. He has so many stories as he drives through the city pointing out various corners where innocent members of the church were shot and killed. I listen to the stories. I think about how terrible it is, but I haven't FELT the pain until now. Honduran people have been living like this, with things only seeming to get worse and worse, since I left 3 years ago. My heart aches today.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
WHY?
Tonight as I was writing my blog for the day, I was also watching the news. They had a breaking story that a body had been found on the side of a road in a zone where there was construction, but not very inhabited. I was going to comment in my blog that I still have a hard time adjusting to the way news is covered outside of the US. When I was in Thailand, I saw things on the news that are never shown in the US - dead bodies namely. It is the same in Central America.
Tonight they showed a man with a red towel over his face. He was also dressed in red socks. He wore a special camoflage uniform that is specific to highly trained, tactical units of the police called "Cobras". His body was lying on the pavement, at the side of a road. You could clearly see where a bullet had entered the side of his head. Blood was running down the street.
After seeing all of the dead bodies in the newspaper today, I really didn't think much about who it was. I only thought about the way nothing was cushioned, or presented in a more gentle way. It was so brutal and all of it was right there, whether you wanted to see it or not. (I'm thinking people outside of the US are accustomed to seeing the news presented this way, so it was probably not as impactful to them.)
Now an hour and 1/2 later, I am watching the news again. They just announced the body was that of Alfredo Villatoro, the famous radio journalist. I know there are many, many people in this country who are sad right now. It's like the bad guys won. The press is emphasizing what an amazing man he was. "Un buen Hondureño" I texted Jairo to be sure he knows. It will effect the church because he was the co-host of a radio show with a man from the church. They hosted the most famous radio show in Honduras together for the past 20 years.
I am going to take time now to pray for his family others who cared about him. The kids at the Breakfast Program are going to be sad tomorrow. They know him as a radio personality their mothers' listen to. They also have been praying for his safety every day since he was kidnapped. There is too much sadness and pain already in this country.
Another senseless death. WHY?
Tonight they showed a man with a red towel over his face. He was also dressed in red socks. He wore a special camoflage uniform that is specific to highly trained, tactical units of the police called "Cobras". His body was lying on the pavement, at the side of a road. You could clearly see where a bullet had entered the side of his head. Blood was running down the street.
After seeing all of the dead bodies in the newspaper today, I really didn't think much about who it was. I only thought about the way nothing was cushioned, or presented in a more gentle way. It was so brutal and all of it was right there, whether you wanted to see it or not. (I'm thinking people outside of the US are accustomed to seeing the news presented this way, so it was probably not as impactful to them.)
Now an hour and 1/2 later, I am watching the news again. They just announced the body was that of Alfredo Villatoro, the famous radio journalist. I know there are many, many people in this country who are sad right now. It's like the bad guys won. The press is emphasizing what an amazing man he was. "Un buen Hondureño" I texted Jairo to be sure he knows. It will effect the church because he was the co-host of a radio show with a man from the church. They hosted the most famous radio show in Honduras together for the past 20 years.
I am going to take time now to pray for his family others who cared about him. The kids at the Breakfast Program are going to be sad tomorrow. They know him as a radio personality their mothers' listen to. They also have been praying for his safety every day since he was kidnapped. There is too much sadness and pain already in this country.
Another senseless death. WHY?
Pupusas, Proud Boys and Problems
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| Weeds? Or herbs? |
Despite everyone being sleepy today we worked hard in the kitchen. I had watched Karla make pupusas when I lived here 3 years ago. She always makes everything look easy. Today when I got to the church they had a huge bowl of dough, shredded cheese that must have had eggs or milk to moisten it, and bowls of carrots, cabbage, onions, and cilantro. When we ran out of cilantro they brought something that looked to me like regular weeds. They made 2 toppings which are very traditional in Central America. One is vinegar, cabbage, carrots and some seasoning. The other is vinegar with onions, cilantro, and jalapeños. People add other veggies/seasonings to their own taste.
Since they were thinly slicing everything (in the states we would have used a grater, but here it was all done by hand) I figured my best bet was to steer clear of the veggies. So I helped roll the dough into balls. We ended up with about 200 balls of dough, but there were lots of kids today because they have been looking forward to pupusa day since last week.
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| Dough being rolled into balls of dough, and the beans mixed with cheese |
We flattened each ball of dough into a little tortilla, then spread a mixture of refried beans and cheese onto it with our finger, the same way you would spread pizza sauce onto pizza dough, leaving the edges dry. Then you fold the edges in toward the middle until it is almost shaped like a ball again. Then you flatten it again, trying not to make any cracks for the filling to leak out, but it happens anyway. From there they get slapped on a griddle until golden brown and served with the cabbage topping. Most of the kids chose the spicy jalapeño/onion topping too.
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| Stacking plates so everything is ready when prayer time is over and hands are washed 39 kids in the morning group today! |
First I ate four pupusas for lunch. Then I sat down for an afternoon snack with Jairo and ate two more. My tummy is FULL!
I am starting to really feel connected with the kids now. I have always cared for them, but now that I have had time to know them more as individuals, I am able to appreciate them even more.
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| Proud boys with new haircuts and a new trophy! |
The boys showed up with their new haircuts and with a trophy they won in their soccer league. I need to ask them more about their league tomorrow because I didn't understand that the trophy was something they had really earned. I thought they were just joking because they kept calling it the World Cup. They wanted their pictures taken with it, but I still thought it was a joke until Lourdes told me later about the local league. I will have to ask them more about it tomorrow and tell them how awesome they are for winning it!
A lady came today and cut the girls' hair, but I didn't get many photos because I was in the kitchen cooking.
I got to show a mommy photos I took at my first week of church when Jairo did her son's blessing. She loved the pictures. I wish I had a printer every day because most of these people do not have any photos of their families. When I get the chance, I show them on my computer, but I wish I could give them a copy to take home with them. They love just to see the photo on my computer.
Last night I was watching the news and saw that a school was closed. Today I learned it was Karlita's school. Karlita is a very special girl. She wants to be a teacher and takes her studies very seriously. She is incredible with the kids. She has the perfect blend of kindness and firmness in her tiny little body. She is a hard worker but is still lots of fun. She goes above and beyond to learn everything she can get her hands on. She is constantly asking me phrases in English. I need to make a conscious effort to teach her new things every day because she is so eager to learn. Also she is taking piano lessons at the church from one of the older girls. I admire her motivation.
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| Karlita cooking pupusas |
Karlita (to separate her from the many other Karlas) explained to me that the students of the high school are protesting. Last night I thought the alumni were protesting, because the word for word for students is "alumnos" but today she explained that they pay an annual amount to the school for busing, but bus rates have gone up and some people travel from far away, so they have to pay an additional amount each day to get to school. She said for her it is not much, but for others it is a LOT. It is kind of like a student strike, trying to get the school to change the policy of having to pay the annual fee and additional costs on top. Karla is anxious to get back to her classes.
I read an article today about the man who was kidnapped - Alfredo Villatodo. It was an editorial, pleading with the kidnappers to spare his life and give him back to his children and wife. It talked about Mr. Villatodo being a man who came from nothing and fought hard to become a successful radio journalist. It also said that being a successful journalist does not mean that he has very much money. It talked a lot about how well respected he is, but that his value is because of the man he is, not his bank account. Apparently the kidnappers are asking the family for a lot of money that simply doesn't exist. The editorial talked about how much this country needs to change.
***Please read the addendum to this post which was written at 10:30 tonight entitled "WHY?".***
MLFHonduras.Blogspot.com
I read an article about the man who was charged with the rapes. So far he has more than 20 rape charges. It said exactly as Jairo told me, that he raped many girls between the ages of 9-16 (hearing the ages bothered me even more) and that accusations continue to be made against him every day. How does someone get away with this for so long? I also read about the father of two boys from our church. I met the two boys last week when they were with my friend Karla. Their father arrended the church a long time ago. He was arrested at the border for terrorism with lots of weapons and evidence of plots to kill people. He has a long history of this, but was released because they didn't follow the proper protocol when arresting him. He will still be investigated and probably arrested again, but for now he is free. I feel bad for his wife and his children.
I am continuing to pray I will be able to raise funds to live here, but I do feel frustrated that I can't do simple things like watch the amazing choir at the Catholic church directly across the street from my house because I could be kidnapped. I listen to them every night from inside twelve foot walls, topped with rolls of barbed wire, that surround my house. It is not fair but it is necessary. I do understand. I am grateful that I have people here who care for me and make sure I am safe. I have no frustration toward the fact that I have rules. I do have frustration toward the people whose violent behavior make the rules necessary. I spend a lot of evenings reading, writing this blog, watching tv, or praying and reflecting because once the sun goes down by 6 pm, I have to stay inside.
I guess that makes my time at the breakfast program even more special. I appreciate my time with others more. Generally, I am a person who likes a lot of time alone. I am also very independent. These violent people are cramping my style! : ) But my style will stay cramped and I will do as Jairo recommends so that I am safe. Even with all of these restrictions, I hope I can stay here. In Honduras I feel alive. I feel like I am exactly where I am supposed to be, which is a feeling I don't get anywhere else. I experience life more intensely and I live more intentionally. I love it here!
My Mom hates it when I write about this stuff. It is so hard for her to hear - you can imagine. But the purpose of my blog is to share this experience with others and to keep memories for myself. So, sorry Mom, or Aunts or anyone who may be upset by reading this. I am safe. If a time comes when I can't be safe, or when I feel too cramped, or if I no longer feel called to serve here (or if I can't raise the money to stay here) then I will come home. Until then, I am living in a country where the fact is that violence is rampant. But I am sheltered and coddled and happy and here.
Thank you so much for reading!
Monday, May 14, 2012
Waf-lays and Haircuts
This morning I was still riding high from having such an excellent day yesterday. When I got in the car to go to the breakfast program I thanked Lourdes and Jairo again for letting me spend the day with them. I really am so grateful.
We stopped on the way to the church and got donuts which was strange because we have never done that before and I was craving donuts this morning, which is unusual for me. Today was we made "waf-lays" (waffles). There were less kids than usual, maybe because it was a rainy morning. They had tons of the rice left from Mothers Day yesterday at the church. The kids had seconds and we still had more!
I took 76 pictures today. It was haircut day. A boy I remember from 3 years ago has grown up to be a barber. Lourdes told me he was one of the first kids she ever brought into the church from Los Pinos. What a success story! He accepted Christ the first time K2 came for VBS and has been an active member of the church ever since. He came to Lourdes a few months ago and said that he would like to give back to the church by cutting hair for people who can't afford haircuts.
He had a long line today. Over 10 kids waited for haircuts. He took his time and gave each boy a special, unique haircut. He has the bib and everything. First he cuts it all down, then he puts shaving cream around the edges and shapes it all up, then he pulls out the scissors and gives them each a professional cut. I took a lot of photos. It was so nice to see boys who didn't want their picture taken at first, stand so proud and tall in the end. Then I showed them the pictures of themselves and they would comment on how handsome they look. I love seeing them feel happy and self confident. They don't feel that way often.
I also had some extra time with Jairo and Lourdes today. Jairo gave me a few things he wants me to write for the church. He also asked if he could look at the pictures I've taken since I got here. We looked through all of them. He loves pictures. Lourdes sat with us for a while. I showed them pictures of my annual camping trip in Telluride with my brother and his family. Lourdes loved the scenery of Colorado and pics of my nephews. She said she could see why it was such a fun, relaxing event and an important tradition to keep.
I asked Jairo about the radio host who was kidnapped. He said there is no news about him. Everyone is praying he is still alive. He also updated me about a 15 year old girl from the church. She was kidnapped on the way home from school and raped on the day I arrived here. Her rapist was captured 2 days ago. He has already been charged with rape in the past. At the time she was raped there were more than 40 people who claimed to have been raped by him! More and more people continue to come forth to say they were raped by him. There is even someone who wrote from Spain! Jairo said he wonders why he hasn't been permanently jailed before. But now that it seems certain he will be jailed... Jairo paused. I said they will kill him in jail, won't they? He nodded. He said they will rape him first. Both of us were quiet. I was thinking about the torture he will probably endure and wondered how long they will keep him alive. Jairo just said we will hear about him in the news. I guess it is really great news that this horrible man is finally off the streets.
Here are some cute fotos I took today:
We stopped on the way to the church and got donuts which was strange because we have never done that before and I was craving donuts this morning, which is unusual for me. Today was we made "waf-lays" (waffles). There were less kids than usual, maybe because it was a rainy morning. They had tons of the rice left from Mothers Day yesterday at the church. The kids had seconds and we still had more!
I took 76 pictures today. It was haircut day. A boy I remember from 3 years ago has grown up to be a barber. Lourdes told me he was one of the first kids she ever brought into the church from Los Pinos. What a success story! He accepted Christ the first time K2 came for VBS and has been an active member of the church ever since. He came to Lourdes a few months ago and said that he would like to give back to the church by cutting hair for people who can't afford haircuts.
He had a long line today. Over 10 kids waited for haircuts. He took his time and gave each boy a special, unique haircut. He has the bib and everything. First he cuts it all down, then he puts shaving cream around the edges and shapes it all up, then he pulls out the scissors and gives them each a professional cut. I took a lot of photos. It was so nice to see boys who didn't want their picture taken at first, stand so proud and tall in the end. Then I showed them the pictures of themselves and they would comment on how handsome they look. I love seeing them feel happy and self confident. They don't feel that way often.
I also had some extra time with Jairo and Lourdes today. Jairo gave me a few things he wants me to write for the church. He also asked if he could look at the pictures I've taken since I got here. We looked through all of them. He loves pictures. Lourdes sat with us for a while. I showed them pictures of my annual camping trip in Telluride with my brother and his family. Lourdes loved the scenery of Colorado and pics of my nephews. She said she could see why it was such a fun, relaxing event and an important tradition to keep.
I asked Jairo about the radio host who was kidnapped. He said there is no news about him. Everyone is praying he is still alive. He also updated me about a 15 year old girl from the church. She was kidnapped on the way home from school and raped on the day I arrived here. Her rapist was captured 2 days ago. He has already been charged with rape in the past. At the time she was raped there were more than 40 people who claimed to have been raped by him! More and more people continue to come forth to say they were raped by him. There is even someone who wrote from Spain! Jairo said he wonders why he hasn't been permanently jailed before. But now that it seems certain he will be jailed... Jairo paused. I said they will kill him in jail, won't they? He nodded. He said they will rape him first. Both of us were quiet. I was thinking about the torture he will probably endure and wondered how long they will keep him alive. Jairo just said we will hear about him in the news. I guess it is really great news that this horrible man is finally off the streets.
Here are some cute fotos I took today:
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| Don Juan gave out toothpaste |
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| Sometimes haircuts tickle! |
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| I liked this look. |
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| Before |
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| During |
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| After! Standing proud and tall. |
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| Have you ever seen such great looking kids? |
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Mothers Day in Honduras Rocks!
Today was awesome! In Honduras the people know how to celebrate Mothers. I hope that no matter where I am in the future, I always take the time and put forth the effort to celebrate Mothers the way I learned today.
I knew Mother's Day is a big deal here. I've been hearing about it for weeks from the kids as they work to prepare. So I made sure to greet each mother in the car with a special mother's day greeting. When we got to the church it was all decorated in pinks and purples with new flowers. Everyone gave extra Mothers Day hugs and took extra time to settle in as two teens opened up the service (Evelin Michelle's brother, Ricky, and the son of the radio journalists I wrote about last week). The boys did a great job introducing each of the opening songs, reading tributes that other teens had written for their mothers, and saying sweet things to their own mothers. The girls from the breakfast program performed the dance they have been practicing with me for 2 weeks. They were nervous, but looked very pretty.
Then Eunice's daughter, Elienai, gave the message. Elienai did a great job too. She spoke about the bible's definition of a woman, then a mother, then the role of children and how they should respect their mother. She used a lot of scripture, as well as heart felt words to illustrate her point.
Jairo later told me that the jovenes (teens) have been working hard to prepare for this day since January! He said he gives them free reign. Sometimes they come to him with questions but this day is all theirs.
In the end people got up and spoke of/to their mothers. Husbands also spoke of their wives as mothers. It was so sweet. At the very end a stunningly beautiful woman (I was dying to know her age. I'm guessing 80's.) stood and recited a poem about women vs men. The poem was as beautiful as the woman. It was very, very long. She had memorized it and practiced just for this occasion. It was an honor to be in that place at that moment.
Jose asked every mother to remain seated. He asked the men to help pull out tables and asked friends and children to help serve food. We had a fried rice dish with fantastic horchata. It was cool to see the men serving horchata. The kids had big trays to carry plates of food. They did a great job of serving everyone quickly. Moms were all dressed up and sat enjoying lunch with their families. It was cool to see how the families from Los Pinos have become an intregal part of the church community. I remember times when they would come and stand by the gate, or back by the offices, but not come forward into the church without coaxing. Now they seem at home and their children are working side by side with kids who grew up in the church. I like it a lot!
I finally really felt at home after the service. I didn't have to stand and think about who to talk to or what to say. I was a social butterfly - serving and wishing mothers "Felicidades". Three tables invited me to sit with them, so I spent some time at each. It was really nice.
As we were leaving I talked with the Seamans. They are very active members of the church, as well as the owners of my house. Their teen aged daughters attend a bilingual school and speak excellent English. They were asking me if I am bilingual. I said I have been wondering the same thing! I don't know how to define bilingual. They said they think I am definitely bilingual, and they wish they were as well. To me, they are easily bilingual. They are feeling a lack of confidence right now because they are studying the SATs and finding the English difficult. We laughed about the "troubles" a bilingual person faces - thinking, singing, dreaming, watching tv in more than one language can all get confusing.
On the way home Jairo asked if I would like to go to his sister's house. I said sure! He said we had to go to his house to cook first, then we'd go to his sister's house. Sounded great to me. I don't have anything else to do. And I had been missing the quality time I used to spend with Lourdes and Jairo.
We cooked, then Jairo and I talked about Mother's Day in Honduras and some of the other cultural differences I have noticed. At dinner time we headed out. It was a gorgeous drive through the mountains past lots of cool sights. Of course there were the usual brightly colored houses, precariously perched on the side of mountains, horses wandering in the street, a spot that smelled funny and was full of huge vultures, and a girl in her pajamas playing with a man (who I'd guess was her father) in a small garbage dump.
We pulled up to a gated community and I learned why Jairo had stopped at a little place few miles back to buy friend chicken. (We already had a car full of food.) As the guards greeted him and went to open the gate he called them over. They were confused. He told them "Happy Mothers' Day! You are not mothers, but you have mothers, no?" and he gave them meals of chicken and soda. He had told me earlier that most people don't have to work Friday afternoon before Mother's Day and the only places open on Mother's Day are restaurants. It's like a national holiday! So he felt bad for the guards who couldn't be with their mothers today and brought them a special treat.
We arrive at Jairo's sister's house where his entire family was present, except one brother who is in Argentina right now. I got to meet his sister for whom we have been praying since I got here. She has cancer. She had to make a trip to the emergency room last night, but is feeling better today. She said it was nice because the young doctors at the hospital recognized her as a nurse who had taught them when they were in school, so she got very special and immediate treatment.
I had the opportunity to talk to Jairo's sister, Ruth, who really changed my life 3 years ago when she spoke to me about the words God had put in her heart for me. She remembered meeting me and was so happy to hear that the words had been helpful. I have waited so long to be able to tell her, it felt great! She has a church outside of the city. Jairo said any time I want to go to her church I can always go. I could even ride with his brother, who lives a few blocks from my house. I will probably visit her church soon. She is blessed with many special gifts from God and it is very interesting to visit her church.
I had fun talking and joking with Jairo's mother and brother. Everyone made me feel at home. Lourdes' Mom was with us. She made sure everyone only spoke to me in Spanish. Even when they asked if they could practice their English with me. They were told firmly that they can speak in English, but I must speak Spanish. She is always willing to help if I get stuck, but Lourdes' mother has made it her personal mission to keep all English out of my vocabulary.
I rambled away in my usual fashion, feeling pretty good about my Spanish, with a house full of new people. I also spent some quality time with Lourdes' sister, Belinda. I haven't had time with her since I lived in her house when I first arrived here and my luggage was lost. It was really nice to catch up with her. She was able to give me some personal advice about the transition I am facing in the next few weeks as I learn whether or not I will live in Honduras permanently.
Finally it was time to go. I wished all of the mothers a Happy Mother's Day, hugged them all and thanked them for sharing the day with me. Then I got a ride home with Jairo's brother. He reminds me a lot of Jairo. He is easy to get along with and funny. He helped create the colonia where I live and was one of the first people to live here 27 years ago. If I need to buy a car here, he will help.
I got home and called my own mother for the second time today, just to tell her what a great day I had. Even though she is far away, I felt like I was able to share this amazing day with her. I wish my mother could experience a Honduran Mother's Day. Hondurans know how to do Mother's Day right! I will never forget this day.
I knew Mother's Day is a big deal here. I've been hearing about it for weeks from the kids as they work to prepare. So I made sure to greet each mother in the car with a special mother's day greeting. When we got to the church it was all decorated in pinks and purples with new flowers. Everyone gave extra Mothers Day hugs and took extra time to settle in as two teens opened up the service (Evelin Michelle's brother, Ricky, and the son of the radio journalists I wrote about last week). The boys did a great job introducing each of the opening songs, reading tributes that other teens had written for their mothers, and saying sweet things to their own mothers. The girls from the breakfast program performed the dance they have been practicing with me for 2 weeks. They were nervous, but looked very pretty.
Then Eunice's daughter, Elienai, gave the message. Elienai did a great job too. She spoke about the bible's definition of a woman, then a mother, then the role of children and how they should respect their mother. She used a lot of scripture, as well as heart felt words to illustrate her point.
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| All of the Madres as the rest of the church prays a blessing over them |
Jairo later told me that the jovenes (teens) have been working hard to prepare for this day since January! He said he gives them free reign. Sometimes they come to him with questions but this day is all theirs.
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| Jose amd Dana Sophia honoring Karla |
In the end people got up and spoke of/to their mothers. Husbands also spoke of their wives as mothers. It was so sweet. At the very end a stunningly beautiful woman (I was dying to know her age. I'm guessing 80's.) stood and recited a poem about women vs men. The poem was as beautiful as the woman. It was very, very long. She had memorized it and practiced just for this occasion. It was an honor to be in that place at that moment.
Jose asked every mother to remain seated. He asked the men to help pull out tables and asked friends and children to help serve food. We had a fried rice dish with fantastic horchata. It was cool to see the men serving horchata. The kids had big trays to carry plates of food. They did a great job of serving everyone quickly. Moms were all dressed up and sat enjoying lunch with their families. It was cool to see how the families from Los Pinos have become an intregal part of the church community. I remember times when they would come and stand by the gate, or back by the offices, but not come forward into the church without coaxing. Now they seem at home and their children are working side by side with kids who grew up in the church. I like it a lot!
I finally really felt at home after the service. I didn't have to stand and think about who to talk to or what to say. I was a social butterfly - serving and wishing mothers "Felicidades". Three tables invited me to sit with them, so I spent some time at each. It was really nice.
As we were leaving I talked with the Seamans. They are very active members of the church, as well as the owners of my house. Their teen aged daughters attend a bilingual school and speak excellent English. They were asking me if I am bilingual. I said I have been wondering the same thing! I don't know how to define bilingual. They said they think I am definitely bilingual, and they wish they were as well. To me, they are easily bilingual. They are feeling a lack of confidence right now because they are studying the SATs and finding the English difficult. We laughed about the "troubles" a bilingual person faces - thinking, singing, dreaming, watching tv in more than one language can all get confusing.
On the way home Jairo asked if I would like to go to his sister's house. I said sure! He said we had to go to his house to cook first, then we'd go to his sister's house. Sounded great to me. I don't have anything else to do. And I had been missing the quality time I used to spend with Lourdes and Jairo.
We cooked, then Jairo and I talked about Mother's Day in Honduras and some of the other cultural differences I have noticed. At dinner time we headed out. It was a gorgeous drive through the mountains past lots of cool sights. Of course there were the usual brightly colored houses, precariously perched on the side of mountains, horses wandering in the street, a spot that smelled funny and was full of huge vultures, and a girl in her pajamas playing with a man (who I'd guess was her father) in a small garbage dump.
We pulled up to a gated community and I learned why Jairo had stopped at a little place few miles back to buy friend chicken. (We already had a car full of food.) As the guards greeted him and went to open the gate he called them over. They were confused. He told them "Happy Mothers' Day! You are not mothers, but you have mothers, no?" and he gave them meals of chicken and soda. He had told me earlier that most people don't have to work Friday afternoon before Mother's Day and the only places open on Mother's Day are restaurants. It's like a national holiday! So he felt bad for the guards who couldn't be with their mothers today and brought them a special treat.
We arrive at Jairo's sister's house where his entire family was present, except one brother who is in Argentina right now. I got to meet his sister for whom we have been praying since I got here. She has cancer. She had to make a trip to the emergency room last night, but is feeling better today. She said it was nice because the young doctors at the hospital recognized her as a nurse who had taught them when they were in school, so she got very special and immediate treatment.
I had the opportunity to talk to Jairo's sister, Ruth, who really changed my life 3 years ago when she spoke to me about the words God had put in her heart for me. She remembered meeting me and was so happy to hear that the words had been helpful. I have waited so long to be able to tell her, it felt great! She has a church outside of the city. Jairo said any time I want to go to her church I can always go. I could even ride with his brother, who lives a few blocks from my house. I will probably visit her church soon. She is blessed with many special gifts from God and it is very interesting to visit her church.
I had fun talking and joking with Jairo's mother and brother. Everyone made me feel at home. Lourdes' Mom was with us. She made sure everyone only spoke to me in Spanish. Even when they asked if they could practice their English with me. They were told firmly that they can speak in English, but I must speak Spanish. She is always willing to help if I get stuck, but Lourdes' mother has made it her personal mission to keep all English out of my vocabulary.
I rambled away in my usual fashion, feeling pretty good about my Spanish, with a house full of new people. I also spent some quality time with Lourdes' sister, Belinda. I haven't had time with her since I lived in her house when I first arrived here and my luggage was lost. It was really nice to catch up with her. She was able to give me some personal advice about the transition I am facing in the next few weeks as I learn whether or not I will live in Honduras permanently.
Finally it was time to go. I wished all of the mothers a Happy Mother's Day, hugged them all and thanked them for sharing the day with me. Then I got a ride home with Jairo's brother. He reminds me a lot of Jairo. He is easy to get along with and funny. He helped create the colonia where I live and was one of the first people to live here 27 years ago. If I need to buy a car here, he will help.
I got home and called my own mother for the second time today, just to tell her what a great day I had. Even though she is far away, I felt like I was able to share this amazing day with her. I wish my mother could experience a Honduran Mother's Day. Hondurans know how to do Mother's Day right! I will never forget this day.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Happy Mothers Day! (Kind of...)
When I got up this morning I thought today was Mothers Day. What do I know? I don't wear a watch, I don't have a calendar, and I don't understand some of what is said around me, so I surmised that today is Mother's Day. I was wrong.
Jairo, Lourdes, Josselyn and Aaron had to wake up early this morning so they could be in line at 6am at the bank to get the kids' passports renewed. They expect to spend the whole day there, so I will take care of everything at the breakfast program today. It is going to be a different kind of day because the kids who have afternoon classes will go to school in the morning with their mothers. Then everyone will be released when they are done with Mother's Day festivities, so we are not sure when they will arrive.
Yesterday there was a huge protest by bus drivers. I only caught the end of it - traffic was messed up when Jairo was trying to get us to the church. But from watching the news last night it was much worse earlier in the morning. The buses parked in the middle of every main street, blocking all of the main roads so the traffic couldn't pass. It was a peaceful protest with no violence. The bus drivers want to raise the rates but nobody is in support because they can barely afford the rates now. I have been on buses twice this visit. Both times it cost 11 Limpiras. That is about $2.00 in the US. I'm not sure if different buses cost more or less, but I do know there are a LOT of buses here. Most are old US school buses, but they are used for public transportation. And I have noticed there are 2 basic kinds of school buses. One has bible scripture painted across the top of the windshield and stickers about God on the back. The other kind of bus say something like "Playboy" across the top of the windshield and has stickers of women or marijuana on the back. I always see them parked at the bottom of the hill by the church. The buses here are washed constantly. I'm not sure why it is so important to have shiny tires on the buses. Maybe if they spent less time washing the buses they could make more money.
The front page of the newspapers yesterday said 3 huge words - FREE ALFONZO VILLATODO. Lourdes was reading a huge 2 page spread and I read it over her shoulder on the way to the breakfast program. He was kidnapped from his car. His car was left, parked on the side of the road between his home and work. The kidnappers are holding him hostage for a lot of money. His family is afraid he will be killed if they ask for help from the police, so they are not talking with police. I have been watching news programs on TV, but for some reason I can't find anything on TV about it. Maybe I am watching the wrong channels.
The funny thing is that I was doing laundry before I went to the Breakfast Program this morning. Of course that is my best thinking time, so I was thinking back to Mother's Days in the past when I worked in a lock down facility with boys. Almost none of them had a positive relationship with their mother, so I sometimes (like it or not) played that role. On Mothers Day they would often make cards for me instead of their biological mothers. I always had to wonder about their intentions with the cards. If they were trying to butter me up because they had ulterior motives. It was so wonderful to receive a Mother's Day gift this year that I knew came from a thoughtful heart. Even though I am not sure whose heart it was right now. (MUST find out Monday.)
The kids were super hyper at the breakfast program today, so we prayed, they ate, and we sent them on their way. I rode home with my favorite cabby, Jose. I finally got his phone number after seeing him on the corner a few days ago. Since he has no teeth his "sesenta" sounds just like "setenta" so I had written it down wrong. Now I've got it right. He gave me a ride home, stopping along the way at the grocery store for me, and still charged less than some have asked just for the ride straight home. Plus we have nice little chats. I did a second batch of laundry. Can't call it a load when I don't load it into anything. Now I have the rest of the day to relax. I have a great life! Although this morning when I was wringing out sheets til my hands cramped, I might have said it was just a good life. Most moments it really is great.
I think my neighbors in the front house are coming back home tonight. I am fine when they are gone, but I do prefer having them here. I did yard work so they could come home and find things just as they left. Mango trees are a lot of work! The mangoes are ripening, but they are up so high. I have to figure out a safe way to get some down. I banged on them with a rake and they didn't budge, so I'm guessing they are not quite ready yet. But when they fall it is quite a trick to get to them before the ants do. It felt good to get out there and do some physical work.
Need to run down to the store while it's still daylight and by some limes for my corn on the cobb tonight. Yummy! Then a shower and some reading time in my clean sheets. Sounds like a perfect evening.
Happy preface to Mother's Day -
Jairo, Lourdes, Josselyn and Aaron had to wake up early this morning so they could be in line at 6am at the bank to get the kids' passports renewed. They expect to spend the whole day there, so I will take care of everything at the breakfast program today. It is going to be a different kind of day because the kids who have afternoon classes will go to school in the morning with their mothers. Then everyone will be released when they are done with Mother's Day festivities, so we are not sure when they will arrive.
Yesterday there was a huge protest by bus drivers. I only caught the end of it - traffic was messed up when Jairo was trying to get us to the church. But from watching the news last night it was much worse earlier in the morning. The buses parked in the middle of every main street, blocking all of the main roads so the traffic couldn't pass. It was a peaceful protest with no violence. The bus drivers want to raise the rates but nobody is in support because they can barely afford the rates now. I have been on buses twice this visit. Both times it cost 11 Limpiras. That is about $2.00 in the US. I'm not sure if different buses cost more or less, but I do know there are a LOT of buses here. Most are old US school buses, but they are used for public transportation. And I have noticed there are 2 basic kinds of school buses. One has bible scripture painted across the top of the windshield and stickers about God on the back. The other kind of bus say something like "Playboy" across the top of the windshield and has stickers of women or marijuana on the back. I always see them parked at the bottom of the hill by the church. The buses here are washed constantly. I'm not sure why it is so important to have shiny tires on the buses. Maybe if they spent less time washing the buses they could make more money.
The front page of the newspapers yesterday said 3 huge words - FREE ALFONZO VILLATODO. Lourdes was reading a huge 2 page spread and I read it over her shoulder on the way to the breakfast program. He was kidnapped from his car. His car was left, parked on the side of the road between his home and work. The kidnappers are holding him hostage for a lot of money. His family is afraid he will be killed if they ask for help from the police, so they are not talking with police. I have been watching news programs on TV, but for some reason I can't find anything on TV about it. Maybe I am watching the wrong channels.
****** Evening Update ******
At the breakfast program today, one of the girls gave me a bag of conservas, which happen to be my absolute FAVORITE candies, as a Mother's Day gift. I think everyone was shocked when I started jumping up and down and screaming, "Conservas! Me ENCANTA conservas!!" Here is the embarrassing part. I was so excited by the conservas that I thanked the girl who gave them to me, then immediately forgot who it was! I have to ask on Monday.The funny thing is that I was doing laundry before I went to the Breakfast Program this morning. Of course that is my best thinking time, so I was thinking back to Mother's Days in the past when I worked in a lock down facility with boys. Almost none of them had a positive relationship with their mother, so I sometimes (like it or not) played that role. On Mothers Day they would often make cards for me instead of their biological mothers. I always had to wonder about their intentions with the cards. If they were trying to butter me up because they had ulterior motives. It was so wonderful to receive a Mother's Day gift this year that I knew came from a thoughtful heart. Even though I am not sure whose heart it was right now. (MUST find out Monday.)
The kids were super hyper at the breakfast program today, so we prayed, they ate, and we sent them on their way. I rode home with my favorite cabby, Jose. I finally got his phone number after seeing him on the corner a few days ago. Since he has no teeth his "sesenta" sounds just like "setenta" so I had written it down wrong. Now I've got it right. He gave me a ride home, stopping along the way at the grocery store for me, and still charged less than some have asked just for the ride straight home. Plus we have nice little chats. I did a second batch of laundry. Can't call it a load when I don't load it into anything. Now I have the rest of the day to relax. I have a great life! Although this morning when I was wringing out sheets til my hands cramped, I might have said it was just a good life. Most moments it really is great.
I think my neighbors in the front house are coming back home tonight. I am fine when they are gone, but I do prefer having them here. I did yard work so they could come home and find things just as they left. Mango trees are a lot of work! The mangoes are ripening, but they are up so high. I have to figure out a safe way to get some down. I banged on them with a rake and they didn't budge, so I'm guessing they are not quite ready yet. But when they fall it is quite a trick to get to them before the ants do. It felt good to get out there and do some physical work.
Need to run down to the store while it's still daylight and by some limes for my corn on the cobb tonight. Yummy! Then a shower and some reading time in my clean sheets. Sounds like a perfect evening.
Happy preface to Mother's Day -
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Photos of Chicken Soup Day
Today was chicken soup day!
Making the Soup:
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| Lots of fresh veggies (carrots, cabbage, potato, celery, cilantro) |
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| Lourdes cooking |
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| Marlin serving |
Hygiene
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| "Pasta, por favor" (Toothpaste please) |
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| Me handing out toothpaste and vitamins |
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| Getting dressed after a shower |
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| Clean, fed, and ready for school! |
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
BYOG (Bring Your Own Gun)
Yesterday as I was getting out of the car to go home I asked Jairo how he was doing. He said his liver is enlarged and he has gall stones, but they are not hurting much right now. I was not expecting that reponse. He had to get an EKG this morning. Tomorrow he will go to the doctor to put together all of the results.
When I got to the church today Jairo was already there, finished with his medical appointments. I greeted everyone like normal, but Jairo said, "We are very sad today." I asked, "Why are we sad?" Two Sundays ago at church Jairo introduced me to a woman he said is a journalist here, in Tegucigalpa. When he used the word "journalist" I was curious. I have a degree in journalism, so I wondered what kind of journalist she is. Jairo explained that she is a radio host, but her husband has the most famous morning radio show in all of Honduras. Today Jairo said the co-host of the show was kidnapped at 4 o'clock this morning on his way to work. People are wondering if the man will be killed for voicing his opinions on the radio. Jairo was very concerned and encouraged everyone, including all the kids from the Breakfast Program, to pray hard for this man's life. His name is Alfredo Villatodo. He is not from our church, but the man from our church has been doing a radio show with him for 20 years. I haven't heard any more news about that since about 10 this morning.
Lourdes said she was feeling well today. She said she was tired, but happy to be tired, because that means she will sleep well tonight. She said she did sleep well last night, but went to bed late and had to get up early, so she needed a few more hours of sleep. She is walking with less pain today. She said she is doing yoga at home every night because exercise is as important as her meds for the fibromyalgia.
It was pancake day at the breakfast program. We had about 50 kids in the morning group today. They got out of school early today because they are rehearsing for Mother's Day on Friday. Mother's Day here is a huge deal. The kids have been preparing gifts, dances and other presentations for weeks now. On Friday the mothers are invited to the schools, where the kids say their mothers will be showered with gifts. After the presentation the kids and moms will go home. Can you believe they have a half day of school for Mother's Day? Mothers are appreciated in Honduras!
Lourdes talked to the kids today about what they want to be when they grow up. The most popular choice was fútbolista (professional soccer player). Next were doctors, then police, which surprised me because I thought most people do not respect the police here, as they are known to be very corrupt. There were many who wanted to be teachers, professors, fire fighters, a few lawyers and two want to be president.
I felt a strange contradiction within myself as I listened to the kids' goals and dreams. I have always told kids they can do whatever they set their mind to. When I was working with kids in the US, it usually felt truthful. I would love to say to these kids, "You can do it!" But then I think about where these kids come from. I wonder if it is realistic for these kids to be doctors or lawyers or police officers. I feel ashamed to think that way. It's not right that I should ever doubt what they can be. These amazing kids should be everything they want to be, but it is such a huge leap from their current lives to the lives they dream of. I hope God takes them out of this place and shows them how to reach their goals.
One girl wants to be a pastor. Of them all, I think she is a safe bet. She is a beautiful soul. Her mother has Lupus, so she was born with hair that has a different texture and is very thin. She often wears a hat. I think the purpose of the hat is to protect her skin from the sun, because she seems very comfortable with herself. Her mother helps at the breakfast program often. It is crazy when she, her mother and I are in the same room because our names are so similar. She is Meylin. Her mother is Marlen. It gets very confusing.
Jairo came back from running errands today and told us the craziest story! He has to get Josselyn and Aaron's passports renewed so he went to the bank to set up an appointment. The people at the bank said they don't accept appointments, but they see 30 people per day. They told him to come back and wait in line, but come early because they will only see the first 30 people. As he was leaving, Jairo asked the guards what time he should get there so he is sure to be seen. The guard said to come at 4 a.m. Jairo said this area is not safe. He could not bring his family to stand outside in a line with money and documents. They would be perfect targets for thieves. The guards recommended that they bring guns. Jairo said he can't bring his family to a place where he has to bring a gun for protection. The guards assured him that he could shoot anyone he needed to shoot and they would say they didn't see a thing! Jairo ended up finding a bank in a better part of the city where he will have to be in line at 6am with his family on Friday morning. Wouldn't it make more sense to take appointments?
Last night I was so excited to go to watch the guys play fútbol, but I never made it there. Karla called to say she was done with school and wanted to stop by my house on the way home. I was excited to have a friend come over and visit. It felt so cool! We were sitting and talking when she received a message that she was supposed to be at school in 10 minutes for something - I didn't quite understand why. So she took the car back to the University so Jose and I never made it to the game.
I watched tv and noticed how I have become oblivious to whether the people on the tv are speaking in Spanish or English. What made it obvious was when a show came on that was in German, which was translated in subtitles to Spanish. I am not fluent in German. I don't know the definition of "fluent", but I think I am fluent now in Spanish. I believe I could even pass a fluency test.
Ayyyy! More thunder! Just in time for our usual evening thunderstorm. Now I remember why thunder always reminds me of Honduras. Everyone is so confused with this weather. It's the talk of every casual conversation. This is supposed to be the dry season, but it rains almost every day. People are worried that the world is going crazy. Well, the thunder is setting off car alarms. I'd better turn off my computer. Good thing I already ran down to the pulperia for some fresh cheese and mantequilla and my laundry is drying in the dining room. I have given up on the clothes line. Hopefully it will dry before it starts smelling musty.
My nephew Joey is really walking today! I saw a video of him toddling across the living room. It was the cutest!
As of today I need only $475 in monthly donations to be able to remain in Honduras.
Here's the link in case you need it: (Fager, Mary Lynn)
https://worldoutreach.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=117
Thank you to the Feullings for your support!
When I got to the church today Jairo was already there, finished with his medical appointments. I greeted everyone like normal, but Jairo said, "We are very sad today." I asked, "Why are we sad?" Two Sundays ago at church Jairo introduced me to a woman he said is a journalist here, in Tegucigalpa. When he used the word "journalist" I was curious. I have a degree in journalism, so I wondered what kind of journalist she is. Jairo explained that she is a radio host, but her husband has the most famous morning radio show in all of Honduras. Today Jairo said the co-host of the show was kidnapped at 4 o'clock this morning on his way to work. People are wondering if the man will be killed for voicing his opinions on the radio. Jairo was very concerned and encouraged everyone, including all the kids from the Breakfast Program, to pray hard for this man's life. His name is Alfredo Villatodo. He is not from our church, but the man from our church has been doing a radio show with him for 20 years. I haven't heard any more news about that since about 10 this morning.
Lourdes said she was feeling well today. She said she was tired, but happy to be tired, because that means she will sleep well tonight. She said she did sleep well last night, but went to bed late and had to get up early, so she needed a few more hours of sleep. She is walking with less pain today. She said she is doing yoga at home every night because exercise is as important as her meds for the fibromyalgia.
It was pancake day at the breakfast program. We had about 50 kids in the morning group today. They got out of school early today because they are rehearsing for Mother's Day on Friday. Mother's Day here is a huge deal. The kids have been preparing gifts, dances and other presentations for weeks now. On Friday the mothers are invited to the schools, where the kids say their mothers will be showered with gifts. After the presentation the kids and moms will go home. Can you believe they have a half day of school for Mother's Day? Mothers are appreciated in Honduras!
Lourdes talked to the kids today about what they want to be when they grow up. The most popular choice was fútbolista (professional soccer player). Next were doctors, then police, which surprised me because I thought most people do not respect the police here, as they are known to be very corrupt. There were many who wanted to be teachers, professors, fire fighters, a few lawyers and two want to be president.
I felt a strange contradiction within myself as I listened to the kids' goals and dreams. I have always told kids they can do whatever they set their mind to. When I was working with kids in the US, it usually felt truthful. I would love to say to these kids, "You can do it!" But then I think about where these kids come from. I wonder if it is realistic for these kids to be doctors or lawyers or police officers. I feel ashamed to think that way. It's not right that I should ever doubt what they can be. These amazing kids should be everything they want to be, but it is such a huge leap from their current lives to the lives they dream of. I hope God takes them out of this place and shows them how to reach their goals.
One girl wants to be a pastor. Of them all, I think she is a safe bet. She is a beautiful soul. Her mother has Lupus, so she was born with hair that has a different texture and is very thin. She often wears a hat. I think the purpose of the hat is to protect her skin from the sun, because she seems very comfortable with herself. Her mother helps at the breakfast program often. It is crazy when she, her mother and I are in the same room because our names are so similar. She is Meylin. Her mother is Marlen. It gets very confusing.
Jairo came back from running errands today and told us the craziest story! He has to get Josselyn and Aaron's passports renewed so he went to the bank to set up an appointment. The people at the bank said they don't accept appointments, but they see 30 people per day. They told him to come back and wait in line, but come early because they will only see the first 30 people. As he was leaving, Jairo asked the guards what time he should get there so he is sure to be seen. The guard said to come at 4 a.m. Jairo said this area is not safe. He could not bring his family to stand outside in a line with money and documents. They would be perfect targets for thieves. The guards recommended that they bring guns. Jairo said he can't bring his family to a place where he has to bring a gun for protection. The guards assured him that he could shoot anyone he needed to shoot and they would say they didn't see a thing! Jairo ended up finding a bank in a better part of the city where he will have to be in line at 6am with his family on Friday morning. Wouldn't it make more sense to take appointments?
Last night I was so excited to go to watch the guys play fútbol, but I never made it there. Karla called to say she was done with school and wanted to stop by my house on the way home. I was excited to have a friend come over and visit. It felt so cool! We were sitting and talking when she received a message that she was supposed to be at school in 10 minutes for something - I didn't quite understand why. So she took the car back to the University so Jose and I never made it to the game.
I watched tv and noticed how I have become oblivious to whether the people on the tv are speaking in Spanish or English. What made it obvious was when a show came on that was in German, which was translated in subtitles to Spanish. I am not fluent in German. I don't know the definition of "fluent", but I think I am fluent now in Spanish. I believe I could even pass a fluency test.
Ayyyy! More thunder! Just in time for our usual evening thunderstorm. Now I remember why thunder always reminds me of Honduras. Everyone is so confused with this weather. It's the talk of every casual conversation. This is supposed to be the dry season, but it rains almost every day. People are worried that the world is going crazy. Well, the thunder is setting off car alarms. I'd better turn off my computer. Good thing I already ran down to the pulperia for some fresh cheese and mantequilla and my laundry is drying in the dining room. I have given up on the clothes line. Hopefully it will dry before it starts smelling musty.
My nephew Joey is really walking today! I saw a video of him toddling across the living room. It was the cutest!
As of today I need only $475 in monthly donations to be able to remain in Honduras.
Here's the link in case you need it: (Fager, Mary Lynn)
https://worldoutreach.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=117
Thank you to the Feullings for your support!
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