Sometime before Easter I wrote an email to Lourdes and Jairo Sarmiento, as well as our buddy, Tony Dien. I asked if they could use some help at the refuge this summer. At the time it seemed that I would be jobless and homeless when I am done being a nanny for my nephew so it made sense.
A few weeks later I went back to SLC for Easter weekend. My first stop was the Good Friday service at K2 (which was AMAZING!!!). As I got out of my car I saw Jeneviere, who told me that the refuge had been closed by the Honduran Government. We knew this had been a possibility, but we kept hoping it wouldn't happen. At that point I began to readjust my thinking and started looking for jobs in Salt Lake, as well as Denver as a back-up plan.
Then, on May 4th, I got an email from Tony. At that point I had gotten used to the idea of returning to my friends, my house, my church, and my normal life in SLC. Tony said that they had been praying about it and asked if I were still interested in going down to Honduras. I have to admit - it took about two hours for me to wrap my head around the idea. I called my Mom and my friend Heather. Both were supportive. Heather pointed out that I had made NO plans for my future.
I thought about that. For the past 9 years I have gone to Telluride for the bluegrass festival. This was the first year that I had not gotten tickets. I had looked on the internet and made some phone calls, but I really had no job options. I had no plans until Kate's wedding August 22.
Tony asked me to think everything over and get back to him with ideas about what I would like to do in Honduras. I think I sent him 3 emails that day. And he replied promptly, which was so nice because I was soooo excited.
Since that time Tony and I have been emailing often. As of today I'm not sure when I will leave or how long I will stay. Yesterday, May 11th, Tony asked if I would like to stay with a local family while I am there. I am very excited about the opportunity to live in the community with a family from the church. I think that living with a family will help me with my personal goal of obtaining a bilingual job when I return.
Tomorrow the family is going to have a family meeting. They will discuss whether they would like to host me during my time in Honduras, or not. If they decide to host me Tony will set up a meeting by Skype at the church so that I can talk with the family about their expectations and needs. They have a four year old daughter with Down Syndrome. I remember meeting them at church when I visited Honduras the first time. Of course, they don't remember me. I was one of 17 Gringas running around their church that week.
I am praying that this family will decide they want to host me, and that I have the necessary finances to make this opportunity possible. I am also praying that I will recognize any way that I can help while I am there.
