Preparing for Thanksgiving

Today on the way to the breakfast program Jairo asked if my birthday is tomorrow or Wednesday.  I told him Wednesday.  He asked if I would like to go out for pizza for my birthday.  Three things went through my head all at once.

1)  Pizza?  I haven't been able to eat since Friday.

2) The last two families I know who ate pizza here got food poisening.

3)  Hot dogs.

Only the women who were in Honduras on my first trip here know why I think of hot dogs when someone mentions pizza in Honduras.  My only personal experience of pizza in Honduras was in 2008 when a team from my church took a group of girls out for pizza at Pizza Hut.  There were vienna sausages in the crust.  I'm not much of a meat eater.  It was very strange.

Jairo could tell that I wasn't jumping at the thought of going out for pizza for my birthday because I am terrible and horrible at keeping my thoughts in my mind.  They always go straight to my face.  Jairo said, "Oh, you don't want pizza."  He seemed disappointed and I didn't know what to do.

I said, "I am thinking of hot dogs."  (And food poisening and the fact that I can't imagine eating any food right now.  I didn't say that.)  Lourdes said she had no recollection of any hot dogs in the crusts at Pizza Hut, but I swear they were there!

Jairo said we are not going to Pizza Hut, we are going to a real Italian place that has the best pizza in the city.  I did my absolute best to convince him that I do really want to go out for pizza (especially at an Italian restaurant!) for my birthday.  I don't think he ever really believed me.  Now I feel horrible.  Obviously they put some thought into this idea and I did not react the way I should have.

At the Breakfast Program Lourdes worked with the kids while I took care of the kitchen.  Marlin was at the dentist so I was alone.  Lourdes is organizing a Thanksgiving dinner for Thursday.  She explained that only the kids who come regularly are invited.  She told kids who were just visiting for the day, or whom we rarely see, that they are welcome to attend the Christmas party if they attend regularly until Christmas.

We came up with a list of 81 kids so far who are invited to our Thanksgiving dinner.  K2, my church in Salt Lake, made a donation to be used in the name of Pat Pike, a memeber of K2 who was very sick.  The kids here spent weeks and weeks praying for his recovery.  Lourdes decided it would be a good idea to give thanks to God for Pat's life.  So we are having a Honduran Thanksgiving for the kids of the breakfast program.  (If anyone else would like to donate to give the kids a Thanksgiving dinner, please contact me at mlfager@hotmail.com.)

I fed 67 kids, cleaned the kitchen, and helped with English homework.  Then headed home.

When I got home a strange surprised awaited me.  Pieces of chocolate chip cookies were all over the floor.  I asked the cat if she ate the cookies, but she didn't answer.  So far she doesn't seem sick.  I have no idea why tiny bits of cookies were in the kitchen and dining room.  She has never eaten "people food" before, and she had a dish full of cat food, so this is odd.  I swept and mopped the floor.  Then I wanted to wash my sheets.  Last night I was still pretty sick.  I had a fever and chills so I wanted to clean my germy, sweaty sheets.  I am hoping tonight will be better.

There was hardly any water left by the time I finished washing.  I had to steal water from Fany's pila, carrying it in buckets and dumping it into my washing machine.  Then I made a bowl of soup and put the last few drips of water inside to let it soak.  So far the soup is sitting well in my stomach.  I should be ready for pizza by Wednesday, if the offer still stands.