"Good stuff" :-)

Finally!  I thought I was going to explode I was so full with all of the things I have wanted to share with you.  But it has been raining non-stop which means no internet.  It's the kind of rain that leaves lakes in the road and rivers running through the ditches.  I haven't seen this kind of rain since I bought my own car here.  It made me think of all of the time I used to spend with Jairo when he provided my transportation for the first year I lived here.  I remember riding with him and thinking that I never wanted to drive in this weather.  Man hole covers disappear and leave enormous chasms in the road, completely obscured by the lakes of water settled there.  Scary!

Well, before I burst and before the internet dies again let me get started.

As you know, since about August I have been struggling with something.  This is not an appropriate place to share details, but I can share that I feel quite sure I can declare today that:  With wise counsel, support from friends, and biblical reinforcement, I have not only conquered the problem, I have also grown closer to God by experiencing it.  As much as it sucked, I have learned a good lesson.

I am moving forward with more self assurance, more ownership over my role as a missionary in Honduras, and a sense of security I haven't felt since I moved here.  I chatted with Jairo for a few minutes on Facebook and he led me in the right direction.  He told me all answers are in the bible.  Then on Sunday I met with Walter and he was able to point out exact scripture which fit the situation perfectly and told me how to move forward.  My landlords and Eunice have also been extremely supportive.  And of course I always have my Mom.  She has learned, or God has moved her, to be supportive in new ways.  I am very blessed to have so many wise and caring people in my life.

Sooooo...  No more sleepless nights.  At least not about this situation.  No more beating myself up about what I could have done differently, and no more worrying about what I will do in the future.  Bottom line is that Luke 6:27-36 is all I need to know.  Well, I did know it.  But I needed to be reminded.

Okay, so now that that is behind us I have some other cool things to share.

Today was the first day that we returned to the pool.  It did not go as planned.  The soccer coach said he didn't want to coach only 3 girls and he left!  The swimming coaches never showed up at all.  Yet, not one of the kids complained.  They waited for 2 hours in the cold rain, then got on the bus and went back to the church with not a bit of negativity.

It was so great to see them, although there were few today.  I am afraid this is the way January will be.  It is cold and rainy.  I don't blame the kids if they don't want to swim in this weather.  We had 9 hard core swimmers today and 3 soccer players.  In some cases their parents do not allow them to come in this weather, even if they want to.

There is a family that recently joined our group for swimming lessons.  Three little boys have come for the past two weeks with their father and sometimes their mother.  Today they sat with us as we waited for the coaches to come.  The father asked what organization we are with.  The kids and I explained where Iglesia en Transformación is located.  He said he knew the place.

I told him about the Plentiful Life Program.  He shared with me that his church is more about theology.  He wishes that they would get out and do more for the community.  He thanked me for coming to his country and for doing what he believes the people of his country are not doing for themselves.  He said that he and his wife have been watching me.  They discussed me and my relationship with the kids at the pool.  He said he told his wife, "She is here for the children," and that he can see I am following God's will.  WOW!  What a tremendous compliment.

We discussed knowing about God vs. living as a Christian.  I told the man that my church in Honduras is very focused on learning, and we are equally focused on doing in my opinion.  He said that sounds great.  He doesn't often see that balance in Honduras.  I live in a bubble, so I really can't say much about what goes on outside of my church here.  But I can easily rattle off numerous study groups as well as ways that we serve the community ( learning and doing).

He said he believes Hondurans became focused on theology because they have people from other countries coming in and doing for them.  They, themselves, have grown complacent about the doing.  He said he and his wife are leaders in their church and they are struggling to do more.  It was a very interesting conversation.  I felt proud of the the leaders of Iglesia en Transformación and the path they have chosen for the church.  I was also very happy that my actions reflected God's love for the children as this couple watched me from a distance.

Last Sunday after church my friend Ana and her son, Samuel, who is in my preschool class, invited me to their house to meet their new baby kitten.  They were not sure about a name yet.  Ana's four kids and Ana each have a different name for the cat.  They asked if I could determine the sex of the cat.  It's still tiny, only about 4 weeks old I think.  Looks like a boy so far to me.

Ana's son David, is the middle son and doesn't get a lot of 1:1 time despite Ana's effort.  He came with me to shop for lunch fixings.  He was very protective of me and offered perfect advice.  We bought chicken, tortillas, salad fixings, rice, and also beets because they looked good to me.  I got a box of dark chocolate covered cherries, which were on sale after Christmas, for Ana.  She asked me what the brand name on the box meant.  I realized they are "Queen Anne" brand.  Perfect for my friend Ana.

We had a beautiful afternoon together.  She found a special place for me to park my car, way up on the mountain behind her house, in front of a pulperia (tiny neighborhood store) owned by her friend.  Her friend lived in the US for 7 years.  He was very kind.  Thanks to him, we were able to relax and enjoy our time with no worries for my car.  We went through family photos and had a really nice visit.

At one point Ana asked me to put the salad in the fridge.  I did.  Inside the fridge was completely empty aside from a little package of ketchup.  When I left Ana asked if I could drop her off at the bank.  I told her sure.  She stopped before she got out of the car and thanked me for following the idea to come to her house and serve her family.  She said she knows I can't understand how difficult things are.  She's right.  I can't.  I have never had an empty refrigerator with four kids to feed.  But I am glad I was able to buy her a chicken today.  We have plans for another lunch on Friday.

I am going to pray about the idea of asking my friend Ana to make a promise to me.  I am thinking of asking her to promise that if her family does not have food, she will tell me.  I do not want my friend and the children I love to go hungry.  Unfortunately, I know the fact is that other friends and other children whom I love are also going hungry.  This is the second time I have taken food to Ana's house without knowing that she had none.  It would be nice to think God had me swoop in on the two occasions that the family was struggling, but I'm pretty sure it happens far more often than I can imagine.  Thank God for the Breakfast Program.  If Ana is struggling like this, I know there are others in FAR worse situations.  After 3 weeks with no Breakfast Program, I think we will be feeding some hungry kids tomorrow.  And now that I have written this down, I think I will ask my friend Ana to make that promise to me.  I don't have a lot.  But I have never gone hungry.

I learned where Saul lives today too.  It was awesome to see him so proud to show me his home.  It was a tiny pink house on the side of the mountain in Los Pinos.  It was in a place that felt really peaceful to me.  The area even seemed landscaped, though I can't imagine that is true.  The trees were beautiful there.  Saul and I have known each other since 2009.  He was a tiny boy then.  Now he is pretty much an adult.  He started singing at church about a year ago and has grown to be a self assured, seemingly happy young man.  We sang together in the Christmas choir, which was fun.  He also helps me a lot at the Swimming Program.  He's my right hand man.   :)

People here continue to greet each other with "Feliz año".  (Happy New Year)  Greetings are such an important part of Honduran culture.

Tomorrow is the first day of the new school year!  The kids in public school don't go back to school until February.  This is their extended break, like summer vacation in the US.  Tomorrow I am excited to get the preschool rolling.  I have a lot of ideas I added to the last year's format.  It won't look a lot different from the outside, but I am adding some English this year.  I am also going to work more on the alphabet, letter recognition and the kids recognizing (and writing if age appropriate) their names.  I think that is one area I could have done better in last year.

In the past I never included much English because I didn't want to be the North American who came in and pushed my own values on the people here.  However, as more and more people of all ages ask me for help learning English I now see that it is beneficial for the preschoolers to learn basic English when it fits into the curriculum.  I've asked around and everyone seems in agreement.

I feel a new sense of ownership about the preschool class.  What I mean by this is that I feel a sense of personal investment and confidence in my abilities which I never felt before.  In the past when people introduced me as a teacher I would stop them and clarify that I am not really a teacher.  My degree is NOT in education.  Teaching is not a gift I was particularly blessed with.  However, recently I find myself telling people that I am a preschool teacher.  I think that is a good thing.  It is not prideful.  It is owning what I am doing.  Stepping into the shoes and accepting my role.  I can't wait to see how my role will grow in 2014!

I am so excited to see all of the kids tomorrow!  I still don't have a camera and my phone only works when it feels like it.  The touch screen has quite a few dead spots.  I will try to get some photos and upload them while I have internet at the church.

I hope you can sense the happiness, peace and self confidence God has recently placed in me.  It feels great and I want to share it with you.  Thank you for sticking by me.  Thank you for all of the different ways you support me, even by reading this blog.  (Did you know I am pretty sure there is a class of 28 people somewhere in Malaysia that read this blog?  Interesting, huh?  I repeatedly get 28 hits, all in the same day, from Malaysia!)

Feliz año!

Darn.  The power just went out.  Hope I can post this soon.

Note to self:
Keep bedroom door closed when using space heater because when the power goes out it gets cold quickly.
Keep something on hand for dinner that doesn't need to be heated.
And charge the Kindle while you do have power so that when you don't have power you can read.
Welcome to January in Honduras.  Chin up.  It will be over in 3 & 1/2 weeks.