A short pondering as I approach 2 years in Honduras

I was thinking today about how times have changed.  On Thursday I will have been in Honduras for two years!  While 2 years is not a long time, I see it as an accomplishment.  I continue to feel blessed that God chose me to be here.

In the past two years God has taught me about waiting, whether it be waiting for people who run on "Honduran time", or dealing with things that I think should happen NOW.

He has shown me about patience for others.  We are all on our own journey.

He has taught me about relying on others and asking for help when I need it.  The people here are more thoughtful and generous to me, as a stranger in their community, than I could have ever imagined.  I continue to be amazed.

He is teaching me about trust.  I still trust people I shouldn't and don't trust people when I should.  This is a tough one for me.  How to stop expecting changes from people who repeatedly break my trust, yet remain open to the many, many people who are worthy of trust?  That is the question.

He has taught me to be more outgoing when I need to be, even if I don't feel like it.

He has shown me that little things mean a lot.  From a hug, a smile, or a kind greeting, to sharing food with someone who might otherwise go hungry.  A small thing to me might be a big thing to someone else.

I am learning more about who I am, who I am not and who I want to be.

I am learning to choose how much I take other peoples' opinions into account.

I have learned that four year olds are quite wise.  You can learn a lot from a four year old if you listen.

People are not always who I expect them to be - both good and bad.
Kindness can come from the places you'd never imagine.  Even complete strangers.
People who are hurting tend to hurt others.  If they want to hurt me, that is more about them than it is about me.

Life is more fun when you are doing things you are passionate about.  But sometimes you have to do the dull things too.

Most of all I have learned that I still have a lot more to learn.  More things to explore.  More experiences to share.  More people to know.  More ways to grow.  There is always more.  Mas y Mas.

I wonder what God has in store for me in the year to come.  Sometimes I try to imagine.  But that is just silly.  Because God's plans are way bigger and better than mine.

Front Range Christian School - Day One

Hugs!

Samuelito praying



Freshly bathed, with new clothes
Thanks FRCS!

Making new friends!
 



Today Kenia received a pin from special friends in the US



Meylin praying

Kenia praying

Kevin praying

Kelin praying

Cindy is so happy with her new clothes!



She had her hair braided, but lice removal is tomorrow.



Violet shading me under her umbrella
She is getting so big!

Cami is back again and braiding hair

Misael is in Kinder now!  Love his backpack.

Blowing Bubbles

Good buddies having fun!

 

 

Today the team from Front Range Christian School in Littleton, CO started serving at Buen Provecho.  It was a HOT day, but they all hung in there.

 

 

 

Christian, who received this fleece from the last team who visited, showed up wearing his jacket.  It was in the mid-eighties!



And from last week:

The church leadership took me out to celebrate TWO YEARS serving in Honduras!
Seated: Hermida (my landlord), Boris, me, Axa, Ethel
Standing: Carlos (my landlord), Walter, Josue, Samuel



Jetty is turning Hondurans into cat lovers

This was a great week.  Wednesday the leadership team took me out to lunch to celebrate me being in Honduras for 2 years.  That was a nice surprise and honor.  They gave me a nice magnet for my fridge.  My first piece of scripture in Spanish!  They didn't even know I collect refrigerator magnets.  I love it.

We had a meeting Wednesday morning about the sports program.  We still need some bikes for cycling.  We are hoping to get some road bikes with the goal of having some kids ride in the Coast to Coast race next year.  Coast to Coast is a famous race in Honduras.  It think it lasts 4 days.  It goes from the South Shore to the North Shore of Honduras.

If all goes as planned, swimming should start the first weekend in April.  They are really handing me the reins with the swimming program, which I am excited about.  What I am not excited about is the fact that it is at 8-10 a.m. on Saturdays and 7-9 a.m. on Sundays.  But I remember dreading the schedule last time, and I ended up not even needing an alarm clock to wake up.  Hopefully that will make this transition a little easier.

I am thinking once things get rolling I can drive directly to the pool.  That will save me mileage and an hour of time every morning.  I will just have to find someone I trust to monitor who is allowed on the bus.  Now that it is HOT outside I can imagine we might have a few people just randomly show up, wanting to spend the day at a pool.

Let me tell you.  It is beastly outside right now.

We took attendance for the past 2 weeks at the Breakfast Program.  Kids who attended 5 of the 10 days got a special necklace with their name on it which allows them to come this week while the team from Colorado is visiting.  84 kids are invited!  The team brought things for 80 kids to do each day so we should be just perfect.  I didn't realize we were feeding so many different kids.  I thought it was the same basic group of about 80.  Turns out that we have about another 30 who show up now and then.

I have mixed feelings about this new approach, but overall it makes things more manageable.  It is also a great reward for the kids who truly are a part of the Buen Provecho program.  They deserve to have special treats.

Last time a team visited we had a lot of behavior that was not acceptable and not the way they normally behave.  This time the kids know that if they have poor behavior this week, they will not be allowed to attend next week when another team comes.

Belinda told me today that she wants me to be at the gate on Monday.  I will have to turn kids away.  But I do think the way we went about it is fair.  They knew for two weeks we were taking attendance.  They knew their was going to be a big reward for those who attended.  They even started a rumor within themselves that they had to have perfect attendance.  I also think to ask them to be at the church for only 5 of 10 days is fair in order to participate in all of the activities with the team this week.

We made exceptions for Milagro, who had chicken pox.  Also Lesly and Cindy will be coming.  They were at home with their sick grandmother.  They are kids who normally come every day.

I was yelled at Friday by a Grandmother who insisted her granddaughter attended the program every day.  She even went so far as to lie several times.  Finally Belinda told me to come into the office and shut the door.  Then I heard one of the tutors tell the Grandmother that as a tutor she is at the church every day and she knew the girl had not been around much.  The grandmother admitted that she only sent the girl when she knew there are free gifts.  The grandmother was angry that nobody had come to tell her that we were handing out bags of candy Friday so she could send her kids.

So far all of the kids have been very respectful, even if they were not able to attend.  I think they are calm because they knew the expectations were clear.  They have known for 2 weeks that their attendance would earn them something very special and important.  Twenty of them had perfect attendance and a bunch more only missed one day.

Today the team from Colorado was at church.  I was excited to see them.  I knew two of the kids and one of the teachers from when they came last year.  The rest of the group is new.  I am really looking forward to spending this week with them.

I have had a hard time posting anything lately.  Not for lack of trying.  My internet connection is very weak so I haven't been able to add any pictures.  Many nights I can't even log on.  Finally I broke down and spent $25 for a month of internet on a little modem.  But that connection is just as weak as when I use my neighbors' wifi.  That was a waste.  Walter is hoping to fix a computer for me to use at the church.  He has been working on it quite a bit, but so far he has not been able to piece together one for me.

Friday my mechanic took me to the place where he bought my car battery.  I have to go there every 3 months and have that place check the battery in order to maintain the 7 year warranty.  The battery was fine.

We stopped to look for tires.  They are on sale right now.  If I buy them now they cost about the same as in the US.  We have been waiting since November.  Tires here only go on sale once/year.  I never thought I would drive on tires like I am driving on right now.  People around here drive on tires until they pop.  That's how you know when to get a new one.

I asked the mechanic if he could adjust my clutch.  I said when I am driving home from the gym with tired legs it is really hard to push in the clutch.  He said that is the clutch talking to me.  The clutch is telling me I will need a new clutch soon.  Oh boy.  New tires and a new clutch are not in my budget.  I asked if the clutch can wait a while.  He said yes, the clutch is talking but it is not screaming yet.

Saturday I took Jetty to the vet.  She needed her feline leukemia shot.  She also needed a check up for her asthma.  This season is tough for her with the air full of smoke from forest fires.  The doctor did a blood test and said her liver is doing well with the asthma meds, but we decided to change her to a non-steroid for a few weeks and see how she does.  She also got an anti-parasite medicine.  She'll need that once/year.  The vet and her assistant spent almost an hour with me.  They fell in love with Jetty.

When I first took Jett out of her cage to get weighed the assistant asked if she is aggressive.  I assured her that she is very "tranquila".  Later in the appointment the vet came back into the room from doing the blood work and said that Jetty must have turned the assistant into a cat lover.  The assistant was sitting on a stool with Jetty sprawled on her lap.  I assumed she always liked cats, but apparently Jett is the first.  Lots of people here are dog people and don't like cats.  Jetty has her own mission in Honduras.  To get people to like cats.  The vet and her assistant repeatedly said they wish all cats were like Jetty.  She is pretty darn special.

I am so blessed to have a good mechanic and a good vet.  It is a huge relief to know that my cat and my car are both in good hands.

Last night I had a horrible fever.  My sheets were drenched with sweat.  It was the strangest thing.  My head was so cold if I had had the energy I would have gotten up and put on a winter hat.  My body felt like it was cold on the outside but burning up on the inside.  I had horrible nightmares about people chasing me and killing everyone around me.  I kept trying to find a spot in my bed that wasn't soaked with sweat, but everything was drenched.

Today I've had a sore throat, a tiny bit of a runny nose, and my ears feel funny.  But I am not allowing myself to be sick.  I have been looking forward to this week for too long.  The bug that everyone else has lasts for 2 weeks.  It is a rough one.  I am hoping some vitamins, lots of rest, and healthy meals will fight this off.  We have the team from CO this week and another team next week, so I need to be in top form!

I just tried to post my pics from last week, but I can't even get to the screen where you upload them.  Sorry!  Someday soon.

Fires return

Forest fires are back.  The city is covered in smog when I drive down to the church each morning.  Yesterday the land down the road about a kilometer away was completely scorched.  There was another fire burning further down the mountain on the other side of the road.  It's not everywhere.  Yet.  But it's getting closer.

Right now all of my windows are closed, despite it being a beautiful evening.  There is a fire close by and the smoke is saturating the air.  It hurts to breathe.  I can't see the glow of the flames and I can't hear the sound of the fire crackling, thank God.  (I hate that sound.)  But the smell is powerful.

I'm glad I have already been through a fire season here.  I know it's going to get worse before it gets better.  I'm glad I was at the church last year when the fire burned right up to my house.  This year I know what to expect.  I know if the fire burns up to my house I'll be safe.  I know it can be scary.

My landlords work hard keeping the land clear.  They hire extra help and they work on a daily basis themselves.  They cut everything back and clean out everything that is dead.  Except trees because the trees here are protected.  Even the dead ones.  It is illegal to cut them down.  There are several dead trees near my house.  They died last year when the fire came.  The fire took their leaves and fruit, then smoldered in their roots for several days, which killed the trees slowly.  Luckily they are not close enough to be a danger to my house, I think.

I need to make sure not to leave any clothes drying on the line or windows open.  Last year I had to wash my whole wardrobe several times because all of my clothes smelled smoky when I left the windows open.  My sheets burned up when I left them on the clothes line.  Lesson learned.

Ugh

What a crappity crap of a day.  It all started at 5:30 a.m.  That's when Jetty woke me up because she was hungry.  Turns out I was hungry too.  So hungry that I couldn't get back to sleep.  Finally after coming to grips with the fact that sleep was not going to return to me, I went downstairs and got some yogurt.  I finished the coffee mug of yogurt and set it on the nightstand, then started drifting off to sleep.  Until I heard licking sounds.  The cat was liking the mug clean.  Vomiting was guaranteed to ensue if I didn't get out of bed, go downstairs and wash the mug.  Instead I tried to cover it with a notebook which the cat quickly knocked off.  My next brilliant idea was to stick it under my pillow.

Even in the moment I knew under the pillow was not a good place.  Two reasons:  Yogurt was getting all over my pillowcase.  Also, I could easily forget the mug was there and it would fall on the floor and break.  Since you already know it was a crappy day, you already know that both of those things happened.  Rather than sleep I was soon cleaning yogurt and broken mug up from the floor.

At that point I gave up on sleep.  I decided to get to work on some tax stuff I have been putting off, but it wouldn't download (internet too slow).  I tried to send a thank you email for the third day in a row and it wouldn't send (internet too slow).  I checked on tickets to go to the US in June.  No matter how I try to do it (Salt Lake or Denver, May, June or July) the ticket is close to $900.  Looks like I won't go home this summer either.  Very disappointing.  Finally I gave up on internet related things and decided to do them at the church.

Determined to do something productive I called my mechanic and asked if I could pass by for my three month battery check.  The check is necessary in order to maintain the 7 year guarantee valid.  The mechanic told me he'd be waiting.  But when I got there he said he forgot he can not do the check himself.  He has to take it to the store where he bought it and they check it there.  Also, I needed to have paperwork that was not in the car where I put it.  So I was stressed out all day wondering where I put those papers.  Without that paperwork my 7 year guarantee was already invalid after 3 months.  UGH!

I got to the church and one boy and one lady were the only ones there.  We sat and waited.  Meanwhile the boy pestered me to pay him to wash my car, which I just washed 2 days ago and the lady got mad at me because I thought her son was using a pencil I had lost the week before.  I still think that, but I don't understand getting upset over a dumb pencil.  First she got mad at me for asking about the pencil and then she criticized me for being quiet.  She gave me a big speech about how I was very quiet and serious and that my mind was far away and just a bunch of stuff I didn't feel like hearing. 

I needed to get away so I decided to try to use the church computer, but someone had taken a cable off the back so it no longer has internet.  I spent about a half hour trying to figure that out why I couldn't at least get Wi-Fi.  Belinda offered to let me use her computer and right at that instant the power went out.  That was when the migraine kicked in.

The afternoon kids finally showed up.  One boy came with a huge, swollen, black and blue egg on his temple.  There were several stories about how it got there.  Looked to me like someone slugged him really hard with a right fist.  Poor little guy.  As I was checking out the banged up head, Junior told me he has a "ball" growing under his armpit.  His mother has been putting aloe and an iron (I certainly hope it is not literally an iron like he said) on it.  The skin looked fine, but there was a big swollen ball in his armpit.  Then a kid who was on his way home fell out of a mango tree onto his head and needed stitches.  He came back, bleeding all over so we patched him up and sent him home with a note explaining it had NOT happened at the church and he needed medical attention.

We finished up homework with the afternoon kids and I went straight home.  No gym with this headache.

I finally was able to log in to my donor account online only to learn that I lost a donor.  In reality, I have only lost 2 sponsors in the past 2 years.  I think that is really good.  One is a situation I completely understand and think is for the best.  But this was someone I thought would tell me they no longer chose to support me.  There are other factors that make it difficult to understand and hurtful, but this is not the place to share them.

So, I am going to take a shower, put fresh sheets on my bed and read.  Disappearing into a book is the best way to be done with this day.  I have more awesome days than most people, so I am grateful for that.  Everyone has a bad day now and then.  Tomorrow will be better.

Photos from Friday

I got some great photos yesterday.  LOVE my new camera!

PRAYER:



Delia and Jacky took a break from tutoring and worked in the kitchen!




Isabela thinks it's fun when Mommy prays

 

Washing hands

Violet

Marlin took a day away from cooking and washed hands

Ana stepped out of the kitchen for the day
She enjoyed drying all of the kids' hands.

Drying her son, Jired's, hands



And a kiss for Mommy

Happy Mom

♥♥♥

Walter is new. He has been coming every day for 2 weeks.

Samuelito

Carlos appeared today

Junior

Oscar pretends he doesn't want his picture taken

Roberto is a sweetie

Isabela loves espagetis!

The Party is Over

Tummy is back to normal.  I think it was going to the gym that did it.  That and a little acidophilus got everything running smoothly.  But not tooo smoothly.

Last night was kill tremendously huge bug/spider night in my house.  It is amazing how I am getting accustomed to these things.  The spider I had seen before.  It was one of those big double bubble ones.  I call it that because it has two big round parts for a body.  The bug, on the other hand, I had never seen before.  It was like a supersized grasshopper, only with a tubular body and antenna that were three times bigger than itself.  That sucker did not want to die.  I think it wanted to attack me first.  Of course I was trapped in the bathroom with it so there was nowhere to run.  It crawled across the ceiling, then dive bombed me.  I screamed and hid in the shower.  Finally it crashed onto the floor outside the shower, spilling guts all over.  GROSS!

Jetty's asthma is acting up from my mad killing spree.  I try to be concise and limit the amount of bug spray I use, but with gigantic beasts like these too much is never enough.  I have seen them come back to life after I thought they were dead!  So Jetty is a little wheezy.

I am really enjoying the weather.  The rainy season ended a month ago.  It has been warm and sunny every day with an occasional thunderstorm just when you are tired of baking in the heat.  I can hang laundry out to dry and it actually dries!  Something those of you who have never lived near a rain forest really can't appreciate.  I have also been leaving the second floor windows open at night.  I love to snuggle in my blankets with a nice breeze blowing through.

One week into the dry season the fires had already started.  The air was pretty smoky, but nothing like last year.  Of course it is still early.  Yesterday on the radio they were announcing water shortages, which I can't believe since it rained from June until February.  That rainy season felt endless like a Northern New York winter.

In other news "The Party is Over".  That's what they said about all of the people who are running unregistered vehicles for public transportation.  Transportation police are going to have roadblocks 3 times/week to get the unregistered busses, taxis and moto-taxies (aka tuk-tuks in Guatemala and Thailand) off the road.

Road blocks in Honduras are kind of a joke.  They announce on the news each morning who they are targeting, so people know ahead of time and just take the day off if they are not legal.  But the radio announcer who said, "The Party is Over" said the last time they set up roadblocks, of 30 buses only five were legal.  They estimate over a thousand unregistered tuk tuks are on the road.  And who knows how many taxis.

Yesterday morning in the news I also caught that some prison gangs were throwing grenades at each other at 3 a.m. and trying to escape.  They were talking about preparing the hospitals for the injured and dead people.

My church in the US was supposed to have a team meeting about planning a trip to Honduras, but apparently people forgot about it so it was postponed until next week.  I would love to host them and am hoping they make it here eventually.  I think it has been 4 years since the last team was here.  It would be great to get them excited about Honduras again.

Hambre vs Hombre

I think it is official that I am becoming accustomed to living in Honduras.  Friday night I came home in a rain storm.  When I washed my feet in the shower there were squirmy worms that washed off.  It was disgusting.  I was glad I had not jumped into bed without washing my feet! 

Then I went downstairs and killed another scorpion. This time killing the scorpion didn't even fase me.  Jetty was very interested in it so I was more concerned about her getting stung.  It was very crunchy under my foot and didn't die quickly.  (Aren't you glad I shared those details?)

Jetty has a new friend and I have my own personal watch dog again.  Almost a year ago my landlords got a dog.  He always laid outside my door.  One day he disappeared and was gone for eleven months.  We figured he was kidnapped.  That's what happens to good dogs around here.  When I got back from Guatemala he came back!  He just showed up one day.  The cool part is that he resumed his spot outside of my front door.  I had forgotten that he used to do that.  He and Jetty play under the crack of the door.  I like having a guard dog.

My tummy is still not right.  A couple of days ago I got hungry for the first time.  Since then I really only get hungry at night.  In Spanish if you are hungry, you can say that you are "with hunger".  The word for hunger is hambre.  The word for man is hombre.  The other day I told Eunice that I am not hungry all day, but every night I am "with men"!  I realized what I had said as soon as I said it and we both started cracking up laughing.  I think Eunice was more embarrassed than I was.  She said I should never say that again.

Today the coolest thing happened.  I was getting ready to go to the church, running late, when my phone rang.  I took the time to answer it and talk for a few minutes.  It was someone whom I don't know well.  She was calling with a quick question.  In the course of the conversation she asked how I am doing.  I told her I am doing well, but really struggling for financial support.  As soon as I said that I felt so strange!  It is something I have not talked to many people about.

At some point I have to send out a letter begging for money and I have been dreading it.  But for some reason as I talked on the phone I shared that with her.

After I got to the church I received an email which brought me to tears.  She said that she had been praying and God is leading her to support me on a monthly basis!  I love seeing God's hand so clearly.  It helps me know I am on the right path.  I know that God put those words in my mouth.  I was shocked when I spoke them to her.  They didn't come from me.  I am so grateful God did that.  It gives me courage to ask others for more monthly support in the future.

Much better

Today I was active most of the day.  I didn't even take a nap!  But I also didn't eat.  I was scared about how my stomach would react and I had no appetite.

Then Hermida came over and asked what I had eaten.  I promised her I would cook soup, but she took me to her house and made me chicken broth and potatoes again.  My tummy is still gurgly.  It hurts now and then, but it is way better than even yesterday morning.

I can't wait for it to be well enough to go to the gym again.  I am aching to run!

I got some things done around the house that I have been meaning to do.  And I watched the movie "Saving Mr. Banks".  I really liked it.  I had not heard anything about it and didn't know what to expect, so it was a nice surprise.

Say no to toast

My excitement in the past 24 hours consists of the fact that I finally got hungry last night.  I decided I was enough better that I didn't need to listen to the doctor's advise of clear liquids only.  So I made toast.  And put butter on it.  Suffice it to say that my stomach made it quite clear it was not happy with my choice of food.

Today Hermida made me really yummy pureed potatoes with NO dairy and the most delicious brothy soup I have ever had in my life.  I eat a few bites every 2 hours.  My stomach grumbles, I get a little nauseous and burpy, then I go back to sleep.  I never knew bland food could taste so good.

I am drinking plenty of liquids and trying to decide if I can make it to the Breakfast Program tomorrow.  Since I am tired just walking up and down the stairs to the kitchen, right now I am leaning toward no.  But I am definitely much, much better than Saturday and Hermida says she can see improvements in my appearance and the sound of my voice even within the day today.

I guess I am disappointed because I expected to feel better than I actually do by now.

Yup. It's dysentery.

This morning I woke up feeling better, but knowing I would still have to see a Dr.  I was full of burps with sharp pains in my stomach and NO appetite.  I called my neighbor/landlord Hermida and asked her if I should see a specialist, or if this was something my regular Dr could handle on Monday.

First she scolded me, saying I should have called her yesterday and why did I wait so long.  Then she called a specialist.  Her husband ran to the store and came back with soup and Gatorade.  She apologized that she could not stay home and take care of me.  But really, I prefer to be alone when I alone when I am sick.

The specialist came within an hour.  He did a full check up and told me that I wasn't drinking enough water, which was definitely true.  He asked to look at my tongue, which I knew was black since I had been taking PeptoBismol all day yesterday and hadn't thought to brush my teeth until that moment.  I explained about the PeptoBismol and he said, "That is good.  You North Americans are good about always taking PeptoBismol."  I thought that was pretty funny.  And accurate.

I had to explain to him that yes, I knew there was mucous but no blood in my stool because on several occasions yesterday I had not made it the 10 feet to my toilet so my underpants held the evidence.

He gave me something natural to clean out my intestines? or colon? or wherever the little infectious creatures are living inside of me.  And he gave me the same exact antibiotic I had read on the internet was the best, which was reassuring.  Plus something for nausea.  He told me not to eat any dairy or anything greasy.  No worries.  The idea alone almost made me gag.

Hermida has her brother and sister-in-law on stand by.  She called them right after she called the Doctor.  Since she has church obligations she asked them to come over this afternoon to look in on me.  She thinks they are making soup for me.

Really, I am much better than yesterday.  I just need to get rid of these uninvited guests in my belly.

How funny that I spent two years in Honduras with no stomach problems.  Then one week in Guatemala hit me hard.  Strange.  Good thing I really loved that place.

Note to self:  Stop watching Discovery Channel's show about parasites.  It is making my imagination run wild.

I think I have Dysentery

Was really looking forward to going to La Tigra for the day to hike with the jovenes group.  Then at 6:30 a.m. I woke up feeling sick.  I was hoping to feel better by the time I was supposed to meet up with the group.  It was the same symptoms I had in Guatemala, only worse.  My stomach was killing me.

The morning went by in a haze.  In the middle of the afternoon I decided I was not going to die.

Once I realized I wasn't going to die I decided to upload some Guatemala photos to Facebook, as this was something I could do from my bed.  My cousin's wife thanked me for sharing the photos.  She also mentioned she had Dysentery when she got back from Guatemala.  Tonight I got to wondering what Dysentery is.  It sounds so exotic.   So I googled it.

I have every symptom.  Ugh.

I know it's typical to think you have something when you google it.  But Dysentery has some very specific symptoms which you do NOT want to know, and I have them.

Some people let it run its course, but since I have had it for over a week and since the type that is commonly found in tropical areas needs medication, I will have to go to the doctor.

I really thought it was my IBS acting up in strange, new ways.  Believe me, "Dysentery" sounds a lot more exotic than it really is.  Don't bother to google it.  Just believe me.  It's disgusting and not fun.