Still basking in the joy of working with kids who are eager to learn and enjoy their time in class. The afternoon group are exhausted after coming from school. They are sweaty from walking long distances to the church in the heat. But they are still so much fun!
It's not perfect. They are teenagers. Everyday I say "It's time to start class!" And every day their response is groan, sit and stare blankly, ignore, walk farther away (like they will become invisible or something!), huff and groan some more. I used to wait and beg. Now I just walk up to the classroom and soon they all follow.
The ones who groan and huff the loudest are the same ones who want to stay and learn more when class is over. So I guess all of the huffing and groaning is more for show and I don't take it personally.
Yesterday I was telling someone whose opinion I respect about the class. After she heard what we are doing she told me that I am doing a good job. That compliment from that specific person felt awesome! I did not take it lightly. I told her thank you in a very sincere way. She smiled and said you're welcome.
This week we have started each class with a devotional. I tried working with some devotionals that are common in Honduras, but they were about adult topics like marriage or else really long, so I went back to my old faithful - "Jesus Calling". The only downfall is that it is downloaded onto my Kindle, which means I have to bring the Kindle to church with me every day. Not the best idea to have the Kindle at the church (where things have a tendency to, as we say, walk away. Traveling back and forth to the church with the Kindle is not wise either. I can't stop anywhere with it in my car. I am hoping to find a copy of the book in Spanish.
On June 29th our devotional was about worship, which is Buen Provecho's theme for the month of June, so that was perfect. Today was about taking quiet time and slowing down so you can hear from God. Every day it lists at least 2 bible verses that correspond, so I hand out bibles at the start of each class and have a kid look up each verse ahead of time. The kids are reading aloud better than I expected. Most of them are participating in the discussion. Some of the kids who go to night school come to both the morning and the afternoon class! All of them are learning really quickly.
They are also bringing me more and more English homework and asking for help. For most of them, the homework is completely beyond their comprehension. It is really frustrating for them because - for example today, a boy had to fill in the blank with "Do" "Don't" "Does" or "Doesn't". But he had no idea what any of the words in the whole sentence mean. Therefore he had absolutely no clue how to use any form of do or don't. He doesn't even know "The" or "In" or "There are". He does know colors and numbers in English. That's about it.
We spent 3 hours filling in 3 pages of homework. At least he is willing to sit and learn. He will be a step ahead of his classmates who are blindly filling in the blanks. Like he used to, until today.
He doesn't know basic sentence structure. He didn't capitalize the first letter of his sentences or use any punctuation unless I reminded him. I am torn. I don't have time to teach him all he needs to know in order to do the homework. So I try the best I can. I make him look things up in the dictionary. I write down the rules of whatever we are doing in his notebook, so he can look back at it later. But I do give stronger clues than I should and point out correct answers more than I would like to. Otherwise we would never finish. In the end he did his homework. I think he understood 50% of it, but I asked him to review it and he has the rules of the grammar in his notebook. So if he wants to learn, he can. At least he is a step ahead of his classmates who
This weekend is our last weekend of swimming until the new class starts in November. I have mixed feelings. Yay! I don't have to get up at 5 a.m. every Saturday and Sunday. And I won't be at the church 7 days per week anymore. But BOO! I will miss watching the kids and the adults push themselves to do things they never imagined they could. I love sharing swimming with them!
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Monday, July 28, 2014
Cutting cake with a machete
Yesterday day was fun. Only one more week of weekend swimming class. Then I get to sleep until a reasonable hour for a few months. Our next classes will start in November when the kids go on summer vacation for 3 months. We will swim 3 days/week then. I am looking forward to that already because they are able to learn so much when they go in consecutive days.
Yesterday the adults learned the basics of life saving. They learned how to carry someone and they tried to learn to jump in the water but keep their head out. They did pretty well with the carry.
One of the instructors had 2 bathing suits that a lady had given him because she lost over 100 pounds and they no longer fit her. So Clara and my friend from Usami now have their very own bathing suits for the first time.
And I taught Clara how to dive:
Yesterday the adults learned the basics of life saving. They learned how to carry someone and they tried to learn to jump in the water but keep their head out. They did pretty well with the carry.
One of the instructors had 2 bathing suits that a lady had given him because she lost over 100 pounds and they no longer fit her. So Clara and my friend from Usami now have their very own bathing suits for the first time.
And I taught Clara how to dive:
 |
| Clara's new bathing suit |
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| Diving!
Yesterday was also Ana's birthday. I asked her what she wanted to do for her birthday. I told her it needed to be something special. She said it needed to be something the kids would like. So she decided we should go to Popeye's for chicken and the kids could play at the playland. Geovani (we are still calling him Ana's "friend" at this stage) came too. He's really shy but I got a chance to talk to him for the first time and he is as nice as she said he is. He also has a lot of cool life experience. He lived in the US for four years. He is an electrician. Seems like a good guy.
I brought a cake but nothing to cut it with. I was thinking oh no, we are going to have to cut the cake with a spork! But a lady behind the counter said she would find me something. She came back cleaning a machete. I asked Ana's son David to take a picture of us cutting the cake with a machete. But the picture doesn't do it justice. The cake was big and the machete was huge. All of the people in the restaurant got a kick out of watching me walk around with a huge machete. (I think mostly because I am sure I had a look of shock and awe on my face.)
The birthday was nice and Ana was grateful. Ana is one of my closest Honduran friends. I really love her and her kids. She said it was her favorite birthday ever. I hope it was her favorite so far.
Ana and Geovani
Jired, Ana's oldest son
 David and Samuel  Ana's gift  Isabela, Mami and David  Look how high they took Isa!   David is a good big brother  I told them they were monkeys  Cutting the cake with a machete  |
Thursday, July 24, 2014
More English Please
I had the strangest start to my day! Right as I was ready to leave the house I looked at the cable box and it said it was an hour later than my alarm clock read. The cable is often screwy so I dismissed it. When I got out to the car and saw the time on the clock there I was shocked! How could I be an hour late and not even notice? I must have slept a whole extra hour!
I was a little late for class, but they were making homemade tortillas in the kitchen so the food was running late. The class is supposed to be a half hour, but we got in a full hour as usual. Then the kids ate.
I had my first real power struggle today with one of the kids. I have worked with teens long enough to recognize a power struggle a mile away. Normally I make an effort not to engage, but this time I really felt I had to. Ugh. This week the kids all picked their favorite bible verse to share with the class. We talked about each verse afterward. I told each student when they were going to present their verse since we could not do them all in one day because there are about 25 kids each day!!!
One boy said he was not ready and would do it tomorrow. I reminded him there is not class tomorrow because it is their free day. So he insisted he was going to present his verse next week. I told him no, he is going to do it today, just like everyone else.
The other kids all presented their verses. Some were not quite ready. But when they realized we were going to wait until they found a verse, they searched and found one. This boy sat with the bible closed on his lap. He refused to even open it!
Finally we moved into the English part of the class. I told him he could participate in English or search for his verse. I said I was free all day and all night I could wait until he found a verse. I asked if it was because he didn't have one in mind, or because he couldn't find the one he had in mind. He didn't really answer.
He fully participated in English. I complimented him when he did well. We prayed before lunch and he stayed put in his chair when everyone else left. I was surprised he didn't try to leave. I couldn't have made him stay.
We ended up having a really nice talk. About the bible. About his faith. About why I felt like I had to be strict with him and not let him slide by without doing the homework. He found a verse and we talked about it. Then I felt really strongly that I was supposed to share Psalm 139 with him. We took turns reading it verse by verse and then discussed it together. He seemed to appreciate it.
He said he does believe in Christ as his savior. He does believe the bible is the word of God. I felt like he was being honest. (Many of the kids of Buen Provecho come for the physcial nutrition, but are not Christ followers.) He said that he doesn't read the bible because he finds it intimidating and unapproachable. That was when I came up with the idea of getting him a daily devotional that has a bible verse for each day. He said that he would indeed study those verses and it would make the bible more approachable for him. Then I thanked him because it was also a great idea to use a devotional in the classroom too - a devotion each morning after our prayer would be really cool. I am still going to get him his own devotional for home.
We ended up closer than we ever were before. He is a tough kid. He got kicked out of school and has a history of drugs, according to Belinda. But today when it was just him and me he was soft and kind.
When we left the classroom everyone was looking at us. I could see they were all wondering what happened. They could see that both of us were calm and happy and talking. One kid asked if he had read his verse and I told them yes, he had. I think things will be easier for the two of us now. I believe so.
The afternoon class was big again. There are about 25 kids every day! That is a huge deal to me. The afternoon class went smoothly. We started early so I told them they could leave a half hour later. But they said no! It's not 1:30 yet! I explained we started early so they could leave early. They said, "No! Teach us more English!" How could I say no? They stayed and we worked until 1:30 which is the time they are supposed to normally leave. I was surprised that they wanted to do more work. And really happy! Apparently they like our class as much as I do.
I stopped by the vet and as I got out of the car, the shoulder strap to my dress snapped and broke. I was headed to the Christian bookstore to buy the devotionals. I couldn't go there with my dress hanging off. So that will be an errand for tomorrow.
At the veterinarians office I needed advice about what food I should be giving my cat. Thank God the girl at the front desk of the vet's office checked with a Dr for advice. I learned that I am giving my cat medicine 2x/day and she is supposed to get it 2x/week! No wonder she is not well.
Yesterday I was invited to lunch with a lady from the church. I enjoy her company. She has lived in the US and understands me better than many people in Honduras can. We tend to see things in similar ways. It was nice to have a lady's afternoon together. We talked and ate and then looked at expensive shoes. It was fun pretending which we would buy.
Tomorrow is Friday. It is free day at Buen Provecho, but guess what? The kids asked me for more English classes on their free day! That is so awesome!! Of course I told them yes. I am so blessed that God gave them such a strong desire to learn. I pray I will be a good teacher to them.
I was a little late for class, but they were making homemade tortillas in the kitchen so the food was running late. The class is supposed to be a half hour, but we got in a full hour as usual. Then the kids ate.
I had my first real power struggle today with one of the kids. I have worked with teens long enough to recognize a power struggle a mile away. Normally I make an effort not to engage, but this time I really felt I had to. Ugh. This week the kids all picked their favorite bible verse to share with the class. We talked about each verse afterward. I told each student when they were going to present their verse since we could not do them all in one day because there are about 25 kids each day!!!
One boy said he was not ready and would do it tomorrow. I reminded him there is not class tomorrow because it is their free day. So he insisted he was going to present his verse next week. I told him no, he is going to do it today, just like everyone else.
The other kids all presented their verses. Some were not quite ready. But when they realized we were going to wait until they found a verse, they searched and found one. This boy sat with the bible closed on his lap. He refused to even open it!
Finally we moved into the English part of the class. I told him he could participate in English or search for his verse. I said I was free all day and all night I could wait until he found a verse. I asked if it was because he didn't have one in mind, or because he couldn't find the one he had in mind. He didn't really answer.
He fully participated in English. I complimented him when he did well. We prayed before lunch and he stayed put in his chair when everyone else left. I was surprised he didn't try to leave. I couldn't have made him stay.
We ended up having a really nice talk. About the bible. About his faith. About why I felt like I had to be strict with him and not let him slide by without doing the homework. He found a verse and we talked about it. Then I felt really strongly that I was supposed to share Psalm 139 with him. We took turns reading it verse by verse and then discussed it together. He seemed to appreciate it.
He said he does believe in Christ as his savior. He does believe the bible is the word of God. I felt like he was being honest. (Many of the kids of Buen Provecho come for the physcial nutrition, but are not Christ followers.) He said that he doesn't read the bible because he finds it intimidating and unapproachable. That was when I came up with the idea of getting him a daily devotional that has a bible verse for each day. He said that he would indeed study those verses and it would make the bible more approachable for him. Then I thanked him because it was also a great idea to use a devotional in the classroom too - a devotion each morning after our prayer would be really cool. I am still going to get him his own devotional for home.
We ended up closer than we ever were before. He is a tough kid. He got kicked out of school and has a history of drugs, according to Belinda. But today when it was just him and me he was soft and kind.
When we left the classroom everyone was looking at us. I could see they were all wondering what happened. They could see that both of us were calm and happy and talking. One kid asked if he had read his verse and I told them yes, he had. I think things will be easier for the two of us now. I believe so.
The afternoon class was big again. There are about 25 kids every day! That is a huge deal to me. The afternoon class went smoothly. We started early so I told them they could leave a half hour later. But they said no! It's not 1:30 yet! I explained we started early so they could leave early. They said, "No! Teach us more English!" How could I say no? They stayed and we worked until 1:30 which is the time they are supposed to normally leave. I was surprised that they wanted to do more work. And really happy! Apparently they like our class as much as I do.
I stopped by the vet and as I got out of the car, the shoulder strap to my dress snapped and broke. I was headed to the Christian bookstore to buy the devotionals. I couldn't go there with my dress hanging off. So that will be an errand for tomorrow.
At the veterinarians office I needed advice about what food I should be giving my cat. Thank God the girl at the front desk of the vet's office checked with a Dr for advice. I learned that I am giving my cat medicine 2x/day and she is supposed to get it 2x/week! No wonder she is not well.
Yesterday I was invited to lunch with a lady from the church. I enjoy her company. She has lived in the US and understands me better than many people in Honduras can. We tend to see things in similar ways. It was nice to have a lady's afternoon together. We talked and ate and then looked at expensive shoes. It was fun pretending which we would buy.
Tomorrow is Friday. It is free day at Buen Provecho, but guess what? The kids asked me for more English classes on their free day! That is so awesome!! Of course I told them yes. I am so blessed that God gave them such a strong desire to learn. I pray I will be a good teacher to them.
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
I ♥ Teens
I love preschoolers. I really, really do. However, as I have been saying for over 2 years, teaching preschool is not my thing. I am not crafty. I can only crawl around on the floor or pretend to drink coffee from a tiny pink plastic cup for so long. I love the hugs and the hilarious things that come out of a four year old's mouth. Watching the kids learn and grow is an invaluable gift. But teaching preschool was not for me.
All my adult life I have been working with teens. It is my gift. Until this week I have not been able to exercise my gift in Honduras. In fact, I had almost forgotten I had a gift. In the past two years I started to doubt myself and my abilities.
Well, I'm BAAAAaaack!! Working with the teenagers is awesome! I absolutely love it. I am shocked by how attentive they are and how quickly they learn. It is so much fun, both for me and for them. I find myself constantly smiling and laughing. The best part is that they are laughing and smiling too! Teaching the teens is better than I ever expected or even hoped.
Granted, today is only the second day. But we have big plans and great ideas. The kids are almost as enthusiastic as I am. Except for one. He is older and comes to Buen Provecho every day. But he has grown accustomed to doing his own thing. He isolates himself and is never really part of the group. I wrote about him yesterday when I asked him to pray and everyone gasped because he had never prayed before.
Today when class started Kike tried to hide in the kitchen. When he was told he had to attend class he left the church. I wasn't surprised, but I was disappointed. He did well in class yesterday. I hope he comes back tomorrow. He has never been expected to follow the rules that the rest of the kids have to follow. He isolates and does what he wants to do. Kike could benefit as much from the social aspects of being in the class as he will from what he learns there.
Today one of the girls who tends to be the most disagreeable outside of the classroom and who struggles hardest to learn in the classroom told me that she really enjoys the class! That was awesome to hear.
I think that after more than 2 years of struggling to teach preschool I had forgotten how it feels to be naturally good at something. Let me tell you - it feels great! I am excited to see where God will lead us in this class. I think He has lots of good things in store for us. The kids are excited too, which makes me even more motivated and happy.
I called my Mom to tell her about this new phase and how happy I am. Then I remembered what happened this morning. "Yes Mom! It was one of my greatest days ever! But I almost died."
You can imagine my Mom's response. She was able to laugh since I was obviously still alive and talking with her on the phone. I told her about how I was taking my vitamins in Eunice's office this morning when one of the pills got stuck in my throat. I literally choked. I could not breathe. I motioned to Eunice and another boy who was there. Eunice jumped up from behind her desk, said, "Get your hands up!" and started whacking me repeatedly on the back. I kept trying to punch myself in the solar plexus and motioning for them to do the Heimlich maneuver. But they just kept lifting up my arms.
Finally, after more than 30 seconds the vitamin flew out of my throat and across the parking lot. It was like a jet propelled vitamin. I caught my breath, but I was sweating all over and trembling so much I could barely stand. Eunice brought me a glass of water and I sat down for a few minutes to recover.
So, I am still alive and I am really happy. Everything seems to be falling into place with my role at the church and my living situation. I can't wait to see what tomorrow, next week, next month and the next year will bring. I have a huge sense of peace coupled with hopeful excitement. Yay!
All my adult life I have been working with teens. It is my gift. Until this week I have not been able to exercise my gift in Honduras. In fact, I had almost forgotten I had a gift. In the past two years I started to doubt myself and my abilities.
Well, I'm BAAAAaaack!! Working with the teenagers is awesome! I absolutely love it. I am shocked by how attentive they are and how quickly they learn. It is so much fun, both for me and for them. I find myself constantly smiling and laughing. The best part is that they are laughing and smiling too! Teaching the teens is better than I ever expected or even hoped.
Granted, today is only the second day. But we have big plans and great ideas. The kids are almost as enthusiastic as I am. Except for one. He is older and comes to Buen Provecho every day. But he has grown accustomed to doing his own thing. He isolates himself and is never really part of the group. I wrote about him yesterday when I asked him to pray and everyone gasped because he had never prayed before.
Today when class started Kike tried to hide in the kitchen. When he was told he had to attend class he left the church. I wasn't surprised, but I was disappointed. He did well in class yesterday. I hope he comes back tomorrow. He has never been expected to follow the rules that the rest of the kids have to follow. He isolates and does what he wants to do. Kike could benefit as much from the social aspects of being in the class as he will from what he learns there.
Today one of the girls who tends to be the most disagreeable outside of the classroom and who struggles hardest to learn in the classroom told me that she really enjoys the class! That was awesome to hear.
I think that after more than 2 years of struggling to teach preschool I had forgotten how it feels to be naturally good at something. Let me tell you - it feels great! I am excited to see where God will lead us in this class. I think He has lots of good things in store for us. The kids are excited too, which makes me even more motivated and happy.
I called my Mom to tell her about this new phase and how happy I am. Then I remembered what happened this morning. "Yes Mom! It was one of my greatest days ever! But I almost died."
You can imagine my Mom's response. She was able to laugh since I was obviously still alive and talking with her on the phone. I told her about how I was taking my vitamins in Eunice's office this morning when one of the pills got stuck in my throat. I literally choked. I could not breathe. I motioned to Eunice and another boy who was there. Eunice jumped up from behind her desk, said, "Get your hands up!" and started whacking me repeatedly on the back. I kept trying to punch myself in the solar plexus and motioning for them to do the Heimlich maneuver. But they just kept lifting up my arms.
Finally, after more than 30 seconds the vitamin flew out of my throat and across the parking lot. It was like a jet propelled vitamin. I caught my breath, but I was sweating all over and trembling so much I could barely stand. Eunice brought me a glass of water and I sat down for a few minutes to recover.
So, I am still alive and I am really happy. Everything seems to be falling into place with my role at the church and my living situation. I can't wait to see what tomorrow, next week, next month and the next year will bring. I have a huge sense of peace coupled with hopeful excitement. Yay!
Monday, July 21, 2014
First day of class
I was nervous to start teaching the teens class at Buen Provecho today. Last week the kids were on vacation so we had a ton of kids - 29 teens were in the class last week. But this week has started off much differently.
Today Eunice was the only person at the church when I arrived. My friend Ana arrived a few minutes later to start cooking the meal so her kids were running around. But otherwise the church was still empty.
Ethel, the president of the church, came to drop off her son. He is helping me teach English today and Friday. No other teacher came. Belinda had another commitment and Delia was sick. We decided to have Clara play with the little ones and Jackie was supposed to be with the 7-11 year olds.
We had a nice class. There were only 6 kids. It was kids I know well. I was a little nervous to have the president's son with me on my very first day, but I think everything went well. We worked on English, we translated the words of one of their favorite songs from English to Spanish so they can know what they are singing about. I told them that the class is for them and we will work on things that they want to learn. I said I hope it will be fun for them, not just an obligation. They seemed content.
At the end I asked a boy who is at least 18 to pray before we eat. Everyone gasped and he said, "Me???"
I said, "Yes, you. Why do you guys act so surprised when I ask you to pray?"
Someone said, "Kike can't pray."
I said, "Yes he can. We are just blessing the food. Kike can pray."
Kike said in rushed words, "God bless the food."
We had a nice conversation about prayer, what it is, how to pray, and why we pray. Afterward Kike said a really nice prayer. I can't believe he spends every single day at the church and has never, ever, been asked to pray before. But I am really happy that he was open to learn today.
I think I will really like this class. It is the age I am used to working with. The small class was very manageable. In the afternoon we had 8 more kids. That will be a nice size too. I didn't realize I was going to look forward to teaching them. I feel excited to see the changes in the kids.
At least for today, Kike learned to pray.
Another journalist was kidnapped today. This afternoon they found his car and there was blood there. Now they have found him dead. It is not clear if he was killed for something he said as a journalist, or for another reason. It is sad that journalists have to live in fear for their lives in Honduras.
It is official that I will be moving to the city. I love living in the mountains for many reasons. It is safe, it is beautiful, and my landlords are great. But I simply cannot afford to be here anymore. If I live in the city I will save money in rent and a ton in gas too. I will drive 40 kilometers less every day.
Even though it makes sense for me to move to the city, I was looking for God to show me that it is what He wants for me. Guess what we are talking about this month at church? Stewardship and how to be a good steward of our resources. That was the answer I needed. It is not good stewardship to live in a more expensive place and use more gas than is necessary.
My friends Ana and Fany have offered to help paint the house. It is in good shape, but I have permission to choose colors for the walls. That will be fun! Once it is pained I will move in gradually. I can take smaller stuff down in my car day by day as I commute to the church. Right now I have a commitment to take my current landlord's son to swimming classes for 2 more weeks. I am allowed to use the church's pick up truck and ask some older kids to move my bigger things but they will be busy every Saturday for the next 3 weekends. So it seems I will probably officially move in 4 weeks.
I will miss the mountains but there are things I am looking forward to about living in the city.
Today Eunice was the only person at the church when I arrived. My friend Ana arrived a few minutes later to start cooking the meal so her kids were running around. But otherwise the church was still empty.
Ethel, the president of the church, came to drop off her son. He is helping me teach English today and Friday. No other teacher came. Belinda had another commitment and Delia was sick. We decided to have Clara play with the little ones and Jackie was supposed to be with the 7-11 year olds.
We had a nice class. There were only 6 kids. It was kids I know well. I was a little nervous to have the president's son with me on my very first day, but I think everything went well. We worked on English, we translated the words of one of their favorite songs from English to Spanish so they can know what they are singing about. I told them that the class is for them and we will work on things that they want to learn. I said I hope it will be fun for them, not just an obligation. They seemed content.
At the end I asked a boy who is at least 18 to pray before we eat. Everyone gasped and he said, "Me???"
I said, "Yes, you. Why do you guys act so surprised when I ask you to pray?"
Someone said, "Kike can't pray."
I said, "Yes he can. We are just blessing the food. Kike can pray."
Kike said in rushed words, "God bless the food."
We had a nice conversation about prayer, what it is, how to pray, and why we pray. Afterward Kike said a really nice prayer. I can't believe he spends every single day at the church and has never, ever, been asked to pray before. But I am really happy that he was open to learn today.
I think I will really like this class. It is the age I am used to working with. The small class was very manageable. In the afternoon we had 8 more kids. That will be a nice size too. I didn't realize I was going to look forward to teaching them. I feel excited to see the changes in the kids.
At least for today, Kike learned to pray.
Another journalist was kidnapped today. This afternoon they found his car and there was blood there. Now they have found him dead. It is not clear if he was killed for something he said as a journalist, or for another reason. It is sad that journalists have to live in fear for their lives in Honduras.
It is official that I will be moving to the city. I love living in the mountains for many reasons. It is safe, it is beautiful, and my landlords are great. But I simply cannot afford to be here anymore. If I live in the city I will save money in rent and a ton in gas too. I will drive 40 kilometers less every day.
Even though it makes sense for me to move to the city, I was looking for God to show me that it is what He wants for me. Guess what we are talking about this month at church? Stewardship and how to be a good steward of our resources. That was the answer I needed. It is not good stewardship to live in a more expensive place and use more gas than is necessary.
My friends Ana and Fany have offered to help paint the house. It is in good shape, but I have permission to choose colors for the walls. That will be fun! Once it is pained I will move in gradually. I can take smaller stuff down in my car day by day as I commute to the church. Right now I have a commitment to take my current landlord's son to swimming classes for 2 more weeks. I am allowed to use the church's pick up truck and ask some older kids to move my bigger things but they will be busy every Saturday for the next 3 weekends. So it seems I will probably officially move in 4 weeks.
I will miss the mountains but there are things I am looking forward to about living in the city.
Thursday, July 17, 2014
New class, new babies and first hair cuts
It is really nice to be back at Buen Provecho. I have had an easy week because I am starting new work - teaching the kids ages 12 - 20. Before I left for the US we decided I would no longer be with the preschool class. There is a lady who started with them last week who is excellent. Even though I will miss them, the preschoolers are in good hands. Her hands are going to be full though. She has babies up to 6 year olds. Samuel is not adjusting to the transition very well. He has been acting out in class. He says he is acting out because he wants me to be his teacher. I am doing my best to support his new teacher in the transition.
Belinda is working with the 7-11 year olds. I have 12-20 year olds. Every person who is not an adult is in class at 10:30 a.m. So ALL of the youth now have a class. Some are still trying to escape into the kitchen - boys who never cooked before were peeling vegetables today after classes started and girls tried to become assistants in the preschool class with the young ones. But we keep rounding them up and sending them back to class.
Because this was a new plan, I have a week to observe. Boris Vermont, who is the soccer coach and has always worked with the "tweens", has the whole week off from his job and is spending his days at Buen Provecho. He is giving the class that I will be in charge of starting next week. I have this week to come up with ideas and make plans. It is exciting to work with older kids again. When I was a social worker in Chicago I was intimidated by the idea of working with teens, but in the end they were my favorite. I am hoping this will be the same.
The most difficult thing I foresee is the fact that I am not as articulate in Spanish as I am in English. I hope the older kids will be patient with me. I am praying that God help us overcome any language difficulties that may occur.
My personal goal is to let each of the kids know that I care about them, teach them about God and why they should want a relationship with Him, help them feel special as individuals, and give them hope that they can have a successful and happy future.
Ericka, a girl who used to be a regular part of the Breakfast Program, got pregnant 9 months ago. She disappeared for a long time, but came back and was at Buen Provecho for the last two months before she gave birth. Yesterday she came to the church with her baby girl, Marjorie Stephanie Calix. (That's how I would spell it, I am not sure how she did.) The baby is 14 days old today. Both Erika and the baby are doing really well. Erika had told me she was going to leave after she gave birth and go live in a different town with the father of the baby. But yesterday she said she will be staying in Los Pinos.
Erika comes from one of the 2 most unstable home environments I am aware of. I told her yesterday that I hoped to see her every day at the church. Erika was noncommittal. She didn't come today. Everyone is doing everything they can to make her feel welcome and supported. I hope she knows she can always come to us.
Carlos showed up yesterday too. He came with Erika. He didn't need any hugs, although I did offer. After our initial greeting embrace he was content to play with the kids. His eyes still look dull. I asked him to please come to Buen Provecho more regularly, but he didn't come today.
Belinda is working with the 7-11 year olds. I have 12-20 year olds. Every person who is not an adult is in class at 10:30 a.m. So ALL of the youth now have a class. Some are still trying to escape into the kitchen - boys who never cooked before were peeling vegetables today after classes started and girls tried to become assistants in the preschool class with the young ones. But we keep rounding them up and sending them back to class.
Because this was a new plan, I have a week to observe. Boris Vermont, who is the soccer coach and has always worked with the "tweens", has the whole week off from his job and is spending his days at Buen Provecho. He is giving the class that I will be in charge of starting next week. I have this week to come up with ideas and make plans. It is exciting to work with older kids again. When I was a social worker in Chicago I was intimidated by the idea of working with teens, but in the end they were my favorite. I am hoping this will be the same.
The most difficult thing I foresee is the fact that I am not as articulate in Spanish as I am in English. I hope the older kids will be patient with me. I am praying that God help us overcome any language difficulties that may occur.
My personal goal is to let each of the kids know that I care about them, teach them about God and why they should want a relationship with Him, help them feel special as individuals, and give them hope that they can have a successful and happy future.
Ericka, a girl who used to be a regular part of the Breakfast Program, got pregnant 9 months ago. She disappeared for a long time, but came back and was at Buen Provecho for the last two months before she gave birth. Yesterday she came to the church with her baby girl, Marjorie Stephanie Calix. (That's how I would spell it, I am not sure how she did.) The baby is 14 days old today. Both Erika and the baby are doing really well. Erika had told me she was going to leave after she gave birth and go live in a different town with the father of the baby. But yesterday she said she will be staying in Los Pinos.
Erika comes from one of the 2 most unstable home environments I am aware of. I told her yesterday that I hoped to see her every day at the church. Erika was noncommittal. She didn't come today. Everyone is doing everything they can to make her feel welcome and supported. I hope she knows she can always come to us.
Carlos showed up yesterday too. He came with Erika. He didn't need any hugs, although I did offer. After our initial greeting embrace he was content to play with the kids. His eyes still look dull. I asked him to please come to Buen Provecho more regularly, but he didn't come today.
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| Junior and Carlos |
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| This will be my class starting next week |
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| Beautiful Kebelin and Yarely |
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| Veronica cut my hair today. Isabela was next. She was not happy. |
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| Isa's first haircut
Beans have gotten so expensive here, the ladies who serve at Buen Provecho say they cannot afford to buy them. I am concerned. Families who until now have been surviving on beans and rice can no longer afford beans. They say prices are going to get higher because of drought. I am going to buy beans tomorrow for some of the ladies so they will have food over the weekend.
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Monday, July 14, 2014
Daphne
So what was the coolest thing that happened on my vacation. I could list a top 5:
1) Spending time with my nephews and feeling like they really know me for the first time. That was super cool.
2) Spending time with my Mom doing fun things like the Chihuly exhibit, eating Ethiopian food three times, and babysitting my nephews. We had a blast.
3) Seeing friends in SLC and friends from SLC who now live in Denver and my violin teacher who is 88 years old and not doing so well... That was good.
4) Driving with windows down and doors unlocked, using 2 ply toilet paper, drinking beer in public, camping and hearing good music in Telluride, seeing snow in the mountains, leaving things in the car without worrying the windows would be smashed and everything stolen, flushing two ply toilet paper, brushing my teeth with and drinking tap water, pizza...
5) Feeling acknowledged by my North American church.
But the coolest thing of all happened so quickly I didn't even remember it happening until the next day.
After I spoke at church I was leaving the last service to go meet with anyone who wanted to learn more about Honduras. I was headed for the lobby in a rush when someone called my name. My first reaction was a little bit of frustration. I knew if I didn't get out to the lobby I might miss the opportunity to meet with people who were leaving.
The voice behind me said, "Mary Lynn, you probably don't remember me but we used to work together. My name is Daphne." I certainly did remember Daphne. We worked with 18-21 year old sex offenders. They rested every afternoon from 2-4:30 so Daphne and I had plenty of time to talk.
At that time in my life I had already been called to serve in Honduras and was waiting for things to fall into place so I could move here. I'm sure I talked about that a lot.
Daphne was a mother, working 16 hour days every Saturday and Sunday. I remember sometimes it was hard for her to find a sitter. I also remember she described herself as Wiccan. That never bothered me. I don't think religion ever caused any tension between us. We were just two women doing the best we could and working at a really tough job.
So when the voice behind me at K2 was Daphne I was shocked! Our whole conversation lasted only about 2 minutes. I really regretted that later. I tried to get her contact information from former co-workers but nobody had it.
Daphne explained as we walked together to the lobby that 7 months ago she decided her family needed a church. She remembered me talking about K2 and decided to check it out. She said, "So now we have been here for 7 months." She said sometimes she wonders how I am doing in Honduras. I am sure she was shocked to see me speaking up on stage! Then she said she had to go pick up her kids from child care and we went our separate ways.
I collected donations from people. I explained more about what we are doing at my Honduran church and what life is like in Honduras. I went to a meeting for people who were interested in coming to Honduras on a mission trip. We expected 12 people to be interested in the trip. There were over 30. All of these things were so overwhelming, I forgot about Daphne until the next day.
Now I can't stop thinking about her. I talked to some friends about her and even told the story to a K2 pastor. I was afraid she could get lost in the crowd at a church the size of K2. It happens sometimes. People come and like the church but find it hard to make personal connections. So I had people on the lookout for someone named Daphne.
Then I sent an email to the woman in charge of outreach. The email was about something else, but I also shared my story about running into Daphne. Danielle, the woman in charge of outreach, wrote back within minutes and asked if Daphne's last name was ......... and if she had long brown hair. She said if so, she has been connecting with Daphne.
WOW!!!!! I was soooooo happy! Actually happy is not the right word. I was also amazed. Amazed that in a large community Daphne had found a connection. Amazed that of the three people from my church whom I reached out to, it was one of them who had connected with Daphne. Amazed by our God and how He has everything under control. Amazing.
1) Spending time with my nephews and feeling like they really know me for the first time. That was super cool.
2) Spending time with my Mom doing fun things like the Chihuly exhibit, eating Ethiopian food three times, and babysitting my nephews. We had a blast.
3) Seeing friends in SLC and friends from SLC who now live in Denver and my violin teacher who is 88 years old and not doing so well... That was good.
4) Driving with windows down and doors unlocked, using 2 ply toilet paper, drinking beer in public, camping and hearing good music in Telluride, seeing snow in the mountains, leaving things in the car without worrying the windows would be smashed and everything stolen, flushing two ply toilet paper, brushing my teeth with and drinking tap water, pizza...
5) Feeling acknowledged by my North American church.
But the coolest thing of all happened so quickly I didn't even remember it happening until the next day.
After I spoke at church I was leaving the last service to go meet with anyone who wanted to learn more about Honduras. I was headed for the lobby in a rush when someone called my name. My first reaction was a little bit of frustration. I knew if I didn't get out to the lobby I might miss the opportunity to meet with people who were leaving.
The voice behind me said, "Mary Lynn, you probably don't remember me but we used to work together. My name is Daphne." I certainly did remember Daphne. We worked with 18-21 year old sex offenders. They rested every afternoon from 2-4:30 so Daphne and I had plenty of time to talk.
At that time in my life I had already been called to serve in Honduras and was waiting for things to fall into place so I could move here. I'm sure I talked about that a lot.
Daphne was a mother, working 16 hour days every Saturday and Sunday. I remember sometimes it was hard for her to find a sitter. I also remember she described herself as Wiccan. That never bothered me. I don't think religion ever caused any tension between us. We were just two women doing the best we could and working at a really tough job.
So when the voice behind me at K2 was Daphne I was shocked! Our whole conversation lasted only about 2 minutes. I really regretted that later. I tried to get her contact information from former co-workers but nobody had it.
Daphne explained as we walked together to the lobby that 7 months ago she decided her family needed a church. She remembered me talking about K2 and decided to check it out. She said, "So now we have been here for 7 months." She said sometimes she wonders how I am doing in Honduras. I am sure she was shocked to see me speaking up on stage! Then she said she had to go pick up her kids from child care and we went our separate ways.
I collected donations from people. I explained more about what we are doing at my Honduran church and what life is like in Honduras. I went to a meeting for people who were interested in coming to Honduras on a mission trip. We expected 12 people to be interested in the trip. There were over 30. All of these things were so overwhelming, I forgot about Daphne until the next day.
Now I can't stop thinking about her. I talked to some friends about her and even told the story to a K2 pastor. I was afraid she could get lost in the crowd at a church the size of K2. It happens sometimes. People come and like the church but find it hard to make personal connections. So I had people on the lookout for someone named Daphne.
Then I sent an email to the woman in charge of outreach. The email was about something else, but I also shared my story about running into Daphne. Danielle, the woman in charge of outreach, wrote back within minutes and asked if Daphne's last name was ......... and if she had long brown hair. She said if so, she has been connecting with Daphne.
WOW!!!!! I was soooooo happy! Actually happy is not the right word. I was also amazed. Amazed that in a large community Daphne had found a connection. Amazed that of the three people from my church whom I reached out to, it was one of them who had connected with Daphne. Amazed by our God and how He has everything under control. Amazing.
Hey it's good to be back home again. Yes it is.
Hooray! I am back in Honduras!!!! My time in the US was incredible. I always feel so rushed, like I can barely catch my breath the whole time I am there. But having the flight cancelled was a blessing in disguise. I got to spend three days doing nothing. In reality I did a few things, but only what I wanted. I napped and chatted with my Mom and ate. And ate. And ate.
Don Juan told me today that I look too skinny and I need to get back to my diet of Honduran food. I didn't bother to tell him otherwise. I loved pigging out on my favorite North American food. I ate chicken wings FOUR times!!! (Normally I am a healthy eater but something got into me.) I am happy to get back to Honduran food. Don Juan brought black beans still in the pod and Ana made a black bean soup with rice, a chunk of fresh cheese and Don Juan's famous chili (hot sauce). It hit the spot!
The kids were extra happy to see me. I got lots of special hugs that were extra tight and extra long. Everyone wanted to know all about my vacation and how is my family (especially my Mom and nephews) and if I went to K2 to see my home church.
I learned I will now be teaching the kids ages 12 and above. This week a church leader will help me and as of next week I will be on my own. It will be a challenge. Some of them are a handful in a far different way from crazy Samuel who refused to eat his vegetables. Some are tough kids with a tough home life. I am eager to see what we can do together. I am a little nervous about my language being a barrier. It is not normally, but working with teens can be touchy.
If I want to focus on English I am encouraged to, and bible study too of course. I would like to integrate the two if I can figure out how. I want to work a lot on self esteem and finding their personal strengths. I am thinking of talking to them about the immigration problem the US has with kids their age. The majority of the immigrants are from Honduras. It would kill me to think of one of them attempting that trip. So when the time feels right I will discourage them from trying to seek refuge in the US right now, no matter how desperate their home situations are.
After the Breakfast Program I went to the DMV to get my license renewed. It was about to expire on the 16th so I wanted to get that out of the way. It felt great to be able to navigate that process by myself. You have to go from one building to another and wait in line for this and then for that.
I didn't have to get blood drawn this time because it already says my blood type on my license in case I were hurt in a car accident. But I had to give a medical history, have them check my blood pressure, heart and vision. Then I had to take a psychological exam. The only question I missed was the date. Haha! That's what happens when you take a test immediately after a vacation.
The psychological exam was basically to assess if you are aggressive or not, and assertive or not. That's what I got out of it. It asked if you like to watch Lucha Libre or dancing. If you like to read a book or do exercise. It said if two kids were fighting would you stop them and try to fix the situation or would you try to pretend you didn't notice.
All of the pilates ladies are eager to start pilates again. That was nice to hear. Sometimes if I take a month off from exercise it is hard to get started again. But we are starting tomorrow!
Marlin is not working in the kitchen as much anymore. Ana said some days she has been by herself. But she is happy to be there, not complaining. Ana kept saying all day that she was extra happy today because I am back. Her 16 month old daughter did not want to let go of me. I was a little surprised because I expected that being away more than a month a that age she could have forgotten about me. Definitely not.
At church yesterday they announced that I am back and everyone cheered. That felt wonderful. In the US people are never so interested in how your family is doing and how your vacation went if you go somewhere. Here even people I am not very close to all wanted to know.
I had the opportunity to go to San Pedro Sula next weekend with friends to visit their family, but I had to say no because I have already missed four weeks of swimming and there are only 3 more. I want to be there for every minute. Plus I don't want to give my Mom a heart attack because San Pedro is the city with the highest murder rate in the world. But actually I hear it is a beautiful place.
Did you know that you cannot wear shorts to the DMV in Honduras? Neither did I. But the guy behind me in line today got pulled out of line and was told, "You can't be here like that." I looked for a pistol in his sock or something until the people around me explained shorts are not appropriate attire for the DMV.
Then at another part where they look up your criminal history I handed over my residency card. The police man said, "You are not Honduran?!?" I said no. He said, "Wow. I really thought you were Honduran. How long have you lived here?" I told him 2 and 1/2 years. He asked if I like it and where I live. I told him I love it and I live in the mountains. At that point he asked if I seen much of the city. (Some visitors who live in the mountains do not go into the city and do not ever really learn very much about the culture.) I told him I am a missionary in Los Pinos. At that point he stopped talking and looked at me in an analyzing sort of way. I could see him summing me up in his head. Then looked me in the eye, shook my hand and said very sincerely, "Thank you." THAT was cool.
Don Juan told me today that I look too skinny and I need to get back to my diet of Honduran food. I didn't bother to tell him otherwise. I loved pigging out on my favorite North American food. I ate chicken wings FOUR times!!! (Normally I am a healthy eater but something got into me.) I am happy to get back to Honduran food. Don Juan brought black beans still in the pod and Ana made a black bean soup with rice, a chunk of fresh cheese and Don Juan's famous chili (hot sauce). It hit the spot!
The kids were extra happy to see me. I got lots of special hugs that were extra tight and extra long. Everyone wanted to know all about my vacation and how is my family (especially my Mom and nephews) and if I went to K2 to see my home church.
I learned I will now be teaching the kids ages 12 and above. This week a church leader will help me and as of next week I will be on my own. It will be a challenge. Some of them are a handful in a far different way from crazy Samuel who refused to eat his vegetables. Some are tough kids with a tough home life. I am eager to see what we can do together. I am a little nervous about my language being a barrier. It is not normally, but working with teens can be touchy.
If I want to focus on English I am encouraged to, and bible study too of course. I would like to integrate the two if I can figure out how. I want to work a lot on self esteem and finding their personal strengths. I am thinking of talking to them about the immigration problem the US has with kids their age. The majority of the immigrants are from Honduras. It would kill me to think of one of them attempting that trip. So when the time feels right I will discourage them from trying to seek refuge in the US right now, no matter how desperate their home situations are.
After the Breakfast Program I went to the DMV to get my license renewed. It was about to expire on the 16th so I wanted to get that out of the way. It felt great to be able to navigate that process by myself. You have to go from one building to another and wait in line for this and then for that.
I didn't have to get blood drawn this time because it already says my blood type on my license in case I were hurt in a car accident. But I had to give a medical history, have them check my blood pressure, heart and vision. Then I had to take a psychological exam. The only question I missed was the date. Haha! That's what happens when you take a test immediately after a vacation.
The psychological exam was basically to assess if you are aggressive or not, and assertive or not. That's what I got out of it. It asked if you like to watch Lucha Libre or dancing. If you like to read a book or do exercise. It said if two kids were fighting would you stop them and try to fix the situation or would you try to pretend you didn't notice.
All of the pilates ladies are eager to start pilates again. That was nice to hear. Sometimes if I take a month off from exercise it is hard to get started again. But we are starting tomorrow!
Marlin is not working in the kitchen as much anymore. Ana said some days she has been by herself. But she is happy to be there, not complaining. Ana kept saying all day that she was extra happy today because I am back. Her 16 month old daughter did not want to let go of me. I was a little surprised because I expected that being away more than a month a that age she could have forgotten about me. Definitely not.
At church yesterday they announced that I am back and everyone cheered. That felt wonderful. In the US people are never so interested in how your family is doing and how your vacation went if you go somewhere. Here even people I am not very close to all wanted to know.
I had the opportunity to go to San Pedro Sula next weekend with friends to visit their family, but I had to say no because I have already missed four weeks of swimming and there are only 3 more. I want to be there for every minute. Plus I don't want to give my Mom a heart attack because San Pedro is the city with the highest murder rate in the world. But actually I hear it is a beautiful place.
Did you know that you cannot wear shorts to the DMV in Honduras? Neither did I. But the guy behind me in line today got pulled out of line and was told, "You can't be here like that." I looked for a pistol in his sock or something until the people around me explained shorts are not appropriate attire for the DMV.
Then at another part where they look up your criminal history I handed over my residency card. The police man said, "You are not Honduran?!?" I said no. He said, "Wow. I really thought you were Honduran. How long have you lived here?" I told him 2 and 1/2 years. He asked if I like it and where I live. I told him I love it and I live in the mountains. At that point he asked if I seen much of the city. (Some visitors who live in the mountains do not go into the city and do not ever really learn very much about the culture.) I told him I am a missionary in Los Pinos. At that point he stopped talking and looked at me in an analyzing sort of way. I could see him summing me up in his head. Then looked me in the eye, shook my hand and said very sincerely, "Thank you." THAT was cool.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Day 30 of a 28 day trip
I was supposed to be back in Honduras by now. Unfortunately, I went to the airport on Monday night through a crazy storm. When I got there the line at customer service was already insanely long and people were settled in for the long-haul, stretched out along the walls of the concourse. My flight was set to leave at 10 pm, take me to Houston by 1:16 a.m., and leave for Honduras at 9 a.m.
The cable went out at about 9 p.m. Then the flight to St Louis that was leaving out of the same gate as mine got pushed back from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Then my flight got pushed back to 11:17. I knew I was going to be waiting in that customer service line too. It was getting later and later. One friend offered to come and get me, but his voice sounded exhausted on the phone and it would be a long drive for him.
I purposely left the phone I use in North America at my Mother's house so I had no phone. Several people were nice and let me borrow theirs. One by one their flights were cancelled. Finally mine was too.
The lady at customer service convinced me that the forecast was the same for the next three days. My Mom had been talking about it too, I recalled. I was advised to get to Houston ASAP or wait out the storm. The problem was if I went to Houston on the flight she suggested the next morning, I would get there one minute before the last flight to Honduras. Obviously I would not make the connection for the Honduras flight and I would be stuck in Houston with no luggage for 24 hours.
When I originally moved to Honduras my luggage was lost for 8 days. Not taking a chance on that happening again. If I didn't re-claim my baggage immediately it would go to Honduras and sit there until I arrived. Which meant if I did ever see my luggage, it could be empty suitcases.
The weather report on the customer service lady's phone looked consistently bad for 2 more days, so I decided rather than trying to find another ride to the airport just to have another flight cancelled, I claim my luggage and stay until the storm passed.
So here I am. Day 30 in the US. When I made plans to be in the US for 28 days, it felt like too much. But those first 28 went by quickly. Now I am anxious to get back to my home and my cat and my day to day life. The good thing about these extra three days is that I finally have time to relax. I was running around literally until I left to get on the plane. Yesterday I napped and watched soccer on tv. Today I may go to the pool and nap some more. Tonight I get to babysit my nephews again - fun! Tomorrow night at 10 p.m. I hope to get on the plane for Houston and head back to Honduras.
The cable went out at about 9 p.m. Then the flight to St Louis that was leaving out of the same gate as mine got pushed back from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Then my flight got pushed back to 11:17. I knew I was going to be waiting in that customer service line too. It was getting later and later. One friend offered to come and get me, but his voice sounded exhausted on the phone and it would be a long drive for him.
I purposely left the phone I use in North America at my Mother's house so I had no phone. Several people were nice and let me borrow theirs. One by one their flights were cancelled. Finally mine was too.
The lady at customer service convinced me that the forecast was the same for the next three days. My Mom had been talking about it too, I recalled. I was advised to get to Houston ASAP or wait out the storm. The problem was if I went to Houston on the flight she suggested the next morning, I would get there one minute before the last flight to Honduras. Obviously I would not make the connection for the Honduras flight and I would be stuck in Houston with no luggage for 24 hours.
When I originally moved to Honduras my luggage was lost for 8 days. Not taking a chance on that happening again. If I didn't re-claim my baggage immediately it would go to Honduras and sit there until I arrived. Which meant if I did ever see my luggage, it could be empty suitcases.
The weather report on the customer service lady's phone looked consistently bad for 2 more days, so I decided rather than trying to find another ride to the airport just to have another flight cancelled, I claim my luggage and stay until the storm passed.
So here I am. Day 30 in the US. When I made plans to be in the US for 28 days, it felt like too much. But those first 28 went by quickly. Now I am anxious to get back to my home and my cat and my day to day life. The good thing about these extra three days is that I finally have time to relax. I was running around literally until I left to get on the plane. Yesterday I napped and watched soccer on tv. Today I may go to the pool and nap some more. Tonight I get to babysit my nephews again - fun! Tomorrow night at 10 p.m. I hope to get on the plane for Houston and head back to Honduras.
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