Tonight was prayer group. Earlier this week I talked to Pastora Ruth about the fact that I had made a promise to a friend to pray for him, but I hadn't followed through with my promise. I think I expected others to want to pray for him, as I had seen them pray for others in the past. When they didn't seem to care about my friend I became discouraged. I should have never given up, but I did. There was a lot of guilt on my behalf for not keeping my promise to my friend and also for not following through with something I believe God called me to do.
Pastor Ruth seemed to understand without much explanation. She told me it is never too late and she said she would support me by praying for him too. So tonight at the prayer group she asked me to explain the story of my friend Garth.
Garth is battling cancer for the 4th time. Some of you may have heard of him as the Napkin Notes Dad. Garth has written a note on a napkin for his daughter every day since kindergarten. When he was diagnosed with cancer he made a promise to have a napkin for her every day until she graduated from high school. So he wrote one for every day. But those are set aside and as he continues to fight for his life, he writes a new one. He has a book that came out at Christmas called "Napkin Notes". It was printed in 18 languages! Garth and his daughter have been on the Today Show, Rachel Ray, Dr. Oz, Ted Talks and more - some more than once.
Growing up, Garth lived 2 miles away from me in the next village over. When we were in high school I seriously believed that he would be president of the United States. I heard him say one day that he wanted to be, and I never doubted his ability. He is that kind of guy.
But God had a different calling for Garth. Now that is very clear. God called Garth to teach other parents how to connect with their kids. And he does that well. Garth and I agree it is a more important job than being the president of the United States.
We had an AWESOME time of prayer for Garth. Pastora Ruth said that she would like to be the one to pray for him. The Holy Spirit filled that room powerfully and we prayed hard for a long time. It was beautiful.
On the way home I stopped and picked up Chinese food. Fany has family visiting unexpectedly because her sister's husband's grandmother died. I don't really understand why they are staying here, but I don't need to know. I just know that Fany has been feeding three extra mouths for the past few days and bringing me a meal if I am not already at her house when they eat. So I was happy when God put the idea into my mind to stop and get Chinese food on the way home from my prayer group. I called her and told her not to eat until I got home because I would bring food. She sounded relieved, which made me even happier that the thought came to my mind.
We had a nice dinner. Everyone was grateful and the good thing about Chinese food here is that you can feed a million people without spending a million bucks. By the time dinner was done everyone was exhausted, some having stayed up all night last night to bury the grandmother, so I cleared out.
I sent a message to the lady I would like to serve with today. The last time I called she said she wants to meet with me but she is busy and she will call me when she is free. That was over a week ago, so I sent a message just to be sure she has my phone number.
And, the best news is last. I was chatting with Fabricio on Facebook tonight. He asked if I heard the good news. Clara is doing so well that she no longer needs blood donated. She will stay in the hospital for observation this weekend and if all stays on track, she will be released next week! I talked to Karla three times today, but somehow she forgot to mention that to me. :) I was so caught up in how well Karla sounded that I told her to hug her mom and tell her hello, but I didn't ask how Clara was doing! (Karla is spending her days teaching kindergarten and her nights at the hospital and she is still smiling and laughing and in great spirits. God is keeping her very strong, like her Mom.)
So there is my good news for the night! Clara should be at home by next week, God willing.
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Ready for tomorrow
You know those days where you fail at everything you try to do? That was today. On top of that my 6 year old nephew Jack's pet gerbil? or hamster? I don't know, I only know his name was Love Ball (named by Jack) died. This on top of their dog dying last week. Too much for one little boy. Check out this picture he drew for him Mommy.
I was supposed to meet up with a friend, who I have had to cancel on at least two times already, but with no car that was not possible. I felt bad cancelling again. Another truck (this time straight across the street from my house) had a flat tire. I went to talk to the guards, who we pay to patrol the neighborhood and they said I needed to talk to the boss. This was the conversation:
Me: "Have you heard about the tires getting slashed?"
Him: "No No No No No"
Me: After he finishes with his barrage of No's "No you haven't heard? Or no you don't want to hear?"
Him: "If you park in front of someone's house the are going to get mad."
Me: "All of the cars it happened to were not parked in front of ANY house. They were parked next to the church on a Monday."
Him: "But the people get mad and I can't get in the middle of it. (Now waving his arms.) I can't do anything."
Me: "So who can I talk to about this? We pay for vigilancia, right? Yet I was outside last night when the fourth car got slashed and I never saw any guards around. And you won't even talk to me about it."
Him: "You need to talk to her. She might know."
Me: "Who is her?"
Him: "Her. Her who is there." (Very vague. I am pretty sure he knows who it is - as we all do. It is a her. But he doesn't dare to say it because she has been causing problems for years.)
Me: "Tell me who I should talk to and I will. But I don't know why we are paying you to patrol if you can't help at all with this."
Then suddenly the man who knows nothing says, "I saw your car was tipped sideways with flat tires, but you normally never park outside. Just don't park outside again. I can't get involved."
Fany says she will talk to them next time they come to collect their money.
Then I go to the doctor. The road is under construction, so it takes half an hour to drive what should be 2 minutes. The doctor has me wait because he doesn't have the materials necessary to do a test. The nurse has to go to the store to buy the materials he needs. She returns to say the store doesn't have what they need. She says I need to go to a lab. I drive to a lab, not really knowing where I am going. The lab is open until 6 pm. It's 4:30, but there is nobody there who can do the test. I have to come back tomorrow, do the test, go back next week, get the results, take them to the doctor and drop them off, go back later after the doctor can read the results. No thanks. I will find a new doctor or stick with my pediatrician!
I get home. It's now 5pm and I haven't eaten all day, but Fany needs a ride up the mountain to where I used to live. We get in the car and I am not driving in my usual speed racer style because the mechanic told me to go easy on the patched tires. However, Laura starts puking while we are still on the main highway, before we even get to the mountainous curves! She pukes all of the way up the mountain. Fany is sitting in the back seat next to her, trying to catch the puke in a plastic bag, but Laura doesn't want to puke into the bag. The car smells wonderful but we can't open the windows because of the neighborhoods we are passing through.
When we get to the house where we are supposed to drop things off there is no place to park. The house is right on the road. So I am worried we are all going to be smashed into by the crazy buses that careen down that mountain. We decide to all get out of the car for some fresh air. We ring the doorbell and Fany is pretty sure we are at the right house, but nobody answers. The person we are supposed to drop things off to is not home and doesn't answer the phone. So we wait on the side of the road.
Finally someone else pulls up and approaches us hesitantly. We have an awkward exchange, neither wanting to share too much information. After we have each called every number we have and rung the doorbell over and over, we begin to spill little pieces of information. We are waiting for the husband. He is waiting for the wife. He has to wait because the wife is taking care of his son, so he agrees to pass our things along to the person we are supposed to deliver them too. We leave and head back down the mountain telling Laura that people never vomit going down the mountain. So she chats away and I drive extra slowly in second gear, grateful no traffic is behind me. Then Fany gets a call that the man we were dropping things off to is no longer traveling to Guatemala, so we drove up there with a vomiting three year old all for nothing.
I decided after such a crappy day we deserve a good dinner. I was starving by that point and Laura seemed fine. She hadn't puked in almost an hour. We stopped to pick up sushi, but decided to eat there since it was 2x1 if you eat in. That was the highlight of my crappy day. Dinner was good. Laura was really good in the restaurant and we all ended our day on a positive note.
I was supposed to meet up with a friend, who I have had to cancel on at least two times already, but with no car that was not possible. I felt bad cancelling again. Another truck (this time straight across the street from my house) had a flat tire. I went to talk to the guards, who we pay to patrol the neighborhood and they said I needed to talk to the boss. This was the conversation:
Me: "Have you heard about the tires getting slashed?"
Him: "No No No No No"
Me: After he finishes with his barrage of No's "No you haven't heard? Or no you don't want to hear?"
Him: "If you park in front of someone's house the are going to get mad."
Me: "All of the cars it happened to were not parked in front of ANY house. They were parked next to the church on a Monday."
Him: "But the people get mad and I can't get in the middle of it. (Now waving his arms.) I can't do anything."
Me: "So who can I talk to about this? We pay for vigilancia, right? Yet I was outside last night when the fourth car got slashed and I never saw any guards around. And you won't even talk to me about it."
Him: "You need to talk to her. She might know."
Me: "Who is her?"
Him: "Her. Her who is there." (Very vague. I am pretty sure he knows who it is - as we all do. It is a her. But he doesn't dare to say it because she has been causing problems for years.)
Me: "Tell me who I should talk to and I will. But I don't know why we are paying you to patrol if you can't help at all with this."
Then suddenly the man who knows nothing says, "I saw your car was tipped sideways with flat tires, but you normally never park outside. Just don't park outside again. I can't get involved."
Fany says she will talk to them next time they come to collect their money.
Then I go to the doctor. The road is under construction, so it takes half an hour to drive what should be 2 minutes. The doctor has me wait because he doesn't have the materials necessary to do a test. The nurse has to go to the store to buy the materials he needs. She returns to say the store doesn't have what they need. She says I need to go to a lab. I drive to a lab, not really knowing where I am going. The lab is open until 6 pm. It's 4:30, but there is nobody there who can do the test. I have to come back tomorrow, do the test, go back next week, get the results, take them to the doctor and drop them off, go back later after the doctor can read the results. No thanks. I will find a new doctor or stick with my pediatrician!
I get home. It's now 5pm and I haven't eaten all day, but Fany needs a ride up the mountain to where I used to live. We get in the car and I am not driving in my usual speed racer style because the mechanic told me to go easy on the patched tires. However, Laura starts puking while we are still on the main highway, before we even get to the mountainous curves! She pukes all of the way up the mountain. Fany is sitting in the back seat next to her, trying to catch the puke in a plastic bag, but Laura doesn't want to puke into the bag. The car smells wonderful but we can't open the windows because of the neighborhoods we are passing through.
When we get to the house where we are supposed to drop things off there is no place to park. The house is right on the road. So I am worried we are all going to be smashed into by the crazy buses that careen down that mountain. We decide to all get out of the car for some fresh air. We ring the doorbell and Fany is pretty sure we are at the right house, but nobody answers. The person we are supposed to drop things off to is not home and doesn't answer the phone. So we wait on the side of the road.
Finally someone else pulls up and approaches us hesitantly. We have an awkward exchange, neither wanting to share too much information. After we have each called every number we have and rung the doorbell over and over, we begin to spill little pieces of information. We are waiting for the husband. He is waiting for the wife. He has to wait because the wife is taking care of his son, so he agrees to pass our things along to the person we are supposed to deliver them too. We leave and head back down the mountain telling Laura that people never vomit going down the mountain. So she chats away and I drive extra slowly in second gear, grateful no traffic is behind me. Then Fany gets a call that the man we were dropping things off to is no longer traveling to Guatemala, so we drove up there with a vomiting three year old all for nothing.
I decided after such a crappy day we deserve a good dinner. I was starving by that point and Laura seemed fine. She hadn't puked in almost an hour. We stopped to pick up sushi, but decided to eat there since it was 2x1 if you eat in. That was the highlight of my crappy day. Dinner was good. Laura was really good in the restaurant and we all ended our day on a positive note.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Flat tires
Someone in my neighborhood was busy today. Two of my neighbors woke up find the tires closest to the curb were flat. As I headed out to a doctor appointment, I discovered the same. All of us were parked in front of a church that is not busy at all on Mondays or Tuesdays and has never caused problems in the neighborhood. At first I wondered if I had any enemies in Honduras. But then the man who pushes the ice cream cart came by and said this has been happening a lot lately. Always in front of the church, and more specifically always across the street from the same house.
A lady from the house he was speaking of came out to "look at a tree" that was near my car. Other people were stopping their cars (and ice cream carts) to ask if I needed help. But she just looked at her tree and didn't talk to me. What made it stranger was that later she spoke to me in English, so it wasn't a language barrier that kept her away.
Sunday I came home from church and my street was full of cars from the Catholic church across the street. Santos (Fany's husband) came out to open the gates for me to pull into the garage, but I had looked at the way the cars were parked and decided it was going to be hard to get into the garage with the street so full. So I told him thanks, but I would move my car inside later when the streets were more clear.
Then yesterday I got lazy. I have left the car outside before and nothing happened to it. We have guards that patrol and it is a gated community, so I never worried much about my car. I never see broken glass in the streets from break-ins and I haven't heard of any problems. Until today.
When I first approached the car from the drivers sign today everything seemed fine. But when I tried to drive the car away from the curb I realized it didn't want to move. I knew I had a flat tire. I didn't expect two.
A bus driver came and started yelling at me that he couldn't get past me. I was trying to get the car as close to the curb as possible without ruining the rims. His yelling did not help. An assistant got out of the bus and starts motioning for me to pull forward. He doesn't understand that despite his motioning the car does not want to move. Finally the driver says, "The car has problems?" and the assistant says, "Hey! You have two flat tires!" That was the angriest I got. "I KNOW!!!!" I said, frustrated that they thought I was such an idiot I didn't know how to pull the car forward a foot to let them pass.
After they got by I got out of the car and saw my special surprise - two completely flat tires. I called my mechanic. He always said if I ever had a problem I could call him and he would come. He is a man of his word. The ice cream man and I talked. The lady from the house across the street checked her tree, and then told me she planted all of the trees on the street, which I was later told by several people is a lie. Then my mechanic arrived. He was really upset when he saw what happened. He had brought 2 extra tires to put on my car, thinking we could just go inflate the ones I had and change them out. But when he saw what I noticed right away, that the tops were still on the little nozzle where you insert air, he realized we were probably dealing with punctured tires.
He asked the ice cream man to stay with me and my car, took my tires and left. The ice cream man and I talked about a lot of things. He is really nice. He had the opportunity to move legally to the US but decided not to because he was afraid it would be easy to get wrapped up in his new life and forget about his family in Honduras. He has a wife and a little girl here. As we stood on the hilltop in my neighborhood he pointed out areas that are dangerous, and where it is more safe. He comes from a dangerous place pretty far away, pushing that ice cream cart with a bell, to sell his ice cream in the safer places. Fany tells me he has been selling ice cream here for at least 10 years, since he was a young boy.
He told me it is very strange to have the tires slashed because my neighborhood is hard to get into. He said it has to be a neighbor. The mechanic had said the same exact thing. Then a man came up to me with photos of my car, his own car, and a car that had been parked behind us. When he tried to leave for work this morning at 5 a.m. he found all of our tires slashed. We were all parked in front of the same house. The English speaking tree lady's house.
Fany came out to see what was going on. She called her cousin who is my landlord. At the same time they both said to each other that they thought it was that lady. Apparently she has done some damage to my landlord's car too.
So, everyone was in agreement. The first person to arrive on the scene, besides the ice cream man who was just passing by, was probably the culprit. I had spoken to her nicely. Now, 10 hours later, Fany and I just found another car with its tires flat. This one is in front of OUR house. The car was there this afternoon, but the tires were not flat. And this time the flat is on the side by the road, not by the sidewalk. Our tire slasher is getting more brave.
I feel sorry for the person who is going to go to their car to discover that. I know it is not a good feeling.
I do have things to be grateful for in all of this. First, it happened near my house in a place where I didn't have to worry about my own safety. I just stood and gabbed with the ice cream man, who my mechanic had instructed to wait with me. Secondly, I have an awesome mechanic who drops everything and comes to help when I need something. That is a huge blessing. And third, they were just tires. Yes, they are expensive, not in my budget, and they were less than a year old. But they are replaceable.
When my mechanic came back from fixing the tires he was even more shaken up. He waited for the ice cream man to leave and then he sat down and asked me to take a seat next to him. He said that he had gone to the police. There were three wholes in each tire. (The man who had taken photos as 5 a.m. said there were three holes in each of his tires too.) He said the holes were strategically placed in a very specific area, which is pretty much impossible to fix. And worst of all, they were put there by a tool that resembles an ice pick. It has a wooden handle with a spiral metal part that comes to a tiny, straight, sharp point at the end. The police whoever did this was very angry. They didn't just let the air out of the tires. They were vengeful. The police told him to warn me never to park outside again because the person would likely see this as a warning and would take a more drastic step if I ever leave my car outside again. That step, they said, could be against me or my car.
My mechanic was angry and worried for me. We put the patched up tires on the car and took it to his garage so he can see how it is in the morning. He believes it will need new tires. At least I was not planning to start my new ministry this week because he said he will have the car for most of the day tomorrow. He has some other work to finish up and he wants to see how long the tires hold air. I did have lunch plans with a friend, which we have been planning for almost a month. But she understood that we have to postpone.
Tonight Fany went around closing everything up extra tight. That's when she saw the car with the flat tire right in front of our house. We didn't dare go out and check to see if the curb side tires were flat as well for fear people may see us and think that we had flattened the tire.
At least I know it was not something personal against me. Seems we have a tire slasher in my neighborhood. And they are keeping very busy.
Monday, February 23, 2015
Anticipation
I feel my full time ministry coming closer. I feel the need to appreciate the rest and free time I have, but at the same time I am trying to squeeze in everything I need to get done before I no longer have control over my own schedule.
It feels exciting, and not at all like pressure. This fits in with what God has told me about waiting for my next ministry like I would wait to open birthday presents. I can't wait to see what it is, but I understand I won't know until the time comes and that is fine with me.
A two year old baby died in the explosion 2 days ago.
Today other than clean the house, I did almost nothing. The people I was supposed to take to donate blood had to postpone. So I appreciated my time of rest, with anticipation that soon I will be very busy!
It feels exciting, and not at all like pressure. This fits in with what God has told me about waiting for my next ministry like I would wait to open birthday presents. I can't wait to see what it is, but I understand I won't know until the time comes and that is fine with me.
A two year old baby died in the explosion 2 days ago.
Today other than clean the house, I did almost nothing. The people I was supposed to take to donate blood had to postpone. So I appreciated my time of rest, with anticipation that soon I will be very busy!
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Living Water
Last night I decided I would wake up early this morning and put on makeup for church today. No particular reason, just because. (Normally I never wear makeup.) I had a new (to me) shirt that I bought for $3.50. Fany and I dug through a few thrift stores the other day and I found that shirt, a really cool sweater for $1.50 and some clothes for Ana's kids for 50 cents! Fany gave me earrings to match my new shirt, so I was going to be all dressed up today for church.
But since I rarely dry my hair and never put on makeup, I didn't allow myself quite enough time. Then when the new shirt was a little less modest than I remembered, I had to make a quick wardrobe change. (Got to church and other women were wearing less modest clothes than my new shirt, but thank God I ended up in a dress because that was better for the broiling hot weather.) In the end I left the house 15 minutes later than I hoped.
As I ran out the door Fany asked if she could get a ride to my old church. I said sure and we all jumped in the car. Then my phone beeped. It was another friend saying she wanted to go to my new church. I called her back and we decided she will go next week. I was a little frenzied by the time we hit the road.
My friend Ana loves my new church and had asked if she could go today, so I had plans to pick her up. I dropped off Fany and got stuck in incoming traffic at my old church, even though Fany was 15 minutes late for the start of their service. Then I swung by and picked up Ana and her kids and drove like a maniac to my new church.
All in all, what would normally take more than half an hour to do, took me 21 minutes, including the time I was stuck in the church parking lot. I did notice Ana was holding on to that handle above the door. (What is that handle there for anyway?) There is not much traffic on Sundays and speeding tickets don't exist here, so I made it to church at 10:01. They started the music as we walked through the doors and one whole row of chairs was empty, waiting just for us. Ha Hah!
The message was pretty awesome. It was about belief and not making excuses - asking God for exactly what you want with faith. It was also about living water, and the fact that the church is effective because the "water" there is not stagnant or old, it is LIVING water that flows like a river. The message was very inspiring. We left well fed once again, both spiritually and physically.
Today's fundraiser was tacos. Honduran tacos are what we would call flautas in the US, with shredded cabbage, shaved cheese and tomato sauce on top.
Samuel didn't want to eat them until he saw everyone else drinking cute little glass bottles of Coke. He asked if he could have a coke. I said only if he ate lunch, so he did.
This afternoon I didn't go to the afternoon church service that I usually go to in English. Fany and I decided it was too sweaty outside to do anything. Yuck! I was talking to Fany about health stuff, like how many people can't give blood because they have had some weird disease which excludes them. (Fany has had Malaria twice!) I told Fany that from now on I am going to choose all my friends according to whether they are able and WILLING to give blood.
She said that her friend was worried because the friend is turning 50 and everyone she knows gets diabetes at 50. I said it's because they drink so much Coke. Fany said her Mom doesn't drink Coke, but she does drink Pepsi - a huge glass for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And she is diabetic.
I don't think I have ever once seen anyone in Honduras drink milk with a meal. I see them drink a tiny, juice box sized carton of flavored milk as a snack every once in a while. But not as part of a daily diet. And drinking water is like a punishment to most people. Most people would not purposely choose to drink water. The amount of soda consumed here is insane. And if it is not soda it is Lipton Iced Tea, which is not much better.
Last weekend my church had a whole program on Saturday afternoon dedicated to teaching nutrition and healthy eating habits. Today we ate deep fried tacos and Coke. But we did talk about the living water. I wonder if that counts for anything.
Please keep me in your prayers this week as I am waiting to hear back from a lady who I would really like to serve with here in Honduras. I believe God brought us together for a reason and I am hoping that this is the time He has planned for us to start working together. I think she will call Monday or Tuesday. My personal prayer is that I can be an answer to her prayers for her ministry.
Speaking of calls, I got a cool phone call today! It was a friend from my home church in the US! She said that she got a package for $6/month added to her phone so she can call me and chat for an hour each month. Yay! I felt very special. This time we mostly talked business. But it will be nice in the future if I have a bad day, or a good day, and want to share it with someone. As she said, it is nicer than chatting on Facebook.
I got two people who are going to donate blood tomorrow. I am giving them a ride to make sure they go. One is scared and one is only doing it because his friend wants him to, so they aren't very self motivated. The least I can do is give them a ride.
No new updates on Clara, but I will get one tomorrow when I drop off the constancia - the sheet of paper that allows her to receive the blood. Last I knew she had only 6,000 platelets and a healthy person has 150,000. Her family remains faithful.
I have a cousin who went to Guatemala to serve in the Peace Corp., fell in love with the country and a man, and a year ago today she got married there. Now they are celebrating their one year anniversary with their new baby, Elijah. Yay!
But since I rarely dry my hair and never put on makeup, I didn't allow myself quite enough time. Then when the new shirt was a little less modest than I remembered, I had to make a quick wardrobe change. (Got to church and other women were wearing less modest clothes than my new shirt, but thank God I ended up in a dress because that was better for the broiling hot weather.) In the end I left the house 15 minutes later than I hoped.
As I ran out the door Fany asked if she could get a ride to my old church. I said sure and we all jumped in the car. Then my phone beeped. It was another friend saying she wanted to go to my new church. I called her back and we decided she will go next week. I was a little frenzied by the time we hit the road.
My friend Ana loves my new church and had asked if she could go today, so I had plans to pick her up. I dropped off Fany and got stuck in incoming traffic at my old church, even though Fany was 15 minutes late for the start of their service. Then I swung by and picked up Ana and her kids and drove like a maniac to my new church.
All in all, what would normally take more than half an hour to do, took me 21 minutes, including the time I was stuck in the church parking lot. I did notice Ana was holding on to that handle above the door. (What is that handle there for anyway?) There is not much traffic on Sundays and speeding tickets don't exist here, so I made it to church at 10:01. They started the music as we walked through the doors and one whole row of chairs was empty, waiting just for us. Ha Hah!
The message was pretty awesome. It was about belief and not making excuses - asking God for exactly what you want with faith. It was also about living water, and the fact that the church is effective because the "water" there is not stagnant or old, it is LIVING water that flows like a river. The message was very inspiring. We left well fed once again, both spiritually and physically.
Today's fundraiser was tacos. Honduran tacos are what we would call flautas in the US, with shredded cabbage, shaved cheese and tomato sauce on top.
Samuel didn't want to eat them until he saw everyone else drinking cute little glass bottles of Coke. He asked if he could have a coke. I said only if he ate lunch, so he did.
This afternoon I didn't go to the afternoon church service that I usually go to in English. Fany and I decided it was too sweaty outside to do anything. Yuck! I was talking to Fany about health stuff, like how many people can't give blood because they have had some weird disease which excludes them. (Fany has had Malaria twice!) I told Fany that from now on I am going to choose all my friends according to whether they are able and WILLING to give blood.
She said that her friend was worried because the friend is turning 50 and everyone she knows gets diabetes at 50. I said it's because they drink so much Coke. Fany said her Mom doesn't drink Coke, but she does drink Pepsi - a huge glass for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And she is diabetic.
I don't think I have ever once seen anyone in Honduras drink milk with a meal. I see them drink a tiny, juice box sized carton of flavored milk as a snack every once in a while. But not as part of a daily diet. And drinking water is like a punishment to most people. Most people would not purposely choose to drink water. The amount of soda consumed here is insane. And if it is not soda it is Lipton Iced Tea, which is not much better.
Last weekend my church had a whole program on Saturday afternoon dedicated to teaching nutrition and healthy eating habits. Today we ate deep fried tacos and Coke. But we did talk about the living water. I wonder if that counts for anything.
Please keep me in your prayers this week as I am waiting to hear back from a lady who I would really like to serve with here in Honduras. I believe God brought us together for a reason and I am hoping that this is the time He has planned for us to start working together. I think she will call Monday or Tuesday. My personal prayer is that I can be an answer to her prayers for her ministry.
Speaking of calls, I got a cool phone call today! It was a friend from my home church in the US! She said that she got a package for $6/month added to her phone so she can call me and chat for an hour each month. Yay! I felt very special. This time we mostly talked business. But it will be nice in the future if I have a bad day, or a good day, and want to share it with someone. As she said, it is nicer than chatting on Facebook.
I got two people who are going to donate blood tomorrow. I am giving them a ride to make sure they go. One is scared and one is only doing it because his friend wants him to, so they aren't very self motivated. The least I can do is give them a ride.
No new updates on Clara, but I will get one tomorrow when I drop off the constancia - the sheet of paper that allows her to receive the blood. Last I knew she had only 6,000 platelets and a healthy person has 150,000. Her family remains faithful.
I have a cousin who went to Guatemala to serve in the Peace Corp., fell in love with the country and a man, and a year ago today she got married there. Now they are celebrating their one year anniversary with their new baby, Elijah. Yay!
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| Carolyn and Edyn on 2/22/14 (I was there!) |
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| One year later |
.jpg) |
| My $1.50 sweater! |
Friday, February 20, 2015
Ultimo Momento
This morning I was doing a bible study and washing my laundry when Fany came to tell me there was an explosion in the market by the stadium. It is the biggest market in the capital city, where everyone buys their groceries for the week. My first thought was that it was purposeful, but she explained that a chimbol of gas exploded and caused a fire which made other chimbols explode.
The ladies who sell cooked food were most affected. The market is only open Fridays and Saturday mornings. The explosion happened at of the busiest times of all, during lunch hour on Friday.
So far they are reporting that 40 people were severely burned and 6 are children.
I am giving thanks for the Red Cross again, as I see them loading people into ambulances with their clothes burned off and pieces of shrapnel in their bodies. The people were taken to Hospital Escuela for the first 45 minutes until it reached capacity. Now they are being sent to San Felipe where I visited the maternity ward when I first came to Honduras on a team from K2 in 2008. Some are going to Seguro Social where Clara is too.
Fany is trying to get in touch with people she knows who work selling food there. Her sister-in-law is one. So far she cannot contact them. But the news is not reporting any deaths.
The news crews are making things more nuts. They get in the way as the ambulances are unloading patients at the hospital. Then the news reporters yell at the medical people that they are doing their job and need access to the patients. This would not happen in the US. The ambulance staff cannot even unload the patients from the ambulances and everyone is arguing over whose job is more important - the new reporters or the medical staff.
It is crazy what they show on the news here. Personally, I don't need to see it all. But maybe that is because I did not grow up here. I am not accustomed to seeing the carnage, the way people might be here.
Now the news of the explosion is being interrupted to show two bodies dead in a pool of blood inside of a wooden canoe, one dead in the back of a pickup truck. People are just standing around the scene, looking at the cameras as if this is a good chance to get on tv. Nobody seems upset that there are 2 dead people submerged in blood inside of a canoe a few feet away. There are two more bodies that they aren't showing. All of them are related and were killed, but they are not sure why yet.
Now back to the explosion. They are saying now that people are at risk of death. And they are asking for blood urgently. Gosh. It has been hard enough for us to find blood for Clara. Now it will be more difficult. They are even asking for anesthesia, oxygen tanks, antiseptic solution, antibiotic ointment and sterile pads. The biggest hosptial in the capital of Honduras does not have the most basic things it needs to treat these burn victims.
Although I can't do much personally, I am making a vow that I will do all I can to raise my levels of Hemoglobin so I can give blood in the future. It seems that many people (in every country, I think) don't understand the importance of giving blood.
PS:
Fany and I were just talking about the idea that maybe they will have enough extra blood from donors for the explosion, that they could use some of the overage for Clara. Fany told me that Hospital Escuela is asking for such basic things like anesthesia. I said I heard that too. What a shame. She said yes, just yesterday they discovered a huge storage unit full of medical supplies from Hospital Escuela. Someone was stealing them. So much corruption in a land with so much need.
The ladies who sell cooked food were most affected. The market is only open Fridays and Saturday mornings. The explosion happened at of the busiest times of all, during lunch hour on Friday.
So far they are reporting that 40 people were severely burned and 6 are children.
I am giving thanks for the Red Cross again, as I see them loading people into ambulances with their clothes burned off and pieces of shrapnel in their bodies. The people were taken to Hospital Escuela for the first 45 minutes until it reached capacity. Now they are being sent to San Felipe where I visited the maternity ward when I first came to Honduras on a team from K2 in 2008. Some are going to Seguro Social where Clara is too.
Fany is trying to get in touch with people she knows who work selling food there. Her sister-in-law is one. So far she cannot contact them. But the news is not reporting any deaths.
The news crews are making things more nuts. They get in the way as the ambulances are unloading patients at the hospital. Then the news reporters yell at the medical people that they are doing their job and need access to the patients. This would not happen in the US. The ambulance staff cannot even unload the patients from the ambulances and everyone is arguing over whose job is more important - the new reporters or the medical staff.
It is crazy what they show on the news here. Personally, I don't need to see it all. But maybe that is because I did not grow up here. I am not accustomed to seeing the carnage, the way people might be here.
Now the news of the explosion is being interrupted to show two bodies dead in a pool of blood inside of a wooden canoe, one dead in the back of a pickup truck. People are just standing around the scene, looking at the cameras as if this is a good chance to get on tv. Nobody seems upset that there are 2 dead people submerged in blood inside of a canoe a few feet away. There are two more bodies that they aren't showing. All of them are related and were killed, but they are not sure why yet.
Now back to the explosion. They are saying now that people are at risk of death. And they are asking for blood urgently. Gosh. It has been hard enough for us to find blood for Clara. Now it will be more difficult. They are even asking for anesthesia, oxygen tanks, antiseptic solution, antibiotic ointment and sterile pads. The biggest hosptial in the capital of Honduras does not have the most basic things it needs to treat these burn victims.
Although I can't do much personally, I am making a vow that I will do all I can to raise my levels of Hemoglobin so I can give blood in the future. It seems that many people (in every country, I think) don't understand the importance of giving blood.
PS:
Fany and I were just talking about the idea that maybe they will have enough extra blood from donors for the explosion, that they could use some of the overage for Clara. Fany told me that Hospital Escuela is asking for such basic things like anesthesia. I said I heard that too. What a shame. She said yes, just yesterday they discovered a huge storage unit full of medical supplies from Hospital Escuela. Someone was stealing them. So much corruption in a land with so much need.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Let me be singing when the evening comes
First news about Clara. The man who listens to Dr. Gustavo's radio program in San Pedro Sula (far) donated and Karla was able to pick up the note from the local Red Cross.
I took a new friend and her 2 kids to get a check up with Dr. Gustavos. He asked how we were doing and I told him we still need more blood so he is going to announce it again tomorrow on the radio. That seems like I best way to reach people. Praise God for kind hearted strangers!
Today has been a day of praise for me.
I woke up at 5 a.m. with "10,000 Reasons" in my head so I got up and listened to it over and over. What a great song to remind us of all the reasons we have to worship our Lord.
After dropping my kids and her friend off at their house God asked me to pray out loud to him. So I started giving thanks for all the ways we can see His hand in our lives - from the circumstances around my car accident yesterday, to all of the amazing people he has placed around me just at the right time.
I prayed for the team that is coming from my home church in the US and for the ministry where I will serve next - that it will be a healthy environment and that I will add to it in a positive way. I also realize this has been a good week of transition for me. I feel my next full time ministry right around the corner. This week has prepared me for a full time schedule again. Maybe I don't have a specific ministry with a name that I am serving at the moment, but I have been busy as can be this week, serving God. Whether it is taking children to the doctor or finding blood donors and making sure the right papers get to Clara. Some of the older teens from my previous church have been chatting with me in the evening on FB. It's surprising how open they are. I think it might be easier for them if we are not face to face to spill their secrets. So in a way, I have a little ministry right on Facebook! I mostly encourage them to pray, seek God's will, and remember to leave room for God to act. I think more than anything they need an ear to listen. I can do that.
The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes - Matt Redmond 10,000 Reasons (Bless my Soul)
The evening has come and yes, I am still singing this song! It's been a good day in Honduras.
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
I took a new friend and her 2 kids to get a check up with Dr. Gustavos. He asked how we were doing and I told him we still need more blood so he is going to announce it again tomorrow on the radio. That seems like I best way to reach people. Praise God for kind hearted strangers!
Today has been a day of praise for me.
I woke up at 5 a.m. with "10,000 Reasons" in my head so I got up and listened to it over and over. What a great song to remind us of all the reasons we have to worship our Lord.
After dropping my kids and her friend off at their house God asked me to pray out loud to him. So I started giving thanks for all the ways we can see His hand in our lives - from the circumstances around my car accident yesterday, to all of the amazing people he has placed around me just at the right time.
I prayed for the team that is coming from my home church in the US and for the ministry where I will serve next - that it will be a healthy environment and that I will add to it in a positive way. I also realize this has been a good week of transition for me. I feel my next full time ministry right around the corner. This week has prepared me for a full time schedule again. Maybe I don't have a specific ministry with a name that I am serving at the moment, but I have been busy as can be this week, serving God. Whether it is taking children to the doctor or finding blood donors and making sure the right papers get to Clara. Some of the older teens from my previous church have been chatting with me in the evening on FB. It's surprising how open they are. I think it might be easier for them if we are not face to face to spill their secrets. So in a way, I have a little ministry right on Facebook! I mostly encourage them to pray, seek God's will, and remember to leave room for God to act. I think more than anything they need an ear to listen. I can do that.
The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass, and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes - Matt Redmond 10,000 Reasons (Bless my Soul)
The evening has come and yes, I am still singing this song! It's been a good day in Honduras.
Bless the Lord, O my soul
O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before
O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
My first choque
Woke up this morning with a horrible headache and nausea. Didn't feel like getting out of bed, but had a busy day ahead.
I reminded Dr. Gustavo to talk about Clara needing blood, as he asked. Then turned on his program and heard the announcement. We got five calls from that one announcement. One of the people wanted money. But the rest all just wanted to help. So far not even a third of the people who have tried to give are eligible. I am also surprised by how many people can't give because they have had hepatitis, dengue, malaria, or other crazy diseases which excludes them.
I got my residency paperwork started this morning. Then picked up Fabricio to go back to Red Cross to meet the lady who responded to Dr. Gustavo's request for donations on his radio show. But I ended up getting in my first car accident. It was very minor, but the guy was a major jerk. I think he might do this as a way to scam money.
We were merging into heavy traffic that was barely moving. A taxi comes up on my right in a lane that does not exist and is honking like a maniac. But this is typical in Honduras, so I don't think much of it.
However, as we merge onto the big road, he doesn't back off. I had already merged into traffic and he tried to force me to serve into the lane to the left of me. Luckily we were barely moving when he stuck his arm out the window and started pointing to the side of his car. Neither Fabricio or I felt any impact. He basically side swiped his own car with the corner of my right front bumper. Then he sat there staring at me. So I just stared back. Neither one of us got out of our cars.
I was so grateful to be with Fabricio! 99.9% of the time I am alone in my car. If I had to have a car accident, I am glad that it was that .01% of the time that I had someone with me. In fact, Fabricio is the only young man I know who goes to the gym every day. He is not tall, but he has the muscles to prove it, so he was the perfect passenger.
I called the insurance guy, who I just met yesterday for the first time. I'm sure he's thrilled he insured me when I call him with my first accident 24 hours later! He said he was close by and on his way. He called the main office and had me on the phone with them until my line cut out. Meanwhile the taxi driver is telling me to just pay him 1,500 Lempiras ($75) and I can go. I told him there is no way I am paying him any money at all because it was his fault.
Every taxi that passed pulled in front of me and stopped, blocking me in as if I was going to try to escape. They would get out and look, then get back in their cars and go. I was a little nervous they would try to gang up on me. But I think they could see that he had nudged into me while I was already in my lane.
The police came and asked me to move my car, but the insurance guy said I needed to wait for him to get there. It's 4:30 rush hour traffic on a road that is always nuts when it is not rush hour. I understand the policeman's point. I was respectful but I didn't move.
The police asked for my license. (Here licenses don't have addresses, so I felt fine with that.) He went and talked to the taxi driver. Then he came back. I said I am not paying that guy anything. He was beeping his horn, driving too aggressively, and this is his fault. The cop said no, you are not paying anyone anything. He asked if I was okay, if Fabricio is okay, and if my car is okay. I told him everything was fine. My car didn't even have a scratch. It was just dirty where the guy side swiped himself onto me.
The police said I can't let you hold up traffic any longer. If everything is okay, you may go. He held up the left lane of traffic, let me pull around the taxi, and I left. My insurance guy arrived just as I was pulling away. It's nice to know he is willing to come fast if I need him.
Fabricio and I made it to the Red Cross in time to meet the lady who came as a result of the radio request. She was really nice. Clara's daughter, Karla, was there too. I remember the last time she had to go through this with her mom it was really hard on Karla. She couldn't eat and she was on the verge of tears all of the time. But let me tell you, Karla looked great! She was calm and smiling. She had a sense of peace about her that can only come from God as she told us that the doctors have said they will do all they can do, but only God can save her mother. She said with a smile that she has faith that her mother will recover, it doesn't matter what the doctors say.
Fabricio decided that rather than stay and go home with Karla, he wanted to go with me to my weekly prayer meeting. We prayed for Clara and for Fabricio as he begins his next phase of life. (He is moving to Spain on March 20th!) Then I took him out to dinner. I was thinking we would go someplace that he could get some typical 20 year old young man food. But he decided he wanted to try sushi for the first time. Since it was 2x1 and I am now anemic, (Boy! That is a great excuse to eat sushi!!) I thought it was an excellent idea.
I had forgotten the people at the sushi place all know Clara because they took swimming lessons together when I taught last year. Within minutes the restaurant staff were on the phone calling friends and family to donate blood! As of today we have 11 donors who already gave blood. We have three more that are going to try. We'll see what happens with the sushi people.
I think it was good for Fabricio to see them jump into action. He tends to carry heavy burdens and I believe he felt like he was the only one taking action. I know he hasn't been sleeping much and he spends all day on the phone trying to contact people to donate. I hope it lifted his burden when the people from Usami stopped working and huddled around us, bouncing ideas off each other about how they could get more people to donate blood. At least he could see they care.
After I got home I was on FB and Fabricio sent me a note. In Honduras it is very normal to say "Te quiero mucho" which means "I love you". Fabricio is working on his English so sometimes we chat on FB in English. He thanked me for driving him around today. I thanked him for being willing to organize everything and all of his hard work. Then he said he was going to bed and wrote "I love you" in English. Fabricio is so shy! I didn't dare explain that "Te quiero mucho" is not the same sentiment as "I love you", so I just replied, "Te quiero mucho!" Someday when he is relaxed and not going to be embarrassed out of his mind I will explain the difference. But not tonight.
I reminded Dr. Gustavo to talk about Clara needing blood, as he asked. Then turned on his program and heard the announcement. We got five calls from that one announcement. One of the people wanted money. But the rest all just wanted to help. So far not even a third of the people who have tried to give are eligible. I am also surprised by how many people can't give because they have had hepatitis, dengue, malaria, or other crazy diseases which excludes them.
I got my residency paperwork started this morning. Then picked up Fabricio to go back to Red Cross to meet the lady who responded to Dr. Gustavo's request for donations on his radio show. But I ended up getting in my first car accident. It was very minor, but the guy was a major jerk. I think he might do this as a way to scam money.
We were merging into heavy traffic that was barely moving. A taxi comes up on my right in a lane that does not exist and is honking like a maniac. But this is typical in Honduras, so I don't think much of it.
However, as we merge onto the big road, he doesn't back off. I had already merged into traffic and he tried to force me to serve into the lane to the left of me. Luckily we were barely moving when he stuck his arm out the window and started pointing to the side of his car. Neither Fabricio or I felt any impact. He basically side swiped his own car with the corner of my right front bumper. Then he sat there staring at me. So I just stared back. Neither one of us got out of our cars.
I was so grateful to be with Fabricio! 99.9% of the time I am alone in my car. If I had to have a car accident, I am glad that it was that .01% of the time that I had someone with me. In fact, Fabricio is the only young man I know who goes to the gym every day. He is not tall, but he has the muscles to prove it, so he was the perfect passenger.
I called the insurance guy, who I just met yesterday for the first time. I'm sure he's thrilled he insured me when I call him with my first accident 24 hours later! He said he was close by and on his way. He called the main office and had me on the phone with them until my line cut out. Meanwhile the taxi driver is telling me to just pay him 1,500 Lempiras ($75) and I can go. I told him there is no way I am paying him any money at all because it was his fault.
Every taxi that passed pulled in front of me and stopped, blocking me in as if I was going to try to escape. They would get out and look, then get back in their cars and go. I was a little nervous they would try to gang up on me. But I think they could see that he had nudged into me while I was already in my lane.
The police came and asked me to move my car, but the insurance guy said I needed to wait for him to get there. It's 4:30 rush hour traffic on a road that is always nuts when it is not rush hour. I understand the policeman's point. I was respectful but I didn't move.
The police asked for my license. (Here licenses don't have addresses, so I felt fine with that.) He went and talked to the taxi driver. Then he came back. I said I am not paying that guy anything. He was beeping his horn, driving too aggressively, and this is his fault. The cop said no, you are not paying anyone anything. He asked if I was okay, if Fabricio is okay, and if my car is okay. I told him everything was fine. My car didn't even have a scratch. It was just dirty where the guy side swiped himself onto me.
The police said I can't let you hold up traffic any longer. If everything is okay, you may go. He held up the left lane of traffic, let me pull around the taxi, and I left. My insurance guy arrived just as I was pulling away. It's nice to know he is willing to come fast if I need him.
Fabricio and I made it to the Red Cross in time to meet the lady who came as a result of the radio request. She was really nice. Clara's daughter, Karla, was there too. I remember the last time she had to go through this with her mom it was really hard on Karla. She couldn't eat and she was on the verge of tears all of the time. But let me tell you, Karla looked great! She was calm and smiling. She had a sense of peace about her that can only come from God as she told us that the doctors have said they will do all they can do, but only God can save her mother. She said with a smile that she has faith that her mother will recover, it doesn't matter what the doctors say.
Fabricio decided that rather than stay and go home with Karla, he wanted to go with me to my weekly prayer meeting. We prayed for Clara and for Fabricio as he begins his next phase of life. (He is moving to Spain on March 20th!) Then I took him out to dinner. I was thinking we would go someplace that he could get some typical 20 year old young man food. But he decided he wanted to try sushi for the first time. Since it was 2x1 and I am now anemic, (Boy! That is a great excuse to eat sushi!!) I thought it was an excellent idea.
I had forgotten the people at the sushi place all know Clara because they took swimming lessons together when I taught last year. Within minutes the restaurant staff were on the phone calling friends and family to donate blood! As of today we have 11 donors who already gave blood. We have three more that are going to try. We'll see what happens with the sushi people.
I think it was good for Fabricio to see them jump into action. He tends to carry heavy burdens and I believe he felt like he was the only one taking action. I know he hasn't been sleeping much and he spends all day on the phone trying to contact people to donate. I hope it lifted his burden when the people from Usami stopped working and huddled around us, bouncing ideas off each other about how they could get more people to donate blood. At least he could see they care.
After I got home I was on FB and Fabricio sent me a note. In Honduras it is very normal to say "Te quiero mucho" which means "I love you". Fabricio is working on his English so sometimes we chat on FB in English. He thanked me for driving him around today. I thanked him for being willing to organize everything and all of his hard work. Then he said he was going to bed and wrote "I love you" in English. Fabricio is so shy! I didn't dare explain that "Te quiero mucho" is not the same sentiment as "I love you", so I just replied, "Te quiero mucho!" Someday when he is relaxed and not going to be embarrassed out of his mind I will explain the difference. But not tonight.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Fabricio fights for Clara
I can't remember the last time I felt this exhausted. But I want to write everything down while it is still freshly jumbled in my head.
Last night I was on FB, chatting with some boys from Iglesia en Transformación until almost 3 a.m. They couldn't sleep because they are worried about our friend Clara.
If you have been walking with me for a while, you know Clara as the woman who got Leukemia, was sick in the hospital, I went to visit her and puked all over the famous Hospital Escuela, she got better, got pregnant, got worse, stopped all meds, got better, gave birth, lost the baby 3 days later, was told she was free of Leukemia about a year ago, got pregnant again a few months ago, was hospitalized, lost the second baby, and now is in very grave condition in the hospital again.
This is Clara in May 2014 - healthy, happy and so proud she learned how to swim!
Last night I was on FB, chatting with some boys from Iglesia en Transformación until almost 3 a.m. They couldn't sleep because they are worried about our friend Clara.
If you have been walking with me for a while, you know Clara as the woman who got Leukemia, was sick in the hospital, I went to visit her and puked all over the famous Hospital Escuela, she got better, got pregnant, got worse, stopped all meds, got better, gave birth, lost the baby 3 days later, was told she was free of Leukemia about a year ago, got pregnant again a few months ago, was hospitalized, lost the second baby, and now is in very grave condition in the hospital again.
This is Clara in May 2014 - healthy, happy and so proud she learned how to swim!
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| Clara always smiled when she swam. She was one of the last to learn. It was scary and challenging. But Clara learned to swim! |
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| Clara with her two daughters. Karla, on the right, became a very good swimmer. She loved sharing this experience with her mother.
Now that you have met Clara, let me tell you a little more about her. She is someone who taught me about faith. When she was first diagnosed with Leukemia we were very scared. It was Clara who stood strongest. Later she said that her faith did waiver. All I can say is that I never saw it. Clara's words and actions, even at the most difficult times, were always positive. She is a woman of great faith.
On Sunday when I got home from the retreat, Fany said that she talked to someone at church who told her Clara was very, very sick and needed 10 pints of blood. In Honduras I often hear the word "grave" to describe someone's condition. It seems like sometimes the term is thrown around too loosely. I hoped that was the case for Clara. But I was worried.
Then last night the boys started writing to me on Facebook. One of them went Saturday to donate blood. Let me take a minute to tell you about this boy. His name is Fabricio and if you read my blog regularly, you may remember him as the boy who went with me the last time we attempted to give blood. It was a horrible, all day event at Hospital Escuela - the toughest hospital in Tegucigalpa. We had tickets for my first soccer game that day and we almost missed the game because Fabricio was not going to leave until he completed his mission.
That is how I first bonded with Fabricio and learned what a faithful friend he is. He had never met Clara, but he was willing to give up the soccer game and the ticket he already paid for to help someone he didn't know. I was impressed and have respected Fabricio from that day forward.
Since that time Fabricio has come out of his shell a little. He learned to play the drums and is now part of the church band. Several times when he was feeling down, he has reached out to me and we talk. I am honored to help. Although we no longer attend the same church, our relationship is strong. Last week he said that I am the only one who knows, but he is moving to Spain. His mother lives in Spain and his brother left in December to live with her. In March Fabricio will go too. I am excited for him. It will be a much better environment for him. In Honduras he is lonely and I don't need to tell you about the danger and the economy. I predict Fabricio will thrive in Spain.
Last night Fabricio was really wound up. He had gone to give blood on Friday. Luis (another boy I admire immensely) and Kevin went yesterday, but Fabricio is worried that Clara is going to die and it seems to him that nobody else is doing much about it. Now Clara needs TWENTY pints of blood. He was calling all of his friends and asking them to donate blood. He got one friend who goes to school right by my house to donate, so I agreed to pick up both boys and take them to donate.
After we had a game plan in place, Fabricio said he was feeling better and could sleep. I could tell he was still anxious.
Today I picked them up and we headed out, each of us thinking we knew where we were going, but we got lost. Luckily Fany's husband, Santos, is in town and with a couple of phone calls we made it to La Cruz Roja (the Red Cross). I was amazed at what a different experience it was to give blood at the Red Cross as opposed to our last experience at Hospital Escuela. There was NO wait and the people were super nice! Unfortunately, first my blood did not want to come out at all for the finger stick test, and then they said my Hemoglobin was too low.
I am surprised because I ate more meat at the retreat last weekend that I have eaten in months and every meal had salad as well as vegetables. But they said I cannot give blood and will not be eligible to try again for three months. I was super bummed. Really upset. I wanted to cry but I didn't want to upset Fabricio. I am one of the healthiest eaters I know! How could this be?
Fabricio's friend was able to donate. We learned that 8 other people had come earlier in the day, but only 2 of the eight were able to donate. Which means that Clara has only received 3 of the 20 pints of blood she needs.
Fabricio was not satisfied with this result. He said he was going to get back on Facebook and keep asking people to donate. But so far that has not been effective. Here are some photos he was using for his campaign:
 
Luis is the first photo. Fabricio and his sign are the second photo.
Since Fabricio was not feeling content with his efforts I figured I could walk along side him for the rest of the day. I mentioned that one of the nurses had told me to ask the police to donate. Fabricio said that he had seen a lot of military men come in when he donated, so we talked about where we could go and how we could get the police or military police to donate.
First we stopped at one police post where I felt really out of place. The people were super nice, but the room was tiny and they brought in someone "handcuffed" behind his back with a shoelace, sat him down next to me and started interrogating him. I did feel that God was with us though because as the guy at the desk said he would need to talk to his boss, the boss walked right in. Then the boss said he would need to talk to his boss and at that moment the phone rang with his boss on the other end. So he talked to his boss and told us to come back in the morning when there would be more people gathered before they headed out for their shifts. Police in Honduras can take time from their work day to give blood if they choose to! While it suits us well on this occasion, I am not sure I like the concept overall, considering there are more homicides here than any place on earth, and almost none of them are solved. But now is not the time for me to preach about that.
They told us we should go to a bigger post where there would be more people meandering around. So we went, but it was closed. The people at the gate told us there is a specific place to go with social workers who keep a list of blood donors. They gave us directions and told us to go tomorrow during business hours. We went to one more small police post and they told us to come back at 6:30 a.m. so we can talk to the head guy before role call at 7:30 a.m.
So that is the plan. We also stopped by Dr. Gustavo's office. That was my brainstorm. I was thinking about my low hemoglobin and said that I was going to ask Dr. Gustavo about how to fix it in case Clara is still needing blood in May, when I am eligible to try again. Then I realized Dr. Gustavo has a radio program which a lot of people listen to every day. I told Fabricio that we were not going to say a word about the radio program, but if it was God's plan, Dr Gustavo would mention it himself. And guess what!?!?!?!!!!!! He asked for the information about how to donate so that he can share it with his listeners tomorrow! I almost jumped out of my seat, I was so excited. Fabricio and I believe that could be a big help.
Tomorrow at 8:30 I have to call and remind Dr Gustavo to talk about Clara. At 11 a.m. I have a meeting about renewing my residency. Then Fabricio and I will go to the office of social services to see if we can find more donors.
It is crazy to realize you live in a place where you can simply die if you don't have enough people close to you to donate the blood you need. Blood can be purchased, but Clara needs so much... And blood is really expensive.
Fabricio and I are talking about giving blood regularly, even when we don't have friends in the hospital. It feels like the right thing to do. Especially since the Red Cross makes it easy (if you don't have low hemoglobin) with no wait and a comfortable environment.
It is such an honor to know young men like Luis and Fabricio. Against all odds, they have grown into incredible examples for the rest of the world, young and old. I am proud to be part of their lives and will continue to do anything I can to support them.
Please keep Clara and her family in your prayers. Praise God for people like Fabricio who puts his whole life on hold to fight for the life of someone he still has never spoken to. And pray that people will respond as Dr. Gustavo speaks on the radio tomorrow while Fabricio and I go back out hunting for blood.
On a different note, the fire season is here again. The mountains are full of fires and the city is getting full of smoke. And my house is full of ants.
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Monday, February 16, 2015
Climbing Mountains
My heart is so full it could explode! I have so much to write about I don't know where to start.
Thursday I went to the 4 day retreat for members of Honduran Fellowships of Missionaries and Ministries. It is through this organization that I will be able to maintain my residency in Honduras. I also have health care now! HFMM has over 300 members. Over 200 came to the retreat!
I kept comparing who I am now with who I was in November when I attended a different retreat for women through WOP. Sometimes I feel like a completely new person, and in some ways I am. Sometimes I think I just rediscovered who I was to begin with, before I came to Honduras three years ago. Both of those concepts are true in different ways.
God has blessed me with so much spiritual healing through my new pastor, Pastora Ruth, that I am not the same person I was in November, the first time I walked into her church. Not even close. I have learned and am still learning who I am in God and this makes me a new person.
At the same time, I am remembering the person I was when I was happiest and most fulfilled. I was self confident. I was respected. I was competent. I haven't felt like I am any of those things in a long time. Too long.
A woman I met at the retreat is rescuing children and abused women. She is doing big things all over Honduras. She educates thousands of people each year, and leads the leaders of this country when it comes to the problem of domestic violence, child abuse and rape. She is amazing.
People have been telling me for a while that I should meet her, that we have a lot in common. At that time I didn't know all she was doing and how important she is. When we were introduced she explained the basics of what she does and I said, "That is very much like what I used to do in Chicago." Later I attended a workshop she taught and she explained everything that she is doing. Teaching the police, leading the leaders, and at the same time rescuing those in need. I was in awe.
She said, "There is no better feeling than running up a mountain with the police to rescue an abused woman. You find her huddled in a corner, not believing that you are really able to help her and you have to tell her, 'We are here for you. We came here to help you. I am going to help you.' You just hold her and tell her that over and over."
As this heroic woman talked about running up the mountain and embracing the abused woman (who had been to the police four times after her husband repeatedly almost killed her) she demonstrated how she held the woman by wrapping herself around me. Many people in the workshop were brought to tears. I was too.
As I was leaving the retreat I talked to her. (Go me!!! In November I would never have dared to talk to her after I found out how awesome she really is.) I said, "I think you have changed my life. Remember when you told the story about running up the mountain to rescue to abused woman?"
She said, "You were the abused woman?"
I said, "No. I used to run up mountains. But I haven't in a long time, and I forgot that I ever could. Your words helped me to remember what makes my heart beat. I remember now who I am and what I am capable of. Thank you."
Yesterday I got home from the retreat and I called Pastor Ruth. We had an appointment to meet today, but she got too busy at work, so I met with her co-pastor, Pastor Paysen. He is a really cool German man who understands some of the difficulties of living in another country. And he speaks English, so we can talk easily. I can confide in him the same as I do with Pastor Ruth, so I didn't mind at all meeting with Pastor Paysen instead.
I said that I know Ruth was very clear that she wanted me to stop ministering and have a time to receive. But I believe that I have grown and healed enough to begin serving again, and if they are in agreement I would like to start talking with some ministries.
We talked for a long time. Turned out we were all on the same page about everything, which was really nice. I would have been okay if we weren't. I trust them and would have followed anything they asked of me. But, it's nice that they see things the same way I do.
After meeting with Pastor Paysen I called a lady I met in October. Everyone who knows her says she is very special. Some people from my home church have met her as well and thought she was amazing. She said that she and I will sit down and talk about if there is a place for me in her ministry. She even sounded excited, which made me very happy.
My prayer before the call was two things:
1) That my offer to serve in her ministry would be an answer to her prayer
2) That there will be a place there where I can use my God given gifts to do things that are challenging, but that I love to do so I can feel my heart beat with passion like it used to.
Back in November I had such low self confidence, I didn't dare speak to the people I admired. I thought they wouldn't want to be bothered by me. But look at me now! I spoke to the awesome lady at the retreat (We are even friends on Facebook! Ha ha. I know that is silly, but it's a big step for me.) and I called the lady whom I admire greatly and said (with confidence!) I would like to lend a hand at her ministry.
I am grateful to the people who have helped me get to this place. People from my home church in the US, specifically my mentor, Robin, and my friend, Kim were the first to step in. Pastor Ruth has been the biggest blessing of all. God placed me into her hands just at the right time. There are friends here who walk with me on a daily basis like Fany and Carol. They know when I need space to grow, but are there the instant I need a friend. God is using this experience to bring me closer to my family too. For the first time in six years, I think they are starting to understand that maybe it wasn't such a totally insane and horrible thing for me to move to Honduras. I'm also grateful to people I don't get to talk to as much as I'd like, but I know are praying for me. Those people include, but are not limited to, my friend Ana and her family here in Honduras, Jody, Mary, Julia, Heather, Arlene, Pat, Sandrine, Danielle, my Aunts, and more that I can't think of right now but are no less important. Thanks guys!
I have reached base camp. My bags are full of tools. I have trained hard. Can't wait to start climbing mountains again.
Thursday I went to the 4 day retreat for members of Honduran Fellowships of Missionaries and Ministries. It is through this organization that I will be able to maintain my residency in Honduras. I also have health care now! HFMM has over 300 members. Over 200 came to the retreat!
I kept comparing who I am now with who I was in November when I attended a different retreat for women through WOP. Sometimes I feel like a completely new person, and in some ways I am. Sometimes I think I just rediscovered who I was to begin with, before I came to Honduras three years ago. Both of those concepts are true in different ways.
God has blessed me with so much spiritual healing through my new pastor, Pastora Ruth, that I am not the same person I was in November, the first time I walked into her church. Not even close. I have learned and am still learning who I am in God and this makes me a new person.
At the same time, I am remembering the person I was when I was happiest and most fulfilled. I was self confident. I was respected. I was competent. I haven't felt like I am any of those things in a long time. Too long.
A woman I met at the retreat is rescuing children and abused women. She is doing big things all over Honduras. She educates thousands of people each year, and leads the leaders of this country when it comes to the problem of domestic violence, child abuse and rape. She is amazing.
People have been telling me for a while that I should meet her, that we have a lot in common. At that time I didn't know all she was doing and how important she is. When we were introduced she explained the basics of what she does and I said, "That is very much like what I used to do in Chicago." Later I attended a workshop she taught and she explained everything that she is doing. Teaching the police, leading the leaders, and at the same time rescuing those in need. I was in awe.
She said, "There is no better feeling than running up a mountain with the police to rescue an abused woman. You find her huddled in a corner, not believing that you are really able to help her and you have to tell her, 'We are here for you. We came here to help you. I am going to help you.' You just hold her and tell her that over and over."
As this heroic woman talked about running up the mountain and embracing the abused woman (who had been to the police four times after her husband repeatedly almost killed her) she demonstrated how she held the woman by wrapping herself around me. Many people in the workshop were brought to tears. I was too.
As I was leaving the retreat I talked to her. (Go me!!! In November I would never have dared to talk to her after I found out how awesome she really is.) I said, "I think you have changed my life. Remember when you told the story about running up the mountain to rescue to abused woman?"
She said, "You were the abused woman?"
I said, "No. I used to run up mountains. But I haven't in a long time, and I forgot that I ever could. Your words helped me to remember what makes my heart beat. I remember now who I am and what I am capable of. Thank you."
Yesterday I got home from the retreat and I called Pastor Ruth. We had an appointment to meet today, but she got too busy at work, so I met with her co-pastor, Pastor Paysen. He is a really cool German man who understands some of the difficulties of living in another country. And he speaks English, so we can talk easily. I can confide in him the same as I do with Pastor Ruth, so I didn't mind at all meeting with Pastor Paysen instead.
I said that I know Ruth was very clear that she wanted me to stop ministering and have a time to receive. But I believe that I have grown and healed enough to begin serving again, and if they are in agreement I would like to start talking with some ministries.
We talked for a long time. Turned out we were all on the same page about everything, which was really nice. I would have been okay if we weren't. I trust them and would have followed anything they asked of me. But, it's nice that they see things the same way I do.
After meeting with Pastor Paysen I called a lady I met in October. Everyone who knows her says she is very special. Some people from my home church have met her as well and thought she was amazing. She said that she and I will sit down and talk about if there is a place for me in her ministry. She even sounded excited, which made me very happy.
My prayer before the call was two things:
1) That my offer to serve in her ministry would be an answer to her prayer
2) That there will be a place there where I can use my God given gifts to do things that are challenging, but that I love to do so I can feel my heart beat with passion like it used to.
Back in November I had such low self confidence, I didn't dare speak to the people I admired. I thought they wouldn't want to be bothered by me. But look at me now! I spoke to the awesome lady at the retreat (We are even friends on Facebook! Ha ha. I know that is silly, but it's a big step for me.) and I called the lady whom I admire greatly and said (with confidence!) I would like to lend a hand at her ministry.
I am grateful to the people who have helped me get to this place. People from my home church in the US, specifically my mentor, Robin, and my friend, Kim were the first to step in. Pastor Ruth has been the biggest blessing of all. God placed me into her hands just at the right time. There are friends here who walk with me on a daily basis like Fany and Carol. They know when I need space to grow, but are there the instant I need a friend. God is using this experience to bring me closer to my family too. For the first time in six years, I think they are starting to understand that maybe it wasn't such a totally insane and horrible thing for me to move to Honduras. I'm also grateful to people I don't get to talk to as much as I'd like, but I know are praying for me. Those people include, but are not limited to, my friend Ana and her family here in Honduras, Jody, Mary, Julia, Heather, Arlene, Pat, Sandrine, Danielle, my Aunts, and more that I can't think of right now but are no less important. Thanks guys!
I have reached base camp. My bags are full of tools. I have trained hard. Can't wait to start climbing mountains again.
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| Left and right are Daniel and Rocio, new friends In the middle are my friend Carol and me! |
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| Single missionaries in their 40's. It was a small group. |
.JPG) |
| Pastor John, head of HFMM and his pastor, Pastor Ken |
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| Brad and Rebekah came from the US to lead us in worship |
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| We worshiped! |
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| I had the best prayer group of them all. We were asked to keep it down because our prayer was too loud. Ooops! |
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Whispers
Fany and I have been whispering about this for a few weeks now, but today it is all over the news so I guess it's okay to write about it publicly.
Fany comes from a small town where the head of the biggest gang of narcos live. Her family was supposed to come and visit but then things started going nuts there. The local people said that the head of the gang and his brother turned themselves in to the US government because they were about to be killed by rivals here in Honduras. The problem was that nobody could confirm it.
Therefore rivals were going through the villages, turning everything upside down, looking for this man and his brother. They were going house to house, which meant that everyone was holed up, not daring to leave their home. Fany's parents couldn't visit because they had to stay and protect their home.
A couple of days ago it was finally confirmed publicly that the man and his brother had turned themselves in and were being held in Miami, FL. They left because they feared for their lives if they stayed in Honduras. Today the news is talking about all of the homes and cars and businesses that are being seized by the President of Honduras because it was related to this gang.
The strange thing to me is that they don't even pretend that they are going to distribute the things they seize to the poor or needy. The film clips show the president talking about sending furniture to his home!
What a shame.
Hopefully things will calm down soon so that Fany's parents can have some peace again. But there seems to be a lot more still to be confiscated.
And in regular news, the price of eggs is frozen for 30 days, there is less cheese than normal because the lack of rain means less for the cows to feed on and therefore, they are not making as much milk, and the weather is "beneficial" for migraines. Not sure if that means beneficial for causing migraines, or beneficial for those who suffer from migraines.
I don't know if I will ever get used to living in a place where it is not safe to speak in a normal tone about politics and the leaders of the country. Families learn to talk in code over the telephone and whisper, even in our own backyard.
Fany comes from a small town where the head of the biggest gang of narcos live. Her family was supposed to come and visit but then things started going nuts there. The local people said that the head of the gang and his brother turned themselves in to the US government because they were about to be killed by rivals here in Honduras. The problem was that nobody could confirm it.
Therefore rivals were going through the villages, turning everything upside down, looking for this man and his brother. They were going house to house, which meant that everyone was holed up, not daring to leave their home. Fany's parents couldn't visit because they had to stay and protect their home.
A couple of days ago it was finally confirmed publicly that the man and his brother had turned themselves in and were being held in Miami, FL. They left because they feared for their lives if they stayed in Honduras. Today the news is talking about all of the homes and cars and businesses that are being seized by the President of Honduras because it was related to this gang.
The strange thing to me is that they don't even pretend that they are going to distribute the things they seize to the poor or needy. The film clips show the president talking about sending furniture to his home!
What a shame.
Hopefully things will calm down soon so that Fany's parents can have some peace again. But there seems to be a lot more still to be confiscated.
And in regular news, the price of eggs is frozen for 30 days, there is less cheese than normal because the lack of rain means less for the cows to feed on and therefore, they are not making as much milk, and the weather is "beneficial" for migraines. Not sure if that means beneficial for causing migraines, or beneficial for those who suffer from migraines.
I don't know if I will ever get used to living in a place where it is not safe to speak in a normal tone about politics and the leaders of the country. Families learn to talk in code over the telephone and whisper, even in our own backyard.
Friday, February 6, 2015
Collectivos
Last week Fany told me that her best friend, Cynthia, called and said that she was almost killed. I asked what happened, but Cynthia hadn't given any details, just that she almost was killed in a cab. Last night when I was talking with Fany she told me what happened to Cynthia.
I know Cynthia pretty well because she lives up in the mountains but she goes to school and works down in the city, so she frequently spends the night with Fany and we all hang out together. She made a special point to be here for my birthday, and gave me a pretty necklace with matching earrings, so I guess I could say she is one of my friends.
In Honduras there are two kinds of taxis. One is the kind you are accustomed to. But there is also a collectivo, which means that the driver starts at one main point and goes to another designated point. It costs less because it "collects" people along the way until the cab is full. You can get dropped off anywhere along the way between the two points. It's faster than a bus and cheaper than a private taxi, but I know a LOT of people who have been robbed in collectivos. I know two people who have been robbed more than once.
Cynthia got into the collectivo with a chicken and her purse crossed over her shoulder. She sat in the front seat, thinking that was safest. Later a man got in behind her. When they came to the place where Cynthia wanted to get out she asked the driver to let her out there. The driver stopped, and Cynthia reached out the window to open the cab door from the outside, as is common here. But the man in the back told the driver to keep going, nobody is getting out here. The man in the back reached around in front of Cynthia and tried to smash something into her nose. We are assuming it was a chemical to make her unconscious.
The guy kept yelling at the driver to drive and they kept going another 5 minutes with this man trapping Cynthia's arms and trying to shove his hand (which held something in it) toward her nose. Cynthia kept trying to get out. Finally when they got to Hospital Escuela the traffic slowed and there were people on the street. Cynthia was screaming but nobody came to help. She knew that was her best opportunity to get out, so she tried one more time, reaching out through the half open window. The driver slammed on his brakes harder than ever and the guy in the back lost his grip of Cynthia. She dove out of the cab and the driver took off. But then she saw the cab stop again and the man come running for her, so she ran into the crowd of people and escaped on a bus.
That is so scary! She could have been kidnapped and never seen again.
Instead she landed on the chicken and it exploded all over the road but she got away safe and with all of her possessions. She was pretty banged up from the struggle with the man and from landing on the road, but she is alive. Cynthia has always been an independent person who kind of does her own thing, but Fany said this experience really changed her. She only takes buses now. (Which aren't much safer, except you are in a crowd.)
I am blessed to have received good advice in all of my time in Honduras. I rode in collectivos in 2009, when it was a little safer. But when I moved here Jairo said that I am not allowed to ride in public transportation (buses, taxis or collectivos) and I have kept that as a personal rule for myself even though Jairo moved to the US more than a year ago. Now that I have more North American friends I see them doing things that I would never do, and they are fine. Sometimes they ask why I am so cautious. I just tell them it was the way I was taught to live here and I don't want to change it.
I know Cynthia pretty well because she lives up in the mountains but she goes to school and works down in the city, so she frequently spends the night with Fany and we all hang out together. She made a special point to be here for my birthday, and gave me a pretty necklace with matching earrings, so I guess I could say she is one of my friends.
In Honduras there are two kinds of taxis. One is the kind you are accustomed to. But there is also a collectivo, which means that the driver starts at one main point and goes to another designated point. It costs less because it "collects" people along the way until the cab is full. You can get dropped off anywhere along the way between the two points. It's faster than a bus and cheaper than a private taxi, but I know a LOT of people who have been robbed in collectivos. I know two people who have been robbed more than once.
Cynthia got into the collectivo with a chicken and her purse crossed over her shoulder. She sat in the front seat, thinking that was safest. Later a man got in behind her. When they came to the place where Cynthia wanted to get out she asked the driver to let her out there. The driver stopped, and Cynthia reached out the window to open the cab door from the outside, as is common here. But the man in the back told the driver to keep going, nobody is getting out here. The man in the back reached around in front of Cynthia and tried to smash something into her nose. We are assuming it was a chemical to make her unconscious.
The guy kept yelling at the driver to drive and they kept going another 5 minutes with this man trapping Cynthia's arms and trying to shove his hand (which held something in it) toward her nose. Cynthia kept trying to get out. Finally when they got to Hospital Escuela the traffic slowed and there were people on the street. Cynthia was screaming but nobody came to help. She knew that was her best opportunity to get out, so she tried one more time, reaching out through the half open window. The driver slammed on his brakes harder than ever and the guy in the back lost his grip of Cynthia. She dove out of the cab and the driver took off. But then she saw the cab stop again and the man come running for her, so she ran into the crowd of people and escaped on a bus.
That is so scary! She could have been kidnapped and never seen again.
Instead she landed on the chicken and it exploded all over the road but she got away safe and with all of her possessions. She was pretty banged up from the struggle with the man and from landing on the road, but she is alive. Cynthia has always been an independent person who kind of does her own thing, but Fany said this experience really changed her. She only takes buses now. (Which aren't much safer, except you are in a crowd.)
I am blessed to have received good advice in all of my time in Honduras. I rode in collectivos in 2009, when it was a little safer. But when I moved here Jairo said that I am not allowed to ride in public transportation (buses, taxis or collectivos) and I have kept that as a personal rule for myself even though Jairo moved to the US more than a year ago. Now that I have more North American friends I see them doing things that I would never do, and they are fine. Sometimes they ask why I am so cautious. I just tell them it was the way I was taught to live here and I don't want to change it.
Being a Mom
Yesterday I woke up with a cold. Laura got a cold the day before, so I wasn't surprised. I felt pretty crappy yesterday, but Fany brought me a yummy dinner and a special drink she knows I love at night. It's a recipe that her mom makes by hand. Her mom roasts cocoa beans and corn, then crushes them into a powder with some sugar. Then Fany just adds warm milk and it makes the thickest, yummiest hot cocoa you've have ever had.
I took my favorite cold medicine, Sudagrip tea, and went to bed. Today I woke up feeling much better. Sudagrip tea can fix almost anything.
Today I thought Laura and Fany weren't home because I never heard them outside. Usually I can hear at least a couple shrieks from Laura each day. I was surprised when Fany showed up with ginger tea, our latest addiction, in the late afternoon.
She said she had been cuddled with her daughter all morning because Laura was not getting any better. But she was due to go back to the doctor today anyway. I offered to give them a ride. As we were leaving I looked over the meds she was taking and realized there were two of the same thing. Then Fany realized the pharmacy gave her two of one thing (they were packaged differently) but she didn't have the antibiotic at all. So the antibiotics the doctor prescribed on Wednesday were never purchased and she was giving her daughter a double dose of the anti-inflammatory medicine.
She felt horrible! She said the doctor was going to yell at her. I told her no, he is not going to yell at you. She said lots of doctors do. I told her he would understand it's a mistake and we will get the correct medicine right away. She said she is a bad mother. I assured her she is not!
We got to the doctor's office early, so there was no line. (There are no appointments here.) Laura has stopped screaming and crying the second she enters his office, which is nice. She was calm and relaxed, partly because she was too sick to do anything.
Dr. Gustavo joked with me about leaving his church and going to my new church. He told me not to worry, everything will always remain the same between us (I will continue to be the pediatrician's oldest patient). I was very grateful for that.
Then he started digging for antibiotic samples for Laura. I could see he wasn't really finding what he wanted and I promised him we would go directly to the pharmacy to get what he prescribed on Wednesday. He said yes, she needs them "as soon as possible" in English.
Laura took the medicine without problems because she understands she is really sick. Her fever was 102. She vomited once afterward, but it was 50 minutes later, so the medicine should have gotten into her system.
Tonight I made dinner for her Fany. She invited me to sit and eat with her. Afterward I was at home and she called. She said Laura is having an allergic reaction. I said I will be right there. So I went over, expecting Laura's throat to be closing or something drastic. Laura had what looked like little bug bites on the bottoms of her feet and under her forearms. She said they itched, but it didn't seem to be too itchy.
We discussed whether or not we should call the doctor. Finally I decided that yes, we should, because she was supposed to take her next dose at 6 a.m. I know that sometimes allergic reactions can be stronger the second time and then what would we do? So we called Dr. Gustavo and he answered. (Fany said he always answers.) He was eating dinner but he told Fany that Laura will be fine and she should still take the dose in the morning with an antihistamine 15 minutes ahead of time.
So Fany should be able to sleep a little better tonight. Except Laura is so sick she keeps whimpering in her sleep, which makes Fany nervous. Laura isn't talking at all because her throat is so sore, she just whimpers. We sat and talked quietly until almost 11 p.m. Laura was sleeping fitfully as Fany rubbed her back. I could tell Fany didn't want to be alone. Poor Fany is going to have another long night, I think.
I came back home to find my cat having an asthma attack. She is usually fine, now that I have moved into the city. But her asthma does not like cold weather. Last night it turned cold and has been cold and super windy ever since. So now I have my own baby to take care of.
I told Fany that I will come over tomorrow morning when she gives Laura the medicine if she wants me to. And we knew if we call Dr. Gustavo he will always answer. It's hard being a mom, but Fany is a good one.
I took my favorite cold medicine, Sudagrip tea, and went to bed. Today I woke up feeling much better. Sudagrip tea can fix almost anything.
Today I thought Laura and Fany weren't home because I never heard them outside. Usually I can hear at least a couple shrieks from Laura each day. I was surprised when Fany showed up with ginger tea, our latest addiction, in the late afternoon.
She said she had been cuddled with her daughter all morning because Laura was not getting any better. But she was due to go back to the doctor today anyway. I offered to give them a ride. As we were leaving I looked over the meds she was taking and realized there were two of the same thing. Then Fany realized the pharmacy gave her two of one thing (they were packaged differently) but she didn't have the antibiotic at all. So the antibiotics the doctor prescribed on Wednesday were never purchased and she was giving her daughter a double dose of the anti-inflammatory medicine.
She felt horrible! She said the doctor was going to yell at her. I told her no, he is not going to yell at you. She said lots of doctors do. I told her he would understand it's a mistake and we will get the correct medicine right away. She said she is a bad mother. I assured her she is not!
We got to the doctor's office early, so there was no line. (There are no appointments here.) Laura has stopped screaming and crying the second she enters his office, which is nice. She was calm and relaxed, partly because she was too sick to do anything.
Dr. Gustavo joked with me about leaving his church and going to my new church. He told me not to worry, everything will always remain the same between us (I will continue to be the pediatrician's oldest patient). I was very grateful for that.
Then he started digging for antibiotic samples for Laura. I could see he wasn't really finding what he wanted and I promised him we would go directly to the pharmacy to get what he prescribed on Wednesday. He said yes, she needs them "as soon as possible" in English.
Laura took the medicine without problems because she understands she is really sick. Her fever was 102. She vomited once afterward, but it was 50 minutes later, so the medicine should have gotten into her system.
Tonight I made dinner for her Fany. She invited me to sit and eat with her. Afterward I was at home and she called. She said Laura is having an allergic reaction. I said I will be right there. So I went over, expecting Laura's throat to be closing or something drastic. Laura had what looked like little bug bites on the bottoms of her feet and under her forearms. She said they itched, but it didn't seem to be too itchy.
We discussed whether or not we should call the doctor. Finally I decided that yes, we should, because she was supposed to take her next dose at 6 a.m. I know that sometimes allergic reactions can be stronger the second time and then what would we do? So we called Dr. Gustavo and he answered. (Fany said he always answers.) He was eating dinner but he told Fany that Laura will be fine and she should still take the dose in the morning with an antihistamine 15 minutes ahead of time.
So Fany should be able to sleep a little better tonight. Except Laura is so sick she keeps whimpering in her sleep, which makes Fany nervous. Laura isn't talking at all because her throat is so sore, she just whimpers. We sat and talked quietly until almost 11 p.m. Laura was sleeping fitfully as Fany rubbed her back. I could tell Fany didn't want to be alone. Poor Fany is going to have another long night, I think.
I came back home to find my cat having an asthma attack. She is usually fine, now that I have moved into the city. But her asthma does not like cold weather. Last night it turned cold and has been cold and super windy ever since. So now I have my own baby to take care of.
I told Fany that I will come over tomorrow morning when she gives Laura the medicine if she wants me to. And we knew if we call Dr. Gustavo he will always answer. It's hard being a mom, but Fany is a good one.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
His love is like a Vast Ocean
Today I had a really great quiet time. It was interesting because I was supposed to be busy with doing things with other people, but each of them cancelled and so I was left with time alone.
Then I was going to wash laundry because the weather is sunny and breezy - it would dry in a snap! But I decided there wasn't quite a load. So instead I made some tea, used the new sinus rinse I got yesterday (my sinuses are so packed I can't even get the rinse to reach my sinuses yet) and sat down for some time of study and prayer.
During my time of listening prayer God told me a lot of really cool things. Here is part:
My love for you is like a vast ocean.
The waves of my love can envelop you and overwhelm you.
They can wrap you up in me, in my love
You can feel my love toss you around, like undertow, in ways more powerful than you ever imagined
Because that is the power of my love
God also told me that I should have confidence in the fact that I do know and recognize His voice. I shouldn't doubt when I hear from Him. He gave me two verses to confirm this.
"The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice." John 10:3-4
Then to confirm He gave me this:
"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me" John 10:14
I am glad my other plans fell through because it was such a great time with God today.
PS: I made a mistake in my last post. My nephew was born 12 weeks early, not 9 like I originally wrote.
Then I was going to wash laundry because the weather is sunny and breezy - it would dry in a snap! But I decided there wasn't quite a load. So instead I made some tea, used the new sinus rinse I got yesterday (my sinuses are so packed I can't even get the rinse to reach my sinuses yet) and sat down for some time of study and prayer.
During my time of listening prayer God told me a lot of really cool things. Here is part:
My love for you is like a vast ocean.
The waves of my love can envelop you and overwhelm you.
They can wrap you up in me, in my love
You can feel my love toss you around, like undertow, in ways more powerful than you ever imagined
Because that is the power of my love
God also told me that I should have confidence in the fact that I do know and recognize His voice. I shouldn't doubt when I hear from Him. He gave me two verses to confirm this.
"The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice." John 10:3-4
Then to confirm He gave me this:
"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me" John 10:14
I am glad my other plans fell through because it was such a great time with God today.
PS: I made a mistake in my last post. My nephew was born 12 weeks early, not 9 like I originally wrote.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Full
As I wrote recently, I spent the past week or so feeling a little homesick, wishing I could be at my church in the US for their big move to the new location. At 9:30 a.m., I was thinking of people crowding into the new building in Salt Lake for the first time. Then I headed out to my own church service which starts at 10.
My church in Honduras used to be at a different location too. I have been to the previous location several times when they used to have services there. Each of those times I always wished it were closer so I could attend more regularly.
I also knew that the church signed the lease a year ago. We celebrated that a few weeks ago. What I didn't know was that exactly 365 days ago my church in Honduras had its first service in our new location! When they announced that today my heart lifted. How cool that my two churches will share the same anniversary date!
I wasn't there for the start of either one. But now I know that doesn't make me less a part of things. True, I do not have the same memories to share. But we are making memories and we have the future together. So I am not left out. I am not all alone. I celebrated both of the big events today in the place where God called me to be - Alas de Aguilas, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Photos of the new church in the US look gorgeous. I hope the Holy Spirit was as present at K2 as it was here, with us, today.
Today is a special day for another reason. My youngest nephew Joey was born on this day. Each year as he grows older, with no signs of any learning problems or physical problems my family has an extra reason to give thanks on this day. When he was born we didn't know. He was 12 weeks early. It was a really scary time. But now we can give thanks for the smart, healthy boy, sweet, sweet boy we love so much.
I am not going to any Superbowl parties, although I was invited to one. I have other reasons to celebrate today. I am going to spend my time praising God for the way He is blessing me and the people I love and celebrating the birth of a new church (the physical building) in a new place with new opportunities to reach people, the first anniversary of another church in its new location and all of the potential it has to grow, and the birthday of my nephew who is a special gift from God, not only for who he is, but also for the way God made him perfect against all odds.
Also I am giving thanks for baleadas. Yesterday Fany made me baleadas for breakfast. Today during church I got hungry and all I could think about was making baleadas when I got home. After the service they always sell something to raise money for the church. Guess what it was today!?!! Baleadas! The funniest thing is that I saw them cooking, but I didn't pay attention for the first 20 minutes or so. I was talking to different people. Then, as I stood talking to Jairo's brother, a person walked by with a plate of baleadas. I couldn't believe it! I confessed that my mind had been on baleadas for the past hour and he laughed and bought me a plate. I didn't even have to cook! Yum! God is good. I am full of the word, full of the Holy Spirit and my tummy is full of baleadas after church today.
My church in Honduras used to be at a different location too. I have been to the previous location several times when they used to have services there. Each of those times I always wished it were closer so I could attend more regularly.
I also knew that the church signed the lease a year ago. We celebrated that a few weeks ago. What I didn't know was that exactly 365 days ago my church in Honduras had its first service in our new location! When they announced that today my heart lifted. How cool that my two churches will share the same anniversary date!
I wasn't there for the start of either one. But now I know that doesn't make me less a part of things. True, I do not have the same memories to share. But we are making memories and we have the future together. So I am not left out. I am not all alone. I celebrated both of the big events today in the place where God called me to be - Alas de Aguilas, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Photos of the new church in the US look gorgeous. I hope the Holy Spirit was as present at K2 as it was here, with us, today.
Today is a special day for another reason. My youngest nephew Joey was born on this day. Each year as he grows older, with no signs of any learning problems or physical problems my family has an extra reason to give thanks on this day. When he was born we didn't know. He was 12 weeks early. It was a really scary time. But now we can give thanks for the smart, healthy boy, sweet, sweet boy we love so much.
I am not going to any Superbowl parties, although I was invited to one. I have other reasons to celebrate today. I am going to spend my time praising God for the way He is blessing me and the people I love and celebrating the birth of a new church (the physical building) in a new place with new opportunities to reach people, the first anniversary of another church in its new location and all of the potential it has to grow, and the birthday of my nephew who is a special gift from God, not only for who he is, but also for the way God made him perfect against all odds.
Also I am giving thanks for baleadas. Yesterday Fany made me baleadas for breakfast. Today during church I got hungry and all I could think about was making baleadas when I got home. After the service they always sell something to raise money for the church. Guess what it was today!?!! Baleadas! The funniest thing is that I saw them cooking, but I didn't pay attention for the first 20 minutes or so. I was talking to different people. Then, as I stood talking to Jairo's brother, a person walked by with a plate of baleadas. I couldn't believe it! I confessed that my mind had been on baleadas for the past hour and he laughed and bought me a plate. I didn't even have to cook! Yum! God is good. I am full of the word, full of the Holy Spirit and my tummy is full of baleadas after church today.
Isabela's bday
I spent the past 2 days in bed. Not much to say about that. Fany has been bringing over breakfast and a night time hot drink which she feeds me through my bedroom window because I am too lazy to go unlock the door.
This morning I woke up at 5 a.m. and got right to work after sleeping for two days. I baked a cake and had it frosted by 7 a.m. I washed a load of clothes and cleaned the house, even the windows and window sills by 9 a..m. Then Fany brought me baleadas, my favorite breakfast. Yumm!!!
Baleadas are a tortilla that is doughier than a regular tortilla, with your choice of fillings. A basic baleada is beans and cheese. Then you could add eggs, mantequilla, sausage, avocado... Although I rarely eat breakfast I gobbled those suckers down!
Then I took a shower, blew up ballons for Isabela's birthday, and accidentally feel asleep at 11 a.m. Fany knocked on the door at 1 p.m. and found me asleep. Both of us were surprised. But my little nap gave me the energy I needed to have a great afternoon with my friend Ana and her family for Isabela's birthday.
Once again, I took a million awesome photos with no memory card in my camera until after the dinner, cake, and presents, Isa asked to see a picture I took of her. That was when the camera finally told me that there was no memory. I am still really disappointed. I had a photo of her blowing out her number 2 on her cake that I know would have been so cute!
Fany and Laura got a stuffed monkey that Isa loved. She really liked the outfit I bought for her when I was in the US. It's a sweater dress with leggings and it sparkles. It fits Isa's personality perfectly. She seemed to agree.
As we said goodbye I realized how much it breaks my heart not to spend much time with them anymore. We are spending every other Saturday together, but it is not the same as 6 days/week like before. I hate saying good bye to Samuel. I just wanted to smother him in kisses and hugs. Luckily he doesn't mind.
This morning I woke up at 5 a.m. and got right to work after sleeping for two days. I baked a cake and had it frosted by 7 a.m. I washed a load of clothes and cleaned the house, even the windows and window sills by 9 a..m. Then Fany brought me baleadas, my favorite breakfast. Yumm!!!
Baleadas are a tortilla that is doughier than a regular tortilla, with your choice of fillings. A basic baleada is beans and cheese. Then you could add eggs, mantequilla, sausage, avocado... Although I rarely eat breakfast I gobbled those suckers down!
Then I took a shower, blew up ballons for Isabela's birthday, and accidentally feel asleep at 11 a.m. Fany knocked on the door at 1 p.m. and found me asleep. Both of us were surprised. But my little nap gave me the energy I needed to have a great afternoon with my friend Ana and her family for Isabela's birthday.
Once again, I took a million awesome photos with no memory card in my camera until after the dinner, cake, and presents, Isa asked to see a picture I took of her. That was when the camera finally told me that there was no memory. I am still really disappointed. I had a photo of her blowing out her number 2 on her cake that I know would have been so cute!
Fany and Laura got a stuffed monkey that Isa loved. She really liked the outfit I bought for her when I was in the US. It's a sweater dress with leggings and it sparkles. It fits Isa's personality perfectly. She seemed to agree.
As we said goodbye I realized how much it breaks my heart not to spend much time with them anymore. We are spending every other Saturday together, but it is not the same as 6 days/week like before. I hate saying good bye to Samuel. I just wanted to smother him in kisses and hugs. Luckily he doesn't mind.
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| Isa and her cousin |
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| Laura keeping track of things from her casita while Samuel, Isa and David play with balloons. |
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