Photos from 3rd Anniversary in Honduras

The kids always insist they want to watch a movie.
They sit like this for about 10 minutes
then end up playing outside.

Erika and baby Marjory, Ana, Fany and Carol

Marjory likes catrachas

A catracha is a deep fried tortilla with refried beans and Honduran cheese
It's delicious!

Lounging on the grass

David and me

Of course Jetty joined us

Marjory loved playing on the grass

Samuel and Mauricio - proud owners of a store

Isa playing jump rope

Boys taking over the picture

Samuel is a cat lover.

A game of Chutes and Ladders

Samuel and Isa live on steep hill
so being able to roll in the grass extra fun.

Laura was excited about eating on the blanket

Big girls

Samuel and Laura are buddies

Fany

Fany, Isa and me, Erika and Marjory, Ana

Jired is not grumpy, he's just sucked up in the wi-fi

Beautiful Laura

Isa and me

Faithful friend, Ana

Bestie - Fany

"Doing life" with Erika

We make quite a crew!

Time to celebrate!

Tonight I am going out to dinner with Molly, a woman who also serves in Los Pinos.  We are talking about how we can minister together and have lots of good ideas.  Actually she started helping me yesterday when we went to the school for Erika. Molly's Spanish is better than mine so it is nice to have someone to run everything past to make sure I understood it all correctly.

Yesterday I joined a gym and had my first workout.  A trainer is part of the package, which is cheap and close to my house.  So far I am liking it.  It's close to my house, safe, and much cleaner than my last gym which was double the price with no trainer.  The ceiling is not falling down and nobody is welding or doing construction with crazy chemicals to inhale.  It's much, much smaller.  But it seems perfect for me.

Today I can't move.  First it was just my legs and stomach that hurt.  After today's workout I am wondering how I will lift my arm to eat dinner with Molly tonight.  If it hurts this much right now, I am concerned about tomorrow and Saturday.

Speaking of Saturday I am excited out of my mind.  Guess what Saturday is?  Three years ago on Saturday I arrived in Honduras!  It seems so short.  I am thrilled to be celebrating my third anniversary in Honduras this year with so much finally coming together.  I am starting to serve the way I believed God called to me serve.  It will be so cool to see where I am by the fourth anniversary.

We have always celebrated this day, but this year was different.  Now I have friends who know me so well that I don't have to ask them to celebrate with me.  Both Ana and Fany were already planning this day.  I am blessed with good friends who appreciate me and know what is important to me.

Ana came up with my favorite (and also cheap!) food, which will feed the masses.  We are going to make catrachas, which are a fried tortilla topped with refried beans and Honduran cheese.  Ana knows that I was very good about following the rule and not snitching food out of the kitchen until all of the kids were fed at Buen Provecho - except on Catracha day.  I always needed one to get me through!

Fany came up with the guest list, which includes Molly and my friend Carol with her family, as well as Ana, Ana's kids, Erika and her baby.  I forgot to mention it to Erika so today I called her Mom's phone but nobody answered.  She called me back from her Dad's phone right away.  I always decline the calls so that it comes out of my minutes instead of hers.  She seemed excited to come to the party.  I figure if we are going to walk together through life, she should be at my three year anniversary party!  It will be very special to have her there.  The first young woman I am ministering to on my own in Honduras.  I never felt my heart swell before, but it swells when I say that.

Thinking back to years past I have never been as happy, confident, excited for the future and at peace as I am now.  God has done some amazing work in me this year.

I am becoming a mother bear

This morning I picked up Molly in Los Pinos.  She is still not able to meet with some of her families due to extreme violence in the sector where they live.  We met in front of a Pastor's house, so I got to meet him.  He gave us permission to host a Mother's Day party in his church so we have to get to work planning that.

We picked up Erika, who had waited in the sun for a half an hour for me with baby Marjory.  I felt bad, but there was nothing I could do.  She doesn't have a phone so I couldn't even let her know I was running  let.  I apologized.

We went to the school where I learned that I have turned into a mother bear.  I was glad Molly was there because her Spanish is better than mine and she did not get defensive like I did.  She didn't actually say much to the director of the school, but afterward I was able to replay what went down and get an accurate assessment.

I felt like the teacher was professional, but believed that Erika was manipulating us.  So she made a big point to say that Erika was not a good student, had not been to school in years, and did not take her studies seriously. I already knew all of that and felt frustrated that Erika is now wanting to take the step to go to school but the director, who only needs to hand over the transcripts, first felt the need to say such negative things.  In my mind, that was the past.  We are here because Erika wants to move on and make a better life for herself.  Instead of being critical she could have said, "I know school was really tough for you.  I hope you are going to improve your attitude this time and really focus so you can be successful."

I assured the director that this was all Erika's desire and I was just there to give her a ride.  The director emphasized that Erika will need a lot of support.  Good, I thought.  That is why God called me to serve her first, before my plate gets too full.  I will give her all of the support she needs.  But if that director thinks that Erika is doing this for me, because I am telling her she should, that lady is wrong.

And that is the end of my rant.

We didn't get the transcripts.  They won't be ready until after Semana Santa because the lady who prepares them is working on a special project.  This may hinder us from getting Erika enrolled in classes because she should have been enrolled by the end of this week.  But God will make a way if Erika is supposed to start school after Semana Santa.  We moved as quickly as possible on our end, so we have done all we can do.

Fany needed to go to the bank again.  It was a miracle that we have never, ever seen before.  There was NO line at the bank!

After that I decided to start working out again.  This morning as I was getting ready I realized that every single day, as soon as I think about getting dressed, I am in a bad mood because none of my clothes fit any more.  Even tee shirts are tight!  It's because I am eating too much and spending all of my time reading or writing or sitting.  I haven't exercised since my gym membership ran out in November.

Fany and I found a gym close to the house 2 weeks ago.  I kept trying to convince myself that I could work out at home and not pay the membership fee.  But day after day went by and I continued to be miserable each morning.

So today I joined a gym.  It is 438 steps from my house.  I felt every one of them on the way home.  They have a guy there who trains you and then gives you a program to follow for free!  He was tough!  We started out with 30 minutes on the treadmill.  I was quite proud of myself.  I ran almost all of it at a good pace.  Then an hour of lifting weights.  It was all legs and belly.  I am going to be really sore, but it felt good to get my blood pumping again.

Gyms here are really expensive.  Most of my friends who go to a gym pay $100/month.  My last gym was "cheap" they said, at $50/month.  This gym is $28 per month.  You pay one down payment annually (in this case $10) and then they are month to month, so there is no big commitment.  It is not really in my budget, but I am going to have to find a way to cut back somewhere else because I need to go to the gym.

So far I liked it there.  The people were mellow.  I noticed around 4 a lot of teens came in.  My last gym was more people my age.  But this is a cheap neighborhood gym, so it will attract a different crowd.  There will be no armed body guards standing outside the door like there were at my last gym.

Oh, and two really funny things to finish off.  You might remember that people here paint "Toyota" onto the tailgate of their cars, whether it is a Toyota or not.  Toyota is the car to have.  They also steal the Honda or CRV decals.  I am told repeatedly that they sell for a lot of money.  People have tried to sell them to me, because someone stole them from my car before I bought it.  But the I know that my car is a Honda CRV.  I don't care if others know or not.

Anyway, yesterday I saw a work truck with a big bed and on the tailgate was pained "JMC".  One of those things that you shake your head and say only in Honduras.

Today as I was driving through Los Pinos I got stuck behind a truck hauling Coca Cola.  It was an immense pick up style truck filled with big bottles of Coca Cola.  In the back, on top of the bottles of Coke, was a man with a weight belt around his waist, presumably the delivery guy.  Seated next to him in a security uniform was a man with a huge gun.  Because you never know when you might be overcome by Coca Cola thieves and need to shoot them.  Once again, life in Honduras.

First meeting with Erika

Wow!  I wish I could put into words how my heart feels today.

I feel like today is my first day of college, my graduation, my birthday and like an Olympic champion all in one.  A new start, a completion, a fresh beginning, and overcoming all odds.

Last night I made plans to meet with Erika, a girl I met through Buen Provecho.  She comes from one of the roughest families of all Los Pinos.  Her younger brothers are badly malnourished to the point where they have significant learning delays.  I suspect some abuse somewhere too, because her brother Carlos has no life in his eyes and Lorenzo is scared and shuts down completely over the littlest thing.  But Erika may turn out to be the success story of the family.

I first met Erika officially a year ago.  We had been around each other before at Buen Provecho, but I didn't really spend time with her.  Then she got pregnant at 14 years old and stopped coming to the program.  One day she showed up again and I was one of the people who encouraged her to continue to join us every day.  We'd eat lunch together.  If she didn't show up one day I would ask where she was and tell her I had missed her.  I went to the US in June and kept her in my prayers the whole time I was gone.

Then in July she gave birth.  It is Honduran custom not to leave the house for the first 40 days, so people were shocked when she showed up at the church with a 2 week old baby.  But I knew it was okay and she needed the food in order to breast feed, so I told her she needed to return to the program.  We made sure she had vitamins and we kept track of everything she ate.  Thinking back, it makes me giggle.  We were normally so strict with equal portions, but Erika got as much food as the biggest boys, if not more.  And then my friend Ana and I would stand in the kitchen and watch out the window to see how much she ate.  We loved seeing her eat huge lunches!  We were so happy to be able to do that for her.  Hahaha!  We could have told you exactly how much she ate each week.

Erika's first day back
with baby Marjory
14 days old

I remember Erika's little brother, Lorenzo, would finish school and come running in.  Rather than head for his plate of food he would go straight to the baby.  He'd hug her and kiss her so gently and beautifully.  He is a great 10 year old uncle.

Then I was allowed to teach the teens.  That was the highlight of my time at Buen Provecho, the thing I felt I could do that really made a difference.  One of the ways I believe it made a difference was with Erika.  Erika had not been in school by that point for a long time.  I tutored Lorenzo and knew he was very delayed.  So I was pleasantly surprised to learn that once Erika got the nerve to speak up, she was actually very intelligent.

In the beginning she was painfully shy.  But I praised her and praised her about her ability to learn and speak English.  She hardly had any accent at all.  Soon she became the star of the English class and the bible study.  When we discussed values and the theme of the months she always had a thoughtful answer.  I had to stop calling on her because she was the one who always raised her hand and knew all the answers!  I was so proud of her.  I wanted her to be proud of herself too.  I don't think she had ever felt successful at anything before.  Except maybe her beautiful baby.  She was always proud of baby Marjory.

Nobody minded having baby Marjory in the class with us.  Occasionally she cried.  Often she breast fed.  It was never a distraction.  I think the others were happy to see Erika excelling too.  We all pitched in and held the baby if Erika was working on something that needed both hands.  Erika was always an attentive, loving mother.  We had to encourage her to do kid things now and then because 15 years old is just too young to be a full time mother.

When I left Buen Provecho, I never got to say good bye to the kids.  Some of them know I am close to Ana.  They still ask her about me and she tells them that I am fine and I send my love.  Not being able to tell them good bye bothered me.  They have already had enough loss and inconsistency in their lives.  There was nothing I could do.  Just yesterday Ana told me that one of the teens asked about me.  She tells them that I said hello and I miss them.

But back to Erika.  Erika had started to trust me and open up to me.  I got the impression that she didn't open up to many people.  She mostly had one friend that she spent time with.  So I took it as an honor.

Now skip ahead to last Monday when I saw Carlos standing there with his eyes so dull.  I knew God was calling me to serve in Los Pinos.  But I still wasn't sure how until He gave me someone to meet with the next day who explained to me about how she serves individuals or families.  She is helping a girl through the process of getting into college - studying for exams and filling out paperwork.  She is ministering to a woman who is very, very ill.  She is doing bible studies with single mothers.  She doesn't have a specific, one size fits all, cookie cutter method.  She adjusts what she does depending on the needs of the person or family.

I thought to myself, I know plenty of people with needs.  I may not be able to meet all of their needs myself, but I can walk with them as they face the challenges they face in every day life.  So that is what God told me He wanted me to do.  Walk side by side with the people of Los Pinos.  Meet them where they are (not physically), find out what they need, and walk beside them as they reach for their goals.  I can teach people whose dreams have been stifled to dream big.  I can show them how their relationship with God can get them through anything.

So that is what I am doing.

Today my meeting with Erika was great.  I was surprised we both arrived at our designated meeting place at the same exact time.  Although I shouldn't have been surprised because God has been so good in orchestrating every detail of this.  She literally walked down the mountain path directly to where I pulled up and stopped my car.  She jumped in and we took off.  I guess Erika doesn't operate on "Honduran Time".

It was awkward at first.  I think because we hadn't seen each other in a while and because she didn't really know why I was there.  We went to a street where there is a McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, and Pollo Campero.  I asked which she would like.  She said she didn't care and I could tell she didn't know the difference.  So I chose Wendy's.  We sat and talked for 2 hours.

I explained that I think it must be hard to be a young mother and I would like to support her in any way I can.  I said clearly that I can't provide material support, but I can talk with her and help get things done.  I will study the bible with her and be a mentor to her.  Erika said that yes, she would like to be discipled.  I told her we can do fun things too, like walk around the mall and look at things, or watch movies or paint our nails.  Or just sit and talk.  She seemed to like all of those ideas.

I explained how God had shown me that he wants me to work with the people of Los Pinos and specifically with her first.

We talked about her family.  I always get confused and I had forgotten that she is Carlos, Junior, Kenia and Lorenzo's sister.  I thought she was their cousin.  Dad and Mom both live with her, although sometimes Dad works out of town.  That is a miracle in Los Pinos.  My friend Ana was married 15 years until her husband left her for another woman and she is the only person I know who held on to a man that long in Los Pinos.  Erika is 16 years old, which means her father has been around for at least 16 years.

We talked about Marjory.  She seems to be developing well.  She is chubby.  She goes to the doctor when necessary.  The only thing that she needs are clothes, Erika said.  I am going to talk to friends and see if anyone knows someone with a baby who is a little bigger and could give Marjory hand-me-downs.  Erika is taking prenatal vitamins since she is still nursing.  Marjory seems to be a happy baby.  She seems very curious, always looking around at everything.

Curious Marjory

Happy Mommy, happy baby

We decided that the first thing we should do is get Erika enrolled in school.  She hasn't been able to get the papers from her old school to transfer to night school.  I called my friend Molly, who also serves in Los Pinos and has experience with the schools.  I asked if she would come with us to get the transcripts.  She said sure, so tomorrow at about noon I am picking up Molly and Erika and we are going to try to get the school to release the transcripts.  From there Erika says she can enroll in school.  Her father will support her in that financially, she says. and her mother will watch the baby.

Seems like a perfect first step.

I am can't wait to see where this leads - one year from now, or when Erika is in her 20's.  Both of us are excited about the future and looking forward to spending time together.  This afternoon I reminded myself that we are also human.  We may let each other down.  That, too, is part of doing life together.  But if we follow in the path that God has laid out for us, we will be just fine.

A new beginning

Today was bank day.  A day everyone who lives in Honduras dreads.  It comes at least once a month, usually twice, and can last anywhere from an hour to all day.  It's not fun.

The idea of paying bills over the internet has not caught on yet here.  People say it is not safe to give your credit card information to the few companies that do offer that option.  So that means like it or not, you have to set aside a day to go to the bank.

For me it is not quite as bad as for Fany.  She has to pay the bills for her Aunt and transfer money for different relatives who live outside of the country.  She has bank days at least once/week.  I only have to pay cable, electricity and rent.  Lucky for me I can do them all at the same bank.  But they are due at different times that don't usually coincide so I get to visit the bank about twice per month.

The drive thru is supposed to be safest, or so Fany says, so we went to her bank's drive thru.  I have never seen a drive thru that had less than 3 cars in each line in Honduras.  Many days you'll see six or more cars in line.  Today there were 5 lines, three cars deep with three tellers inside working just the drive thru.  You put all of your stuff into what looks like a water bottle, screw on the top, stick it in the tube, push send and it gets sucked up through a see through pipe that goes into the bank.  It's like something out of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.  Then a guy talks to you through the speaker and asks what you want to do with all of the stuff you stuck in the water bottle.  It's not such a bad process if there weren't always such a long line.

Then we headed to the second bank where Fany had more business and I had to pay my rent.  There is no drive thru but I purposely go a little further to this bank because they have chairs to sit in while you wait in line.  So worth the extra mile or two.  Before you can enter the bank a guard with a big gun wrapped across his shoulder frisks you if you are male.  If you are female he just looks in your purse and tells you to turn off your cell phone, which nobody does.  Then you go inside and punch your Honduras ID number into the computer.  It asks what sort of business you are there for and gives you a number.

Laura has learned to wait patiently.  She is counting and singing the alphabet in English, so that is how she entertained herself.  My favorite Laura quote of the day was, "Wow.  There are so many numbers."  She continues to be addicted to Nutter Butters.  Fany said she woke up this morning and asked if she could go to my house.  When Fany asked why, Laura said she wanted some cookies.

As we left the bank I told Fany that the electric bill will probably come tomorrow and we will have to come back and do this all over again.  Guess what was slipped through the front gate when we got home?  You guessed it.  The electric bill.

We finished working on the garden, trimmed the ivory, cut tree branches, and cleaned out the gutters.  They were FULL of dirt.  It was hard, sweaty work but the garden is looking great now and my gutters are ready for rainy season.

Ana called.  She said she wants to make catrachas, one of my favorite Honduran foods, for me on Saturday.  Fany heard me making plans to eat catrachas with Ana and was forced to let it slip that she wanted the throw a celebration on Saturday for me.  It's my three year anniversary of serving in Honduras!  I figured we would get together with Ana and her family, but Fany had a bunch of my friends in mind to invite.  So we are making catrachas on Saturday and having a big party!  I believe my fourth will be the most fulfilling and productive year so far.

Ana gave me a phone number to reach Erika, who is the first person I feel called to minister to in my new ministry.  I called and got permission from Erika's mother to meet with Erika, but Erika was not home.  When I called back later it was incredible to hear the joy in Erika's voice.  She said she was truly happy that I called.  I could hear in her voice that it was true.  I asked if we could meet and talk about how things are going for her.  She said she is available whenever I want to meet.

We are getting together for lunch tomorrow.  I will assess how she is doing and what she needs.  Erika was pregnant at 14 years old.  Her daughter is now about one year old.  I am guessing that at least she would like someone to talk things over with.  Maybe we will do a bible study together.  Maybe we will just sit and talk.  Maybe we will look for work.  Maybe we will get Erika back into school.  Hopefully, all of the above as she follows the path God has laid out for her.  It will be up to Erika.

My main purpose in meeting tomorrow is to tell Erika I am ready and willing to "do life together".  I hope she is willing to commit to the same.  I would like to mentor Erika.

It's official!  Tomorrow is the first day of my new ministry.  I am excited and looking forward to serving in a way I never have before.  It will be so cool to see God's plans unfold as I leave my third year behind and move into my fourth year of serving in Honduras.

Nutter Butters in the Garden

Church was good.  We celebrated Father's Day.  When all of the Fathers were called to stand in front I was pleasantly surprised.  For a small church we have a lot of fathers who are present in their children's lives and active at church.  I felt really proud when I saw them all up there.  I know too many single moms here.  It was nice to see my church breaking that statistic.

Pastor Paysen receiving the cake on behalf of fathers.

Fany came over and brought me Chinese food. She had the coolest story to share!  Her mother and father recently went to track down her mother's family.  When her mother left home as a teen she never returned.  The whole process of finding her family was pretty incredible.  They learned that one of Fany's uncles is deceased.  Another is mentally ill, roaming the streets. They were told that he had been that way for years.  It was hard on Fany's mom to see the brother so lost. 

Today Fany got a call from her father.  He was really excited.  He told Fany a cool story.  Fany's father bought Fany's new-found uncle a can of juice and took it to him on the street.  He prayed as he gave him the juice that the mental illness would be gone.  The next day they left and traveled back home.  They kept in touch with the "new" family and were told that the mentally ill brother had not left the house where he sleeps for three days, which is not normal.  Everyone was worried so they called another family member and asked him to pass by to visit the ill brother.

When the family member got to the house the brother was home.  For the first time ever, he recognized this family member and called him by name!  He seemed perfectly normal and content.  The years of mental illness seemed to have disappeared!

I asked Fany to do another lice check for me.  My head has the crazy itchy thing that makes me worry about lice again.  Fany is scared about Laura getting lice because Laura's hair is so thick and curly.  It would be really tough for Fany to get lice out of Laura's hair.  Lice is a fate worse than chicken pox for Laura.  Her chicken pox seem to be almost gone and it's only been a week.  I didn't have lice, but I did cause Fany to spend the rest of her night itching.

We fixed up the yard tonight.  Fany is saving water from her bath tub and when she washes dishes to use on the lawn.  The city water only came once last week and it was only for a short time.  She is pretty sure we will run out this week.  Obviously we couldn't water anything, but we rearranged the potted plants and trimmed the palms and some other trees that were overgrown or too dry.

Fany couldn't find her machete.  She had no idea why I found it so funny when she kept saying, "I can't find my machete.  I don't know where I left my machete."  That is just not something you would hear in everyday life in the US and it cracked me up.

The limes are growing.  Avocados are the size of  a marble.  The mango tree has a few flowers.  Fany said that is not good.  She said the tree should have more flowers and will not have many mangoes this year.

We finished working in the dark.  It's too hot to do yard work during the day but it gets dark at 6 p.m., so we worked with the outside lights on.  When we were done we sat down and enjoyed the pretty garden.  I broke out a package of Nutter Butter cookies that I found on sale.  (Otherwise they would have been $7!)

Laura is not usually a sweet tooth, but it turns out she really likes Nutter Butters.  We each had two.  Then Laura looked at the package and said, "I don't want another cookie."  But her eyes betrayed her.  She could not take her eyes off that package of cookies.  I laughed and asked Laura if she meant that she really DID want another Nutter Butter.  She admitted that yes, she would like another please.

Fany and I reminisced over how our relationship has changed.  Saturday is my three year anniversary in Honduras.  Fany reminded me about how I arrived three years ago with no luggage.  It was lost for 10 days.  Just when I thought I would never get it back, they found it.  I thought my Spanish was pretty good, but I had a hard time understanding Fany and she was afraid to talk to me.  How things have changed.

Watering Trees

Woah is it hot!  Only venturing from the house long enough to wash laundry (the washer is outside).  I have talked about washing laundry before.  It is much more of a process in Honduras than it ever was in the US.  Thank God I have a washer.  When I first got here I was washing by hand.  Now THAT was rough.  Please don't judge, but I think I pray for the life of my washer (it's old) almost as often as I pray for the life of my human friends.  It freaked me out yesterday when it didn't start.  I scurried around trying to fix it until I figured out the water level was not high enough for the rotation cycle to start yet.  My washer lived another day.

The drying process is a joy too.  We use trees and chairs because the sun works fastest.  But drying laundry on chairs means flipping it because only one side dries at a time.

With the lack of rain we have begun collecting all of the water from each washer cycle in a huge bucket.  Normally it just shoots out onto the ground.  We have it down to an art.  The bucket doesn't quite fit all of the water, so if you run out right when the water starts to shoot out with the most force, you can use the hose to water the mango tree, which is closest.  Then as the pressure lessens we let it collect in the big bucket and use a small, plastic trash can to deliver water to the trees.

It's worth the extra effort because otherwise we will not have mangoes, limes or avocados this year.  Today I did 2 loads of laundry.  As I was finishing the rinse cycle (the washer is not attached to a water source so I have to fill it each cycle with a hose), I noticed there was hardly any water coming out of the hose.  Water doesn't come until tomorrow at midnight.  Not sure how we are going to bathe...

Fabricio, the boy who was helping get blood donations for Clara, left for Spain today.  I am so excited for him!

Yesterday I had a nice time with God.  He continues to confirm that I am on the right path.  I continue to laugh about how this was right under my nose, so obvious, the whole time!  So far He has shown me two specific families I will serve.  I am excited to learn what other people/families I will work with.  I will start off slowly and prayerfully.

I can't start until after Semana Santa anyway.  The week before Easter (Semana Santa) is a huge holiday here.  North American are advised to leave Tegucigalpa if possible.  Locals go to the beach or to the country to visit their extended family.  Tegucigalpa feels empty.  But the thieves are out.  Semana Santa has the highest crime rate of the year.  I don't plan to go anywhere, but I also should not be out doing ministry during that time.

Part of serving in Los Pinos will be about making adjustments like this.  It will be about using my own wisdom and listening to God as He advises me about how to serve there.  I am  excited and wish I could start now, but I have already waited this long, I can wait two more weeks.

Romans 15:13

I cried until 4 am.  My eyes are sore and I have that headache you get from crying.  That came last night.  This morning I woke up knowing this whole thing is in God's hands, but I also had a plan about how I could move forward.

Unfortunately, my plan was thwarted due to the rain.  It hasn't rained in weeks.  Maybe months?  But this morning it rained right at the time that I would have had the opportunity to make my move.  I am happy for the rain because we need it so much, but it also keeps people inside.  So I wasn't surprised that I couldn't put my plan into action today.  Well, all in God's time.

This morning God gave me this verse regarding the situation:

I also called Betsy from Jericho Ministries to check in with her about how her week of prayer has been going.  She didn't answer the phone so I left a message.  I told her that I feel God leading me to serve the kids I already know and love, and that I have figured out a way to do that which is (relatively) safe for me.  I told her I will finish out our week of prayer and am interested to hear what she is hearing from God.

Filling emptiness

My heart is breaking.   Or maybe it is broken.  I don't even know.

Tonight I met with Pastora Ruth before prayer group.  I told her about all the ways God has been moving in my life this week.  I arrived so full of joy she was excited for me too.  She asked everyone to look at me and see my joy.

I explained the reasons why I was so happy.  The puzzle pieces of my future are finally coming together and I feel complete.  I have a plan that makes sense!  God is answering my prayers about how He wants me to serve Him.  Now it seems so plainly obvious I can't believe I didn't see it before.  But as a friend pointed out, had I known what I was called to do I would have jumped right into it, and until now I was not ready.  God's timing is perfect.  I finally see my new calling

As I spoke with joy and passion about the past 3 days Pastora Ruth pointed out something about the story, a tiny detail, that I had not noticed before.  And my heart broke.

I don't feel comfortable sharing it because I don't see a way that sharing this publicly could help, and I do see how sharing this could hurt.  It reaffirmed what God has been telling me all week - that I need to work in Los Pinos.

The prayer group was exactly what I needed after realizing that what Pastor Ruth pointed out was true.  I spent half of the time sobbing like I haven't cried since...  I can't remember when.

We prayed about the situation.  My specific prayer is that people's hearts can be so full of God's love and their tummies with food that they don't look for or accept unhealthy ways to cover up and fill their emptiness.  One of Ruth's prayers, when I was crying so hard that I couldn't pray anymore and she took over, was that my hugs and my words could fill people with God's love.  I pray that too.

I can't stop crying.  Now I can see what my heart is broken for, and God is leading me to serve there.  Makes sense.

Taking the next step

I spent part of the day today with God, reading books and the bible and praying.  One book that I am supposed to read is like reading Shakespeare.  I don't know if I have a bad attitude, or if the book is really as difficult to understand as it seems to be.  All I know is so far I can't stand that book.

My new friend Molly invited me to her house.  She is a pretty incredible person.  She has been serving in Honduras for 2 or 3 years and God has given her 2 kids to care for!  She is in her early 20's figuring out how to be a Mom and how to do what is best for the kids.  I really admire what she is doing.  She is also serving families in Los Pinos.

Tonight I went to her house and got right to the point.  I said, "I am here with an agenda.  I believe God is calling me to serve in Los Pinos and I would like to partner with you."

I was nervous because I had been thinking and praying about it since I saw Carlos yesterday.  I could think of reasons why she would not want to involve me in what she is doing.  Mostly because she doesn't know me very well and she is still in the process of building her own relationships there.

She was very straight forward.  She said that she wants two weeks to put her own things in order and then she will include me in what she is doing.  Molly asked what exactly it is that I want to do.  I told her that I had some specific families in mind and my ideas were not to provide material things, but to provide emotional support, bible study, discipleship, mentoring.  I told her I am not trying to be selfish, but I don't think it is safe or healthy for me or the people I serve to bring them THINGS.

I called Ana after I left Molly's house and told her about my ideas.  She said she has had three dreams about me serving in Los Pinos.  She immediately reminded me of Erika, a girl who got pregnant at 14 and now has a toddler.  As soon as she mentioned Erika, I knew she was right.  Erika has no support at home and we got to be close when I was serving at Buen Provecho.  I know she could use discipleship/mentoring.  She is also Carlos' cousin.  It will be interesting to see who else God calls me to serve there.

It looks like things are starting to fall into place.  I believe God will continue to share things with me to make it even more clear, but I believe He is calling me to serve in Los Pinos and has put the right people in my life in order for me to serve in a safe, healthy way for me and those I serve.  Now I am excited to get started!

Carlos lost his smile

Betsy and I decided last week that we would begin a serious time of prayer today to see whether we hear God calling me to serve her ministry.  I have been having some doubts about it, since I haven't heard anything from God.  In fact part of me was not very committed to this time of prayer until this morning.

I left the meeting with Betsy last week really excited.  But soon afterward doubt started creeping in.  I marked it up to the fact that sometimes changes can be hard.  Starting a new job can be intimidating.  However, I know that I am eager to get back to full time ministry and I believe that Jericho could be a good place for me.  So the nagging doubt was stronger than I thought it should be.

Yesterday I realized that my heart is still really in Los Pinos, so I reached out to a friend who was working on her own there, but has now joined a group of people who serve in Los Pinos.   The friend is someone I don't know well.   When I did the vision mapping the woman who helped me said that she just had helped someone who answered almost all of the vision mapping questions the same way I did.  She suggested I reach out to the person, but I never really did.

At the retreat a few weeks ago I sat down and talked to her during a lapse in our schedule.  She talked about her perspectives on serving and what she is doing in Los Pinos.  It was super interesting because the words she used to describe what is important to her and the manner in which she serves are the exact same words I used when I did the vision mapping.  Exactly.  It blew me away how much we think alike.

She asked for a ride home from the retreat.  (God seems to do life changing things when people ask me for rides home from retreats!  You might remember that after the retreat in November a friend asked for a ride to her church and that is how I ended up changing churches.  We'll see if anything happens this time...)  We talked on the way home and then got together a few times briefly afterward.  Each time I come home and tell Fany how much I enjoy this person's company and respect what she is doing.  Last week she invited me to go to Los Pinos with her, but I was sick.  This week I asked if I can go but she is busy with her new partners and said this week is not good.  So I asked if we could meet just to talk.  And that is what we are going to do tomorrow.

Here is the best part of the story.  I went to pray with my friend Carol today.  She is someone I can trust to tell me if I am not thinking straight.  She said she hasn't seen me this weighed down in a while.  I explained that I am confused about whether I am supposed to help at the ministry with Betsy or not and I am allowing myself to feel a lot of pressure about it.  God hasn't exactly told me, but it feels like it may not be the right fit.  Then I said that I think maybe I am supposed to serve with the other person in Los Pinos.  Carol knows the other person and gave me a bunch of good things to think about and ask when I talk to her.

We prayed that God would make it abundantly clear this week if He wants me to serve with Betsy or not.

Then I took Ana to run an errand outside of town.  I brought her home and dropped her off at the same bridge where I have dropped her off a million times before.  I was all caught up in goodbyes when Ana said to me look, do you see who is there? She pointed over to a boy who was standing half hidden behind the corner of a truck.  I had to look several times to be sure.  It was Carlos.  He stood there staring at me.

The dead look is back in his eyes.  He was filthy.  His clothes and face were caked with dirt.  Caked.  And he was sipping on a (you guessed it!) Coca Cola.  I walked over and said hello but he didn't speak.  He just looked at me with those big, blank eyes like he used to a year ago.

I kept thinking I could break the ice and bring back the boy who had started to smile and talk and laugh.  (Last year when I went to the US in July I asked everyone in my home church to pray for Carlos and the prayer worked!  He went from those dead eyes and crying and clinging to me, to playing with the other kids and laughing!)  But today there was nothing there.  Just a dull, glazed over look.

I asked if I could give him a hug and he silently lowered the Coke from where he was carrying it in front of his chest so that it was down by his side.  I hugged him and kissed him and told him that I love him.  No response.

As I was leaving I realized I had apples in the back of my car, so I asked if he wanted an apple.  He slowly nodded his head.  I got out, got the bag of apples from the back, and let him choose one.  He chose the one on top.  It was not the reddest or the biggest.  I hugged him and kissed his forehead and told him again that I love him.  He turned and walked away.  As I left I saw him walking up the street eating the apple.  I was happy it was nice and cold.  I hoped it tasted delicious to him.

Carlos has always been really special to me.  He is one of the kids who God really placed on my heart since I first started working in Los Pinos.  To see Carlos at that bridge where I had been a million times, but never seen him before, standing alone, staring at me, made me realize maybe God was talking to me.

When I saw that Carlos was so dirty and is no longer talking or smiling, it seemed that God's message to me was, "Here is a boy you love.  He needs help.  There is still work here to be done."

I am open to whatever happens this week during our time of prayer.  To be honest, I do hope I can find a way to work safely with the kids in Los Pinos.  That is what I, as a human, would like.  But I know that I don't want to be anywhere that is not in God's plan.  So I am praying that He speaks clearly to me and that I am open to receive what He tells me.

Carlos before he learned to smile

Carlos when he used to smile, with Rebecca from K2

How many women can fit in a Honda CRV?

Today was AWESOME!  I am actually happy now that I was so nervous last week about giving my testimony, because it was an opportunity for me to see how absolutely "tranquila" I could be once I allowed God to step in.

I wasn't nervous a single bit today or last night.  I did pray a lot and ask God to speak through me and for the Holy Spirit to be present to give me words to speak.  But I was never anxious or worried.

The hour and a half flew by.  My Spanish was fine.  I could have spoken for another hour, just as one of my prayer team prayed for me.  But I also felt like I said everything that really needed to be spoken.

In the beginning of the week I was worried about over sharing, or saying something that might be really crazy to someone from Honduras.  God allowed me to be open and honest, but I did not feel at all like I was airing my dirty laundry.

I forgot one earring but I wore the other one with confidence, hoping if any pictures were taken they would be from that side.  I think that was my only mishap.

I got positive feedback when I was done.  More importantly, two women individually came to me and said they never knew anyone who shared experiences similar to theirs.  They each said they would like to talk with me because they never shared their experiences with anyone before.  Until now they believed nobody else would understand, so they kept everything a secret.  But after hearing my testimony they know that I will understand and they want to talk with me.  I pray that God will bring these women healing through my testimony!

I feel like there were more women who wanted to talk to me, but we were in a hurry to start the Evangelism class.  I will make sure I hang out after church tomorrow and keep an eye out in the future for anyone who seems to want to make conversation.

It was amazing to be able to stand in front of people with complete confidence.  I am looking forward to serving in my next ministry with the same confidence.  What an honor to be asked to speak about yourself and share with others about your journey with God!  I really love my new church and feel extremely grateful for the opportunities they offer me to learn and grow.

After a long afternoon, we were figuring out rides home.  Most of the ladies take a bus that picks them up on the corner by my house.  They can take a collectivo taxi (expensive and DANGEROUS!) to the bus, or they can go downtown (which is also not safe) and take a windy route which takes forever.  In the end I offered one lady a ride.  We got to the corner and I saw a lady from church waiting for a bus.  The other lady saw her too, so I said yell and tell her to get in while we are stopped at the stoplight.  Then I realized she was part of a huge crew from the church.  I said they are never going to fit!  But I was assured they always fit.  The only rule is that nobody can sit on laps in the front seat.  But otherwise anything goes.

I have no idea how many of them there were.  I stopped counting when 6 got into the back seat of my Honda CRV and then there were at least two more outside.  I really thought it was impossible.  But, in Honduras you just pack them in.  We all made it to the corner by my house where the bus meets them.  That's what is important.  I turned on the AC because it was hot in that car and we can't roll down windows, but someone started coughing and saying they were allergic, so I turned it off again.  I only know one other person who uses AC in Honduras.  And it is beastly hot here right now.

Laura has chicken pox.  That's all my news for today.

Looking forward to church tomorrow just like I used to look forward to K2.  It feels good.

Will there be light?

Woke up at 5:30 to get everything ready for my testimony today.  All work that requires electricity is now done, except my shower.  Waiting to see if the power goes off in 10 minutes for the whole day due to water shortage.  Last Saturday most of the country was without "luz" (light) from 8 a.m. until 4:45 p.m., so I'm not risking it today.

Feeling prepared and ready to go!

Baby steps

My meeting with Betsy was everything I hoped for.  We talked for 2 & 1/2 hours!  She wanted to know everything about me and then had some additional questions.

We both agree it seems to be a good fit, but we need to know for sure that it is God's plan.

We are going to spend time in prayer and see how God answers.  Also, I am going to visit part of the ministry that is not where I would actually serve, but where I could get a good feeling for how things work and their serving style.  It is out in the country and Betsy says it will be a perfect place to seek after God next week.

I am totally happy with this plan.  I have peace that God will answer and we are ready to accept whatever we hear from Him.

Meeting with Betsy tomorrow!

Tomorrow could be the big day!  I meet with Betsy from Jericho Ministries tomorrow at 9 a.m.  I told Fany last night as we were walking to the store that I am nervous, although I know there is no reason to be nervous.  It's not like a regular job interview where a whole bunch of people are also competing for the job.  Either Betsy has a space for me in her ministry, or she doesn't.  God knows if He wants me to be there.  I believe He will make His desires clear to Betsy and to me.

At the same time that I am eager to start serving again, my heart is really more excited to serve with Pastora Ruth.  I see this time with Betsy as transitional and an opportunity to learn from one of the best.  Betsy has been doing this since the early 80's!  Anything I glean from her will be a gift.

It is confusing because I feel so strongly called to serve with Pastora Ruth, that it overpowers what I feel about serving with Betsy.  In my human heart I wish it were time right now to serve at Ruth's side.  But that may not happen for a while and I am ready to get back out there.  Of all the ministries I know, Betsy's is the one I feel most attached to so far.  So that is where I will start.

I often think about the kids in Los Pinos and how I could continue to help them.  I have two friends who are serving in Los Pinos with different families.  Neither friend is with a specific ministry.  One wrote yesterday that she had a good day, but was concerned about the violence that is happening there right now.  She said the area is very "hot" and she didn't mean temperature-wise.  She was just there two weeks ago and didn't mention anything about feeling unsafe, but yesterday she was worried for her own safety as well as the families she is serving.  I am not sure how to serve the kids I love in Los Pinos in a way that keeps me safe.  If God wants me there He will show me a way.  In the meantime I talk with many of them by Facebook.

I am going to spend a lot of time today with God and pray that I am super focused for the meeting with Betsy tomorrow.

Saturday I have to give my testimony at my new church.  I am nervous about a couple of things.  Honestly, I have never really seen anyone officially give their testimony.  Of course I have heard people unofficially share their story.  But I have to stand in front of my women's group for an hour and a half.  THAT has me nervous.  Pastor Ruth says that my life experiences are going to heal other women.  That is why she wants me to share with them.  I know that God will give me the words, if I allow Him to.  I pray that all that I say is received in the way God intended for each person to hear it.

Next week I may be back in ministry officially!  I told Fany I am trying to enjoy this week as much as possible.  Last night Fany and I had a girls' night with Cynthia.  We painted our nails and had a nice dinner.  We planned to watch a movie but that fell through so we scanned through novelas (soap operas) looking at the latest clothing styles and makeup.

Fany and I also realized there is a gym right by our house!  I went inside and checked it out.  It's tiny, and there are no elliptical machines, but it is cheaper and so close.  I am dying to get back into the gym.  None of my clothes fit except the biggest and stretchiest.  I was thinking of joining the gym today, but then I realized I should wait one more day.  After my meeting with Betsy tomorrow I will have a better idea of what my schedule will look like.  Then I can commit to a gym membership.  (Here it's only month-to-month anyway, but I can wait one more day to be sure it is a wise decision.)

The water did come last night!  We washed and cleaned and took full advantage.  However, I was tired and did not stay up until 5 a.m. like on Saturday.  I need to get back into better sleeping habits if I am going to do full time ministry again.

I am laughing to myself right now thinking about sleeping habits.  I spent so many sleepless nights when I was not in a healthy place emotionally over the past 3 years.  Night after night I would wake up at 1:30 a,m, and not be able to fall asleep again until 5 or 6 a.m.  Now my sleepless nights are only due to water problems.  I choose to stay awake to water the lawn and wash my clothes.  Hahaha!  Praise God for all He has done for me and in me!

Late nights

On Friday Fany and I were outside talking when I heard the television make that fuzzy sound it makes when the cable goes out and there's just snow on the screen.  I didn't think much of it until later when none of us had cable.

Fany thought for sure a cat had tugged on the wire since cats are always walking on our roofs.  (That's one of the things that happens when the huge wall around your house is higher than your roof.  It freaks Jetty out every time we hear a cat pounce down onto the roof.  I've gotten used to it.  The mangoes, however, are much louder.  Glad they are seasonal.)

I was less hopeful than Fany about cat interference.  We have had free cable since I first moved to Honduras.  The lady who lived here before me took her internet modem back to the company but they never turned off the cable line.  For 3 & 1/2 years nobody has paid for cable.  Maybe I should have had more of a conscience, but I couldn't bring myself to go to the company and ask them to please start charging me.  Plus Fany's house is on the account, so anything I did would effect her.

Fany climbed up on the roof Saturday but couldn't find any wires disconnected.  Santos climbed up Sunday and found two cable lines cut off at the pole.  (Literally cut.  No wonder this country has so many cable wires hanging around!.)

Typical telephone pole in Honduras

So, we are without cable.  Today we went to the mall to shop around at different cable companies but ended up only going to one place because they were having a special promotion.  For $16 we get a million channels.  More than I will ever watch.  Plus news from Denver so now my Mom doesn't need to give me the weather report every time she talks to me because if I want to know the weather in Denver, I can look for myself.  (My Mom is obsessed with the weather in CO.  I keep waiting for it to wear off, but now she has been there three years and it hasn't slowed down a bit.)  On top of that they offer 100 minutes each month of free calls to other phones on the same plan.  I hardly ever use my phone so Fany is going to receive the 100 free monthly minutes.  She is excited about that.

Last night the water came at midnight which meant Fany and I started washing laundry at 1 a.m., after our tanks were part way full.  We have taken to watering the grass with water that comes out of the washing machine hose.  Good thing our washing machines are outside or the grass and trees would be  dead by now.

Also, Fany's sister has been in labor since Saturday.  Yesterday afternoon Fany came over in tears, which I have never seen before, because she thought her sister was going to die.  I assured her that everything seemed to be normal, as far as we knew.  Finally last night as we were washing the driveway and the front patio, the baby was born at 2 a.m. which meant the family was sending photos and we were both hyper.  I didn't sleep until 5 a.m. and today she told me she didn't either.

Fany's sister lives in the US.  Throughout the day Saturday and Sunday we had lots of time to talk about the difference between hospitals in the US and public hospitals in Honduras.  Fany kept waiting for her sister to have a cesarean and die.  In Honduras apparently the doctors will start cutting you open without even telling you.  I assured Fany that in the US they try to tell you as much as they can each step of the way.

I thought I had a good idea about how things work in the public hospital here.  During my visit with the team in 2008 I spent most of the week in the maternity ward of one, which is not the worst at all, but to me it was unimaginable.  After giving birth the women lay on beds with no water, no pain reliever, no ice packs, no diapers - the ladies had NOTHING, not even bed sheets or a pillow.  They all shared on big room with about 25 "beds" that were not really beds.  The next morning they were all told to leave at 11 a.m.  Even if they had just had a cesarean a few hours before.  It blew my mind.

Fany said that the people in the US were shocked that her sister didn't scream during her contractions.  Fany said that in Honduras you are not allowed to make any noise during labor - at the public hospitals at least.  I said how can that be?  She said if you make any fuss the nurses yell at you and say horrible things like, "Why are you screaming now?  You liked it when you got yourself in this situation."

She said the nurses in public hospitals don't work because they want to take care of people, they work to have a job.  And because they are often not paid for months on end and are treated pretty poorly overall, they don't care about bedside manner.  Fany said that while she was in the process of having Laura she watched a nurse tell a young girl to lean back.  The girl was sitting on a desk.  Then without saying a word the nurse shoved a sharp wooden thing into the young girl to get her water to break.  It worked.  The girl cried silent tears and Fany said she did too.  But neither dared make a sound as the tears dripped down their cheeks.

Anyway, we were both up until 5 or 6 a.m. between her new niece's arrival and the water coming in the middle of the night.  We will have to continue to do this until the water rationing stops.

I am grateful that I have a friend like Fany.  I was thinking a lot about that last night.  We come and go from each other's houses like family and we eat most of our meals together.  We basically are family, except by blood.  It's nice if you have to stay up at night to wash your clothes to have someone else to stay up with.

We won't have cable until Wednesday so I got some movies to entertain us tonight and tomorrow.  And there is always Chutes and Ladders.  Laura earned Chutes and Ladders last weekend by following her mother's instructions all day.  Every kid I know in the US has Chutes and Ladders and Candy Land.  Here board games are hard to find, as are puzzles, which are now Laura's favorite.  I found Chutes and Ladders at a second hand store.  I was really excited!  It is the original one, nice and strong and has all of the pieces.  I paid $5.  Probably could have paid less, but I was so excited I didn't feel like bartering.  Only now I realize that sometimes that game can go on for an eternity and even as a kid I remember it being frustrating.  But Laura loves it.

I am praying a lot about my meeting with Betsy, which is Friday.  A week from today I could be resuming full time ministry!

Craving Honeycombs in a Corn Flake World

I've been sick - thus the quiet time.  After spending all day Sunday wiping Laura's nose for her - it was a constant faucet, I've never seen anything like it - SURPRISE!  Fany and I both got sick Wednesday night.

I went to prayer group Wednesday feeling fine.  We had a lesson from Pastor Peter before the time of prayer and I felt the right side of my throat getting sore.  An hour later I was almost laid out in my chair, and I was not slain by the spirit.  I was slain by a cold.

After looking through my cold supplies I saw that I had enough to make it through the night, but would need to buy more in the morning.  As I pulled out of the garage the next day, Fany and Laura came out and stood at the edge of the driveway, ready to close the gate behind me.  Both of their heads were hanging and their eyes were glazed over.  They looked exactly the way I felt.  I bought medicine for all of us.

We are all still drippy, sneezy and sometimes coughy, but I woke up at 7:30 today instead of 2 p.m., so I think I am better.  We slept for the past 3 days.  The highlight of our sleeping was when Laura sang to her mommy and rubbed her back.  Fany and Santos sing, "Sleep my girl" (their own homemade song) to Laura so Laura sang, "Sleep my woman" to her mom.  Hahaha!  There was also a part about lions coming, but Laura didn't specify what would happen if lions came.  We are able to laugh about it now.

Yesterday was Fany's best friend Cynthia's birthday.  Since Cynthia always does special things for us, we wanted to do something for her.  Our plan was to walk to the next colonia and buy a gift from the used clothing store, then make Fany's famous tacos.  It was an ambitious plan considering we had barely been out of bed for three days.  Fany came over at 10 a.m. and said she was ready to go.  I apologized and said I couldn't go, but I would drive to the store in the afternoon if she wanted.  Fany went alone and bought taco ingredients.

The electricity went out at 8 a.m.  While Fany was shopping she heard a lady saying that the lights are out all over the country because of lack of rain.  We also learned this week that the city is only sending us water 2 times per week for short increments of time.  We are concerned that we might not get any water, or very little because we sit on top of a hill.  It makes for pretty views of the city, but because we are up higher our water fills last.  So if everyone's water tanks are low and the city sends water only for a couple of hours, it may not reach our water tank at all.

Apparently that is why the lights were out too.  The country is not generating as much hydroelectric power as usual with no rain, so they turned off the lights all over.  Fany's friends all over the country were without power.  The worst news is that rain usually comes on the 5th of May, and then again in June when the rainy season hits.  We are a long way from the rainy season, which didn't come until August or September (if I remember correctly) last year.

I am glad I'm not up in the mountains with the fires anymore.  But the city doesn't control the water in the mountains so they don't have to worry as much about running out.  Down here there are less fires, but also less water.  I am always pretty water conscious, but I've started bathing like I did when I stayed at my brother's house.  He has to pay for and haul in most of his water, so we used water sparingly.  I hope the people down below me are using their water sparingly too!  Fany and I are talking about buying new garbage cans so if the water does make it up here we can put the garbage cans in the shower and let the water collect there.  Then we can use that water to bathe throughout the week.

Speaking of bathing, I hadn't bathed since Wednesday.  Not because I was trying to save water, but because I was sick.  I was dying for a shower.  However, the only way you get hot water here is an electric heater attached to the shower head, so I would have to take a cold shower as long as the electricity was out.  Normally not a big deal, but with a cold, not an appealing thought.  Also I realized with no electricity there was no pump to pump even a cold shower into my house.

Fany and I decided we would wait until 5 to see if the power came on.  If the power was not on by 5 we would scrap the cooking plan for Cynthia's dinner  and buy fried rice from a nearby restaurant with a gas stove.  It went off at 8 a.m. and came back at 4:45 p.m.  We were happy.

I showered!!!! and ran to the store where I realized I was weaker than I expected, so I called my neighbor who attends my church and asked if he could bring the supplies I was assigned to bring to church.  Even lifting a can of spaghetti sauce off the shelf was tiring.

We had a good time celebrating Cynthia's birthday and more importantly, Cynthia did too.  We told her welcome to the house of the mucosas.  That's what you call someone with a runny nose.  As in mucous.  I prefer runny nose over mucosa but it is funny to say.  Cynthia seemed to have the sniffles too so she fit right in.

Last night I turned on FB for the first time since I got sick and saw that Karla is asking for prayers for Clara again,  I sent her a message today because Karla said she hates it when everyone calls her phone to see how her Mom is doing.

I am craving Honeycombs today.  Unfortunately, I have never seen Honeycombs in Honduras.  I live in an almost strictly corn flake world.

Laura can sing the alphabet in English almost perfectly.  She walks around singing it all day except she says, "Now I know my ABCs... HIJKLMNOP,"  at the end.  I have told her what the words mean, hoping if she can understand the meaning she will be able to remember better, but no luck so far.  Still, I am amazed by her.  She is so smart!

Praying for rain and for Clara!