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.
