Questionnaire

I am on top of the world today! Man, I love what God has called me to do in Honduras!

This morning I walked up to the Chinese Restaurant to wait for my ride. Everyone else went into the office, but they told me not to bother to drive there because they were passing right by my colonia.

Today we had two security guards with us. One was driving and one opened and closed the car doors for us. I guess this was in case we had to make a fast get-away.

My co-workers were a lot more alert than I have ever seen them in the past. They were frustrated with the driver because he has a "sticker" (which I believe is probably a magnetic sign) he is supposed to slap on the door of the vehicle so that people know who we are. Today he didn't bring the sticker. Our vehicle looks like what the police would use to go into a community and do a big bust. My co-workers said we were at more risk if we got out of a car without the "sticker" because people get nervous when they see the kind of car we were in.

I noticed as soon as we got to an area that seemed sketchy, the driver opened his window wide and sat where people could see him. I had been sitting in the front seat, but they had me move to the back so that the other security guard could sit in front and roll down his window too. I guess undercover police cars never roll down their windows, so having the windows down would let people know we were not police.

There were so many times I wanted to take a photo! But I can't take any photos of the people we serve. And I can't pull out my cell phone in the communities we serve because it is too dangerous.

I got to see my first boarding house today. It was actually better than I expected. It's a building with rows of doors. A different family lives in a one room apartment behind each door. They all share a common area for washing clothes and dishes. It was interesting to hear my co-workers talk about the "cuartos". Remember, they live in these communities. Living in a cuarto could actually be an option for them. All of them agreed they would prefer not to live there.

It was there, tucked into an hallway, that I was able to pull out my phone and take a some pictures. I asked permission first. They told me to climb up to the top floor and take photos of the landscape.

Can you see how the rocks are holding down the roof?

I loved all of the trees and plants in this colonia

Roofs

Five co-workers accompanied me. Two are mentors who live in this colonia. They are both my age or older. One is a pastor. He is super funny. Everyone knows him, but somehow he kept getting us lost. It became a joke between us. He is a founder of the section where he lives. He told me that the area was declared uninhabitable. Now there are a lot of people living there. I loved the section where he lives. It is full of huge jungle plants and trees with little homes underneath. I saw a few houses made of wood slats, but I still didn't see the poverty of Los Pinos.

Two social workers were there because it was their questionnaire that we were filling out. The fifth woman oversees our project. I talked to her a little about me. Half way through the day she put her arm around me and said, "I am going to tell you about me." She held me with her arm around my shoulders and told me about her life. I never knew she is married. Her husband lives in the US. She has an appointment with the US embassy. She is praying she can get a visa to go visit him.  She's 30 years old. For the first two years she worked as a volunteer at our association. Now she has been a paid employee for nine years. Her mother volunteered for 9 years, and is now in a paid position. (Her mom is the one who a ranchero song last week at our devotional.) Both have always been actively advocating for their community. Through their advocacy they learned about the association where we all now serve.

I was happy that she wanted to share her personal life with me. As I've said before, I really like my co-workers.

We walked around from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. The sun was beating down on us. We were sweaty and tired. Occasionally we stopped for a minute or two in the shade of a tree. One of my co-workers told me it is important for our safety that we never stay in one place for very long. I never thought about that, but she is right.

Another co-worker said there was a strong police and military presence. I felt comforted by the sight of pickup trucks full of military men with big guns. But she said there were more than usual. That means, she said, that there are problems brewing.

I tried to be as relaxed as possible, but still alert and aware of my surroundings. It's a delicate balance. Nobody wants to be around someone who is anxious. But you also can't be too relaxed. Many people commented that I was there. A gringa always stands out in a community where outsiders are few.

The questionnaire was for every member of our Impacto Juvenil (Youth Impact) program. This area has 73 kids. Most of them completed the questionnaire in their youth group Saturday. We are following up on the rest. The questionnaire was created to see if the kids feel safe in their home, if there are rules and appropriate discipline in their home, if they have an adult they trust, if they have hope for their future and dreams about what they will do, and if they know right from wrong. The kids seemed to enjoy being asked their opinion.

Tomorrow we are going to a different community to complete the same questionnaire. I am working every day this week. Even Saturday. That's fine with me! I love being out in the community, learning and talking with people.