The faith walk

Sometimes, for the sanity of my family and maybe even for myself, I have to minimize things. That's what I did in the blog I wrote two days ago.

The whole truth is that over the past 2 weeks, things have been building up in my mind. Many things have been happening which left me feeling unsafe.

None of the things happened directly to me. But I felt like all around me people were being assaulted, robbed, beaten up, tied up, threatened with death, threatened with rape... It got really overwhelming and I couldn't handle it emotionally.

You can't call your Mom and say, "Mom, I'm really upset because my friend just got tied up and threatened with death and rape while they stole from him. I'm scared because I was parked in a place I thought was safe and the next thing I knew there were military men with huge guns running everywhere. I am the only person I know at my job who hasn't been held up with a weapon and I'm scared it's just a matter of time..." Some of the things I can't even write here because I, or my friends, would be unsafe if people found out what I've written.

So what do you do?

Well, if you're me, you stuff it down inside until your brain is about to explode. Your co-workers notice that you seem scared, and tell you so, but you feel embarrassed and do nothing about it. Your best friends tell you that you seem shaken up after the "men running around with guns" incident. You can't remember any of your friends' names for a few hours after that incident, but you deny to them, and to yourself, that anything is wrong. Your shoulders and neck ache and you blame it on bad posture because you are not allowed to feel stress. You spend the whole night awake, wondering why you can't sleep, trying to remember what you ate or drank that would keep you so wide awake and nothing comes to mind. Because you didn't ingest anything. It's what's brewing in your mind that won't allow you to rest for more than 20 minutes the whole, entire night.

And that is where God steps in. (BIG sigh of relief.)

I have to confess. I have spent the past two weeks feeling scared. I stopped writing here. I stopped using Facebook. I didn't communicate with anyone from the US. Because when I feel like this if I say anything people's first response is "You need to come home!" and that is not true. I don't need to come home. But I do need to acknowledge my fear, feel my fear, and work through it.

That is what I am doing now.

Today's church service was entitled, "How scary!" (Or in Spanish "Que Miedo!" which translated literally is "What Fear!") Pastor Paysen talked about fear and how it can paralyze us, cause us to be ineffective, and lose our inner peace. Fear itself can hold us hostage. Fear was holding me hostage.

So what can we do? Well, first we have to identify the problem. I have to admit that yes, I am fearful.

That was tough. For me, it took a few weeks.

Then we have to decide if we want to be free of the problem. Do I want to let go of the fear? Or have I grown comfortable in this place - denying there is a problem, being "strong", putting up walls in a weak attempt to keep the world from seeing the truth.

My Mom knew something was up. I went from calling her every couple of days and writing almost daily, to no contact at all. All of my co-workers and friends saw through my facade. Nobody was fooled except me. I was fooling myself into believing that I was okay, when I wasn't.

We make excuses, we hide.

But today God brought everything to light. He showed me my fears. He showed me how they all built upon each other, and how my fear grew until I couldn't speak. I couldn't sleep. And I became a walking zombie that disintegrated into a puddle of tears in the middle of church today.

And you know what? That is okay!

Today I confronted those fears. I acknowledged them. I felt them. And they are really scary things! I have every right to be scared. I would be stupid if I didn't feel some sort of fear now and then. But I cannot let it paralyze me. I can't let fear make me withdraw from society. I can't let fear rob me of sleep, or tie up my tongue and hold my words hostage so I can't even remember the names of my friends.

It took a while. In fact I may not be done yet. But I am in the process of crying out those fears. And talking about them to friends and family. I'm sure I will even admit them to some of my co-workers tomorrow.

Then I will have to face reality. Am I cut out to live alongside of these things which are so scary? Can I find that delicate balance, where fear doesn't control me, yet I make wise decisions?

If I believe God called me here, which I sincerely do, then I have to figure out how much of this is in my hands and how much of it I need to turn over to Him. My mind knows the correct answer is to turn it all over to Him, but He also created us to have free will, which means I have to make my own decisions. That is where the delicate balance comes in. When does walking boldly without fear become unwise?

Today at church I cried out to God. I told him, "I don't want to walk in fear!" "I don't want to walk in fear!!" Over and over those words repeated themselves in my mind as I picturing myself outside my office at work. No matter how hard I prayed, I still felt fearful when I imagined myself there.

At the end of the service Pastor Paysen invited anyone who wanted to let go of their fears to step to the front of the church. He and Pastora Ruth both prayed over me. Pastora Ruth prayed that I would find God's peace, yet peace escaped me.

Finally, after both had prayed for me and nothing was fixed, I fell to my knees. I told God, "I can't live like this anymore! I can't walk in fear. I don't want to walk in fear!"

Suddenly, before my mind even realized what happened, I was back in front of my office. And the words in my mind quickly changed. I didn't consciously change them, but they changed. Actually ONE word changed.

I went from walking in fear to walking in FAITH.

As soon as that one word changed, a peace came over me that I haven't felt in weeks. Fear was gone. Faith took its place. Walking in faith. I will walk in faith...

I bent over and put my head to the ground, thanking God for the peace that flowed over me with His promise. All I have to do is walk in faith.

The rest of the church disappeared and I had a special time with God, praising Him and thanking Him for all He does for me and all He will do for me if I walk in faith.

I was in a daze for a while afterward. But I had a good talk with Pastor Paysen. He assured me I am back on track. Now I need to walk the walk.

Pastor Paysen also told me I should ask for your prayer. So, please keep me in prayer. I assure you, I am not in immediate danger. Things just kind of built up with lots of crazy things going on around me, and it got to me. Don't be scared for me. Just pray for God's continued protection. He has protected me for almost four years. He's not going to suddenly stop now.

Thank you for your support!

Isa's 3rd Birthday

Isabela!

Fany is pretty

The ladies and our rock star

Erika and Marjory

Homemade chocolate cake got rave reviews!

Samuel wanted his picture with the princesses

Ana and her family - minus Isa because she refused to be in any photos without me
(not normally, but that was her mood today)

I am contemplating...

Clogged sinuses have me sleeping every moment that I am not working, so excuse my absence. Plus I've been contemplating something and I didn't want to write about it while I was still in the midst of contemplation.

This week I've been in the consultorio (field office) with the psychologists every day. We are working on preparing programs for the year to come. Turns out, I can be quite helpful in this, as I have experience in group therapy from working with the sex offenders and doing wilderness therapy. The things I learned in both of those places are coming in really handy this week. I am grateful that the therapists are open and happy to hear my ideas! So far, they've implemented everything I've offered!

It's been nice sitting around in an office setting with my co-workers. I have the opportunity to get to know them on a deeper level than when we are in the field, or working on a project.

For the past 8 days I have been thinking a lot about my personal safety. I come and go to the field office by car and I can park right in front of the building. But my co-workers have to walk a block to catch the bus.

The first day I noticed that my co-worker tucked the back part of my necklace into my shirt when we went two doors down to get ice cream. I never thought about tucking the back of my necklace into my shirt. I had only thought about the front.

That night as we were all getting ready to leave they discussed how much they dislike the walk to the bus stop. They all walk together, but they still feel unsafe. Then they talked about the actual bus ride and all of the things they look out for while they are on the bus. Every one of them has been robbed numerous times.

Two weeks ago at my church, one of my favorite young couples was leaving with their daughter. A motorcycle pulled up out of nowhere. The driver put a gun to my friend's head and a woman jumped off the back and told them to hand over their cell phones. They were literally a couple of steps outside of the church.

We have a guard, but what can a guard do in that situation? It all happens so fast. He is an old man with a machete, but even a younger man with a gun couldn't do much.

The guard told me that I cannot bring a purse or my camera to church from now on. There I was with a backpack full of stuff for my class with Pastora Ruth, my purse, and my camera. I felt very foolish and naive.

Then listening to my friends talk about all the things they are careful for in the streets, on the buses and in taxis, made me feel ill prepared to live in Tegucigalpa. It is clearly for the grace of God that I have not been assaulted.

So I am trying to come to terms with the fact that statistics show, it will happen to me one day too. I have been advised by my co-workers that I must carry a cheap cell phone with me when I go into the field. They say that the robbers are not looking for cash, they want phones. And they get really mad if you don't have one. People have been shot for not having a phone. So my theory of keeping a little cash was wrong.

Yesterday we had a birthday party for one of my co-workers. They like posed photos more than natural ones. Today we are celebrating Isa's birtday - more photos to come!

The front of the consultorio - with a public bus passing
(All yellow buses are public transportation here, schools use different colors)
I couldn't stand out front with the camera

My friend who was approved for the visa
to visit the US!
and her mom who sings rancheras

No hiccups

What a peaceful day! The morning began with time in the bible and prayer. I have several friends traveling today. Each of them were on my heart.

One friend is returning to Honduras after visiting her husband in Florida since November. I can't imagine how she feels. I am guessing that part of her is happy to come back to her home and her mother in Honduras. But saying goodbye to her husband must be so difficult!

Also, the team from Ohio/Arizona is traveling back to the US today. I thought about them all day yesterday as they spent their last day serving. And last night as they enjoyed their final night in Honduras. Today as I was cooking, I prayed out loud for them. The Holy Spirit led me to pray for a trip "without hiccups" for them, which I thought was a funny way to pray.

This morning I talked to Erika. Her boyfriend asked me yesterday if I could give him money. Erika never asks for money. I prayed about it overnight and I decided that I do want to help him, but I only wanted to help him in the form of a loan. So we were able to work out a payment plan that is feasible for him, and fine for me. I made it clear to Erika that this loan is between her boyfriend and me. It should never, ever effect my relationship with her.

The last time I gave a loan it was to a person in the US. They didn't pay me a penny. But I decided before I agreed to the loan that if I loan someone money, I need to be okay with never seeing a cent of it.

Erika's boyfriend really does need this money. I liked the fact that he was honest about how he is going to spend it. It is for a good cause, although he might not believe that I would think so. I hope that I can help him. If he doesn't pay me back, I lost $25 and I learned not to lend him money again.

Yesterday I found out that Erika and her "in-laws", as she calls them, have not been able to attend church recently. They had a bus that picked them up and took them to and from the church twice per week. But the bus is not running now.

I also learned that Erika was going to have Marjory baptized in her parents' church. I asked if she really believes the same way her parents believe. She said no, she doesn't. She has never attended her parents' church but her parents really want Marjory to be baptized. I can see both sides.

I prayed about how to approach this topic. I surely don't want to disrespect Erika's family or their religion. At the same time, I wanted Erika to understand all of the facts about baptism from her parents' church's point of view and also from the church she attends viewpoint. I did my very best to be unbiased and without judgement.

Yesterday when we finished talking, it seemed that Marjory would be like me, baptized as a baby before she can really decide for herself. And that is okay. I chose to be baptized again when I accepted Christ as my Savior. That worked out fine for me.

Today I asked Erika what time I should come to the baptism and she told me she is having second thoughts. I told her to let me know. I will support her in any choice she makes. She has not met with a priest yet, so I have a feeling it won't happen this weekend.

In the meantime, for the first time, I feel called to invite her and her "in-laws" to attend my church if they would like. In all of this time, I have never felt like I should push Erika to attend any church service at all.

Just now, as I was writing, I stopped to call and invite Erika and the family to visit my church this weekend. We'll see what happens. She seemed happy and excited. But I do understand that they have their own church. This would just be a visit.

So, I spent part of the morning in prayer, part with Erika and her family, then I came home to cook and clean. I am a crazy nester lately. Maybe because of the cold whether. All I want to do is cook and settle in at home. Today I am making spicy sausage, bean and brown rice soup with lots of veggies.

I hope Erika will come to church with me on Sunday.

Safe travels friends from Ohio! May you and your luggage arrive with no "hiccups".

No photos please

This morning I had a nice visit with Clara. She is about to start chemotherapy again. In the past she decided not to receive treatment. Right now she seems to be in excellent spirits and doing well, especially considering the fight she has on her hands. Her mood was very upbeat.

This afternoon I was supposed to go to the movies with Ana's family. They stayed at the church longer than they expected and we didn't want them to miss out. So after talking to Ana and Jired we decided to postpone our outing.

I stopped by Erika's house and picked up Erika, her sister Kenia, and baby Marjory. We had a nice ladies day out. Today is discount day at the movies, so we thought it would be packed. But Snoopy has been in theaters for so long that only a few families were there. That gave us time for some lunch. It was 2 p.m. and none of them had eaten. They weren't expecting to go out with me, so they hadn't been holding off on a meal. I was glad we got the chance to eat together.

I swear Marjory ate more than all of us! She is now feeling better after having three molars push through at the same time. She ate more than half of her mother's plate, some of mine and some of her Aunt Kenia's. Then she chowed down on popcorn and drank half my drink as well as her mother's. She kept offering me kernels of popcorn which was soggy from her sucking the kernels out of her own hands. It was a little gross, but I ate it. Soggy popcorn is not my favorite, but sharing with Marjory is always nice.

On the way out we stopped and got an ice cream cone, then wandered around the mall.

Erika was wishing she didn't have to cook dinner after she got home. She said she is really tired. Her baby is due in only a few weeks now.

Yesterday I forgot to write about two things. First, I was late to the Monday morning devotional because the power went off. I woke up late, threw on clothes and rushed out the door. In the afternoon I was talking to Fany when I noticed something was itching my belly. Turned out my pants were on backwards and the tag was poking me in the stomach! How in the world I walked around all day with my pants on backwards, I'll never know. I did switch them around and they were much more comfortable. But then they ballooned out in the belly from where I had stretched them with my behind. I hope they'll shrink back to normal in the wash.

The second thing I forgot to write about yesterday was also kind of funny, in a different way. The power was out all over, so I wasn't the only one late to Monday devotional. Two men walked in ahead of me and I noticed they scooted to the back and climbed over rows of people to find a seat. I wondered why they didn't grab one of the seats that was more accessible. And then I realized why. There are two main heads of my organization. One is a North American man. He was speaking as we got there. The other is Honduran.

I ended up sitting right next to our head boss - the Honduran one. Not a great impression - coming in late and all. I didn't realize it was him until I had been sitting there for a couple of minutes.

During our time of devotion we were asked to pray about what we could do better this year, and ask God to pardon us for things we did wrong in 2015, both at church and in our home lives. Then we were told to share with the person sitting next to us how they could pray for us in the year to come.

It was interesting because the man I have been speaking of is very high profile. But he was really open and honest and just a regular guy as we talked about things we wanted to change in 2016. He said that he would like to be more friendly and receptive to people. He said that he gets thinking about things, and forgets to say hello to people. I told him I understand because I am the same way. Sometimes I can live in my own little world and not notice the people around me.

In Honduras especially, this is culturally unacceptable. You are supposed to always greet people. Even entering a bus or waiting room full of strangers. I have written about this before. It is almost a relief to hear that a Honduran man who is well respected has the same problems.

We talked about our faith, how we depend on God, and how we can know when something is God's will as opposed to doing something to please the people around us. Sometimes there is so much pressure. I felt like God gave me confidence in our conversation and even some words of advice.

Today he was all over the news because the nations of the Western Hemisphere formed an alliance to fight corruption in Honduras. He must have left our meeting and flown to the US because he was in Washington DC signing an agreement with the President of Honduras and other dignitaries. Now he is back in Honduras at our office with lines and lines of news reporters waiting to interview him.

Meanwhile I was watching the Peanuts Movie. I say this not to belittle myself. What I did today was important. The time with Clara, Erika and Kenia was how God called me to spend my day. However, it's interesting to see the different ways we can serve people. Sometimes it's flashy and high profile, changing the laws of a country. Sometimes it's more "behind the scenes", investing our time and love in individuals.

Thursday we start another survey at work. It will take about 2 weeks to finish. We are assessing new teens and families to see who will enter the program next month. This means interviewing both the kids and their parents to see if they meet the risk factors.

We were supposed to start today, but the survey wasn't ready yet. So I'll enjoy some extra time with my friends in Los Pinos, reminding them that they are special and loved. I meant to take a photo of Clara today. I also wished I had taken one of Erika's first movie theater experience. But it's only fitting that we had no photo ops today, while the leader of my organization faces camera after camera with interviews lasting into the evening.

How Great is our God

My trip to Choluteca was absolutely great! I had the best time and God was present in powerful ways.

The group was made up of 9 people, some from Ohio (not Indiana as I said before) and some from Arizona.

As we traveled South, it got significantly hotter. We stopped at a rest area and took photos.

They weren't moving today, but you could sit in these chairs
and get a ride around the park

Spider Monkeys 

We arrived and went directly to the first church. It was actually the second church in that area built by members of this group.

It was so pretty! I didn't get a photos because I was busy translating. It was perched on top of a mountain with pretty stonework and flowers. Many beautiful details. The Pastor preaches 3 times/week, plus has a home group. One of the places he preaches is the fourth church that has sprouted from the original church. He walks an hour each way to get there. It is currently under construction. The third church is also very far away and hard to reach by car. We didn't get to see the third or fourth church this visit.

We enjoyed a plate of fruit and cold water while checking out the view from the front patio of the church during the afternoon. The Pastor and his wife told us stories about the church. He also told us that Japan and China are trying to increase tourism in Southern Honduras, so they are turning the road in front of their house into a four lane highway. This means that all of the houses and businesses along the road will be torn down.

The Pastor sent us to rest in the hotel, then invited us back for dinner.

Little did we know there would be no rest. As we tried to check in, a parade passed. The rest of the team was waiting on the bus, but the police shooed the bus away, so they missed the parade. The parade consisted of a band in the back of a pick up truck, followed by the most beautiful horses with that special gait that seems like they are dancing. They were amazing. Some appeared to be choking on their bits. I think they aren't used to having a bit in their mouths normally. I think there were about 40 horses.

They were beautiful creatures, but I got no photos because I thought I was just checking us into the hotel, so once again I didn't bring my camera. What a shame! I've never seen horses like that in real life before - and so many!

We had time to set down our suitcases, pull our clothes for church, and leave again. The group members couldn't believe how many people packed onto the bus with us as we headed back up to the church. It was a full load, but typical for Honduras.

When we got there, the pastor's wife had styrofoam boxes for each of us, and we sat down to a delicious dinner of beef, onions, beans, fried plantains and a salad. She also made homemade pineapple juice which was a big hit. When we finished everyone was waiting in the church.

That night I translated for the first time in front of a church. Although I had been talking to the Pastor all afternoon, I didn't notice at the time he was difficult to understand. There were a couple of things he said that I couldn't translate. But the rest of the service was great. We sang for over an hour, each of the three churches sang songs for the rest of the church. Sometimes we all sang together. It was so fun!

Me trying to understand the Pastor

The first song was a welcome song in Spanish that I had never heard before. The people welcomed us with so much excitement and joy, it was overwhelming. I wished the rest of the team could stand in front and see the smiles on the faces of the people who were singing to welcome them. The presence of the Holy Spirit was powerful, bringing all of God's children together to sing as one in adoration.

My friend's husband preached that night. I did a good job translating for him. People were moved and enjoyed the service, despite the heat and the fact that they were so packed, some were flowing out the doors onto the patio.

Overflowing church

Everyone left really happy, looking forward to gathering together again the next morning at the other church.

I was exhausted and expected to fall right asleep. It was really noisy outside because of the fair, and little kids kept banging on our hotel room doors, then laughing and running away. My roommate and I stayed up really late, talking and talking. It was all good stuff. It's so neat when I (at 45 years old) can connect with an 18 year old and have good conversations that are meaningful to both of us. Numerous times we said, "Okay it's time to sleep now." Then another thought would pop into our heads and we'd be talking again before we knew it.

The next morning I didn't want to get out of bed. The little sleep I did get was filled with bad dreams. (I think the enemy uses my dreams as an easy way to get into my head and affect my day. I need to pray about that!) We showered and left the hotel to find the bus had a flat tire. Our bus driver pumped it up with air and we were able to pick everyone up and get back to the church. There was a used tire shop right where he had to park the bus, so that worked out perfectly. I love seeing God in those details!

It was much hotter the second day. I was literally dripping with sweat as I translated.

Once again there was lots of great music. This time I had an easier time understanding the same Pastor I had struggled with the night before. There were (I think?) 40 kids outside in smaller groups doing crafts. The service was about God giving us a job to do, and that we have a choice of how we respond to Him.

Baskets for the offering

Praising God

Another full church

Finally understanding each other

Goodbyes

After the service I translated so that Pastor Doug could talk to all of the people he has known and served over 16 years. It is so cool for them to be able to communicate with him, and vice versa. They have built very special relationships that triumph over the barrier of languages.

We had one more beef dinner, and got back onto the bus.

It doesn't sound as fun and exciting as it was. The details the God worked out for us, and the presence of the Holy Spirit are so hard to explain here in words.

I came home feeling wonderful. The team told me over and over how much they appreciated my help. They even gave me gifts. But my favorite gift, honestly, was time with them. I love sharing Honduras with people from the US. Being able to show them things I love, and experience new things with them is a gift beyond measure.

The first night the Pastor chose to close with How Great Thou Art, in Spanish. I stood in front of the whole church with tears in my eyes thinking about how great He is! First I was overwhelmed by the fact that He chose me to go to Honduras. Then He has given me friendships with these people from North America who think of me two years later and invite me to travel with them. Isn't that cool? And now, He has united us all, Hondurans and North Americans, as ONE in such a beautiful place. It was powerful and overwhelming to think about. How Great is Our God.

Hoping and praying to change a special young man's life

Man! I can't believe all of the good stuff going on. I am really excited to leave tomorrow and go South with a team from the US to translate as they serve at two churches. I've been looking forward to this for a few months Finally it's happening tomorrow!

Also, I am really excited to see what plans God has in store for a young man here, in Honduras. His name is Luis. Anyone who visited the Breakfast Program has met Luis. He has a true servant heart, is responsible, hard working, punctual, and prudent with his words. I admire Luis a lot.

Today was a day of planning for the year to come at my new job. My boss was asking a lot of questions about Los Pinos. She said we are already staffed for the program to start in Los Pinos, but will be looking for more volunteers. Pretty much everyone I work with started out as a volunteer. Some are now paid.

For some reason, God placed Luis in my mind to volunteer with us. I told my boss about him and she said she would love to talk to him. So I called him and asked if he would be interested in volunteering with us. He was working for four months after graduating from college. But the job was a short contract which was not renewed, so he is now without work.

I am hoping and PRAYING that, if Luis likes the job, it could eventually turn into a paid position for him! Most of my co-workers volunteered for 2-9 years before getting paid. In the meantime, Luis would be working within and bettering his own community. If no other paying job comes his way, this could be a great opportunity for him. I have a great feeling about this!

There are very few people I would recommend for a position at this job. My coworkers are so professional and hardworking, it's hard to keep up with them. But Luis can do it!

I'll let you know how everything unfolds for Luis. My boss said she will call him when she starts training the new people. He sounded excited on the phone. Almost as excited as I am!

Now, off to be a translator for the weekend. It's supposed to be over 100 degrees in the place where we are going. That's the one part which is not so exciting.

Yesterday I translated a newsletter for my Honduran friend's Ministry. Next week I am going to translate her tax forms. Good thing I really enjoy translating because I'm doing a lot of it lately!

Our New Church!

One of the first two readers to read yesterday's entry stepped up and offered to send Ana's family to the movies, plus a little extra for popcorn! I promise this blog will not turn into a site begging for money, just thought you might want the opportunity to help out with something fun. If anyone wants to help with the costs of Erika, Lorenzo, Junior and Carlos, they would love to see the Peanuts Movie too. It will be $20 for the tickets. None of them have ever been to a movie theater before.

I believe I wrote about the fact that when I got back from the US, Pastora Ruth announced that we have to move out of the building which currently houses our church. At first I was in shock, then a little sad because we just got the place looking really nice, with the altar and all. But as I looked around me that Sunday afternoon, I realized my church is made up of the most amazing people. It really doesn't matter if we meet under a tree. Our church will always be strong.

God eased my mind and told me that this is a good thing. Not anything to be sad about. He assured me that he has plans for an even better place for us. All we needed to do is seek Him. So we prayed. Last week during our weekly intercession I shared with everyone the peace and even excitement that God has given me about our new location. I wasn't sure if it would come now, or later, but I promised that God has great plans for us.

Apparently God's plan was for sooner than anyone imagined!

On Tuesday Martha was walking to the church. Along the way, she spotted a tiny sign that said a space was for rent. She shared the information and Pastora Ruth went to talk to the owner. He is Christian and was happy to have a church in his space. He lowered the price from $1000 to $750 and handed her the keys with no deposit at all.

It is a beautiful space! So pretty. Even better than where we were before. Bigger, nicer, significantly cheaper! and in a residential area. That was something I prayed for. I want the people of the neighborhood to be able to attend our church.

Yesterday Pastora Ruth sent us a message which said "SURPRISE!" and asked anyone who was free to come help us move into our new space. About 20 of us were able to go. I was happy it was my free day! I wanted to be a part of the move in some way, since I am not able to attend church this week or next. Afterward we held our weekly intercession in our new space.

As you walk up the stairs, looking left

Walking up the stairs, looking straight ahead
The alter will be on the wall at the front

Standing by the offices and bathrooms,
looking back toward the entry on the right
I love that there are so many windows!

Our first time of intercession

Verses 18 & 19 of  Nehemiah chapter 2

Ricardo giving thanks in our new location

This weekend I am traveling with a team visiting from Indiana. We will serve outside of Tegucigalpa. I translated for them in their past visits, so they invited me to translate with them once again. I'm really excited to see them and serve God together with them!

Next weekend Erika is having Marjory dedicated to God in her church. Of course I want to be present for that. So although I wish I didn't have to miss the first two weeks of my church in its new location, I have some really exciting things going on!

Yesterday Ana called me. I was a little worried that something was wrong. She never calls me, I always call her. Plus, we had just talked the night before.

She was calling because she was excited that the team from Indiana came to visit her home and brought her a basket of food! She could hardly contain herself. Yesterday, before they came, she had absolutely NO food at all in her house. This was a huge blessing! As much as she needed the food, she was also on top of the world to think that the basket of food was for her family. Sometimes I think she feels invisible, although she is always out and serving. She said the basket was full of great stuff.

Recently a friend told me that she believes God is showing me favor right now. I have to agree with her. All of the opportunities that are opening up for me at work are blowing my mind! My relationship with my boss and my co-workers couldn't be better. God even gave my boss and me time alone last week to get to know each other more personally. That was a huge blessing.

Then He came along and gave us a new church, only blocks from our old church and so much better. He blessed Ana, not only with sustenance for her family, but with the knowledge that she is seen and appreciated. He has Erika on a great path - attending church, getting Marjory dedicated, and in a relationship that seems to be going well.

My Mom is surrounded by friends who are struggling with really tough things, but my Mom just turned 73 on Monday and is healthy and strong. Watching others her age are face these horrible challenges makes me thank God even more for the life He chose for my Mom.

My nephew and my Mom celebrating 73 years with chocolate cake and crab legs
I love seeing my Mom this happy

I am so blessed and it seems like everyone around me is doing well too. I want to soak in these moments of joy, stretch them out so they last even longer, and bask in the gratitude I feel for all of God's blessings. He sees every little detail, and He has control of it all with plans to prosper and not to harm.

An afternoon at the movies?

Hi! I've never done this before, but I've decided to ask for your help here in this format.

I want to take Ana's family and Erika and her siblings to a see the movie Peanuts. It will be two separate trips because they can't all fit in my car at once.

The cost of the tickets is 90 Lempiras for adults and 80 Lempiras for kids.

For Erika's family it will cost $20 for tickets. Ana and her family will cost fifty cents more $20.50.

Neither family has ever been to a movie theater before and would really like to go.

I understand that going to the movies is not a necessity, but it is a cool life experience.

If you would like to sponsor Ana's family or Erika and her siblings to see The Peanuts Movie, please contact me on FB, by email, or leave a message on this page below. It will be a big help to me and they will be so excited!

Another day at the park

Today was a funny day. Everything turned out much differently than I planned.

This morning I did a bible study, then Santos came over to fix a shelf that fell down a year ago, but I never told anyone. I had this whole scheme in mind of how to fix it. I thought he was going to have to buy stuff to hold it up. Actually he just propped a piece of metal back into place. Why didn't I ask a year ago?

I told Fany that I was spending the day with Erika, but I couldn't think of anything for us to do. After groaning about my own indecisiveness a few times, I decided that we could walk over to the next neighborhood and buy an avocado, then come home and make baleadas. Then we could stop in at my favorite used clothing store because I only have 3 blouses to wear to the office. Now that I am spending more time at the office, I need more than 3 blouses in my rotation.

Fany said she has clothes her Aunt sent from the US. Her Aunt sends big boxes of clothes that she buys by the pound and Fany sells them here. I didn't expect there to be much, but Fany pulled out shirt after shirt. There were 5 shirts I like. One has a hole so she gave it to me for free. The other four were supposed to cost $5 each, but she only charged me $4. I was totally happy to have new shirts to wear to the office (it is VERY formal attire), but that kind of ruined my plan with Erika.

When I called Erika to say that I would pass by a half hour later than planned she mentioned that the boys weren't home yet. I just assumed that she knows I love to see them. She said it would be perfect for me to come a half hour late, because then the boys would be back. Normally I ask her what she wants to do. She always tells me that she doesn't care. Today I didn't bother to ask. I figured we could brainstorm together.

As I pulled up to the house, or rather the road across the valley from the house, it was strange because nobody was around. Normally there are lots of kids around and Erika is waiting, looking for my truck. I turned the car around and parked. Marjory peeked out the door, but nobody came. Since there were no people nearby, I decided to take some photos.

Erika's house is in the top middle of the photo. You can see the ravine that I hope her house never falls into each time the heavy rains come.

The kids snuck up from behind while I wasn't looking. Lorenzo, Carlos and Junior, as well as their buddy Jose, were all outside the car, yanking on the door handles trying to get in. I was monkeying with my phone and it took me a minute to unlock the doors so they started banging on the windows. I thought they just wanted say hello, which they always do. But as soon as the doors were unlocked everyone crawled in, latched up their seat belts and sat still and straight as soldiers. (Which is a miracle, because NOBODY here uses seat belts.)

It was then I realized they all were freshly bathed, with wet hair, dressed in their best clothes. And everyone had a flour for me! Lorenzo brought a rose. Clearly they were expecting to go somewhere.

Erika climbed in and I asked if they would prefer to go to a playland or the new park. I didn't want to spend the money on eating at a playland, but I also thought the sun was awfully strong to go to a park. The boys chose the park, which turned out to be great!

Lorenzo asked permission to remain in the front seat. Since he is now 11 years old, and the back seat was full, I told him sure. He is still too little for a seat belt. It was choking him. I showed him how to put it behind his back. All of the kids were so, so wonderfully behaved. I told them over and over how great they were.

Erika said she is presenting Marjory to the church in two weeks. Before she had a chance to invite me I asked if I could go. She laughed and said she told her mother she hoped I would come.

Since I was not prepared to go to the park, I told the boys I needed to get the flowers into a cup of water so they wouldn't die. We went to my house where we picked up Fany and Laura, as well as my camera and some umbrellas for shade.

The boys had never been to my house before. They were amazed by how I snapped ice cubes out of the ice cube tray. When I filled the tray with water they watched carefully until Lorenzo told them that I was making more ice cubes.

They were shocked at the bag of cat food. They said, "That's a lot of food!" As I was thinking about it later, I realized that my cat probably has more food in the house than they have for all of the people in their house. Realizations like that make living in Honduras strange.

Junior got car sick from the five minute ride to the park. Poor baby held it in until we arrived, then puked as I was spraying everyone down with sunblock.

It was so nice watching the boys be free and have fun. Going to a park where they can play safely is a big deal for them.

At first they were eager to race from one thing to the next, but when I told them we have hours to play they settled in.

Lorenzo is still not growing. I would like to know why. Erika said they told her mother that he is unable to absorb nutrients, but Erika doesn't know why. I wonder if anything can be done. All the rest of his family is a healthy weight and height. Poor Lorenzo is so small. Only his face is maturing.

When it came time to leave I told them they had five more minutes to play. I sat down with Erika and we packed everything up. As soon as I stood, all three of them came running over and hopped in the car with no complaints. Such sweet, well-behaved boys. I love them!

Not sure what kind of gun this is
But yes, there are armed military keeping the park safe

Laura

Fany and I found some shade

Lorenzo

Junior

Carlos

Junior

Erika with Carlos and me

Carlos is the KING OF THE WORLD!

So many great smiles!

I taught Laura hopscotch on the tiles of her kitchen floor

Marjory

Lorenzo