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.
