Friends, Food, Freezing...

Hey all! Let me start with saying that I am extremely tired right now. So I might read this tomorrow and think I sound incoherent and ridiculous. Last week we took a trip to San Pedro. It's one of Honduras' largest cities. We went out to lunch, checked out the mall, did some grocery shopping and went out to dinner before going home. I bought a much needed Santa Biblia and some delicious snacks that I don't have to share with anyone! I admit that I'm feeling a little selfish with my food stuffs lately. I've spent the better part of the last 5 years buying and making my own food, so I'm not used to sharing my food or stuff disappearing so quickly. Like I said - pure selfishness.

On Wednesday afternoon I got to 5-way chat with Ashley, Carolyn, Erin and Sheri. We spent so much time laughing :D It got so hard to hear each other that we had to pass a virtual conch around (Lord of the Flies reference in case you missed it). We considered emailing a picture of a conch to each other, but refrained from getting that serious about it. It was so fantastic to talk to all of them. I haven't laughed that much in a long time. It made me really homesick for a little while, but it's OK.

The rest of our week was fairly normal. All the children are progressing well with their studies. We had a parent-teacher conference this week. It was really good for me to sit down, look at their grades and decide how well they're progressing in each subject and things I need to be working on with them. I noticed myself avoiding some difficult things. I hate conflict, so I've been hesitating to do things or change things I think the children might fight me on. For the sake of their education though I need to do them. Like planning projects and writing assignments. Children don't like you when you give them extra work. Please pray that I can creatively plan these so that the children won't hate them, but will enjoy them.

I have been SO TIRED the last few days, but it's for good reason! I had two girls nights this weekend. Friday night I spent with some Canadian teachers and one Honduran girl who goes to our church (all super cool :D) and we had dinner, watched Tangled, ate lots of sweets (I made lemon bars) and talked until 2am. LOVED IT!  It made me miss being at college, where that happened weekly! Saturday night there was a clothes swap and girls night at the house of one of the woman who goes to my church. There were just over 20 of us there! It was great fun and I got a new shirt and French manicure set out of the deal. I've been getting to know a number of people here better and it is so good for my soul! I miss my friends and family at home a bit and it's nice to have people to talk to and laugh with here!

 It got cold here this week. And by cold I mean that I have been ruined by Honduran weather and 60 feels FREEZING to me. It's so pathetic I know, but it happened so suddenly and I haven't seen the sun in almost a week. *Pout*

Service today was great. We were talking about Jesus spending time with outcasts and all the stories He told about celebrating when what was lost is found, just as there is celebrating in heaven when one person gives their life to the Lord. (Oveja Perdida, Moneda Perdida, Hijo Perdido). I sit with my deaf friends now so I can learn how to sign the songs (my friend Glenda signs) and watch the service translated into sign (by my friend Alan). My brain works overtime the whole time. If I space out for just a second I miss so much. I'm so mentally drained right now!! Que sueño! No picture this week sorry! When my brother comes down in about 2 1/2 weeks there will be many pictures I promise!!
<3

Listen

At this specific moment my blog isn’t letting me load a new post. So I am typing this in Word until it decides to stop hating me. There has been a lot of technology hate directed at me lately. I can never find the document I’m looking for on a computer, my alarm clock goes off every morning, I get about 5 spam texts a day, our internet is horribly unreliable, my ipod’s battery died mid car ride today. The list could go on for days. That’s normal for me though. It’s not worse in Honduras.

OK what happened this last week? Coolest thing that happened was Jenny getting her hearing aids! This has been and will continue to be a serious transition for this family. Imagine hearing for the first time. We have all spent a life time distinguishing sounds, so we know that the sound of someone talking is different than the sound of a motorcycle going passed. Jenny needs to learn to distinguish between sounds. Also, now that she can hear, she can learn to speak. We’re doing our best to help her, which currently is speaking and signing to her at the same time so she will associate those sound patterns with the correct words. She needs speech therapy though, which she will hopefully receive in the future. Also, we want learn some techniques we can use with her daily to help her develop her speech.

This week I also spent some alone time with Jenny, the rest of the family was out taking care of renewing passports (which is all done – praise the Lord!). Did you know I talk a lot? It’s not hard for me to listen, but I like to interact and talk with people and have conversations. Jenny and I had a great time and I didn’t say a word, except while I was talking to myself. This was totally new for me. I mean, I’m a girl and I have the art of wordless communication down to a science, but actually not having the option of using spoken words –totally new. It helped me become more confident in my signing that’s for sure! Jenny is a fun girl :D. Lately, I hear these phrases a lot: “Christine, what’s the sing for________(insert any random word)?” and “Christine, what is Jenny saying??”  Sometimes I know and sometimes I just guess :P. I am flattered and surprised every time this happens because, let’s be honest, I don’t know that much sign….do I? This weekend I learned the signs for almost every kind of clothing you can think of AND every major city in Honduras. That’s right: I know the sign for “Islas de Bahia” and “Comayagua”. I bet you don’t.  Now you’re thinking: WOW that’s useless. Well, I disagree. Wouldn’t you want to know the sign for the city you lived in?

This week and last week I could tell little things were getting on my nerves and I didn’t like it. The kids mannerism or things they would  say just rubbed me the wrong way. “Deep breaths, let it go, don’t let it bother you…” These words kept running through my head. Then I changed my tune. “Lord, help me to actually not care about these things. Help me to accept these children as they are and love them as You would. AMEN.” My attitude changed quickly after I recognized the source of my frustration. I just wasn’t walking in love.  

One of the reasons I love teaching is that I love to watch learning. If you’ve never had the experience of seeing someone grasp a concept for the first time – go teach someone something – it’s amazing. I mean truly amazing. I never tire of seeing Emma grasp a new math concept or explain what she’s learning about God in her Bible class. I love to hear Morgan say – Christine – did you know cats have this thing called “eye shine” that helps them see in the dark? Do you think dogs have that too?” I especially enjoy watching Quentin’s face light up when he tells his mom “I got all my spelling words right today!” or “Reading is getting easier – I read really fast today didn’t I, Christine?”  It honestly makes me cry happy tears just thinking about it. 

The longer I’m here, the less NY feels like home. I tried to explain this to one of the children this week. I said – well I’m kind of homeless right now. His response was: “Um you live here.”  Yes, I do in fact live here. I know God is working in my heart though. At some point I’ll be living on my own and it might not be in NY. Who knows what crazy adventure will be after this one in Honduras? I don’t want to get too deep into this right now b/c I’ve already spent some time pouring my heart and soul out to some friends (Thanks, Sheri and Ashley), but I feel like God is trying to get my attention and tell me something and I need to spend time with Him and LISTEN. Then, here’s the key, I need to follow what He says – even if it seems crazy or difficult or BOTH! We talked about how radical the call to follow Jesus is this week in Bible study and I recently finished one of the best fiction novels I have read in a long time. Between to covers of an unassuming novel titled “Quaker Summer”, I found a captivating and realistic story about a women who realizes she’s slipped into mediocre Christianity. The book follows her fight to truly follow God’s commands, and shows how her journey profoundly affects her friends and family. Challenging and inspiring.  I’ll let you know where all this takes me, but from experience, similar themes don’t just appear in your life for no reason. God knows we’re thickheaded and when He wants to make a point – He goes all out!

I know this post is long and a little more introspective than other posts. I’ve been just trying to keep up and get my footing here and now that I’m more settled I have more energy and brain space for this kind of thing. Who knew it could take 6 weeks to do that? It will probably take even longer.

 More happy news! My oldest brother, David, (whom many of you know and love) is coming to visit me in November – such a good brother! I love and miss you all! If anyone wants to post some pictures of beautiful fall scenery, that would be much appreciated. I’m missing my favorite season A LOT!

"Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it" – Isaiah 30:21

Here are a couple recent photos:

Feliz Cumpleanos Jenssy!!! He is a nursing student here in Siguat and comes over on weekends :D 

Yummy cake!!

This is a little blurry, but there was much joy, excitement , and homemade pizza!

Kitten Ambushes and Dutch Blitz

Well, look at me! Posting less than a week after my last one! So on top of things. Today is Sunday and it's 11:30 my time. Now you're thinking "Christine, shouldn't you be in church?"  Every single church I have ever attended  held it's services in the morning. This church, "Celebracion", holds it's services in the evening - usually starting at least an hour after the posted start time. For my first few days here, I operated under the assumption that posted times meant something. I was fooled, things don't start on time here in Honduras. That is not a sweeping generalization that unfairly accuses an entire culture of lateness. It's pure truth. The reason is that Hondurenos, and Latin Americans in general, view time differently than North Americans do. They put everything they have into what they are doing at the moment, even if that means they will be late to their next commitment. They also value relationships and family above most everything else. So hanging around and chatting for an hour before church starts is extremely important. About an hour late is a typical time for things to start. As someone who remembers 100 things I need to do as I'm trying to walk out the door, that kind of flexibility is GREAT for me, but it frustrates people who try to keep to strict schedules. ANYWAY! It has taken some adjusting, but I enjoy having services in the afternoon/evening and when it comes down to it, la gente y la comunidad de la iglesia are more important that the start time!

In other news, I started teaching Spanish this week for real. At the end of every school day I have a decision to make: Torture the children with more learning or give up and let them play for the rest of the day. Most days I think to my self  "Just let them play...we can do that another day." Four out of 5 days I recognize this as laziness on my part and I give it my best with mixed results. Everything I do is serious trial and error. I fail pretty often. It's easy to tell if I'm failing because there is much complaining and misbehaving among the students.

We obtained a basketball and a kickball this week too. This has seriously increased our quality of play. Now our game options are nearly unlimited. Basketball, dodge ball, kickball, 4 square and "futbol" are just a few of the games now in our daily routine. Last night most of the family played HORSE and this morning, all 7 of us were outside riding the scooters and Rip-sticks. Good fun! We also got a card game called Pictureka! that involves lots of pictures and random words on cards. We tried one of the ways to play it last night and it was fun. Most exciting news on the game front is that I taught the children how to play Dutch Blitz. They.love.it.a.lot.

As I type, our unbelievably adorable kitty has sneaked into my room and it currently stalking my hands as I type. He just jumped on my keyboard. Bad kitty. When he appeared in the doorway I looked at him and he froze, then laid down and started licking his fur, like he wasn't planning an ambush :D. One of his favorite things to do is lick and bite your face while you are holding him. That's right - I said "lick and BITE your face". He acts just like a dog. He can actually sit up and beg at the table.

I didn't actually take any new photos this week, so I won't be posting any this time around - sorry!

Now about about sign class. I know I talk a lot about this, but I am enjoying it so much. I got to go to the longer sign class on Saturday morning again. I learned so much! The best part about what I'm learning is that I get to practice all the time with Jenni. My goal before I leave Honduras is to be as close to fluent as possible in Honduran Sign Language.

I've been reading in Luke recently (I actually just finished the book today) and these verses struck me:
"But they [the women] found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of Jesus. And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. Then as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them. 'Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!..." Luke 24: 2-6
The most striking thing about it was how often I "look among the dead for the living". Christ is risen! Rejoice! He is powerful. He is not a dead god that doesn't care or hear me. He is alive, He loves me and cares for me, He can do things in my life and in the lives of those around me, if only I will call on Him for strength and guidance. Let is be so in my life and yours!

Time flies...

Sorry that it’s been more than a week since I have written! Our internet has not been working at all since Wednesday. It’s the end of rainy season and it’s going out with a BANG! We’ve had heavy rain every day for the last week and una tormenta that knocked down several trees and caused some leaks in our house.  I can get our neighbors internet from my room (don’t worry they know!) and that is how I’m posting this.

In other news – I started running again. First you must know that I don’t breathe well at high altitudes. That is why I waited a full 3 weeks before even thinking about running. That first day casi morí . I made it 10 minutes before I had to quit. I.am.pathetic. But I kept it up and I am definitely doing better! Except that the family dogs sometimes forget who I am and bark ferociously at me.

More importantly, it’s been a busy week here! We had some car trouble that threw a wrench in a number of our plans. We did NOT make it to Tegucigalpa this week, which was a bummer for a number of reasons. I did make it to “Ladies’ Bible study”, which is such a blessing to me! We did not manage to go out to dinner for my birthday (that’s right - I’m 22 now!!), but we did make it to sign class and bible study – both good things! Also Paul bought me a cake, the family sang to me and all the kids made me cards :D.

 This weekend there was a Missionary conference here in Siguatepeque. I met A LOT of people! I know most of you recognize that I am very outgoing, but it is a little terrifying to me to introduce myself to people and be in a room full of people I don’t know. I did manage to get over my fears a bit and got to know some really cool people. I finally met the pastor of my church here! The family just got home from furlough last week. They seem like a really great family and Pastor Tim really has a heart for the Lord and for the people here in Honduras.  The speaker this weekend was Dave Howard. He is the brother –in-law of the late Jim Elliot, who was one of the 5 missionaries killed in Ecuador in the 1950s (book – Through Gates of Splendor – one of the best books I’ve ever read). He spoke the whole weekend about Peter and the example of his life and how it pertains especially to missionaries. He talked about the costs of being a missionary and following God’s call on your life and about mistakes, doubts, and things (like pride and self-sufficiency) that can ruin your ministry. I heard from God in a lot of ways over the weekend. I’m very glad I had the opportunity to go!

I also got to go to a different sign class – with pretty much all Hondureños. There are about 6 deaf people and maybe 15 hearing people and they’re all learning sign together. Until about 3 years ago, no one in this city knew sign language. There is definitely a deaf community here, but they had no one to teach them to sign. Deaf people don’t just KNOW sign, they need to be taught! Schools for students with special needs and ready information and resources for parents with children with disabilities are things we take for granted in the US. Can you even fathom being deaf and not knowing sign language? I hadn’t even considered it as a possibility until recently. I have met some incredibly intelligent and dedicated deaf people who in just a short time were able to learn how to sign and effectively communicate with others and finally show to those around them that they are people and they are worth something. They are teachers, painters, students and fellow members of the body of Christ. I praise God that I am learning sign and have the opportunity to get to know them. I am especially glad that I have already been able to communicate better with Jenni. She has a great sense of humor and I know that God is using this to teach both of us something.

Church yesterday was great. We talked about the true purpose of a church and even spent some time in groups brainstorming answers to these questions: “What comes to mind when you hear the word church? What is the purpose of a church? What does a church need to accomplish its purpose?” Unfortunately for my group, I was the scribe. My group was trilingual (Sign, English, Spanish) and it was hard for me to keep up with everyone. I learned some new words though. ‘Sabiduría’ means ‘wisdom’ and ‘liderazgo’ means ‘strong leader’.

Wow! I almost ended this blog post without talking about school! We only had three normal days last week, so not much happened. All of the kids are progressing well! The current hiccup for the older two is grammar. Their textbooks don’t always give the clearest explanation of some concepts and then we’re all in the dark! Math is a strength for all of them. They all think quickly and logically. I am working on reading skills most intensively with the youngest and I can already see some progress. He got a 100% on his spelling test this morning! Sometimes I wonder if having a class of 20 children of the same grade would be easier that trying to teach 3 grades at the same time.  I am responsible for helping my students with 20 different subjects.  That’s not even counting Spanish and Sign Language. It’s overwhelming sometimes!

ALSO this weekend we went to some really beautiful caves nearby. Please enjoy the following photos :D

My last thoughts for this post are about appreciation. I know you have all done things or had jobs that are completely thankless and TRUST ME, I have been there too. You don’t serve God expecting that you are going to be recognized or even thanked. The couple I work for though does fantastic job of thanking me and frequently tells people what a blessing I am to them and their family. I appreciate this and I will take the time to tell you they are all a blessing to me in different ways and this first month has FLOWN by!