Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer...

As I have considered this week where to go with my blog, I've kind of drawn a blank. It's not like a lot hasn't happened, maybe I'm overwhelmed by the thought of getting all of it into one post. I wish I had pictures to post. It's one of those time where pictures could do a better job explaining than I ever could with words.

I'll start with my house mates. When I was in college I had the incredible privilege of living with some really amazing women ("Perkins 43 and friends" shout out) and I loved that. I wasn't sure what to expect from life once I moved into the big scary "real world". I mean, my friends and I were all headed different directions; grad school, missions, jobs, etc. I knew we'd never live together again, but I loved the idea of living in Christian community. This year I get to experience that again. Did I move in with my best friends? Nope. A handful of very different women, for various walks of life, were thrown into two neighboring houses. The nickname of our house? "Hotel Gringa" (term for white women). The hang out spot? Living room of the yellow house (where the internet works the best). The place you know you can find all of us? On the corner by Mercadito Ashley where we catch the bus, 7am every Monday through Friday. Also, you're likely to find us having crazy dance parties late at night, cooking and eating dinner together, staring at our washer as it makes weird noises, shaking our fists at the internet when it cuts out at inopportune times, eating baleadas at Norberta's, and eating ice cream at the Mennonite store. Suffice it to say, we like to spend time together. I am often blessed and challenged by these women and I am so thankful to be able to work and live with them.

You also need to know that, the more Spanish I speak and the more hilarious English I listen to, the worse my English is. I mean, it doesn't even phase me my when my students say "Borrow me one pencil, please!" or "Teacher, what we make next in class?" (note that "hacer" means make AND do....so spanish speakers often mix up the two in English). The nice things is that, as my English skills deteriorate at an alarming rate, my Spanish skills are improving. I'm picking up more and more idioms, becoming comfortable with making jokes and earning respect from my students when I understand everything they say in Spanish. I stubbornly speak to them in English most of the time, so our conversations sound crazy I'm sure.

Now about my students. I think I love them too much. I am so attached. Each of my 65 students that I teach everyday has a special place in my heart. The first- graders are just so cute and some of them try so hard at English. Others babble to me in Spanish and I respond in English and they just stare and me and say "Que?!". They are all the CUTEST and the FUNNIEST! Of course there are always the days that Josue just will NOT stop calling out in class and Meylin will NOT stop talking to her neighbor and Axel just doesn't understand a THING you say. But despite the hard and frustrating days, they are a joy to teach and have fun with. Great things have been happening in 2nd grade. Everyday I can tell that they are learning more and more English. We have exam week the last week of October and I'm a little nervous about that, but I think most of them will do well and it will be a good chance for me to see who isn't doing quite as well as I thought they were. I have also noticed my attitude toward that class has much improved. For a while, I wasn't sure how well I was going to connect with that class and we still have our rough days, but I genuinely like them and enjoy teaching them now. 8th grade, oh 8th grade. I couldn't enjoy this class more, but I've noticed how my tiredness transfers to them. If I am especially exhausted, my class just sits in their seats slumped down with a blank look on their faces. Well, let me tell you, no learning happens on those days! I have been doing something I really enjoy, which is doing a different "Who is Jesus?" devotion each week. We look at a different passage of scripture each Friday, always a story about Jesus or one of his teachings and talk about what this passage tells us about Jesus. I have the freedom to do this, so how could I possibly pass up the opportunity? This week, I was reading a book and it talked about not even talking about the biggest most important things in your life until you'd given them over to God in prayer. I prayed a lot about school and for my students the last two weeks and last week, God showed me that I NEED to be praying for each of my students. My biggest prayers for each of my classes are this: First grade: I need wisdom to know the best way to teach the material and WHAT to teach. 2nd grade: I need true love and deep patience. 8th grade: I need energy and enthusiasm at the end of a long day. This last week, I struggled with feeling like I was getting nothing done in class and not making a difference here in Honduras. I think I worked most of it through with God, but keep praying that those things don't become a problem again!

I don't feel like I have the time or space to fully explain what I think God has been teaching me in the last two months. A quick explanation would be patience, learning to be content, and what living more like Christ looks like everyday. I'm sure God will keep teaching me in these areas, and I will elaborate on them in the coming weeks. Promise!

I have a few fun bus stories. If you haven't figured this out yet, I love buses. Like, a lot. A couple weeks ago, I got to ride the Titanic home. Now, the Titanic is the coolest bus in town and I've been dreaming about riding it for about a year. One evening, we were standing on the edge of the highway, looking for a taxi, and out of the fog and light rain, come the Titanic. In an extremely impulsive move, we flagged it down. I was literally jumping up and down, I was so excited about riding it. Did I mention we had no idea where it was going? Haha! Even more fun! It took us generally the right direction and we walked from the closest stop. Also, this last week has been awful rainy and both of our buses lack some essentials, like windows. I mean obviously there are windows on the bus, but a few are missing and a few don't stay up. I've gotten wet more times that I necessarily like to this week. Last bus story is from today. We went to the lake for lunch today. I mean...less than 10$ for two bus rides and a delicious lunch. Who would pass that up? Not me! Our first bus ride was rather uneventful. Now, the 2nd was more exciting. The aisle was literally only 8 inches wide AND the man sitting next to me was just taking up way too much space AND the small child sitting in front of me was throwing a huge tantrum AND the lady behind me was singing along to every song on the radio. Oh...buses!

I should stop for now. With the mood I'm in, I could write all night. Sorry it's been three weeks since my last post! I hope you are all well. I always love to hear from people about how they're doing or prayer requests....so feel free to email me! (christine.rankin10@houghton.edu)! I miss and love you all!! 

P.S. This scripture has meant a lot to me the last two weeks. Meditate on it if you have the time.

Romans 12: 9-18

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.