So What About Haiti?

I apologize for not updating this in a more timely manner. The trip to Haiti has been postponed until Thanksgiving. During the summer there was an outbreak of the chikungunya virus. It is a virus that is transmitted by mosquitoes and there is no vaccination or treatment for it. If you contract it you feel feverish and according to one Haitian doctor "like every bone in your body is breaking". The symptoms felt intensely last a week to ten days and then more mildly up to a year. Another mission team that was staying at the same place we planned on was struck, and 9 of the 10 members were hospitalized in the Dominican Republic. We felt that if we went during this time we were jumping off a cliff and asking God to catch us and we could end up being more of a burden than a blessing to the ministry. Through prayer and fasting we felt a peace knowing that we were being called to go at a later date. All 11 team members are able to go during the week of Thanksgiving which is an answer to prayer! Thanks for your continued support!

I Will

A couple months ago, our church did a campaign called "I Will". The campaign challenged us to be  people that WILL do things instead of being people who COULD do things. Pretty much, get out of your comfort zone and live out your faith! One of the teachings was about Zacchaeus. When Jesus told Zacchaeus that he was coming to his house, Zacchaeus was convicted and declared that he WILL pay back four times the amount that he had taken. It wasn't, 'well I could pay them back', it was and I WILL, and he did it! How many times have I considered doing something, felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit and just ignored it? Told myself that I could do it, but talked myself out of it. I had been praying about going on this trip to Haiti, and I wondered why God would call me to a country that I don't speak the language. I was convicted of my 'I could' attitude and said 'I will' apply to go to Haiti and the team filled so we are going! I also was reminded that love knows no language and that is what we are going to do, love on the children at the orphanage.

Another amazing part of this trip is the opportunity to co-lead the trip with a close friend and mentor. Most of my life, I have been one to hide in the shadows of the vocal leaders. I am an encourager and have, by default, led by example. It has been through the encouragement of the community around me that I have begun to use my gift of leadership. It is a vulnerable place for me to be, but I know God is blessing me in and through it.  I would covet your prayers as I take another step in growing as a leader.

My closing thoughts are about vulnerability. Most of my adult life I have hid behind walls I have put up. I don't often invite people into my pain and into my joys. I didn't share life happenings because I didn't want people to see me hurting. In my small group, we are studying a Brene Brown book about being vulnerable. One part that particularly challenged me was how when we hide behind the walls we become lonely and miss out on authentic relationship. Say for example I start a new relationship. If I tell people about it, and tell them it is no big deal, or if I just don't share at all, how are friends and family going to be able to support me when times get rough or how can they celebrate it when times are joyful-it was after all no big deal. I saw my unhealth in this. I was recently in a relationship and I put myself out there sharing the ups and downs with the community around me. What a blessings to have that community to share with me. Some of you guys were the ones that celebrated with me when it was going great, and then supported me as it ended. Without that support I would have dug myself into a hole- a hole of shame and self-doubt. Vulnerability=healthy living in my mind. So why am I sharing this? I usually don't share the ups and downs in my mission experiences. I am guessing a fair number of you didn't even realize I co-lead a mission trip to Vancouver Island last Memorial Day weekend and that's not okay! I want to share this Haiti adventure with you. I need your support. I need your prayers. I need your encouragement.

If you would like to support me financially,please make checks payable to Cornwall Church and include "Cara Mulder, Haiti- Aug. ‘14" on the memo line (if you don't then you'll just make a nice contribution to the general fund!). Mail your payment to:
Cornwall Church
Attn Accounting
 4518 Northwest Drive
 Bellingham, WA 98226

These gifts are tax-deductible and are non-refundable according to the IRS. Funds will be used for
airfare, lodging, transportation, projects and other expenses related to our team’s trip.

Zacate

Do I have your interest now? :) This is where I was last weekend. It was amazing. Tuesday of last week I got a message from a mom that said "we're going to the beach this weekend, we want to you to come, but we can't provide transportation." We found transportation enough for 14 of us teachers to go! This is the story. One of my students Isa, who I absolutely adore, her mom's family owns property on the Pacific. Isa's great-grandpa bought this land 50 years a go, and everyone thought he was crazy. The mom, Marcela, tells stories of going there as a young girl and her grandpa would make up stories of an octopus guarding a hidden treasure and they would even find jewels on the beach

:) it was their magical get-a-way! The grandpa loves animals so there are deer, macaws, peacocks, crocodiles, etc on the land. As his kids got older and their kids got older they started building more homes for lodging. Now there are 8 or so houses and then a big pool, kitchen, dining, hang out area. It is a peninsula with a boardwalk around it and from it you can watch beautiful sunsets!

We spent the day reading, walking the beach, playing with the kids and just loving life. The food was AMAZING! We probably gained about 10 lbs. And on Monday we all were depressed and wanted to be back. We are truly truly thankful for such a great weekend and parents and families that bless us and allow for such a relaxing weekend! Check facebook for more pictures!

So some of you who read my blog last year might remember that our school is well, not good at sports. Our varsity boys soccer team qualified for the playoffs! They beat our rival school in a penalty shoot out! Super exciting! Next month they will travel to San Pedro to play in the country wide tournament! We are proud!

It is weird to read about all the crazy blizzards going on in the States. It has been in the 80's here! We are loving it! The flowers are blooming, and I am proud so say our flowers are still looking great!

My college roommate Dena lives and works in Egypt. She is okay in Turkey, but pray for her and the situation there. I was talking to my students about it yesterday and with Honduras having the political unrest etc. and if I had to be evacuated to a different country I would have been a mess! I would be thinking about all of them and praying they were ok. I am sure Dena is constantly thinking about and praying for her friends in Egypt. Let's join her in praying!

December Showers bring January Flowers?!

One of the many things I love about Honduras is 80 degree weather in January. Nice weather meant gardening for us this weekend. Friday after work, my roommate Twana and I walked to a local greenhouse and bought 8 plants and a bag of dirt. Like true gringas we walked back...got to love that everything is in walking distance! Not going to lie I am still a bit sore from carrying that dirt! For about an hour and a half we dug out the bulbs that had been planted in the planter. They were boring, we wanted fun. So here are the plants we pulled out...and Twana using our 'scissors' to attack some of the ridiculous root systems!









And our final product! The houses in the background are what our house looks like. There are 15 of them in our little community that is part of a bigger neighborhood. It is a wonderful safe neighborhood! And now we have flowers to enjoy!

Along with planting flowers a hilight of my week was talking to Steph who taught with me here last year. She is now living in the happiest place in America, Nebraska for those who missed that on ABC, and she is married and doing great. Experiencing life here creates a strong bond, which I am truly thankful for! Most of you just wouldn't know and care that Annelise is dating Fernando, so I am so very thankful for a friend that knows and understands Honduran life! :)

Tomorrow I have Bible Study...I do Bible Study with my roommates and we have the wonderful blessing of working with 7th grade girls. Most of our 7th grade girls have one thing on their mind...BOYS! I tell you folks, these girls are boy crazy! And though they are 12 or 13 they like to act like they are 20. When I was 12 I liked a boy and he liked me, and he would draw me pictures and I would pretend I didn't like him. Or my friends would be "going out" so that meant I had to pass the notes for them and their gifts and they didn't talk to each other! :) Not these kids...wow...they have their blackberries so they are in CONSTANT communication. And they are so 'pony' or cheesy or sappy or just wow...but they LOVE each other. They get all these quotes from movies and dedicate them to each other...it is rather entertaining. I just worry about these girls being addicted to the attention of boys, because some of them are developing that. If only God had a blackberry...Pray for us as we work with these beautiful girls that we do LOVE!

I'm Back

I guess I haven't found the need to blog this school year because it has been well, normal. I go to school, I teach, I do something after school, I come home, I eat, I get some work done and I go to bed. Not too exciting if you ask me. But I guess since I am in a different country it is exciting. :)
If you need me to fill in the holes of June-December send me an email. Otherwise I am not going to fill you in and just go...
This weekend was fantastic. Friday night my roommate, Stacy, and I babysat. Living in the city has allowed for a lot more time with the families, which is a huge blessing. They aren't our families by any means, but it is nice to feel part of a family here. The family that we 'babysat' for has a 3rd grader, Jorge, and a 7th grader, Ana, and a 6 week old, David. There is a special story to this 6 week old. To make a really long story short, the Lezama's cook's sister abandonded her baby and the cook confided in Claudia (the mom) that she didn't know what to do and was going to bring him to an orphanage because she couldn't care for him. Claudia said no way you bring him here, and now they are working on trying to adopt him. The adoption process hit a road-block already so pray that things will work out. Also pray for his little heart. There is a hole in it and one of the valves might need surgery. It amazes me that they are so willing to just open their hearts to this little boy. He is very precious. I was just reading in James where is says take care of the widows and orphans...They are living The Word. I am so blessed to be around such loving people!
My roommate Stacy is also living out that verse. Over Christmas break a dad of a 3rd and 1st grader died suddenly of a brain anreusym. They are a Korean family and the mom doesn't speak English and only a little bit of Spanish. Stacy grew up speaking Korean and still speaks it with her mom and family. So she has been spending time with that family, trying to help them adjust and just support them in this time. Pray for this family. The dad was so sweet and such a good man. And pray for Stacy as tries to support them and care for them.
Back to the weekend...babysitting was just fun. I spend quite a bit of time with this family, so I feel at home in their beautiful home. We made cookies, sang really off key to ridiculous songs, watched a movie and just relaxed in our pj's. That relaxing in our pj's carried over to Saturday...I managed to spend the whole day in pj's. I didn't even do that over Christmas break! I got stuff done, like yard work, just in my pj's and when I was done working, I just put clean pj's on. It was amazing. I read a book, watched 3 episodes of Gilmore girls (my roommates and I are addicted)...We all needed a day like that. Then today I went to church with Claudia, Ana, and Stacy. I go to church almost every week with Claudia and Ana and the rest of the family. We go to a church that is smaller and up by the school. There are a lot of great families from the school there so the fellowship is a blessing. And it is just a fun time with my "Honduran family". Today was also a successful day in the kitchen...pita, hummus and snickerdoodles. A natural trio of course...they were all delicious!
My roommate Twana has a twin sister...her twin sister had a baby today. We got to see her when she was 45 minutes old, via skype and they live in China. Got to love technology.
This week is the end of the quarter. It will be a busy week and the kids will be stressed out and extra whiney :) Good thing I love them! Have I said that I LOVE my job?! I wake up at 5 every morning to get on the bus at 6 and probably only once or twice this year have I thought ugg I don't want to get up and go to school today...and then probably because it was gross weather.
See told you...my life isn't that exciting! But take it for what it is, I love my life!

Natural Disasters

This year school has been cancelled for Swine Flu, Politics, World Cup qualification, and now Agatha. Agatha is a Tropical Stormed turned Tropical Depression and it slammed into El Salvador, Guatemala, Southern Mexico and Honduras. Guatemala has especially been hit. Click here for an article on CNN with a CRAZY picture from Guatemala.
What does Agatha mean to me? My experiences with Agatha have been the following. Friday afternoon 4 other teachers and myself went to the beach for the weekend. We slept outside on Friday night, with the protection of a canopy. As one of the teachers said, "We were like vegetables in the grocery store with the misters on all night." We didn't get soaked but everything was very damp! Saturday morning the sun did manage to peak out for a little while, but we decided we were done being misted vegetables so we went home that afternoon. Which was a very smart choice because Agatha came rolling in Saturday night. It just rained A LOT all day on Sunday. The past 10 days have been pretty wet so the rivers were already pretty high and then with the heavy rainfall on Sunday the rivers started to flood. Tegucigalpa is in a bowl. There are mountains on all sides which does not serve well for drainage of all this water. The rivers and streams that flow through the city have over taken roads and have washed away bridges. In Honduras 17 people have died, 11 bridges have washed away, 63 homes have been destroyed, around 3500 people have been evacuated and 3000 people around are in shelters. And there are countless roads, bridges, homes, schools, businesses that have been damaged.
The infrastructure of this country cannot handle natural disasters. One of the problems is sewage. Many of the sewage lines have been destroyed and well now it is just flowing with the water. Awesome huh?
God is watching out for us. The sun was out most of the day helping the waters to go down. However the waters are still raging. There are still many areas that are under water and the country is still under a National State of Emergency. The government has shut down all schools as many schools are being turned into shelters. We are thankful for the days of rest, but at the same time these days come at a cost for so many people. I think of the farmers whose fields are being destroyed. The markets that are under water, the business that have feet of water in the buildings. How long will it take for the people to recover?
Pray for the people. Pray that the sun will come out tomorrow too. Pray that the waters will go down. God will provide, he is so much greater and stronger than these raging waters.
Pray for Guatemala too. Thursday a volcano erupted. Just so happens to be the volcano that I climbed 2 months a go. The ash and debris from the eruption is clogging the drains making the flooding worse.

Mathlete

This year is full of new experiences for me. Add Math Olympics to the list. Either my high school didn't participate in academic competitions, or I wasn't smart enough to be invited so I didn't know about them. :) I think I would have liked Math Olympics as a student. Each grade level has a team of 3 and together they have 2 hours to complete a test. It is a test of 20 questions and it is graded with a score of perfect score, superior, excellent, very good, or participation. 7th-9th grade out excellent scores, 10th-12th got superior. We are VERY proud of the kiddos. One of the math teachers has been here for 20 years and she can't remember the last time we did this well. Usually one of the classes gets a very good. Gold star for us!
A few details of the trip. One way it was 9.5 hours, in a school bus, in 90 degree weather, with 90% humidity, and we had to wear pants and a collared shirt. The day of the competition the teachers got there early to make the tests. What a chaotic mess. Lets just say, it took us 2 hours to make the test when they gave us an hour. But it all got done. I really enjoyed talking to the other teachers. All the schools that participated are bilingual and I was really impressed with their English. I expected broken English when really many spoke it without accents. 2 of the ladies that were in my group had studied industrial engineering, but now are math teachers. They said even though they were the top of their class, the men always get the jobs. They do enjoy teaching now and would never want an engineering job.
In other news...On Monday half of the 7th grade class was missing because they were at the funeral of a classmate's grandpa. I found it a bit odd that they would be going to the funeral of a grandpa so I asked them why they were going...The grandpa was a former president of Honduras. Oh the kids I teach.
Here is a great Honduran law for you...if a student fails my class for the year, he/she is given a chance to take a test to pass. This test is called a recoup. The test is made up of material of the quarters this student failed. So I get to make recoup tests for a handful of students, and each test will probably be different because they all have failed different quarters. Great huh? And then if they fail this test, they can take a test made up of material from the whole year. And then if they fail that test, they can take another test. And then if they fail that test, the teacher is asked to look over the tests to make sure they can fudge a point here or there. Just wrong...So I have that to look forward to.
Less than a month I'll be home!!!

2 months later...

So sometimes I forget to write. My bad.
What is going on as of late???
I HAVE A NIECE!!! She is beautiful and I am super thankful for her. I CANNOT wait to hold her and love her and feel her little heart beating against mine. Her birth has made me extra homesick, but the countdown is in the 40's so I CAN DO IT!!!
Today I just had to laugh at this...Most kids put their assignment in their book to keep it safe, or a folder, or a binder, or they give it to me. One of my students folds it into 8ths and stores it in his wallet. So today when I was checking their assignment he pulls out his wallet and among about 6 other assignments, he pulls out his math assignment. Pretty smart, because your wallet is definitely one thing you make sure is safe!
When we left for Spring Break there was rumor that we were going to have to go into serious water rationing. Even before we left, the water was being rationed. Our big tank was filled every 3 days. If it ran out before, too bad so sad you will be smelly. We never ran out, but we did get low! Anyway, there was rumor that it was going to be moved to every 3 WEEKS that we would get water. Well God heard our prayers and we have been having CRAZY storms. The thunder will shake the walls, it is pretty awesome. And the rain, well the rain is great. However rain means more bugs which is not good for some. I am not suffering from the bugs, but others are getting eaten alive which is no fun.
I am currently reading the book 'Follow Me to Freedom' by Shane Claiborne and John Perkins. It is a book about being a Christian leader and what that means. It is challenging me to think about who I might be leading and where I am leading them to. And also where God might be calling me to be in a leadership role. Sometimes I wonder why God called me to Honduras. I believe it was to strip me of all the comforts and routine of life. I left a community of people who knew me and appreciated me. I left behind being able to fly home on a whim if my heart desired. I left behind my cell phone, my car, my amazing bed, everything...God is teaching me that He is all I need. I was stripped of every comfort that I had and was forced and still am forced to rely on Him; to KNOW Him. He has put people in my life to encourage me to find my everything in Him. "The Christian life is about surrounding ourselves with people who like like someone we want to become, people who may be a few steps ahead of us on the journey." Does this mean surround yourself only with people who are amazing Christians? No. It means your inner circle, your bff's, your homie g's need to be able challenge you and hold you accountable. So that in turn together we can reach out. A leader can't lead by his/herself. We need each other. I am truly thankful for my bbf's, my homie g's, my family. I feel like God is guiding me into something, some sort of leadership role somewhere somehow, we'll wait and see what that is!
We have 29 days of school left. I am trying my best not to be anxious for the summer. God is teaching me patience!

Tough Times 2

A little update. Mariangel is recovering quite well in the hospital. She still does not know her mom is dead. They are waiting for her to gain more physical strength before she breaks emotionally. Teachers have been able to go visit and they give good reports. Mariangel remembers pretty much everything that happened. The nightmares that little girl will have. Continue to pray for her.
Claudia the girl that was stung by the scorpion is just fine. She was limping yesterday and back to normal today.
Swine Flu shut down grades PK-6. So the elementary teachers haven't had to teach the past 2 days. Us high school teachers on the other hand had the privilege of shaping and molding young minds for the past 2 days. It wasn't hard at all to be motivated when your friends are sleeping in and not having to teach. No sarcasm in that at all...Everyone will be back at school on Monday in hopes that the flu disappeared. If the whole school takes another day off we will be having Saturday school. So truth be told, teaching the past 2 days was just fine with me in light of not having Saturday school.
So if that wasn't enough to deal with this week, last night I get a call from my mom telling me my sister Jessica is in the hospital experiencing contractions. She is 31 weeks. Her contractions at one point were 2 minutes apart. Not good...They got the contractions to slow down but then she started to dilate. So she spent the night last night at the hospital and will again tonight. They are hoping to get her to 34-35 weeks. She will be on complete bed rest. It is killing me not to be home right now.
Thank you all for your loves and prayers!

Tough Times.

"-then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search out, man cannot discover its meaning." Ecclesiates 8:10
I cannot comprend what is going on under the sun right now.
Ecclesiates 3
"There is a time for everything and as season for every activity under Heaven: a time to be born to die." Today one of our 4th grade girls named Mariangel got off the bus and was greeted by her mom. While they were walking they were approached by evil. Men tried to kidnap Mariangel and her mom refused to let her go and Mariangel was shot 4 times and her mom was killed. Why? Mariangel, if she survives, is an orphan. Why?
"...a time to kill and a time to heal" A time to kill?! Definitely not a time to kill. What do you pray for this little girl? If she survives she will have so much physical healing and even more emotional. But she is so young and has so much life to live!
"...a time to weep and a time to laugh" This weekend at the beach we laughed a lot. Laughter is a gift, and now we weep. We weep because of the evil that is so present. We weep because of what has been robbed of Mariangel.
"...a time to search and a time to give up" We search for comfort in this situation. We search for wisdom when talking to the students. We search for peace. We search for what right can come from this. We will not give up. We search for Him.
"...a time to be silent and a time to speak" Be still and know that He is God. Words cannot comfort, words cannot give this life back. I pray that those who are surrounding Mariangel will know when to speak and when to be silent.
"...a time to love and a time to hate" I hate satan. I hate the work that he is doing. I hate the pain that he brings. I hate evil. I love that we have a God that is so much bigger than this situation. And I love that He hears and knows our hurts and pains.
Hebrews 13:5-6 "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you. So we say in confidence. 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"'
Our students have to live in the fear that this could happen to them. I pray that they can find peace and strength in Him. We never know when our time is up. This story is a true example of that. I pray that this will be used as a wake up call for some. Are you living with Christ?
My heart is heavy. I struggle with knowing what to pray in the situation. I am thankful I serve a God who hears the cries of my heart when all I can do is cry.
Pray for this situation. Pray for the family and friends of this little girl. Pray for the students and the teachers as they try to sort through their emotions. Pray that God's will be done.

Also pray for the school as swine flu is back. There are 5 confirmed cases in the school. We can't afford to miss more school!
Also pray for a girl named Claudia who got stung by a scorpion today. She went to the bathroom and while in the bathroom she got stung 3 times on her leg. Last I heard she was on her way to the hospital and her like was completely numb.
Much to pray about. Good thing we serve such a powerful God! Thank you for storming Heaven's gates with me.

Another Month...

One of my roommates just wrote a blog of countdowns, she has inspired me.

1 sleep till THE BEACH!
3 weeks 5 days till JILL's due date!!!
4 weeks 1 day till SPRING BREAK!!! (El Salvador and Guatemala)
6 weeks 1 day till my birthday...26 might be hard.
2 months 1 week 1 day till JESSICA's due date!!!
3 months 3 weeks 1 day till HOME!!!
146 days till MICHIGAN!!!

The past month in Honduras I have experienced...
-Fumigation for mosquitoes.
-The start of water rationing. We get a certain amount of water every three days and hope we don't run out in that time!
-Lots of drama at school
-Meeting the coach of the Honduras soccer team.
-Going to the feeding center.
-The Dentist-ZERO cavities, probably helps that I have a lot of fillings already!
-Lots of love from my estudiantes.
-Lots of love from my new friends.
-Relampago- a soccer tournament hosted by our school. We got 4th out of 4 teams!
-GOD at work.

As most of you may have read or seen on the news there was a school shooting in Littleton, CO. One of the things that the principal and teacher spoke of was their love and sense of protection for their students. Their students are their kids, they would risk their life for them. I pray that if faced with the same circumstance that I would do the same. I really do love these kids, yes they frustrate me, but how can I not love them?! Makes me think about what am I doing in my daily life to show my love for my students and for those around me. I pray that God's love will flow through me and that He will continue to teach me to love!

Inauguration

Well today is a day that could potentially be crazy. If it is, I will have no clue unless I watch the news. We are safely tucked away on top of this mountain. Today President Pepe is going to be sworn into office. You may remember that I met president Pepe. Which is the picture to the left. He seems like a nice enough guy, but politics here are corrupt. Sadly that is just the way it is. Many say that in the first 2 weeks of Pepe being president, this country will be bankrupt. Honduras is a poor nation to begin with, the 3rd poorest in the Western Hemisphere behind Haiti and Nicaragua. Speaking of Haiti, my heart is just breaking for Haiti. The images and the stories just tug on my heart. How many of you wish you could go help? I know I do! I know that some of you know people that are there helping and they are in my prayers!

Back to Honduras...So this isn't just a normal inauguration because the president handing down the power is President Micheletti who took over in June when Zelaya was overthrown. On a side note, Micheletti came to school for a visit 2 weeks a go. Here are a few pictures of that day.

He was amazing with the kids giving autographs, shaking hands. It was pretty awesome. The most touching moment is when he asked to speak with Guilianna, the daughter of the man who was in charge of the fight against drugs and was murdered. He was so sweet with her, stroking her hair while they spoke. It brought many to tears. It was a very special day for many of the kids. It wasn't special for all the kids as they are still on team Zelaya. People are very passionate about politics here. I guess you can kind of compare it to athletics passion in the states. You don't just switch sides, you are loyal. So kids refused to see Micheletti. even though he is the current president. I know I forget to think about Zelaya, and his family and what they are going through. Zelaya's cousin is a teacher at our school. She and Zelaya were raised together. He is like her brother and it has been hard on her to watch him go through this stuff. Seeing her struggle snaps me back to reality. He is a person, just like you and me. The reason today could get interesting is because Mel will be leaving the country to the Dominican Republic. He may never get to see people close to him again after today. How he is getting to the DR, I am not sure. But he has political asylum. Some of his loyal followers will rally and show their support as he leaves, and whether or not this will cause problems, we will discover today. So we will see what happens. I am writing this laying in bed enjoying the day off. Many of the streets will be blocked off so our buses cannot pass so we cannot have school. I know, if seems like we never have school.

So what else has been going on since I've been back? I am coaching soccer. Thankfully we are better at soccer than we are at basketball. No embarrassing beat downs! I got to chaperone a trip to an orphanage. It was a great afternoon. The sad thing about the system here is that once you are in certain orphanages you cannot be adopted. So the kids at this orphanage will be there till they are 18 and can live on their own. We were told that 3 kids a year are adopted internationally. I went to the feeding center last week. The kids were SO excited to see us as they now remember us. School is going great. My students make me laugh every day. Life is good.

There is a lot of hurting going on around the world. I have a friend in Jos, Nigeria and they are experiencing conflict between the Christians and Muslim. The hurt in Haiti that we can't wrap our minds around. The Ethiopian plane crash, the plane crash with 2 Hope College students. The tension in Kenya...But through it God is faithful. He will provide. There is a lot of joy in this world too. When I look at this picture, my heart fills with joy. I have much to be thankful for!

Oh Mr. Sun Sun Mr. Golden Sun..

Where is the sun? So when people think of Honduras weather, you think of tropics, being close to the equator which means warmth. NOT SO FAST. The past few days we can see our breath in my classroom. I teach wearing mittens and grasping a hot cup of tea. It is in the 40's which doesn't sound so bad, BUT when you don't have any source of heat it can be miserable. There is no relief from this bitterness, till you crawl under your many covers. I am very thankful for my bed and my warm blankets. I am thankful for my apartment that keeps me out of the wind. However, it is cold!!!
So we've been back for a week and a half. It was hard to leave home. My time home was a blessing. I was able to go to Jessica's ultrasound. It was AMAZING. At the time, the baby was the size of a pop can. I never knew the intricate details one can see in an ultrasound, the 4 chambers of the heart, the hemisphere's of the brain...INCREDIBLE!!! It was the hi-lite of my break. Hanging out with Colby and getting his hugs and kisses and being told story after story was amazing. I love him. I love my family too. Lots of laughter and bonding time!
I've been back in Honduras for about a week and a half now. Not going to lie, it is good to be back. Leaving was HARD, but I KNOW this is where I am supposed to be. I know that God has many plans for me. This semester my goals are to love the students that I struggle to love, to love the kids of the feeding center, to love the students that already love me, to love my colleagues and to just LIVE FOR HIM!!
Please pray that Steph, Stacy and I will be able to live in the city next year. We are getting discouraged. We feel called to serve up here and down in the city and our heart's desire is to be down there. It is hard to find a safe affordable place in the city. Pray that God will provide that!

December=HOME!!!

I'm home!!!
December recap...It was a busy month. It was also an oddly warm month.
I met the new president Pepe Lobo. Had a conversation with him and took a picture. Just another day in Honduras. Yesterday I sat across the aisle from Elvin Santos and he helped me get my bag out from the overhead compartment. Elvin was the runner up in the presidential race. Just another day...
I went to the ballet "Little Mermaid". Honestly the ballet was a joke, couldn't help but laugh. We got the tickets free from a family and then when the show was done they had their driver take us home. The husband in the family is someone important in the government, so they have a driver and a couple body guards. Rubbing elbows with the rich and famous is something I probably will never get used to.
I went to the feeding center a couple different times. I am going to try to go as much as I can from here on out. These kids just need love! They are soooo precious! Going there as much as I can is something I can get used to.
I checked out an apartment with Stacy and Stephanie as the three of us really desire to be in the city. We truly appreciate the community of the Pinares staff and love the people that work there, however I didn't move to Honduras to seclude myself in Gringoville, as I like to call it. So our students are helping us out in finding a safe affordable place to live. They are SUPER excited for us to live in the city. One class declared we are the coolest teachers ever for wanting to live in the city. Just goes to show that these kids want real teachers. Teachers who will live in community with them and have them over to hang out etc. They truly do see us through different eyes now. Pray that the board will grant us permission to live in the city and that the apartment that we looked at will work out, because it is an amazing apartment.
The students had their Christmas concert. It was so fun to see them all dressed up. I love watching my students perform, I feel like a proud parent! They did a great job in choir, band, and bells. They had a staff choir as well which I was able to sing in, I love singing in choirs!
Soccer season is underway. I am the JV assistant coach and the goalie coach for all the teams. We had a friendly game on Friday and tied 3-3. Soccer is a different story from basketball, no more 104-2 losses!
Our apartment looked festive with our Christmas tree. I loved sitting on the couches doing work to the glow of the Christmas tree.
I had many prayer requests that families will just get along during the Christmas season. Pray for these kids.
And now I am home and in a couple of hours I get to see Colby and I am PUMPED!!! I am so thankful to have such a great home and such a great family!
Merry Christmas Everyone!!! God's many blessings!

Article

Here are 2 articles about the dad who was killed.
BBC CNN
The viewing and the funeral were today. In Honduras, the burial and funeral have to be the day after the death. This is just Honduran law. Adds even more stress for the family that is already in shock. Needless to say, the family needs prayers.

A Tough Day

At our school there are students of many important political figures. One of the senior's dad is/was a general in the military and he was the director of the fight against drugs in Honduras. He was very successful in his fight. This morning he dropped off his daughter at school and at the bottom of the mountain he was killed in a drive by shooting. Guilianna, his only daughter, found out in her 2nd period class. I do not know her, but I know some of her close friends and all the seniors were pretty shaken by it. It is tough to see these kids struggling with such unjust act. They spent most of the afternoon in prayer and song, lifting their hurts to God. Tomorrow is the funeral. Pray for the Gonzales family as they struggle through the pain.

Pepe

Thanksgiving has come and gone. Elections have come and gone. Christmas is coming! We had a half day on Wednesday and we will go back to school tomorrow. It has been a relaxing time off. Wednesday we had quite the meal provided by the school. After lunch I, along with Steph, Stacy, and Kirsten, went to Caroline's house, a teacher who lives in the city. Wednesday afternoon and Thursday we spend hanging out in the city. Our hope was to go lay out by a pool at a nice hotel, but the weather didn't cooperate. Instead we wondered around the city finding a great little cafe and then sat poolside in our jeans and t-shirts. We did some grocery shopping and got food to make a vegetarian Thanksgiving meal. Let me tell you folks, we should open a restaurant. We make a great team and we make great food. We prepared green bean casserole, stuffing, corn, garlic bread, mashed potatoes, punch, and then for dessert apple crisp and homemade chai tea. It was amazing. On a side note, we were trying to find the french fried onions...I tried to describe them to a couple employees at the grocery store, dried, crispy onions in a can...They looked at me like I had asked for human fingers in a can. No worries though we created our own.
Friday we went to a city named Valle de Angeles. It was our own version of Black Friday. We went Christmas shopping, but not for clothes and gizmos and gadgets. It was a fun day. That afternoon we went over to our 'mom and dad's' house and made cookies and watched college football. We had to get some football in this Thanksgiving weekend.
Saturday we went shopping, saw the movie 2012...
Yesterday was elections. We needed milk so 2 of my roommates and I decided to walk down to the new grocery store to get some. We forgot that one of the voting sites was in between here and the grocery store. We walked right past it and we were in no danger. There were people from both parties there and it was completely peaceful. There were quite a few people just standing around. It wasn't at all like people thought it might be. It was peaceful. It goes to show that people just want their lives back to normal. They want change and they want to be done with what went on. Whether or not the elections are actually legit and not full of corruption is another story. The man who was elected Pepe Lobo lost to Zelaya in the 2005 elections. Honestly he doesn't give this country much hope. From what I hear, he too has corrupt tendencies. Neither one of the 2 main candidates offered much hope, but we can pray that God will work through Pepe.
I will be home in 19 sleeps. I am really, really excited to go home!!!

104-2

104-2. That my friends is the score of a basketball game. That my friends was the score of the basketball game of the team that I coach. My team was the 2. It was a humbling experience to say the least. I am coaching 9th and 10th grade girls. In the States by 9th and 10th grade, most girls have at least played at recess or in youth league. Honduras is not the States. I knew going into this that Pinares is not very competitive in basketball but I wasn't expecting 104-2. I must say I was very proud of my girls for at least scoring and keeping a great attitude. My girls have grown a lot. The next game after our 104-2 loss we came back and had the lead after the 1st quarter. The score was 3-1, but we won a quarter! I am trying to learn the tricks of the trade. I have always coached my girls that defense is played with your feet. Not here, defense is played by hugging your opponent, and hugging is not a foul. And you can jump across the line when you are shooting free throws, and you can take a step without it being travelling..Lots of fun rules. It has been a fun learning experience, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Elections...Pray, pray, pray. There is lots of talk that things are going to get ugly. They are this Sunday. The way elections work is that everyone has to go to where they were born to vote. So the roadways will be busy, that is if people are going to vote. Some of Zelaya's supporters are saying they aren't going to vote. If not enough people vote then the elections don't count, and then...I don't know. People are scared to vote because of bomb threats and fear of getting shot. Things have been so peaceful it is hard to believe that something is going to happen, but really how can something not happen? We were going to go on a little vacation but have decided against it for our own safety. Not going to the beach is very sad, but we value our lives, so we're staying put.
Last night 3 other teachers and I went to Micah Project for Sunday night worship. It was great to hang out with the boys. They show their love by trying to playfully beat us up. One minute they are resting their heads on our shoulders and the next they are trying to beat us up. There is just a lot of raw love. One thing is certain, they are growing into strong young men of Christ.
Well that's all for now folks.

Reflections

Yesterday I heard a great sermon. I have been going to a church in the city center. I am not really sure what denomination it is, but I really enjoy worshipping there. The sermon was about the good Samaritan. Many of us have probably heard a sermon or two about the good Samaritan, but how many of us have taken time to allow this story to challenge us? Who are we in this story; the thief, the religious man/woman, or the Christian? Are we always wanting more for ourselves or doing things for our benefit, are we seeing and knowing but not doing, or are we looking for the needs of others and trying to meet those needs? I think a lot of times I fall into the seeing and knowing but not doing.
In my last post I mentioned that we had a sleep out to raise money and awareness for street kids. One of these projects is called The Micah Project. The Micah Project falls into seeing the need and striving to meet the needs. It was powerful because many of the project boys worshipped with us yesterday. These boys were the Jew who had been left for dead until their good Samaritan came along and bandaged their wounds and gave them a place to stay. Would I have walked right by these kids? How many street people do I walk by every single day? What am I doing to make sure I am loving my neighbor as myself?
At the sleep out a couple weeks ago I experienced a small slice of Heaven. How is sleeping outside on a soccer field Heaven? It is the interactions of the rich and the poor coming together playing soccer, frisbee, basketball...praying together and for each other. We weren't Pinares students, teachers, Micah Project boys, Transition Home girls, band members, rich, poor, we were/are all children of God laughing and playing together. We laid hands on each other and prayed for each other. Each one of us having different needs, and God hearing all of them. It was powerful.
I am left thinking about all of the kids who still need a home like Micah Project provides. UNICEF reports in 2007 there were 170,000 kids orphaned in Honduras. That is just in Honduras. These Micah Project boys left their families to live on the streets, many of them while living on the streets became addicted to sniffing yellow glue. These boys had nothing. These boys were and are loved. They were hungry and were fed, they were thirsty and given something to drink, they were naked and given clothes. Am I loving my neighbor as myself?
"'Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?' ...'The one who had mercy on him.' Jesus told him, "GO and DO likewise."' Luke 10:36-37

Oh Where Oh Where Did October Go?!

Hard to believe it is November. That means I go home next month! So what in the world has been going on over here...

Well life is busy and about to get busier. No complaints though. We finally finished a quarter of school. It took a couple extra weeks but we got it in. We have been going to school everyday except October 15 for the celebration of Honduras making it to the World Cup. US citizens were pretty popular after the US soccer team scored a last second goal, tying Costa Rica putting Honduras above Costa Rica to make it to the World Cup. It was very nice to have a day off. No more days off hopefully till Thanksgiving!

Our first basketball game is next week. We have a lot to learn before then. It is going well though and the girls are great.

2 weekends ago we had a leadership retreat. There were a few students and Bible Study leaders that participated in the retreat. We prayed for each student by name. Were challenged to serve and be the leaders, and got little sleep!

Last weekend we had a sleep out. The sleep out was a fundraiser, awareness raiser for street kid ministries. The students found sponsors and for every hour they slept out on the soccer field they had someone sponsoring them. We had about 40 students that participated in the events. We had activities planned like making games and sculptures out of garbage, praying for kids that have been taking in by different ministries, playing games with the kids from the ministries, worshipping, sleeping on cardboard boxes on the field...It was a impacting experience for them. I too learned a lot from the experience. At one point during the night 2 boys from the Micah Project were sharing their testimonies of being rescued off the streets. When they were asked what they want to be when they grow up they both responded that they want to help the poor people just like how they were helped. How many of us want to have jobs that will make our lives more comfortable? These boys challenged me.

Last Saturday we went to the feeding center again. We went to a different one than the first time. The kids at this one were so affectionate and loved crawling up on our laps. I hope to be able to go on a regular basis.

Last night butternut squashes were carved. We couldn't find pumpkins but we had fun carving the squashes, making homemade chai tea, eating pumpkin bread and watching Charlie Brown Halloween.

Last week was spiritual emphasis week having chapels every day. Our prayer is that hearts were touched. The week before that was 24-7 prayer. Many of the kids really embraced that. It is good to see kids alive for Christ. Others are not so alive for Christ. There are many kids who do not feel the need for Jesus. There are many kids that have so many earthly belongings why would they need a God to provide for them? It is a battle we are fighting!

Tomorrow soccer starts. Monday and Saturdays I'll be coaching soccer. Tuesday and Fridays-Basketball. Wednesday-meetings. Thursdays-Bible Studies. All good stuff.

This past Thursday was Colby's birthday. He turned one. I got to be there for most of the party via Skype. I am so thankful for Skype. Colby is getting WAY to big WAY too fast. I can't wait to go home and chase after him! And the best news that was shared this month is that come this spring I will have another little nephew or niece to love to pieces. Life is good. God is good!