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!