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.