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.