So I thought it would be fun to have a little more interaction on this blog. I'm counting down the days until Jeremy comes, and ultimately until I head home. I'll be posting every 2 or 3 days with the current number of days remaining and with a fun fact. Maybe something I've learned, read, seen, or done over the past couple days. Please leave your fun fact in a comment so I can enjoy it as well! I love you guys! Thanks for taking this journey with me!
Last night I felt the true healing power of prayer. It's amazing when you invite the Holy Spirit to be present how truly real He is. Ask God to fill you with the Holy Spirit each morning, I am!
79 Days.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
A Little Taste of Heaven
It's hard to believe that my parents have been gone for a whole month. It's funny how the days drag by and yet time passes so quickly in hindsight. Quite a few things have happened over the past few weeks, some good, some bad, but all experiences that have shaped my life.
After talking to some of my Honduran friends and co-workers, I learned that things in this country have not always been so bad, so unsafe. Apparently, over the past 6 months, times have been getting worse and the level of safety has decreased. We have begun to take extra precautions when we go to and from around the city and often don't go out as much as a result. While many of the issues don't directly involve me or any of the teachers, it still brings a cloud of fear around our everyday lives. Most of the crime and violence stays within the gangs and drug dealers, but just last week, on our way to the grocery store, we drove past a murder in our neighborhood minutes after it had happened. Those kinds of things seems to be happening more and more, but I know the Lord has a plan and He has protected me this far and I am confident that He will protect me until I come home. Please keep Honduras and specifically, Loarque (my neighborhood) in your prayers.
Sorry for the heavy beginning of my blog, I'll try to lighten the mood a bit.
Not that the past few weeks haven't been interesting, but I'm most excited about this weekend so I'm going to skip to telling you just about it. Yesterday my roommates (Laura and Jess), two friends (Diana and Danielle) and I went up into the mountains to a little cabin and spent the night. For future reference, Jorge and Monika (Germans who speak Spanish, English and German) are the name of the people who own the cabin and rent it to people for a night or two on the weekends. It's a tiny and can only fit five people max per night. We left around noon and took a radio taxi up to a little city called San Juancito. It took about an hour to get there, and then we had asked Jorge if he could pick us up and take us the rest of the way up the mountain. We waited a few minutes in San Juancito, which was a quaint little town way outside of the city, and then Jorge pulled up in his little Toyota pick-up. It was a tight squeeze as the five of us, Jorge and his dog Pita (not to be confused with Peter) piled into the tiny pick-up. After we got the final door shut, we started up the bumpiest road I've ever been on. It took about 10-15 minutes to make it all the way up the mountain, but boy was it worth it. Once we got to their house (the cabin is on their property), we knew we were in for the time of our lives. Jorge opened a cast iron gate that led to a steep, stone stairway. Diana said it correctly when she asked us if we thought that we were in Teribithia. It may have been one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. As we walked down the steps, we were surrounded by flowers and trees of all shapes and sizes. The air was so fresh and crisp and everything seemed perfect.
As we walked into the cabin, we realized that this was going to be one of the most relaxing weekends ever. It was so well made and clean. There were two hammocks and a little table and chairs on the deck with a beautiful view of the mountain. The bathroom was separate from the cabin, but you could actually flush your toilet paper and drink the water!
We got settled in and headed out for a hike. Their house is right beside the National Park "La Tigra", which has a waterfall and great hiking paths. The hike was great. It took us about an hour and a half to make it all the way up to the waterfall. Some of the way was steep and hard, but other times was flat and peaceful. I enjoyed getting to spend time with Diana and Danielle (and my roommates) and just talk to them and gain insight (they are both married). We had so much fun just laughing and talking all the way up (and down). Once we reached the waterfall, we all took turns drinking from it. Don't worry, this waterfall was coming down in a trickle (quite unlike my previous waterfall experience)!
When we got back from our hike, we still had a couple hours until dinner, so we played cards and just talked some more. At 7:00 Monika called up to us that dinner was ready. We couldn't have been happier to hear those words, because we were all starving. We headed down to Jorge and Monika's house where they served us in their beautiful house. They didn't eat dinner with us, but made sure that we were completely comfortable and had everything we needed. The food was delicious. Jorge and Monika grow many of their own fruits and veggies and all of their meals are vegetarian. We had rice with a savory coconut curry. It had all different kinds of veggies and fruits in it, but what I know mostly is that it was amazing. One thing I learned last night: I do NOT like wine.
After dinner, Jorge brought up lemon grass tea, which I also loved. We talked for a while and then realized, after filling our stomachs and drinking warm tea, that we were all exhausted. So around 8:30 we headed to our beds, read a little, and all fell asleep!
We all woke up early and enjoyed the warm sunshine on the deck. It was a relaxing and peaceful morning, great for reading and thinking. The birds were all around and the sound of the city was far away. It was just what we needed.
Around 9:00 we went down for breakfast, which consisted of homemade bread and all different types of marmalade. My favorite was pina-colada, which I was able to buy and bring home with me. We started walking down the mountain around 10:15 and made it to San Juancito about 11:00. Once we got there, we caught a ride in the back of a Ford F-150 all the way back to Valle de Angeles. Then we hopped on a rapidito that brought us to Tegucigalpa. We were going to catch a taxi back for the final stretch, but we ended up being a couple cars in front of an IST bus, so we flagged them down and hopped right on.
It was an amazing getaway, like a little taste of heaven. Living in the city, I tend to forget how beautiful this country really is. God is a creative designer, and it was good to be reminded of that and experience his beautiful creation.
81 days.
After talking to some of my Honduran friends and co-workers, I learned that things in this country have not always been so bad, so unsafe. Apparently, over the past 6 months, times have been getting worse and the level of safety has decreased. We have begun to take extra precautions when we go to and from around the city and often don't go out as much as a result. While many of the issues don't directly involve me or any of the teachers, it still brings a cloud of fear around our everyday lives. Most of the crime and violence stays within the gangs and drug dealers, but just last week, on our way to the grocery store, we drove past a murder in our neighborhood minutes after it had happened. Those kinds of things seems to be happening more and more, but I know the Lord has a plan and He has protected me this far and I am confident that He will protect me until I come home. Please keep Honduras and specifically, Loarque (my neighborhood) in your prayers.
Sorry for the heavy beginning of my blog, I'll try to lighten the mood a bit.
Not that the past few weeks haven't been interesting, but I'm most excited about this weekend so I'm going to skip to telling you just about it. Yesterday my roommates (Laura and Jess), two friends (Diana and Danielle) and I went up into the mountains to a little cabin and spent the night. For future reference, Jorge and Monika (Germans who speak Spanish, English and German) are the name of the people who own the cabin and rent it to people for a night or two on the weekends. It's a tiny and can only fit five people max per night. We left around noon and took a radio taxi up to a little city called San Juancito. It took about an hour to get there, and then we had asked Jorge if he could pick us up and take us the rest of the way up the mountain. We waited a few minutes in San Juancito, which was a quaint little town way outside of the city, and then Jorge pulled up in his little Toyota pick-up. It was a tight squeeze as the five of us, Jorge and his dog Pita (not to be confused with Peter) piled into the tiny pick-up. After we got the final door shut, we started up the bumpiest road I've ever been on. It took about 10-15 minutes to make it all the way up the mountain, but boy was it worth it. Once we got to their house (the cabin is on their property), we knew we were in for the time of our lives. Jorge opened a cast iron gate that led to a steep, stone stairway. Diana said it correctly when she asked us if we thought that we were in Teribithia. It may have been one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. As we walked down the steps, we were surrounded by flowers and trees of all shapes and sizes. The air was so fresh and crisp and everything seemed perfect.
As we walked into the cabin, we realized that this was going to be one of the most relaxing weekends ever. It was so well made and clean. There were two hammocks and a little table and chairs on the deck with a beautiful view of the mountain. The bathroom was separate from the cabin, but you could actually flush your toilet paper and drink the water!
 |
| Cute little bathroom |
We got settled in and headed out for a hike. Their house is right beside the National Park "La Tigra", which has a waterfall and great hiking paths. The hike was great. It took us about an hour and a half to make it all the way up to the waterfall. Some of the way was steep and hard, but other times was flat and peaceful. I enjoyed getting to spend time with Diana and Danielle (and my roommates) and just talk to them and gain insight (they are both married). We had so much fun just laughing and talking all the way up (and down). Once we reached the waterfall, we all took turns drinking from it. Don't worry, this waterfall was coming down in a trickle (quite unlike my previous waterfall experience)!
 |
| Laura, Me and Danielle on the hike |
 |
| The sign said "Cascada: UP!" so we decided to climb the tree! |
When we got back from our hike, we still had a couple hours until dinner, so we played cards and just talked some more. At 7:00 Monika called up to us that dinner was ready. We couldn't have been happier to hear those words, because we were all starving. We headed down to Jorge and Monika's house where they served us in their beautiful house. They didn't eat dinner with us, but made sure that we were completely comfortable and had everything we needed. The food was delicious. Jorge and Monika grow many of their own fruits and veggies and all of their meals are vegetarian. We had rice with a savory coconut curry. It had all different kinds of veggies and fruits in it, but what I know mostly is that it was amazing. One thing I learned last night: I do NOT like wine.
After dinner, Jorge brought up lemon grass tea, which I also loved. We talked for a while and then realized, after filling our stomachs and drinking warm tea, that we were all exhausted. So around 8:30 we headed to our beds, read a little, and all fell asleep!
We all woke up early and enjoyed the warm sunshine on the deck. It was a relaxing and peaceful morning, great for reading and thinking. The birds were all around and the sound of the city was far away. It was just what we needed.
Around 9:00 we went down for breakfast, which consisted of homemade bread and all different types of marmalade. My favorite was pina-colada, which I was able to buy and bring home with me. We started walking down the mountain around 10:15 and made it to San Juancito about 11:00. Once we got there, we caught a ride in the back of a Ford F-150 all the way back to Valle de Angeles. Then we hopped on a rapidito that brought us to Tegucigalpa. We were going to catch a taxi back for the final stretch, but we ended up being a couple cars in front of an IST bus, so we flagged them down and hopped right on.
It was an amazing getaway, like a little taste of heaven. Living in the city, I tend to forget how beautiful this country really is. God is a creative designer, and it was good to be reminded of that and experience his beautiful creation.
81 days.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Parent's Visit to the 'Duras!
I've been meaning to write all week, but this week was like when you go home for the weekend in college and then have crazy catch up week when you get back. I think I'm beginning to get everything done now, but it's definitely been a busy week.
Don't get me wrong, I would go through 20 crazy weeks if it meant getting to see my parents. We had a great time together last week, and they really got to see and experience what my life is like here. If you haven't gotten a chance to talk to my parents yet, or haven't seen all the pictures on Facebook, I'll give you a recap of everything we did.
Note: If you haven't talked to my parents you probably should because their perspective will be completely different from mine.
Mom and Dad arrived on Tuesday afternoon in the Tegucigalpa airport. Some of the other teachers also had family coming in on the same flight so we all arranged to go to the airport together and pick them up. My parents were the last to come out because they randomly got stopped after they picked up their suitcases. The lady opened their luggage and went through everything. She asked them what all was in the packages (which they had no idea because Mimi, my friend, had mailed several packages to our house at home and asked them to bring them) and how much everything cost. She told them that they would have to pay extra but luckily another man came up and decided to let them go on through. Once we finally were reunited, we all (10 of us) hopped into a busito and headed back to school.
Tuesday night we went out to dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Agurcia (high school physics teacher and her husband), my housemates and a few others. We ate a very typical Honduran meal and thoroughly enjoyed it. After dinner we had a taxi pick us up and take the three of us up to the Crooks house. We got there around 9:30PM and were greeted by Mimi and all three girls. I was so happy for my parents to finally meet the Crooks, but we were all exhausted so we talked for a bit but quickly headed to bed.
One of mom's favorite parts: The next morning we woke up bright and early to catch the bus at 6:15 with the girls to school. Yes we actually rode on the school bus with the other kids, which sounds awful, but mom really enjoyed it!
Wednesday at school was boring so I'll skip that part.
Wednesday after school (half-day) we went out to lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, Las Tajitas. Another typical Honduran meal, which was delicious. Then, instead of having a taxi take us all the way home, we stopped by the supermarket to pick up a few essentials for dinner and breakfast and then walked about 20 more minutes to get home. On the way, we stopped by the "fruit guy" and bought some bananas, a pineapple and a papaya. The papaya we just bought on a whim, but it ended up being pretty good. At least I thought so.
Wednesday night we stayed at my house because Jess had left after school to go to Tela for the break and we had an extra bed. I wanted mom and dad to really get the feeling of what it's like to live here in the city. The beds are great, but we were all so tired that it didn't really matter.
Thursday we went to Valle de Angeles with Andrea, Sophie and Gabby. My favorite part of going to Valle is eating the Papusas that they make there. Oddly enough, the restaurant is called "Virginia's Papusas" which I hadn't noticed until this trip. Anyways, we had a great time shopping in all of the little stores and my parents were able to really get to know the girls (my little sisters). We came back and headed up to the Crook's house again. We felt right at home staying with them; that night we watch Scott's favorite movie, Big Fat Liar, and then headed to bed.
Friday we got to go to the market downtown with Carlos. He goes every Friday morning to get fruits and veggies for the Humuya Inn. My parents were incredibly impressed with the amount of fresh produce and how cheap it all was. Everything looked so delicious, until we walked down the meat alley. Boy, oh boy, was that disgusting (again for me). Andrea, Gabby, Mom and I walked through with our fingers holding our noses and mostly looking down at the ground. Dad, however, didn't seem to be too grossed out. Must be a man thing.
We went back to the Humuya Inn and had lunch for Sophie's Birthday. ( I forgot to mention Friday was Sophie's 12th Birthday) We had enchiladas, which may have been the one of our favorites. Friday night, we were all sitting around, a little bored, so we decided to start a puzzle. Apparently, this puzzle took a while to put together the first time, so of course I took the challenge to heart and was determined to do it faster. Andrea, Mom, Dad and I got that thing together by the next night!
Saturday we went to Picacho, the park up in the mountain with a huge Jesus statue. Gabby and Andrea came with us and we also met a missionary family there who are friends with the Crooks. Andrea, Gabby, Parker and I had fun playing baseball and football while mom and dad read/did sudoku. We headed home after lunch because Sophie had her birthday party at 1:00. The party consisted of water balloons, capture the flag, pizza, snacks, baseball, cake and presents. Overall, great birthday party!
Sunday was a crazy day, but here's the quick version. Four girls on a missions trip spent Saturday night at the Crooks, Mimi got sick, Scott took her to the hospital Sunday morning, I woke up and made breakfast and coffee, woke up the girls, headed down to church, dropped Gabby and Andrea off at the Humuya Inn, Mom, Dad, Sophie and I went to church, got there 30 minutes late, power was out, no translation, no air conditioning, back to the Humuya Inn and had lunch, layed out on the veranda and napped, went to the mall, had dinner at the Wing Factory, back to the Humuya and in for the night. (Hope that makes a little sense)
Monday my parents got to see me teach at school. I was glad they were able to stay until Tuesday and really get to see what I do. I think they got bored though, because they left and went outside by 6th period:)
Overall, we had a really great time! My parents really got to see the good things that I experience everyday. The Honduran people are genuinely sweet and hospitable and that is exactly what we experienced last week. I wish everyone could have the opportunity to visit and see how different life is in Honduras, and yet how it is kind of the same. Having my parents here, reminded me how much I miss home, but it also made me aware that in three months I am going to miss living here.
God has blessed my life so much. From Surry, to Lynchburg, to Honduras. He has been with me everywhere I have gone.
Well, I've left out so very much, but I'm sure my parents would love to fill in the details if you just ask!
Don't get me wrong, I would go through 20 crazy weeks if it meant getting to see my parents. We had a great time together last week, and they really got to see and experience what my life is like here. If you haven't gotten a chance to talk to my parents yet, or haven't seen all the pictures on Facebook, I'll give you a recap of everything we did.
Note: If you haven't talked to my parents you probably should because their perspective will be completely different from mine.
Mom and Dad arrived on Tuesday afternoon in the Tegucigalpa airport. Some of the other teachers also had family coming in on the same flight so we all arranged to go to the airport together and pick them up. My parents were the last to come out because they randomly got stopped after they picked up their suitcases. The lady opened their luggage and went through everything. She asked them what all was in the packages (which they had no idea because Mimi, my friend, had mailed several packages to our house at home and asked them to bring them) and how much everything cost. She told them that they would have to pay extra but luckily another man came up and decided to let them go on through. Once we finally were reunited, we all (10 of us) hopped into a busito and headed back to school.
Tuesday night we went out to dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Agurcia (high school physics teacher and her husband), my housemates and a few others. We ate a very typical Honduran meal and thoroughly enjoyed it. After dinner we had a taxi pick us up and take the three of us up to the Crooks house. We got there around 9:30PM and were greeted by Mimi and all three girls. I was so happy for my parents to finally meet the Crooks, but we were all exhausted so we talked for a bit but quickly headed to bed.
One of mom's favorite parts: The next morning we woke up bright and early to catch the bus at 6:15 with the girls to school. Yes we actually rode on the school bus with the other kids, which sounds awful, but mom really enjoyed it!
Wednesday at school was boring so I'll skip that part.
Wednesday after school (half-day) we went out to lunch at one of my favorite restaurants, Las Tajitas. Another typical Honduran meal, which was delicious. Then, instead of having a taxi take us all the way home, we stopped by the supermarket to pick up a few essentials for dinner and breakfast and then walked about 20 more minutes to get home. On the way, we stopped by the "fruit guy" and bought some bananas, a pineapple and a papaya. The papaya we just bought on a whim, but it ended up being pretty good. At least I thought so.
Wednesday night we stayed at my house because Jess had left after school to go to Tela for the break and we had an extra bed. I wanted mom and dad to really get the feeling of what it's like to live here in the city. The beds are great, but we were all so tired that it didn't really matter.
 |
| At Valle de Angeles |
Thursday we went to Valle de Angeles with Andrea, Sophie and Gabby. My favorite part of going to Valle is eating the Papusas that they make there. Oddly enough, the restaurant is called "Virginia's Papusas" which I hadn't noticed until this trip. Anyways, we had a great time shopping in all of the little stores and my parents were able to really get to know the girls (my little sisters). We came back and headed up to the Crook's house again. We felt right at home staying with them; that night we watch Scott's favorite movie, Big Fat Liar, and then headed to bed.
 |
| At the market |
Friday we got to go to the market downtown with Carlos. He goes every Friday morning to get fruits and veggies for the Humuya Inn. My parents were incredibly impressed with the amount of fresh produce and how cheap it all was. Everything looked so delicious, until we walked down the meat alley. Boy, oh boy, was that disgusting (again for me). Andrea, Gabby, Mom and I walked through with our fingers holding our noses and mostly looking down at the ground. Dad, however, didn't seem to be too grossed out. Must be a man thing.
We went back to the Humuya Inn and had lunch for Sophie's Birthday. ( I forgot to mention Friday was Sophie's 12th Birthday) We had enchiladas, which may have been the one of our favorites. Friday night, we were all sitting around, a little bored, so we decided to start a puzzle. Apparently, this puzzle took a while to put together the first time, so of course I took the challenge to heart and was determined to do it faster. Andrea, Mom, Dad and I got that thing together by the next night!
 |
| This picture was taken from up at the Jesus statue |
Saturday we went to Picacho, the park up in the mountain with a huge Jesus statue. Gabby and Andrea came with us and we also met a missionary family there who are friends with the Crooks. Andrea, Gabby, Parker and I had fun playing baseball and football while mom and dad read/did sudoku. We headed home after lunch because Sophie had her birthday party at 1:00. The party consisted of water balloons, capture the flag, pizza, snacks, baseball, cake and presents. Overall, great birthday party!
Sunday was a crazy day, but here's the quick version. Four girls on a missions trip spent Saturday night at the Crooks, Mimi got sick, Scott took her to the hospital Sunday morning, I woke up and made breakfast and coffee, woke up the girls, headed down to church, dropped Gabby and Andrea off at the Humuya Inn, Mom, Dad, Sophie and I went to church, got there 30 minutes late, power was out, no translation, no air conditioning, back to the Humuya Inn and had lunch, layed out on the veranda and napped, went to the mall, had dinner at the Wing Factory, back to the Humuya and in for the night. (Hope that makes a little sense)
Monday my parents got to see me teach at school. I was glad they were able to stay until Tuesday and really get to see what I do. I think they got bored though, because they left and went outside by 6th period:)
Overall, we had a really great time! My parents really got to see the good things that I experience everyday. The Honduran people are genuinely sweet and hospitable and that is exactly what we experienced last week. I wish everyone could have the opportunity to visit and see how different life is in Honduras, and yet how it is kind of the same. Having my parents here, reminded me how much I miss home, but it also made me aware that in three months I am going to miss living here.
God has blessed my life so much. From Surry, to Lynchburg, to Honduras. He has been with me everywhere I have gone.
Well, I've left out so very much, but I'm sure my parents would love to fill in the details if you just ask!
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