July 31, 2008
And so the months tick by. I cannot believe that tomorrow is August already. It has been a busy week or so but sadly it seems like most of the busyness was in vain. I was preparing for a group next weekend by training some people to help, putting together the schedule, and altering lesson plans only to get a call yesterday to hear that they are postponing until later in August. Because they will now be coming mid-week, I have no idea where I will find all of the people to help. It is frustrating seeing a bunch of my work simply be in vain and yet I know that at least some of what I did with the lessons will prove useful for future groups.
Tuesday and Wednesday of this week I was out at camp working on some ropes course repairs. I looked more like I was a bee keeper because the mosquitoes were so abundant in the jungle that I pulled out my mosquito netting for my face and wore long sleeves even though the heat made it a little unbearable. Anything is better than being the feast for the mosquitoes which I still was but not so much my face. Monday night I awoke around midnight to the sound of mosquito buzzing at my face. I knew that I could not sleep again with it there so I sat up and read until it came around and I killed it. It must have known my plans though because it waited a good 20 minutes to re-appear. Just as I settled down to sleep again, I heard another mosquito. This time I fished out the mosquito netting and covered up. This time of year seems to be the worst for the mosquitoes since I remember being here three years ago over this time and every time I tried to take a picture, the mosquitoes would feast on my fingers.
My to do list continues to be long but hopefully I will make some progress on it over the next few days, including getting a newsletter written
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Without a Trace
July 21, 2008
I am back in Honduras readjusting to the hot weather and well aware of how faithful and powerful God is. I, and many others, were praying that Wes, Cindy, and I would make it out of the Colombia without being stopped for not having received our yellow fever vaccination soon enough. The woman at the counter asked for my yellow card with the vaccination information and I gave it to her, all the while praying that she would not notice the date. Because of where we visited in the country we really were not in any danger of getting yellow fever, with or without the vaccination but of course the government did not know that. Though the woman studied my card for long time, scrutinized it in fact, she made no comment about it and simply handed it to me along with my ticket. I would love to ask God if she did not see the actual date stamped on the card or if she decided it was not a big deal or what. Who knows what the reason was other than that God was clearing the way for me to get back to Honduras and continue ministry there. Wes and Cindy were in a different line but they too passed through without a trace of difficulty.
Security in the Colombian airport was pretty high and they did thorough searches of every bag but it was not too bad. As we were leaving there were some awesome views of the country. Since my trip was not about vacation or sight-seeing I really saw very little of the country. But what I saw impressed me and made me realize that my pre-conceived idea of Colombia as a country was not accurate. It is not all about hostages and drugs. In fact the area I was in seemed more secure than Honduras. We left on the Independence Day of Columbia and they were having a march for peace asking for the release of hostages. From what I understood this march was happening with Colombians around the world.
The LAM retreat that we were a part of was a very good, refreshing time. I will probably write more about it in my next newsletter, but basically God had a lot to teach me and do in my heart as we looked at the them of "Success -- According to God." I enjoyed too the opportunity to meet missionaries from another part of the world who were involved in very different projects, but all with their heart on Jesus.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
To Colombia
July 19, 2008
I must write at least a short entry today. On Thursday afternoon I arrived in the country of Colombia with surprisingly, no adventures in the travels. All of the excitement had come the day before when I learned I was supposed to have a yellow fever vaccination in order to travel to Colombia. Actually the vaccination is needed for returning to Honduras. Apparently there is no yellow fever in Central America though it is very common in South America. The mosquitoes that carry Dengue in Central America are the same type that could carry yellow fever. So if an infected person returned to Central America with yellow fever and was bitten by the right kind of mosquito, an outbreak of yellow fever could occur. Through no small miracle, Wes, Cindy, and I were able to get our vaccinations about 3 hours after I discovered that we needed them (and they were still at camp, an hour and a half away) but we were technically 7 days late. A doctor took us to the clinic where we could get the card and vaccination and we arrived there only 20 minutes before it closed. The woman did not want to give us the shots but the doctor was persistent. The vaccination is free but in order to give us the shots, she would have to open five doses which would mean two would be wasted -- something she could not do. Wes and Cindy solved that problem by having their two oldest children vaccinated even though they did not need the shot at this moment. As long as they travel to South America in the next 10 years, it will be worth it. The woman made sure that we knew she was putting the correct date on the card and was not going to say we had received the shot 10 days beforehand. That was fine with us because we wanted to be honest and follow the regulations. If we are to make it in and out of Colombia without issue, it will be because God clears the path, not because we bribe our way or cut corners.
No one even looked at our yellow cards (though they asked if we had them) as we left Honduras but we have heard of people having trouble when they go to leave Colombia for Central America. We are praying that they do not look at our date or at least believe us when we say that we were not in an area of Colombia where yellow fever is present. I have too many commitments and meetings to spend the rest of the week in Colombia waiting for 10 days to pass from the day of our vaccination. We will see what unfolds. There could yet be adventure. In the meantime I am enjoying the missionary retreat and what little I have seen of Colombia. It is much more beautiful than I expected with an interesting architecture (somewhat colonial Spanish), roads that seem well maintained and cows that are well fed. I, of course, am only seeing one small part of the country so I know that poverty and destruction does exist.
This morning I went for a short run in one of the nearby towns. I loved being able to see more of the countryside and to exercise again. I noticed that most of the buildings here seem to be brick and in this area of the country at least, the cars are not shut in garages behind bars. There is the appearance at least of a safer environment. I had not run for almost three weeks so I found the change in altitude to 6500ft a little challenging since I am usually at less than 1000ft. On my run I stumbled upon a little park with a pond and rather bold ducks. For a moment I thought that they might try and attack me since they headed right towards me. I love finding glimpses of God’s creation amidst buildings and roads.
I must write at least a short entry today. On Thursday afternoon I arrived in the country of Colombia with surprisingly, no adventures in the travels. All of the excitement had come the day before when I learned I was supposed to have a yellow fever vaccination in order to travel to Colombia. Actually the vaccination is needed for returning to Honduras. Apparently there is no yellow fever in Central America though it is very common in South America. The mosquitoes that carry Dengue in Central America are the same type that could carry yellow fever. So if an infected person returned to Central America with yellow fever and was bitten by the right kind of mosquito, an outbreak of yellow fever could occur. Through no small miracle, Wes, Cindy, and I were able to get our vaccinations about 3 hours after I discovered that we needed them (and they were still at camp, an hour and a half away) but we were technically 7 days late. A doctor took us to the clinic where we could get the card and vaccination and we arrived there only 20 minutes before it closed. The woman did not want to give us the shots but the doctor was persistent. The vaccination is free but in order to give us the shots, she would have to open five doses which would mean two would be wasted -- something she could not do. Wes and Cindy solved that problem by having their two oldest children vaccinated even though they did not need the shot at this moment. As long as they travel to South America in the next 10 years, it will be worth it. The woman made sure that we knew she was putting the correct date on the card and was not going to say we had received the shot 10 days beforehand. That was fine with us because we wanted to be honest and follow the regulations. If we are to make it in and out of Colombia without issue, it will be because God clears the path, not because we bribe our way or cut corners.
No one even looked at our yellow cards (though they asked if we had them) as we left Honduras but we have heard of people having trouble when they go to leave Colombia for Central America. We are praying that they do not look at our date or at least believe us when we say that we were not in an area of Colombia where yellow fever is present. I have too many commitments and meetings to spend the rest of the week in Colombia waiting for 10 days to pass from the day of our vaccination. We will see what unfolds. There could yet be adventure. In the meantime I am enjoying the missionary retreat and what little I have seen of Colombia. It is much more beautiful than I expected with an interesting architecture (somewhat colonial Spanish), roads that seem well maintained and cows that are well fed. I, of course, am only seeing one small part of the country so I know that poverty and destruction does exist.
This morning I went for a short run in one of the nearby towns. I loved being able to see more of the countryside and to exercise again. I noticed that most of the buildings here seem to be brick and in this area of the country at least, the cars are not shut in garages behind bars. There is the appearance at least of a safer environment. I had not run for almost three weeks so I found the change in altitude to 6500ft a little challenging since I am usually at less than 1000ft. On my run I stumbled upon a little park with a pond and rather bold ducks. For a moment I thought that they might try and attack me since they headed right towards me. I love finding glimpses of God’s creation amidst buildings and roads.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
The Simplicity of Little Children
July 8, 2008
I made an unexpected return trip to the city today because I was all packed to leave for the neighboring camp when I received a call saying that no one was getting to camp until midnight tonight which meant no place for me to stay. I knew that I at least had to go to town for internet so I did that and discovered that the connection was so slow, I would never be able to do the things I needed to, primary of which was order some ropes course supplies. I also discovered when getting air put in my tires that they need rotated and my car aligned -- a job for the city. I hope to be able to get that done "quickly" in the morning and still get to the camp in good time.
So I returned to the city and was only in my apartment a few minutes when my friend came over with her two year old son. She needed to do some research on the computer so I took Julian outside to try and play with his dump truck. He really did not seem too interested in it and after a while I found a plastic water bottle laying on the pavement. This water bottle quickly became a soccer ball and we had some good moments kicking it around until he decided to use it as a weapon for hitting people instead. I was impressed though that such a simple item could capture the attention of a 2 year old for a good 15 minutes. Impressed and thankful since I really do not have any toys in the apartment.
This evening I joined up with the Williamsons for dinner and then sent Wes and Cindy on their way for a date while I hung out with the children. Some of us played a game and others read. All in all it has been pretty tranquil evening. I hope that tomorrow is tranquil and that the re-alignment takes care of all of the car problems since it feels to me like something else is not right. I am planning to make the hour and a half drive to the camp without visiting my mechanic (the alignment gets done somewhere else) because I do not have time to leave the car there for inspection. I am praying that it will hold up through next week till I am in the city again for a full day.
I made an unexpected return trip to the city today because I was all packed to leave for the neighboring camp when I received a call saying that no one was getting to camp until midnight tonight which meant no place for me to stay. I knew that I at least had to go to town for internet so I did that and discovered that the connection was so slow, I would never be able to do the things I needed to, primary of which was order some ropes course supplies. I also discovered when getting air put in my tires that they need rotated and my car aligned -- a job for the city. I hope to be able to get that done "quickly" in the morning and still get to the camp in good time.
So I returned to the city and was only in my apartment a few minutes when my friend came over with her two year old son. She needed to do some research on the computer so I took Julian outside to try and play with his dump truck. He really did not seem too interested in it and after a while I found a plastic water bottle laying on the pavement. This water bottle quickly became a soccer ball and we had some good moments kicking it around until he decided to use it as a weapon for hitting people instead. I was impressed though that such a simple item could capture the attention of a 2 year old for a good 15 minutes. Impressed and thankful since I really do not have any toys in the apartment.
This evening I joined up with the Williamsons for dinner and then sent Wes and Cindy on their way for a date while I hung out with the children. Some of us played a game and others read. All in all it has been pretty tranquil evening. I hope that tomorrow is tranquil and that the re-alignment takes care of all of the car problems since it feels to me like something else is not right. I am planning to make the hour and a half drive to the camp without visiting my mechanic (the alignment gets done somewhere else) because I do not have time to leave the car there for inspection. I am praying that it will hold up through next week till I am in the city again for a full day.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
The Winds of Sudden Change
July 6, 2008
I am squeezing all of my blog entries in at one time -- while I still have internet connection. Today dawned sunny and hot. Immediately after church I headed to my second basketball game of the weekend (the first game was last night and though my team won, I did not play very well or prove to be much of a help). I was determined to play to the best of the ability that the Lord has given to me and to be a little more confident in that ability. I also considered imagining that I was playing at Black Rock with staff where the game comes much easier, but when on the court, I forgot that part. Two of the key players had not appeared by the time the game started so I knew that I was needed. They showed up in time to play in the second half, but I had a chance to play and to play much better than in any of my previous games.
After basketball I returned to my apartment to prepare food for the dinner with my friends and to relax a bit. I already knew that I was down to 2 friends coming over instead of 3 or 4 and the time of their arrival kept getting pushed back, but such is life. Around 5:00PM I received a call from the person who was to coordinate the 7:00PM meeting and discovered that since not everyon could be present, we were postponing it until a week from now. Well, my friend Lourdes came shortly after 5:00PM and we worked on a puzzle and chatted while waiting for my other friend. After a lengthy amount of time we decided to go ahead and eat since I could not get in touch with my other friend. Needless to say there was plenty of food. Somewhat in honor of the fourth of July and summer, I had made strawberry shortcake. It is the season (more or less) of strawberries here in Honduras but they are not nearly as sweet as the ones I am accustomed to.
Just before the time when I needed to take Lourdes to catch a taxi, the rains began in full force with a strong wind as well. The rain this evening seemed to come out of nowhere since it had been so warm and sunny. I had to run out and move the plants to shelter so that they would not be flooded in their pots and had to close all of the windows because the wind drove the rain inside. Though the lights flickered a few times, there were no power outages on my side of the city. While waiting for the rain to calm down, I taught Lourdes Speed Scrabble (or Take One) with Spanish Scrabble letters. I had been wanting to play a game of some sorts for a few days and realized that Scrabble in Spanish would be good practice for me. Indeed it is. And so the weekend ends and tomorrow I head to camp. Tomorrow evening we will have our staff Bible Study reunion though the Williamsons are away on vacation. They had started to watch the Jesus Film in Spanish which I think that we will start again. There is a good possibility that the builder and his family will join us for the video and they are not Christians. I am praying that the Lord will work in and through me as I give a little of the leadership to the evening. I definitely need His words and help.
I am squeezing all of my blog entries in at one time -- while I still have internet connection. Today dawned sunny and hot. Immediately after church I headed to my second basketball game of the weekend (the first game was last night and though my team won, I did not play very well or prove to be much of a help). I was determined to play to the best of the ability that the Lord has given to me and to be a little more confident in that ability. I also considered imagining that I was playing at Black Rock with staff where the game comes much easier, but when on the court, I forgot that part. Two of the key players had not appeared by the time the game started so I knew that I was needed. They showed up in time to play in the second half, but I had a chance to play and to play much better than in any of my previous games.
After basketball I returned to my apartment to prepare food for the dinner with my friends and to relax a bit. I already knew that I was down to 2 friends coming over instead of 3 or 4 and the time of their arrival kept getting pushed back, but such is life. Around 5:00PM I received a call from the person who was to coordinate the 7:00PM meeting and discovered that since not everyon could be present, we were postponing it until a week from now. Well, my friend Lourdes came shortly after 5:00PM and we worked on a puzzle and chatted while waiting for my other friend. After a lengthy amount of time we decided to go ahead and eat since I could not get in touch with my other friend. Needless to say there was plenty of food. Somewhat in honor of the fourth of July and summer, I had made strawberry shortcake. It is the season (more or less) of strawberries here in Honduras but they are not nearly as sweet as the ones I am accustomed to.
Just before the time when I needed to take Lourdes to catch a taxi, the rains began in full force with a strong wind as well. The rain this evening seemed to come out of nowhere since it had been so warm and sunny. I had to run out and move the plants to shelter so that they would not be flooded in their pots and had to close all of the windows because the wind drove the rain inside. Though the lights flickered a few times, there were no power outages on my side of the city. While waiting for the rain to calm down, I taught Lourdes Speed Scrabble (or Take One) with Spanish Scrabble letters. I had been wanting to play a game of some sorts for a few days and realized that Scrabble in Spanish would be good practice for me. Indeed it is. And so the weekend ends and tomorrow I head to camp. Tomorrow evening we will have our staff Bible Study reunion though the Williamsons are away on vacation. They had started to watch the Jesus Film in Spanish which I think that we will start again. There is a good possibility that the builder and his family will join us for the video and they are not Christians. I am praying that the Lord will work in and through me as I give a little of the leadership to the evening. I definitely need His words and help.
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