Buried Treasure?

August 28, 2007
Fifteen years ago, I would never have dreamed that one day (August 28, 2007) I would be digging up a snake skeleton in the jungle of Honduras. I would have thought such an idea was insane. Perhaps it still it is, but today I was looking for treasure – the coral snake skeleton. Much to my disappointment, it was no longer intact so what I have is hundreds of small bones. The task was made rather unpleasant because of the heat and the mosquitoes that never overlook the opportunity to feast on me. Hmm… maybe if I would cut all sugar out of my diet they would leave me alone. That is a high price to pay though.
I eventually left the jungle and moved to the pine area for sifting through the rest of the dirt. Here the mosquitoes are not so abundant. And it was here that I first heard and saw the Collared Aracari’s flying overhead (similar to the Toucans). Later I took Teresita, one of the Honduran girls who was not in school because of a strike the teachers were all involved in, down to the creek area to identify the birds for certain. Sure enough a glance through the binoculars revealed the real treasure of the day – the beautiful Aracari’s. They seemed to be passing through and feasting on some of the many fruits around camp at the moment, but perhaps they will stay. Teresita and I did a little more exploring but the venture yielded only the sound of parrots, a couple of passion fruit, and spotting a few woodpeckers. I was glad that she could come along and take a rest from her boredom as she followed her mom around camp, cleaning. Unfortunately she talks so fast that I only understand half of what she is telling me but I try.

The Ants Go Marching One by One... or Is It By 100?

August 27, 2007
Over the past few days my annoyance with ants has increased greatly. I suppose that they still have my respect as far as their work ethic and persistence but there are just too many in my life. I never knew that so many species existed in one place – my house. There are the big black ants that love oil and so if there is even a drop or hint of oil on the outside of a bottle, these ants congregate in masses. Then there are the “normal” ants that like sugar and any other piece of food left lying around. The thing is these ants will raid the trash can and carry cracker crumbs up and out and then across the floor to who knows where. For some reason even the leaf cutter ants try to walk in under my front door carrying leaves. I am not sure where they are headed. I would prefer that they carry the dead leaves out which they have done on occasion, thereby being a little more helpful.

But last week the ants went too far. I had brought the food for the Williamson’s dog, Cappuccino, to my porch because it was raining and he was not down at their house to eat. I set it on the porch where I could keep an eye to make sure that the other dogs did not devour the food. After a while I went out to check on the food and found that the ants had taken over. And these are the little ants that bite. I was in the middle of cooking so I figured that I would wait a half an hour until was done to fight with the biting ants. When I went back out to the porch, I stared in disbelief at the empty dog food bowl. They had gone and carried off every last piece of food and these are decent sized pellets! Then I noticed a group of 4 or 5 ants carrying a pellet up the wall towards an electric outlet where I believe some of them have had a nest (hence the outlet does not work). That did it -- those ants and the food went flying with a whack of the broom!
A few nights later I was reading in my hammock when I noticed a big black beetle flailing its legs as it lay upside down on the porch, trying to right itself. Surrounding it were a bunch of ants that seemed to be waiting for either its death so that they could carry it away or for it to stop moving long enough that they could carry it away while still alive. I am quite certain that they were not there for its benefit. On that particular evening my sympathy went to the beetle and I hopped up and helped to turn the beetle right side up. At this the ants dispersed, the beetle hissed and then moved on. For once the ants did not win.

I suppose that my battles with ants will continue indefinitely. Thankfully I am not dreaming of them and since the time they got in my sugar several months ago, they have not in any of my containers. I definitely wear shoes in the house so I do not feel the crunching. I probably should return the Proverbs and remember that which I can learn from the ants currently annoying ways.

Nature Journal, August 22, 2007

Monday I had the opportunity to wander around camp once again after much time away from here. I was excited by all that I saw. One of the first finds was a small owl (Pygmy Owl?) in a tree on the upper side of camp. I could not see it well enough to identify it but it was definitely a smaller type. Later I caught a glimpse of an iguana in a tree by one of the ravines. I finally got a better look at one of the fowl-like birds on camp and identified it as a Tinamou. The most exciting find of the day though was the passion fruit that had finally turned yellow and was ready for harvesting. There were just enough for everyone on camp and today I had some ”jugo de maracuya.” Fruits and juices always taste better when it is harvested by hand (and comes from free fruit). I always loved picking wineberries and blackberries on camp in PA. The discovery of the passion fruit was a bit like finding pawpaw in PA.

Yesterday Wes reported that he saw 5 toucans down in the jungle which is also exciting news. (I saw 3 of them today. Such beautiful creatures!) On my hike later in the day I saw some Green Jays which are actually beautiful birds – blue and black head, green back, and yellow chest, but I was sad to learn that they are related to Blue Jays. I guess I was trained from my childhood to not appreciate the jays which are loud and mean. I had personal first-hand experience when I ended up too close to one of their nests. I also saw another Jesus Christ Lizard climbing a tree near the jungle. We may have nutmeg on camp which is pretty cool especially if I could figure out how to harvest it and make it useful.

Last evening I got to walk home in my first torrential downpour and be witness to how quickly rivers of water take over camp. Erosion is a huge problem. I enjoyed the short walk to my house even though I waded through many a puddle. There is something fun about being in a woods at dusk during a downpour. I had a rain jacket too so I did not get drenched. This morning the woods were misty after a good rain and were awesome for a morning run. Today’s hike in the woods also revealed more cool bird findings. A Chestnut-colored woodpecker, a Yellow throated Euphonia, and I couple of birds I have yet to identify.

My experiences and sightings out in the woods have helped me become very thankful again to be where I am at. True the power is going off a lot with the rains, but there is plenty of water now. Yes, my roof has a little leak but thankfully it is over a spot without furniture and so when I returned to my house after being gone for 5 days, only the floor was wet.

Trust

August 19, 2007
This past week I spent several days in Tegucigalpa where I worked on getting one last document for my residency. I was successful in that I actually have the paper even though the office told me I did not need it. I opted to be safe and get it rather than have to make another 4 hour trip to the capital. The trip was also successful in that I found the couple I stayed with 8 years ago when visiting Honduras with a college class. I ended up staying with them for part of my time there and it was good to reconnect and be able to talk with them at a deeper level since my Spanish has improved.

But I think that the trip was most successful because of some of the things I began to realize. Trust would be the word to sum up the main lesson of the week. In Tegucigalpa I did not have a car available to drive wherever I wanted so I had to rely on public transportation – the very thing that many people warn against because it is too dangerous and you cannot trust either the drivers or the passengers. Well, I had no intentions of being housebound while my hosts were at work so I took taxis and I took the bus. I probably paid more than I should have a time or two with the taxis but I did barter down the price to what the locals had said was reasonable. I even took a collective taxi from downtown back to a shopping center – the taxis that take more than one person at a time. On Friday I decided that I wanted to go to an Agricultural University outside of the city to check out their bookstore for some books on trees, so I found the local bus and hopped on. It was during this ride that I was able to chat with the teenage girl beside me. I was surprised when she bought me a dessert to eat from one of the boys selling things along the road. With her help I figured out where to get off the bus.

At the university I had no success in finding the book, but the views from the mountain and the opportunity to converse with Pamela made the trip worth it. Not to mention the fact that I love feeling safe enough to venture off into the unknown. I wanted to keep going though and find a hiking spot or waterfall but I knew that would be beyond the line of appropriate risk as the moment. I returned to the city and tried to find a bus to a different university, and in the process I discovered that one should ask the driver where they are headed before getting on the bus because I ended up going in the wrong direction in spite of what the bus declared as its’ destinations. I, therefore, had to take more taxis to get where I needed to go.
On my final bus back to San Pedro which was one of the executive types, comparable to the coach buses in the US, I spent a good portion of time chatting with the girl beside me. She works in a factory in some type of management and we got to talking about how a Challenge Ropes Course is great for building teamwork in employees, so perhaps I will meet up with her again at camp someday.

Anyway, throughout this week I have also been reading a book called Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L’Engle, and in one chapter she tells the story of a father who wants to protect his son from all pain and hurt and so he warns the boy not to trust anyone. At one point he asks his son if he trusts him and the son replies affirmatively. The father then tells the boy to jump down from a few stairs into his arms. The son does so but the father steps aside and lets him fall to the ground. The father’s words: “You see you must trust nobody.” I can only imagine the scars that would leave on a young child, to go through life unable to trust anyone but himself. To face life with the opinion that no one can be trusted would equal a lonely life. Probably everyone in our life will hurt us at some point and let us down, but we have to trust and depend on others anyway. And we can trust the Lord though even with Him our lack of understanding of His ways may lead us to think initially that He let us down too.

I realized through the week’s experiences and readings that I must trust people around me. Yes, there are taxi drivers who are dishonest and thieves but for the most part they are simply men doing their job. Yes, there are thieves on the buses, but there are also lots of people in need of a smile, of someone to care. I think that if I avoid public places I will be missing out on connections and opportunities to share God’s love. And so as I pray and choose when to venture out into public transportation or the more “risky” areas of life where I have less control, I have to trust too that the Lord is guiding and guarding me (not that that means I will never get hurt).

Hospitality

August 16, 2007
I am learning more and more what true hospitality, from the heart, is. Yesterday morning I set out on a 4 hour journey by bus to the capital, Tegucigulpa. I was in need of one more document for the residency process. Sarah, a girl I had met in Michigan last year and with whom I had one or two brief conversations, graciously let me stay with her and even took off work to pick me up and to attempt to get some of her paperwork done at the same office. My wait was much longer and I have to go back on Friday to hopefully pick up the paper that the Migration office says I do not need but my lawyer says that I do. I decided to be on the safe side and get it since a trip to Tegucigulpa requires time and money.

After we finished at the office, we went back to Sarah's house and parted ways but only after she generously shared a peanut butter, chocolate cookie snack that she had brought back from the US. I walked over to a teaching university and wandered around in search of the Phys. Ed. department and a certain professor. The place had changed much in 8 years. Freddy was at the school and teaching so I waited till his class was over and then surprised him by walking in. I had stayed with he and his wife Norma 8 years ago and though I had tried to find them since and call them, I had been unsuccessful. I went back to their house and visited with them. Today I am going back to stay with them for at least one night.

I am blessed and challenged by how willing people are to go out of their way and serve and give to people who they hardly know. In San Pedro I end up staying with various families almost once a week. I know that when I get to the city I want to have a place where I can give and bless in the same way that I have been blessed over the last 3 1/2 months. And I want to learn to give without thinking of price tags, schedules, inconveniences, hidden agendas, or anything except serving because of the love Christ has given to me and my love for Him. I need to allow God to do some work in my heart in order to reach that point.

News of the water

August 13, 2007
An official report at last on the water situation at camp and in Pinalejo. A committee from Pinalejo stopped by camp yesterday to talk with Wes about the water problems. They said that they do not have plans to take more water from the creek, nor does the next town from here. That is good news because it means that the creek should continue as it is with its water level fluctuating only according to the season and rainfall.

The shortage of water remains an issue though and the town is looking to pipe water from somewhere 7km away – an expensive endeavor. At camp we have a steady water supply most of the time, but we are attempting to ration the water like the town and only have the water on for 4 hours a day. The Williamsons, having lived in the town for a year, are experienced at conserving water and living with it for only a few hours. I should be able to adjust my schedule accordingly though it does mean changing hours that I work at times so that I can get a few household chores done while we have fresh water. The rest of the day I will live out of water from buckets. (I should not have to master the art of carrying water on my head from the creek so that is a good thing). For the Honduran staff who have become accustomed to having water at their fingertips whenever, the idea of conservation and rationing does not seem to be as agreeable. Even in the town when the water is on, it is wasted so the idea of conservation has not really taken root. People leave the tap running continually, wash their cars, and do whatever else. In a sense that defeats the purpose of having it rationed in the first place. So somehow, starting on camp with the staff we have here, we want to begin teaching the idea of conserving the water even when it is in “abundance.” And yes that means that I need to practice what I preach and find ways to use a minimal amount of water when washing the dishes even when there is water in the tap. I realized that it takes time though because last Friday evening there was no water and I had lots of dishes and the cleaning process took much longer than usual.

At camp we still have to decide what to do about the water situation too, whether to put in a well or rely on the water we have. It will probably take a while to consider all of the options but I am thankful that we will still have a creek. I definitely need to learn to not believe everything that I hear.

Perspective

August 12, 2007

I realized early this morning (after dreaming about seeing an iguana in the bushes at camp and I do not know how or why that has any relevance to my thoughts) that I need to start looking at daily events from a new perspective. I have been very quick to see all of the little things (and big at times) that seem to go wrong as far as the timing of when something happens and to get frustrated yet again. But this morning I decided that I need to start looking instead for how timing does work out great. For example, yesterday I was headed to the trash cans and caught a glimpse of a greenish blue snake slithering away. (It did not look poisonous from a distance). Seeing snakes is a rare event and one I look forward to as long as I am far enough from the head. Yesterday in the midst of a last minute decision to come to the city, I forgot to pack my computer cord to charge the battery, but I had just enough power to send out my update and then I was able to use a friend's computer for a while.

I had come to the city primarily to get together with a friend last evening but that fell through and though I was frustrated initially, I ended up having time to write down thoughts on a book I have been reading. And in the end we got together before church this morning for coffee. And I finally did it -- I bought my first cup of coffee. Though I have been drinking it a little more since Costa Rica, I never actually bought a cup because I do not like it that much. I always choose cappuccinos or mochas but today we were at Burger King (Dunkin Donuts was open but did not have anything to sell at 7:00AM -- odd) and that was really the only safe option other than soda which at 7:00AM is not so exciting. I am sad though that my first coffee was at a fast food restaurant. Oh well.
In the end, my time in the city though very short was good and I visited with several friends.

Baking bugs in banana bread

August 2, 2007
I am glad that many times the Lord gives us challenges in stages and not all at one time. Without such a staggering of trials, life would be much more overwhelming. Last night I heard the news that the town of Pinalejo would be shutting off the camp’s water along with the town’s water source whenever the water needed turned off. Unfortunately I did not think much about it last night – I was too tired. And other than one time when a worker forgot to turn the water back on to my house, I have had little problem with water. It has been a constant, even when the electricity has not. Well, at noon today I noticed that there was very little water and shortly thereafter – none. I had not stored up water and the cistern at my house had been drained because when it is full the cement walls get all moldy. This evening I walked down to the faucet at the amphitheater because there is still water down there since it is at the bottom of the hill. I am wondering if I should learn to carry a bucket of water on my head so that I can bring water up from the creek. Considering how klutzy I have been over the past month, I doubt that the results would be too successful. I guess that I could feel at home if I remembered all of the water fights with my family when I ended up just as wet or wetter than I would be walking with the bucket on my head.

Anyway from the sounds of it the town has water from 1-4 hours a day. The other day I was annoyed when the Internet Café was no open well after its stated opening time because the girl was washing the dishes (the water had apparently come back on). I think I will soon understand how a person could dare to be late to work for the sake of clean dishes.
In spite of the lack of water, I decided to make banana bread tonight with Ellie the oldest Williamson since the bananas on camp all ripened at the same time and a missionary in town has been through some challenges and could use a baked good. But the adventures of the day were not over because when Ellie opened the Tupperware container where the flour is, there were small bugs in it. Was it not closed tightly? Who knows. If the bread were just for me, I figured that I would eat it bugs and all but to give it away? That is a different story. In the end I called the woman since she is a nurse and been here for a long time to ask what she knew of the danger or lack there of in eating those particular bugs. I also wanted to offer her just the bananas. Her response was that she uses the flour anyway and as long as I labeled the packaging of the banana bread as having extra protein, she would still love some bread. You know you are in another country when you can give away a banana bread baked with bugs and the person wants it and will eat it. So we made the banana bread and it turned out well, I simply have a lot of rinsed but dirty dishes waiting for the next flow of water into the sink.

My clumsiness did surface several times in the evening in my efforts to conserve water. I wanted to use the water from the pasta for at least getting the majority of the food off of the dirty dishes and I certainly did not want to dirty the colander so I used the lid. Of course just as I was about done all of the pasta fell out into the bowl that had the remains of the banana bread mix and hence raw egg. I figured that I would have to throw all of the pasta away but Cindy told me of a pasta bake that has egg in it so I salvaged the pasta to bake at a later time.

It is days like these when I look forward to living in the city but then I wonder where my sense of adventure is. Even my desire to run has pretty much diminished because I would probably have to resort to a bucket bath afterwards. I can tell I have a lot to learn about this kind of living and I have been reminded of how I had taken for granted all of the seemingly simple and unquestionable conveniences of my home in PA.

From trucks to scorpions

August 2, 2007
It is about time to write again. I have not been feeling inspired as of late and I have been busy. Car shopping still remains one of the largest tasks at hand. I finally have 3 decent choices in front of me, all Chevy S-10 pick-ups. The main factors to consider now are the costs and the reliability of the older trucks. I have never had a new car and I do not think that now is the time to get one considering the price tag that comes with them. The church down here would be willing to help me out with getting a more expensive pick-up if it will be more reliable. It is a humbling offer but I cannot see why I should have them go into debt to help finance a vehicle if I do not want to go into debt myself. So my preference lies with one of the two older pick-ups (still newer than I have ever had but you can only get insurance here for cars less than 10 years old). I think that next week I need to spend several days in the city to take care of all of the paperwork involved in buying a car because my plan is to make a purchase.

Although this week has been taken up primarily by car shopping, I have also made some progress in tree and insect identification. When I found my first scorpion last week on the mop head in my house, I did not need to go to the books to determine what it was. I am now faced with the reality that yes they do exist and in my house. The insect on the right is one that a staff member found on camp the other day. It is a Alligator -headed lantern fly. I found it in a book Jungle Bugs that talks about camouflage and mimicry. Just as I thought when I first saw the insect, its head mimics the head of a crocodile in an attempt to scare off predators and make it undesirable for consumption. God’s creativity is amazing!
As for other events there are the wonderful, embarrassing language blunders that I still make and perhaps I will describe at another time. There is the wrestling with the boundaries of how to show compassion and give without enabling poverty to continue. Lots of things that I am thinking about right now and do not have answers to. For now I will stop here and move on to some research that I need to do.

Over the last few days

July 18, 2007

Since finally reaching camp last Thursday, my days have been very busy. There was a Honduran family visiting for a few days, the family that will be staying on camp while the Williamsons go on furlough, so I ended up eating with them and chatting. On Sunday I had my first nature program for a group of 10-12 year olds from the church that owns the camp. I spent most of my time preparing for that but in my spare time was trying to finish up a really good book. Thankfully I finished it yesterday and it will no longer be a distraction. Anyway the program itself went pretty well – definitely a learning experience for me. I had the lesson written out and detailed because I needed to make sure that I knew all of the Spanish words. In the end though I could not follow it verbatim and had to branch out when other thoughts came to my mind and of course I then stumbled through with my Spanish. I think that the children learned something though both about erosion and about how are lives are to glorify God.

Monday I took off most of the day, having worked the weekend. In the evening I went down to Pinalejo with the Williamsons to attend a farewell party for a missionary couple who I only slightly knew. I was glad that I went because first of all it allowed me to meet some of the people from the town (including young adults) and second, I saw how God had used the missionary couple to touch hearts. The couple’s Spanish was very limited and yet it did not bother the people. They loved the couple because they saw how the couple loved them and were truly investing in their lives. And the couple did not worry about how their Spanish came out. They simply spoke from the heart whether that be in Spanglish, broken Spanish, or in English. The entire evening left me with some things to evaluate in my life and approach and hesitation at times to use my imperfect Spanish. I have a lot to continue to process.

Chasing Cows

July 17, 2007

This morning I discovered another area where my gifts do not lie -- herding cows. I had gotten up early to run and have some extra time to pray but of course things did not go as I had planned. After the run I was walking down to the stream to sit but I ran across a bunch of cows on our property. I found one of the staff to come down to help and together we attempted to direct them to an exit. The problem was that I had no idea where they had entered the property since both gates were closed. At one point I ran ahead to open the gate to the road while Leonel herded the cows in the direction of the Archery ravine (which exited near the gate). But the cows never came out the other end and so I went down there to find them and without Leonel to help, the cows headed back in the direction we had just directed them from. The dog, Cappachino, could only help so much since he had no idea where the cows were supposed to go either. Eventually I met up with Leonel again and we directed the cows through the creek to where there was a gap in the fence. I think he later went back to fix. Hopefully so because that is the second time in 4 days that the cows were here and well, I cannot see much future for me in the herding of cows. At least I did not kicked in the head like I did many years ago. I guess I am a little taller now. So the adventures are back!

Not According to the Plan

July 11, 2007
One would think that I would begin to remember that I cannot expect my plans to unfold as I had planned. I guess that my week in PA caused me to forget some of what I had learned. I arrived back in Honduras on Monday evening and discovered that I could catch a ride out to camp yet that night, but I passed up the opportunity, planning to travel the next day after a good night’s sleep and when I could take all of my luggage. But Tuesday mid-morning I received a call from Cindy saying that the Montero had 2 flat, irreparable tires and the village did not have what he needed. Basically Wes could not make it to San Pedro to pick me up that day. The other vehicle was in the shop here in San Pedro. So I stayed put in the city and finished up the task of getting all of the new programs installed on my computer and my e-mail switched over. I got to attend a Bible Study last night, and I also made lots of calls about pick-up trucks. Today I set up appointments for checking out some trucks but of course, I forgot to plan for the typical delays that postpone or prevent altogether such appointments. Being prepared for any and all situations here often means needing more than a backpack of supplies at one's fingertips (and I do not even have my backpacks with me right now-- I have been without them for a week and a half now, a very long time for me).
My plan is to take any vehicle I am considering buying to a shop where they can do an inspection for a reasonable price. I have already discovered how pointless it is for me to look over a pick-up truck because I really do not know what I am looking for. Nothing like feeling helpless. With today’s truck, I think I was able to pick up a few incongruencies in the sounds and operations though. Unfortunately the person who does inspections is out sick, probably for the rest of the week, so I will have to see what vehicles are still available next week. Buying a car is definitely much worse than buying a computer because I am not even glancing at new cars which means that any car I buy has a story behind it – and probably one that goes untold.
The “plan” at the moment is to return back home to camp tomorrow, but we will see. I look forward to unpacking and being able to finalize preparations for Sunday’s program with the children from church. Thankfully there are many people gracious enough to offer me lodging while I am in the city. I have been very blessed in that way.

A Brief Pass Through Pennsylvania

Although it was a very short trip, I had a good time in PA last week. I spent most of my time with my extended Hess family, all of whom were in the area for my cousin’s wedding. On the 4th of July we went down to the Chesapeake Bay and had the opportunity to water ski. Most of our time during the week was spent chatting (and occasionally having “honesty circles” as my sister would call them). But we found some time to play basketball, Kubb (however it is spelled), and board games. I, of course, got to Black Rock Retreat and visited with the staff, played early morning basketball, and walked the trails. I was able to visit with a few of my other friends during travels to and from the airport or breakfast. The trip made me appreciate again my family and the fact that even the aunts, uncles, and cousins all get along and enjoy hanging out. The cousins are beginning to think it is time for another road trip. I think it might have to include planes this time since 5 of us will be out of the country. I do miss that fellowship when I am in other parts of the world. Yet I was glad that although it is never easy to say goodbye again, I knew that Honduras was where I was to be and not Lancaster, PA. It is strange to leave PA though having no idea when I will return for another visit. Every other time I had at least an idea of when I would be back, but this time I have not a clue.

Musings from the roadways

July 1, 2007

Well, I should be getting used to dogs by now but I still cannot say that they are my favorite. I have been staying at a couple’s home in San Pedro and they have 2 dogs, one of which is quite big. They both want attention which I will sometimes give but not with great excitement on my part. I feel rather bad about that, but…

Yesterday I went to a nearby town to visit a girl who is working with Environmental Education. It took me a while to find her but eventually we met up and went for a hike to a nearby creek and dam. The mountain views and smell of fresh cut pine, made a beautiful setting for a hike. I did come close to facing death on the return hike though when a mango chose the exact moment that I was passing by to fall within a foot of my head. I heard the sound of one plummeting through the leaves and did duck. In the mornings at camp I run through the “graveyard of rotting mangos” where they have all been crushed underfoot omit an odor that is not the most pleasant.

The other lesson I learned while driving to the town of Azacualpa yesterday was that when turning right onto a road you have to look to the right to make sure that no cars are passing from the opposite direction and coming directly towards you. I could have had a close call but thankfully saw the car in time and it pulled back into its lane.

Over the course of my travels this past week I passed many people walking along the highway with loads of firewood on their head or in a cart or perhaps they were on their bike with several people. Often it was in the intense heat of the day or in a downpour. Every time I passed such people, I would feel bad for them and wish that I could stop and offer them a ride. But then I began to realize that one of the reasons I feel bad for them is because what they are doing is so slow. It takes hours to cover a distance that would take minutes in a car. And to me, who is used to moving quickly and trying to be efficient, their long journey appears agonizingly slow. Yet they may actually be content with their pace of life and my offer of “help” might in a sense ruin that contentment. There are times when I am sure help would be appreciated and a very good thing, but I need to change my perspective that the fastest way between Point A and Point B is the best way. (Indeed I do like stairs better than elevators and escalators, but that has more to do with setting my own pace than depending on the pace of the elevator and I like to compete with whoever is taking the “fastest way”). There is a lot to be gained from a more tranquil pace of life. Anyway, I think I have some more processing to do of this whole idea.

Witnessing nature -- and man's effect on it

June 29, 2007

One of the things I have been looking forward to most about going back to PA for a short visit (other than seeing family and friends) is being able to drive at night on back country roads with the windows down. I rarely go anywhere around here at night. Yet last night I left the city later than usual and so as I was returning to camp it was practically dark. (The Williamsons were also returning from the city in another vehicle so I had back up should the vehicle have broken down.) There was a storm brewing too so occasionally I would pass through a rain shower. The sky ahead of me frequently lit up with streaks of lightning that sometimes headed straight for the ground and other times went sideways from one cloud to another. I enjoyed being on the road at night but because of security issues, it is not as wise to do around here.

Over the past week, I have witnessed -- what to me and my North American mentality of public lands – does not make sense. The land immediately alongside of the roads is public property hence people can use it for whatever they want. There has been a large truck moving farther and farther down the road the camp is on digging out soil from areas where the ground has eroded and trucking it out. Currently he is now directly across from camp. Steep banks eroded away, creating patches of bare soil and from here people come and take what they want – thereby causing the banks to erode even further. I think that soil erosion is definitely an issue that I want to address in the Outdoor Education program. I am designing a short program for some children in about 2 weeks and I think I will be tying in the topic of erosion.

A positive change that has been coming about at camp is the return of the iguanas. In the past they were hunted and so had pretty much disappeared. Last week I saw an adult iguana run across a path in the jungle and when I looked further into the brush where it had disappeared I saw a young iguana too. An exciting find.

Life in a zoo?

June 17, 2007

I have begun to feel as if my home or at least the front porch is a zoo. I thought that when I left Black Rock, I might be done with caring for and cleaning up after animals, such as I did for many years in the Nature Center. Ironically some of those same animals now inhabit my house and porch. Last Thursday evening Cindy and I were having our Bible Study when all of a sudden she said, “What was that?” There, under the table was a small tail sticking out from behind the surge protector. I was actually quite relieved to see that it was only a small mouse – the cute kind with the big eyes. I had heard more than enough about rats and cockroaches the size of mice that I could be thankful for just a mouse. We tried to shoo it out but were unsuccessful so for the moment it still resides somewhere inside.

The porch on the other hand is a party each evening when the lights go on. A pair of cane toads, Fred and Elsie, (there is an interesting documentary about how cane toads have affected Australia) show up each evening, probably to hunt the myriad of insects that also gather. The cane toads can reach 20cm in size and seem to almost hiss when you try to shoo them away from the door with a broom. They have glands just behind their eyes that secrete defensive poisons which can irritate if absorbed through open cuts. The insects include large beetles, moths, wasps, and praying mantises. A smaller toad (I am calling Eggbert) also wanders on to the porch from time to time. Then of course there are the geckos, both in and out of the house.

Tradition continues in that wherever I travel, I seem to find the ticks (or they find me). My nickname of “tick magnet” still holds true. Apparently the ticks were not as plentiful here until I arrived. I feel bad for everyone else too. Thankfully the ticks here do not carry Lyme’s Disease so I am better off in that sense.

And finally I am in the middle of a battle with termites. They create long tunnels with dirt that run up the walls. I had ignored them for a while but realized that I needed to start bulldozing the tunnels and so I did. But every time I re-enter the house, a new tunnel (in the same place) is under construction. I think that I am finally winning though they have been very persistent. Perhaps they are finally giving up. I know it’s bad though because I have started to dream about insects.

I have found some more exciting insects out in nature (where they belong), one of which you can see here. Finding out the specific names of the various insects is proving challenging because of the limited resources that I have. I have a lot of internet research to do someday when it is possible.

The adventure of standing in line

June 16, 2007

In comparison to some of the past weeks, this one was less eventful – a good thing. On Thursday Wes and I went back into the city and I began the day at the government office where I needed a card that would allow me to buy a car. We asked questions and I was directed to one of the lines so I proceeded to stand there for the next 2 hours although there were maybe 10-12 people in front of me. It was a long wait, but could have been worse. When I finally got to the window I gave the woman my papers and waited to see what was next. After only a moment she told me that I was in the wrong line and needed to go the next window. I stared at her incredulously unable to believe that I had just wasted so much time. I moved to the end of the next line and though the people seemed to feel sorry for me, no one offered to let me move closer in line. The guy behind me also had to change lines, perhaps because he had followed the same information as I had.

By this time it was almost 12:00 at which time the office would close for an hour. I think that I could have used the hour to get married had I wished. There was a young man next to me in this line and he began to ask me the standard questions –Are you a tourist? Do you have any children? Why not? To the latter question I gave my standard response that I want to be married before having children. I only heard one word from him in his next comment which was Latino? I pretended to not understand but I was pretty sure he asking whether I would consider a Latino. Later in the conversation I pretended ignorance again when he said that it is difficult to get into the US – unless you marry a North American. I hope that I did not understand everything that he said, but I am quite certain that I did. He then asked for my phone number to which I politely declined and said that I do not like to give out my number. The adventures never cease! He did not return to the line after lunch and when I finally got to the window it took about 3 minute, and then I was told to return to another line in 40 minutes for my card. I have yet to figure out why the line moved so slowly in the first place. During the 40 minutes I left and found an internet cafe. A much better use of my time.

Mountain views

June 13, 2007

Today I made a trip up the mountain behind camp to get my allergy shots at a medical clinic up there. I had no idea that there was such beautiful sights outside my “backdoor.” To be up on top of the mountain looking down over valleys and hills of pine forest with occasional dark, menacing clouds, and other times clear blue sky was a delight. Getting up the mountain was a bit of a challenge, especially when we took the wrong road and had to turn around. The fuel injectors on the car are not working right so starting on a hill is nearly impossible. Once at the clinic I got to meet the missionary nurse, Lisa, who lives down in the village. It was neat to have another connection and to hear her perspectives on being a single female missionary in the area. She just adopted two very young children so she is now tied down or she would have been one to explore more of the country with. She has definitely chosen the way of immersing herself almost completely in the Honduran culture and has very few close North American contacts. I look forward to getting to know her better.

Tranquil moments

June 12, 2007

Yesterday as I was driving up the hill to camp, I was impressed by the view – white cumulous clouds contrasted against the blue sky above dark mountains below. It was a moment of being thankful for being in the country once again. Later that evening we had a “delicious” thunderstorm meander through camp. At first I thought I might take a walk in the rain but I did not act quickly enough and soon it was a downpour so I stayed put in the house and simply relaxed – e-mails and a movie.

This morning the electric went off at 5:00AM and by 7:00 it was still off so I was beginning to think it might be another “one of those days.” I was dreading opening the fridge which warms up so quickly. As I was bemoaning the problems I have with my food during these power outages, I was struck with the realization that I need to learn to live in simplicity. I had been talking with one of the Hondurans on staff, Marlene (her name in English) and she was saying how they do not have a fridge. They buy the meat for a meal that day and they do not have leftovers. I, on the other hand, buy my food days in advance and then have to store it through all of the storms that arise. I also cook too much, have leftovers, and then have to preserve them. Part of the problem for me is that buying meat in the town is not a good idea because with all of the power outages it is not easy to trust the quality of it. But I could eat less meat and more beans. I was reminded of the Israelites and the manna that the Lord provided. He instructed them to gather only enough for that day and not to store it up except when the Sabbath came. I do not think that the Lord is telling me to start shopping for my food every morning but I have realized that I have a lot to learn from the people in the villages about simplicity.

Later in the day after my work was done I was relaxing in my hammock that one of the staff helped me to put up. I had planned to journal and read while it was still daylight but Marlene came over to my porch and sat down. We ended up chatting for probably an hour which actually was good. I found out later that her children and others on camp were playing soccer so I was disappointed to have missed out on that game, but this way I got to do more talking. Just as I was headed into my house to prepare supper, the electric went out but it came back on in time for me to use the toaster oven instead of the gas stove. The Willamsons had gone to the city for 2 days and they came back with lots of mail for me. Homemade baked goods and long letters … it was awesome! Every time I have left Lancaster for either a mission trip or even college, I have been so blessed by the support of friends, my family, and my church body. I was challenged to think about how poorly I do at sending little notes and/or gifts to others who are far away from their family and friends.

I am not alone

The following entry includes a bunch of stories from this past week. My perspective during the events was often not the greatest as I simply saw one problem after another -- some bigger than others. But as I look back I can smile and laugh and realize that it was not as bad as I thought while in the midst of the challenges. I hope that you can laugh too. I hope too that most of you cannot identify with the week but I know that we all, whether living overseas or in our hometown, have these challenging days. I am glad that I can learn from the challenges but also look forward to brighter days. I am glad that I was reminded yet again that I am not alone and that I need the help of others -- whether in tangible help, prayer support, or in words of encouragement. God works through people. Okay,here is the saga and I tried not to dramatize it too much.

Perhaps the week started off all wrong when I was making tea and found a tick drowned in my purified water that either came directly out of the bottle or had found its way into the closed pot on the stove. I looked at it, decided I did not want to waste the purified water and simply fished it out with a spoon (which I later used without washing). It was at this point that I thought, "So is this what missionary life is like?" or something to that effect. It was also the beginning of the week when I discovered that though I could hear others when they called me on my cell phone, no one could hear me. And the problem was more than just the fact that I do not talk a lot. Thankfully I got the phone fixed in the village on Wednesday. Little did I know how important it would be to me the next day.

On Thursday morning I headed to the city to do some car shopping and hopefully internet research and to make more contacts. Before I left I grabbed my cooler from inside the freezer and was horrified to see a cockroach inside of it. I thought the freezer would be the last place to find one. Perhaps it crawled in over the weekend when the electric was out and managed to survive the cold. I met up with a Honduran Insurance salesman from the church, Tony. He drove me all around the city for about 6 hours looking at different cars and talking to various people. He had to make a few stops for his business too so I really had no idea when we would be done or what the plan was. Originally I thought that he might take me to one lot and that would be it. By 4:30 we were at his office and I knew that if I was to get home before dark I needed to leave very soon so I asked if he could take me back to the mall where my car was. (actually it is not my car, it is the Williamson's and that was what made the next part of the story worse)

At the mall I had to purchase a phone card and I tried to check and send e-mail but my computer at first would not turn on and then when it did, I could not get on-line. Feeling frustrated, I headed out to the car. As I approached the car I tried to unlock it with the button, but it would not work. Suddenly fear set in because I wondered if I had left the lights on. I had been in a parking garage first thing in the morning and then ended up parking outside later but possibly forgot that the lights were on. Sure enough I opened the door with the key and tried to start the car (thereby setting the alarm off) and not a sound. The alarm kept going off every 30 seconds or so no matter what buttons I pushed. I called back to Cindy at camp and she said she would call 2 families we know here in the city and see if either could help me out. With the alarm going off constantly, the stupidity of my action looming in front of me, and the other stresses of the day (and probably week) I was in tears. There was a guard nearby and he came over and then a man drove his truck over to jumpstart the Patrol. It took a long time to get the battery charged to where it would start and by that time it was too late to head home so I had to ask to stay at someone's house. The one couple was gracious to let me come over and they had a battery charger which was good so I headed across town to their home. Being in the city overnight did have its advantages -- internet, vonage phone, and a chance to calm down. I felt bad about being there though because the other staff had spent the day fighting a fire on the edge of camp and if it flared up again, I wanted to be able to help. Driving alone after dark though was not an option, so I stayed put. And the fires died down even without any rain which was a big answer to prayer. But the next day the adventures continued.

I left the missionaries' home around 8:30 and started down the road but I stopped for gas. The car had started right up previously so it seemed like it would be fine. But at the gas station the car would not start and the alarm kept going off again. I called the couple and they graciously came back to help me out even though they were on their way out of the city. The guys at the gas station helped get the car started but then Mark wanted to check and make sure the battery was charging properly. In the end it was and possibly the problem had been the alarm because apparently if it is going off you cannot start the car until you push the "secret" button.

I decided that I would attempt to run some more errands in the city and pray that the car would work fine. I ended up stopping by the MCC (Mennonite Central Committee)office and meeting a few of the missionaries there (I got a name of a girl who is doing Enviro. Ed. somewhere not too far from me). I then went to lunch because I knew the government office where I needed to go would be closed for an hour. When I got to the office, no one seemed very sure what line I should be in and the line I was in did not move for 15 minutes so I decided not to risk getting up front and discovering I needed to be somewhere else. I just left. I was also exhausted and I knew I would get a headache standing there for several hours.

I then went to try and get internet connection at the mall but that did not work. From there I tried to see if some friends were home and they were not, so I headed to the grocery store -- my last stop. I still wanted to do e-mail while it was free and there is a good connection so I decided to try some parking lots of fast food restaurants because some of them have wireless access. I pulled into one and it did not so I turned right out of the drive onto a side street and headed towards the main street, maybe 200 feet away. I do not remember seeing any signs, but as soon as I got onto the road, I had a feeling that I was on a one-way street. It was wide enough for 2 (or 3) cars so a head-on collision was not really a concern. I cannot remember if I could have turned left into some parking spots along the road but I realized I was practically on the main road so probably the best thing would be to just go and turn right like I needed to. I pulled up to the road and just as I was pulling out, I groaned inwardly because I saw a cop car coming my way. Sure enough they saw me and flashed their lights so I had to pull over. For some reason I was closer to laughter than tears because I could hardly believe that yet another thing had gone wrong. The policemen came up to my car and I tried to explain that I had no idea it was a one-way street but either they did not understand or did not care. I had broken the law but it was very unintentionally. He told me he would have to keep my license till Monday and then I could pay $50 to get it back. I explained that I do not live in the city and so I would not be here to pick up. I think he said I would have 30 days to pay the bill, but all I could think about was that I was not sure I trusted leaving my license with the police. I had not yet talked with the missionaries about what happens when stopped by police so my thought was to get out of their as soon as I could. I also had memories of reading of a friend's encounter with the police and how he just paid them a little money at the moment and they let him go. So I asked if I could pay him now. At first I said $10 and he said no. I then opened my wallet and pulled out all that I had there which was only about $18. (Thank goodness for pockets!) In the end he went to the other side of the car and took the money. Thankfully he gave me the car registration and my passport back but I was worried for a bit. After talking with the missionaries I discovered that when paying the fine you do recieve your license back and so in order to not encourage the corruption in the police, I would be better off retuning later to pay the fine. Now I know.

I then headed to the grocery store and went in the wrong direction, mostly because I listened to what I thought the police said was the way to go. Needless to say I was ready to leave the city. The drive home went fine but I was exhausted and my legs hurt as if I had exercised a lot but it was probably only from the stress and tension. I wish that I could say my time in the city had been productive but I only have a few car leads (one of which is bright yellow and therefore not exactly a vehicle with which I could blend into society at least in the country) and I never ended up being able to do internet research. I did get to speak in Spanish a lot and I also learned that when I live in the city I might be able to join a women's basketball team so there was some good in the midst of the stress.

Saturday morning I went to wash my hands and no water came out of the spicket and I looked at it in amazement. My thought was, "Lord, no! I cannot handle no water right now!" I wondered which I would dislike more in the end -- no water for 48 hours or no electric. Thankfully after asking some other staff I discovered that someone had turned the water off to work on another area. I spent the rest of the day cleaning and trying to relax a bit. I also got to play soccer for the first time since my arrival with some of the staff, roofers, and children. Today (Sunday) was rather uneventful. The biggest disruption to the "norm" came when when one of the camp dogs walked into the area where we were having church this evening and we all gasped and choked because of the overwhelming odor of skunk. She must have taken a direct hit and we also suffered for it. Unfortunately her second entry seemed to distract us all from focusing and Wes had to wrap things up. Quite the week is all that I can say. But I survived and I know that God is still in control and has a plan in the midst of the seeming chaos at times. He is faithful!