Who knew planting could be so hard?

June 28, 2008

I hardly know where to begin in reflecting on this past week at camp with a work team, but I will try to make some progress. Last Sunday a group of youth and leaders from Upland, Indiana arrived at camp to help us with various projects. They were incredibly hard workers and put in long hours. Projects included: digging an 8x8 hole for a septic tank (which I think ended up being bigger in size), digging trenches for footers, making cement, laying blocks, moving lots of dirt, building a retention wall of rocks, planting bushes, and working on the construction of a new ropes course element. I worked mostly with the ropes course element and the planting. Because I had to run back and forth between the two projects I felt like I never really put in much physical labor though I was still tired by the end of the day. Only twice did I find the time to play soccer at the end of the day even though I would have enjoyed playing more.

Along with the group from Indiana there were 13 youth from the church that I attend in the city. The majority were bilingual but a few were not. It was really neat to see the unity develop between the two groups over the course of the week. One turning point seemed to be when for an hour over supper no one was allowed to speak English. Suddenly the Hondurans had the opportunity to be comfortable in their own language and teach those from North America.

*Photo: Lunch with children from a mountain school on Ministry Day.

An interesting experience for me was planting Boganvilia along the fence, just outside of camp. We like the flower to be a border plant, hiding some of the barbwire fence and adding a few thorns to deter entering outside of via the gate. I never knew that there could be so many hindrances to planting though. Three holes into digging on the first day, one of the youth called out saying that he had hit a water pipe with his pick ax and sure enough there was a nice sized hole in the PVC pipe. At first we thought it was the water for the town just down the hill but later one of the Honduran staff said that it goes to the neighboring farm and not the town. Whatever the case, we knew we had to fix it but of course none of us knew how. There was a builder on camp though and within 10 minutes or so he arrived on the scene and with the water still pouring from the hole, he managed to change out a portion of the PVC pipe for a new one. I was impressed.
Yes, they are climbing the mtn in that truck!

Discovering that the water pipe was only 6-8 inches below the surface of the ground caused us to change our planting plan since we would have been in danger of striking the pipe with ever swing of the ax. Shortly after the water pipe experience we encountered lots of biting ants which made working with one’s hands in the soil a bit challenging. Some of the youth became experts at breaking up large rocks with the pick ax. Later in the week a couple of girls came upon some scorpions as they were digging. I think the list goes on of challenges with the planting process but I have forgotten what all I was going to write.

Rushing

June 21, 2008
This week I have been doing lots of "rushing around." More than I like in fact. Within the hour I am headed out to camp for the coming week to help out with the work team that will be there and 2 weekend camps that are going on. I am trying to get e-mails and blog entries caught up before I leave, but it is not happening. Lately I have been spending more time with people than communicating with those far away. I had a coffee with my roommate this afternoon since we really not see much of each other until August. She leaves for the month of July just as I return from camp. So lots of goodbyes and lots of last minute errands. That has constituted much of my week.

Perhaps in the down time at camp before the team arrives I can do some writing to catch up on the events, analogies, and thoughts of this past week but for now, that has to wait. I think it will be a good coming week and I am looking forward to our ministry day with a school from up on the mountain by camp this next Friday. I visited some country schools this past week and am anxious to experience working with them.

What if...?

June 21, 2008

*Note this entry was started last Sunday and is a bit old, but at least I am finally writing it.

I had a very "what if...?" experience yesterday. I have only been back in Honduras for 2 days but the adventures begin. The first adventure is actually a huge praise -- my A/C in the car works again. There is now a strange noise, but there is cold air and for now I am just grateful for that.

Yesterday I had a busy day planned with picking up a friend at the mall, cleaning, laundry, and a basketball game. My roommate Emily had a friend visiting from the States who had arrived late the night before. I had been up late Friday night watching a movie and for once I was able to sleep in until a little after 7:00AM. By the time I got up and was heading out of my room, Emily knocked on my door because she wondered if I was okay and still alive. After a morning run, I came back and did laundry. I was hanging out my laundry when Emily came out to say goodbye before heading off to the beach. Just to give a little description of the house -- we have a little patio off of the kitchen (where I was along with the washer) and then another patio off of the dining room. There is a screen door at the kitchen which Emily was locking and unlocking as she talked to me (though I was unaware of it). She and her friend left and I continued hanging up some laundry but for some reason decided to take some over to the other patio.

I grabbed the door and pulled on it, only to discover that it was locked. In that next brief moment of panic many things passed through my mind. 1.) My cell phone is locked in the house upstairs. 2.) Emily is leaving for the ENTIRE day. 3.) I am supposed to pick up a friend at the mall in about an hour and I have no way to contact him which means he will be stranded (more or less) in the city. 4.) I have no food nor water on the porch though my Bible and journal are here (but no pen). (Could I put chlorine in the tap water and then drink it?) 5.) I wonder if I could climb over the razor wire -- which would actually only lead to some other person's property and another wall to climb over. 6.) There goes playing in my basketball game this evening, and 7.) I wonder if the step ladder would be tall enough to get me on the small roof so I could jump down in the parking area and go in search of my landlords and a key.

Of course all of these thoughts crossed through my mind in just a few seconds and I found myself pounding on the screen door yelling (or so I thought) "Emily!" She had only left a minute ago. Apparently my yells were more like a whimper but Emily heard them through the kitchen window and came back into the house. She was surprised at what she had done and of course claimed it was "unintentional." (And I know that it was). It was an interesting few seconds though as I considered what my day could have been like. In the end I had a good day and made a dent in my list of things to do as well as spent time with friends. I should confess that today, now a week after my being locked on the patio, I locked Emily there this morning too and again, unintentionally. Just as I did, she for some reason decided to re-enter the house before I left on errands and discovered the damage. I really was not seeking revenge though it may have appeared that way. I think we may have to start storing potable water out there and other emergency supplies. I definitely will try for the roof escape route if I get trapped out there and I think it would be a bit of an adventure as long as I did not have to be somewhere within the hour.

In the Air Again

June 12, 2008

I am back in El Salvador with only a short flight yet before I reach my final destination -- Honduras. It will be good to be back. It seems like I have been gone for a long while though it was only a little over a week. I enjoyed the last few days in Florida with my family. It was a laid back time because other than a few little minute shopping, I had no plans other than to visit with my grandparents and other relatives. We chatted, enjoyed meals together, and played a few games but not nearly as much as usual.

This afternoon on my first flight, I was welcomed back into the world of Spanish because I was sitting beside two youth from the Dominican Republic. We chatted off and on, shifting between English and Spanish. They were impressed with my Spanish which to me is rather sad because I know how much it is lacking but apparently most of the people they know only say "Hola" and "Como esta?" It was fun begin the entrance back into Spanish though it will probably take a little time to readjust.

The Wanderings in the States

June 10, 2008

I begin this blog entry from the air as I start the journey southward. I have a few days before I leave for Honduras yet because I will be spending some time with my grandparents and other relatives in Florida. It has been a quick, but good time in PA. I only spent one day at Black Rock which is actually a record since normally I visit there several times, even during a short trip. I would have liked to hang out there more, whether in the woods or with people but I had other priorities during this trip – being with family. From Thursday evening through Saturday evening, I was in northern PA at my parents’ cabin. What a beautiful spot! We went out for a canoe trek on the Pine Creek which ended up being more of a water war than anything else. I was impressed at my sister Val’s agility at hopping in and then tipping other canoes. We made a pretty good team.

I got in a very short hike on the Black Forest Trail with my dad. On the last day we canoed again and this time I took out the one canoe by myself. There were several times when the wind was so strong that it sent me spinning in circles and once I had to jump out and swim with the canoe because I could make no progress in paddling. I watched in awe as a bald eagle swooped behind my canoe with a fish in its talons and a small bird chasing after it. I watched them disappear into the woods and the eagle come to rest on a fallen tree. The little bird kept up its pestering and I was reminded that you have to watch out for the little things. My parents, sister, and I had a lovely moment of miscommunication when we were asking for an explanation of how the ground hog entered the basement (of my dad) and he could not grasp our question because having been in the basement so much, it was obvious to him where the groundhog entered from. But the rest of us were unfamiliar with the basement. We actually were not on the same page with our questions either and did not completely understand one another, even amongst the girls. In the end we all got our point across but it took a while. I realized that miscommunications are not just a cross-cultural issue.

On Sunday I shared in my church, spent more time with family and finally played a game of Ultimate Frisbee again. Monday I visited a few people, began to pack, and enjoyed visiting with other friends and family at a Spring Picnic. Sadly it felt nothing like spring during my whole time in the north. I must have brought the hot weather with me. I wish that I could leave it behind in PA but I know that it will greet me in Honduras too.

After a few days with family in Florida, I will return to Honduras. It sounds like my car’s A/C might be fixed and I will not need the part I ordered here in the States with the intentions of carrying it back. That is good news.

Reflections on Prince Caspian and Travel

June 3, 2008

On Sunday night I made it to the theater to see Prince Caspian at long last. I wanted to see it in the theater and not just at home months later. I realized that I had forgotten much of the story and really should reread the books. There was definitely some food for thought within the movie. I found myself annoyed with Peter and his haughty attitude as well as how he kept taking things into his own hands. He seemed to think past victories were evidence to his ability to fight. He forgot all about Aslan’s involvement. His words, “I think we have waited for Aslan long enough,” were very telling of his intentions to do what he thought best and in his time.

But after seeing the movie, I began to realize that I do the same thing with God sometimes. I think that because I was successful in one area in the past, I can continue with what I did before rather than seeking His counsel and confirmation. And those times when I feel like I am not getting an answer quickly from the Lord, I am tempted to just venture out into the plan that I think best and hope God is also in favor of it. Peter asks Lucy how it is that she saw Aslan and he did not. Her response is that maybe he did not really want to see Aslan. If he saw Aslan, he would be changed and he could not longer follow his own will. And Peter seemed to want to prove that he could be king and free Narnia. He was more concerned about his glory than that of Aslan or maybe even the good of the people. I want a heart like Lucy’s that seeks God’s presence wherever I am and waits expectantly. I want my heart to be soft towards the needs of others and always looking for ways to love. I have so far to go though in letting God more and more transform me into the likeness of His Son.

Thunderstorms seem to be the theme of today’s air travel. Although I have not experienced airport delays because of them, there has been turbulence. On the segment from Miami to Atlanta I could see the huge thunder cloud to my left which we were trying to skirt around. Even going around it though resulted in some shaky moments (nothing serious by any means). I had to ponder storms in life as I saw that cloud. There are those times when our path seems to take us directly through the thunderstorm and we experience the brunt of the winds and rain. Other times though God takes us along the gentler trail where the fiercest trials do not have to be endured. The latter tends to be the “round-about” way though and it takes longer to reach what I may perceive to be my final destination.

On this last leg of my journey we ran into a problem about ½ hour after leaving Atlanta. The weather radar stopped working and since there were thunderstorms ahead, we had to turn around. I was not happy to say the least. I could see myself stuck in Atlanta for the night and although I have family there the stay would be so short it would hardly warrant them driving to the airport to pick me up. I was so anxious to just get to PA that I wanted to say, “Just go ahead and fly there anyway.” Of course I know very little about flying and radars but I did have to think that flying without a radar could mean heading into the worst part of the storm. It is dangerous to fly without direction and knowledge of what is ahead. And for me it is dangerous to move ahead with my own plans if I have not gotten direction from God. I need Him as radar to direct my steps. I am not capable of setting out on my own. Right now the turbulence is such that I should stop typing and put my computer away. It is a good thing we went back and got a new radar even though it means arriving to PA two hours later than scheduled. At least it is the same day and we are safe.

An Assortment of Happenings

June 3, 2008

It has been ages since I last wrote and so much has happened so I really do not know where to begin. I am writing from the air as I take a last minute trip to the States. It was time to see family again. I will have the chance to see quite a few people, including my grandparents in Florida. I am hoping too that either I will carry back with me the part to fix my car’s air conditioning problem or I will get word that the mechanic in Honduras got it and successfully installed it. The latter would be cheaper but I have already waited 2 months for the part to come in and my confidence has been waning.

I think that when I last wrote I was busy preparing for an Outdoor Education program on May 26 which did happen and went well. I found myself very tired after that day because I had spent the weekend training staff and being the hostess for them. It was fun but I was ready for some quiet moments. I cannot thank the Lord enough though for providing the needed staff and that we all got along so well. Before Sunday most of us had been strangers. I learned a lot about what it means to run an Outdoor Education program here in Honduras and the details that I need to improve for next time. It was neat to see the youth excited about experiencing science and God’s creation first hand, rather than just reading about them in a textbook.

Last Saturday (the 24th) the rains began with a vengeance. I was at camp and I discovered water gushing into my cabin through a small hole in the roof. Yesterday we had a big storm in the city and we ended up with a lake in the courtyard area outside our kitchen since the floor drain was not permitting the water to escape.

On Saturday, June 1st, I went to a farewell party for various members of the International Church who are soon leaving Honduras. I was surrounded by gringos and expatriates but I sought out a young Honduran girl who was sitting alone and spent most of the time talking to her. In the evening I had another basketball game which we ended up winning but should not have due to our attitudes and actions. Various team members were swearing and one got kicked out of the game for slapping an opposing team member who supposedly had discreetly hit her. I was ashamed to be on the team because being a “winner” had become a little too important and integrity and character were compromised. I have actually not been present at enough games to play in the championship so that may have been my last game for a while. I want to play for fun and that game was not fun.

The Views from the Highway and More

May 22, 2008

This past week has had its adventures and some good conversations with random people. On Monday I was in the Immigration office to get another 30 day extension for my visa and the girl beside me struck up a conversation. She was from Taiwan so we had to speak in Spanish since neither of us knew the other’s native language. The wait in the line was extra long this time so it was neat to have someone to talk to and to realize how small the world is since her friend had just met Wes who I work with on Saturday. It seems like she does not know too many people in San Pedro so I think I will try to invite her to a get together some time with friends. Today I talked with the girl helping me to laminate various items in the Internet Cafe and it was good too.

On Wednesday I left camp and headed to the town of Copan Ruins to meet up with a group from Houghton College and my professor from years ago. I almost thought I would not get to leave camp because the smell of smoke was heavy and we were afraid that there was a fire near by. Later that night after I had left, Cindy saw the glow of flames on the hill where the fires came from last year. But that night it rained and so today the camp seemed safe – at least until the farmers re-ignite the fires since it did not burn as much as they wanted.

My journey to Copan was very interesting. Here are a few of the random sights I saw.
· A pick-up truck piled high until the goods towered probably a full 15 feet above the cab. (I was thankful it was stationary because it looked like it could tip over in a heartbeat.)
· Two dogs that charged on to the highway to attack my car (a SUV no less)
· Speed bumps the color of the road so there was little warning that they were present until I hit them.
· A washout in the highway that had left a gaping hole in the opposing lane and was marked only with a faded yellow “Alto” (Stop) on the road.
I know there were more unique sights but those are the only ones I can remember. Last night I met up with the Houghton group and had dinner with them. In the middle of the night though I woke up very sick. Whatever I have been battling for weeks with regard to stomach problems, peaked and so today I have done very little but rest and prepare for the weekend and Monday. Two Houghton students return to camp with me tomorrow to help out with the Outdoor Education Day that we have on Monday. I am praying that all goes well and that it is a good learning time for students and teachers alike. (I know that it will be very much a learning experience for me too.)

Relaxing in Sigua

May 18, 2008

After doing some work on Saturday my roommate Emily and I headed out of San Pedro to the town of Siguatepeque to visit a few of my friends, many of whom are leaving next month when their school year ends. We had a leisurely drive (well, I can say leisurely because I was not the one driving and dealing with the crazy passing) to Sigua and stopped at the lake on the way to catch a glimpse of the sun setting. In the evening we went to a birthday party with the teachers and hung out talking. Today we had many ideas for what we could do but no one could really decide what would work best given the time constraints. In the end we stopped up at the camp Cerro de Luz so I could pick up a tool for the ropes course and began a little volleyball game. I had been wanting to play volleyball for weeks so it was a treat for me to at least be able to do one spike. We were invited to lunch so we stuck around and then I taught everyone one of my favorite games, Ticket To Ride. Although I have only visited with this group of friends three times, I appreciate their openness, hospitality, spontaneity, and fun-loving nature. I think it was a good way to relax before entering into a busy couple of days.

The Adorable Treasure

May 17, 2008

Travel and wildlife would probably be the two words to capture this past week. I made three trips to camp within a week’s time so I had a lot of time on the road. At the moment I am on the road again as my roommate and I are headed to Siguatepeque to see some of my friends and pick up a tool I need for the ropes course. During my time at camp I had some good times of chatting with the staff and awesome wildlife spotting. On Thursday afternoon I had just returned from town when the maintenance staff flagged me down to show me two young owls that were sitting on one of the branches of the large pine tree that had just been cut down. The owls seemed scared and unsure of what to do considering they had sat on the same branch for 2 hours enduring the noise of a chain saw and presence of machetes. I had never seen such adorable little owls so close up. The mother did not seem to be around and most likely their home had been destroyed with the chopping of the tree.

We decided to transfer the owls (they appear to be Least Pygmy Owls which means they never get more than about 7 inches) to a makeshift cage on the Williamson’s house, not with the intention of forever keeping them but to give them protection from potential predators. We left the top of the cage open so that they could leave. During the night the one disappeared and the other was found on the ground outside the cage. We are hoping that the mother came and somehow took the weaker one with the intention that the stronger one then follow (that is what tigers do). I did see the mother later that day so perhaps she came for the second baby that next night. I just wanted to hold them and keep them forever though because of how adorable they were. A very fun glimpse of another part of God’s creation.

On Tuesday I dropped my car off at the shop to get the electric system fixed so that my headlight would work again. With my car in the shop I worked from the church office, the plus of which was air condition all day. When I went back to the shop late afternoon for my car, it was not back yet and so I talked with the wife of the mechanic and then his daughter. During the brief conversation with the daughter, I discovered that she teaches Environmental Education at a University and is often looking both for field trips and for people to share in her classes. Although I do not think she is a Christian and at the moment a possibility for staffing, it was a good connection. I was glad to realize that my car troubles were not completely in vain in that I another door has opened because of it.

Currently I am in the waiting phase as I try to figure out if a high school can really come for Outdoor Education on May 26. I hate that everything is so last minute but there is not much choice if I want to give them a chance to come this school year yet. I am hoping that they come because it would be great to have the chance to run our own program, according the schedule that we put together. Some Houghton College students will probably be helping me out for Monday’s program which will be fun too. So I just have to wait and see what happens this week while all the while finishing up preparations for the group.

Baking Cakes and Disliking Cars

May 11, 2008

I am beginning to feel as if I could keep track of the weeks by the events of my car. Friday I got a nice crack in the windshield from a flying rock and yesterday I discovered that a headlight is out. The good news though is that my dashboard lights to work and there was not a burnt out fuse. I somehow dimmed the lights with a knob on the dash and never realized it.

Last week I was busy trying to get the details together for a school group to come to camp the end of this month. I am hoping it all works out but they still need to get permission from an Educational Board or something like that. I am going ahead with planning for them to come though I may discover last minute that it does not work. Vamos a ver. (We will see)

Friday I headed out to camp where I stayed for not even 24 hours before returning to the city with Ellie, the oldest Williamson. She is here with me for the rest of the weekend as a belated birthday present for her. While she went to youth group, I started to make the cakes for our meal together as a staff for this evening. (By the way, Mother's Day is a much bigger celebration here in Honduras and is really not complete without a cake, gifts, and a very distinct celebration). I had the cakes mixed up and turned on the oven but after a minute or so I looked in the oven and saw that it had gone out. We have a gas stove and on Friday Cindy had been asking me how long our chimbo (tank) of gas had lasted. I had expressed my surprise that it had lasted 4 months and said I hoped it did not run out at an inconvenient time. Well, it had run out. I only had about 40 minutes till I was supposed to pick Ellie up again and the cake had to bake for 30.

I have one friend who is house-sitting nearby so I called him up and took the cakes over there. I still did not have time so I had to leave the one for him to take out later. I still have not made the frosting though and I am not sure when or how I will do that. If I would buy a pre-made frosting, I would not have a problem, but I really do not like that kind and it is too easy (I am quite certain something could still go wrong though). What I want to make is a carmel frosting so I may attempt to carry everything to camp and make it there. Because it is Sunday, I do not think I can replace the chimbo. That will have to be a task for tomorrow. I guess that there are advantages to electric stoves but I do still like the gas ones.

The Unthinkable

May 8, 2008

I did the unthinkable this week (besides staying up late so many nights in a row). I have always claimed that I do not like seafood and it is true. But Monday night I went to a Japanese Sushi restaurant with some friends and their visiting friends, and I of course ordered chicken. When we were finished eating though, there were still a few of the sushi rolls left and so I decided to try one (but without raw fish). The cream cheese covered up most of the fishy flavor but not completely and it did not really disguise the seaweed. The worst part though was that just before I took a bite of that which I thought was fish, I discovered it was eel. But I took a bite anyway, only for the sake of being able to say I had eaten eel. It was only after the fact that someone told me that eels carry lots of parasites and the one guy said I would probably get sick. Well, I did, although I do not think I can exactly blame it on the seafood since my stomach has not been right for a while. I plan to stick with chicken.

In Search of the Camera

May 7, 2008

The real adventure of the vacation was the day we hiked to see the La Ruidosa Waterfall. At the last minute I found a guide to take us since we were not sure about the quality of the trail or how isolated it was. It turned out to be very well maintained and a guide was not really necessary but he provided some interesting facts. I learned that termites (of which we have an abundance at camp) are good for insect repellant if you rub them all over yourself. I may try it because nothing else keeps the mosquitos away. This guide, Efrain, was the second person in two days to tell me that termites are rather tasty and so I decided to try one. The first person had said that they tasted like carrots but it was more like wood to me.

All was going well on the hike (we were hoping for about 2 hours of hiking since we had to head back to the city the same day) until we reached one of the last bridges before the waterfall. I saw a lovely flower along the path and decided to take a picture. Shana had my camera and in the process of passing it off, the camera somehow fell and though we were still on the trail, the camera fell into a small hole at our side. And as we reached down for it, it continued to tumble and plummeted into the darkness. I watched the whole thing as if in slow movement and in horror wondered how we could retrieve it. To me, it sounded as if it had fallen all of the way to the creek bed.

The guide and I scrambled down under the bridge to look for it while Shana checked out the hole. Efrain proceeded to crawl under a huge boulder that created a cave like area and went to the far corner to search for the camera. As he did so the bats flew out and about, clearly disturbed at having someone in their home. I decided that I should be willing to risk getting dirty or attacked by bats for the sake of my own camera so I attempted to cross over to the “cave”. The problem was that I was moving too quickly and did not notice the water until I stepped in it. Wet shoes, uugh! Efrain found nothing in the far corner but came out filthy, completely covered in dirt. He went off to search for another hole while I tried to check out his previous spot. I avoided getting dirty though. There were many small crevices, and I did not fancy the idea of sticking my hand into a dark hole in a country where venomous snakes are prolific.

I returned to the upper hole and looked in it again trying to judge where the hole would lead to. The probability of the camera having fallen in the hole in the first place was so small and now the chance of finding it was even smaller. My flashlight, of course, was back in the car and not with me. (Why do I never learn to carry it no matter what?) My cell phone was there too so I could not even use it for light. We were all praying by this point (or at least we girls). I knew that the camera was replaceable but not the photos stored on it. The question was, how much time and effort was it worth to search for it?

We tried calling into the hole to hear where the sound went and also threw pebbles down into it but nothing seemed to help. At long last Efrain said that he saw the camera way down in a hole. But when he tried to access the hole from one of the crevices, he found that he could not crawl into the area. That meant it was my job to crawl in. Since it was my camera I could hardly complain. And so I entered the little cave, crawling deeper and deeper into the darkness. Small shafts of sunlight reached me from the gaps between the rocks – enough that I could see the spiders scurrying in front of my face. I had to ask myself, is this worth it? I knew that a spider, scorpion, or snake could bite me and inflict much damage. But still I pressed on (praying all of the way). Efrain had entered back into the hole from which he first saw the camera and so he tried to guide me as I felt around. I could see nothing. He eventually got his cell phone which gave a little more light. I held dearly to it, not wanting another missing electronic. His instructions were pointing me to a hole in which I could see nothing, but finally I put my hand in it and reached around, positive that I would find something nasty there. I certainly did not have much hope when it came to the camera. But low and behold as I fingered the rocks and dirt, my fingers suddenly touched cold metal, and I pulled up the camera. What relief and joy! I quickly passed him his cell phone so as not to be responsible for it and began to worm my way out of the crevice since by now I had been completely swallowed up by the darkness. While I was exiting I heard Efrain exclaim that he had dropped his cell phone. My thoughts immediately turned to prayers and thankfully he found the phone within seconds. There was one moment when I feared I might not be able to get out but I changed positions/angles and crawled out.

I was now filthy too though still not to the degree of Efrain. It seemed as if the search had taken close to 40 minutes. So much for our intended two hours of hiking. We continued on and soon came to the falls which were beautiful and worth the journey. The camera, by the way, at first did not work because the shutter would not open but after prying it open twice, it was fine and is still working. Even as I re-wrote this story a second time I realized the life applications when I think of my time in the cave. I was reaching for something I could not see and having to trust the guide that he had actually seen the camera though I had my doubts. Sometimes I feel the same way with God’s directions because I cannot see the end or the outcome of what He is saying. But He can and He knows exactly where and why I am putting my hand in a certain place. He knows whose lives I will touch and whose lives will touch me. Even in the dark I am not alone and He guides me.

To Roatan and Back Again

April 23, 2008

Sunday was the day to travel to the island of Roatan and our plan was to take the public bus since it was cheaper and my A/C still was not working the best. Emily dropped us off at the big bus terminal and we began the search for our bus-line. But after twenty minutes we still had not found it. Several other companies tried to get us to take their “direct” buses (otherwise known as the “Chicken” bus since chickens could very well be your companions). The bus I had hoped to take was a coach but without A/C. When I asked the one company if their buses were school buses, the worker said “no, they are nice buses” but a man standing nearby said, “School buses.” We completely looked like tourists by this point with our backpacks wandering around the station. I even tried calling the bus company but they could not even tell me where they were located within the station so I decided they were not too concerned about their sales. At last I said forget it and Emily came back and got us and we drove. It was a three hour drive which can make for a long day since you have to be so focused on the driving and forever passing the trucks going 30mph. But we arrived in La Ceiba and were stopped at a checkpoint where the policeman so kindly told us (after seeing 3 American girls in the car) that we were going to be robbed. Thankfully he was wrong.

A really neat turn of events was that we were able to meet up with a pastor in La Ceiba whom my pastor had mentioned to me that morning at church. I called him to ask for directions to the ferry and we ended up meeting he and his family at Wendy’s. He offered to drive us to the dock and then stored my car at his house, thereby saving us the parking fee. Upon our return to the city he graciously drove us around so that my friend could see all the places her parents had lived and worked years ago. He was ready to give us his entire day even though I am sure he had many other things to do. I do love that part about this culture.

I always have prided myself on not having trouble with motion sickness and boats, but the ferry ride almost changed that. You know it is going to be bad when they pass out bags to every passenger before you even leave the port. Thankfully we reached the island before I could be too sick. In Roatan we pretty much relaxed, wandered around the one town, ate (awesome Coconut Smoothies), marveled at the sunset, and played a game of Settler’s. It was a good way to spend a birthday – if snow is not an option.

The Beginnings of the Travels

May 4, 2008

Over a week later I finally get to writing about my travels. But it is not all bad that it took so long because it means that I made spending time with people a priority over writing. Whether it was doing a puzzle with friends, playing Dutch Blitz, or enjoying another birthday dinner, I was hanging out with others. And tonight Emily and I are planning to have company for pizza and games. Perhaps I will finally get to teach some of my favorite games – Ticket to Ride and Settler’s of Catan.

But now for the adventures – in stages of course so that they are not overwhelming. In spite of the protests that took place around San Pedro, my sister Shana and friend Janine and I were able to go directly from the airport to my apartment. From there we headed out to camp for a few days. At camp we did a little painting on the Williamson’s house and visited with the staff. We looked for wildlife but did not see too much. On Saturday the two Honduran maintenance staff took us to a hot springs way up in the mountains, almost on the border of Guatemala. The drive itself was enough beauty to make the trip worthwhile. It was about an hour and a half on dirt roads, crossing creeks (and one river), and battling with some mud. We saw a tree full of toucans and some beautiful crimson-collared tanagers. The hot springs were not as exciting as I had hoped, but it was okay.

When we got back to camp, Shana and I were greeted with a “tropical” Birthday party complete with grass skirts and tamales. I was blessed by the excitement of the staff in giving me such a party and it was fun to share it with my sister again. Several of the guys convinced me to stay around long enough to play a short game of soccer so we did that and then the girls and I headed off to the city. We were planning to go out to eat with my roommate Emily. I was very non-committal in where or when but at last we decided on an Italian restaurant that had pizza (which has always been a birthday tradition).

We had just settled down to order when Cindy Williamson walked in with a few containers that I had left at her house. Moments later a whole crowd wandered in and yelled, “Surprise.” This time I was very surprised. I had expected the staff at camp to do something but I certainly did not expect the Williamsons to appear in the city 2 hours after I just saw them at camp. We had a good mal and then went back to the apartment for a mango-strawberry pie (delicious!). A fun day of birthday celebrations even though the real day had not yet arrived.

Time Flies By... And it Crawls

April 30, 2008

It is hard to believe that it was a year ago to this date that I arrived in Honduras. In some ways the time has gone quickly, in some ways not so much. I write this from camp where I am finding myself for an extended stay due to a new car problem. The mechanic said he should be able to get the part in the city this morning and by afternoon I can be heading there myself but I am not so convinced the find will be so easy. And tomorrow is a holiday so I may be here for quite a bit longer. The discouraging part was that I was to have a meeting with a Science teacher today in order to set up a one day program for the end of May. That will have to be rescheduled for Monday. As far as food and clothes go I did not exactly come prepared for so many days on camp, but I am surviving and getting some food from the Williamson’s. At least this time I remembered to bring the Toaster Oven to camp so that I would have a method for cooking in my own home.

Last night I set out to heat up leftovers but just before I put the food in the toaster over the electric began flickering and finally went off. I had hoped to eat alone and have some time for reading but I got my food together and trudged over to the Williamson’s. Just as I arrived the electric came on but I stayed because it was not worth turning around only to experience a power outage again. This morning I attempted to make pancakes in the toaster oven in the form of a small loaf of bread. It actually turned out okay. I also heated up water for hot chocolate which very enjoyable. For some reason my cold shower was extra cold this morning and my fingers were white and without circulation. You would have thought it was winter and I had been tubing.

Since Wes is back with their car I can at least get into town to send some e-mails which is good. If I do end up staying another night, I hope to get over to the Honduran families’ houses and visit with them as well as catch up on my blog. Lofty goals knowing how things go.

Back to Work

April 28, 2008

So I am back to work and vacation is over. I actually started back on Friday. My vacation was a good time and I have several stories to blog but I did not get them written this weekend as I had anticipated. I have many pictures to post as well.

Currently I am out at camp but when I return to the city tomorrow or Wednesday I have at least one meeting with a school to look at them bringing a group of students to camp the end of May. It is exciting but lots to do before then. So I hope to post more here within the next few days of the adventures and lessons I experienced.

Waiting It Out

April 17, 2008

In my life I have had to wait out many a storm --from on a hillside under a tarp far from my backpack with metal rods to inside a house with real protection. In either case the key was waiting. Today I am waiting again, but not on a thunderstorm. Today is the day of the nationwide protests here in Honduras, intended to paralyze the nation. I thought they would not happen because the new driving law had been revoked but as it turns out the protests have to do with wanting changes throughout the country in laws, food and gas prices, and social reform. Because my sister and friend arrive today from the US, I am camping out near the airport in case the roads are closed off. Thankfully I did not have to use a tent but have been able to stay with a girl from my basketball team in the town of La Lima. She lives in a secure neighborhood which is good because everyone else says to stay away from this town. I arrived after dark, in the rain so I could not see much.

From what I read on the internet this morning it seems like the airport should be operating as normal today. A lot of schools cancelled classes for today in expectation of the closed roads. According to the news this is supposed to be a non-violent protest. (By the way any spelling errors or missprints I am crediting to the fact that while I type I am listening to a 3 year old chatter away in an English, splattered with a Spanish word here and there, that I cannot understand.) My hope is that the girls can arrive without problem and then we can either hang out in the airport or La Lima for a couple of hours until the protesters desert the roads. If it is too late by that point, we will stay in the city at my apartment and head out to camp in the morning. Basically we will wait and see what happens. Like I am doing with most of this vacation. Still no reservations anywhere.

Last night I had a panic moment as I was following my friend to her house. We were in downtown San Pedro and all of a sudden I heard honking beside me and looked over to see two policemen on a motorcycle motioning me to pull over. I did not fancy the idea of pulling over in that part of town nor could I think of what I had done wrong. Nonetheless I pulled over and discovered that they simply wanted to see who was in the car since I have very tinted windows and it was rather late at night. Thankfully they let me go without a problem.

The Little Joys

April 15, 2008

The joy of a heavy rainfall! During the rainy season another day of rain can bea bit dreary, but at this time of year the rain is lovely both because it is a break from the intense sunshine and because it causes the temperatures to drop significantly. And so I am enjoying this new rainfall. Of course there is always the problem of wanting to just curl up with a book and stay in bed, but that is not an option for today. Today is the day of getting my extension that will allow me to stay for another month in the country. I am praying that the laws are the same as they were 3 weeks ago and that I can get the extension without a problem.

I had a good weekend with a variety of activities. On Saturday morning I at long last walked to the grocery store (about 1/2 mile away) and bought my groceries. I have wanted to do that ever since moving to the apartment but the timing had never worked out. I later decided that doing the walk to and from the store perhaps was not the best way to prepare for the basketball game that afternoon, but I do not think it affected my energy level. The game was fun, even though we lost rather signifcantly. After the game though my heart was a little heavy because I sensed there were a lot of tensions based on the amount of playing time various people had or did not have. I did not play as much as I wanted but that is the way games go and since I was not making my shots, what could I expect? Still I feel like there is a lack of unity and comradeship in the team.

After our game I was watching another game and began to talk with one of the players and her mom. From our conversation I discovered that she is a writer and teacher and has an interest in ecology. When she heard that I am writing lesson plans in Spanish which need edited, she volunteered to do so. I was excited to have someone volunteer to do so because it could be a chore otherwise. In talking I learned that she is Catholic, but does not consider herself very religious. I am not sure that she really knows Jesus and so I am praying that in reading the lessons, which each have a spiritual application, and through our conversation, questions will arise that will cause her to seek to know Him.

Sunday I experienced Communion for the first time at the Spanish church. Later that afternoon I headed out to camp where I fellowshipped with the staff and stayed until Monday afternoon. It had been a while since I wandered around in the woods at camp. I was delighted to find a plethera of birds once again -- 2 Keel-billed toucans, 4 woodpeckers (a species I had never before seen nor can I yet identify), orioles, a parrot (the first I have seen in the wild at camp), Montezuma Orpendolas, a Turquoise-Browed Motmot, and many others. Such beauty when I take the time to slow down and look.

The Good News and The Bad News of a Week

April 11, 2008


It has been a week of good news and bad news. The good news is that the Supreme Court judged the law "Hoy no Circulo" (Today I do not circle, or drive) unconstitutional, hence it has been revoked. Sadly the government spent a lot of money on manufacturing the stickers and then staffing the many different booths that distributed them. I did not notice any difference in the number of cars on the road Tuesday or Wednesday when the law was still in effect. My life is made much easier by being able to drive on Mondays again though I do want to be conscientious and not drive when it is not necessary. A big frustation has been that all of the streets in my neighborhood suddenly became One-Way streets overnight, but not all of the intersections are marked so you really do not always know which way you can go. Because of this police have been standing out at the intersections to direct people. In general though people just drive which ever way they want to and I find it tempting to do the same. There seems to be little rhyme or reason as to which streets go which way and so to get my apartment I sometimes have to go 4 blocks out of the way. It does not seem to be designed to help the country save on gas.

The bad news -- my car is proving to be very difficult to repair because the parts are so hard to come by, both here in Honduras and in the US (something I should have investigated better before buying the vehicle -- I obviously had not done too much car shopping before). The air compressor is not working for my A/C so I took it in to get it fixed. The mechanic told me that they have not been able to find the part and he has been looking for over a week. Since I already cannot operate the windows in such a way as to get a cross breeze, driving in the city gets to be very hot. On the highway the A/C seems to partially work. I am ready to get rid of this car and find something with less issues but that is much easier said than done. Whether we can find a part in time for my sister to bring it from the States, I am not sure but I need to figure out some solution to these car problems and so I am praying for some wisdom. In talking with other missionaries though I am realizing that any car repair here in Honduras tends to take a while to resolve. While in the US the mechanic will be the one to find the necessary part, here the car owners often have to go out and shop around for the part. The mechanics do not want to be held responsible if a part does not fit. From what I understand my mechanic is doing the searching but maybe I should be out visiting shops. At any rate, any car I would own would pose similar problems when there was a repair needed. And due to heat, humidity, and quality of roads, repairs are more frequent here. Perhaps I can learn more about cars and at least diagnosing them from my experiences this car.

As for other events of the week, I had some good time at camp before returning to the city where I have been continuing translation of materials to Spanish and writing new lesson plans. In the evenings I had several basketball practices and now tomorrow we have our first game. I went to a Thai Restaurant with a Honduran friend who spent some time in Thailand just after I visited there. Since I love Thai food the restaurant was a fun find. The food had a rather Caribbean flare to it, but I still enjoyed it. This morning before work I had a good chat with Emily (my roommate) and was reminded of what it means to be captivated by the Lord and seeking His face, not just answers from Him. It was a very timely conversation and I am thankful for what the Lord taught me through it.