August 30, 2010
Jumping back to Friday, I returned to my apartment in the morning and decided to try and get a little more sleep. As I was moving the bedspread, I discovered that it was all wet where it touched the floor and that there was water all along the bed. There was a watermark on the ceiling that I did not recognize from before but I could not remember for sure. It has rained all night and though my window had been closed, I wondered if the rain had been the culprit. I quickly cleaned it up and settled in for a morning nap. Perhaps twenty minutes later I heard the sound of dripping water. I looked up to find water pouring out from around a light set in the ceiling. It was clearly not rain because the skies had cleared up and the smell of the water told me it was not the cleanest water. I called the people I rent from and they placed a call to the owner. Meanwhile I decided to go upstairs and find out what kind of water was seeping into my bedroom. A maid answered my knock and when I told her how water was coming into my apartment, she said that she would talk to her employer but they had been running water in the kitchen. Many kitchens or laundry rooms have what is called a "pila" and is where water can be stored and then taken out to use for scrubbing laundry etc.... They are more common to have on a patio than in an enclosed apartment.
In talking with those in charge of my apartment, I discovered that the owner would be coming by in the afternoon so I changed my plans around to make sure I was present. And in the meantime I had more cleaning and laundry to do than I had planned.
The issue was not resolved when the owner came since the cause seems to be the apartment upstairs. To fix the problem (and now the ceiling) will take some time as said the ownner today and so she will probably wait until I am out of town for a while. I spent the weekend in one of the other bedrooms since I was not sure the upstairs neighbors would refrain from using their pila or get the issue fixed. I think I will stay put for a few more days since I do not fancy waking up to dirty dripping water.
Thankfully the rest of my Friday went well even though I was in the kitchen. The bread and other food turned out well and I enjoyed visiting with a friend that evening over her birthday dinner. The best part of the day though was getting news from another missionary friend that a situation I had been praying about worked out well and a friend had taken the confrontation calling her into accountability well.
Looking back on Friday with a Monday perspective, I see that my "disasters" are still so minor compared to many others. Today one of my co-workers had important documents stolen out of car while it was parked in front of La Casa. The other week someone stole the registration card out of our micro-bus. Those are situations with even more headaches than my leak which I am ultimately not responsible for. As things continue to happen that slow down ministry and program or discourage the staff, it does seem that there is spiritual warfare going on. Actually spiritual warfare is always going on, sometimes it is just more intense than other times. These past seven months I feel like I have seen a lot more of the warfare than at other times in my life. And so I realize even more the importance of wearing the armor of God and being equipped, praying in all occasions. Of course that is all much easier said than lived out, but I pray that the Lord will give me the strength that I need to stand firm in trials and to be a support to those around me.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Who Knew Sisters Could Carry On a Conversation in Their Sleep
August 29, 2010,
This past week I spent two nights at La Casa de Mi Padre while one of the tias was on vacation. I ended up with the four girls, ages 7-10, who also happen to be four of the most rambunctios girls. On Tuesday Claudia turned 8 and so she was flying high all day. Unfortunately it did not cut down on her tattling and fighting with the other girls and so lots of bickering happened between the girls. That night after a crying spell by one of the girls, they all slept pretty well, as did I. Thursday night for me was another story.
Thursday afternoon we had a group session with the girls to talk about how they were feeling with regards to the upcoming changes with one tia leaving and their tia moving to work with an older group. Every group session with them is one of a kind because most of them are in another world and ask questions that make you wonder if they have any idea what is going on. That afternoon was no different but we finally wrapped up the group with them excited to do one last excursion with their tia in the next weekend or so. Their desire is a sleepover at the house parents home. I thought of inviting them to my apartment but their is so much glass and their energy level so high, it might be dangerous.
Anyway that evening I had offered to wake up the medium girls at 4:00AM to start their showers even though my did not have to get up until 5:00AM. I had the whole day off on Friday so I figured I could afford an hour less of sleep more easily than the other tia on duty. Well, I discovered that I was awake at nearly every hour that night for some reason or another. One of the thing I noticed was lots of noises coming from the girls. The sisters, Abby and Erika, were frequently talking in their sleep and at least once I am pretty sure that they talked to each other. At 3:00AM I was so hungry from having been awake too much that I went downstairs to eat some oatmeal I had there. 4:00AM finally came and then 5:00AM. By 6:30AM the children were off to school and I was on my way home to rest at the apartment -- or so I thought. I will explain the new disaster in the next blog entry.
A Birthday Dinner
August 29, 2010
Since I could not be a part of my nephew's one year birthday party that took place today in Millersville, I will take the moment to catch up on a birthday that I did participate in last week. Last Sunday I invited the six Hernandez children to my apartment for the afternoon and dinner. They are still suffering from the loss of their little sister just over a week before and so I wanted to give them the opportunity to get away from La Casa and experience something different. The children range in age from turning 8 to 21 years old. As soon as they arrived at my place, they wanted to watch TV. But for me, to let guests watch TV for their entire stay (really any of it to be exact) makes me feel like a horrible hostess. Instead I got them all involved in the game of "Imagine If" in which I tried to translate the cards to Spanish -- on the spot. It went pretty well considering the constant translation.
Afterwards I let them watch a little TV while I finished in the kitchen with dinner preparations. Two of the girls decorated the birthday cake that I had made for Claudia who was turning 8 on Tuesday. We enjoyed a Mexican lasagna and then the cake and ice cream. Claudia was all smiles as she got to blow out the candles and enjoy her very own cake. Right after dinner we had to head back to La Casa, but it was a fun afternoon. One of the older girls told me that she wants to play the game with the older girls someday so I will try to work on translating the cards for real or better yet see if I can find the game in Spanish and then somehow get it down to El Salvador.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Minor Disasters
August 21, 2010,
I find it interesting that after seeing victory on Thursday evening in that we at La Casa de Mi Padre saw that God is going to bring good out of the terrible death of the young sister of children here at the home, my last day and a half have been filled with one problem after another. What is up?
Thursday evening and Friday we, as a staff, discussed the hope and faith that we have -- that which was intended for evil, God will use for good and for His glory in the lives. I am excited to see what God does in the lives of the children in the months to come. Tomorrow they come to my apartment for some food and fun. Considering there are 6 of them from age 7 to 21, it should be fun.
But beginning last night,I have encountered one disaster after another.(I recognize that the word "disaster" is a bit strong, but oh well.) After work on Friday I stopped by the grocery store and had checked out all of my groceries and pulled out my credit card but suddenly realized that my ID was not where it usually is. And there is no use of a credit card without ID. I went out to my car to look for it but in vain. I scrounged up what little money I had on hand and paid for 3 of my 20 some groceries. I then rushed home (as well you can in Friday evening San Salvador traffic) because I was sure that I had a Skype call for my class at 6:30. when I finally arrived home, I pulled out the chicken I had bought to prepare it for throwing in the soup I was going to make. I noticed a foul smell in the one piece but thought that maybe it was okay. Once I started boiling the chicken, I realized that it must be bad and so I had to throw it all out.
It turned out that I was wrong about the date for the phone call so I waited around the apartment for nothing before heading out to the store to go pick out my groceries once again. I then prepared a few things for the cooking I was to do today, but really I just wanted to sleep.
Saturday morning dawned rainy, but that was okay with me since I was planning to stay inside most of the day I walked out to the kitchen and discovered glass all over the floor. One of the glasses had fallen from the dish drain and shattered everywhere. As I was cleaning that up, I neared the freezer and discovered that the freezer door was cracked open and realized with horror that it was like that all night. Only the fruit in the door had begun to thaw out, but I was apalled at having wasted so much energy.
I proceeded to make my yogurt, which mostly went well. Mid-morning I headed out to go to the market for some fruits and veggies. I grabbed my keys and walked down the 4 flights of stairs to the parking lot. As I neared my car I looked down at my keys and realized that I did not have my car key. And yet it had been with the others when I picked them up at the door. I climbed back up the stairs and began to look around the apartment and in all of the bags that I was carrying. Nothing. Thankfully I found one of my spare keys, but I realized that I was not too happy to not know if I had dropped the key where someone else could have picked it up (even though only about 3 minutes transpired between my descent and ascent on the stairs). As of now I still do not know where the key and the remote to the car are.
Shopping was uneventful (thankfully)except that I do have to return a pan at some point because I discovered that it is already rusting and it was never used. Here in El Salvador returns are not so easy nor guaranteed like in the USA. I then spent much of the day baking and preparing some food for tomorrow with the children. I discovered the the muffins pretty much flopped but at least the birthday cake for one of the girls seems to have turned out okay.
The day is almost at a close and I pray that nothing more happens. I did not think I was stressed or over tired even though it has been a rather intense week. Maybe I am a little more out of it than I had realized. I am glad that as Anne Shirley says in "Anne of Green Gables", "Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet." And even better is God's Word which talks of God's mercies being new every morning.
I find it interesting that after seeing victory on Thursday evening in that we at La Casa de Mi Padre saw that God is going to bring good out of the terrible death of the young sister of children here at the home, my last day and a half have been filled with one problem after another. What is up?
Thursday evening and Friday we, as a staff, discussed the hope and faith that we have -- that which was intended for evil, God will use for good and for His glory in the lives. I am excited to see what God does in the lives of the children in the months to come. Tomorrow they come to my apartment for some food and fun. Considering there are 6 of them from age 7 to 21, it should be fun.
But beginning last night,I have encountered one disaster after another.(I recognize that the word "disaster" is a bit strong, but oh well.) After work on Friday I stopped by the grocery store and had checked out all of my groceries and pulled out my credit card but suddenly realized that my ID was not where it usually is. And there is no use of a credit card without ID. I went out to my car to look for it but in vain. I scrounged up what little money I had on hand and paid for 3 of my 20 some groceries. I then rushed home (as well you can in Friday evening San Salvador traffic) because I was sure that I had a Skype call for my class at 6:30. when I finally arrived home, I pulled out the chicken I had bought to prepare it for throwing in the soup I was going to make. I noticed a foul smell in the one piece but thought that maybe it was okay. Once I started boiling the chicken, I realized that it must be bad and so I had to throw it all out.
It turned out that I was wrong about the date for the phone call so I waited around the apartment for nothing before heading out to the store to go pick out my groceries once again. I then prepared a few things for the cooking I was to do today, but really I just wanted to sleep.
Saturday morning dawned rainy, but that was okay with me since I was planning to stay inside most of the day I walked out to the kitchen and discovered glass all over the floor. One of the glasses had fallen from the dish drain and shattered everywhere. As I was cleaning that up, I neared the freezer and discovered that the freezer door was cracked open and realized with horror that it was like that all night. Only the fruit in the door had begun to thaw out, but I was apalled at having wasted so much energy.
I proceeded to make my yogurt, which mostly went well. Mid-morning I headed out to go to the market for some fruits and veggies. I grabbed my keys and walked down the 4 flights of stairs to the parking lot. As I neared my car I looked down at my keys and realized that I did not have my car key. And yet it had been with the others when I picked them up at the door. I climbed back up the stairs and began to look around the apartment and in all of the bags that I was carrying. Nothing. Thankfully I found one of my spare keys, but I realized that I was not too happy to not know if I had dropped the key where someone else could have picked it up (even though only about 3 minutes transpired between my descent and ascent on the stairs). As of now I still do not know where the key and the remote to the car are.
Shopping was uneventful (thankfully)except that I do have to return a pan at some point because I discovered that it is already rusting and it was never used. Here in El Salvador returns are not so easy nor guaranteed like in the USA. I then spent much of the day baking and preparing some food for tomorrow with the children. I discovered the the muffins pretty much flopped but at least the birthday cake for one of the girls seems to have turned out okay.
The day is almost at a close and I pray that nothing more happens. I did not think I was stressed or over tired even though it has been a rather intense week. Maybe I am a little more out of it than I had realized. I am glad that as Anne Shirley says in "Anne of Green Gables", "Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet." And even better is God's Word which talks of God's mercies being new every morning.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Tugging at the Heart
August 16, 2010,
This afternoon I went with Kathryn and a family visiting from the United States to the government run children's home here in San Salvador that is like the first string of defense. When children are taken from there home, they usually end up at this group home before being placed in another temporary or permanent home. It is somewhat the equivalent of Child Protective Services. The children come and go so quickly that the staff doe not generally learn their names and little is done to work with them on their feelings and fears with being uprooted from their home and sent to an unknown place. Today we took crayons and coloring books with us to the home and ended up hanging out with the pre-schoolers and older girls with babies. I was interacting with two young boys who were clearly brothers and I noticed an older girl who was carrying for them. She said that they were her brothers. She is the oldest of seven children and they had all arrived there at CIPI this past Friday, or about 3 days ago. As I heard this part of her story, my heart hurt for her and her siblings. I had a feeling it was a pretty abrupt evacuation from their home. The little three or four year old boy, kept mentioning to me that his mommy and daddy were not there. Both of the boys had rather blond hair which in Latin America often reveals malnutricion because it is not the normal hair color.
After a while the one year old began crying and wanting his sister's attention. Because I doubted that she ever had much opportunity to be a child and color or do whatever, I offered to hold the little boy if it was okay with her. She nodded her head and so I picked him up. He immediately began wailing even more but I started walking with him and singing and just as quickly he quieted down. I probably walked for a good 30 minutes back and forth on the porch where we were, singing quietly to him. It reminded me of Honduras and singing to little Lisbeth. Though my arm ached by the time I returned him to his sister, I was thankful for that time with the little boy. It was a time to pray for he and his siblings. When I hear stories such as the ones of these children, there is a desire in my heart to take them all in to live with me. It would be impossible I know, but I also know that it is very unllikely that they will be placed together in the same children's home or in a foster home. I pray that their story will have a happy ending and that they will know Jesus love. Little Issac heard about it this afternoon though he is probably too young to understand.
This afternoon I went with Kathryn and a family visiting from the United States to the government run children's home here in San Salvador that is like the first string of defense. When children are taken from there home, they usually end up at this group home before being placed in another temporary or permanent home. It is somewhat the equivalent of Child Protective Services. The children come and go so quickly that the staff doe not generally learn their names and little is done to work with them on their feelings and fears with being uprooted from their home and sent to an unknown place. Today we took crayons and coloring books with us to the home and ended up hanging out with the pre-schoolers and older girls with babies. I was interacting with two young boys who were clearly brothers and I noticed an older girl who was carrying for them. She said that they were her brothers. She is the oldest of seven children and they had all arrived there at CIPI this past Friday, or about 3 days ago. As I heard this part of her story, my heart hurt for her and her siblings. I had a feeling it was a pretty abrupt evacuation from their home. The little three or four year old boy, kept mentioning to me that his mommy and daddy were not there. Both of the boys had rather blond hair which in Latin America often reveals malnutricion because it is not the normal hair color.
After a while the one year old began crying and wanting his sister's attention. Because I doubted that she ever had much opportunity to be a child and color or do whatever, I offered to hold the little boy if it was okay with her. She nodded her head and so I picked him up. He immediately began wailing even more but I started walking with him and singing and just as quickly he quieted down. I probably walked for a good 30 minutes back and forth on the porch where we were, singing quietly to him. It reminded me of Honduras and singing to little Lisbeth. Though my arm ached by the time I returned him to his sister, I was thankful for that time with the little boy. It was a time to pray for he and his siblings. When I hear stories such as the ones of these children, there is a desire in my heart to take them all in to live with me. It would be impossible I know, but I also know that it is very unllikely that they will be placed together in the same children's home or in a foster home. I pray that their story will have a happy ending and that they will know Jesus love. Little Issac heard about it this afternoon though he is probably too young to understand.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
A Very Long Week
August 15, 2010,
So, I am finally getting around to writing, but I am pretty much making myself do so. At the beginning of last week I had a bunch of things at my fingertips for writing about, but then tragedy struck and life became too busy to do anything but fulfill my responsibilities at work. When Saturday afternoon came and I was free to go home, I had no desire to do anything but curl up with a good book. Today I deterred from that a bit by taking time to journal and sort things out and to do some baking.
At the start of the week I was excited to see that my times of reading with two of the young girls was also turning out to be an opportunity to help them work through things in their life or better understand who Jesus was. Even though we had just finished a busy week with the mission team, I still had energy. Long evenings of class work and then unexpected bad news on Wednesday began to change my perspective and energy level.
I guess that I had never really considered how working at a children's home would not only mean walking with children through the pain of their past but also walking alongside of them in the new tragedies that came their way. The untimely death of the little sister (who was not living at La Casa de Mi Padre)of a sibling group shook us all up to some extent. In those moments, normal schedules and work hours go out the window. I stayed late several days and then Friday night stayed overnight to be an extra person on hand in case the children needed someone to talk to that night since one of the tias was out sick. Throughout the week I have been challenged to not keep looking at the problem, the pain, the injustice, or the trials but rather to fix my gaze on Jesus who is my refuge and strength. Of course it is much easier to say than to do. Yet if I do not look at Him I will be overwhelmed by the violence here in El Salvador and the pain all around me. He is the only solid rock in the midst of a world that often does not make sense.
Tomorrow, if all goes well, I will have opportunity to share more of Christ as the Solid Rock with one of the older girls. The current plan (which I know could change) is that I will be taking her to climb a volcano with me. A conversation several weeks ago unearthed her fear of climbing mountains and as we talked, it seemed like a climb would actually be a very good thing for her and a way for her to persevere through trial and fears. I am praying that tomorrow will work out (or another day sometime soon)and that it will be a good time of encouragement and challenge. This young lady is at a crossroads, not knowing where to head in life, and I am praying that God will show Himself and His plan to her.
So, I am finally getting around to writing, but I am pretty much making myself do so. At the beginning of last week I had a bunch of things at my fingertips for writing about, but then tragedy struck and life became too busy to do anything but fulfill my responsibilities at work. When Saturday afternoon came and I was free to go home, I had no desire to do anything but curl up with a good book. Today I deterred from that a bit by taking time to journal and sort things out and to do some baking.
At the start of the week I was excited to see that my times of reading with two of the young girls was also turning out to be an opportunity to help them work through things in their life or better understand who Jesus was. Even though we had just finished a busy week with the mission team, I still had energy. Long evenings of class work and then unexpected bad news on Wednesday began to change my perspective and energy level.
I guess that I had never really considered how working at a children's home would not only mean walking with children through the pain of their past but also walking alongside of them in the new tragedies that came their way. The untimely death of the little sister (who was not living at La Casa de Mi Padre)of a sibling group shook us all up to some extent. In those moments, normal schedules and work hours go out the window. I stayed late several days and then Friday night stayed overnight to be an extra person on hand in case the children needed someone to talk to that night since one of the tias was out sick. Throughout the week I have been challenged to not keep looking at the problem, the pain, the injustice, or the trials but rather to fix my gaze on Jesus who is my refuge and strength. Of course it is much easier to say than to do. Yet if I do not look at Him I will be overwhelmed by the violence here in El Salvador and the pain all around me. He is the only solid rock in the midst of a world that often does not make sense.
Tomorrow, if all goes well, I will have opportunity to share more of Christ as the Solid Rock with one of the older girls. The current plan (which I know could change) is that I will be taking her to climb a volcano with me. A conversation several weeks ago unearthed her fear of climbing mountains and as we talked, it seemed like a climb would actually be a very good thing for her and a way for her to persevere through trial and fears. I am praying that tomorrow will work out (or another day sometime soon)and that it will be a good time of encouragement and challenge. This young lady is at a crossroads, not knowing where to head in life, and I am praying that God will show Himself and His plan to her.
Sunday, August 08, 2010
August Vacation
August 8, 2010
Every August much of San Salvador shuts down as people head to the beach and enjoy what is known as "August vacation." Schools were closed all week so the mission team that was here from the USA had lots of opportunity to interact with the children of La Casa de Mi Padre. They put on a Vacation Bible School for the younger children while many of the older ones headed to camp with their church. Then on Friday we headed out to La Finca (the farm where the children's home will eventually move to) and played out there amidst the mud. Rainy season has continued to yield heavy rains this year and so although the mornings were dry enough to allow construction to happen on the new pavilion at La Finca, nearly every afternoon we encountered torrential downpours. The children enjoyed the soccer and volleyball at La Finca in spite of the muddy conditions.
I really enjoyed meeting this team from VA and the opportunities to share with them and be encouraged. One of the highlights was praying with a few of the girls before they left yesterday morning. We are planning to call each other in a year and see where God has taken us in that time. I also loved playing basketball last Sunday with the children and team at a park. One of the older guys keeps asking me when we will play again so I think that some Saturday when I am at La Casa for the family visit day, I will try to stick around a little longer and play some basketball with them.
Thinking about returning to a regular work week tomorrow seems a little strange, but I know that I will make the adjustment. I know that the week will hold it's own adventures, but they tend to be the less desirable kind because they often involve challenges. I guess you could say the week has already started off with an adventure in that I have no water in my apartment this morning and I have no idea why. Thankfully I discovered that before going out for a run and so I have postponed the run until a later time.
Though there is much more that I have wanted to write, I will have to do so at another time since I have some homework to work on for my Life Coaching course before church this morning. And maybe later my ideas will come back to me.
Every August much of San Salvador shuts down as people head to the beach and enjoy what is known as "August vacation." Schools were closed all week so the mission team that was here from the USA had lots of opportunity to interact with the children of La Casa de Mi Padre. They put on a Vacation Bible School for the younger children while many of the older ones headed to camp with their church. Then on Friday we headed out to La Finca (the farm where the children's home will eventually move to) and played out there amidst the mud. Rainy season has continued to yield heavy rains this year and so although the mornings were dry enough to allow construction to happen on the new pavilion at La Finca, nearly every afternoon we encountered torrential downpours. The children enjoyed the soccer and volleyball at La Finca in spite of the muddy conditions.
I really enjoyed meeting this team from VA and the opportunities to share with them and be encouraged. One of the highlights was praying with a few of the girls before they left yesterday morning. We are planning to call each other in a year and see where God has taken us in that time. I also loved playing basketball last Sunday with the children and team at a park. One of the older guys keeps asking me when we will play again so I think that some Saturday when I am at La Casa for the family visit day, I will try to stick around a little longer and play some basketball with them.
Thinking about returning to a regular work week tomorrow seems a little strange, but I know that I will make the adjustment. I know that the week will hold it's own adventures, but they tend to be the less desirable kind because they often involve challenges. I guess you could say the week has already started off with an adventure in that I have no water in my apartment this morning and I have no idea why. Thankfully I discovered that before going out for a run and so I have postponed the run until a later time.
Though there is much more that I have wanted to write, I will have to do so at another time since I have some homework to work on for my Life Coaching course before church this morning. And maybe later my ideas will come back to me.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
A Little of Everything
July 24, 2010
Today, the final day of the week, I am finally taking the moment to blog about the most important events of the week -- the life giving ones because I know that I had the opportunity to be an extension of Christ's hands. Even though my travels to the States and Honduras were short and I did not rest physically, I seem to have come back refreshed in other ways and so while other staff members have been on the edge of burn-out, I have had the energy to press forward and help to balance them out. And I know that some day, they will be doing the same for me. Over the past week I have sat down with several of the older youth and chatted, sharing life stories and listening to where they are at in life. On Tuesday evening I hung out with the oldest boys, supervising them while the rest of the staff were having a group with the younger boys. Two brothers sat down with me to chat and after the one left, the other one and I talked for a long while about his anxiety over his upcoming graduation and then his desire to study missions. I discovered that at school he is nearly the only one in his class who does not smoke and drink and so he is daily faced with peer pressure and challenges. I was neat to get a glimpse into his life and to offer some encouragement to him.
Then on Wednesday I went with one of the older girls for coffee and we talked about how things are going for her at this point when her life does not seem to have much direction. I was excited to be able to share a story that I told for years during night hikes at Black Rock Retreat about considering that which we are actually listening or looking for. If we look for why our day is miserable, that is what we will see. Instead we need to look for what God is doing and learn to recognize the blessings from Him and His presence even in the midst of trials. Even as I shared with her, I was challenged to re-evaluate my perspective on things, especially some frustrations that I am facing for the week ahead.
One thing that I have begun to notice here at La Casa de Mi Padre is that God seems to bring different people into the children's lives at different times, based upon their need and who they will respond to. One week they connnect with a staff member and the next week, they do not want to talk to that person. I can definitely see the importance of the body of Christ with the various roles and gifts that can work together so perfectly to meet the needs of those around us and to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.
This week I also spent a lot of time doing English homework and reading with a young girl named Elba. We are currently reading "Charlotte's Web" but in Spanish. Yesterday I listened to the Charlotte's long defense of spiders and their importance in life (of which I needed to tell my housemate today because she saw a spider in the apartment and hates them). What stood out to me though in the chapters that we read was that though Wilbur, the little pig who was about two months old at the time, had a taste of freedom outside of his pen, he was overwhelmed by the vastness of the world and was easily seduced to return to the pigsty with the bucket of slops that the farmer brought for him. When he crawled back into the pen, he felt like his little "house" was not so bad after all and happilly devoured the slops. Of course the very next day he awoke miserable and feeling friendless. I was challenged in the reading to be wary of the temptations that come across my path which call me back to my comfort zone (even though it may be a "pigsty") instead of pressing forward in what God is calling me -- as unknown and scary that it might be. I do not want to settle for "slops and pigsty" when God wants me to pursue Him into the uncharted waters.
Today, the final day of the week, I am finally taking the moment to blog about the most important events of the week -- the life giving ones because I know that I had the opportunity to be an extension of Christ's hands. Even though my travels to the States and Honduras were short and I did not rest physically, I seem to have come back refreshed in other ways and so while other staff members have been on the edge of burn-out, I have had the energy to press forward and help to balance them out. And I know that some day, they will be doing the same for me. Over the past week I have sat down with several of the older youth and chatted, sharing life stories and listening to where they are at in life. On Tuesday evening I hung out with the oldest boys, supervising them while the rest of the staff were having a group with the younger boys. Two brothers sat down with me to chat and after the one left, the other one and I talked for a long while about his anxiety over his upcoming graduation and then his desire to study missions. I discovered that at school he is nearly the only one in his class who does not smoke and drink and so he is daily faced with peer pressure and challenges. I was neat to get a glimpse into his life and to offer some encouragement to him.
Then on Wednesday I went with one of the older girls for coffee and we talked about how things are going for her at this point when her life does not seem to have much direction. I was excited to be able to share a story that I told for years during night hikes at Black Rock Retreat about considering that which we are actually listening or looking for. If we look for why our day is miserable, that is what we will see. Instead we need to look for what God is doing and learn to recognize the blessings from Him and His presence even in the midst of trials. Even as I shared with her, I was challenged to re-evaluate my perspective on things, especially some frustrations that I am facing for the week ahead.
One thing that I have begun to notice here at La Casa de Mi Padre is that God seems to bring different people into the children's lives at different times, based upon their need and who they will respond to. One week they connnect with a staff member and the next week, they do not want to talk to that person. I can definitely see the importance of the body of Christ with the various roles and gifts that can work together so perfectly to meet the needs of those around us and to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.
This week I also spent a lot of time doing English homework and reading with a young girl named Elba. We are currently reading "Charlotte's Web" but in Spanish. Yesterday I listened to the Charlotte's long defense of spiders and their importance in life (of which I needed to tell my housemate today because she saw a spider in the apartment and hates them). What stood out to me though in the chapters that we read was that though Wilbur, the little pig who was about two months old at the time, had a taste of freedom outside of his pen, he was overwhelmed by the vastness of the world and was easily seduced to return to the pigsty with the bucket of slops that the farmer brought for him. When he crawled back into the pen, he felt like his little "house" was not so bad after all and happilly devoured the slops. Of course the very next day he awoke miserable and feeling friendless. I was challenged in the reading to be wary of the temptations that come across my path which call me back to my comfort zone (even though it may be a "pigsty") instead of pressing forward in what God is calling me -- as unknown and scary that it might be. I do not want to settle for "slops and pigsty" when God wants me to pursue Him into the uncharted waters.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Loss of Communication
July 23, 2010
Many a day I wonder if I am still able to communicate with the world in any language -- be it English or Spanish. Today was one of those days. I was trying to help a nine year old with her English homework. Sadly at this moment she is so far behind that all we are doing is playing catch up which consists of filling in her workbook and never really taking the time to learn nor to understand the material. This afternoon she had to answer some questions about simple machines and one question was to identify the machine that records television shows. As I tried to help her with the question, I realized that I could not remember the word in English, nor did I know it in Spanish. I proceeded to ask one of the older girls if she knew the word since she is pretty fluent in English and her thought was video cassette. Knowing that was not the answer I was looking for, I went into one of the offices to ask a fellow American girl for the right word. Her thought was "VHS", which also was not what I wanted. About that time I went back into the study area and the children's tutor (a native Spanish speaker who knows some English) called out "VCR". And that was the word I had wanted. It is rather sad that two native Engilish speakers cannot come up with the word in their own language (It is very probable that the tutor found the word on the internet but still...). And yet so often I am at a loss for words in both English and Spanish. I feel that in some ways my communication with people in English has deteriorated over the past few months because so many times I have discovered that I have not communicated well the question or idea that I had. I guess that is a price to pay for filling one's mind with another language, but my goal is to communicate well in two languages.
Many a day I wonder if I am still able to communicate with the world in any language -- be it English or Spanish. Today was one of those days. I was trying to help a nine year old with her English homework. Sadly at this moment she is so far behind that all we are doing is playing catch up which consists of filling in her workbook and never really taking the time to learn nor to understand the material. This afternoon she had to answer some questions about simple machines and one question was to identify the machine that records television shows. As I tried to help her with the question, I realized that I could not remember the word in English, nor did I know it in Spanish. I proceeded to ask one of the older girls if she knew the word since she is pretty fluent in English and her thought was video cassette. Knowing that was not the answer I was looking for, I went into one of the offices to ask a fellow American girl for the right word. Her thought was "VHS", which also was not what I wanted. About that time I went back into the study area and the children's tutor (a native Spanish speaker who knows some English) called out "VCR". And that was the word I had wanted. It is rather sad that two native Engilish speakers cannot come up with the word in their own language (It is very probable that the tutor found the word on the internet but still...). And yet so often I am at a loss for words in both English and Spanish. I feel that in some ways my communication with people in English has deteriorated over the past few months because so many times I have discovered that I have not communicated well the question or idea that I had. I guess that is a price to pay for filling one's mind with another language, but my goal is to communicate well in two languages.
All In a Morning's Run
July 22, 2010
On Wednesday morning I set out for an early morning run and realized that a lot is going on at 6:00AM in San Salvador. Some of the sights that I see are rather disconcerting if I think about. As I ran through the neighborhood before entering into the park, I passed a house where three very armed men stood outside. I decided to cross the street at that point and not be too near any of them. It looked as if some important (or maybe just wealthy) person was about to leave in an SUV and the pickup truck behind that was probably to hold the body guards. I still have not quite gotten use to semi-automatic guns in the hands of so many people that I pass each day.
Leaving the armed guard scene, I turned the corner and came across a student driver and his instructor standing outside of the car which was parked between cones. Perhaps a greater danger than the armed guards on the roads that I run are the student drivers. The day before must have been trash day because the most common sight that morning was men rummaging through the trash bags in front of the houses, looking for plastic bottles or anything else that could be of value.
Once in the park, things calmed down and I enjoyed the beauty of the green area. I marvel though that I am the only person in the whole park who seems to run clockwise. I wonder if there is an unspoken rule about which direction traffic should flow on the sidewalk, but if there is, I am ignoring it. As it is, I find it difficult to pass people even when they see me coming. Sneaking up on them from behind would require even more waiting time as I would call out "permiso" every few seconds so that the walkers, three side-by-side, could clear a path for me.
Overall I enjoy the moments of getting out into the city to run and to pray. I have yet to run with anyone so my runs have turned into good prayer times. In some ways I hate to sacrifice that by finding a running partner though there is a girl in the neighborhood who I would like to run with one day.
On Wednesday morning I set out for an early morning run and realized that a lot is going on at 6:00AM in San Salvador. Some of the sights that I see are rather disconcerting if I think about. As I ran through the neighborhood before entering into the park, I passed a house where three very armed men stood outside. I decided to cross the street at that point and not be too near any of them. It looked as if some important (or maybe just wealthy) person was about to leave in an SUV and the pickup truck behind that was probably to hold the body guards. I still have not quite gotten use to semi-automatic guns in the hands of so many people that I pass each day.
Leaving the armed guard scene, I turned the corner and came across a student driver and his instructor standing outside of the car which was parked between cones. Perhaps a greater danger than the armed guards on the roads that I run are the student drivers. The day before must have been trash day because the most common sight that morning was men rummaging through the trash bags in front of the houses, looking for plastic bottles or anything else that could be of value.
Once in the park, things calmed down and I enjoyed the beauty of the green area. I marvel though that I am the only person in the whole park who seems to run clockwise. I wonder if there is an unspoken rule about which direction traffic should flow on the sidewalk, but if there is, I am ignoring it. As it is, I find it difficult to pass people even when they see me coming. Sneaking up on them from behind would require even more waiting time as I would call out "permiso" every few seconds so that the walkers, three side-by-side, could clear a path for me.
Overall I enjoy the moments of getting out into the city to run and to pray. I have yet to run with anyone so my runs have turned into good prayer times. In some ways I hate to sacrifice that by finding a running partner though there is a girl in the neighborhood who I would like to run with one day.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
What is the Cost?
July 18, 2010
Though it has been a somewhat long week because of working so much, Lara and I decided to have the older girls over to watch part 2 of the Anne of Green Gables Series which I had brought from the States. After discovering that we still could not get our DVD player to work with the tv, we resorted to putting the movie on Lara's computer yet again. One of the purposes of having the girls over was so that they could watch the movie for real without the voices of ten other girls overriding the sound. As it turned out hearing the movie was still difficult, but I know that they enjoyed the opportunity to get out of the house, laugh and be silly, and to try some new foods.
In the minutes before I took them back to La Casa, they offered to live with me when Lara returns to the USA at the end of this month. They, of course, do not want me to be lonely and so they said that I can be their "adoptive mom." My inner thought was, well, it would be nice to give them a chance to live in a smaller home and get more individual attention, but I quickly thought of the responsibility of getting them to school at 6:30AM and all the details that would go along with being an adoptive mom. There are many sacrifices to be made in the life of a mother. And I tend to forget about them when I casually think about wanting to take in children. Jesus' call to die to oneself is, in my opinion, exemplified in the life of many a mother as they put their needs last and invest in the lives of their children and husband. I am very thankful for the example my mother has given to me. (Actually I suppose this should have been a Mother's Day post for my mom.) So the cost of motherhood -- be it natural, adoptive, or even just spiritual -- is high, but it is an opportunity to live as Christ and to represent Him here on earth as one lives out the call in Philippians 2 to both look to the interests of others and to take on the attitude of Christ. Though there is a cost, the reward can be great as you see your children (again in the physical or spiritual sense) walking with the Lord and pursuing Him with a passion. I think we are all called to be mothers and fathers, at least spiritually as we pass on our faith to those around us and disciple them in Christ. And so with these girls here in El Salvador, I do want to be a mom, probably one of many, in their lives for the time that I am here and serve them and love them.
Though it has been a somewhat long week because of working so much, Lara and I decided to have the older girls over to watch part 2 of the Anne of Green Gables Series which I had brought from the States. After discovering that we still could not get our DVD player to work with the tv, we resorted to putting the movie on Lara's computer yet again. One of the purposes of having the girls over was so that they could watch the movie for real without the voices of ten other girls overriding the sound. As it turned out hearing the movie was still difficult, but I know that they enjoyed the opportunity to get out of the house, laugh and be silly, and to try some new foods.
In the minutes before I took them back to La Casa, they offered to live with me when Lara returns to the USA at the end of this month. They, of course, do not want me to be lonely and so they said that I can be their "adoptive mom." My inner thought was, well, it would be nice to give them a chance to live in a smaller home and get more individual attention, but I quickly thought of the responsibility of getting them to school at 6:30AM and all the details that would go along with being an adoptive mom. There are many sacrifices to be made in the life of a mother. And I tend to forget about them when I casually think about wanting to take in children. Jesus' call to die to oneself is, in my opinion, exemplified in the life of many a mother as they put their needs last and invest in the lives of their children and husband. I am very thankful for the example my mother has given to me. (Actually I suppose this should have been a Mother's Day post for my mom.) So the cost of motherhood -- be it natural, adoptive, or even just spiritual -- is high, but it is an opportunity to live as Christ and to represent Him here on earth as one lives out the call in Philippians 2 to both look to the interests of others and to take on the attitude of Christ. Though there is a cost, the reward can be great as you see your children (again in the physical or spiritual sense) walking with the Lord and pursuing Him with a passion. I think we are all called to be mothers and fathers, at least spiritually as we pass on our faith to those around us and disciple them in Christ. And so with these girls here in El Salvador, I do want to be a mom, probably one of many, in their lives for the time that I am here and serve them and love them.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
A Million Questions
July 13, 2010
Yesterday was my first day back at La Casa de Mi Padre after over a week of being out of the country. One of the tias was sick so I ended up covering for her during the day. After dinner with her girls, I felt that I had been out of the country for much longer because of all of the questions they bombarded me with. The dinner conversation ranged from questions about my family to questions about angels and demons. My favorite question from the one little girl Claudia was, "Do you and Lara (my housemate and an intern here for the summer) pray together every night before bed?" The custom in each of the rooms is to have devotions and pray together before bedtime. I explained that Lara and I go to bed at different times and so no we do not pray together. Her question got me thinking though about the many places I have lived and how I could be more intentional with my housemates about seeking God's face together.
During lunch today, I had some good conversation with one of the older girls who is on vacation right now. As we talked she asked about my studies in psychology and then she made a comment about how she always says things too bluntly. I shared the verse about speaking the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) and how it is important to be able to share the truth with someone and even confront at times, but it has to be done in love and with prayer. In some ways the girl and I are at the opposite extremes. Too often I err on the side of love or compassion and am afraid to speak the truth. She, on the other hand, speaks the truth but without the love. I tried to encourage her because boldness such as she has can be a great strength and God needs people who are unafraid to speak up. But our strengths are often our greatest weaknesses too and so I know that both she and I need to work to submit what comes most naturally to God and allow Him to shine through us because of a willingness to follow His call and not just what is easiest. I am praying for some more opportunities to encourage this young lady and to share with her more in the next few days.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Surprises
This recent trip back to the United States was another surprise visit for most of my family so I did not publicize the trip. I had originally planned to go to Costa Rica to renew my visa there but the people who I had wanted to visit were not going to be there over my travel dates and I needed to pass through Honduras so I would have had to add an extra flight or bus ride. I very much enjoyed seeing my family again, especially my little nephew Jack, who is nearing the stage of walking and is all around adorable.
I got in to Pennsylvania late Thursday evening and walked into my parents’ home much to the surprise of my mom. The next morning after playing basketball at Black Rock Retreat I headed north to a cabin where my family was going to be as well as their employees (many of whom are my extended family). In a grocery store in Williamsport I surprised my sister. I actually had walked off with Jack and my brother-in-law was going to tell Shana that someone had come by and asked to hold him and so he let the person wander off with Jack. Since I did not want her to panic, I decided to reappear before she could get concerned.
Finally I surprised Val there at the cabin. We had a good time in the creek and on the bike trail there in Slate Run. Early Sunday morning I headed back to Lancaster to share at New Danville Mennonite Church. The rest of the day I spent visiting with friends in Lancaster and from a distance watched the Long’s park fireworks. All week it was interesting to think that I had been in Lancaster last 4th of July but under very different circumstances. It had been immediately following when the Honduran president was removed from power and taken to Costa Rica. I went to the United States unsure of what was going to happen in Honduras in the next few weeks and months. Little did I know that a year later I would be living in a different country and working in a different field. I guess it shows how little we know of what lies ahead in our journey.
Monday was also a day of visiting with friends and also trying to get a little shopping done. My laptop recently developed a problem – it inserts commas when I type, thereby making me go back and erase them time and again. In talking with a few friends it did not seem possible to get the computer looked at in the short time that I was in PA but it was suggested that I buy an attachable keyboard. Since products such as that are generally twice to three times as expensive in Central America, I was glad that I had the opportunity to make the purchase in the US.
Tuesday I hung out at Black Rock and visited with lots of people down there as well as spent time with my family. And of course I was up late packing to get ready for my 4:30AM departure for the airport. I am returning to El Salvador with a lot more books since some of the girls are wanting to read the Anne of Green Gable series and are going to attempt to do so in English. I am impressed with them because for some it will be pretty difficult to read and understand the stories in their 2nd language that they are still learning. I am bringing some books in Spanish too, such as the Narnia series. I hope to use these stories with some of the children that I am working with in reading comprehension. All in all my time in both Pennsylvania and Honduras was good though short in both places. I always find myself trying to do too much and see too many people and so I return to work tired. I hope to get unpacked, do some homework and then get to bed early tonight, but we will see.
Back In Honduras
My time in Honduras went well though definitely it passed as expected – with the unexpected. Upon entering I got my 90 day tourist visa again which was what I was praying for. I arrived on Wednesday and as it turned out I was able to take care of my car registration and some residency paperwork that day when I arrived in Honduras and then first thing Thursday morning. My Plan A and B of rides out to camp had fallen through though and so it was with great joy that I learned some missionaries were headed out that way Thursday morning (40 minutes from when I got a hold of them) instead of that afternoon. And so I quickly packed and met up with them, making it to camp before I had anticipated. It was great to see the Williamsons again and the staff. The Williamsons were in the middle of finishing up the painting of the ceilings that had just been put in. I am happy for them that they should not have so many insects and animals entering the house because it is now sealed.
I was able to spend significant time talking with Evelin and hearing how she is doing. Before I left on Saturday, the Lord put a few things on my heart to challenge her with. In some ways she is doing well but in another sense she is teetering. I am praying that she will fully pursue the Lord Jesus Christ again and make Him her number one priority. I have struggled at different times in my walk with God to put him first. So often other little things creep in that I want to focus on. I can remember specific times when I had to let go of things like basketball because they were beginning to control my decisions instead of God. I pray that she learns, without too much heartache, how important it is to have God first. As He says in Exodus 20 when He gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, He is a jealous God and there is no room for other gods in our lives if we desire to follow Him. He continues to watch out and care for Evelin, including in some close calls on her motorcycle and I pray that she can see that and understand just how much He loves her.
Travel In All But a Boat
July 11, 2010
I am southward bound again. I have found travels to be interesting this past week as I have observed people. On the first leg of my journey last Thursday (July 1)
I found myself in a very long security checkpoint line after clearing customs. There was a security work near the front who would call out words of encouragement to everyone and try to lighten the mood. I think he brought smiles to quite a few weary travelers. When I finally cleared the checkpoint, I grabbed the tram to my terminal since I did not have much time left. I was there holding onto my pole when a jolt sent the man standing next to me falling in my direction. He somehow righted himself before completely falling and crashing on me. I realized that everyone around me was ready to spot me (they must have been on Ropes Course elements in the past) though really it would not have done much good had he landed on me.
I, like most others in the airports, am always trying to move quickly and to arrive in time to my gate or to quickly get my baggage and get out of the plane and airport. My return to Honduras was maybe a little slower pace with less need to hurry. I knew that I would be arriving in Honduras to the unexpected. I had specific details that I needed to take care of but I was not really sure when or how, nor how I would make it out to camp.
Today’s travels are that of the 7 hour bus ride from Honduras to El Salvador. So far things have gone well and when I take the time to look out the window, I am greeted by some beautiful views. Much to my delight the DVD player is broken and so the bus is not overrun by the loud movies playing – movies which I discovered from the last two trips are generally not ones that I want to be watching. I am enjoying the time to read, write e-mails and blog entries, and reflect on this past week’s travels.
I am southward bound again. I have found travels to be interesting this past week as I have observed people. On the first leg of my journey last Thursday (July 1)
I found myself in a very long security checkpoint line after clearing customs. There was a security work near the front who would call out words of encouragement to everyone and try to lighten the mood. I think he brought smiles to quite a few weary travelers. When I finally cleared the checkpoint, I grabbed the tram to my terminal since I did not have much time left. I was there holding onto my pole when a jolt sent the man standing next to me falling in my direction. He somehow righted himself before completely falling and crashing on me. I realized that everyone around me was ready to spot me (they must have been on Ropes Course elements in the past) though really it would not have done much good had he landed on me.
I, like most others in the airports, am always trying to move quickly and to arrive in time to my gate or to quickly get my baggage and get out of the plane and airport. My return to Honduras was maybe a little slower pace with less need to hurry. I knew that I would be arriving in Honduras to the unexpected. I had specific details that I needed to take care of but I was not really sure when or how, nor how I would make it out to camp.
Today’s travels are that of the 7 hour bus ride from Honduras to El Salvador. So far things have gone well and when I take the time to look out the window, I am greeted by some beautiful views. Much to my delight the DVD player is broken and so the bus is not overrun by the loud movies playing – movies which I discovered from the last two trips are generally not ones that I want to be watching. I am enjoying the time to read, write e-mails and blog entries, and reflect on this past week’s travels.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
The Call of the Ocean
July 7 2010
About two weeks ago my roommate and I headed to the beach one rather rainy, dreary Saturday and enjoyed a quiet day there reading, writing, and swimming. Swimming in the pool, not the ocean that is. I took a stroll along the ocean and found myself mesmerized by the violent waves that were crashing into the shore. In the time that I walked one length of the beach and began to return to my starting point, the tide was rising and I had to move closer to land. I knew that I could not even begin to fathom the power behind those waves. They had warned us at the entrance that the ocean was dangerous that day with its currents and the pull of the tide. The shoreline was strewn with large pieces of driftwood that had been washed ashore but were still buffeted by the waves from time to time.
As I walked along the ocean’s edge, I found myself wanting to enter into the water more than just ankle deep. It was as if the waves and water were calling me deeper. But I knew to enter in was just plain foolishness. A motorboat that had been trying to get past the point where the waves were breaking had struggled and I have less power than that for sure. And so although I wanted to try the waves and see how dangerous they really were, I kept walking and returned to my point of observation. My mind wandered a bit as I considered analogies and I realized that sin can have that same pull. Though we know better and good judgment says to stay far away, there can still be a strong pull, especially when we get to close to the place of temptation in the first place. The closer I got to the water, the more I wanted to get in and see just how well I could withstand the waves. And so I was reminded to stay far away from those things which tempt me to walk in the ways contrary to God’s calling on my life and his commands.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Summer Days
June 24, 2010
This week reminds me of summers long ago when I had vacation from school and life was carefree. Not that the week has been carefree in any sense of the word, but because the children are on vacation this week, my schedule has changed and I find myself with more time to enjoy fun activities with the children. There are no team meetings nor group therapy times. Instead we have planned activities to give the children a break from the normal routine. Monday night a few of the girls came over to my apartment for a sleepover. Wednesday I made soft pretzels with both the boys' and girls' home. Last night and tonight we are watching my favorite movie of all times, "Anne of Green Gables." I did discover while watching it with the girls that I have a new perspective on it as I try to perceive the movie through their eyes -- the eyes of children who understand the pain of Anne as an unwanted orphan. Many of them have felt unloved and unwanted.
Today we have a soccer tournament in honor of the World Cup. For me it has been a good chance to build relationship with the children and connect with them. I have always loved the quote, "You can learn more about a person in an hour of play and in a day of conversation." (or something to that affect) I seem to have lost my camera cord for downloading pictures to my computer so it may be a while yet til I can post pictures from the week.
The vacation week came at a perfect time because last Saturday the mother of three of our children passed away after a battle with cancer. The children and several staff members went to the burial service on Sunday. For these children it is a blessing not to have to jump right back into school and studies but rather to have some time to grieve and readjust to life. They are precious children and it is difficult to see their pain but I am thankful that they have so many people to walk alongside of them here at the home.
This week reminds me of summers long ago when I had vacation from school and life was carefree. Not that the week has been carefree in any sense of the word, but because the children are on vacation this week, my schedule has changed and I find myself with more time to enjoy fun activities with the children. There are no team meetings nor group therapy times. Instead we have planned activities to give the children a break from the normal routine. Monday night a few of the girls came over to my apartment for a sleepover. Wednesday I made soft pretzels with both the boys' and girls' home. Last night and tonight we are watching my favorite movie of all times, "Anne of Green Gables." I did discover while watching it with the girls that I have a new perspective on it as I try to perceive the movie through their eyes -- the eyes of children who understand the pain of Anne as an unwanted orphan. Many of them have felt unloved and unwanted.
Today we have a soccer tournament in honor of the World Cup. For me it has been a good chance to build relationship with the children and connect with them. I have always loved the quote, "You can learn more about a person in an hour of play and in a day of conversation." (or something to that affect) I seem to have lost my camera cord for downloading pictures to my computer so it may be a while yet til I can post pictures from the week.
The vacation week came at a perfect time because last Saturday the mother of three of our children passed away after a battle with cancer. The children and several staff members went to the burial service on Sunday. For these children it is a blessing not to have to jump right back into school and studies but rather to have some time to grieve and readjust to life. They are precious children and it is difficult to see their pain but I am thankful that they have so many people to walk alongside of them here at the home.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Country Wanderings
June 13, 2010
Today Lara (my roommate) and I made the hour and a half drive to the town of Suchitotto, situated on El Salvador's largest lake (but an artificial one). Since I was tired from the week, I was hoping that we kept it a rather low key day and that is exactly what we did. We got to see a little bit of the colonial town before hiking a mile outside of the town to see the waterfalls, Los Tercios. The guide who went with us shared about the history of the town -- a place torn apart by the civil war years ago.
Because the rainy season is only just beginning, the water falling over the rocks was not a ton but it was still beautiful. Many of the rocks were cylinder shaped or pillar-like, giving the waterfalls their own unique structure. I was able to go and stand at the very edge of the waterfalls and look down at the river below. Walking towards the falls it looked as if one might just drop off the end of the world. I of course was careful so as not to drop off. Standing there though reminded me that I feel as if I am on the brink of change in the light of the things that God has been revealing to me. He wants to change my heart and attitudes and even the way I relate to people. I am standing on the edge, getting ready to jump into all that God has for me, no matter what the risk is.
After the hike we went down to a restaurant on the lake and there we settled down for the afternoon, making time to read and journal. I will mention that I was going to that which I never do and order tilapia instead of my customary grilled chicken. I had placed my order and everything when I suddenly thought to ask the waitress if the fish came with eyes and head. It did so I quickly cancelled my order and returned to the regular chicken. At least I attempted to try something new though. I loved the view from the restaurant and the breeze and it was perfect some time of reflecting and praying about what God has been teaching me.
Anytime I drive somewhere new, I am met with surprises on the road. My first surprise today came when all of a sudden in the left hand lane there was a barrel and I had to get over to the right. Immediately after that I saw that there was now oncoming traffic in that left lane. The problem was that there had been absolutely no warning. No signs were in place mentioning that it would be a good idea to move over. No caution signs warned drivers to maintain there position in the right lane. There was simply no communication as to what the barrel stood for and so I saw the whole situation as potentially dangerous. On the drive home, we saw that there had been a landslide closing down the other two lanes and that was the reason for the traffic merging together. The changes were much more clearly marked coming the other direction.
Another discovery in my driving was that the small towns do not mark which streets are one way. It seems that you have to guess and hope that you are correct. I am sure that there are some rules, maybe rules that apply to every little town, but I have yet to figure out what they are. Thankfully I did not appear to go the wrong way on any street and all was well.
Upon our return to the city, we lost power for about 45 minutes. It came back on for a little and then went back off. I had resigned myself to an apple and granola bar for dinner since there was no electric and I did not want to open the fridge. But then the power came on and stayed on. From what I am hearing there was a blackout in all of El Salvador and Honduras. I have no idea of the reason but it reminded me of my many days of power outages at camp in Honduras. The challenge here in San Salvador is that I do not expect the power outages and so I am not as prepared. It took me a while to find a lighter to light the candles and then I broke it so hopefully we will have power until I can get to the store and find some matches. I am reminded that I have much to be thankful for though in that power outages are a rarity these days in my life.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Moments with the Children
June 12, 2010
Here I sit half watching the USA vs. England soccer game, half chatting with Lara, my roommate, and trying to write a blog entry. Multi-tasking would sum up the moment. I just got back from a workshop at church about the different learning styles. All of the volunteers with the children’s Sunday School were supposed to attend. It was a good workshop but because of a long couple of weeks at work, I was incredibly tired. Thankfully I managed to stay awake and did learn a few things.
This past week at La Casa was a tough one in many ways. On Monday we learned that the mother of three of the children was moving in with other family members because she is in her last days of a battle with cancer. In reality she has not fought it much, and so she is going quickly. Several of the staff took the children to visit their mother the next day for what could be there last visit. They shared the message of Christ with her again but she did not want to have anything to do with Him. As of now the plan is to do another visit on Monday (and I think I will go along) so that the children have as much time with their mother as possible. For children (and in adults), coping with loss is difficult and the pain of these last days has been evident in their behavior.
I had several opportunities this week to spend extra time with the girls’ home. On Thursday I took some of the younger girls to a nearby supermarket to look for a cleaning supply. We made it a bit of a treasure hunt so they had fun in spite of it being a rather mundane task – at least for me (but then I am leave the walls of my apartment all the time and have the freedom to go where I want). Friday afternoon I baked cookies with the 12-14 year olds. I am also dedicating more time to one of the girls in particular – Elba. I have been working with her in reading comprehension for the last month and now I will begin some tutoring in English as well.
One of the things that encouraged me most this week was a conversation I had with two of the older boys, Alejandro and Salvador. They were talking about their dreams with schooling after graduating from high school. Alejandro, who still has a year and a half left, wants to become a chef and he said that he would like to have a restaurant here in San Salvador. He would then bring meals to the children’s home every Friday as a small way to give back to the ministry for all that he has received. How encouraging it was to see his heart and attitude!
Sunday, June 06, 2010
The Recapse of the Mission Team
June 6, 2010
As I mentioned in the previous blog entry, we had a missions team here this past week -- a youth group from Georgia. Because I was quite involved in their schedule (some translating, leading the campout/cookout, and helping with controlling the erosion at the farm), I have found myself pretty exhausted this weekend. I have had way too many late nights. We were very blessed to have the team here though. The work we did with diverting some of the erosion which was soon to cave in the drive out at the farm came just in time because the very next day Tropical Storm Agatha entered the picture and we had lots of rain. It was also that next day that we were slated for camping out at the farm. We had a few hours of sunshine that Friday afternoon and so we put up tarps in case we could sleep outside as well as got the fire pit ready. About that time the heavens let loose and the rains came down. With much struggle we were able to get the fire started -- and without gasoline. I may have had a little too much pride involved as we were worked on the cooking fire because an uncle of two of the girls in the home was also on the farm that night and he helped get the fire laid. But the typical method of building a fire here is, throw a bunch of sticks (and large ones at that) on a pile, pour on gasoline, and throw the match on top while jumping back. He tried that once and it did not work so when he walked off for more gas, we re-arranged the sticks to make a "real fire." (I had enough classes in Outdoor Cooking, Education, etc... to value a fire built without the help of "explosives." The uncle was convinced that in the rain the gas was necessary and I said that it was not. In the end we started the fire without more gasoline, but we did use a lot of newspaper and dryer lint.
By the time we retired to our places to sleep that night (the girls in the chapel and the boys in a room in one of the little houses), we were soaked and tired. I had led a few teambuilding activities in the chapel and then shared my testimony with the group. That night as I lay in the hot chapel (there was no ventilation other than where air entered in the cracks around the windows -- open windows would have meant that rain, animals, and/or people could have entered with no problem), I struggled to fall asleep, but I realized that I could be thankful for having a dry place to sleep. I knew that many people in the town just below the farm were probably experiencing leaks and flooding that night from the storm. At one point when I looked out the window I saw an opposum climbing up a nearby tree. Had the windows been open, it probably would have joined us inside.
On Wednesday the team took care of all of the children during the day so that the childcare team could go and have a short retreat and rest. We went to a place at the beach where there were some beautiful pools. After a team activity and devotional, we had time to play or rest. I enjoyed hanging out with the other staff in a relaxed setting. Because the ocean was pretty dangerous that day, most of us stayed up by the pools.
Thursday I went with the team to a community almost at the border of Honduras where the mother of one of the boys lives. She use to live on the side of a garbage dump until La Casa de Mi Padre along with Habitat for Humanity built her a new home. From there we went with a pastor up to a community in the mountains where he is working to start a church. I went with the pastor and two of the youth to several houses, handing out food and inviting them to church. One woman that we met, Sophia, was very clearly saddened by life and struggling. We shared with her about Jesus and the peace that He offers but she was not ready to make any changes in her life or surrender to Him. I found it challenging to enter into random homes and start talking to the people there but I know that it is good for me to do. Sharing Jesus is much easier when you have built a relationship with someone though and there is a basis for which you can speak into their lives. Still it was a good experience and good exposure for the youth.
Besides all of the mission team events, there were other farewell parties, the family visit, and personal farewells for me this week. This morning I taught Sunday School for 19 two to four year-olds at church. I did it mostly in English since several of the children only speak English but I found myself forgetting and switching over to Spanish which complicated things for the other leader who was translating. As usual the children were running around the room a lot and even activities that called for their active participation were not enough to keep them in the right part of the room. It would help if we did not give them chocolate cookies the minute that they walked in the door. I think I will try to suggest that to the other leaders in two weeks when we teach again.
Since I need to leave in a few minutes, that is the recapse for the moment. Hopefully I can touch on some other things that God has been doing in a future post.
As I mentioned in the previous blog entry, we had a missions team here this past week -- a youth group from Georgia. Because I was quite involved in their schedule (some translating, leading the campout/cookout, and helping with controlling the erosion at the farm), I have found myself pretty exhausted this weekend. I have had way too many late nights. We were very blessed to have the team here though. The work we did with diverting some of the erosion which was soon to cave in the drive out at the farm came just in time because the very next day Tropical Storm Agatha entered the picture and we had lots of rain. It was also that next day that we were slated for camping out at the farm. We had a few hours of sunshine that Friday afternoon and so we put up tarps in case we could sleep outside as well as got the fire pit ready. About that time the heavens let loose and the rains came down. With much struggle we were able to get the fire started -- and without gasoline. I may have had a little too much pride involved as we were worked on the cooking fire because an uncle of two of the girls in the home was also on the farm that night and he helped get the fire laid. But the typical method of building a fire here is, throw a bunch of sticks (and large ones at that) on a pile, pour on gasoline, and throw the match on top while jumping back. He tried that once and it did not work so when he walked off for more gas, we re-arranged the sticks to make a "real fire." (I had enough classes in Outdoor Cooking, Education, etc... to value a fire built without the help of "explosives." The uncle was convinced that in the rain the gas was necessary and I said that it was not. In the end we started the fire without more gasoline, but we did use a lot of newspaper and dryer lint.
By the time we retired to our places to sleep that night (the girls in the chapel and the boys in a room in one of the little houses), we were soaked and tired. I had led a few teambuilding activities in the chapel and then shared my testimony with the group. That night as I lay in the hot chapel (there was no ventilation other than where air entered in the cracks around the windows -- open windows would have meant that rain, animals, and/or people could have entered with no problem), I struggled to fall asleep, but I realized that I could be thankful for having a dry place to sleep. I knew that many people in the town just below the farm were probably experiencing leaks and flooding that night from the storm. At one point when I looked out the window I saw an opposum climbing up a nearby tree. Had the windows been open, it probably would have joined us inside.
On Wednesday the team took care of all of the children during the day so that the childcare team could go and have a short retreat and rest. We went to a place at the beach where there were some beautiful pools. After a team activity and devotional, we had time to play or rest. I enjoyed hanging out with the other staff in a relaxed setting. Because the ocean was pretty dangerous that day, most of us stayed up by the pools.
Thursday I went with the team to a community almost at the border of Honduras where the mother of one of the boys lives. She use to live on the side of a garbage dump until La Casa de Mi Padre along with Habitat for Humanity built her a new home. From there we went with a pastor up to a community in the mountains where he is working to start a church. I went with the pastor and two of the youth to several houses, handing out food and inviting them to church. One woman that we met, Sophia, was very clearly saddened by life and struggling. We shared with her about Jesus and the peace that He offers but she was not ready to make any changes in her life or surrender to Him. I found it challenging to enter into random homes and start talking to the people there but I know that it is good for me to do. Sharing Jesus is much easier when you have built a relationship with someone though and there is a basis for which you can speak into their lives. Still it was a good experience and good exposure for the youth.
Besides all of the mission team events, there were other farewell parties, the family visit, and personal farewells for me this week. This morning I taught Sunday School for 19 two to four year-olds at church. I did it mostly in English since several of the children only speak English but I found myself forgetting and switching over to Spanish which complicated things for the other leader who was translating. As usual the children were running around the room a lot and even activities that called for their active participation were not enough to keep them in the right part of the room. It would help if we did not give them chocolate cookies the minute that they walked in the door. I think I will try to suggest that to the other leaders in two weeks when we teach again.
Since I need to leave in a few minutes, that is the recapse for the moment. Hopefully I can touch on some other things that God has been doing in a future post.
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