With Gratitude In My Heart

April 18, 2010

I suppose that maybe some day I might catch up on writing down the many things running through my head, but then again maybe not. Life has been pretty busy this past week and then this weekend I needed the time to relax and hang out with people.

As I look back on the past week, I am very thankful for God answering my prayers in two ways. First, my health has been much better, though I still need to figure out what has been wrong. And second, I have met a lot of new people and several of the relationships have potential for deeper friendships. On Friday I had lunch with a girl I know from my church and she mentioned that this Sunday (today) the young adults were going up to a one volcano to walk around. I, naturally, was excited about the opportunity. I went to church last night so when I showed up to meet with everyone, I was ready to be outside. I should have known though that in general in the Latin culture one dresses nicely, even to go on an outing which involves “hiking”. (I put hiking in parenthesis because it is more a of a walk at this particular park and not what I would consider a hike.) I was prepared though in case it rained the whole time because just before we left, the heavens did let loose the rain.

The weather turned out to be fine and I had a good time getting to know some new people. I will probably be switching small groups to join up with the young adult group since I can relate better there than in the small group I am currently in.

One of my projects this weekend (not exactly restful but necessary) was making yogurt yet again. My track record is not turning out to be so good because I think I only am at 50% for having the batch finish without separating. I also let this batch get too hot so I may have killed all of the good bacteria, but hopefully not. I should really try to find a yogurt maker because trying to regulate the temperature of the yogurt using the oven or the stovetop is difficult.

As I look ahead to this coming week, I think it might be the first week with a “normal” schedule once again. Over the last two weeks the Fridays have included activities out of the ordinary such as collecting grades or participating in a school rally (the latter of which was a cultural experience). There has been some culture shock the past few weeks as I have moved into the stage of questioning why some things are done in a way that makes absolutely no sense to me. The good news is that it is a part of the cultural adjustment cycle and I will probably move out of it soon. It will be good to work on getting back into a routine at La Casa de Mi Padre though I know that the unexpected always happens, and that is just how it is.

Since I cannot sleep in no matter how late I go to bed, I sign off now because I need to catch up on sleep and tomorrow is one of my mornings to be in at work early (8:00AM – which really is a normal work hour but for me I more often go in at 10:00AM).

Lesson from the Birds

April 16, 2010

This morning I went with several of the other staff from La Casa de Mi Padre to the school where 26 of the children attend to help go to the classes and collect the grades for each student. I was assigned the four children from Kinder and Pre-Kinder and hence had the quickest assignment of all. After I finished talking to the teachers I walked up to the other part of the school and sat on a bench near the snack shop to wait. While waiting I noticed several large wrens flying from tree to tree in front of me. At one point the three wrens gathered together and sang for a short while.

Shortly thereafter two of the wrens moved to a branch almost directly overhead of where I was sitting. The one wren found a black string that was hanging from the branch and began to pull on it, trying to free it from its entanglement with the branch. Indeed in this particular spot there were several colorful strings twisted around the branch and so it appeared that some little bird had begun to make its nest there but then abandoned the site. I found it amusing watching the wren as it yanked on the string and even hung from it in it's efforts to free it. But the problem was that it was pulling on the end that was already free and was not doing anything about the knot at the other end. Eventually the wren gave up and flew off. As I watched the scene before my eyes I had to think of how many times I probably approach a problem or issue in vain because I try to deal with the easy part or the surface issues. It makes me think of the various readings I have done regarding children and discipline. All too often we try to just deal with the behaviors of the children and do not get to the root of the issue -- the attitudes or the state of the heart. I was reminded this morning that I want to be constantly evaluating my heart to make sure that I am free from entanglement with bad attitudes, sin, or baggage that I do not need to carry. I think of Psalm 139:23-24 and David's prayer: "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Tomorrow one of the tias and I will have a group session with the youngest girls and need to somewhat touch on this theme as we look at the enemies within ourselves. We get to use one of my favorite stories from the book, "Tales of the Kingdom" which I am excited about. I pray that we can clearly communicate the applications to them and that they can start to deal with some of the character issues. And of course I never know what God might say to me during the time too and what work He might want to do in me.

Smiles

April 4, 2010

Over the past week of traveling, I have seen a few sights that made me smile. First, there is the beauty of God’s creation which of course I always love to see. But then last week when I was driving from Campamento Manantial de Vida to San Pedro Sula, I noticed alongside the road a sign for a funeral home. It’s name was “Funerales Milagrosos”. Translated to English this means “Miraculous Funerals.” As I read the sign I had to smile and wonder just how the funerals were miraculous. Did the funeral home offer the hope that the person would rise from the dead? To me it seemed a rather ironic name for a funeral home.

My time out at the camp was very short but I had a few hours to reconnect with the staff and see all of the babies and little children who are growing so quickly. Little Lisbeth has become fond of the camera and modeling for it though she needs to work on her style. At one point it looked as if she was poking her eye out instead of posing.

In Honduras I had to smile at the timing of the road reparations. Semana Santa happens to be one of the biggest weeks of the year for travel. Many people go to the beaches or mountains to celebrate vacation time. (Unfortunately the vacation has become more important than the reason for the time off). But last Sunday as I was driving out to camp I discovered that the road crews had chosen these days to work on repairing the roads, closing down one lane. For me there was not much of a backlog but I would imagine that depending on the time of day, people’s travels were delayed.

In Pennsylvania my smiles came from the beauty of spring and from seeing friends and family. My nephew had grown considerably and was adorable, freely giving smiles and kisses. Surprising my parents and sister with my return visit was fun too.

As I return to El Salvador I smile and give thanks because I received another 90 days to be in the country. I smile because I know that God has unexpected things planned for the days and months to come. I smile at the thought of seeing the children again and being a part of their lives. I also rejoice because in my conversation with Evelin this morning while I was still here in Honduras, I learned that she heard God speak to her this week through one of the sermons during the Semana Santa retreat at camp. And with having listened to God again, has come a new desire to pursue Him. Our conversation last Sunday was tough because of the struggles she has been going through but the Lord has given her hope. I smile at what that means for her and for Lisbeth (and really for the others around her because if she is living for Christ, her life is going to be a powerful testimony to those around her).

Yeah for smiles and all praise to our Father who created the smile and the reasons to smile. 

On the Road Again... and This Time on Easter Day

April 4, 2010

Easter Day. I am passing Easter Day in a different way this year as I travel by bus from Honduras to El Salvador. I am hoping that it will be a six hour journey and not seven and a half hours as was the trip to Honduras. In the past week there has been some rain in Honduras and so the mountains seem a little bit greener. Still as I look out over the terrain, it is not one that really speaks of new life as would be most fitting for Easter Day. In PA I saw the new life of spring in the budding trees and emerging flowers. I enjoyed being serenaded by chickadees yesterday morning as I sat for a few moments on the bank behind my parents’ house.

Easter speaks to me of new life because Christ rose from the dead and fulfilled all of the prophecies spoken in the Old Testament of His death and resurrection. He defeated death and brought me new life – as long as I am willing to accept the life He offers. I chose to receive His gift of salvation many years ago as a child, but I am reminded that my journey with Christ does not stop at that moment but rather begins. I just read a friend’s update which spoke of the little “deaths” that we have to experience all through our life – the death of our own hopes and expectations, our plans, and our habits. If any of these things do not line up with God’s own plans and desires, I need to sacrifice them and put first His plans. I am reminded of that even more this weekend as I reflect upon Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for me – taking upon Himself my sins, that I might live in Him. It is with joy and thankfulness that I can proclaim today, “Christ the Lord is risen indeed!”

On My Way Again

April 3, 2010

Here I sit an airport again. Sadly I am no less tired than when I began my travels last week. I do not think that I have ever passed a week so exhausted as this one that just past. I was behind in sleep before traveling and I have yet to catch up. Maybe I can catch up on the next flight – from BWI to Miami. After all I almost fell asleep on a puddle jumper flight from Lancaster. I do not think I ever flew on such a small plane. There were 2 other passengers besides me and then the pilot and co-pilot. I could have taken “first-class” seats which are really the seats just behind the pilot. It was a Cessna 402 plane and so it reminded me of all the missionary stories I have read of flying in and out of the jungle. I would imagine that they used a similar plane.

I was incredibly close to missing my flight in Lancaster because of underestimating the amount of time it would take to get there. Thankfully it is such a small airplane and flight that I probably could have arrived 5 minutes before take off and still made it. (Well, maybe not quite that last minute).

My time in Lancaster was good though short. I went in search of snow yesterday with one of my friends but the rocks at Shenk’s Ferry which had held snow late April probably 7 years ago hid only leaves this year. Nonetheless it was a good walk because of the fellowship and because of the beautiful trillium, Dutchman’s-breeches, Virginia blue-bells, and violets that were blooming. Even in the few days I was present in PA, I noticed more buds, leaves, and flowers appearing on the trees. I was glad to see spring again even though it was not yet in all its glory.

I found myself in at least one moment of culture shock. I had gone to the lab for some tests and I expected to walk in, leave the tests and paperwork, and walk out in five minutes. I also thought the results would be in the next day since that is what I have experienced in Honduras and El Salvador over the last 3 years. But no, the process was much more detailed and complicated and the trip that I thought would last 5 minutes took more like half an hour. When I asked if the results would be ready the next day the nurse said, no in 7-10 days. And so I wait.

The other thoughts that I have floating around somewhere will have to be recorded at a later hour when perhaps I am more awake and not in need of checking my ticket at the counter.

A Catch-Up

March 27, 2010

So I begin to write my long overdue blog entry. I am writing from a bus as I pass through the southern mountains of Honduras. Even now I find myself distracted from completely focusing on writing because of movie that is playing having to do with a coach reforming a basketball team – their record and character.

Much has happened in the last week and a half. We have had many people passing through La casa de Mi Padre in the last few weeks helping in so many different ways. Last week I was a part of translating for the medical team. For me the neatest experience was when we offered a clinic for the community around the farm where La Casa de Mi Padre will eventually be built. The last woman of the day who we helped had many different ailments but what caught our attention most was her sadness. The storm that I had so enjoyed hearing just two nights before ended up soaking she and her son and all of their belongings because they are living in a temporary home covered by plastic laminates. That on top of a robbery and having to move from her previous home had taken its toll on her. We talked and prayed with her afterwards and shared the message of Christ and the cross. In past medical brigades we had worked with a local church so that there could be follow-up but in this case we were not connected to a church and so it follow up is more difficult. I have her number to call and check in but I hope to be able to connect her with someone in her community. A random event from one of the clinics was that a man sat down for treatment in front of me and he was wearing a black t-shirt with gold lettering that said, “SCS.” Those are the colors and initials of my elementary school in Florida. I had to wonder if it was a Sarasota Christian t-shirt that had found its way into his hands – probably through a donation at some point. If so, the world continues to be a small place.

This week a family from Texas brought probably a dozen instruments to share with the children. Many of the teens were especially excited about the guitars and for the rest of the week they could be heard practicing at various moments throughout the afternoon and evening. There was also couple of young ladies from Pittsburgh who shared on the topic of alcohol and drug addiction with the children and did some training with the staff.

I spent two nights at La Casa with the pre-teen girls and because of the early morning wake-up to get ready for school, I find myself very short on sleep. It has been fun getting to know them more. I cannot say that the discipline is fun, but it is important. One of the girls, Gaby, and I made Play-dough for the babies and they had fun touching it. Well, the one did. The other has some sensory issues and so he did not exactly like the texture.

Friday, the day before leaving for Honduras, I found myself both packing for my trip and unpacking from my move to a new apartment. Four medical students will arrive while I am gone to share the apartment with me for a month. It is in an area of the city that is a little safer for walking around and I am looking forward to running at the park just up the road. And because the apartment is on the fifth floor, it has a pretty awesome view of the city. I recognize that it might not be the best place to be during an earthquake, but I will not worry about that till it happens.
(I will have to add photos later because I still have not downloaded them to the computer)

The Quick Review

March 19, 2010

For lack of time, I am going to only make a few comments on this week and save the stories and more in depth thoughts for later. It has been a very different week for me because of my involvement with translating for a medical missions team that is here in El Salvador working in the communities that the children from La Casa de Mi Padre come from. I was a tia for four of the girls on Monday and will be again tonight. Thank goodness that tomorrow is the weekend and they do not have to get up at 3:30AM because I do not think I could handle it. Tomorrow is another Family Visit day so there will be activities until mid-day with the children and families. In a little bit we head to a park to have pizza with the children and the missions team.

This week has been a battle for me as far as sickness but it seems like I might be finally getting better which is exciting. Many of the details for the medical team were a struggle this week because of things getting hung up in the government bureaucracy but in the end we were able to do all that was planned. I am glad to have met a bunch of new people this week from Virginia and PA and to see how God is working here in El Salvador through many hands and hearts. And that is is for the moment as I go get ready for the park.

The Culmination

March 12, 2010

As Friday comes to a close here in El Salvador, it is a week of culmination. We ended the week by taking the children out to the farm (the future site of the Children's Home)and letting them climb on a treehouse that a work team built. The children loved it and seeing them scampering around in the tree, scaling the wall, and running around in the open air was invigorating for me. I love to see children out in God's creation.

On Wednesday I had the opportunity to help the team in construction of the tree house. Basically I used a drill to put in screws for holding down the floorboard and a few other small jobs. I have never seen a treehouse with such a gorgeous view. The farm itself is beautify and I am glad to know about it because I can forsee it being a place for me to retreat and spend time with God. I need moments out in His creation which I cannot find in the city.

The drive to the farm was interesting to say the least. We were one a major six lane highway when all of a sudden our driver pulled to the far right lane, stopped, and began backing up. I was reminded of a car chase I was a part of in Honduras when the drive also went in reverse on a major highway and I was pretty sure we would get hit. This time I was not so concerned because I had already served a trip in reverse back in Honduras. The driver told me that the sigsnthat had just been put on the van had fallen off and he wanted to go back and get it, for fear that he would be reprimanded for losing it. I was the only one who understood Spanish and knew what was going on. I tried to tell him that it would be better to just stop and someone could run back and pick up the sign but he did not seem to understand or think that was the best option. So we kept going in reverse and the guys in the back of the van began to get very concerned, especially as we began to go back around a blind curve and they had visions of us getting bashed from behind. One of the guys, a professional photographer, was quick enough to pull out his camera and begin video taping everything. Finally, out of panic, the guys in the back started yelling to "Go, Go!!" and the driver got the message and we went forward again. I explained that we were more concerned about our lives than the sign and someone saw the sign already in pieces since at least one car had run over it. But the driver, who is knew to the job, was understandably concerned by the sign because where he had previously worked he would have had to pay for the sign, which he probably could not have afforded. We made it safely to the farm but it was an adventure.

Yesterday I had a glimpse into an interesting cultural difference here in El Salvador. I was in a group session with the pre-adolescent girls and the one girl was asking why they needed to shower in the morning because several of her classmates showered at night and not in the morning. The house dad said that it is not good for you and that you will smell all day. I have wondered why some of the girls do not take showers at night so that they do not have to get up at 4:00AM before school. I now know why. I knew that culturally it is looked down upon to leave your house in the morning without first dressing up. To me sleep would be a valid reason to have half of the girls showering at night and half in the morning, but not here. And that is okay, it is just a cultural difference that I need to get use to, especially as I will be staying with those girls for a few nights over the next two weeks. I am not looking forward to 4:00AM mornings though.

The culmination of the week actually means the arrival of a medical missions team and more busyness in the coming week. I was going to move this weekend but I am not sure that the other apartment will be quite ready. Hopefully I can find time in the next week to pack up and move across town. I look forward to having more options in where I can run. This week there have been two teams here at the mission house where I currently am and though it has been fun to be able to play some basketball with people again, I will enjoy a little quiet again. My mind is blank as far as what else I wanted to write about so this is all for now.

March as it Flies By

March 9, 2010

This month seems to be flying by. And it will continue to fly by as a whirlwind of work teams and extra activities outside of the normal daily schedule. This past weekend I stayed overnight at La Casa de Mi Padre once again, this time with the youngest of the girls. I brought the ingredients for making chocolate chip cookies and we had fun in that activity. It was a little crazy at moments trying to give 8 girls the opportunity to all play an active role in the cookie making process. The end product looked good though I sadly could not eat them since I am still trying to go without eating gluten to see if my health improves.

When I returned to my house on Sunday morning after being at La Casa, there were 18 people there -- two different teams. One is from Pittsburgh and the other from State College so I am surrounded by fellow Pennsylvanians. It makes cooking and such a little crazy but it has been okay. I have loved the fact that I had opportunity to play basketball with some of them the last two evenings. Sunday evening we played against a group of El Salvadorians that must play in the park frequently. We lost but it was fun.

Tomorrow I will get to go up to the farm where the children's home will eventually move and help with the construction project of building a tree house. That will be a fun change of pace too. Today there are lots of group therapy sessions and helping with homework. I am planning to make play dough soon as a tool for the two youngest boys to help with their stimulation. One thing that I have discovered is that they seem to lack toys that encourage stimulation and the use of skills or senses.

Sometime I will need to think about packing and moving to a different apartment this coming weekend, but that will probably not happen until Saturday. If I leave work early enough this evening I hope to get to the small group again with the one church and see about building more relationships with the people here.

Like a Child

February 24, 2010

For a few moments today I felt like a little girl again as I skipped down the sidewalk with one of the seven year-old girls to move my car closer to La Casa. We “raced” to the car and she won. I enjoy such moments. Currently I am sitting in the living room of the girl’s home multi-tasking as I watch the El Salvador vs. USA soccer game. It is more fun to watch it amidst the screams of teenagers than alone in a house. I am trying to cheer for El Salvador (who is winning) but I find myself excited when the USA almost scores goals as well. I guess that I am in a good place – no matter who wins I will be happy.

This week I have had the opportunity to go with the staff to pick up the children at their schools and so I have gotten to see more of San Salvador. The children are spread out among at least four schools since some of the students need special attention. Going to the one school which is right near where I live helped me to solve the church mystery. On Sunday morning I ventured out of the confines of my street to run in the direction of a church I had heard and seen the night before. The worship had sounded good and I wanted to see if there was a church within walking distance from where I live. My run did not prove fruitful as far as finding the entrance to the church, but I did enjoy the freedom of running outside of the gates of the fence of the neighborhood park. What I discovered today is that the music I heard came from the church connected with the school and though geographically the church sits just above my street, you actually have to wind around to a street that I would not feel comfortable walking on to get to the entrance. At least I solved my mystery and I may just have to drive there to visit the church services.

I have also had time this week to dedicate more energy to the youngest boys who are both about 15 months old. I want to work with the tías to help them with the goals that they have for stimulating the boys’ development and see what resources I can find to help them out. As I continue reading the book Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and John Townsend (in Spanish), I am both learning about the different ages and what the boundaries should look like. I think that I may try to put together a presentation of some of the ideas for a childcare training (every Friday morning we have one with all of the childcare staff). I had been sharing some of the information with the tías of the youngest boys and girls this morning and they were very interested. The book is also challenging me personally and I wonder why I never got around to reading it before.

Finding a Routine

February 22, 2010

I suppose it could be said that I am finding my routine here in El Salvador though in reality spendng a couple of nights at the home with the girls has kept me from getting to accustomed to a set schedule. Last week went well overall though I have been battling not feeling the greatest and the return of headaches. I am not sure it comes from dehydration, a change in diet, or migraines. At any rate that part of the week was not so fun. Because I am experimenting with a gluten free diet for a little while, I am back to preparing lots of food and finding new ways to make the foods I love. Pizza is still on the to-do list.

Monday I was able to go on another family visit to a huge coffee plantation where the mother of one of the girls works and lives. We took my car and it made it there though it was eating coolant since the radiator was leaking. The road to get to the plantation was a bit unnerving as one of the staff told the driver to go quickly because it was a street controlled by gangs. We got in and out without problem, but it does put one a bit on the edge.

When I spent the night with the four younger girls on Thursday night, I got to see first hand the getting ready for school routine. I cannot remember what time I had to get up to catch the bus back in elementary school but here they have to be at school at 7:00AM and since there are about 15 girls for 3 bathrooms, the first girls get up at 4:00AM. My girls, who range from 8-10 in age, got up beginning at 5:00AM which still seemed way too early. Unfortunately I made the mistake of getting the slowest girl up last and so she missed breakfast since the van was leaving early and she was just getting out the door. It was a good learning experience for me.

On Saturday we had another family visit day at La Casa de Mi Padre but this time I was not as involved with the program. I took three of the boys who did not have family coming to help me get copies for a house key for one of the families. The original plan was that they were to come along to "protect" me but really just give them a chance to get out. In keeping with the way errands often go, our first two stops at hardware stores were unsuccessful because their machine was broken or no longer there. Thankfully one of the boys remembered where he had gone with one of the house dads for a key in the past and in his few words and with the help of one of the other boys, we ended up at a place where they did indeed copy keys -- all of the time. The rest of the morning I spent sorting through clothes that had been donated to La Casa but did not fit the children. The plan was for the families to take some home.

I have decided that I will be checking out some other churches over the next few weeks, because although the preaching is really good where I have been going, actually meeting people has been difficult. Yesterday I planned to introduce myself to the people beside me but as soon as the service was over, they were out the door. I will try the small group again this week and see how that goes but I do want to look around. Otherwise the week seems as if it will be pretty normal and I am looking forward to having my first full weekend off.

Dia de Amistad

February 14, 2010

Here in Latin America Valentine's Day is often called "Day of Friendship" (if literally translated). Sometimes they will tack on "And of love." My day began with getting the 4 young girls ready for church but then I left them in the care of other staff while I headed to the English-speaking church in San Salvador.

After church one of the guests at the mission house, Kim, and I drove up to Volcano Bouquern which is about 30 minutes outside of the city. It was a beautiful drive but in keeping with tradition, I did not really know where I was going and so I drove past the turn off for the volcano. It was not far though and we got to see the other side of the mountain range. The hike at the volcano was very short but we wound about through the gardens and made it as long as possible. I was ecstatic to find Forget-Me-Not flowers -- one of my favorites.

Just below the little park there were lots of vendors with drinks, souvenirs, flowers and produce. I bought some berries (similar to raspberries) and also a cluster of Calla lilies. In the US Calla lilies are very expensive, but here for a dollar you would leave with a whole cluster.

From the park we drove back the way that we had come (when we first missed the park) and visited a cafe that boasted coffee which had been shade-grown near there. It was a neat spot, though a little too crowded. As we were leaving there was live music beginning.

On the drive back to the mission house, I was determined to find a new way home and since it was still daylight, it seemed safe enough to do. Much to my dismay though I ended up in the town of Santa Tecla which has haunted me since my first day here. The traffic was about as bad as it had been that day (that was the day when my friends and I got lost there as we tried to find a place to eat dinner). Since that day I have discovered nearly all roads lead to Santa Tecla. Amazingly I did come out where I had hoped to and would have probably made it to the house by a completely different route had I not decided to follow the instructions of a security guard at the grocery store who directed me by a road that I was not sure was right, but I followed anyway. We could have gotten completely lost but thankfully the road did come out near where I work. At any rate I am excited to have some new options now for travel around San Salvador.

On a side note, I have been enjoying seeing once again what a small world it is. Kim is from Catonsville, just outside of Baltimore, and the first day that she arrived we discovered that she had been to Black Rock Retreat for Outdoor Education with her Christian school, many years ago (before my time there). But then it also turns out that she goes to a church which has a school who still goes to Black Rock and I know several of the teachers. I love making random connections halfway around the world.

The Live-In Aunt Experience

February 14, 2010

Yesterday I saw a whole new side of the work at La Casa de Mi Padre as I had the experience of staying at the girls overnight to watch four of the younger girls. When I arrived Saturday morning the girls were excited to have me there -- their new "Tia." I quickly pulled out my Dutch Blitz cards and taught them a modified version since I felt like at their age all of the rules might be too much. After about an hour and a half (a long time for 7-10 year olds) they had had enough and moved to watching television -- something that they are only allowed to do on weekends.

I was amused by one of slightly older girls who had taken it upon herself to kill a cockroach that was hiding amongst some t-shirts that had been donated to the home. She would lift each one up with the small, plastic baseball bat and say (in Spanish of course), "No cockroach, no cockroach" until she would find it, at which point she would begin to attack it (or the box) with the bat. Several other girls tried to help with smaller weapons but they were not nearly so dramatic.

After lunch I went with two of my girls and quite a few other children to a nearby recreational complex where a couple of people from the community had volunteered to give them some training in soccer. It was fun to watch the young girls learning the ball handling skills and laughing in the process.

The rest of the afternoon was spent watching television, which of course I hate. I worked on somethings that I have been doing and did a little reading. I decided that the next time I am at the home for a weekend, I need to go prepared with more alternative activities available rather than just watching television. Pretzel-making or something in the kitchen would be fun, except that I had the joy of seeing my first El Salvadorean rat there, scurrying under the stove. I was not so excited about the kitchen after that.

Overall the girls behaved pretty well but I did have opportunity to practice the behavior consequence model that is used for discipline because the one little girl was being disobedient and stirring up dissention. I will be with the girls again this coming Thursday so I will get to be part of the weekly school routine. I know that it will be a very early morning since the one bathroom is for 7 girls who all have to shower before school. (And I think that they leave for school around 7:00AM) I am glad that my experience here at La Casa de Mi Padre will be well-rounded when it is all said and done and that I can meet some of the needs that they have, especially during this time when so many of the aunts are doing their vacation in rotation.

Earlier in the week I had the opportunity to do a team building activity with the girls that involved one girl being blind folded and having to listen to the instructions of the "lighthouse" instead of those of the talking rocks who tried to get the "boat" to hit the obstacles. In the debrief after the activity is was so exciting to see the light bulb come on for a couple of them as they saw played out before them the input that they had received in counseling sessions regarding obstacles in their path and how to avoid them. They were quick to recognize that Jesus needs to be the "lighthouse" in our lives. The connections that they made seemed to go much deeper than those of the older boys, just 2 days beforehand.

Immersion

February 11, 2010

I feel like this week is definitely immersing me in the life and work at La Casa de Mi Padre. Two mornings this week I went out to communities where several of the children's families live to help with the pre-planning for a medical missions team in March. This week I also got to be more involved in one of the group sessions by leading a team building activity. Yesterday I was in charge of a homework group and had the one boy very much testing the limits as I tried to figure out how the groups are run. Once again I found myself helping someone sound words out but it went much better for the 6 year old than it had for the grandmother on Saturday. I found that I had a lot more patience with the little girl too. This Saturday evening I will be taking on the role of a "tia" or aunt and spending the night at the home with four of the younger girls. A lot of the "tios" are on vacation right now and so they are short staffed. I think I will learn a lot by spending the night at the home because I will see how things go round the clock.

The heat and long hours have tired me out by this point in the week and so having a short weekend could be challenging. On Tuesday evening I made it to a small group from the Spanish church that I have gone to twice. It was okay but the guest speaker talked too much and getting home at 10:00PM after being in Spanish all day was too much. I will probably try the group another week after this particular speaker is not there anymore.

And so ends my brief (for me) update on the week.

The First Week

February 8, 2010

I am now in my second Monday here in El Salvador and though things have been going well, it is hard to hear that in PA yet another snowstorm is on the way and I am missing it. I know that is what I have chosen by living in Central America, but I still miss the joy of the snowfalls and trying to make everyone else smile about the snow even though they "hate" it.

In looking back at last week, my first full week in El Salvador and first week in the Children's home, I would summarize it by saying "A Slow Unfolding." Due to the craziness of life in the home at times (after all 35 children living in one spot will create some surprises), the planned schedule often does not happen as expected. I got to meet the staff and hear about their roles and for some, what brought them to the children's home. There are 2 sets of house parents -- one for the girl's house and the other for the boy's house. Then within each home there are also "tios" or "aunts and uncles" who are in charge of different age groups. It was with two of the tias that I shared coffee one afternoon and heard a bit of their story and how God had led them to La Casa de Mi Padre.

There were various moments when Patty, the psychologist who I am working most closely with, had meetings and so I took the opportunity to spend with the children as they played in the hour or so after finishing their homework. They range in age from 15 months to 20 years old. Tuesday through Friday of each week each tio and the house parents meet with their respective group of children to discuss behavior and other pertinant issues. I was a part of these group sessions and will continue to be with them in the months to come. At some point I will have opportunity to share activities with them that can compliment what is being taught. It will be good to put my camp ministry skills to work. (Actually today I was called upon to figure out the new dog harness since I am into camping. No matter that I am not into dogs all that much. I do not equate camping and dogs as one and the same love, especially big dogs). At this point I am still in the observation process, trying to understand the program, the treatment, and the philosophy. Much training and time is invested in equipping the childcare staff which I see as a very positive thing and I am looking forward to being involved in those events.

It only took the first week to realize that there will be hard days when I will feel the burden of the pain and the wounds that the children are dealing with. As the ministry discovered back when they first began working with the children, just loving them was not enough. They needed to address the hurts and provide a program that would help to bring healing and introduce them to the Healer Himself, Christ Jesus. I, like the children, must leave the pain that I encounter as I get know the children at the feet of Jesus and look to Him for the strength and the words to touch their lives. On my own I am incapable of making any lasting changes in their lives. Only Christ can bring change, but hopefully He can work through me to be His hands and feet.

When You Cannot Turn Left...

February 7, 2010

Who ever knew that turning left was so important? Being left-handed, I do know the importance of "left" but today I realized anew just how complicated life (particularly driving) is when no left turns are allowed. I was planning to visit an English-speaking church this morning in an effort to meet new people and so I set out with over 30 minutes to find my there. I figured that really it should only take me about 10-15 minutes to get there but I also knew that I would not end up taking the most direct route. How very true!

One of the challenges with driving in San Salvador is that on many of the roads there are no left turns. And when you try to take the next right and go around the block, one often discovers that it was not really a block and you do not end up where planned. Such was my experience this morning. It also does not help when you are driving and need to read the map at the same time. I knew more or less where the church was but I could not turn left to get there and I found myself farther and farther away. I discovered too that not all of the road names match up with the map and so I passed the road I wanted because it had a different name. I planned the time well though because I arrived at the church with a few minutes to spare. But when I asked the guard where I should park he said that everyone was headed to the beach for a baptism. I was in black dress pants and sandals -- not at all beach attire, and so I decided to save the visit for another day and drove to the church I had visited last week. Sadly, as I left the English church I realized that even with knowing its exact location, I may not be able to return there on a direct route because I do not yet know the secrets of where I can turn left.

And with that I conclude this post and the day. I am putting off a more informative post of this past week until another day because it has gotten too late (and not because I was watching the Superbowl).

Reflections

February 6, 2010

Before I write about the week (hopefully later today) I wanted to take a moment to reflect on two lessons the Lord challenged me with so far this weekend. Yesterday morning I was at La Casa de Mi Padre helping with the Family Day that occurs every two weeks. Family members of the children come to the home to see their children, receive counseling,and/or participate in a literacy class. There is also a devotional time and lunch for all who come. I ended up being in the literacy class and sat with one woman (I would imagine her to have been at least in her mid-50's), helping her sound out letters and even recognize them. We spent the whole time on sounds like ma, me, mi, mo, and mu. Just when I thought she had gotten the sound, we would move on to the next two letters and she would repeat the sound we had just done.

As I sat there trying to help her, my thoughts were, "I am not cut out for this kind of teaching." "I do not have patience for this." And, "Ahhh... not again!" Internally I was battling my impatience and praying that this was not to be the method in which God works on patience in my own life in this coming year. Then the thought struck me, I wonder how God feels when time after time after time, I keep making the same mistakes. How does He feel when I just do not get it nor understand what He is trying to teach me? Thankfully He is patient and loving and He has not given up on me. I wanted to give up yesterday and say forget it to the teaching, but as I thought about God's work in my life and His patience with me, I received encouragement and strength to stay with the woman and help her try to learn the letters and sounds. And my prayer too after yesterday's experience is that I will get and accept what God is teaching me. I do not want to hear from Him and then walk away and forget it.

This morning I had another experience that made me think (I will never tire of analogies I fear). Yesterday there had been a note under the door saying something about the park being in poor condition and so no one was to use the fields/courts etc.... From my understanding of the note, it did not say that I could not run there, but I was not sure. So this morning I headed up the stairs to enter the park and stopped because the gate was closed -- something that has never happened before. I inwardly groaned because I envisioned the worst -- it was locked and I would have no place to exercise. I almost just turned around and went home but I decided to go and see if it was actually locked. It was not and so I entered and did my running/stair climbing. As I ran I thought about that closed door. It was an obstacle in my path because it had not been there before and in light of the note, I thought it meant the park was off limits. And so I was tempted to just turn around and give up. I realized that often in life I do the same thing. I encounter an obstacle in my path or a seemingly closed door, and I want to just give up. But sometimes I think that God wants to see if I will persevere and push forward, not allowing obstacles nor circumstances to hinder me from following His call. (not always because there are moments when God has a door closed and locked and I should not try to enter) With our muscles they get stronger when they face resistance and have to lift more weight than previously. And so I need to be careful not to just turn and run or give up the moment something does not seem to be going quite right. I need to first investigate and ask the Lord what He wants -- is the door locked or just temporarily closed? Is it an obstacle in my path so that I go in a different direction or does God want to see if I am willing to follow and obey Him even when the going gets tough? And so those are my reflections.

Adjusting

February 4, 2010

It is not even 9:00PM and I am quite exhausted. Today was the first day of hot weather (and it was still nothing compared to what it will be like in a month or so) and I think it wiped me out. I did not have a particularly hard or draining day, so I think the tiredness must be do the weather. And perhaps due in part to the effort it takes to adjust to a new place, new people, immersion in Spanish once again,and a new schedule (which varies from day to day).

For the moment I will simply give a brief overview of the week which is still far from over because Saturday is day when the families visit the children's home and I will participate in the events of the day. During the past couple of days I have had opportunity to hear the stories of various staff from La Casa de Mi Padre and get to know them a bit. As of this evening I have also met all of the children though I am a long way from remembering the name with the face. This evening in a group session with the older teenage girls I caught a glimpse of the work that this ministry has been doing over the past few years. One of the girls shared an experience she had had that day which was sharing Christ with a classmate and bringing to her various verses and ideas to help her in her present state. As she shared her story, I could tell that the experience had been a huge step for her because of her own fear. But she had stepped out and shared the very things that she has been learning these past few years. All of the other girls seemed to be excited for her step. I was encouraged and I look forward to seeing and being a part of the many other ways that God is at work in the children here at La Casa de Mi Padre.

Settling In

January 30, 2010

The past two days I have been trying to settle in here in San Salvador. That meant finding a grocery store which carried baking soda and not just baking powder. It meant finding an ATM to use. Figuring my way around at least my side of the city was another part of my task. I discovered this evening that I also need to figure out when rush hour is. I thought that 6:30PM on a Saturday would not be a bad time to run out, but traffic was worse than I had seen it yet. I had to love the honking of the cars around me when there was absolutely nothing that anyone could do to move forward.

I also settled into the Mission House where I am staying (see the photos above). For the most part I will have the entire house to myself but about once a month there will be a mission team staying here. Some work with La Casa de Mi Padre and others work with various ministries around the city. For me I think it will be a good balance of having alone time versus opportunity to visit with others.

Having unpacked all of my clothes, I then set out to iron them and hence get a headstart on the weekend. I am pretty sure I will be working long hours so I wanted to get out of the way whatever work I could during the weekend. I also have beans cooking in preparation for the week.

This morning I went over to the park (also in the photos) to run again and had the opportunity to meet a couple of the neighbors. The community takes care of the park and this man and his wife were out watering the grass. I discovered that there are mango trees, avocado trees, and another type of fruit -- all of which are for the community to enjoy. I am hoping that I can get to know a few of the neighbors over the next couple of weeks. Every time I make a lap around the park, I look with longing towards the road on the other side of the fence because I know that running on a few of the roads in the neighborhood would give me some variety to my run. But as I talked with my neighbor his recommendation was to stick with the park. And so I guess I will follow the recommendations of two people now and continue to run in circles.

Arrived

January 29, 2010

As you can tell I am very behind in my posts so this will be a long one. Last week I spent the week in Honduras wrapping up some details at the camp there and reconnecting with the staff, attempting to see people in the city as well. This past Sunday and Monday I had plans to visit with several Honduran friends in San Pedro Sula but in the end all of the plans fell through and I did none of what I had hoped and planned. I was able to see quite a few people at church though so that was good. My friend Emily was in the city already so were able to run errands and to hang out some that Monday before heading to the airport to pick up another friend, Justin.

From the airport we headed to camp which is actually on the way to El Salvador and stayed the night there. I was able to play one last soccer game with the staff and camp kids and also get in my goodbyes to the people there. My heart hurts for little Lisbeth because at her age it has to be so difficult to understand and say goodbye to people time and again. I was a part of her life nearly daily for 7 months and then I left for several months, only to return for a week, leave again, be back for a week and now leave yet again. She definitely seemed to understand that I was leaving again and did not want to have much to do with me as I tried to say goodbye. I am thankful that she and Evelyn have the consistency of staying on camp and having some family around. Hopefully it will help to make up for the losses of other people who have been in and out of her life.

Tuesday morning, Emily, Justin, and I began the journey to El Salvador. I had heard mixed reports on how the drive could be and the border crossing. We were surprised when all the border patrol did was look at our passports and then wave us on. There was no checking of the documents of my vehicle or anything. We stopped and went in just to make sure that we were not missing anything. I still need to figure out what this means for me keeping my car in El Salvador and if I need to register it here or drive it out of the country every 90 days or what. Hopefully that is something I can work on this weekend.

The drive took about 6 hours which was what we had expected. We had no map though so as we neared the city I called one of the staff members at La Casa de Mi Padre to find out how to get to the Multiplaza Mall where we were to meet up. I have since discovered that I am not very good with taking directions from people via the phone. We ended up driving through downtown San Salvador and after passing a different mall several times, decided to stop and wait there.

We went in and I bought a new chip for my cell phone so that I could make calls in El Salvador, and then we waited for the guy to come and find us. I since learned that the mall we stopped at is not a recommended mall to visit. It is suggested that you do not carry a purse and that you have a pocket ready with money to hand over should you get held up. Perhaps the ignorance was bliss because I was not too worried as we walked around. I did realize God's faithfulness though because on Wednesday evening we discovered that the back door to my Rodeo was not locking(the control box for the windows and door locks was changed last week and now everything is in reverse). So the car was sitting loaded down with stuff, computers, etc... in an unsafe parking lot and yet no one tried to break in.

We finally reached the Mission house where we were staying and where I plan to live for the year. There is a little park next door where I can sort of run or if nothing else get exercise. It only takes a little over a minute to lap around the whole park and half of it is stairs. Basically it will take a lot of laps for a 30 minute workout. This morning I ran there for the first time but combined it with a little shooting of hoops. I am thankful to have a green area next door and to not have to try and find a gym to go to for exercise.

Later Tuesday evening we went out to get something to eat and ended up circling the entire city just to get to a mall that was actually rather close. (And this time I had gotten the directions in person so maybe my problem is with directions however they come -- whether in person or on the phone). Getting home was slightly quicker but still not direct.

Wednesday we stopped in at La Casa de Mi Padre in the morning and then drove to the beach which is only about 45 minutes away. Well, it is supposed to be but I could not remember exactly where I had been before so we took the scenic route and had to backtrack. Just as I remembered from my trip there in October, the waves were big. I later found out that San Blas, where we were, is a surfer's beach. I did venture out farther than I normally do with hopes of riding a wave in. Instead I got so battered by the waves that I decided to just head back in. I have not gotten the technique down of diving into the waves instead of being crushed by them. As I was under the one wave I realized that I was not coming up very quickly, and I suddenly understood how easy it could be to panic and get worn out by the waves. I was very tired by the time I got to shore. The experience gave me a whole new perspective of Ps. 42:7, "Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfall; all your waves and breakers have swept over me." I remember reading those verses in Costa Rica at a beach and thinking more of diving into the depths of God's love, no matter what risks that seemed to involve. But this time I saw the waves as the psalmist seems to, the trials and challenges of life that can come upon us successively and wear us down. The psalmist goes on to speak of how God is with him. In the day God's love directs him and at night His song is with him. He says of God "my Rock." And how true it is. God is the Rock, the firm foundation that we can stand on even as the waves roll in and pound.

Yesterday I took Emily and Justin to the airport and somehow managed to get home and to several other places without getting lost. I know that I will get lost many more times in the coming days because San Salvador is a big city and I am not familiar with it. Today I hope to get some more info on whether I can fix my locks so that the whole car locks when I hit the control button. If nothing else though, someone did figure out yesterday that if I lock the back door with the key it stays locked no matter what I do with the control buttons. So I feel much safer.

Monday I will begin at La Casa de Mi Padre and I am looking forward to it. I was there for a little while yesterday and had lunch with several of the staff and today visited with a few of the chidren there. It seems like it will be a good group of people to work with. I know that I will learn a lot and I hope to be able to lighten the load of some of them because I know that they put in long hours. I am excited for what God will do in and through me in the coming months and for whatever adventures lie ahead with that.

January 18, 2010

Little did I know that a simple soccer game played in a small town in Honduras could be such a cross cultural experience. Apparently nearly five months (though not without a return trip) outside of Honduras was enough to allow me to experience some culture shock in my return her. Let me try to paint a picture of yesterday's soccer game.

Picture a small town, set in the countryside, just below the mountains. There is one paved street that runs through the center of town. This is Pinalejo. Like every small town in Honduras, Pinalejo has its soccer fields. The soccer fields are used almost exclusively for "futbol" (soccer) unlike the basketball court which becomes both a place to play soccer and a place to dry coffee beans. These fields are littered with trash and cow patties, the latter of which you try to avoid when running around.

Yesterday I joined my friend Evelin and her team in a game against another local team, the latter of which was composed of primarily high school age girls. I was given a uniform and the opportunity to jump in the game, no questions asked. The first real culture shock came when I approached the goal my team was trying to score in. There was no net to stop the ball which is a non-essential anyway. The distracting part was that no less than a dozen persons stood within the goal posts (some even leaning on the front posts)watching the game. There was no concern that an attempted goal might hit one of them in the face. I suppose that they were all prepared and alert. (At least I would hope so). Nonetheless there is something a bit awkward with shooting at a dozen people, among whom the goalie blends in. Boundary lines were non-existent but somehow the referee knew when to blow the whistle. I certainly did not know when to stop running.

I really am not that great a soccer player but I know how to run and so I ran and had wonderfull missed shots on goal. I prefer to pass rather than shoot which probably frustrated the majority of players who are more accustomed to the latter. Supposedly the two halves of the game were 45 minutes but the coach seemed think that the ref was not actually keeping time. It seemed that way to me, both as I played and then stood on the sideline. The team I played with won 8-0. We definitely had more passion for the game and quite a few of the girls had some good skills. At one point I saw one of the other team's players looking at her cell phone, hopefully only reading a text message and not sending one, during the middle of the game.

I enjoyed the game and the opportunity to see a bit of the life in Pinalejo that I had not glimpsed before when I was in Honduras. Though there were differences in the structure of the game and the rules, the heart of the game of soccer in Honduras is the same. I was honored to be able to step into their world for a few moments and participate with them.

Adjusting

January 16, 2010

Here I am in Honduras getting reacquainted with some of the joys and challenges. I awoke this morning at 6:00AM to the sound of Spanish over a loud system and I could not remember where I was – as in which country. Then I remembered it was the weekend and there is a group on camp. I have been excited that the temperatures are not as hot as some times and so going from a PA winter to the tropics is not so bad. It is still hard to remember that last week I was playing ice hockey on a frozen pond. This week the only thing I have been hitting at (with a mop, not a hockey stick) are giant ants which swarmed the kitchen.

Yesterday morning I headed to my mechanic to pick up my car. For the most part everything was working except that I now cannot put down my driver’s side window – before it was just all of the others that I was not able to control from my seat. I hope to get the window fixed before heading to El Salvador because anytime I pass through either a toll or police checkpoint, I will have to open my door instead of the window. It could be quite inconvenient at times. If an electrical shop cannot fix the problem, I will have to try and quickly order the part so that it can come down with one of my friends.

When I arrived at camp yesterday afternoon, there was no electric but thankfully it did come on in time for me to put my groceries in the fridge. I then headed down to Pinalejo with Evelin and several of the younger children on camp so that I could join Evelin’s soccer team in their practice. It looks as if I will be playing on their team tomorrow afternoon. Soon volleyball will be the only sport left in which I have not played on a team in Honduras (of the most common sports that is).

My other main challenge of the day was cooking. I went to town in the morning to buy a new chimbo (tank) of gas for the stove and planned to put a chicken in the oven to bake. That way I would not have to touch it much until after it was cooked. I hate the slime of chicken skin and parts so as little contact as I have with it, the better. Well, I turned the oven on to preheat and soon the smell of gas was overwhelming. Several people tried to help me fix the connection so that it would not leak and it was better but I could still hear gas escaping. I cooked the chicken for a while and then decided the gas would have to be turned on too long to bake it and so I pulled it out, cut it up and cooked it on the stovetop. What a mess! I suppose that the oven not working so well might help me to not do so much baking and thereby focus on more important things, such as people. In reality sharing baked goods with people is no substitute for sitting down and talking with people.

And that sums up the events, more or less, of two days back in Honduras. Oops, not quite. I was in bed ready to turn off the light when I noticed a block spot up on the wall -- a scorpion. And so I went downstairs in search of something to knock it down with and then set out to kill it, which I hate to do, though mostly because of the gore. And then I slept, without nightmares of scorpions.

A Day of Snowflakes Vs. Snow Flurries

January 14, 2010

I know that I should not be starting an entry on snow from the Miami airport, but though the topic has been brewing in my head for weeks, I have not made the time to record it. Airports are good for that sort of thing.

About two weeks ago now, I looked outside the window one afternoon and saw lots of flurries blowing around. A few days later I drove through a light snow early one morning where the snow came down steadily enough that they settled down. When I watched the flurries blowing aimlessly around, never really finding a place to land or rest, I realized that I did not want to be like a snow flurry. They seem to lack purpose and just drift. There are never enough to accumulate and transform their environment. That is where the snowflakes (or really a day with snow shower) are different.

The snowflakes do blow around and as you are driving into the oncoming snow, you see just how much the wind directs them. And yet they land. They stick together. They turn a dirty, cold world into a beautiful place. They reflect the sunlight and at times even seem to sparkle. They bring transformation. I want to be snowflake. I want to be a vessel through which God transforms those around me because He is in me and is continuing to transform me.

Fare Thee Well

January 13, 2010

Today is departure day. Departure from family, the winter, friends, sports, and in many ways comfort. But today is also a new day and a day of beginnings. Beginning on a journey that I cannot see the ending to. The beginning of heading to a new country and settling down there for a year. The beginning of a new area of ministry -- exploring the field of counseling and intentional work with children and their families. And so the day carries mixed emotions.

Up until last night excitement was the emotion that most coursed through my body. I was ready to move forward and past the season of waiting. I was ready begin the new journey. Then last evening I held my little nephew and realized just how much he will change in the next 3 months to a year (depending on how much time elapses before I pass through PA again). Reality hit home as to all that I am leaving behind in Lancaster and with that the sadness came.

And yet today as I left, the excitement was there again -- just more tempered than before. I know that God has plans for me that require this new step forward even though there is pain in the letting go. He has been faithful in the past and will be faithful again to sustain me.

Tonight I arrive in Miami and will visit with the LAM headquarters tomorrow before flying out in the evening for Honduras. Then I will have almost twelve days in Honduras before driving to El Salvador. Thankfully many of the details for El Salvador are coming together and I should have a place to live. I have friends to do the drive with me and I am working on getting all of the papers I need for residency since the leaving the country every 90 days might not work if the government starts issuing only a 30 day tourist visa.

The journey has begun and I bid a fare thee well to all those I had the pleasure of connecting with during my time in the United States and to those who I was not able to see though I had hoped our paths would cross.

A Bit Disconcerting

January 13, 2010

Catch up time on blogs so here come a bunch of entries that I have wanted to write for some time. Last Friday afternoon I parked in downtown Lancaster and walked over to market to try and connect with someone about selling jewelry from Honduras. As I turned onto Orange St. and headed north towards Prince St., I noticed several cops on foot walking towards me. On the other side of the street there more more policemen and policewomen looking around as they walked along the sidewalk. Farther up the street more policemen scanned the roads and avenues, and I began to wonder who they were looking for and just what the person had down. I walked past the officers and rounded Prince, only to see a police car go by and then more police ahead. I was glad to get inside at the Prince Street Cafe and leave behind whatever was brewing on the streets of Lancaster. My conversation only lasted a few minutes though and I was back on the streets. As I walked quickly back to my car, well aware of my surroundings (and the fact that the police were still on the streets), my imagination ran away with the possibilities of what could happen if someone suddenly ran out with a gun right by where I was standing.

Thankfully nothing happened and hopefully the police found whoever they were looking for, but I did find the situation a bit disconcerting -- having never needed to be so aware of my surroundings in Lancaster. I expect it in Honduras or El Salvador but not so much in my hometown.

The Countdown

January 4, 2010

The countdown for 2010 is seemingly long past (4 days ago seems like ages ago), but the countdown for my departure for Honduras and then El Salvador is still running. Today I was able to confirm my meetings in Miami with Latin America Mission and so I bought my ticket for leaving PA next Wednesday. I am excited to be going and to see what all God has planne for me in the coming year. I sense that it will be a year of growing and refining as I am stretched by taking on new responsibilities and stepping out into new areas.

I will have a little over a week in Honduras before leaving for El Salvador on the 26th of January. As of now I have no idea where I will actually be living in San Salvador and am waiting to hear about apartment options. I think the first few weeks could be interesting and certainly not boring. I am looking forward to having some time to reconnect with friends in Honduras, use my Spanish again, and organize a few things at camp yet.

I cannot help but hope for one last snowstorm before I leave or if not that, then ice on the ponds for skating. Winter sports are still rare enough in my life that I love them. If I live to be 90 or 100, I hope to still be throwing snowballs at the least but preferably sledding, cross country skiing, and ice skating. One can dream...

Learning from the Little Children

December 22, 2009

Little children – they have so much to teach us. The past 2-3 weeks I have had more opportunity than usual to hang out with young children and I learned a lot. I discovered just how off their sense of time is. One four year old who I put down or a nap said she would probably sleep for 3 hours or so (after I told her that she needed to be in her bed for half an hour). When I went in to check on her half an hour later, she was up and playing with her toys. Apparently the “three hours” had passed quickly. My nephew is still too young to say anything, but he knows how to smile and delight his family.

I have also spent a few days at Mom’s House, an outreach to single moms in Lancaster. They were short-staffed several days and so I helped out in the toddler room. I had fun reading with them and watching them run circles in the playground area in the middle of the winter cold. One little girl of about 18 months would continually fall over but it did not daunt her. She picked herself up and ran again, smiling all the while. They delighted in seeing the birds fly overhead and roost in nearby trees.

Snow Gently Falling ...

December 22, 2009

And I am on the road again – which is why I actually have time to write on my blog. This past weekend I could not because I had to take advantage of the foot plus of snow that had blanketed Lancaster County. How delightful it was! Saturday morning before they had plowed the roads in my parents’ development I cross country skied over to my sister’s house to see my nephew and then to the grocery store. At the store I carried the skis inside which I am sure was a sight to see but I knew that they would freeze up if I did not and then I would not be able to get my boots snapped in. I did some shoveling and baking and then in the evening went to a Christmas party in town. I discovered that I enjoyed driving on the snow covered roads and that the world was even more beautiful when I got out of the development. Though we did not get to play any games of Frisbee, we used a glow-in-the-dark Frisbee to throw around on the snow covered Duke St. and nearby parking lot.

On Sunday morning I went to a church service in Lancaster and then to visit a friend. In the afternoon I had hoped to play Ultimate Frisbee in the snow but it seemed that no one was showing up so I instead went down to May Post Office Road to do some sledding with camp friends. Probably the best part was building several tunnels since I only did that once before, way back in high school.

Monday morning I made it to a nearby park to do some more cross country skiing before heading out to help my parents by delivering Interstate Batteries. I ended up being on the road all day and by the time I finished it was dusk so the parks were closed to skiing. But thankfully I was down near Quarryville so I got permission to ski around Black Rock. It was good exercise before this long car ride. I should probably describe my skiing as snow plowing instead because the snow was so deep I had to make tracks and then the second time through I could move more quickly.

Needless to say I am ever so thankful for the unexpected, huge snow. I did not have my hopes up because I really have not seen real snow in over 3 years and I figured that this year would be no different. And so my excitement is making up for the many others who were not so keen on the heavy snowfall. I do wish though that I could have helped others shovel a little more so that they could appreciate the beauty and the fun of the snow more.

Snow, Glorious Snow

December 5, 2009

I know that the word "glorious" should probably not be used in conjunction with snow but it is how I feel. If "glorious" can be used to describe a day, then I think it fits snow. In reality though, it should probably be reserved for the Creator of snow and each day -- the Lord God Almighty. Nonetheless I am excited about the snow that fell today. I remembered back 8 years ago when an early December snow provided enough ground cover to construct a snowman of more than 10 feet in heighth in front of my dad's wharehouse. That was a very fun snow. Today's snow gave enough beauty to make a walk around Millersville University new and exciting.

This past week was quite full of activities. I had a workshop with the Life Coach Training I am taking and it was 10 hours on the phone for lecture and conversation with my peers. I never liked telephones that much before and my opinion did not change on that after so many hours at the phone. It was good information and practice though so I am glad I participated in the workshop.

On Tuesday I was able to get to Landis Homes before a meeting near there and so I visited with several women from my church. I was inspired as I talked with the one woman who is nearly 97 years old and has lost most of her vision but yet she can still bring humor into conversations and make others smile. Although at times she wonders why God has her still here on earth, she has not given up hope and presses on each day. I hope that if I ever live to be that age, I too can bring joy to others and live out the hope of Christ.

The week brought continued waiting which can be challenging at times and yet there was the call too to continue trusting that the Lord is indeed guiding my footsteps. As I write these thoughts, the words of a praise song come to mind, "I will not be shaken, I will not be moved." As I wait, I must trust and stand firm in the Lord.

And to close, a few pictures from Thanksgiving last week which was a good time. I have not posted enough pictures with my nephew Jack whose smiles are becoming more frequent and dear. On Black Friday my family went in to Central Market and there we saw the beautiful flowers.

I Remember Why Not to Participate in Black Friday Sales...

November 28, 2009

On Thanksgiving Day I was looking through the newspaper's advertisements and saw some really good sales at Best Buy -- which in light of the issues I have been having with computers were very inviting. I do not know when I last went to any store first thing on Black Friday, but for some reason I thought, "well, maybe I could swing by the store before playing basketball at 6:00AM at Black Rock Retreat." I only needed to get up half an hour earlier to pass by the store so I decided to see if by chance the lines at the store were not outrageously long.

Friday morning I got up very early and headed into Lancaster to see if I coud run in and out of Best Buy quickly. Because I was going to arrive before 5:00AM when Best Buy opened, I decided to see if Old Navy had slowed down. They were supposed to open around 3:00AM so I figured that the lines should have died down. I entered the store and gazed in horror at the checkout line. It extended from the front of the store to the back of the store. I knew exactly what jeans I needed were I to buy them but one look at the line and I knew I was not going to be making any purchases that day. I was appalled to at the disarray of the store. It looked as if people would grab an item, not want it, and just throw it on a pile somewhere. The sales persons could not keep up with the vast traffic flow.

I left Old Navy and drove over to Best Buy knowing that I would not be getting out of my car. Sure enough, as I entered the parking lot, I saw it was full. I could see a sea of people beginning to enter the store. And the line was long. I drove closer and closer to the store because I wanted to see just how long the line was. I saw that that the line wrapped around at least one side of the building and I would not have been surprised if it nearly wrapped around the entire exterior of the store. Needless to say I turned around and left and went to basketball early, having some good quiet time. I remembered why I do not participate in the Black Friday store stampedes. I doubt I will bother getting up early again on Black Friday. I much more enjoy the casual pace of my family on Black Friday which includes going to Central Market, a chocolate store and then relaxing at home.

Adventures with Friends

November 21, 2009

I am beginning to discover that adventures with friends do not have to be some big event or excursion -- it can be simply talking and re-connecting or even playing with their children. On Wednesday I caught a ride to Chicago with one friend and then visited friends who I met in language school in Costa Rica. The middle of the three young boys, Samuel, was a bundle of energy and creativity. He turned the playground into a castle where there sat an evil king. It made me look forward to the years ahead when my nephew is old enought to play and create imaginary worlds.

Through conversation with my friends (the grown-ups that is), the Lord began to speak to my heart and show me the possible implications of studies versus and internship in El Salvador. He did some convicting in my heart, and so as I find myself moving in the direction of El Salvador, I have a renewed excitement for heading that way. There is still a week or more of waiting before I will know if I can go, while the details of the internship are ironed out and I have more chats with those involved. I feel okay with waiting though and am excited to see what God will do.

I am thankful that these past few months has been a time of reconnecting with friends and at times hearing God speak through others. Other times I have been the one who has been able to encourage and challenge my friends. I love how the body of Christ works and how we are in this journey through life together to spur one another on.

Setting Sail

November 16, 2009

Through sermons, dreams, and a retreat, God has been speaking to me about setting sail during this past week. I love when God speaks to me on the same theme from more than one source. Yesterday's sermon was a look at Abraham and God's command to take his son Issac and sacrifice him on the altar. Abraham obeyed the Lord and was on the verge of killing his son when an angel of the Lord stopped him. The Lord had been testing his willingness to obey and to risk losing his only son, the very promise of God. Abraham's faith stood the test, but the challenge for me was whether I am willing to sacrifice the "Issacs" in my life -- those things which I hold on to and sometimes hold as dearer than Jesus. Can I trust God's call to go to a mountain and place on the altar my dearest and my best?

This sermon and then the teachings regarding boats and sailing have all pointed towards the idea of risk. What risk am I willing to take in following Christ? Sometimes I just want to sit in the boat on dry land instead of risking the open sea and the storms that may come up there. And yet a boat is not meant for the land nor even for sitting at the dock forever. It is designed to sail on the waters and go into unchartered territory. I sense that God is calling me to move out on the water with Him. A neat analogy that I heard the other week at a retreat was how Jesus is like the anchor of our boat. The anchor goes with us wherever we go but we need to keep a firm grip on it. As long as the anchor is with us, we can set up home almost anywhere since the anchor will keep us grounded. As I have been pondering various options for my next step in life, this idea has been comforting because I know that wherever I end up, the Lord will be with me and I can be at home there.

I also keep coming back to an idea that comes out of C. S. Lewis's book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The oldest girl Susan says to the Beavers regarding Aslan, "But is he safe?" to which they reply, "Of course he is not safe; he is Aslan, but he is good." (Hopefully I have that quoted correctly). Those words have been in my mind because all too often my first question when considering a new idea or option is, "Is it safe?" It is not, "Is God in it?" I want to know that I will be safe. But the Lord does not promise that we will be safe from pain and suffering nor even death. Those are all a part of life. As I follow His call for my life, I will encounter danger but I remain safe because I am in His loving arms and as Romans 8:35-39 point out, nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. And so my prayer is that I will not look so much at the question of safety and comfort but instead ask where God is at work and where He wants me to be. I want to be in the adventure of following Him into the unknown because I know that He is bigger than the wind and the waves and that He is right there with me.

Catch Up

November 16, 2009

I seem to be playing catch up in many areas of my life these days -- perhaps communication more than anything. I got back to Pennsylvania on November 6 after my travels in Central America. Thankfully in Honduras I was able to finish up everything that I needed to and saw Evelin and Lisbeth established in a cabin at camp to live for a while. Coming back to PA, I jumped into a whirlwind of activities and presentations. Last week at the top of my "To-Do" list was figuring out what my next step is. By the close of the week I felt a peace about pursuing El Salvador and a one year internship there with La Casa de Mi Padre (My Father's House). It is an opportunity to work with children and their families and participate in counseling and therapy with them. So I am moving in that direction while recognizing that the Lord could still close doors and I may go ahead with further schooling here in the US.

This past weekend I made a quick trip north to share with a church and visit some friends and supporters. When a college friend who I had not seen for years greeted me after the church service, I was reminded of how small the world is. I think that everytime I travel I am reminded of that. I realized too that I love to travel and reconnect with people or meet new people. At the same time it is good to be back in Lancaster for a few days at least.

Last week I enjoyed seeing my family again, especially my nephew who learned to smile intentionally during the three weeks that I had been out of the country. I am blessed to have been in Lancaster so much over the past 3 months and that all of my immediate family is around this month.

In the Midst of Moving

November 3, 2009

Today was the big moving day though tomorrow will carry some smaller moves. The majority of my things I moved out to camp for Evelin to use for a while and so this afternoon we drove to camp with my Isuzu Rodeo loaded down and another little truck. They were very full. I had acquired furniture from my previous roommate so there was quite a lot to move. It is now late and I am very tired but with papers to organize so sleep is still not within reach. Evelin has the hardest job though of re-organizing the cabin to accomodate her and Lisbeth. Right now I am too busy to really think about all that is happening and the implications of moving out of Honduras for the moment. I think when I sit down on the plane on Thursday, all of the emotions will finally hit. I hope that I will at that point have time to better process and pray about the opportunities in El Salvador and those here in Honduras.

Well, that is my very brief update but at least you can know that I am still alive and running around -- driving around that is. I have not been able to do much running which is sad.