Dios le bendiga!

I just got back from Honduras last night/this morning.  Since I experienced so much, and I have SO much to say about the trip, I'm having a hard time knowing exactly where to start.  I kept a journal during the week, so I've decided to start by simply putting my journal entries on my blog for everyone to read.  This way you can know what was going through my mind at least a little bit during the mission trip.  Here goes!  I hope you enjoy my week :-)

5/10/2010 (Monday)

We're currently on the flight from Houston to Honduras! The plane is playing "Have You Heard About the Morgans."  I really like this movie.  The flight from Indy to Houston was very good.  We left on time, and we got there in about 2 hours.  I'll be honest, I slept almost the whole way.  I read a chapter in my "Don't Know Much about American History" book.  Now I'm an expert on Pilgrims, Squanto and Jamestown.

Jason and I don't get to sit by each other on the planes (I'm 17B and he's 18D), but that's OK.  It gives us a chance to get to know a couple other people from the group.

We met this morning at 3am at the CSF House and took vans to the Indy airport.  So far everything has been smooth sailing!  I just hope that it continues this way for the rest of the trip! <3


5/10/10 ...later... (Monday)

Well, it's the end of day 1.  It's literally 6:20pm and we're all about ready to go to bed.  We're pooped!  I guess it makes sense, because at home it's 8:20pm, and we've all been up since 2am, with little sleep before that.

Today was a big day.  2 flights, 2 time changes, another country, and cultural adaptation.  When we flew into the airport, we had a crazy landing because their landing strip is really tiny.  But we made it safely.  We went to the camp in 2 Ford F250s.  We rode in the truck beds (some were in the truck cab) with the luggage.  I mean, I understand why we have to do that, but I for sure hate it.  Too much wind, and not enough safety.  Whatev.

We toured the mission camp when we got settled, after we ate Little Caesar's Pizza... really authentic.

We saw the clinic, the church, and the soccer field.  We loaded up in the truck and went to a supermarket later in the evening.  [warning, adult content...] While we were waiting to leave, a man was standing over behind a tree masturbating and exposing himself to all of us (all girls but one).  It was disturbing and disgusting.  I can't get the image out of my head, and I really want to. After he had been doing it a while, I couldn't take it anymore, so I jumped out of the truck and told Trevor (Felipe), but by that time, the man was walking away.  We were told to just ignore things like that.  I mean, I tried.  And I an understand, but at the same time, I kind of figured that Trevor would have had more desire to do something about it.  Oh, well.  Let's just hope it doesn't happen again. [end]

After the supermarket, we came back for supper, which was arroz con pollo [rice with chicken].  It was SOOOO good.  Alas, my digestion was not made for this environment.  We eat so much food that makes me so gassy, but then, we have to throw away our toilet paper and not flush the toilet unless there is doody.  Let's just say I've flushed 3 times today. Embarrassing...

Our beds are triple-bunk beds, and I'm on the top of one.  It's literally a foot from the ceiling - A PAIN to get in and out of.

Tomorrow we have 3 big projects: Building a wall, making concrete, and building more of those bunk beds.

We're sitting around now singing, because the girls that are going to be playing guitar for evening devotions are practicing.  We're having some difficulties agreeing on keys.  Typical.  I'm going to go talk with the boys now.  Maybe.


5/11/10 (Tuesday)

It's the end of day 2. We had our first work day today, and it was so fulfilling!  We were split into 3 groups - bunk bed builders, wall builders, and concreters.  I was in the concrete group.  Let me tell you, it was work.  We shoveled, wheel barrowed, and mixed concrete.  Here's the perfect recipe: 4 wheel barrows full of sand, 3 wheel barrows of gravel, and 2 packs of concrete.  Mix well.  Make a volcano.  Fill the center with 6 buckets of water.  Mix well.  Add water for consistency (usually another bucket full).

We filled the section of the driveway with concrete, creating another area for turning around.  After that, I was assigned to sweep/wash the driveway.  Good times.  Sometimes pushing around mud with mud-water works.  After that we had to start digging to level out another section which we will concrete again tomorrow.  The guys dug up an ENORMOUS rock.  (I'm pretty sure it was a dinosaur egg.)  It took HOURS to pull it out of the ground.  The ground here is so hard.  It has so many huge rocks in it.  It's really hard to work with, and they had to use several pickaxes to break the ground up.  After lunch, we kept on working.  While we waited to eat supper, we played a game of Catch Phrase - the old-school version.  It was awesome.  After dinner, my group had clean-up duty.  We had a little worship service and then did a recap of the day.  Now we're just hanging out.  Let's see what God has in store tomorrow.

5/12/10 (Wednesday)

Today was a huge day.  We started the morning doing our work projects again.  This time, we added painting (priming) the outside of the clinic to the game plan.  I was on the team that mixed and laid more concrete.  We were so much more efficient today because we had such good training yesterday.  Also, there were less people on our team, so we didn't have thousands of people climbing over each other getting in the way.  After we finished laying the concrete, I was sent to help prime the right side of the clinic for about an hour and a half.  For lunch we had spaghetti and green beans.  It just makes me chuckle a little because that's the kind of food that I cook at home.  It was still good, though.  Dora is an excellent cook!  She has 8 kids! I found out today that she has no husband.  She has the same man who comes back to her every once in a while, and each time he convinces her that he'll stay.  But she gets pregnant, and he takes off again.  That's really sad.  But they're getting by.

After lunch, we went to the downstairs part of the mission house where they have the "Milk Project."  Kids ages 3-14ish come for an hour 3 times a week to sing, play, hear a Bible story, learn about Jesus and get a little bit of food to eat.  It's a way to bring the kids to Christ and also to meet their immediate physical needs.  The kids are incredible.  As hungry as they may be, most of the kids prefer to save their sandwiches and bring them home to share with their families.

After their little classes, they came outside and just played with us for about 30 minutes to an hour.  I talked a long time in Spanish to an 11 year old boy named Hermer.  Love him.  He was so sweet and cute.  He understood that I didn't understand everything, and he knew how to help me out.  It was awesome.

After that we did food distribution.  We split up into 4 groups and headed out with a translator to the surrounding community and handed out packages of ready-to-cook meals.  We met and prayed for some great people.  Our translator, Roxana, was incredible.  She has such a heart and a fire for God and to help people.  It was awesome listening to her praying.  Makes me want to step my game up.

For supper, we had the plato tipico [typical plate].  It was alright.  Nothing like Jason's mom's enchiladas...

After dinner we did a worship time and re-cap of the day.

Jason and I sat outside for a little while tonight.  It was pretty and overwhelming to see all the lights on the mountains and in the valleys.  God makes such beautiful creation.

5/13/10 (Thursday)

Today was quite a day!  We left the mission at about 7:30 and headed on about a 2-hour trip to a village that was up on the top of a mountain.  The ride there was something else.  We rode in the backs of trucks.  On the paved roads it wasn't so bad, but on the dirt and mountain roads (which was the majority) it was really rough.  Like, we had a near-death experience one time - Oscar hit a hole really hard, and everyone in our truck bed crashed into each other.  I caught John Robertson with my face...  We had to stop for a minute and gather ourselves, but praise God that no one was hurt!

When we finally got to the top of the mountain we were shown the church building that was the result of one of the "Church plants" that this mission does.  Our purpose for visiting this area was to deliver/build bunk beds for the mission house that is on that property as well as visit the school/children.  (We were supposed to also deliver bags of rice, but we forgot to bring them.)  When we got there, we split into 2 groups.  My group went straight up to build the bunk beds, and the other group went on about a 2-hour hike around the area.  We switched when the other group got back.  We didn't hike as far as they did, but we did go to the school.  I took some good pictures.  Nicole was able to play her violin for the kids, and they were shocked and amazed.  We realized in our debriefing that most - if not all - of those kids have probably never even seen an instrument like that before.

After our lunch, OK actually we ate before we switched groups.

After we switched groups, we played a soccer game with the kids.  They beat us 4-1.

This evening we talked about how planting a church really transforms a community for the better.  Trevor told us that surrounding communities around the area we were in had asked for churches planted in their own communities because they didn't want to go into that particular city -  because it was known as a terrible city with mean, bad people.  But it turns out that the people from the surrounding areas had noticed a positive change in the community, and they've begun attending their church.  Praise God for that awesomeness!


5/14/10 (Friday)

Today I woke up laughing and cried in a truck.  I woke up laughing because I had a hilarious, ridiculous, epic, long dream last night, and when I woke up, I was still laughing and smiling.  I cried in the truck later in the evening because I had so much painful dirt in my eyes, and I had to let my eyes cry so they would clean out.  It was miserable.  We had another big day today.

We loaded up at 8 and headed out in the trucks to Talanga to visit a church there and pass out wheelchairs to some people in the community who needed them.  It was awesome seeing the first woman who received a chair.  She had had her leg removed in surgery.  Her testimony was so strong, and a news channel was even there to document the event.  At the next house, Jason, Ross, and I stayed in the truck bed to watch our stuff while the rest of the group went in to deliver another chair.  While we were there, about 7 or 8 boys jumped up on the bumper and chatted with up.  My Spanish came back really quick.  it was really fun to communicate and chat and joke around with the boys.

After we left there, we drove by the site where they would be moving/building the new church (there was some sort of problem with the current church and someone from the church ruining its reputation in the community.)  After that we went back to the church for a minute, and I chatted with a 5-year-old girl named Marieli.  She was so precious.  I hope I can see her again someday.  Nosotras somos amigas [we are friends].

After the wheelchairs, we went to another city and did some souvenir shopping.  I got it all done!  I hope everyone likes their gifts.

We stopped at the "Metromall" on the way home.  I bought some spices for Hispanic food and some pan dulce [sweet bread] at the grocery.

We're back at the house now.  We had some kind of tortilla things (baleadas?) tonight.  Just flour tortillas (SUCH a treat from corn tortillas) with beans and that weird cream sauce stuff and guacamole.  Jason is currently zonked out on the couch next to me.  He's exhausted.  He didn't even eat, but I made him a plate because that's just the kind of woman I am. :-)

We're about to do our debrief and devotion for the night.  I've noticed the power of prayer a lot today.  I'm a fan.

5/15/10 (Saturday)

What a day today was!  We spent time today with the youth of the church here at the clinic (Iglesia Cristiana Cuerpo de Cristo [Christian Church Body of Christ]).  We went to this park way up in the mountains and split into 4 "small groups" (they were pretty big) combined of both Hondureños y gringos [Hondurans and "white people"] and did a rotations for 2 hours discussing sex & dating, being a blessing to the community, music, and worship.  It was so interesting to see the blending of the cultures, especially noticing the differences and similarities.  Our group worked with a translator named Gabi.  She was so awesome, and she's only a junior in high school.  Her school uses the ACE program, and they will be in the states soon (Bowling Green, KY) for a conference.

One of the women who was a leader looked straight-up like my friend Mariela who is from Teguc.  I asked her if they were sisters, but they weren't.

After discussions, we ate lunch then played a soccer game.  I didn't play because I'm a chicken.  But the gringos won!!!! Congrats!

After that we came back.  We stopped at the grocery first for Colleen because she is basically allergic to everything, then we stopped at Espresso Americano because Brad is obsessed.

After supper back at the house, we went to the Saturday night youth service at the church.  It was awesome.  I was able to use some of my Spanish to translate just enough for Nicole and Sarah so that they would know what was going on.  That was a blessing for me.

Tomorrow is Sunday, and we still have another full schedule.

5/16/10 (Sunday)

Today was church day.  We went to the mission church this morning.  I held the CUTEST baby girl before church started.  I wanted to keep her.  Church lasted really long, but I didn't mind.  We knew it was going to be long.  I was so happy that they had a screen and a projector because I could sing along with the songs better.  Last night I only could sing along when I could easily understand.  Today was so much more meaningful.

After lunch (which was delicious) we went back to Talanga to celebrate the church's 1-year anniversary.  It was a pretty awesome experience.  Even though the church has really decreased in number because of that reputation issue, there were still plenty of people there to celebrate.  And I think they really appreciated our presence.  It really was an illustration to all of us that the Church really is just the body of believers - no matter where they're from, what language they speak, or where they meet.  When God's people gather together to praise His name, they are the church.

My little amiga Marieli was there!  I talked to her a little bit more, and I got some good pictures with her.  They're on Jason's camera and he took them, so they're especially good.  I'm so glad I got to see her precious little face again.  she's a special little girl.  I hope and pray that she grows up in the church and grows into a beautiful woman of God.  She's really on my heart right now.  I think it's because I don't know anything about her family or home life, and I know that life for a girl outside of the church in Honduras is really difficult.  I pray she stays strong and pure and grows up with the Lord in her life.  Thank God for the church in Talanga for reaching her in the first place.


After that service, we went back to the Metromall and ate in the food court.  I had to translate for 3 other people at the Burger King.  I'll be honest.  I remember a heck of a lot of Spanish.  And I'm pretty proud of myself.  I'm wondering if during grad school you can get another minor, since I don't have time to add one now.  I'd like to learn more Spanish.

It rained quite a bit today.  It rained at the Talanga service, and it stormed while we were at the mall.  There's another missionary couple in Honduras that we heard about today that is facing the danger of big fires approaching them.  Hopefully some of that rain today extinguished that fire.  I saw God move fires in Zimbabwe.  I have no doubt that he moved the fires today.

Right now we're just hanging out.  Tomorrow we're visiting hospitals and praying for the kids there.  It should be a very humbling experience.  And I'm already weepy.  Woot.

5/17/10 (Monday)

Today was our last day here in Honduras.  It was an emotional one, to say the least.  Last night Jason and I had a chance to talk to each other one-on-one, and we were finally able to just unload some of our feelings about the week thus far and how we feel God pulling at our hearts.  It was and emotional conversation, and let's just say I went to bed with "cry-face" - not my best look.

That night, I dreamed that Grandma was dying.  It was a terrible, miserable dream.  She and I were holding hands in a hospital where she was slowly slipping away.  She needed a surgery, but we couldn't (none of us) afford it.  Someone at the hospital said that I could apply for a grant that would pay for the surgery, but there just wasn't enough time for that.  Grandma kept assuring me that everything was going to be OK, and that she was happy to go be with the Lord, but I kept sobbing and holding her to hang on.

It was a miserable dream.  I'm pretty sure that I actually did cry during the dream (in my sleep) because I woke up feeling like I'd been hit in the face by a Mack truck.  Jason even commented later that morning that it looked like I had been crying.  Let's just say I did not enjoy my morning very much.

At about 8, we left for the Hospital.  Our time at the hospital was very eye-opening, heart-wrenching, and filled all sorts of emotions.

We split up into our 4 groups again and went into different rooms in the different areas of the children's wing of the hospital.  The first area we went to was the orth... something - where the broken bones are.  We had our backpacks loaded with toys, stuffed animals, candy, and little "tracks" that tell the story of Jesus and salvation for the parents.

In the first room, I gave a "patito" (a little duck) to a little crying 2-year-old girl who had fallen from something (I didn't catch what) and broken her foot.  Her mother was sweet, and she helped calm the little girl down.  I gave her a track and we chatted for a while.  I also tried talking to and cheering up another little 5-year-old girl in the same room who had a broken arm. Her parents weren't there with her at that moment.

The next area we went to was the neurosurgery area.  Our group ended up in a room with 4 little babies - 2 that were 5 months, 1 that was 15 days, and 1 that was only 7 days old.  Such tiny little sweet babies - so helpless and precious.  They all needed surgery because they had extra fluid in their heads.  One of the 5-month-olds had been in there for 2 months.  We prayed for those little babies, and we prayed for strength and peace for those poor parents.  What a trying time this is for them.  I couldn't help but cry with care and compassion for those babies and the parents.  I kept repeating over and over in my head "Los niños, especialmente los bebés, estan cercas de mi corazón, y estan al centro del corazón de Dios." [Children, especially babies, are close to my heart, and they are at the center of God's heart.]

As we were about to leave that room, they wheeled away the 7-day-old baby.  I pray special blessings for that teeny tiny child of God.  And I especially pray for the dad who was there and for the mother that we didn't meet.

After that, I had to take a few moments to just cry.  It was an overwhelming experience.  I determined later that I have "mommy syndrome."  Any time I come in contact with a child, I treat that child as if it were my own.  And all the emotions that come along with that parental role go straight into my heart.  And at that particular moment, I had four tiny little babies who needed me to be able to make them better, and I couldn't.  They were hurting, and crying, and weak, and there was nothing I could do for them.  Thank goodness they have a Father that can heal all wounds and quiet all cries and dry all tears.

Next we went to the cancer ward.  I had pulled myself together, thankfully. As we entered, I was a little bit confused about what we were doing, because the groups kind of started to get mixed up and people were going every which way.  So I sat down in a chair off to the side next to a little normal-looking girl and her mother.  We started talking and I gave her a Barbie-ish toy to play with.  The mother asked for a toy for her son also, and I assumed that he was the reason that they were in the cancer ward.  As I talked to them, I asked the little girl the normal questions like, "What's your name," "How are you," and "How old are you?"  When I asked her "¿Por qué está usted aquí?" ["Why are you here?"] she replied, "Porque yo tengo cancer."  ["Because I have cancer."] That just blew my mind.  This cheerful little 9-year-old plain-as-day-looking girl had cancer.  But, keeping in her same spirit, I simply asked what kind she had.  She said Lukemia.  I asked, "For how long?" and she said, "for 2 years." For 2 years this poor girl has been battling lukemia.  But her spirit was so strong!  We talked about how she has 2 younger siblings (a sister and a brother) and how she is a good example for them.  I gave the mother a track, and said, "Dios les bendiga" ["God bless you"] to which she replied, "amen."  When the group nearby was about to pray, I invited them to join us, and the mother told me that she's like to pray, too, so they jumped right up into the circle and began to pray with us.

It amazed me how calm and peaceful that child and her mother were about the cancer that was afflicting the little girl.  It was such a great testament to pure faithfulness and trust in God's will and healing power.  It really inspired me!

After the hospital we ate fried chicken for lunch.  It.  Was.  Awesome.

Then we saw Robin Hood at the movie theater.  Coldest movie theater ever, but it was a nice and much needed break from the emotional roller coaster of the morning.  For supper, we ate at a really neat steakhouse-ish place.  El Patio was its name.  I've got some cool pictures from there.

When we got back to the mission house (after riding in the truck beds in a DOWNPOUR of rain), we debriefed for about 2 hours.  It was intense.  Jason shared a bit of his testimony from the last year, and I cried a little again.  I'm so over crying...

Everyone is in bed now.  We're all packed up.  Leaving at 9:30 in the morning for the airport.  I'm the only one still up out in the living room.  I just wanted to make sure that I got my thoughts written out.

It's currently almost 1am, and we leave today.  How bittersweet.

5/18/10 (Tuesday)

I'm on the plane to head to Houston from Teguc right now.  And guess what.  First Class, Babay!!!  Brad got an upgraded ticket, and he let us all pick a number for the ticket, and I guessed my usual 12, and the number was 13!  What up!  So while everyone else is still trying to find their seats and finish boarding, I'm sitting in my cushy window seat with my leg crossed in front of me, journaling and drinking ginger ale.  I'm so pumped for this.

This morning after breakfast, Valerie and Trevor led us in a final debrief of the week and we chatted a bit about what we need to do when we get home.  Leaving from a mission trip is always such a surreal experience.  But I'm anxious to share with others what we did and what God is doing in Honduras.

Roxana came by this morning to give us the jewelry that some of us had bought from her.  My earrings are Beautiful!! She made them just like the ones she has that are yellow.  I love them!  Roxana came to the airport with us, and when we said our goodbyes and hugged, she told me to pray for her whenever I wear those earrings.  Of course I will!! :-)

*My seat buddy just moved  up a row, so I've got this section all to myself.  What up!*

Time for take-off!  See you in America!