I sit here on the very small part of my bed that has not been invaded by damp, drying clothing as I write to you... You guessed it. Laundry day! I was feeling so ambitious this morning that I thought I would do ALL my laundry... Ha! Little did I know, my arms and hands would slowly deteriorate before my very eyes because they were so tired after an hour and a half of trying to wash my clothes. I didn't get it all done. Luckily, I DID get MOST of it done (and I also managed to splatter red raspberry water ALL over the shirt I am currently wearing; nothing like a nice stain for me to work with the NEXT time I get to do laundry). I thought maybe I could finish it this afternoon after I got groceries.
William and Erin took me to Antorcha, which is very similar to Wal-Mart, to get groceries today! I haven't had much to eat for the past 2 weeks, and with the curfew in effect, I had slim pickin's. I was down to a partial loaf of bread with just a little bit of peanut butter and jelly and one helping of spaghetti. Now, I definitely have a little bit more to work with! Yeah, it cost some money, but at least I can provide some kind of nourishment for my body now.
We had an interesting encounter on our way home from the grocery store today. There was a man taking up part of the street as he was on the ground convulsing on his back. He was having a seizure. There was a whole line of traffic that just kept going around him, and nobody stopped to help. Erin and I convinced William to call an emergency number for help, and they said they were sending someone. I was silently praying for him a majority of the way back to my house... Then the rain started. Yep, you guessed it, pouring rain!
...Which leads me to the next point of why there are a ton of damp clothes lined up on my bed... My "dryer" is a clothes line. Bless Sara for taking down most of my clothes since she was home. Unfortunately, she did not realize that I also had more clothes hanging on the line at the side of our house (which is conveniently located underneath where all the water drains off of our roof). These clothes are wetter now than they were when I hung them up in the first place. Needless to say, now all of my clothes are attempting to dry in the humidity of my small bedroom. This leaves me nowhere to sit since I only have a bed and a coffee table in my room. Hmm... Kind of a predicament.
I am happy to say that William helped me carry in all of my groceries, but unfortunately, my key decided to get stuck in the lock and I was really struggling to get it pushed all the way in or even pulled out. William was able to get it open though, so I am now able to be indoors in the dryness as opposed to being stuck outside!
So, in a nutshell, that's been my day. So much for washing the rest of my clothes! Guess that will have to wait for another day... Maybe a more exciting one, since this one isn't exciting enough.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Arrested!
Okay, so I am not sure what you have been hearing or reading about the political situation in Honduras, but I thought I would shed some light on it for you.
On June 28 of this year, Manuel Zelaya (president of Honduras) was forced out of the country by the Honduran military. As BBC News puts it, "The political crisis erupted after Mr. Zelaya tried to hold a non-binding public consultation to ask people whether they supported moves to change the constitution...the move was unconstitutional and was aimed at removing the current one-term limit on serving as president, so paving the way for Mr. Zelaya's possible re-election."
Well, since then, Zelaya has crossed the border back into Honduras only briefly only to be told that he should never return. On Monday, however, Zelaya made another surprise visit, and he is currently being barricaded at the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa (the capital), where it is said that many of his supporters have gathered. Therefore, because of the situation, the airports have been shut down and Honduran authorities have issued a curfew that has extended for just over 2 days now. We are asked to stay in our houses because they are arresting people who are out on the streets. Many of the people in the streets are rioters and protesters in favor of Zelaya, so the "house arrest" is only a precaution to keep the rest of us safe.
Let me just say, being forced to stay inside for a couple days in a row is an interesting experience... They gave us like a half hour notice to let us know there was going to be a curfew starting Monday afternoon at 4pm, and it has kept getting extended until 6pm today (Wednesday). Unfortunately, within the first 3 weeks of being here, I had read all of the books I brought, so I've mostly been on the internet and watching movies the past couple days. Now, the interesting part about this is that there are 4 girls stuck in this house... and we need groceries. Hmm... unfortunate, no?
On the bright side, who knew I would ever get a "snow day" off of school in Honduras?! And here, I have 2 days! Haha. It has been nice to not have school, but I'm just coming off of a week long vacation due to Honduras celebrating its independence last week. My kids were OFF THE WALL on Monday. It was so difficult to get them to listen, so who knows what it will be like whenever this curfew lifts... May the Lord help me!
Breaking news! So, I was just informed by one of my roomies that they are lifting the curfew from 10am until 4pm for people to get out and get food. That is good, but the curfew was only supposed to last until 6pm in the first place... This means that they are probably planning to extend it again... and no one knows how long this could last.
Anyway, I just wanted to keep you all updated to let you know that I am safe, and I love you all for supporting me. So... Not much has been up with me, obviously, how about you guys?
On June 28 of this year, Manuel Zelaya (president of Honduras) was forced out of the country by the Honduran military. As BBC News puts it, "The political crisis erupted after Mr. Zelaya tried to hold a non-binding public consultation to ask people whether they supported moves to change the constitution...the move was unconstitutional and was aimed at removing the current one-term limit on serving as president, so paving the way for Mr. Zelaya's possible re-election."
Well, since then, Zelaya has crossed the border back into Honduras only briefly only to be told that he should never return. On Monday, however, Zelaya made another surprise visit, and he is currently being barricaded at the Brazilian embassy in Tegucigalpa (the capital), where it is said that many of his supporters have gathered. Therefore, because of the situation, the airports have been shut down and Honduran authorities have issued a curfew that has extended for just over 2 days now. We are asked to stay in our houses because they are arresting people who are out on the streets. Many of the people in the streets are rioters and protesters in favor of Zelaya, so the "house arrest" is only a precaution to keep the rest of us safe.
Let me just say, being forced to stay inside for a couple days in a row is an interesting experience... They gave us like a half hour notice to let us know there was going to be a curfew starting Monday afternoon at 4pm, and it has kept getting extended until 6pm today (Wednesday). Unfortunately, within the first 3 weeks of being here, I had read all of the books I brought, so I've mostly been on the internet and watching movies the past couple days. Now, the interesting part about this is that there are 4 girls stuck in this house... and we need groceries. Hmm... unfortunate, no?
On the bright side, who knew I would ever get a "snow day" off of school in Honduras?! And here, I have 2 days! Haha. It has been nice to not have school, but I'm just coming off of a week long vacation due to Honduras celebrating its independence last week. My kids were OFF THE WALL on Monday. It was so difficult to get them to listen, so who knows what it will be like whenever this curfew lifts... May the Lord help me!
Breaking news! So, I was just informed by one of my roomies that they are lifting the curfew from 10am until 4pm for people to get out and get food. That is good, but the curfew was only supposed to last until 6pm in the first place... This means that they are probably planning to extend it again... and no one knows how long this could last.
Anyway, I just wanted to keep you all updated to let you know that I am safe, and I love you all for supporting me. So... Not much has been up with me, obviously, how about you guys?
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Ode to a Washing Machine...
I will never again take for granted a washing machine. In fact, when I have a house one day, I'm going to splurge.... A nice front-loading Whirlpool! In RED! Ha! Take that! Seriously... I just spent an hour washing all my whites by hand, and now I am drenched from head to toe in sweat. It is really an unpleasant feeling. I don't think that my clothes get NEARLY as clean when I wash them by hand on a washboard.
Now we sit. We wait for my clothes to dry. Since I just finished, I should only have to wait another 24 or 36 hours for my clothes to be dry.... Speedy. You have got to love how quickly clothes dry in 95% humidity on a day when it is 94 degrees (but it says that it feels like 109).
Let's just say, I'm super thankful for washers... And I hope that everyone who reads this goes and gives their washer a big hug and thanks it for doing such a lovely job. Dryers aren't bad either, so you might consider thanking it as well. *wink, wink*
Thursday, September 17, 2009
A Flexible Vacation..... And a Flexible Life
Look here...... My first week on the blog, and I'm already slacking. Not much has been happening this week because I have been on vacation. School was out due to a national holiday (Honduras' independence was September 15). No fireworks or anything that I saw... Shame... I missed the 4th of July in the States (since I was in Thailand), so it would have been nice to see something.
I have quickly discovered that my life is much less eventful when I am not teaching at the school. I would not go so far as to say that it's boring, but there is far less excitement. I should be getting one or two more students in my kindergarten class this next week, and I will also get my first student for first grade. I am sharing a first grade class with one of my fellow teachers, so it should be interesting since we both do not know what we will be teaching or what the schedule is. Such is life in Honduras... I am never 100% sure what is going on around here, and most of the time, I'm fine with that.
When I was in Thailand in July, I learned that there really should be an addition to the Beatitudes: Blessed are the flexible, for they shall never be bent out of shape. I am quickly learning the meaning of that one. Each day I think that I will get the hang of the schedule down here, and each day something happens to make me think, "I will NEVER get the hang of the schedule down here." I think that may be the key to happiness: embracing all of the little misshaps that occur and smiling at Satan's constant attempts to distract me from my mission and purpose for being here. If he didn't get the memo, there is victory in the LORD, and Satan will not prevail. I guess he can stick that in his juicebox and suck it.
I have quickly discovered that my life is much less eventful when I am not teaching at the school. I would not go so far as to say that it's boring, but there is far less excitement. I should be getting one or two more students in my kindergarten class this next week, and I will also get my first student for first grade. I am sharing a first grade class with one of my fellow teachers, so it should be interesting since we both do not know what we will be teaching or what the schedule is. Such is life in Honduras... I am never 100% sure what is going on around here, and most of the time, I'm fine with that.
When I was in Thailand in July, I learned that there really should be an addition to the Beatitudes: Blessed are the flexible, for they shall never be bent out of shape. I am quickly learning the meaning of that one. Each day I think that I will get the hang of the schedule down here, and each day something happens to make me think, "I will NEVER get the hang of the schedule down here." I think that may be the key to happiness: embracing all of the little misshaps that occur and smiling at Satan's constant attempts to distract me from my mission and purpose for being here. If he didn't get the memo, there is victory in the LORD, and Satan will not prevail. I guess he can stick that in his juicebox and suck it.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Getting Started...
Hello to all my blessed friends and family!
Welcome to my blog! I warn you, I have never kept up with this sort of thing before, but I feel like this will be a great way to keep you all informed of my happenings in Honduras. First and foremost, I want to thank all of you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to pray for me and read my updates. Your support means more to me than words can even express.
God has provided this opportunity for me to grow in my faith and to spread His Word to other nations. Now is the time for honesty... I never imagined myself as a missionary, and even as I say the words, I still can't believe them. I always thought mission work was for "other people" and not myself. Now, I look in the mirror and realize that God had other plans for me. I have decided to follow His lead and move to Honduras. This is a "land of the unknown" for me. Sure... I have visited this beautiful country once before, and it turned my world upside down. The people here are amazingly wonderful and welcoming. I could not ask for a more united country.
Since I have been here, I have found my fair share of things that I do not like... Bugs for one. Enough said. They are HUGE down here.... Holy cow, you could seriously get carried away in your sleep without ever knowing judging by the size of some of these things. Just the other night, I woke up, and I could see something crawling on the floor along my wall. Sure enough, I turned on my light, and I saw a GIGANTIC centipede or millipede. EW! Not exactly the "wake up call" I was looking for. Totally freaked me out... I couldn't even go back to sleep for fear that something was going to crawl into my bed. Sheesh.
Other than that, I am proud to say that I have almost been here for an entire month. I will be journeying back home for Christmas on December 18. I greatly look forward to seeing everyone because I miss them DEARLY, but I do know that God has plans to use me down here. I do not have any regrets about coming to live down here for a while. Yes, I miss everyone, and I would love nothing more than some visits; I also know that if I had not followed God's plan for me, I would have spent every day of my life wondering, "What if..." Now is the perfect time of my life to do this! I am going to be stronger because of it... Not to mention, it should help my Spanish!
One night, after I had been questioning God about bringing me here, Pastor Dennis (from my church down here) mentioned the story of Abraham and how he was asked to leave his home. After his words, I returned to my room to read my Bible....
"The Lord had said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you...and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.' So Abram left, as the Lord had told him..." -Genesis 12: 1-4a
This really spoke to me because it made me realize that God does not make mistakes, so why am I questioning it? I am here, and from the beginning of time, God knew that I would be in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, C.A. on August 17, 2009.
Now, I wake up every morning, I thank God for placing me here, and I ask Him for the strength to get me through the days. Now that I am finally teaching, I have my hands full with 5-year-olds who have very energetic personalities! I am sure that I will have many more stories to go along with that later!!! It has been a struggle, but I know that I am here for these kids!
Welcome to my blog! I warn you, I have never kept up with this sort of thing before, but I feel like this will be a great way to keep you all informed of my happenings in Honduras. First and foremost, I want to thank all of you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to pray for me and read my updates. Your support means more to me than words can even express.
God has provided this opportunity for me to grow in my faith and to spread His Word to other nations. Now is the time for honesty... I never imagined myself as a missionary, and even as I say the words, I still can't believe them. I always thought mission work was for "other people" and not myself. Now, I look in the mirror and realize that God had other plans for me. I have decided to follow His lead and move to Honduras. This is a "land of the unknown" for me. Sure... I have visited this beautiful country once before, and it turned my world upside down. The people here are amazingly wonderful and welcoming. I could not ask for a more united country.
Since I have been here, I have found my fair share of things that I do not like... Bugs for one. Enough said. They are HUGE down here.... Holy cow, you could seriously get carried away in your sleep without ever knowing judging by the size of some of these things. Just the other night, I woke up, and I could see something crawling on the floor along my wall. Sure enough, I turned on my light, and I saw a GIGANTIC centipede or millipede. EW! Not exactly the "wake up call" I was looking for. Totally freaked me out... I couldn't even go back to sleep for fear that something was going to crawl into my bed. Sheesh.
Other than that, I am proud to say that I have almost been here for an entire month. I will be journeying back home for Christmas on December 18. I greatly look forward to seeing everyone because I miss them DEARLY, but I do know that God has plans to use me down here. I do not have any regrets about coming to live down here for a while. Yes, I miss everyone, and I would love nothing more than some visits; I also know that if I had not followed God's plan for me, I would have spent every day of my life wondering, "What if..." Now is the perfect time of my life to do this! I am going to be stronger because of it... Not to mention, it should help my Spanish!
One night, after I had been questioning God about bringing me here, Pastor Dennis (from my church down here) mentioned the story of Abraham and how he was asked to leave his home. After his words, I returned to my room to read my Bible....
"The Lord had said to Abram, 'Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you...and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.' So Abram left, as the Lord had told him..." -Genesis 12: 1-4a
This really spoke to me because it made me realize that God does not make mistakes, so why am I questioning it? I am here, and from the beginning of time, God knew that I would be in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, C.A. on August 17, 2009.
Now, I wake up every morning, I thank God for placing me here, and I ask Him for the strength to get me through the days. Now that I am finally teaching, I have my hands full with 5-year-olds who have very energetic personalities! I am sure that I will have many more stories to go along with that later!!! It has been a struggle, but I know that I am here for these kids!
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