Yesterday after the little kids got up from their naps, we walked to the church, and Jorge baptized Ana, Pamela, and Brayan in the ice cold water. Then Denis baptized Antonio. I know the angels in heaven are rejoicing with us.
Monday, October 31, 2011
4 New Brothers and Sisters
Yesterday, four of the kids at Casa were baptized. Matt and I have been studying with Ana for a while, and she was very interested in becoming a Christian and was full of questions. Her decision sparked Pamela and her brother Antonio, or affectionately, Fito, to ask Pastor Jorge to come over and study with them about baptism on Thursday. Saturday morning, the youth group was going around town inviting others to join their youth meeting that evening, and Brayan asked Jorge to study with him as well. At that point he made the decision to become a Christian and to be baptized on Sunday afternoon with the other three.
Yesterday after the little kids got up from their naps, we walked to the church, and Jorge baptized Ana, Pamela, and Brayan in the ice cold water. Then Denis baptized Antonio. I know the angels in heaven are rejoicing with us.
Yesterday after the little kids got up from their naps, we walked to the church, and Jorge baptized Ana, Pamela, and Brayan in the ice cold water. Then Denis baptized Antonio. I know the angels in heaven are rejoicing with us.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
God is working in Ana's heart
A couple weeks ago, Matt promised Ana that we would start studying the Bible with her this week. I have never seen someone so excited to study the Bible. We read 2 chapters each day, and she is allowed to ask whatever question she wanted. Yesterday, she began asking a lot about a lot about baptism. She knew that the act of baptism is giving one's life over to Jesus. She asked if there was a certain age to be in order to be baptized. We explained to her for a long time what it meant, and she told us she thought she was ready. We told her she could pick the day, and we would all go up to the church. She asked my dad to baptize her on this coming Sunday afternoon. Please pray for Anita as God continues to work in her heart, and praise God for the work he has already done.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Just a little Stuck
The other day I wrote here about my adventure going to town with two kids and my car not working as it should. Well, the shop was unable to do anything for the car because they could not find anything wrong with it, so Luis brought it to the airport where we were dropping the group from California off. After Matt, Haley, Melissa, Liseth, the boys and I said our goodbyes, and ate some fried chicken, we headed up the mountain to our home in Ojojona. The return to Ojojona was uneventful, it was as we were pulling into our house that things became exciting. We thought the mud was had dried up enough to drive through, but it hadn't.
As Matt was backing into the carport area, the car stopped. The wheels kept moving, but the car wasn't going anywhere. Then Matt put it into 4 wheel drive but it was too late. We called our neighbor Richard to come to help us. He put some wood under the back tire, and he and Matt tried to dig the tire out. Richard's solution was call Dorian, he had a jack in his truck. I had also called my dad who was also coming back from the city to come help us.
After much digging, jumping on the car, jacking the car up, the final solution was to push the car out. Matt, Richard, Dorian and my dad pushed while I nervously drove. I was scared that I was going to hit the wall only 2 feet behind me as soon as the Trooper got unstuck.
Fortunately, the Trooper got unstuck and no damage was done. Just another adventure in the life here.
As Matt was backing into the carport area, the car stopped. The wheels kept moving, but the car wasn't going anywhere. Then Matt put it into 4 wheel drive but it was too late. We called our neighbor Richard to come to help us. He put some wood under the back tire, and he and Matt tried to dig the tire out. Richard's solution was call Dorian, he had a jack in his truck. I had also called my dad who was also coming back from the city to come help us.
After much digging, jumping on the car, jacking the car up, the final solution was to push the car out. Matt, Richard, Dorian and my dad pushed while I nervously drove. I was scared that I was going to hit the wall only 2 feet behind me as soon as the Trooper got unstuck.
Fortunately, the Trooper got unstuck and no damage was done. Just another adventure in the life here.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Just another day in Honduras
Friday morning, I once again had to take some kids to Teleton. I took my mom's Trooper because Jorge told us that the Mitsubishi was 2 qts low on oil and that he thought it had an oil leak. I wanted to put the oil in it before I drove it to town. So down the mountain we went in the Trooper. First stop, gas station. After we left the gas station, the trooper stopped 4 times as I was driving. When it stopped, nothing worked on the car, not the breaks and not the steering wheel. I would manage to get the car on the side of the road and get it started again. I told the kids when we got to Texaco, I needed to check something on the car. A attendant there checked all of the fluids and told me all was todo cheque with the inside of the car, but that my tire was about to blow out if I drove it much further. I looked at the tire and could see that it was litterally busting at the seams and did not look like it could go much further.
I could not call anyone because my phone was not working. I knew I could get the tire changed across the street, but I did not know what to do with the car and its stopping problem. Fortunately, the only number I know in Honduras is my dad's. I asked a man if I could use his phone, and when my dad didn't answer, the man left. I was sure I wouldn't get a hold of anyone to help me untill they passed me by on their way to the farm in Zamorano. Evidently, the nice man that let me use his phone, called my dad again and told him where I was and that I was having car trouble.
I went across the street to get my tire changed and asked the guy who changed my tire for only 20 limps or $1 if I could use his phone. My dad told me that Milton and Luis were already on their way to rescue me and that after they got there to take a taxi to Teleton. They showed up in the infamous green truck. Milton told Luis he would take the Trooper to the shop that was unable to do anything to help the car, and Luis told me not to worry about the taxi, that he could take us to Teleton.
Luis did not drive us to Teleton, but rather flew us. I was unaware that the green truck could move so rapidly. As we zoomed through traffic, I was having to hide Guadalupe under my legs so that the police did not see that I had a child in the front seat. We made it to Teleton in record time from the Texaco in Loarque. Unfortunately, we did not make it there quite quick enough, because we completely missed Lupita's appointment and will have to try again another day.
Fernando's appointment was so quick I barely had time to use the bathroom and reschedule Lupita's appointment. We were told after we were done at Teleton to go to Mall Cascada and wait. We got to the mall just as stores were opening. Knowing that Byron, a friend of ours, generally uses the free internet at one of the Coffee Shops, we went there hoping that he might be working. There was no such luck to be had. However, there was another kind gentleman that let us use his phone. My dad said entertain the kids until 11:30 and we will be there.
Ok kids, we have an hour and a half, lets have some fun. First we went to the mall playground and played a few minutes. Next we went to Dunkin Donuts where I bought each of the three of us a donut and some coffee for myself. I, however, only got a couple sips of my coffee because 9 year old Fernando and 6 year old Guadalupe drank most of it before I ever got the chance to drink it. We then went to Wal-Mart.
Imagine taking two kids that didn't even know what Wal-Mart was into a store like that. Fernando thought everything was cool. I mean everything. He ooohed and awed over the Christmas decor. He counted every flatscreen TV. He touched every towel. By far, however, the best part of Wal-Mart was the toy section. Both of the kids thought every single toy (both the boy ones and girl ones) were the best things they had ever seen. Fer really loved the Star Wars and Iron Man toys. When we got done looking at the toys in Wal-Mart, I told them I knew of a store with even more toys.
After every toy in the entire mall had been carefully examined and tried out, we went to the wing place downstairs to wait on my dad and the group. As things go in Honduras, it was not 11:30 when they showed up, but much closer to 12:30. I think my dad meant to tell me that he was going to leave the farm at 11:30 not be back in the city then. We walked around a little more and waited a little more. I was very glad when I saw a group of 10 gringos walk through the door because Fernando and Lupita were telling me how hungry they were.
We enjoyed a nice lunch with the group and made it back to Casa just a mere 4 hours after we had planned on being there. It was just another typical day in the life here in Honduras.
I could not call anyone because my phone was not working. I knew I could get the tire changed across the street, but I did not know what to do with the car and its stopping problem. Fortunately, the only number I know in Honduras is my dad's. I asked a man if I could use his phone, and when my dad didn't answer, the man left. I was sure I wouldn't get a hold of anyone to help me untill they passed me by on their way to the farm in Zamorano. Evidently, the nice man that let me use his phone, called my dad again and told him where I was and that I was having car trouble.
I went across the street to get my tire changed and asked the guy who changed my tire for only 20 limps or $1 if I could use his phone. My dad told me that Milton and Luis were already on their way to rescue me and that after they got there to take a taxi to Teleton. They showed up in the infamous green truck. Milton told Luis he would take the Trooper to the shop that was unable to do anything to help the car, and Luis told me not to worry about the taxi, that he could take us to Teleton.
Luis did not drive us to Teleton, but rather flew us. I was unaware that the green truck could move so rapidly. As we zoomed through traffic, I was having to hide Guadalupe under my legs so that the police did not see that I had a child in the front seat. We made it to Teleton in record time from the Texaco in Loarque. Unfortunately, we did not make it there quite quick enough, because we completely missed Lupita's appointment and will have to try again another day.
Fernando's appointment was so quick I barely had time to use the bathroom and reschedule Lupita's appointment. We were told after we were done at Teleton to go to Mall Cascada and wait. We got to the mall just as stores were opening. Knowing that Byron, a friend of ours, generally uses the free internet at one of the Coffee Shops, we went there hoping that he might be working. There was no such luck to be had. However, there was another kind gentleman that let us use his phone. My dad said entertain the kids until 11:30 and we will be there.
Ok kids, we have an hour and a half, lets have some fun. First we went to the mall playground and played a few minutes. Next we went to Dunkin Donuts where I bought each of the three of us a donut and some coffee for myself. I, however, only got a couple sips of my coffee because 9 year old Fernando and 6 year old Guadalupe drank most of it before I ever got the chance to drink it. We then went to Wal-Mart.
Imagine taking two kids that didn't even know what Wal-Mart was into a store like that. Fernando thought everything was cool. I mean everything. He ooohed and awed over the Christmas decor. He counted every flatscreen TV. He touched every towel. By far, however, the best part of Wal-Mart was the toy section. Both of the kids thought every single toy (both the boy ones and girl ones) were the best things they had ever seen. Fer really loved the Star Wars and Iron Man toys. When we got done looking at the toys in Wal-Mart, I told them I knew of a store with even more toys.
After every toy in the entire mall had been carefully examined and tried out, we went to the wing place downstairs to wait on my dad and the group. As things go in Honduras, it was not 11:30 when they showed up, but much closer to 12:30. I think my dad meant to tell me that he was going to leave the farm at 11:30 not be back in the city then. We walked around a little more and waited a little more. I was very glad when I saw a group of 10 gringos walk through the door because Fernando and Lupita were telling me how hungry they were.
We enjoyed a nice lunch with the group and made it back to Casa just a mere 4 hours after we had planned on being there. It was just another typical day in the life here in Honduras.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
My child labor force
Yesterday, I had to price a ton of stuff for the Casa de Esperanza store. There would have been no way I could have done it in one day by myself. So I recruited Cindy to watch Haley and Ana, Jackson, Brayan, and Fernando to help me with the merchandise. Fer lasted only about 3 minutes before he and I mutually decided that he would be better off playing since he wasn't wanting to work. The kids haven't had school in 2 weeks, so doing something productive was a welcome break to some of them.
Having four of us working versus just me while chasing Haley was a million times more productive. Ana made price tags. Jackson cut strings and counted each item. Brian and I taped and tied the price tags to everything. When it came to the toys (especially the sling shots) the boys said they were going to save their allowance till they could buy it. I highly doubt that, but I would be proud of them if they could save their allowence that long. Jackson tried on everything that could be tried. At one point he had on a burlap satchel, a cell phone holder, a head band, a sling shot and a yo yo. I promised them all that if they came back after their chores while the little kids took a nap, I would buy them a coke. Fortunately, we didn't have much left to do because the coke made them all very hyper. I had a fun day yesterday being with only a few kids. I love to see how they act when they are asked to handle a little extra responsiblity.
Having four of us working versus just me while chasing Haley was a million times more productive. Ana made price tags. Jackson cut strings and counted each item. Brian and I taped and tied the price tags to everything. When it came to the toys (especially the sling shots) the boys said they were going to save their allowance till they could buy it. I highly doubt that, but I would be proud of them if they could save their allowence that long. Jackson tried on everything that could be tried. At one point he had on a burlap satchel, a cell phone holder, a head band, a sling shot and a yo yo. I promised them all that if they came back after their chores while the little kids took a nap, I would buy them a coke. Fortunately, we didn't have much left to do because the coke made them all very hyper. I had a fun day yesterday being with only a few kids. I love to see how they act when they are asked to handle a little extra responsiblity.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
A Need for Change
The other day, I wrote about some of the cultural differences that my housemates and I share. I was pretty annoyed about somethings, but I asked you all to pray that in spite of our differences, we could become friends during the time that they are at our house. I must thank you all for praying. I know you have because my attitude has changed, and I have been becoming a little closer to them every day.
Melissa and Liseth grew up in a children's home, one I have always thought was a good one, El Buen Pastor, or known to all of the Americans who have visited there as Good Shepherd. There the kids receive love, discipline, and the word of God. They also are able to receive an education. Some learn a little English, but many do not. When they turn 18 they are no longer permitted to leave at the home.
While in Buen Pastor, the kids are rescued from whatever horrific situation that brought them there, but upon their completion of 18 years they are sent back to the harsh life without the knowledge to get a job, and many times without the skills to obtain a job. She told me that many kids that leave Good Shepherd, turn back to the ways of the streets and leave the way of Christ. They go from living a comfortable life to living in survival mode.
Here Matt and I have come to take in girls. After seeing and hearing so many stories of people growing up in children's homes yet after they leave, they do not have what it takes to find a job in the society which they live. We see it as a necessity to not only provide a place of love, hope and security for children under 18, but we also need to be sure to train them for jobs, teach them how to obtain a job, and provide some sort of in between home so they are not left to figure out the painfulness life can bring alone. We want to see each child that we work with come to know Christ, and we also want to see the cycle of poverty broken little by little. We are aware that we alone can break the cycle of poverty, but we can see it broken at least with each child that we can impact in our home. Please pray for our endevours in this.
Melissa and Liseth grew up in a children's home, one I have always thought was a good one, El Buen Pastor, or known to all of the Americans who have visited there as Good Shepherd. There the kids receive love, discipline, and the word of God. They also are able to receive an education. Some learn a little English, but many do not. When they turn 18 they are no longer permitted to leave at the home.
While in Buen Pastor, the kids are rescued from whatever horrific situation that brought them there, but upon their completion of 18 years they are sent back to the harsh life without the knowledge to get a job, and many times without the skills to obtain a job. She told me that many kids that leave Good Shepherd, turn back to the ways of the streets and leave the way of Christ. They go from living a comfortable life to living in survival mode.
Here Matt and I have come to take in girls. After seeing and hearing so many stories of people growing up in children's homes yet after they leave, they do not have what it takes to find a job in the society which they live. We see it as a necessity to not only provide a place of love, hope and security for children under 18, but we also need to be sure to train them for jobs, teach them how to obtain a job, and provide some sort of in between home so they are not left to figure out the painfulness life can bring alone. We want to see each child that we work with come to know Christ, and we also want to see the cycle of poverty broken little by little. We are aware that we alone can break the cycle of poverty, but we can see it broken at least with each child that we can impact in our home. Please pray for our endevours in this.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
PIZZA AND ICE CREAM, LOTS OF ICE CREAM
Saturday afternoon a small group of 8 came from the San Francisco Bay Area to work for the week. Being that it has rained non-stop for over a weeks, and the kids have not left the house once during that time either to play or to go to school (school gets cancled for rain here because everyone has to walk in it), my dad decided to take the group and all of the kids to Pizza Hut Sunday after church. He only told Karen, but not any of the kids, because he didn't want any of them to lose their priveledge of going. Therefore, the excitement that ensued Sunday after church was grand. Everyone hurried into the play area, very excited to finally do something but sit around the house. Shoes and jackets were everywhere; you would have thought they had never been in public. They did all bring their jackets to me when I asked though.
For the 32 people that were there, my dad ordered 10 pizzas. I know the kids all ate till they were ready to pop, but I am not sure how much they left for the group. Later, another surprise came. Huge ice cream sundaes. While the kids easily could share pizzas becuase they are already sliced, they were ravonous with the ice cream. Many kids were trying to tell me that they hadn't had any, but they were clearly lying because their entire face was covered in chocolate. It was fun to be with the kids in a place outside of the house. All of us had a bit of cabin fever and needed to get out of the walls of the house.
Haley too had much fun playing and eating her favorite foods, but that night by 6:00 she was so exhausted that she fell asleep in my arms. By that time, there were no lights anywhere in Ojojona, so walking back to our house and putting her to bed was quite a challenge.
I know 20 kids and a bunch of adults that had a great time on Sunday.
For the 32 people that were there, my dad ordered 10 pizzas. I know the kids all ate till they were ready to pop, but I am not sure how much they left for the group. Later, another surprise came. Huge ice cream sundaes. While the kids easily could share pizzas becuase they are already sliced, they were ravonous with the ice cream. Many kids were trying to tell me that they hadn't had any, but they were clearly lying because their entire face was covered in chocolate. It was fun to be with the kids in a place outside of the house. All of us had a bit of cabin fever and needed to get out of the walls of the house.
Haley too had much fun playing and eating her favorite foods, but that night by 6:00 she was so exhausted that she fell asleep in my arms. By that time, there were no lights anywhere in Ojojona, so walking back to our house and putting her to bed was quite a challenge.
I know 20 kids and a bunch of adults that had a great time on Sunday.
Friday, October 14, 2011
CULTURE SHOCK
Two weeks ago, a young friend of my dad called him. She told him that she and her sister were both without jobs. Liseth, the sister was being beaten by her husband and in 2 days they were going to be kicked out of the place they were living because they did not have money to pay the rent. Liseth has 3 small boys, Fernando, 5, Alejandro, 3, and Gabriel, 1. My dad is renting a 7 bedroom house in Ojojona, where he houses small groups. We were told we could use two bedrooms, which would allow for 5 more to house groups.
My dad asked me if I minded them living with us for a "little while" until they could get back on their feet. Because I couldn't think of a mom and 3 small boys or of a single lady living on the rough streets of Tegucigalpa, I said yes, it wouldn't be a problem. I also thought a little while would be about 2 weeks.
I am trying to be the hands and feet of Jesus with them, and it is very challenging for me. There are lots of cultural differences. We went to Pricemart on Monday. We had planned out meals for about 10 days and new that we would have enough left to last us close to two weeks. When we got there on Wednesday after not being able to get in on Tuesday, we found that a lot more than we expected had already been eaten. Our chicken had been put uncovered into the refridgerator. Most of our milk was gone, one of our 2 bottles of juice was gone, and several other food items.
I know they were hungry, and had not eaten good food in a long time. But I was frustrated because they had prepared food for themselves on Monday and put it away when we walked in. They could not find my pots to cook with, so they instead used my mixing bowls. They have been asking us to get them things several times, and seem annoyed when we tell them we can't afford it.
Last night, I hit the breaking point. They asked me if they could clean our rooms, and they rearranged our rooms. Cleaning and rearranging are not the same. Also, we had gotten a brand new table with some money our church had given us, and it had been cleaned with some sort of soap that was already messing the stain up. On top of that the 3 year old and 5 year old were standing in the kitchen telling us they hadn't eaten all evening. I don't know if they were put up to it or if they are just in the habbit of begging. It frustrated me because we knew all of our tortillas, some beans, some chicken and several other things had been eaten that day. I was also annoyed that they were climbing all over the furniture and walking into my room and Haley's room without permission.
This blog sounds really whiney, and for that, I'm sorry. I needed a place to vent. I did have to think about the fact that most Hondurans do not have a mentality of saving. If they have enough money for food, they buy it on a daily basis. They would never have 2 weeks worth of food in their house at once, therefore, they probably haven't considered that the food was supposed to last for 2 weeks. Most do not have a fridge in their house, much less a freezer, so they do not know how to treat food that goes in a freezer. Discipline is not a strong suit of Honduran mothers to their children, so we can only pray that they will see an example in us with how we discipline Haley.
My dad has told them they need to find a place to be in 2 weeks. During the next two weeks, please pray for my attitude. Please pray that I remember what Jesus says in Matthew 25, not only in my head but in my heart. Please pray that I don't let the little things bother me so much. Please pray that my heart is more like Jesus. Please pray that we can become good friends during this time.
My dad asked me if I minded them living with us for a "little while" until they could get back on their feet. Because I couldn't think of a mom and 3 small boys or of a single lady living on the rough streets of Tegucigalpa, I said yes, it wouldn't be a problem. I also thought a little while would be about 2 weeks.
I am trying to be the hands and feet of Jesus with them, and it is very challenging for me. There are lots of cultural differences. We went to Pricemart on Monday. We had planned out meals for about 10 days and new that we would have enough left to last us close to two weeks. When we got there on Wednesday after not being able to get in on Tuesday, we found that a lot more than we expected had already been eaten. Our chicken had been put uncovered into the refridgerator. Most of our milk was gone, one of our 2 bottles of juice was gone, and several other food items.
I know they were hungry, and had not eaten good food in a long time. But I was frustrated because they had prepared food for themselves on Monday and put it away when we walked in. They could not find my pots to cook with, so they instead used my mixing bowls. They have been asking us to get them things several times, and seem annoyed when we tell them we can't afford it.
Last night, I hit the breaking point. They asked me if they could clean our rooms, and they rearranged our rooms. Cleaning and rearranging are not the same. Also, we had gotten a brand new table with some money our church had given us, and it had been cleaned with some sort of soap that was already messing the stain up. On top of that the 3 year old and 5 year old were standing in the kitchen telling us they hadn't eaten all evening. I don't know if they were put up to it or if they are just in the habbit of begging. It frustrated me because we knew all of our tortillas, some beans, some chicken and several other things had been eaten that day. I was also annoyed that they were climbing all over the furniture and walking into my room and Haley's room without permission.
This blog sounds really whiney, and for that, I'm sorry. I needed a place to vent. I did have to think about the fact that most Hondurans do not have a mentality of saving. If they have enough money for food, they buy it on a daily basis. They would never have 2 weeks worth of food in their house at once, therefore, they probably haven't considered that the food was supposed to last for 2 weeks. Most do not have a fridge in their house, much less a freezer, so they do not know how to treat food that goes in a freezer. Discipline is not a strong suit of Honduran mothers to their children, so we can only pray that they will see an example in us with how we discipline Haley.
My dad has told them they need to find a place to be in 2 weeks. During the next two weeks, please pray for my attitude. Please pray that I remember what Jesus says in Matthew 25, not only in my head but in my heart. Please pray that I don't let the little things bother me so much. Please pray that my heart is more like Jesus. Please pray that we can become good friends during this time.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Matt's Birthday
We woke up yesterday for the first time in our house. On our way to CdE yesterday morning, we bought a table and chairs from Armando. He makes quality stuff, so we wanted to buy from him. He stained it and Matt and the boys picked it up and carried it to the house (literally, just not from Armando's). There is a massive hole in about 20 yards from the house, so they had to carry the table and chairs from there.
A couple hours after they got home, we brought up Matt's birthday cake. He said for his birthday, he wanted to share a cake with the kids. In order to get the cake at CdE, each person has to give the birthday person a hug.
Several of the girl's gave Matt some homemade cards and stickers. He was most touched by Ana's card, because she said he was her favorite daddy.
Then, last night we went to Chillis to celebrate, and Haley stayed with Grammy and Poppy and got to have pizza for supper. After we got back, we could not get a hold of the ladies staying in our house because they had already gone to bed, so we ended up staying another night at my parents. That worked out though because I had to leave for an appointment at 5 this morning.
Enjoy the pics below...
A couple hours after they got home, we brought up Matt's birthday cake. He said for his birthday, he wanted to share a cake with the kids. In order to get the cake at CdE, each person has to give the birthday person a hug.
Several of the girl's gave Matt some homemade cards and stickers. He was most touched by Ana's card, because she said he was her favorite daddy.
Then, last night we went to Chillis to celebrate, and Haley stayed with Grammy and Poppy and got to have pizza for supper. After we got back, we could not get a hold of the ladies staying in our house because they had already gone to bed, so we ended up staying another night at my parents. That worked out though because I had to leave for an appointment at 5 this morning.
Enjoy the pics below...
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
A ticket, demonstration, and some furniture
Monday is our day off, but yesterday it certainly wasn't a day of relaxing. In theory we were going to drive to town go to Pricemart, go to Walmart and eat lunch at the mall then head to our house in Ojojona and setting things up for a while before we left to go back in to town for a date, celebrating Matt's birthday. But as things go in Honduras nothing went that smoothly.
I told Matt I knew how to get to Pricemart, but I always give bad directions. As soon as we exited, I said, "oops this is the wrong turn, oh well i still know how to get there." We were going, and I thought we needed to turn around (which in the end we didn't). I told him to make a U turn at the light which I don't think is ever illegal in Honduras, and immediately, a cop (on foot) waved us down. Evidently we made the only illegal Uturn in all of Honduras, because he was trying to give us a ticket. I asked how we were supposed to know, and he said we just were. In the end, he told us we could go to transito, pay the ticket, come back with the reciept and get Matt's license. That is not really how things work here. Normally you have to go 2 or 3 days later to transito pay your ticket and they will give your lisence back to you. We tried it anyway. I told a few people what happened, and eventually a very kind police officer asked what I needed help with, and he ended up calling the officer 2 blocks away that took Matt's lisence and going to get it back from him. I left the transito office with Matt's lisence in hand and I didn't have to pay a cent.
We headed on for Pricemart, and traffic shortly thereafter stopped. There was some sort of parade or demonstration happening. We finally got to Pricemart 3 hours after we left the house. We got the things we neeeded there and headed back up the mountain without going to WalMart.
On the way up the mountain we put a deposit on a couch, love seat, and a chair. We got to the road to our house in Ojojona and we could not pass through a certain part of the road without wrecking our car. So we unloaded the truck from there.
Matt said he was going to start putting shelves together while I went and packed the suitcases and brought them over. At this time we were still planning to have our date.
I finally got most of our stuff ready to go, but by the time I got back to Ojojona, it was to late to start back to town, but my parents offered to keep her tonight so we could still have our birthday date. One day I willl quit expecting things to work smoothly in Honduras and then I will be surprised if they ever do.
I told Matt I knew how to get to Pricemart, but I always give bad directions. As soon as we exited, I said, "oops this is the wrong turn, oh well i still know how to get there." We were going, and I thought we needed to turn around (which in the end we didn't). I told him to make a U turn at the light which I don't think is ever illegal in Honduras, and immediately, a cop (on foot) waved us down. Evidently we made the only illegal Uturn in all of Honduras, because he was trying to give us a ticket. I asked how we were supposed to know, and he said we just were. In the end, he told us we could go to transito, pay the ticket, come back with the reciept and get Matt's license. That is not really how things work here. Normally you have to go 2 or 3 days later to transito pay your ticket and they will give your lisence back to you. We tried it anyway. I told a few people what happened, and eventually a very kind police officer asked what I needed help with, and he ended up calling the officer 2 blocks away that took Matt's lisence and going to get it back from him. I left the transito office with Matt's lisence in hand and I didn't have to pay a cent.
We headed on for Pricemart, and traffic shortly thereafter stopped. There was some sort of parade or demonstration happening. We finally got to Pricemart 3 hours after we left the house. We got the things we neeeded there and headed back up the mountain without going to WalMart.
On the way up the mountain we put a deposit on a couch, love seat, and a chair. We got to the road to our house in Ojojona and we could not pass through a certain part of the road without wrecking our car. So we unloaded the truck from there.
Matt said he was going to start putting shelves together while I went and packed the suitcases and brought them over. At this time we were still planning to have our date.
I finally got most of our stuff ready to go, but by the time I got back to Ojojona, it was to late to start back to town, but my parents offered to keep her tonight so we could still have our birthday date. One day I willl quit expecting things to work smoothly in Honduras and then I will be surprised if they ever do.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Mamitis
Haley has mamitis. Now before you get worried, know that this is not a sickness, it is just a term used in Spanish when a child is clingy to their mom. While she loves the kids here, the last week she has been very jealous of any attention that I give to them. She does not want them to hug us or talk to us. And if they try to take her away where she can't see me, she burst into tears. She is having a harder time with the adjustment than we expected. This week we are moving, and she will no longer be sleeping in the floor of my parents living room, and I think that having a space of her own will help her adjustment a little bit. please pray that she will be more accustomed to be being with all of the other children soon.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Hermanas
We have had a very special relationship with little Cindy since we met her 4 years ago. That special bond has only been strengthened by Haley. She and Ana, also 10 years old, have taken to Haley like white on rice. Almost always, one or both of them is with Haley playing or helping her to do something. They have taught her to say both hermana and sister.
Both Cindy and Ana are willing to take on a little extra responsibility when it comes to Haley. They have helped her in potty training. They are willing to help clean her potty accidents at the pila. They have been working with her to teach her to ride a bike, they do her hair, they share their snaks with her.
Of all of the kids, Ana and Cindy are definately her favorite. She prays for them every night and wants to play with them every day. They are helping her learn everything she possibly can. We are thankful for all of the kids here at Casa de Esperanza, but Cindy and Ana have a very special place to us.
Both Cindy and Ana are willing to take on a little extra responsibility when it comes to Haley. They have helped her in potty training. They are willing to help clean her potty accidents at the pila. They have been working with her to teach her to ride a bike, they do her hair, they share their snaks with her.
Of all of the kids, Ana and Cindy are definately her favorite. She prays for them every night and wants to play with them every day. They are helping her learn everything she possibly can. We are thankful for all of the kids here at Casa de Esperanza, but Cindy and Ana have a very special place to us.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Reina and homework
In the last 2 1/2 weeks, I have done a lot of homework with Reinita. She is 11 and in the 2nd grade. She went to Kindergarten twice and 1st grade twice, but according to Honduran law, she cannot stay in a grade for more than two years. She has learned her letters and numbers really well, but when it comes to putting the letters into words, she is lost.
The school that the kids go to gives a lot of really stupid busy work. Last week, one night that had to find 20 words with AC, 20 with EC, 20 with OC, and 20 with UC along with 20 with AD, 20 with OD, and 20 with UD. On top of that they had to write a sentence with every single word. This would have taken any second grader a long time, but it took Reina about 15 hours to finish it over the course of the weekend. That was the Thursday night homework, Friday night's homework was equally as dumb, but not quite as extensive. I started working with her after chores were done on Saturday morning, and we worked until bedtime Sunday night.
Sometimes Reina couldn't even copy the words correctly. She would copy half a word from one line and half from another. On one set of her sentences, she would write until the end of the line and then start the next sentence. It didn't matter to her that she had not finished the entire sentence. I'm not even sure if she realized it. My paitience is stretched sometimes when I work on homework with her, but I am so proud of her when she actually finishes something.
Last night, I was once again helping her on homework. She had to have 10 words written in cursive for every letter of the alphabet. She really got tickled when I didn't know how to write my capital letters in cursive. I always hated cursive, and I'm not sure if I ever really learned to write the capital letters in it. I wish you could have heard Reina laugh when I was trying to make her to her homework and even I didn't know how to make my cursive letters right. I guess it is time that I go back to second grade.
The school that the kids go to gives a lot of really stupid busy work. Last week, one night that had to find 20 words with AC, 20 with EC, 20 with OC, and 20 with UC along with 20 with AD, 20 with OD, and 20 with UD. On top of that they had to write a sentence with every single word. This would have taken any second grader a long time, but it took Reina about 15 hours to finish it over the course of the weekend. That was the Thursday night homework, Friday night's homework was equally as dumb, but not quite as extensive. I started working with her after chores were done on Saturday morning, and we worked until bedtime Sunday night.
Sometimes Reina couldn't even copy the words correctly. She would copy half a word from one line and half from another. On one set of her sentences, she would write until the end of the line and then start the next sentence. It didn't matter to her that she had not finished the entire sentence. I'm not even sure if she realized it. My paitience is stretched sometimes when I work on homework with her, but I am so proud of her when she actually finishes something.
Last night, I was once again helping her on homework. She had to have 10 words written in cursive for every letter of the alphabet. She really got tickled when I didn't know how to write my capital letters in cursive. I always hated cursive, and I'm not sure if I ever really learned to write the capital letters in it. I wish you could have heard Reina laugh when I was trying to make her to her homework and even I didn't know how to make my cursive letters right. I guess it is time that I go back to second grade.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Seyda
On Friday, I went with Karen to Casitas Kennedy for visitation. While some of our kids were having some time with their parents, I met several girls between 12-16 (the age of the girls that Matt and I one day want to help). One girl really left a lasting impression on my heart.
Her name was Seyda. She was 12. She had no shoes on her feet. She told me that INFHA (Honduran DHS) doesn't have enough money to provide anyone with shoes. I'm not sure on what level it is true or not. I know that INFHA has very little money right now and is struggling a lot though. Seyda almost finished 6th grade this year before she ran away from home. To finish 6th grade here is as big of an accomplishment of graduating High School in the States. She ran away because her mom beat her all the time. She showed me some scars from knives where her mom had tried to stab her.
I don't want to tell Seyda's story only to make you feel sad, because she wasn't sad. I want to tell you Seyda's story to tell you about her hope and faith in Christ. I asked her if she had a dad. She said only her Father in heaven. she continued to tell me that he had brought her through everything in her life and kept her safe. She also said that just because she had had a hard life, doesn't mean that God is far from her, but that has brought her closer to God.
Visiting with Seyda really touched my heart.
Her name was Seyda. She was 12. She had no shoes on her feet. She told me that INFHA (Honduran DHS) doesn't have enough money to provide anyone with shoes. I'm not sure on what level it is true or not. I know that INFHA has very little money right now and is struggling a lot though. Seyda almost finished 6th grade this year before she ran away from home. To finish 6th grade here is as big of an accomplishment of graduating High School in the States. She ran away because her mom beat her all the time. She showed me some scars from knives where her mom had tried to stab her.
I don't want to tell Seyda's story only to make you feel sad, because she wasn't sad. I want to tell you Seyda's story to tell you about her hope and faith in Christ. I asked her if she had a dad. She said only her Father in heaven. she continued to tell me that he had brought her through everything in her life and kept her safe. She also said that just because she had had a hard life, doesn't mean that God is far from her, but that has brought her closer to God.
Visiting with Seyda really touched my heart.
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