Visiting the homes...

May the mountains yield prosperity for all; and may the hills be fruitful. Help him to defend the poor. to rescue the children of the needy, and to crush their oppressors.
Psalm 72: 3,4

He will rescue the poor when they cry out to him, he will help the oppressed, who have no one to defend them. He feels pity for the weak and the needy and he will rescue them. He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious to him.
Psalm 72:12, 13.


She's a single mom to five children, living in a tiny home that is much smaller than our shed back in Canada. It has two rooms, divided by a sheet to separate the living quarters from the sleeping. In Canada everyone would have their own bed to sleep on, but not here. One double bed for 5 people.  She has a tiny stove for which to cook and small fridge with a microwave on top of it. She makes the most of the little she has, so her tiny house is a home for her family.

She struggles, You can see it on her face; her eyes, hear it in her voice. Her sole means of survival is making and selling tortillas. With that money she must buy food and water,  pay for the rent of not only the home but the property as well. It's hard to imagine selling tortillas would ever bring in near enough to cover her expenses.
"Life is hard" she told us. "It's about surviving"
In this photo the team is giving her a bag of groceries.

The second home we visited, like the last home, was also near the schools. We met a young mom of three.
Her home appeared to be in better condition. It was very clean. Outside she had a rag on which to wipe our feet on before entering the home. The floors looked spotless to me.
 Her husband, who is not the father of the children, is one of the venders on the street selling phone chargers or cell phone covers at the traffic lights. We have probably even driven past him and not known it. He does this to provide for his family. It is their only source of income as she is a stay at home mom, caring for her little ones. I have seen countless venders like him at the traffic lights trying to sell their items. Hardly anyone buys from them; at least not that I have seen.  I have never before thought about how discouraging it must be to always be told "no gracias" or to be ignored. I know it cannot bring in much income; especially by the time transportation is paid for to and from the streets to the mountains where they live.
Through her tears she explained some of her struggles. "Life is hard" she said like the first mom we visited.
 Her first husband, had been murdered, and she lost a baby to asthma. Not only that but the baby that one of the team members from Lively held in her arms, also had asthma. She was concerned about him, worried that she would lose him too.
She told us how she had found favour with the landlord and was given two rooms to rent instead of just one. What a blessing that was to her family.
Before we left her home, we prayed with her, and one of the ladies on the team asked her if she knew Jesus.
She nodded and said "yes" and that He was her provider.
This is the team in the second home.

As we left each of those homes I wanted to weep. I felt so broken for these families.
I held back my tears but I couldn't help feeling so very humbled......and thankful.
Thankful for all that our family has been blessed with. We have our beautiful home, food on the table, family, friends, a vehicle to get around in...the list goes on and on.
I thought of all the times I needlessly worried over stuff since moving here. Things like not having as much money for groceries one week, last minute notice that the kids need something more for school and wondering where we will find money for it when it wasn't budgeted or other last minute expenses.  Needless worry when God always provides, there is always enough and most times MORE than enough. It's NOTHING compared to what these families face day in and day out, what reality is for them each day.
 If I were in their shoes, would I truly be able to say like this one mom "God is my provider?" Would any of us? I would hope the answer would be a resounding "yes!" But it's something to think about....what if? Would we truly be content? The families living in these conditions who know the Lord must truly know what it is like to totally rely on the Lord and say "He is all I need" 
Matthew 6:25, 26
That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life...whether you have enough food and drink or enough clothes to wear.  Isn't life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly father feeds them. Aren't you far more valuable than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

Christmas letters

I can't get her out of my mind. The  beautiful young girl in sixth grade writing her  Christmas letter to a potential sponsor..."just in case" she is sponsored before the school year ends in November. My heart breaks just thinking about her.  What thoughts run through her mind as she writes her letter...does she feel hopeless, like her letter is in vain?  It's already October and time is running out for her to ever be sponsored.  There will be no more school for her after sixth grade.  Does she wonder "what is the point?" Does it build a false hope in her having her write a letter that may never reach a sponsor?
 I wonder how long she has been on the list to be sponsored or how she feels when she sees her other classmates writing their letters; classmates that already have sponsors. How long has she been dreaming of the day she would be sponsored?  I've shed tears for this girl. I guess you could say she has a special place in my heart.  Even though I know there are others just like her.  I know her name and she has a beautiful smile. She is a lovely girl who has a bit of a crush on my son Ben. I know this  because she always asks where he is when see her and I've seen her light up around him. And for her my heart hurts.

Yesterday Dale and I went to one of the schools to help the sponsored children with their Christmas letters.   I know....it's a little early for Christmas but it is a long process and the letters need to arrive in time.  They need to be written and then translated. The children wrote out their  letters in rough draft first. The letters were then approved by the teacher or Victor for spelling mistakes and what not. Then the children came to Dale and myself for the "official"  Christmas paper to write their letter on.  It was an exciting moment to be a part of.  They would stand in line waiting for Dale and myself to find their name at the top of their paper.  You could feel their enthusiasm as they wrote their annual letters to their sponsors. Amazingly it was not too chaotic in the classroom...or too loud. Or maybe I just didn't notice.  Yesterday about 45 letters were handed back in.  Most of them had meticulous hand writing. They later drew pictures to be added to their letters and most of them handed their drawings in today. There are some beautiful pieces of art being mailed out this year!

I was not at the school today as I was at a ladies bible study that I have been attending weekly. However  Dale told me that there are only twenty five more children to write their letters. That will happen later this week....and I can't wait to be a part of it.

 

This past week....

This past week we headed up to Moises Starkman school to celebrate "Day of the Child".  Day of the child is a day that is set aside to celebrate children; just like we have Father's day or Mother's day in Canada....here they also have a day to honour children.  In Honduras this day is even bigger than Christmas!

We first headed to Kinder ( Kindergarten). Dale and Melissa who is one of our interpreters let the children in a popular song from when most of us were children.."allelue, allelue allelue alleluia, praise ye the Lord!"

watch the video clip here....
HERE

Then Dale told a short from the bible. The story where the disciples sent the children away because they thought they were bothering their Master. But Jesus stopped his disciples and he took the time to bless the children. Jesus loved them, and Dale told them how much Jesus loved them too.

 

We celebrated at the school with cake, dressed up in clown costumes and just had a lot of fun with the kids. At any in kind of celebration in Honduras, there are always piñatas. This day was no exception.
The children all had special lunches instead of the normal beans and rice. They also did not have to wear their uniforms.

 

For the past two weeks we have a young lady name Emily from Orillia join our team. She was a huge asset. She heads home today and we are going to miss her terribly.  Emily came to offer her secretarial skills to Judy with the mounds of paper work that was piling up. However she didn't spend all her time in the office. She  also came with us to the schools as well. I think as she is going to be leaving part of her heart here in Honduras and hopefully someday she will be back.

 

 

The team did head back up to another school later on in the week, but I was unable to go as I was sick in bed the entire day. I was really disappointed but I do know there will be many other opportunities to go up to the schools and be with these precious children.

 Monday to Friday for the past three weeks we have been taking Spanish lesson for two hours every afternoon. There were a few days where I didn't feel like it.  My brain needed a rest. Our teacher has been teaching us verbs and the many different verb endings. So much to take in a remember. And rolling the rrrrrr's..I still haven't mastered that yet. I need to so I am not saying bad words accidentally.... which has happened! No wonder the girls at Espresso Americano were laughing at me.  Every day she gives us homework assignments too.  That being said though, it is getting easier.

 Late Friday afternoon we headed to a busy street corner here in the city where they often sell puppies; especially on the weekends.  It's known as "Puppy McDonalds"  I am not sure if the locals call it that, but it is what any expat or missionary living here refers to it as.  We had been told to go there if you want a dog. The prices; we were told were much less than what you would pay at a pet store or from a breeder. We wanted to get there before the traffic got too busy and the guys started packing things up and heading home.
  I am such a dog person. After Maddie passed I so missed having a dog in the family.  It has been over a year now since she died and I was more than ready to start looking again. In fact if we had not been moving to Honduras we would have had a dog before now.
Anyway, at one point during our stop there, I had four wee pups in my arms.  How to decide! They were all adorable.
The pup we ended up choosing is very tiny, weighing only three pounds. We are not sure of his breed or how big he will eventually grow to be. There were pups that were half his size....they could have fit in the palm of my hand.
We were headed home afterwards trying to come up with names for the little guy when we drove past

 Ruby Tuesdays. Dale said that we should call him Reuben for Ruby Tuesdays...and the name stuck!

Meet Reuben!

Culture Shock

The beginning of this week was rough for me. Culture shock perhaps? I think so. Actually I know so. I honestly didn't expect it to hit me so hard, so soon.  Even though I have learned about all the stages one goes through and the timing of each stage is different for everyone.
 I was a mess, an emotional wreck.  This country, Honduras; the country my family is called to, the country I am called to was not the easy adjustment I thought it would be.  Many things are so very different.  And I felt so lonely.  Everything was annoying me. Things as small as the ants in my kitchen, and looking everywhere for eggs in the grocery store only to find them on a shelf in the bakery department. Then there was the seemingly insurmountable things we are dealing with as a family right now. 

Many of you know that my husband Dale has been a victim of identify theft and that is still ongoing. The list of cards that are being taken out in his name continues to grow.  It's very concerning but there is little  we can do about it except to sign affidavits that he did not make the purchases charged. Fraud.

There are also a few other issues that we are dealing with.
 Only one word can describe this week and that is this. Stress.
 Although I will say this....our kids are doing fantastic!

I hesitate to say this as it is going to sound terrible and may even shock some of you;  but if on Monday Dale had said "let's go back to Canada" I probably would have said "Alright "  Deep down in my heart that is not how I really felt. I know and believe with everything in me that God has called us here and this is home now.  So to go back to Canada I know I wouldn't have that sense of belonging there. Not when we are meant to be here.  At the same time,. here in Honduras with all the pressing issues that we are dealing with, and trying to learn a new language in a country where everything is new, it's hard to feel like you fit in. That you belong.

In this moment it seems we are being bombarded on all sides. We cry out, God help us! Where else can we turn but Him and trust that He will work it all out. And He will. We know that without a doubt. There is a reason for it all I am sure, perhaps to side track us and disrupt what God wants to do in us and through us. To make us want to pack up and go "home" To discourage us. We know these challenging times are not going to last forever.

On Wednesday I read another missionary's (Sandra McIntosh) status on Facebook and it really drove truth home to my heart. Brought a calming peace in the midst of the storm.
The timing of her post couldn't have been more perfect, or more timely.
Here is her quote below...

"When the going gets tough in full time ministry it helps to go back to the moment you were certain the Holy Spirit whispered "Go, Serve and Love" Remember how you felt, remember how you were overwhelmed at the need, remember the passion you felt to respond, remember how gripped you were in your heart and you couldn't shake it, remember when you thought the cost was worth it, remember when you made the commitment, remember when you knew that this was His call on your life." Remember?"

Then this afternoon  we were waiting in the bank and for some reason I had tucked my journal from  back in April of last year into my purse.  I pulled it out and began to read it. That was when we were here with a team from Bethel church in Stratford.. By day three of our trip I knew this was where we were suppose to be. That someday we would be here. I knew it then. I know it now. And yes, I remember.

School Begins!

August 26th, 2013

Last night you could feel the excitement in the air at our house. The kids were so excited to start school in the morning. I don't know if there has ever been a time where they have been happy to be starting a new year.   Well, perhaps a little happy but not like this. Not over the top, over the moon, pumped about going.
Even the night before  last night Elisa was trying on all three of her uniforms and prancing around the house in them. As much as she says she hates the formal uniform ( a jumper) she seemed ecstatic to be modeling it as she spun and twirled around in it. Even the dreaded white knee socks ( which we found out are not mandatory) didn't look that bad.

Today all three of them were awake shortly after 5:30 in the morning. There was no fighting. A first in this home. Such a welcomed change and a breath of fresh air. None of the usual before school stress and everyone got along.

After breakfast and our morning devotions with the kids, we headed out to the gate and waited for the bus to honk it's horn to alert us of its arrival. They were excited to board the bus and Dale and I were excited to see them go. Peace and quiet at last!

After the kids were on the bus, Dale and I headed out to the Villa Olimpica track for our walk/run. I was happy to get there earlier in the day when it was actually a little cooler out and not so warm.  It is very motivating to be walking or running with about a hundred other people. There are also many people along the sides of the track working out with their trainers.

A while after this Dale and I went out to the grocery store. I had decided the night before to keep my tradition of making a first day of school cake. I needed a can of frosting though since I didn't have all the ingredients at home to make it from scratch...nor did I have the time.  While we were in the grocery store I saw something I wasn't even looking for. I couldn't believe my eyes. Was I seeing things?  Could that really be half and half?
Ever since we moved to Honduras I have missed cream in my coffee so much. 
Not only was it in the grocery store I most often shop in...it was on sale! It wasn't more than what I would pay in Canada. It made my day, and the best cup of coffee I have had in a while. I was so thankful to God that I found it. I would never have thought a carton of cream could be such a blessing.

This afternoon after lunch Dale and I also had our first Spanish class. We hired a lady named Blanca to come to our home and teach us. Wow. She told us by the end of the week we are going to hate her. and she just may be right. I am joking of course as hate is a strong word....but I understand what she means. It was soooo much to take in.  Overwhelming.  It was only two hours and already our brains feel like they are on overload.

We finished up with our Spanish class and Dale's phone rang. Apparently the our children missed the bus to come home so Dale had to go get them.
When they came home from school, all three of them were so happy and excited. All of them had fantastic days, and said that they love their new school. They all made friends. I was the most surprised with Elisa. I know my girl well, and she surprised me when she didn't come home from school heart broken and in tears and none of the usual drama. She was calm.

At dinner time I always talk to the kids and ask them "What is the best thing that happened to you today?"
Tonight, this was their response...
Elisa..."I like the teacher. She was happy and joyful and fun loving" She proceeded to imitate her. It was hilarious.
Ben.." I liked all the friends that I made and they are all girls" He later thanked God for all his "girlfriends"
Jacob " I made a lot of friends. The teachers are awesome"

Anyway, as I prepare to turn in for the night, my heart is full. I am so thankful to the Lord that we followed His leading and came to Honduras. I am thankful that we chose the school that we did, and that my children are happy here. Happy to be a part of everything that is new to them. New country, new culture, new home and new school.  It's almost overwhelming when I think of all the changes they have faced in a short amount of time. So far there have not been tears.  Though in time they may come. There have been no regrets and all three of them have said to me different times "I LOVE Honduras"

There have been times that they have shown wisdom beyond their years. Take Ben for instance.
Just the other day I was stressing about a situation about our home in Canada that we are renting out and Ben over heard me. He said "Don't worry mom, God's gonna take care of it. He didn't bring us all the way to Honduras just for us to turn around and go home" Ouch. So true. The faith of a child. Because the truth is...He is faithful! We can put all of our trust in Him and his faithfulness. We can depend on Him to be there for us each step of the journey.

1. Thessalonians 5:24

The Message

^23-24 May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he’ll do it!

Lamentations 3:22-24
^22-24 God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
    his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
    How great your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
    He’s all I’ve got left.

August 27, Day 2 Photo

 

 

It's been one month.... part 3

 Psalms 72:8
He shall have dominion also from sea to sea,
And from the River to the ends of the earth.

Is a scripture verse that is a part of Canada's constitution.
It's also the verse that we used as our theme when we went into the one of the schools of Hope last week. We had two days of "Canada day" Celebrations, even though Canada day was more than a month past.

We talked to them about letting God have dominion over things in their lives, their neighbourhood, their family.

  On the first day we divided each of the six grades into teams and had relays planned for them. Honestly remembering this school in the past I expected total chaos, but it ended up going fairly smooth all things considered. The kids  loved it, even the older children.  Kids in grade 6 in Canada would not enjoy these games. At least I don't think so.  They would have thought them to be too young or childish, but for these kids I think it was a rare treat; something different from the usual. These kids don't have all the distractions that kids in Canada have. No computers, or internet, no electronics. It's like how it was when I was a kid, when the simple things in life were enough to make me happy.

Some of the games we had were puzzles, pin the tail on the beaver,  mini hockey competitions, water relay,  plastic  Easter egg relay, get dressed in scarves, mitts, boots (crocs) relay faster than the person on the other team.

The game I was in charge with was the pinning the tail on the beaver. I also had two other pinning things going on at the same time. Pinning the maple leaf on the flag, and pinning the antlers on the moose. Some of the older boys got a little silly with the tail on the beaver and were pinning it somewhere else. I guess even in Honduras boys will be boys!

A couple days later we were back up in the mountain at the same school.  This time we had presents to hand out to the school director and teacher of the month.

We had beautiful piñatas made by Victors' wife.  One was a Canada flag and the other was a Honduran flag. Victor lives in the neighbourhood of the schools and is one of our translators. He is also pastor. He is a gentle, fun, loving little guy. Such a heart for his community and for the Lord. He is like Jesus to these kids. You can see him in the blue in the photo below.

We also served the hotdogs for lunch and had Price Smart make two cakes decorated like the Canada flag. A nice change from the beans and rice that some kids may tire of day after day.
The other thing we did was dedicate the school's feeding program. The director of the school and Judy cut the ribbon and the new kitchen was opened.

It was another great day at the school. I day I am sure the kids will remember for a while.

It's been one month.....part 2

One of the things we have been doing since arriving in Honduras is heading up to our kids school for various appointments. All along we thought they were starting August 8th; when in reality it is this coming Monday, August 26.
We have already purchased their uniforms with the exception of white socks for Elisa. Ben and Elisa are not looking forward to wearing the uniforms. Elisa was downright grumpy about it after we brought them home last week. She thinks they are ugly and I tend to agree with her, but I totally get the whole wearing a uniform thing. Stay tuned for photos.

Any of the handouts we have been given at these meetings with important information are all in Spanish. That's a little frustrating since at the moment we know very little Spanish. So, in reality we are signing forms that we have no clue what we are signing. Well, we  have a general idea I suppose as most of the information is covered at the meetings. Thankfully they did have an interpreter there for us.  Hopefully none of the guidelines are broken by our kids as there are consequences. . I know the boys have to have their hair kept nice and trim and around the ears; and no low riding for my oldest, no make up for Elisa. The are different uniforms for different days of the week as well, and you can't show up in the wrong uniform.

This week alone we have to be at the school four different times. Three of the meeting times are at 5pm. I asked Judy about the time because to me it seemed odd to have a meeting begin at 5pm when that is dinner time...at least for my family.  On more than one occasion I have noticed this. The other time was when we attended CEAD church they had announced an evening of praise and worship this coming Sunday from 5-7.  Again, I thought to myself  "why in the world have a meeting start at 5pm?"
Apparently in Honduras most people eat their evening meal later on; 7 or even 8pm. It makes total sense now why the meetings begin at 5.

One day this past week Dale and I stopped in at a language school to look into language training. It is so imperative that we get started on this immediately. It is probably the biggest struggle right now is being in the dark about everything; not understanding what people are trying to communicate with you. There are many times when I get the gist of it, but basically no comprende.
It was like that when we attended the Spanish speaking church service at CEAD. It was all in Spanish so we didn`t have a clue what was being said. The worship was amazing, and we were familiar with the songs as they were Hillsongs United, but again didn`t know the words so sang them in English.
Once we have the language down pat it will make things so much better. Not just for understanding what people are saying to us, but for getting to know them, getting to know their heart, what their needs are and being able to minister to them effectively.

There are times when I feel so emotional. Please don`t misunderstand me. I am happy and excited to finally be here, but there are times when I feel lonely and sad. Grumpy even.  I miss my family and my friends back in Canada a lot. We are trying to fit into a culture that we really don`t belong in. Some things may look like Canada on the outside but in reality it isn`t Canada and it`s so different. One has to be more cautious here. Always on the alert to your surroundings.  For someone like me who is used to being on the go all the time, I find this very difficult. I can`t just walk to the mall or coffee shop if I need to get out of the house. There have been times where I feel cooped up. I know it`s all an adjustment and God is helping me get through it and giving me the strength each day. I am learning that it`s ok to just rest...rest in Him and draw closer to Him because without the Lord I would never be able to get through each day.

I am learning patience....slowly! Things here take longer than they do in Canada. Even when purchasing office chairs from Office Depot is an outing that is not as simple as just buying a couple chairs. Nope. They open each box and take each part of the chair out piece by piece and slowly very slowly...in slow motion, take it out and look at from each angle inspecting it piece by piece. It`s funny now but in the moment when you are in a hurry and wanting to get on to the next thing it`s not so funny. Everything within me is saying hurry up!!. Why is this taking so long!  Opening a bank account took two hours! So it`s a learning process as we adjust to life here in Honduras. Life in the slow lane except for when you are in traffic when no one has any patience and cars are honking at you to move when you have no where to go. It takes getting used to.

I was reading in my devotions the other day and the words kind of jumped out at me..
Romans 5.3-5 ( The  Message)
There`s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we are hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we`re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary- we can`t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit.


sign at the kids school.

So that being said....please continue to keep our family in your prayers as we adjust to a new culture and new country.  It`s an adjustment for us all. We appreciate your prayers so much.