Thoughts before Heading Home

You who know me know that I’m a bit of a word nerd.  As I reflected on what exactly I mean by “home,” I confess that I turned to the dictionary.  The definition that struck me the most was the use of “home” as a verb: “(of an animal) to return by instinct to its territory after leaving it.”  I started to envision myself as a homing pigeon preparing for its return flight with a message tied to its leg!  That makes me laugh!  But, my serious side can’t help but wonder, what does that message tied to my leg say?  Surprisingly, no words come to mind, and I realize that the message I’ll be bringing won’t be spoken with words.  Like a butterfly’s wings, it will slowly unfold and brush gently against your cheek as a breeze, discernible only if you seek it out.  

This isn’t to say that I won’t be coming home with lots of stories to tell; I assure you, I have MANY!  But, the message isn’t really in the stories; it’s hidden in my heart and whispers of how God has shaped me throughout this year by stretching me, growing me, and teaching me oh so many things!  Even I have so much more to discover about what my message is, and I know that it will be revealed to me as I settle back into life at home.

But, still, what does home mean?  In my life I’ve learned that one part of making a place feel like home is having my stuff there!  It’s also the place where I lay down my head at night. Above all else however, it’s the place where I am surrounded by friends and family—even when they’re not my biological family.  It’s the place where I am loved, accepted, and included in all of the inside jokes!  Praise God, I have encountered all of these aspects of home here in Honduras.  I have a community, I have friends, I have a family—I have a home here.  Never has this been more evident to me than at this time of saying goodbyes. 

In one of my first blog posts, I wrote, “I am so thankful for painful goodbyes because they signify my ability to love others deeply and to be loved in return.  What greater blessing exists?”  The events of this past year have come full circle.  As I count down my last days in Honduras, I find myself in the same situation of having to say painful goodbyes, and they remind me of how I have grown to love so many precious people here.  And, of how I have been loved in return.  Thank you, Jesus!

God has been faithful with the promise he spoke to me before I left Michigan to come here: “The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.  Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!  He who goes out weeping bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:3, 5-6). I am absolutely so excited to be coming home with shouts of joy!  I will be carrying my sheaves with me in my heart as precious treasures waiting to be carefully unwrapped and discovered.  Thank you God for blessing me so richly this year!

Different: Michigan vs. Honduras Part II

I'm sure I'll discover more differences during my last week here, but these will suffice for now!  Once again, I don't really have corresponding pictures, so I threw in some random ones!  Enjoy!

This little red hen is smart for a reason!

1. When you arrive at work, church, etc, or are leaving, you must acknowledge everyone around you with the customary cheek-to-cheek air kiss and hug; it would be rude not to.  
2. If you are part of a church community here, it is how you spend most of your time outside of work with events nearly every night of the week and parts of Saturday and Sunday, too!  At least, that is what I’ve heard from many of the teachers with whom I work!
3. Food here is packaged differently.  Milk comes in shelf-stable boxes, or is sold in bags in the refrigerator section.  You can buy bottled water, but most people buy it in 12 oz. bags; it’s not uncommon to see people walking around or sitting at a desk with bags of water hanging from their mouths.  Condiments like ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise are not sold in bottles; they are sold in bags.  The brand name varieties have a re-sealable cap on the bag at least!
4. Every school here, whether public or private, has its own uniform for students to wear.
5. Bilingual (Spanish and English) schools are very common here.  I wish they were in Michigan, too!
6. It’s totally normal for vendors to stroll or parade in trucks up and down the neighborhood streets shouting out what they’re selling, ringing bells, or muttering through loudspeakers.  While this is a convenient way to buy anything from fruit and vegetables to toilet paper and soap, the noise can be very disrupting!  It’s like the ice cream truck on steroids!

   

   Excuse me while I herd my cattle down the street!

7. I think it’s safe to say that big city-dwellers in MI typically do not have farm animals at home.  Here, however, it’s not uncommon for people to have not only chickens, but cattle and horses.  What better way to get around the crowded streets than on horseback?
8. Trying to get just about anything done here takes at least twice as long.  You need a carpenter to come fix a piece of furniture?  Plan to call him for several weeks or months before he makes it over to do the work.  You need to buy new bathroom fixtures?  Don’t plan on the store having what you want in stock or even being able to get it shipped in time.  The only business I’ve witnessed provide good service is our internet provider.  I am thankful for that! 
9. In Michigan, the power goes out because of a storm with high winds or because of an ice storm.  Here it just goes out for apparently no reason.  Just like with the water, I think a higher power enjoys cutting off the power at random.  Sometimes it is off for a good chunk of the day.  Tonight, as I write, it’s been on and off all evening, and while talking with my host parents, I learned why: we are on the same circuit as the news station that broadcasts the TRUTH about the corrupt Honduran government, so whenever something has been going on that they don’t want publicized, they turn off the power so the station can’t broadcast their reports!  WOW!
10. I remember learning in Spanish classes that even body language can be different in other cultures.  Here it is considered very rude to point with your finger, so instead you use your lips.  Yup, your lips.  It’s like you’re puckering up to kiss someone, but it’s a quick gesture in the direction of the person or object you’re indicating while raising your eyebrows at the same time.  If your mouth is busy eating, use your elbow or your head, but never your finger!

    

    My dear dad received a lesson in hand washing his clothes!

11. Laundry:  I think it’s safe to say that the majority of people in Michigan have access to washers and dryers even if it means just within their apartment building.  Of course, some people do have to go to the laundromat, too.  Here, however, very few people have washing machines, and almost no one has a dryer.  What just about everyone does have, though, is a pila, a water holding tank and scrub sink combo for hand washing clothes.  Not only is this the way most Hondurans wash their clothes, they actually prefer to wash their clothes this way, swearing that it gets the clothes so much cleaner.  Perhaps stranger still, many women I have talked to sincerely enjoy the process of hand washing their clothes.  Now that I’ve been hand washing my own clothes for quite a few months, I have to agree on both accounts: my clothes are cleaner, and there’s just something satisfying about the process of hand washing them!  Now, if I had to wash clothes for a whole family, I think I’d feel differently….!
12. Basic medical care:  no matter what ails you, here, there is an injection for that.  And, you can probably buy the injection at your local pharmacy without a prescription and have someone at home give it to you. If you have a cold, you absolutely should not drink or eat anything cold, no matter how hot it is outside.  Of course, I’m a rebel, and I do it anyway!  Thankfully, I am not well acquainted with the medical care here, but when I went to a neighborhood clinic to get drops for an ear infection, my whole visit plus medications cost me just $3.50!  Lastly, you can buy some antibiotics over-the-counter.  That isn’t a good idea!
13. On the same theme, hospitals here are only for providing medical care.  Hospitals rely on a patient’s family members to go buy the prescribed medications for staff to administer, to bring in meals, provide bedding, and help with self-care tasks.  Maybe they hold the solution to lowering our healthcare costs?  (Said tongue-in-cheek!)
14. Auto repair:  Just as hospitals do not provide medicines, auto shops do not provide auto parts.  Your mechanic will diagnose the problem, give you a list of parts to buy, you go and buy them, and he’ll fix your vehicle once you bring the parts back. On the up side of this, car repairs are MUCH cheaper here!
15. Skin color: Historically this has been a big deal in the US, and it continues to be so for some reason.  Here in Honduras, however, skin color differences are no big deal.  Lest you think, “Yeah, well, they are all the same color!” let me tell you, you’re wrong!  The influence of the Spaniards, African Americans, Chinese, and Arabs is evident here.  The great thing, though, is nobody cares what color you are, and, culturally, people just call things as they see them.  Your wife has a darker skin color than yours?  Well, it’s OK to call her “mi negrita” (my little black one).  Or, you’re trying to describe a co-worker—who is a little on the heavy side—to a friend, so of course you describe him as “el gordo”—the fat one.  No worries!  From my US culture perspective, this honesty seemed offensive at first, but now I find it quite freeing!  You don’t have to be constantly on your guard lest you offend someone!

    

    This is a picture from my visit in August 2014.

16. Ants!  In Michigan, who hasn’t had ants invade their house in the summertime?  Well, since it’s always like summer here, we always have ants. Thankfully, the bigger ones are harmless, but the itty-bitty ones in the kitchen are enough to make me crazy!  They occasionally are so audacious as to chew through my bags of cereal and have a veritable feast.  If this were to happen in MI, I would, of course, throw out the bag of cereal.  Here, however, we don’t waste food, and my house mom knows that if you put the cereal on a tray out in the sun for a few hours, the ants will all leave, and then you can still eat the cereal.  Yup.  I’ve eaten ate-chewed cereal and lived to tell about it!
17. Rules of the road: I know I’ve touched on this a little bit already, but recently I learned the rules for letting emergency vehicles pass.  Like in the States, on a single lane road, you are supposed to move to the right, but here, on a two lane road, both lanes of traffic are supposed to move to the shoulders allowing the ambulance to pass down the middle.  Here, pulling over doesn’t mean slowing down or stopping, it just means moving over!  

    

    The Catholic church in Santa Lucia

Different: Michigan vs. Honduras Part 1

Since I've been here, I've been working on this post of observations.  The list has grown quite long, so I'll post the second part at another time!  I don't really have pictures to go with this post, so I've included some random ones!  Enjoy!

Normal 7:00 a.m. traffic.

1. Cell phones.  I don’t know all of the ins and outs of cell phones here nor there, but here I haven’t heard of anyone paying a monthly amount for unlimited use.  Everyone buys minutes as they need them.
2. McDonald’s sets up kiosks in shopping areas where all they sell is ice cream.  This is wise since ice cream is the only thing worth buying there!  OK, I know that’s just my opinion, but I think it’s an excellent idea!
3. Women here must REALLY like to suffer!  Why else would they walk the mall in six inch platform heels?!
4. There is no air conditioning in the majority of public buildings or vehicles, so you never have to worry about freezing inside when it’s hot outside like in Michigan.  On the other side of the coin, you are guaranteed to sweat!
5. It’s totally normal for men to walk around with their shirts pulled up over their bellies—kinda like the 70’s when men wore crop tops!  This always cracks me up!
6. Breast feeding in public without covering yourself is absolutely no big deal, even while walking around the mall or grocery store or sitting in church.

   

   Here's where I've gotten to hang out for hours every two months to renew my visa--office of immigration.

7. This is an outdoor culture, and buildings aren’t constructed to keep out sound or to maintain an even temperature via heaters or air conditioners.  Therefore, you can hear everything going on in the neighborhood: the man who hacks up phlegm loudly every morning, the mother yelling at her child, the dogs barking and howling, and the whole church service from down on the corner!  Hallelujah!
8. Churros here are chips like Doritos, Fritos, or potato chips.  What we and the Mexicans think of as churros—the fried, cinnamon bread shaped like a straw—here are called American Churros.  Hmmmmm…go figure that one out!  I’m pretty sure they should be called Mexican Churros!
9. Here people go to the mall to enjoy the eateries because not very many people can afford to shop in the stores.  I think in Michigan, people go to the mall to shop and only eat at the food courts out of convenience, not because the food is that good.
10. Perhaps this goes without saying, but there’s no flushing toilet paper here, ever.
11. I would say that 95% of the roads do not have names, or if they do, they are not marked.  Here everyone gives directions “like a woman.”—“Turn right just after you pass the Espresso Americano, go past the Farmacia Pronto, and it’s the second building after the big blue door on your left.”  Seriously.  Even mailing addresses are like that.  Here’s the one for where our school is: Colonia Era Oriental, 3 blocks up from the taxi stand, Across from the Ferreteria Lempira.  Seriously.

    

    Randomly cool Mickey Mouse looking squash(?).

12. I’ve yet to encounter a straight north-south, east-west road here.  Every road is winding.  That’s life in the mountains of Tegucigalpa.
13. The space between two lanes of traffic or on the side of the roads is for motorcycles.  Duh.
14. The weather is boring, so people don’t really talk about it much except when it rains or is cloudy—that’s something to get excited about!  Here, 70 degrees is cold, and you should put on a sweater or jacket; gloves and a hat aren’t a bad idea either!
15. Instead of trucks going through the neighborhoods plowing snow, we have trucks going through the neighborhoods spraying for mosquitos.  Likewise, instead of snow days or fog delays, we close the school early so they can fumigate or because it’s so terribly hot.  One day, school was closed because of political protests in the city.
16. Grocery stores have a lot less variety and are very focused on the staples: rice, beans, oil, salt, margarine, chicken, mantequilla (like a funky sour cream), dry cheese, tortillas, and sugar in any form you can imagine.  Of course, stores in Michigan don’t have exotic fruits like rambutan or mangosteen, either!

    

    Just a super cute picture of Eli!  

Honduras: Your New Travel Destination!

Rainbow at the base of Pulhapanzák falls

When you think of getting away to a tropical paradise for a luxury vacation, what destinations come to mind?  What about if you want to go hiking and camping through virgin rain-forests, rafting down rivers, or snorkeling/scuba diving?  Maybe you’re into seeing how coffee, tobacco, and tropical fruits are grown and harvested, or would love to go fishing in the Caribbean Sea.  Even better, how about getting away to an almost deserted tropical island for a time of total relaxation?

If you’re like I was before moving to Honduras, I had NO CLUE that all of this was possible here.  Actually, until I was able to do some traveling this summer with my local travel agent friend, Jalile, I only knew what I’d read about in my travel guide.  Being in the city all the time with the mountains at a distance, it was hard to believe that there could be such natural beauty here.  Boy was I in for a surprise!  Tropical beaches, rain forests, cloud forests, an inland lake, a stunning waterfall, and Mayan ruins all delighted my senses!

Honduras is absolutely beautiful!  Yes, you may say, but it’s so dangerous.  Well, that is mostly in the big cities.  Obviously, just as you would be in the US, you should be careful anywhere you go, but the people in the smaller towns and villages are typically very friendly and helpful.  Just last week one of our visitors accidentally left her iPhone in a souvenir shop in the quaint, little town of Valle de Ángeles.  When she realized she didn’t have it, she retraced her steps, and the shop keeper had kindly tucked it away for her.  Like in so many places in our world, the miscreants create a bad name for the majority when truly, the majority are honest, hard-working, delightful people! 

Obviously I haven’t traveled all over the entire country, but I can assure you that I have seen more of it than most of the locals here.  That makes me sad; I would love to take them all and show them how breathtakingly beautiful their homeland is!  Here are some pictures to give you a taste, and if they plant in your heart the desire to come and see for yourself, I highly recommend that you seek help from my friend Jalile!  She is fluent in English and can make all the arrangements for you.  You can reach her at:  http://www.hondurasturismo.com/   She’ll have her webpage up in English soon!

Sun kissed pine forests

God paints beauty in the cities, too!

Tropical Paradise--Roatán

Roatan--one of the world's best scuba diving destinations

Punta Sal, Caribbean Ocean

Jungle hike near Lake Yojoa

Indio Desnudo (the name of the tree)

Early morning on Lake Yojoa

Chilling in a hammock at Punta Sal

Pulhapanzák Falls

Copán Ruinas--Mayan Ruins in Copán

Cloud Forest at La Tigra National Park

Water. Rain. Jesus. Life.

I wrote most of this post a couple months ago.  Since then it's been dry again--until tonight when it rained, and I was reminded of how refreshing the rain is!  

Last week it started to rain for the first time in over a month.  And it rained and it rained.  As the rain fell, I instantly felt myself relax.  No longer were my eyes squinting in the bright sun-light.  No longer was everything covered in red dust.  The rain brought refreshment and rest.   No longer were there dust clouds as we bumped along the dirt road to church.  No longer were the pine-covered mountains brown and smoking from fires.  No longer were farmers anxious that their crops wouldn’t grow.  It’s so like water to do that; to restore hope and bring life.

It’s just like Jesus talks about in the Bible.  He is our living water, our wellspring of life, our very source, and our sustenance.  If we turn to him when we’re going through dust storms in our lives or just feeling burned out and used up, he promises to soothe and comfort us.  It’s no coincidence that he chose a well—the source of life-giving water—as the place to minister to the Samaritan woman who had had five husbands.  He used water to restore sight to the blind man, and if we could just dip our toes into the pool of Bethesda, we, too, could be healed.

The rain trickles down slowly at first, and then becomes a steady cascade.  The rain fills the buckets set out to collect it and fills our hearts with the promise of new growth.  It washes the dust off from the plants and their fruits, off from the streets and houses, and it cleanses us, too, from the inside out. Thank you, Jesus, that when we feel our wells are drying up, we only have to turn to you and you pour into us and fill us with your living water!

On a less metaphorical note, water is something we too easily take for granted.  We assume that when we flush a toilet or turn on a faucet that there will be water there.  Shoot.  In the USA, we not only expect to have water, but we expect that it will be the exact temperature that we want it to be.  When the hot water heater fails, it becomes an urgent matter to get it fixed.  First world problems.  To be honest, I am super fortunate and blessed where I am living in Honduras, and I don’t mean just the city I’m living in, I mean the very neighborhood.  Some higher power here has control over the on/off valves that send water to homes and businesses.  Where I live, we have a huge holding tank, so even when the water is off for a couple days, we are fine.  I’ve only been without water for showering a couple times, and I almost always have hot water for my shower thanks to an electric shower head.  Others are not so fortunate.  

At school, I often overhear conversations related to water.  “We finally got water again.  It’s been 8 days.”  Or, 12 days, or 20.  How on earth does one function with no running water for 3 weeks?!  Well, if you have money and a holding tank, you can have a tanker truck come to your house and fill your holding tank, but, let’s be honest: most people here can’t afford to buy water.  Instead, they have big plastic barrels, and stacks of five gallon buckets.  When the water comes on, they fill every receptacle they possibly can, and even if it’s 12:00 midnight, they set to work washing the dirty clothes that have been piling up, just waiting….and waiting….and waiting for the water to come on.  You can’t wash clothes by hand without the assurance of plenty of water; it simply takes too much.  But, as days pass without water, there has to be an alternative.  That alternative is gathering up all your dirty laundry, jumping on a bus, and going for a hike to the river to wash your clothes there.  Yes.  Really.  Third world, capital city problem.  The point is, though, when the water doesn’t come to the people, they go and search it out.

What if we were like that with our relationship with God?  What if we didn’t take his presence in our lives for granted?  What if we filled our holding tanks—our hearts—to overflowing with him every day so that we could pour out that love to others?  What if when we didn’t sense him coming to us, we searched him out?  What if we let him clean us and satiate our thirst?  What if……?

God is in the Details

Some people might call the aligning of the small details in our lives coincidences, but, like my dad, I like to think of them as God-incidences. I never used to think I had much of a testimony to share, but as I was hand washing my clothes the other day, I had time to reflect on the miraculous ways God has orchestrated the details of my life thus far.  I stood in awe, soaking in his loving presence and provision every step of the way.  He really has given me a testimony, and I’d like to share a part of it with you.  Let’s start back in 1998…

1. After graduating from college, I confess that I did not have a close relationship with the Lord.  So, when I was asked to counsel at Lake Louise church camp, I said no.  Somehow, I still ended up at the first camp planning meeting, and, at camp, I rededicated my life to Christ!
2. For eight years, I was involved in my church’s camping and youth ministries.
3. When, due to circumstances outside of my control, that season came to a close, I felt a bit lost.  I was out on a walk praying when I heard God’s voice telling me he wanted me to go on a long term mission trip.  I said, “OK!”
4. I did my research and signed up for a trip through my church.  They required a weekend of training which took place at Wesley Woods camp.  One of the other attendees was flying in from Texas and needed a ride from the airport.  Living just 15 minutes from the airport, I offered.
5. That’s when I met my friend Carolyn.  By the time we arrived at the training 45 minutes later, everyone thought we had been friends for years!  
6. While I went to Mexico for four months, Carolyn went off to Nigeria for a year.  After we both had returned, we still kept in touch and visited each other a couple times.  
7. A couple years later, Carolyn went  to El Salvador to teach for two years.  I again felt God tugging on my heart, urging me into missions, and I spent hours researching options, completely overwhelmed.  My friend, Marium reminded me that it doesn’t need to be that hard.  "If God wants you to do something, he’s going to make it easy."  So, I stopped trying, and just like that, I heard about Orphan Outreach through my friend, Kristy.  They had a trip to Guatemala that sounded just perfect!

   

   Eating pupusas with Carolyn and Jalile in El Salvador

8. In 2012, I went to Guatemala for a week, and I then flew to El Salvador for a couple days to visit Carolyn.  While there, I met her friend, Jalile, and we all laughed together over plates full of pupusas!  
9. A few weeks after getting back from my trip, I was debriefing with Kristy and shared with her that I felt God was preparing me for longer term missions.  I also shared that I felt that I needed formal training before going, and I was interested in studying how to teach English.
10. When I got home that night, I found a card in my mailbox telling me about Cornerstone University’s on-line graduate program in teaching English to speakers of other languages!  I took that as a sign, and I started the registration process right away!
11. While in graduate school, I went to Guatemala for another week-long trip, and when I came home, I knew for sure that my next trip would be long term!
12. It was then that I read in Orphan Outreach’s prayer e-mail update about the need for an English teacher at Jubilee Centers International in Honduras.  
13. I was put in touch with the director, Emily Romero, who “just happens to be” from Grand Rapids!  We were able to get together while she was in Michigan over the holidays.

    

    With Emily Romero in Tegucigalpa, Honduras

14. In August of 2014, I went to visit Jubilee Centers International, and by September, I was sure that that was where God was sending me.
15. As I was preparing to move to Honduras, I remembered that Carolyn’s friend Jalile—the one I’d met in El Salvador—is from Honduras, so I sent her a message wondering if she’d even remember who I am!  
16. She sent me a very warm reply, and offered to be available if I needed anything. 
17. When my friends Amy, Matt, Marium, and Jason all came to visit me in Honduras, Jalile went above and beyond to ensure we saw some of the most beautiful parts of her country, and just recently, she and I spent several days touring other areas of Honduras. (Did I mention that Jalile runs her own travel agency?! http://www.hondurasturismo.com/)

    

    With Matt, Amy, Jason, and Marium in Punta Sal, Honduras

18. Not only did Jalile and I take in the historical and natural beauty of Honduras, but we talked, encouraged each other, empathized with each other, and perhaps planted seeds in the other’s heart.
19. This is just the beginning of my story, of the tapestry that God is weaving together just for me; I can’t wait to see which colors and designs he works in next!

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  Romans 8:28

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory…”  Ephesians 3:20-21

Getting to School...and Home Again

I meant to write this post earlier in my stay here when the newness of the transportation systems was still shocking and appalling to me, but since it will still be new for most of you reading my blog, I think it’s still relevant!

Growing up as I did in Small Town, USA, there were only three possible ways for kids to get to and from school.  Kids either walked, took the bus, or were dropped off and picked up by their parents in a vehicle.  The same methods are used here in Tegucigalpa.  So, what’s the big deal? 

Well, the kids who walk most definitely do NOT walk alone.  Because it’s so dangerous here, the parents walk their children to/from school.  This can be a lot of walking for their parents who may walk more than a mile each way under the blazing hot sun and along dusty roads! To make it worse, the students (or their parents) have to tote very heavy backpacks full of their textbooks because there is no safe place to leave them at the school. 

Lest you think the kids might ride to school in those big, yellow school buses, think again!  The students at Jubilee School use just one school bus which is probably supposed to be a 15 passenger van, but I’m pretty sure we fit in at least 25 kids!  And, the ride isn't free; this service is akin to a city bus, and the families have to pay for the service. The big, yellow school buses we see here are converted to city buses, some still bearing the name of their alma mater back in the USA.  

Lastly, those kids getting dropped off and picked up by their parents in a vehicle?  Well, they are definitely not seat-belted into the back seat of a car with a child safety seat!  They might be crammed into the back of a car sitting on the lap of an adult, or they may ride in the back of a pick-up truck.  What I find most appalling, however, are the kids who arrive to school on the back of a motorbike, usually without a helmet on.  And, I don’t mean just one kid on the back of a bike holding tightly to his dad. There may be up to three kids with an adult on a bike with the kids barely holding onto anything as

they bump along dirt roads and over speed bumps which are way too plentiful around here.  Oh, and did I mention that they also have to tote their over-loaded backpacks and lunch bags with them on the motorbike?  And, that is not the worst that I've seen.  I have seen entire families precariously seated on a motorbike. Dad at the controls, navigates between the sketchily divided lanes of horn-honking traffic or along the non-existing shoulder while Mom holds the baby, and two other kids hold on as best as they can.  YIKES!  There is a helmet law here, but, of course, that doesn’t mean it is followed, especially by children.  Motorbikes are very plentiful here because they are cheaper than cars or trucks (I have yet to spot a mini-van, by the way), and they can slip in and out of the crazy traffic easily—but not safely!  Thankfully I have yet to see one, but I hear that accidents are plentiful.

One last means of transportation here in Tegus: moto-taxis!

This is somewhat unrelated, but motorbikes are also pivotal for the many, many people involved in violent, gang-related activities because they allow their rider to get away quickly.  Nice thought, right?  Well, it’s a reality.  If you want to know more on that topic, I suggest clicking on the link below and reading the very true-to-life article!  It tells it like it is!

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/inside-the-worlds-deadliest-country-honduras/2/

Spirit of Fear vs. a Culture of Grace

There is nothing like moving to a different country and getting immersed in its culture to make you more aware of your own culture.  If you had to describe the culture of the United States to someone, how would you do it?  Is it even fair to give a broad description in a country as large and as diverse as the United States?  Probably not.  So, instead, I am just going to make a few observations of cultural aspects of living in Tegucigapla, Honduras that strike me as different from my life in West Michigan.  

I think the biggest cultural difference I notice is the presence of the spirit of fear and a general distrust of others that hangs over everyone. Given the crime rates and corruptness of the government, this fear is justified!  Rules I learned very quickly are: 

Out to coffee with my trusted taxi driver and two of his sons.

1. Don’t have your cell phone out when you’re out in public; cell phones are a popular item for thieves.  
2. Don’t EVER go out alone.  
3. Don’t ever take public transportation (not even a taxi) unless you’re with someone else.  
4. Avoid being out after dark if at all possible.  

Since those initial lessons, I have learned through observation that the spirit of fear and lack of trust also direct how people interact with each other.  For example, I know people here who have been waiting for over a year for a hired man to do work at their home, and other people who are working with a paid professional who is not doing a proper job.  In West Michigan, we would have absolutely no tolerance for this.  The hired man would have been dropped 11 months ago, and the professional confronted and probably fired.  We have no tolerance for people not performing their jobs in a timely manner and competently.  Here, however, there is the fear that if they confront someone, there could be vengeance.  I have heard stories of people being shot just because they let their housekeeper go when it was the housekeeper who was stealing money!  Clearly, this makes people think twice before chewing out an employee!  However, as I considered all of this, I thought that perhaps it is not just a spirit of fear, but also a culture of grace.  Life happens more slowly here, and, let’s face it, life is hard.  Extending grace and forgiveness may not get your job done when and how you want, but just maybe it keeps the peace, keeps people in desperate need employed, and strengthens the bonds of community.  My consideration of a culture of grace may be overly optimistic, but I think it’s only fair to give people the benefit of the doubt. 

Day trip with our school secretary and her family.

Despite the spirit of fear and perhaps because of the possibility of a culture of grace, the people I have encountered still exude warmth, friendliness, and hospitality, especially when they are in what’s perceived to be a safe, community environment.  I have been welcomed to the humblest of homes, offered a seat, and given a plate of food.  The homes were filled with laughter and joy, and I left with hugs and invitations to come again soon.  Children here are taught to always acknowledge and greet everyone with a hug and kind word when they enter the room, and this is modeled for them by every adult in their lives.  I have been warmly welcomed and made to feel like part of the community both at the school and the church, and I am thankful for that!  I think people in West Michigan also do a nice job with hospitality, but they may be just a little less willing to invite a foreigner to go on a day trip with their family, invite that foreigner to their family’s home for the weekend, or offer to take her shopping.  The people I have encountered work hard to take care of themselves and their families, but are also always thinking of others and will sacrifice their own needs and desires to serve others. There is this sense of community that seems to stem from mutual hardships and challenges, a common spirit that says, “We are all in this together.  Let’s make the best of it!” 

Lots of hugging goes on at church!

It makes me sad that this underlying beauty—the beauty of warmth, friendliness, and hospitality—is shadowed by the spirit of fear that hangs over everyone.  This fear directs their very lives and dictates how they carry out daily activities.  For the believer in Christ, however, there is hope: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7).  Sure we have to make wise choices and not purposely put ourselves in the path of danger, but we can live under the culture of grace, extending the same love and mercy to others that God has bestowed upon us, trusting in Him to protect us as always.  His Word commands us to “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).  Amen!

Food!

A typical meal: eggs, beans, fried plantains,
avocado, cheese, and mantequilla.

I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t do at least one blog post about food!  As you can already tell by my FaceBook posts, I am absolutely fascinated by watching the mangos and pomegranates grow out in front of my house, and it seems like almost every week, a new fruit shows up that I have to ask about and try!  Lately, my house dad and I have been on a streak of researching the medicinal properties of several tropical fruits and plants like durian (more on this stinker, later!), carao, zapote, marañón, and flor de izote.  He gets a kick out of the power of the internet to put the answers to all of his questions right at my fingertips!  I benefit in that I get to practice reading in Spanish out loud!  I´ll get back to these new-to-me characters in a bit; first I’m going to tell you about my typical diet.

Breakfast:  No matter what kind of cereal you’re eating, it’s called corn flakes.  If you want to buy any cereal that is low in sugar, you have to actually buy the real Corn Flakes.  I was so excited once thinking I’d found GrapeNuts, but they were the sugary variety.  So, I have taken to making my own muesli, and plan to soon also make my own granola.  Thankfully, old fashioned oatmeal is easy to come by! On the weekends, my house mom sometimes makes me her version of oatmeal or arroz con leche, both of which are good, but full of sugar and milk.  If I get my way, I make myself some pancakes or French toast topped with a drizzle of honey since there’s no maple syrup in Honduras—yet!  I am expecting a special delivery of some in a couple weeks….!!!

Here I am with my house mom and Eli learning how
to make homemade flour tortillas.  Yum!

La Merienda:  Seriously, this is something we need to institute into our culture!  In Mexico, la merienda is a light meal eaten late at night, but here it is a light meal eaten between breakfast and lunch.  I only eat it during the work week.  All of the kids at school get a break from 9:30-10:00 to have their snack and play outside.  I think a lot of people here don’t eat breakfast, or if they do, it’s something very small as they dash out the door to catch their public transportation to work.  To me, it totally makes sense that if breakfast is at 6:30, there’s no way you’re going to make it until your next meal at noon without a snack, and yet, this is what was what was expected at my previous job.  OK, so, the super cute thing is that my house mom packs me a peanut butter sandwich and some kind of cut up fruit every day for my merienda!  On a really good day, I get mango, papaya, or guayaba!

This is zapote which I am about to try soon as
ours ripens!  There are many different varieties.

Lunch:  This is the biggest meal of the day, so during the work week, I eat it at school.  Initially I was buying lunches from a woman who sells them out of her home, but after getting stomach flu after eating one, I put an end to that. I’ve been doing some of my own cooking, and bringing that in my lunches.  So far, no one has been rude enough to complain about me heating up curry, or garlic stir fry with broccoli!  Each classroom has a microwave in it so that the kids can heat up their lunches.  I’m pretty sure these kids wouldn’t have a clue what a school cafeteria is!

This is marañón, the fruit from the cashew nut.

Dinner:  I’m still trying to figure this one out.  Pretty much, you can eat it whenever you want to, whenever you get hungry from early afternoon to evening.  I most often just have corn or flour tortillas with refried beans.  If available, I might add scrambled eggs and/or avocado.  The Hondurans love their semi-dry, white cheese, their melting cheese (quesillo), and their version of sour cream (mantequilla),  but I can’t convince my tastebuds to like any of these.  In my home here, we also sometimes have a chicken vegetable or beef vegetable soup, but rarely do I see them preparing any other types of meat.  Bonus!  Sometimes we have a lettuce salad, too.  And, some nights, I’m not very hungry, so I’ll just drink a cup of pinol (a corn flour, chocolate, cinnamon, clove, milk drink—better than it sounds—I mean, it does have chocolate in it for goodness sake!) and dunk some bread in it.  

This is carao which grows in these big pods
which hang down from a pink flowering tree.
The pulp is said to be sweet with a chocolate-
cherry flavor.  It´s good for treating anemia.

Coffee:  Coffee is a big deal here, but if you ask for it black or without sugar, they are going to think you are weird!  Please don’t be shy!  Pour in the milk or powdered creamer and scoop in heaps of sugar!  Stir it up and gulp it down!

Platos típicos:  I don’t want you to think that how I eat is typical of all Hondurans.  Some of their most famous dishes are baleadas (a fresh flour tortilla filled with beans, cheese, and egg usually), catrachas, (a crisp, fried corn tortilla topped with refried beans and cheese), and pupusas, (corn flour dough filled with cheese, cheese and beans, or beans and meat, etc, and fried).  What’s really fun is that they have food that they call tamales, burritos, and enchiladas, but these are not at all like what Mexicans call tamales, burritos, and enchiladas.  I’m still learning more about these since I’ve yet to eat any of them except the enchiladas which turned out to be like tostadas.  One other typical food item I have had is the pastelitos.  These are a little turnover made with a seasoned corn flour dough, filled with seasoned rice (and chicken) mixture, and fried.  

This is the infamous durian.  It´s native to SE Asia, but has made its way here.  The flesh is supposed to be sweet and flavorful, but even before it´s cut, the fruit gives off such a strong, offensive odor (said to smell like rotten onions, turpentine, or raw sewage!) that it has been banned from some hotels and public transportation!  I think my life will still be complete without trying this one, but I will if I am given the opportunity!