Honduras Day Two

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Our day started off bright and early (no, really- the sun rises before 5 a.m. here!) and we had a filling breakfast before heading out to the foundation for the day's work.

They have started a new tradition of having a devotional with all the staff and volunteers before work starts, and for many, this was a highlight of the day.

At the end of the devotional Ricardo, the youth pastor, played a few songs for us to set the tone for the day. The last song he played was "God of this City" by Chris Tomlin and wow, it hit me like an arrow through the heart.

          "You're the God of this City 
           You're the King of these people 
           You're the Lord of this nation 
           You are 

           You're the Light in this darkness 
           You're the Hope to the hopeless 
           You're the Peace to the restless

           For greater things have yet to come 
           And greater things are still to be done in this City 
           Greater thing have yet to come 
           And greater things are still to be done in this City"

How true all of these words are, yet how hard it is to remember at times. 

After the devotional we headed off in separate directions. Our main projects for the week are: kids crafts, kitchen work, feeding in the streets, and house construction. I've asked other people to send a few lines about what they did today so you could here from them. 

Kids' Class- from Jenn Ganley 

"Today we helped the Kid's bible class with a craft. The class learned about how God is with them and we made sand art cross necklaces to remind them that God is always with them.
We received lots and lots of hugs!!"

Kitchen Workers- from Leah Pate

"Today the Hope for Honduras center was filled with the sounds of children and the smells from the kitchen. Today I was kitchen duty all day. Our kitchen crew fed about 550 today. 300 kids in the streets, 220 kids at the school and our team and the staff. The kitchen was filled with the songs of the kids and Krissy Jones singing and playing guitar. There was a cool breeze and laughter from the kitchen crew as we worked through our language barriers and tried to learn from each other. Very emotional at times but so glad to be here helping."

Feeding on the Streets- from Sheri Breaux

"Barefoot and hungry.  The  children come running to the  sound of a familiar voice.  It's Mario bringing  the daily pot of nourishment.  On the menu today was spaghetti an tortillas. As the children hold out their hand and sometimes plate or bowl, they are provided with a scoop of noodles on top of their tortilla. A daily vitamin, which none are pleased to have to take, is given to them as well.  A small face glances up with a tiny grin, lets me know that God has blessed me.  As the song we listen to this morning stated : there is still work to be done in This city.  

Today the kids received tortillas with spaghetti. The kids are supposed to have some kind of plate before they can receive their food, but Mario, the man in charge of distributing the food, has a hard time turning them away. This child had no plate, but was happy to use his hands as his plato. 

Along with their meal, all the kids receive a vitamin. Apparently there is one things language barriers cannot hide: all kids hate to take vitamins!

I want to challenge you to think about the last meal you ate. Were you as grateful for it as this boy, who has to use his hands for a plate, was for a small portion of spaghetti? We so take granted the blessings we have been given. 

House Construction- from Abby Walker

"We were warned that the house we would be building for a local family would be small and rudimentary compared to American standards, but when we walked through what can only be described as a shack that is currently serving as the family's home to the concrete foundation of their new home, I was hit with guilt. I talk about someday moving to a bigger and better house when we have children, when we already have a beautiful home that is approximately 20 times bigger than this house we are building for a family of five. 

We arrived to a slab of concrete. At lunch four walls were standing. At the end of the day, all walls were covered with cement board on the outside, the house had been attached to the foundation (sorry, don't know the technical term), and the roofing slats had gone up. While we worked, the two young boys and the mom who will be receiving the house watched us from their current house. Though they were silent, you could see the excitement in their eyes.  This house that will have no drywall on the insides is a piece of hope for them." 

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Most of us finished off the day sorting beans that will be part of lunch on Thursday. Many of us had never done this job before, so the ladies who work in the kitchen got a kick out of watching us decide if each and every little bean was worthy of the "bueno" pile or if it was doomed to the "malo" pile. Apparently we weren't moving quite fast enough (don't worry, we'll get better!), so a few of the ladies helped us at the end. I will say that we were wondering if this was some kind of initiation activity or a random episode of MTV's "Punked," because it sure did feel like we were a spectacle, sitting there and trying to figure out if the dents in the beans were too big or not. 

After bean sorting, we came back to the bed and breakfast to clean up, eat dinner, and wrap up for the evening. We have been spoiled to some delicious food while here and we're encouraging someone (anyone!) to make an authentic Honduran cookbook so we can enjoy the food when we return home. 

I think the wrap up sessions will become one of my favorite parts of the day. Even though we are around each other all day, sharing our thoughts and putting into words what we are feeling has no replacement. God is doing amazing work here. Many commented on the immense poverty we are seeing. We've probably all seen poverty before, but I know I haven't seen it on this scale before. These people are hungry, truly hungry. They are hungry for food, they are hungry for hope, and they are hungry for Christ.

Caden, the young 'un on our trip, made a simple but insightful comment this evening: "I think I get it now. We are the poor ones and they are the rich ones because they are so happy with so little."

Until tomorrow,

Abby

Honduras Day 1

I'm blogging for our team while we're in Honduras on a mission trip, so I'll be posting what I've written over here, too.
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Bienvenidos from Honduras!

Our day started bright and early so we could all make it to the airport by 8:30. Thankfully, everyone arrived on time and with passports (everything else is negligible at that point). We made it through check-in and security without any issues and our flight took off as scheduled.

Photo from Sheri Breaux

After a quick two hour flight, landing in Tegucigalpa was a little on the rough side (we later heard it's the second-hardest airport to land at because the airport is located on the side of a mountain, but you'll want to verify that fact), but we emerged from the plane with stomachs in tact.

Unfortunately, Jon's suitcase did not emerge from baggage claim, so we're hopeful that it will turn up tomorrow. The devil can't bring this group down, though, and one lost bag out of 14 crates of medical supplies, 14 personal suitcases, and over 14 carry on items is nothing. It probably also helps that his wife had a few items of his clothing in her suitcase and we all have plenty of toiletries to share until his bag arrives.

We made it through customs and immigration and two drivers were waiting to take us to the foundation. We were a little sad to see so many American venues (Wendy's, McDonald's, Chili, Pay Less Shoes, etc.), but it is so hard to be distracted from all of the poverty that is surrounded by the natural beauty of this country.

For anyone who's ever driven in Central America (or maybe just outside of the United States), you know that is can be a bit of a breath-taking experience. And by that, I mean you are trying not scream as the 18-wheeler careens precariously close to your window. Any way, mad props go to our drivers who were extremely skilled and kept us safe.

Our drive to the Hope for Honduras foundation wasn't too long, but it was more bumpy than expected. I didn't realize how mountainous Tegucigalpa is, so when we started climbing a mountain I was surprised. I tried to get a shot that showed some of the road conditions plus the steep ascent we had, but they were all blurry. Here's another shot, instead:

We were also surprised to see so many little kids riding in front of or behind an adult on motorcycles. Thankfully most were wearing a helmet (even it if was just a bicycle helmet). This isn't the youngest one we saw today:

We arrived at the beautiful foundation and received a tour from Shelly, one of the founders of the mission. I will definitely be posting more pictures of the foundation itself, but here are a few that I took today:

Little girls across the street from the foundation

This room is where the bilingual classes take place.

This is Shelly and one of her cats. She has so many stories to tell about God's faithfulness- I hope to write a few down and share them with you over the coming week. 

During our tour, you could feel the possibilities of all the amazing work God will be doing this week. It is inspiring to see how much the Lord has been able to do through all the hard work and faithfulness of his servants both here in Honduras and in the hearts of all the volunteers back in the U.S. who provide resources for this mission. 

After our tour, we loaded back up in the vans and headed to dinner at a restaurant. I want to say it was Mexican food, but it very well could have been Honduran food. Either way, we were all pretty hungry by this point (about 4 p.m.) and the food was delicious, so it doesn't matter too much. 

We had these beautiful platters full of tapas-style food. We ate to our heart's content and headed to our bed and breakfast with a quick stop at the super market on the way. Oh, and for anyone slightly freaking out about the margarita-looking drink in the background, it's just fresh pineapple juice.

I didn't take any pictures of the bed and breakfast yet, but rest assured it is beautiful and we will all be sleeping well. After settling in we had a team meeting to wrap up the day's events and practice a song that we will be singing in Spanish for the foundation on Thursday. Oh yeah, IN SPANISH. IN PUBLIC. Let's just say it's a good thing we have until Thursday to practice :-) . 

It was quite a full day, and even though not everything went perfectly we are confident that He is in control and this will be a fantastic week. Spirits are high, our hearts are full, and we are ready for a good night's rest. We are starting work full-force in the morning so there will be quite a bit to report tomorrow. 

Hasta luego!

Garden and Beach

Today was a refreshing start to the new week ahead. Will really likes to get up early at least one day on the weekends to have some "solitary" time, which works out quite well for our marriage because I will always choose sleeping in just a little longer :)

This morning when I got up at 7, Will had coffee made, a coffee cake in the oven, the dishwasher running, and a load fresh out of the dryer. I know, he is pretty much awesome.

We spent some time outside on our back porch while breakfast finished cooking, just talking.  I treasure those moments when we are able to have quiet chats- usually they aren't of any particular importance, but there's something special when the day has just begun and chaos hasn't yet ensued.

After church, we stopped by Lowes to pick up some supplies for Will's grand plans for the afternoon.

When we bought our house, there was zero landscaping in the backyard. The only thing back there was a storage shed that we were made to rip out because "it wasn't up to code" per the HOA (they said it was too close to the fence, and it may have been. I just have an issue with it because you can drive around the neighborhood and count over 25 other houses with sheds within 10 feet of the fence.) Pretty much all work in the yard was put on hold to this year because, like all people, we had to budget our funds and we decided we'd rather prioritize the inside space where we spent most of our time. Will was really hoping to replace the fence this summer, but we've decided against it for now since the main reason he wanted a fence was for cosmetic reasons, not structural reasons. However, his compromise was that he wanted to plant some vines and other things that would help hide the fence.

Add landscaping? I can get on board with that!

We planted two Texas Lilac bushes along the left fence that we see as soon as we step out the back door. They should eventually grow to be pretty tall and wide.

My phone lens was apparently foggy for some of the pictures

And we planted a Creep Myrtle tree in the corner. For now we put down the landscaping fabric, cut it where we had dug holes. and covered it with new soil. I'm not sure that we'll plant any fillers since these are supposed to get pretty big. Eventually we will get pavers to line all of the beds that we've planted so far. 

Along the back fence, directly in front of the back door, I planted to grape vines. I'm pretty excited about these, and I'm hoping we'll be able to eat them next year. We were planning on getting regular lattice to screw into the fence but these were all Lowes had. 

This area under our window looked horrendous due to our dogs and a cousin dog spending several weeks on play-date  tearing up a few parts of our backyard. As a temporary fix Will put down a bunch of scrap wood and rocks so the dogs couldn't really get in the mud, but I absolutely hated it. I suppose it was better than having muddy dogs every time it rained, but our backyard looked like a junk yard. 

A week or so ago, Will got started planting some rose buses under our bedroom window. Only, it started POURING rain a few minutes into his project, so I let him take care of it himself. 

Now, not to belittle how hard Will works and tries to make me happy, but he kinda messed up a little. I mentioned in the store that the bushes needed to be planted about three feet apart from each other, but he planted them like a foot apart. Since I knew they were supposed to be that far apart we only bought two bushes, but since he planted them closer it was kind of lopsided and obvious that we needed a third bush to round things out. So we got a third bush today and I planted it.

You can see how it looked lopsided with only two bushes. Also, dogs are caught red-handed!

Three's much better

Now, you might have noticed that much bush look a little puny compared to the two that Will planted. For one, the one we bought today was on sale, so that could imply that maybe it was a little past its prime, the gardeners weren't taking such care with it, etc. But also, I learned that Will did not plant his bushes in the ground. No, he plopped the rose bush on top of the gardening fabric and poured a whole bunch of new dirt around it. I'm not sure what that is going to mean for the longevity of those bushes (will the roots be able to get very deep through the fabric? Is it too late for me to go back and replant them?), but we're both super amateurs at gardening so we'll probably just wait to see what happens. 

And finally, I bought these other really pretty flowering vine-things (a very technical name, I know) that needed full sun. Originally I had thought we'd plant them along the back fence next to the grapes, but that would push them into the day-long shade of the tree. The right side of the fence pretty much has full sun, so that was our only other option. 

For the past six months or so we've had these lovely remnants of our out-of-code storage shed leaning up against the fence:

So we halled them out of the yard to the side of the house where they'll be easy to put on the curb on heavy-trash day and then we planted the small vines:

The don't look very impressive yet, but I'm hoping they'll grow quickly and add some drama to the fence. I'm not sure what else we're going to do to this side of the yard; it's kind of awkward because it's right next to the back gate and we have an electrical box just to the left of this picture, and we can't really plant/do anything close to that. So I guess it will just have to stick out like a sore thumb? 

Up close: 

Befores and Afters:

So around 1 p.m. we had accomplished all this and it was time to head to Galveston to meet up with Will's family for beach time and dinner at my sister-in-law's. Will and I went to the beach for a short period of time a few weeks ago, but it ended up being cloudy and a little chilly. This was our first time to go to the beach for a few hours and really feel like summer has arrived. 

I may or may not have gotten a little sunburned. And that may or may not be a bit of an understatement : / 

After the beach we headed back to Megan and Brent's house, where she made a new pasta dish and a fabulous strawberry dump cake. Megan and my mother-in-law are both trying so hard to try new dishes that are vegetarian friendly and it means SO MUCH to Will and me. I know it can seem daunting or overwhelming to cook for people who eat differently from you, so seeing them make such an effort reminds me how much they love me. It would easy for them to fix a meal they would normally eat and expect us to eat the sides, but they both go above and beyond, finding new recipes and experimenting. They are pretty much the best. 

And finally, we made it home in time to watch a few episode of Season Four of The Vampire Diaries. Not gonna lie, I like that vampire series a lot more than the Twilight movies. 

Our evening ended with a classic twist: a dog (not sure who) had a visit from the Tinkle Fairy ON OUR BED. This has never happened before, so I'm not sure what's up. But I do know I am not looking forward to squeezing onto a half of the bed with Will tonight while the other side dries from the cleaning stuff. Oh, and let's hope my mother-in-law's washer is big enough for our king-sized comforter and mattress protector.

Ah, this is the good life. 

Summer 2013

I made it.

There were many times I thought I would never make it to June, but after my first semester of teaching, I can proudly say I not only survived, but I finished out the semester strong. My first semester at my "big girl job" deserves a post of its own, so for now I thought I'd talk about the thing I have been waiting for since spring break: SUMMER!

Source

We all look forward to it; it's a time to slow down a little and enjoy the simple things in life. Of course, here in Texas we have to slow down because we'd all die of heat stroke if we moved too quickly. For me, though, I have been looking forward to the next few months because I can finally tackle some projects that have been on the back-burner for the past ten months.

If you remember, I started student teaching last August, which left me more exhausted than I have ever been. I know, I know- we all feel like there are times when we are burnt out and completely exhausted, but there is something to be said for student teaching, and I think most teachers would agree. For one, you start a brand-new job that is at least 40 hours a week, but I think it's safe to say most work more like 50 hours a week. Plus, it's not a desk job where you sit all day, but you are literally on your feet all day except during your conference period (unless you are running all over the school doing errands and making copies) and during lunch. My feet have never hurt so bad before in my life (but thankfully they got broken in and don't bother me much these days). On top of beginning a new pseudo-career, my sister-in-law was getting married in December so we spent a lot of time helping her get ready for that and getting our house ready for her bridal shower and hosting family for Christmas. Oh, and I was still taking two online classes for my university, so there was all of that.

Then I got hired to teach full time after graduation. I was extremely overwhelmed with all the new responsibilities (I mean, I was in charge of and responsible for the safety and academic progress of 120 teenagers throughout the course of the day, and I feel like I am barely out of teenager-hood myself!), so I was up at 4 a.m, at school by 5:15 a.m, and not home until after 6 p.m. for the first few months. It was really hard not seeing sunlight at all except through the window in my classroom. I was working so much because, obviously, I was brand new and had never done any of this so far, so I had to start from scratch whereas other teachers with experience usually have materials and lessons they have used before and can fall back on. I will be there in a few years, but not just yet. In addition, part of my new job is being the debate teacher and coach, so I stayed after school with the kids who wanted to practice. This also meant that on Fridays I taught half a day, left school with the debate kids and traveled to tournaments and didn't get home until midnight, only to get back on the bus at 6:30 a.m. on Saturdays and not get home until 7 p.m.

While this may feel like a bit of a pity party, it truly is not. I thank God every day for giving me this job when I know so many are jobless. It is a hard schedule, but in the end I will be a much better teacher (and person in general). My kids, for the most part, are wonderful young adults and I am so proud to see the progress they make both in and outside the classroom. This illustration of my life for the past several months is to emphasize the fact that, by and large, I have not had the time nor energy to tackle many of the things on my to-do list. Which is why it all got saved up for a big Summer 2013 to-do list:

In no particular order... just the way it came to my brain

A short explanation of each:
1. I have the fabric. I have a brand new sewing machine. I just need to do it.
2. Almost all of our cloth napkins are going on three-years old; we need some new ones
3. We've been putting this off, even though it will be one of the easier rooms in the house to paint because I really want to do board and batten. However, Will and I decided that project isn't on the forecast any time soon so it would be worth going ahead and painting the last room in the house to be touched.
4. I know, I know. After I waxed and waned how much I love bright and fun colors, I decided I wanted to paint it grey to match the rest of the house. Though I still LOVE the green, it has been extremely difficult to decorate. Pretty much black and white accessories are the only thing that work with it, and we are trying to move away from a bit from that (I know, again, after all this). I look forward to a more neutral pain that will allow me to have a bit more fun with accessories.
5. We recently painted the two hallways to match the living room, but I painted the long hallway at night which made for some spots that need a little more coverage, and Will painted the short hallway by our bedroom, which basically means that there are a lot of touch-up spots :)
6. Like any home with some years under her belt, our baseboards could use some touch ups. The ceilings need it due to one husband who is not quite as careful as his wife when painting without tape :)
7. This room is small but (kind of) functional. I have dreams of adding a counter over the washer and dryer, adding shelves that are lower (and therefore, short-person-friendly), and removing the existing cabinetry. All of this may not be in the budget for this summer, but I think I can at least make it a little more cute with little money.
8. I can't wait to show you all the progress we've made on the back porch, but it's not quite done yet!
9. This goes with number 8- I want a place for gardening supplies as well as a place to put drinks/grilling stuff.
10. Yeah, this stuff is pretty nasty despite frequent mopping sessions
11. We added new curtains to the bedroom when we repainted, but I want to line them to make them more light-blocking because this girl is a crummy sleeper and light seeping in from the neighbors' porch lights does not make me happy
12. I haven't read something for pleasure in a while- I have already started And the Mountains Echoed by my favorite author.
13. This one and numbers 14 and 15 all go with number 12- I want to go to the local library to get my four books, which will likely be read at the beach or the pool.
16. I have a few no-fail vegetarian dishes that I love, but it's time to up my repertoire and find some more.
17. Will and I started CrossFit in February and we LOVE it, but I want to add some running in the mix to aid with goal number 21...
18. I saw my family at my graduation in December and few two days in May for a friend's graduation, but I deeply miss them. We're trying to work out a few days for them to come down to visit since they haven't been here in over a year.
19. I am thinking of a particular area that has some fantastic stores like West Elm, Restoration Hardware, and the Container Store.
20. This shouldn't be too hard if I actually get going on my list
21. Since we started CrossFit in February, I've lost ten pounds. It's certainly not a huge number, but it's made a big difference in my energy levels and self-confidence. However, I've hit a stall the past few weeks and while I haven't gained anything back, I haven't made any progress. Ideally I'd like to get back to the weight I was when we got married, so I need to amp up my clean eating and throw in some additional running to keep things burning this summer.
22. Woop- I've done this the past two days so I can cross it off my list!
23. I know- but it's a guilty pleasure

It's kind of a lot, but at the same time it's not. I also plan on having lots of relaxation time as well. It is the summer, after all.