Saying Goodbye

Yesterday was the hardest thing I've done so far. We had to say goodbye to the kids at the CTC/church and at Casitas Kennedy. That being said, it was such a wonderful celebration of our time here. Our students spoiled us by making breakfast baleadas. We ate them around a huge table with laughter and tears. These students are our friends, and it is so hard to say goodbye. The orphanage was a whirlwind. We bought pizza and coke for everyone, so it was a madhouse. It was so busy, but a nice way to celebrate them. We had dinner last night with some Buckner-Dallas employees. We got to brag on our awesome translators and share our incredible experiences. Today is our last full day. I don't want to even think about having to say goodbye to our new best friends, Luis and Karla...

A Walk By The River

Today we had the incredible opportunity to walk around the community where the CTC and church minister.  Buckner helps families with jobs and school, and the CTC has a beauty school and computer classes.  The church provides nutrition packs for kids in their immediate community.  Some of our students (volunteers at the CTC) came with us today to meet some of the families Buckner works with. 

A typical home in the community

This little girl just got some new shoes from Buckner

We bought some very tasty tortillas

Many people who live in the community make their living by selling tortillas or anything else they can find.  One of the families we met has a 20 year old daughter, Abi, who is paralyzed from the waist down.  She is one of nine children, and their father left because he did not want to pay for a special needs child.  However, her sisters take such good care of Abi, and she also has a little bike she pedals with her arms.  When she is riding down the street, people ask for a ride and pay 1 Lempira (roughly 5 cents).  Abi just started school, and she was able to share her workbooks with us.  Apparently this weekend, she did all of her homework for the entire week!  I told her she was a nerd like me!  Abi and her family are just one of the families with incredible stories of survival.  Praise the Lord for the work the CTC and the church are doing in this community to change lives.

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

It is officially our last Sunday in Tegucigalpa.  We've made a deal not to talk about leaving until Wednesday, but we've already broken it.  It is definitely a bittersweet time right now.  We spent the morning at church with our friends from the CTC and our English class.  We were supposed to go to see this statue where you can see the whole city this afternoon, but of course it is raining.  It has rained consistently all day.  Plan B - Rent Tangled and take a nap.  Perfection.  I think we all needed some serious rest time.  We've been going, going, going, and our bodies and minds needed a break!  (Momma, you would be so proud.)  Sundays are always Family Pizza Night, so we are just going to spend some time together tonight (minus Luis - he's off today).  Side note, I'm still not sure how they deliver pizza here since no one has a real address.  You explain where you live by what is around you.  I guess Google Street View doesn't exist here.      

Working with the Older Kids

We went with the group from Mesquite today to an orphanage for older boys today.  Casitas Kennedy was having mosquito treatments...again, so we were not allowed to visit today.  The group planned some activities for the boys, then we just played soccer.  First of all, it was very different working with the older boys.  Teenage boys are already hard enough to get talking, but just imagine adding on the language barrier.  I was a little overwhelmed.  As we were doing the program, I was thinking about how many of these boys grew up in the system.  They were once the kids we love on every day at Casitas Kennedy.  I am sure some group from America came down for a week, shared about Jesus, and gave them some gifts.  But now?  It is so sad to think about the future of some of the kids.  The reality of their future is so close.  What will they do when they age out?  Who will be there to teach them how to be men?  How can we help them?   

Rough Couple of Days

It is safe to say that it has been a tough week for everyone on our team.  Jennifer (who has been sick) was not getting better.  From advice from doctors, parents, Buckner, etc, it was best that she went home now instead of getting worse.  We of course were devastated.  We are a little family and selfishly did not want that to change.  Yesterday during lunch, it was decided that she must go home.  We spent the rest of the afternoon at the doctor waiting for her to be cleared to fly.  Everything happened so quickly.  I will say that I would trust Luis and Karla to handle anything.  They were absolutely incredible through the whole process.  That evening, we all went out to dinner at Chilis, sat outside, and celebrated our time together.

Waiting at the doctor's office

Celebration dinner with VIP treatment at Chili's

 This morning we went to the CTC for Jennifer to say goodbye to her class, then it was off to the airport.  It is all so surreal.  We spent the afternoon in the orphanage with the Buckner group in town.  (A group from Mesquite, Vivien's home church, came this week to help at the CTC and the orphanage.  We have been helping them with whatever they need.  Viv sent this awesome package with yummy cookies, a much-needed letter, and some supplies for the CTC.  What a blessing!) 

The orphanage today was draining.  We have good days, and we have bad days.  Isn't that life?  Today it seemed like everyone was crying or upset.  One boy had to wait for his turn on the swing, a little girl hit another little girl, and no one is able to share.  It just seemed like an uphill battle today.  The orphanage fosters a survival mentality.  Look out for yourself and fight for what you want.  It is heartbreaking.  Yes, a smile and a hug may relieve some temporary pain, but each of these children has deep wounds.  May I be able to show them the only one who lasts....          

A Cooking Lesson

First of all, please pray for one of our team members, Jennifer.  She is still sick, and it is just not the same without her!  

Today after church, we learned how to make baleadas.  Unique to Honduras, baleadas are flour tortillas with beans, cheese, and sour cream wrapped together.  We have eaten at Coco Baleadas, a restaurant, several times already.  Don't judge.  One of the girls from our English class, Nicole, told me she could teach me how to make baleadas.  So, we set a date for the cooking lesson after church, and we would prepare lunch for everyone.  (Friends back home, be prepared to eat baleadas...I'm now an expert.  We will have a party.)


After cooking, we went for a walk around the Central Park.  We even snuck into a free concert in this beautiful theater along with seeing some awesome cathedrals.  All in all, we had a pretty cultured day.
Here are a few fun pictures from the day!

The beginning

Kneading the dough

Tortilla balls

Flattening out the tortillas

My sweet teacher, Nicole

Enjoying our hard work!

The Halfway Point

We made it halfway.  These two weeks have flown by, and I can't even begin to imagine leaving in just two more.  We just got here.  We have so much to do.  We need more time.  I even got a little teary-eyed at the orphanage thinking about it today.  There was a group having a little fiesta for the kids.  First up, the pinata.  My babies, Juan and Sofia, were outside today and instantly glued themselves to me.  The older kids were taking turns hitting the pinata.  As you can imagine, some close calls and fights erupted.  I kept Sofia and Juan close to me, so they would not get trampled by the mob.  One of the translators said to me, "let them go."  I couldn't.  I could not let my babies risk their lives in the battle with the older kids for the candy.  But, I let them go.  They were fine.  They got their favorite "bom boms" (suckers) and marshmallows.  We all ate some cake and drank some coke.  All was well.  However, I could not help feeling like a mom in some way.  I was the one taking care of them.  I was making sure they were safe and happy.  It broke my heart to think about having to leave them in two weeks.  What am I going to do?      

Happy Lempira Day!

Girls in their costumes at school

Yesterday was National Lempira Day in Honduras.  I'm still not exactly sure what the day celebrated.  I think we decided it's like our Columbus Day - not really important, but you have a party at school!  The Lempira is the national currency named after an important man in Honduran history.  We cut our English class short to walk down to the elementary school to see the festivities.  Everyone was dressed up in traditional outfits from each region of the country.  It was precious!  They had a band playing drums and dancing Punta (the traditional dance).  We saw some of our friends from the church, and one of our students was in the performance.  After we left the school, we had a traditional meal for lunch.  (PS, Jennifer and I really wanted coffee after lunch, so we all risked our lives to walk a couple blocks down to a gas station on a busy road.  We got instructions not to smile or talk and to keep moving.  Mom and Dad, I figured you would laugh since it was all in the pursuit of coffee.)  

The orphanage is having their party this morning, but we will not be there.  Sad.  However, we did get to watch them practice their traditional dances in costume yesterday afternoon.  Back at the hotel, Karla taught us how to dance Punta and Salsa.  It was a great day filled with alot of dancing, so I'm not complaining! 

The Gospel

At the orphanage, we made crosses out of popsicle sticks, crayons, and pipe cleaners.  As we were making the craft, I asked the kids around me who the cross was for.  Confused by my question, many responded with "mi tia" because they were going to give it as a gift.  I then asked about what the cross represented.  These kids launched into the whole gospel presentation.  Seriously.  God loves us.  Christ came to die for us.  You are here because you love God too.  Obviously, these kids have heard this speech before us.  Did it make an impact?

How many times do we hear the gospel day in and day out, and it doesn't change a thing about the way we live?  We know the right answers.  We have it down.  But if the gospel is true, it should radically change our lives.  Let us not forget why we hope in something greater than ourselves.  It is the only foundation for our ability to truly love others.   

La Iglesia

This morning we had the privilege to attend a church where we teach English class in the mornings.  Lyndsay and I teach the advanced students at the church, while Edna and Jennifer teach the beginners class at the Buckner CTC.  Many of our students attend the church, so it was fun to experience a little bit of their lives as well.  The pastor of the church (who is in our class!) has nine children, and four of them are in our class!  It almost seems like everyone at the church is related somehow... We worshiped with some music, then went to classes grouped by age.  After the bible study, we hung out and talked with the students.  It was so great just to hang out with them for a little bit!  I am enjoying the time getting to truly know each student - families, interests, dreams, etc.  One of my new friends, Nicole, told me she would teach me how to cook!  Que rico!

We also went to see the new Harry Potter movie this afternoon.  That's a cultural experience, right?  Call me crazy, but I have actually never read a book or seen a movie before today.  The movie theater was interesting because you have to pick your assigned seats while purchasing tickets.  Also, the crowd was definitely a lively bunch than your normal American theater.  It made for interesting commentary.  Overall, a pretty wonderful Sunday!

Necesito practicar mi espanol

First of all, I was honored because the translators told me that I can "speak Spanish".  Karla told me that I could even teach the English class without her.  She explained that the students understand my "Spanglish" enough to follow the class.  I took that as a huge compliment! 

One of the great things about this trip is that we are working with students aged 16-23 in the Buckner Community Transformation Center.  We are able to build relationships with the students because they are around our age.  At the orphanage, I have also spent some time getting to know the older girls there because I can somewhat speak the language.  It is wonderful to actually communicate with people.  I am able to truly get to know these girls.  I am excited to see what the Lord will do through these relationships.

Today, we went to the orphanage in the morning.  I spent some time with the older girls teaching them some dance steps, then they taught me some dance steps.  We had a blast enjoying each others company, laughing, and dancing a little.  

This morning, I was also able to spend some time with the toddlers.  They have had the chicken pox for a month (one by one they each got sick...), so we have not been able to play with them.  However, the tias let them come outside today, so I made sure to go see the little ones.  There are always one or two kids that always steal your heart.  In the toddler's casita, a brother and sister duo have officially won me over.  The brother is older, and he always looks out for and protects his younger sister, even at age 4.  He has the most adorable laugh and smile, and his little sister (age 3) has the cutest curly hair.  Melt. My. Heart.  They came from a very difficult and horrible family situation, so I will refer to them as Juan and Sofia.  I wish that I could take them home with me.  (Can I keep them, Daddy?)  I hope the tias will keep letting us come back to see the little ones.

I am so blessed to have this specific group of girls with them.  We are each so different, and we are able to truly exemplify the body of Christ.  We are each equipped to do something unique to glorify the Lord.  These four weeks are going to fly by! 

One week down...  

Christian

Today was our first full day of our "normal" schedule.  We will spend the mornings in the CTC (Community Transformation Center) teaching English to 16-24 year olds.  Lyndsay, Karla and I work with the advanced group, while Edna, Jennifer, and Luis work with the beginning class.  I am getting my feet wet in the teaching world - like making lesson plans and running a classroom.  Eek!  However, the students are wonderful and so eager to learn.  I am excited for the relationships to come out of the class.

This afternoon, we spent some time in the casita (the children are housed by age and gender with a guardian, or tia, for each group) for the special needs children.  I got to hang out with a boy named Christian this afternoon.  He is fifteen, but is unable to use his legs and significantly developmentally delayed.  However, he can follow simple commands.  His mother was using his disability to get more money on the streets, so he was taken to Casitas de Kennedy.  You could tell he enjoyed physical touch and having someone play with him.  Currently, he has to wear a brace during the day to help straighten his spine, but it is very painful.  He would just cry, and there was nothing we could do to take away the pain.  It broke my heart to see him hurting.  Jennifer started singing to him, while I played with this hair.  It was such a beautiful moment.  Later I saw the verse,  Matthew 5:4 "blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted," on the wall of the casita.  Oh how those children in such physical and mental pain mourn, and the Lord is their comfort.  I am amazed that God uses broken humans to demonstrate His love and comfort to those precious children.  I pray that I will be able to show them each day His consuming love and presence.     

Our New Home

Well, we are finally here!  I have to say that Tegucigalpa is incredibly beautiful...(for proof, see below)

The view from our hotel

Once we arrived in the city, we went to our hotel where we will be staying for the month.  This adorable house has been remodeled into a hotel for guests, and it has a wonderful family feel to it.  All four of us are staying in one room.  It honestly may be nicer than my apartment in Birmingham!

Our adorable room

The beautiful patio outside of our room

We spent Saturday and Sunday getting to know the city.  We visited the orphanage we will be working in every day (Casitas de Kennedy).  We are not allowed to take pictures of the children, so I will just have to tell you their stories.  We also spent some time around Tegu - the mall, church, etc.  We had a great weekend getting adjusted to our new home!

Jennifer, Edna, me, and Lyndsay at the mall

We have two wonderful translators for our time in Honduras - Karla and Luis.  They take such good care of us, and we are so grateful to work with them.  Basically, this month is going to be incredible.  I can't wait to see what the Lord will do! 

Orientation

After two days of orientation, we are almost off to our destinations.  It has been a whirlwind already - massive amounts of information, meeting new friends, and getting even more excited about the countries we will serve in.  I flew to Dallas Wednesday morning for a few precious hours with my family.  (Dad, this is your shout out, since you wanted to make the blog!)  After a quick lunch with Dad on Thursday, he dropped me off at the Buckner Missions office.  I saw a few familiar faces and met some new friends!  In July Buckner has intern teams going to Russia, Rio Grande Valley, Peru, Kenya, and Honduras.  We all experienced orientation together and will depart tomorrow.

Thursday we learned the history of Buckner and prepared for the culture differences in each of our locations.  Each team had a cultural dinner with Buckner staff to experience some local flavors from our respective countries and answer more questions.  (Our team actually ate authentic Mexican food, but I'm not complaining...)  Friday morning we worked at the Humanitarian Aid Center with the shoe warehouse and some other projects around the campus.  We also packed our humanitarian aid bags with supplies for each team.

Lydsay, me, Jennifer, and Edna packing our bags

 My team is awesome by the way - I have a feeling it is going to be an incredible month.  We also met with some Buckner staff about local ministries in our countries.  It was encouraging to hear about all of the wonderful work going on in Tegucigalpa (or "Tegu" to locals) already.  Our team is praying that we will be able to truly help the on-going work of the in-country staff.  After a time of worship and prayer, we headed off to the hotel.  Each team is leaving at a different time, but my team will report to the lobby at 2:45 am to leave for the airport.  So, I may only be getting a quick nap tonight, but I'm hoping for some sleep on the plane!  Oh, and by the way, apparently the Tegu airstrip is one of the most dangerous in the world.  It is surrounded by mountains and has a very short runway.  Needless to say, we are all a little anxious about the actual landing in Honduras!   

Travel Plans!

Well, here we go.  I received my updated travel itinerary...maybe I should start packing?

July 6 - Fly from Birmingham to Dallas
July 7 & 8 - Buckner Orientation in Dallas
July 9 - Fly from Dallas to Tegucigalpa, Honduras (via Miami)

August 6 - Fly from Tegucigalpa to Dallas
August 12 - Fly from Dallas to Birmingham

Thank you for all of your prayers and support during this time!  I can't wait to get this show on the road (or in the air?)  Y'all are the best!

Slight Change in Plans...

SURPRISE!  On Friday morning, I received a call from Buckner to inform me that our trip to Guatemala has been cancelled due to security risks.  With the upcoming elections, safety in the country is being threatened.  However, they did let me know they will be taking our same team during the same time period to HONDURAS!  I have never been to Honduras, so I am excited about visiting another country.  As far as I know, we will be doing the same type of work we would of been doing in Guatemala.  I do not have any other details other than that.  Please be praying for flexibility of my team and for all the travel/flight plans to be changed quickly.  I leave for Dallas on July 6, and we will be leaving for Honduras on July 9th.  It's almost here! 

Being Like Christ

COMPASSION. Before I left for my trip to Guatemala with Samford last January, the Lord taught me more about what compassion truly meant.  Compassion does not mean simple empathy, or a feeling of sadness about someone’s situation.  Compassion takes a step further.  Compassion is empathy in action.  It is a desire to change and do something about a specific situation.  I felt true compassion during my first trip to Guatemala, and it changed my career goals to focus on at-risk children and youth.  I do not simply want to take a trip to visit some orphans...I want to make it my goal to transform individual lives and families through the healing power of Jesus.

One of many faces of poverty.

Teaching a special needs child how to play.

A teenager at the orphanage helping others in his community.

“The Lord your God is a compassionate God” Deuteronomy 4:31 (New American Standard)

What a beautiful truth.  I am so grateful that my Lord had compassion on me.  He saw me in my need and wanted to do something about it.  He chose to send his own Son to die on a cross bearing the punishment of my sin, so that I may spend eternity enjoying and worshipping Him.  God is the ultimate example of compassion because He sacrificed everything for our sakes.  May I strive every day to look more like Him.

History Creates the Future

Since this will be my fourth trip to Guatemala, let me give you a little background of my journey to and from Guatemala over the past few years.  During my sophomore year of college, my always wonderful mother suggested I look into the mission internship with Buckner International, specifically in a Spanish-speaking country.  She said on more than one occasion that I would regret missing out on opportunities to learn another language.  (She also said this about my piano lessons when I wanted to quit in middle school due to my increasing social agenda.)  After meeting the intern director at the bookstore where I worked, I decided to give it a go.  Through a series of interviews, Buckner placed me in Guatemala for July 2008.  Spring semester of my sophomore year was rough, and I did not want to go for a month to another country with eight strangers.  My parents dropped me off at training, and I held back tears the entire time.  Summer camp, anyone?  However, those short four weeks changed my life forever.

For the first time in a long time, I was surrounded by a community of strong Christian fellowship with the other interns.  We served each other and the people of Guatemala because of our deep love and commitment to God.  Although each of us was drastically different, we came together as a team.  We journeyed together across Guatemala to Huehuetenango (Huehue), Quetzaltenango (Xela), Zacapa, Lago de Atitlan, Panajachel, and the cobble-stoned Antigua.  We worked with other church teams as an extra set of hands on their trips to different orphanages.  Each week we left with a bigger hole in our hearts for the children left behind.  It got me thinking.  I knew from a young age that I wanted to work with children.  I chose psychology as my major to pursue therapy for children.  How were these children able to process previous trauma when there were only five workers for over 100 kids?  I knew someone had to do something.  Guatemala shaped my vocational career towards helping at-risk children and youth, in whatever way possible. 

During my internship, we had translators from Guatemala City who were around our age.  We all quickly became good friends.  They taught us about real culture and life in this country.  Because of our relationships, I learned to love the country.  I had the opportunity to visit these friends the following year during spring break.  I continued to learn what it meant to be a chapin(a), or a guatemalan - the values, the customs, and the nuisances.  I became a student of Guatemalan culture, and it was fascinating. 

Finally in January 2010, I was able to return to Guatemala with Buckner.  Samford University, the college I attended, planned a trip to Huehuetenango for two weeks during Jan-term.  I was in.  I talked some sorority sisters into going as well, and we were off to the same orphanage I was at my first week in Guatemala.  I was able to continue relationships started two years ago and of course begin new ones.  This last trip confirmed how God commands each believer to share the gospel to everyone, everywhere.  And that is exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life.  Specially, I want to serve and teach at-risk children.  God, in His infinite wisdom, used this small country just south of us to shape who I am for God's glory.