A Pinch, a Praise and a Promise

For those of you who have been following my blog for some time now, you know that I purposely do not turn this blog into a spiritual commentary, but choose instead to just write about our life here in Honduras. Today I make an exception to this. No...not really. When I stop and think about what I just wrote, that "I choose instead to just write about our life here in Honduras" I realize that our life here is deeply spiritual, and that to be true to my promise to you and to myself "to tell it the way it is", that I need to also share that part of our lives from time to time.

I woke up early this morning, 3 am or so, and as I sat at the kitchen table waiting for the coffee to finish perking I opened my Bible and began to read the story of the Exodus, the tale of the Israelites as they left Egypt headed for a new land, a land of promise. They left their old life behind through a series of miracles and promises. Along the way they met with disaster and disappointment, they experienced moments of great discouragement, times where they longed for the things they had left behind. They lost their way, they doubted from time to time that God was able to do what He had promised. But despite all this, they did arrive in the land of promise.

As I read, I reflected on our own journey. As with any allegory, at some point it fails to appropriately represent what the storyteller is trying to bring across, and this is true here. For example, I do not see our leaving the United States as leaving "Egypt", but there is no doubt that we left behind all that was familiar to us and headed on a journey into the unknown. We, as a family, have experienced times of disappointment and discouragement. We have lost our way several times. We have longed for what we left behind. We have doubted that our God would keep His promises to us. But, despite all this, I know that we have arrived in a good land and that we are in a good place, a place of promise.

Honduras

The songbirds have been amazingly vocal these past mornings. As early morning approaches the air is filled with their trilling and twittering. I look from my front porch towards the mountains and I never tire of the beauty we are surrounded by.

I am challenged and encouraged in my own spirituality by the men with whom I meet each week for breakfast as we discuss the things we believe deeply in and how that is lived out in our own lives. I am grateful for these men and to the wisdom and scope they have added to my own understanding and thought processes.

We are blessed to have so many friends here and to be able to participate in such a wide variety of experiences. We are blessed to live in a house far larger than we had ever dreamed of living in. With that has come the blessing, yes even the responsibility, of opening our home and our lives to many people. As we do this, God turns blessing back upon us by those we bless.

We have been blessed to participate in the lives of those around us. We have been blessed to share with others from the abundance God has given us, and in so doing, God has supplied all our needs, even without an income. Everyday, we have food on the table and everyday we are blessed to be able to feed extra mouths.

In all this I am aware that this life has now become the "new normal". I am amazed at how quickly what was once new and even a bit frightening becomes common and commonplace. My prayer for the future is to never believe that just because we did something unusual by moving here, that we have arrived. That this is where the journey ends. No, this is where it just begins...of that I am convinced.

I do not know what the future holds. I do not know if we will stay here the rest of our lives, return the States or move to another country, but for now I have to pinch myself almost every day to make sure that I am not dreaming. And that's a fact.

And this is what I spent most of the early morning thinking about. I thought about this good place that we are in and my heart overflowed with praise to Him who brought us here.

A Sack of Corn and a Bag of Beans

Geraldo and Florencia and granddaughter Ester

Several weeks ago, Geraldo, was hit by a motorcycle as he was walking home. He broke his arm and badly skinned and bruised his leg. He's in his late 50's and is a subsistence farmer. The damage done to his body is going to put him out of work for several months.

There's no disability here, no insurance, no government aid or welfare. The rider of the motorcycle has nothing...and that includes insurance. Geraldo told me that as he lay in the hospital emergency room in Comayagua the main thought on his mind was, "how am I going to feed my family".

We have been attending a small church plant in Barrio Calan since we arrived here in Honduras. We have no building, just a roof to sit under. The service is very informal and interactive. Chickens, dogs and children play around our feet. The congregation is poor, but there is a good feeling of family and community. I love it and I love these people!

I was overwhelmed as I watched the little church reach out and care for Geraldo and Florencia during this time of need. A sack of corn here, a bag of beans there, a hug and a prayer as needed. Last Sunday, Geraldo gave a tearful testimony to God's goodness to him and his family and his thankfulness to his church family for their love and provision for them. The little church is growing in it's understanding of what it means to be a "family" and what it means to love each other.

We are in the beginning stages of planning for a building. I have to be honest, I have very mixed emotions about this. It worries me on many different levels. I worry that we will begin to focus on a building and a program rather than on the people. I worry that the little amount of funds the church has in it's offerings will be consumed in paying bills and not used to care for the needs of the people. I'm afraid that we will lose the "familiness" that we have. But I worry most of all that if it does happen, that we Gringos with all of our good intentions, will do it all for them. I worry that if we do, that we will take away from this small, but growing congregation the opportunity, the experience and the joy of seeing something become a reality that has come from their own dreams, their own efforts, from the work of their own hands and from their own faith.

I worry too much. I know that. But more and more, I see that if we encourage people to dream and to believe that it is possible for them to do what is in their hearts, that they can and will do it. To start with loving and caring for each other is the right place to begin. And that need crosses all borders and all cultures. What that looks like doesn't always come from pouring large amounts of money into programs or building projects. Sometimes it's in giving others the necessary tools they need to do it for themselves. Sometimes it just looks like a sack of corn and a bag of beans. 

A Call in the Middle of the Night

My phone rings. It's 1:45 am and I'm awakened from a sound sleep. I hate phone calls in the middle of the night. It's usually not good news. This time is different and I have been expecting this call  for several weeks. A friend of ours is having a baby and she needs my help. Her contractions are becoming more and more frequent, the time is near.

I throw on my clothes, grab the pickup keys and race out the door. As I leave the driveway I look down at the fuel gauge. It reads nearly empty. I cross my fingers, utter a prayer and head out. Nothing is open in Siguatepeque at this hour of the night and I certainly don't want to run out of gas where I am headed or on this particular occasion. The town is quiet and empty. The only person I encounter is a man weaving along the side of the road, obviously a little on the tipsy side. Dogs bark and chase the pickup as I rattle down the dirt streets.

Where I am headed is a mountain village on the far outskirts of Sigua. I have been there many times as we have a water purification site set up there, and although the moon is nearly full, everything looks different in the dark. I drive in and out of patches of fog. Is this the turn? I think so...yes, I'm sure it is...maybe.

I arrive at the house, the lights are on. Eva, the midwife, hurries out of the house and jumps into the pickup with me. Fortunately, the only help my friend needs from me is to bring the midwife to her. Thank God!

We hurry back into town and out the other side, climbing back into the mountains, bumping along more dirt roads, the fuel gauge now reading "E". We arrive at the house, Eva hurries in. She has been doing this for over 20 years now and has delivered countless babies. She is sure and confident and waste no time. The husband comes to meet me and shakes my hand. He thanks me for my help, apologizes for having wakened me. Don't worry about it, I am glad to help. Do you need me to stay? He answers no...thank God! I climb back into the pickup and head back.

An hour and a half later I am back at home and in my bed. I snuggle up to my wife and offer up a prayer for the safe delivery of this new child and drift off to sleep. My part in this new little one's life is done, at least for the moment.

Life is never dull here in Honduras and for that I am thankful!

Luis, we are now a family of seven

When we moved into "la casa grande" I had a sneaking suspicion that God had plans for this huge house that went beyond just housing our family and the Honduras Language Institute. When Nolvia * arrived, I was confident that she was part of that plan and had little expectations of anything beyond that, other than the occasional student or passerby spending the night with us.

And then Luis arrived. 

Luis 

Just like Nolvia, we have known Luis for quite some time. We first met him in a children's home not far from here. We visited there quite a lot and he even went with us last Semana Santa to see Las Alfombras de Comayagua. At that time we had no idea that someday he would be living with us.

Luis is a smart, good looking boy who loves to study and read. He is friendly, bilingual and has a beautiful singing voice. For legal reasons I cannot write much more than this about him, but I know that if the right opportunities are given him, Luis has an amazing future ahead of him.

So long story short - Luis needed a temporary home to stay in as he is on a fast track to be adopted by a family in the US. (Adoptions are very difficult here in HN and the fast track could be a year or two) We assisted in searching for a good temporary home or orphanage for Luis and just couldn't find one that we all felt comfortable with. As a last resort, Barbe and I made the decision to go through all the legal requirements necessary to become a Honduran "familia sustativa" (foster family equivalent), something we had been planning on doing anyway for quite some time. Home visits, psychological exams (yep, we passed, so believe it or not, we are not crazy...or so they said), paperwork, etc. and within a few weeks we were officially recognized as a Honduran home who can receive children of all ages.

We brought Luis home the same day we signed papers and he is fitting right in as though he has been with us for years. He is excited to begin school again, the same one he has gone to since first grade.  Tonight, as he and I squeezed into the recliner together to watch a little TV, I realized that it's going to be very easy for me to get very attached to this young man.  But, I know that he has a family anxiously waiting for him, and one who will be far more capable of offering him the quality education that he deserves and who will love him equally as much...or even more. All of us are aware that one day Luis will move on to his new family, but we feel so fortunate to be able to give him a home where he will be loved and cared for until then.

* Note: Nolvia is doing great! Each day I am amazed at the strength of her character. She is growing and blossoming  as she meets and interacts with the students and others who come and go from our house. It was a beautiful thing to see her have her first ever "girls night out" a few days ago. Two of our young female students invited her over to share dinner and a movie with them. The excitement and joy on her face was touching as she recounted her evening to me. She is helpful in every way, neat and tidy and is quick to observe what needs to be done...and does it with out being asked. She loves to work on outdoor projects with me and seems up to any challenge or new adventure that comes her way.