where did it go?

I am sitting here trying to figure out where the time has gone! Only one post in September--sorry about that. The month passed by in such a whirlwind I can't believe it's October now!

September involved: a 2 week visit from my boss, a workshop with all of MCC's current partners, a team meeting with the new workers that came on board in August, partner visits in Teguc and a general assortment of reports and plans due to MCC in the US.

whew.

I get tired all over again just reading that list.

I did manage to take some pictures along the way so here is a look at the last month in more of a photo-essay style :) Oh, and the rodeo was the very last weekend of August...

the copaneco ready for the rodeo & fair, notice boots & belt buckle.
it is serious business.

the bulls for bull-riding

at our partner workshop, keeping ourselves awake :)

teaching some BIC pastors how to play dutch blitz. hilarious!

another "stay awake" activity. I promise we did do a lot of work

the participants at our partner workshop

preparing our reactions for the Honduras goal in the world cup qualifier that night.
sadly they didn't win.

oh--here is the proof we worked at the workshop...

hanging out at team meeting

our whole Honduras team (for now)

Thankful that TOMORROW I head to the capital city (once again) for a weekend of festivities for the wedding of two really great friends! Taking some vacation to enjoy the celebration, and a little beach trip on the side before I return to reality.

hope de l@s jovenes

I looked around the table at 6 eager faces, all with bright eyes and genuine smiles. Discussing "honduran-isms," regional dialects, and unique foods, the conversation was animated and lively.  We were sharing a meal together at what is quickly becoming my favorite restaurant in San Pedro and getting to know each other better.

4 of us are young people serving with MCC in Honduras; the other 3 are young Hondurans who will be sent out from the Mennonite church to serve in the IVEP and YAMEN programs of MCC. It was fun to talk about what they eagerly anticipate and what scares them about leaving home. Mostly...the food (read: lack of beans and tortillas) weighs heavily on their minds. Will Canadians be nice to them? Will they only eat bread? Will Bolivia be too cold? Will they make new friends?

We had a great time together that afternoon at a "pre-orientation" before their staggered departures to the great unknown. I laughed a lot and appreciated the thoughtfulness and sense of humor they have brought along with them for their adventure.

When I think of what gives me hope for Honduras, their faces come to mind. The spirit of curiosity, "disponibilidad" (availability?), gentleness and humor that they exude while talking freely of their love for God and commitment to their church makes me so proud. Proud that they will represent MCC Honduras and the Honduran Mennonite Church. Proud that people will be able to put a kind face with the stories they have heard about Honduras. With so much negative press, skepticism and high crime statistics from Honduras, it is exciting to meet young people that know they can play a part in making their country better. I know they will be great ambassadors for Honduras and make contributions in each of their respective assignments.

Please pray for these young people (2 going to Bolivia with YAMEN, 2 going to Canada with IVEP) and all the other participants (SALTers too*) around the world who are taking a huge step of faith this week, leaving their comfort zone to try something different. May they be richly blessed by their endeavors and return to bless their families, churches and community with what they will receive from others.

*shout out to my cousin who is taking off for Burkina Faso soon with the SALT program! much love and many prayers A.Z!

in print

This just in: my face can be found in the "On Assignment" corner of MCC's quarterly magazine A Common Place.

I am still waiting to get my copy in print (the mail is a bit slow in these parts...) and Oscar is eagerly awaiting to see my face in the magazine. I will have to translate the article for him, so of course I will make it sounds much more fantastic...and perhaps leave out the "challenges" part. Someone joked that I could have just listed him as my challenge ;)

Here is the online version if you want to check it out.

I'm excited that MCC Honduras got represented in the magazine, and that the work of ACDIM can be highlighted in this small way.

Women’s development worker

I love seeing women take initiative and leadership . . . — Charissa Zehr

Assignment: I work in Santa Rosa de Copán, Honduras, with the Christian Association for the Integral Develop­ment of Women, a small organization that provides capacity-building workshops and small business development for women’s groups in four rural communities.

See the full thing here:  http://acommonplace.mcc.org/acp/2012/10_12/on_assignment.html

new and different

Every year brings new changes to our MCC team, mostly in the form of new service workers. We had to say good bye this year to the Stephens and the Troyers, but now we have been able to welcome new workers and get to know them.

Our September retreat for MCC Honduras was in the central location (central for all but me ;) of Siguatepeque. We were tucked away in a nice retreat center and were able to enjoy cooler temperatures and time together as a team.

What I was not aware of was this retreat center boasts a world-class co-op course and high ropes adventure course.

I would just like to say that in many years of liberal arts college-ing, camp counseling, admissions staff-ing and youth retreat-ing I have had my FAIR share of co-op courses. And I really really really don't need anything like high ropes. I would also like to preface this by saying that I had a bad experience my first weeks in Honduras with a tree, a hammock, and a nasty, um, tree-trapped situation.

So. Day 1, what do they want me to do?? Sit on the edge of a 8 meter high platform and "fall" off to swing and feel like I'm in a hammock. I tried to tell Kike (the guide, pronounced key-kay) that I would be much happier in a real hammock, about 2 feet off the ground, and still happy to reflect on taking risks and what we learn about trust from said situations...but he was not having it. I ALSO tried to get him to push me cuz I was too scared to throw myself off the ledge...and he told me firmly that he never pushes anyone. Ok Mr. I-eat-raw-eggs-for-breakfast-and-probably-walk-on-high-ropes-with-no-safety-ropes. You are of no help to me in my moment of need.

But since I had already climbed the 7 meter ricktey ladder that only Hondurans would tell you is completely safe, I had no choice. I wasn't going back down that thing!

So I fell off the ledge.

And I screamed.

And I was terrified.

And then I sat in a swing for a few minutes to take in the view.

And the little assistant man was like: "ok, but really...you liked it right? "

"NO!" I firmly responded, not smiling.

And it was in this moment I realized...I have spent a lot of my life pushing myself to do scary things. To step out of my comfort zone. To be brave and try something that makes me tremble inside.

But sometimes, you feel no different after you've done it. You think you will, but you don't.

And I've just decided that I'm not an adrenaline junky, and I don't like heights.

So eat that for breakfast, Kike!

Fast Forward to Day 2. Our whole team is to participate in the high ropes team building activities.

I was sick to my stomach. I was praying for rain. I wanted to do ANYTHING but that course.

Thankfully, life is not always as it is in summer camp, and you can say no. And people will respect you.
So, I calmly declined (after chatting with my supervisors) and was content to swallow my fear and watch all of my MCC colleagues from below. On terra firme. Oh, but of course I took lots of photos.

 Being brave is important. But knowing your limits can also be just as important. And I think I grew a lot in finally giving myself permission to be afraid and say "no. not this time!"

before the fall, with my newly un-afraid adrenaline junky "twin" Elise

the longest climb OF MY LIFE.

on the platform, kickin' it with with Keeks...we aren't really friends.

after the "fall" swinging around "enjoying" the view. but check that face.
 I am cosa seria!

to give you an idea of how the platform was ON THE SIDE OF A FREAKING MOUNTAIN

after the fall, had the feeling back in my hands, enjoying time with Mari,
a new MCC friend from Nicaragua

Mari's fall. It's about a 1/4 second after that you feel the ropes holding you

having fun with co-op games

the high ropes course!!

the brave ones. I am SO INCREDIBLY PROUD OF YOU ALL!

they had the hardest climb to get to "starting" point. Of course, Kike was their team leader...

a fall. exactly what I didnt want to happen to me. but she pulled through. so proud of Emily!!

one small step....

repelling down to safety ;)

2 happy 2 be done... 1 wanting more....

our new MCC team for 2012-2013 :)
love you all!

in a small town

It has been a pretty good week. Lots of ups and downs...of course, nothing new to my faithful readers and friends, but some pretty sweet stuff happened.

First, I was visited by a new MCC Honduras colleague, Elizabeth, who came to see the life in Santa Rosa (and some new parts of Honduras). E is the new regional disaster coordinator for all of Central America & Haiti, and we are excited to have her here in Honduras.

Not only did these 4 days together give me a chance to get to know E a bit better, but it gave me an excuse to take some time to relax, enjoy the scenery of where I am privileged to call home, and process lots of things about my work and life in Honduras.

We made some delicious meals together (quiche-mania as we both discovered that pie pastry isn't so intimidating after all) and we even got a chance to take a dip in the nearby hot springs.

Yesterday E went with us on a short visit to one of the communities where I work, Plan Grande. The point of the meeting was to have the women's group meet with the Caja Rural (like a community co-op that lends money to members) and ask them for some space/land/use of their building for their bread-making business.

My co-worker O took the lead and told the men of the Caja what our organization is all about, what we have been doing with the women for the last 18 months, and why we were asking for their help.

Then, the president of the women's group, Dona Rosaura, stood up to explain to the Caja why we were all there. She began to talk about the process they have gone through with ACDIM and why this small business means so much to them.

Only a few short months ago, Dona Rosaura was so shy, she would barely speak in front of the other women in the group. Little by little she has been taking part in the trainings and sharing her opinions. And in this moment, I saw how far she has come. That she wasn't afraid to stand by herself in front of 35 community members and tell them that she wanted a change. That she hadn't gone through this 2 year process of organization and training for nothing. That she is confident her small group of neighbors and friends will start this business, and they want to see it grow into something beneficial for the community. Hearing her speak her piece almost brought me to tears.

And right there,
In that moment,
Sitting on that bench in a small cinder block community center,
in small-town Honduras (Plan Grande to be exact),
surrounded by the rolling green hills,
I knew what moment I never want to forget.

And in that moment,
I knew why I do what I do.

It helps me live with some of the frustration and discouragement I feel
because I can see that it is making a difference in the lives of these women.
It may not seem like a lot to you, but to me, it is enough.

And some days, that is all that you need.

behind the times

Life has been pretty busy lately and I'm so behind in blogging (not to mention journaling!) Between moving apartments, spending an entire weekend away at a church retreat and a full week in Tegucigalpa visiting the host family, dealing with residency stuff and an MCC team meeting, I feel a little crazy. Oh yeah, and did I mention that I leave for a visit home in less than 2 days???!!!!

So, I will try to fill you in later. The church reatreat itself deserves its very own post...and I should write more about my immigration and residency fiascos. Oh, and of course MCC life. Hopefully when I'm on VACATION with my FAMILY I will have some time to catch up on the blog.

Here's a pic of the very best team anyone could ask for! Love you guys!!

MCC Honduras May 2012

to Guatemala and back

If you are following the pattern of my blog posts you might start to think that all I do is take vacation and visit other MCCers...and, you wouldn't be too far from the truth.

I just got back from another MCC retreat, but this time it was a bit different. We had the opportunity to travel to Guatemala for the MesoAmerica retreat of MCCers from the region (Mexico, Guate, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua & Costa Rica). It was a LOT of hours on buses to reach our final destination, Santiago de Atitlan on the beautiful Lake Atitlan of Guatemala, but well worth the journey.

We had time together as an MCC Honduras team, one of our last with the Stephens family who are leaving us shortly :( and we had a lot of time to meet other MCCers living and working in Central America.

The place we stayed was beautiful and provided some opportunities to do a little tourist-ing (of course mixed in with plenty of serious sessions concerning our work!)

So of course I only have pictures of the fun stuff--being touristy. But I also have some videos of our wonderfully gifted and spirited MCC Honduras team performing at the talent show. There weren't prizes, but I'm sure if there were, our rousing version of "My Favorite Things" (from the soon to be released "El Sonido de La Musica") would have been awarded first place. We are pretty clever. I'm surprised you didn't know that ;)

lake atitlan

team honduras

enjoy the video :)

 Here are the lyrics in case you can't fully understand the Spanglish...

Favorite things 

Mountains and beaches and Copan Ruinas

ceramica Lenca aves y leechas

gente amable que nos da amor, (kind people who give us love)

this is what I came to Honduras for.

Pineapple, mango and fresh avocados

frijoles, chuletas y ricos licuados  (beans, pork chops and smoothies)

baleadas abundan a diez lempiras (baleadas abound at 10 lempiras)

estas son mis cosas favoritas  (these are my favorite things)

Se fue la luz-- no viene el agua  (the lights went out! the water didn't come)

vienen ladrones ya!  (here come robbers)

I simply remember my favorite things

and then I don't feel "tan mal" (then i dont feel so bad)

¿Que onda loco?  -- Todo macizo! (what's up man, everything's cool)

Que barbaridad que no tengo pisto. (what a barbarity (?) i dont have any money)

Pucha, que basura, vaya pues, cheke leke, (dang it! what garbage! ok, it's all good)

these are a few things catrachos say.

MCM y Proyecto MAMA

donde trabajo cada mañana (where i work every morning)

ASJ, CODESO, ACDIM…

partners are some of my favorite things.

Huracanes,  inundaciones (hurricanes, floods)

team Giardia,

I simply remember my favorite things 

and then I don't feel "tan mal"

rain, rain, go away...

I'm guessing not to much news from Latin America makes it's way up north...well, let's be honest, I don't even have good access to regional news where I am either!

The past few weeks have been rather scary as heavy rains caused by a tropical depression have been hammering Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. There are a lot of roads and bridges that are out of commission, mudslides and flooding. Transportation is becoming increasingly complicated, and many areas are under a state of emergency as the rains continue.

For Honduras, and I think most of this region, it is rainy season right now, but the persistent rains and cold front  of the past several weeks has been more intense than what is normal for October.

CNN.com reports that at least 60 people (though I would guess it may actually be higher than that) have died due to flooding of rivers and the collapse of their homes.

Here is a brief article I found if you you want to read a little bit more.

Being that I am good friends with MCC's Regional Disaster Coordinators for Latin America, I know that they are discussing next steps for helping with the situation, mostly in El Salvador and Guatemala. This could include material resource aid (like health kits or canned meat) but will likely be more long-term projects to help with the rebuilding of homes when the flooding recedes and mud can dry up.

Thankfully where I live it hasn't been too bad. We are always having rain, and some roads to rural communities where we go for work aren't the best, but we have been blessed to not have problems so far. The southern part of Honduras has been hardest hit, and we are concerned about an MCC Honduras partner in Choluteca that has experienced a lot of loss and damage.

Please remember to pray for the people in these countries and that the rains would soon move on. You can also be praying for MCC and wisdom in how we help respond to the ever increasing needs in these 3 countries.

friday blues

So it's Friday, I'm tired of being productive (! at 8:20am) and I am feeling sad about missing out on lots of things....so....prepare yourself for Charissa's homesick list...because it's growing by the day.

1) Today is my little sister's recital. My mom, dad, sis, brother-in-law, unborn niece, and 2 of my aunts and uncles are all going to Virginia for Maria's senior recital. This is a big event in her life and I'm sad to be missing it.

2) 2 days ago one of my best friends from my old job had a baby! and I'm not even there to meet her!

3) Another bff from college has a little baby growing by the day and I can't be there to see him doing all kinds of crazy things either.

4) Vegetables. yes, I know this is weird, but I miss them so much! When I do see them they are usually cooked...and even that doesn't happen every day. Oh summer garden how I will pillage and plunder you for delightful treats when I come home.

5) Olive Garden.  right now its number one on the list. A decent plate of pasta (that doesn't involve ketchup in the sauce) and a warm breadstick.

6) driving my car! I can't wait to see my Taurus again (say what you will)...turn on the tunes and drive wherever the heck I want (as gas permits, of course).

I think we'll leave it at that right now. No sense letting my emotions run away and forget that I still have a whole day ahead of me. Not to mention 15 weeks til any of these things can be realized.

And on a completely unrelated note, but fitting in with the "blue" theme...

I designed a t-shirt for our MCC Honduras team and worked with a friend here in the neighborhood to print them for us. It was really fun and I was so proud of how they turned out. So, enjoy!

And if you'd like your own version of the limited-edition, MCC Honduras T-shirt call (country code 504) 98 61 39 67. Please note item #00001 is only available in "Anchor's Away Navy" and in sizes: kind of small, almost medium, long medium, pretty big and bigger.

a weekend in the country

Living here on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa has made me very much a city girl. It was not until I took a weekend trip to visit the western part of Honduras that I realized just how very 'urban' my Honduran experience is, compared to the very 'rural' experience of my friend Alison.

5 of us left Teguc on Friday morning to roadtrip to La Campa. Here's a little map to show you...we went from Teguc to a village about 15 km beyond Gracias. It took about 6 hours.

I was struck again and again by how beautiful Honduras is, and what a mix of contrasting regions it contains. I said to someone once that you could be dropped in one part of Honduras for a day, thinking all of Honduras is like that, and have no idea what else you're missing. There are mountainous regions like Tegucigalpa, very dry, deserty regions like Choluteca; very agricultural areas like Gracias and Olancho, beautiful lakes, and of course the tropical northern coast with sandy beaches. (to set up your personalized visit, contact Honduras Tours: charissazehr (at) gmail (dot) com :) But I digress...

We met up with Alison, our fellow MCCer, as she was translating for a medical team from the U.S. We are all so proud of her, as she really didn't speak much Spanish at all before coming 6 months ago--and now she's a certifiable translator! She rocks. From that little town, we drove to her house in La Campa and had a walking tour of town. The town has one main paved boulevard, one catholic church, 2 little hotels, and an awesome setting in a little valley. Alison works for CASM which provides a lot of food security training and agricultural development to the surrounding area of La Campa.

We had a fun time together, being a group of gringos and attracting a lot of attention (yes, way more than in Teguc!)...eating good food and thick, yellow tortillas (very different from our city-fied tortillas)...exploring some small towns, visiting microenterprises, buying some local-made souveniers like hand-made paper and red pottery...visiting a Lenca history museum, checking out the hot springs tourist stop, and generally enjoying the quiet, rural village.

volunteer

Volunteer. I use this word a lot but more and more am becoming unsure if I like the definition of this word, or what images it communicates within the community where I work.

There are several things that have been stirring all these thoughts within my brain...enough that I'm not really sure if this will even be a post that makes sense or if it is just a personal way to try and organize the shuffle of thoughts that I can't seem to articulate. First there was the Mennonite youth retreat and some awkward encounters about being a volunteer...there have been some more personal experiences of my own, here in Nueva Suyapa, and the experiences of other MCCers in Honduras...and I've recently been doing a lot of reading about the good/bad/ugly of volunteerism, thanks to some fellow SALTers in other parts of the world.

So I guess the first thing is thinking about why I'm a volunteer and what that means to me.
Then looking at reasons why I try and detach myself from preconceptions of "volunteers" and what that communicates to those in my community
And in the end, why ultimately I feel criticized by all these outside voices for being a volunteer...and from my experience why I think its really not the way they think it is...or something like that.

1) My definition of being a volunteer is easily summed up by "I work and I don't get paid." But, most days, that is not sufficient. There are many layers to this definition...I am an un-paid worker in an organization, but I have also made that decision out of a desire to work with others in a way of serving...this is not just serving the community (though on good days, I hope to do that) but also about exploring the tangible ways I live a life of serving Jesus, the one who should be the foundation and inspiration for all of this.

home away from home

Over the past 7 years of my life, I have done quite a bit of traveling...and I love it. There are so many experiences I would never trade to have just stayed at home. However--there is something about coming home that is so comforting and refreshing, no matter how much you love where you've been.

But the other great joy of travel, is sometimes you don't have to go home to find a spot that feels like home. I have been so blessed by the MCC team here in Honduras, and the way these new friends have become so much like family to me.

Over the weekend we had a retreat with all the one year workers who came in August at Virgil and Kathy Troyers house. It was so relaxing to be in their home, surrounded by close friends, laughing and sharing about our new lives in Honduras. Our team is so diverse in so many ways, but we have become good friends and truly enjoy each other's company. Since the 5 of us spent 3 weeks straight together, and now have been separated for about 6 weeks, we had lots of catching up to do :)

Friday night we were having fun, but were very worried for Alison, who could not seem to find a bus that could make it all the way to Tegucigalpa. By 9 or 10 pm we were relieved to know that she had a safe place to sleep and that we would see her in the morning. She has the most rural placement of any of us, in La Campa, near Gracias, doing environmental work.

Noel, the lone ranger of the group, came from San Pedro Sula to visit us in Teguc for the first time. He is working for a mennonite education project there, Proyecto MAMA, and is teaching computer classes. He is really enjoying the community he has found in the Mennonite church in San Pedro.

Johanna had a shorter trip to Nueva Suyapa (where the Troyer's live) from the far side of Teguc. She works at a school/ministry for the children of families who live and work at the city dump. It's a tough place, but she is also loving the community of friends she has found there.

Elise lives 'just down the street' from me in Nueva Suyapa, and works for ASJ (Assoc. for a more Just Society). She is doing work on writing articles for donors, some work on grants, and is generally involved in various aspects of their legal work to make Honduras a better place.

Oh, what I forgot to mention is Noel is from Bolivia, and Johanna is from Columbia, so we talk in Spanish when we are together, of course. This has truly been a great thing, as we learn so much from each other, and get help from our personal tutors 24-7 ;) Another small victory to share...that I was able to have many conversations in Spanish where I didn't feel inhibited by the language, and was pretty freely able to express myself. Very exciting :)

We took some time to visit the sights of the city...a pretty sweet look-out, actually...

and we played mini-golf...

I think this course is nicer (cough, and harder) than most I've seen in the US! (note, the hole is at the top of that pyramid looking thing!)

We ate dinner on the Troyer's roof, overlooking the city (very awesome)...

and had time to share about our joys and struggles living in our new culture. It was a really good time together, and I'm so grateful that I feel so comfortable with, loved, and supported by these fellow volunteers.