parties, paint y mas

I'm just going to warn you that there isn't much cohesion to my post today...I've been trying to come up with some fun little tidbit to blog about, but really, the last week and a half has just been kind of hectic.

For one thing, there were 5 birthdays within the extended family within 7 days of each other. It is fun to celebrate with people, and of course, who doesn't want to eat cake every other day?...but I have to say that week was exhausting. The socializing and 5 hour long parties can be a little draining, especially when you don't know everyone and you kind of run low on small-talk (hard to believe, i know).

Thrown into that socializing craziness was an overnight "campamento" or camp-out with staff and co-workers of the ministry (MCM). The church owns a camp a little outside of Teguc where we hung out and spent the night. I was really not looking forward to going, but it ended up being a pretty fun time. Of course, there were plenty of awkward moments, like Allison and I being asked to sing a song in English for the talent show at the last minute, a gift exchange we found out about 10 minutes before we left the office, and a variety of other things...but it turned out to be really good. There was LOTS of volleyball time, good food, and it gave me a chance to get to know other staff who I rarely interact with.

I would like to pause here and make a comment in reference to my measurements of time like "last minute" and such...really, there is no last minute here. They are all Honduran minutes. And no one is given advance notice for anything...you just roll with it as its happening. So, even though it is starting to drive me crazy (like the fact that Monday is a day out for our office Christmas party and at 11am on the Friday before no one knows anything about it)...I'm trying to learn to stop asking so many questions in 'advance', and be a little less American. But its a struggle.

Ok. So...after all these social events, I was hoping for some down time this week. But...that wasn't really possible. In my household, we have been finishing the ceiling in the kitchen & dining area (it was just the tin roof, but now its closed in w/ drywall-ish material like the rest of the house)...putting ceramic tile down, and painting this same area. Of course, my host sister picked the paint color and the house was divided (boys hated it, the girls were for it)...but after 2 days of discussion, debated and general mayhem, we started painting (see photos below). However, once the "recorte" was done (all the edges and corners) and one patch of said color--we decide its not good enough. We need to buy a different color. So...yesterday was day 1 of the new color, and today they should be finishing up the kitchen. Aside from my opinion, and my height, the only thing I really contributed was the idea of taping the edges after the ceiling was painted. They enjoyed this idea. Overall, it had been a stressful, but also a rather dramatic part of family life that I was glad to be a part of :)

I also threw in a trip to the mall because I needed an obligatory gift for the office gift exchange. Still need a present for the family gift exchange and the one with our church bible study group (yeah, its just as bad as being in the states! so many random people to buy things for). And last night I went to a Christmas concert/fundraiser at the American School of Tegucigalpa. So...really, never a dull moment.

Here are some photos of the fam working hard on the house to get it ready for Christmas. Enjoy!

The before (kitchen...)

dining room

See! I can help too :)

Josue hard at work on the white ceiling

The middle stage...everyone was up in arms

Axel hard at work on the yellow details. and hating it.

the after stage:

post drama--we have pink walls now. 

somehow, this is more calming than the yellow :) but everyone is happier!

advent

Here we are on the 1st day of December 2010. I can't even believe its the end of the year already!
I've just started my advent readings that I got from MCC...here are some excerpts I'd like to share:

According to an ancient Jewish midrash, someone asked Rabbi Joshua, “Why did God speak to Moses from a bush?” Rabbi Joshua replied, “God spoke from a bush to teach that there is no place where the Divine is not present, not even in a lowly bush.”


A Hasidic story tells of a rabbi’s son who used to wander in the woods. The rabbi asked his son, “I wonder why each day you walk in the woods?” 
The boy replied, “I go there to find God.” 
“That’s very good, son. But, don’t you know that God is the same everywhere?” 
“Yes,” the boy answered, “but I’m not.”


And so it is with us. We need tangible signs of God’s presence. When we enter the emotional, spiritual and physical winters of our lives, no matter the reason, let us eagerly anticipate that day when a new branch will burst forth from the leafless icicled branch we have become. In this Advent season, may all trees be for us Christ-mas trees, signs of hope, worthy of our decorating and celebrating – Christ, the Righteous Branch, has come into our lives, Christ will come again.

Jeremiah 33:14-16 (NRSV)
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

I found this imagery of new branches really helpful. Even in the winters of life, we retain a hope for the future; for the inevitable spring that will arrive because of the hope we have in Christ Jesus.

I know that God is the same every place I go, but I am not. And so as I grow, adapt, and change in a new environment, my prayer is that I would continue to seek God and appreciate the new and different ways his unchangeable character is being revealed to me each and every day.

My prayer for all of my friends and loved ones this advent season is that you would find places where you cannot remain the same, and in those places, appreciate God for who He is, and how he might look different from your new vantage point.

Even though my images of advent include lots of cold and snow and cozy memories, I am learning to appreciate the anticipation of Christmas even in 75 degree weather :) Hope you are warm (sitting inside or outside) wherever this finds you.

post-thanksgiving post

While the climate here does not tell me it is Thanksgiving, nor is there any kind of black Friday here in Honduras, I am reminded of how much I have to be thankful for in this wonderful season of life. Yesterday was a pretty ordinary day, no turkey, no football, no family get together [ :( ] but it was still good...and I think its a great thing to reflect on how much I have to be thankful for each day.

As I write this post, I'm sitting in a hammock, looking out over the rolling green mountains of Copan (I know, its a little ridiculous, and yes I wanted to make you a tad bit jealous as you are eating your leftover turkey and stuffing!!)

So lets start with the most immediate things I'm thankful for... (in no particular order :)

-- a relaxing few day of vacation with one of my best friends who took the time and energy to come and visit me right here in Honduras! You don't find friends like Harmony just any day of the year, and I'm so grateful God put her in my life 4 years ago when I really needed her :)
-- a great host family in Nueva Suyapa and the richness they bring to my Honduran life.
--for friends who are celebrating birthdays today, and another year of life, both near (Johanna, MCC friend) and far (Becky B. in Colorado who I miss dearly!)
--for a wonderful family who loves me so much and will even bend over backwards to do special things for me...like send care packages and buy expensive plane tickets to make sure their daughter isn't too homesick over Christmas. I couldn't ask for better parents. love you so much.
-- for 2 sisters and a brother-in-law who mean more to me than most anything in the world :)
-- for health and safety thus far in the journey
-- for 2 great gringa friends who are always willing to share in the most ridiculous of Honduran moments and the tough ones too. I could not make it through the week without knowing they are only a text or call away!
--for the guy who takes the time to get to know me, across the miles, despite the terrible internet fiascos and my work-in-progress espanol
--for a network of MCCers in Honduras who are so fun to be with and truly care for me and my well-being.
--for a little computer that keeps me connected to the important people in my life

As I sat in a roof-top cafe last night with Harmony we were reflecting how different life was only 1 year ago at this time...at Thanksgiving last year there were so many things different about my life...so many friends who weren't even engaged and are now planning weddings, others who weren't even pregnant and now have a new little person in their family...it blows me away to think of how many people in my life I didn't even know a year ago...nor did I have any inkling I would be spending Thankgiving and Christmas of 2010 in Honduras! Its so fun to think back on what I didn't know then...and it makes me so excited to think about what I don't even know will be in my life next year at this time.

Thankful for a God who holds it all together in his hands, the good and the bad...the beautiful and the imperfect, the knowable and the unknown...what a great blessing to be one little person in his giant picture.
Happy Thankfulness reflecting to all of you.
Love and hugs!

stretchy stuff

Living in a new culture is a continual learning process. This may seem obvious, but humor me for a minute. Just when you get lulled into a false sense of comfort like...

"hey, I kind of know what I'm doing" or 

"hey, I can actually carry on an intelligent conversation," or 

"hey, I recognize where this bus is going" 

...well that's when you have to be really on your guard. For it is in these moments--these fleeting fragments of life that boost your confidence and give you a sense of joy--that you must prepare yourself for what is next. It is a rule of the cross-cultural learning-time continuum, that just as your self-esteem is soaring for even the briefest of moments, you are undoubtedly due for a humility-check.

Honduras has made me very humble.

This was good practice for my trip to Guatemala.

Some of you know that I had the chance to attend a conference in Guatemala, related to microfinance and training small business owners in business principles. It was through the Chalmers Center in the US, and every so often they have international conferences for church workers, NGO workers and other missionary-types. I must give a grateful shout-out to Thrive, my favorite youth group of Dillsburg BIC Church, without whom this trip would not have been possible. Their generosity enabled me and my boss here at MCM to both attend this conference. I am forever humbled by hearts of these awesome high school & middle schoolers! (<3 you guys!)

The conference was a really great experience. I had hours upon hours to practice my Spanish with people from all over central America. We would talk for hours around the dinner table and share about our work and lives in our respective places. For me, being the socialite that I am, this was probably the best part of the conference :) It also did not hurt that everyone kept telling me how good my Spanish was. This of course was very encouraging and made me very happy. Many could not believe I had only been in Honduras for 3 months.

But of course, this could not last for long. Part of the focus of the class was how to teach adults...so of course, we had to practice our techniques for teaching other adults. On the 2nd day I had to prepare a lesson with a partner (who was amazingly sweet and patient) and together we taught about 12 other people (mostly native speakers, mostly middle-aged men) a lesson about business in Spanish! I was terrified! I thought I might throw up! I didn't think I could do it. 

But--it turned out ok! I led a "dinamica" or game at the beginning of our lesson...was able to talk through most of what I wanted to say with ease and even confidently fielded some spontaneous commentary from the audience. It was terrifying...but I made it through. I wasn't sure if I could do it successfully, but I know now my Spanish is better for it. During the feedback time, one man did feel the need to suggest that I work on my Spanish...so you know, the victories are short-lived :) But I did have many friends at the conference reaffirm how well I did and that this man was out of line for saying that to me.

I have learned a lot about humility and not taking my Spanish-self too seriously. But the good thing is, through all of these experiences I am stretched...

...Stretched to get outside myself and just do what needs to be done, without taking time to worry about what might happen

...Stretched to try new things and meet new people who I might otherwise never have encountered

...Stretched to discover what happens when I stop trying to get it all right and just see what God does with what I have to offer.

It's kind of like when you sit in a bus for 15 hours and your muscles are so tight...it feels so refreshing to stretch and move around.  I'm still in the stretching process...still learning to allow myself to be stretched frequently...and still trying to be thankful for the opportunity to stretch every now and then...or maybe every day in my case!

I am thankful for the learning I was able to participate in at the conference in Guatemala; thankful for safety on the long trip there and back; and thankful for a God who gives me the stuff, whatever that stuff is, that makes it possible to stretch.

mas cumpleaños

Here are some photos of me with my coworkers (who are a little crazy, i might add)...

We were celebrating my birthday and Karina's birthday (lady sitting next to me).

no Honduran party is complete without a few 'dinamicas' or games...

we had to do this stupid egg on the spoon relay

cumpleaños!

It has been a whole weekend of birthday festivities for me. And it's not even over yet!

Yesterday I celebrated my 24th birthday with some good friends and Honduran family. The day started with people singing outside my bedroom door at 7am...everyone in my house got up early to serenade me with well wishes. I was kind of out of it when the song started, and really confused...then I remembered it was my birthday!

We went to church and I had made plans with another friend to go out for lunch. I felt bad about not being around to have lunch with familia, but they didn't really say too much...they seemed pretty calm about it (this should have been my first clue). Also, they mentioned nothing of cake (a Honduran standard for birthdays) and didn't seem to worried about me not being around. I was a little sad, but thought, 'no big deal. i'm a grown-up now...its just another birthday.'

Then my lunch plans fell through, but my fellow SALTer and good friend Elise called (almost immediately) to invite me to her house. She said her family wanted to wish me happy birthday, have coffee, etc. Again, my host mom was very calm about me leaving for the afternoon. When I got to Elise's house, most of her family wasn't even there...but we had a relaxing time, even took a nap. Ok...so to make the long story shorter--we got back to my house around 4:30, some cousins and grandma were waiting outside, and no one was opening the door. I was a little confused...finally, when we got inside I realized they had asked Elise to occupy my time all afternoon so they could decorate the living room and prepare the food! They had planned a surprise party but I was the first one to show up!!

It was really sweet and we had fun celebrating and eating cake together. I was amazed to find out how many little lies had been crafted throughout the weekend to keep the party under wraps. Made me feel very special though :)

The other fun thing was opening my email to have more than 95 emails awaiting me. Many were facebook posts, but still it was great to feel so loved and missed by so many people.

All in all, it was a good Honduran birthday. Today there will be a celebration at work (for me and another coworker) and tonite I'm going bowling to celebrate with some friends too. I guess I'll just keep stretching out the celebration!!

Enjoy some fotos of my birthday weekend...

favorite friends who took me out for dinner

the cake! didnt really spell my name right, but thats ok

the family + extended family at the party