hello san pedro

It has been a week and a half since I packed up all my stuff and moved to San Pedro. I am getting settled in, slowly putting up pictures, learning my way around the neighborhood, and figuring out how to get where I need to go.

In Santa Rosa I could walk everywhere and had a lot of independence. Here I have to be more careful, and can't just walk wherever I want (or, I would die of heat exhaustion if I tried!). So the rapiditos (pronounced: rap-ee-dee-tos) have become a new twist on daily life, and I pay 8 Lps (about $0.40) to get to and from the MCC office.

I finally took some pictures of my place (didn't want you to see it when it was too naked :)

the living room (front door to the L and patio doors on R)

from living, into dining area, kitchen is beyond in the corner

view of kitchen from the bar

other angle of the kitchen (so many cupboards!!)

my bedroom w/ built-in closets (on the 2nd floor)

other angle of bedroom, a patio door, and the bathroom

taken from the 2nd flor, its open to the first floor! so much light...i love it.

the garden!

Its hard to capture in photos, but its a good little spot (even with mice incidents, heat, and some cucarachas). I have 2 other bedrooms and a storage room--soon to be filled by the out-going reps! Trying to make it feel like home even though it's not...yet.

goodbye Santa Rosa

It's my last week living in Santa Rosa so I've been trying to visit all my favorite spots and savor life in the pueblo before I move to the big city. I will be back for frequent visits...but at least for now I wanted to visit all my favorite spots before I left. Its been a crazy two years, but I really feel at home here.

In the midst of all my packing and cleaning and running around town, we made time for some sno cones...

 And dinner at Lenca Maya, my favorite restaurant in SRC.

...I had lunch with Ruth and Oscar at Weekend's Pizza...



...and the most crazy and hilarious goodbye party with the worship team and youth from my church at Pollo Bunny. "If it's not Bunny, its not chicken" (I kid you not, the actual slogan...)

I got a little teary on Sunday when I made the announcement at church that it would be my last Sunday singing with my friends on the worship team. Everyone is very supportive and I know they will welcome me with open arms when I make it back for a visit.


It's never easy to say goodbye to a place that feels like home...but you never know what's around the corner!

of moto rides and hospitality

May has slipped away from me and I find myself less than a week away from leaving my cozy home in Santa Rosa to take on the new challenges of a big city and a big job. Of course, this means a lot of packing, goodbyes, and "lasts" as I wrap up here.

For a variety of reasons, the project I have been part of in Santa Rosa with ACDIM will not continue receiving support from MCC. Since we have no other funding at this time, we must leave the women's groups at the end of July and see if they can really manage on their own.

It has been an emotional roller coaster, and it is not easy to think about how the women will manage without some outside encouragement and support. As I sat on the back of the moto on Wednesday for what may be the last time for a long time, I soaked in the fresh air and the beautiful views that I have come to know and love en route to a remote community nestled among the coffee plantations. I sat in the meeting with my favorite group of women and enjoyed the chance to laugh and talk with them as friends, sharing last bits of advice and encouragement as they forge ahead. Then, as we were ready to leave, we were invited to someone's house for some rice and fresh tortillas over the fire. I was struck again by how generous these women have been to me, even with the little they have to give. I ate 5 delicious tortillas, relishing their taste, and hoping it won't be the last time I can sit in the kitchen and shoot the breeze with these friends.

I am trying to be positive and look ahead to all the good things this transition will bring...but these are the things that bring me to tears...the hospitality and friendships I have found in this place; in my community in Santa Rosa and my work in rural Copan. Warm tortillas and warm smiles are the best stuff in life. Moto rides (even when the chain almost breaks!) and fresh air on scenic mountain trails are priceless perks of my job.

I came across some helpful insight as I was wrapping up my online Perspectives course this week:

Ralph Winter writes: "The fact is that when we walk in the little light we have and keep going on and on taking steps in faith, the ways in which He leads us are almost always, as we look back, something we could have never been told in advance! Untold marvels lie beyond each step of faith. You don't really have to know what is beyond the next step, and you can't find out without taking the next step."

This reminder gives me peace. I could have never known that applying for SALT was going to lead me to Nueva Suyapa and the wonderful community I found there. And if I hadn't taken that step, I would have never been in a place to take the step of faith to move to Santa Rosa. If I hadn't taken that step, I would have never learned all that I have or built the relationships that enrich my life here. I can't know what is coming in this step that takes me to San Pedro, but I know there are great things waiting me there. And it gives me confidence for the unknown steps to come.

highway of gold

Last week i found an interesting article in the newspaper. The headline reads: "The highway of gold is in Western Honduras."

Ha! I almost laughed out loud. If you have ever been to Santa Rosa by way of San Pedro (or from any direction for that matter) you know that the road is terrible. I put it in the top 5 worst highways in Honduras for most potholes and lowest average speed (due to terrible holes and curves).  It is part of the Pan-American highway that connects El Salvador to Honduras and thousands of trucks use it each day to transport goods.

According to this article, a social audit revealed that in the last 6 years, the state has invested around 490.2 million Lempiras in "maintaining" (and I use that word loosely) this destroyed artery of Honduras. That is a staggering 24.5 million dollars from a government that is "broke"-- and for a highway that is STILL horrendous. The audit states that 57.1% was for routine maintenance, 28.5% for emergency maintenance, 12.3% in emergency attention (whatever that is?), 0.6% in signage (usually to say “warning: failures in the road”) and 0.5% in studies and designs.

What I find interesting is that this article quotes someone talking about how all these repairs to the highway are like painting a wall without first patching the holes. They are not addressing the root problems of all the potholes and so it’s a continual “surface treatment” to deeper problems in the underlying road structure.

As far as I'm concerned, that’s an analogy for an overall problem that the article won’t even touch—the underlying corruption that probably diverted a huge amount of these funds to the pockets of politicians and left very little for actual repairs. And this article was just like that money: not addressing the root causes of such a problem and glossing over the issue of corruption that weakens the structure of the whole house.

It is frustrating to see such numbers and see so few results in the actual highway itself. Unfortunately, this is not the only issue that is affected by corruption. It's part of every project, in every government ministry, and in every local municipality too. How sad when even the journalists are too afraid to speak out against it. Articles like this should be voicing the frustration and outrage of such a terrible highway that should be "lined with gold." Instead, it offers little more than another layer of paint to cover the crumbling house.

where to next? Part II

As many of you may know, I have been in Honduras for 2.5+ years. My first commitment was 1 year in the SALT program and then I took a 2 year assignment with a different MCC partner in Santa Rosa de Copan. In case you were keeping track, that 2 years is up in July. So, many people have asked me--what's next?

A few months ago, I was approached about taking an interim assignment with MCC and staying in Honduras awhile longer, but moving (again!) to another city. This time to San Pedro Sula, the big, bad city, according to all Hondurans not from San Pedro! But I felt that God was opening a door, extending a new challenge my way, and after a lot of prayer, discussion, deliberation, etc, I accepted the position.

So, as of July 1st I will be the Interim country representative for MCC in Honduras! The contract is for 6 months, with the possibility of extending up to one year if they do not find new country reps soon. I will be packing up and moving to San Pedro in June, with the hopes of having a few weeks to settle in, have some more training with the current reps, and then start in July.

I am really honored that they chose me for this position and believe in my potential to fill some very big shoes and take on some very big responsibilities! Many days I wonder if I am up to the task, but I know that I will learn a lot and it will be great experience for whatever comes down the road.

Of course with any transition, there is always anxiety and nervousness about all the "new" to come. I have already learned my way around 2 cities and built a network of friends and "family" in these two very different parts of Honduras. To start again from scratch in a new place is a bit daunting. Also, knowing that it is short term (but not a clearly defined time) adds its own layer of difficulty.

Many also ask, "but what about Henry???!!!???" :) Well, he is definitely still in the picture, and he is very supportive of this new role, recognizing what a great opportunity this is for me. The plan is to take turns visiting each other on the weekends, but we will have to see how it works with our respective schedules and responsibilities. We know it will be a big change from living in the same town to being 3 hours apart, but we are both willing to make it work.

So for now, this is what I know, and this is what is next. I will get to go home at the very end of June and into July, mostly to attend some leadership training with MCC in Akron, PA...but also to meet my nephew who is arriving soon!! Very excited about that. As always, I appreciate your continued prayers and support as I wrap up my time in Santa Rosa and look ahead to all the challenges and changes of moving to San Pedro in the very near future!

where to next?

I haven't been much for bucket lists, but I do make lists! My longest list is "where to next?" or places I want to travel. This list includes many global destinations, but since coming to Honduras, there have been many in-country spots added to the list. It can be a challenge to try new things and stick within the budget, but since the beginning of the year, I have been priveleged to go several places that have been on my Honduras list:

January: Cayos Cochinos (tropical keys off the coast), Sambo Creek
March: PANACAM mountain lodge, near the lake
April: Celaque National Park, Gracias, Lempira (tallest mountain in Honduras)

This past weekend, Henry and I went with our friends Daniela and Humberto to hike part of Celaque and camp for one night (Celaque means "box of waters" in Lenca indigenous language, for all its rivers) . We made some lists to prepare (of course, the Hondurans thought our lists were crazy but were happy when we had LOTS of food!) and left Saturday morning from Santa Rosa. The trip was about 2 hours in car to get to the park, and then a few hours of hiking up to the campsite.

making good time, so we stop for a sweaty picture

The guide told us the hike is usually 2 hours to the campsite, most foreigners take at least 3, and some even more. We are proud to say we made it in 2.5 hours...the guide was even impressed with the gringas and how serious we were (ha!).

It was a strenuous hike, and carrying pound of supplies (tents, mangoes, cucumbers, hot dogs, liters of water, just to name a few...) only made it tougher.

Looking back at the climb, I think the altitude change affected us a lot more than we planned! To give you an idea:

• Santa Rosa is approximately 1,150 meters (3,773 ft) above sea level. One of the highest cities in Honduras (yes, even higher than Teguc)!
• The elevation of Gracias (town nearest Celaque) is at 800m (2600 ft) elevation. 
• I can't be sure what point we started at, but the trail was 2.8 km, ever upward, and we camped at 1,940 meters (6,364 ft).

So, even if we didn't start at zero...we started lower than where Santa Rosa is and ended 800m higher than where we live. I just read on Wikipedia that "Celaque’s terrain is very rugged, two-thirds of the area has a slope greater than 60 degrees." It was an incredible climb, but we didn't even go all the way to the top! Even so, we had a good time and were happy to make it to our campsite on Saturday afternoon. We enjoyed a rain shower, building and rebuilding fire, eating lots of hot dogs, making smores with peeps and enjoying the fresh air together. 

happy to be at the campsite!

hot dogs!

So this is part one of "where to next?" Stay tuned for a Part II coming soon.