We had cold weather! I was the happiest person you ever did see. And by cold, it was in the 60s. It lasted all of two weeks and now we are back in the 90s but oh did I enjoy every bit of the two weeks.
This Saturday (March 7th) the first team from the states will arrive. We are officially in Mission Season! We have three weeklong “Spring Break” missions back to back in March. We have teams coming down from various Seminaries, Texas A&M, Christendom and various others via FOCUS . I will do a post later in March all about missions. I am slotted to go on the first two. This time last year I was dead to the world with stomach infection. So, I am excited to report no infection this time, and thoroughly enjoying being in the thick of the last-minute chaos.
January seems so long ago. It started off in Phoenix, Arizona at the FOCUS SLS (Student Leadership Summit) Conference. I was told it was small, only 10,000 + people. . . personally my definition of small is not 10,000 but that is okay. It was a weeklong discipleship training for leaders of all back grounds working with College students. The Missioners of Christ had a booth so our team of rotated between training sessions, speakers and booth working. I felt the booth was half talking with students interested in Mission and half having “family reunions” with people from past missions. I loved hearing all the crazy stories “from back in the day” and the life changing moments people have had here in Honduras.
I also loved networking and visiting all the other booths. I fan girld SO HARD when I got to the Blessed is She booth. This ministry was such a huge part of my reconversion and to receive the opportunity to talk with Beth and Jenna, the founders (!), and share my experience with them, oh yes, I FAN GIRLD.
The week ended with a quick adventure out the Grand Canyon, (because we were in AZ, so it was a must) and froze our toes and fingers off because we thought AZ was all hot and desert and did not bring proper attire.
I flew back to NC for a few more days with my fam before heading back to Honduras.
January back in Honduras was probably the calmest and most predictable time I have ever had here. The goal is to make all the “Lesson Plans” for all the various ministries so it was a lot of brainstorming and researching. I don’t know how teachers do it. I thought my brain was going to implode.
But my Highlight moment was getting to translate for the medical brigade that came to the local hospital, San Benito. It was an orthopedic focused brigade with a lot of foot surgeries and several knee surgeries. They wanted the physical therapists in the surgery to see what they were doing so I was supposed to accompany them and translate for the doctor. But what ended up happening was that I was so fascinated by the surgery, I started asking the doctors so many questions and completely forgot to translate. The human body is so fascinating and to see all the inside and workings of the knee, yeah maybe I found a new calling because I was on cloud nine.
We hit the ground running in February. Our ministries started back up. All our kiddos in the Scholarship Program, Becas, started school.
My kid, Jeison, started 6thgrade!!! He is growing up! I have learned that I am still horrible at division, but a queen at multiplication. Tutoring isn’t my favorite, but I love working with Jeison and seeing his excitement for different subjects.
Our Lady of Suyapa is the patroness of Honduras, so the community took a day trip to do a pilgrimage to the capital and visit her shrine for her feast day.
We assisted the Franciscan Friars with their Pan de Vida (Bread of Life) retreat. I was asked to share my testimony. My first time sharing my testimony in Spanish and in front of more then 10 people (there were almost 200). But I am told it went well and everyone understood me. So that was a hugeeee affirmation in that I am growing in my Spanish.
The following weekend, Juan Carlos and Merlin were married! Juan Carlos has been with the community since the beginnings. He did the two-year program that I am doing but way back in the days. He now works with the Missioners as the Project Manager for the construction of our new retreat center. He was such a blessing to have around when I first stared as Community Director. He was the one I went to for advice or the one who called me out of my head. So it was such a privilege to be able to go to his wedding and celebrate him and Merlin. Hondurans know how to party!! When they told me the wedding was at 6pm, dinner at 8pm, cake cutting at 11pm and dancing till dawn, they WERE NOT KIDDING.
After this I had my hands full of orientation for our 4 newest members, and then a weeklong “Come and See” for people interest in joining in the community. On top all this, I was laid out with a nasty 5-day stomach infection. I discovered the butt-injections HURT and have no idea why nurses here prefer them.
But recovering from the stomach infection did not stop me from celebrating Fat Tuesday and making cinnamon rolls for everyone.
March started off with a Futbol (Soccer) tournament between Hogart Nazareth, the local girl orphanage, soccer teams from local groups and us. I was the professional Soccer Mom, making sure the team was hydrated and taken care off and quickly loosing my voice cheering and yelling. This was our first time organizing a tournament to raise funds for the Hogart Nazareth ministry and it was so successful and fun that we are already planning for the next one.
This past Monday-Wednesday, the community went on a Silent Retreat. It was so needed to help re-center, refocus and prepare mentally and spiritually for these next weeks of mission.
This is only a snapshot of these past two months. I can’t believe how much has happened in such a short span of time. God is so good. In the difficult and the Beauty. He is good.
Happy Lent! Hablamos luego!
