Jenn's Birthday, Last Week in Siguatepeque, & Packing

I have become such a slacker this week with blogging! Sorry to all of my faithful readers :)

Sunday was Jenn's Birthday!! I posted after the internet came on on Sunday but I had no idea how exciting of a night it would actually be! Osmany told us that we were all going out to eat for Jenn's birthday... which was great. We all put on our dresses and got ready to go out :) Bec looked so pretty in her dress!



We took a taxi because the vehicle was still not fixed and we headed towards Barrio El Carmen.. which may not be a big deal to you guys .. but Jenn and I knew that all of the restaurants were the other way! He finally told us that we were going to get Hermana Jamie and Hermano Hermes.. Jenn was excited but still had no idea about the surprise party waiting for us at Jamie and Hermes' house! When we got to their house, it was all decorated and there were some of our friends coming over to celebrate as well! Jamie made homemade pizza and brownies.. MMMM GOOD! Osmany also brought the cake that he bought for Jenn! WHAT A FIESTA!!

Me, Jenn, Jamie --> Jenn's B-day


Osmany, Miguel, Hermes --> Jenn's birthday


They are so precious!

Work went well this week.. I did the usual.. Hermon on Monday and Wednesday, Mobile Clinic on Tuesday, and El Porvenir on Thursday.

The most memorable account from this week was Wednesday at Hermon. It was my last day with them and I was hoping that it would be a good one! Everything was kind of slow in the morning but right before I was preparing to leave.... a group of Americans walked through the door. There was a young girl walking towards me, holding her side, and crying hysterically. I immediately asked her what was wrong or what she thought was wrong.. she told me that she has kidney stones a lot and figured that was what was going on. We got an IV started, and gave her some medication for the pain. I asked her if the people from her group (missionaries from North Carolina) had prayed over her yet... she told me no. I asked her if I could pray for her and she agreed. I felt so impressed to pray over here.. it has got to be so hard to be sick (and not just any kind of sick, but passing a kidney stone sick) and to be away from home and be somewhere where the people do not speak your language. By the time I left the clinic, Brittany's pain had eased up and I felt like she was in good hands with Thelma.

During that whole escapade... a girl about my age walked in with Brittany when she was passing her kidney stone. She is from Honduras but goes to school in North Carolina during the school year and comes home to Siguatepeque in the summer! We immediately hit it off... she is 20 yrs old and is a biology major with one more year left. She told me that she plans to apply for med school after she graduates. She was so excited and thought I would be here a little while longer.. but I had to tell her that I was leaving in just a few days! We are now friends on facebook and plan to hang out when or if I am able to come next summer! God works in the smallest ways...

Rebeca knows just how to cheer me up after work.. she got me a flower :)



I have spent most of the afternoon washing clothes and packing up.... with the occasional break to entertain Rebeca. She cannot seem to get out of my way :) I wouldn't have it any other way though!

It has been a great last week in Siguatepeque! I have gotten to spend some good time with Rebeca... we have had 2 sleepovers plus a girls night full of fingernail & toenail painting and Disney movies! I could not think of a better note to leave on... and I am so excited about the next 2 weeks in Nicaragua!

Please pray for our team as we serve in and around the town of Wiwilli, Nicaragua. Our team consists of: Terry Parks, Denise Parks, Caleb Parks, Erin Hall, Jesse Hall, Juliana Wimberly, and myself. I am flying out of San Pedro Sula at 7:05 am on Saturday morning and should be in Nicaragua by 9:35 am! --- The next time I post will probably be in the States... maybe not though.. I may see if I can't hit up an internet cafe during our weekend time!

Thank you all for your love, support, prayers, and encouragement! I would never be able to make it without such a strong support group at home! I love you!

Goodbye Honduras.. Hello Nicaragua!!

Cataratas, Goodbye's, & The Sabbath

Here we have the Pulhapanzak Catarata --> waterfall! There are no words to describe my experience at this beautiful place...

Jess and I were pretty content and amazed at just looking at the wonder.... but we stumbled upon an American that convinced us that looking was not enough! There were tour guides that take you down into the waterfall... for only 100 limpiras (5 dollars)!! We knew that there was no way that we would be happy with ourselves if we did not do it, so we went for it! I truly have no words to describe the experience it was to climb down to the waterfall and then stand under it! Jess and I just kept looking at each other saying "WOW, OH MY, I'M SO GLAD WE DID THIS, THIS IS INCREDIBLE!!!" I felt like I was standing right in the midst of all of God's glory and I was so glad that Jess was with me! The first jump we made was only about a 5 footer... a height I was pretty comfortable with. The second jump was after we had walked under the waterfall and come back up to the same lagoon, except for it was about an 8 ft jump.. still comfortable with that. Our guide asked us after we made the last jump if we wanted to go up to another waterfall. Of course we agreed and it was a pretty intense little hike.. barefoot and all :) As we came back down from the highest point, we needed to jump off of a rock about 25 ft from the lagoon! Jess and I both looked at each other and we just just pretty much agreed that we HAD TO DO IT.. gotta love an adrenaline rush, haha! After that nice little jump we went down some more to where we could jump off of a cliff that was over the river, this one was not as high as the other only being about 20 ft from the water. I wouldn't have known that it was shorter, except for the guide told us after he saw the looks of uncertainty on our faces. BUT the fearlessness took us over again and we jumped! PHENOMENAL EXPERIENCE! Words are not good enough...nothing will ever be able to top what I felt as I stood under that waterfall... God and His glory were displayed to me in a way that I have never seen or experienced before! I praise the Lord for His beautiful creation and for a wonderful friend to experience it with! Unforgettable..


Jess and I with our guide from the waterfall, Salvador.



My sweet sisters :)

Later on that evening, Osmany took the truck to a town nearby to check out a Christian bookstore. Well, Osmany made it back to the Hotel at Lago de Yajoa coasting into the parking lot with a broken clutch. This presented a huge problem for us considering we had to be at the airport on Saturday morning. Jennifer and Osmany tried calling everyone that they knew to come get us to take us to the airport in San Pedro Sula but no one answered. Finally, Pastor Roger answered his phone! He agreed immediately to send someone to get us in their new vehicle that belonged to his church in Jesus de Otoro. I'm telling you guys.. GOD IS SO GOOD! If Osmany had not taken the truck we would have broken down on the way to the airport the next morning, the Lord was taking care of us! We had a devotional Friday night and Osmany shared from His heart about all of the trials that we had been facing and the Lord spoke to my heart. Here is what I have been able to gather....with some help from Elisabeth Elloit's book "Passion & Purity" :) The amazing thing about our victory as believers is that it doesn't always come from the escape of trials. The Apostle Paul endured public flogging, starvation, and many other things.. he did not escape trouble, yet he was able to say he was winning the victory through Jesus. We have such a limited vision when it comes to love, most of us cannot imagine a love that does not protect us from suffering. The love of God does not hate tragedy. It never denies reality. It stands in the very teeth of suffering. The love of God did not even protect His own Son.. that was the proof of His love. He will not necessarily protect us - not from anything it takes to make us like His Son. These things that we walked through: no electricity for days, the car breaking down, the man approaching us in Panes, are not as extreme as Paul's public flogging but what really matters when it comes to suffering is that we make the right use of it. We have to take advantage of the sense of helplessness it brings to turn our thoughts to God. TRUST is the lesson! (Elisabeth Elloit, Passion & Purity). 1 Peter 5:10 says, "After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." If all of the struggles and sufferings were taken away.. where would the victory be and how would we ever grow? There is no victory without first fighting a battle... and how would you know joy when you do not know suffering?

Saturday proved itself to be pretty eventful as well... Jess and I woke up abnormally early and could not go back to sleep. The ride to San Pedro Sula was supposed to arrive at the hotel at 8 am, but because we are in Honduras, he did not come until 9. This put us getting to the airport later than we would have liked but we still enjoyed the ride in a nice air-conditioned vehicle :)

From what I hear... the bunny has been in the United Sates and Africa already, so it had to make its debut in Honduras as well :)



We were about 10:15 making it to the airport with Jess's flight leaving out at 11:50. NOT ENOUGH TIME!!! We waited in line with Jess, Jamie, and Sarah for over an hour trying to get their boarding passes and their luggage checked. The airport is super busy right now because of the airport in Tegucigalpa being closed.. so there were 3x as many people than there would normally be! Jess had to unload some things out of her suitcase to make it under 50 lbs because they would not let her pay because there was not enough time. So in the midst of cramming the backpack full of souvenirs and running to the other side of the airport to get them up to their gate, there was not much time to say goodbye. We got to the ramp and they wouldn't let us pass with her because of the outrageous number of people so we hugged and said a few last words and off she went! Jennifer, Rebeca, and I watched her through the glass windows until she made it through security. Jess told me that as soon as she walked up to the gate to get on the plane they were making the last boarding call! TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT PEOPLE!!! But, as always, the Lord got her on the plane at just the right time!

Pastor Roger's son drove us back to Siguatepeque on Saturday afternoon. It was weird to come back home to an empty house after all of the hustle and bustle that had filled it's walls for the past 4 weeks. The electricity was back on... and we discovered that the refrigerator and most of the other electrical appliance (except for Jenn's computer) had been spared during the power surge on Wednesday night.... so that was a positive note :)

Sunday morning we woke up to no electricity again. Surprise, Surprise!! Later we found out that it was a scheduled outage and that it would not be back on again until 4 30 pm. So that meant that I had a whole day to try to pass with NOTHING TO DO! At first it was hard, really hard, but I resolved to spend the rest of the day resting in the Lord. I was able to spend it praising Him through song, reading His Word, reading Passion and Purity, and praying about the things that were so heavily on my heart. About the time I was wrapping it up, 4 30 pm, the electricity was back!

This is my last week here in Honduras and I can hardly believe it is time to move on to a different phase of ministry for the summer! On Saturday morning I will be flying out of San Pedro Sula at 7 05 am to head to Nicaragua! I will be meeting a group from my church at home to serve with them for 2 weeks! I am really excited about getting to see Nicaragua but even more excited about my reunion with my church family!

Please pray for me as I strive to "be all here" during these last 4 days of life here in Siguatepeque. I just want the Lord to use me..

Walk by Faith.. Not by Sight

So.. I have to admit.. I was complaining the other day about not having much to blog about over the last few days.. BUT the Lord made sure that I had a story to tell you from last night! haha..

I was talking on facebook chat, enjoying myself. Jess was in the shower and we were getting ready to go to bed for the night. All of a sudden, the electricity surged through the whole house but came back on quickly. The lights were brighter than before but it went out again. Jess and Jenn in mid-shower and I was in mid-conversation... everything was BLACK. Osmany went to go check it out after smelling the smoke and just about electracuted himself. The surge protector that protects our computer, printer, telephone, and pretty much everything else is scortched. Praise the Lord the electronics were spared! About 10 minutes after the whole sha-bang, we saw sparks outside.. NOT GOOD.. haha. No fires were spotted but the house reaked of smoke. Rebeca and the Arkansas women slept through the whole thing, but Jennifer, Osmany, Jess, and I were up throughout the whole thing. I am glad that we were up, there is no telling what could have caught fire if we would not have been able to turn everything off. For safety reasons, Osmany wanted everything turned off for the night. He says the electrical wiring in the house is bad. So, as of right now, there is no internet, phone, t.v., and anything that you can think of that takes electricity to work! We do have WATER! God is so good my friends, He knows you have to have water to survive! haha


Jess and I getting ready for bed last night.. in the DARK! The head light and the flash do not do the darkness justice!

I am posting from an internet cafe and I am hoping that everything will be back on soon!

Lots of business at El Porvenir today! About 16 patients and I am pretty sure that everyone of them were sick enough to have a shot or some kind of treatment that involved penitration of the skin. The one that stole my heart today was Christopher... this (macho castretcho) -- it means a strong Honduran-- had a horrible fungal infection on his foot. We had to clean it because it was infected and then give him 2 shots for infection. It took more than one stick because he tensed up so much that the medicine would not go in. When kids are scared .. they have this superhuman strength that I cannot explain! It took me, Jess, his mother, and the other nurse working to get the job done. But he was so brave and courageous.. I think he took my heart with him when he walked out of the door :)


I mean... isn´t that just the most precious little boy you have ever seen?

We are leaving for Lago de Yajoa tomorrow morning! Jess is flying out on Saturday .. man I am going to miss that girl! She has been such a blessing, words cannot express my thankfulness and the joy that she has brought to this experience! God was so faithful to provide the partner that He knew that I would need.. He is good!

SUNDAY

What an incredible experience it was going to Panes this morning! It was just Jess, Osmany, and me and we left around 9 am. We stopped at the grocery store to get suckers --> "bon bons" and juice before heading out of town. Osmany told us to bring along the soccer ball and the frisbees so we could play with the kiddos. Jess and I were a little unsure about playing because she was in a skirt and I was in a dress, we were extremely sore, and we were going with the expectation of sitting through a church service (even though playing with kids sounded much more fun than sitting in a service that you can't understand)! But we got there and did everything we could to get them to play with us while Osmany met with the leaders of the village regarding the building of the church there in Panes. The soccer ball usually brings them out pretty quickly but it was still moving slow and they seemed to be a little on the skiddish side. I told them we were going to play soccer and THEN they ran to get all of their buddies! Jess was sitting over to the side, after her graceful fall, trying to communicate with the young girls... she was doing such a great job! I saw her taking pictures of them and laughing and the next time I looked over there, she had them all around in a circle throwing a frisbee! I started the boys in a game of soccer and they had a blast! I had so much fun kicking around with them... I think I may have worked some of my soreness out :)









I debated whether or not to share this next tidbit with you, but I think God will receive glory from it, so here it is! In the middle of everything, a man approached me in the village. Jess said that she saw him walk up with a group of men and then the next thing she knew, he was right beside me trying to get my attention. He didn't seem to be in his right mind with all of the kisses he was blowing at me and all of the derogatory things he was saying... my guess was that he had been drinking in celebration of Honduras winning the big soccer game last night. I told him to leave us alone, we were playing with the children and he just kept on and on. I finally told him that if he didn't leave that I was going to get Don Juan (the village leader) and Osmany. He still kept saying things, the whole time his machete in one hand swinging back and forth and a cigarette in the other. I started to walk towards the building where Osmany was and when I turned around, I realized that I was in a bad situation. EVERY child had stopped the soccer game and stopped throwing the frisbee and had made their way over by the truck, every one of them with eyes the size of golf balls. I had been very calm up until that point but once I saw the fear in their eyes, I knew this was an issue. When I turned to go into the building, the man began to walk off so I just let him go on. I asked the children if they knew his name and they told me they did not know him and that he was not from Panes. We cannot expect the people who walk in darkness to live like they are in the light. Knowing how dark this village and the surrounding villages are, it just makes me realize that there is still much more work to be done, many more needs need to be met. We did not see the man the rest of the time we were in the village, praise the Lord! God's hand was on us today in Panes and He protected me. Satan does not want us there loving on those children and building the church... but it was the Lord's will that we were there! He is good my friends, He is good!

We continued to play with the children until the meeting was over... more soccer and frisbee and then they threw in there some climbing and handstands! They are so FUNNY! It has been a joy to watch most of these kids grow up for the past 3 years and to see them open up more and more each year is INCREDIBLE! These kiddos are awesome!





After the meeting ended, we passed out the "bon bons", told the kids goodbye, and went back down the mountain. We stopped by the house of a little boy that Jennifer and Osmany know and Osmany wanted us to meet him. We walked up the mountain to get to their house and met the infamous Lucas himself and his family! His little smile was just so precious and he seemed to be the happiest of his siblings. Sweet Lucas was in a wheel chair, which was a new one since the last pictures of him were taken. Lucas was born with an opening in his back, this hole was how he used the bathroom. However, Jenn and Osmany took up an offering for him and his family was able to take him to a hospital to close the opening in his back and they also pulled a stoma through to the front of his abdomen. His mother had a towel wrapped around the colostomy, no bag or anything protecting it.. and yep.. you guessed it... INFECTED. He has an appointment to go back to the doctor soon, but we hope to be able to get Dr. Leo to go out and check on him before his visit to the hospital to see if there is anything we an do in the mean time. Despite all of this, he is a very happy little boy. Lucas tells Osmany that he wants to be a pastor :) Thank the Lord for this precious boy that loves Him! I know that He is going to use Lucas mightily for His Kingdom!



We went to church this evening in the area that we will be doing the Vacation Bible School. It was fun to fellowship with the people and to enjoy one another's company as well. Jess and I entertained Rebeca for some of the service outside, well Rebeca probably entertained herself more with my camera than I ever could have entertained her! Bec wanted to take a picture of our feet.. our DIRTY feet! It reminded me of the scripture in Isaiah 52 "how beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news of good things.." Jess and I have decided that you can't be a good disciple and have clean feet ... at least here in Honduras :)


Back to Hermon tomorrow! As Jess begins her last week here in Honduras, please pray that the Lord would continue to speak to her and that he would use us for His glory! We will also be doing VBS every afternoon with Jennifer, Jamie, and Sarah.... so please pray for the kids that will be loved on during that time. Pray that the Lord's ways would be made known and that He would receive the glory that He is due!

Sta. Rosa Copan & The Mayan Ruins

I had an amazing 2 days in Copan, it was everything I thought it would be AND then some! We woke up early Thursday morning and headed out from Siguatepeque, it ended up being a 4 1/2 hour trip excluding stops.... still no air conditioner in the car, so we needed to get out every few hours to cool off at a gas station or something. Rebeca slept in my lap pretty much the whole way, such precious times! Once we made it to Copan, everyone checked into the Hotel Granditas Mayas and then Jess and I went shopping! We mostly just looked because we knew we would be able to shop again the next day... BECAUSE the water park that we thought we were going to.. ended up being 2 swimming pools and 2 slides! So disheartening, haha! See for yourself:



One of the most beautiful sites was just walking in the city of Copan. The streets are cobblestone, ALL of them! Most of the streets are just dirt roads here in Honduras and to see something as pretty as cobblestone is rare! The town was so quaint, one could tell that it is a tourist hot spot but never the less it was so great!



Thursday night we went out to eat at a restaurant in town, Jess and I had the typical Honduran meal : beef, refried beans, tortillas, fried plantains, cheese, avocado, and rice. I love the typical food here, I am going to miss it when I am not here anymore!


So Friday morning we woke up and headed to see the Ruins. The weather was gorgeous, really sunny, about 85 degrees, and not a cloud in the sky! We walked up on the first set of ruins and all Jess and I wanted to do was run up it! Just to think that I walked on something that is thousands of years old, blows my mind! These ancient Mayans had a nack for building things :)



As fun it it was to run up it, we realized that it may be even more fun to jump off and taking fun jumping pictures! We must have done this 10 times each and let me tell you, it was a workout!







I was able to get a good picture of our sweet family here in Honduras! I love these guys, they are my heart!


We walked around to each site and read a little bit about the history and talked about how amazing the intricate carvings were. Most of the separate statues were used as alters to sacrifice animals or people to their pagen gods.



There were TONS of "Guacamaya", birds that look like HUGE parrots! They are native to this area and apparently were there when the Mayans were in Copan as well. They used them in many of their carvings and for a mascot-like figure for the game they played with a ball. Not like games we play these days, it was a gruesome story about how they through this concrete ball at the Guacamayan statues and if they hit them they got a point.. which ever team lost, one of their women had to be sacrificed to their pagan gods. Crazy!





After walking on the ground and seeing everything up close, they had a place you could hike up to see an aerial view of the whole Mayan Temple. Quite the hike I would say but SO WORTH IT! Everything was so full of vegetation, color, and life! The Lord overwhelmed me with His goodness and His glory as I stood there on the mountain. I felt so alive as I stood there.





This little one was such a trooper! She did the whole ruin tour with us and did so well! I love her so much!


Once the tour was over, we headed back to our hotel for a rest and then for some more shopping! Before supper, Jess and I decided to go up to the roof and relax in the hammocks. As I was laying there, I had another unexplainable moment with the Lord. His beauty just amazes me and it takes my breath away. I realized that I was laying in a hammock on the roof of our hotel in Honduras, Central America, watching the sun go behind the mountains. It does not get any more surreal than that!



Woke up this morning and I can honestly say, I do not remember the last time my legs where this sore! Okay, maybe when I went snowboarding.. but you would think that snowboarding would make your legs sore! We picked up Jamie and Sarah from Eldorado, Arkansas, at the San Pedro Sula Airport and then headed home to Siguatepeque! I have enjoyed getting to know them and I am sure that we will have a great week! Jess and I will be working our normal schedule in the mornings and then doing VBS with them in the afternoons. I cannot believe that Jess is leaving in one week.. I will sure miss her when she leaves but we are going to have such a GREAT week!

Please pray for us as we wrap up our time together here in Honduras, that the Lord would continue to use us in whatever ways He sees fit! We are here to be His hands and His feet... pray that His light would shine through us.

I can hardly believe that yesterday was pretty much my first day not to blog since I have been back from Olanchito! But don't worry, you didn't miss anything important :) We did not go to the Mobile Clinic because there are no activities at the Hospital this week, now tell me when that would ever happen in the States?? Instead of sitting at home, we decided to surprise Dr. Suazo and Thelma with our faces on a Tuesday! They seemed to be glad to see us and Jess was able to get some more injection practice :)

Today, however, was an interesting day! We went back to Hermon today and it was the most steady day we have had these past 3 weeks. Jess gave 2 or 3 more injections and the ones she did not want to do, I did. I gave one to a screaming 4 year old, you would have thought we were going to kill him. But it was nothing that I monkey sticker did not fix :) It is amazing how resilient kids are. An elderly woman came in to the clinic today and she was very faint and could hardly walk. She needed medication intravenously so it was my job to do that. Her veins were small, skinny, and they would give out very easily. Every time I attempted I was able to enter the vein successfully but after injecting the medicine, her veins would just blow. It took 3 attempts with medication going in at each point to get it all in her system. Sweet lady just slept through the entire process, I doubt she will even know what happened to her. Dr. Suazo's last day with us was today, he is taking his vacation over the next 3 weeks so we will not be seeing him anymore :( He thanked us for our work and told us that he would love to see us again next summer! I just love them!


We are leaving for Copan tomorrow morning! I am sure that I will have TONS of pictures and stories to share after this fun little vacation! We will just be driving to Copan tomorrow, a 4 1/2 hour trip and then doing some souvenir shopping for the rest of the evening. Friday we will be touring the Mayan Ruins during the morning and in the afternoon going to the Water Park! We will stay in Copan on Friday night and on Saturday morning make our way to San Pedro Sula to pick up a team of 2 women that will be working with us for the week. I am sure this is going to be an incredible week! Please pray for the team as they travel down and for Jess and I as we serve our last week together! I cannot believe this summer is already on the down-slide..

Thank you all so much for leaving comments! Please don't stop! I get so excited to read them and you have no clue how much of an encouragement they are! I love you all and cannot wait to see you!

POR FAVOR!!!

To ALL of My Blog Readers:

After seeing such a generous response from Jessica Young's request on her blog, jealousy took over and I just had to ask you all to do the same thing.... PLEASE leave me a comment if you read my blog! I know many of you guys read it so just drop me a line and let me know who you are!

So none of you will use this as an excuse, here are 4 simple steps to leave a comment:
1) Click on the comments link at the bottom of the post
2) Type a message in the "leave your comment" box and make sure to include your name
3) Select anonymous
4) Then PUBLISH that stuff

You guys mean the world to me and you have no clue how much of an encouragement you are! Thank you for being such a real part of my ministry here. I love you and miss you!

Spanish Word of the Day:
Por Favor --> Please

WEEKENDS!!!

here is the video ... the one that Jess doesn't want me to put up :)




Yesterday (Saturday) was a pretty uneventful day. The highlight was going to eat at Bongo's... and to be honest, I really wouldn't even consider it a highlight because the food was not very good! Haha.. NOT what I was expecting! Jess and I had some good girl time and enjoyed our day off from work. We were also able to talk to our friends that had just made it in from Africa.. it was so good to hear from them and know that they are safe! God used them in incredible ways, I cannot wait to hear more!

Today we slept until 10 am, I CANNOT for the life of me remember when the last time it was that I have done that! FELT SO GOOD! Jess and I decided to take a hike this morning after we got up and ate breakfast, we only went for 40 minutes but it was good to be out in the sunlight and to be moving around! Not hard to admire the Lord's creation here :)



After lunch we washed some clothes, I wrote some thank you letters, and read a book! At 5 pm we headed to Jesus de Otoro to go to Iglesia Bautista Nazert for their 7th anniversary as a church. It was Jess's first experience in a church here in Honduras and I would have to say it was not the funnest! Haha, the church service was over 2 hours long and when it is in a language that is not your own .. as you can imagine it makes things hard to concentrate! I was glad that we brought a book to read on because the pastor preached for an hour and a half! The sweet people from the church fed us before we left, so hospitable! If there is one thing I could learn from these people and bring back to my home in Monroe, it would be the gift of HOSPITALITY! They have an incredible nack for it!



The drive home was nice, we were able to listen to some music and look at Siguatepeque lit up at night as we drove in. Lots of laughs with Jennifer, Osmany, Rebeca, and Jess :) We just HAD to make a pit stop at KOBS to get some icecream to finish off a great day! And OH BOY, it was GOOD!

Spanish Word of the day:
Icecream --> Helado

Life Is Good

Today was another fun filled day at Hermon. It was quite possibly the busiest day at a clinic that we have had so far this summer, 16 patients! Nothing too interesting, just stayed busy! Came home and shopped on the internet for a while, did not buy anything.. it is just fun to look sometimes. Haha, you know?

Jess and I had a bit of an adventurous spirit this afternoon and decided to take a walk into the central part of town. We wanted to try to find some tomales, mangos, tortillas and other Honduran foods to satisfy our cravings... well we got caught in the rain! Made it to the grocery store just in time before the bottom fell out and shopped around until the rain subsided. We found tostacas (Honduran treats), pan dulce (sweet bread), and other random treats that looked nice. On the way back to the house we stumbled upon the tortilla makers, the fruit cart, and the tomales! I was excited that we had found the market! However, they did not have the kind of tomales that I wanted... but they did have the tortillas and some GINORMOUS mangos! It was really fun to walk around and get to know the city a little better, we probably walking about 3 or 4 miles all together :)

We watched a video in the "Wising Up" series by Beth Moore tonight. She had a good word about being a wise wife! Or maybe I should say LOTS OF GOOD WORDS! I have not the slightest clue who the Lord has for me in this area, much less am I married and I felt the Lord speaking so strongly to my heart! Praise the Lord for holding wisdom in the palm of His hand and offering it to us... all we have to do is go get it!

For those of you who do not know, I have many friends traveling home from Africa as we speak. Please pray for them as they make this long journey home. Pray that the Lord would protect them and bring them home safely to us; pray that He would continue to use them as they are lights for Him, even in the most unlikely places.

Osmany is coming home tomorrow from his week in the Mosquitia, so I am sure we will spend the day relaxing and hearing of the Lord's work in the eastern part of Honduras. I am praying that this weekend will be restful, meaningful, and full of the Lord's presence!

Spanish Word of the day:
Busy --> Ocupado

Shalom

Community Clinic today.. we got left this morning! HA! The hospital payed for us to take a taxi into El Porvenir, so everything ended up working out. There were about 10 patients today, so I'm pretty sure we had something to do for all of about 1.5 hours out of the 5 hours that we were at the clinic. One could say that it was boring, but Jess and I really never seem to have that problem :) God has truly blessed me with an incredible friend and sister! The spare time made for some good pictures, a funny video that Jess really doesn't want me to put up but don't worry...I am going to anyways, amazing conversation, rest, and reading!


So, I just want to go ahead and tell you that God is rocking my world on a DAILY basis here. Jess and I have been talking about this peace that we cannot describe or explain that has overtaken us since being here in Honduras. As I was reading in Velvet Elvis today, the section "Shalom" appeared. I thought to myself, NO WAY! Rob Bell talks about peace not just being the absence of strife but instead the presence of the goodness of God! There is a feeling of wholeness and completeness.. I want to tell you that this is EXACTLY what we have been talking about! I feel so complete and whole, and I'm pretty sure that it has nothing to do with me. Yes, God called me here and here I am but I think there is more to it than that. He does not have to give me this peace, but He does. Because He is good. And even more mind blowing, He would still be the same God, a God that is good, even if I did not have this peace. It is all about Him receiving the glory. May my life NEVER cease to bring Him the praise that He so rightly deserves, may the world know God because of the peace that He has put in my life. SHALOM.

Spanish Word of the day:

Peace --> Paz

Rainy Days...

We decided to grace Hermon today with our presence, and OH BOY were we ever glad that we did :) Haha, there were all of about 5 patients! However, Jess was given the opportunity today to give her first injection and she did WONDERFUL! I thought it was cool because I was able to teach her and watch her in action for the first time :) Not many people get to do that...

Our walk home was pretty today, you can check out Jess Young's blog if you want to see what it looks like :) We went into town today to run some errands, check out a clothing store called Charrion (Jess and I were actually surprised at their selection of clothing) and we hit up KOBS on the way out! Cookies and Cream on a waffle cone... mmmm, reminds me of home :) It rained on us most of the time we were in town but thankfully it slacked off as we started on our walk home. We took some pictures of the scenery and our precious friends!







Tomorrow we will go with the Community Clinic to El Porvenir. Hopefully there will be many more opportunities to practice skills!

"No Reserves, No Retreats, No Regrets" - William Borden. This quote has been on my mind and heart today. I want to "BE HERE" so bad that I can't see straight. It has been a day of missing my family, friends, church family, and just everyday things that you don't even realize. But even though I miss you guys, I wouldn't be anywhere else right now. I want to have no regrets when I leave this place and I want to know that I was obedient to do what the Lord called me to do every single step of the way. He has indeed given me a peace that surpasses all understanding and for that I am grateful!

Spanish Phrase of the Day is BACK!!!
Que le vaya bien! = (It's basically a way to say, "Have a good day, Go well")

Thanks for your comments, your prayers, and your love!

AHH It Is ALL About The EXPERIENCE!!!

Another day with the Mobil Clinic, we went to a village named Santa Rosita. My first time ever with the Mobil Clinic we went to this same village but MANY things were different about this trip! A new doctor worked with us, Doctor Molina. And there was the usual crew of Alex, Rosalia, and Miguel (dentist). We pulled up and we weren't at the Centre de Salud, we were at the church. No one was exactly sure why we were not at our normal spot but being as flexible as these people are here in Honduras... no one complained and began to set up for the day. Things started off pretty normal, we helped pull files for patients and checked their weight, blood pressure, and blood sugar for those who needed it. After we finished with pre-consult info we helped Rosalia get the medication for each patient after they came out of their consult.







At the end of the line of patients, they always have "citologias" for some females. Now for those of you who are not medical majors, I am going to go ahead and apologize, you may not want to read if you are not into medicine. But for those of you who would be excited to hear about this, the Doctor needed some help so I went back to assist him! Citologia means Pap Smear in English! The Doctor had a small 5X5 room with a lantern to light the way! We got a flashlight and I assisted him with the first one. The next one, he got Jess to come in and help. During the process, he asked me if I would like to actually DO the test. Of course, I did not turn down the opportunity! So I did a Pap Smear today with Jess's assistance! The Doctor said that many of the women are more comfortable if another woman does their test. I was very thankful for the opportunity to learn more about the human body and to get some hands on experience is PRICELESS! Below is a picture of the room the Doctor did his consults in... SMALL!



The clinic ended, we packed everything up and the crew decided they wanted to "explore" the mountain! Haha, it was a fun experience! We must have gone up some of the steepest inclines I have ever seen and somehow we made it out on the main road! So I guess the exploratory work did its job! The scenery was beautiful and we enjoyed the time of fellowship with our friends!





Going to Hermon tomorrow.. pray for us!

"Galletas Bonitas" --- beautiful crackers :) Haha, I guess "beautiful crackers are better than ugly crackers" - Hannah Brown

We went to Hermon today, and it was a rather slow day, as you may can tell by our picture taking with the "beautiful crackers". Jess and I always seem to make the best of it though! I gave a few injections, helped with medication, and we did some bookkeeping for their records. Jess will be giving an injection sometime soon, so you can just go ahead and be praying for the Lord to give her boldness :) Over all, it was a good day at La Clinica Medica Bautista!

After we finished at the clinic, we rode up-town to buy some groceries and to have lunch. My favorite thing about eating lunch in the grocery store is that I can have "Jamaica" juice. It is fabulous! Played with Rebeca outside for a while today, I just love the girl! Rested, watched a movie, ate some good ole' pizza and rice crispy treats, and now I am ready for another day!

Tomorrow we are going with the Mobil Clinic to Santa Rosita. I have been to this village before, so it will be cool to be able to visit again! Pray for Jess and I as we serve the people in whatever way the Lord may call us to serve. Pray for safety as we travel into the mountains and pray that His light will shine through us. I love you and miss you all!

RELAXATION!!!

After a busy week of adjusting to Siguatepeque, recovering from illnesses, working in the villages and clinics, Jess and I were pumped about a weekend of relaxation! I have to admit, my attitude about it was probably not the best at first but I have come to realize that I really needed this time of rest! It felt so good to sleep in until 9 am on Saturday morning! I was able to spend a bunch of time reading, praying, and meditating on the things the Lord is doing in my life. We watched movies, napped, talked, ate, played with Rebeca and just pretty much did WHATEVER! Jennifer, Jess, and myself started Beth Moore's "Wising Up" series on Proverbs Wisdom this past week and watched the second session last night. After the session was over, the Lord opened up doors for great conversation and LOTS of fellowship! We must have talked for 3 hours after the movie was over about the situations in each of our lives :) I know some of you were praying for our time together, THANK YOU! I saw the Lord answer prayers as we were going last night! Since we didn't go to bed until around 2 am this morning, we slept in until 10 am! Jess and I laughed because it is the latest we have stayed up since being here in Honduras! This morning has been spent just spending some more time with the Lord and getting some clothes washed since the rain has stalled for a while.


I have been reading Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell since being in Honduras. Something that has really struck me over the past few days of reading it is that he explains Christianity as "a way". I really thought that was an interesting way of explaining things. Rob Bell states "As a Christian, I am simply trying to orient myself around living a particular kind of way, the kind of way that Jesus taught possible. And I think that the way of Jesus is the best possible way to live." He says "that whenever we purposefully try to live the way of Jesus, we find ourselves living more and more in tune with ultimate reality. Because Jesus said that when we see Him, we in turn have 'seen the Father'. Through His compassion, peace, truth telling, and generosity, He was showing us God. This makes God the ultimate reality. The kind of life Jesus was living was perfectly and completely in connection and cooperation with God, this makes it the best possible way to live life." Just food for thought :)


Please pray that this week I will be sensitive to the Lord's leading, wherever that may be. I want to soak up every opportunity that He brings my way. Pray that there will be learning opportunities at the clinic for Jess and I both to be able to grow as nurses. Please pray that the Lord would lead us to be a servant no matter where we are at, pray that His light would shine through us.

Your prayers, encouragement, facebook messages,and blog comments have been so inspiring! Please keep them coming! Thank you for your support and your love! You guys are a huge part of ministry here in Honduras! I love you!

This picture was taken at some point during the week, but I thought it was too precious not to share :)