After a couple of years of not editing the website and even more years of not adding a blog post, I'm back online!! A lot has happened in those 7 years since my last post, but thanks to the support of many people, I'm still living in and loving Honduras!! I'm still teaching at a bilingual school, and am taking university classes here (it would be a second bachelor's). Stay tuned, more to come! I love to see the things my students create! Not sure why this little guy is frowning, though. We do have a lot of bananas and some monkeys here. Instead of an apple, a student brought this lovely avocado for me!
0 Comments
Good Morning! My favorite bird call:
For Yesterday's written update, scroll down to see "Things That Last" which was posted on Sunday, May 25th, 2014 As always, click on the picture to see the full image and caption. Also, there are 2 different groups of photos in this post, so don't forget to scroll all the way down to see images from Semana Santa. Various Pictures From the Last Few Months Pictures in this group include random photos, my visa trip, a church that we visited in the city, the teachers' conference for teachers (from throughout the surrounding communities) that was hosted at our school, and one of the local churches that I've started attending every-other week. Semana Santa Small excursion to Rio Coco, decorating Easter eggs here, and preparing to go to the beach behind our houses.
Perhaps some of you may have noticed in pictures that I’ve posted that I’ve lost a little bit of weight since I’ve been here. In fact, my clothes have dropped about 3-4 sizes since I first arrived. (I had lost about 10 lbs. before I left the USA, and the weight has continued to decrease since then—even though I’m eating a lot of foods with oil in them. I’m walking more than I did in the USA and feel physically better than I have in a while.) Except the clothes that were a bit too small when I brought them, the first sets of clothes that I brought don’t really fit. The ones that were on the small side when I brought them I can still make work, and the clothes that I bought at the thrift store while I was home in April on my short visa trip are only slightly too big, but at least are just annoying to keep pulling up, and not unable to stay on my body at all or in danger of falling off at inopportune times. Anyway, here in Honduras, all school kids wear uniforms to school, but one day a month is designated as Dia de Colorido when they can wear something besides their uniforms. A couple of weeks ago, I heard that the girls in our house were going to be given a little bit of money to go to some thrift stores in the city to buy a few new pieces of clothing. (There are thrift stores in Honduras?) I was told that the girls had complained that some of their classmates had been making fun of them for wearing the same thing every month. Really?? This is Honduras. This is rural Honduras. People here don’t have a lot of clothes. When I came, I brought just over a week’s worth, and I hadn’t really thought much about clothes. When I found out that we were being asked to take the girls to the thrift stores, I was a bit indifferent for a few moments until I realized that I could get clothes that actually fit. When we went to the city last weekend, despite my initial thoughts on clothes here, I assuaged my conscious that was saying, “I don’t really need new clothes because I can still make-do” with the fact that some of the pieces really would fall off if they weren’t pinned (as though that changed the fact that I could still make-do), and I had trouble stopping myself from buying more. I realized later, that it wasn’t only the girls who wanted pretty, new things to help make themselves look nice. On the bus ride home, at one of the stops, a woman waved some money out of the bus window and called, “agua, agua” (water, water) to the vendors outside. She was hoping to buy some of the water that they sell in bags. (At various bus stops, vendors sell a variety of food and drink items—often boarding the bus to display their wares and try to convince someone to become a customer. One of the things that they sell is commercially packaged water-- but in bags, not bottles. I have no idea why it comes in bags as opposed to the bottles that you can buy in restaurants here.) I could relate to the woman’s desire for water, because, as is often the case, the girls had drunk a good bit of the water that I brought along, and I didn’t have any left. I was sort of hoping that if she was successful, I could buy some water, too. Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone at that stop was selling water, and she (and I) continued the ride thirsty. This little vignette reminded me of the basic simplicity of our necessities and how transient are things like clothes (as evidenced by the number of thrift stores here that are selling clothes that so many people have cast off). So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. After we arrived home, I was tired and decided to have a cup of Ramen Noodles for supper. I heated the water in the microwave using a stoneware cup. Here at the house, we have an odd assortment of dishes, but they can basically be put into one of two categories: plastic or stoneware. Very early on, I decided that I liked the stoneware much better. First of all, it was easier to tell if all of the soap, food, and grease was off, and secondly, it is much better for microwaving without adding extra carcinogens to my food. However, in addition to those qualities, the stoneware just seems more permanent and doesn’t seem as disposable as plastic (even though, environmentally speaking, plastic is not a good thing of which to dispose). To me, the plastic represents the constant change that is in this place, in this house, and in the lives of the girls. And, unlike the stoneware which has a definite shape and will be broken if it is thrown away, the plastic is just sort of, well, plastic. Also, the weight of the stoneware in my hands is comforting. The heaviness gives the dishes a feeling of their being something of substance. The weight in my hands make the dishes feel more valuable than the lightweight plastic. So, all of these thoughts on transience, weight, and substance have me thinking about a valuable, eternal weight of glory. (Now, if you know the verses I’m referencing and are starting to worry about my wasting away, be assured that I intend not to continue losing weight indefinitely.) I wonder if the “weight” of glory refers not only to a quantity but a quality. It seems that it would be a very large amount of something of significance and great value. The things of this earth are passing away, but in their place something much greater is coming. What hope that provides! If your circumstances find you less than joyous, then it is easy to long for this new thing that God is doing. And if your circumstances find you full of joy on most days, can you even imagine what it will be like in eternity? When I was home I found that if I took the “long view” of things, that is if I tried to look at things in light of eternity, that would help to clarify what really mattered in life and where I wanted to invest my time and energy. The same is true for me here. Clothes and nice things are okay (although they can be bad if the desire for them is taken too far) but there is something so much greater waiting for us. How can we invest our time and energy today, right now, in something that will last into eternity? This year, I am so very happy and feeling fulfilled because it is clear that this is where I am supposed to be, and that what I am doing makes a difference. However, making a difference can, and needs to be, done everywhere. There are so many ways to make a positive difference in the world. You can use art, music, advocacy, education, hospitality, and many other means – even just a smile to the grumpy customer in front of you at the store-- to do this, but it all ultimately boils down to people. Where-ever there are people, and last time I checked there are about 7 billion other people on this Earth besides me, there are ways that you can interact with them to make the world a little brighter and tell them about your Great Hope which will one day “become sight”. Your own children and the children in your community need you. The elderly people who are lonely need you. The family down the street with a problem (or maybe the family with the problem is yours) needs you. People without homes or money need you, and people that think they have everything going in life just the way they want it need you. Your friends need your encouragement and laughter. Just share life with people. And as we extend the grace that has been extended to us “to more and more people, may it increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God”. Trying to remember in my daily life to look beyond the things that are seen and obvious to the things that are unseen and not-so-obvious. Pondering more ways that I can do something of substance. Something that will last. Pondering a weight of glory. :) Kathryn 2nd Corinthians 4:13-18 (ESV)13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. Little OnesLunches and a "tour" of our kitchenSo here is what we pretty much have in our kitchen: Spices: Cumin, salt, pepper, (and I requested someone bring me some cinnamon from the store in Ceiba) *Correction from original post: we also have Oregano which comes in handy (for pizza, of course!) and Ginger and a couple of other assorted spices -- neither of which I think anyone has used very often, if at all In the cabinets or on the counters: "regular" wheat flour maseca (basically flour made from corn) Manteca (which is a supposedly like a vegetable oil... I get the vegetable part since it is made from palm nuts --or fruit or something-- that is crushed, but I don't get the oil part since it is a solid at room temperature. It comes in tubes that look like the pre-made Pillsbury cookie dough that you can buy in the refrigerated section of the store. ) sugar baking powder tomato paste (comes in tubes/bags that sort of look like cake icing bags) Maggi cubes (These are bouillon cubes. Ours are always chicken flavored.) cans of coconut milk a few cans of mixed vegetables and also of spinach packets of drink mix (Tang or Zuko or whatever) dried red beans rice pineapple watermelon cantaloupe lots of actual vegetable oil, and I think we may have vinegar cornflakes and Fruit Loops eggs (yes, they sit always on the counter) oats (at my request) semita (while it lasts) (these are a sort of sweet tasting roll, but they have yeast in them) salsa de soya (Soy Sauce-- but I'm not sure if we've had anything with that in it) platanos (plantains) and guineos (green bananas, I think...) cups of ramen noodles (always chicken flavored) In the refrigerator: milk a type of crumbly, medium-hard, salty white cheese that doesn't melt (and that I don't particularly care for) When I go to the store (which has only been twice since I've been here), or when someone who is going to the store will buy some for me, I get cheddar or other more familiar types of cheese. Someone was also able to bring back a large container of strawberry flavored yogurt. (In the mornings, until my yogurt ran out, I would mix my oats, yogurt, and cinnamon. One of the girls here tried it, and she did not like it.) ketchup (commercially available that has cinnamon in it-- you can even get that brand in the USA), mustard, mayonnaise (for some reason, the girls like to mix the ketchup & mayonnaise) leftover beans and rice and sometimes coleslaw or potato salad cut-up fruit whole apples and oranges, and grapes margarine (I'm not a margarine fan, so I looked for butter when I went to the store-- I think I ended up with Country Crock or something like that) butter (which here is runny... more like the consistency of Karo syrup but whitish colored) salad dressing (though "salad" here is typically iceburg lettuce and tomatoes) vegetables: iceburg lettuce, cabbage, onion, garlic, green bell peppers (called chilies here), tomatoes (that look to me like romas), celery, potatoes, squash (of the type known at home as a mirliton or chayote), oh yes, and sometimes cilantro In the freezer: whole chickens ground beef some type of beef cuts hotdogs, called gweenies (there are other hotdogs in the USA that I prefer), that are often fried and eaten with eggs, beans, tortillas, and cheese, and also end up in a variety of other dishes salchicha (a type of sausage; just a few small "tubes") ice cubes *Addition 2 from original post: we also have sliced, white sandwich bread, and a very small amount of sliced ham for sandwiches And that is pretty much it! Most of the dishes that are prepared are prepared in only a couple of pots, so there usually are not too many dishes to clean up afterwards. And, who needs measuring cups?!?! We actually do have two rarely-used measuring cups, but we've never used the teaspoons and tablespoons... We also have a cheese grater, and a vegetable peeler (though I couldn't find the peeler today when I was looking for it), about three knives that are used for pretty much everything, a blender (which I have not yet used or seen used) and a coffee maker. I bought a hand-held can-opener. The local pulperia (just across the road) does sell chips, Coca-Cola, and other items, but I don't buy the chips or coke. Also, almonds and walnuts are expensive and not as easy to come-by.
Today, I woke up and our water was completely off. Sometimes the electricity goes out. These don't bother me (I would like to take a shower and flush the toilet, but these are mere inconveniences that don't stick in my mind). The things that bother me are the times I seem to be getting nowhere in teaching the kids at school, the time I saw one little boy weeping in pain after breaking his arm, the times people make poor choices that affect others, the time I took one of the children to church, but decided to do so only at the very last minute and we managed to get into the van without either him or myself telling anyone at the house in which he lives (The caregiver was understandably upset when we returned. Taking children to fellowship is something that happens every week, but I found out that we are supposed to take only one child each, and I had decided- at the very last minute - that two could come with me.), and the times I feel overlooked (I don't hold grudges, I don't know why I hold onto times when I feel twinges of disappointment). Thursday, I had the most discouraging day since I've been here, but I knew it was just stress and that as soon as I had a little cry and could talk about it, all would be fine again. I am thankful that I was able to do just that that very evening when it all came bubbling to the surface. In less than an hour with one of my new friends, I was feeling much better, and after I visited with the couple here that run the Children's Center, things were better still. Not super fantastic, considering the circumstances-- it is sad that we can't all "fix all the problems" we encounter-- but I am at peace with the things that I do have influence over. Despite Thursday, I still love it here :) And yesterday did turn out to be a decent day. Today, I think I will take the girls to the beach. They have been asking to go, so I told them we could go today-- we'll see if they whether or not they still want to go. Wow, no kidding, since I've been writing this post, the water has been turned back on, and one of the girls just came in asking about the beach! When I was discouraged with teaching earlier in Februrary, I didn't mention it to anyone at home, I mentioned it just to two of the other girls here (and we prayed about it), and the next day, seemingly out of the blue, I received an email with encouragement about teaching! "Kathryn, if God calls you to be an educator, He will endow you to be one. It does not come all at once..." Two days later, there was an unrelated Facebook post from someone mentioning the same idea: that He will qualify the called. And, last night, my friend thought to bring me some cookies from her day trip into La Ceiba. I know very well that some things don't turn around in a day, a week, a month, or even a year (and it is impossible to turn some things around) but it is so wonderful to know that I am being remembered by God and by so many of you!! THANK YOU for all of your prayers and emails!!!My apologies that I'm getting behind in my responses, but please know that I truly need and appreciate every one of them. "...And I'll praise You in this storm and I will lift my hands For You are who You are no matter where I am And every tear I've cried You hold in Your hand You never left my side and though my heart is torn I will praise You in this storm..." From: Casting Crowns - Praise You In This Storm Interesting fact: Hurricane Katrina hit on Aug. 29th, 2005, and this song was released on Aug. 30th, 2005. I remember driving down the interstate very soon after the hurricane and hearing this song... Another song that I love, have clung to, and prayed many times:Sometimes By Step -Rich Mullins- Sometimes the night was beautiful
Sometimes the sky was so far away Sometimes it seemed to stoop so close You could touch it but your heart would break Sometimes the morning came too soon Sometimes the day could be so hot There was so much work left to do But so much You'd already done Oh God, You are my God And I will ever praise You Oh God, You are my God And I will ever praise You I will seek You in the morning And I will learn to walk in Your ways And step by step You'll lead me And I will follow You all of my days Sometimes I think of Abraham How one star he saw had been lit for me He was a stranger in this land And I am that, no less than he And on this road to righteousness Sometimes the climb can be so steep I may falter in my steps But never beyond Your reach Oh God, You are my God And I will ever praise You Oh God, You are my God And I will ever praise You I will seek You in the morning And I will learn to walk in Your ways And step by step You'll lead me And I will follow You all of my days And I will follow You all of my days And I will follow You all of my days And step by step You'll lead me And I will follow You all of my days And I will follow You all of my days (Sometimes the night was beautiful) And I will follow You all of my days (Sometimes the night . . .) (Sometimes the night was beautiful) And I will follow You all of my days (. . . Was beautiful) (Sometimes the night was beautiful) And I will follow You all of my days (So beautiful) And I will follow You all of my days And I will follow You all of my days (Oh God) http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/r/rich_mullins/sometimes_by_step.html It is entirely possible to be in Honduras and be unaware of Mardi Gras (Semana Santa - or Holy Week-- is an entirely different story, as I understand it), and it is also entirely possible to be in Honduras and be unaware of Daylight Saving time since we leave our clocks here on the same time all year!
(Below is a picture of a "clock" I made out of notecards, a leg from a broken plastic chair, and a big leaf. I thought the kids would like to be able to stand inside and move the hands around while trying to learn to tell time. However, if we get to the point in school where we are studying time, I need to find something for a longer minute hand.) I did send an email message to go along with these pictures. If you did not receive the email, but would like to do so, you may click the "Email Me" link at the bottom of this page, or email me directly. ...but the greatest of these is love.
And Other Random Thoughts And Photos
Here are a Couple of Images I Didn't Expect to See |
KathrynJust another person trying to live what I believe. Sometimes I get it right, and sometimes I really really don't...hopefully as I learn and grow, I'll get better at "getting it right"-without ever forgetting the necessity of God's grace. Archives
June 2021
Categories
All
|