In the Waiting

I'm sorry that I haven't posted in 4 weeks! Life has gotten pretty busy with the end of the first partial at school and the transition into the next. Not a lot has happened within these past four weeks as they have flown by, but I'll try my best to give a general overview of how life has been going.

I know it has been three months now, but I think I have finally realized that I am indeed a real teacher. I get home from school and constantly think about my students. I research how to help them, share stories about what they said or did, and pray about how I can practice more patience with them. I love it. It really is a lot of work, but as I see them growing and learning, I am confirmed that this is the right place for me at this moment. I especially enjoy working at International School as I am able to share freely about Jesus' love and watch the students ask questions and talk about God too.

This past week was spiritual emphasis week for the elementary school. Every day, the students would go to the chapel and listen to a message from the special speaker the chaplain invited from El Salvador. She showed the students so much love and spoke such truth into their lives. It was amazing how still they could sit for 30 minutes! Watching them worship God with the songs they sang at the beginning of every chapel time this week was also such a blessing. To see students from first grade to fifth grade genuinely worshiping the Creator was such a blessing.

Yesterday was also the annual Thanksgiving Dinner for IST teachers and staff. It was a more formal event, so everyone in attendance dressed up and enjoyed a nice dinner and talent show at a nearby hotel. It was a fun evening to give thanks to God for the opportunities He's given us at the school. The time to fellowship outside of school was very enjoyable as well. It was just nice to have a night out to relax but also simply remember all the things we have to be thankful for. I know I am so blessed, and that, my friends, is truly humbling.

Although these past few weeks have been busy with school work and small social gatherings here and there, I feel like right now I'm in "the waiting". It doesn't really feel like anything big is happening at the moment; however, God is reminding me that I don't just have to be waiting for the next big thing to happen. I can still be running after Him in the waiting. This made me think of a passage I read in a book that I just finished reading in my bible study. In Growth: Training vs. Trying, it says "It all counts. Life counts. Every moment of life--at least potentially--is an opportunity to be guided by God into his way of living." I don't want to waste this time God has given me. I would really appreciate prayers to continue running after the Father in order to learn and grow from Him. As always, thank you so much for all of your prayers and support!

This is one of two rainbows here I've seen this past month! I am so thankful that God is always reminding me of His faithfulness. 

Honduras as a Home

A couple weeks ago, shortly after my last post, I came to the realization that I have been living in Honduras longer than I have lived in any other country outside of the states. I feel like this should have come with more of an impact, but it hasn't truly hit me yet that Honduras is a place where I live, not just a place where I'm taking a short trip. I'm in the process of investing a lot of my life here as I aim more on making it a home. I'm transitioning well to living here, and I think I feel comfortable here now, but still feel kind of distant from communities outside of the school. If you think of it, please be praying for opportunities for me to become more involved in the city and with the people of Tegucigalpa.

There hasn't been a lot that has happened in the past couple of weeks, but last weekend I did get to take a trip with other teachers from the community last weekend. We went to Amapala which is an island off the southern coast of Honduras. It took over 6 hours to get there and back, but it was definitely one of my favorite days here so far. On the way to Amapala, I got to spend a lot of time just listening to music and talking to the Father. God really spoke to me throughout the day and gave me much needed restoration in spending time with Him. I also got to hang out with some wonderful people on the beach and simply enjoy the beautiful creation around me.

A view of the mainland from the boat to Amapala

School has been going very well as I've had more IEP meetings and pressing forward into this new intervention program I'm helping create with the other two teachers in the department. My kids are cute, frustrating, exciting, loving, and wonderful. I've definitely had days when I just stand back and wonder what I'll do next with a student who tests my patience, but God always guides me in what to do with my students. My students have had light-bulb moments which just make me so proud to be their teacher. One of my second graders now knows his addition facts of 1 + a number 1-9!! That same second grader can now sound out three letter words which is something he couldn't do at the beginning of the year. I'm just amazed to see the growth they are experiencing in two months of school. Those are moments that affirm my decision to become a teacher.

2nd Grade Reader's Theater: The Three Little Pigs 

2nd Grade Reader's Theater: Turtle the Taxi 

This past week was also Prayer Week at IST. I had the opportunity to sit in the prayer room during lunch for the 1-3 graders. What an amazing experience! It was humbling to see these young students praying with such genuine hearts. I prayed with a couple of them and hearing their prayers brought tears to my eyes. They pray so BIG. My first thought when I heard a few of their prayers was, "Well, that would be nice." Then I was reminded by these little children that our God IS big. He can do the impossible, and we need to be praying for big things to happen. We are called to have the faith of a child, and I got to see what that faith looks like.

I've definitely had struggles throughout this school year with homesickness, frustration with students, and living in an unfamiliar place, but God has shown His faithfulness through it all. He has given me an awesome community to support and encourage me. He lead me to a church that I look forward to attending every Sunday. I'm in a great Bible study that meets once a week. When I look back at everything that has happened so far, I'm amazed at God's provision. Through everything, whether extremely difficult or easy, I've been beyond blessed. Even through the hardships, God has pulled me closer to Himself. I'm loving being able to look back and see how He is truly working in every situation.

Nueva Esperanza

A view from Barbara's office

This past Monday, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit a ministry called Nueva Esperanza, meaning "New Hope", since I didn't have school. This is a ministry run by the Barahona family who came to my church last summer to share about their lives and needs in Honduras. I'd been wanting to visit Nueva Esperanza ever since I accepted the position here, and I was very excited to see their service first hand.

Another view showing Tegucigalpa in the background

Four of my friends here who work at IST and know the Barahonas from our church here went with me to check out the ministry. We met Barbara part way and followed her to a little neighborhood that sat on a hill in the center of Tegucigalpa. We parked in front of a building that appeared at first to blend in with the others. Upon entering, however, this building went back farther than I thought, and I realized that it was three stories high. As we walked past the gate, we started to hear kids and soon we saw about ten of the playing in the area they use for recess. All of them said "Hola!" to as as we passed with a smile lighting up each one of their faces. We then walked up two flights of stairs to Barbara Barahona's office.

The street where Nueva Esperanza is located

Another view of the neighborhood

The music classroom

Behind Nueva Esperanza

Once we got into the office, we listened to Barbara about the ministry and everything that they do. It was amazing to hear about all of the projects and outreaches they have within one organization that Barbara and Carlos, her husband, started about 18 years ago (I think). They run preschool and kindergarten classes (there isn't kindergarten in Honduran public schools) every weekday morning until about noon. Honduran public schools are only half a day, so at noon they also have classes and programs for students in 1-6 grade. These are special classes that they don't receive at school such as music, art, and sewing. For students in 7-12 grade, they don't have specific classes, but they are allowed to choose to come to Nueva Esperanza a few days a week in order to have a table to do homework on, tutors to help with school work, and have a safe place to be.

In addition to all of this, there are youth classes they provide to the older students to teach them more about God and help them grow in their faith. There is also a Bible study for mothers of the children who attend Nueva Esperanza so they can learn as well. Mothers are also taught skills in special classes they provide such as making hats or jewelry so they can sell their products and have another source of income. There are a number of Honduran employees at Nueva Esperanza as well, so not only is the ministry reaching those children and families who are a part of it, but the teachers are also experiencing and sharing the love of the Father in this place.

Barbara gave all five of us a tour of Nueva Esperanza showing us the different classrooms, the cafeteria, the auditorium, and even the garage. It was just amazing to think that God helped them build such a place in 7 years. Every time we went into a place where there were kids in a class, they would stop what they were doing and come give each of us a hug. These children are so so precious, and I'm so glad that God is blessing them through such a wonderful ministry.

This is the teacher's lounge. When the building was first built, it had seven rooms for seven families, and each family would live in one room. This is one of those original rooms.

A few preschoolers playing at recess

Needless to say, I was absolutely blown away by amount of opportunities that God is working through at Nueva Esperanza. I know that God has given a strong passion to Barbara and Carlos to transform families who have less in Honduras, and He is defiintely working through that. They pour so much into their ministry as they have set up sponsorship programs for kids, send out newsletters throughout the year, and really aim to meet the needs of the families they serve. They depend on God to provide them with what they need, and He has been so faithful as they continue to build this ministry. If you would like to know more about their ministry, feel free to visit their website http://www.hopeinhonduras.org/.

To those from Kingsville First Baptist, if you sponsor a child at Nueva Esperanza and would like to tell me the name of your child, I can see about visiting that child personally at the ministry. Thank you for continually supporting and praying for this ministry as God is choosing to use it to transform many families in Tegucigalpa.

A few of the preschool kids we met :)

An Overdue Update

So it's been just about a month since my last post. That is mostly due to the hard drive crashing on my computer and having to get it replaced. Thankfully, a friend in my Bible study had an extra hard drive here that was compatible with my computer, and after 3 weeks I have it back. A lot has happened in the past month, but I'll try to stick to the highlights.

About 3 weeks ago, I had the awesome opportunity to take advantage of a Monday off school and head up the mountain with my housemates and three other wonderful women. On our way up the mountain, we stopped to get pupusas at Valle de Angeles and saw a huge parade forming throughout the town for Honduras' Independence Day. We stayed at a German couple's bed and breakfast even further up the mountain where we enjoyed the view, the food, and some hiking. It was such a great time to relax and marvel at God's creation as we hiked for a few hours, saw a magnificent waterfall, read in hammocks on the side of the mountain, and ate delicious homemade food that Jorge and Monika

One of the views from our hike

 (the German couple) prepared for it. I was literally speechless as I simply stood on the porch of our small cabin looking out at the surrounding mountains and small towns, knowing that God had created it all.

As far as school goes, I think that myself and the other teachers in the CIRA department (providing services for students who have learning disabilities) are making great strides to update the program. We're making a lot of changes this year which can be very stressful, but I think we're finally starting to feel more comfortable doing so. This past week, we really focused on writing IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) for our students and getting those in place. I even had an IEP meeting with a set of parents and it went far better than I ever expected. It definitely helped to boost my confidence in knowing that God has prepared me for this job and will use me in the lives of my students.

I am loving my students more and more each day. Even the kids who aren't technically my students are starting to remember my name and open up to me. I've made a habit of hanging out with Paola (the student in my last post) every day after school when I can. She always makes me laugh and brightens my day because she is never without a smile. I love being able to just spend time with her as she waits for her sister to pick her up. Another student named Fernando (he's not actually my student) shared his stuffed animal with me yesterday during their reading time. I know that's random, but the hearts of these kids is just so neat to see.

Meet Paola!

This is Fernando, myself, and his pug named Whitey.

Although I've been living here for over 7 weeks now, I'm still adjusting to the mindset that I live here. This isn't just a trip I'm taking to visit another country. I'm here to live. That's becoming more of a reality every day with walks down to a pulperia, trips to the grocery store, cab rides to the mall, or even short conversations with the guys who guard the gate to my street. I rode a busito down to the main market downtown today, and that trip was definitely an experience that made me feel more comfortable here. I was surrounded by Hondurans, doing something that is so common for them. It's experiences like that that show me God's intent for me to be more intentional about being present here.

A view of half of my street from the gate to my house

God has deifnitely been working in me through my time here. I struggled with homesickness a lot last month as the new-ness of Honduras had worn off and I really began to crave time with friends and family from back home. It was through that time that God continued to be present and draw me closer to Him. I'm learning about being more and more dependent on the Father, and I feel so blessed to be learning such a wonderful lesson. I would love and appreciate any and all prayers as I continue to see what God has for me here. Thanks again for all of your encouragement and support!

Shining Through

It's hard to believe that I've been here for almost 4 weeks now. On one hand, I feel like I've been living here for so much longer. I have my routines, a job, and amazing friends who I get to work with. On the other hand, I can't begin to comprehend how that much time has gone by already. Whatever the case, it's happened. I've lived here for almost a month. Time is such an interesting concept as it is, but I'm trying to do what I can with my time and make the most of my moments here.

I haven't done anything too crazy outside of school. I've been to Union church twice now, and I've loved both of my visits. The people are wonderful, and I even got to exchange information with the Barahonas so I can get together with them sometime soon. I've gotten a phone, paid my share of the cable bill, ridden in a few taxis, and experienced more power outages than living four years at MVNU. Last night, I went out with a few friends to watch the Honduras vs. Mexico game (WE WON!!), and after waiting for an hour at Chili's, we went to Denny's. I can tell you that I've never been in a Denny's that was so loud or excited. It was so great.

School has been going for 2 weeks now, and I have a feeling that I'm really going to enjoy my job. I'm already enjoying working with the teachers and getting to know such a wide age range of students. This week, I pushed into a few classrooms and had conversations with many students. I have no doubt that this is where God has called me. With the one-on-one conversations I've had with a couple students, I am so excited to see how God will move in them throughout this school year. There is one particular student who has A LOT of energy, and I'm thrilled for the opportunity to work with him. I have a good feeling that the Father is going to use my relationship with him in a big way.

One of my favorite days of school so far was yesterday as we celebrated Children's Day here. After lunch, the students went from classroom to classroom playing games, making hats, and eating lots of candy. I stopped in a second grade classroom to help with making hats and ended up leading the craft after the teacher was called away for a meeting. After there was still no sign of the teacher when school had let out, I lead many students down to the buses and loved being in the company of these second graders.

A miscommunication and quite a hike later, I walked one student back to the main parking lot to get picked up by his dad (after he told me he rode the bus) and found a different student sitting by herself. Paola's in the second grade class I work with, so I sat down next to her and asked what she was doing. She was waiting for her sister who is in high school (I only figured that out after a lot of English/Spanish misunderstanding and some laughter). I decided to wait with her until her sister came. We talked about what she liked and blew some bubbles. I would say it was my favorite moment of the day. You see, she doesn't appear to have a lot of friends in her class, and she has some trouble walking as well. Yet when I took the time to sit and talk with her, you never would have guessed that there was anything wrong. Paola lit up, laughed, and joked more than I could have ever imagined. As her sister came walking down the sidewalk from the high school, I noticed that she had a lot of difficulty walking as well. She smiled as I introduced myself and said goodbye to my second grader. I'm so looking forward to spending more time with Paola and seeing how I can show her love through giving her more personalized attention.

Show God's love is sometimes just about being present. I've heard this phrase a lot over the past year or so, but this was so reinforced as I sat and talked with Paola. Her smile was the most beautiful thing I saw that day. God's light was shining through her, and I hope I was shining a little bit too.

I'm a teacher?

So I've slacked on blogging this past week, but I'll try to condense things as much as I can so this won't be a super long post.

Let's backtrack to a week ago where I experience my first church in Honduras. A bus came around to most of the teachers' houses to pick everyone up and took us to a church in el centro called Santidad. On a normal Sunday, the service is only in Spanish, but since the pastor knew a group of us would be coming he had someone translating everything in English for us. The translator was Eduardo who is the recruiter for IST. He actually remembered me from MVNU and I got to take a picture with him after the service so he could send it to Enrique who is the guy I tutored at the Naz who graduated from IST. Long story, but it's still wonderful to see all of the connections God made to bring me to this beautiful country. Anyway, the church service was pretty wonderful as everyone was so welcoming and gracious to us. After church, we went to one of the administrator's houses up at the top of a mountain for lunch. It was a wonderful, relaxing way to spend the afternoon.

Honestly, this past week is kind of a blur in my mind. Like I said before, I've only been here for a short time, but it feels like it has been a while. I worked another 6 day week because the school had an Open House for most students on Saturday. It made for a rather long week, but a lot was accomplished in that time. I attended more training, met with the vice principal many times to talk about what CIRA (the intervention program) will look like this year, separated and organized all of the materials that were left in my classroom, and divided up the students who will receive intervention services among the three CIRA teachers. I am now so looking forward to meeting students, especially the 16 on my case load. I'll be working with lots of 5th graders, a few 4th graders, and four 2nd graders. I can't wait to put names to faces and start building relationships with them. This week has definitely had its stressful and overwhelming moments, but when I remember that I'll actually get to be teaching soon, it makes it completely worth it. Although I probably won't actually start teaching until next week, the school will be full of students tomorrow. The silence will be replaced with voices, and the chaos and delight of working in an elementary school will start. I'm super nervous but excited to really become a teacher.

The view from one side of my classroom!

The view of the Pepsi and Dunkin Donuts plants on the other side of my classroom!

More on the transition side of things, I think I'm still doing pretty well! My housemate invited people over for dinner a couple nights this past week so I was able to spend some time with people I wouldn't normally. I also went over to a house of some of the other elementary teachers just to hang out and take a night off. We even had people over to the house last night to simply fellowship and play games together. It's been wonderful to see how God has brought everyone here and be able to listen to their stories. I think our community is pretty tight and supportive of one another which is a huge blessing. I'm encouraged by so many of these Christ followers and I'm looking forward to investing more in those friendships.

I can't really explain it, but I have a really good feeling about this year. I'm not quite sure what God has in store, but I know that it is something bigger than I could imagine. I mean, He already brought me to Honduras. That was big in and of itself. I know that very difficult times may lie ahead, but I'm just so awestruck by God's majesty and provision that I look forward to seeing the mystery of the future revealed. I pray that God will use me in the lives of my students, the staff, and of the Honduran people who I come in contact with. I pray that He would change me and break me so that I can look more like Him. Your prayers and support are greatly appreciated as I continue to seek God's will in my life here in Honduras!

The Beginning

Well here I am! I've officially be in Honduras for 3 days now although it feels like it has been longer. I think I'm adjusting pretty well to life here now that I'm settled into my room and getting to know the teachers of IST (the school where I'll be teaching) more and more each day. These past few days have been packed with meetings, training, devotions, and lots of food, but everyday I am reminded that this is where I have been called to live and serve.

I was nervous on Wednesday as I began to take off from the Cleveland airport, but God showed His provision even on my way to Tegucigalpa. On my flight from Houston to Tegus, I met two other teachers going to IST and I was comforted even before I arrived. Once we got to the airport in Tegucigalpa, I was warmly welcomed by my lovely roommates and many other teachers returning to IST. We waited for a couple of other flights to arrive and went back to our houses.

I live in Casa Naranja, and it truly does have an orange wall facing the street. It's such a cozy little house complete with a place for my hammock out front. I'm sure that it will be an absolutely wonderful home for the year :) The rest of the night was pretty relaxed as we ate with most of the North American teachers who had arrived and talked some about the culture.

Thursday was our first day at the school, and I can say that IST has the best views of any school that I have ever seen. The campus is absolutely gorgeous with palm trees everywhere with the mountains in the background. During our meetings that day, the new headmaster strongly emphasized how we need to be a Christ-centered school. In order to do that, it is the responsibility of all of the teachers to ensure that Christ is the center of all of our lives. It was absolutely wonderful to be reminded right away of my purpose in working at the school. Not to be a fantastic teacher or become the best in my field, but my focus needs to be on building my life on Christ more and more each day so that I can show Christ's love and compassion to my students.

This morning after having devotions and a quick faculty meeting discussing the book we all read over the summer, the preschool and elementary staff and teachers did a prayer walk throughout the preschool and elementary school. This time was such a blessing to me. It was a wonderful time to pray for students, parents, staff, and faculty, and to really focus on following God's guidance of the school for the upcoming year.

In between meetings and time working at school, I have made a Walmart trip, ate a baleada (which was absolutely delicious), played Wii, met Lucy (my roommate's cat who has now joined us), killed a lot of ants, attempted some Spanish,  and had conversations on the school bus. It's been a very busy 3 days, but I'm seeing more and more every day of why God has lead me here.

I love being a part of a school that takes time to pray and be reminded of Who we are serving. I have greatly enjoyed getting to know the hearts of the teachers I will be working with. The love these people have for Christ is simply beautiful. I'm excited to continue to have conversations with people from the school and meet even more people from the community at church tomorrow. I would appreciate prayers as transitioning can still be difficult at times, but thank you so much for encouraging and supporting me already by lifting me up! There will be more to come :)

Waiting in Expectation

"In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation."
Psalm 5:3

     Oh what a day. Today was filled with more packing than I would ever enjoy, saying hard goodbyes to loved ones, and coming to the realization that this is really happening. I'm moving to Honduras tomorrow to teach for two years. I know that I'll be back home to visit within those two years, but to think that I am making such a huge commitment to make a new home in Honduras seems crazy. A few years ago, I never would have even imagined moving more than a few hours away from my family for a job after college. However, while in college God gave me such a deep passion to learn more about His people outside that now I'm traveling the world to do so. To say that I feel completely humbled and blessed to have this opportunity would be a drastic understatement. 

     Currently, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, nervous, scared, anxious, and very excited to fly to Honduras. This morning, however, was a quite a different story. All I felt was stressed and scared. There was so much left to do and so little time to complete the list of tasks in front of me. Then I looked at my phone and saw that I had an event on my calendar. When I decided to take this teaching position in Honduras and booked my flight, I put an event in my phone so I wouldn't forget the day I would leave (not that I could have anyway). The event was titled "Leave to fulfill God's calling". Although I was still stressed throughout the day, those words stuck in my head. No matter went wrong or right in the last day before I would leave, I would still be leaving to fulfill God's calling in my life. I know that God lead me to teach in Honduras, and that has been confirmed so much even since signing my teaching contract. I know this is what He has for me.

     And so now I wait. As I began talking to God this morning, Psalm 5:3 came to mind. I am confident that He has me going to Honduras for reasons that have yet to be revealed. As I pray that God will use me in ways far greater than I could ever imagine, I will wait in expectation to see how He will begin to reveal His plans for my life in Honduras. I expect Him to change me. To break me. To use me. To show me His love for people. To better love a different group of people. To teach me more than I thought I could ever know. I will lay my requests before God and wait in expectation. I am so excited to start this adventure and strive to glorify the Father every step of the way. Because none of this is for me, but all for His glory.