For His Glory-Honduras: November 2014

I love having the opportunity to travel while living here. Traveling is usually accompanied by finding more out about the people I go with and seeing more of God's beautiful creation. This past trip was no different. The Honduran government decided to give the country another 5 day weekend, so I went with 5 other teachers to Managua, Nicaragua.

After a day of traveling on a bus and a night of rest at our bed and breakfast, we started our first full day in Managua. We decided to go to the volcano that is fairly close by. All 6 of us crammed into a taxi for about $4.00 and headed to the "bus station" by the university. After being ushered into a 15 passenger van, we made it to the town of Masaya. Apparently there was a misunderstanding, so a nice lady helped us to take another bus to finally get to the entrance of the volcano.
Success! So we got to the entrance, but then we had to decide if we wanted to pay about $4.00 each to get a ride up to the top of the volcano, or walk the 6 kilometers to the top. We decided to walk, well, more like hike, and I'm so glad we did. I'm constantly amazed by the beauty God displays in His creation, and walking up to the top of the volcano left me speechless once again. The hike was a bit much at times, so we decided to walk backwards up the hill. Seems strange, but that was even more awesome. It was a reminder of God's strength displayed in His creation as well reminding me that He was giving me the strength to keep walking.
Anyway, we eventually go to the top and I looked inside of my first volcano. Once again, speechless as I was reminded that my God created that. How cool. We even got the opportunity to ride horses up another hill to see two more craters and of course more gorgeous views. Our trip to the volcano was probably my favorite part of the trip.
We got a ride back down to the entrance and went back to the town of Masaya for some shopping and dinner. As soon as we sat down at the restaurant where we ate dinner, it starting pouring rain, and I was reminded of God's power once again. The food was delicious, and the bathrooms didn't cost too much to use either. All in all, a fantastic way to start our trip.

The second day, we decided to go to the nearby town of Granada. We sat down to eat breakfast and enjoyed a meal talking with a couple of pastors from Oregon and Texas who were in Nicaragua checking on the churches they had helped plant there. It was a great conversation about how God is continuing to use people from all over to build His kingdom all over the world. We then took a bus to Granada and started adventuring. God was definitely protecting us as we walked through the streets of Granada (some not so touristy) and looked in lots of different shops. We enjoyed delicious pizza, stopped in the Chocolate House, and even played so Trivial Pursuit in an art coffee house. We made sure to buy some coffee for back at the house before leaving Granada and heading back to the hotel.

Our third day, we stayed around Managua. First, we went to a lagoon in the city and walked around it for a while. It was a good time to just reflect on how God had provided for us throughout the trip. We walked to a nearby mall once finishing our walk around the lagoon to get some lunch and snacks for the bus ride back to Tegucigalpa. I ventured out to a nearby coffee shop with two friends after leaving the mall. I think we found Nicaragua's version of Starbucks in Casa del Cafe. Once again, I was amazed at the way God had used traveling as a way to talk and share life with friends in my community.

Since coming back to Tegucigalpa, I've been to the doctor twice. The first time I went last Monday, I found out that I had bronchitis and that the weather and pollution were aggravating my asthma. After 2 days of resting and a week of using a nebulizer, I still wasn't feeling better. I went back this past Monday, and the doctor told me that I had a sinus infection and an upper respiratory infection and needed 3 more days of rest. I've realized something while trying to fight these illnesses. I don't like resting. I like being busy. I like doing things. I don't like being in the house by myself. But, that time has been good to reflect and remember God's goodness to me. Man. I'm beginning to realize that I'll never fully understand God's steadfast love, and I'm so thankful for that. It's greater than my comprehension! I haven't always been the best student, but God continues to teach me more and more. Thank you so much for your prayers and support as I'm here and even when I'm back in Ohio. I am blessed with wonderful communities wherever I go.

Now, get ready for a picture overload...