Saturday, April 25, 2015

In Light of God's Faithfulness

         First of all, my apologies for not writing in quite some time. I feel like this year has been a whirlwind of events and emotions, and it doesn't appear as if that is going to stop anytime soon. In the midst of everything, God has been showing me His faithfulness more and more. I'm going to try and give a brief update on some major events that have been going on since November (which is unfortunately the last time I posted). A lot has happened including a flight back to Ohio, a coworker having to return to the states, and adding another country's stamp to my passport. Here we go.

       Coming back to Honduras in January after seeing so many wonderful people in Ohio was definitely hard. It's like transitioning back to a "different" life for a while, but this year seemed to be a little bit easier. It might just be that I've done it once before, but God has also been teaching me of how supported and encouraged I am with people in Ohio and here in Honduras. I wasn't feeling when I first came back in January though. I knew God had given me friends here and a wonderful community, but for some reason I went through a period of loneliness at that time that I couldn't explain. 

       On January 31, I got a message that my grandpa had had a heart attack and his kidneys were shutting down. At that moment, I had never felt more homesick. I couldn't process the thought of losing my grandpa while I wasn't even in the country to say goodbye to him. The week that followed was full of prayers, tears, and phone calls to the states. On February 7, I was coming home from a 1-year-old's birthday party to find my roommates solemnly waiting for me at the house (we were supposed to go to another friend's house for a movie). They stayed home to tell me they saw a message on facebook that my grandpa had passed away. I wasn't sure how to begin to process that. I just wanted to be with family, but they were thousands of miles away. 

       After quickly talking to my administrators and booking a last minute flight, I made it back to Ohio for my grandpa's calling hours and funeral. In the midst of so much sorrow and pain, I've never felt more supported or cared for by the body of Christ.. It was so wonderful to be with family, and a few friends even came to the funeral. Even more so, people were literally praying for me all over the world. How cool is it that God can show His faithfulness and care through such a marvelous body of believers!

       When I returned to Honduras a week later, I found out that my friend Melina who works as an Interventionist with me would be moving back to the states by the end of the month. Her father-in-law had been sick with cancer for a few years, but it had recently gotten far worse. She was going to return to Indiana with her husband and son to spend precious time with him and help her mother-in-law go through all that comes with losing a spouse. Once again, I wasn't sure how to go through another loss, even if it was just having someone depart from the country. God showed His perfect timing once again as Melina's husband got back in time to spend one more week with his father here on Earth, and Melina and her son got back in time for the funeral services. Prayers for their family would be appreciated as they're still transitioning and looking for jobs. 

       God showed love, encouragement, and support through this community again as many friends showed up to a surprise birthday party for me since I was in Ohio during my birthday. After January where I felt so much loneliness, and then feeling isolated without my family during my grandpa's passing, God showered me with the love of his people. I enjoyed such a great night of chocolate cake, coffee, nerts, and Fast and Furious. It was humbling and simply fantastic.

       From the end of February to mid March, there wer a lot of transitions as Melina moved back and Marcela came in to teach in Melina's place. I was able to spend some great quality time with Melina and her son Elias before they left, and hopefully I'll get to see them again this summer! I stayed home during spring break at the end of February because I felt like I just needed time to relax and take everything in which was so so good. I knew that I had also spent a lot of money on a last minute plane ticket to the states, so I didn't think my budget would accommodate traveling.

       Little did I know, God was about to blow me away and show me how He was going to provide for my plane ticket instead. I still tear up thinking about all the ways that God has shown me not to worry about money, and this situation was no different. Let's just say that my plane ticket was around $1,000 to go back to Ohio for my grandpa's services, and God provided $1,000 through people who just felt lead to support me in that way. I still remember the phone call when my mom told me that she had received more money toward my ticket, and I laughed. I finally chose to purchase something big and figure out the financials later, and God chose to bless me so much through that. 

Wow. So reflecting on everything these past few months has brought me to tears in seeing God's faithfulness. I'm so humbled by a God who loves me and supports me and extends grace in light of my failures.
       
       During Semana Santa (holy week), I was able to go with 4 friends to Copan, Honduras, and with 3 of those same friends to Antigua, Guatemala. I'll try to sum all of that up in a paragraph. In Copan, I was able to see the Mayan ruins there, go to some natural hot springs, visit a place called Macaw Mountain and hold some macaws, and spend time with some wonderful people. After 3 days in Copan, I went to Antigua, Guatemala, which is the old capital of Guatemala. We stayed in a beautiful vacation house as we explored a little bit more everyday. I was able to climb a Volcan Pacaya (volcano #2!), walk around the city of Antigua, and help build a carpet out of sawdust which is a big thing that is done in the streets for Holy Week. There were parades like I've never seen before and carpets made of more colors than I've ever seen. In short, it was a packed but spectacular vacation with terrific people.

       I'd like to ask that you be praying for some specific things here. 
1. Rain. We really need rain here. I know it's been cold in Ohio, but it's been upper 90s here which I will say is not fun. There's also so much pollution that I can't see the mountains from my classroom window anymore. Kids and teachers alike are getting sick. It's just no bueno. 
2. Safety for students. I was reminded this week just how much potential danger there is here for some of our students and their families. Please pray for protection over the kids and their families alike, and that their parents would receive wisdom as how to best keep their families safe.
3. Endurance for teachers. This time of year is often hard as homesickness is setting in kids are anxious for the end of school. It's also hot which just makes everyone cranky.

Whew. Thanks for reading all of that. Next time, I'll try to post more regularly so I'm not reflecting so much at one time again. Thank you so much for all of your support, love, and prayers. 

**Sorry that there aren't any pictures of things done recently. My phone died about 1 month ago and it had all of my pictures from Semana Santa. Check out facebook for pictures!