Papusas, Horses, & The Rock

We have had a whirlwind of a weekend!  Yesterday we had a Honduran lunch - papusas!  They are corn tortillas with cheese ... and you can put meat, coleslaw, onions, etc. on them!  They were pretty yummy - but they have not agreed with our stomachs ever since!  It was worth the experience though!  While we were in the restaurant, I saw a guy with a WVU shirt on!  I could not believe that I was seeing someone with a WVU shirt all the way in Honduras!  We called him over to ask him about it and he said that he hosted a team from West Virginia back in February - and that was their trip shirt.  I was so excited to get a picture of his shirt! :)

The women making the papusas :)

Guy with the WVU shirt

Honduran style horse and buggy - a lot different from the ones in Charleston :)

Musician

When we went to ride horses - I was so scared.  I have really been trying to step out of my comfort zone in so many ways this trip - with food, with activities, with everything!  I have always been intimidated by horses ... not sure why!  But yesterday I forgot about my insecurity and jumped right on!  Not saying that I wasn't scared - because I WAS!  But we had so many laughs and a great time!

Me, Daniel, Roberta, and Aben

After our 30 minute ride

After we went horse back riding, we went to get groceries for the week and then got ready to have dinner with friends.  Roberta did my makeup for dinner - and kept calling me a doll.  She was so funny - she kept asking Daniel, "Danny - do you think your wife is beautiful?"  It was too funny!

Me & Roberta - my makeup artist :)

We met for dinner with a group of friends - and had a great time!  We were trying our best to communicate and pick up on the language - and everyone was so patient with us.  Daniel is DYING to learn the language - he has started with Rosetta Stone and is going to spend a few hours/3 days a week working with Roberta on his Spanish!  He is determined :)


Today we woke up early and headed to church at The Rock.  This church is AMAZING!  It is a hidden jewel that is tucked away in a neighborhood here in the city.  Aben has started a school at the church as well - which is where we will be spending a lot of our time from here until the end of our trip.  The people at the church are amazing - especially the kids!  We got there and the kids were practicing their songs for the service this morning ... the church was celebrating their 9th anniversary today!

Kids practicing their songs

Aben, Daniel & me

Standing with the 9 year anniversary sign :)

 After we listened to them sing, a few of the kids came over to greet Aben (they LOVE him!) and he started to tell them that I would be their English teacher for the next month ... two of the kids were SO excited that they started clapping their hands and jumping up and down. They told him that their favorite class at school is English - and they were BEAMING!  I started to tear up - because I have never seen such passion and joy in the eyes of children!  It is amazing what is important to these kids.  I already feel at home there with them!

We walked around before church service to see the 3 rooms that they hold classes in.  These are the rooms that I will be teaching/working in.  I was just so humbled by these classrooms - made me realize just how good we have it in our school back home.  Our students do not even realize how blessed they are to have what they are provided.  The classrooms here do not have electricity - but we are hoping that Daniel will be able to get them wired and hooked up before we leave!  I kept thinking back to my classroom in the states - with electricity, AC, a SmartBoard, iPads, etc.  It really caused me to reflect and realize what I have been blessed with in my job and school! 

School building

One of the classrooms

Another classroom

We continued to look around at the building - and a little guy, David, wanted to show us where he lived.  We walked down to the rocky path that his house was on that ran beside the church.  It was two rooms -  all dirt floors, no furniture, and no bathroom.  Daniel asked him where they sleep - and Aben said that they just pile up together wherever they can.  It is in these moments that I realize what a waste that I make of my life  ....  what I value and invest myself in ... when really NONE of that matters or makes a difference.  These days are changing my life and heart  -  I will never look at my life the same again.

Church service was amazing - it was all in Spanish. I was able to sing and worship along with them in English which was the most amazing feeling.  Roberta was translating the service for Daniel - which really helped a ton!  At one point during the worship, he leaned over to me and said, "We don't even realize what goes on each Sunday morning around the world" ... we were both just in awe of the worship and the Lord's presence in the church. 

I keep thinking back to a conversation that we had yesterday about the difference between Christians here and in the States - we were talking about how people in the States can live their lives without ever needing the Lord.  Aben said, "In the States, people believe in God.  Here in Honduras - we depend on Him"  That has really changed my heart and mind forever - I don't ever want to just believe - I want to be dependent.  I think that so often we get distracted and sidetracked with everything that we have in our lives in the States, that we rarely ever depend on the Lord.  That is the same concept that struck my heart so powerfully on the island - and it keeps coming back up through various circumstances and people.  I have been radically changed!

During the service - they prayed over this lady who had a birthday this week!

After they prayed and sang over her, she put 23 Limpiras in the offering
since she celebrated her 23rd birthday :)

During the worship songs, we noticed that Aben jumped up and left the building ... about 10 minutes later he returned with a young man in a wheelchair.  After the service, Aben told Daniel that he felt very impressed to go to the young man's house to get him for church.  When he got to his house, he was ready and dressed for church, waiting at the door for someone to come and take him.  Daniel went with Aben to take him home after the service.  He lives up a dirt path from the church ... the path is only wide enough for his wheelchair and is full of mud and rocks.  Daniel and Aben plan to work on making the path smooth and easier for him to be able to bring himself to church each week!  It is amazing to see what people go through to make it to a worship service - something that you do not see at home.  We tend to use excuses like, "I'm tired ... I want to sleep in" or "I have worked hard this week and just want to be home" ... and there are people around the world that can not wait for Sunday so that they can worship the Lord together! 

At the end of the service, some of the kids did a song/dance for the church.  It was amazing - they are all so full of joy and happiness!  I can not get enough of the kids here - I am so blessed to have a month to pour myself into these children!  I can not wait for the rest of this trip - I am going to be so heartbroken when we leave! 

Pray for us - we are going to start our work at The Rock tomorrow.  I will be teaching English and Daniel will be focusing on painting, construction, electricity, etc.  Pray that we will be a light to those that we are coming in contact with and that the Lord will be glorified through us.  We can not wait to continue to share what the Lord is accomplishing in us and through us!  We love you ALL!