Come One! Come All! Everyone (including animals) is Welcome on the Soccer Field in Honduras!

Greg has gotten in to a routine of playing soccer pretty regularly with the boys from the orphanage. They play in an organized league (well, as organized as you get here) with games each Sunday. Last night while hanging out with the kids, they informed Greg that they desperately needed him to play in their game on Sunday at 9:00am. They were playing against a team much older and bigger then them, so they needed him to add to their intimidation factor…oh, and he’s good at soccer too! Greg gladly accepted the request and sure enough, we met up with them about an hour before the game. After squeezing into one of their uniforms, he was set to play. (The referee requires them to all dress alike, even if the shorts are really tight and short! That is Greg in the silver shorts on the left before....and on the right in the spandex....after he changed!)

The game drew a big crowd. Even farm animals were getting into it. I counted 3 dogs that ran across the field at separate times during the game. A donkey paced up and down the field behind the goal, and a big cow even made a cameo on the field (click on the box below to watch the video!)

However, this did not interrupt the game at all. They just kept on playing, acting as it if it were perfectly natural to have Mr. Ed and his fellow barnyard friends getting into the action on the field. Too funny! Sadly, the game ended and we were down one goal; we lost 4 – 3. However, if it weren’t for the support of our jungle friends, the deficit could have been greater!

I don´t know about you, but I sure fear the Bicecreamman! :)

HAPPY DECEMBER….Only 22 days until Christmas!

Dia de Gracias aka Thanksgiving

We celebrated our first Thanksgiving in Honduras this week. Well…we actually celebrated about four of them! We definitely were not lacking in the eating department this week! We have so much to be thankful for, we decided to make it a week long celebration! We started on Wednesday with a ½ day of school. The kids got out at about 11:30am so the teachers could be freed up for the afternoon. Around 12:30pm a bus came and picked us up and we headed out to the military base to indulge in the first of our Thanksgiving feasts. I think all the Honduran teachers thought we were crazy because all of the Americans were going nuts on the bus. We were so excited…anticipated all the great food! We were singing, carrying on, and laughing for no reason the whole trip out there! Once we got clearance (at the entrance gate to the base they checked each person’s ID with their list of passes), we were headed straight for the dining facility. Greg and I got off the bus and started out toward the front of the stampede. However, once we got to the doors to the building, the other people had basically pushed their way in front of us. I guess the American teachers don’t know how the ‘line system’ works here…or should I say, how it doesn’t work here. You pretty much just ramrod your way through the crowd here….they conveniently forgot to tell us that before we arrived! Oh well! J It brought back fond memories of our honeymoon in Italy when the Europeans would mull over women, children, and elderly people just to be in the front!

Anyway, any hostile feelings we might have been harboring instantly vanished when we reached the start of the buffet line (we waiting about 20 minutes to get to the front). Shrimp cocktail, roast beef, ham, turkey, 2 kinds of stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, a plethora of veggies (including my favorite - baked sweet potatoes with marshmallows), rolls, eggnog, all kinds of fruit, mixed nuts, apple, pecan, and pumpkin pies…and more! It was amazing! There is a 95% chance that between Greg and I both, we at least sampled each dish available! Greg was determined when he sat down that he would finish every last morsel of mounded food on his completely overflowing plate. About 7 minutes later….the mission was accomplished! (Well, maybe it was more like 15!) I was quite impressed! (Before and after photos of Greg´s plate are to the left and right respectively.) By the time it was said and done, his face had turned an unusual shade of red and he was sweating profusely…but nonetheless, he was victorious! I didn’t do quite as good as him, but I was uncomfortably full once I finally retired my fork.

We officially left the dining hall at about 2:30pm. We waddled over to the chapel and our familiar hangout place, Crossroads, for a little R & R. Around 5:00pm we headed over to the recreation fields to watch Army take on the Air Force in a base-wide football game (yet another opportunity for us to sit around and let our gorged bellies have more time to digest). The Air Force (for whom we were cheering) came out on top at the end of the game. Following the game, we went over the firehouse to watch the “Tops in Blue” perform (a U.S. Air Force entertainment group, made up of all active duty personnel that travels all over the world to entertain military troops and their families). It was a great show, commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the USAF through song and dance from each decade starting with 1947 to 2007. It was truly a great day! By the time we got home (at 10:30pm), we were both still full!

On Thursday, each teacher was responsible for coordinating a ‘Thanksgiving Lunch’ for their classes. Many of the students would celebrate Thanksgiving for the first time in 2007. Miss Emily’s 4th grade class celebrated with food from Domino’s (Pizza, cheesy bread, and brownies) while Mr. Greg’s 7th graders indulged in Wendy’s Super Value Meals. Not your typical Thanksgiving cuisine, but nonetheless, it was still time spent eating with a spirit of thankfulness! That evening we headed back to the base for yet ANOTHER meal! Several people from the church volunteered to cook a Thanksgiving Dinner for anyone interested in joining them in the meal. They figured maybe 25-30 people would come. Little did they know that approximately 150 people would show up to eat! The buffet line had a steady wave of people in it for about 45 minutes! And somehow, there ended up being plenty of food for everyone to fill their plates (I am telling you, it was like the story in Matthew when Jesus feeds the crowds with only a few loaves of bread and a couple fish…truly amazing!)

Which brings us up to Saturday…..our last Thanksgiving Supper! Before we knew they school was making any plans at all to celebrate Thanksgiving, all of the missionaries got together and decided we would cook a dinner together. Greg and I, being the oldest and wisest (ha!) got stuck making the turkey and stuffing. Luckily, good ‘ol Jumbo Supermarket actually had some Butterball Turkeys! A friend brought me a Rachel Ray magazine from the states (with a roast turkey recipe) and our neighbor allowed us to use her oven (we don’t have one) and Wuh Lah! Thanksgiving #4!

It actually is pretty suiting that we would celebrate this holiday four times this year here! In fact, it makes me realize that we should really take the time to celebrate Thanksgiving everyday. We have so much to be thankful for…God provides for each and every need that we have! It is very easy to get caught up focusing on the things that we don’t have, rather than realizing all of the abundance that we do have! Take time to count your blessings, naming them one by one, and you will have many reasons to celebrate Thanksgiving each day!

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY, STEPHANIE!!!

Weekend Getaway

We recently had the pleasure of traveling with a crew of people from the military base to Lake Yahoa. In that same vicinity is a small local hangout, called D & D Brewery, (owned and operated by a man from Oregon) nestled in the beautiful natural setting surrounding the lake. On its grounds is a small restaurant, several cabins for overnight travelers, a pool, several patio areas, and many plants, flowers, and animals. The owner brews several different types of beer (including fruity flavors such as a mango brew, apricot brew, and raspberry brew). He also makes a variety of homemade sodas (root beer, vanilla soda, strawberry soda, etc.) all served in frosty mugs. We arrived there on Friday evening, just in time for dinner. The group sat outside in an open-air dining area decorated with plants and Christmas lights. We all enjoyed the Honduran cuisine and spent the rest of the evening relaxing, telling stories, and laughing! The boys even broke out some ´fine Honduran cigars´to set the mood! :) That night, Greg and I shared a cabin with our good friends, Kyle and Crystal for L400 (about $20). The accommodations were actually quite nice! There was even a cable TV in room! We didn´t stay up too late because we planned to get up early the next morning and hit the Lake for some boating and water skiing. Greg was about to fight me though, because as girls do at a sleepover, Crystal and I stayed up talking in our room as our husband´s tried desperately to tune out our voices so they could sleep!

We woke up around 8:00am on Saturday and were bound for the kitchen. The owner mentioned ´fresh blueberry pancakes´the night before and we all had our heart´s set on a tall stack! Fortunately, they delivered! We all gorged ourselves on the tasty treats...and of course, washed them down with several cups of delicious Honduran coffee! Sadly, the weather didn´t look to promising. The sky was overcast and there was a light drizzle. We figured we could just relax a little longer (while hanging out in a little piece paradise) and wait for the weather to improve. In the mean time, the owner gave us a tour of his property. The grounds were so beautiful - as you can see from the photos, it was very green with a splash of color from the flowers and buds. It was an interactive tour because along the way, he pointed out many plants, flowers, and bugs that are used for eating, making products (lotion, hair conditioner) and making beverages. As we would go along, we would pull a flower off a plant and say ¨Try this, it is delicious!¨ He showed us a plant that if you squeeze it, it produces a thick, fragrant, milky substance that is used for hair conditioner (one of the girl´s with us actually used it!) We also got to eat ´root celery,´the plant that is used for making root beer. (I don´t know if that is the name of it, but it look exactly like celery, but tasted exactly like root beer!) And, the most odd thing we experienced would have to be....eating termites! Yes, we ate TERMITES! Okay, so I really didn´t want to, but everyone else was....and then I thought, when will I have this opportunity to do this again....and I went for it! They actually weren´t bad, believe it or not. They tasted like pepper. Our friend, Kyle, who grew up in Africa (his parents were missionaries in Kenya) said they would often gather termites in bulk and deep fry them for a meal! Crazy! After the tour (and snack!) we ended up just sitting around, talking, listening to music, reading, and hanging out together! Several people even started ´arts and crafts hour´ by making things out of Panamanian palm branches. (The material that they use in to make hats in Panama). Greg made me a friendship bracelet....that I preceded to lose about 5 minutes later...sorry honey! :) (See photo) It was very tranquil and relaxing! Next thing we new it was about lunch time, so they brought out the menus and we ordered lunch! Sadly, the weather still wasn´t clearing up! It was quite cool outside, so after we ate, the crew in my cabin decided we would go take an afternoon nap! We hibernated for about two hours then hit the road around 4:00pm to head back to Comayagua.

We stopped in Siguatepeque at this place we read about in a Honduras travel guide. Apparently this guy from Italy moved there and started an Italian restaurant. We got a huge salad and several different kinds of pizza....It was very good! I would have to say the best part though, was the fact that there was a huge screen set up in the room playing music videos, pre-recorded from MTV. Every once in a while, the guy running the projector would come to our table and ask if anyone would be interested in singing karaoke. Sadly for everyone else in the place, we had a couple takers. The worst, I mean, best, was our friend Tim´s rendition of Journey´s Separate Ways. Fortunately, Greg was so busy enjoying the food that he didn´t get the opportunity to ´show his stuff!´ It was a great night! We got home around 9:00pm and were so worn our from doing nothing for the past 24 hours that we went to bed! :) We had a very fun trip!

Christmas came early this year!

Care packages are truly a wonderful thing!!! What a blessing! We were very fortunate to get three within a short amount of time! Its funny because sometimes back home we would leave the mail in the mailbox for a couple of days before we were inspired to walk all the way to the end of our driveway to get it (literally about 20 steps from our front door!) Now, anytime we hear we have mail, we wait anxiously in anticipation before we have it delivered. You see, if you get mail here, it goes only to the post office. Since there are no official street names (let alone addresses), all the mail goes to a central location where residents must go pick up any packages or letters that they receive. Similar to a PO Box in the United States, from what I understand, that is the only option here. Fortunately, Greg and I haven’t had to go there yet, but from what we’ve heard, this is the process: Say someone sends something to a teacher in care of Maranatha Escuela (their PO Box). One of the school administrators will go to the post office and they will give her several slips of paper. The papers have names of the people they have received packages for (obviously people employed at the school). Then, the administrator will come back to the school and hand out the slips to those with packages back at the post office. Next, each person has to go back to the post office (which has very limited hours and long lines), show identification, sign for the mail, then they are free to leave with the item(s)….as long as they can find them! Wow, crazy! We haven’t had to do this yet because we are having things sent to another one of our friends here, that receives the items, then drops them off at our house! (Lucky us!)

Anyway, so about two weeks ago, our friend called and said he would be dropping by with a package. Although Greg wasn’t home, I figured I could do my best resist the temptation of opening the box before he returned. I mean, it was addressed to both of us! I carried the box up and set it on the seat next to me, admiring the thing and pondering it’s contents. Then, I stumbled upon the ‘international shipping label’ pasted on the outside. I noticed that it required the sender to write a brief description of the items inside. When I saw the words “small blender” I broke under the pressure. Could it really be….THE MAGIC BULLET??? I swiftly tore at the corner to reveal “Does any job in ten seconds or less!” and I knew our dreams had come true! We had admired this fine piece of machinery for years as it cycled through the ‘infomercial circuit’ on multiple channels. I screamed excitedly, thought about all of the wonderful things we would make with it, then the guilt set in. I officially opened our first care package…addressed to both of us....without the company of the other recipient! I smoothed over the torn area of the box and tried to rough the rest of it up a little to look like it had a tough trip getting here (hey, that’s believable!) I decided I would be ‘really nice’ and wait to open it until Greg got home, so we could both enjoy the gift together (obviously, I would not tell him I already took a sneak peak). As soon as that thought left my brain, my cell phone rang and startled me. It was Greg…Act cool, you didn’t do anything wrong, be natural…Then like word vomit, it just came out…”Greg, I’m so sorry I opened our first care package and we are officially proud owners of The Original Magic Bullet.” Apparently when he heard the words “Magic Bullet” roll of my tongue, he totally ignored the first part of the sentence (Lucky for me!) I could hear him smiling on the other end as we both celebrated our new piece of culinary equipment! I decided in my mind that I would let him open the next two items we receive in the mail in attempt to make up for my preemptive strike!!!

Not soon after I had my chance! We got two more packages….on the same day!!! AMAZING! Contents included: A library (literally about 20 books and 5 magazines), tea, hot chocolate, cider, cookies, jelly beans, gum, mints, flip flops, a box of Cliff Z bars, a manicure kit, facial products, toiletries, and several other very useful odds and ends. Greg and I seriously felt like kids on Christmas morning! We were so psyched…and still are! It truly is the little things in life that make your day!

Anyway, thanks to you for all of your support! Your prayers, emails, guest book messages, letters and packages are extremely appreciated and provide us with renewed spirit and joy. Everyday is a blessing as we grow closer to the people here, each other, and especially to God. Have a wonderful week, and don’t forget to take pleasure in the little things God gives you every single day!

We are the CHAMPIONS!!!

If you know Greg, you know he can´t go for very long without somehow getting involved in some sort of athletic activity. Well, once we gained access to the base, a couple of the men sized him up and realized he had the body of an athlete...then they learned about his lacrosse career...then they recruited him to play on their flag football team! He was happy to join them! Now, this wasn´t your typical flag football league - this was VERY intense. They strategized, had practices, and the QB even wore a wristband inscribed with plays! Apparently, it paid off though, because Greg´s team went undefeated, won the tournament, and was named the Champion of Soto Cano Flag Football Fall 2007. CONGRATULATIONS!

Okay, a quick funny story...during one the of the games, a player from the opposing team reached out and went for Greg´s flag (he was carrying the ball). Well, the guys missed the flag, but got a hold of Greg´s atheletic shorts....ripped those things clean off his body! :) TOO FUNNY! He had to borrow a pair from another guy on the base in order to finish the game!

One last thing....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILL BICE!!!!

Pura Vida

So we made it to Costa Rica! We spent more time traveling to and from Costa Rica than we actually spent there, but nonetheless it was a great trip! I feel like we really redefined the meaning of the word ´roadtrip.´ Forty hours on the road in only three and a half days! However, we did ride in style! At about hour 17 on travel day 2, we officially named our vehicle ´The Bun.´ You see, we could never really figure out what to call the thing...Was it a bus? Was it a van? Leave it to Greg to morph the two words together and bestow the name ´Bun´upon our ride! (See her in all her glory to the left.)

Anyway, so we departed the school around 12:30pm on Friday afternoon. They cancelled school for the rest of the day and the students got to leave early since 10 of the teachers (all of the missionaries) were skipping town. We drove to Tegucigalpa (that capitol of Honduras, about an hour and half away) where we met the father and son team that would be driving. We all piled in the Bun and we were off! About that same time, several of us requested a bathroom break. Little did we know that almost 2 hours would go by until ´the drivers´were willing to stop. That should have been our first sign that we had a long trip ahead! This ´unwillingness to stop´ for basic human needs (bathroom and food) was a constant theme throughout the entire trip! For example, on the way home, we ate breakfast at about 7:00am. Around noonish, which is quite typical, we (meaning everyone besides the drivers) were ready for lunch. We voiced our request, and around about 2:15pm we finally got our wishes! Half of us were about ready to pass out! If the Bun only had a bathroom and a microwave we would have been set!

So we stopped on Friday night in a town in Nicaragua called Esteli. There we ate dinner at a gas station restaurant called ¨Tip Top.¨ It was okay for most of us, but sadly one of the missionaries got sick! I guess 1 out of 10 isn´t too bad... Anyway, so that is when we adapted our group name ¨Team Tip Top¨ or ¨T3¨ (T cubed) for short. (See photo left) We stayed in a pretty nice hotel that night. Greg and I felt like royalty since our entire room was painted in a very loud lavender color. Even the silk curtains matched perfectly! (See photo right) We got a good night´s rest, then set off the next morning around 8:30am. We reached Managua, Nicaragua (the capital) around 12:00pm. We stopped at the mall to look around and grab a bite to eat. That is when we were blessed with a taste of America....SUBWAY! (See Greg posing with his foot long to the left!) It was truly fabulous! About 12 hours later we finally arrived in Alajela, Costa Rica! We rolled into our dorm room around midnight at the Adventist College ´Unideca´ and passed out soon after! We were determined to ¨Carpe Diem¨on Sunday so we could make our trip worthwhile! (Oh, one more note worth mentioning...we got Papa John and Burger King for dinner that evening. It was delicious! We ate at this place called the Auto Mall in Costa Rica. It was basically a free standing mall food court...with no mall attached!)

And seize the day we did! We were up at 6:00am and around 7:00am we zoomed off in the Bun, bound for the mountains. Our final destination was Volcan Paos (an active Volcano in Alajela). It took about 45 minutes to get to the parking lot and from there it was about a 15 minute hike to the ´look out.´ The drive through the mountains was absolutely gorgeous! Rolling hills full of coffee plants, beautiful flowers (my favorite were the wild hydrangeas), and lush green foliage. Of course, by this point we were craving some freshly ground brewed coffee. Fortunately, they were selling some at the entrance to the national park, so Greg and I indulged and enjoyed as we hiked up to the volcano. (It was very tasty!) The park was a very beautiful natural wonder. Almost surreal in look because it was so scenic. After visiting the volcano, we were off to the natural laguna (about a 15 minute hike away) that was formed from an extinct volcano. We reached it just in time, because about 10 minutes after arrival, the normal morning fog (think very thick like San Francisco) began to roll in and disguise the scenery. By this time, it was around 11:00am and we had scene all there was to see there. We decided to head back down the mountain and head about 30 kilometers south to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. However, along the way, we stopped at a coffee plantation´s coffee shop to grab a mid morning pick me up. The coffee was so fresh and delicious, and the view was gorgeous! It overlooked their miles and miles of coffee fields. I had the pleasure of indulging in a strawberry latte (strawberries and coffee are two of the main exports of Costa Rica). It was fabulous!

Then we were off to the shopping mall in San Jose. We headed straight for the food court when we arrived (we heard rumors that there was a Taco Bell!) It was true!!! However, Greg and I both opted to eat at a some local Costa Rican restaurants. I got a nice big salad with avocado and smoked salmon, and Greg got fresh lamb tacos. It was quite a treat! We shopped around the very Europeanesque mall for about an hour and a half then retreated back to the Bun. Costa Rican people tend to have lighter skin and hair. The country clearly has more money as well (the
mall had shops like Oscar de la Renta, Lacoste, Sony, etc.). They don´t have any military forces in Costa Rica....instead, they use the money that they would have spent on armed forces to preserve their natural resources and create an inviting tourism atmosphere. Obviously it worked because Costa Rica seems to be flourishing! It is far more developed then most of the other Central American countries! Each of them share the same natural beauty, but Costa Rica really focuses on keeping their country clean! Following the mall experience (where the only thing we purchased was some gum and batteries) we went to the Museo de Oro (Museum of Gold). It was neat because we got to learn a lot of Costa Rican history. (See Greg, left, posing with one of the exhibits.) It also had a lot of information of their development of the countries money (and its evolution through the year). The currently use Colonias....and the exchange rate is 518 colonias to $1 USD! Crazy! Things looked so expensive...I paid 900 for a one pancake! However, it was really less than $2. The cost of living was definitely a lot higher in Costa Rica though. For dinner we went to a typical Costa Rican restaurant. It was so cool...they served all their food on banana leaves! (See photo right). The food was really good! We got back to the dorm room (it sounds so weird saying that) at about 9:30pm. We felt pretty accomplished with the ground we covered in one day! We hit the sack around 10, because we had to get up at 4:30am on Monday morning for our 5:00am departure back home to Comayagua. We all took bets on what time we would actually leave and what time we would return to Comayagua (we had to push through that day because we had to be back at school and teach on Monday). We officially rolled out of the gates at 5:12am (pretty impressive). Clearly the drivers would get a bonus if they got us home early or something because he was driving ultra aggressively. At one point, he passed a car on the right! I was seriously scared (Greg was too!) We nearly rear ended several cars and almost picked off a motorcycler! I mean yes, the rules of the road are very different here, but this craziness was just not going to fly! After much complaining to our bilingual school representative, the two men finally rotated responsibilities and things calmed down a little bit (Thank God because I was truly worried about our safety!) It was crazy! Around noon time, we requested a stop for lunch....so as usual, at a little after 2:00 we stopped! We were all famished! The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful. (See some of the scenery in the photo to the right. Can you see the faint volcano in the background?) We stopped at a little buffet once we got into Honduras around 9:00pm for dinner (the drivers must have been hungry because we didn´t even ask!) And around1:00am on Monday night (20 hours after departure from Alajela) Greg and I set foot in our apartment! What a relief, we were home! Then, we though about getting up at 5:45am to start our week at the school...AHHHHHH!!!!! :) In the end, 40 hours in the Bun was definitely worth it! It was a great bonding experience, we got to eat some good ´ol American fast food (I can´t believe I just said that!) and we were able to visit 2 beautiful Central American countries! It was truly a¨Pura Vida¨ experience! (Pura Vida, or Pure Life, is the national saying of Costa Rica.) Thanks to God for safe travels and new memories!

3 Days Notice

Sorry we haven´t written in a while. Our computer has been out of commission. One of our friends that works on base is reformatting and cleaning it up and will get it back to us this weekend. Well on Tuesday....when we return from Costa Rica! We were told on Tuesday (from the one of the administrators) that the school is taking all the missionaries to Costa Rica. Sounds fun right? Well, I am sure it will be...but they told us only 3 days before departure...crazy! (Who cares about our other plans this weekend!) We have to leave the country every 90 days to renew our passport stamp. You have to go at least 2 countries away and stay there for at least 3 days. Then you can be readmitted into the country for another 90 days. Well, Monday is the last holiday we have before Christmas break (and of course they don´t want us to miss school) so they decided at the last minute (which is pretty much the norm around here) that we will go this weekend. It is between 16 and 20 hours...ONE WAY...in the car. They rented a van so we can all fit (there are 10 missionaries and 2 administrators going). It is going to be pretty crazy since we are leaving today at noon, and will return on Monday! They wanted to take us all (and our luggage) in a dual cab pick up truck to Tegucigalpa, the capitol (about an hour and a half away) and then we would get the van for the rest of the journey. It is legal to ride in the bed of pickups here...however, definitely NOT SAFE! Thank goodness Greg defended us and talked them into bringing the van here to Comayagua so we can at least be in a closed vehicle! Anyway, we are staying in a dorm room at an Adventist College somewhere in Costa Rica...that is about all the details we know of the trip. I´m sure we will return with lots of new blog material! If you don´t hear from us for a while, it´s probably because we got stranded somewhere in south Central America...Kidding! Hopefully....

Everything is going well! We are finally getting in the flow of things are getting adjusted to our schedule. Anyway, just wanted to give you a heads up with what we are up to these days. More later...Please pray for our safety! We hope you have a wonderful weekend of relaxation!
God Bless You!

Karaoke: Breaking Down Cultural Barriers

Nothing says I love you like karaoke! Greg and I celebrated our 2nd Anniversary yesterday (October 7) singing a duet of the Bice rendition of Bryan Adams’ “Everything I do, I do it for you!” (Es verdad!) We had a ball! Yesterday was the 10th birthday of Alex (our landlord’s son and one of our favorite Honduran ninos!) We celebrated big style with a fiesta on the base. I would say there was around 50 people present. As always, they had delicious food (shish kabobs, beans, rice, tortillas, salsa, cake, ice cream, and it wouldn’t be a party here without sodas and chips!) So lunch was great! After eating, they broke out the piñata! The victim this time…Winnie the Pooh! He took a pretty good beating (even Greg took a few blows) but in the end, Pooh didn’t take it personally. (See photo right) We planned to go to El Torito for dinner in honor of our anniversary…it is rumored to be the fanciest and tastiest restaurant in all of Comayagua (priciest too). Well, lucky for our budget, we (mainly Greg) ate so much at lunch, that we decided we would have to go another night if we actually wanted to the enjoy the food! (Actually, we passed the restaurant on the way back in to town from the base and it was closed! Greg felt like he was ‘off the hook’ because that was now his excuse for not taking me out on our anniversary!)

After the party, Alejandra and Jony invited us back to their house to continue the celebration (basically a time for the adults to kick back and relax). We gladly accepted! We had no idea what we were in for! We sat around and chatted for a little while, then, the computer came out. They wheeled the whole desk out onto their patio, hooked up the microphone, and Shazam! our very own karaoke machine! One by one each person took a turn and belted out a familiar tune (well, to them at least, most were Spanish hits!) They actually had some songs in English too (think 80’s and early 90’s jams…Mr. Big, Ace of Base, Michael Jackson). It was awesome! We were all up dancing and whaling on the microphone for hours! Finally around 10:00pm we remembered we had school the next day. Sadly, we had to leave…however, we feel confident that last night was only the first of many more karaoke nights to come! J Besides, karaoke is a local favorite here in Comayagua….karaoke bars are about a dime a dozen! Good ‘ol karaoke…crossing cultural boundaries and bringing people of every race, nationality and religion together! I love it!

We also had the great pleasure of watching our first Ohio State football game this season on Saturday night! It was so good to see then tear up Purdue! We got to watch it on base on the big screen TV (no offense Coby). It was quite a treat! The next morning, Greg lead the church service at the Friendship Chapel (on base) because the chaplain was out of town. He delivered a great message on be willing to take risks (inspired by Matthew 14:22-36 when Peter walks on water with Jesus). This was his second weekend in a row delivering the message at church. God is definitely using Greg and speaking through him!

Thanks for all of your prayers for our missionary friend, Mark. He is out of the hospital now and is recovering well. He is still weak, but said he should be back to school later this week. Praise the Lord he is feeling better and will return to school soon!

As always, MAY GOD BLESS YOU!

The Apple of My Eye

I am really pumped! So, I feel like an official teacher now. One on my students actually brought me an APPLE today! You better believe I downed every edible piece on that thing! It was so awesome to get a piece of fruit for my snack! Don´t get me wrong, we willingly accept any gift (especially food!) from the kids (they are always so sweet and sharing!) but it was refreshing to have something natural today...not fried or man made! Definitely a treat...and definitely made me feel like a real teacher! Greg was jealous to say the least!

Last night we felt like true ´hunters and gathers´ as we attempted to get dinner. We have made several attempts to meet our friends Kyle and Crystal at Sabor Azteca (a delicious Mexican restaurant) but due to last minute interruptions (like trips to the hospital--GREG, and loss of electricity) we had to keep cancelling. Finally, last night we were able to coordinate our schedules. We met there at 7:15 on the nose, only to find that it was closed! Oh well, we would go elsewhere. Since it was dark, we opted for a cab. However, there were none in sight! That is something VERY rare here as cabs are CONSTANTLY circling the streets, especially prowling for Americans so they can rip us off for some extra Limps. Well, not last night for! After walking about 5 blocks, we bartered with a station wagon cab and finally settled on a semi-fair price. We decided to go to a new restaurant Bhoyas outside of town (in a more rural area). We have met one of the owners (American) so thought we would give it a whirl. Thankfully, it was open when we arrived. We were seated and given menus...then were informed that the cooks did not show up for work that night (it was about 7:45pm by this time). Flustered, we realized we would yet again have to find another place for dinner. We all concurred...Pizza Hut was a sure bet so we were off to potential dinner site number 3. Since we were on the outskirts of town, we weren´t sure how we would find a cab to get there though. Luckily, right after we walked outside, a cab pulled up and unloaded some people. Perfect! However, the cabby was trying to charge us an outrageous price for driving us literally about 1/2 a mile down the road. I mean, the ball was in his court, it was dark, we were in a rural area, and we didn´t have many options. However, the strong, tough, prideful Americans that we are though, we were not willing to let this guy take advantage of us! After several bargaining attempts we turned him down and he sped off. (He drove right by Pizza Hut with an empty car...he could have made a couple bucks for doing the exact same thing he did for free.) But oh well! So we set off by foot. There were four of us so we felt a little safer. Plus, we were super hungry, and people do crazy things when they are hungry....I think we could have defended ourselves if need be! Anyway, so we trudged up the road, alongside the highway with dim lighting for about 10 minutes. We only passed one other pedestrian (a non-threatening woman), I nearly lost my flip flop in a mud pile, and our lungs suffered a little from all the pollution, but by the grace of God, we made it to Pizza Hut! We were greeted at the door and never felt so happy to have some wings and a gigante supreme pizza! It was fabulous! Just another story to add to our adventure arsenal here! It was a really fun and random Monday night!

Please pray for one of the other missionaries from our school, Mark. He is in the hospital with Dengue Fever (contracted from mosquitoes). Poor guy! He went yesterday and they plan to keep him for a few days. He doesn´t have any family here so it must be rough! Also, another one of the missionaries from our school (there are 10 total) was mugged on Friday night (She was out walking by one of the parks after dark with two other people). A man on a bicycle rode by and ripped her purse off her body. Sadly, she lost her camera, credit cards, cash, and ID, but somehow was able to recover her passport (a person brought it to the school when they say here Maranatha lanyard). Fortunately though, she is okay and was not harmed. Thank God! Anyway, some of our amigos are experiencing some difficulties so if you would be willing, please say a prayer for everyone´s safety and health! Thanks so much! God bless you!

Always Something There to Remind Me!

This has been quite the eventful week! 7 days filled with 5 stitches, 4 days of school, 3 church activities, 2 nights without power and 1 day without water. Just another week in paradise!

On Tuesday after school, our landlord gave us a ride home. I was telling her how badly I wanted to learn how to make tortillas, so she invited us over that even and she would give us an official lesson. We were pumped! After teaching at the orphanage then doing some tutoring, we headed over to her house. Right about that time…we lost power. It didn’t stop us though! Alejandra gave us tortilla making lessons by candlelight! It was so much fun! She even taught us how to make pupusas (a typical food here…basically, you put a hunk of cheese in the middle of the tortilla dough, then smash it with the tortilla press and cook it on the preheated tortilla pan. The cheese actually cooks into the tortilla…genius! Then you add fresh sautéed veggies and it is quite the treat!) She also gave us a recipe for Honduran enchiladas (very different than Mexican enchiladas) and showed us how to make beans. Honestly, I think she gave me the Honduran 101 cooking lesson because she felt bad for Greg. You see, they go all out here for every meal. I mean, they will make pork chops, fresh tortillas, rice, and vegetables for lunch on a random Tuesday. They cook it up big style for every meal here. There is no heating up leftovers or making a having cereal for lunch. I think I mentioned before that parents actually bring fresh cooked meals to their children at school every day for lunch. Greg and I, we keep it simple…PBJ every day! Yeah, I get a little jealous watching the kids chow on their grilled chicken, barbecued beef, beans, cheese, rice and tortillas, but whatever, peanut butter and jelly is fine! Alejandra, cracked up when she found at that is what we ate everyday for lunch. She was stunned that Greg was okay with that and assured me that her husband would definitely not be! So, in turn, she willingly gave me a cooking lesson and some traditional recipes in hopes that I would change my ways…at least for Greg’s sake! So, I did start to feel bad and I actually cooked lunch for Greg the next day. After all the work it took, we just picked up Wendy’s for the other two days!

When is the last time you had a candlelight dinner?

Wednesday was pretty uneventful. Greg and made dinner by candlelight again. Greg and I whipped up some delicious tuna salad to accompany the Honduran version of saltine crackers. Oh, and we also bought the biggest lemon in Central America from the Pulperia by our house (small little convenience store…there are at least 2 on every block). I asked Greg to pick one up, and he came back with this monstrosity of a fruit! The best part is, Greg has made such good friends with the owners there, that they just gave it to him! Anyway, we made like 2 cups of fresh lemon juice from the one lemon! Amazing! Here is a photo for proof (look at it compared to the size of Greg´s hand!) :

On Thursday, after a rough morning with my feisty fourth graders, I was delighted when the bell rang for recess. As I opened my class room door for 30 whole minutes of sitting down and resting my voice I was greeted by a swarm of kids. “Miss Emily! Miss Emily! Mr. Greg had to go to the hospital - he hit his head!” They shouted. Confused and completely blindsided, I started to cry. I scoured the playground with my eyes and sure enough, there was no sign of Mr. Greg. I began walking to the main building and as I did, I could feel everyone just staring at me as my eyes welled up with tears. Finally I ran into and administrative staff member and questioned Greg’s whereabouts. “Oh, he’s at the hospital” was their reply. Then, I did manage to get a little more information….that he was bleeding out of his head. Of course, I am freaking out by this time! Especially when they told me that everything was taken care of, that he was at the hospital and I should just stay at school. I was not down with that and after a few minutes was able to get one of the school’s head staff members to drive me to the Hospital Colonial (one of the private hospitals in town). When we arrived, I got to go straight to the emergency room where he was being treated. There I found out that during High School recess (the period right before elementary recess) Greg got an elbow to the eye during a game of soccer. The impact split open the skin right on his brow bone above his eye. It literally looked like he had a third eye opening! I don’t know what freaked me out more, the huge gash on his face or that dried blood that was stained on the wall from previous patients…. Anyway, the doctor came in and gave him several shots in the wound and then put in five stitches as four bystanders (including me) all stood around and watched. It was a pretty painful sight, but as to be excepted from him, Greg was a good sport, cracking jokes about it the whole time. He even claimed he would give bonus points to his student that did it for giving him such a good hit! About an hour later, Greg was discharged. He was given pain pills, some topical solution, and 6 vials of fluid that required an injection in his rear ever 12 hours. I perked up when I found out that I would be the one administering the shots! I assured the staff that I had given our dog vaccinations in the past, so giving Greg a shot in the butt twice daily would be a piece of cake! (If fact, something I would take pleasure in….I mean, when would I get this opportunity again!) You better believe that every twelve hours on the dot, Greg got his injection by his cheerful enthusiastic home health care nurse, Emily. J Due to the accident, the doctor told him to take Friday off school and prohibited from playing soccer for at least 7 days (of course, I busted him later that night kicking a soccer ball around with our neighbor!)

In all seriousness though, we are SO thankful that the accident was not more severe. The doctor said that had it been a little deeper he would have done surgery (since it was so close to his eye). PRAISE GOD that wasn’t necessary! In fact, his eye is healing so well and so fast I can‘t believe it has only been 3 days! The swelling went down within 24 hours and he doesn’t have any pain! God is so good! Please pray that it fully heals with no complications! Our biggest fear has been infection, but so far so good! We have faith that God will completely heal him with no problems. So brace yourself, here is a picture of what he looked like about 8 hours after the injury. Now we just joke that he is wearing purple eye shadow (because that it was it looks like!) Greg has such a positive attitude and is just thankful that he is recovering so quickly. I can assure you, we will never forget our time here in Honduras as Greg now has a permanent souvenir!

We hope you are all doing well! We miss you! May God continue to fill your life with blessings as he is with ours! Thank you so much for your prayers and support!

The Brightest Baños in all of Comayagua!

Thursday was quite a treat! Mommy Carmen (the founder of the Hogar de Ninos orphanage) asked Greg and I to select the tile for the bathrooms and kitchens in their ‘under construction’ transitional housing building. They are in the process of building 6 apartments at a new site in Comayagua to serve as home for the grown kids of the orphanage. Somewhat like a halfway house to help them get started in the ‘real world’ outside the walls of the orphanage. Needless to say, Greg and I were very honored to fulfill Mommy Carmen’s request. So after school on Thursday a van with 2 of the ninas and 2 of the workers picked us up to head to the Famaco store to make the selections. We stopped by the construction site first and were very pleased to see the progress that has been made on the 2 story building since we were last there about 5 weeks ago. Next, we headed strait to the hardware store, into the ‘tile’ room. Literally, the room had all different floor tiles and wall tiles in place on the floor and walls so we could see exactly how it would look. It always had a line of toilets and sinks ranging from maroon to green and all the colors in between. Greg was bored after about 15 minutes, so I was basically in control of the making the decisions….that is why it ended up taking about and hour and a half! All of the floor tiles had some sort of colors and patterns, all of the wall tiles had different ones and since they were fixed to the floor and walls already, it was impossible to tell if at colors matched (or at least blended!) So after careful consideration and much deliberation with my fellow girls, we made the final decision. It felt good! Soon after, an employee told us they no longer carried the flooring that we selected. We went with our second favorite and called it a day. Or at least I thought we were going to call it a day, then I learned that each bathroom would different, so we actually had 5 more to go. We started out quite conservative, with calm colors that seemed to match relatively well. By the end, we were selecting blue and pink toilets to match the brightly colored tiles. I tried to get light pastel colors that blended, but the other ladies advised me that bright colors were more important that matching patterns. Plus, our options were limited. It was a really fun experience! I can’t wait to see the tiles in place in the finished bathrooms and kitchens…what an honor!

That same day, the group also invited us to go with them to Puerto Cortes on Saturday. Mommy Carmen was sending a the workers of the Hogar to the beach for the day in honor of El Dia de Maestros (The Day of Teachers). We enthusiastically accepted the invitation. It was a 4 hour drive and we were just going for the day, so the group planned to leave Comayagua at 5am. The staff told us they would pick Greg and I up at our house around 4 or 4:30am and we would return around 7. Saturday morning came quickly and I hopped up 4 to the sound of our alarm. Greg got dressed, threw his stuff in a bag, then returned to bed. I took my time as I packed and got ready (we couldn’t shower though because we had no running water). Once I finished, I figured I would watch a little TV while I waited. Little did I know that I would watch an entire Hallmark channel movie before the van arrived at 6:15am! Greg was smart for staying in bed! I was quite impressed that they were an entire 2 hours late! I mean, at least 30 minutes was to be expected, but over 2 hours---unprecedented! I must admit though, it was well worth the wait (plus I got a watch a whole movie in English). We had an excelled day! The six women that live at the group home (another site operated by the Hogar for women with special needs) accompanied us on the trip. It was so good to get to spend time with them as we don’t often have the opportunity. One of the older girls from the Hogar (that was came along) even got to visit her family while in Puerto Cortes. I am not sure what her story is, or how she ended up in the Hogar, but it was very emotional to see their reunion after quite some time! I don’t know how often she gets to see them, but I thought it was so amazing that the Mommy Carmen helped arrange the visit. I know she was very grateful!

When we arrived at the beach, Greg and I were amazed at how dirty it was. It truly was unbelievable. The coast line was so beautiful, but all the bottles, plastic ware, bags, wrappers, and junk really tainted the view. The group said that it normally wasn’t as bad, it was only this dirty because the rain washed all the junk ashore. Nonetheless it was really cool to see Central America’s largest shipping port. We had heard about it before as it often makes the news due to major drug trafficking problems. Greg and I opted not to get in the water, but relaxed on the beach under the palm trees. I wanted to just put my feet in, but Greg said if I did, there would be a good chance I would come out with a spork stuck in my leg. I took his advice and just felt the water with my hand! Before we left, I gathered some pumice rock that had washed up on the beach. The women told me there were great to use for pedicures and also for cleaning. We had a wonderful day, and after 8 hours round trip in the van, we arrived back home in Comayagua around 7:30pm.…I was in bed soon after!

Holiday Weekend Fun

We woke up on Saturday morning at 6:45am to the sound of airplanes flying overhead. We ran outside to our little patio to see what all the commotion was about. There were about 6 small planes circling in the air above performing stunts an tricks. (The photo to the left is a view from our rooftop.) Next thing we knew, we were hearing music from a band. Then we remember, it was Fiesta de Patria…Honduran Independence Day! We rushed back inside to get dressed then hurried up the street to the main boulevard. People surrounded the street to watch the parade of bands, dancers, performers and floats. Nearly all of the schools in Comayagua had a band in the parade, followed by a group of female dancers (All the girls had baton’s in the hands, but they never twirled them for some reason.) Everyone in the parade was in costume. Some dressed up in traditional native garb, others dressed up like the Lempira tribe, and a group of boys even dressed up like donkeys! (Comayagua is known as the city of donkeys: Ciudad de burros.) It was quite the production. Following the march through the streets, each group in the parade would do a brief performance - for the grand finale - in the Central Park. I have never seen so many people in the square - it was so crowded! The parade lasted for 5 hours! (7am to 1pm) I felt bad for the kids that were dressed up in heavy, long sleeved uniforms because I was wearing a tank top and capri pants and I was sweating….and that was at 8:00am. At first we thought it was crazy that the parade started so early, then realized it was because of the heat! However, if you didn’t want to brave the high temperature outside, you could watch the parade live on TV from the comfort of your own home! It was a neat experience and we were happy to get to see it!

We had another really cool experience on Monday. We went with some people from the orphanage to a nursery here in Comayagua to help them purchase some trees to plant and grow at the farm. We were planning to only buy mango trees, but since they were less expensive than we thought, we ended up with some guava, nance, and noni trees as well. The owner of the nursery was very nice and asked us if we wanted a tour. We gladly accepted. He took us all around and gave us samples of the difference fruits from each tree. We tasted a lot of different fruits, many that we had never heard of. It was really cool! He also told us that this nursery is the only one in all of Honduras that genetically alters plants and trees. So basically, they had many varieties of the same type of tree (avocado, pomegranate, guava, etc.) all just a little different based on how it’s make up was altered. To sum it all up, he sent us home with 2 bags full of fruit (some of which we don‘t even know how to eat!)

Monday was the Day of Teachers. I must admit, I wasn’t expecting anything, however, I was pleasantly surprised! The high school students at our school put together a program for all the teachers complete with dancing, singing, a skit, food, cake, and my personal favorite….a pinata! So for Tuesday afternoon (we didn’t have school on Monday) we got to skip out on classes and celebrate! I think the highlight was when they picked 6 teachers (3 female, 3 male) to come up on stage and dance. The kids sang this song, and when they got to the part “suave, suave, suave” the teachers were supposed to break it down (basically shake your pelvis). Naturally, Greg was one of the participants. He was the first male contestant to go, so he tried to be as conservative as he could be when shaking your hips. I mean, he was in school, performing in front of all the students and administration. He also did a ‘Hulk Hogan’ motion to try to get the crowd pumped up and earn some more applause. Well, little did he know that the head counselor (the school’s disciplinarian) being so “suave” would end up on the ground thrusting and swaying like we had never seen before! Needless to say, Greg did not win. However, he did get a consolation prize (a lamp….I know it is super random, but we needed one for our house, so it was actually perfect!) Clearly, we don’t have the natural hip shaking, pelvic thrusting ability that the Hondurans are born with. After that performance though, I am not sure that’s a bad thing…:) It was quite the sight to see and not one I could ever imagine seeing in a school back home!

America, Honduras

Our friends invited us to go with them to a Christian fellowship gathering, called Crossroads, at the military base on Friday night. So after a productive morning of running errands and eating lunch at our favorite restaurant, we accepted the invitation. About 3 miles outside of Comayagua there is a ½ American ½ Honduras military base. Approximately 500 American soldiers are stationed here along with another 500 civilian contractors (American and Honduran). Our friend, Kyle, is one of the civilian contractors and his wife is a teacher at bilingual school in Comayagua. We met them several weeks ago, and they kindly helped us secure passes to get on the base to attend church there (since it is in English!) Our passes were just cleared for use, so we went with them last night to attend Crossroads. We took a cab out to the base (went through several cabs trying to agree on a reasonable price…like we said before, they always try to rip off Americans)! Anyway, once we arrived the cabby dropped us off at the front gave and sped off. We were greeted by Honduran military personnel to check out identification. Kyle and Crystal got through the gate immediately simply by flashing their base ID cards. We had to show our passports, then the guard looked through the binder of issued passes to find our names and clearance level. He found our names alright, however, we only had permission to be on base on Sundays from 9am to 5pm. It was Friday; therefore the Honduran soldier would not allow us to enter. We tried to plead with him, explaining that the Chaplain must have made an error, that we should be able come to the church functions on Friday nights also. We even had a US soldier helping us, trying to convince the Honduran to let us pass. However, he wouldn’t budge. Although Americans and Hondurans share the base, ultimately, the Honduran military has the upper hand (since we are in their country and all). Greg and I were prepared to turn back and hale another cab home, when we remembered….the husband of our landlord works security for the Honduran military! His wife told us earlier in the week that Jony would be residing on the base all weekend as part of his supervisory duties. Greg whipped out his cell and gave Jony a call. Fortunately he answered and within minutes, he met us at the front gate. Using his Capitan status, he walked up to the gate and told the other Honduran soldiers (that wouldn’t let us in) that we were with him. The soldier gave a salute to Jony, and we were in. In disbelief, the four of us followed him in, hopped in Jony’s car and headed to the chapel. Again, God has connected us with some truly amazing people here! J

It was so amazing to be on base! We actually felt very safe and stared out the window in amazement as we drove through streets. There were all kinds of American luxuries! Restaurants, coffee shops, laundry mats, restrooms with toilet paper (at school you have to bring your own), a gym, swimming pool, tennis courts, etc. all with signs written in English! Once we arrived, Crystal asked me to walk to the PX with her. It was awesome! Nearly all the products (food, clothing, appliances, electronics) were American name brands! They had a multitude of things impossible to find anywhere else in Honduras! I didn’t buy anything (I only had 30 Lempira – about $1.50), however, window shopping was still quite fulfilling. We plan to stop there and pick up a few things after church on Sunday.

Crossroads was great! There were about 12 people that attended (8 American soldiers and then the 4 of us). They cooked a great dinner (sloppy jo’s, potatoes, and corn) and for dessert we had root beer floats! I don’t remember the last time I had one of those!? It definitely hit the spot though! The Crossroads building was filled with activities. At one end of the room was the kitchen and pantry, then tables and cabinets filled with board games. The other side of the room had several couches, a HUGE TV (with American Cable) and a Christian Library. There were also a ping pong and foosball tables. After we enjoyed the scrumptious meal and thought that there was no possible way this night could get any better, they unveiled they Nintendo Wii. We all put on our game faces and boxed, bowed, and played tennis for hours. How fabulous!

I really felt like I was back in the US when I was actually able to flush toilet paper down the toilet! You see, everywhere else you go in Honduras, you have to throw your used toilet paper in the trashcan next to the toilet. (Trashcan to the left in the photo.) I guess you get used to it after a while, but it is still sorta gross. Anyway, it felt so good to be on base. For a little while, we actually felt like we were in the United States. It was such a comforting feeling! We are definitely grateful and proud to be American citizens!


Greg and I both agreed that last night was truly a gift from God. He fills everyday with blessings small and large, and it is up to us to recognize each gift and give thanks. “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:6
May God bless you richly today!

Dia del Nino

What the heck is Dia del Nino (Spanish for The Nino, for all you Chris Farley fans)? It is a national holiday here in Honduras where you celebrate being a kid. Brilliant! Another opportunity for fried food and sugary treats! I had to do nothing since I teach the older kids (7th- 11th grade) but, Emily had to take off the afternoon and throw a party for her class…cakes, sodas, chips…so it was pretty much like every other day. (Apparently you once you pass the 6th grade you are officially cut off from kids day). These kids eat and drink nothing but junk food! I think it would be better for these kids to just get an IV filled with sugar because it would be more efficient….no time for digestion, the sugar goes directly to the blood. So anyway, Emily learned from our landlord (whose son is in her class) that she would be required to organize the party, delegate which student would bring what, and host the two hour party. Oh, and Emily found this out 2 days in advance. Fortunately, she pulled it off…well sort of! She managed to have another teacher help write a letter in Spanish to send home with the children indicating what each student was responsible for bringing. I would say about 75% of the children managed to bring their assigned goods - piñatas, sandwiches, churros, ice cream, catrachitas (fried corn tortillas with a smear of beans and a sprinkle of cheese), cups, plates, spoons, etc. Once the party began, complete chaos broke out (What´s new?) It worked out for Emily because the kids ended up entertaining themselves. Really, she was just responsible for distributing the food and beverages, and working the piñata (Poor Sponge Bob didn´t even see it coming! See photo.) Two hours later, the final bell sounded and Emily would no longer be responsible for the kids and their sugar highs (or crashes)! Apparently redemption is near, as we learned that National Teacher´s Day is Monday, September 17!

We also found out that late notices to parents or students (telling them the day before or the day of that they have a meeting, or their kids have to bring something to school etc.) is a typical and planned course of action here. One example (although I have man) - The teachers found out on Monday that we would be having school on Thursday (originally we were supposed to have it off for their independence day, but since we missed two days for Felix, they made us go). The teachers knew all week, but it wasn´t until Wednesday afternoon that a note was sent home to parents informing them there would in fact be school the following day. Sorry if you had vacation planned for the long weekend, your kids have to come to school. Apparently this practice is effective though, as all of Emily´s 4th grade students (32 total) were present on Thursday!

Have a great weekend! We know we will as we are off from school Friday and Monday! =)
Again, thank you all for your support and prayers. The Lord is definitely present in this place! God Bless You!

Oh...and GO BUCKEYES!

It Pays to be Honduran!

We have a Honduran friend named Kevin who went to high school in the states and speaks better English than we do. He hailed a cab from our apartment to go home and the following conversation took place…in Spanish -

Kevin: “How much to Tres Caminos?” (The neighborhood where he lives.)
Cabby: “40 limps” (about 2 bucks)
Kevin: “40 limps, to Tres Caminos!?!?”
Cabby: “Yeah, you are American, right?”
Kevin: “No, I am Honduran!”
Cabby: “Oh, so sorry, only 20 limps!”

I know what you are thinking, we are only talking about a buck difference…remember we are in Honduras where the average salary is 3,000 U.S. dollars a year! It is funny though, because you can get so caught up trying to get a bargain, that you realize later that you spent 15 minutes arguing over 10 cents. But in actuality, that´s two bags of water, 9 tortillas, or 5 minutes at the internet cafe...time well spent trying to save a dime!

A Taste of America

God sure was looking upon on with favor on Friday! He blessed us with some good ‘ol American Chili Cheese Dogs! I mean, honestly, when is the last time that you praised the Lord for giving you a hotdog? It was Friday afternoon (our crazy first week of school had finally come to an end) and we decided to hit the internet café for a little R & R. Not long after we began surfing the net, we got a call from our good buddy, Bill. They had just gotten a shipment of hot dogs and chili in at the base and he invited us over to indulge with him. We enthusiastically obliged! And a treat it was…. 8 dogs later, we were doubled over in pain! (Greg – 4, Bill – 2½, Emily – 1½) Oh, and we also had some Cool Ranch Doritos and baked beans. We felt like it was the fourth of July! The neighbor kids even helped us celebrate by setting off firecrackers! (Seriously! Hondurans have a habit of doing that…all hours of the day and night, for no apparent reason you will hear the sound of fireworks!) After several hours of rehashing our week, talking on the phone (Bill always insists that we call our parents from his internet phone when we are at his house) and relaxing, Bill had an idea. Every time we are together he raves about yucca (an indigenous root vegetable that is similar to a potato). He has threatened to take us to his favorite place and get some several times, and this was the night his dreams would come to fruition. Next thing we knew were out, eating more food! He ordered two kinds….yucca chimichurra (boiled yucca with a garlic pesto sauce) and good ‘ol fried yucca (Honduran style). It was delicious! I have no idea how we had the room, but we slammed the entire thing! It was a great night….well….until about 3am when I woke up to the sound of Greg’s 4 hotdogs being resurrecting into the toilet! Poor guy! He said it will be years until he can eat another one. He had a similar experience with apple juice when he was 5 and hasn’t touched the stuff since!

Saturday was a great day! It was our first day to teach at the orphanage! We were pumped! Right on time, a truck from the farm picked us up at our apartment. We picked up about 8 girls from town, then headed out to meet the rest of the group at the boy’s orphanage. Fortunately, one of our bilingual Honduran friends volunteered to translate. It was a blessing because I don’t know how we would have been able to communicate as effectively without him. We had about 20 alumnos (boys and girls) and learned that 17 more would be there next week (they had a school activity that morning). We were thrilled! On Saturdays, we will teach high school and college students. The kids were given the option to come to class IF they wanted to learn English. So think about it, approximately 40 students ages 14-22 are voluntarily coming to our class for 2 ½ hours on Saturday mornings! Even one of the staff members is attending. We are so excited! We did a brief assessment to determine their skill level, then hit the ground running. It was a great class and we could see the enthusiasm on their faces! I am sure they could see it on ours too! I am confident that God has wonderful things in store for the future!
That evening we attended church at La Vina (The Vineyard) – a wonderful experience as always!

Sunday was filled with LOTS of work. We made lesson plans for hours and ran errands to prepare for the week ahead. Later in the day Greg was reminiscing about his days in Raleigh when he would get a Bojangles Tailgate Special complete with a gallon of sweet tea and go to town in front of the TV watching Sunday afternoon football….and then he somehow convinced me to go. Yes, for all you North Carolinians out there, you read correctly…there is a Bojangles here in Comayagua. Trying to recreate Greg’s familiar atmosphere, we decided to get Bojangles takeout. He excitedly ordered one of the fried chicken combos and ordered his favorite dirty rice and fries for sides. Needless to say, he also ordered a large sweat tea. Several minutes later, we were home preparing for the feast. Disappointment #1: No Texas Pete. Fried Chicken without Texas Pete? Un-American! Greg shakes it off and uses a Honduran brand. Disappointment #2: Greg carefully places the straw in his coveted cup of sweet tea and to his surprise discovers it is Sprite. He pouts, but is determined that it will not get him down. Disappointment #3: Greg opens the container of dirty rice to find a mound of coleslaw. This was it. He was disgusted. However, it did not stop him from eating ever last morsel in the bag. Coby saved the day when he was able to produce 3 NFL games on Sunday afternoon (with Spanish commentating of course). Oh, and Greg dominated his fantasy football league this week. (p.s. Greg is playing in a league with a bunch of random dudes since none of his friends would let him in theirs….he made me type that). All in all, it was a wonderful weekend filled with lots of good food and new cultural experiences.