Simple Piece of Candy

I had the most amazing day today! I had to share it in my blog

I suppose I should go back to when it started....I was trying to compose my prayer letter that will be sent out prior to my trip. This will be the forth letter that I have written & I was struggling to come up with something fresh and new. Below is how my letter started:

Estimados Amigos y Fmilia, (Dear Friends & Family)

When I arrived in San Padro Sula, Honduras in January of 2008 Pastor Yobani Alas greeted me with a hug & great excitement. Like you would greet an old friend who you had not seen in a long time. This is the standard for the people of Honduras. I recall Pastor Yobani asking me if I spoke Spanish & I shyly replied ‘no’. He then chuckled and said “We will teach you.” In the almost 4 years since my first trip to Honduras I am ashamed to say I have not learned to speak Spanish
( I know just enough to be dangerous) However, what I have learned is how to communicate through my heart. There is a joint love for God & for each other and there are no words needed to communicate this. Sure it is frustrating not being able to express what you want to say but it is amazing how you can get your point across without the words

This morning, in my frustration with not being how to find the words to tell my story & explain why I want to continue to go to Honduras, I said "Lord show me what I need to say" So I continue with my day & am thinking when I sit down again to work on my letter perhaps God will have inspired me.

Later on in the morning I went on my daily trip to the post office for work. Upon entering the post office I spot an older gentleman wrapping a package in a decorated padded envelope. I said to him "That is a beautiful package, I would like to receive one like that." The man turns and looks at me with a blank look on his face & I smile and point to the package and say "that is pretty" He then spoke in a thick Russian accent "Sorry no speak English".....so I smiled and said ok. He then pulled a piece of candy out of his pocket and handed it to me. I smiled and said thank you & as I waited for my turn in line I watched as he assembled his packaged. He then pulled the contents of the envelope out of the envelope and said "Bible" he proudly displayed a black hard covered book with what I assume was Bible engraved in gold (in Russian) on the cover. I gave him a HUGE smile and thumbs up sign. We then worked together to determine the best place to put the labels on the envelope. He left briefly to retrieve glue from his car to attach the labels & I continued on my way.

When I reached my car the tears were rolling down cheeks and I was so amazed at what had just occurred. It was just like in Honduras...we do not speak the same language but through simple acts of kindness the language barrier is broken and the love of God shines through.

I heard the answer to my prayer from a kind Russian gentleman I had never met, Amazing how God speaks, isn't it?

Not That Far

When I was in Honduras I remember looking at the moon and thinking "I can see the same moon at home".

Recently I was watching the sun come up over the Atlantic Ocean when I realized that we share the same ocean as Honduras. I looked up the actual distance and it is 1,500 miles from NC to Honduras but in reality it isn't that far away.

We all share the same love for Christ & are close in each others hearts, even when separated by miles, oceans, and time zones.

A Note from Kelin

I anxiously opened the envelope that contains a note from Honduras..of course it is in Spanish and I can't read it but I can pick words out here and there and I can imagine the smile of the one that sent it. (Thankfully I have a friend who can interpret it for me.)

Hi, how are you? I hope this letter finds you well with a lot of affection, hoping for the best in your life. Dee, I want to tell you that the photos you sent me are very beautiful. Thank you for the support that you have given us, and want to tell you that I miss you a lot and I need to tell you that I hope you have a good new year. Dee, thank you for everything and that soon we will start classes back up and that in November, I would like for you to come to my 6th grade graduation. I’m going to pray to God for you and I love you very much.

With love,

Kelin.

"God bless you always and I hope you come to Honduras soon, with love"

When I was there last April I met Kelin for the first time. She had been at the hogar for just a few months. She was a little shy the first day or so but we soon connected. She was very eager to learn English and we would walk around looking at things in the yard....I would point to a flower and say flower in English. She tried so hard to learn in such a short time. She was so anxious to be able to communicate with us, almost to frustration at times. The night before we left I gave her a teddy bear I had brought (unsure of who it would go to when I left the state but knowing by then who needed it) The next morning, as we were saying our tearful goodbyes she came to me to thank me for the bear. She was trying so hard to get me to understand what she was saying she finally took me by the hand and took me to her bed and showed me the bear. Through hand motions she told me that she slept with her bear last night and she loved it.

I am so anxious to return and sit on the porch with Kelin, walk around the yard and teach each other English and Spanish. She is another reminder of what God is doing in Taulabe Honduras.