Game On

I'm not even sure what time it was when we arrived at the Mission House but what I do know is we had three hours to unpack the crates that housed the Christmas Gifts we had brought....organize them & wrap them. I was so nervous...everyone dove in though & worked well together. Todd became the 'checker' and marked the name off the list when it was wrapped, Moriah loved to wrap & dove right in...and all the others helped to get them in the right places. There was just one catch....the crate with all the gift wrap, tissue, tape, gift bags etc. and a couple of gifts were missing!!! I panicked....YIKES how could this happen? We surmised that the crate containing those items was sitting in the house where we packed, in Hendersonville.

But no fear! 24 gift bags that had been donated arrived, along with two huge bag of bows & some additional totes. We had EXACTLY enough to wrap the gifts & if we couldn't wrap them they were covered in bows! Of course it worked out....although I was surprised....God wasn't....He had it all under control. (OH...and the last day of the trip in the middle of cleaning a HUGE bag of gift wrap tape etc. from previous trips was discovered in a crate under a table! Go figure!!) There had been 'extra' gifts donated and all the perfect gifts were there to replace the ones that were missing :o)

It didn't take nearly as long as we expected to wrap everything & before I knew it we each grabbed a handful of presents and like a line of ants we headed to the hogar! We placed them around the Christmas tree that they already had decorated & the girls were obviously excited (especially the little ones) I even caught a couple of the little girls peeking in the gift bags LOL

We all ate ate.....MMmmmm.....our first Honduran meal. Shredded chicken...and all the fixins. I joked with some of the team members that they had prepared Eastern Style BBQ just for us! One of the things that I have a hard time getting used to is the girls and the staff wait for us to eat. We have to all be seated and eating before they serve themselves.

After the tables were cleared a ring of chairs was set up and the girls all took a seat...a couple of "Santas" proceeded to hand out the gifts. Each girl was allowed to take out one gift & have their photo taken....and after that I expected the chaos to begin but it didn't. As I watched they were almost embarrassed. The older girls peeked in the bags to see what was there but didn't tear it all out. The little girls did take their gifts out and they proceeded to play with each others toys. It was so amazing to me though, even looking back...they were so appreciative of the littlest things.

The tias were so excited about their gifts. One of the tias even received a sawing machine!!! She was thrilled! It was such a wonderful evening!

Even the part about me falling spread eagle with a handful of gifts....I had to make a grand entrance you know!

In the beginning

In the beginning there was bananas & pineapples!! The stop at the fruit stand has become a tradition & something I look forward to each trip. The team stops on their way from airport in San Padro Sula to the campus in Taulabe. There is something special about the fruit stand. I'm not sure if it is the first glimpse of the culture, the smell of the fresh fruit, or the care that the lady at the fruit stand gives us. I think it is a bit of all. Just like everything in Honduras the fruit is a bit sweeter & there is something familiar that the fruit stand offers for the Americans that are arriving for a week of wonder.

I enjoyed the bity bananas & pineapples every morning for breakfast mmmmm so good. This year one of our team members, Todd, planted the tops of the pineapples in the yard of the mission house. It will be interesting to see how long it takes the plants to produce fruit.

I have been back a week today & it seems like it was forever ago that I was in Honduras. It has taken me a week to 'decompress' from the trip & get back into my routine. It is hard for me to recapture the week in one entry so my hope is to continue my blog using the entries from my journal.

I do want to thank everyone for your prayers & support as I was on this trip. Each trip has been different in many ways but this trip was so special...there was a peace and contentment among the team & you could feel God everywhere. God is definitely at work in Honduras & I hope you will stay tuned to hear about it all.

Slow Me Down

God work's in unusual ways, for sure. Yesterday he was telling me to slow down....breath....stop rushing!!

We got off work at 11 & I made a bee-line to Grace to pick up the additional gifts that had been left during the week. On my way there a squirrel ran out in front of me & unfortunately I couldn't stop or swerve & he didn't make it :o( I hate it when those things happens. It hurts my heart so bad.

After reaching Grace and loading my car with the gifts (my back seat & rear compartment was full) I was off to meet my friend Tracy. I turn right and continue to drive towards Fletcher. I really wasn't paying attention to my speed; instead I was thinking about what I would wear to the Christmas party that night. I crested the hill and saw the police officer on the right shoulder...instinctively I hit my breaks but it was too late. He already had me. With the blue lights flashing behind me I pulled into a local housing development. By the time he reached the car I had my drivers license ready. Sigh............."Mame do you know what the speed limit is on this road?" sheepishly I replied "45?" That was not the correct answer...the correct answer was 35 & apparently I was going 56. OOOCH! He returned to his car to check my license. By the time he returned I was sobbing heavily knowing what was about to happen. "Are you going to a Christmas Party?" he asked upon returning to my car. Through sobs I replied "no I am taking the gifts to an orphanage to Honduras the day after Christmas." He was very serious & explained to me that if he wrote me a ticket it would be $250 & a court appearance AND he could take my license on the spot. Then his voice softened and he said "But if I give you a $250 ticket two days before Christmas my wife would kill me. Slow down and have a Merry Christmas." I couldn't believe it....I was shaking so bad & was crying even harder.

Between the squirrel and the officer I was getting the message loud and clear to slow down. I think it is something that is often lost in this season & for me it has been especially true this year getting ready for the trip as well.

We all need to stop, slow down, and reflect about what this season is really about. It is also one of my prayers for my trip...to slow down...breath...enjoy each moment & look for God.

May God Richly Bless You All

Dee

Forcast

The 10 day forecast says the temps will be will be mid to upper 60s, cloudy and 75% chance of showers the first three days we are there.

Despite what the weather forecast say I see it as a 100% chance of giggles, laughter & fun!! (whatever the weather is) Might be an opportunity to play in the rain? Or sit on the porch and color with the girls. It will be perfect either way!!!!

Gracios Dios

Pastor Yobani back in his home church with his family

I am so often blown away when God answers prayers...honestly I shouldn't be because isn't that why we pray? We are going to God in need? This past week has been filled with visible obvious answers to prayers & I stand here saying WOW!!! God is so good. I know He is just as awesome when we don't see the answers so visible or that his answers are even no.

In my prayers for the trip I have been praying for Pastor Yobani Alas who is the leader of the Fuente de Vida church that we partner with. Pastor Yobani was falsly accused by a former girl of the orphanage & has been inprisoned for four months. God has worked wonderous things through him as he has ministered, like Paul to the inmates of the prison. My prayer has been that justice would be served and the truth will prevail and that he would be at the airport to meet us the 26th. PRAISE GOD my prayers (along with many others) have been answered & he was released on Monday. The judge released him stating 'I see no reason to detain him any longer'.

Another thing I have been specifically praying for is that I would be able to see Johana on this trip. She is the girl that I wrote about earlier on in the blog who I first fell in love with. She is no longer at the hogar but is on her own living in the city. On Monday I received a message from her saying "I still remember you as my mother." along with her phone number. I plan on contacting her while I am there. Please pray that details can be worked out so that we can visit. I have not seen her in two years.

Finally I have had prayers for financial needs. As of today all my expenses have been met. I called to find out the cost of my malaria medicine (originally quoted to me at Walmart for $75) to find out that it would be $10!!!!! Whooo Hoooo!!!!

Thank you for your prayers and support thus far. Please continue to pray...I leave in 12 days and have become increasingly nervous and excited the closer it gets to the day of departure.

Do you have any candles to share?

Have you ever noticed how the light of one single candl ....one tiny flame.... can light a room as bright as a full moon? It is truly amazing.

In America it is such an inconvenience when we loose our power but in Honduras it is a way of life. You never know when you will loose power or for how long but you can be guaranteed that it will happen. The Hondurans adapt and go on; in fact the girls at the hogar love it when the power is off. I have to admit that I have fond memories of being without power myself.

On one trip we were unable to cook during a power outage so we went into town to the little Chinese restaurant for dinner. (they had a gas stove) We walked into a long table set up for us, a party of aprox. 15. The tables were adorned with soda bottles holding lit candles. The ambiance was amazing...the candle light had a warm feel and was so comforting. As we all stood up to leave...just like a switch was flipped, the bright lights came on. The timing of God is always perfect!

As we are gathering our things to take on our journey we will need to take candles to have on hand "just in case".

As you are replacing your old Christmas candles with new ones keep us in mind. You can donate your candles for us to use.

God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
1John 1:5

(Contact me at deezy214@yahoo.com)

22 Days & Maleria Pills

Fresh Talopia......(please don't make me eat the eyes)

22 days until we leave.....I started counting down with 110 days to go ....it is hard to believe that it is so close now.

TO DO this week:
Wednesday appointment to get Malaria Pills

I will need to start taking them two weeks before I leave. Please pray they don't upset my tummy.

Things I would like to do while I am there:
I try not to have an agenda or expectations but this morning I was thinking about what I would like to do while I am there.

1) See Johanna --the girl I met on my first trip.
2) Take a walk with Keylin
3) Spend time with the tias and the girls doing chores
4) Get to know my team members
5) Spend a day in the mountains

OH....and have a Honduran Coca Cola...... :-) Made with pure cane sugar.

God has his plan...and I will go with the flow....I just am hoping one or two of those things work into the flow.

Food to Buy:
I have been picking things up along the way but I still need a few things:

1) tuna/chicken
2) oatmeal
3) trail mix kinda something

I am feeling less stressed...and know I don't need as much as I have taken in the past. Let's pray I continue to feel that way.