This blog was written on January 13. We have unusually spotty internet this month, so communication’s been a bit slow. I’ll add pictures to this blog as soon as possible, and expect more updates soon!
A lot has happened this month and I’m excited to share about it all. But now, let’s rewind to January 9th…
Our pilot said:
“If you’ve never flown to Tegucigalpa before, the entry into the city is a little different from what you may be used to. It features a series of sharp turns close to the ground and some strong breaking after landing, so don’t be alarmed when this happens.”
It was with this comforting announcement that C Squad made its way into Country 1 in Month 1: Honduras. January.
The plane dove and threaded its way through narrow streets, knocking flower pots off window sills and scraping the paint off colorful Honduran houses. Our wheels splashed in a public fountain, churning the water and pitching thousands of coins into the air. Crowds caught the coins and cheered. They threw flowers to us and a rose came unstuck from my window just as the plane skyrocketed through clouds, took a nosedive, and leveled out in time for us to get our first view of a Honduran airport. The brakes were sharply engaged as we approached the terminal and screeched to a halt right by the gate. We applauded, and then the real craziness began.
“You’ll recognize me because I’m blonde with a purple streak in my hair,” wrote Gracie Murphee. This January, four of our six teams on C Squad, including mine, are serving at El Corazon de Cristo, or Heart of Christ. This is a ministry led by Gracie and Lee, an American couple that has spent eight years living in Honduras serving the community of La Ermita, a beautiful little village an hour north of Tegucigalpa, the country’s capital.
We recognized Gracie at once as we were getting our bags. She ushered us through the airport and out to a bus and a pickup truck. The truck was full of Little Caesar’s pizza and bottles of Coke, and before we left for La Ermita, we had our first Honduran feast.
Bellies full, we threw our backpacks into the back of the bus and the bed of the truck. Two of our guys were instructed to sit on top of the bags in the pickup to discourage anyone from stealing our bags. We drove an hour and a half out of the city into the mountains.
El Corazon de Cristo’s main operation is a children’s home and refuge for young women pregnant from rape and incest. Several babies, toddlers, children, and teens live here, and one of our jobs as volunteers is to play with them. Other than sore arms from giving rides in the wheelbarrow, this is not a hard job.
The stories of the people who live in this little community are disturbing and tragic, but more than anything, they are stories of redemption. Children abandoned by their parents now have a loving home and parents. Little Moises, who was born with a massive tumor on his right side, was able to get a life-saving surgery and aside from a scar, you’d never know he used to suffer.
Gracie and Lee speak English, but no one else. I never studied Spanish in school, but I like listening to people because I can understand more than I expected to. I’ve learned many new words in the few days I’ve been here, so I can’t wait to see what three months in Spanish-speaking countries will do. I bought a dictionary, and I point at lots of things and say, “Uhhh, como se dice?” Today I learned the word for trash (you say “bah-su-ra”) and… gosh, I don’t know what the English word is. “Beso,” you say. It’s the tool you use to spread plaster on walls.
A lot of us are taking bucket showers for the first time here. Rainwater is collected in barrels around the property, and to bathe, you fill a bucket and head to one of the stalls and go at it. The water is cold, but the weather is warm. Not hot, mind you. It’s still winter here. I never thought I’d see a January with 70 degree days. Here’s a picture of my team’s accommodations.
Our teams are on a rotating schedule, so we do something different every day. Brazen Hearts (my team) has been on house duty, which means taking care of the children, helping with meals and dishes, and cleaning, and we’ve also been painting a building on the property.
Another day we went around town, interviewing people as part of a program which will provide young, single, local mothers with food for their children. If a bunch of people came to my house with a clipboard and started asking me if I have young children, I’d be suspicious. But at every house we visited, chairs were brought out and we sat and visited and in some cases, were fed. Gracie said it’s an honor for us to come all this way to visit people’s houses. I say it’s an honor to be invited in and fed as a stranger and a foreigner. Here’s a picture of one of the houses we visited. We prayed with the family and this boy was showing us how well he could climb things.
One of the biggest little blessings has been coffee. Every day at 3 o’clock, Gracie puts out coffee and cookies and we end our work for the day. Some days we do a devotion together, all four teams. Today, Brazen Hearts hung out alone and read the Bible together. (2 Kings 6:1-7 features a floating ax head. Check it out!)
Internet has been pretty hard to come by this month. We were able to use wifi on our day off when we went to a big mall and emailed people from Dunkin’ Donuts. We also have what is called an “internet stick,” which I have never heard of, but it’s a little flash drive that gives me some slow internet service every few days. So if you try to contact me, forgive me for very late replies. I read and reread all of your messages to me; I love hearing from you.
Our sleeping schedules are much different here. Much more correct, I suppose. We wake up at 5:30 when the sun rises, and get sleepy around 8 when it’s set. I have never woken or slept so early. But when your headlamp is your main source of light after 6, it makes sense.
I’m writing this from the second story of the main building (there are three on this property and plans to expand in the future). There’s no railing yet, which means that you could fall off, but also that you can see the roofs of houses and the mountains beyond them. One of my favorite sights is the enormous blanket hanging on our clothesline depicting a polar bear surrounded by its own snowy mountains.
On Saturday, all four of our teams, the staff and children of El Corazon de Cristo, and a few friends from La Ermita gathered for a church service in the yard. We sang songs and heard Gracie speak, and then their family blessed and prayed for ours. A fantastic start to a big journey.
None of us comprehend the fact that this is not one of those mission trips you go on for 10 days. This is a long time. We need to get used to bucket showers and mosquito nets and living in community. So I love what Gracie with the purple hair reminded us on Saturday: take this journey one day at a time, one minute at a time. When you are distressed and it’s time to give up, worship God.
As the World Race actually begins, I’m realizing that there’s no way I can possibly recount everything that’s happening. So I encourage you to read the blogs of my teammates. Here’s a picture of us right before getting on the plane to Honduras. From left to right: me, Lacey Jaeger, Nicole Bouza, Kelly Griffin, Kelsey Kraus, and Kori Higdon. The links to their blogs can be found on the lower lefthand side of this page. You’ll get lots of different perspectives on our life here from the people I’m with every day!
Finally, you may notice that we are short one person: Angela “Palooza” Mills. Angela, unfortunately, won’t be with us this year, as she hurt her hand badly enough to need therapy and a bit of recovery time. So, instead, she will be launching in July! I’m sad that we don’t get this wonderful woman on our team, but we know that a little broken hand can’t thwart God’s plans and we’re looking forward to hearing her story continue on a new squad.
