Here are some of my favorite parts of this month.
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The first night in Talanga a few of us went to get groceries. The cashier asked us where we lived, and all 4 of us looked at each other blankly because none of us had any idea where we lived. This is where small towns are handy – we remembered our contact’s name, and the cashier at the grocery told us where we lived.
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One Sunday my teammate and I went with team Adelphoi to teach Sunday school at their ministry site. We walked part of the way there, and the forest surrounding the orphanage reminded me so much of the places I like to camp at home. There was a sweet little boy there named Christopher who wanted to be carried around all day. Having him throw his arms around my neck and hug me was definitely a blessing since I’ve been missing my nephews so much.
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In one day working construction I managed to hit my foot with the pick axe, hit my knee with the shovel, and send two rocks flying right into my ankle bone. Lesson learned: construction days can be rough, but fun if you’re willing to laugh about it.
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Valentine’s Day on the World Race is super eventful. The women of our squad got up early to make breakfast for the men, and wrote each of them notes of affirmation. The men then raised the bar by spending about 6 hours making an elaborate candlelit dinner for 40 women. After dinner, we sent them on a scavenger hunt where they had to find each team, all of which had a surprise prepared for them. It was not what I was expecting, but it was definitely a fun (and long) day of celebrating all the individuals on our squad.
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In order to get both teams that worked at the house to church, Darrell hooked up a metal trailer to his truck. Then 14 of us climbed in it and he shut the gate. I can’t even imagine what we all looked like getting hauled to church like livestock in the trailer, but it was definitely one of the funniest parts of our week. And riding home in the dark with the fireflies all around us was pretty amazing, too.
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Our last Sunday at church 3 of us were outside praying with some youth. By the time we were done the trailer had already been loaded up and was ready to go, so we hopped in Ever’s truck, which was full of local church members getting rides home. I sat in back with a sweet 16-year-old named Nicole and her siblings and cousins. Nicole and I chatted all the way home in Spanish and English, and I loved getting to tell her about what we were doing on the Race. One of my favorite things about the Race is how often little things like missing the truck you were supposed to be in often lead to conversations and opportunities you wouldn’t have had otherwise.
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Because we had been so impacted by washing feet in Guatemala, my team decided to wash each other’s feet for team time at the beginning of our ministry month in Honduras. I know it sounds strange – I would never think of bonding with someone at home by washing their feet. The significance of it for our team is that we’re working to have servant’s hearts for each other, and that we’re willing to be humble before our teammates and lift them up in all things. It was a special time for us, and it helped start us off on the right foot for ministry.
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To go into town from our house we had to walk about a half hour down a dirt road. On one trip we had a small herd of cattle following us down the road. Actually, that happened a lot, but on this occasion they started running down the road behind us. About the same time we rounded a corner and saw another 5 or so cows coming towards us. There was a brief moment of panic while we considered the options we had to keep from being squished between two herds of cattle, but fortunately the road widened and we were able to avoid the stampede.
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We noticed during our time in Talanga that people would walk by us and say adios instead of hola. I was thinking, “Huh, that seems kind of rude. I usually say hello before I say goodbye.” Then one of our contacts explained that when you say hola or buenos dias it indicates that you want the person to stop and chat with you. If you say adios, it’s still a greeting but it means you’re just saying hello in passing instead of starting a conversation.
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The World Race is a journey where a lot of dreams can come true. For one of my teammates, one of those dreams was to be able to bust open a piñata for his birthday on our bus ride out of Honduras. So, along with our 40 lb packs and all the other stuff we travel with, we snuck a knee-high Winnie the Pooh piñata onto the bus for him and another girl on our squad to celebrate their birthdays in unique style. The bonus was that we all had plenty of candy for the 12 hour travel day.
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Although it wasn’t a main ministry for us, we had one day where we were able to visit a children’s home in the area. Because of the dangerous situations these kids came out of we weren’t able to take pictures or share any specific information about them because it could put them at risk. What impacted me so much was being able to spend the day with the newest girl there. She was a complete sweetheart despite coming out of a heartbreaking situation, and we were able to share how we felt about living in community and where we wanted to move forward in our lives.
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One of my favorite ministries from this month was feeding kids at the schools up in the mountains. We’re called to feed the hungry – it’s as simple as that. Bouncing around in the back of the truck all day as we drove around in the mountains taking food to hundreds of kids is about as good as it gets.
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Our last Sunday in Honduras we were invited to witness the baptism of two women from one of the local churches, and two of my squadmates decided to be baptized that day as well. More than anything else this hit home for me how unified the body of Christ should be. The church shouldn’t be divided by countries or cultures. Those 4 women were all baptized into God’s family together, on the same level, and that was a beautiful moment for all of us to be a part of.
Thank you all for encouraging me through the first two months! We were able to spend a few days in Granada, Nicaragua receiving some leadership training, and now we’re in Palaconguina working with a local church.
