I am currently in El Salvador and have been here for about a week and a half. I can not wait to tell you all about my time here!! I am definitely in my element! However before I get there I wanted to sum up my month in Honduras. It was a whole lot different than anything I could have expected! It was full of learning new perspectives. New perspectives on: life, what ministry looks like, my relationship with God, how to live in community, and leadership. Here is a quick recap of what my time in Honduras looked like.
What city did you stay in? What was your living situation?
- We stayed in Valle de Angeles (Valley of the Angels). It is about 40 minutes from the capital. The weather and view were stunning!!
- This month my whole squad (37 people) stayed together in a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom house. I stayed in a room with 14 other girls lined up like sardines in a can on our sleeping pads. It was quite cozy and came with its challenges but I wouldn’t have wanted to do this month any other way.
What was your ministry for this month?
- Our ministry was with SOS: a home for disabled adults. Here is what my typical day looked like:
- 5:30am: I got up for some Jesus time (the only time it was ever quite)
- 8:40am: Walk 15min to ministry
- 9-11:40am: Spend time with residents. Dance, sit, sing, go on walks, play, face paint, draw, ect.
- 12-12:40pm: walk back home for lunch
- 1-3:40pm: Back at ministry
- 4-5pm: free time (typically I would do laundry, nap or go find some Wi-Fi,)
- 5pm: need to be back home!
- 5-8pm: dinner, team time, games, movies, hanging out
- 8:30pm: Get ready for tomorrow and then hit the hay!
What language do most people speak?
- Spanish. I wish I could say I have improved on my ability to speak Spanish but I definitely only know small, common phrases. It was different trying to have conversations because a lot of who we were interacting with were not able to have full verbal conversations because of their disabilities. Most of our communication was non-verbal.
What foods did you try? What was your favorite?
- I didn’t try any new foods that were too exciting this month. We did have a bunch of beans and rice!
- My favorite food was definitely fried plantains!!
What was the hardest thing about this month?
- The hardest part of this month was learning how to surrender everything to the Lord every day and not continue to pick it back up. The biggest thing I surrendered this month that I am most happy about was my sleep and my mornings. The only time to get alone and quiet Jesus time in the house was at 5:30am. I did not want to do this at all (if you know me you know I LOVE sleep). But the Lord honored me and my time; each morning I was fully awake and excited to get to hang out with Him!
What was the best thing about this month?
- The laughs and smiles that filled every day! Even when I was tired or grumpy the laughs from the residents at ministry and my squad always lit up my day so quickly.
What was unexpected this month?
- Hmmmmm….unexpected from this month…. I would say living in such close proximity with so many people for a whole month. I definitely had my hesitations going into it and wanting my space but it ended up being great getting to know other people on the squad on a deeper level.
Where did you see Jesus the most?
- In my morning quiet times. I am loving every minute I intentionally spend with Him and miss the days I don’t get it. This is a friendship I am pumped to see grow over this next year and for the rest of my life. Nothing is boring with Him!
Love y’all,
Martha Sue Kuhn
PRAYER WARRIORS:
- Before leaving the U.S. I knew that Christmas season was going to be the hardest time for me to be away from friends and family. Well it is right around the corner and so are all the feelings. If you could pray for me and my teammates as we learn to celebrate Christmas in a different way and that we would find little comforts of home scattered throughout the month.
