May- Honduras!!!
Month 9
Population: 7.6 Million, Total Area: 43,278 sq. miles about the size of Louisiana (176 people per sq. mile)
Language- Spanish,Garifuna, English Creole
Religions- Roman Catholic 70%, Protestant 3%
Weather- Tropical! Highs around 75* lows around 56*. Looking forward to tropical forrest, swamps and lagoons!
Platano Forest was nominated as one of the 7 new wonders of the world.
Lake Yojoa is the only natural lake in Honduras.
The national mammal is the white-tailed deer, the national bird is the scarlet macaw.
Honduras is home to the Ancient Maya civilization, with the Copan ruins being a major tourist attraction. (p.s. future squad mates can we please try and see this?)
People- about 65% of the population live in poverty. The army ousted the president in 2009. Major issues? Violent crime… (Mom don’t worry).
From the World Race- “Hondo” comes from the Spanish word for depth and there’s lots of depth to Honduras. It’s home to the Aztec and Mayan civilizations, whose ruins are still stand. Honduras is mostly mountainous and the weather’s as tropical as it gets. What really runs deep in Honduras are its needs. Honduras is the third poorest in the region, after Haiti and Nicaragua. Like her neighbors, Honduras has had her of share political/military troubles, e.g., the six-month constitutional crisis in 2009. There’s a need to reach out to the youth, not just to keep them out of trouble (e.g., gangs) but for them to know their worth and that they’re loved.
Found this humors list from World Racer Britt Dietzman
11 things about Honduras you should know:
1.Get ready to spend some mulah. When it comes to spending money, you will most likely spend it all on food. Future Racers beware…you will find a Popeyes, Mcdonalds, Burger King, Dunkin Donuts, Espresso Americano, Pizza Hut, Little Caesars, Applebees, TGI Fridays, Ruby Tuesday, and Subway in Tegucigalpa. And then some. My advice: Indulge. Go ahead and get that white mochaccino supreme. Do it in a way that doesn’t scream “Merica” or during an inappropriate time (You’ll know what I mean) (i.e.: spending tons of money in front of people you serve)…but whenever you have the chance, soak up a little blessing from the Lord.
2.Rocks. So many rocks. If you are Landscaping this month, which, there is a 90% chance that at some point you will be…get ready to do a little heavy lifting. Honduran soil is 70% rocks and boulders. So that little rock you just found the top of that you are determined to pull out of the ground? Get ready to get 7 men to help you pull out a boulder that goes 4ft deep. It’ll happen. Be careful not to roll your ankle when walking too. That’s a bummer.
3. Roosters are the spawn of satan. Do not…I repeat…do not…put your tent by the rooster cage just because your tent will be in the shade all day. It’s a trap. And you will be woken up at 4am.
4.If you brought a hammock, you are doing it right. Sleep in it. Under the stars, every night you can (Mosquito nets are advised). It blessed my socks off last month…and I’ve never slept better on the race so far.
5.The rice and beans are amazing. I didn’t get sick of them once the entire month. Just try it. You’ll probably like it.
6.Hold the handle down when flushing the toilet. Ain’t nobody got time to flush your poop down the toilet because you were impatient. 😉
7.Internet is few and far between. So, if you are like me…and love to make videos and post photos…just abandon the ability to post those for the month. Anytime you do get internet will usually be with your entire squad and 50+ people on the Applebees wifi will make it a tad bit slow. Also, if you know someone hasn’t gotten to FaceTime or Skype yet because of the slow internet, prefer your brother or sister and let them on. I’ve spent all day at the mall and finally got to FaceTime the last 10 mins we were there because the internet was toast all day.
8.Ant’s are the spawn of Satan.
9.The chicken shack down the street from Tony’s is AWESOME. Get the Pollo and Papas Fritas. It comes with 1/4 of a chicken and some awesome fries. You can comment below how thankful you are for this tip. (thanks in advance Britt!)
10.Invest in the kids at Tony’s. You won’t regret it…and it means more to them than you will even know.
11.Malaria Meds are a good thing to remember if you are a team that goes to Gracies. Also, drink plenty of water. Plenty.
She also wrote this….
The Lost Boys
Posted in Honduras by Britt Dietzman
“In Honduras, there is a colony of people residing in the nations capitol, Tegucigalpa. In a city that booms with public transportation, there is of course a bus station/parking lot. Behind this bus station is a dumpster. Behind this massive, vulture infested, smelly dumpster, in a deep ditch, there is a colony of trash homes. In these trash homes are the Lost Boys and Girls of Tegucigalpa. These Lost Boys and Girls are bound by the chains of addiction and poverty. They tread in hopelessness and despair that surpasses anything we can possibly comprehend. Just about every man and some of the women are addicted to something you may have sitting in your garage right now. Something we as American’s take completely for granted. Paint Thinner. Men…no, boys, as young as 8 take a plain old rag we would use for cleaning, soak it in paint thinner, cup it in their hands, bring it to their nose, and inhale deeply. The high that comes from the usage lasts about 40-50 seconds…and numbs literally every part of your being. You end up numb physically…mentally…emotionally. Any feeling of hunger, sadness, joy…hope…is gone. You melt into the couch you’re sitting on. You simply…exist…and nothing more. It destroys your mind…literally eats away at your brain, and boys who are 17, 18, 19-years-old who have been using for 8, 9, 10 years will forever be stunted from the constant exposure they’ve had growing up.
When Tony, our contact here at Zion’s Gate, first talked about La Kennedy, I felt the Lord literally laying it on my heart that my team was going there. I could almost physically feel the Lord jabbing me with His elbow and pointing to the words I was writing on the page saying: “Yep. This one. This is exactly where I want you.” Tony continued to talk about La Kennedy and though I knew in my heart that it’s where God wanted me and where I would end up…I began to hope it wouldn’t be me. It was just too much. It was too dark. Tony explained that we wouldn’t be preaching, or beating people over the head with a bible, but that we would just sit with and enjoy their company 2 hours a day in the afternoon, being Jesus. For anyone who knows me…it takes me a bit to open up and just start talking to someone. Especially someone who speaks another language. Not to mention the brokenness that comes with watching them use literally sitting right next to me. I mean, when we stepped off of the bus here at Zion’s Gate there was an immediate sense of Joy. Peace. Finally. After a challenging month of surviving a potentially life ending event and the emotions that came with it, I was ready to be comfortable. To take a “Siesta” if you will. La Kennedy sounded…Lost. The other ministries that Tony listed were right up my ally. Teaching…holding and loving babies…hospital visits. The word’s “La Kennedy” were screaming at me from the page.
When Mike, my team leader, told us that we were the La Kennedy team, I felt a strange peace about the idea. But the fear was still very much there. Tony explained that he took teams to a parking lot in town every Saturday to hang out with some of the people of La Kennedy. A nearby church also comes with food for the buys and girls so that they can eat for the first time in what could be days. The goal isn’t to preach a hellfire and brimstone sermon to them there…but to sit with them and talk to them…human to human. To show them that they matter…that we care…to be Jesus to them. Last night was our first Saturday night…so naturally, being the La Kennedy team, we left. A truck picked us up around 6:30; all 16 of us piled into the truck bed and we were off. My stomach was in knots the entire 20+mins it took to get into the city. We pulled up next to a giant appliance store (that was right down the road from La Kennedy) and Tony briefed us before we were to head into the parking lot. Walking up to the four waiting boys was a crazy mixture of emotions. The sat on the curb in the back part of the parking lot. Their right or left hand clung to the only way they knew how to make things “better”. I walked up to Hosuea…the first boy. I looked into his eyes and only glossy, empty, bright red, hopeless eyes looked back. Every minute or so the boys would hold their clutched hand to their nose. I shook each of their hands,, asking their name…their age. At the time, the oldest person there was 22…the youngest, 14. I did exactly as told. The language barrier was the hardest part of the night. Loving the boys and girls came easily. They craved so desperately to be loved. To be heard. Sometimes they just wanted to sit and be silent. So that’s exactly what I did with them. About 12 boys and a few girls came last night…varying form 6yrs-31yrs.
As I sit here typing this, I can’t help but watch the boys who live here at Zion’s Gate. All of which have made the conscious decision to leave the life of addiction and live a life of purpose. The youngest boy here is 5…the oldest, in his 20’s. Already their courage to say: “no more”…their determination to break the chains of generational addiction…it just blows my mind. And they are so so sweet. Already, these boys have taken so much of my heart I consider them brothers. They are the “Found Boys”. Some have only been here and sober for 4 days. My heart breaks for the Lost Boys trapped in their own personal “Neverland”. Never will they grow up and develop physically…never will they grow up to be the men and women they are called by Jesus to be…never will they feel the true happiness…hope…love…that only Jesus brings. Never will they wake up with a purpose more than moving to the community couch to waste away their minds, bodies, and souls on Thinner. They’re stuck. Stunted more and more every day. In the past 24 hours my heart for La Kennedy has changed. Today, we visited the actual colony of La Kennedy. We went behind the bus station, past the dumpster, and down into the depths of “Neverland”. We saw the Lost Boys and their families. Their living conditions God has ignited a fire in my should for his Lost People. He’s given them faces…they are no longer an idea…a fear. They are valuable. They are His creation. I am so thankful to serve the people of La Kennedy. To sit beside them, even as they use Thinner and BE Jesus. Darkness has no place in La Kennedy. They are Jesus’ people. So I pray for La Kennedy. I know nothing changes overnight…but I am excited for God to show off in some major ways this month. And I am excited for him to use me to do it.”
My heart hurts and I feel so many emotions for these lost children. After reading this I immediately messaged Britt and thanked her for sharing their stories and for being so real about her squads mission in Honduras. I can’t get over it. I won’t forget this, and next May when I’m there, I’ll see it. My eyes will look over and see a child who belongs in an elementary school, bring a rag to their nose and I’ll know. I’ll know that I need to love them, that I need to ask Jesus to hold my hand as I meet that child that is high on paint thinner. I’ll ask Jesus to hold their hand too. I pray that I can love them well and serve them in a way that beyond all circumstances, Jesus is the center of it all.
Peace and Blessings,
Beth Milam
#BethBeyondBorders #InHondurasAsItIsInHeaven
Please consider supporting my journey by donating HERE
https://www.adventures.org/give/donate.asp?giveto=worldrace&desc=For%20Beth%20Milam
to my World Race account. My 1st deadline of $3,500 is right around the corner. I’m so blessed to be sharing this journey with you! We may never see our investment as we work but how exciting it is to think that there’s only $16,000 between me and loving these children living in the streets of Honduras. Will You help me GO?
FB: Beth Milam
Twitter: barista_beth
Instagram:barista_beth
