Here we are again! The end of month 2 has wrapped up and we moved to Honduras on 11/5/15. So, again, here are 11 things I learned!
1. Sunshine: Be careful what you wish for! Last month was full of rain and this month was, not. As many of you know, I’ve gotten tanner, tanner than I even thought was possible for me. If I had dark hair and dark eyes, I’d look like a local. We had to learn a lot about hydration this month. We were sweating tanks of water and needed constant hydrating. Not sure I’ve sweat so much in my lifetime. We also learned to listen to our bodies when they were unwell. The sun also taught me the value of some good ‘ol AC. It’s funny because it’s been in the 90’s here and I hardly notice anymore. I’ve grown to really enjoy the heat for some odd reason.
2. Food: We cooked our own food when we were at El Puente and we had meals made for us when we were on the island. At El Puente (in Granada), I learned that my team has a creative mind for cooking and budgeting food. I’m learning a lot from them! On the island, that meant rice and beans for every meal, eggs in the morning and fish often. Though we got treated to pasta, twice!
3. Currency: Cordobas! The exchange rate is 25.7 cordobas to $1. Things were a lot cheaper here than they were in Costa Rica, so that’s cool.
4. Rules for the road: We mostly took a bus to our ministry site in Pantanal from Granada. This bus was packed. We squished more people on there than the bus could probably handle, but hey, why not live on the edge and test the limits??? We also took a 2 hour boat ride out to the island. That was a lot of fun. Early morning ride meant a beautiful sunrise and during the day meant beautiful (but very hot) sunshine. I liked it both ways though. We walked a lot of places too. The coffee shop and gym weren’t very far. Neither was the main road of restaurants and shops (and gelato, of course). So, we did all that fairly often. We took a taxi a few times, but it wasn’t our main mode. We only used it when it was too far to walk and a bus didn’t run that way.
5. Being open to change: Things here changed at the drop of a hat, a lot. I even found myself a little bitter at times when this would happen. Sometimes it took half my day of free time away! But again, why did I come on this Race? I personally came to serve and love others; which might mean I need to do it on their watch, not mine.
6. Rest: I’ve learned a lot of what it means to actually rest. We had time off and the first thing I want to do is fill it with fun things to do. Then, I’d be exhausted until the next time I could rest. I was running on empty when I couldn’t actually take the time to rest in the Lord. Luckily, I’m an early riser and that helps me get to be filled before the start of everyday!
7. Screens can suck: I’ve learned how addicted we as North Americans are to our screens/devices. I’m on this list too, may I add. But, I’m really going to challenge myself going into Honduras to not be. You will hear from me less, but know that this is a good thing! I will have the chance to look up and into the eyes of my teammates when out to dinner, I will stop waiting for a response to an email/message, I will stop wondering how many people like my posts and most of all, I will get to channel all that energy where it should be in the first place; God.
Also, wifi is a privilege. I think for the longest time, I kept seeing wifi as something I’m entitled to and I learned through walking very far for only a decent connection that it is quite to opposite. It is not something I need to survive and it is not the reason I came on the Race in the first place.
8. Community of love: It has been really great to spend a month with my entire squad. I’ve gotten to really get to know some of them for the first time and deepen relationships I previously had. It’s like back to preschool. You can literally walk up to someone and ask if they will be your friend and hang out with them and it’s not even the least bit weird!
9. No I in team: My team has learned, and is still learning, what it means to work together and foster a servant heart’s environment. I cannot take on every and all responsibilities and my team shouldn’t be expected to do that either. Also, I’m learning what it truly looks like to live with others and not be so self-sufficient. We live in a generation that feels the need to be so independent. But, I’m learning the beauty in needing help and giving help.
10. Write on: It turns out, I am a halfway decent writer. I’ve been so encouraged in my writing by my teammates and by my leaders which has really been a blessing because I’ve made an intention to spend more time doing what I love.
11. Brownie a la mode, anyone?: You may be asking what I could learn from a brownie paired with some ice cream and the answer to that is; a lot. I got this dish at the Garden Cafe which ended up being one of my favorite places. I got to make good relationships with the staff and share love with people that are just part of the community I was living in. One girl in particular was bilingual and her and I got to the point of a friendship where you can use sarcastic humor. You know that’s deep because that stuff is earned! The staff served us all so well and tolerated us coming in all the time. So, if you’re ever in Granada, go to the Garden Cafe for a brownie a la mode (I’ve even had it for breakfast, so it’s safe to say you can have it any time of day).
El Puente Tour from Brittany Panus on Vimeo.
UPDATE: We have made it to Honduras safely! I love the place I’m at and I look forward to the ministry we are doing. I am in Gracias, Honduras to get wifi which is a 45 min bus ride plus a 10 min walk…so, again, don’t expect to hear from me often!
I went volcano boarding! Hopefully I can throw together a video of that for next week.
PRAYER REQUEST: That we rest this month. We have more free time than what we are used to and I hope that we can use that to really rest 🙂
Much thanks,
Brittany
