We have been at our ministry site for a little over a week now. It is hard to put the words together to describe our time here so far. I guess the best words I can find are “The Simple Life.” I feel as though we have been teleported back to the 1800’s. We are living with this beautiful family in an adobe house perched high atop a mountain just north of the town of Erindique, Honduras. The house has a dirt floor, no electricity and no running water. The night we arrived they served us a great dinner. The seven of us, the two people who drove us here, and about 11 others who just wanted to spend time with us sat in their tiny kitchen. They put some sort of stick into the fire, pulled it out and stuck it into a whole in the wall to give us just enough light to see one another. It was magical! I felt as though I was in a movie. Is this real life?
Our ministry this month consists of daily hikes through the mountains to visit people in their homes. We spend time with them and then have an opportunity to pray for their families. We also attend and speak at church services and teach English classes multiple times each week. The life here is so much simpler than any thing I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. They are not on any sort of schedule. For example, we ask about what time church will start and the answer is usually something like, “between four and six thirty.” I’m telling you that is something that takes time to get used to. Back home my life is extremely regimented. There is a time to do this and a time to do that. In fact at work we receive bonuses for on-time performance. I guess getting flight out on time is sort of important.
Technology is by no means a part of life here. I guess without electricity there is no need for a device, which requires it to operate. When one of us turns on our laptop, it is truly an event. The entire family gathers around in amazement. It might as well be magic! Internet is whole different story. A few days ago, my team leader and I had to go into town to get some work done. We had to hike two and a half hours down the side of the mountain to get to the nearest town and then hitchhike back up. We grabbed a ride in the back of a pick up truck that dropped us off at the nearest intersection to the Pastor’s house. We walked another 30 minutes. It was an adventure to say the least.
Some days I sit and think about the experiences I’ve had over the past two and a half months and it absolutely blows my mind. It is hard to believe that back in December I was in my apartment lying on my couch with cable television, Wi-Fi, two closets worth of clothes, and even a car parked outside just in case I got the urge to go get some Chick-fil-A. Now, I sit in a house made out of mud with no sign of a television and the Wi-Fi password is “yeah right.” I have enough clothes to last a week, all of my belongings are crammed inside of a tiny backpack, and I drive only in my dreams. Yes, this has become my life.
This “simple life” is beautiful and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
(except Chick-fil-A)
Our ministry this month consists of daily hikes through the mountains to visit people in their homes. We spend time with them and then have an opportunity to pray for their families. We also attend and speak at church services and teach English classes multiple times each week. The life here is so much simpler than any thing I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. They are not on any sort of schedule. For example, we ask about what time church will start and the answer is usually something like, “between four and six thirty.” I’m telling you that is something that takes time to get used to. Back home my life is extremely regimented. There is a time to do this and a time to do that. In fact at work we receive bonuses for on-time performance. I guess getting flight out on time is sort of important.
Technology is by no means a part of life here. I guess without electricity there is no need for a device, which requires it to operate. When one of us turns on our laptop, it is truly an event. The entire family gathers around in amazement. It might as well be magic! Internet is whole different story. A few days ago, my team leader and I had to go into town to get some work done. We had to hike two and a half hours down the side of the mountain to get to the nearest town and then hitchhike back up. We grabbed a ride in the back of a pick up truck that dropped us off at the nearest intersection to the Pastor’s house. We walked another 30 minutes. It was an adventure to say the least.
Some days I sit and think about the experiences I’ve had over the past two and a half months and it absolutely blows my mind. It is hard to believe that back in December I was in my apartment lying on my couch with cable television, Wi-Fi, two closets worth of clothes, and even a car parked outside just in case I got the urge to go get some Chick-fil-A. Now, I sit in a house made out of mud with no sign of a television and the Wi-Fi password is “yeah right.” I have enough clothes to last a week, all of my belongings are crammed inside of a tiny backpack, and I drive only in my dreams. Yes, this has become my life.
This “simple life” is beautiful and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
(except Chick-fil-A)
