What a Month!

When Hailey and I decided to move to Honduras (actually, before we made the decision), I spoke with several people who have done similar things. I spoke with people who lived in Guatemala, Turkey, Africa, the Middle East, and other places as well. There were two things in common that every person told me:

1) You will not regret moving to Honduras for one year if that is what you decide to do.

2) Even though you will not regret going, you will face many obstacles that will be difficult. They will be difficult for you in your work, with your family, and with the community you live in.

Hailey and I consider ourselves “go with the flow” types of people. We are not easily upset and generally handle changes in our lives with ease. Even though we didn’t (and still don’t) speak Spanish fluently; even though we were leaving behind our family and closest friends (except the Lucia’s); and even though there were many unknowns about our new life in Honduras, we felt ready and we were not intimidated but a change of such magnitude. I will even admit that I didn’t think it would be as difficult as some other people thought it might be.

I think the last month made me realize that the people who I spoke to about living overseas and working with a non-profit organization had more wisdom that I gave them credit for. There hasn’t been one or two things that have happened to make this last month particularly busy and difficult, but a combination of many small things.

As most of you know, I am working as the director of a new school that teaches English and Leadership to poor women in Honduras. Those of you who are in education probably cringe when you read the words “new school” because you may understand what that entails. It requires organizing classes, creating rules for the students (with regards to classes, but in my circumstance also with regards to life and safety since the girls all live here on campus), creating a student handbook, determining which teachers are going to teach what and when, and many other things. Also, since all the students live here, I also spend time making shopping lists, going on motorcycle to the nearby village to purchase food, medicine, and other supplies, and doing everything else that may be required of a Resident Advisor at a university in the US.

While I do have one of the most patient and understanding women in the world as my wife, she understandably would like to hang out with me and spend time together as a family. This last month, I have been so focused on my school responsibilities, that some of my responsibilities as a father and husband paid the price. Hailey and I have had some great conversations over the last couple weeks and she has really helped me prioritize my responsibilities and change some things so that I won’t be so busy. I have also told the students that after 4 in the afternoon I am going to spend time with my family and will not be “working” except in cases of emergencies or things that need my attention immediately.

In addition, we have had many volunteers coming and going, which also takes a lot of effort to coordinate. Each time a new volunteer comes, it is my responsibility to make sure they are up to speed and understand their responsibilities in the classroom, etc. This also means more trips in the motorcycle to town, which is more time away from campus and my family. I have been blessed to have some great volunteers since I’ve been down here and am not complaining about that, it is just another responsibility that takes time and effort.

Finally, because this is a new school, I have spent a lot of time creating lists of expectations, rules, and consequences if the rules are broken. This takes a lot of time and effort, and being a rule-enforcer is definitely one of the only things that I don’t like about my position. But, it is necessary. So this last month has been busy talking with the students to agree upon a set of guidelines that they understand and can live by.

All of these things added together has made for an extremely busy last month. For our entire marriage, I have ALWAYS been the first one to fall asleep at night while Hailey lays there thinking about something (I should say everything). For the first time in our marriage, Hailey is falling asleep before me as I lay in bed thinking about the things I didn’t get done that day or the things that are waiting for me the next day. Yet even with all the responsibilities and busyness, I would not trade this opportunity for anything. Hailey and I feel like we are right where God wants us and that we still have a lot to do. We continue to make strides to make my job easier and less busy. I have implemented monthly report cards, weekly exams, student handbooks, student code of conducts, and many more things to help make my job easier. I am not exactly laying back in a hammock sipping on a pina colada, but my life has seemed to slow down a little bit in the last week and I am grateful for that.

Ira and his family arrive here in one week from tomorrow, and then I can dump half of my workload onto him. Then maybe I will be napping in the hammock on our front porch. (It’s a joke Ira…well, kind of a joke)