Saturday, May 25, 2013

Micah and Abbey


Warning: This blog posts includes details of a father boasting about his children!

My children really do make a difference here at The Leadership Center in Honduras. Who would have thought that when God called us back to Honduras, He would be using 3 year-old, Micah, and 1 year-old, Abigail, to make an impact on the students, staff, and volunteers at TLC? Following are just a few examples:

-Few things light up our cook’s eyes like Micah and Abigail do. Our cook deserves to have some exciting things happen to her every day. She works so hard for the school and rarely takes a break. But, those few times each day that she gets to hold Abigail in the kitchen, or throw rocks outside with Micah are precious. For her, and for everyone watching!

-Many of our students have young siblings, cousins, nieces, or nephews that they “left” back home to come and study. Micah and Abigail are a constant reminder to them of the joy that their family brings. Being away from family is extremely difficult for our students, particularly in a culture where few young women live away from home. So, a small glimpse of their family each day is a warm welcome.

-Micah helps our students learn English. He is only beginning to understand that some students don’t speak English well because they have only been studying for one month. Nonetheless, he continues to ask the students to be his playmates and participate in conversation. This challenges them to listen and understand more English. (Micah is also picking up more Spanish phrases – he is a pro at “Buenos Dias, Buenas Tardes, Como Esta, Gracias, De Nada, Como manecio,” and a few others)

-Micah and Abbey provide some “late night” entertainment at the Rahm household from time to time. The other night, the three business students (Olga, Yanetzi, and Alex) came to our house for some help with their homework. Micah and Abbey entertained, and certainly did not disappoint. The students stayed for a while after their questions were answered, most likely because they had never seen a little white boy dance around the living room in pajamas before. It is a joy having students in our house!!

-Micah and Abbey bring an innocence to campus that may not exist without them. In a culture that is plagued by violence, crime, drug trafficking, corruption, and much more, two young children are a fresh reminder of God’s love and plan for humanity.

-Micah and Abbey are a constant reminder of God’s grace for me and Hailey. It can be easy for me to get focused on my responsibilities with the organization, but Micah and Abbey never let me forget that I am a father before anything else. Every time I walk in our door to Abbey saying, “Dada, Dada, Dada” in her high voice, I am reminded of what is most important in life.

While these are just a few examples, I am proud to see my children impacting those living at The Leadership Center in Honduras. It is a joy and privilege to watch them grow and learn here. I think the students would echo my belief that life for everyone is just a little bit better because of Micah and Abigail.

As Micah would say…”Hasta Luego!”

Friday, May 17, 2013

Feeling Grateful


I’m sitting (well, actually laying) on our couch in our humble brick home in the middle-of-nowhere Honduras extremely grateful. I’m grateful that I can peacefully allow Micah and Abigail to play with students, volunteers, and staff without having to worry about their safety. I’m grateful that Micah can run around throwing rocks, work on his tree fort, and make new friends without thinking he’ll get kidnapped or held for ransom. I’m grateful that my family can walk freely in our community without fear of being carjacked or robbed at gunpoint.

I’m also sad. I’m sad that the fears that I can so freely live without haunt many other missionaries and non-profit workers in the country of Honduras. My heart is heavy for a country that so badly needs the help and support of the world, yet groups like the PeaceCorps leave because of violence and safety. It has only been recently that I have come to fully understand this reality.

We had the extreme privilege of making some new friends recently. This family has been missionaries in Honduras for over 12 years. Until recently, they had only experienced “minor” crime or threats to their safety. However, last year on their anniversary, our friends were held at gunpoint, beat up, and robbed of their truck. After enjoying an afternoon movie and dinner at one of their favorite restaurants, they were about to enter their room for the evening. Just as the key entered the door, an SUV screeched up behind them, and 5 men exited – all armed with M-16’s and dressed in police gear. They were robbed of their belongings, beaten up, and left on the ground as the men drove away in their truck.

Another family that Hailey has known (via email) since we were here in 2011 recently decided to return to the US because of growing violence and safety issues in the capital city of Tegucigalpa, where they live. With two young children, they feel it is necessary to return home.

I am sure there are countless other stories that are similar, yet I sit on my couch, knowing that my family is being helped and deeply cared for by some amazing people. Micah is currently in the kitchen helping our cook make tortillas (he is probably better at the eating than making part). He has been able to help two volunteers finish the construction of an oven. He runs around freely without having any idea that he lives in one of the most dangerous countries in the world, according to statistics. His only injuries are due to him being a 3 year-old boy, and not due to the fact that Honduras has a high rate of violence.

So, the next time I wish that we lived closer to a city so that I could drink iced coffee, purchase any groceries I wanted, or control the temperature of my water, I will remember how grateful I am that we live in a peaceful place. I will remember that God has allowed us to get involved in a ministry that changes the lives of Hondurans, but also provides us a safe place to stay. I will be grateful that this couch I’m laying in not only provides physical comfort, but comfort from so many things that are bringing fear to my fellow missionaries and philanthropists around this country. 

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Great Night

Our family got to spend last night away from campus with a missionary family in Zambrano, a town about an hour away from The Leadership Center. This family has lived in Honduras for twelve years...wow! They are missionaries for Foundation Casa De Luz (http://www.instituteforcommunity.org/casa-de-luz/) and are doing some wonderful work here. We had the privilege of some great conversation and encouragement, and some delicious cooking as well (Lasagna, Hamburgers, Snickerdoodles, and much more). Our family is truly blessed by this new friendship, and we look forward to many more fun times with the Schuberts! Thank you Ed and Val for blessings us tremendously with your encouragement and hospitality. We are praying for your upcoming time in the US and look forward to your return!

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

A Visit to the Embassy

Today, I (Joseph) got to go into the capital city of Honduras (Tegucigalpa) for a meeting at the US Embassy. Several months ago, one of the Economics Officers at the Embassy contacted me to see if there was anything the Embassy could do to help The Leadership Center. After a great visit in March, he invited me to the Embassy to talk in more detail. Unfortunately, he was called out of town for business, but set me up with one of his co-workers.

After a long morning (motorcycle paperwork not in order, no license plate on another motorcycle, flat tire on another, and more), I finally made it to the Embassy 15 minutes before my meeting started. I sat in the lobby waiting, only to find out that my passport hadn't been processed properly, so I didn't clear security. Thankfully, a brief conversation and some extra help got me in just in time.

I had a wonderful conversation with an Embassy officer about the work The Leadership Center is doing to improve the lives of young women and communities around Honduras. The officer was encouraged and will put me in touch with a wide group of people in the coming weeks. Hopefully, these new contacts will help provide internships, funding, mentorships, teachers, leadership opportunities, and much more for the students of TLC.

It has been great to see how doors keep opening without me having to go run through them. When the first Economics Officer visited campus and I asked him him how he got my contact information, he said, "I don't remember, but I'm glad I got it" (Joseph Paraphrase). Me too!

I returned to campus greatly encouraged and motivated by my conversation at the Embassy!

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Our First Week


Tomorrow will be the end of our first week in Honduras, and I feel like there’s already so much to say. Because we are simply unable (due to time, Internet capacity, etc.) to write very regularly, most of our blogs will be bullet points of some of the highlights or lessons learned from the past week. So, here goes entry #1:

-The travel to campus went pretty well last Tuesday. Our children decided that sleeping on the plane wasn’t on their agenda, so we had two exhausted little ones when we arrived in the Tegucigalpa airport. Thankfully, they both fell asleep in the van, and the bumpy roads only lulled them into a deeper sleep. We arrived on campus with plenty of daylight left, which allowed us to unpack and get settled.
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      -Our second night on campus, there was a MASSIVE thunderstorm. It was bigger than anything we experienced during 2011. It rained throughout the entire night, and I don’t think the lightning and thundered lightened up until 5 AM. I (Joseph) spent about half of the night in Micah’s bed, snuggling a little guy curled up in the fetus position. Abbey slept through it all like a champ! Needless to say, Hailey and I barely slept a wink.
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      -I (Joseph) had to make a trip into Zambrano to get some supplies for the children. A student who was sick came along with me so that she could see a doctor and get some medicine. This trip perfectly highlighted many things about Honduran culture:
1)   The doctor’s office was closed right in the middle of the afternoon. There was no reason, but we were told the doctor would return at 3:00 PM. Keeping true to Honduran culture, she showed up quite late.
2)   The small store in Zambrano was closed – again, no good reason at all.
3)   My motorcycle wouldn’t start after dropping Claudia (the student) off at the doctor’s office, so I had to push it down a hill and pop the clutch to get it running.
4)   I got pulled over by the police (because I’m American, most likely), but (surprisingly) wasn’t hassled too much.
5)   The medicine our student needed was nowhere to be found in Zambrano.
6)   On the way back, we came upon a Catholic worship service. The interesting thing is that it was a walking service, taking up the entire street. We went approximately ½ mile in 20 minutes and almost got our heads blown off by bottle rockets (Jesus and Mary both loved bottle rockets, apparently).
7)   We had to stop in the middle of the road for a horse to bend over and eat his own feces. He literally did his business and then turned around and ate it. I know that’s gross, but in that moment, it highlighted for me the extreme poverty in Honduras (either that, or horses have some weird habits that I am unfamiliar with).
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     -We have eaten 6 months worth of rice, beans, eggs, and tortillas in the last week, but are grateful that we aren’t going hungry.
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      -Today we had a wonderful church service led by several of the students. We enjoyed the Spanish worship songs, I (Joseph) led a few songs in English, and we were inspired by Yanetzi’s sermon, titled “Jesus should make you smile.” She spoke of the joy that Christians should receive from everything in their lives, simply because our lives are a gift from God.
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      -Upon arriving, Micah said, “I will start talking to the students in 5 days.” Sure enough (and true to his word), Micah began enjoying the students today, and even asked several of them to play with him. He is enjoying roaring at chickens, playing on the tire swing, “working” on his tree fort, and splashing in puddles in his boots. He has adjusted quite well.
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      -Within the first few days here, Abbey seemed destined to be walking within a couple weeks. However, she has decided to return to crawling over the last day or two. Not even oatmeal cookies could convince her to walk from Hailey to me this afternoon. We are both hoping that she can be persuaded to walk more in the near future, as it will make our (primarily Hailey’s) life much easier when she is walking on her own.
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      -Hailey and I are both enjoying reading a new book titled “Going Deep” by Gordon MacDonald. We had the privilege of attending a weekend event where Pastor MacDonald was the guest speaker. We have both dived into the book the past few days, and have been greatly encouraged to become “more deep” in our relationship with God, and to encourage others to do the same.
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      -We have been having some great conversations about our impact on the students here at The Leadership Center. We are both excited about the opportunities that will come in the future.

I suppose that’s about it for now. We’ll post again within a week and will try to include some photos shortly. Please keep in touch with us, as we are greatly encouraged by brief emails or updates. Please also keep us in your prayers, and let us know how we can be encouraging and praying for you.

Many Blessings,
The Rahm Family