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.
·
-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.
·
-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).
·
-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.
·
-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.
·
-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.
·
-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.
·
-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.
·
-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
No comments:
Post a Comment