Greetings from Honduras:) I have now been here for four days and things are
going very well so far! I am excited to share with all of you how things have
been going so far! Please let me know if you have any questions that I don't answer in this post! :)
The Arrival-Smooth sailing...
The trip went very
well!!:) I was concerned that I would have trouble finding my connection
flight, but there was someone who was waiting where I got off my first flight to
direct people to their next flight! I also got to talk to a girl around my age
who was also flying alone and had been to Honduras several times for mission
work. She explained some things about the airport in Honduras which was very
helpful!:)
Relationships in Honduras-"What Machine!"…
One of my favorite
things about my time here has been getting to know the people in Honduras. The
best way I can describe them is welcoming, loving and expressive! As many of
your know... I tend to get very excited about things, talk loudly, use my hands
to express things, and have lots of facial expressions. Well…the people from
Honduras do all of that but more so! It is so fun talking with them and getting
to know them! I told some of my friends that I think I am going to go back to
the USA with a six pack because of laughing so much. One of the teachers,
Armando, from the school that I teach at taught me the phrase in spansih “Que
maquina” which means “cool/awesome”. I like that phrase a lot, because the
translation in English “What machine!” makes me laugh a lot. I have gotten the
chance to play a lot of games with my new little sister Cenia. She is around 12
years old and is so precious! She loves to play games and so do I so we get along
very well! Also, there is female teacher who is around my age who comes over to
the house I live a lot because she is related to the family I am living with.
She is super fun and nice. She lives very close which is great!:) Lastly, there
is another young adult who is during her internship teaching English at the
same school I am doing mine at! She has lived in Honduras for 2 years and we
are going to get together sometime also.
Teaching English-A memorable first class to say the least!
I am teaching English
with a teacher named Ms. Dilsa. Ms. Dilsa is amazing to say the least. She
loves her students, has a ton of energy and a great teaching method! The first
thing she said when she saw me was that we were going to be a team! She is
giving me the opportunity to teach all of her English classes (which is about 8
classes a week). She will be present at all the classes and help me. The first
Monday that I came here was the first day of class for the year (they start in
February and end in November)! What perfect timing! Each morning the teachers get
together for an encouraging word from one of the leaders which has been awesome!
The teachers have such a passion for teaching and mentoring the students, and
such a deep love for God! While waiting to go into my first class one of the
Bible teachers at the school was playing guitar and he played the song “Here I
am to worship”; he sung in Spanish and I in English. It was a really cool
experience!
Okay now on to my
first class… during my very first class… I fainted! I have fainted a couple
times before because my blood pressure is on the lower side. I think that there
were several factors that caused me to faint, but I doubt that it will happen
again. Since I teach with Ms. Dilsa, we were both in front of the class before
I fainted and I told her that I needed to sit down because I could tell that I was
about to faint and then I started to dream (because I had fainted). Then I woke
up and I told Ms. Dilsa that this was normal and that I just needed some water.
I rested for a while, got some sugar and salt in my system in addition to the
water and was fine. Myself, and many others have had some good laughs about
that. When people asked me how my first day of school went at times I say… “It
went good, but I fainted.”
I taught my first
class today and it went really well I think! Ms. Dilsa helped me when I needed
some guidance which was good! Today we also had parties in our class to celebrate
“Dia de Amistad” (Friendship day). In Honduras Valentine’s day is not only to
celebrate love, but also to celebrate Amistad (Friendship). The parties were so
fun and I had the chance to get to know some of the girls in my class better.
They are so sweet! I am very excited to teach them more! I have been told that
some of the students come from broken homes, so I am especially excited to show
them love and give them the opportunity to learn English well to be able to get
a good job in the future.
The Band
Today I also went to
my first band practice! I was introduced to the percussion section and then
went with some girls to get the marimba. The marimba is a Nicaraguan marimba and
doesn’t have flats or sharps so it is different than marimbas I am used to
playing. However, my friend David, who is studying to be band director, gave me
some suggestions on how to play and teach this kind of a marimba which helped
greatly! I got to teach the girls basic things about how to hold the mallet and
hit the keys which went well!
Challenge and spiritual
growth
Even though everything
in Honduras has gone very well, I have experienced many fears, doubts and
challenges. The thing that has been so cool is that every time I face a
challenge I shortly after receive the exact encouragement that I need! This has
happened day after day! At times I have to look for this encouragement, in
notes that people have sent with me, in wonderful emails and facebook posts
from friends, in books I have, or in the Bible, but other times this
encouragement has simply came from places that I had to be, such as the church,
school, or from the family I am living with. I am thankful for these challenges
because they cause me to grow a lot! I am thankful that these challenges remind
me to keep seeking to get to know God better and to depend on Him. I would much
rather go through challenges and be reminded of this than to walk this journey
by myself.
Extra note-Soccer and food! & "Jesus is beautiful"
I went to my first
professional soccer game which was cool!! I also have not gotten sick at all
because of the food due to many friends good advice about what to eat and not
eat and the wonderful maid, Olga, who cooks at the house I am staying at. "Jesus is beautiful" is a phrase that the bible teacher at the school I am teaching at turned around and said to me when we were in the office. Many people in Honduras have the same attitude and perspective of this man. I think it is super cool:) or should I say "What machine!"
