A Sweet Surprise

I call it our Christmas Miracle – although nothing so noteworthy as being raised from the dead or healed of a debilitating disease.

Our miracle came in the form of smooth, chocolaty, gold wrapped Hershey kisses. 

One of our family Christmas cookie traditions are the kiss topped peanut butter cookies.  Knowing I could find them in the import store I thought I could splurge for the occasion.  But when it actually came down to forking out 149 Lempiras - 159 Lempiras (7.50$-8.50$) for a little measly bag of kisses I decided that maybe our money would be better spent on something else.  We would just hold out for next year when we will be back in the US! 

Friday, a week ago, a visiting work team put on a Christmas party for our kids at AFE, complete with games, Santa and gifts for each.  As each gift was passed out, a small Hershey kiss was dropped into the hand of each child.    But, no one was more astounded then I, when the festivities were over and into my hands were dropped all the remaining Hershey kisses!   

 

It is especially fun to make Peanut Butter Blossoms when the kisses come special delivery. 

Breylon and I had a great time making a big batch to share with neighbors and friends on our cookie plates. 

 

Are Hershey kisses necessary to celebrate Christmas to the fullest?  No!  Does God care about the little things we hold dear to our hearts!  Yes!  And He showed us in a big way just how much he loves us once again!

Puhlapanzak

Puhlapanzak is the gorgeous and renowned waterfall of Honduras.  We were told its cascading waters fall downward 45 meters to earn its place as the largest waterfall of Central America.

Saturday the teachers of AFE had the amazing privilege of enjoying it’s beauty.

One of the work teams who came to AFE this month offered the teachers the very special opportunity to choose an all expense paid day away to a place of their choice.  We have an amazing group of committed teachers who love and serve the children of AFE with all their hearts. Their pay is minimal and includes anything from bathing children, de-licing the kid’s hair (and sometimes their own from the many hugs and kisses that are part of the job), counseling and advising, role modeling healthy behavior, long bus rides to and from work, leading devotional times, working with our many work teams and all that goes into teaching their given grade.   Puhlapanzak was the choice for the day, even though it involved a 4+ hour drive each way. 

   The day was a total blast!  From singing raucous songs and staging TV interviews with a lollipop microphone to pass the time on the bus, to hiking the beauty of the falls, the day passed quickly. 

The highlight indulged in by all but 3 of the teachers, was the courage we all mounted to ride the 5 line zip line OVER the waterfall!  Never in all my days did I imagine myself on a zip line over CA’s largest waterfall.  I now feel ready to conquer the world!

Giddily, we all donned our gear when someone took note of our guide’s shirt.  When asked if he knew just what his shirt read (“Last Chance”) he quickly answered “No, what does it say?”  After translating it for him we assured him this really wasn’t the shirt he should be wearing as he prepared to send us over the cascading abyss!

 

We are all super glad to report safe arrival to the other side.  Together we conquered our fears and experienced the wild unknown!  Cheers to an awesome school year 2009! 

Tasty Morsels

Yum!  Yum! 

There are many foods here that are unheard of in the US…most of which we have learned to enjoy.  (Still haven’t tried – nor do we have any desire to try – intestine soup!)  Here are a few of the favorites we as teachers at AFE prepared last evening to serve one of our work teams…

Tajaditas:  green bananas or plantains sliced thin, seasoned with salt and fried.  In some areas, like the North coast, they even take the place of tortillas as a staple at each meal.

Wash green bananas…

Peel green bananas - which is much more difficult then you may expect.  It leaves your hands blackened and rough.

Slice the green bananas and add salt

Fry in plenty of hot oil (something you try not to dwell on when you are savoring the results!)

  

Fresh squeezed Maracuya juice.  I have no idea what maracuya is in English but it is an amazingly delicious tropical fruit here that comes in a sweet purple variety or a sour yellow variety.  Both make excellent juice.

Scoop out the seedy middle portion

Blend and liquefy thoroughly.  Add several gallons of water and LOTS of sugar – a healthy counterpart to the fried bananas! 

Chismol – otherwise known  as Pico de Gallo.

Diced tomato, green pepper, onion, lemon juice and a mix of spices complete this healthy salad.  Excellent on top of tajaditas!

  

Three teachers working 1 hour with VERY DULL KNIVES accomplished the job…

  

…although it may have driven them over the edge!

So not only did I get an up close and personal lesson on Honduran food making – we all enjoyed a delightful evening together, working, serving and eating!

Fundraising!

Now there is a word that causes some of us to groan and others of us to feel the creative juices of anticipation began to flow!  I wish the latter was true of me.  Instead, I felt like Moses begging God to please send someone else to speak for me when Mark & I saw God leading us to serve in Honduras with WGM.  It’s not that I didn’t want to go, it’s that I was terrified of speaking in front of people to raise the funds to get here!  God didn’t send me an Aaron, but by God’s grace He allowed Mark and I to speak and share while He moved people’s hearts to become involved in supporting the work we are now doing here.  So thanks to all of you who helped increase my faith and likewise took a step of faith in your commitment to be involved!  You are an invaluable piece of the puzzle God is piecing together!

Even after all that, I’m still learning a bit about fundraising living here in Honduras.  Here, fundraising happens because people don’t have sufficient income to chip into the proverbial pot – even if it is only 5$.  A productive fundraiser here is 15$ and up!  We do fundraisers to buy snacks for the nursery.  We do fundraisers to support our social projects (e.g. providing baskets of food staples for a needy family) in our church cell groups.  We do youth group fundraisers and school project fundraisers.  And from what I have seen, about 95% of fundraisers involve food! Which is appropriate because Hondurans LOVE to snack!  Chips, popsicles (frozen in a bag), oranges & mangoes sprinkled with salt and chili, candy, pop, fried plantains with shredded cabbage…the list is endless.  So what did I do today…?   A cookie fundraiser!

Christmas is coming and true to tradition our cell group is planning a Christmas celebration supper.  It is a much anticipated event, which for the next few weeks is going to require a lot of cookie, choco banana, & tamalito baking!  With a goal in mind, willing hands and lots of time we hope to earn the needed 50$ -75$ soon.  

Happy Working!

Happy Eating!

“Friends we’ve never met”

Thanks to the national elections scheduled to occur this weekend in Honduras we find ourselves with 3 days void of our normal obligations.  Classes are canceled for our girls as well as for AFE on Monday.  Church is canceled on Sunday and everyone is supposed to stick close to home and it’s safety. 

Well….desperately needing a break from the city we decided to take a day trip on Saturday to Guiymaca – a town 2 hours outside of the city. (I know – that isn’t really sticking close to home.) But, for months now we have wanted to visit some friends we have not previously met (except Mark did for a few minutes).  Madi was a bit confused by this concept – how can we have friends we don’t “know”?  

To make a long story as uncomplicated as possible, we came to ‘know’ Orlando and Sharon Schmucker through mutual acquaintances.  We both are from Goshen, IN and when the Schmucker family moved to Honduras 2+ years ago they sold their home in New Paris, IN to a family in our small group.  We met as a small group various times in their home before moving to  Honduras ourselves and got the Schmucker contact info knowing we would be living in the same country. 

Finally this weekend we had the chance to connect in person.  We felt immediately welcomed and at home upon arrival and spent 5 delightful hours visiting, sharing our hearts, learning about each others ministries and families, and, I know for myself…being very encouraged in spirit. 

The kids will never forget an afternoon of horse riding in the open yard, playing in the sand box, swinging on the swing and playing with a drawer full of legos! 

I find these unexpected friendships one of my greatest blessings serving as a missionary.  Somehow the trite, the trivial, the norms of friendship making, are often erased and connections go deep quickly.  Of course, this isn’t a given and there are always relationships that demand more investment.  But often, this unspoken understanding that connects and bonds my friendships is the encouragement that keeps me going.

Not equally meaningful but notably enjoyable was the opportunity to drive 50 MPH for 1 1/2 hours in the countryside to and from the Schmucker home.  We knew we were back in Tegucigalpa when we passed AFE and instantly began the battle with Tegucigalpa traffic.  We braved downtown traffic to purchase a take out pizza and a box of donuts for our next adventure…

 

A favorite spot we have found here in HN is a cabin hanging off the side of a cliff at a retreat center right up the road from our house.  The blessing of this cabin is that it was built as a get-away spot for pastors and missionaries and is offered us free of charge for its use. 

Saturday night was just that for us – time as a family playing games, eating pizza, watching Animal Planet, curling up in blankets against the frigid night air that crept in all the cracks, drinking lots of hot tea and hot chocolate, reading and all sleeping together in the loft as the rain pattered on the tin roof.

    

It was so very good to enjoy each other as a family! 

And the beauty of it all is…it’s only Sunday and we still have tomorrow free! 

A Morning Surprise

I found a present on my pillow this morning…from a creative little girl who woke up much earlier then me! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m thankful for 3 beautiful children who show me every now and then that some of what we are trying to teach them is sinking in!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Who Knew…

…School could be so much fun?

The typical Honduran school year runs from Feb – Nov.  However, we at AFE operate a little differently. Three months of vacation presents our students with many unfavorable options, e.g. working back in the dump,  without regular nutritious meals, free time in environments of drug abuse, sexual abuse or unhealthy home situations. 

Therefore, AFE has adopted a year around school year. Nov & Dec our students still come to class 8-12pm but our classrooms are filled with a varied mix of fun activities. 

Herman is our Campus artist who teaches in the High School.  He is delighting the kids with clay sculpting classes as well as drawing activities.

    

Kellyn is our 2nd grade teacher who always has the most beautifully painted nails you can imagine, decorated with artistic flowers, or swirls of various colors.  Her skills earned her the opportunity to teach a beauty class including things like how to cleanse your face and care for your nails.

Elise & Laura normally teach 4th grade and English classes respectively.  These weeks they are keeping in shape teaching Pilates to the high schoolers 3 times a week.

  

A week long soccer camp will be held the final week of classes for all grades everyday.

Wendy, our special education teacher is teaching jewelry making.  

Suyapa who taught Kinder this past year and I, who do a bit of everything, are working together teaching grades 1, 2, 4, 5 & 6 in Arts and Crafts.  My classes are focused on using magazines and newspapers to create new beauty. 

Our first project has been paper beading.  The kids cut strips of paper from colored magazine pages and using glue and toothpicks we roll them into the most adorable beads we will then glaze and string for necklaces and bracelets.

Our other current project is making paper mache beads.  This is much less tedious for rambunctious boys and short attention spans.  Tearing newspaper, mushing it with hot water and rolling it into balls keeps their focus. 

  While I am not expecting perfection out of our first time attempts this is the idea we are shooting for…    

We also worked Friday at making our own paper bows. 

 

The kids amaze me with their perseverance…well, at least most of them.  Suyapa and I try to contradict the “I can’t do this Profe” comments with a “Yes you can do this!” response.  More then anything this is an opportunity for these kids to practice things they have never experienced before.  Many of these students have a hard time knowing how to use a ruler to draw a straight line, much less the ability to cut the line straight with a scissors!  They simply have not been exposed to the luxuries of creating with glue, construction paper, pipe cleaners and stickers etc. that we grow up with. 

So here’s to fun and broadening their life’s experience with a little glue and paper!