Jordan Fox Missions

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2009-11-28T08:12:00.000-08:00

My last few weeks in Honduras were pretty relaxed and was a lot of preparing for the transition back to North America. My second last week, which was my last week in Olancho, was just visiting a few last communities and saying many really hard goodbyes. It makes it so hard to leave hearing people thanking you and asking when you will come back. Unfortunately I can not promise to come back because that could give people false hope. There are so many people there i have met that have been disappointed and let down by empty promises; I couldn't do that. I said I hope to come back but I don't know if I will be able to. I left that up to God.

My last week was down south on Tiger Island where a group call The Carpenteros and Friends had planned to go but unfortunately had to cancel sending the team due to the political situation and the potential of danger being so close to the federal election. The projects The Carpenteros funded that they were supposed to be helping with were still getting done and on time. I helped work on and supervise some of these projects. It was very good to see the Honduras working extremely hard to get their projects done. This is also proof that shows if they have the opportunity to work or improve their lives they will gladly do it. They are not lazy. My brain was moving a little faster than time and I was already thinking about being home but everytime I had to say a goodbye it was very emotional and I was pulled very quickly back to reality. Also this last week of my time in Honduras I spent much time mentally (and physically) preparing myself for the transition back to North America. So after my last few goodbyes the time came to leave and more than previous trips it was hard to leave. I couldn't wait to get back home to see my Grandparents, my parents, my brothers and sister, my girlfriend and all the rest of my friends and family. So finally I am home and starting to adjust back to the North American life while doing my best to keep all of the things I learned along the way. Thanks for all your support.

First Half of October

2009-10-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

(Nueva Suyapa in Tegucigalpa) (Me and my friends from the church)

This month I spent some time visiting in Tegucigalpa and strengthened the relationships I have with people there. I had a chance to spend time with both Honduran and American friends. I made friends with some people my age at one of the churches in Tegucigalpa and went out with them one day as well. After a visiting for a week and having a few meetings at the office my Dad came. He came to bring more supplements for the pilot project in the south. He also came to visit for a week. The day after he arrived we went to AJS (Association for a more Just Society) to see some different projects and learn about them a bit more. It was absolutely fascinating to learn about what they do. They base their purpose on 1 John 4:18 which says, “There is no fear in love: but perfect love casts out all fear…” Their work has the potential of being very dangerous when you are working for justice in a country with so much corruption. I have a huge amount of respect for everyone that works there.

(He is here!! It was so nice to have part of my family with me.)

The next day we went to a town call Ojojona where a local Honduran-made movie was filmed. I have seen the movie so it was cool for me to be able to go and see were it was recorded. That afternoon we went and cheered against the USA in soccer because we were all cheering for Honduras…unfortunately they lost 2-3. Sunday morning we went to church and I did my first little bit of translating for my Dad.

(Arturo helping the community organize themselves)

We were back in Catacamas Sunday night and Monday was a holiday so in the morning we had an opportunity to go visit some caves nearby which was really exciting. It was my first time every being to caves and it is just one more that shows God’s incredible beauty and imagination. In the afternoon we went to a community with Matt to bring beans for the people there to plant because they had lost 2 harvests to drought and had nothing left to plant. The way it works is that Diaconia gives a loan to buy the beans. Each farmer receives 50 pounds and when the farmers harvest they are required give back the 50 pounds. We had a very receptive training the next day on the Moringa tree. We made and brought soup made with Moringa leaves and tortillas made with moringa leaf powder. Most people really like the soup and hopefully will accept this plant as a rich source of vitamins, minerals and protein. They will be given seeds and plan to start a tree nursery where the trees can later be divided equally in the community.

(Giving beans to Farmers who lost 2 harvests)
We went to stay overnight in a community Wednesday night. This community is about 5 hours away and about 2 or 3 hours in on dirt roads going through the mountains. Wednesday we had one meeting in one community where Arturo is working with the Community Transformation project. This is a community that has no electricity, no running water and no out-houses. We had meetings in two communities here where the community organizes themselves to gather information, make decisions and assess their needs. We returned in the night on Thursday. Friday my Dad left for Tegucigalpa where he had some meetings. He left Saturday morning to go back to Canada but I really enjoyed having him here with me for a week. It was really comforting to have a piece of my home and even better to have a piece of my family here with me. I also enjoyed all the translating I did for him while he was here. It is something amazing just to learn a language in 3 months but to be able to translate is even more fun and exciting. Oh and did I mention that Honduras won against El Salvador and the US tied Costa Rica to guarentee Honduras a spot in the World Cup!! Go Honduras!! (helping make compost pits after a training on how to recycle nutrients in the soil.)

Water

2009-10-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

It is a beautiful thing seeing people unite for the common good in any situation. I had a chance to see this because the small community of Villa Verde where I live united to do a water project. You could look down the street and see a line of people working digging ditches to put in the pipes for water. The tower had already been build and now we all worked together to finish the project. It was a pleasure for me to help with what I could. Since we have finished the project we now have running water. This is a huge excitement and relief, both stress and financial, for the community. Before everyone had to buy their water which gets to be very expensive. The water is not drinking water but there is a nearby well that is. We still do not have the water piped into the house but it is piped to the storage tank. It is a great blessing for everyone in the community. Here are some beautiful pictures of the community working together.

The Month of September

2009-10-17T08:28:00.000-07:00

(Adorable Children Everywhere you go)

There was a lot missing this month. September here in Honduras contains three big holidays. “Dia Del Niño”, Independence Day, and The Day of the Bible. Due to the political situation parades were prohibited. There normally would have been lots of parades for “Dia Del Niño” which is a holiday to celebrate children. Thankfully there were still parties and Piñatas for the children in their school, houses and neighbourhoods but there were not nearly as many as past years. Not only was there no parades for “Dia Del Niño” but there wasn’t even parades for Independence Day which was September 15. Where I live in Catacamas you could not even tell that it was Independence Day. Unfortunately the Government banned most events that were to happen that day. I heard many people say how upset they were because there is usually so much excitement and celebration but this year there was almost nothing. The third holiday was “Dia de la Biblia” which is the Day of the Bible. This takes place on September 27 each year where Christians all around the country are united in prayer and celebration. Usually there would have been all kinds of parades, parties and celebrations but once again because of the political situation anything where there would be very large groups was prohibited. It was very sad for me to be missing out on all these worthy celebrations that people speak so highly of here. I heard so many wonderful things about how much fun and how marvelous these celebrations are. People would literally prepare for weeks ahead of time for these celebrations. Along with The Day of the Bible we had a day of Prayer and Fasting. This was announced in churches all of the country and thousands of Hondurans either gathered in groups or prayed individually and fasted as well. This was something the government would and could not stop. They stopped the parades but they can not stop prayer. Please keep praying for Honduras.
I went to multiple different communities where communities had loaned beans to plant by the government. Nearly everywhere that this bean was given out it turned out very poorly. The farmers were only getting about 10-25 percent of norm and also the beans were very poor quality. It made me realize how the people know their own zone so well that they know which seed is the best for that zone. So when someone comes in and gives them something new to try it can actually hurt them more than it helps. It is important to work with the farmers to help them develop, not to come in and develop for them.
I visited two communities that are way out in the middle of nowhere. La Puerta and Las Lajitas are two very poor communities that do no have running water, no electricity and no out-houses. Here I saw the very first step of the community development program. It is exciting to see people so far away in the middle of nowhere get excited because they see an opportunity to develop. I think they really see this program as something that can help and I think they will be willing to organize themselves to do what they need to do. I will be exciting to come back to this community in a few years and see how far they have come.
I went to a meeting in Valle de Angeles with many partner organizations. I learned a lot from the many different speakers that there were there and I learned a bit about the political situation. It was a good reminder of how complicated it is. Not only are people suffering from this situation but organizations are as well. One organization that was there used to have a staff of 12 but now because of cut fund are down to 3. Since there is not much I can personally do to help solve the political situation I will keep praying daily and I encourage all of you too as well.
Well I have to say that I miss home a lot. If you are reading this that probably means you are one of the people I miss because I know you care enough to take time out of your day to see how I am doing and to read about what I have been up to. You are probably one of the people I will talk with most when I come home because you are probably more interested than others. I hope that you are all doing well. I am doing great here and yes I do miss home but at the same time it will be hard to leave. I appreciate you reading this. Here are some more pictures of those creepy crawlies you live with here.

Friends

2009-09-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the few fairly large friends you make while your here whether you like it or not. (He was just relaxing on my neighbors front door) / (Yep thats my hand on the about 1" away)

This one (below) was a bit smaller and we found right outside out tent in the morning on the mountain.

You also often find cockroaches (almost every day) but they aren't as interesting as tarantulas. When you come across a fear or something new you need to find a way to get past it. Things like taratulas don't bother me anymore. They won't kill you but I am still not going to go pick one up because they are venomous.

2009-09-10T16:57:00.000-07:00

This list could go on forever but so far during my time here I have come across a few verses in the Bible that have helped. They go along with different parts of my journey and in no way do they fully explain it. This is something I was roughly putting together for myself. I hope you find it interesting.
This is how it started. Psalms 90:12 TLB --> “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; Help us spend them as we should.” Along with this goes a quote from Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life. “The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without purpose.”
Actions speak louder than words, they are also a universal language. The best way to communicate God’s love then, is through actions. 1 John 3:18 --> “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with action and in truth.” The first year I went on a missions trip we built a house for a woman who had been widowed. The next year when we returned we discovered that because of our willingness to serve and love others she was able to see God’s love through us. She had become a Christian for this reason and her entire family had been attending church.
I encourage you to read all verses 19-23 but for me verse 22 pretty much sums it up. 1 Corinthians 19-23 --> “…I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” I don’t claim to have done this but it is something I am trying to do.
1 Timothy 4:12 --> “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” Young people are often looked down upon because they are young. This verse is encouraging and humbling. It really speaks for itself.
1 Corinthians 10:31-33 --> “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the Church of God—even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.”
Psalms 37:4-6 --> “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this. He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”
Acts 26:22 --> “I have God’s help to this very day…” Philippians 4:13 --> “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”

God Bless

2009-09-10T15:42:00.000-07:00

September 2, 2009.
When everything changes in you life for 5 months you have a lot of “first times”. This was a first time but I hope it will not be a last. I got to go visit my sponsor child. We went and met him and his mom at the “project.” He still has normal school and everything but he receives a significant amount of extra help from Compassion. When I met him I was introduced as Jordan, his “padrino” which translates to godfather as well as sponsor or patron. He is adorable and it is just amazing to have a person and personality to put to a picture. I was toured around the Project and learned where everything went on and a bit about what Edgardo, my sponsor child, does there. After this we had a short visit at his home where I met his sisters as well. We chatted for a while about what they do and they asked me a few questions at well. It is a fairly typical rural Honduran family who live in a house made of mud bricks. The father works in a field, the mother takes care of the house and sells a type of bread, and the family has been through a number of hard times. We had planned to take Edgardo and his mother to a mall where we could have lunch and play for a while, but I did not want to leave out his two sisters so I took them as well. I think it was a much better experience because the whole family was there, except for the father because he was working. We went to the newest mall in Tegucigalpa, the capital, where we went to KFC for lunch. We picked KFC because Edgardo’s favourite food is chicken. I found out after lunch that one of the mother’s dreams was to be able to take her family out for a meal like that. It is so difficult to explain the feeling of having helped someone accomplish a dream that they likely never would have accomplished. After lunch the kids and I went on a train that drives around the mall and a carousel because Edgardo also likes horses. This mall is absolutely gigantic which is difficult to picture in such a poor country but the capital is quite developed. They even had bumper boats which the youngest two went on. The last place we went was an arcade. The kids had so much fun and this is something they will probably remember for the rest of their lives. I know that I will never forget it. It was an amazing experience for both me and their family. The last thing I have to say is that God is great and I am so thankful to him that he would bless me with these amazing experiences. Gloria a Dios.

2009-09-10T15:01:00.000-07:00

Well after spending a week and a half away from home, (well my home here) I was exhausted. Due to my exhaustion and probably something I ate, I was also ill. Being sick here is sucks, but at the same time it’s not so bad because it doesn’t usually last more than a day or 2 for me. Anyways that’s not what is important. Here is the more important stuff.
I will recap my adventures but try to keep them short. First I went to four different communities in a place called Yocon. We went with a partner organization called the Gideon Project to do trainings in schools on the topics of hygiene and sexual abuse. We visited three different schools and did one presentation with the adults of an entire community as well. We stayed with the pastor of one of the churches in one of the communities. He help me with my Spanish a lot simple because he was willing to take interest and ask me questions. He did this both for his knowledge and to help me with my Spanish as well, I found out. This I really appreciated.

After four days in other communities away from my bed, one of which I was ill, it was very nice to sleep in my own bed…for a short period of time. The next morning I woke up, packed my bag again, and started on a three day hike up a mountain. Nope its not always work here, but most people here think we are crazy for climbing a mountain such as this one. When I say we I am referring mostly to the six white people. We are all volunteers or work here. We all have this in common and so we are all friends. One of the youth from one of the churches here also came and of course our guide. This was an absolutely incredible experience. The first day was kind of typical hiking a few trees here and there going up this mountain along with some fields. Then we started going through coffee farms and finally got to the edge of the jungle which is a conserved area. Here there was a small hut that the coffee farmers use in the harvest time. There is a typical concrete, wood-burning stove, a hammock, and not much more. After about five hours of hiking we set up our tents and stayed here the first night.
In the morning we woke up to Holler Monkeys hootin’ and hollerin’ in the jungle. Unfortunately I did not get to see any this time, but I have seen them in the past. Once we had all our stuff ready, and got rid of whatever wasn’t absolutely necessary for the second day, we headed of into the jungle. This part was a lot steeper than the first day and by this I mean there are parts that are literally straight up where you have to climb a wall of dirt and tree roots. All the plants are so alive and abundant that it seems as if you could see them grow. You also watch some of them die when the guide has to hack through parts with his machete. After about another five hours of hiking on this day, we made it to one of the peaks where we set up our tents. Unfortunately when we got here we were nearly out of water and all very thirsty. We knew ahead of time that there was a source of water but we were hoping not to have to use it because we didn’t know how good it was. There is no path to this source so only our guide and three of us went, including me. We were gone about forty-five minutes and came back with water that was clean but was also extremely yellow. This is the water we had to drink but we had drops to purify it to hopefully ensure we wouldn’t get sick. At the peak where we set up camp, and at the tallest peak about an hour away where we also went, there are dwarfed forests. Hard to imagine right? Well, there are all kinds of unique plants and trees, along with not so unique plants such as pine trees. All of these plants are no more than three or four feet high.

After a very cold night we were fortunate to get up when we did. When we got out of the tent we looked down the mountain onto the cloud cover. A full cloud cover of fluffy clouds with the sun just starting to rise above them. After enjoying this amazing sight we packed everything up and headed back down. It took about 8 hours to get down including stopping for lunch. This experience gave me a new understanding of God’s amazing intricate creations in nature. It was a very tiring but extremely well worth it.

(See a path? Neither did I until I hiked it.) (Miniature pine trees and other plants)

(Dont fall it's straight down!)

(And it is straight up climbing roots)

2009-08-22T15:25:00.000-07:00

While I was in Patuca with Matt and David doing a training, check-up and tree nursery with some farmers, we had a chance to be part of a wonderfully musical church. This is a very short video but it gives a little bit of an idea.

La Avispa

2009-08-22T14:48:00.000-07:00

La Avispa is a small village where a river recently destroyed 17 homes/buildings. What a tragedy. They have had some support by The Carpenteros and Friends but those families still are at a huge loss. One of the buildings that was destroyed was their Centro de Salud, which is their Health Center. This village is one of the villages that is a part of the Community Transformation Program. Unfortunately I was not able to be part of the entire process but I was able to go to the final meeting where the community is gathered and presented a booklet of all their information which is gathered by Diaconia. This booklet contains the information that the community needs to start the acctually transformation. Now the community can organize themselves to start working on their list of necessities, and present information to the municipality with requests for support so they have a much better chance of getting support from the government. A water project was one of their needs, but like many communities they do not have the resources to accomplish such a large task. Diaconia is therefore helping to get a team to help this community, such as King's College or Biola University who send teams each year to work on and support water projects.

It was an absolute pleasure for me to be a part of this meeting and see all the information that is in that booklet. For a community like that, this little booklet can help so much. I hope that I will have the opportunity to go back and see things starting to change and improve as I am sure they will.

Please pray for this community, especially all those people who lost their homes.

Experiments

2009-08-15T14:23:00.000-07:00

Well this is powder I made from dry Moringa leaves. We are experimenting and trying to come up with applicable ways to use this powder to add to foods. We (including my neighbours Matt and Katie) are our own test subjects and are hoping to find applicable ways to incorperate this into a Honduran diet. The nutrients in this could greatly improve health. When we find something that is successful and applicable I will write another post with the results.

Community Transformation

2009-08-15T12:51:00.000-07:00

Things are done differently here and I am sure you have all figured out by now but one thing that I find incredibly fascinating is the way that Diaconia's Community Transformation program works. So here it is. Fortunately, unlike some organizations, no North American goes in to say "hey we think you need this, so that's what you get." Local Hondurans, who work with Diaconia, work in every community that has a Christian Reformed Church. When they start in these communities they meet with the entire community. In these meetings they discuss what the communities' biggest needs are. It could be some people have no latrine, or it could be that no one has running water. The community comes up with a list of priorities. They work, with help from Diaconia, to see if these things can be accomplished without outside help. Often they can but many times for such things as a water project they will need help to get started. This is when they find a team, most often from North America, that is willing to come and help with such a project. This is how communities are able to progress and further develop with the help of Diaconia, and I am honoured to be a part of and learn about this program.

If you haven't figured it out by now, this is one of the most important programs there is. We as North Americans cannot possibly properly assess what the biggest needs of each community are because we think differently. We do not know what it is like to live in their house or in their community. We don't think like them but with the help of organizations like Diaconia Nacional who have programs such as this one we can help. The destruction that can be built by imposing our help on a community without the community's leadership is terrible. So I do not want to discourage you from going on short term mission trips but if you do, please do your homework and go with a team that has a program like this. It is important to make sure your help will last and not cause problems after you leave.

Meetings

2009-08-15T12:25:00.000-07:00

We left for Tegucigalpa on Wednesday August fifth. This is where all the volunteers working with Diaconia Nacional and CRWRC meet every month. While we are there, we make a monthly plan of what we will be doing that month. Of course I would throw a wrench in things and work with two people in two different programs. This being said I have to meet with both of them after they have finished their monthly plans so I can make mine to coordinate with theirs. After doing all this I realized that there was some organization that is done. The first month, I was tagging alone with whoever, never really knowing what i would be doing until the day of. Despite the planning that goes on, the reality is that plans often do change and you just keep up with it.

I will be working with two programs, the Medio Ambiente program, which is everything from environmental to agriculture, and I will also be working and learning about the Community Transformation program.

On another note I was invited along with the rest of the volunteers (yes their is only about 5 of us) to Gaspar's house. He is a missionary who is currently living in Tegucigalpa with his wife. We went for dinner, chatted and played Catch Phrase. It was a really good time to relax and enjoy with a group of english speaking people. We all had a lot of fun and laughs.

This same weekend we we part of a national youth retreat for youth of the Christian Reformed Churches. There was about 120 youth and if you have ever been to a youth camp or youth retreat then you know what it was like, only this one was in spanish. It was good to get to know and make friends with some of the youth from all around the country. There were 3 speakers each on different topics that are much needed for the youth of this country. To Love is To Wait, Drug Addiction and Gangs. Three prevenlant things that are a problem with many of the youth in this country. Overall it went very well and everyone seemed to be receptive and had a great time.

The second half of July...

2009-08-06T16:21:00.000-07:00

Watermelons

the pig project

Our "pila" for collecting water

Moringa trees

My Honduran parents

Moringa

Honduran farmer

poverty

harvesting moringa seeds

moringa tree cuttings

incredible beauty

July 21.

More Projects.

Today, I went to about five different communities where there are people who are part of different projects with Diaconia. Some people are growing crops such as corn and beans. Some are involved in a project with making erosion barriers because the only land they have for growing crops is a large relatively steep slope. They are mostly growing a couple different types of beans. There are also nine people who are part of a pig project. There are nine pigs in total, one for each family involved. One was giving birth while we were there in one of the communities. The other two in that community are also pregnant and due in a few days. Along with all of these projects, some people also have new moringa trees. People involved with the pig project use moringa as part of their pig feed. Other people who are involved with farming and crops also have moringa trees. As we went to visit these projects, we brought branches of other moringa trees that Diaconia had purchased. Right, what good are branches? With Moringa trees you can cut the larger branches off, plant them and they will grow. So each person we visited received seven branches which can be cut in two or three to be planted. Most of the projects I have seen are proving to be successful. Some crops look a bit dry due to lack of rain but that is a small minority. It is very exciting to see the great results and benefits of these projects and I am so excited to be getting involved and learning more about how I can help these people.

July 22.

Water

Running water is a luxury that most people take for granted. Today I had the chance to see genuine appreciation for running water when I met one of the beneficiaries of a recent water project. He was excited to have us visit. The reason we were there is so Jocylene, who is a journalist from Biola College, could do an interview. This man was proud to show us everything that now operates with running water. Some of these were his sink, his Pila (cement basin for water storage), his shower and his toilet. We were able to see his excitement and the joy of having running water. He was very genuinely grateful for such a blessing. Now that you have heard the story imagine what you would do if you didn't have running water. Can you? I know that if someone would have asked me what I would do without running water before I came here I would not be able to give an honest answer. I could try but I would not have been able to a description of life without running water. Try. I want to challenge you to describe to yourself your life without running water.

July 23.

Water continued.

Now that you have either described or tried to describe a life without running water, I will give you an idea of what it is like here. I do not have running water where I live. Every morning for my shower I go to the backyard where the pila is, with a five gallon bucket to get water. I use a smaller bucket which is kept clean to take water from the pila. I fill that bucket and, if need be, do the same thing with another bucket for water to flush the toilet with. I use a small bucket to pour water over myself and continue with my shower. Are you asking yourself where the water in the pila came from yet? Well there is a water truck that comes around every few weeks but you have to buy that water per barrel. Water goes very quickly so some people like my family set up a gutter on the side of the house to catch the rain water running off the roof. This water goes straight into the pila. So that water is used for everything from showering to mopping to laundry. Drinking and water for preparing food is purified water that is bought in 5 gallon jugs like you can buy at home. I have adapted to this lifestyle and it is completely normal to me. Oh and for everyone who likes hot showers. I have not had a single even relatively warm shower since I have got here. If you're adventurous try taking a few showers like descibed above. I would say to try doing everything else without water but it is not possible to do things like doing laundry on a concrete washboard there. Remember to appreciate the luxuries of living in a rich country.

July 24.

Peace of Politics

Okay I know the title is deceiving but I am not going to discuss local politics. All I have to say is that the ousted President, Manuel Zelaya, got across the boarder onto Honduran soil today. It stirred this up a little so please keep praying for the peace of Honduras and that this situation will be resolved.

July 28-30.

Adventure

Here is the story of my adventure these past 3 days. Leti (who works with the credit program in the local Diaconia Nacional office), her mother, Matt and I went to visit two communities in Colon. Colon is one of the provinces on the north coast. It was a beautiful six hour drive though mountains and valleys. Some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen in my life. Yes it was a rough dirt road most of the way but that wasn't important. When we got there we were warmly welcomed. We went to a town called Feo Oriental where Leti did her work with people who had received loans from Diaconia to build houses. While she was doing that Matt gave information about the Moringa tree and its benefits. He also gave a little bit of information about types of beans. We brought seeds of all these plants and made up little bags for each person that wanted them there. We talked with people for a little while and when we were finished we went to where we were staying to eat and sleep.The next day we drove about 45 minutes to a town called Trujillo on the north shore. We ate a restaurant overlooking this huge beautiful bay in what I believe was the Atlantic Ocean. This is land that Columbus discovered. We got to see Fortaleza de Santa Barbara which is extremely old as far as I know. Matt and I went for a little swim after lunch. The view looking at the coast from the water was so incredible. There are mountains very close to the shore and they were covered completely in palm trees. We heard that demonstators were going to be taking the street and we needed to get back. We left in a hurry hoping to beat them but we were too late. Now what? Who knows how long they'll keep it for. So after a few phone calls we found out there was another road we could take. We took this other road for a good hour and a half. The best way I can describe it is it was a dirt road you would see going through the jungle after a heavy rain. None of it was even and there were always inevitable pot holes. Did I mention we had adults squished into a pick-up truck? Anyways it really did seem like the jungle and it was extremely interesting scenery. Although it was a rough and painful ride, the beauty of God's creation outweighs the bad. When we finally got back we went to another community called Bonito Oriental. It was the same process as the previous day. The next morning we headed back through God's natural beauty once more.

August 1.

Black and White

I heard someone say 'To the poor, things are black and white, but to the rich there are shades of gray'. Generally this is true. It is something to ponder. Is this good or bad? Maybe there is good and bad? What are the benefits and deficites of each? What do you think?

The First Half of July

2009-07-03T15:37:00.000-07:00

June 30, Tuesday

I started in Spanish school today and my brain is overloading. It is a lot to learn in such a short amount of time. It is very stressful some of the time but I am doing my best. I am staying with a host family in Santa Lucia for 3 days because that is where the Spanish school is. They are very nice and hospitable. At the school it is only me and my teacher. It is very difficult to be patient because I cannot speak the language. Unfortunately it takes time to learn. I keep praying for God to help me learn this new tongue and also for the peace of Honduras. It is very peaceful here in Santa Lucia and it is also very beautiful. I am up in the mountains and the view is absolutely breathtaking. I cannot describe how beautiful it is with words but hopefully I will be able to get some pictures uploaded sometime. I have been studying in my Spanish book and am learning a lot. I try to practice with my family here and it does help me remember but I often make mistakes which just make it very humorous. We all laugh together at my mistakes and have a good time.

July 1, Wednesday

Well at the end of 6 hours of Spanish I am tired. My brain cannot take any more than that at one time. I am still learning a lot but it is difficult to put into practice. It is about a 15 minute walk to the school. I am currently the only student so I walk by myself, which really isn't bad because it gives me time to enjoy the beautiful scenery. It gives me time alone, to think by myself. I spent a bit of time in prayer this morning. I was a little overwhelmed with Spanish and needed a little help. Thankfully God answers prayer. It is interesting to see and talk to the family I am staying with because it seems like I have no influence on their lives at all. It is like I am just another child in the household. That is not a bad thing. It makes me more comfortable than if I were to be treated like a stranger. I know I am here for a reason and maybe it is just because it is near the school or maybe there is a greater purpose. So far I am not sure. I am very excited to go to Catacamas where I will be staying more permanently. I know that I will build a very strong relationship with my family there. Once I am there I can start to learn the lifestyle and the Honduran culture better. I do not necessarily want to get used to cold showers, though.

July 2, Thursday

This morning my Spanish lesson was only four hours unlike the six hours the past two days. I went back to the house afterward and studied. I had a chance to spend a little bit more time with my family here so we went to the soccer field and thankfully I can say a few sentences here and there. I can understand more but it still takes me a time to put sentences together. I ate some sort of plant, presumably a vegetable but I'm not really sure. I am doing well today but I am excited to meet my other family that I will be staying with. I do miss home a little bit but that is expected.

July 3.

Finally I am finally here in Catacamas where I will begin my work. My family here is Doris (mother), Noe (father), Pedro (son), and Alejandra (daughter) ... And the newest addition for half the year Me. They really do treat me like family and are wonderful. I found out that they had painted my new room for me. It is blue just like my room in Canada. It is really like a second home.

July 4.

Sick Day. I knew it was nearly inevitable but today is my day to get sick and hopefully build a great immunity to the bacteria here. I won't give all the wonderful and exciting details about getting sick here but it is not very pleasant. To make it even better I woke up quite dehydrated. I prayed and had others praying as well that it would be short and I would get better quickly. I felt mostly better by night time. I slept for a lot of the day and read, practiced Spanish and prayed. When my Dad and Ana returned we discussed the situation about the government and what the plan was. We decided that if things got to the point of the Canadian embassy suggesting that we leave we will. Hopefully it does not come to that. We made sure that my Mom was agreeable to that plan as well. Fortunately I know I am in God’s hands and He will keep me safe. I do not fear for my safety but obviously I will still be sensible about it. I put my complete trust in God and I'm sure that whatever He has planned will be carried out. Because I do not know God's plan I just keep praying for the peace of Honduras. Last but not least I had to say my "see you in a while" to my Dad. It was difficult but good at the same time. It is hard because he is my father, my inspiration and my last link to home. It is good at the same time because it is liberating me from English and forcing me into Spanish. Also I am going to be starting my work here. I pray for his safety as he returns to go home. I Love You.

July 6.

Today was the first day I went to the Diaconia Nacional office. Everyone gathers for a devotional on Monday mornings. It was difficult to understand but everyone seemed very into it and everyone was involved sharing their thoughts. I did not do much other than listen and take some pictures while everyone else planned for the week. We did attempt to open a bank account for me but I did not have the papers I needed. We also tried to change some of my traveler’s cheques but we couldn't find anywhere that would take them. Hmmm well some other day I guess. I know that they will take them when I go to the capital next month. I have Spanish lessons every day for 2 hours this week and today went well so I hope the rest of the week does too. I am learning the culture and learning to be more relaxed as I write this because I have been anxious to start going to different communities but I realize the importance of concentrating on learning the language first.

July 7.

“Do It Yourself.”

That said alone is often rude but today I learned how to do my laundry on a cement washboard. I didn't do all of my laundry because someone is hired to do laundry each week, but everyone washes their own underwear. Also everyone knows what your underwear looks like when you hang it on the clothes line to dry. It is definitely a different culture and things are definitely done differently but learning something new is always exciting and an adventure.

July 10.

“Hello? Hello?”

Today I was not going to the office and did not have a whole lot to do. Being a little homesick I called my brother Mike who lives out in Calgary. It's amazing that I can call that far quite cheaply. I talked to him for a little bit he told me he wishes he was here with me. I also got to talk to my other brother Corey for a couple minutes but he was at work. It was just nice to hear their voices. I called my parents and got an update, hearing everything was good there and there are a lot of love and prayers for me from Canada. My sister unfortunately was unavailable. Last but not least I called my girlfriend Lauren and got updates from her as well. It was very wonderful and exciting to be able to talk to so many people back home. I also finished Spanish school today. No I am in no way bilingual but I know a bit more and am learning quickly. To everyone back home: I love each one of you and miss you all!!!

July 11.

Every day I learn something new whether it is about the culture, about agriculture or about myself. Today it was something about myself. As I was reading the book given to me by my pastor shortly before I left, God pointed something out to me. Although I don't keep my faith to myself I never really accepted many opportunities to share it. I am slowly learning more. I never was, but I never will be ashamed to say that I believe in God and have accepted Jesus as my personal Saviour.

July 12.

As I was reading my Bible there was a little study note titled "Five Dangerous Responses" so since it sound interesting I thought I would read it. It started off my saying, "A wise man keeps himself under control." This was in the book of Proverbs and after each statement it gives some verses that demonstrate each point. The five points were:

1) Anger will destroy you before it destroys anyone else. Control your temper. Read Proverbs 14:17, 14:29, 15:18, 19:19, 22:24-25, 29:11, 29:22

2) Pride will lead to your downfall. Humility is far more rewarding. Read Proverbs 3:34, 11:2, 13:10, 16:5,18-19, 18:12, 21:4

3) Jealousy grows like cancer. Read Proverbs 14:30, 23:17, 24:1, 27:4

4) Fear of people is unnecessary if you trust God. Read Proverbs 3:25-26, 29:25

5) Conceit is ugly. A conceited person forgets God's place in his/her life. Read Proverbs 16:2, 25:27, 26:12, 27:2, 28:11,13

Some of these verses were more meaningful than others to me but I did not want to only write the ones that really stuck out to me because God speaks to everyone differently. Two of the verses that were meaningful and relevant to me were these. Proverbs 3:25-26: "Have no fear of sudden disaster or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared." Proverbs 29:25: "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe."

...

Thanks to my awesome Dad who is taking time out of his day to post all of these on my blog for me....hey, wait a minute, I didn't say this at all! Hey, this is my Dad typing this in about himself....shame, shame. Obviously he didn't read my previous blog entry very closely.

July 16.

God has wonderful things planned for each one of us and everything happens for a reason. From faith I know there was a reason for demonstrators blocking the road yesterday and therefore me staying home today. What it is...I don't really know, but I am open to God's will each and every day. The list of what God has in store is long and when we serve Him he often blesses us... But there's a catch. We have to be willing to take risks, step out of our comfort zone and do what the Holy Spirit is prompting us to do.

July 17.

Two other missionaries who live right next door to me just returned from their visit with their families in the United States. They had a warm welcome waiting for them from many friends here. Matt and Katie are their names and they both are wonderful people. Matt and I talked for a while about various things like our goals here and plans and whatnot. Later I had a chance to use their laptop with Internet to confirm a visit with my sponsor child in November. I am really excited to meet him and spend some time with him and his family.

July 18.

I was invited to go into town with Matt and Katie so I gladly accepted. They were going to look for some stuff they needed. I hadn't been around town much or really known what shopping was like here so I was glad to have one more new experience. It is nothing like shopping back home where you can go to Walmart and find everything you want in one place. You often have to search many different places for what you want and the quality you want. A while after we had gotten back I had a chance to chat with both my parents and grandparents which was really nice. Sometimes I get a little homesick not having any of my family here with me so it is nice to hear their voices every once in a while. After I was done on the phone I went to a neighbour’s house with Matt because he was buying some Moringa seeds from them. They were still in the pods so we had to harvest all of them but we got some of the young kids helping and gave them each stickers and a couple seeds to take home. I took a few of the not so good seeds and planted them in bottles so I can say I grew my own Moringa trees. Later on that night we (Matt, Katie, Doris, Noe and I) sat and talked for a while. I was able to understand most of the conversation and could also participate in it. Thankfully my Spanish is getting better.

Starting

2009-06-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

Today we are at the CRWRC office. We spent a little bit of time in devotions and we all prayed together and shared our joys.
Tomorrow I will be starting my Spanish lessons which is both exciting and intimidating. I think it is more just the fear of the unknown that is getting to me. I know I am a foreigner and don't really fit into the community yet. I know that God has full control and will use me accordingly. I know that once I learn Spanish it will enhance my experiences here and I will be able to serve the people better. I am only at the beginning of my journey and am very excited to learn more and begin my work. For now I am concentrating on learning the language and as much of the culture as I can.

2009-06-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

Sunday, June 28

We were supposed to go to church today but we woke up with military jets flying over the city. The president has been evacuated and the city is under military rule. It is very interesting. We were advised not to go into the city so we went for a hike up a mountain. I find it interesting that the president is trying to change the constitution so he can stay in power longer. From what I hear the majority of people do not like the president. After watching the news we found out that the president had fled to Costa Rica. There is now a new president until the election in November. I do not fully understand what is happening but I am praying for the peace of this country.
We are staying with Dilia and Gregorio. It is nice to stay with some familiar faces who we have become friends with in the past trips. I played soccer with some of the kids and teenagers here and for the most part I felt like I was part of the community. Sometimes you start to feel invisible until reality hits and you realize you stand out like a red cloud in a blue sky. Being white, that is inevitable but one of my goals is to learn the culture and laguage so I can become more of a part of the community. By doing this I hope to not be seen as an outsider as much enableing me to observe more of the natural culture.