Good Friday

On Friday, we drove up to Comayagua, the former capital of Honduras, located about a half hour from Siguatepeque. Every good Friday, they have a display of sawdust carpets (works of art) representing different scenes relating to the crucifiction of Christ, and it's followed by a parade. Click here to see pictures.

Sick

These are the moments that make you realize your worth... Earlier this week, one of my students approached me with a huge wrapped gift and said, "I give you this gift because you are my best friend for teacher, and I like how you teach." It was a big clay mushroom with a ladybug on it. Moments like that make all the complaints I get every day pale in comparison.

I haven't had a nosebleed in a month, ever since I started taking medication. I went back to the doctor this week with the results of a blood test he had sent me to get. My hemoglobin is borderline, which would explain, at least in part, why I'm always tired. My white blood cell count is a bit high, indicating an allergic reaction to something in the air, which could explain why I get sick so easily when I'm in Honduras, besides the fact that there are so many more contaminants in the water and food here. AND, my platelets are a bit low. I'm taking different vitamins and medications and getting another blood test in two months. Please pray for my health and energy - I really need it to teach.

The quarter is coming to an end. Next week, there are three days of exams, two days of mini olympics, and then we have a week off before the fourth quarter starts.

The weather has been switching back and forth from scorching hot to cold, and many students have been out sick. Seven of my 24 fifth graders were out at some point this week. Today was their first exam, and four students missed it. Please pray for everyone's health. It's funny to see some students coming to school wearing a doctor's mask to prevent the spread of sickness.

I am the LORD, who heals you. -Exodus 15:26

Science Fair

Thank you to all who have been praying for me. I was feeling really down for a while, but I've felt much more positive since a Skype conversation with my parents on Sunday that helped put everything into right perspective.

There is a Canadian woman here who is giving watercolor classes to each grade during school hours. Sixth grade had their classes this week, and I got to paint alongside them. It was so relaxing and fun and greatly decreased the amount of planning I had to do. I just added a couple of pictures of the class to my online photo album.

The elementary science fair was today (pictures in my album). It was the responsibility of the English teachers to lead the students through the scientific method to create their own experiments - a very long process, but with good results. One group decided to do an experiment to see what would happen if one of them ate a healthy diet for a week. They used an interview with me as part of their background research to decide the guidelines for healthy eating. The results were that the student was able to run a lap around his house faster, he felt healthier, and his Spanish teacher was no longer sending notes home about his concentration in class because it had improved. Yay :-) Today was a very stressful day, with complaints from students and parents and the responsibility of grading every group within a short time period, but it ended with an early dismissal, so I'm happy.

Another frustration of the week is that on Wednesday, we had no running water in the morning. Having no running water was commonplace in my first Honduran house a year and a half ago, but then we were prepared with a reservoir with which we could fill buckets to flush the toilets and wash our hands. This house isn't supposed to run out of water because it has a well, so we have no back-up plan. Thankfully the problem was resolved within a couple of hours. Events like these make me remember how nice modern conveniences are, so I wrote on my Facebook status that I was thankful for running water, electricity, and hot showers. I don't know if what happened next was God's sense of humor, but I certainly didn't find it funny. The next day, we had a nine-hour power outage, and that night, after the power was back on, my hot shower quickly turned into a cold one, then into a trickle, and while I was still trying to rinse my hair, the water ran out. There was still a little water running out of the sink, so I was able to get the rest of the conditioner out of my hair by pouring that over my head. The problem was fixed today.

Check out my photo album, and thank you for your prayers.

I feel I've been waiting so long for God to fulfill His promises to me, and this verse encouraged me today:

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. ~2 Corinthians 1:20

Keep Praying

I've been hearing back from my Chilean friends that I emailed. They're all very positive about the situation, and it's encouraging to hear how they're using the opportunity to intercede for their nation and find ways to help those who were more severely affected by the earthquake. Please keep praying for Haiti, Chile, Silvia, and Profe Gladys, because they are all far from recovered.
Today I had the privilege of being approached by a student who wanted to talk about problems with bullies, about Jesus, and about the fact that her father is not a Christian. I was honored that she would approach me and happy to be able to encourage her and pray with her. It gave me renewed purpose.
I don't have much else to share except the pictures I added to the end of my online photo album, which you can see by clicking on the picture to the right. Be sure to read the captions.
Pray without ceasing. -1 Thessalonians 5:17

Every little thing gonna be alright

I've come to peace with, and even happy about, the realization that Honduras is not my permanent home - that I won't be here more than another year and a half. However, being that I have a one-track mind, that's made it harder for me to be present and keep my thoughts focused on the here and now. That, plus financial issues, problems with students and their parents, and health problems have all brought me down. I was starting to get depressed, but a few days ago, it was like a lightbulb went off in my head, and I realized that "every little thing is gonna be alright." God has been cementing this revelation in my spirit more every day. A lot of problems have been worked out, as well...

My dad called my loan company and straightened things out so that I can defer my loan payments. The sixth grader that had been ruining class for everyone was going to be suspended for eight days. When we had a meeting with his mother, however, she decided to take him out of the school altogether because he continues to show he has no interest in changing. Since then, sixth grade has been so much more enjoyable, and I feel I'm winning the class back. I went to the ear, nose, and throat doctor about my nose bleeds and found out I have a crooked nose (deviated septum), and the medications I've been given should take care of the problem.

Please pray for me to continue to find joy and purpose in each day. Several friends here have been really down, too, so please keep us all in prayer. Keep praying for Silvia, and also for Gladys, a Spanish teacher who recently experienced partial facial paralysis. She has been out of school because she cannot speak well enough to be understood.

Oh, Honduras...cultural notes
-Honduras is full of beggars. At first, I didn't know how to react to them, but sometimes I bought them food or gave them money. I have some friends who have felt convicted by the command in Luke 6:30 to give to everyone who begs from you. They carry juice boxes and snacks whenever they go out and give to every beggar they see. Inspired by their example, I've been stopping to help anyone who begs from me. It's funny that one day, when I was on my way to the doctor's and feeling particularly discouraged, I was approached by two boys asking for money. The opportunity to buy them a snack and drink at the pulperia (convenience store) completely changed my mood and picked me up. Today, I walked downtown with one of these friends that regularly gives out food, and I was amazed to see her not just giving to those who asked, but even seeking the needy out. Since she lives downtown, she's had ample opportunity to distribute food, and she's formed relationships with many people. I was really impressed, and convicted once again.
-Just as it's hard to walk down the street without being approached by a beggar, it's almost impossible to walk down the street without seeing cows or even donkeys grazing on the side of the road. This past week, an angry bull got inside the school gate shortly after dismissal. There were several students still on school property, and the bull nearly mauled them, but they ran fast enough and were able to get away. Thank God the only damage that was done was to everyone's nerves.

Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. -Luke 6:30

Progress

Classes were canceled on Friday for a teacher's retreat. We drove to a restaurant on Lake Yojoa about 45 minutes away, and a local pastor (the father of one of my 6th graders) gave a message on excellence. He said a lot of things that really spoke to me, but what I most remember is this quote: "Worry more about helping others feel good about themselves than helping them feel good about you." That one piece of advice brought me some much-needed perspective. I and a couple of other bilingual staff members were asked to help translate the message for the English-speaking teachers. I was chosen to start, but I didn't get tired of it, and no one offered to replace me, so I ended up translating the entire message, at least two hours. I really enjoyed it and received compliments from many of the English speakers.

Afterwards, we were served lunch, and then we had two hours to relax before heading home. I ended up talking with the pastor the whole time. It was a very uplifting conversation about the things of God and our life experiences. He told me several times that God has a ministry for me, and that he's confident God will bring me to a place where I am needed (I told him I don't think I'll be in Honduras after June 2011).

I've bee feeling very discouraged over the past few weeks, but God has been using things like this...affirmative words from others, Scriptures, songs, etc...to encourage me. And I feel encouraged for a little while, but there are some circumstances in my life that have me feeling very uncertain, and, well, discouraged. So please pray for my heart to be encouraged and for me to find the strength to choose joy and a positive attitude and to live above my circumstances.

Silvia, our school director, is feeling better. The infection in her lungs has cleared up, but she's still dealing with complications from the high doses of medications they've been giving her, so please continue to pray.

My principal plans to call a meeting on Monday afternoon with the mother of the student who has been seriously disrupting class. At the least, he will be suspended from school for eight days, since that is the next step in the school's discipline policy. Please pray for a resolution to these problems.

I've been given permission to leave my students with a sub while I go to the ear, nose, and throat doctor. I will pay, but the school will compensate me for the cost. God is faithful. Please pray for this issue with nose bleeds to be resolved quickly. I plan to go for the initial consult on Tuesday morning.

The picture below is of a note hidden between my papers by a student on a day I really needed encouragement :-)

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

-Psalm 118:1

I don't know what to do, but my eyes are upon Him

A couple of days after I got back to Honduras in January, a cold front came in, and the weather got down to 50 degrees or less. Now, you might think that's not cold, but when there is no insulation or heat, it's as cold inside as it is outside. It was miserable for about a week, and the elementary school canceled classes for one day because the students couldn't take it. But since then, it's been mostly sunny and anywhere from cool to hot.

I finally found a church that I look forward to going to on Sunday mornings. It's the only bilingual church in Siguatepeque - the pastor is from the U.S. and preaches in English, and his Honduran wife translates. I really didn't want to go to a bilingual church, but I'm glad I gave it another try, because the music, preaching, doctrine, and people are all just what I needed.

Our school has three principals (one for preschool/kindergarten, one for the elementary school, and one for the high school), an English program coordinator (as of this year), and a director for the whole school named Silvia. Silvia has been very sick and in the hospital because of allergies and asthma, so please pray for her. She is out of school indefinitely and went to stay with her parents who live near one of the major hospitals. Also, our school secretary Maribel was out because her grandma just passed away.

My stomach has been feeling better since I started taking remedies my mom bought me for parasites, though my energy level hasn't been very good. I sometimes have more joy than I can contain and am full of thankfulness. Then there are days when I am ridiculously tired and unmotivated, and I just don't feel purposeful. Part of the reason I think is some certain 6th graders. The elementary school principal (Profe Edith), English program coordinator (Esther), Spanish 5th and 6th grade teacher (Profe Sonia), and I met with these three boys and their mothers on Friday afternoon because they are all failing the majority of their classes in English and Spanish, and it's because of their bad attitude and unwillingness to do their work. Two of the mothers admitted the problem was with their son, felt very sorry, and are willing to do everything they can, though they feel pretty helpless. The other mother blamed my teaching methods and the injustices that have happened to her son, but Esther defended me because she's observed me, and Profe Sonia affirmed that the problem is not just in English class. According to this student, nothing is ever his fault, and now I know where he gets that idea from. These boys really ruin my whole time with 6th grade. On Wednesday, I realized that my attitude had become very negative and was only making things worse for me and the rest of the class. I made a determined effort on Thursday to be positive, and I did a lot better, but it's a continual struggle. I have a great connection with 5th grade, however, and am glad for the opportunity to teach them again next year.

I've been thinking a lot about my future, which can be upsetting... I really want to stay here, but this next school year is the last one when I can be on economic hardship. After that, I need to get a job that will provide enough salary to pay my loans..which means I need to go back to the States. I was considering the possibility of donating my entire salary here to loan payments and raising money for living expenses like I did last year at Destino. But the more I think about it, the more I feel it'll be time for me to go back to the U.S. when the time comes. And if I leave, I have a feeling I won't come back for anything long-term. But who knows, I still have almost a year before I need to make that decision. A lot can happen in a year. Please pray that God will make clear the steps I need to take.

The picture below of the school campus was taken by another teacher this week.

We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you. -2 Chronicles 20:12