Saturday, December 10, 2011
Well, I am sitting in my new “bedroom”, I just finished setting up my “bed” from a fold out soft chair and my clothes that I have laid out underneath to soften the hard concrete surface. We are in Puerto Cortez, Honduras, and are staying at a local church. It has been a long two days. Today was spent traveling by Jeep to PC from Puerto Barrios, Guatemala. It isn’t a long drive but it still made for a long day. After setting our things into our new house we met with some of the local women who will be cooking and being out “moms” while we are here. They are so sweet, and have such pure hearts. One has won me over completely, Patty, as she gave me a kiss on the cheek and a hug after our church service that followed dinner. This is where I need to interject with a side note. Dinner was flour tortillas (which I really enjoy) with refried beans, scrambled eggs and some sort of cheese that I can only said isn’t so great. I foresee this being our dinner and lunch meals for most of the rest of our time in Honduras as well as Guatemala. I am only praying that breakfast is something different. (I would even just like a bowl of rice).
Yesterday was one of the hardest ministries that I have ever had to do. We went to the local garbage dump in Puerto Barrios. People leave here, work here, and play here. There is no recycling program in PB, except for the one at the dump, where the people who live there go through all the garbage looking for plastic bottles to get money for. There are houses along the sides of the dump and the road that goes throughout the dump. People living in “houses” made from scrap metal and wood, maybe 8 feet long by 6 feet wide. Most people at home have bathrooms larger than the homes here. I talked with a family and prayed for them who live in one of these homes, a mom, Sylvia, her two sons, Antonio and Julio, and her daughter. No running water, no heat, no separate toilet room, and no electricity just one very small room for them to cook, play, and sleep in.
As Marshall and I walked down the road going farther into the garbage dump we had to step aside as a new delivery of garbage was coming in. Honking its horn, the large truck came barrelling down the road, honking for the people’s attention to say “Come and get it”. People ran, and waited right behind the back of the truck, waiting for it to start dumping the garbage from those it just picked up from. This could be my garbage, something I put in the trash, something I no longer wanted, yet they might find value and worth in it. As the truck starts to unload, the people start to pick at it, scouring it for bottles and anything of value, throwing bottles aside to collect later. Please know that when I say people I mean children and adults. The children who live at the dump with their families do not go to school; they work there alongside their parents. As I watch this all happen I notice one little girl, maybe 5 years old. She has been taught well, be quick, and watch out as you don’t want to get buried in the trash. As she picks quickly away and stows any bottles she finds into her bag with complete ownership she find a pink teddy bear. The smile on her face as she grabs it and runs to put it in a safe spot, she has found her treasure.
This is their life. I think about these children, what if they were my children? How would I feel? The children are always dirty here, rummaging in other peoples garbage, who knows what could be in there hiding, waiting to hurt my young one. I just couldn’t imagine watching my own children do it. Then again, I didn’t grow up doing it like most of the people there. They live here and have for generations. How do you escape it? Can you? Or do you end up feeling guilty for leaving behind your family that you stay and raise your own children there?
These people had some of the biggest smiles that I have ever seen on their faces. Although I see poverty, unsanitary was of living, etc, they showed me that there is so much more than that. There is value in each person there, worth, they are worthy of our respect, love, and most of all Gods love. They are valuable people, just like you and I. No matter how much dirt on their clothes and faces, I needed to get my clothes and face just as dirty, to not be afraid that I will have to wash it all or throw it out as my shoes were covered in muck, as were my hands and pants. Who really cares, and if they do why should they? What matters is that I didn’t make myself anymore valued then them by not going into the muddy dirty pits. I was willing to dig through it, and to just walk, not tip toe.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Sometimes not knowing a language is harder than it really should be, especially when you have three people who could translate for you.
Sometimes not understanding a culture and their communications is very difficult; especially when you have people you are responsible for.
This would probably be the running theme for me the last 4 days. Things have been really hard with a lack of communication.
We are in Honduras. We arrived here on Saturday, and immediately went into ministry work. From the start there was a lack in communication on who is who, their responsibilities, who is in charge, and what is expected of us. It has just been a whirlwind of things that seem too overwhelming to explain. However it just seemed to get worse as we continued our travels to San Pedro Sula one rainy Tuesday morning. It was 4:30am, bags packed and eating breakfast we were ready to go for 5am. Well 5am roles around still no pastor, 6am and our pastor here finally comes, with the van we will drive in, a van with no seats, and no windows in the back. So we pile all of our bags in and then ourselves in to start the drive. However before that we go to move our Jeep that we are borrowing from PB only to find that someone had stolen the battery during the night. What can we do? Nothing, its 6am, nothing is open, we just need to leave it and deal with it when we come back.
We arrive in San Pedro Sula 2 crammed hours later, still raining. The house we are taken to was very small for the 11 of us (we have picked up some people from PB who are coming with us), and not very clean, so very discouraging. We then were told that we had to plan a “program” for a church, to which we couldn’t go to as there was no communication to the pastor there and so then our “program” was to be outside somewhere, but it was raining. We were frustrated. Nobody even considered asking Marsh or I want we needed or expected as a team. So we pulled in the reigns. We took a break, then went out and talked and prayed with people in their homes, asking if there was anything that we could help them with. Then after lunch we went back to 4 of the homes, bringing with us food packages and water for them. In one home there was a elderly lady, in here late 70’s, who had a broken leg and needed surgery. She was laying on her bed and had so much joy radiating from her, and her smile was so big. She said she was so happy to see us. When we said our goodbyes to her, she reached for my face, held it in her hands and kissed my cheek 3 times. She was so cute and my heart broke for her.
We also ended up helping a family with their laundry, washing all their clothes by hand, as well as helping and watching them make corn tortillas that they sell as their main source of income. It has been really different, and encouraging to see their way of life here. Although they don’t seem to have much as all, they are rich in life, love, and family. That’s what matters.
Today I sit on a mattress as I write this. Yes! A mattress! We are now in Le Cebia, staying at a church, and I can say I have never been happier to see a mattress that I can sleep on! Last night was a rough night staying in the little house. Pastor and some people came home from his other job selling things at 2:45am, and were very loud, turning on lights, etc, and things stayed like this until about 4am. It was at 4:30 that my alarm was supposed to go off as we were to catch the early bus to come here. I got up and packed my things, and then at around 4:45 was told by our sleeping translator that we weren’t going now until 6am as the pastor got back late. So now wide awake I read my bible and played sudko, I was not a happy camper. After a 4 hour bus ride, we finally made it to Le Cebia, to only have to turn right around after getting here to go to a house church and do some kids programs, as well as adult. Not even time to plan anything by the time that we found out that we had to go. We planned it all as we went along. Thank you Lord for giving us ideas.
Tonight was a little bit better. Although tired, and ready for bed at 5pm, we had another church service to go to. This one, Marshall was to preach as the pastor was out of town. Within an hour Marshall had a half hour sermon together on Missions and why we are all called to go, even in our own cities. He was great. I love seeing him up there. I was a proud wife sitting in my pew.
I am thankful for the times that we have had, and for the people around us. Although it has been very hard with all of the miscommunications, or lack thereof , I am happy to be here, but quite ready for bed. So with this I say good night.
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