Motivation from the Lent She'himo

The She’himo, or Syriac liturgy of the hours, has some passages I find particularly inspiring in our walk with the poor. We must be made worthy to be counted among their ranks, it’s not about condescending to them. We ask to be made one with the oppressed, the same way we strive to be united with God.

-Jacob

Become As Little Children

Ana (not real name) shooting me a mischievous grin while her parent interview happens just behind her.

Wanting attention is one of the most basic desires of a child. While it can be incessant, it can also teach us about being fit for the Kingdom: wanting to be seen and taken seriously by another betrays a certain vulnerability and humility. Vulnerability, because wanting to be seen (not just looked at) tells you that your attention matters to the one seeking it. Humility, because the one who wants your attention specifically seeks yours-not just any one’s. 

-Jacob

Put It In God's Hands

As I sit at my desk trying to endure the heat in our Honduran location, I think of the adventure and mission that we have been blessed with. This is my first blogpost and our story of how we came to Honduras is lengthy with a few rough spots. I must say, God's hand has been at work since forever ago (literally), but more and more I have seen His work in my life and in my family. Coming over to Honduras was a little scary for me because of all the bad news you hear about this country.

Safety was and is of primary concern for me, and for that of my children. So naturally, I worried. One of my bigger challenges was just putting it all in God's hands. Once I did, everything fell in place. Every prayer and concern I had was answered. Everything from the airport we landed in (which was one of my bigger worries) because originally we were most likely going to land in the Tegucigalpa airport, which according to several sources, ranks anywhere from the second most dangerous airport in the world to the tenth. Not a comforting thought in the least; however, when our flights were arranged, the Tegucigalpa Airport was no longer accepting international flights. Thus, we landed in the new airport right outside of Comayagua, and most importantly, it was not a dangerous airport. Our plane made a smooth landing. What a load off my shoulders!

Arriving at the airport, two members of the Olancho Aid Foundation met us, took us out to lunch before proceeding to a four-hour drive to Juticalpa, where we finally were able to put our things down and rest. The following days of our arrival we were accompanied daily by someone in Olancho Aid, which was a huge comfort to us. They made sure we knew where to go shopping for necessary items, and took us to the doctor when we needed medical attention. Yes, you get the runs when you first come to Honduras. There is no escaping that one. Luckily there are doctors and pharmacies galore to choose from. Never for one moment have I thought, now what do we do? Because our support is just a phone call or text message away.

In addition to our support system, the people in Honduras have been wonderful to us. Neighbors are always willing to lend a helping hand. The first time our power went out, I only had candles available, and the power was out for several hours into the night. One of our neighbors shouted my name from the front of our house. When I came out, she had two battery powered lights to lend to us, which were a huge help. The power does go out frequently here, but usually for short periods of time. This one time was the exception. It turns out a car had crashed into a poll, and the whole thing had to be replaced. But I was very grateful to have been lent those extra lights.

While initially I kept in mind this country is labeled as one of the most dangerous countries in Latin America, I see that not all of this nation is plagued with violence. The area we are in, as far as I have experienced, is peaceful. I thought it was so interesting when, as we had a gathering with Olancho Aid employees, someone made a comment about how Mexico is extremely dangerous. Here I witness a moment where everyone seems to point a finger at another country or place and label it dangerous. Americans do it, Mexicans do it, Hondurans, everyone! The other thing I learned which I find VERY ironic is that Hondurans, especially in rural areas, have a fear of Americans (US citizens) taking pictures of their children for fear of us kidnapping their children and selling them in the black market. And here US citizens are terrified of human trafficking in this country. Yet, it is us who are feared. While most of the time we sit and think the danger is with other people, those "others" are skeptical of us as well.

As I have started teaching English as a Foreign Language, I have been surprised by what I am learning. I never expected students would be scared to learn a foreign language in their own country. But, as it turns out, many of them are. The first day of teaching classes online, I kept asking my students if they could hear me because no one would say anything even though I was explaining things in Spanish to them. I thought maybe something was wrong with my audio. I asked a second time if they could hear me. Finally, one of them nodded and put her head down as if embarrassed. Half my class is silent a lot of times, and the other half is more willing to participate. It depends on how much exposure they have had to English. Some students come with no experience in English, while others have had classes for at least a year before coming to middle school.

While being here in Honduras has been a blessing to us, there are some challenges that we have faced. Mainly getting ourselves organized in our new place, attending our two toddlers, and dealing with work. All while going through the stress of adapting to our new environment; which, even though for the most part has been a positive experience, it is still exhausting. One of my most important accomplishments this past week was being able to set up our prayer corner. Finally! I felt it took us forever.

For those who might not know, a prayer corner is an area in your home you set up as a space for prayer and meditation. It can be as simple as a crucifix, an icon, and a candle, or it can be more elaborate. The idea is to have Christ in the center of your home and life. So the prayer corner holds a lot of importance to us a Catholic family. First comes Christ Jesus before all else, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. One true God.

-Nancy

An Interview

Today we interviewed a candidate for a teaching position at Nazareth. When I asked about the candidates’ experience with children with disabilities, my director explained to me that there is no university in the entire state of Olancho that prepares people to teach special education. While we have regular Ed teachers in Juticalpa, we won’t find anyone here with expertise in special Ed. “We just don’t have the silver for it” she said.  As a result, there’s a lot of on-the-job learning. The will to serve is here, the need for our service is here, but the money is not.

-Jacob

Better, Not Perfect

 

Tomas (not his real name) and I. Observing his behavior and interactions.

One question I often get here at Escuelita Nazareth from parents is “what can I do for my child at home?” I’ve spent the better part of today creating handouts of low-cost, concrete actions parents can take at home to mitigate the social and academic struggles of their children. Said handouts are of course, translated into Spanish.

-Jacob

MacGyver Psychology

Assessing the needs of children where schools don’t have access to the kind of tools I’m used to having in the first world is proving to be a journey in itself. I was once told by a mentor of mine that school psychology is as much of an art as it is a science. 

With Escuelita Nazareth’s tight budget, asking for norm-referenced cognitive assessments or subscriptions to testing software is like asking for the moon. This means my practice has had to emphasize the “art” part of the field. Observations become more detailed, parent interviews regarding a child’s behavior and academics begin to carry more weight, and individual test items (for what they are) are scrutinized for suggestions of disorders like dyslexia or dyscalculia. 

It’s working conditions such as this that bring up the question: how many issues in countries like this would be mitigated if access to psychological services was as good as it is in richer countries?

Guadalupe waiting for assessment

A Tale of Two Beans: Corporate vs. Mom & Pop

Archimedes, the Ancient Greek scientist, once said, “with a lever and a fulcrum large enough, I could move the world”. Little could he predict that a little chocolate bean could mean the difference between an independent living here in Honduras, or labor little better than slavery. Needless to say, we know where we’re getting our chocolate now!! 

Don't Just Do Something, Stand There!

Nancy tested positive for Covid about a week ago.  Thanks be to God and vaccines, our symptoms have been almost negligible: a cough here and there, needing another nap, etc. 

Quarantine proved to be the biggest challenge: after a long enough time at home, one feels a creeping sense of uselessness. The suspicion that one is just “mooching” becomes a regular, though unreasonable, nuisance. The key for us in such doldrums is to remember that we are demonstrating love for our neighbors by reducing their risk and humility by obeying the doctor’s advice. Or as a Valaam monk once said, “don’t just do something, stand there!!”

Note:  Everyone has tested negative and all are doing well.