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