Today marks day 24 of being in Honduras, and oh, the adventure I have had! After the HU softball team left, I embarked on a five hour bus ride with my good friend Edwin. I'm pretty sure we talked about every topic under the sun, and it was so great to hear about all that he has done since I've seen him last. He also made the bus ride a lot more fun. Without him, I would have been by myself, in an empty school bus, listening to Spanish radio stations, with nobody to entertain me. So he saved me from complete boredom, and for that I am thankful.
In the past six trips I've made to Catacamas, I haven't stayed for more than 10 days at a time, and I've always had really good friends with me. The next two weeks in Catacamas were completely different than the days I had experienced before. I was the only American (that I knew of) within five hours of Catacamas. Just me. I lived with, and still live with, Wilmer Espinoza and his family. Wilmer is the man in charge of Journey Mission Camp, so I have been working with him for the past five years. It was definitely comforting to live with a familiar face, so I wasn't completely by myself. In previous years, I have only had small interactions with his family, and I didn't really know what life was like in Honduras when a group of Americans wasn't at camp with me. After living in Wilmer and Karla's house for three weeks, I can't imagine not living here when I come back. Wilmer and his wife, Karla, have taken me in like one of their own, and their kids, Donna (6) and Jefferson (10) are pretty much my Honduran siblings.
Wilmer is such a hard worker. He makes sure everyone is on time and has a job to do. After we are taken care of, he goes to work and works hard all day long. He has been my personal translator for when I don't quite pick up on everything that the preacher says about me (the only American in the Church) on a Sunday morning. Wilmer is a great dad to his kids. He teaches them English every once in a while in their daily conversations. He absolutely can't say no to Donna when she begs for chocolate at Texaco. He just tells me, " I just try to be the best dad I can be." He doesn't leave the house without running into a good friend even when we are four and five hours away from home. He is a great man of God, and a great leader of his family.
Karla is just so much fun to be around. She speaks about as much English as I speak Spanish, but that is plenty for us, thanks to her superb facial expressions. She is only eight years older than I am, and we have so much fun together. She is the first to roll her eyes when Wilmer can't say "no" to Donna. She claims to have three kids: Donna, Jefferson, and Wilmer. She is always up for a milkshake run, and she also does a great job at pointing out all of the cute Hondurans for me to choose from. Aside from her just being a joy to be with, she is one of the best cooks around, and she makes sure I never go hungry. She washes all of the family's clothes by hand in the pila, and I haven't heard her complain once about it. Karla is someone that I want to be like when I grow up.
Donna and Jefferson could not be more different. Donna is absolutely crazy. She never stops moving or talking and is always in the middle of everything. Every morning before school, we sit at the table and drink a cup of coffee together, and every afternoon when I am trying to hold my eyes open I regret that coffee that I let her drink with me. She never stops, but her energy is contagious. Jefferson, on the other hand, is pretty laid back. He is perfectly content to watch SpongeBob and play video games all day. He is just like any other ten year old boy that I've known. He loves to just chill in front of the TV, but he also loves to play soccer with his friends. Every morning when I stumble through the house with my ugly bed head, he says "good morning, Jenna" in English and I am so proud. It has been an honor to teach them at school, and it has been great fun living with them.
The reason I decided to come to Honduras for five weeks instead of one is so I could get more of an idea of what long term missions would be like. I know that five weeks isn't considered "long term", but I can tell you that two weeks spent in a third world country is completely different than just one week. And three weeks is completely different than just two weeks, and so on.
The "Honduran way" is a real thing. At the end of a day, I cant wait to take a cold shower because its the "Honduran way". I always expect Wilmer to honk and say "hey" to certain people as we drive down the bumpy dirt road, because its the "Honduran way". When we don't have running water at the house for three days, we load the family up in the back of the truck and take a trip to bathe in the river because that's the "Honduran way". When we lose power at the house on a hot and humid day, its ok to spend a little extra money to eat at Texaco so we can sit in some air conditioning because that's just how life happens sometimes in Honduras.
I may not have all of the luxuries here that I have at home, but that's ok. My life is so much more simple here, and I still have way more than what I need. These people are teaching me to find the joy in the small things. Swinging in the hammock with three or more kids is one of my favorite parts of the day. I love hearing my students yell my name in their precious accents as we drive down the street. I cherish the "good morning, Jenna" that I receive every morning when I roll out of bed. A rotating fan can pretty much cure all of my needs. A trip to bathe in the river may sound a little unsanitary, but for me it is peaceful and relaxing. Curling up in bed with the kids to watch Netflix in Spanish is a great way to wind down at the end of a day, and their giggles bring me great joy. The small things can make a huge difference.
I don't have time right now to write about my first two weeks as a real teacher, but don't worry, that update will come soon. I have more than enough stories to share. For now I need to rest up so that we can finish laying bricks at the house tomorrow.
Please continue to pray for the work that is being done in Honduras. Especially pray for Walter and Cyntia and their family, whom we are building the house for. God is continuing to do great things. Praise the Lord!
