Nov 30, 2008

Lessons Learned

"Unless a house is built by the Lord, the work of the laborers is wasted." - Psalm 127:1a

Last night I was reading in The Heavenly Man again. In fact I gorged myself of the book. I devoured the pages, I was hungry for dedication like Brother Yun had. I was desperate to have the same zeal, the same passion, and the same commitment.

He wrote, I was burned out in the ministry. I had been working out of my own strength for too long. I let my pride get in the way of obedience to the Lord. So God graciously allowed me to be improsioned so I could rest in Him alone. (paraphrased)

I am sure we have all experienced the burn out. When we let the work of the Lord replace the love of the Lord. Our service to Him can become an idol in our lives...we can live to serve instead of living for God. Brother Yun actually went to prison because he didin't listen to the warnings of the Lord. God had been speaking to him, calling him to repent and in his pride, Yun refused. After his second arrest and "welcome" session of torture, he repented on his knees before God. He cried out for forgivness and rededicated himself to God.

Before I continue with this post, I want you to know that I am not where Brother Yun was. I am not lost in the ministry, but I think God is teaching me. He is preparing me for what lies around the corner, and I want to listen.

I have never actually been in prison, but I have over extended myself in ministry so much that I was unable to serve with excellence and love. I have been in a place where my service was out of obligation or worse...under the guise of serving outhers I was really serving myself and feeding my pride.

I want to learn from Brother Yun. I want to listen to what God is trying to teach me about His work...so back to Psalm 127:1 "Unless a house is built by the Lord, the work of the laborers is wasted." I want the Lord to work through me. I don't want my time here in Honduras to be wasted.

I want to be obey.
I want to listen.
I want to serve with a pure heart.

Nov 26, 2008

Bonita Casita


Here is a pic of our Casita! Sorry for the big rain drops in the corner but the sun hasn't been out for a while :) Allison and I took this picture on the way to clinic one morning. It is still dark around 7 am here because the rain clouds are so thick.
We have a little courtyard, front porch, a coconut tree, and a mystery fruit tree in the front yard. We have about 15 roosters that live behind my bedroom and they all try and prove who has the loudest crow at 4:30am sharp. There are also a bunch of dogs, some of which got into our trash yesterday...yuck!
We like our little casa and are enjoying our time there. We aren't going to let the roosters and bugs drive us out!

Adventures in La Ceiba: Part 1

Allison and I went into town Sunday to do a little exploring. It was raining cats and dogs on the bus ride down the mountain but we were determined to get our feet wet...literally...in La Ceiba. We were headed for Cafeteria Cobel, a restaurant that is renound in the Williams family for baleadas - tortillas with beans, eggs & cheese.

Once the bus stopped at the terminal de buses we were off. Armed with our umbrellas, rain jackets and limpieras (Honduran currency) we braved the weather for a couple of burittos. After about 20 minutes of walking on a very muddy street, in the pouring rain we laughed out loud at the fact that it only costs $1US to take a taxi! Haha, it was too late now though...we were in too deep.

We finally navigated the streets of down town La Ceiba to end up at Cafteria Cobel. It was a beautiful sight. I could almost taste the food and I had been dreaming about a warm cup of coffee for about 6 blocks. As we approached the building, I noticed something dreadfully wrong...the metal security doors were closed and there was a sign hanging in the window that said cerrar, closed. Noooooo!!!

I am sure we were quite a sight to the locals! All dripping wet standing outside of what was to be our haven from the rain. Luckily Allison and I can't be stopped. We walked 20 feet to the left and found a nice dry spot to rest and bought some baleadas from a street vendor for 14 limps a pop (about .60US). We ate till we were stuffed and talked with the owner who kept asking is we were Swiss...haha...2 very tall and very blonde, by Honduran standards, women in rain gear treking all over town for a bean burrito. haha

After breakfast we headed tp the market to investigate what $8US would buy us there. We kept seeing these carts piled high with what looked like bright red and orange hairballs.

After like the 10 cart Allison asked the vendor what they were. He replied "leechas" like we should have known that. Since that didn't get us any closer to knowing what it was we asked, "How do you eat it?" and he cut one open for us... They look like peeled grapes but they taste amazing! You just pop them out of the peel and put the whole thing in your mouth. There is a big pit in the middle so you have to be careful not to bite right through it. They taste kind of like grapes and srtawberries combined. Muy rica, and only 20 limps a bag ($1US).

Next stop on our list was Patty's Juices. We were determined to try some fresh fruit juice and Allison's guide book said there were two locations in downtown La Ceiba. We scoured the market and surrounding area but there was no sign of Patty and her elusive juice. We stoped and asked a girl if she had heard of the place. We got a very questionable look and she pointed us around the corner and said there was a place called "yampalla" pretty close. So off we were, still in search of fresh squeezed fruit juice. We rounded the corner, made the block and doubled back but still no sign of the place. We asked another woman who pointed us across the street to "The Pallace Chinese Buttfet" and we were like "no way, this is crazy! we are looking for juice." After a few minutes of verbal banter an English speaking man can up and asked us what we were trying to find, we told him..."yampalla, a place for fresh juice." He smiled...looked up and away like he was searching his brain, finally he laughed and said "Champla, it's right around the corner."

Finally, juice was within drinking distance! We turned the corner and to our dismay...Champla was closed! Drat! Foiled again. We were down 2, and this meant we needed reinforcements. We called Heidi, a girl from Norway that we met at a bible study in town, and she came to the rescue. She took us to a bakery where I got the orange muffin that the ants later attacked me for (bead bug wars). Allison got her juice and we got to dry off inside and get to know Hiedi a little better.

It was cool to get into the city for a bit and spread our wings. I have learned 2 very important lessons...there is very little to do in La Ceiba on a Sunday, and when it is raining take a taxi cause it is only $1US!

We will definately be back to try out Cafeteria Cobel and Champla Juices, but we are going to wait for a sunny day that is not a Sunday! I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as Allison and I enjoyed laughing about it on the way back up the mountain. Love you guys!

What can you get for $8 @ the fruit stand?

I have decided to start a series for you guys...it is called:

What can you get for $8US?
Location: Fruit Stand in La Ceiba

  • 1 Cantaloupe
  • 6 Satsumas
  • 2lbs Bananas
  • 3 Cucumbers
  • 1 Prickly Pear
  • 2lbs Roma Tomatoes
  • 2lbs Fresh Black Beans
  • 5 Heads of Garlic
  • 2 Yellow Onions
  • 3 Green Bell Peppers
There may have been a few more things, but I can't remember them right now. We have been eating like crazy for a week on what we bought at the fruit stand. I can't wait until the summer season when we get fresh mangoes from the tree in the yard of the hospital! I think Allison and I will have to fight Dr. Martin for them though...he still won't reveal the location of the tree! haha

Nov 25, 2008

Bug Wars

So the past 24 hours have been a lesson in rain forest bugs. First the night started off with a few big wood roaches sneaking into our little house. No big deal for me since I grew up in roach-infested New Orleans...but Allison screamed like a little girl...and I had to kill them for her. It was really funny because she is not a girly-girl, she just hates roaches and spiders.

Later that night I killed about 200 fire ants in my bedroom...they found some crumbs from an orange muffin I bought from a bakery in La Ceiba and were trying to carry my whole purse out the door. Allison heard me smacking them with my shoe and asked what I was killing...so I went in her room and told her about the ants...when I spotted another big roach on her sneaker. She screamed and scared me and the roach...but luckily in all of the commotion the roach met it's maker.

Back in my room while I was getting ready for bed I noticed this silver looking cocoon on the wall. I had seen them before on the walls and asked Wendy what they were. Turns out that they are silver fish eggs...yuck! Anyway...the one on my wall was furry and it was moooving...it was hatching silverfish! I had to stop my stomach from turning as I watched it begin to spit out these really gros looking bugs. I smushed it with a piece of paper and then went cocoon hunting in the rest of the house.

This morning at clinic I came face to face with a panicked Allison...she was white as a sheet and breathing heavy...she barely got out the word tarantula between short pained breaths. It turns out there really was a tarantula crawling out of the courtyard in the clinic...a little old lady killed it with her sandal. It was pretty big too...about 3" in diameter including the legs.

Then about 30 minutes later we killed another big spider...about the same size as the tarantula but it wasn't as meaty...it had really long legs but a tiny body. Rachel killed that one with a broom...and broke the broom in half trying to get it!

Next us was a close encounter of the termite kind...we busted up 3 big termite nests from our new house and then fed them to the Williams' chickens...they went nuts over them!

Needless to say Allison and I are getting a crash course on the local wild life. All of the rain is driving the bugs inside and driving us crazy!

Nov 21, 2008

HHIM Blog Update

Hey guys! Wendy just put up a new blog for HHIM. Check it out, there are some pics of Allison and I assisting Dr. Martin! It's pretty cool!

The Heavenly Man

Thanks to my friend Chris Mac I am reading this book called, The Heavenly Man. The HPSM interns are reading it this year...so now I can feel like I am an intern even though I am in another country.

Anyway, this book is amazing. It is about this Chinese Pastor who risked everything to spread the gospel in China. He was starved, beaten, imprisoned, hunted, hated, despised, and rejected by the very people whom he was trying to love.

This book is heavy, no doubt about it. It is the kind of book that will either wake you up to the plight of Christians around the world or totally desensitize you. One paragraph will include a story about the Heavenly Man being beaten, many Christians being executed and then will talk about the joy of the Lord in a way that will totally rip your heart out.

I was reading the other night, by flashlight. I was feeling quite like a missionary since our power was knocked out by the rain. I read a line that just, well, put me in my place. Brother Yun, the pastor writing the book, was recounting a time when he was traveling the country evangelizing in house churches. It all seemed so exciting...hiding in caves, running from the law, winning countless souls for Christ. Until he opened my eyes to the reality of his circumstances.

He said...our hair was unkempt, our clothes were torn, people despised us and thought we were the scum of the earth. Ok, talk about a reality check. He wasn't touring the country side with a state of the art tour bus. He wasn't eating good food prepared by hospitality teams. He wasn't using the best mics and sound systems. He didn't even have a good pair of hiking boots.

He barely survived that part of his journey. He was actually turned away by the family that was supposed to take him in because the police were looking for him. He and his coworkers almost froze to death in the icy winter weather. They hadn't eaten in days and didn't even have a blanket for cover. But they sang songs of praise through chattering teeth and clung to Christ because He was all they had.

So I wasn't feeling quite so adventurous anymore. I had a fridge full of food. The power came back on after like 3 hours. I had 2 blankets on my bed and I was wearing a pair of warm socks. wow, talk about a wake up call.

Brother Yun, was later caught by the police, beaten, nearly starved to death, and shocked with electric batons before he even reached the prison where he was to be tortured so that he would reveal the names of the Christians and coworkers for Christ in the province.

Through all of this, he had compassion on those who tortured him. He loved his captors. He fasted for them and prayed for their salvation.

I don't know what happens next, because I had to stop reading. I had to ask for forgiveness. I had to repent. I will finish the book. I don't know how long it will take me but I will keep reading. I will write some more about this I am sure.

The Lord is speaking and I want to listen to Him.

Pictures!!!!

My little room in Rio Viejo!


Oh the internet


Our internet connection!

I can't believe I actually got a picture to upload!!

I am going to try another one!

Nov 20, 2008

Internet in the Jungle

It really amazes me to be on the internet in a place like Rio Viejo. As sporadic as the signal is, it is such a blessing to be able to communicate via email and the blog. We take so many things for granted in the US...and technology is definitely one of them.

Life here runs at a much slower pace. Sunday morning I work up to the sound of roosters crowing by my window and the faint sound of a neighbor's radio playing "Don't Worry About a Thing" by Bob Marley. That's kind of how it is here...a don't worry attitude.

Although it makes for an easy going lifestyle I can see how it easily it would be to slip out of a spirit of excellence. I am praying that I would always be challenged to step it up...not necessarily to pick up the pace, but to consistently increase excellence and to challenge those around me to do the same.

My verse this week, is 2 Cor 12:10..."For when I am weak, then I am strong."

The first few days have been challenging in the language department. No one here speaks proper Spanish so I am trying to learn the slang. They also drop the last syllable of most words especially if it ends in an "s". There is a pretty big learning curve, so that is nice. It is pretty funny when some of the not so educated people look at you like you don't know what you're talking about. haha

Nov 18, 2008

La comida de Honduras es muy bueno!

The food in Honduras is very good!

So far I have only had a few typical meals here in Honduras. I took a picture of my meal at the mall yesterday...yes there in a mall in La Ceiba. We went into town so Allison and I could get cell phones and we did a little grocery shopping and ate lunch there in the city.

I had papusas - white corn tortillas filled with cheese and fried on a flat top grill...yummy! They use a white cheese called quesillo and it is very stringy and salty!

There were also 2 salads on my plate...one was a sweet marinated onion salad and the other was the Honduras version of cole slaw...with vinegar and cilantro. Very good!

We are still fighting with the internet connection...it has taken me about 13 tries and 45 minutes to try and get some pics up on the blog...without success.

I haven't been able to send a mass email successfully either. I will try again tomorrow...I may just have to send a few out at a time so I don't bog down the signal.

Thanks for all your emails and for everyone who is reading the blog. Please feel free to leave me comments...cause I like them! I love you all and can't wait to get some pictures up for you all!

Nov 17, 2008

Primera Cafecito

My first coffee in 40 days! I couldn't wait till I het the San Perdo Sula airport so I could get a coffee with caffeine in it! Oh so good! Oh so delicious!



WE are having some internet problems today...but I wanted to get at least one picture up for you guys. I hope to send an email update out soon. I am working on it now so I can have it ready to send once we get a good signal!

Thanks for your prayers! Things are going great here...a bit cold though. Honduran winter is really like winter! It is proba low 60's or at least it feels like it. Tomorrow I will put on socks and real shoes...my little piggies are a little cold in sandals! haha

Nov 15, 2008

Late Night Email

I tried to send all of you an email the night before I left Honduras but for some reason my email wasn't letting me send it out. So I figured I would do the next best thing and post the email on the blog...so here goes...

So it is 1am...I leave for Honduras in 5 hours. I just had to send a quick note to everyone before I make the big jump. The past few days have been filled with peace and the joy of the Lord. There has been some sadness, saying goodbye to family that loves you like crazy is a bit difficult. However, the excitement and anticipation has won out.
Tomorrow I will get to wittness the first miracle of the journey as ALL of my luggage arrives in the La Ceiba airport...intact...at the same time I do. It's like a modern day splitting of the Red Sea.
Well next time you hear from me I will be typing from Rio Viejo! How awesome is that?!
I love you all. I know there are so many of you that I didn't get to see before I left. There are so many of you that I didn't get to talk to but I love you all! These past 2 weeks have just flown by and I just couldn't seem to make all of the connections I wanted to. just know that you are always in my prayers and I can't wait to make my first blog from Honduras!

Miracles Abounding!

So we have made it!! This is officially my first blog from Rio Viejo!

The weather is beautiful...the roads are dry...and we have internet!!!!!!

The Lord has been showing Himself to us all ready. He delivered us and our 6 bags to La Ceiba safely and Dr. Martin picked us up from the airport. Our first Honduran meal was at Quizno's where Allison and I split a veggie sandwich.

We made the trek up the mountain. To find our little house clean and ready for us to move in!

But the best thing of all...We have internet in the living room of the hospital! No more fighting bugs for a signal! WOW...the Williams family is dancing around right now!

The first major leap forward in our strategy to increase communication in the mountain cove.

Praise God!

Thank you for all of your prayers! We got stuck in San Pedro Sula for a couple of hours trying to make a connecting flight to Ceiba. But my mom called Dr. Martin and we got it all worked out. My mom is the greatest!

We boarded on the 2nd smallest plane I have ever been on...I could literally touch the pilot...and he opened the windows in the front to give us some air flow. haha, it was awesome!

We got moved into the house...I will show you some video later when I have a chance to upload it all.

We had our first staff meeting this morning and we are ready to rock on Monday.

Got to go to a graduation at the school across the street so I will post again later!!!

Nov 13, 2008

The Last Supper

Tonight I am having a last supper so to speak with my family.

Yo tengo emocionales encontradas...It's the spanish way of saying this is bittersweet.

I have never had my heart divided between two worlds before so this is new territory and I haven't even left the States yet. But even though my feelings are divided they are united too...by the cause of Christ.

These past few days have just been so wonderful. God has shown up all over the place to comfort me and encourage me and love me...through His people, through HPC and through His word.

So tomorrow morning I will board a plane in New Orleans at 6:30am and touchdown in San Pedro Sula around noon. Then we will hop on a mini plane and fly to La Ceiba, where we will meet Martin and Wendy and make the treck up the mountain.

Please pray for safe travels...easy going though customs and security and of course...that all 6 pieces of luggage (3 for me and 3 for Allison) make it to La Ceiba when we do. I can feel the prayer in the atmosphere. I know you guys are pulling for us. I can feel the protection of the Lord.

Well I guess I better go join the festivities and spend my last hours loving on my family.

I love you guys too! Thank you for your overwhelming support and your obedience to God. You are so special to me!

Nov 11, 2008

The 3 Day Push

There are only 3 days now, between me and Honduran soil!

Sunday night I had the pleasure of seeing some of the greatest people in the world...all at one time...under one roof in Baton Rouge! WOW

It was so special to me to see everyone making connections with eachother. I am all about relationships and that just warmed my heart! It was like 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon except I was the common denomanator...weird!

I was like a little kid right before her birthday party going..."what if no one comes" and boy was I wrong! People came from all over the place...baton rouge, walker, livingston, st. francisville. It was so special!

Tonight I am cooking dinner for my family. My special salmon. I haven't made it in over a year...say a prayer that I remember how! I will have to clear the cobwebs from that part of my brain.

Well I better go put on my chef's hat...hungry people will be arriving soon!

Bug hugs to everyone!!

This has been one of the best days of my life! Wow, to think that there are better days ahead...well that just makes me cry.

Nov 7, 2008

GUESS WHAT!!!!







Prepare yourself for the onslaught of pictures. This is long over due!

Nov 5, 2008

Here We Go...

Introduction to 3rd world living....

I got an email from Wendy yesterday...I hadn't heard from them in a while so I was starting to get a little worried. She said the power had been out for a week or so due to the heavy rains. They are working on day 9 without running water. Over 200k people are now homeless due to the rains and flooding and many of the crops have been washed away. Thankfully, the sun is peeking thought the clouds today since it is the first time they have seen it in weeks.

Here we go...Honduras Bound!

Keep us in your prayers! No body said this was going to be easy. In fact, the Lord tells us that is will be difficult. But oh the joy that comes from serving God's people and leading the lost home to Him!

Lord give us strength to match the challenges ahead. Give us wisdom and good judgment. And let us carry this cross with joy and exaltation!

Nov 1, 2008

Gulf Shores


I was in a wedding last weekend in Gulf Shores. My friend Megan from high school tied the knot so I got to go to the beach! Holla!


I clean up pretty good, eh!


My nephew Izaak decided that he didin't like his supper. So he spit it up all over me.

Tab, Izaak and I on the beach. The weather was awesome!


I have the cutest nephew in the world...this was a pretty risky shot considering he vomited on me the day before.


Cold water! My sister Sarah and Izaak.


Aww, so sweet! Sarah is such a good mommy!

Don't get too excited...I still don't have a camera yet, or a phone cord. Pero se Dios queire...but Lord willing... I will have one soon!

Let Your Light Shine

I got to spend some much needed time with some of my closest friends last night! We made little candy bags for the kids in the neighborhood from the J-Team. The J-Team is a group of 9 ordinary people with 9 extraordinary gifts...they are like Fruit of the Spirit Super Heros! Mrs. Vicky made little salvation tracts with the J-Team characters and we put them in the candy bags with a HPC card and some little toys.

So we kept our light on for the Trick or Treaters and maybe shined the love of Jesus into some dark households.

Here are a few picks of us hanging out. I was so excited to see everyone!

Mary Beth - watching the Hulk and writing a systematic theology paper that was due at midnight! Oh, the life of an intern!

ATM meets the Westside! KP, Erin and Me doing it gnome style!

This one is just too hard to explain. Kelly, you make me smile!