Feb 25, 2009

Everybody Poops...Sometimes

If you don't like poo stories you shouldn't read this blog. I haven't yet posted a missionary poop story so I am long overdue. 

I have had enough experience here in Honduras to write an expo on pooping...the right way...
  • We don't flush toilet paper here - so always put the brown side down in the trash can.
  • When teams come...everyone gets constipated...you NEVER have time to sit down, if you know what I mean. 
  • If you don't get turned off (constipated) when groups come...the switch gets turned ON...all the way... because you are so stressed out your insides are going crazy.
Well I hope you enjoyed this blog...I took the time to sit and write this so I have missed my opportunity to "sit down" somewhere else. 

Now you know how much I love you!

Here we go....

OK I feel like I am driving a 4 calendar when I need a Porsh or something. Talk about shifting into high gear. 

TEAMS are upon us!!!
(picture me screaming this as I run around with my arms flailing above my head)

Man, do I need some heavy duty prayer for the next 6 months of my life. Anyone up for the challenge? haha I am so very excited about teams but I am nervous and a bit anxious as well. I am trying to remain calm...breathe...breathe.

We had a staff meeting last night to touch base before we begin with the Canadian group tomorrow. We had a lot to talk about, for sure...but by the end of the meeting I think we all felt a little better. I know God is sending these people. I know that we have done everything possible to plan for them...so now I just have to give it up. 

I am back in the bucket of the catapult, but hey - I remember being here once before. I don't want to be a forgetful Israelite! So I am suiting up...getting prayed up...and I am ready to fly! We are gonna do a good work here and I know that I can do it with you behind me. 


Feb 19, 2009

Armor of God

You know the Bible talks about putting on the armor of God...I think moskito net should be added to that list...especially if you live in Honduras. 


Here is my new piece of armor...


If you notice we don't have ceilings in our house...just roof. The light you see coming through the roof...means that bugs can come in there too, but no worries now! I have protection!

Scorpion Found...and Dispatched

So today Claire found our scorpion friend. 

We are trying out a concrete sealer in our house before we use the product in the dorm...cause we want to make sure it works like it says it does before we paint the whole floor in the dorm. Anyway, Claire had to clean out her room because it has a concrete floor, and I think that the scorpion was lurking somewhere in there...behind a table, or in some dirty clothes. 

All I know is that when I got back from teaching class this morning, I found all of Claire's stuff in the hallway, the broom in the shower with bits of scorpion body all over the shower floor. 

The broom is definitely the weapon of choice when battling larger bugs...it has a long handle, the bristles inflict the most amount of damage, and you don't have to be extremely accurate with your aim. 

So one scorpion down...who knows how many to go.

Feb 17, 2009

If you Can't Beat 'Em...

So I have made fun of Allison and Claire for having mosquito nets. Not really making fun of them...but I didn't think that it was necessary to sleep under there like you were camping out. I didn't like they way they touched you in the middle of the night...I felt like I was suffocating. I would rather take my chances with the bugs. 

I mean...they really aren't that bad. 


Right?


WRONG!!!!!

Last week while the group was here from Atlanta, I had a run in with a pretty big bug. Yep, you guessed it...in my bed. I was sleeping...not very soundly, thank God, when out of no where I hear this loud THUMP on my pillow. As soon as it made contact I was out of the bed. I couldn't see what it was because it was 3:45am and pitch black in my room...but I knew it was BIG.

I ran to the light switch and flipped it on...and there on my pillow...inches from where I was resting my head...was a SCORPION...a big one, about 4 inches long. On my PILLOW! I am very attached to my pillows, and I was feeling very sorry for it as the scorpion marched proudly around it's new territory. 

So...how do you kill a scorpion at 3:47am when it is on your pillow? You don't. I couldn't catch it... he disappeared into my bed sheets never to be found again. He is probably lurking somewhere in my house to this very day. So what did I do? I couldn't get back in bed knowing that he was in there...somewhere.

Allison is out of town for a while...so I slept in her bed...under her mosquito net. Alass...I must concede that when you live in Honduras...in a house that is not perfectly sealed up...you need some form of protection from the creepy crawlies. 

Some of you may be thinking to yourselves...I am supposed to go on a trip to HHIM in the near future...do I need a bug net of my own? I am proud to say no, you don't. The dorm is completely sealed up...it is like a fortress...no holes for the critters. So rest easy friends.

I will have you know that I slept in Allison's bed until I could go to La Ceiba and purchase some netting from the local fabric store. So I am now a proud owner of a custom made, by yours truly, mosquito net. I am sleeping soundly now! Whew!

Feb 14, 2009

Happy Valentine's Day

So the group is gone...we said our bittersweet goodbyes last night. It was so cool to see the dorm in action and the group really made this place feel complete!

Today is Valentine's Day...I don't normally do much for the occasion but tonight Claire and I are going to eat salad, avocados, fresh plantains, and watch a girlie movie and paint. We have already had the "what do you want in a husband" conversation so after dinner we are moving on to painting our toe-nails. 

Allison is gone renewing her visa with her sister in Belize so Claire and I have the house to ourselves. We miss you Allison where ever you are right now!

Happy Valentine's Day or Singles Awareness Day...whichever category you fall into! haha

Feb 12, 2009

Taking Steps

When I first came to Honduras in May of 2008, I came with Mrs. Claudia Berry who is gifted in helping ministries take what is in their heart and put it into achievable goals to help their ministry grow. She did just that for Martin and Wendy, and I have been entrusted to help make that happen. 

This week, with our first group, we began visiting the elementary and high schools in the cuenca. We bring with us: anti-parasitic medication, vitamins, toothbrushes/paste, band-aids, alcohol prep pads and a whole lot of education. 

We are designing a community education curriculum specifically for the people here in the cuenca. Our goal is to visit each of the 31 schools in the area 3 times per year. Each time we visit a school we will give them the items listed above and a new lesson from the curriculum

It is really cool to see it happening. To see the words come off the page and to see real lives affected by them. It is very cool, very cool indeed.

Feb 9, 2009

Well We Made It...

Well...we made it! The team bumped and slid up the mountain, 4 hours behind schedule, but arrived at just the right time. The carpenter was just bringing the last set of the 10 bunk beds...at 10:30pm. We accidentally locked ourselves out of the dorm so the group helped us move in the remaining 5 bunk beds and put everything in its place. 

wow...what a night! I am pooped...so off to bed!

Feb 8, 2009

Whew...Take a Deep Breath!

We have been running like crazy preparing for the group that is coming...well today, in about 6 hours! We have painted, cleaned, and put everything in place...from the kitchen appliances to the hand soap in the bathrooms. We have table cloths, chairs, garbage cans, sheets and pillows...but we are still missing one important piece of the picture....BEDS!

Yep that's right. You know that saying, "This is Africa (TIA)"...well WTH, baby..."Welcome to Honduras!" Despite the numerous hours of planning that goes into hosting a team it seems that we are always barely crossing the finish line on time. 

Last night we bought groceries (6 buggies worth) for the group and we were the last ones in the store. We picked up the mattress for the beds-we-don't-have, after the store was already closed. We bought tables and chairs and everything plastic last night and put everything together with little time to spare. 

So now, with a group of 16 people arriving in 6 hours we are still waiting on the carpenter to deliver our 10 sets of bunk beds. He was supposed to come on Feb 5th...and here it is the 7th and still no beds. WTH, baby! 

All of this commotion does make for a pretty interesting work day. I wouldn’t trade it for anything! I am actually getting to see, and take part in, the physical manifestation of God's commitment to the people of Honduras. This building is built to last, and it will be the home base of outreach here in the mountains. 13 teams will come through those doors. 13 groups of people will be changed forever as they see God work on the mission field. 

Who knows how many people will receive the call to missions, how many lives will be touched, how many people will receive healing. WOW...this is really happening! Today has definitely been one of those constant prayer days...I have barely had time to use the bathroom, but I have been talking to God all day long. Thanking Him for the opportunity to be here and asking for His help to make this the best experience yet. 

Pray for me. Pray for the HHIM team and the visiting group from Life Church International in Atlanta, GA. We have a full week ahead - painting the hospital, visiting 3 schools and teaching ~750 kids about hygiene, first aid and the love of Christ, visiting local churches and showing the team what it is like to live in La Cuenca Cangrejal. Oh and yes, I am still a 7th grade English teacher in the midst of all of this...so I better go plan my week of classes, while I have time!

 

Feb 5, 2009

Late Night Painting

I had a bit of a HPSM flash back last night...we painted the dorm until ~3am. I kept thinking about all of the late nights setting up for events...stuffing pink tissue paper into gift bags... studying all night long for a test or writing hermeneutics papers until dawn. 

We are getting ready for our first groups...which comes in 2 short days! As I was painting my little heart out, I got smoked by the Lord. Well, convicted I guess. There is something special about talking to the Lord in the middle of the night, or morning. Things are a bit more clear.

He checked my motives. Was I painting for the group? For the Williams? Or for Him? 

Ouch. You know I have the approval seeker syndrome so I really had to evaluate and check my heart. Turns out I was painting for someone and it wasn't the Lord. Not that pleasing people is a bad thing, but it should be a secondary thing...a bonus...a lagniappe. So I repented and then I started painting for Him. 

I started praying for all of the people who would come through the dorm, sleep in those rooms and eat at those tables. I prayed for all of the devotions and meetings that would happen in the dining foom and all of the late night, Holy Spirit  conversations that would take place.

I am so excited about this new season...the season of sowing seed. I just have to remember to stay true to the Lord, and make sure I am doing it all for Him. 

Feb 1, 2009

Full Circle

If you reach way back into the cobwebs of your mind, you may remember that the 1st reason I was approached to come to Honduras was to teach English at the Christian High School in Rio Viejo, Instituto El Rey (Institute of the King). The plan later changed for me to serve at the hospital with Dr. Martin and Wendy. 

I am loving my time here, especially since the visiting teams are about to start rolling in and I am really going to see this place in action! 

There have been some new developments in the past 3 weeks here in la cuenca. For one...my work here has come full circle. In addition to my work at the hospital I will be teaching 2 English classes a day at the high school. The teacher who was supposed to come and teach for the year canceled at the last minute and left the school with a big hole in their schedule. So the HHIM interns have stepped up! 

Tomorrow is not only my first day back at clinic, after my time in the States, it is also my first day as a 7th grade English teacher! That's right...all of you who said I would make a great teacher...this is either your chance to be utterly disappointed or beaming with pride. I won't know which it will be until tomorrow...or maybe we will have to wait until the end of my time with the kids and see if they can speak any English!

I have been trying to remember my 7th grade English class and what I learned and how my teacher made it fun and interesting. I have been thinking about my little Sunday School kids from St. Amant last year and how I grew to love watching their personalities develop. 

I know I have some tough days ahead of me. Teaching is a full time job in itself and we are about to start hosting teams and I have major responsibilities with that as well.

The good thing is: I am in way over my head. Which means that it is all in God's hands. I am just letting myself be stretched and pressed and pulled into the woman he wants me to become after my time here. I have been challenged to seek out the glory of God this week, and I know that he likes to show up when we can't do anything but show up. 

So God, here I am. Your daughter, Heather. I am here to do whatever you have planned for me. You have given me so many opportunities to learn, now help me to use those experiences and teach others. I love you and I need you, desperately. 

If you are praying for me, please pray for this:
  • That I would use the influence that God has given me to bring Him glory.
  • That I would be focused and dilligent at the tasks before me.
  • That I would be wise in what I decide to spend my time on.
  • That I would have good judgement in my classes.
  • That I would be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in every situation.

Thank you for your dedication to me and for your sacrifices. I need you all!