Bessy’s Wedding

Happy New Year!

I’m still anxiously waiting to see my kids! This Friday we will open the daycare again. I’m very excited to get back to normal. The ministry closes for a month at Christmas because many of the families leave the city to visit grandparents and family in the villages. It’s a cool cultural thing to bring the kids out to the village for the holidays. Then when public school starts in February, the parents go back to pick up the kids. It’s hard to describe the difference in traveling here. For most of us, visiting family, that live a few hours away, could be a day trip (there and back); for a Honduran without a car, you wake up early, walk to the bus, take the city bus to the center of town, wait for the village bus to pass, then ride that bus a few hours as it makes stops along the way. It is a full day journey, so they do not make it often; and when they do get the opportunity, they make it last.

This past weekend, Bessy, one of the ladies I work at Casa de Luz, got married. It was a beautiful wedding with pink flowers that they picked from the trees (that matched perfectly with the dresses), balloons, and tissue paper. They had the ceremony outside the church, on the paved driveway, because the church wasn’t big enough for the guests. Its one of the only paved areas in the neighborhood. They covered it with pine needles and sawdust. It was hot and sunny, although covered in tarp, but she was happy and beautiful. Three of the kids from the daycare were in the wedding, it was cute to see them all dressed up. I’m glad I had the opportunity to be there. Many couples here, in the poor communities cannot afford weddings, so they move in together and say they are married. It was great to see Bessy, who serves and lives in the community do it the right way, in the church, with the community of believers.

Over the holidays, I got to celebrate Honduran style. Since it is very different than our style, I want to describe it to you, so you can picture Christmas and New Years in another culture. First, Christmas is celebrated on the 24^th/ 25^th at midnight. We ate nacatamales (corn flour with chicken, potatoes, carrots, and garbanzo beans boiled in banana leaves), torejas (kind of like a French toast simmered in sweeten condensed milk and cinnamon), and turkey (with salty spices, not at all like mom’s turkey). There were a lot of fireworks at midnight, then we hugged and kissed everyone. At Aben’s house all his nieces and nephews opened presents under the tree. On the 25^th the city is a ghost town because everyone stays out until morning. On the first, it is similar except they create a scarecrow full of fireworks. They call it the “old man” signifying the year past. Every corner has one, they put it on a plastic chair and light it. It’s a little scary because you don’t know what direction the fireworks are going to go off, but it was fun. Although it did not stop anyone, its no wonder they outlawed fireworks because of so many burn victims.

I also had the opportunity to help at Aben’s ministry by wrapping Christmas presents for the church and school. One of my favorite things at Christmas is wrapping; although I couldn’t wrap all my families’ presents, I still got to wrap a lot.

It was a good holiday season, but now I am ready for life to return to normal! Looking forward to the coming year with Casa de Luz!!

Time to Play Catch-Up

(Pastor Arnaldo, me, Bessy, Maria, and Debbie)... Zulema had to travel, so she was not in the picture :(


(Genesis and her brother Axel)

After a couple of very busy weeks, the day care will be closed for afew weeks. Most of the families go out to the villages over the holidays, and public school for the older kids does not start until February. A lot of extended family lives out in the villages, so it takes a day of travel on bus to get to most destinations.

I will be taking this break to catch up on communication! Since I am not certain on the funding for the year, I will be staying in Honduras for the holidays, with my family here. It’s not exactly the same, but my mom sent Christmas candles and some of my favorite holiday recipes. This week we have plans to celebrate Christmas at Aben’s ministry in Los Pinos (another poor community), celebrate a few kids graduating from his school, our Bible study Christmas party, and then on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we will be with Aben’s family.

I also plan to catch up on emails, blogs, and Facebook. I will now be posting most of my pictures to the Foundation Casa de Luz page on Facebook. I will try to post them on my page as well, but I was asked to keep this page updated, so it will be my first priority for pictures. Here is the link Foundation Casa de Luz Facebook Page Or you can go to my Facebook page and click on my information. I will also try to make another slideshow for the blog with more pictures.

(Christmas artwork)

Now the update of three crazy days, that took weeks of preparation! In preparation, many of you donated to help buy Christmas gifts for the kids and families. Let’s just say, there is not a “one shop stop” in Honduras, so I had to visit many different places to get all the toys, gifts and materials; which also takes time because of traffic patterns and hours at the ministry. The great news is that we got to bless the families! Each kid got little toys (boys: plastic soldiers, cars, plastic animals, ect; girls: bracelet, ring, necklace, ect), candy, a big toy (boys: toy motorcycles; girls: a doll), and a stuffed animal. For the mom’s I developed about 15-20 pictures of each kid that I have taken over the year (most families don’t have pictures because they are expensive to develop and don’t have cameras), a family picture (we had family picture day), a picture frame that the kids made and decorated from popsicle sticks, lotion, body spray and banana bread. It took a lot of preparation, but they were blessed and grateful! Thank you to every one who was part of blessing these families!

Last Tuesday we had the opportunity to go to a discovery -learning center with the kids. I don’t know exactly how it was arranged, but our board of directors told us the Thursday before, that it was arranged for our kids to go for free! Once we got there, the kids loved it. Unfortunately, the driving there was terrible. On a usual day, it takes me 5-10 minutes to get to the ministry; however, this field trip day, I had to go around town because there was ahuge strike on my corner (I live in the worst location when it comes to the strikes). It took about 45 minutes to fight the traffic, choose the ‘best’ route, and get two-three blocks from my house. After getting to the ministry, we got to load up the kids and go on the field trip. Fortunately wedidn’t go through the same mess, but the traffic was a result of the mess and took a lot longer than necessary. I had the little kids in my car, so it was a fun experience. The field trip was very fun, the kids got to play, climb, and learn in many different stations/ rooms.

(lined up, ready to go in toChiminike!)

Wednesday was planned to be the last day and pizza party. We decorated ice cream cones with icing like Christmas trees and put little candies on them to decorate. Some of the kids enjoyed eating the icing more than putting it on the cone J

(Juan Jose frosting his Christmas tree)

(David decorating)

The last few hours on Wednesday we found out that Friday we needed to come and have all the children come, as well as the rest of the children from the church and the community. A national tv program was going to shoot a live program and give the kids gifts. Our space that holds about 20 kids, had about 110 kids and 40 parents all squeezed in. The piñata didn’t work because there was not extra room to swing. It was crazy and there were a lot of crying children, BUT everyone went home happy with candy and very nice toys. We sang some songs and tried to keep the kids calm for 4 hours while they recorded for the evening show, then did a live show after. I actually had the opportunity to take pictures of the street because it was safe with so many kids and mothers on it.

(boys outside, girls inside)

(attempted pinata)
(Javier and his gift) (Heydi, Oliver and Linda were huddled in the corner of the daycare because their mom did not come with them, and little Heydi was one of the smallest in the huge crowd of kids... it was very cute to see them like this!)
(leaving CDL, news truck on the street)
(the street where I park, up on the left is CDL)

(the other direction down the same street)

In summary, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday were great days to be a kid at Casa de Luz. They enjoyed the time and will be missed over the holiday. I’m glad these families were blessed so much. The mothers were extremely grateful and said thank you to all of your for the blessing you are in their lives.

As you know I have been working with 3 other Honduran ladies in the ministry: Zulema, Bessy and Maria. This coming year will have some changes that will take some adjustments. Maria was with us in the morning and going to school in the evening. She will not be with us after Christmas. I really enjoyed working with her, she was very good and caring with the kids. She is applying for a humanitarian job with the government as she continues her schooling. She loves the kids, but not the teaching aspect. She will be missed. Instead of replacing her, the board has decided to have Debbie (who helped over this past year) to come in during the lunch hour to help out. Debbie leads Sunday school at the church and is GREAT teaching the kids. She was a huge help on Friday with the tv program! I don’t know what we would have done without her. I’m excited to work with her on a regular basis. Lastly, Bessy will be getting married on January 14. She plans to stay in the city and continue at the ministry. We are excited for her and are looking forward to the wedding.

Thank you everyone for your prayers and support this year. May God bless you and your family as you share Christmas together.

Merry Christmas,

Jenny

Discernment

(Vanessa and her kids on Family picture day last Friday)

Ephesians 5:1-2 Be imitators (copycats) of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and LIVE A LIFE OF LOVE, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Living a life of love is a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Usually my blog updates consist of updates in the ministry, but this is the deeper issue of everything I do and the constant struggle.

Living a life of love is not the struggle, that comes easily, but understanding what is the right way to show love, is the struggle. The follow-up verse to this is Philippians 2:9-11. “And this is my prayer: that your LOVE may about more and more in KNOWLEDGE AND DEPTH OF INSIGHT, SO THAT YOU MAY BE ABLE TO DISCERN WHAT IS BEST, and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ- to the glory and praise of God.”

There is one family in the ministry that we struggle with constantly: Vanessa and her three kids, Gabriel, Javier, and Racsel. I mention them often because they are in the most need. As you know Javier has not been at the daycare since July because of his violent behavior towards the other children and teachers. It was not safe for the other kids and we recommended a few psychologists for Vanessa to bring him to see. However, within the past few weeks, we have noticed Javier (4 years old) unattended in the streets, very dirty, with older boys and talking about and doing bad things. We planned to have him come back in January, but given the lack of supervision by his mother, we are hoping to have him back next week. Last week he had a scab on his nose and yesterday he had a cut on his head. On the weekends he and his 5-year-old brother (Gabriel) are out on the streets late into the night. They came to one of the teacher’s houses banging on the door asking for food; she said they were filthy. In the daycare, Gabriel has started hitting the kids (with us watching) for no reason at all. He does not have violent outbursts like his brother, but its’ not safe for the other kids to be around him. The space is not big enough to keep him separated from the other kids, but punishment and revoking privileges does not change his behavior. Both Racsel and Gabriel try to steal the toys in their pockets and then lie constantly. We discuss this on a daily basis with Vanessa, but things seem to get worse.

(Javier)

This is where I am struggling with discerning what is best. I am here to love the kids and Vanessa, but what is healthy. At this point, what I WANT to do is try to find a better situation for the kids, somehow. But that is not the right kind of love for Vanessa. I don’t want to enable her not to take responsibility for her children, but at the same time I don’t want her kids to continue to be in this situation. How do you teach someone to care about her children? I discussed with a friend about finding a psychologist, but that requires time and commitment, which she has chosen not to have for her children. So it’s a continual prayer for discernment in the situation. This is a condensed version of the situation, so pray for every individual in this family and situation.

One encouraging moment that came out of this situation yesterday was the opportunity I had with one of the other children. Because of Gabriel’s behavior, Mari, the new 6 year old, was crying and wanted to go home. We called her mom, but she could not come pick her up. Instead of naptime, I let her sit in the office with me and color. After coloring a while she walked to the bookshelf and picked up the Children’s Bible. I had an hour to talk with her and read Bible stories. She said she goes to church, but the kids sit in the front rows, the adults behind them, and there are not Bible stories (at least in the eyes of a 6 year old). I asked if she had a Bible at home, and she said no. So I started to read to her because she had never heard the stories. When I finished 5-6 stories from Genesis, she said, “Keep reading, I want to color while you keep reading.” She was very patient and looked up for all the pictures. I’m glad I had that time with her; it was a sweet moment.

My last update was on the face of a girl we saw last night. There is a song in Spanish that sums up what we saw; it was a humbling moment. We had some left over food from Thanksgiving that was about to go bad. I had the rolls in my car all day looking for some kids to give it to, but I hadn’t past any and it was getting late. At about 10pm another friend came over and said, well we have this cake too, lets go find someone to give it to. So I told them the intersection where I usually see kids in the street and we went there. When I see these little kids in the streets, I always think of Javier (my little 4 year old, Vanessa’s son). We saw a mom and little baby when we got to the intersection, but when we got turned around to get to them, it was only a 6 or 7 year old boy, helping park cars. We gave him the bread and he showed it to the mom and baby who were across the main road. She came running to the car, and then we realized she only looked 13 or 14 years old and the baby (under a year) had a runny nose and they were all really dirty. We got to give her the bread and cake and she was so happy and thankful. It was a quiet ride home; we were all silenced by the situation. Many times when you give out food here people do not show their thankfulness like this girl did. It automatically made me think of the Spanish song by Jesus Adrian Romero, “Yesterday I saw you.” One of the verses says:

Yesterday I saw you. It was clearer than the moon. Without a doubt it was a clear vision that made my heart jump when I saw you.I saw you in a street kid, without a place to sleep, with her hands extended asking for bread to live, with pleading eyes, and in her hesitant smile. Yesterday I saw you.

October/ November Updates

9 people live in this house and 1 of the kids almost drowned in the flood waters. Ana and baby Raquel (very underweight for her age)
this family's house sunk into the ground
the adobe houses, 7 people live in this one room.
Marta helped us out all day
lots of babies

Thank you all so much for your contributions to the flood relief in the south. I’m glad we had the opportunity and resources to help the community of Los Mangles. We were hoping to do some cleanup to help the families, but they had been in their houses for 8 days, and there is a very limited water supply. Besides the floods, this community has not had water in 2 months. We saw the Red Cross trucks bringing water as the community filled up buckets. We could see where the waterline rose on the houses, 3-5 feet, and all the mud it left behind. It was sad to see the destruction of their cemetery. Some of the main roads heading down to the south had just fallen off the mountain. It was great to be able to help this community. Here are a few pictures, I will put more on Facebook.

I have many things going through my mind to update you on, the ins and outs of the ministry. Its true a picture says a thousand words, but the picture in my mind is without words. I’ll try to describe two of those moments in the updates.

First, we had a parents seminar on Sunday. All of the parents came and we had a doctor on our board of directors talk about how to deal with your child’s emotions. I wish I could have stayed inside for all of it; however, most of the parents brought their children. It was a fun morning of singing Sunday school songs out in the burning sun. At the beginning of the meeting, we were asked to explain a moment that stands out for us, that made us proud of out kid. Of course, I don’t have kids, so they asked the teachers about our kids at the ministry. Here is my weak portrayal of the picture I have in my head. Usually we sing kids songs every morning, followed by a Bible story. However, in the kitchen, we always have worship music on (the culture always has music on). This week, Zulema decided to sing worship songs with the kids. I tried to take a video, but it distracted the kids and didn’t turn out very well. All the kids were in a circle with their eyes closed, holding hands, and singing the slow worship songs. It was beautiful to see their faces, understanding reverence for God. I wish I could describe it better or capture it.

The second moment I wanted to capture was the next night. We had the opportunity to skype into a benefit dinner in Chicago. The kids were just going to say “hola” and let the people see their faces. In preparation, because we all live on ‘Latin time’ we told the parents to come an hour early. I had to be there to set up skype, so I was going to be there as they trickled in. By 6:05 most of the kids and parents were there, what were we going to do for an hour? Two of the other teachers couldn’t come, and the pastor could not come, so I was waiting for the one teacher that could come. Of course we figured everyone would be late, so she got there around 6:45. Things I have gotten used to, that don’t phase my attention, are the kids climbing up in my lap whenever it’s free. If I don’t have a child in my lap, I’m probably standing. So here we are, 14 kids (plus siblings) huddled around my computer, doing the test call an hour before the actual event. The parents are sitting in chairs behind us talking. So I was talking on Skype, with the parents, and having the children enjoy being on camera. After the initial call, we had an hour with children running everywhere. So any natural teacher would try to think of what to do, quick. I saw how much they loved the computer, so I decided to show they my “casa de luz” picture folder. I have over 1,200 pictures, if I went slow, that could kill some time. The reaction, to me, was hard to describe. It was quiet, that NEVER happens with 2-5 year olds, but more touching, was that the mothers also stood up to huddle around. For 15 minutes it was quiet and still while I went through most of the pictures with everyone close. It’s a very close, touchy culture, so being in the middle of the group was heartwarming. I wish I could take a picture of that moment. I got an email later in the evening, that skype went well with the dinner, but they didn’t see half of the scene!

After this moment, later in the week, I started to brainstorm what I could do for Christmas gifts for the kids and their mothers. Of course baking to me is the easiest thing for groups, but then I realized I could get more people from the States involved with this other idea. Most of these mothers don’t have cameras, so they don’t have many pictures of their kids. I was thinking, depending on the response by those who read this, would you be willing to adopt a kid for Christmas for $15? I could develop 10 pictures of each kid and buy the mom a scented lotion, as well as bake them bread or cookies. I don’t have the resources in my budget to do this without your help. Plus, it would give you a chance to give to a specific event. We have 14 kids right now, and 12 mothers. Please email me if you are interested in being part of our Christmas celebration.

Lastly, I have a praise report! I have tail lights, installed and working! Also, I have my residency papers turned in, so I do not have to leave the country anymore! It should take about 2 months to get the residency carnet, but once the papers are turned in, I can get extensions on my visa without having to leave. This will save a lot of money in travel fees. Thank you again for all your prayers and support. These past few weeks have been good for building relationships with the ladies I work with and the mothers. I have had many conversations, getting to learn more about the ladies I am in contact with every day.

Cold

(Racsel has this hand me down dress that is very short, fortunately we found her some stockings to cover her up.)

When I think about updates, its hard to pinpoint huge change and drastic stories every time. So this one will be just a catch up on what has been happening here.

It’s the last month of rainy season, so the ground is very saturated. We have had some tropical weather coming through and a cold front. Its in the 60s (with no heat and a nippy breeze), so my toes and fingers are cold all the time. The rain has not affected my area much, but to the south it has washed out roads and bridges, leaving 70,000 people without homes. There are many sources saying different degrees of disaster, but there are Red Cross tents stationed around town collecting food, clothes and supplies to bring to the south. A fellow missionarycouple and I plan to raise funds to bring down a truckload as well, the beginning of November. I will be sending out an email with details about this. Please pray for the people affected by this disaster as rainy season continues. This is the picture of the road that has washed away by the ministry. Its worse farther up, but I didn't want to take my camera out in the street.

Besides the weather affecting all of Honduras, the ministry is going great. A few weeks ago we nailed down a routine, that we have stuck too and seen much improvement. It’s fun because I get to teach the two different age groups (the bigs and the littles). I love it because the big kids aren’t answering all the questions; each kid gets a turn. I love being with the big kids because they have the basics and are ready to be stretched with a few new things. I love the little kids because they get individual time to repeat and learn, and are absorbing so much. One little boy, Juan Jose, has had a very hard childhood. He is two and has come different times with marks on his body from abuse. His mother also told us she took him to a doctor to find out why he was terrified of baths, and he has also been sexual abused. This explains his behavior to most people. Until the last few weeks, he was not interested in being held, or smiling with his eyes. Its cute, because his verbal is that of a two year old, so when I give him the chance to count or stay the days of the week, he drops the first syllable of every word. The success story is that now he screams out the answers and says them correctly. My jaw drops every time he accomplishes one of the basics because he is so young, has gone through so much, but is very smart. Here is a picture of Juan Jose in a sweater someone madefor the kids. The cut on his chin is a week old bump/ hit from his dad.

Lastly, it has been a month of staying inside at dark because I don’t have tail lights. The wonderful, great news is that I have the lights in my possession and a friend will install them on Thursday (if there are not glitches in the parts). It has taken some time and unreliable contacts to get this done, so a month later, I should be able to return home after 6pm. Interesting bit of Honduras information, the sun comes up at 6am and goes down at 6pm, since we are so close to the equator.

Other than these events, life and ministry are going on as normal. I have the opportunity to go to a women’s missionary conference this coming weekend. I am very excited for this time of relaxing and renewing.

Uncapturable Moments

I want to try to describe a scene from yesterday that is hard to capture without being in it and understanding all the details of each person, culture, and environment.

The little ones are all waking up from naptime, one at a time, and entering the office where Zulema is combing all the little girl’s hair, and checking for lice. I am cutting fingernails. Our 6 year old, Genesis, is doing her kindergarten homework. The sky outside is getting darker, and it makes the room darker. I honestly don’t know how she can check for lice in this light. To describe the room, 8 feet by 10 feet, including a desk, book shelf, cabinet of supplies, a smaller storage cabinet, a rolling wood piece where we stack the extra mats and where we store them after naptime, and then two chairs. Oh, plus we have one of the boys sleep in the office, so he’s not a distraction. So there is not much floor space and about 7 of the kids are awake from naps. We let them come in and sit on our laps and when they wake up a little more, pick books to look at.

It was surreal with all the kids close to us, the room getting darker with the rain coming and everyone in different stages of “awakeness.” I have one little girl on my lap, still waking up, and a three- year old girl sitting next to me, “reading” books. In Honduras, we don’t use the lights as much because all the windows are always open and light and air move freely. We have the windows that have about 10 horizontal slats that are always open. On the other side are bars. Most windows here have bars, and when they don’t you notice it.

So the rain begins, then the flash floods through the dirt streets as they wash away; and the three- year old (as she’s looking at her book) just says, “My mom’s going to get wet.” At that moment, I became conscious to the scene around me. I couldn’t just take a picture of it, but I didn’t want to forget it either. What three year old looks out the window, sees rain, and automatically thinks of her mother getting wet? It’s a life of being in the streets and knowing her mom is outside all the time. It made me think of a preschool in the States, with windows close (granted there is air conditioning) and an afternoon rainstorm is just that, rain.

It’s every day moments like these that are hard to capture in pictures, and even with words. But its what I remember and think about most when I try to describe what I do and where I am.

Welcome Home

Thank you everyone for your prayers and support. I have been home in Honduras for a week now. I had a wonderful time in the States visiting with new and old supporters, friends, and family. It seemed like a long hectic month. My travels last week went well, even with a few glitches, but I made all my flights and arrived home safe.

Please continue to pray for support to come in. Fundraising did not goas well as I had hoped, but I did make many new connections along the way! God has provided for me all along the way, so I’m not worried. Another huge prayer need is that I need to look for a new apartment. I love the apartment, its location and the landlords. The only problem is the parking situation. While I was gone, Aben’s car had the battery stolen, last spring my spare tirewas stolen, and as my welcome home present on Tuesday night, both my back taillights were stolen (plastic andlight bulbs.. everything). I do not want to move apartments, but given the circumstances of my car being stolen piece by piece, I need to look for a more secure area. Please pray for this because I have not budgeted for this and don’t think I will find this same living situation for the same price.

Along with bad news, I also have wonderful news. As of right now, I am not a resident, I have a visa that expires every 90 days, I can file for 2 months extension, then I must leave the country. The fee for residency has been $1300 for 3 years, so I have not applied for it. I have planned my travels around holidays and fundraising, so it has worked out fine. When I got back I heard about a new law for missionaries. If I bring a written paper from our organization that I am serving as a missionary, I can get my residency, 5 years for$25! This will cutback on expenses a lot. Once I have regular support coming in and won’t have to travel to fundraise, I will be able to stay in the country without having to leave by a certain date.

The month of September is a fun month in Honduras, because we celebrate Child’s Day (like Mother’s Day or Father’s Day) on the 10^th and Independence Day on the 15^th. Friday we celebrated Child’s day with a piñata, candies, balloons, and cake. The kids loved it and were exhausted by the end of the day. Here are a few pictures.

It was fun returning to the kids, I got lots of hugs and when one sits on my lap, they all do. Eventually I had to stand up so they would stop fighting for spaceon my lap or legs. Please pray for Zulema, one of the ladies I work with (the same one who had the motorcycle accident), her father died last week. I have not seen her yet, but she is very close to her family.

It’s hard to sum up a whole month in one blog, but I think I covered most of it. Thank you to everyone who supported me with prayers and finances, and hosting me in your homes and at restaurants. I have posted a few videos on youtube that I showed to different people. I will try to put them up on my blog soon.