Advent

İFeliz Navidad! Merry CHRISTmas! Sorry it has been awhile but we have been without internet for about 2 weeks now. Thanks to all who sent packages as well. I would like to share a little of my advent and CHRISTmas experience here with you.

 First I want to share a tradition common throughout Latin America called "posadas". In Spanish this translates to "shelter". The tradition acts out the travels of Mary and Joseph seeking shelter in Bethlehem and involves going door to door singing. The tradition is said to have started in Mexico but is practiced throughout Latin America. It starts on December 16 and continues for 9 days leading up until Christmas. For a brief description you can go to this link. http://gomexico.about.com/od/festivalsholidays/a/posadas.htm

 

For me it was a beautiful tradition during this advent season. It was really profound for me to sing the words as we stood outside and sang from the perspective of Joseph and asked to innkeeper for shelter. Then it was time for us missionaries to sign from the inside of our house and just the words we were singing. "I don't care who you are, leave me alone..." It is similar when we read through the passion at mass on Palm Sunday and speak the words of the crowd, "Crucify Him, Crucify Him." It really made me start to meditate and realize that every time I am unwelcoming to someone, I am turning away Christ at my door. It was truly profound and helped me really focus during this Advent season. I was very happy to be apart of it.

I also had the opportunity to stand in as Our Lady for one of the days. It was so special to meditate on how she would have felt during this time going with Joseph from door to door looking for somewhere to sleep for their new baby. I can't imagine even the faith of Mary trusting in our Heavenly Father that He had a plan and everything would work out...obedience:) How beautiful.

(Pictures to come!)

address

For those of you that were asking our address is:

Finca del Nino-Natalia
Apartdado Postal 110
Trujillo, Colon
Honduras, Central America

Lazy Sundays

What a beautiful lazy sunday we spent just hanging out on the campo. I was meditating as we played. Our kids have been through so much. These emotions were starting to effect my mood. I realized you just take one day at a time, sometimes minute by minute. I watched them, their smiles. They were just living in the moment. What a great example! Just keep living! All things are possible through Him!

races

La Clinica

Gotta love fruit snack breaks!

wishlist

I have a list of our current wish list for all of you that have been so generously asking. According to previous missionaries we have not had problems with receiving mail. It seems to take about 2-3 weeks to arrive. I apologize this list is a bit last minute, but if we do not use your gifts for CHRISTmas we will use them for birthdays or other special occasions.

CHRISTmas & Birthday wish list for our ninos

craft kits (boys & girls)

soccer balls (size 5. easier to send if you deflate first)

legos (boys & girls)

lotions, body sprays, lip gloss

jewelry (bracelet, ring, necklaces, earrings)

                -the girls love colorful jewelry and dangling earrings (teenage appropriate)

watches (girls & boys)

                -digital sport watches for younger kids, link hand watches for teens

sunglasses (boys & girls)

marbles

dolls

purses

wallets (boys & girls)

soccer jerseys-(only up to adult small, boys & girls)

belts (black, brown leather, designs)

pants for boys-jeans (medium sizes)

tennis shoes (sizes 32-42 or 6-10 girls & boys)

long sleeved dress shirts (y10-16, adult small boys)

 

 

Turkey Run

We had to postpone the turkey run because of the flooding but it finally took place this past Saturday! Everyone participated either running or in running of stations and cheering!

 

Thank you!

Thank you all so much for taking time to send letters! I have really enjoyed them! A special shout out to Christian, Ally, Laurel, Stephanie, Sara, Mark and all those praying for myself and the mission! I have all your cards hanging up in my room! I enjoyed the some instant coffee this morning as well. I'll do my best to keep the blog updated! I pray you all have a Merry CHRISTmas!

Flooding

 

winter school

                              The flooded bridge in front of our property. It swept away a car!

 

                                                               flooding by the school

 

Nurses making runs in the rain!

9 en la noche, viernes

 

Just an update it started raining at 9pm on Tuesday and it is 9pm Friday and still raining. Trees are down, the water is coming and going, a majority of the Finca is underwater, surprisingly we have electricity, but Gracias a Dios, He has kept us all safe and provided for our every need!

Thanks Giving

Viernes, 29th de Noviembre

Día de Accíon de Gracias

Hope you all had a Happy Thanks Giving! Ours was beautiful and a bit strange. I think I told some of you but we had different committees for in charge of different dishes. I signed up for the pies! :) I figured it is a pretty worthwhile skill to have the ability to make a homemade pie. Well we sure had plenty of practice because we started wed night and finished up with the 18th pie Thursday afternoon around 1ish. They was some restructuring to committees since the oldies left a bit early but we all pulled together and had delicious food and beautiful fellowship.

Starting Tuesday night around 9pm it began raining. I'm still a bit unclear but the word is there was a cold front that brought it a rain storm and a drop in temperature. Wed morning as Laura and I headed to the clinic, I was thinking about the day ahead and pie making that evening meanwhile it was pouring down rain. I asked "Do you think there will be many people today?" Laura me dijo, "No usually not when it rains like this." Just as we made it around the corner we could see the benches lined with people and about five more walking up. We both looked at each other simultaneously and said alright here we go. About an hour into the day the lights went off. Despite the time of day it was difficult to see. We pulled out our box of candles and light a few around the clinic. (As much as flashlight or lanterns give off more light, nothing can replicate the atmosphere that candle light provides.) Good thing we don't depend on a computer system! :) And the day continued...

In the next hour another one of the missionaries came wading through the small river accumulating in the half-dug path leading up to the clinic that I had started the previous week. She informed us that the director was driving people home (back up the mountain) while we could still drive because the river that cuts in front of the entrance to the Finca was rapidly rising and would soon be too high to pass. We talked with the patients and all but one decided to stay. We were concerned that they would have no where to stay, but one of the men smiled and said basically don't worry about that. Then one of the women that lives in the neighborhood beside offered her house to them if by the afternoon they could not cross the river back to their homes. It was a beautiful thing to witness the confidence  in each other's character and generosity there was no anxiety. How different I feel from the attitude we have for each other in the States. And so we continued consults...

I smiled to myself as I was counting pills by candlelight and thinking of my Dad and my Uncle (both of whom are pharmacists.) As we were finishing up on the last couple of patients the wind picked up outside and I brought everyone into the clinic. It was a sight to see. The floor was wet and muddy, people were all gathered in the little space we had sitting on all the chairs we could find, eating cookies that I had stashed in the drawer especially for long days :) while myself and two of the older girls who were helping in the clinic were making pill bags of vitamins and I'm filling orders for and triaging patients...by candlelight :) Though it was almost 3ish when we finished up and I was tired and wet, I really enjoyed it!

Two of the patients who thought they could cross walking a different direction ended returning because they couldn't cross so we took them back to the house where all the other missionaries were hunkered down. I had to ask what happened with the tree laid out in front of our house! They told us the story over hot coco and pan relleno. Apparently they decided to go for a swim in the storm surf...not surprising...and on their way back up to the house they heard the tree creaking and saw it falling. Gracias a Dios they all sprinted for the front porch and made it with no injuries. Truly a blessing because at this point driving, or even walking to the hospital was not a reality with the river so high.

 

After we dried off and warmed up the pie baking began! It's all about the flakiness! We started about 3:30 and ended up around midnight. We made all the pecan and pumpkin...by headlamp and candlelight :) and decided to save the apple for the morning.

 

Thursday morning as we all woke up and the rain had not relented throughout the night our missionary family discussed the reality that most people would not be cross the river but hopefully between the house parents and the people in our neighborhood of Mojoguay we would still have a decent amount of people. I was truly sad and upset that we would not be able to celebrate the Eucharist on a day dedicated to thankfulness. (Please pray about receiving the sacraments as often as you can because not all people are blessed with the availability we have in the states). We also had to post-pone the traditional football game to a later date because it was still raining, the field was substantially wet, and we needed everyone to cooking. At this point the thoughts of my family and my emotions started to sink in. This was the first time I would not share this day with my family. In my humanness I let myself feel these emotions for a bit and started asking our Lord as I have so many times before, "Are you sure this is where You want me?" It's funny how we ask questions we already know the answers to. Since I said yes to this life I have never doubted that this is where I am supposed to serve, the how and why are still a bit unclear, but all in His time. Gracias a Dios I was able to talk to my family briefly and our Lord provided me with grace to continue serving throughout the day.

 

So despite all these set-backs and emotional ups and downs we still had Thanks Giving, a little wet :), filled with comida rica and beautiful fellowship! The Lord always provides and I received the His presence in many other ways this day. "Oh you of little faith."

videos

I apologize I have 2 videos for you all but they will not upload here. I will attempt it later on this week when we go into the city si Dios quiere. (If God wills it)