Friday, February 15, 2013

A Video

While working in Honduras, we have had the opportunity to work with some other awesome groups like the Missionaries of Charity. One order we are quite close to is the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal (CFR's). Though we have different missions, we work together for most of the retreats and things like that. It's good to see all the different parts of the Body of Christ.

Brother Tobias is one of the CFR's. He is quite gifted musically and wrote this song. I thought I'd share it.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Hope

Something that has always amazed me about the people I have met here is hope. So many people have faced so many difficult situations but still have a deep hope and faith. This is why I am here: to accompany the people.

One woman that inspired me when I first met her is named Lesbia. Her father owns a coffee farm even though he is very old (like 80), can barely walk, or move his hands from arthritis. One day some kids were stealing coffee from the farm and one of them was shot in the arm. Well, the police came and arrested this father and took him to jail. Lesbia had to borrow a lot of money to bail him out. But she told me that it was worth it. He is her father and is so old that he would die in jail. Then the trial kept getting pushed back and pushed back. (This was all happening last July and August and still hasn't been resolved that I know of.) Yet, through all of this, Lesbia still had a deep hope.

There is a girl that I know named Lourdes. She comes to a young women's group that we lead and is about my age. She just graduated and is trying to find a job to support her family. Currently, her older sister is the only one who works, but she was just diagnosed with cancer. She has two young children and if Lourdes can find a job, maybe she can go through treatment. This week, Lourdes and her sister both came to the women's group (her sister has never gone to Church, but wants to know God.)You would never have guessed what was going on. They were both so positive.

The encounters I have with people here continue to amaze me. I hope that I can continue to walk with those I have met and help out along the way.

Friday, February 1, 2013

An Update of the Happenings

Well, it has been a busy week. I can't believe I have almost been back here a month! Some highlights are as follows:
  • I am now helping with correspondence between the scholarship program here and in the States. Since I already work so much with this program, I am excited to be able to help in this way too. I really do believe that education is the key to a better future for both these kids and for the world as a whole. (Of course that's what I think; I'm a teacher.)
  • These last couple of days I have been subbing for a friend at one of the bilingual schools. I have enjoyed it and appreciate the opportunity. It is a confirmation that I am where I am supposed to be at this time in my life: missionary and still being able to get in a classroom from time-to-time.
  • Speaking of teaching, I have been asked to start teaching English lessons to the students in the scholarship program. That way, when they see it in high school, they should have at least some familiarity and be better equipped to be successful in that class. Mostly I have just been trying to do lesson planning, but where do you even start?
Well, those are some of the things that have been going on down here. I hope everyone is doing well. God bless.