Diverti en Tela, la playa!

Hey! I just got back from a number of adventures! We had our team meeting in Tela, which is the beach. I didn´t take too many pictures because it was raining a lot. I did get a nice morning barefoot run on the beach. That was marvelous and I enjoyed pan de coco (coconut bread) and a fresh plate of crabs. It was refreshing to see the team again and hear what´s been up in their lives. I think most of all this was such a great break from the orphange. I really analyzed why I am here to work with the kids and what sacrifices God is asking of me here. I have been sick more times than I can count and I think my health is definitely one of those things. Overall, I realized what other amazing people are with me to serve here in many capacities.
I just finished baking banana bread again with my family and friend Gaby last night. It was tasty but reminds me how much butter and oil are used here. I said how much butter to add and they said to add a bit more to be ¨safe.¨ haha. My host mom is always disappointed that I don´t eat enough!!! They are a wonderful family and I am enjoying their joyous attitudes!
As of February of this past year I have been sponsoring a child from Compassion International. It was a real pleasure to visit him in Linaca Tatumbla. We saw the Compassion project, which teaches the children bible classes and gives them nutritional supplements to their diet. We also went up to his house, which was higher up in the mountains. Rony is a wonderful boy, and pretty shy. He is 7 years old and when he recieved the soccer ball I broght he had no words. It was an amazing experience to share. His father was especially grateful.
In Montana de Luz, things are wrapping up and it is almost time for the kids to go visit the family that they have. Many of them live close by in the departments of Olancho, Choluteca, and a few in Tegucigalpa. However, the ones that live on the north coast are going to take a trip with our director to see their families. They are excited and this is a much anticipated trip. The directors will end up in Roatan in the north and stay there for about a week before returning to pick up all the kids they drop off along the way. It is good to keep the kids connected to the grandparents, aunts and uncles, and other family that they have.
I am learning a lot of patience teaching these youth. Many of them complain and they aren´t pushed often so when I ask them to do something challenging it seems to be more than they can bear. I am working on being joyful in these situations. Yet, slowly I can see progress and various kids have finally learned their alfabet. It was shocking to me at first how many of them were around 10 or 12 and can´t really read. We have leappads, which are little computers that help them read, and its been really fun to watch them get excited to read with them. Teaching p.e. is still fun. We just finished playing a version of capture the flag. They all get really excited and of course find someone that is always cheating! haha.
The weather is changing again up here. It was pretty hot for a bit and now the wind is flaring up again. The kids are getting sick again, which only means....its comin for me again. O well. I´m ready for it by now. And lights are being put on a couple houses. My host sister Diana and I are going to make some decorations for the house this Sunday. The brick house often makes it challenging to stick anything to the wall. Hopefully tape will do. I´m excited to see what Christmas will be like here. A couple Hondurans I have asked have told me about the following traditions-


- posadas, where people go around to others houses each Sunday (I think) and sing Christmas songs and eat together, theres just such great community in that!
-tomales (dulces y con arroz, papas, y pollo) sweet tomales and ones with rice, potatoes, chicken and other things inside
-some kind of egg-nogg? I´m not so sure about that one
-also Diana was telling me that everyone wears their new clothes on Christmas day! I have some work to do for that one


I am excited to give my sister a soccer ball for Christmas. The one we are playing with now has a hole and is deflated.
Theres a new book about the US and the history of banana farming here. Yikes. It might be an interesting read. I´m about to embark on that one soon.

Hope you all are well and I miss you. Enjoy all the Christmas music for me, even if it is played a thousand times on the radio!