(left to right: a precious girl here with me, my co-worker Lydia, the little school where I do tudoring and crafts, our second youngest boy in the truck, two girls getting ready for school in the morning, any amazingly yellow floresent tree that is in blum right now (only blooms 2 times a year), a student I am tudoring and me, and the little ones in the truck getting ready for kindergarten.)
Hey all! In the middle of March, its getting hotter. April is the hottest month here and already the heat is upon us. We played with waterballoons in p.e. yesterday and it was pure joy. Kids screaming and running in all directions. Here at Montana de Luz, classes have been going well. I'm really focusing on tudoring the kids who are struggling to read and write. God has gifted me with abundant patience. Now it seems that the kids want to read and are eager to write letters to their sponsors, even though writing can be a big endeavor at times. Slowly, I see the kids improving as they remember to put periods at the end of their sentences and capital letters at the beginning.
My host family is doing very well. My mom's plantain chip business is busy right now, with many regular customers. I've helped her pack platain bags which is quite a bit of work. I have enjoyed baking for my family. We have made french toast, quiche, and various types of pizza together. I also got my family hooked on rice crispies, just like my real dad is!
I've been reading quite a bit. I just finished a book about bananas, Violence and Non-Violence in South Africa, quite a few poems from Walt Whitman, and now I am started on a book called The Mystery of Capitalism: Why Capitalism Triumps in the West and Fails everywhere else by Hernanado de Soto. It is an interesting look at what a capitalistic society is based upon: the potiential capital that rests in homeownership, the accountability of transfer of assets, and the unification of one measurement system. It has helped me reflect on various parts of the Honduran legal system that have broken down or that are simply set up for a differnt type of economic model. We have even been trying to get a title for a van that we own and it has taken months upon months. The system is different to navigate here. Once again, you must employ much patience to stick through the process.
I went hiking with my coworker Dario into the woods near Playa Blanca (white beach). This is a man-made beach close to Nueva Esperanza. We got to see many waterfalls and got to hike around to see on top of them as well. It was amazing being so surrounded by life and hearing the waterfall was good for my soul.
I have continued to be invovled with the Catholic church here. I am learning the songs on my guitar to play for our masses that we have up here at the orphanage. We have a mass every other week. The kids love screaming the songs that they know. I have found a lot of meaning and community in these services.
Samana Santa (Holy Week) is highly celebrated here. Its coming up in just 2 weeks. Nearly everyone that can take time off, heads to the beaches on the coast. I don't know what I will be up to yet, but I hope to get out of Nueva Esperanza, at least to Teguc. I got to play tennis with Rachel and it was like breathing again. What a great treat! I also got to satisfy my new adiction of coffee slushes called granita de cafe in a coffee shop chain called Expresso Americano. My trips to Teguc just aren't the same without them.
Thats about all for me. I'm getting ready for my parents and my brother to come soon. Hopefully we too can go hiking together, drink coffee slushes, and possibly go see Guatemala. Hope you all, my beloved friends and family, are doing great. Send me an email if you have time, lizgoering@gmail.com. Thanks for all your support, emails, and just sharing your lives with me. Life has offered me so many amazing memories and opportunities. I pray that each one of you will recognize your riches, be they your memories, emtional well-being, beloveds, and the air you breathe each day.
