Loving Simple Living: It's a Beautiful Thing

You know, I know that I didn't understand all the implications of when Leslie, my sister, spoke out that she wanted to be a missionary. Ten years later, December 2014, I got the chance. I don't think it truly hit until we took them to the airport, zippers bursting on the bags and Lucy slightly sedated for the plane ride. Checking the bags, no big deal. It was starting to become a reality that her and Jeff, her husband, are headed off to language school before they make their final stop in Honduras in a year. They're excited and we're super excited for them. Bags checked, we walk down the short hallway through the small, hometown airport onto security. Now it's time. We're still doing good, smiles on our faces, tears in check. Hugs all around. Then those words come "I love you and I'll miss you". There's no use in holding back the floodgates now. And you know how it goes with crying, it's like a chain reaction. I started it and all the females in the family followed suit (maybe some males joined in and just hid it well). Then they're off to Costa Rica.

Right before Christmas (2015), they come back having completed language school! However, their visit is short, only six weeks. It may seem like a long time, but when they have churches and family and friends to visit with, it seems like no time at all. Before we know it, it's the beginning of February and they are scheduled to fly out to Tegucigalpa, Honduras on a Monday morning. Fortunately (no floodgates this time) and unfortunately, Brandon and I weren't able to be there to see them off, but thankfully we were able to travel in for the weekend before to say bye. Leslie's dream of ten (now eleven) years has finally become a reality. As always it was sad, yet exciting, to see them go.

The last supper (technically lunch)

Our family has been blessed by the Shaw family for many years. They have always welcomed me into their home as I grew up, and now they have taken the opportunity to reach out to Leslie and Jeff (and Lucy;). They have been wonderful by not only paying for Leslie and Jeff's flight to Teguc, but also giving Hannah, my sister-in-law, and I the availability to fly out to visit Leslie and Jeff for free! Hannah and I just flew back to the States this past Saturday. We were able to spend the previous week with Leslie and Jeff.

The four of us at the farm/school on mine and Hannah's last day

Hannah and I flying down allowed us to bring more luggage of Leslie and Jeff's and Lucy's belongings down to them. The crazy thing was that one of the suitcases we brought down, full of their stuff, was mistakenly (we're not positive about that one) taken out of the airport and we were afraid we had lost the bag forever. We're still not sure how this happened as our suitcase was black and the extendable handle was broken (i.e. if you tried to pull out the hand it just kept coming until it was completely pulled out! Hannah knows this all too well;), and the mysterious suitcase stealer's suitcase was a navy blue. Maybe they were color blind. Fortunately, a few days later the airport called and said that our bag has been returned!! Leslie and Jeff checked and nothing was taken out, including money in an envelope that was in a front pocket that had "somehow" became unzipped while missing.

Hannah and me with a stuffed llama we found!

Living, and visiting, in Honduras is full of adventures! Not only with hoping your luggage arrives when you fly in, but also driving is a whole new experience down there! If you are not the slight bit aggressive when you drive or you're scared to honk a horn or don't have quick enough reflexes to swerve if needed, then I don't recommend that you drive in Honduras. Honking down there can mean a myraid of things. One long, loud blast can mean the person is aggravated while a little short blast is communicating to the other driver that they can come on in, to which they will probably reply with a couple of short honks to thank you. And for some reason, Hondurans believe that if they're hanging their arms out the windows, its like their own signal of cutting in front of you, whether you want them to or not. Having their arm out excuses them somehow for the action, or attempt. Just because someone has a desire to slide into your lane and cut in front, it doesn't always mean it will happen. You always have to be on the alert to break because the largest vehicle wins down there. Also, roads signs? They're just suggestions. And if the traffic is all backed-up, there's good chance the policia is up ahead directing traffic.

Leslie seems to have adapted to the Honduran version of driving quite well, or perhaps the U.S. version was just holding her driving potential back. I'd even venture to say that she enjoys it. Many of the routes that we took gave us beautiful views of the city. The route that we took to go out to the farm and school gave us a good view to understand what the majority of Hondurans live like. When coming to Honduras on mission trips before I saw solely the hungry, the dirty, the weak, the poor. This trip, I got to round out my view of the country. Fortunately, their new presidente seems to be doing a lot of good. So where there use to be basically no middle class, now it is slowly growing.

The view of Tegucigalpa

We were able to go to the boys shelter a couple days of the week and spend time with them. If you've read this post of mine, it'll give you a little more understanding of all that I am writing about. Sadly, the boys were being boys, and unruly ones at that, and got in trouble several times this week so we were unable to play with them as much as we had anticipated. On Monday, before they were in trouble, we went to visit and play with them in the evening. They love love love to play tag! And of course soccer :). But really, what they truly desire, is to be loved and showered with affections. Hugs and smiles are a must when spending time with the boys. But after being around them, there's no way that you would even want to withhold that kind of compassion and care towards them. There were a lot of boys that have been there for years and I've played with them before (however, it had been nearly 3 years since I've been there so I had to work on the names a lot. But on the bright side, if you call them Carlos or Christian or Joel or Roberto there's a pretty good chance you'll get it right;), but they've also had some additions. Jonathan is the newest one, he's only been there for three weeks so far. He's the only nine year old and the only black kid, so this transition has been tough on him. Most of the black people of Honduras live on the coast. They, the ministry (FCM), thinks that he and his sister, Fabiana, is from La Ceiba. Even still, they have no idea how Jonathan and Fabiana even got to Teguc. To give you a better understanding, Teguc is a good five and a half hours from the coast. Despite any curve balls life may have thrown at him, his smile is so sweet, he's super (surprisingly, really) strong for his size and age, he loves to play soccer and tag (he always wants to be "it"!), and he will wear you out with thumb wars and rock, paper, scissors! And, really, Jonathan's not the only one that will wear you out playing rock, paper, scissors! The others love it too! And his reading is quite good too! There are so many stories to tell, of the adventures of the trip and of the boys, but Jonathan stuck out to me just because he is new, and needs friends (he's got either big 11 year olds or a 6 and 4 year old-- who are as precious as could be!), and needs love (and sponsors!).

Me with Jonathan & Nelson

Me with Fabiana

Joel, our resident "baby", the four year old. Isn't he just precious??

This is our six year old, Victor. Precious too!

The soccer goal out at the farm. If you look closely you can see chicken wire as the netting.

While at the shelter, I got to see my sister and her husband in a new light. Whenever I've gone on mission trips with FCM it's always been with Leslie and Jeff as the team coming down. But this time, they are the missionaries. They help take care of the children. They help love on the children. They help teach the ninos. It's a pretty cool thing. It's so awesome to get to see them in their element. Listening to them use their Spanish, watching their smiles as they love on the kids and treat them as if they were their own, and hearing them laugh and tease as they play with them. To see someone get to live out their dreams allows a new light to shine within them, and I have no doubt that it's Jesus lighting that candle. While I may not get to see my sister, brother-in-law, and niece-doggie very much, I can handle it when I can see how much joy they are feeling and are creating. And how they are showing Jesus to the helpless and unloved. It truly is a beautiful thing.