La Esperanza Trip

First I wanted to include a picture of the great ladies I have bible study with every Wednesday. We have a pot luck dinner and listen to Mars Hill sermons online. It's a blessing.

On to more updates. This past week went well. Thank you for your prayers for David's family. I was very thankful and blessed to have been able to have spent last Modnay night at his home where we had a great time playing soccer, wii, and ate dinner together. It was good to see him and his mom. They seem to be doing ok considering. David then returned to school Tuesday. Thankfully we survived Honduran Father's Day on Thursday. He seems to be doing ok, but he's a little bit more rambunctious than normal. It's his way of not knowing how to deal. He'll being seeing the counselor three times a week now. I'm glad the school can support him in that way as we have one counselor for 1,000+ kids. Continue to pray for him. I'm currently working with the school to see if they can financially provide for him to stay at IST next year.

Well, this past weekend was quite the journey. We had a lock-in type event Friday night where we had fun playing sports, eating food and watching some of the basketball games. GO STATE!

Saturday morning we then headed back to the school to take off by 4:30 am to head for La Esperanza, the city of highest altitude in Honduras! INSANE!! However the roads are under major construction, so by leaving at that time we missed the traffic. We did get a flat tire just as we arrived to our breakfast spot though. We had an extra long breakfast there because of it. As I reached into my bag there I found it COVERED in probably 200 tiny ants. Ants are becoming more of a problem here now that it's dry. They were going after my water bottle. DISGUSTING!!!

Well, we arrived to Esperanza to our hotel without problems following. The hotel is amazing with lots of crazy decorations, statues, and lots of cool different cabins. Some of my friends thought it looked like a Dr.Seuss place or Disney Land. We ate lunch, played group games, jumped in the FREEZING pool, went down the amazing slides and got ready for the tour of my life.



Group games: Carmen y Carla my new friends







We wanted to climb the mountain to go to this area of volcanic holes. Well the guide told the bus drivers the road was passable. It would have been had the locals not put down rocks. At an extreme incline, we arrived to the rocks where our driver tried to pass but then was struggling. We were inclining and then sliding backwards and Kristi was beginning to lose it! I eventually was terrified because we kept sliding backwards on this dusty slippery road. I eventually got off and the rest followed. The amazingly talented bus driver backed down the mountain until he could turn around. We didn't arrive to our destination, but I picked up some volcanic glass on the walk down anyway. We instead were alive and went to a fewer things at ground level. :) What an adventure!



That evening we returned to the hotel, ate dinner, and basically played Beach Blanket Bingo from camp. It's like a relay game where your team brings very random things from your cabin and whoever has the item first wins. It was fun.

I then got to meet up with two very beloved friends, Allan and Hugo who I used to live with when I was here for my semester. They live in Esperanza which is why this was my second time visiting there. It had been 2 years since the three of us had been together. It was so great to see them. Brings such a smile to my face to be with them.



Overall the weekend was a blessing to have been with old friends and to have made some great new ones.

Well, the countdown to Spring Break (Semana Santa/ Easter week) has almost begun. Less than 2 weeks! I'm headed to Guatemala again. Should be fun. That'll probably be the next update.

Much love to you all!

Bumps in the Road

I title this post in honor of my great friend who constantly inspires me to keep climbing the bumps. This past week held a few bumps in the road. The smaller one being having no internet working at home for a week and a half due to my router breaking. Finding technology in Honduras is hard and EXPENSIVE! Thus, I had already spent $50 on a router 6 months ago to just spend another $100 yesterday. Thankfully, we are up and running again and the problem is solved. Makes me realize how much I truly do appreciate internet, technology, and the freedom to communicate with the world.

The other more major bump in the road occurred last week Tuesday when my principal Mr.Greene entered my room looking for my student David Mejia. David was told to pack up his things, he was going home. I was then asked to come into the hallway to speak in private. I was, in short form, informed that David's father had died that morning. I was told it was by a car accident. I was shocked and numb and had to return into the classroom acting like everything was normal and help David pack up for the day. I gave him a hug before he left, but I knew his life as he knew it was about to forever be changed and I knew about it before he did. How hard! He has been weighing on my heart all week. The next day was a difficult one also as I found that I had to break this news to my students. They were shocked and saddened also. No one ever trains you for a situation like this. THat's not a seminar they hold in college. :( I had a hand full of students cry as they could relate to personal situations. We focused on the need for our personal salvation in Jesus Christ as we don't know when our day is. We then made cards for David. Finding those words is hard. We focused on the hope that his father is in heaven and there's peace in knowing he'll see him again. Those words later felt hollow as I found out that afternoon that David's dad did not die in a car accident. His father was a lawyer in another large city where he had another wife and family also. He returned home with his wife after dropping off the kids at school. The power was out, so he got out to open the garage door. Upon opening it, he was shot 8 times by a man in his garage waiting for him. The man took off, and I believe was taken into custody, but the wife saw it all, dragged her husband into the vehicle and took him to a clinic where he died soon after. How do you have words for such a tragic death? I found myself ANGRY that night. How unfair! I'm angry for David and that someone sought out his father and stole him from him. This poor baby's life will now forever be changed thanks to someone else. I still don't have the words. I guess I just realize how much our world is truly in need of God's grace and forgiveness. We need God or look what happens to our world! I've spoken with his mother who sounds like David while being surrounded by family is doing ok. I'm nervous for once he returns back to Tegucigalpa and it's just him and mom. As I explained to my kids, this isn't just a one day deal with kind of thing or for even this month, school year, etc. This is something David will deal with the rest of his life. I guess in situations like that we have to welcome God into our pain and grieving. Please pray for David and his family especially upon his return to school and "normal life" this week.

David's the sweet one in the yellow jacket

Well, with all of that, I was reminded today of a song I've been introduced to that I intended to share a while ago. It's by Chris Tomlin called God of this City. It reminds me that God is God of this city. I can do my part through him, but he will accomplish here what he wants to. There is still hope for Honduras.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d61LamkXfwk

Peace and Blessings to you and yours this week.
Kristi

P.S. If I dare be so bold, following Semana Santa (Easter Week) it's going to be the stretch until coming home at the end of June. It may be a rough stretch with it getting hotter and stir-crazy kids. I would love to receive letters and care packages. You know what I need? Blue poster sticky tack! Anyone want to send it. Call dibs by commenting.