J is for JET LAG

So I am finally here!!! Since getting here, I have been turned around. Because days are blurry and time zones are confusing, I'm claiming that I have a good case of jet lag. Praise the Lord that school will not be starting until Monday!!! (side note: cabin 3 has been transformed into the cutest classroom I have ever seen... can't wait to take pics and show everyone!!!)
My new home is mind blowing!! The kids I will be teaching are awesome and their parents are wonderful and welcoming. I can already tell that my first "big girl" job will be life changing. More info and pictures to come later.

FaceTiming with my parents has made this whole transition so much easier. I could even give them the tour of my place.... love technology!

U is for Ukraine

Hello everyone,

I am currently about to board a series of planes that will take me all the way to Kiev, Ukraine!!!! 

My goals: 

~Learn enough Russian for basic communication 

~Make new friends and become better friends with the girls I already know there

~Serve the children and workers that are involved in Jeremiah's Hope 

~be a great homeschool teacher for Abby (and possibly Sophie)

~step out of my comfort zone and try new things (foods, language, transportation, etc.) 

My prayer is that I can be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ here. I want to be an encourager, not a Debby Downer. I also pray for health and a strong stomach (for those that don't know, it doesn't take much for me to gag/shut down around bad smells and sights). I pray that God goes before me and that I continue to lean on him for help/direction/guidance. 

This blog will have updates on what I am doing and prayer requests. Thanks for reading and God Bless!!!!

Here is all of my stuff!!!! Can you believe that my checked bags were only 50lbs each :) No extra fees for this girl <<<< God is good all the time!!! Shout out to my parents for helping me and supporting me through this decision. Love y'all to pieces <3 p="">

No Mas Busito Por Favor!

Today I rode for 12 hours in what people call the "busito" aka baby bus. Our destination was Copan and it seemed like we would never get there... Let me tell ya now, there was no wiggle room and we only stopped for gas and food. With limited space, it was a long ride so we had to find ways to intertain ourselves. We talked about engagements, future plans, places to go in the states, past family vacations, and much more. We also played catch-a-phrase until people started to snooze. It was a great time to catch up on homework and blogging (hence the extra blog posts) and I will probably have a hard time sleeping because I feel liked I napped all day long!
We finally made it to Copan, settled into our awesome hotel, and went out on the town for dinner. It's funny being in a touristy town because almost 1/2 the people speak English. IT's almost culture shock all over again because now we have to be careful what we say in English and Spanish. Not much has happened tonight but I better get some ZZZZ so that I can enjoy exploring the ruins tomorrow.

Night Y'all!!!

My Ghost Buster Day

So today Claire and I worked on the ranch and we had no idea what was in store for us. We find Martín and he gives us the option to scoop poop or do some type of spraying thing (I got lost in the translating part lol). We of course choose the non-poop scooping option, but little did we know that he would give us our very own Ghost Buster machines!! These handy-dandy sprayers work by pumping with one hand and holding down the trigger with the other. What you can't really tell is that they are half way full and pretty heavy. Claire and I sprayed all around a pond next to the main barn and down the mountain side next to a road.  I did pretty good until I tried to get back up the mountain... let's just say I was clinging to a tree for a few seconds until I decided I would take the long way around lol. After lunch we decided that Marina (in the bodega) needed more help making food bags. We ended up making almost 200 food bags ranging from 40-60 lbs! It was fun, tiring but also rewarding because you could see the fruits of your labor.

1,2,3….600

Today Michael and I took inventory in at the CITD in Monjaras. Let’s just say that inventory is not my favorite job at the CITD; therefore, it seemed like I was counting butcher paper for hours on end. By lunchtime, Michael and I were ready for a break. Justo stated that there was a place in Monjaras that had “baleadas muy ricas” so we decided we couldn’t miss out on the awesome baleadas! Now, baleadas are a typical Honduran dish that has become a favorite of mine. This baleada had refried beans, shredded chicken, and butter sauce all in a flour tortilla and hit the spot. After lunch we went back to the school just as one of the groups arrived to hand out shoes and matching t-shirts. They had so many bags of crock-like shoes in different sizes so each child was able to leave the room with shoes perfectly fitting them. It was a great way to end the day because I loved seeing all of the smiling faces.

Update on the Medical Brigade: They were able to see over 30 people in the dentistry and overall saw 162 people. One of the 3 year-old children has shown up with a 105 fever for the 3^rd day in a row so Erin went with one of the group members to take the child to the hospital. Please pray for this child and the other one, who was taken to the hospital yesterday. The one with the infected foot is stable and the surgery went well, but we still do not know the long-term damage from the infection. 

Construct[ion]fully Using All My Energy

Today was my first time working on the construction site with a group and they blew me away. There were so many projects going on at once; it was structured chaos! We had people cutting wire, bending metal rods and twisting them all together to create handmade rebar. We had people working on the electrical wiring by balancing on 2 story ladders and support beams (thankfully no one went kersplat!). Others were mixing cement by hand and putting up the rebar or stacking bricks for the outside walls. Once people finished one job, they would join another group or take over someone else’s job so they could have water breaks. I could not believe how well everyone was working together and not complaining about the hard work or heat. They have truly been a blessing to work with. Towards the end of the workday, mostly everyone had finished the smaller jobs and went to work on leveling the floor. This involves shovelers, wheelbarrow pushers, and rakers (leveling all of the dirt being wheeled in).  Needless to say everyone was working hard and ended the day tired and sweaty.

Update on the Medical Brigade: The young boy with the infected foot was taken to the hospital today and will have surgery on it tonight. Please pray for his surgery, road for recovery, and the money the family will need to pay for the procedure.

Popping Pills

Today I worked in the office with Claire and Kelsey. We spent the entire morning counting pills and then packing them up in lockers and plastic tubs so they will be ready for the Medical Brigade tomorrow. It was fun to see Claire take charge and organize the never-ending bags of pills. I can tell that she will be a great pharmacist some day! The big group came in right before dinner and we were all excited and a little bit nervous. It was our first time to show people where their cabins are and make sure they have everything they need. Most of us had never been to the group cabins so we explored a little bit, found the cabins that we needed to know and then sat on the porch and waited for the group to arrive. The first group had been here before and did not need much help at all but the second bus needed much more help since most of that group had never been to Honduras. I still don’t know how all of those trucks were able to park up in the parking lot and still have room for the charter busses to turn around! Those charter busses are sooooo big that they almost hit the roof of the Tienda with their side mirrors!