Our Spiritual Journey with God!: Honduras trip with GRUMC team September 2012 Day 6

September 13, 2012

This morning we had french toast for breakfast. Blanca is such a wonderful cook! We (the women) went to the casitas after breakfast. The men were still on their camping trip.

Karen and Maria

Dawn, Waleska, Kate, and Becky

Alison (me), Kate and Waleska

The men had taken some of the older boys camping on the mountain the night before to have their sexual purity talks. Waleska and I went to casita #5. Gaby showed us how to make tortillas. I talked to Gaby for awhile.

Gaby making tortillas.

The girls in casita #5 opening a gift from Kate.

Then I went to help Tia Tomasa (Miguel's mom) in casita #2 make lunch. She can't speak English and I know only a little Spanish so I had one of the older boys ask her if I could help her. She smiled and said "Yes." Then we were on our own so she showed me what to do and I did it. She had some soothing Christian Honduran music on some of the time and then she had some instrumental music playing. She made fried chicken and rice while I cut up cabbage, carrots and tomatoes for a salad. I also cut up cantelope melon that she mixed with water in a blender to make a fruit drink. It was such a peaceful place. I just wished that we could talk to one another. This justs gives me more of an incentive to learn more Spanish before I return next year.

Tia Tomasa and me

Cabbage, carrot, tomato salad

Melon for the fruit juice

When I was finished helping Tia Tomasa make lunch, I asked Waleska to come tell Tia Tomasa that I had to leave to go back up to the casona. Tia Tomasa told Waleska that she was thankful that I helped her. She said that there are usually two tias in each casita but she was alone today. She has all boys in her casita and they help her clean but they don't help her cook. I was glad that God led me to help her today. I wanted to get to know her better but we couldn't communicate so instead God led me to show her that I cared about her by serving her.

After lunch, we walked back up to the casitas. I hung out mostly with Daniela and Yolany. Daniela was practicing the drums with drum sticks on the sidewalk.

Daniela, me, and Yolany (Yessica is in the background)

After a little while, we all walked to Casa Verde (Green House) to have a bible study with some of the girls on the front porch. Becky shared the timeline overview of the Bible. Then we walked to the school to hang out because the casitas were being fumigated. While we were at the school, Becky, Daniela and I talked about questions that Daniela had about the Bible. We helped her find her answers in scripture.

Becky with Waleska doing an overview of the Bible.

We came back to the casona early for dinner so that we could practice the TWIGS routine that Karen found for us to do. We are going to perform it at the closing send-off at the church tomorrow. We seem to be doing alot better. Then we had a wonderful dinner. Blanca made chicken, rice, sauted vegetables, salad, fruit, carrot fritters, and banana pudding. WOW! We were full!

Then we had cake to celebrate Kevin McKenzie's birthday. We each got to invite one child to come celebrate with us. Yolany and Daniela both got to come because Becky invited Daniela. The Honduran custom on your birthday is to get flour, eggs, and water thrown on you. Kevin got all of that on him as well as cake and frosting.

Jeimy giving her Dad a Happy Honduran Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Kevin!

After that Karen, Becky and I went to wash Tia Carmen's front porch at casita #1. She has all of the smallest children. They built a fence and painted it today so that the little ones will be easier to watch, but the black paint and debris from building the fence was everywhere. We swept and washed her fence and porch so the kids could play without getting black paint on them. Then, we all had a bonfire at the casitas with all the kids. We held hands and sang songs around the bonfire before we went in for the night. I love hearing them sing to God in Spanish. It is absolutely beautiful!

These are some random pictures that I took today.