Writer's Block and God's Grace in Everyday Life

Hi friends! In the past two months I've attempted to write several blog posts only to be thwarted by a bad case of writer's block. Actually, I was simply having difficulty figuring out how to communicate both with honesty and a positive tone! And most of what was on my mind sounded very boring and mundane, not exactly glamorous testimonies and inspiring stories of missionary life. Of course, God has been working and giving us plenty of reasons to praise Him, but much of our time and attention has been consumed with mundane tasks that could bore you to tears or sound like whiny complaints.

But I have found motivation to write something because 1) I know you care and are praying, and 2) our baby will be born soon, and I'd rather face writer's block instead of sleep deprivation! I'll begin with the more "official" ministry-type news and then share more personal happenings, with some fun pictures to keep it light. :)

The Right Person, the Right Time

Fernando is coordinating a graduate-level, distance learning program for pastors and leaders. More people have joined the group, and they have been meeting weekly to study together, in addition to their individual reading and assignments. It is clear that God has prepared and gifted Fernando, particularly in administration and teaching, as an instrument for pastors and leaders to receive access to this training. He's also provided the contacts and materials. (Another group of students continues to meet quarterly in their second year in a more basic discipleship/church planting program.)

Construction Projects

Fernando helped oversee the construction of a kitchen and dining area where seminary classes are held. Before, the women had to use a less efficient kitchen, and students ate in the classroom or outside, depending on the weather. Now, the classroom space is larger, where the kitchen used to be, and a separate, more functional kitchen is available, including ample space for students to eat.

The larger classroom accommodates the growing number of students

Our village house project is moving along, and we're happy that the roof was just completed before the rainier weather begins in the next month or two. Although there were some unforeseen complications, Fernando is happy with the work done so far. He has had to keep track of a lot of details, from purchasing materials, to having someone get them across the river, to the actual building process.

How to cross remote rivers

 

Building Relationships in Our Neighborhood

Fernando has been helping some young men lead a story fellowship group in our neighborhood. He also has been getting to know more men and teenagers by taking them to play soccer on the weekends he is home. I continue to build relationships with women, especially those with small children, as much as Mr. J lets me as he runs up and down the street (!). Just between our house and the corner, I can say hi to neighbors in Garífuna, Spanish, and English (English-speaking islanders are another people group on the Honduran coast). People know we are believers, and we like to share with them as we have the opportunity, in actual meetings in our home or informal conversations.

Several members of the story team

The Dreaded "T" Word

I have written about the Spanish word trámite in a previous post. It refers to paperwork or a legal process, usually conjuring the idea of unexpected delays due to infrastructure challenges and systemic corruption. Fernando had to take our pick-up to another city to register it, thinking it would take a day or two. Two weeks and two round-trips later we were thankful and relieved the process was complete and that God gave Fernando wisdom and the right contacts to navigate through the different obstacles (supposed "extra charges" and delays) he encountered.

 

The Good, Bad, and Ugly

As much as we want to focus on what the Lord is doing and the positive aspects of life here, I will be honest about the less exciting and easy parts lately. For example:

• While Fernando was dealing with the pick-up truck delays, Mr. J and I got a stomach bug at home, and then I got a bad cold. When Fernando took a trip to the village, Mr. J got a 48-hour fever, and then we topped the week off with his 18-month shots, which gave him a fever and made him limp for a day or two.
• Pregnancy is going great, and we're in the final weeks. I always felt rather proud of how well I handle the heat... until now. Mr. J and I have had heat rashes, and I am gaining greater empathy for those who feel miserable and tired in hot weather!

Having fun cooling off in a nearby river!

• We had a few weeks of water outages, filling up water when it came on and hauling buckets to the kitchen and bathroom when it was off. As much as I told myself to be thankful for the water we did have... I didn't have a stellar missionary attitude on some of those days!



Where did the water go?

• My patience was tested in ridding out cockroach infestations while "nesting"; dealing with garbage pile-up and, after it was collected, clean-up while Fernando was gone (I'll spare the details of garbage issues/animals in the tropics); finding my best defensive driving techniques put to the test; and being caught off-guard by a few power outages.



A very short nap with the power off. Even Pooh was sweating! ;)

Probably the most frustrating issue was the big gap between my reactions and the attitude I would rather have had. It was a good reminder that only God's grace can fill that gap and that He is kind and patient with His children. (Having a toddler is giving me a greater glimpse into this!).

Mr. J and Pooh in a happy moment!

I also found myself upset that such trivial things bother me when others have much greater struggles. For example, the garbage collectors work with their bare hands under the hot sun or pouring rain for long hours and are not consistently paid. I hope God uses a kind word and cup of cold water to remind them of His love. I am sobered by how injustice and brokenness affect others. It is good to know God understands our conflicting feelings and keeps our hearts tender and compassionate.

The reason I share this is to show how challenges in everyday life reveal our human weakness and frustration, wherever we happen to live, and even when we feel immensely grateful for what we do have. As missionaries, we find great comfort and strength knowing you pray for us, not only for the big projects and dreams, but also for the everyday challenges that can wear us down. We want our communication to be centered on what the Lord is doing and His love for His people here, but occasionally it’s good to share with you what we struggle with and experience in day-to-day life.

See the waterfall?

Thank you for your love and support, and we’ll let you know when our baby girl is born!

Best of 2014: Wageira

This final post in our series about ministry highlights from last year is about our plans to start working in a group of rural Garífuna communities and live in Wageira*.

In case you missed it, here are the previous posts:
Part 1: I Never Realized
Part 2: Favorite Story
Part 3: Stories, Questions, Fellowship
Part 4: Growing Pains
Part 5: I Never Thought I Could


Where Is Wageira?

In the past few years, we have felt increasingly burdened for a group of rural communities east of here. In some locations there are very few believers, and many pastors have received little or no ministry training. We began to make plans to build a house in Wageira, a strategic hub in the area. Although we thought we would move there last year, it became clear that Fernando needed to solidify projects and invest in those he was mentoring here in the La Ceiba area before spending more time away. We also wanted to finish saving to purchase a pick-up truck so Fernando could more easily travel back and forth during the house construction and be able to haul materials on the rough dirt roads.


Answer to Prayer

During last year people gave special gifts, which we saved. In addition, a Christian brother helped Fernando find a good vehicle, and we completed the purchase last month. Fernando traveled to Wageira over New Year's, and the truck is running well. Thank you to each person who contributed toward this! We appreciate it so much.

What Next?

Fernando is figuring out details such as how to connect a water line to where the house will be built and make arrangements with a builder. He plans to make another trip this month and return frequently. We hope to begin spending more and more time in Wageira in the coming year, and we will share with you as that unfolds. We pray that the Lord will lead us to what He is preparing there and look forward to how He will work. Thank you for joining us in this new venture through your prayers!

Thank you for reading along with us in this series and for being a part of our lives and work here.

*pseudonym

Christmas/New Year's in Wageira

Happy New Year! We hope 2013 is off to a good start for you. Fernando and I are back in La Ceiba after spending two weeks with Fernando's family in Wageira. We are thankful for a good, safe trip and would like to share a few highlights with you.

We spent one day at a youth conference held at a nearby community, and Fernando was one of the speakers:

I enjoyed continuing to meet with Rosa (pseudonym), Fernando's cousin's wife. We had been studying the Bible and praying together in La Ceiba, and it is exciting to see her grow in her faith as she learns from God's Word. On Christmas Eve day, I joined Rosa and her sister to make tamales:

  Cornmeal dough (masa) with juice from pork meat and other seasonings

 

Preparing plantain leaves

 

Filling the leaves with the cornmeal, meat (pork or chicken), vegetables, and rice

 

Filling the pot to cook it over the fire

 

 

 

Later, we got ready for church, where the service continues until midnight or later.

 

 Merry Christmas!

 

With Fernando's sister

 

Fernando sharing a Christmas message during the service

 

 

People spend Christmas Day relaxing with their families and eating the food made the day before. Fernando and I took a walk with some friends down the beach to a river. We enjoyed coconuts and swimming in the ocean.

 

 

 

While we were there, a truck had to cross the river on a raft. Here is a picture and a video of the process:

 

On other days, people enjoyed soccer games:

 

(No. 15 is a superstar)

 

I enjoyed practicing Garifuna and am encouraged because I can speak much more than I could a year ago. Wageira is the ideal place to learn Garifuna, as it is the language people prefer to speak and there are a lot of people to talk with.

New Year's Eve is also celebrated at church, where Fernando gave another sermon and we enjoyed special presentations by children and youth:

 

At midnight, each family there gathered to pray - probably my favorite moment of the holidays, thanking God together with Fernando's family and praying for each other as we start the new year.

 

Several hours later, there was still a praise party going strong! I needed a little rest, so I took this video:

On New Year's Day, there is a traditional dance called Wanaragua ('mask'). Fernando's cousin dressed up and ready to go:

 

 

After such a good trip, we are back home preparing for the coming months. We would appreciate your prayers for wisdom and faithfulness in our work each day, and for trust in the Lord for our plans this year.

 

We want to say, "Thank you!!!" to those who have sent special gifts in the past few months, which have been an incredible help for the projects we're working on as well as our own needs - thank you!

 

Also, thank you for visiting our blog, and we look forward to sharing with you again soon. Happy New Year, everyone!

Unconventional Thanksgiving Meal

Happy belated Thanksgiving! I hope you all had a day full of good food, time with family and friends, and, especially, celebration of all of God's good gifts in your lives.

We spent the week in Wageira, working on more stories for the OneStory project and visiting several pastors to encourage them in their studies. As usual, I enjoyed practicing Garifuna with Fernando's family and am happy to see continued progress.

The meal we ate on Thanksgiving wasn't turkey, but it was delicious! We had machuca (Spanish) / hudutu (Garifuna): mashed plantains, coconut soup, and fish. It was so good I forgot to take a picture until half-way through! :)

For dinner, I helped make tortillas, which we ate with refried beans and cheese. It's obvious that I made these ones because they're not exactly round! But, thanks to Fernando's sisters, my skills are improving (good thing for him!).

This year, I feel particularly thankful for being part of Fernando's family, especially since I am far away from my family in the U.S. I also am thankful for how God brought Fernando and me together in this adventure of serving Him, and for all of you who are a blessing in our lives!

"We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you." Colossians 1:3

Travel Adventures

I thought it would be fun to give you a glimpse into traveling along the rural coast of Honduras.
To go from La Ceiba to "Wageira" (this means "our community," our blog nickname), we take a two-hour trip in a big bus on a paved road. From there, we either (1) go by truck (cabin or bed, depending on room) on a dirt road, crossing the mouth of a river to go the final stretch on the beach; or (2) we take an old school bus on the dirt road and then take a boat (lancha) by river on the final stretch.

This past time we took the school bus and lancha. On the way back, we also took a mototaxi (motorcycle with a bench on the back) part of the way. Here's some video of the school bus, mototaxi, and lancha:

You might have noticed a nun sitting in front of me in the lancha. While riding in the mototaxi, I found out after a big BUMP that we had run over a snake (but, happily, I didn't see it!).

Wageira is a beautiful community nestled between the beach and the river - a completely different world from the city. Here is a picture of the kitchen from the outside:

I think food tastes better cooked on a clay stove:

November is a really rainy month here, as you can see in this video (you can probably guess we didn't go for a swim in the ocean during this trip!):

In addition to working on the stories, I practiced speaking Garifuna, and we enjoyed some time with Fernando's family. I am so thankful for them and their hospitality! We always have lots of fun with Fernando's nieces and nephews.

Working on OneStory in "Wageira"

Fernando and I spent one week in "Wageira," the community where he grew up and where his family lives. ("Wageira" means "our community," our blog nickname for it.) Our main reason for going was to work on the OneStory project in Garifuna. (Click here to read more about the project.) We are working on a set with stories from the Bible about covenants with the goal of demonstrating how Jesus provided the way for God's covenant with His people. Story sets are then used for evangelism and discipleship.

In order to test out the stories, we have people listen and retell them. However, in La Ceiba, it can be difficult to locate people, who tend to be busy working and studying. In contrast, in rural communities, plenty of native speakers are within walking distance and available to help.

These are the stories we worked on:

• Birth of Isaac (showing how God fulfilled His promise to Abraham)
• Ratification of the God's covenant with Israel in Exodus 24
• Gold Calf (showing how Israel broke the covenant right after it was made)
• Fall of Jerusalem (showing the consequence of breaking the covenant)
• Promise of the new covenant prophesied by Jeremiah 32 (which points to Jesus)

One teenager, CB, has helped us retell stories, and he and Fernando met each day to work together. CB is very interested in Bible and reads from a Bible story book each night. We are thankful for his willingness to help and are praying that God will speak into his life using the stories he retells with Fernando. Here is a picture of them:

We invite you to pray for CB and the others who are helping us, and for God to use us to provide His Word in this format so that many more come to know Him!