Thursday 7.5.12

This morning we visited Instituto Del Rey and the Jungle Hospital clinic just up the road. The Instituto Del Rey is a high school that was established by some local missionaries and is very development minded. The students who attend here are asked to pay 100 limpedas (about $5.00 US dollars) per month. And if they are unable to pay this, they have the option of coming to work on Saturdays. This price was researched and is based on the average cash spent on sodas each month. Leaders figured that if the family wants their children to have a good education, it should be worth giving up sodas. This school has built a reputation with the local universities and many students have been given the opportunity for further education. In Honduras students are only required to complete their math and language competency in order to graduate but at Instituto Del Rey, students must take their education further and gain competency in computers and social studies and many students also receive a certificate of english competency. Many schools in Honduras lack discipline and the students are only required to be in each class for 30 minutes. Here, students are required to be in class 45 minutes at a time creating space for students to develop a sense of discipline. Also, through the christian standards of this instutution, a sense of integrity is formed. Giving students this sense of discipline and integrity continues to equip them for the future in positive ways. Many students are now in Tegucigalpa or San Pedro Sula studying medicine or engineering and two former students are now teaching at the Instituto Del Rey! It is great to see the sustainable work of this school. 

After touring the school, Yui and I pruned a Moringa tree that the school allows Larry to care for and we loaded it onto the truck. When we got back, Yui, Allison and I spent some intentional time together. Allison makes a point to take time out of her week to sit down with us and check in on how we are doing mind, body and soul. This is one of the intentional ways that she disciples us. It was great to get some time talk to these women and I am encouraged by their faith and love for God daily. 

Wednesday 7.4.12

Larry has many connections in the community here and I am constantly amazed at how many relationships he has made and the depth of those connections. It is beautiful to see how the love of God in him and his community here on campus has spilled out onto so many including those we buy groceries from in the city! Today we moved bricks to help a family build a house. The bricks we moved were made with the same technology that Egyptians used, here they call them Adobe blocks (maybe they call them that everywhere? i'm not sure.). These are made by mixing a certain type of sand and mud with water and straw and left to bake in the sun. When they are done baking, they will withstand the elements for years! It is amazing that God has given us such sustainable tools like this in nature! Before we started to work Larry prayed over us, and though this seems like a minor detail, I found it profound. If you do work like this everyday, I'm sure its easy to forget who you're doing it for. I think many times, we can get caught just going through the motions without remembering why we are doing the things God has called us to. Larry’s prayer for God’s presence and joy set the tone for the work that needed to be done. We worked hard, but at the end of the day, we did it for God and His people and we recognized that. The family we worked with have been through many hard times. This family used to live in Las Mangas (Where Larry lives now) as farmers (that’s how Larry first got to know them). After some controversies, their house in Las Mangas was caught on fire in the night. Luckily, the father woke up and all family members were saved though they lost everything but some clothes. They now live on some farming property near La Ceiba (city where we shop) as caretakers for a man who owns a restaurant in the city. A few years back, the father died from a disease Larry believes is linked to a pesticide they were using. They are building their house near by with these bricks and hope to be done in the next 2 weeks. When we were done moving bricks, the mother made us lunch. It was amazing to me the joy of the mother. She has lost her home, her husband, and her family was part of the controversy that set their house on fire in the first place, yet she as she has room in her heart to share a meal with us. Her ability to fight bitterness with joy was amazing and I am blessed to have met her. 

After lunch Stephen (the former intern of Larry's here to visit) took us to a ministry he's worked with which does outreach to street kids. This ministry creates an alternative place for kids to hang out which will help keep them out of trouble and keep them in a safe and life giving environment. These boys are many times found on the streets cleaning windows of cars for cash and are often miss treated by locals or in their schools because their socioeconomic status. The woman giving us a tour shared of many times where they have had the opportunity to advocate for these kids including a story about how the school system is mistreating them and they have been able to speak up for this voiceless population. 

I don’t remember if I’ve shared yet, but I get to pick some of the fruit from our property everyday. We use this fruit in our kitchen and we take it to the market in La Ceiba for trading. The cash crop Larry has includes havanero peppers and passion fruit. Among those, I also pick avocado, breadfruit and guava. This is a fun job I get to take part in everyday and I enjoy the solitude of picking fruit in beautiful Honduras. 

For dinner tonight, we cooked hamburgers and made maizapan (breadfruit) for the 4th of July. As Larry explained why our country celebrates the 4th of July, he gave me a new perspective on the holiday. He shared that though our country has many negative aspects, it was founded by some really amazing people who risked their lives to travel a big ocean for religious freedom. Larry and Allison are wonderful mentors to the young people living here. I am constantly amazed at their intentionality with many daily situations and conversations. Discipleship to them is a lifestyle and I am loving learning this lifestyle as they intentionally pour into those around me and some of it gets to spill into my own life as well. 

Tuesday 7.3.12

Today was full of cultural experiences, Yui and Allison learned how to kill and prepare a chicken, last week. So this morning I helped kill and de-feather a chicken from our chicken hutch! I have never done something like this before but I find it very interesting. When you buy sandwich meat from a store you tend to lose the appreciation for that meat as something that used to be a living and breathing animal. I think all meat eaters should take the time to be part of slaughtering an animal. It will bring a new respect for the amount of meat we consume. We have only had meat about 3 times since I’ve been here. Meat is expensive and unnecessary for ones diet if we learn to find other sources of protein. Larry has planted many sources of protein all along the kitchen, we usually have katuc, moringa, eggs, or chia in our meals which are all stacked with protein! It is cool to see inexpensive ways to get protein other than meat consumption, this is one of the concepts Larry tries to emphasize to the poor in his community. 

I also got to cook on a wood stove (pictured below)! 

These are found in many homes in developing countries. Another alternative to this is a three-stone fire. Three stone fires will bring many issues when used in the home. There have been many issues with these and smoke inhalation; using a wood stove can prevent these issues. Later in the afternoon, the kids came to play and Stephen (a former North American intern of Larry and Allison who now lives in Tegucigalpa working with street kids) and his family came to visit for the next few days. After welcoming them with a round of volleyball, we all ate dinner and Yui and I went out to the river with the boys to learn how to fish in the dark. El Rio cangrejal runs all along the local communities and up the mountain. The boys taught us how to fish with goggles and a flashlight :) There weren’t many fish out due to the bright full moon, but if was a fun experience none the less! 

Monday 7.2.12

When we arrived back on campus from shopping, Yui and I went to Jessica’s house to learn how to make tortillas from her  mom, a well seasoned Honduran woman! She was SO GOOD AT IT! No kidding. It was a blessing to be welcomed into her home and for her to teach us such a skill, I really enjoyed the cultural experience and the new found relationship with Jessica’s mother. We are going to go back soon because she said she wanted to teach us how to make coconut bread! 

Monday 7.2.12 DUNKIN' DONUTS!

Hhhhheeeyyyy, 

The internet access on campus is a little slow making it difficult to blog, so I've been journaling on my computer and we come to a Dunkin Donuts once a week for internet. So FYI get ready for some Monday memos from me :) Along with some recaps from the week.

Today Yui and have been shopping for the groceries in La Ceiba. We live about 30 minutes up the mountain in Las Mangas (a small farming community among other farming communities) and every week we will takes the bus down for any extra groceries we need and some internet access. Its been fun to be in the city, but a little overwhelming at times. I'm very thankful for Yui who has done this 3 times by now and knows the city like the back of her hand! Its so great to have a friend from the states here! 

Allison has been sick the past few days but is feeling better today! Although, not completely recovered, so continue to pray. ADDITIONALLY!!!! She said she had some contractions last night and this morning she was thinking that the baby could be on the way! (I don't know if I meanioned that she's pregnant, but she is! and she's planning on having a home birth.) Please pray for her today. If she doesn't have the baby today, it will be soon :)

I hope all of you are doing well today. I am praying for you constantly and that God will continue to be present in your days. I love you all very much and I am so thankful for your support while I am away. Your prayers have made my time here more enjoyable and I know that without them it would be difficult. Thank you for your support! I hope to write again soon! 

Love you all!

Saturday 6.30.12

Today was a pretty awesome day. I woke up, spent some time to myself and got ready for the day. Everything starts around 7:30 most days, so Larry and I started off the day by going down the road to pick Guava on a property owned by some local missionaries. After Larry climbed the trees shaking the branches to make the ripe guava drop, I gathered them for making jam later. After we gathered guava here, a neighboring farmer offered one of his trees to us for harvesting. So we followed him past his corn field (which had video tape lines across it to scare away bird with the way it reflected the sun as the wind blew it! Appropriate technology at its best!) to a field in the middle of a jungle-like area where there was a guava tree. Larry again climbed and the other farmer and I gathered the guava that fell along the plants below. 

When we were done, Larry and the farmer talked a little in spanish as I managed to pick up a few words (including the purpose of the video tape) and we went back to the property. As we were leaving, the new owner arrived with his two boys along with Papa Jack. Papa Jack is one of Larry’s spiritual fathers so it was a blessing to be able to meet him. 

When we got back to the house, everyone gathered in the kitchen to make jam. This jam is used for a micro enterprise for Larry and his community. The jam is sold locally and taken back to the states to be sold for support. The community here makes a lot of the things in their kitchen from items they grow, including: hot sauce, kefir, ketchup, jam, peanut butter, and much more I am yet to eat or discover. 

After making jam we cleaned up and Yui and I were able to rest for a little while in the hammock room. This was much needed. We stay so busy here and I’ve struggled to find time for myself to recharge. I love living in community and staying busy, but I also need to be intentional in finding time to spend with God and recharging for the events of the day. I am going to try to be more intentional with my mornings as those times, please pray for me to find balance in this. I want to take in so much but I also want to keep myself in the best condition for serving here and being present and to do that I need to find time for Christ and my introverted needs. So yeah, pray for my balance of community and Christ. 

Every Saturday, many young people from around the community are welcomed to campus (we call the community we live on Campus) to spend some time with us playing games and eating snack! Today we had about 21 kids come and play a game called Nuke ‘Em on the volleyball courts. Many of these kids are orphans and though they misbehave at times because of those roots, they were really fun to hang out with today. Some of the interns living with Larry and Allison used to come to these "young people days" to play games and are now being intentionally poured into by the Smoaks. This is one of the ways they have found students to disciple and really feed biblical principles to through intentional community. The intentionality of the discipleship program is unique here and I am enjoying learning from them on a daily basis.  

When the kids left, Yui helped me harvest the areas I have been assigned. One of my responsibilities while i’m here is to harvest some peppers, guava, avocado, passion fruit and anything else they ask me. We use these in the kitchen for our own meals and to barter with our friend Mario in the market. I climbed up into our guava tree out front and tried to jump around as i’d seen Larry do earlier. It was fun. ALSO along with the these plants, we got a bread fruit! This is a fruit I tried in Jamaica and LOVED! Larry said these usually don’t fall until August so I was thinking I wouldn’t get to have it, but God blessed us with one today! When we were done harvesting, Yui and I made dinner. Larry showed us the Honduran way to cook breadfruit- deep frying it until golden brown with salt. It tastes a lot like french fries but with a more interesting texture. It was great. 

Louis came home tonight as well and he, Yui and myself played a little settlers of Catan after cleaning up. Yui won. 

Today was a lot of fun! I am very tired though and wishing I knew more spanish. Pray for me as I translate things. I am struggling at times to know when to try to pay attention and participate in Spanish conversations. There is only so much I can listen to through out the day. Trying to think in 2 languages is tiring, but I am really feeling God redeem all of those tears I've cried struggling to succeed in Spanish. PTL! 

Friday 6.29.12

Today started out with some roosters. The campus here has about 5 roosters and 12 or so chickens. There’s a coop down the hill that I got to tour later on in the day. So about 3am I hear some roosters, I took a breath remembering i’m in Honduras and fell back asleep. I got up about 6:30 to get ready for the day and did my own thing making breakfast and hanging out with Yui at the table before the work day started at 7:30 am. 

Yui is another IWU student who came here about June 5th, she’s a biology pre-med major and is here to learn from Larry in the area of agriculture and just getting some experience for fun.

Larry and Allison are the permanent residents here with their daughter Eva and soon to be new born little girl. I have yet to hear their story of how they got here but I am excited to know those details soon! 

For Breakfast, we are able to make our own meals using anything we find in the kitchen. Today I had an egg, cereal and of course some good strong Honduran coffee. 

After breakfast, Larry with baby Eva in hands took Yui and I across the street to show us which limbs he wanted to use to build some A-frames (trellises) in the gardens. After we took his direction, he set us up with 3 honduran boys as helpers to cut the limbs and transport them to the garden. 

John, Walter, and Harrison (the boys) are orphan boys from a town down the mountain a little ways. Through broken spanish, I managed to find out that Harrison and Walter are brothers and John is their cousin. They were between the ages of 9 and 13 and were helpful at times but also playful and needed a little encouragement to keep working like any pre-teen boys :) 

The boys were very good with the machetes, hitting the mark EVERY time and without their help, Yui and I would have taken twice the time to get the limbs over to the gardens. 

After many hikes up and down the hill where the limbs were, we spent some time in the gardens building the A-frames giving the beans a structure to grow up on. When Larry arrived, he showed me the yams, cucumbers and toropical pumpkin plants. We built a structure for the cucumbers and he also pointed out some recently transplanted Moringa trees. 

Around noon, we took a lunch break and saw Eva and Allison. Allison was sick today so she spent much of the day in the room. Please pray she gets well soon, she is pregnant and due July 16th. Being sick for 2 is not fun. 

After lunch Yui and Jessica made Oatmeal Bread while Larry gave me a tour... If I tried to give all of the details of the tour, I would probably be up all night, but just know that it consisted of living fences, dark green leafy veggies that are used in the kitchen often, prikly pears, coconuts, breadfruit, passionfruit, compost and vermiculture, a home made compost toilet (i haven't used it yet, but soon!), dorms, bamboo patches, tire gardens, more moringa, peppers, a shady old building that used to be lived in but from Hurricane Mitch it is now used as a nursery for plants (my favorite place right now), chicken coop, miraculous volleyball court, study and library, squash and aloe plants, basil, spinach, oregano, lemon grass (which i’ll probably make a cup of tea with in the near future), and the home of some really great brothers and sisters in Christ. The tour was amazing and very fun!

After the tour, Larry went to pick up some local youth who came for some praise and worship, bible study, and games. It was great to see Jessica, one of the Honduran interns, in action discipling these kids from the area (she grew up here and has been an intern for the past year). 

After hanging with the kids and playing some classic monkey in the middle in the rain, we cleaned up and Jessica, Yui and I made dinner. 

Dinner consisted of brocolli, carrots, onions, katuk (dark green leafy vegetable that's high in protein. These are under utilized in the area but have many beneficial nutrients!), eggs and cheese with rice and beans on the side. It was delicious. 

After dinner, we spent some “family time” and everyone on campus (except for sickly Allison and sleepy Eva) came together in the study to watch Faith Like Potatoes. Good movie. I had never seen it, but as always I cried at the end. 

I’m so excited to be here and as my time here continues, I am constantly affirmed in God’s hand on me bringing me here. I know that He is present with me throughout my days and that He has brought me here for a purpose. 

Pray for me as He continues to teach me. I want to be a good student of our ultimate professor. Also pray for the people here, that God would continue to fill them up each day because they give so much of themselves to others in their community. And lastly, pray for Allison’s health. 

Thanks for all of your prayers! I love you all!