Home sweet home

I am back in SC!! Thank you, Jesus, my dad and I had safe travel. We actually got into Greenville about 30 minutes earlier than we were supposed to. Thank you for all the prayers. It has been so good spending time with my family and David. But I'm not done posting on the blog yet. I know I still have a lot to learn from my time in Honduras, even though I'm back in the states. So more to come...

Coming back to SC

I am coming back to SC for good this Saturday. It has been a hard year, but the past month has particularly worn on me. I am so worn down emotionally and spiritually, and it's now affecting me physically. This has been an awful decision to make- I am leaving my kids without a teacher for the last 2 months of school- but I have to take care of me. I need to be back in Greenville with my family and David and my friends. I can't get healthy here. Please pray for me this week. I talked with all the administration at the school today. They are supportive and understanding, but this is also a burden to them. They know I need to be with my family though. I am meeting with my kids' parents tomorrow morning. That is going to be difficult, but all I can do is be honest. I hope they will understand. My dad is flying down here on Friday, and we are going to fly back to SC together on Saturday. Please pray for safe travel for my dad on Friday. And please pray for us to have a safe trip back to SC on Saturday. I am having bad fears again about flying. We leave here about lunch time on Saturday, get into Houston mid-afternoon, and Greenville about 10:30 that night. I am so ready to be with my family and David. Thank you for all your prayers. See you in SC...

Updates

Just wanted to update you on a few things. First of all, Andrieske is doing so much better. She had the flu and an infection, but she's on medication. Thanks for praying for her.

Also, I'm now going home this Tuesday, March 11. I'll miss a few days of school, but I have decided that's what is best for me to do. I need to be around my family for a few extra days. I am so ready to be home! I know it'll make me a better teacher when I get back here. Please continue to pray for me. Satan is still throwing some fear and sadness at me, but it's nothing like it was. It is so comforting to know that I am being lifted up in prayer. Also pray for safe travel for me on Tuesday. I leave Honduras about noon and get into Houston mid-afternoon. Then I'll leave Houston for Greenville about 7 that night and get into Greenville around 11. Thank you so much for praying for me. I need them right now! I haven't completely felt like myself this last week, but God is slowly lifting the fog and re-filling me with His hope and faith.

one more prayer request...

Thanks for your prayers. And now one more! I wrote last time to pray that Satan wouldn't cripple me with fear anymore and that I would trust God more than I ever have before. Well, I woke up about 5am Monday morning terrified about flying home next Saturday. Satan has been flinging fears at me constantly since then. It's consumed me at times. I know God is allowing Satan to do this to increase my trust in Him. I've been wrestling with it and trying to learn from it. I am learning from it, but it's still a burden on my shoulders. Please pray that God would give me peace and that I would trust His sovereignty. And please pray for safe travel for me next Saturday, March 15. I'm leaving San Pedro Sula at 8:15 South Carolina time. I fly into Houston mid-morning. I have a long layover in Houston and don't leave for Greenville until about 7 that night. David and I are both flying back to Honduras the following Friday, March 21- so you can pray for safe travel then too. Actually, you can pray that all of my flights between here and the US are safe for the rest of my time here. :) I have never wrestled with something like this before, and it scares me. But I know that God is good.

a couple prayer requests

It's been a good week. God is showing me more and more how I've allowed Satan to just cripple me with fear this year. And He's slowly breaking down that wall of fear I've put up. Praise Him for that! First prayer request- that Jesus would completely knock down every fear I have and help me to trust Him more than I ever have before.

Second prayer request- One of my roommates has been really sick for the last week. The symptoms seemed kind of like malaria to me. She thought she had the flu. She just kept getting worse. The doctor from the clinic actually came over last night to see her. She went to the hospital this morning to have a bunch of tests done. The doctor mentioned scarlet fever and dengue, but he wasn't sure. Pray for wisdom for the doctors and healing for her. Her name is Andrieske (Ahn-dree-es-kah). I'll let you know how the tests go.

Another of my roommates is a Buddhist. She has the most beautiful servant heart. She's been in the peace corp and lived all over the world. She's had some really cool experiences. She tells me that one day she'll end up in a Buddhist monastery in India, but she's not ready to do that yet. She loves being around people. And she loves to help anyone and everyone however she can. The goal of Buddhism is to reach nirvana, and you cease to exist when you reach that point. You won't be reincarnated anymore. I think she knows she should go to the monastery and live the rest of her life meditating in solitude to reach nirvana, but her heart doesn't want to. That's my opinion anyway. I also hope it's because Jesus has something more in store for her. Please pray for her that God would move in her. And that I would be bold in talking more about my faith with her.

Coming home in 2 weeks for spring break. I get to try on wedding dresses! Woohoo!!! :)

If You Want Me To

I have kind of come to the conclusion that just me and Jesus are going to have church together this year. Still haven't found a church to call home. But He's all I need, even though I miss some good fellowship like crazy a lot of days! I've been reading a little this morning, and I was listening to this radio station online. A song came on that I used to love, but I hadn't heard it in a long time. The words took on a whole new meaning and the tears started pouring. They weren't sad tears- they were those pure and cleansing tears when you know your heart is just crying out to Jesus and He is responding. I want to share the lyrics with you. It's called "If You Want Me To" by Ginny Owens.

The pathway is broken
And the signs are unclear
And I don't know the reasons why You brought me here
But just because You love me the way that You do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If You want me to

No I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise You're not through with me yet
so if all of these trials bring me closer to You
Then I will go through the fire
If You want me to

It may not be the way I would have chosen
When You lead me through a world that's not my home
But You never said it would be easy
You only said I'd never go alone

So When the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear You answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering Your love put You through
And I will go through the darkness If You want me to

When I cross over Jordan, I'm gonna sing, gonna shout
Gonna look into Your eyes and see You never let me down
So take me on the pathway that leads me home to You
And I will walk through the valley if You want me to

Interesting (and sometimes funny) moments

I can't sleep tonight. I don't know why. I feel like I drank a bunch of caffeine even thought I didn't. I've been laying in bed thinking of all the interesting experiences I've had in Honduras. Here are some of the ones I've been thinking of, in no particular order...

* It was Christmastime and I was talking with my kids about Jesus being the real present we get. One of my little boys immediately responded that he did not want Jesus as a gift. What do you say to that? :)

* Bodily fluids of 4 year olds. I've learned all about them. It was at the end of the day, and we were lining up to leave. One of my kids said the floor was wet. I look down and the little boy in front of him had peed all over the floor! Just stood there and peed. The bathroom was a few steps away. And it was A LOT of pee. Another time I had one projectile vomit chocolate milk all over the floor- 2 times- before I could get him to the bathroom. 2 of my girls were reading on the rug. They hopped up and ran over with their books to fan it. Absolute chaos. Sorry if that's too much info- I think I've become numb to it. I just put on my little gloves and get out the antibacterial cleaner and go to work!

* Sometimes when my kids need to go to the bathroom they say "yo quiero hacer..." (I want to make...). One of my little boys went through a spell where he told me just about every day "yo quiero hacer poo poo." That made me laugh. Then one day I went to the bathroom. This same boy followed me in and stood right outside the stall door. I could see his little feet on the floor. He asked me "que va a hacer?" (what are you going to make?) That really made me laugh! He wouldn't leave until I answered.

No more bodily fluid stories now, I promise.

* Last week we lost power and water in the whole school for a couple hours. 28 four year olds in a kind of dark and really hot classroom. That was a long day. I took a nap when I got home.

* I was in the shower the other morning and my shower head started smoking and shot sparks out of the top of it. I've never gotten out of the shower so fast in my life!!

* I was riding in a taxi one time and the back door flew open when we turned. Yikes. Then there was the time I was riding in a bus (an old school bus from the states- they use them all over the place here for public transportation). I looked down and there was hole all the way through. I could see the road. I was glad that I wasn't on that bus for long.

* I was home for a couple weeks over Christmas. I left my toilet seat up so mold wouldn't grow in it. I looked in it when I got back and there were all these tiny little black worm things swimming around. Again, I got out my disinfectant and went to work. Sometimes little green chunks also come out of the faucet. NEVER drink the water.

* We have pigeons that are always above the landing of our stairs at the volunteer house. They poop an incredible amount. It gets all over the landing of the stairs. It's a feat to get to the 2nd flight of stairs without stepping in it! And they still live in the roof. I wake every morning to their cooing and little feet running above my head.

* They have ice cream "trucks" here. It's a man on a bike with a big cooler attached to the front. He rides around ringing a bell every day. I started hearing that bell late at night and early in the morning. I knew the ice cream man wasn't selling ice cream at 5am. I recently discovered it's the security guy that I was hearing. The house across the street from ours has a security system. I don't mean the one where you punch in the code when you walk in the door. It's a man that rides around on a bike 24/7. When he rings his bell, it's his way of saying I checked your house!

* Ants are everywhere. In the food. Crawling on the walls. In my bed. When something itches on me I no longer just scratch it. I immediately look for the ant too.

* We have a washing machine here at the house. It's a little moody, and I usually have to switch it myself into the final spin cycle. Everyone did their laundry all day last Saturday, and it was working fine. I got up first thing Sunday morning and put my laundry in. I turned it on...no water. Maybe 2 drips. I fought with it. I crawled around the back- not that I knew what to look for. I finally gave up and filled a little trash can up a bunch of times to fill it to wash. Then I did it again to rinse. That was fun! I just kept saying, Jesus make me thankful for what we have. I could be washing my laundry by hand!! Turns out a lever had been switched off when someone was cleaning back there. Oops. But at least we have a washing machine. And a house to put it in. And power and water to make it run.

Ok, I think that's it for now. I know there are a lot more stories that I'm not thinking of right now. It's so funny to think back on them. Good times ;)