Back in Helene

Good grief, I hadn't realized so much time had already slipped by!  We're into week three of being back in Helene.  It poured hard the first day or so, but since then it's been unseasonable hot, still and humid.  Very excited however that the weather seems to be hinting at a turn toward rain.  I would be grateful though if it held off just long enough for the construction team on my roof at this minute to finished sealing up the holes first.  I do, however, at present I have a mini-skylight.

There's a team of 6 here this week and next providing such needed assistance in maintaining our facility, as well as good community and laughs.  Most of them have been here multiple times over the years and have a heart to love and serve this island.  They are also learners, and as we share about crossing cultures, transformational community, and the missionary heart of God in sessions each morning, we are developing a curriculum that volunteers will engage with during their time with us.

The days are flying by with teacher training all afternoon everyday for the next two weeks.  Pray for these hardworking ladies who not only cook and clean and wash clothes by hand for their families with no modern appliances or prepared foods, but they also dedicate themselves to learning, teaching and completing a pretty intense training.  On top of that, some of them are also attending classes all day on Saturdays down-island to become certified teachers.

Thoughts on Missional Family

In a few weeks I'm returning to my home on a 5 square mile island. Over the past weeks I've enjoyed sharing in community and life with many friends and newly acquainted folks.  Community. Family. It's a topic Jesus has been teaching me some amazing stuff on throughout the year. At this time, three of us are going back to the island to join with just a handful of folks to live on mission in the place God has us. We've been praying for more staff.And then the Spirit totally spoke into my disordered perspective.  It's so easy to start to think we need more people because there's lots to do. (Don't get me wrong, there's loads to do). But at this point this little missional community needs more people in order to be what it was saved for. Jesus is saving us-together. He transform us -together. We demonstrate the gospel and his love as we do life - together. He sends us into mission -together.  Whether people within the physical location, or folks that move to join us, we need people so we can be a family together, disciple together, be sanctified together, demonstrate love together, live on mission together, see the kingdom break through...together.  It's changed how I pray: that our family would grow so others might see how amazing our Dad is.

Crab Hunting

Under a bright full moon on a breezy dark night we headed off to the shoreline with a group of children armed with flashlights and a big flour sack. Amid the washed up debris and mangrove trees, under abandoned buildings and an old dock, we were on a mission to hunt for crabs.  Imagine being 5 -7 years old and participating as a primary means of hunting crabs, fishing and diving for conch so your family might have enough to eat. With all the fun to be had, for these kids this wasn't just about a good time, but the possibility of good dinner the next day.   I wish I could describe in words so you could hear the voices of the children, their island dialect and cheering, their encouragement to one another and the slightly poetic grammatical flow of the island.  It's not easy for little hands to apprehend big carbs with giant pinching claws.  It's quite a clamorous event, but once the crab is contained and proudly dropped into the flour sack, little faces swell with pride and boast of how big that one was while others offer their congratulating agreement. 


It’s hard to believe, but we have reached that day where the 1 month countdown has begun.  Flights are booked out of Roatan on November 23rd.  It struck me as I sat on the wood deck with the kids before school playing UNO how much I am going to miss them, and it seems strange at this point to step away from Helene and in just a few hours return to a completely different place. Hair dryers come to mind.  And this is the longest I’ve ever gone without driving a car.  

Some afternoons a child will just ask to do Bible study with, desiring to just sit on the deck and read verses together.  Partnerships with churches in the US are leading to increased discipleship and pastoral training for leaders in the island. And more than ever I see how God has put his people in a body, put us together to be unified for His purpose of making his glory and kingdom known throughout the earth.   

English school is in the middle of finals this week.  We are waiting for the rainy season to begin any day now, and thankfully the clinic has slowed down after a few weeks of rampant illness throughout the island of varying diagnoses.  I was not exempt and found myself knocked off my feet for a few days, just when a team from my home church came into town.  Regardless, what a wonderful week it was, full of laughter, song and a little dancing.  The team hosted a singing contest which brought the largest turnout from all over the island than any event anyone could remember.  

As we wrap up in the coming weeks for a visit to family and friend, I am also making preparations and looking ahead.  I believe God is calling me to stay in Helene so my time in the states will be full of many things.  I ask you to pray with me and our team as we prepare for the transitions ahead and as we seek Jesus to show us his plans for the coming year, make a way for financial provision, and direct us in how HE desires to work in the island and in us.  Thank you for your prayers, partnership and support  as you share in the ministry here in Helene.  

Generator lessons

“Most people who become missionaries have an adventuresome streak in them, a fascination with the unknown, a readiness to undertake things they were not prepared to do. It’s good that they have, because very few missionaries know beforehand what they are actually getting into.  In one way, missionaries end up doing much less than they are trained to do; that is, they usually are not able to use all their technical skills in the countries to which they are sent. On the other hand, they frequently end up doing much more than they are trained to do, usually outside their own fields” (from Don’t Let the Goats Eat the Loquat Trees by missionary surgeon Thomas Hale who tells about serving Jesus in the rural mountains of Nepal in the 1970s.  Quote on pg 140 in case you want to read the book).    

Today was one of these days for me.  My freshman year of college I took two semesters of physics.  It was blast, but I have to admit I don’t remember a lot of the particulars, especially second semester, but I recall do recall that we did a unit on circuits and electricity and stuff. What’s my job title in Helene? I have none. It’s simply joining Jesus in whatever’s on his agenda for the day. Today it was working on the generator. Who’d of thought!  

There is no city water or electricity or anything of that sort in Helene.  We pump water from a well and run a series of generators so we can make clean drinking water, run the medical clinic and school and keep groceries cold in the sometimes 3-4 weeks between shopping trips on another island.  It’s also very nice on very hot and humid nights to have a fan.  We have been very blessed this year, and while the guys have put in countless hours to keep us up and running, overall, the generators haven’t been down too much.  There’s a big one and a smaller one.  The idea is to always have a backup. Yesterday both were down which is a bummer, but thankfully the main one was functioning by the end and so today the project was diagnosing the back-up one.  I really appreciated Larry’s reminder that we turn our hearts to the Lord and enjoy and glorify him in the midst of whatever we’re doing.  That even fixing generators can be a time of worshipping Jesus.  

I really don’t understand much of it, though I’m learning; something about needing to create a DC field on the output side so it would put out voltage...so we fabricated a 3 volt charger and went out to the generator house.  Larry had just been on the phone with a tech in the states who stressed connecting the fields correctly.  The right wires could save us from buying a new generator; the wrong ones and the thing is toast. At first we can’t even find a marking anywhere on the two wires coming out..then we find out that the wires are marked in Chinese!  Thanks for working internet connections and google!  Never would have thought that I’d been looking up Chinese translations while working on a generator in Honduras.  Oh the possibilities!  Well, it eventually got very dark and we are still trying to find out what else is wrong.  But since we did need power, it was time to turn on the other, main, generator (I refer to it as “the beast”).  

Now, giant engines that make awful noises and are full of combustible materials make me nervous.  At this point though Larry said he’d like me to start the beast.  I’m thinking flipping the switch like before. Oh no.  Basically the thing needs to be hot wired. He hands be an old oil-covered long screwdriver with a rubber handle and points to a little spot where a series of connectors and wires are in close proximity. Instructions: put the tip of the metal in a small hole-like space to make contact with the positive, then “intentionally”  tilt back the shaft of the screw driver till it makes contact with the other connection, being sure not to ouch the shaft of the screwdriver,....no one mentioned that sparks that would fly and the great ruckus that would follow.  It took two tries as I was caught a bit by surprise on the first go, but proud and relieved to say that the beast was up and running on try #2 and nothing blew up, or was zapped in the process. 

Well, more fun to be had, but once things were powered up for the night we settled in on the deck with the kids and laughed our way through a showing of Tangled before calling it a day.  Now all that’s left is a trip out to see the stars, rest in the provision and love of Jesus and say “good night”.

Children's Day in Jericho

Tomorrow is Quince here in Honduras (the equivalent of the 4th of July basically), thus the week has been full of all sorts of events and happenings to celebrate.  Last week on Flag day all the children on the island walked down to one end around dusk and when it was dark, sparkling lanterns of wood and colored cellophane were carried as drummers drummed and children sang, all the way down the path. It was charming and beautiful.  One of the big things that happens during Quince week is Children’s Day. The Spanish school celebrated on Tuesday this week, which meant no school on the English campus ,and since it was pouring down rain, we enjoyed the cool weather, a day off, and loads of homemade pizza.  

Our Children’s Day celebrations took place Thursday afternoon and what an event it was!  Piñatas (and you’ve never seen a piñata happen like it does here!), games, crafts, songs, food, legos, prizes, candy, loads of cake...and, if I may so, the best station, Bible story.  Now, don’t write me off just yet.  I don’t say that just because it sounds “good” or because I was in charge of this station.  Let’s just say that we had a very special visitor come to share our story with us as we were transported back to the wilderness and invited into Joshua’s tent as he told us of the God who saves and how God gave the people the city of Jericho, not by swords but by His own work.  So the particulars?  I used some liquid adhesive from the medical clinic usually used for steri-strips with sutures to glue on a felt mustache and beard.  Then kinder room was transformed with a Bedouin tent complete with these awesome rugs that totally looked like they came right off the caravan.  I think God delighted at least as much, if not more, in the whole ordeal, even down to the details of the rugs sitting in the corner right when I needed them. The 1st grade room became Jericho with a pulley system of sorts that when pulled knocked over all the cardboard stones on the top of the walls (i.e overturned tower of desks).  The absolute best group of kids were the 3-5 year olds. They were so into it.  We were in Joshua’s tent for all we knew - they were 100% absorbed. It’s a story I know. I could tell it. But living through it with the kids in that tent this week God truly brought out so much of his determination to love and save his people.  That he continues to do so and that he is so good and powerful.  The kids loved it.  The teachers loved it.  And the theatrics of the whole thing just made me giddy. There’s still a few kids who have no idea who the stranger was :-)

Soccer games and sign language

The afternoon was slipping toward evening as we took a walk on a path by the sea, still rough from the thunder storm last night.  Turning off to go through a small cluster of homes, we had just finished over at the soccer field watching the ladies’ community team in a match.  I heard a squeal and turned to see the biggest smile and an adorable two year old rushing toward me with arms out-stretched before I caught him up and tossed him in the air, ending with a big hug.  I was dropping off some antibiotics.  In form with the way of life here there are fewer degrees of separation between tasks, time and roles, so while out recreating with friends it is perfectly normal to also make medical house calls as needed. He’s had a pretty solid chest cold.  But what a miracle that little boy is!  Two weeks ago he was resuscitated after being found drowned in the ocean and by all accounts it is the merciful hand of Jesus that spared him.  

About a month ago I was reacquainted with the family and learned that this little guy is deaf.  Yesterday we had our first “session” of sign together.  Bubbles, picture books and about 7 neighbor kids all scrambling to get him to sign “more” so I’d launch another puff of sticky bubbles.  He will have more teachers than he will know what to do with.  Excited to see Jesus work in this.  Praying about how to connect the other deaf individuals here together and to the community for as of yet they do not have the same involvement and belonging as their peers.  

A walk in the park

School is underway.  I got to help the 4th graders with long division today. Getting to pull out of class with Ms. Brittany has more to do with with the attention than with the math, and I love it!  Plus it gives the teachers in the classes fewer students so they too can pour more love and attention into each individual kid.  The 5th and 6th grade boys brought their machete's to school today.  Nothing's wrong. In fact, it's a great thing!  A community effort is under way to clear out the bush and jungle on the land next to the clinic for a small soccer field and park. So the kids got a free day from uniforms and are getting out of class an hour early to be part of the project.  And they are stoked!  Last night a group of boys and some ladies from the community, in a matter of hours, cleared a huge track of the land in impressive style.  We are all looking forward to watching the kids play in the park.  (I will admit I am not used to watching our rambunctious 11 year olds swing 2 foot blades, whacking away at everything in sight, and I hope not to have to open the clinic today.  We go on in hope!)  Here's to the fun!