Wednesday, December 27, 2006
kaboom!
A short video from Christmas Eve/12:01 am Christmas morning. No comments on the Spanish, please.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
A Very Honduran Christmas
Well folks, Christmas in Honduras has come and gone and it has turned out to be a great experience. Being away from family and friends was hard, but not as hard as I thought. Thanks to everyone who sent me words of encouragment and prayers! Celebrating Christmas out of the norm was a great chance to reflect on what Christmas is really all about and to see it through the eyes of another culture.
This last week I spent a lot of time listening to the same Christmas songs over and over on my computer. The line from Silent Night about ¨mother and child¨struck me as I thought about how many of these humble mothers and children I know around the neighborhood. I feel like I get to know Jesus a little better each day when I get to know people who live like he lived: poor, persecuted, humble, immigrant, oppressed, and rejected. What do Jesus´words mean as I hear them, knowing more and more who He was? I think about the simple idea that I chose for my Christmas card ¨Rejoice! Rejoice! He is with us¨. His presence is true, something that seems mysterious to me as I see so much suffering around me. How does the harsh reality of Nueva Suyapa fit with the perfect and intimate presence of Jesus and his Kingdom? This is what I don´t see, but what I hope for.
This last week I spent a lot of time listening to the same Christmas songs over and over on my computer. The line from Silent Night about ¨mother and child¨struck me as I thought about how many of these humble mothers and children I know around the neighborhood. I feel like I get to know Jesus a little better each day when I get to know people who live like he lived: poor, persecuted, humble, immigrant, oppressed, and rejected. What do Jesus´words mean as I hear them, knowing more and more who He was? I think about the simple idea that I chose for my Christmas card ¨Rejoice! Rejoice! He is with us¨. His presence is true, something that seems mysterious to me as I see so much suffering around me. How does the harsh reality of Nueva Suyapa fit with the perfect and intimate presence of Jesus and his Kingdom? This is what I don´t see, but what I hope for.
Celebrating with Honduran friends at midnight
Gringo Christmas brunch on the 25th
Friday, December 22, 2006
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Friday, December 15, 2006
get the word out
"more than 2,000 security guards without labor rights"
"Lawyer of the Poor" murdered in Honduras; Associates Threatened
Dionisio Diaz's Death Marks the First Murder in Many Years of a Human Rights Advocate in Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa , Honduras , 13 December 2006. Honduras is in mourning. Last Monday (December 4) it lost a great ally in the struggle for social justice and a great defender of the poor: Dionisio Díaz García was shot to death in his pickup truck while driving to court by two masked gunmen on a motorcycle. The gunmen shot Díaz in the head and chest from close range. This murder was the first time in years that a human rights advocate has been murdered in Tegucigalpa.
Since early 2006 Díaz had served as the primary labor lawyer for the Association for a More Just Society's Labor Rights for Vulnerable Populations program, which had been running since 2004.
Contact US and Honduran Officials
Tell Friends, Family, and Media-BLOGGERS make your own post
Donate to Support Dionisio's Family and Work
Read More about the Workers Dionisio Represented
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
10 things
Ten things I love about living here in Honduras, in no particular order:
1. I can see an amazing sunrise and sunset from my house
2. my roomate Katie and I get along great and my house is feeling more and more like "home" each day
3. my team here is really great-a huge blessing
4. the list of people I can just drop in on and visit, feeling at home, is growing each day
5. Teguc is beautiful, in a big valley with great clouds every day
6. I have high speed internet at my office
7. with in walking distance of my house: my office, a place to buy diet coke, friends
8. speaking Spanish every day
9. Pupusas and home made tortillas
10. my work-I love spending time getting to know people, building relationships and planning for our upcoming small groups
Ten things that fall in the "challenge" category, in no particular order:
1. there was a fairly large snake outside my front door the other day
2. today there was an army of ants in my laundry hamper
3. there isn't much to do after dark, outside of the house if you don't have a car, which I don't
4. it is hard to haul out our trash and refill our 5 gallon water water bottles because we don't have a car
5. you have to walk up hill both ways when coming to and from our house, Nueva Suyapa is very hilly
6. I really like to be on time and efficient, and here time and efficiency are in a different world, but I'm adjusting
7. not being home for Christmas or Thanksgiving this year
8. lots and lots of mud when it rains
9. laundry takes a long time to dry and has to be hand washed
10. I don't like the salty cheese here, which seems to be served with just about every meal
1. I can see an amazing sunrise and sunset from my house
2. my roomate Katie and I get along great and my house is feeling more and more like "home" each day
3. my team here is really great-a huge blessing
4. the list of people I can just drop in on and visit, feeling at home, is growing each day
5. Teguc is beautiful, in a big valley with great clouds every day
6. I have high speed internet at my office
7. with in walking distance of my house: my office, a place to buy diet coke, friends
8. speaking Spanish every day
9. Pupusas and home made tortillas
10. my work-I love spending time getting to know people, building relationships and planning for our upcoming small groups
Ten things that fall in the "challenge" category, in no particular order:
1. there was a fairly large snake outside my front door the other day
2. today there was an army of ants in my laundry hamper
3. there isn't much to do after dark, outside of the house if you don't have a car, which I don't
4. it is hard to haul out our trash and refill our 5 gallon water water bottles because we don't have a car
5. you have to walk up hill both ways when coming to and from our house, Nueva Suyapa is very hilly
6. I really like to be on time and efficient, and here time and efficiency are in a different world, but I'm adjusting
7. not being home for Christmas or Thanksgiving this year
8. lots and lots of mud when it rains
9. laundry takes a long time to dry and has to be hand washed
10. I don't like the salty cheese here, which seems to be served with just about every meal
Just a few reasons why I love my job....
Last week, Honduras Puerta al Mundo (HPAM) hosted two youth missions forums. Over 200 youth from around the city attended. We had music and also a panel of Hondurans who have gone out as missionaries. The panel responded to questions from the moderator and the crowd. I was blown away by their answers as it became clear that God is really at work here....
What is missions? "missions is the duty of the church, not another ministry"
Why leave Honduras to be a missionary when there are so many needs here? "Honduras is not a mission field, but a missions force.... the spiritual needs of the unreached world are a priority for me"
How were you called to the trans-cultural mission field? What was the process like? "there were various moments in my life when I knew God was calling me.... God spoke to me through dreams and prayer times..... my pastor doubted me, I've been discouraged to be a missionary because our church doesn't send out missionaries...God spoke to me as I sought him in the midst of the tragedy of Hurricane Mitch here in Honduras..."
We also had the privilege to do a presentation about the agency and to have a visiting SP missionary who works in India share at a few different churches. One small church we visited here in Nueva Suyapa has been in existence for 20 years. Jen's presentation was the first time they had met a cross-cultural missionary who didn't work in Honduras. Our presentation about missions was the first time they had been asked as a church to be a part of missions, their first missions experience. Their response was overwhelming and so exciting... such a great thing to be a part of.
What is missions? "missions is the duty of the church, not another ministry"
Why leave Honduras to be a missionary when there are so many needs here? "Honduras is not a mission field, but a missions force.... the spiritual needs of the unreached world are a priority for me"
How were you called to the trans-cultural mission field? What was the process like? "there were various moments in my life when I knew God was calling me.... God spoke to me through dreams and prayer times..... my pastor doubted me, I've been discouraged to be a missionary because our church doesn't send out missionaries...God spoke to me as I sought him in the midst of the tragedy of Hurricane Mitch here in Honduras..."
We also had the privilege to do a presentation about the agency and to have a visiting SP missionary who works in India share at a few different churches. One small church we visited here in Nueva Suyapa has been in existence for 20 years. Jen's presentation was the first time they had met a cross-cultural missionary who didn't work in Honduras. Our presentation about missions was the first time they had been asked as a church to be a part of missions, their first missions experience. Their response was overwhelming and so exciting... such a great thing to be a part of.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
My new casa
View from the front of the house
View from the back (we have sort of a covered porch)
Bathroom, shower and closet
Front of the house
Kitchen and dinning room table
Living room, front door
Our bedroom (I´ll get a real bed soon!)
Friday, December 01, 2006
who would have thought
A great story....
So a couple of weeks ago, we found out that the missions agency I work with here in Honduras had been given a free space on a Christian radio station here in Teguc. We have every Thursday from 1-2:30 to talk about missions. The radio station plays 'alternative' style Christian music, hence the name "Alternativa 103". Their audience is youth and they play everything from contemporary praise music to Christian reggeaton (is that how it is spelled?)
We decided for this coming Thursday to have our visiting guest, Jen, share during the program. Jen is an SP missionary in India and they were excited to hear stories about her time on the field.
Little did I know. #1 I found out about half way through our time that I was the next person to be interviewed on the air. #2 We were being interviewed by "Icthus", the mascot of the station. Icthus is a fish and so he has to talk in a disguised voice like he is underwater. Not so easy for us non-native Spanish speakers participating in a separate room, listening through a speaker that is in yet another room.
Everything came out ok, and the time was less than we thought. Tune in next Thursday to hear more...
So a couple of weeks ago, we found out that the missions agency I work with here in Honduras had been given a free space on a Christian radio station here in Teguc. We have every Thursday from 1-2:30 to talk about missions. The radio station plays 'alternative' style Christian music, hence the name "Alternativa 103". Their audience is youth and they play everything from contemporary praise music to Christian reggeaton (is that how it is spelled?)
We decided for this coming Thursday to have our visiting guest, Jen, share during the program. Jen is an SP missionary in India and they were excited to hear stories about her time on the field.
Little did I know. #1 I found out about half way through our time that I was the next person to be interviewed on the air. #2 We were being interviewed by "Icthus", the mascot of the station. Icthus is a fish and so he has to talk in a disguised voice like he is underwater. Not so easy for us non-native Spanish speakers participating in a separate room, listening through a speaker that is in yet another room.
Everything came out ok, and the time was less than we thought. Tune in next Thursday to hear more...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)