A few photos....

Just a few for now, more coming from the official photographer soon.

Mrs. Jimènez

We tied the knot!

Pictures coming soon!

first big day

Not the big day, but our reception for Colorado friends and family. Thanks to all who came and celebrated with us!

what a catch!

Congratulations Guillermo on finishing your MA in International Economic Development at Eastern University! I am so proud! I wish I could have been there for this commissioning ceremony. Te amo!

one accident, many repercussions

Just a week ago, a full-size, international traveling airplane crashed at the airport in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. It was a TACA plane (out of El Salvador), which I have traveled on. A combination of bad weather, a short runway, faulty technology and a pilot's error led to the plane landing halfway down the runway and shooting out into a crowded street. Five died and more than 65 were injured.

If you live in or have ever flown into the Toncontin airport, you are not really surprised that this happened. It is one of the most dangerous airports in the world, for all of the reasons listed above. In fact, my flight to leave for the States in April was delayed by a day because of low visibility and therefore, no safe take off.

This is surely a tragic accident. It was a traumatic event not only for the individuals on the plane and their families, but also for the entire city. The heaping wreckage of the plane still occupies the crash site in the middle of a busy section of town. What continues to be tragic is the repercussions that this accident has had.

Immediately after the accident, the airport was shut down. Then, it was decided that only smaller planes, 42 passengers or less, would be allowed to fly in and out. One idea was to ready an airstrip about 60 minutes away to become an international airport. This airstrip is part of Palmerola, a Honduran owned, US government rented and controlled air force base. It would take 60 days to get this site ready, and now there are doubts about whether this is an option (by the US side). The other international airport in Honduras is in San Pedro Sula, 4 hours to the north. San Pedro is a large city, the industrial center of the country. Currently all commercial flights are going in and out of San Pedro.

The question is... what will become of the Toncontin airport? Obviously, it needs some fix ups to be able to be a safe airport. If it were shut down and the international airport be moved to Palmerola or San Pedro, the economic repercussions on the city could be disastrous. Already, only one week after the accident, Teguz hotels are reporting 50% vacancy. International organizations have moved their events and travel through El Salvador and Guatemala. According to CCIT, a commerce and industry reporting group, there is an estimated a loss of 400 million Lempiras in the hotel, tourism, food and car rental sectors. (More than $21 millionUSD). The loss of an international airport would mean a loss of many things, including jobs, businesses, and tourism. (Source: El Heraldo)

On another sad note, Honduras was listed by the UN as a country most vulnerable to a world food shortage. Vulnerable. That is what word comes to mind. Pray for the government of Honduras to make a wise decision about the future international airport.

visitor

He was on the porch while we were eating dinner, not shy at all!

Happy Graduation Becca

My youngest sister, Becca, graduated from high school this weekend. My parents will officially be empty nesters in August. Here are some family pics from the festivities...

Extended family

The Strom 6

The Strom Girls
(Rachel, Becca, Sarah, me)

enjoying vacation

I've been in the States for a couple weeks, most of that has been vacation time. Here are a few things I have enjoyed:

being with my family and Guillermo
Colorado mountains (even though it is cold, it was nice to see pretty spring snow)
running water
using the dishwasher
driving
Mexican food
wearing my engagement ring everyday
Target
going for walks around camp
getting to see Guillermo everyday for 2 weeks (real dates, not Skype dates)
biking at Bartlett Wash and Slickrock in Moab
hiking in Arches
taking lots of desert pics in Moab
lazy vacation days-sleeping in, seeing IronMan in the theater, staying up late
road tripping
starting to see friends

brrrrr

Yes, I'm in Colorado! I left Honduras in the middle of the hottest time of the year and this is what I woke up to in the morning...

Looks like 20 degrees

So much for spring bbq's

count down

I'm headed home, I can't wait! I'll be in Colorado for 2 months!


Days until I'm in Colorado: 5.5
Days until Guillermo arrives in Colorado for a visit: 9.5
Days until we are getting married: 109

introducing...

Alabaster Photography

water update

For those of you asking, the water came on the day after the "dry" post. I am not sure, but there have been rumors that it could be like this for a while: water rationing. We'll see. Thanks for your interest, support and prayers.

Anna

girls night at the cancha

I scored one goal! My Bible study group at the new futbolito cancha, plus some other girls from our church, lots of fun!

dry

parched
dirty
dry
dusty
soiled
thirsty

waiting

As I mentioned in an early blog, the water only comes every so often to where I live. Talking more with a neighbor, I found out that the water is actually supposed to come every 10 days. Today is day 18 and no water-maybe tomorrow. I have a bucket with about 4 gallons left, that's it. Most of my neighbors, families of 5, 10 or more, have been with out for at least 5 days. Myself and others with larger pilas have shared what we have. Some have gone down the hill to a distant tank to carry what they can back to their houses. There are water trucks that you can pay to bring water to your house. One arrived the other day but was already empty. Even so, at L. 500 ($25) a truck, most families can not afford to spend multiple day's wages on extra water. Minimum daily wage is around L. 120 ($6).

Every day I find myself thinking and having conversations about when the water will come- neighbors speculating with one another, talking about how much they have left and remarking that such is this season (hot and dry). My ears are alert to the sound of running water, waiting for that first outburst from the faucet that will signify that the day has finally come! My body also craves a luxurious bath- using a full bucket instead of a half, using shampoo and conditioner, using water that is clean instead of the lasts of the water, full of little black specs, shaving my legs. I want to clean my house and wash my dishes, I want to mop away the dust and wash my sheets. I drink bottled water, so I don't have to go thirsty as some of my neighbors probably are.

All of this waiting and craving water has gotten me thinking. It is an interesting balance we live in... days of suffering, wondering when there will be relief, but in the end, the water always comes. Kind of like how we pass through times of waiting and suffering, but in the end, God is always faithful. I also think about the stark differences between the physical realities and the spiritual realities of the poor. Day in and day out, they live in need. They lack for basics, like water. Some lack because of the oppression and injustice of others (our is not the same situation as other neighborhoods in the city) and some lack because of their own poor choices. But at the same time, the Living Water- the Spirit of God, the Love of God and a full life in Jesus is constantly and over flowingly available.

Is that what it means when it says "blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom"? Blessed are they because they understand God's riches and the realities of a just and right Kingdom. Blessed are those who are able to understand and appreciate this Righteous and Abundant Kingdom because on a daily basis they experience the difference between a spring of Living Water and a dry pila that has been empty for 5 days.

I can't help but think of Jesus and the woman at the well in John 4. Her reality was coming to the well for water at the hottest and most lonely time of day. She was an outcast. She had needs that weren't always met. She knew suffering. Jesus engaged her in a conversation that connected her reality to the reality of the Kingdom. I was trying to imagine what Jesus would say to my neighbors if he lived on my street. How would he use a conversation about "when will the water come?" to share the Good News about His Kingdom?

I feel like I have personally been on kind of a water fast. Sure, I've been drinking what I need to and keeping clean at a minimal level, but I'm also starting to want more. When we fast from something physical, we are reminded of what our needs really are and how God is present in any circumstance, whether we are in need or have abundance. I've also been waiting. I'm doing a lot of waiting in my life and this has been a good reminder that God is faithful.

The water will come.

pancakes

Pancake breakfast with my neighbors! We had a fun morning. Pancakes were followed by reading books and mickey mouse bingo.

thanks louie!

Some fun pictures from our friend Louie! Louie is Guillermo's old house mate and he visited Honduras in December. He is a great photographer and will be a groomsman in our weddding in August.

Walking in La Tigra National Park

Louie enjoys a Honduran tamal

At Tacos Tado, one of our favorite places to eat

Waiting for a taxi in el centro

the whole story

We have a wedding webpage where you can check out the story of our engagement and read wedding details, as they unfold.

surprise!

On Monday, I was picking up a suspicious visitor from the airport. I was doing a favor for my boyfriend, picking up his old coach who suposedly in Honduras doing some recruiting. I already had my suspicions, but I did not know what was really happening until my visitor arrived. I was a nervously and anxiously waiting in the crowd at Toncontin and to my relief, my boyfriend, Guillermo Mario walked out of the baggage area! Later, on a walk near his house, he surprised me again with a beautiful ring. I feel so blessed, so happy and excited!

...((O))...

I just like this photo, so I wanted to highlight it.



Thanks, Anna

H2O

Did you know that water only comes on every 13-18 days in my community? When the water turns on (for a few hours) we fill up what we can, hoping to store away as much as possible. What do we use to store water? Most families have a pila, a big open concrete trough. Some pilas are big, some are little, some leak. I have a good sized pila that is more than enough, since I am only one and my house doesn´t have a shower or a flushing toilet. My pila also gets filled up by a pipe that collects the rain from the roof, so I always have enough to share. Some families don´t have adequate water storage, so they improvise and use buckets, or used soda bottles, as pictured above. Think about this frequent occurrence in my neighborhood: a family of 6 has just finished up the water in their pila, so now they must empty these bottles as they wash clothes, bathe, wash dishes and clean. When this water is used up, they anxiously await the arrival of the water. The schedule is not fixed, so you could end up with a day or two of no water-no baths, no clean clothes, no washed dishes, no water to drink or use to cook with.