I'm pretty sure this isn't right

Why doesn't my cheesecake look like the one in the picture? It was poofing out of the pan and a little brown on top, but it actually settled down and we tried it this morning... delicious!

3rd Christmas in Honduras

This is my third Christmas in Honduras, and my third time to get a nasty cold at Christmas. We have basically been on vacation since the 19th. We went to Ajuterique to visit our friends Anibal and Yadira and their two kids. We hung out at their house and visited Anibal's dad's tomato farm. We have mostly been at the house or visiting with friends and family. On the 24th we went to the soccer field here in Santa Lucia and I had a soccer lesson. On the 25th Guillermo took some boys from Los Pinos/church youth group, up to El Hatillo to play soccer. Here are some highlights:

Los jovenes on the 25th

Learning how to shoot

Already a pro!


Fun times in Ajuterique

At the tomatera

Beautiful!

vacation here we come!

Well, we are ready for some rest. It has been a busy couple weeks and weekends. Between Christmas parties and closing out the books for the year and a new project with an organization called Institute for Orphan Advocacy, our plates have been full.

This weekend we have the Christmas service at church on Saturday night and on Sunday we are off to visit some friends in Ajuterique (sp? it is near Comayagua). After that, we will just be resting, in the house and hanging out with family and friends on the 24th. We are hoping to go to Olancho on the 1st.

Sunday afternoon in Honduras

i will participate

I think this is a great. Count us in: http://www.adventconspiracy.org/

la H

morning commute

what's new?

What is new with the Jiménez house? Not a whole lot. Last week was a nice week because Guillermo didn't have any trips for work. I had a nice week too, with lots of variety. The first part of the week, I hosted Bryan, who was stopping in to check out Servant Partners on his way from Peru to Pennsylvania.

Guillermo had a soccer game, which he won! He is back in shape after being knocked out by a nasty flu-like bug a couple weekends ago.




Friday night was a fun night out! We had a meeting for our small group from church around 7:30. We went to the mall after work, before the meeting and ate ice cream cones and Guillermo bought some new shoes for work. We ran into a few friends and printed some pictures for the wedding album and a portfolio I am working on. We had a great time at small group, eating enchiladas and talking about funny political spoofs (for the US and Honduras) and also all of the many Caliche (Honduran slang) words and gestures. It was almost 11 before we left for home with eyes wet and bellies aching from so much laughing.


This weekend, we were at church a lot. We are joining the leadership team for the youth group. There is going to be a 3 day youth camp in February, for which there was a planning meeting on Saturday. Following was a community movie night at the church, complete with popcorn and a chorizo cook-out.

Sunday was church and then a meeting for CCUH, the Honduran chapter of IFES (Intervarsity). Guillermo was elected to be a member of the board for this coming year, which was special since his dad was very insturmental in founding CCUH in Honduras. We also had dinner with our friends José and Karla and their two girls, lots of fun!

it finally hit me

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the colour of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome". Yes we can." Excerpts from Obama's victory speech

I became a little emotional reading this and looking at pictures from election day on the internet. I know that the role of race in this election has been debated, but today I feel up for celebrating.

I am currently blogging to you from Los Pinos, Tegucigalpa, Honduras: a slum community where hunger, violence and miserable living conditions are a reality for thousands of families. In my 2 years of living in Honduras, I have asked myself, how can things change... can things change? Sometimes the poverty, corruption and injustice seem overwhelming and overwhelmingly complex. I have been re-reading a book called The Allure of Hope by Jan Meyers. It talks about how we respond to brokennes and stolen dreams:

"..the option of hopefull remembrance and vision. Frederick Buechner says, 'The world can be kind, and it can be cruel. It can be beautiful and it can be appalling. It can give us good reason to hope and good reason to give up all hope. It can strengthen our faith in a loving God, and it can decimate our faith.' .... Choosing to respond to hope requires courage, vision, and patience."

"Perspective is a keyword in our society.... A new point of view that produces change when our hearts are swept away in disappointment and we are looking for some moorings? In many ways, yes. But perspective settles for a little glory. God does not have perspective about our transformation, He SEES it. Perspective shifts the puzzle pieces of our circumstances around until we feel better about the picture; vision sees what the puzzle was meant to be. Perspective helps us cope, but coping is so much less than what our lives were made for. I can't imagine Jesus looking around at His twelve friends at the Last Supper and saying, 'You can have the peace I leave with you if you work really hard at keeping a good perspective on things.' No, He invites them to see differently, to see beyond. He says, 'My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.' (Jn 14:27). Jesus tells us there is something different that we haven't seen yet-what we need are new eyes. Perspective must flow from a vision for more, for what we haven't yet seen... Buechner puts it this way: 'It is in Jesus, of course, and in the people whose lives have been deeply touched by Jesus, and in ourselves at those moments when we also are deeply touched by him, that we see another way of being human in this world, which is the way of wholeness.' This is what my heroes have done for me. When our stolen dreams are the only ones in front of our eyes, there is no choice for us but to lose heart. When our vision is expanded to include prostitutes turned tender, crusty women turned luminous, lonely women turned lavish, we find that our dreams matter to God."

This books is written more for women's personal lives, but I would continue her train of thought to include the stolen dreams of communities. It is in Jesus that we see a way of wholeness in the community, a shalom community made reality. When our stolen dreams are the only ones in front of our eyes, we lose heart, become cynical, bitter and fearful. When our vision is expanded to include broken communities made whole (Nehemiah), spiritual communities gone astray and then returned to God (Israel), corrupt leaders turned to justice (Zacheus) and enemies become family (Jews and Gentiles, Paul)- we find that our dreams matter to God. We find that hope is the right response to the stolen dreams of the community. Today I find encouragement and my hope for Honduras is renewed as my vision is included to see a nation that once outlawed African-Americans and women to vote, turn out in record numbers to elect an African-American president.

breakfast

I have been making a few adjustments to my schedule and office situation, one of which includes having a desk at our church, Iglesia en Transformacion. It has been a great place to work from and gives me a lot of flexibility when I need to stay late or come in early when Guillermo's schedule fluctuates. The church has started some outreach to the local community of Los Pinos, which is a slum, much like Nueva Suyapa.

On weekday mornings, they do a breakfast program for kids. 20-40 kids and youth arrive each morning for a bowl of cereal, some fruit and juice. They hang out around the church, playing soccer, ping pong, reading books or using the computers for homework or games. I am new to the scene, but on Tuesday I played ping-pong with a boy who I recognized as maybe being new.


Yesterday morning, I ran by the office to print something before a meeting. On my way out, I drove by a dumpster that is a few blocks below the church. I did a double take when I saw the same boy, waist high, going through the trash with his bare hands. What a stark contrast! I don't know what this boy was looking for- maybe food. It is sobering to know that something as simple as a breakfast program is the difference between a healthy breakfast and the dumpster. God does have compassion for those who are most vulnerable and He is asking us to be his hands.

solidaridad = solidarity

Honduras is experiencing an emergency as heavy rains over the last week or so have caused flooding and landslides all over the country. Currently, we have not been affected, minus a power outage for most of yesterday.

Here is where the numbers stand today (from Copeco)

Affected 192, 506
Evacuated 37,397
Staying in shelters 19,863
Affected communities 473
Damaged homes 4, 379
Destroyed homes 337
Damaged roads 157
Destroyed roads 7

Most of this was caused by Tropical Depression 16, but now they are warning of at least a few more days of heavy rains as Tropical Depression 17 rolls in. Here are also a few images from El Heraldo:

We have already managed some funds to make a donation of non-perishable food through one of the networks that is getting supplies to flood victims. If you would like to offer immediate help to those in need, you can contact me about the amount of your donation and I can buy more food and take it to a center that is distributing supplies.

Wednesday night

Guillermo is off on another trip for work = our first time being separated since we got married (boo hoo, I know) = I've gotten caught up on several projects and am going to watch a movie in a little bit

Tropical storm 16 is passing through Honduras = lots of rain and it is chilly = laundry takes ages to dry = Guillermo didn't have any dry pants this morning to wear to pack for his trip = I used the hair dryer and the fan to make it happen

We don't have a TV = I can't watch Honduras play Jamaica right now in an important World Cup qualifying game = I used Guillermo's ESPNDeportes link to find the score (losing 1-0 right now) = clearly someone is rubbing off on me

The other day a bat came into the house while Guillermo was reading on the couch = I come home and find "how to i get rid of a bat" as the latest search on Google = Guillermo is a resourceful husband

At the time of this post, the bat has not returned = I am very thankful

Copan

The last part of our trip was to Copan, mostly work but some play. Anibal (Guillermo's supervisor) and his wife Yadira, picked us up in Yamaranguila and we drove through Gracias, Lempira all the way to Copan Ruinas. Saturday morning Guillermo and Anibal went to a VM event called a cabildo (a sort of mock-government made of children and youth). Yadira and I slept in, took in a lazy breakfast and stoppped by the event. In the afternoon, we got to go to the Copan ruins, which was a first for me. They were beautiful, especially since it was a green time of year. We had a little time to rest before the big game: Honduras vs. Canada. Honduras won with 3 golazos!!! On Sunday we drove back to the city. Here are all the pictures from our trip.

At the ruins, we found a spot that we recognized:

second home stay

After a night at a hotel in La Esperanza, we journeyed to another community called Los Mangos. We made a short stop in Yamaranguila to visit a World Vision office. The community of Los Mangos was much different that Los Planes. It was smaller and culturally had less traditional Lenca culture. We were greeted once again by the Community Develpment Board, who was led by a sharp young woman named Pati. We walked accross the soccer field to the school house, where we had a short introduction to the community. We got to visit with young students, board members and families. Guillermo took advantage to play futbol with some of the kids and I mingled and took pictures.

Looking at the community's plan with the board

After that, we took the long walk through the woods to the home of our new host family. I wish I had been more prepared for a homestay because we ended up having to have several people help us carry our bags. Our host family, Don Fidel, Doña Lidia and their children have a cozy home on the side of a beautiful valley. They have some fish ponds and a sell plants among other projects. We enjoyed great meals and lots of time to chat with them when we weren't out in the community with the members of the Board.

Our host family

In the morning, we were showered and ate breakfast by 6:30 in order to take all of our luggage to a spot a ways down the road, before the entrance to the community. After walking about 45 minutes, we arrived to where a big truck was waiting and many people were gathered. This morning there was to be a regional prayer meeting, an annual gathering of families who are part of World Vision projects in the area. Along with around 600 others, we journeyed to a meeting center. Guillermo and I got to ride in the back of the truck, which was an adventure. The prayer meeting was many things, including a Catholic mass, singing, sharing, a raffle and a lunch.

back in time

I'm blogging from our dry and warm hotel room in La Esperanza. We have been having a great trip so far. Yesterday we drove from Tegucigalpa through La Esperanza to Los Planes del Rio Grande, a small community of 130 families. After we left the main highway in Siguatepeque, the scenery became more and more beautiful and the climate became more and more cool as we drove up into the mountains. We were not sure what to expect of our trip. We knew we would get to meet people, see projects and possibly stay in a community. I'm learning that this is a very standard flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of trip in Honduras.

We were greeted at the Catholic church by the "Junta"- the Community Development Board of Los Planes. They took us on a short walk to a school/tutoring project they had recently managed to put into place. I immediately began to feel that I was in another culture, even though we were still in Honduras. The faces of the people have strong indigenous traits. Most of the women wear very bright colored dresses and skirts and some head scarves.

On the walk up to the school, all of the women (except for me) walked about 50 ft behind the men. The accent is slightly different and I've noticed they had a distinct way of talking both while they breathed air in and breathed out. As the fog and darkness crept in around us, we heard many of the members share about their experiences of working for the community. With the help of World Vision, the Comm Dev Board has worked to do a diagnosis of the community and to also make a development plan for the community. They now have a kinder, school and this special high school. They also have helped many families better their homes (replacing grass and wood huts with brick walls and solid ceilings). They have put a few economic development tools into place as well. It was very inspiring to hear the vision they had for their community and for the next generation.

With some members of the Board

After this short meeting, we walked down to a home where we had dinner with a couple of the staff of World Vision and some from the board. It had started to rain, so the walk down the trail and accross the cow field was a bit of an adventure. We dined in the glow of candlelight and flames from the wood stove (ie: a wood burning stove in the corner of the kitchen used for cooking). We drank a sweet coffee and a kind of sweet atol (sort of like thick corn pudding) and ate beans, fat little tortillas, quajada cheese, fried eggs and potatoes. We walked back to the house where we would be staying and settled our bags. A few men from the Board came to continue talking with Guillermo and to show him the diagnonsis and plan they had made. It seemed sooo late! Besides being tired, my mind was playing tricks on me because it got very dark around 6:30. There is no electricity in Los Planes, so the pace of life is different. Around 9 pm, we went to bed. Did I mention it was cold? I was wearing a fleece I usually use in Colorado in the fall and winter. There was so much fog, it was hard to see across from the house to the bathroom. We snuggled into our single-size bed, which was fine because we were freezing. The rain on the clay-tile roof was a nice sound to go to sleep to.

The shower experience

In the morning, we woke up and then we woke up some more when we took a cold shower outside under the sprinkling rain. It wasn't as bad as you think, and it was kind of funny because the shower was obviously not made for people of our height! We walked back to the same house for breakfast, which was chicken and vegetable soup and milk with cinnamon. Our food experience here is not one you find many places in the world. Almost everything is grown locally: vegetables from the garden, corn from the field for tortillas and atol, beans, chickens, milk and cheese from local cows,. We took a few pictures with the women from the board who were with us that morning and who made our meals. They took us on a walking tour of the community where we met individual families. Later in the morning we came back to La Esperanza and met more World Vision staff from the region and ate lunch. Tomorrow we are heading up to Yamaranguila where we will also stay with a family... more adventures to come!

On the road

This week I get to accompany Guillermo on a trip for his work. He has started working for World Vision in the area of development strategy. We are going to visit three Area Development Programs in Western Honduras as part of his induction process. World Vision has 30 of these Area Development Programs in the country. We will spend most of the week in the department of Intibuca. We will be in the towns of La Esperanza, Yamaranguila and Intibuca. Then we will spend a night in Gracias, in the department of Lempira. Lastly, we will be staying in Copan Ruinas in Copan. I'll get to see the ruins while Guillermo works, a first for me, even though I have been through there several times. You can see our route on the map below. We will come back to Tegucigalpa through San Pedro Sula, instead of the way we came. I am looking forward to a great week! We will be in some of Honduras's most mountainous areas as well as some of its poorest rural areas. You can bet I will be taking lots of pictures!

sign of the times

A quick translation of parts of an article from Monday's El Heraldo, a Honduran newspaper.

Cost of life increases 6, 492 Lempiras
*L. 6,492 = $343.67 The price of the basic food basket has increased by 2,068 Lempiras in 28 months
*L. 2,068 = $109.48

"Living in Honduras becomes more expensive everyday. The cost of basic, vital necessities has seen an accelerated growth in the last 28 months. According to data from the Secretary of Labor and the Central Bank of Honduras, the cost of life for a month for a family of 5 has gone from L. 12,763.80 ($675.70) (January of 2006) to L.19,256.15 ($1,019.38) (August of 2008). This is an increase of L. 6,492.35 ($343.70) or 50.86%.

The price of the basic food basket (the food needed to feed a family of 5 for a month) has inceased as well. Over a span of 28 months, it has increased by $109.48. The National Institute of Statistics estimates that in Honduras there are more than 500,000 people living at less than minimum wage (L. 3,430 or $181.57 a month). That means the entire salary of a minimum wage worker covers only 56% of the cost of the basic food basket."


Desparate, suffering, survival.... words that come to mind. Praying for Honduras and for our world. Below is are some pieces I did to talk about the theme of basic needs and loving the least.

I am...

I was inspired to write an I Am poem, something I learned in my children's literature class, as a way of sharing about our new life in Santa Lucia. Enjoy

I am by Anna de Jiménez
I am the last little green house at the end of the road,
I am coffee and plantains and tortillas,
I am planning menus and learning to make beans.
I am using our new washing machine and hanging laundry on the covered porch with a view.
I am the sound of school children across the street, practicing for a parade.
I am Skype calls to home.
I am washing dishes, ironing, baking and cleaning.
I am foggy mornings, quiet nights and green gardens.
I am the constant fan in the bedroom, keeping the closet from getting moldy.
I am birds of paradise, guayabas and limes.
I am tile floors, hammocks and a little plastic dinning table for two.
I am quiet times in the red chair on the porch.
I am commuting a two hour, three bus adventure to the office.
I am Santa Lucia, cobblestone streets, the little Catholic church and friendly neighbors.
I am away from the aggressiveness of the city, the traffic and the noise.
I am away from my dear neighbors, old friends and family.
I am learning to be a wife, I am new habits and a new family.
I am a new church, a small group and friends.
I am walks to the soccer field, playing, frisbee and futbol.
I am Honduras, Colorado, Nueva Suyapa, Allenspark, Boulder, and Santa Lucia.
I am Strom and I am de Jiménez.
I am speaking Spanish, Spanglish and English.
I am hurting for Honduras, violence and desperation.
I am trust, peace, joy and hope.

The Married Life

Well, to break our internet silence, here is a quick update:

1. We passed the one-month of being married mark! Yipee!
2. Guillermo officially starts work at World Vision today (I'm working from home today, still need to do dishes from an early-morning-happy-first-day-of-work-breakfast).
3. We live in Santa Lucia, a quaint pueblo 11 km outside of the city.
4. I still have the same job with Servant Partners, I work some from home and some at my office in Nueva Suyapa.

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!