Stepping Aside

Eight of my eleven seniors - people who are one semester away from being high school graduates.

This blog is suffering from neglect caused by a new focus I have lately.

These days, I am pushing myself to get out in the community more every day in order to further my language goal more consistently and responsibly. And that junk hurts!

A friend who knows about this whole moving abroad and not knowing the language thing has compared the experience to being like an infant again, but as an adult suddenly unable to express thoughts or understand incoming speech. The same friend used the word "humiliation" to describe part of how the experience feels.

He definitely gets it.

Anyway, more time in the town - followed by time spent journaling my experiences completely in Spanish - will steal the attention that would otherwise be focused here. For now at least.

Relationship Status

Reminded me of me and the years of my life that are passing in Honduras.

The Man Who Has It All

The life I'm living in Honduras is just a continuation of a pattern that goes like this:
I get something in my head that I'd really love to do...then I somehow end up getting to try it.

That's something I am thankful for this holiday weekend.

Land That I Love

Feels unusual the degree to which I'm thinking about/missing home lately. If nothing else, I know it means I'm due for a trip back.

Perfect that the holidays are just around the corner.

It's all up to you

A few of my girls from 6th grade.

Whoever it was that said this in my hearing forever ago probably didn't know it would wind up changing my life:

Attitude is a choice.

Wordsmith

When you're reading a writer so good with language that you struggle to stop even though you know your pizza is getting cold...

Even in Spanish, a wordsmith is a wordsmith.

Yummy For The Tummy

Living down here means sometimes disregarding reservations you feel inside
and eating a food dish that days later makes you look up and remark to yourself,
"Hm - I never got sick from that food. Very cool."

A plate like this one wouldn't cause any reservations. I'd pound it down without hesitating!

Funny The Things You Miss

Small town Alabama was the site of my birth and my formative years. I still have a country boy heart, even though I grew up mostly in the suburbs.

Lately, I've been noticing that when I'm here in Central America, I miss the way some of us small town southerners speak.

With the bilingual Honduran teenagers and adults I speak English with, I tend to keep my speech pretty proper. But the absence of people who are fluent in the "country grammar" that is home for me is something I sometimes feel.

Did you know Honduras is mentioned among the countries most famous for making cigars?

It's Yours

One of the directors at my school also owns a fun little local cafe.

"Do you want to come work with me? The position is...
You'd be great. Will be a quick hiring, and I have lots of say in the position."

My old friend sent that note to me today from the midwestern U.S.

It's my 2nd time in two years to receive that type of message, and I can't help feeling excitement at the thought of making a big change and trying something new.

But I can't imagine abandoning my commitment to finish an academic year that's already set.

Also, I believe it's not time for me to be done with Central America just yet.

Wasn't Me

I came to this country two years ago thinking it was because for years, I dreamed of something like this.

Today, I have a different opinion;
I believe God actually struck the desire in my heart...the desire for the Spanish language, to be able to understand it and move comfortably in it.

We're Not As Big

Thought from today in Honduras:

These kids will put you to shame.

They seem so much bigger on the inside than those of us from back where I'm from.

Seinfeld List

One comedian made an interesting remark about Jerry Seinfeld.

If I remember correctly, the comment was that Seinfeld keeps a paper calendar strategically placed where he can see it every day, and the calendar has nothing on it but X's drawn by Jerry. When asked about it, Seinfeld explained that it's a work calendar; he, like other writers, has a goal of getting some writing done every single day.

He went on to explain, "My job is not to write great jokes -- my job is to keep that line of X's from breaking."

I liked that. In fact, I decided to start the same habit for a short list of important things I want to be doing daily. That's the reason I printed out a blank calendar so that next Monday can be day number one for creating a line of X's that I keep in tact and unbroken.

Free Money

Found 5 Honduran dollars on the floor beneath my feet in the taxi this morning, and I'm thankful!

Bright Side Of A Gloomy Season

Weather here is starting to turn...

I'm the type of person that can get cold easily. That's been part of the beauty of living in a tropical climate where the temperature is around 80 degrees most days.

But my new town is not as hot as the last one, and I think the cold weather portion of the year will be colder here. I may have to endure a couple months of things like freezing hands and feet and gray sky days that do not support my plant-like need for sunshine.

But today I found myself making a mental list of some positives...things that will help get me through the gloomy season:

1) Drinking hot beverages raises my body temperature and thaws me out. This helps a bunch, even if the beverage is just water, which is most of the time.

2) I'll have a break from the tiny, flying vampires that suck blood and sometimes carry pesky illnesses (I've never hated mosquitos so much in my life).

3) Having a blanket directly underneath me in bed helps with warmth, which is particularly needed in a place like this where there's no central heating in my apartment and I own no space heater.

4) Local cafes offer inexpensive tea and coffee and can be nice places to write and read and reflect and do some Spotifying, etc.

5) Thankfully, ice cream still works for me, even in the middle of winter weather!

Defender

So there are two individuals from Central America who I have a certain sense about.

The sense is that God expects me to contribute to their life rather meaningfully over time. And I mean real time. Years.

There's no connection between the two of them really. They even live in different countries. But both these people radiate! They're the kind of humans anyone could like. And I believe they each have a bright future to look forward to. Still, I can see a couple of areas where there is an absence of something that God apparently wants to provide from me.

Thinking about it all right now, I can't help but marvel at how cool it is to be chosen to perform something for the Master -- even when the work to be done cannot possibly be established without His help.

Part of the name I was given at birth involves the idea of being a defender. When I look back over my life, I definitely see ways that "defender" is an aspect of my identity.

This thought process reminds me of something I've been asking God to do lately:
"Put me in your service. What are you up to, and how can I help? Involve me in the creation and telling of your story."

I don't wanna lose it

Sometimes when I walk out the door and head down the sidewalk - always passing courteous locals on the street, I notice a feeling emerging inside me. It's the same feeling every time.

And it has to do with the desire to be in an environment just like this one for the rest of my days.

Celebrating

$5. That's the monthly payment for my electricity bill, and I'm thankful!

How much is enough?

So there's a song lyric that says, "Christ is enough for me..."

When I think about it, I believe that's true for my life. In fact, I've even said if God never does anything else for me, he has already done enough.

Here I am today in year three of a beautiful Honduras experience, and God has been busy. Specifically, he has been making big, huge promises about for the future.

Now, looking forward to all he has promised, it's interesting to think about the idea of Christ being all I really need.

I mean, what if suddenly all those blessings - everything God has told me to expect - what if all that was canceled? Is Christ all by himself really enough for me?

Another way to look at it is this:
when I think of the two or three things I've most desperately wanted God to send my way, what if he never provides them? Will my heart say Christ is enough then?

The prayer I pray every day, and the attitude I want to cultivate is that I appreciate every gift from God and always want the Giver more than the gift.

The one who teaches the teacher

I'm thankful for the teaching and ministry I receive from God.

It's amazing the things he can shed light on and define and expound on, even for situations I'm not living in now but will live in in the future. We're talking about the greatest teacher of all time, and he has the willingness and availability to take me on as his student.

These days, God has a lot to say about husband and wife relationships and the love of Christ for the church.

The latest lesson I'm glad he taught on the subject involves forgiveness, love, and relentless pursuit of relationship. Not only does that lesson speak to the way I need to conduct myself as a spouse someday, but also it helped me in the past week when my relationship with a group of my junior high school students felt strained.

Every year, it takes time for students to adjust to the high level of expectations I have for behavior and academic rigor. But in one class this year, the students appeared to be especially struggling to accept what I require.

When everything in me felt like letting a wall go up between them and me, I remembered the counterintuitive lesson from God and decided to find ways to move toward my unhappy kiddos instead of becoming disconnected.

And already, things are getting better.

Security??

Walked over to the bank today and was totally thrown off by what I didn't see on the sidewalk outside.

This photo (that was actually taken years back in the town I lived in previously) shows
the way guards with large weapons are typically stationed right outside each bank, accompanied by a gentleman
waiting to wand you in case you failed to leave your firearm at home.

A long holiday weekend celebration begins at midday, so I'm guessing that has something to do with the lack of security this morning in the few hours before most businesses close for the next few days.