For my last week in Central America, I came back to Honduras with Amber and Carolyn. I am grateful that I got to share my family (and favorite country) with my dear friends.

We spent a few days in San Pedro Sula, where we spent time with the Sosa family. As always, we ate amazing food (especially the baleadas & sea food!), heard great stories, learned more about my family tree, and were just blessed daily through my family and by the great heart of my Tio Victor. I found out that my great-great-grandpa was Cuban. We took a day trip to Omoa and spent some time on the beach.

I finally managed to track down my family in La Ceiba and they invited us to spend my birthday weekend with them. They let us stay in their beach house. ”Beach House” is an understatement. It was incredible to fall asleep to the rain storms and wake up to the crashing sound of the waves, then eat breakfast on the patio overlooking the Caribbean Ocean, and read by the pool (or in the hammocks) from which you can practically touch the ocean.

We also got to eat some pan de coco (Coconut bread) that some Garifuna kids were selling on the beach. I enjoyed talking to the kids for awhile and learning a little bit about their culture. They taught us some Garifuna, braided my hair, and danced for us.

My cousin, Tato, had a birthday party on Saturday (his birthday was on Tuesday) at the beach house and he kindly shared the party with me (my birthday was Saturday). There couldn’t have been a better place to spend my 24th birthday! Everything about this place is so beautiful and relaxing. I greatly enjoyed reconnecting with (and in some cases, meeting) my family in La Ceiba!!

In both SPS and La Ceiba we had conversations about the continual instability of the country and how unsafe it has become. It is really sad to me how murder and robberies do not surprise anyone and they are almost expected. During one part of our travels, our bus was stopped by the police and they asked me for my ID. My first instinct was to hide the money in my wallet with my passport. Afterwards, I felt sad that (like most other people here) I cannot trust the law inforcement and just assume the worst. My prayer is that something radical will happen within Honduras to change the corruption and violence in the system. Although, I have no idea what that would look like or how long it would take.

Tuesday, we took a ”direct” bus to the Copan. I say “direct” because that is what it is called, but it stopped SEVERAL times along the way… kind of like the autobuses rapidos (literally “fast buses”) that took 3 hours for a trip that should take 45 minuets. The Copan Ruinas (426-822 AD) were beautiful! It is crazy to see so much history!! It was also interesting to hear about the Mayan culture. In many ways they were very advanced. Women played a great role and were respected. In addition, they had different classes, but it was not uncommon for a lower class person to move up through hard work, a skill, or marriage. I think it is interesting that they were ahead of their time socially for values like this. On another note, they were huge idol worshipers and had many gods, which played a significant role on their community. They even sacrificed their best players (whoever played the best in a specific game 3 times a year) to their 3 most important gods. Apparently it was an honor to be this player too! It is crazy how strongly people can believe such a false truth.

Carolyn went back to Guatemala from Copan and flew back to Indiana from there. Amber and I returned to San Pedro Sula and spent one more day with the Sosa family. We got to visit their property one more time and I finally met Tio Victor’s gringo friend/neighbor. He and his wife are missionaries from Florida and run a children’s home. We had a great conversation and I got his information. Next time, he said there will definitely be a need for me if I want to spend time there. Although, it was my last day in Honduras… I’m glad I made this connection before I left.

My time in Central America went by very quickly! I cannot believe it has come to an end! I am ready to be home, but I am also sad to leave Honduras… although, I know I will be back. Here are pictures from my time in Honduras. 

Words nor pictures can come close to expressing the beauty of this place. It was a little dificult to get to, but more than worth it. Semuc Shampey, which means “Sacred Water” in the Mayan Q’eqchi’ language, is a natural monument in Guatemala. It has a great limestone bridge on top of natural pools that are surrounded by beautiful forest and mountains. I have never seen such turquoise water, green trees, and blue skys… all at once!! We really enjoyed swimming in the pools and hiking up to a view point. Man, God’s creation is magnificant!

One of the greatest adventures of my trip also took place during this time… we went for a tour in Las Cueavas de Maria. As one tourist site puts it, it is:

An awesome adventure at Las Marias Caves. Las Marias Caves (or Cuevas de K’an Ba in the Mayan Q’eqchi’ language) are something special that you can’t find in many places. More than 3 km. of tunnels that you get to explore only the first few hundred meters, but even these few hundred meters still blow your mind out. There is no electricity inside so you get candles when you enter. Parts of the cave you need to swim with one hand while the other hand holds the candle so that it won’t get wet… Don’t be afraid if the candle gets wet during swimming or blown out from the wind of a fabulous waterfall, the guides somehow always find another few spare candles in the caves. Some spots are really narrow that you have to crawl in order to cross, going to another spots involve ladder and rope climbing or jumping across rocks, the best parts are definitely getting to a deeper point where you can jump into and watching the cool natural shapes of stalactites that look like dwarfs or mushrooms…”

We stayed in a great hostel, Las Marias, right by the river… a short hike from Semuc Champey. We stayed in little huts & ate some incredible food. The power was only on from 6-10 pm… which made life even simpler. Originally, we were going to stay for just one day, but it turned into two. It was incredibly relaxing & we met some great people.

Here are my pictures from Semuc Champey & Antigua. 

My time in Antigua was amazing! Antigua is such a unique and beautiful city!! As Lonely Planet puts it: ”Antigua’s setting is gorgeous, nestled between three volcanoes: Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango, and its streetscapes – with sprays of bougainvillea bursting from crumbling ruins, and pastel facades under terracotta roofs – offer photo opportunities at every turn.”

I met up with Amber & Carolyn (one of Amber’s good friends from college) in Antigua. For the sake of time, I am not going to write about all of the details of our trip. Carolyn already wrote most of them on her blog, so check that out if you’re interested in what we’ve been doing. The beauty of the city was breathtaking; however, I was more impacted by the beauty of the people.

I took three more days of language classes & did some site-seeing with the girls for the rest of the week. We stayed with a wonderful family, Enrique & Elvira. Their hospitality & continual desire to go the extra mile really made me feel at home the first day I was there. There were several students (7) living there, all in Antigua studying Spanish for many different reasons during various stages of our lives – all of us are belivers.

Some highlights of Antigua:

• The people I just mentioned – Enrique & Elvir, as well as the other students, that became my temporary family – I was so blessed by the people I crossed paths with and by the encouraging conversations.
• We went to a nearby village, Parramos, for a weeknight prayer service. Amber has a conection with this church from a previous visit. The famlily here is so special and I am so grateful that I got to meet them. We taught the children’s class, which was such a blessing. I was particularly encouraged by the prayers of the young children. I desire to have a faith like theirs.
• We visited Hermano Pedro, a very special place in Antigua where Amber volunteered 4 years ago. It is a home for people with special needs. We went for a tour and learned a lot about the organization. They do a lot for the community and really care about ALL people. One thing that really stood out to me was something our guide said. She said that here, she is reminded of and sees miracles daily. ”Not the kind of miracle you might think. I can open my eyes, I can wiggle my fingers, they can’t. I am reminded of this every day when I come to work. It’s a miracle, isn’t it?” I’ve been so aware this week of how much the Lord has blessed me with things that I do not deserve and I for which I often lack gratefulness.
• We hiked Volcan Pacaya – an active volcano (8,373 ft) close to Antigua. It was beautiful!! (Pictures to come!)
• And of course… salsa dancing.

Here are my pictures from Guatemala.

Honestly, I was a little (ok, very) discouraged when I started out the week. First, I hit a point in my Spanish where I just feel like I will NEVER be fluent. Smh. Second, I had contacted several organizations about helping out at orphanages, schools, and churches. When I heard back from NO ONE, I thought I’d use this week to take more Spanish classes. I contacted various language schools in San Pedro Sula & La Ceiba (where my family lives) and heard back from NO ONE. So I thought I would use the week to visit my family in La Ceiba and just hang out on the beach for the week. However, after contacting my family in La Ceiba, I heard back from NO ONE. I left Nicaragua with NO plans and NO prospects for what I wanted to do while I was in Honduras (All I knew was that my family in SPS said I could stay with them). However, the Lord makes better plans than I do (you think I would have learned this by now, right?). Toward the end of my time in Nicaragua, I started to feel pretty sick. This week was exactly what I need to feel better.

I am staying with my family in San Pedro Sula. I have had so much down time. I have slept SOO much, spent a LOT of time to be in the Word, and have spent a good amount of time journaling and reading. Physically, I needed this down time to just recover. Spiritually, I needed this time to just reflect and prepare my heart for this next year. I didn’t think I would need a mini-retreat while I was already on vacation, but I am SOO grateful that that is how it worked out. :) Despite all of the downtime… I have done some pretty incredible things & have lots on my mind…

• My Tio Victor is probablly one the nicest people in the world. It has been great spending time with him and his family. He was raised by his grandfather (my great-grandpa/my grandpa’s dad), so it’s been really cool hearing stories about him… (especially since he raised my grandpa, who is one of the most important men in my life).
• There really is such a drastic gap between the rich and poor in Honduras… the poverty here is incredible…
• My Tio Mario (the brother of my Tio Victor – the uncle I’m staying with) was murdered last month. The family is obviously still grieving. There is a very noticeable difference in the safety in this region since the last time I was here (2009). Apparently, the drug trafficking has increased dramatically and they are still recovering from the corruption under Zelaya. Many people seem to be living in fear and you really cannot do the same things that you used to be able to…
• My cousin, Viki, is in med school here in San Pedro Sula. She took me to her hospital. It was unlike anything I’ve seen. Most of the hospital was not air-conditioned, the halls were full of people because they do not have enough rooms, only 1 of 3 elevators kind of worked, there was definitely a lack of equipment, and the pediatrics department was so small, definitely not close to big enough to accommodating all the children. It made me grateful for the health care we have (despite all of the problems we think we have, we do have access to the world’s best health care) and it also made me very aware of the need third-world countries have for medical supplies (I KNEW this, but it is different to actually see it).
• My family here has land up on a mountain. They are growing EVERYTHING. My favorite has been the avocados… mmmm. I have no problem eating them (and guacamole) three times a day! The land has an INCREDIBLE view.
• I went to the AGAS (Asociación de Ganaderos y Agricultores de Sura) festival. There were lots of cows, lots of people, lots of Honduran food, and lots of music & punta dancing (a Honduran dance).
• I went fishing for the firt time (at least that I can remember). We went to a beach close to Puerto Cortes (northern/Atlantic coast). I caught a couple tiny fish and I really enjoyed how relaxing it was. We also went for a brief swim in the river.
• I went swimming in the pool during a rain storm (until the lightning started) and the water was definitely warmer than the rain, although the rain was still pretty warm. I’ve really enjoyed all the rain storms, it’s so relaxing.

Tomorrow I leave for Guatemala. I will be traveling most of the day and meeting up with Amber and Carolyn (Amber’s friend from college) in Antigua. After that… I don’t really have it planned. I just know I’ll be back in Honduras at SOME point, since that is where my flight leaves from. I’m hoping that during ‘‘Honduras (Part 2)’’ I will be able to see my family in La Ceiba or get to the islands. Until then, here are pictures from my time in Honduras.

I have been in Nicaragua for about two weeks now and everything has been more than amazing! I am reminded daily of God’s goodness through His beautiful creation and His constant reminder of my need for Him. I live with a family (maybe a one minute walk from the beach) up a hill with a picturesque view of the beach. My family is amazing! Amber, Adrian (another student from Oregon), and I live with Marta, Salvador, and their two kids (Hansel-26 & Magdaline-15). The rest of the extended family lives in the surrounding houses. We’ve really only spent time with Marta, who cooks us three amazing Nicaraguan meals every day. Every morning we have four hours of Spanish class. It’s a one-on-one class and has helped me a lot. The afternoons are full of activities (some lead by the school, others initiated on our own). Here is a brief list of what some of these activties have included:

 

• An extra hour of Spanish tutoring almost every day
• Cooking class (where I just cut up peppers, talked to some people for a bit, then ate dinner)
• Dance classes
• Saw the ”Reina de San Juan del Sur” competition – which was a lot like the Miss America pagent, but everyone was extra excited about it
• Took a couple trips to nearby beaches
• Hiked/took some quads up a mountain with an INCREDIBLE view of the town and surrounding beaches
• Went to a church serivce
• Had (daily) some amazing food, fruit, juice… including fish & lobster
• Went to Masaya – saw a volcano for the first time and visited an old prisoner of war jail
• Live reggae concert in a bar on the beach
• Just spent some time in town with our new friends – most of whom we met through our school – and had some incredibly intentional and encouraging conversations
• Enjoyed the weekend events of ”Dia de San Juan”… which included lots of music and dancing in the street, some crazy guys trying to catch a greasy pig, some other crazy guys covering themselves in grease and climbing to the top of a 40 ft (?) pole, some more crazy guys (after a few cervezas) trying to provoke bulls in the rodeo, and more fiestas and dancing of course…

  

  View from our patio

  
  

  

  Sunset from my patio

  
  

  

  Walking to School :)

  
  

  

  Me, Amber, & Adrian in Masaya

  
  

  

  Frances, me, & Amber from the top of a mountain

  
  
  

I have been speaking way more English than I would like, but I do feel a little more comfortable comunicating in Spanish than before. The Christian community here has been an incredible encouragment to me. It’s so exciting how the Lord uses unexpected people to show me new things. My teacher (Danilo) is a Christian and it’s been really great to hear about the culture of the church from him. He has also streched my Spanish by engaging me in Biblical conversations. The church was overly welcoming and just clearly domonstrated the body. And of course, they would not let us leave without food. Every day I’m here, Christ’s glory is more evident.

I love the culture here and I don’t want to leave. However, I’m excited for the next part of my adventure. Amber left for Costa Rica on Friday, I leave today (Sunday) for Honduras and will be spending a week with my famiy in San Pedro Sula (I’m not sure what the plan is there). Then I will head up to Antigua, Guatemala to meet up with Amber & her friend Carolyn… after some adventures in Guatemala, we’ll return back to Honduras together for a little bit before we head back to the States (July 22).

I was able to upload some pictures because my friend in Nicaragua had the same camera, but I didnt bring my connection, so I’ll upload the rest when I get back to the States. I will try to post again at some point during my time in Honduras. ¡Dios les bendiga!

I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world  Mother Teresa

The more time we spend in community, the better we understand the body of Christ. Yet, we will never fully experience the complete body of Christ (until He returns) because the body is demonstrated in many different ways all around the world. THIS is one reason I love to travel. Interacting with the body in India gave me a fuller understanding of who Christ is and what community is all about.

I am SO blessed to have had the experiences that I have had… it really has shaped me in many ways. India was my 19th country (and I’m only 23!). However, India still is unlike any experiecne I’ve ever had! The whole trip was different than any of my other trips. It was 25 hours of traveling, I traveled with my dad (I’ve gotten used to traveling alone or with friends), I was mainly with only men, I did not know ANY of the language, I had to be extremely flexible (this is true in most trips, but I literally didn’t know what I would be doing until I was about to do it), I was stretched to speak in front of many people, and I was in a culture unlike any I’d ever experienced. In the end, I learned a LOT about the Indian people, about myself, and about the body of Christ.

As probablly expected, my first impression of India was that it is poor and FULL of people with overwhelming physical and spiritual needs. Although I had heard these things before, it is still and understatement, which is why I know my words will not come close to impacting those who have not been to India, seen the ribs of the starving people, smelt the ‘Kolkatta smell’ (however you would describe that), and seen the smile in the faces of people who truely understand suffering. Although my first thing would just be to say, ”Go to India if you have the chance”…  I will still share some thoughts…

India is about one-third the size of the United States and more than three times the population. It is roughly 80% Hindu, 13% Muslim, 5% polytheistic, and 2% Christian. Within the Christian church, I saw very few men (many times I could count on one hand how many men attended the service) and many church leaders seemed to lack a deep understanding of Scripture. My dad and I spoke at churches around the country (we went to Kolkata, Kanpur, Agra, Delhi, Vishakapatham, and some small villages) to train the leaders and young people in the church. It was encouraging how greatly they desired to learn and grow!! Never in my life have I met so many people so full of joy and so giving! They enbodied the words joy and humility. They were full of pride to show me their house because it had 4 walls and the Lord provided it. Over and over again I was brought to an utter state of humilty that I know is only possible through Christ.

I cannot even begin to express the impact this trip had on my life, nor can I adaquately express the expreriences I had. However, there are a few things that stood out to me:

• The churches were SMALL, many were just one room (smaller than my bedroom in the States) and there was not room for chairs. People just packed in and sat next to one another on the ground.
• Many times, during service (which I usually couldn’t understand), the children sat up front and listened carefully for hours. I was ridiculously impressed with their patience. Although, many times, I spent the service watching some of the children turning around and smiling at me (I think Indian children have extra large smiles).
• Daily, I was greeted with a fresh handmade lei. It amazed me how often these people (who have nothing) found ways to give to us.
• The people in India know how to pray. They never failed to ask me for prayer, to pray for me,  to pray for one another. They truely believe that all things are possible through Christ who lives within them and they demonstrtated so much faith.
• As I mentioned, I was amazed by the joy of the people I met. One man in particilar convicted me over and over again. His 6-month-old son had passed away a few weeks before (from a common cold). He was clearly sad; however, I heard him say several times that his son was a gift from the Lord and he was thankful for the gift of his son for those 6-months. He did not hesitate to doubt the Lord’s love for him and his family, despite the tragedy in their lives.
• I met many people that did not have a biblical understanding of adoption. First, they don’t really adopt because, as they say, they want their ”own” kids. IF they take in orphans, they do not adopt them and do not treat them as they are their own. In many cases, a widow that has children has a chance to remarry, so she abandons her children because she knows her new husband will abuse them since they are not ”his” and she wants a chance to ”start over”. Ugh… I was sick after several of these conversations. We really do live in a fallen world.
• Indian children love to dance… I really enjoyed watching them praise God during service, as well as join them in some dancing after.
• I went for a cruise on the Hooglie (aka Ganges) River. It was more than filthy and had a very distinct smell. It is still common practice to throw the remains of the dead (creamated or not) into the river. I also saw many people bathing in the river (It is still considered holy water).
• In the Ganges River, I saw several idols floating in the water. I asked why and was told it was because that is the only way they can discard the idols. Clearly, their idols deterrorate and rot over time… so the person will throw it in the holy river and make a new one (I guess a type of reincarnation). Hmm… I’m sure thankful that my God doesn’t rot…
• Idolatry is still very evident in India. Driving through a village I saw a huge monkey statute that I was told is the villages’ god. I felt like I was in old testiment times (this was just one of many examples I saw while there).
• Driving in India… let’s just say it’s crazy! I really think I almost died six or seven times a day.
• The Taj Mahal is beautiful… I really looks like you’re looking at a painting!

  

  Shalom Children’s Home

  

Here are the pictures from my trip!

Here are a few things that make Sevilla, Sevilla… I will greatly miss this amazing city…

Bullfighting – Definitely a Spanish experience! I am glad I got to say that I went to a bullfight… although, I don’t think I would go again.

Bullfight

Flamenco Dancing is one of my favorite parts of Sevilla! It has such a unique culture (comes from the gypsies with an arabic influence. It is very passionate and the music and environment is just great!

  

Flamenco Dancing

Semana Santa has such a significant effect on the culture in Sevilla. Even when it is not April, you will randomly find people practicing their pasos in the streets and there will be mini pasos for random occasions.

People practicing for Semana Santa

FERIA DE ABRIL

Sevilla is know for a special festival they have in April, called Feria de Abril. The entire city becomes full of people in flamenco clothes. There is music, dancing, and parting going on all night for an entire week. Los Remedios (my barrio) is where most of the the festivities take place. There are little casettas where you can eat, drink, and dance. Macarena and Fernando gave Lauren and I dance lessons so we could dance on our last night of Feria. Although we danced the Sevillano, we definitely danced like Americans. We ended our night with fireworks and chocolate dipped churros.

Learning the Sevillano dance and celebrating the last night of Feria with Lauren and Fernando

Food – What can I say? 99% of Sevillan life is focused around food (and 99% of that food probably consists of some form of pig or oil). I really learned to love Macarena’s soups, bocadillos, fried food, tortilla, gazpacho, and TAPAS (all drenched in oil of course!)!

Spanish Food Pyramid

So I finally got to experience couchsurfing! For those of you who do not know what this is, here is a little discription from the website:

“CouchSurfing is an international non-profit network that connects travelers with locals in over 230 countries and territories around the world. Since 2004, members have been using our system to come together for cultural exchange, friendship, and learning experiences. Today, over a million people who might otherwise never meet are able to share hospitality and cultural understanding. Our mission as an organization is to create inspiring experiences: cross-cultural encounters that are fun, engaging, and illuminating…. CouchSurfing members share hospitality with one another. These exchanges are a uniquely rich form of cultural interaction. Hosts have the opportunity to meet people from all over the world without leaving home. “Surfers,” or travelers, are able to participate in the local life of the places they visit… and “surfing” lowers the financial cost of exploration…”

So all of that is really just to help you understand WHY I went couchsurfing. Many people find it uncomfortable to stay with a stranger… but the way the website is designed makes it easy to read references and kind of get a feel for the person you request to stay with. The main reason Lauren (my roommate) and I decided to go couchsurfing was to save money. But in the end, it ended up being SUCH a great experience. We spent four days in Bilbao, which is a little city in Basque Country (northern Spain). It had SUCH a different feel than Sevilla. Several of the people we met had never met an American!! Since we were staying with a local, we got to go to shown around the city by a local… which was great. It is such a gorgeous place. Lots of old churches, a beautiful park, the Guggenheim Museum, and even a gorgeous scenic view from the top of a mountain. We also got to experience a few nights on the town with some locals. We went out for pintxos (kinda like tapas) in El Casco Viejo… they were SO good. I tried octopus for the first time by accident too… haha. I really enjoyed the people we spent time with! It is such an interesting culture. They are definitely proud of their Basque roots. They all speak Euskera… which is much different than English and Spanish… it isn’t even Indo-European, and I think it may be one of the oldest languages. Our last night in Bilbao, our new Basque friends took us out for chocolate smoothies on the beach. Even though it was cold and rainy, it was really great… quaint.

Bilbao

The Guggenheim

Out for pintxos (Koldo, me, Mikel, Asier, Mikel, and Lauren)

The next day, Lauren and I took a bus to San Sebastian. The hostel we stayed in was really cute and we met some cool people. We went out for some more pinxos… I have never had such good food!! The beaches in San Sebastian are so beautiful. I felt that we experienced the culture of Bilbao more than San Sebastian because of our couchsurfing experience… but San Sebastian was beautiful and relaxing. I really enjoyed our trip!!

San Sebastian

Peine De Los Vientos (Wind Comb)

Here are some more pictures from my trip.

Christina (a good friend from Gordon) is studying abroad in Scotland… and she came to visit me in Sevilla! Janet (another friend from Gordon) and Alison (a new friend from Baylor that I met through Janet in Scotland) also came along!! It was so much fun to see them! (I didn’t get to see Christina when I was in Scotland because she was traveling). I showed them around the city and took them to La Carbonaria for a flameco show and some Agua de Sevilla. I really enjoyed my few days with the girls!

El Parque de Maria Luisa

Drinking Agua de Sevilla and watching some Flamenco dancing

Here are more pictures from their visit.

During Easter, I started reflecting back to Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Spain. Palm Sunday was when everything started. Every day they have processions that represent a scene from Holy Week or one of the saints. The processions  have a float-like thing carried by several strong men (they are covered up, so it looks like it is floating). There are also Nazarenos (members of the fraternities that make up the procession, they are dressed in tunics and with antifaz to go anonymous) and a live band that go with the procession, down the narrow streets of the city, from their church to the Cathedral for a sacred ritual and back.

It was really interesting to be in a crowd of people watching the procession. The Sevillanos respected the tradition and in many ways revered it. It is so interesting to see such a secular society that is completely dead to religion, having reverence for a powerful tradition. It was sad because I found the processions very powerful, but everyone around me just saw it as a cool tradition that had no significant link to their lives. It is sad how blind people can be. However, it did give me a new perspective on Easter. It was incredible to really reflect on Christ’s death and resurrection for a whole week. The entire city closed down in order to spend a week focusing on Christ. There is definitely something we can learn from this!

This video is a great little glimpse into what Sevilla is like Skip ahead to 1:45 for just the Semana Santa part.

This is another video of a procession from Semana Santa:

My Semana Santa Pictures