As For Me...

As for me, things have been wonderful lately. I haven't posted for a few days because I've been up with the Rumbaughs and the girls at night, leaving me no time to get online and put quality time into this.

Yesterday (Saturday), I went with Dr. Rumbaugh and the girls to teach guitar and english in an elementary school in Rio Esteban. Each American was paired up with a Honduran. My partner was named Antonio. After matching us up, Dr. Rumbaugh tells us (in Spanish) that we are to help our partner either learn guitar or piano and to help them practice their english and learn some worship songs. Then he turns to me and says "Antonio speaks english, plays guitar and piano, and knows all of the songs." Still, it was fun to talk to him and help him with his pronunciation of English words. After a little bit, though a bunch more kids came in (Anotonio was actually an adult) and I got paired up with two girls and one boy. While guitar isn't the most fun thing to teach because it really just requires a lot of practice, it was a lot of fun to see the progress the kids were making and to be worshiping God in the process, as they songs that were used to teach them were Spanish praise songs.

After a couple hours of this, I went outside and played frisbee (not with a discraft disc, sorry GCC friends) with a couple of the kids and nearly slammed a three year old in the head. He had a good attitude and really enjoyed when I gave him the frisbee and let him play with us. In the meantime, I had a chance to talk to a teenager that was a student and a worker at Loma de Luz. He wanted to practice his English and we ended up talking about God (in both English and Spanish, since neither of us was fluent in the other's language). He told me that he enjoyed the songs but that his heart wasn't ready for God. It's funny how in Honduras it is the heart that often rejects God, but in the U.S. it is the head that gets in the way.

When we were done at the school, the girls went back to the house and Dr. Rumbaugh and I continued down the road, visiting all of the schools until that road met the sea. I took pictures and notes on each school so that we could see which schools could be a potential match for future students from Grove City. We also got to stop by a soccer tournament for a bit. Although I'm not a huge soccer fan, it is really neat to see the passion that Hondurans have for the sport. By Wednesday, Dr. Rumbaugh will have taken me to most of the fifteen schools that he regularly visits. Tomorrow, we're going up into the mountains (although the poverty in Belfate is significant, it's worse in the mountains) to see his schools up there.

Plans for me to go to Mosquitia and the MamaTara orphanage have been moved up and it looks like I'll be flying out there either Thursday or Friday. Although I'm excited to deal with a less comfortable environment, it will be sad to separate from all of the great Christians here and potentially be lonely for a bit at the orphanage.

On another note (this has to be quick because my battery is essentially dead), we went up to the water tower the other night and look at the stars. It was a reminder of my trip to Haiti since I haven't really seen the stars so clearly since then and a reminder of how clearly God spoke to me and comforted me. It really is amazing to see how much He has worked in my life and changed me in the six years since that trip. We sang songs in Spanish and English, which reminded me both of my trip to Guatemala and the picture of heaven afforded by Revelation 7, of Christians from all nations praising God together and the joy that that moment will bring! As much peace as Christ brings to those who know Him on Earth, I still can't wait to be enjoying His company in Heaven.

I hope all is well and please send me any requests you have for prayer before I leave for Mosquitia, since I don't know how frequently I'll have access to the internet.