2014

It’s a new year which means change! Honduras is not really known for getting things done quickly… it’s like watching a pot of water boil. Everything eventually gets done on “Honduran” time. The nice thing about leaving for break is that when I came back, a few projects were magically finished!

Project #1 – the school bathrooms. They started working on building the school new bathrooms even before I started working in 2012. By the time school started last year, a foundation had been laid to build bathrooms on, and that’s as far as anyone got. This year things started looking more promising as we watched walls go up, a roof go on, and toilets show up at the school. Finally the bathrooms are finished! (At least the girls’ side is ready to use.)

Instead of two separate shacks (or torture chambers, you decide) disguised as bathrooms, we now have 5 dazzling new toilets and functioning sinks… and that’s just for the girls! I no longer fear going to the bathroom – the seats are not falling off, the doors lock, and there are more than enough for everyone to use so there aren’t any children pounding on the door disturbing my peace.

Project #2 – a paved road. “La Union with a paved road,” has been a rumor for years. People have been saying for years that, “next year, they will start paving the main road.” ‘Next year’ never seemed to come. Until now. Coincidentally this past November was election season and the current mayor was running again, so naturally the best way to win popularity is to start building the road. The pavement was fictitious no more! They started paving the road in September and took a fearful break in November; I thought they were trying to send the message, “the road will not be finished unless you reelect the mayor.” The paving recommenced before the results were in, but coincidentally the mayor was reelected. It’s only a portion of the main road, but it is paved nonetheless and it is marvelous!

Project #3 – our oven. About two months ago the wires on the back caught on fire and that was the death of our oven as we know it. The top coils would still heat up but not the bottom ones – so we could melt cheese to make nachos but not bake anything. We heard the typical answer, “it will be fixed next week,” or, “we are waiting on a man to bring the right part.” But just like the road, ‘next week’ never seemed to get here and I started to believe that the ‘man’ did not really exist. We were hoping for a miracle over break but were sorely disappointed when we got back. We politely reminded our landlady about the oven and the next day… A BRAND NEW OVEN STOOD IN ITS PLACE! The new oven is absolutely beautiful and it works like a wonder. I baked celebratory cookies immediately.

So there you have it: it’s a new year which means new bathrooms, a newly paved road, and a new oven! I do not think the year could start off any better here in Honduras.

This week you can be praying for one of our students who recently got in a terrible motorcycle accident. Molly and I saw the accident happen on our walk home from school and it really scared us both. Nelson, a 12^th grade student, was in the wrong spot at the wrong time and collided head on with another motorcycle. While the initial injuries looked horrific, he was able to walk away from the clinic that night with no stitches, no broken bones, and only a couple of scrapes on his face. However, since the accident his head has been the main concern. He missed an entire week of school because of constant headaches. Pray for his continued recovery so that there is no serious, long term damage and he can come back to school soon. Also, send up praises to the Lord for protecting him during that accident because he was not wearing a helmet and, as I mentioned, the initial accident looked like he would be in a much worse condition.