Home Sweet Home

Well all went well with my travels last Sunday and I made it back home around 10 pm. On Monday I went out to breakfast with my sister, my niece and my nephew and then went shopping for groceries. On Tuesday I did some laundry and all my siblings got together at my sisters house for taco night, which is my favorite, and we had a good time together. Wednesday I cleaned and did some lawn work around the house because my dad is in Taiwan for a few more months so I have to take care of the house. On Thursday I began working at Red Robin which I plan to do for a few months before I head to Dixon to work at Rock River Bible Camp. I'm thinking about working for this next year and saving up money and possibly going back to school and getting certified to teach. But who knows what I'll end up doing, I'm open to wherever God wants me to go and whatever God wants me to do. I can't say thank you enough for all the support from all my family and friends, thank you for investing in me and believing in me. May God bless you all in many ways for the support you have shown to me. Adios

My Last Week of My Honduran Adventure

My last week in Honduras has been a pretty good one. Last Saturday I went to the property for the church service and it was sad when people found out that the next Saturday would be my last. Many people have told me not to go throughout the week which has made it hard saying goodbyes but I know my call is done here in Honduras. I helped with the kids class like I usually do and then played with the kids for a while. On Sunday I went to the property to watch and play soccer. Our team won 20-1 and made it into the playoffs as the last seed. Not to bad for a bunch of replacements. Unfortunately I won't be there this Sunday for the game. On Monday I took a day off from the boys schooling and decided to climb the mountain close to town that I have always wanted to. I left at 5:30 in the morning and spent all day in the mountains and the forest. It was a nice day to just get away and be with God. I ended up climbing 3 different mountains to their highest points and talking to God while overlooking Zambrano. On the way back home I stopped at Christian's house because I was really close. I walked down to a pulperia(7-11 type corner stores) and bought myself a gatorade and bought everyone in Christian's family something to drink. It was a nice visit but I was pooped from the mountains. On Tuesday I did the boys schooling during the day and packed just about everything that night so i wouldn't have to do it later in the week. Wednesday was a normal school day and then I went to Christian's house again to visit with their family. I ended up buying some Chinese food from a restaurant in town for dinner for the whole family because I told them I wanted to eat with my Honduran family. Thursday Ed and the boys went to another town nearby to work on a road with some other missionaries. I stayed home so I could help Val with the English class in the afternoon and play soccer with the men in the community for the last time. During the day I relaxed, read, and hung out with Patty. Yesterday I performed my tutor duties for the very last time with the boys and also cleaned out my room. There has been a pretty bad bug problem so yesterday we set off a bug bomb. While I was cleaning out the room I left the door slightly open so that I didn't have to keep using my key to open it. When Val eventually went in to set the bug bomb off she started screaming about a snake so me and the boys headed out to my room to see what all the fuss was about. When we looked in sure enough there was a 3 foot green snake climbing around my bathroom. I don't know what it is about my bathroom but all the creepiest animals love to be there. I went in bravely with a rake and a broom and tried to get the snake out but he wasn't having it. Eventually he climbed in the corner by my garbage can so I took the opportunity to trap him in it with a piece of plywood on top. We then brought it outside and AJ and Wes had machetes and an axe to kill it. I tipped the bucket over and videotaped. Both the boys missed at first and the snake started coming in my direction pretty fast. I was thankful when AJ's second or third swing of the machete actually hit it. It was a great adventure for one of my last days in Honduras. Friday afternoon Christian's whole family came to visit at the house and we spent the night playing and laughing. The kids of course were amazed with all the toys that are in an American's house and loved playing with anything and everything. Eventually Ed and I drove them all home. As you can tell I made it a point to spend a lot of time with this family during my last week. This is because I love them all so much and they have adopted me and loved me from before I could even speak to them. I am going to miss them very much and will make it a priority to see them someday when I come back to Honduras. Today I will head up to the property for the last time and say my final goodbyes. Tomorrow I will be flying out and be back in the states by nighttime. Hopefully I wont have any more airport adventures but I think I will be fine since I'm not flying American. I will post a final blog in a few days to let everyone know I got back safe. Thank you all once again for your constant support throughout the last 7 months or so. God bless you my friends, family, and supporters. Adios.

Surprise!!! Early Departure

Last Saturday was the first time there was a church service at the property for almost a month and I was excited to see everyone again. I went up to the property alone with Estephanie our neighbor becuase Val had friends over for a baby shower type party for Patty. I sat with Christian and his family during the service and when the kids left for their class I followed to help out. After the class I played with the kids for a while then just sat and watched and kids would come and sit with me for a while. It was cool to see some young girls who I met during a visit to one families house there at the property. It shows that visiting ends up drawing people to the church, even if they were young ones. On Sunday my team had a soccer game at 9 in the morning. We ended up winning 3-2 and we need to win this Sunday to make the playoffs. After the game I stayed to help with two other games then headed home for lunch. Sunday night we didn't end up going to church because everyone was either sick or recovering from sickness except Ed and I. Instead we stayed home and watched Chronicles of Narnia. On Monday we had a normal school day and in the afternoon The boys and I went up to the property to help out Ed. AJ polyurethaned, Wes helped Ed cut and measure wood, and I sanded the bathroom stalls in one of the bathrooms. It was nice to get the boys out of the house and helping out with the ministry because it has been a while since they have been up there. On Tuesday Ed talked with me and offered me a chance to go home early. With Patty here much of their ministry time now needs to be focused on her and they would both be home a lot more. They said they didn't really need me here and I could go if I wanted to. He gave me the day off of teaching to think and pray about it. I thought and prayed about it all day and felt that through my devotions and prayer that God was telling me my call to Honduras was over. I came primarily to teach the boys and take care of their schooling and now that the Schuberts could do that with more time in the house I decided it would probably be better for me to go home rather than stay here. I also could tell that the Schuberts want more time with their new daughter and I was beginning to feel like the sixth wheel of the five person family. I think it is best that I leave so that they can continue establishing and building a relationship with Patty as she adjusts to her new home. Although I will miss the Honduran people I feel like this is still the right thing to do. It will be hard to say goodbye to everyone earlier than we all anticipated but I'm just happy for all the relationships that God has blessed me with during the time that I was down here. So I will be headed back to the States on Sunday May 3rd. I plan to either stay in my dad's house or my brother's house and work for a few months and then head to Dixon to work at Rock River Bible Camp. So Wednesday I gave the news to Ed that I think it would be better to leave and he and I have been making arrangements. We figured out the situation with my support and I am going to give most of the money between the ministries down here and the families that I have bonded with. I and taking a little of the support back with me to feed me while I'm back in the States. Wednesday I also had a school day with the boys and then went to visit Christian and his family in the afternoon. It was a fun visit but a little sad because I told them I would be leaving sooner that they thought. I love how much I have bonded with that family. It is cool because I bonded first with Christian and his little brother Christopher months ago while my Spanish was awful and as my Spanish got better I bonded with the rest of the family and now they have become my family who I love to go visit every week. On Thursday I did the normal school thing with the boys and then went up to the property to help Val with one of her English classes. Patty fell asleep in Val's arms and she passed her off to me when she needed to get up and write things on the boards. After the class I played soccer with the guys of the community. It was a good time and I was playing pretty well. I think I scored 4 or 5 goals, 2 with my giant head. The monkey bump comes in handy during the soccer games. Today I am at home alone with the boys doing their schooling while Val, Ed, and Patty are in the city running errands. I plan to make the most of this last week and a few days while I'm in Honduras and say all my goodbyes to all the people I have built relationships with. Thank you for all of your support through donations and prayer. This experience has been amazing and I have learned a lot about God and myself as I have been serving and obedient to his call. Although it will be hard to leave early I feel like it is the next step of obedience to Him. Adios and God bless.

Happy Easter!!!!!!!!!!! Only 5 Days Late

Last Friday we all went to the waterfall with some friends of the Schuberts from the ministry they used to work with. It was nice to see God's awesome creation and have a reminder of how small we are, the sight is always humbling. I think Dina and Lewie enjoyed it a lot even though it is a pretty hard hike down to the bottom. That night we had a small service at the house and took communion. I must admit that I love communion. I used to not think much of it when I was younger, it was just another thing Christians did so I did it. I love to focus on the sacrifice which was made for us, it is another humbling experience for me when I remember how unworthy I am to receive a love as strong as that. On Saturday the Schuberts had more friends come out from the old ministry and took them to the waterfall. Dina, Lewie, and I decided to stay back at the house. We played sequence all afternoon and just sat and talked. It was great to have them down here to talk to. God's timing is perfect. I needed someone to talk to at the same time they were down here and I was able to talk things through that I was struggling with. On Easter Sunday we didn't end up going to church becuase of how heavy and bad the traffic is on the holiday weekend. Instead we all relaxed and spent some time in the sun. I must say it was the first time I ever got a tan on Easter. The next day Dina and Lewie left for the airport early with Ed, Val, and Patty while I stayed home and did the boys schooling. Ed and Val both had to go to immigration so I said my goodbyes at the house. Monday I cleaned around the house and caught up on e-mails. Tuesday I did the boys schooling again and then joined Ed in the afternoon at the property to help polyurethane some bathroom stalls. On Wednesday I did the boys schooling and finished up their third quarter grades in the afternoon. Yesterday was a normal school day for the boys and Val had to go into the city for a meeting in the afternoon which was going to be a challenge becuase Patty does not like being away from Val too long. Val left and Patty cried. I eventually took her to their bedroom to put her down for a nap after lunch. She cried herself asleep in my arms, and I put her on a bed to let her sleep. Then I had to leave to help teach Val's English class with Carolina since Val was gone. After I helped with the class from 2-4 I played soccer with the men of the community from 4-6. I came home to find patty barely slept after I left and she was clinging to AJ for dear life not wanting anyone else to be around her. Val eventually came home with some Chinese food and Patty was back to herself. She is definitely a great joy to me considering how much I miss my nieces and nephews. Even though she is sometimes a turd and cries too often when she doesn't get her way it is still great to have her here. Today was a boring old normal school day. Christian's family was supposed to come over for dinner but they ended up canceling becuase they had to do something at one of his older brother's school. I am excited to see everyone at the property tomorrow because it has been a month since I have been there for a church service(the last two were canceled and I was in the States for the one before that). It will be nice to see everyone all together and play with the kids. Well I'm outta here to watch movies with the boys and eat some leftover Chinese food. Adios, God bless, and thank you for your support throughout this year.

Fire and Snipers

Saturday Dina and Lewie arrived in Honduras safe and sound. Ed and I picked them up after we dropped Wes off at a school in the city to take the ACT test. The airport was a little crazy and they were in customs for a while but we made it out with all their luggage alright. The Saturday service and the soccer league on Sunday got canceled last weekend and the upcoming weekend because it is holy week in Honduras and the whole country shuts down. I was sad that Dina and Lewie wouldn't have an opportunity to see the ministry in action with all the kids running around but their visit has still been amazing. For those of you who don't know Dina has been a mentor for me over the years and she is very special to me so her being here means a lot to me. When we got back to the house I felt like it was Christmas becuase she had so much stuff for me. my favorite were the letters she gave me from her and others who she encouraged to write me. I must say a quick thank you to all the people who sent down letters with her. Thank you Gar Bear, Ben, BB, Holly, Lauren, Nicole, Josie, and Hannah. I sat up the night that Dina gave them to me and had lots of laughs. I enjoyed them and ton although it made me miss all of you (even the random somewhat creepy Ben Dvorak who I've only met a couple of times). Saturday night we got Dina and Lewie settled and then played some games before bed. Sunday we sat around and instead of going into the city for church we had church at the house. I played a few worship songs and then we watched a video sermon. I also showed Dina and Lewie around the property even though it was empty. Sunday was a pretty relaxed day except for the fire that we had to fight. Here in Honduras they burn all the brush in the dry season for reasons I don't understand. Our neighbors were burning and we watched from a safe distance. Then out of no where the wind shifted and the fire was heading straight for the house. Lewie, Ed, and I decided to help the Hondurans who were trying to fight the fire while AJ and Wes passed us buckets of water over the fence. Eventually we got the fire under control and Lewie got a cool story to tell everyone back in the States. Speaking of water we have been ok on water although we could use some more. We have been using creek water from our pila and rinse water from the washing machine to flush toilets to save the water in our cistern for showering and laundry. On Monday I had the boys do school and hung out with Dina during the day. In the afternoon Dina, Patty, Val, AJ, and I went to visit Christian's family. We brought them a blanket from Dina and some clothes from Dina's daughter Abby for Christian's sister. The visit went well and I was glad Dina could meet a family that is very special to me. Monday night we had baked potatoes for dinner and i balled up my foil and threw it at Wes and yelled, "sniped" which I usually do when we have aluminum foil at meal times. After wards though I decided to make it a game where we all got a ball and started all round the house and tries to hit one another. Now sniper is a game that everyone in the house enjoys playing because who wouldn't enjoy attempting to assassinate their family and friends with aluminum foil? On Tuesday I did the boys schooling during the day and after wards joined Ed, Lewie, and Dina at the property to work. Ed and Lewis cut wood for cabinets. Dina and I polyurethaned the wooden bathroom stalls which I like to call polyurinating. We had fun doing it and made jokes about how Lewie and Ed were becoming bffs. Wednesday Dina, Lewie, Ed, and I went into the city to paint at the day care and we picked up a few things from the store on the way there. Val stayed home with the boys and Patty and took care of their schooling for the day. The painting went well and we finished off a few rooms that the other teams didn't get to. Yesterday the boys got the day off of school to work with Lewie and Ed while Dina, Patty, Val, and I visited a couple families from the property in the morning and afternoon. In our morning visit Dina connected with a Honduran woman named Dina and they loved on each other despite the language barrier. It was nice to see the family since I haven't had an opportunity to see the for a few weeks. The visit in the afternoon went well too although Val invited another missionary and her kids so it wasn't as personal or enjoyable for Dina. I had fun playing with the kids and getting filthy doing it. Today we will be going to the waterfall with the girls from the old ministry that Ed and Val use to house parent so it should be a fun day. Patty has been adjusting pretty well to everything. She was really afraid of Ed and first and was definitely more comfortable with women than men. She loves her Tio Kenny and I have taught her the essentials like sticking her tongue out, saying nanananana, and asking people if they want to fight. She absolutely loves Dina and she calls Lewie Luis because she has never heard the name Lewie before. Well I got nothing else to say. Thank you for all the support and prayers. Happy Easter to everyone, may God bless the time you have with your families celebrating our Salvation. Adios.

Longest Day Ever!

Well I'm back here in Honduras getting back into the swing of things. Tuesday was a pretty awful day. I woke up at 4 am to get to the airport in Chicago for my 6 am flight. I am going to share every bad thing that happened to me during the day because it is comical to me how much went wrong. I decided to get Dunkin Doughnuts for breakfast after I got through security and checked my bags. I gave the cashier exact change and she dropped it behind the cashier. Being the nice guy that I am I reached to get the dime she dropped and cut my right where my nail attaches to the skin. I didn't notice until I was in the middle of eating and blood was all over the end of my finger. Not the end of the world though, I just went to the bathroom and washed up. We boarded the plane on time and as we sat ready to leave on the plane a lady complained about the metal part of her armchair that was sticking up a little. We delayed taking off so they could fix the seat. Twenty minutes later a guy comes on the plane with duck tape and fixes the arm of the chair. So we were off to a little late start. I had a little more than an hour between flights so I thought I would be fine. The plane ride was bumpy and the pressure inside the plane was nasty. All the little kids were crying and I felt like my eyeballs were going to pop out at one point. It was here that my day long headache began so keep in mind that through the rest of the day my head was pounding. We landed in Miami and pulled up to the gate but we weren't getting off. The captain informed us that there were problems with the gate and we would have to wait. Another twenty minutes later we were able to get off. I got off the plane the same time I was supposed to board the other plane. They announced some planes that had left already but not mine so I decided to sprint with my carry on and my laptop across the airport to see if I could make it. I got to the gate sweating to see them pulling the gate away from the plane. I told the attendant that I was on that flight and she responded, "Not anymore your not". In my mind I wanted to scream at her for her tude with me but I just asked her how I was going to get to Honduras. She told me I was put on a later flight with Taca Airlines. I then walked all the way across the airport and out of security to check in again with Taca. I was able to use the telephone of a Honduran while waiting in line to call Val and tell her I would be there at 3:30 which was the time the man told me. When I got to the counter I was told that I was not even in their system and that I wasn't scheduled to be on their flight. I sat and waited to talk to a supervisor who told me the same thing. All the while I was worrying where my checked bags were and if they would meet me in Honduras if I ever got there. So I walked all the way back to American's counters to see what in the world was going on.When I told a worker that I needed to talk to a supervisor to figure everything else she told me to just wait in line like everyone else. I was about ready to scream but I think it would have made my headache worse. I waited in another line for another 30 minutes or so and eventually talked to the attendant at the counter. She informed me that the other attendant who booked me on Taca never had it confirmed. Good thing I was outside security or I would have found that first attendant and unloaded on her. The new attendant called Taca and confirmed everything and worked it out for me. I found out that the plane was going to the other airport in Honduras first and then to Tegucigalpa so I wouldn't be in Teguz until 4:30. I asked the attendant if I could use the phone to call Val and let her know about the change of plans and she told me she needed to call a supervisor. She spotted one and yelled to him but he just walked away. She then tried to call one and got off the phone to tell me that I couldn't talk to a supervisor for another hour because they were changing shifts. Rather than waiting another hour I decided to just go back to Tacas counters and check in for real this time. I waited in another line and eventually got my tickets. I asked the Taca people if I could use the phone but they said I couldn't call long distance. I went through security and sat down and ate with a food voucher that I requested from American because of all my trouble. I then went to the gate and saw a few people that I had seen during all my running back and forth throughout the day. I asked around for a cell phone but nobody wanted me to call without a calling card. I went to the store close by to buy a calling card but they didn't have any. I then asked around for a calling card and found a guy who had one he was willing to sell to me for 2 dollars. I went back to the store to change out my 20 dollar bill because I didn't have anything smaller. The lady told me she couldn't open the drawer for an hour which didn't make sense to me so then I bought a two dollar pack of gum to get my change. I bought the calling card from one man and used another mans cell phone to call Val and let her know I would be in later. The flight went pretty well, I slept on and off the whole time. In San Pedro I had to get off and board another plane. Eventually we made it to Teguz at 5 which was six hours later than I was scheduled to arrive. Surprisingly my luggage also made it there which was one of the few things to go right. I was thankful for that and happy to be back. Val picked me up with Patty and we headed back to Zambrano. All in all I traveled from 3 am Honduran time til 6 pm when I arrived back home and I was pooped. I ate quick and went to bed early. Wednesday I did the boys school and then slept all day to get rid of the headache from the plane. Thursday we did school again and I helped Val with her English classes and played soccer. Our water situation is getting pretty bad, we are running very low and we aren't getting anymore in the cistern. This will be a problem because Dina and Lewie Frye are coming to visit for ten days and they arrive tomorrow. Please be praying that we get a lot of water soon and that god would work out the water problem. Thank you for everything. I hope my awful day of travel brought some people laughs. It wasn't fun while it was happening but it is funny to me to see how many things went wrong that day. God bless and adios.

Patty Comes Home and Kenny Goes Home

So its been an interesting week filled with a ton of good news and good times. On Wednesday we had school with the boys normally as we waited for the call to see when Patty could come home to be with us. During the day dragged some wood in and chopped it up for firewood and helped Ed a little bit with Patty's bed that he was making. After that I recorded the boys grades and got them caught up. We eventually got a phone call and heard that we could pick up Patty the next day. The rest of the night we got things ready for the next day when Patty would arrive. On Thursday Ed and Val went into the city to pick up Patty while the boys and I had school at the house. They weren't going to be home in time for Val's first English class so I helped Carolina teach it. After the afternoon class I went home to celebrate Patty's birthday which was the same day she arrived to us. When I got back to the house she was there and still exploring everything. We got a pinata for her and filled it with candy. She had fun swinging a wooden bat at it and almost hit ed a few times while he was holding the rope for the pinata. We then had some dinner and birthday cake to celebrate. She seemed to be doing a pretty good job adjusting to everything. That night she went with Ed and Val to Val's other English class which they had to cut short becuase Patty started crying a little while she was there. Val told me that the nighttime was the hardest for Patty who didn't want to sleep in her own bed and was afraid to be near Ed in Ed and Val's bed. The next day we got up early and I got ready to go to the airport. Ed, Val, and Patty dropped me off and then went to pick her up some more clothes. My first flight got delayed and then redirected becuase of the winds. We made a stop in San Pedro in Honduras to refuel and then flew off to Miami. The flights went well and I arrived back in the States for a surprise visit that only my Mom and my brothers girlfriend knew about. Friday night I stayed at my Mom's house. The next day my brother showed up early in the morning to pick my mom up to go to an indoor water park in Wisconsin to celebrate his birthday. He was shocked when I opened the door and said I was the best birthday present and best surprise he has ever gotten in his life. We drove up to the water park and I had to be quiet in the car ruing phone call becuase my sisters family and my other sister drove separately and didn't know I was there. When we got to the water park i let my brother, Vanessa, and my mom go in first and i waited a minute then went in. While everyone was greeting one another I jumped out and my oldest sister screamed at the top of her lungs. So all the surprises went well and the water park was fun. My nieces absolutely loved it and me and my brother acted like kids and it was great. We drove back to my brothers house and played video games for a while. The next day Adam, my mom, and I went to Red Robin to have my sister Candice wait on us. It was nice for me to see a bunch of people that I used to work with. After wards we headed into the city to celebrate Adam's and my cousins birthday. We met up with my dads side of the family at the home my grandma is staying it. We had Lou Malnatis pizza and sat and talked for a while. Eventually we came back to my brothers house. Ive tried to post a lot of picture on facebook while I've been home since I have a good internet connection here. I'm heading back to Honduras tomorrow and will be there until June 24th to finish the boys school year. It was nice to have some time back in the States with my family but the weather could have been a little nicer. Thanks for all the support and prayers.