45

One more week down in Honduras and it was unlike any other. This past week it has been the coldest that it has been since ive been here. In the morning before the sun comes up and during the night it has been as low as 45. Now this may not seem that cold for everyone from Illinois but you must realize that houses in Honduras do not have insulation or heating so there is not a hhuge temperature difference between inside and out. It has moved me this week to be praying even more for the Honduran people who dont have sufficient blankets and sweatshirts to deal with the cold. I am so thankful for the things in my life that God has provided me that I see as necessities but others would see as luxuries. The rest of the boys schooling for the week went well. They are coming up on end of the semester exams so the house should be a lot quiter in the next week or so. We still managed to get all our workouts in this week even though it was freezing in the mornings and that made me proud as a personal trainer. Thursday I went to Val's english class with some of the younger kids at the ministry and watched/helped out. It was fun because I played a game with them to help them with the english alphabet and they eventually tested me with the spanish alphabet. After the class I played soccer with the men of the community and got an extra workout in for the day. On Saturday we went to the property for the church service. We didn't have enough chairs for all the people that came which was encouraging. Christian of course came running to me and jumped into my arms like he does every week and sat on my lap with his younger brother for a while. When the kids were dismissed I went to one of the rooms to help with the younger kids and there were barely enough chairs to hold all the kids. The kids heard a message for Carolina the daughter of the founder of the ministry and then colored. Christians cousin has also taken a liking to me so I helped him color and we talked a little bit. After they were dismissed we all played soccer in the field until church was over. After the service Val wanted to see where Christian and his family lived so we walked them home. Val found out from Christian's mother that a 15 year old girl that sometimes comes to church with them is living inside the house next to theirs all by herself becuase her mom is in the States and her dad works in Tegucigalpa. I was saddened to hear that because it was just another example of how young kids are so often forced to grow up early and miss out on part of their childhood because of their circumstances. Saturday night we went to a local restraunt as a family which was nice. The food wasnt bad, I found a hair in my water glass but didnt tell anyone cause I didnt want the Schuberts to freak out. On Sunday one of the Schubert's friends who is leaving the country came by to say adios and left two dogs here with us for a few months while he finds permanant housing in the states. Duke was fighting with the male dog so we have had to keep them separated and lock the two dogs up at night. The dogs barked all night making it hard for everyone to sleep. We are hoping that the dogs start getting along or it will be a long couple of months for us all. SUnday night we went to church in the city. It was a great service although we missed a portion of the worhip music, which is my favorite part, becuase we were late. We came home and I spent the night checking e-mail and talking to friends online. I really enjoyed that time but it reminds me how much of my heart is still in the U.S. Although I havent told the Schuberts yet I do not plan on staying another year like they would like me to. I don't feel like God is telling me to stay but has He has already shown me certain things in the States that He has planned for me next year. That about catches everyone up. Thanks for the support. I miss and love you all. God bless.