Bethany Prinzen : November 2015

Goodness gracious, the weeks are flying by.

I can't believe I've been in Honduras for 10 weeks now. Even these last few weeks have been full of adventure and new experiences. I've met some amazing people and have been able to get to know others better. Although my Spanish is "muy malo" (very bad), people are patient with me and suffer through it.

Last week I had the opportunity to visit a children's home, and spend time with a few kids that live there. We coloured, watched a bit of Dora the explorer, and laugh a lot. My little bit of Spanish came in handy and I actually knew what we were laughing about, so that was nice. When it was time to go, big hugs were given and I was happy to say that I'd be back.

This week Dave had a team from Canada come and they went into the community to fix wells. On Tuesday I tagged along to see what the process was like and to help in any way that I could. After preparing the pipes and the pump, we went to the well and replaced the old pump with the new. While we were there, kids came to see what we were doing and decided to stay and watch. Precious little ones were walking on the rough gravel/dirt roads without shoes, but that didn't stop them from having the biggest smiles ever. Some of the team members played soccer with the kids and others just spent time with them. Once the well was fixed, we were all excited to see water actually come out of it. I'm so glad I tagged along and saw how they fix the wells and to see the kiddos faces when the water came out of the well.

A few things to pray for:

The team from Canada as they are flying back tomorrow.
Renewed health for the teachers and students.
That I wouldn't be counting down the days to leave but would continue enjoy and grow while I'm here.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement while I've been here. I definitely appreciate it.

Grade 1 sweethearts

Celebrating CEE's 25th anniversary

One of the markets

The children's home

Doing the Whip & Nay Nay dance

Sports day

Replacing the well

Some of the kids who were at the well with us

It works!

My time in Honduras has been full of new experiences and adventures. Some are fun and exciting and others are strange and discomforting. God has opened my eyes to see things in a new way and to be open to other people's way of living. One of my hopes in coming here was to not change people but to learn from them, and I believe that's what God is helping me do. I'm thankful for the good experiences and definitely thankful for the hard ones as well. I'm seeing God's goodness and love in many different ways.

So here are few things you wouldn't normally see in Canada:

Cows. Now I understand that cows are in Canada, but this is different. These ones are everywhere. They do what they want and go where they want. On my walk to school, it's normal to see a cow on the side of the road (or even on the road.) In Canada, they're usually seen in barns or on a farm, but those aren't here so they just do whatever they want.
Eventful taxi rides. I know there are taxis in Canada as well, but again, this is different. I don't know how many times I've reached for a handle to open the window or to open the door and realized that there isn't one. Now this isn't a sketchy halloween movie where you can never escape the vehicle and you die there, but it's really just because the handle broke off and he hasn't fixed it. Usually it's just one handle that is missing so you would use the other to open the door but other times the taxi driver has figured out a way to open the door using different tools.
Driving conditions. In Canada there are lines, signs, and rules to be followed, with police to enforce them. Here, there are general rules but most of the time they aren't followed. I can't help but laugh when I see people driving on the sidewalk to pass someone or pass people when theres obviously a car coming and you could crash. Also, one day I saw 4 people on a motorcycle. It's common to see children on motorcycles with their parents, wearing helmets that would be big on me.
While walking to school (about six blocks from my house) I see 7 or 8 men with giant guns, protecting different construction stores. You don't see that everyday in Canada but here, I don't even notice them anymore. Although the first time I saw one I was pretty shocked and didn't know if I should be scared or feel safe.
In Canada, I find people are very concerned with how their house looks. The grass is usually cut, leaves are raked, garbage is all picked up, and the garden looks beautiful. Here, it's a little easier to get away with not doing that kind of stuff because there are giant cement walls blocking any view of your house. People protect their houses by putting up walls and big gates so that people can't break in. On top of the walls there is barbed wire for extra protection. It really does make me feel safer knowing that I'm surrounded by a cement wall and people can't see our house.

So these are just a few things that are different but I hope you've been able to understand a little bit more about my experiences here in Honduras.

Side note: This passed weekend I was able to visit the beautiful Tela with a sweet family. We relaxed on the beach for a long time, had delicious food and I drank from my first coconut while standing in the Atlantic ocean. It was amazing.