What happened in July?

So the last entry in my blog is the end of August. I was actually trying to catch up on the summer months, including Camas and Emily's wedding and getting back to Helene. What happened to four months?? I get the bad, bad blogger award. Will put aside all excuses and cover the past territory and move on to what is happening NOW. It is absolutely amazing how God's timing and work has brought us to this end of November and what He seems to be designing for us in the next month and year 2010. Wow.

First, let me tell a little of our latter half of the year. As my last post showed, we were blessed with two young ladies to be here in Helene as interns and our dear friend Sharon while we were in the states for a whole month to celebrate a special wedding. Dominic and Deirdre were the only fulltime staff here in Helene during that time. What a terrific trip it was, spending time with family and friends. The time was all so short, of course, but what a sweet wedding ceremony and fun reception we had in July. I only wish we had had more time with our families (relatives) and Camas' family. What a treat to have my sister and nephews, too. (I so regret I cannot load pictures onto this post, but my computer crashed.) Larry and I were so blessed to spend time with Camas and Emily - in between their work shifts! We really absorbed the time we spent with granddaughter LucyKate, Bethany and Josh, and Susanna. It was hard to leave, but after all, it was only for four more months. Little did we realize how those four months would challenge us in some new directions! Next post will fill you in...

Here's a random shot of our fulltime staff this year in Helene (compare to the picture when we arrived in March).  When we realized we would be leaving in July to come to the states for Emily and Camas' wedding, we did not realize David would be returning for a short trip at the same time.  Praise the Lord (!) we had two interns arrive who would be here to serve during our absence.  Deirdre and Dominic directed the routine activities and kept things going.  The next pictures are showing Jennifer and Jessica, our summer interns who have a special place in our hearts and our history here.  

ReadAloud

One of the special experiences many mission teams talk about is their opportunity to be in the English School.  Everyday we have a break in the middle of our day.  It's the perfect time to have ReadAloud.  Here's one of the team members reading a book to the first graders.  

Here we are - teaching staff and STM celebrating our newly remodeled Teacher Resource Area!

As it turns out, the minister who was to do the ceremony felt the water was too rough that afternoon to come, so Larry ended up doing the wedding with another islander.  Larry's knees were bothering him that day so he came by speedboat, docked just outside the house where the ceremony had begun!

from the sidelines

Fun to watch from the sidelines!  Intern Jessica behind me & Dominic & friends on the right.

Here's the beautiful procession waiting to start down the "aisle" - there are carefully executed steps in the processional and it has been practiced many times in the previous weeks.

an island wedding

While Sunset STM was with us, they were privileged to go to an island wedding.  These do not happen often and when it does, they are a huge event.  The bride is actually the sister of one of our teacher assistants.  It's fun to see everyone dressed in their best at an occasion like this!

Job well done!!! and a good time was had by all...

Half mile walk from lumber locker through bush

More pics of the flooring going in...

Sunset makes its 6th annual trip!

In the middle of June we were visited by the Sunset Presbyterian STM.  They have come every year that Larry and I have been here.   We continue to look forward to their arrival every summer.  This year proved not to be a disappointment.

Here is one of the STM young ladies looking into a house that has no floor.  Their assignment: putting the floor into a house to make it livable for a single mom, her son, her brothers and sisters who live with her.  The team worked tirelessly and did a great job!

I'm back at it!

Just like in the "old days" on TV, the announcer would say, "Now we will pause for a station break.  We will return to the regularly scheduled program shortly."  That's just what I have done in the past 2 1/2 months!!  I apologize to anyone out there who reads my blog, but it just got crazy with an STM and sickness and leaving the country and a wedding and now that we have returned, I now have a class of my own to teach...well, I am back!

I will try to fill in quickly with pictures and catch us all up on what has happened in my life and those who are near me here in Helene, Honduras and the Outer Banks of North Carolina!

down in Roatan...

It's the week before our one big short term mission team arrives this Saturday.  Larry and I went down to do the "meat shopping" last Friday and on Sunday Team Helene went to rChurch (you may remember this as IWC).  On Saturday we dropped our passports off at the airport to pay our fees that are required after a certain amount of time here.  Banjo takes care of this for us - he is a great friend and ally for us with teams and individuals coming in or anything to do with airport issues.  He gets us info about early or late flights.  Besides all this, he is a believer who is ordained and occasionally preaches on Northside.  We are very grateful to have Banjo as more than an acquaintance here on Roatan.  Larry and Banjo are shown here with Jeremy and Melissa Dyke - Jeremy and Melissa are church planters for rChurch (formerly IWC).  Jeremy served in Helene in the "early days" and met Melissa when she came on a STM.  They were at the airport on Saturday waiting for their home church to arrive for a week of evangelism and mission work.  As you can see we all have a lot of fun together.

Ice cream, Part 2

Just a few more shots of the team enjoying their ice cream!!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

Our boat has been in repair for almost a month, the heat has been unbearable, a major earthquake...we could come up with a list, but we didn't have to because Larry suggested the entire team go downisland on Friday.  We had lunch "out" and a short swim in the pool at a resort, then we went shopping (some "pre-shopping" for the team coming in a couple of weeks) at the new and improved Eldon's, our grocery store on Roatan.  

We were almost beyond ourselves to eat a icy cold - well, it DID melt quickly - Heath Klondike bar!!  Just one of the delightful creations we miss in Helene. 

Who would think...

As the sun brings early morning light to the island, there's a sense of peace and calm to the outside eye.  The night has been anything but peaceful, and many have forfeited hours of sleep to anxiety and alarm.  Around 2:30 a.m. we woke up to our bed shaking rather strong and the sure realization that an earthquake was in progress.  We held each other, waiting for a much delayed end to the rumbling that seemed much longer than actual seconds that went by.  Then it stopped.  For obvious reasons, it took awhile to get back to sleep.

Around 5:15 a.m. (and the sun was up!) Ewings - our island friend who is like one of our staff - calls out to Larry, "Are you awake, Larry? Are you awake?"  Larry's reply was, "Well, I am now!"  Several islanders wanted to know what our computer said about the tsunami that was coming.  We laughed and joked about it as the computer was booting and then to our surprise, we found out there really HAD been a tsunami alert, but it had been lifted.  The earthquake registered 7.1 (now I am reading reports that say 7.3, if it matters!) and the epicenter was within 50 miles north of us.  There was no reported damage on our island, other than TVs and other items that had crashed to the floor in some homes.  No one showed up at our medical clinic.  But it was the talk on the path.  Spanish school was cancelled as we heard all schools in Honduras were cancelled, but our English school was in session.  Before our bell rang, a number of younger students told me very excited versions from their viewpoint of waking up in the earthquake.  It was great to talk to them and tell them about earthquakes and reassure them that God is in control.  He protected us and was gracious, as He is that kind of Father to us.  We are thankful the Lord allowed us to "ride the waves" a little differently this time!

 

How hot is it!?!

How hot is it?  Pretty hot.  It's so hot ... 

that the dishes I am washing are warm, like they have been sitting in the oven!

that clothes are dying on the line within 30 minutes - just like an electric dryer!

that you simply cannot eat chocolate, esp. M & M's - your hands turn into runny rainbows!

that the cold water out of the shower onto my body is warn water by the time it reaches my knees!

that I am sweating furiously ... and I'm just sitting!

that we are drinking a Nalgene every hour!

It's pretty hot.  Pray for breezes!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, David has been taking care of other creatures - here, a gecko.  This little guy was pretty snappy when Deirdre tried to pet it.  

David has also taken under his wing (haha) a chicken that has chosen to sit on her eggs in a box at the tool shed.  He plans to build a small coop for her in the near future.

Saturday, part 2

As Dominic and Deirdre and I left the Northside beach, we discovered that one of the iguana (see previous post) had obviously dropped off the line and was left on the beach.  Finding it was still  alive, our job was to free it without getting bit!  Deirdre held it down while Dominic untangled its claws.  I took pictures.   Deirdre then picked it up by its tail and tossed it onto a tree at the edge of the bush and off it went!  Free at last!  We were so happy to save ONE iguana!

what's to do on a Saturday!

Some folks might wonder what we do here as missionaries on Helene on our possible "day off" = Saturday!  May is known as one of the hotter months in the year (followed by September in second place) and we have just this last week come into the reality of this fact.  Waking up sweaty is such a different sensation than not waking up sweaty.  The sun is tremendously hot even in the early hours of the day that no longer do Larry and I sleep in til 6:30 or 7 and scurry around to get some work done before the heat.  The "heat" is already pouring in at 5:45 a.m.!  So, to beat the heat, Dominic and Deirdre and I decided to trek to Northside for a swim in the cool Caribbean Sea.  Wrong!  It was warmer than bathwater!  But to our surprise, some of our young friends had been busier than us.  Never have I seen so many iguanas captured in one place!  Their legs are tied behind their backs so they do not claw.  The boys never told us where they got them, but they certainly were proud of their work.  They were looking forward to a good meal.  And I was simply excited about cheeseburgers on the grill! 

1st week of school - part 3

Ok I just could NOT resist this one.  This little guy is the son of one of our teacher assistants who attends kindergarten and is dismissed from class earlier than the older classes.  He joined me for an afternoon and we had a great time working a puzzle!  How grateful I am for this opportunity that God has given me for this time.

1st week of school- part 2

Here's a look at another one of our seasoned teachers.  Ms. Shanna has been training and teaching with us since 2006.  This year she tackles the challenge of teaching a combined class of third and fourth grades.  Shanna is very relaxed in her classroom and the students seem to really be enjoying their first week of school!   

1st week of school!

Look, look.  See the class.  It's second grade in action.  Ms. Kiera has one of our larger classes.  She is in her third year of teaching and is doing a fantastic job.  She keeps a controlled classroom and is planning her lessons almost totally on her own.  Pray for her as her confidence continues to build and she expands her experience as a teacher.    

We were finally within hours of our first day of school.  Everything was set in place.  Any possible scenario had been played in our minds.  Like an orchestra, we were fine-tuned, well, ok, maybe not FINE tuned, but we were prepared and our audience (the students!) would not know every missed note.  Finally, the hour arrived and our 2009 schoolyear that had hung in question only months ago, became reality.  All this sounds so dramatic, but for the stage of the game we are in here in Helene, it is a crucial year.  After a month of training, we have four lead teachers and two assistants (prospective teachers) going solo as I serve in an advisor type role.  I stand backstage and provide props, cues, and encouragement.  It is somewhat difficult to not have my own classroom - (at my age I yet am not burned out by teaching, what's with that?), but I am so thrilled to see these ladies stretch and step up.  The rehearsals are over, and the curtain went up.  We pray that the spotlight is on Jesus as we minister and serve together.  

Heeeere's Dominic!

As I sit here and reflect on our Teacher Training which has absolutely consumed my life for the last 3 weeks, I am amazed how God puts together people and places for what He is already doing.  When Emily left Helene last year, I admit some anticipation about the 2009 schoolyear.  As I returned and we opened the school, it seemed her presence was everywhere, in everything I picked up or moved, "the memories were so thick, you could swat them away like flies"(sorry, that line from "Field of Dreams" was appropriate!).  But over the last few weeks, our times in the afternoon have become a new sense of what we are doing here in the Helene Christian English School.  A big part of the success in our training this year is due to the Lord sending a young man named Dominic Alvarez.  Dominic is a talented guy, very articulate, sensitive listener and exactly what we needed for training, an animated speaker.  We wondered how our island teachers would react to a "man teacher" in our midst.  They love him!  Everything from his Gameshow Review to his pictures on the board to our very serious moments in the scripture about how Jesus was a teacher, too.  How I miss Em, but thank you, Lord, that Dominic is here.

Teacher Training 2009

This week we completed Teacher Training 2009 with four of our former island teachers and two new prospects who will be assistants.  We have spent every afternoon for the last three weeks exploring positive expectations, classroom management and content mastery.  More importantly, we have experienced a strong camaraderie and friendship.  We have pulled our topics for training from previous years as well as some new activities designed to get to know each other AND the culture better.  This year I have seen these ladies speak more freely and stand before each other with more confidence than I have known before.  We are stoked to begin school.  On Tuesday when the school board meets, we will be told when our first day of school will begin.  Next week we will hold our planning periods - each teacher has a planning time one morning a week - and set up our classrooms.  We are getting off to a later start this year, but I believe we will finish strong.   

This is one place we never sing, "Rain, rain' go away!"  After almost a month without rain, we began to pray last week for God to deliver some blessed showers our way.   And He did!  We have had some squalls move through at night or perhaps once a day, but this morning we awoke to a good heavy downpour.  And it was very overcast with more short showers most of the day.  What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday, especially when our whole team is SO exhausted.  Our boat is being repaired and basically, remodeled.  Teacher Training met every day this week with great success.  Student matriculation (registration) was held for three days and will continue.  Our visiting doctor and his wife left this week after a ten day stay.  Busy week.  But today the rain let us take a break, pull away from the work load, and maybe get a nap. 

one month into our 2009 year!

Today is exactly one month since we arrived in Helene for 2009.  We spent almost a week downisland in West End for a sort of prep time/mini-Team Steam.  We had our newest intern- Dominic Alvarez, back as a "fulltimer" and a fresh intern who has visited Helene with his church - David Chase.  These guys are a perfect match for our team and are really fun individuals. 

Dominic will be teaching and training in the English School.  He has led out in our Teacher Training that started this week and done an excellent job presenting the information.  David will be responsible for maintaining our property and buildings...the "to-do" list really never ends for him.  Our former team member Paul Moore spent two weeks with David showing him the ropes in a fast forward cram course on electricity, water system, generator, boat, etc.  Deirdre, Larry and I are so grateful to God for the team He has put together for 2009.  It is definitely a new start as we face many changes this year in our ministry and direction for the site.   

WE'RE BAAAACK!

A month ago today Larry and I caught a ferry from La Ceiba to Roatan to return to Helene.  We had a glorious four month break as we celebrated the birth of our granddaughter and the engagement of our oldest daughter!  Family and friends are by far the hardest ones to say goodbye when we leave.  But as we arrived on the island a week later, we were welcomed and excited to greet our island friends.  LOTS of changes going on this year as we return with FIVE staff.  Since we arrived, we have already had several groups of visitors including one of our favorite dentists and his wife.  One of the biggest goals in my ministry here with the school was to get the word out about our new community school board.  They will make the crucial decisions for our English school this year as we continue to train island teachers and begin a new school year in a few weeks after teacher training.  The children are constant in asking when school will start.  I remind myself that the first year we came here, school did not start until June, so not to worry about our late start date.  God has been preparing things while we were gone and is in the very middle of prep right now.