Snippets from the past week...

     This has been a crazy week. We have had teacher meetings every day and have been overloaded with information. It is a lot to compound all the school information and reality that I am in charge of a classroom with the fact of moving to a different culture. I think I'm finally beginning to settle into knowing this is my home for now and am beginning to be more comfortable than overwhelmed by this environment.
     It is such a blessing to be united with Christian teachers with a mission to be the light of Christ to these students. Every morning we have begun our day with devotions. We have put a lot of work into getting prepared for our students to come. I'm not sure I'll ever feel ready, but things like the syllabus, lesson plans and cleaning and repairing the instruments are what I've been working on the past few days.
    I am also so blessed by my roommates/apartment-mates. They are wonderful girls. We have been able to share a few meals together and it is nice to go through the process of being new teachers together. I taught my roommate Alysse to play the tuba the other evening. That was certainly entertaining. 
     Church last Sunday was an adventure. We hopped on a Rapidito, a small bus that runs from just outside our gate to downtown Tegus, and we took our time getting to Santidad, the church I had attended last year. When we got to the church the service was almost over and we were confused, but we found someone who informed us there was only one service that day, so we went back to a coffee shop and shared verses with each other and then had a time of prayer, which was refreshing. Then in the afternoon I attended an English service farther downtown. It was nice to worship in English as well.
     The school provides transportation to get groceries down in the city every weekend. Today we went to the farmers' market. I love the farmers' market!! I got bananas, mangoes, green beans, snap peas, peppers, and carrots all for a little less than $5. I also ate a baleada, a thin tortilla with beans, eggs, creama, and dried cheese. so delicious! and then washed it down with bag of water. Everything comes in bags, even water.
     I've walked down to the mercadito (little grocery store) a couple times this week. One evening it was raining, but we were in dire need for ice cream! It's a nice short walk and it's good to get off of the campus every once in a while.
     There are a lot of things to pray for right now. Confidence in the classroom, especially with discipline these first couple of weeks. Relationships with all of the teachers and with my apartment-mates, that I can be encouraging as well as be encouraged. Wisdom in my teaching. Humbleness to ask daily for the strength from God that is more than enough.
Jeremiah 15:16 "Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by Your Name, O Lord, God of hosts."
I like this verse, not only because of the analogy of eating God's word, but because it goes on to say that it is because we are called by God's Name.

New Keys and Honduran Sounds

Today I got my keys to my classroom! That was exciting. I feel official. Except for the fact that my room is currently packed wall to wall with desks that don't belong there.
I've noticed all sorts of noises around me. My favorite is the parrot across the street that sounds like a pterodactyl. Then there are the random fireworks that make me jumpy. And there are all sorts of honking horns interspersed with cars driving by with loudspeakers announcing things. 
Then there are colors. The flowers are in bloom right now. Everything is so green. We live in a mountain forest jungle. Let me explain: there are a few palm trees, but lots of pine trees also, and then a bunch of jungle foliage and we are on a mountain. 
Our apartment is a cacophony of color. Every other wall is a different color. My favorite is our cotton candy blue counters with candy apple red walls. That's interesting.
Smells...well in the city it smells, well, city-ish. mostly smog smelling. Then as you drive up the mountain the air continues to get fresher. The past few days it has rained and it is delicious to smell rain again as we haven't had rain in Ohio for too long. It also smells mildew-y in the classrooms.
The first thing I ate here was a papusa. best thing ever. Cheese infused tortilla topped with cabbage. The wide variety of fresh veggies and fruit is so great, but it takes longer to prepare food because everything has to be properly washed.
I feel like I've been here forever but we've only been here a few days. We have had a ton of meetings with our brains sponging up exorbitant amounts of information. Tomorrow we are going to a staff retreat, so that should be good and hopefully refreshing.
The administrators have been so welcoming to us. They have prepared meals for us and we have met in their houses. It is a wonderful blessing to be in such a great community.
Thanks for your prayers. My carpal tunnel is a ton better. Such a relief.
Also, my apartment mates are awesome. I am looking forward to sharing this next year with them.
In the next week, prayer for energy and not feeling overwhelmed in the whirlwind of the start of the school year.

T-minus 3 days

      In 72 hours, my feet will be touching the Honduran ground. I will be landing on one of the world's shortest international runways. I will get Honduran greetings of a hug and kiss. I will look out the busito window as we wind in and out of unorganized traffic. I will hear the thump of bass from the Rapiditos. I will look out over Tegucigalpa on the way up the mountain to Pinares. I will meet new people and see familiar faces. I will be teaching some amazing kids. I will be eating Chikys from the mercadito.
Honduras - the place I will live for the next 11ish months.

This week I was planning on working til Friday, but since my hands decided to get carpal tunnel, I stopped work on Tuesday. I still can't move my right hand very much, so pray with me that it heals quickly.

As I head to this new adventure, I know I'll miss my family and my dog and being able to drive around by myself and eating my mom's cooking and my dad's corny jokes and my brother calling me his "sweet sister."
Beyond that, I am excited to see what God has in store on this next leg of the journey with Him.

"You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, whose minds are fixed on You." - Isaiah 26:3
"Those who know Your Name will trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You." -Psalm 9:10