A Trip to the Beach!

This weekend I got the chance to go to Amapala with the Matutes. I work with the Matutues at Pinares. He teaches guitar classes and helps with band. Mrs. Matute is a substitute for the high school. They have two children, Samuel and Daisy (who was taking the picture).

Tuk-Tuk! Our island transportation.
Yes, we all 5 (plus driver) fit in it!

We left Saturday afternoon, took a short boat ride across to the island and then got a tuk-tuk to our hotel. The tuk-tuk ran out of gas at a really picturesque spot where we could see Nicaragua and El Salvador while standing in Honduras. 

In the morning we got up early and were at the beach by 6 A.M.
This was a great idea because we had the beach to ourselves and it was not too hot yet. 

The water was warm, but not too warm, and the view was fantastic!

The beach with its colorful fishing boats.

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power." ~Ephesians 6:10 This verse stuck out to me yesterday. Being strong in the Lord does not necessarily mean striving as hard as possible but rather resting in God's presence. His Name is power enough and His Word is truth enough to draw our focus to Him. Let Him be all that we need.

Also, I missed an adventure at our apartment of a flooding toilet. If you want to read one of my roommate's account, here is the link to her blog: http://talesfromteguc.blogspot.com/2012/10/not-your-typical-saturday.html 

Market Day!

Today (Saturday) was farmer's market day. I love the market! It is a snapshot of the culture that surrounds me. We walk through the many aisles between the tables piled high with colorful fruits and vegetables. Today I got green beans, snap peas, cucumbers, carrots,  a couple bananas, spinach, potatoes and ciruelas all for 75 Limpiras or $3.75. Not too bad, eh? We walked towards the back half of the market that has all of the vegetables, past the egg cartons and the cheese vendor (avoiding the place where raw meat is hanging) and found a lady who had good, fresh vegetables, which is where I got most of my produce. She even gave me an extra cucumber as a gift. Then we made our way to the front and found the pineapple man. Today I found out his name is Juan, and we told him we wanted a pineapple that would be ready to eat in 3 days so he plunked a couple on his table. He is a jolly fellow, a burly man for a Honduran, with a big smile and curly chest hair sticking above his shirt and a cowboy hat. I forgot to mention what a ciruela is. It is called a Spanish plum but to me it has the texture and flavor of a mango. They are small and the seed takes up most of the fruit, but they are fun.
Then we ate freshly made baleadas, a large thin tortilla with refried beans, eggs, cheese and creama inside, before we weaved our way through the traffic back to the bus.
When we get home we have to wash all of the vegetables and fruit in either bleach or vinegar water to kill all the things that we shouldn't be ingesting.

School has been going well. This week was busy because we had to make sure all of our grades were in and then we had to print progress reports. I am still trying to find my niche in discipline, especially with my 8th graders. Sometimes it seems like focus and respect are not on their radars. 5th grade is fun because the students are so excited to learn and finally play their instruments, so while they certainly wear me out with their energy, their enthusiasm is encouraging.

Church has been a time of refreshment. I have been going to an English speaking church in the city. It is a small family of about 50 people. Sunday was an all worship service, it was a blessing to get to play guitar with the praise band, and to quote the worship leader, "Humbly I have to say, God's presence was beautiful among us tonight. Thank you, worship team!"

Please pray for health for the teachers as many things are starting to go around. Pray for energy and strength. And pray that we may know Jesus deeper so that we can be lights to our students.