Coffee, beans, and culture shock

This morning I was just sitting down to a typical Honduran breakfast--coffee, beans, and crema* (in the beans, not the coffee)--when my daughter approached and asked what I was doing.

"I'm eating breakfast," I replied.

With surprise and a bit of what passes for derision in a three year old she declared:

"But beans aren't for breakfast!"

And I doubt most Honduran children would know what to make of her AppleJacks® either.


* "What is crema?", you may ask. I'm not entirely sure. I know that it is made from milk, has a consistency a bit creamier than sour cream, and that I like the taste far better than sour cream. I would say it is not as tangy as sour cream.

Colorblind?

Most Hondurans are brown. Like most people groups there is a range of pigment in the population. They are not as dark complected as other Latin Americans, and are darker than others.

I don't bring this up just as a ethnic curiosity. My actual curiosity is in how much of the advertising I encounter here seems oblivious to the ethnic reality choosing instead to portray very Caucasian looking models. And it is not just a matter of North American companies duplicating their ad campaigns here. Even the advertising for exclusively Honduran (or Central American) businesses like my bank tend to use very anglo-american looking models.

My curiosity with this is in part due to the excessive political correctness observed in much American advertising. Who hasn't chuckled at the absolutely improbable groups of fresh-faced ethnically diverse young people gracing the web pages of colleges and universities. (If it is a Christian college, at least one of the young people will be holding a guitar as well.)

But more importantly I wonder about the message that is being sent. Why are white people the standard? To whom are they appealing? Are the advertisers appealing to what they believe is a wide tendency to regard the European/American model as the image of what is desired? Are they trying to create that image? Are they heedless of their audience? Or, if the ads target the rich and the rich have North American tendencies, what messages are being sent to the rest of the people who see these billboards?

I honestly don't know. But it niggles at me.

Neither snow nor rain nor heat...

Today we received our first piece of genuine mail here in Honduras. We have previously received bills delivered by the issuing entity (electric, water, cable, etc.) and mail through a forwarding service (we have to pick this up at their office). But today a motorcyclist rang the doorbell and delivered a Christmas card from the states (Thanks YK!). We weren't even sure this sort of service existed!

For the detail oriented:
1) The envelope had a 98¢ stamp affixed as well as 2 airmail stickers.
2) It was postmarked from upstate NY on 16 Dec 2011.
3) It was stamped upon arrival to the airport sorting center on 27 Dic 2011
4) It was further stamped by the Empresa de Correos on 28 Dic 2011
5) It arrived mid-morning 28 Dec 2011.

Well, at least they're not dead...

Pastoral ministry typically includes a measure of illness and bereavement care. The pastor plays a special role ushering people from this life into the next. I don't have a great deal of experience with this, though I know that I don't like it much more than the next guy.

Due to the makeup of the congregation here, hospital and funeral care are not a significant part of my duties. I have attended a wake but funerals are rare. (And I am legal forbidden from performing marriage ceremonies). However, I have already discovered that there is a parallel responsibility: ministry transition care. If that sounds like a euphemism, it is. I could have written "helping people leave" or, as above, "ushering people from this ministry life into the next." This involves counseling people about ministry decisions, helping people sell their belongings, writing references, and taking people to the airport.

So far, I don't like it any better than funerals, but at least they're not dead.

Things I don't miss about America

At this point in our sojourn in Honduras (5 months and counting) you might be expecting a reasoned analysis of aspects of life "back home" for which we long wistfully. I might be able to write that post; I haven't given it much thought. I have thought about a few things that I don't miss about "home."

• Politics. Being at a distance helps me control just how much of the political wrangling (all the more pronounced in an election year) I am exposed to. When you're in the states avoiding political talk is a bit like avoiding air. Through TV and the web I get as much as I want and no political TV ads at all!
• Football fans. I don't care about NFL or college football. But I have lived the last 15 years in Wisconsin and then Nebraska, two of the most football crazy places in the country. The problem with football season as opposed to, say, baseball season is that there is far more talk about football than there is actual football. Wisconsin radio stations spend the entire 165 hours between Packer games reviewing, analyzing, anticipating, complaining, and whining. Since we spend a fair bit of our time with North Americans we do have contact with some football fans but not too many. I have never heard a Honduran talk about American Football.
• Car Commercials. There are car commercials on TV here but they seem to be far fewer than in the states. I don't know what it is about car commercials that bothers me but I have long disliked them. Of course, the trade off here seems to be that we have more perfume commercials which I can't say I'm fond of either. That and they seem to cycle the same commercials more often.
• Telemarketers. My Honduran phone line just never rings. Ever. Praise be.
• Junk Mail. For all intents and purposes there is no mail system here. Bills are delivered by hand by an employee of the company sending them. Accordingly, we get no unwanted mail at all. No credit card offers, no insurance offers, no contest entries. Nothing.

There are probably more, but this is what comes to mind today.

Christmas in July

When I was a kid our church celebrated "Christmas in July". The gist of it was that packages sent to missionaries on foreign fields took so long to reach them that if we wanted to give them something for Christmas it had to be sent in July. So we got together one Sunday evening and listened to Christmas music while packaging up whatever it was we thought would be meaningful to missionaries in Africa and Bangladesh. To my overactive young mind the thought that a package could take six months to get from West Danby, New York to Niger, West Africa was incomprehensible. It seemed like two guys in a rowboat could have gotten across the Atlantic in that time. This was the 1980s not the 1880s after all, wasn't it?

I got to thinking about this this Christmas for a variety of reasons. First, I am sort of a "missionary" now so all those missionary-ish things I remember from my childhood are put in a different perspective. Second, I am grateful that it only takes about 2 weeks for us to get things sent from the states and on top of that, there are constantly people coming and going so it is not that difficult to send or receive goods. Besides, there's not much that I want here that I can't get (perhaps more on that later).

Finally, the main reason that I got thinking about Christmas in July is because, well, to this Wisconsin boy, it's beginning to feel like July at Christmas. We have noticed, however, that in an act of what we regard as selfless solidarity, many of our Northern friends have chosen to celebrate a green Christmas as well.

We love you and hope that you have a joyous season celebrating and anticipating the Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(Note: The poinsettias here are astonishingly plentiful and vibrant. Just one of the many flowers blooming this time of year.)

Money matters

Since our arrival I have found myself carrying more cash than I ever did in the states, which is a little unexpected given the prevalence of petty theft here. Some of this is due to the fact that until a few weeks ago we didn't have a bank account and were living on cash. But when I say that I carry more cash, I don't necessarily mean by value (though that is probably true too), mean by volume. And here's why.



The base currency here is the lempira. At present the exchange rate is about 20 lempiras to the dollar making the lempira worth about $0.05 or a nickel. Lempira bills come in the following denominations: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500. If you're doing your math quickly you've just realized that the first four of those don't amount to a dollar together. The bills' dollar values respectively are: $0.05, $0.10, $0.25, $0.50, $1.00, $2.50, $5.00, and $25.00. Yes, the largest bill that I am aware of here is worth about US $25.00. 

This means that if you are making any large purchase with cash, not only is the number of the cost very high, but you have to hand over a wad of bills. But it also means that you are likely to carry more bills than you normally would. I do not make a habit of carrying change. I put it in a jar and take it to the bank periodically. But I do carry bills. So here I find myself carrying bills with the value of change that I wouldn't bother to carry in the states.

Ironically, for system with no bill worth more than $25 it is amazing how often you catch cashiers short of change when you pay with a L500. They are forever having to ask their supervisor to break the L500 for them because they are out of L100s. 

Believe it or not, they have coinage too. This is even more ridiculous. The coins represent parts of lempiras or lempira "cents", if you will, and come in 5, 10, 20, and 50. Remembering that one lempira itself is only worth 5¢, doing the math you realize that these are worth: ¼¢, ½¢ 1¢, 2½¢. Needless to say, Ellyn gets these. 

One final note (pardon the pun). The bluish polygon that looks like an inverted ring is transparent plastic. It's the only bill with that feature. It feels very different from the rest which are made with standard paper.

FDR would be amazed

Americans love acronyms. They are ubiquitous. Just think of how much time you spend on CBS, NBC, and ESPN watching NFL, MLB, NHL, and NBA not to mention CSI, CSI:NY, and NCIS. The government is in on it too: CIA, FBI, DEA, FDA, etc. (or perhaps ad nauseum).

One of the contributing factors to this is that all but one of the names for letters in English are monosyllabic. (You're smart enough to figure out which one isn't.) This fact is more important than you think. By contrast, in Spanish ten letters have two syllables (f, h, j, l, m, n, r, s, x, z), one has three (w), and one has four (y). What this means is that approximately half of the letters require two or more syllables to pronounce. That can lengthen the pronunciation of an acronym by 50-100% easily.

Consider ESPN. In English this is an unproblematic string of single syllables: ee-es-pee-en. But in Spanish (and yes, we have ESPN access here) two of the letters are double syllable making it eh-ese-pe-ene, or 50% longer. Worse still is Major League Soccer, the MLS. All three of these are double syllable--eme-ele-ese--making the acronym 100% longer than the English original.

To compensate Spanish speakers make their acronyms longer. The point of this is to form the acronym into a collection of letters that can be pronounced as a word. The result is some astounding acronyms. A skim through the paper here on an average day yields an absolute alphabet soup of these, so many I can't keep track of them all. ENEE, SANAA, CONASIN, UNAH, IHNFA, FARP, AHCORENA, SOPTRAVI, etc. The list is endless. (Notable examples of the same phenomena  in English would be POTUS and MADD). Explaining one will suffice. One of my favorites is INJUPEMP. It just looks silly to me and doesn't even work that well as a Spanish word. That m-p consonant blend is unusual. Here's what it stands for: Instituto Nacional de Jubilaciones y Pensiones de los Empleados (roughly translated: National Institution for Workers' Retirements and Pensions).

The NFL suffers the same fate as MLS; its acronym requires six syllables rather than three. Maybe it could improve its chances if it modified its acronym in Latin American countries to NaFoL, or better yet LiNFA for Liga Nacional de Fútbol Americano.

That and if it could somehow become as interesting and beautiful a game as fútbol. 

It's the economy, stupid

Winston Churchill famously described Russia as "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma." I feel somewhat similarly about the Honduran economy. On the one hand, many financial indexes rate Honduras as one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. It scores much higher than many African nations, but lags behind many of its neighbors. But I don't need the numbers to tell me that. I see evidence of poverty and a depressed economy everywhere I go here.
  However, there is another side. The other day I was at Toncontin International Airport here in Tegucigalpa and it was absolutely mobbed with people. Now obviously many were there to send off or receive family and friends, but the lines for check-in were busy too. Flying costs money. Flying out of Tegus costs even more because of the unique challenges of take-off and landing. And it can't be possible that ALL or even MOST of these passengers are foreign visitors going to and fro. Some of these must be Hondurans that are departing and arriving.
  I then went to one of Tegucigalpa's malls, the one with Walmart (Mall Cascadas). It, too, was lousy with people. Some of the traffic was doubtless attributable to the holiday but I have been in that mall at other times when it has been similarly crowded. From this mall one can actually see another of the city's malls (Metromall), and nearer the church there are two more more sharp, clean malls with upscale stores (Mall Mutiplaza and Mall Novacentro). The food court at one of them is constantly busy. On top of that, they are building another mall near the airport. (All that and I haven't even mentioned StuffMart, I mean, PriceSmart.)
  What gives?
  Latin American economies are notorious for having a small upper class living in luxury and a large lower class, mired in poverty. As compared to the US economy, this is still probably true of Honduras. But I don't think such an imbalanced system could possibly sustain the level of commerce that one sees here in Tegucigalpa. There must be a middle class of some sort to sustain these businesses.
  That said, there is certainly poverty in the city and the economy outside the main cities is another matter altogether. But the poverty here is still different than that in places like Africa. In those places the daily effort to find food, never mind pay for it, is burdensome. As near as I can tell, there is no shortage of food here. The produce is generally plentiful and beautiful. The open air markets teem with people and the spread of seasonal fruits and vegetables is a sight to behold.
  Such is the mysterious, enigmatic riddle of the Honduran economy. I am glad that it is not mine to unravel, though perhaps, as a minister here my task is no less mysterious.

When statistics go bad or Who are you and why are you looking at my blog?

As part of its user settings Blogger provides the user with an array of information about one's blog: number of visits per posting, recommending sites, how people arrive at your blog, etc. Among these details are two pieces of information that I find intriguing, one because it's useless and another because it's vexing.

First, one of the details they provide is what software one's readers are using to look at your site. Now for big time bloggers I suppose that it might be helpful to know what platforms people are using so that you can modify the content to maximize its appearance on that software. But for your average blogger like me it is a useless bit of information, though I admit to being a bit curious as to who it is that uses Linux.

But the other detail is much more tantalizing to me: blogger tells me where (as in what country) people are accessing the blog. Most of this info I find easily explicable. Obviously most of our hits come from the US. Second, not surprisingly, is Honduras. So far so good. Third place goes to Russia. Here I get confused. I have been to Russia but exactly none of the people I met there would care (or be able to) to read this blog. My only conclusion is that the hits come from a former student who spent the semester in Lithuania. THAT might show up as Russia, right?

Fourth place goes to Swaziland. I know that you're thinking that seems more unlikely than Russia, but as it turns out I know that another former student is spending a year working there. Makes sense.

Fifth is Belgium. This is a problem. It is a problem because it means that my sister who lives there is not reading the blog very faithfully. She really should be ahead of Russia and Swaziland.

The next five go like this: Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Czech Republic and France. Each of these has multiple hits and I can't explain any of them. For my sister's sake I hope it means that her internet service provider is periodically assigning her foreign IP addresses. Sounds like something the EU would do. (Though even if I add all those hits to the Belgium count, she still lags behind Russia).

Otherwise...Who are you people and why are you reading this blog?

Fired up, powered down

On and off last evening I was hearing noise from surrounding neighbors and neighborhoods. I didn't think a great deal of it until about 9pm when it rather abruptly got crazy. Fireworks were going off incessantly and people were shouting and screaming. At first I figured that there was some festival or other; I have yet to have a real handle on Honduran holidays--when they are or how they are celebrated. Then it occurred to me that there may be a more simple explanation. A brief search online revealed that Club Deportivo Olimpia had just defeated Real Club Deportivo Espana 2-0 in the League championship (3-0 on home-away aggregate). This was somewhat unexpected I believe, because Real España had dominated in the regular season. Olimpia is based here in Tegus while Real España is from San Pedro Sula, the second largest city in Honduras. Needless to say, fútbol  being the official national religion sport and Olimpia being one of the home town favorites, there were some fired up people in town. 

Though I doubt that there was any relation, last night's excess of energy was followed by a shortage today. For the first time since our arrival, the electricity was intermittent this morning at church. The church has a generator for such circumstances but the noise of the generator and the instability of the electricity it provides made for a different sort of service. Fortunately the congregation did not seem too bothered by it and, as most of my friends know, I have a big enough mouth to make up for the lack of amplification.

As I explained in a previous post, today we also said "Goodbye" to a good friend and fellow minister Jesse. It was good to hear him present his decision to the church and to pray with him and for him. He will be sorely missed but we rejoice with the direction that he is moving for the good of the kingdom.

How my life got better by moving to Honduras

I am sure that one of the first thoughts many people had upon hearing that we were moving to Honduras was to assume that this move would involve a change in quality or comfort of life for us. Our imaginations find it easy to run wild with this sort of speculation about places we have never visited. Tegucigalpa, Honduras sounds remote (but not exotic) and the common assumptions about Central America conjure images of burros laden with sacks of coffee beans on their way to markets made up of colorful tents and awnings festooned with recently beheaded chickens. I will admit that I have seen the beasts of burden (though it was loaded with bottles of soda) and the meat section of the central market is not for the weak of stomach. However, Tegucigalpa is not all that far behind in the services and luxuries that most North Americans regard as necessary for life. In fact, there are distinct ways in which I am living better here in Honduras than I ever have in the states and it is not primarily because of where my salary places me in the Honduran economy (which I don't really know other than that I'm better off than most but far behind many). Let me give a few examples.

• We have a bigger home than we ever have. Except for the year spent house sitting and the year with my parents, this is the largest place we have lived. It is not lavish and the rent is reasonable, but by its layout and design, it is a spacious place. (Except for the kitchen. If both Debbie and I are in the kitchen it is a bit like the circus routine of the guys riding motorcycles inside the spherical cage.)
• We have a bigger and better TV than we ever have. Up until a year ago we were using the 13" TV we bought a year after we got married. I probably wouldn't have spent the same amount on a set in the states but a friend from church was leaving and offered a good deal. (People are coming and going constantly and the speed with which the vultures gather people reach out to support the departing by relieving them of their earthly possessions for rock bottom prices is remarkable.)
• My banking is more convenient than ever. Once we finally got our bank account set up here it is very easy. The online bill pay is more intuitive than any I've used in the states. I can do banking from my cell phone and I don't even have a smart phone.
• Beans and rice are readily available. I love beans and rice. Obviously these things are available in the states but here, virtually every restaurant offers beans and rice as a side dish.
• I have a nicer office than I ever have. The church building is made of brick. This includes the interior. I love brick. My office is brick with two walls of shelves. It is spacious, well ventilated, well lit, and comfortable. I have had other comfortable places to work from in the past but this certainly surpasses them.
• I have a better view than I ever have. Tegucigalpa sits in a valley and is surrounded by verdant hills. We have yet to tire of the scenery, the hills, the play of clouds upon the summits in the morning. This is a beautiful country.

There are probably more I could list, and, of course, there are downsides too, but I will not dedicate a post to them; it would smack too much of complaining. And besides, they are not that significant a part of our lives. We are truly blessed and want you to know it!

Festivities and "Fare thee wells"

Today Union Christian Church celebrated Christmas with a luncheon and a brief service of celebration with singing and special music. Both, I think, were well received. Midway through the lunch we were afraid that we might not have planned for enough food but in the end I think it worked out. The time of singing was brief but I, at least, enjoyed the participation of singers and accompanists. Thank you!

If December 11th seems early to some of you for such a celebration it would help you to know that the coming week is a week of departures for many. Some, whose ministry schedules permit it, have already departed statesward. Between now and next Sunday many more will follow; this especially applies to those of our number who serve in the various schools in town. Most churches experience attendance abnormalities around the holidays. Ours may very well be the reverse of those experienced elsewhere. So today was not just about Christmas cheer it was also a good day to well wish the many who we will not see for a few weeks.

There is one particular farewell that is tinged with more sadness due to its finality. This week the part-time associate pastor of worship, brother, and friend, Jesse, decided to make his long-scheduled visit to the states a permanent move. There is no way to sugarcoat this: it is a real blow to the church body. We are in a bit of shock. It is sort of like those first moments after you tumble down the stairs: you don't know exactly what your injuries are but you are sure you're hurt. I imagine that it will be some time before the church and the leadership fully understand the extent of what we have lost with his departure. He has done much. He has done it well. He has done it graciously. For that we are very thankful.

So our festivities have an air of sobriety about them but hope as well. We sorrow the departure of a friend and fellow-laborer while rejoicing at the warmth and conviviality shared amongst the congregation in our celebration of Christ's birth. We look ahead to the new year with hope and some uncertainty, but also with confidence in the grace of Christ.

Suppose he's house broken?

We discovered this furry little fella in our patio area the other day. He was softer than he looks. A few hours later he was gone and we're not sure where he went.

Catracho Pride

Hondurans, or catrachos as they self-denominate, love their fútbol. This past week has seen some important games between rival teams in the national league. But there is also considerable pride in la selección or national team. Internationally Honduras is currently ranked 54th though they are 5th in their region (CONCACAF) behind México, USA, Jamaica and Panamá. There is a particularly strong rivalry between Honduras and El Salvador for reasons having more to do with politics than soccer. Qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brasil is underway and Honduras is hopeful to secure a spot though only three from the region are guaranteed spots in the final 32 teams (the fourth place team enters a playoff with a team from another continent for a possible spot).
All this by way of prelude to displaying my Honduran pride with the national team jersey that my wife purchased for me. You know who has been included as gratuitous cuteness.

It's beginning to feel a lot like...Memorial Day.

People frequently ask us how our transition is going. We can answer completely honestly that it has gone very well. We have been healthy, have had relatively few difficulties in establishing a home and various services, and even anticipate that our residency paperwork will go through soon. We are very happy in our home and find our church home equally comfortable.
The only "problem" is that Christmas is 20 days away but my brain thinks it is late spring because the sun shines every day and the temperatures are in the 70s. Having lived almost our entire lives in places where there are four distinct seasons this two-seasons-only-really-differing-in-the-amount-of-rain-that-falls thing will take some getting used to. It was helpful that last week a cold front came through and temperatures dipped occasionally into the 50s. We could pretend that it was autumn. (It was also humorous to see the Hondurans bundling up as if an Arctic blast had struck.)
But if this is the only thing we have to complain about, we're doing pretty well, no?

Picture pages

Several new pictures of the church, congregation, and worship service have been posted at Union's facebook page. See them here. Enjoy!

Ministry Profile - New Life Deaf Ministry

As we have mentioned many times, many in our congregation are involved in various types of ministries here in Honduras. It is truly a blessing to be associated with so many quality people and ministries. To give you a feel for the congregation and to introduce you to ways that you can pray for Honduras or perhaps even minister here, we will be profiling the ministries represented in our congregation from time to time.

New Life Deaf Ministry

On Saturday we had the privilege of attending the first sixth grade graduation of Manos Felices (Happy Hands) a school for deaf children. The school is part of a larger ministry called New Life Deaf Ministry or Ministerio de Sordos Nueva Vida, a ministry that includes a church and community outreach in addition to the deaf school. This year's graduation was of particular importance as it represented the culmination of many years of growth. The school has added a grade level every year and these students were in the inaugural class. In the coming year they will be continuing the program by beginning high school classes for the first time.

The needs of the deaf are left virtually untouched here in Honduras. This school and church are among the only ones of their kind. Many families with deaf children are dismissive of their children's prospects and must be convinced that education is worth it. Many deaf are unable to find work and are thus heavily dependent upon family or other limited resources. Accordingly the work of NLDM is extremely important. The school is slowly changing cultural perceptions about the value of deaf persons in human and Honduran society. Among the school's faculty is a woman who was the first deaf Honduran to graduate from the education program at a Honduran university. 

Union Christian Church was privileged to host the graduation ceremonies and further blessed to have the ministry's director, Christy, among our members, as well as one of the pre-school teachers, Beverly. We are personally blessed to count these women as our friends and New Life Deaf Ministry as partners in the cause of the gospel. (And Ellyn has been building a friendship with Carolina, the hearing child of a deaf couple that works with the school. Carolina attends Union frequently.)

We invite you to visit NLDM's website (yes, it's in English) to learn more about this vibrant and important ministry.

Thanksgiving (again)!

We hope that all of you enjoyed the Thanksgiving holiday. We celebrated the day with a meal and time of thanks at Union Christian Church complete with turkey, pumpkin pie, and Packer football. (It should be noted that it doesn't feel as much like football when the commentary is in Spanish. Something not right there.) There were over 60 people in attendance, many of them "visitors". It was our goal to expand our celebration beyond the church family and we were happy to have English-speakers from other churches and ministries, members of the Ministerio de Sordos Nueva Vida (New Life Deaf Ministry, a church and school), as well as several Honduran families. Below are some pictures of the festivities. (For more pictures you can visit the church's Facebook page.)

The fellowship hall prepared for the meal

The spread!

The crowd

The more the merrier

This group is watching the Packers-Lions

game in the church foyer.

One happy customer!

Thanksgiving!

We give thanks today for all that God has done in bringing us to this place and making it our home.

We thank all of you who have participated in one way or another through prayer and financial support.

We thank our new church home at Union for the warmth and love with which we have been received.

Thank you!


Note: No, Thanksgiving is not a recognized holiday in Honduras. However, given the percentage of North Americans in the congregation we will be celebrating today in the traditional ways: football and feasting.

Funny little stuff

In visiting any culture there are big things to adjust to as well as small, even funny differences. For instance, we have never forgotten how weird it was to us that in England we ate potato chips in flavors like "prawn" and "roasted chicken." As I recall, they tasted like potato chips.

A trip to the grocery store here reveals several such differences.

Products in bags. Many things come in bags here that don't usually in the States. We can by in a bag: vegetable oil, mustard, milk, tomato paste, refried beans, mayonnaise, and many other products. I don't know whether it is more environmentally friendly or not but it is interesting. The oil and mayonnaise bags actually have a screw top at one corner for easy open and close.

Customer service. I've commented on this before. It is up and down. In some ways it is better, others worse. We think it is funny, yet helpful, that just as you enter the produce section of the grocery story there is an employee with a basket of plastic produce bags already taken off the roll and peeled open. I've long fought with those crazy bags but never thought it was worthy of a minimum wage worker to help me with them.

Eggs. Here the eggs are not refrigerated and come in multiples of 5 rather than dozens. So we buy 15 eggs at a time. (I also find it silly that the brand name Debbie usually gets is "Mister Huevo". Not "Señor Huevo" but "Mister").

Dish soap. While you can (and we do) buy liquid dish soap, the more common form of the product here is a tub of hardened soap (the texture reminds me of Lava soap) that one uses by rubbing it with a sponge and then applying to the dishes. This method uses less water, a valuable commodity during the dry season.

This list could go on, I suppose, but this is enough to make the point that there are many little things that make us say, "Huh. Hadn't thought of doing it that way before!"

Unintentional hiatus

Regular followers of this journal will have noticed that there hasn’t been much to follow regularly, at least of late. You need not assign this to waning will on my part but rather (again) on the vicissitudes of our internet connection. While my connection at the church is much more consistent I confess that it does not usually occur to me to post from there.

Aside from our intermittent internet we are generally well. Events around us have, of late, sharpened our awareness of the challenges of life and ministry here. But that is why we came so we do not complain but put our shoulders to the plow in earnest.

As always, we are grateful for your prayers.

Missing all the fun

Several times recently Debbie has related to me her adventures in communicating with Spanish-speakers. She has spoken to the guard at church multiple times and even managed to get information from the garbage man about what days he comes. She is quite aware of her linguistic limitations and very self-effacing when relating these events to me, willingly including details of her failure. I never fail both to be amazed by her results and get a chuckle out of the proceedings. The only thing I regret is that I never get to see these verbal forays in person!

EST, DST, CST, whatever

A gentle reminder for those of you who have a hard enough time remembering the details of your own time zone. Honduras is on true Central Standard Time, meaning that we neither leap forward nor fall back. Accordingly, now that all you United Statesians have shifted one hour back, the Central Standard Time Zone is now the same as we are, while our family and friends in the Eastern Time Zone are now only one hour ahead of us. As I don't regularly talk to anyone in either the Mountain or Pacific time zones, you're on your own to figure it out.

Clear?

Your next question

I am sure that the last post raised questions for you about our security. If you have those questions (and especially if you're related to us) I'm not sure there is much that I can say that will completely allay your fears. However, I can tell you how we live with the reality.
   I would say that I don't feel perpetually insecure though we are always wary. Car doors are always locked, including while driving (Ellyn often serves as our reminder). If we have to leave something in the car while we are in a store or whatever, we try to stow it out of sight. As in almost any city, there are neighborhoods that we just don't visit or even drive through. We don't do much after dark (which can be a challenge as the sun sets relatively early here).
   While no place is completely secure we do feel safe enough where we are living. There is restricted access and a guard posted there around the clock. Entrance to our neighborhood doesn't lead anywhere--there are two cul-de-sacs--so we don't have traffic, including foot traffic. Debbie and Ellyn regularly walk around the corner inside our neighborhood (maybe 100 meters) to an enclosed playground and swimming pool area accessible only to members of the community.
   We regard these and other steps we take as the better part of wisdom but we don't regard them as our ultimate safety. We pray regularly (and invite you to do the same) for our safety and that of our friends because we believe that we move and live in the domain of the Great Protector of the sheep.

Just facts

This is not a feel good post nor an especially informative one except insofar as it will tell you something about Honduras. And I only tell you this because you can find the information elsewhere and I want you to know that we are not ignorant of it nor would we gloss over its importance. These are just the facts.

In one of the local newspapers the other day was a report indicating that Honduras was on schedule to qualify as the world's most violent country for the year 2011. The statistic that seals our ignoble victory is 86 violent deaths per 100,000 people. I will testify to the fact that a day does not go by that one reads in the news of murders and assassinations, some of them obviously opportunistic and others meticulously planned. Many are attributed to narco-trafficking or gang activity.

The above statistic is tragic but another number in the article left me truly disturbed. It is estimated that as many as 98% of those crimes are never brought to justice. This is for various reasons: lack of investigative resources, lack of will, and corruption within the police agencies. There is nothing just about these facts.

This number was more sobering to me. Scripture makes clear that God is a God of justice. The prophetic books record numerous rebukes against the unjust practices of those in power in the Israel of that day. Indeed, God has delegated to kings and leaders the responsibility to enforce justice. I tremble at the thought of the day that God holds these leaders accountable for the failure to pursue justice for their people.

Pray for the people and leaders of Honduras that God might show mercy to this people and this place and that peace and justice might reign for the glory of Jesus Christ.

With

I am pleased to report that as of sometime today our internet at home is up and working. It is in the larger scope of things a small detail, but after the series of calls that we went through I was very relieved to find it working when I got home.

Proof that we've got our priorities straight

The futon is not put together, but the rocking horse is!

With and without

Some of you may have noticed the cyber silence here lately. It has not been intentional. Rather, internet has been a bit spotty lately. Another way to say this is that I am in a life and death struggle with a certain internet service provider who shall (for the moment) remain nameless. I think I know who is more likely to die. Yet another way to say this is that I have been given the opportunity lately to grow both in my patience and my facility speaking Spanish over the phone about semi-technical issues. My Spanish may be improving but my mood is not. Yet, driving today with a friend we were discussing early missionaries and the challenges that they faced. I have a hard time imagining Adoniram Judson or even the relatively more recent Jim Eliot grousing about their internet being down.

Digital deficiencies are not our only news, however. More importantly, we are happy to report that today, with the generous loan of a cargo van and the even more generous loan of strong backs we were able to fetch our belongings from their point of delivery and transfer them to our home. We are now surrounded by piles of partially unpacked boxes. It is wonderful! It is not unlike Christmas as we discover all our things anew.*

That Christmas feeling will just keep coming in the weeks ahead as we have found several furniture and home furnishings to purchase from people leaving the country. This is bittersweet as we will miss them in spite of only knowing them for awhile but it is a part of the circle of life and ministry here. We are happy to be of a type of service to them by purchasing their belongings, relieving them of at least one detail.

Thank you for your prayers and support. We miss many but are eagerly setting the plow a little deeper in our ministry here.


*Special thanks to WGO (World Gospel Outreach) for the use of the van and to His Eyes ministry for the space in their shipping container.

Week-end Report - 23.10.2011

I was about to title this post "end of the week report" but realized that, it being Sunday, I would have fallen into grave theological error! Sunday, Resurrection Day, is always the first day of the week. Nevertheless, on this beginning to the week I report on the past week's activities.

The most noteworthy event from the week past was our move into our own home. With the help of friends from church we loaded, moved, and unloaded the items that the church had for our use. These included the major appliances, beds, dressers, and some shelves. This is a tremendous start. We still have to find some other furniture items (we're presently short on seating) but we are living comfortably in our new home.

We are already appreciating the benefits and discovering the shortcomings of our new place. The shorter trip to the city is a boon and Ellyn has already made use of the community swing-set and swimming pool. We miss the quiet and the view from El Hatillo where we stayed the first two months. At present I hear a car alarm (though we're used to those from our time in Racine and Milwaukee) and nearby there is a rooster who is apparently on Eastern Standard Time.

Another major event this week was the return of a key family from the church who had been in the states raising support for their ministry. They had generously offered us the use of their home during our first months. Since they contribute to the church in so many ways we are all glad that they have returned. Their return offered me my first opportunity to drive to the airport to pick someone up. I had previously only gone as a passenger. A small but useful skill!

Debbie has done some more driving and we are growing in our knowledge of the city and the shopping. Developing relationships is a key part of what we are doing right now so we eagerly accept any invitation to gather with others casually or formally. We even met some neighbors here in the community. The language barrier is a bit of a challenge for Debbie and Ellyn in these moments. Ellyn wanted to play but was hesitant to jump in as she usually does so eagerly.

And finally, for those of you whose word association with "Honduras" is of mud huts and natives with bones through their noses, you would be interested to know that we had a church fellowship yesterday. We went bowling. Yes, bowling. And it looked and felt like a bowling alley. (Though a bit quieter because there are only 8 lanes and weren't many other people there). To further confound your mental images, we only went bowling because the mini-golf place was closed for repairs.

Thank you for your prayers and encouragement!

Customer Service

We went shopping today for household items and had two distinct customer service experiences.

1) In a store with a variety of household goods and appliances we bought a microwave and a fan. While we were at the check out a young man came and took the microwave and the fan to a separate location where he proceeded to open both boxes. He then plugged in the microwave and heated up a small cup of water to prove to us that it worked. Then he put it all back in the box and another man taped it shut. The fan was similarly tested. (The phones and speakers we bought were not). This practice, though strange to us, is not all that bad of an idea here where most stores will not accept returns.

2) Later, Debbie was at the grocery story and as her order was being rung up a small container of yogurt with one of those aluminum foil peel tops tipped over and split open. She was then asked (in Spanish and through pantomime), "Do you want us to tape it shut or do you want to eat it here?"

Different. Not better, not worse, just different.

Switched up

One of the humorous, small things to get used to here are the letters on the faucets. Many have Spanish labels and so the one on the left says C for "caliente" and the one on the right reads F for "frio." However, many faucets I have seen are in English. The confusion this causes is that most of the the English ones are installed with the nob labeled C on the left to coordinate with the Spanish "caliente" leaving the right, cold nob to read H. This is even the case on those that are additionally color coded with blue for cold and red for hot. In case you visit, know that in general, regardless of the labeling, hot is on the left and cold on the right.

I stand corrected

A few posts ago I was subtly dismissive of the church's self-description as "international" and suggested that most weeks that means little more than Americans* and Hondurans.
Just to spite me, I'm sure, this past Sunday we had at least the following nations represented: Germany, Honduras, the Netherlands, Taiwan, the United States, and Zambia. (Not to mention that the church guard is from Nicaragua.)
I enjoy worshiping in such an environment and just watched the people from different places lifting their voices in song in partial fulfillment of Revelation 7:9

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.

* To most people from the United States, "American" is a common and acceptable self-referent. However, when one gets out into other countries on the American continents its sounds inaccurate. Unfortunately, English offers no other demonym for our use. Spanish has the word estadounidense to refer to citizens of the United States, though, truthfully, gringo is more common!

Far from home

As of yesterday we have moved into our own house/condo. This move is happening in pieces: we have moved in the furnishings that the church had for our use but are awaiting the arrival of our own belongings. Soon we're told. When those come and we begin decorating and filling in the gaps with household items bought or borrowed I'm sure it will begin to feel like home. Until then, well, perhaps Ellyn best summarizes the situation.

Da: "Do you like our new house?"
Ellyn: "No."
Da: "Why not?"
Ellyn: (with a half glance toward the living room with naught but 2 bookshelves and a TV stand). "It needs more things in it."

Because you're dying to know...

Let's be honest. Since we have come to Honduras and you have been following us on the blog, there has been something you've wanted to know but have been afraid to ask.

"So...do you do anything weird?"

You know what I mean. Do we slaughter our own chickens or only shower once a week or wash our clothes by beating them against a rock or, I don't know, go around only wearing a loincloth.

You will be relieved to know that:
1) we buy our chicken the same way you do (though we probably have the option of buying a pre-slaughtered chicken if we wanted to),
2) we shower as frequently as we want (though once dry season comes we may be more cognizant of our water consumption),
3) we have a regular washer and dryer (though most houses also come with a "pila" which is basically a deep sink with a built in washboard), and
4) given that it is the rainy season (what passes for winter), the temperatures are usually cool enough that we wear a shirt with our loincloth.

Sorry to disappoint you.

In discussing this we concluded that we really don't do much weird that you'd be interested in. At present we still brush our teeth with purified water rather than tap water (though we may transition away from that someday). Different, but not all that weird. The only other matter concerns the plumbing (the house's, not ours). The plumbing is not up to handling paper so that gets dispensed with in a can rather than, well, the can. This is true even in public restrooms.

Now you're sorry you asked, aren't you?

Vista

We will likely be moving to our own house early next week. As much as we are looking forward to that we are also thankful for the temporary housing that we have had these first 2 months. Among the things we will miss when we leave is the fantastic view. The view of the valley, the city and surrounding villages never gets old. Below are a few different looks at the city from where we have been staying.

 And this one, taken at virtually the same angle as the ones above!

Ellyn's new pet!

(Just kidding!)

High Society

Part of Union Christian Church's self-definition is "international." The church sign (which you can see in an earlier post) shows the flags of many nations giving the perhaps misleading perception that all of those countries are represented in the congregation. At present, we are "international" insofar as we have attenders from multiple nations, mostly the U.S. and Honduras, though a few other foreign countries are represented from time to time: Canada, England, Arkansas.

One of the true internationals that attends at present happens to be the ambassador to Honduras from the Republic of China-Taiwan. It further turns out that this year is the centennial of the founding of Taiwan. Accordingly, the Taiwanese embassy, which has had a long presence in Honduras, hosted a celebration to commemorate the anniversary and the ambassador invited his pastor and spouse, yep, that's us.

So last night found us dressed to the nines to attend a reception held at a swanky (or perhaps the swanky) hotel in Tegucigalpa. We were greeted at the door by the ambassador himself and received commemorative pins (see below). The festivities included speeches by the ambassador and the Honduran president (no we didn't meet him personally), national anthems of both countries sung by an excellent a capella choir, and a traditional dragon drum dance. Then there was time to mingle and enjoy the tasty buffet.

Those of you who know us would probably agree that we are not exactly high society people. I don't think we betrayed ourselves bourgeois except that we repeatedly rejected beverage offers during the speeches so as not to be disrupted only to be unable to find any liquids at all once the buffet lines began. Of course, we were conspicuously gringo but there's not much we can do about that! (Fortunately, we weren't the only gringos as the ambassador had also invited one of the elders and his wife.)

Here we are in all our sartorial splendor.

And the aforementioned commemorative pin (which you may be able to tell is actually magnetic).

Zumba proves his mettle

As explained in a previous post we elected to buy a small SUV over a car for various reasons among which was the ground clearance. Little did we know how soon we would be glad for this feature.

Today, on the way home from church it began to rain quite hard. The combined effect of the terrain and poor drainage means that the roads swamp with inches of water in many places.

How thankful we were for the all-wheel drive and the clearance!

The view from here

We will soon be leaving our temporary housing and moving in to a place of our own. We are very much looking forward to this move. That said, we are so appreciative of the home we have been able to use in these early months. It not only met a need, it relieved a great deal of pressure. On top of that, it offered us a tremendous view of the hills, the valley and parts of the city. Below is a brief video that tries to capture a bit of that view. (Sorry for the fence but it keeps us from rolling down the hill!)

Meet Zumba

We'd like to introduce you to the newest member of our ministry team: Zumba*. Zumba is a 2004 Mitsubishi Outlander equipped with all the essentials for transportation and ministry in Honduras:

• all-wheel drive for negotiating steep, muddy roads
• automatic transmission to avoid stalling or rolling back into someone on Tegus' steep roads
• seating for 5 (space for visitors!)
• air-conditioning for, well, year-round comfort
• seat belts (less common than you might think)
• and ample ground clearance for the potholes you can't avoid

The generosity of our church families in both countries made the purchase of a more than adequate vehicle possible. Thank you!

* Yes, we like to name our vehicles. "Zumba" comes from a verb meaning "to buzz" like an insect but can also be used to describe the humming or purring of a motor.

Sight of the day - Mutant Banana!

We eat a lot of bananas. In her most recent shopping trip Debbie picked up a small bunch thinking it was 5 bananas or so. What she didn't notice was that one banana was actually three! (Or maybe the other way around.) You might call this the "family banana."

September Update

The following is an update letter that we sent to our supporters at Racine Bible Church summarizing the month of September.

Dear Racine Bible Family,

While the fact that it has been over a month since our last letter of update may be reason enough to write, what prompts me today is gratitude and humility at the outpouring of generosity that we have received from you. We received news of the most recent gifts of financial support and are overwhelmed at the abundance that you have shared with us. We know, too, that the gifts of prayer support are as effusive and heartfelt as the financial giving. Thank you.

After a very busy last week in the States during early September, we arrived here as a family on Saturday, September 10. The church’s welcome that first Sunday was warm and even Ellyn began to make friends! Our first week here involved little more than catching our breath and acquainting ourselves with the local grocery stores. Since then we have begun taking steps toward making Tegucigalpa our home.

As of this writing we have settled on a place to live that is secure, fits our budget, and even provides access to a playground for Ellyn—a rare find. The house provides sufficient space for hosting small gatherings. Since we have temporary use of a house until late in October, we will likely not move for a couple more weeks. Besides, most of our belongings are still in transit from the US. (Your most recent support will likely cover the shipping expenses). Yesterday we took possession of our own vehicle. The use of borrowed cars and home greatly relieved the stresses of this move.

Debbie has been welcomed into the circle of women at the church most specifically through the weekly women’s Bible study. Many have offered to help in various ways. Not surprisingly we have received many lunch and dinner invitations and so are getting to know the congregation better each week. Through one such invitation Debbie was invited to join a group of moms who meet weekly for a Bible club of sorts for their children. Once we are more settled Debbie is looking forward to participating. Most of the participants are bilingual so it may provide an opportunity for her to practice Spanish as well as build relationships.

In most things at church (including preaching!) Stephen still feels new and a bit awkward. Sunday School and Men’s Breakfast both began recently and some fellowship events have been scheduled for the weeks ahead. Attendance has been consistent though rotating so every week it seems that there are many unfamiliar faces in the congregation. This impression is lessening with each week. Much of Stephen’s work at this point is sermon and lesson preparation as well as administration with just a smattering of more hands-on shepherding.

Virtually every aspect of the transition thus far has gone very well. That said, we must admit that we tire easily and still have a great deal more to learn. Nevertheless, we have every confidence of God’s presence with us and the encouragement of your support and affection. We look forward to more updates soon.

With the affection of Christ,

Stephen and Debbie Jenks

Boon and bane

I frequently get asked how my Spanish is. It seems to me that this is kind of like asking someone how good of a spouse they are. In answering one must navigate between the Scylla of arrogance and the Charybdis of false modesty. I will never regard myself as fluent because I know that I am a perpetual learner. There is so much involved in mastering a language that I know I will never achieve. So I usually describe my Spanish as serviceable or functional. It certainly has been helpful to be functional.

I have discovered of late that my Spanish is just a little too good for my own good. What I mean is that many people that I speak with assess my Spanish as good enough that they don't have to be simple with me. Instead, they speak at full speed and complexity assuming that I'm following along without a problem. I suppose I'd be flattered if I wasn't so busy trying to keep up!

Have car, will travel

We bought a car today...I think.

What with the mix of a ridiculous sounding amount of money, paperwork done at a storefront "office", and in Spanish to boot there is the possibility that we were just taken for a ride rather than purchased one.

We shall see tomorrow when we pick it up from the lot!

"The rain in Spain..."

This is the rainy season in Honduras. It has rained hard and long on each of the last several days. Every day there are reports in the newspaper about sections of the city that have experienced severe and even fatal flooding. The hilly conditions exacerbate the rain as it runs down the hills and collects in places faster than the ground or systems (where there are any) can handle it.

A further effect of the rain is that it deteriorates the roads, particularly the dirt roads that predominate outside the city. This had a direct impact on church yesterday as all of our attendees that live and work out at Rancho Ebenezer were stranded there since the road is almost impassable. The city roads are impacted as well as potholes grow or appear and weak patch jobs are washed away.

I was giving one of the church guards a ride home the other day as one of the storms was tapering off and we were observing the water gushing down the hillside. He commented that it was ironic that come summertime their will be government warnings and laments regarding the water shortages while at present we are inundated. This is just one of the rhythms of life here in Honduras.

When it rains, it pours...

No, really, it does!

Not metaphorically either. Meteorologically!

5¢ Tour

Click on the link below to see some pictures of the Union Christian Church building. Several rooms (and not just bathrooms!) were omitted from the tour. You'll just have to come visit to see the rest!

UCC Tour

Where in the world are we?

Below is a map with labels for a few places of interest for us here in Tegucigalpa. You should be able to zoom in and out and to click on each to find out what it is.

View Tegucigalpa in a larger map

The week in review

I don't know that I will faithfully write a week-ending post but it seems easier to do a bit each week than to try to write a detailed letter at the end of each month. I'll likely do both for awhile.

As suggested in last week's "week ahead" portion we began the process of finding housing and transportation this week. It is not really much different than doing the same in the states so most of you will know what it's like. The main difference, of course, is that much of the discussing with landlords and auto dealers is done in Spanish and we have to make the currency exchange in our heads. It is still temporarily disorienting to be told that a car costs 145,000 (that's about $7700).

In both cases--housing and cars--we saw things that would work for us though we haven't settled on anything yet. We may look at a few more places this week before we decide. We also need to test drive a car or two and have a mechanic look at them before we make a decision on that.

Slowly we are getting to know our way around. Each week offers trips to new places or new challenges like unexpected road closings that force us to learn whether we want to or not!

At church we are starting to get into the flow of a church year. The women's Bible study has met for a few weeks and a men's breakfast group will meet this week (somewhat unexpectedly at Denny's). Some fellowship events are on the calendar and we are looking forward to getting to know more people through those. For the first time this Sunday when I looked out on the congregation more faces looked familiar than not. That's progress.

We regularly get asked how we're adjusting and there's a sense in which that question is impossible to answer. Most who ask it have been through it and so understand. On the one hand I can say that thus far the transition has gone very smoothly. The stresses we have felt are not much above what we would have experienced had we moved across the US. That said, I should also admit that we get weary quickly. We have not been sick but have felt offish in various ways which can likely be attributed to stress and diet and so forth. Contributing to this is that life in general has not settled into any patterns yet. Every day/week is a jumble of activities different from the day before. You know that that can be more tiring than a familiar schedule.

I trust the above does not sound like complaining. We do not feel that way at all. We do, however, know we are weak and want those who love us to pray with and for us meaningfully. Thank you.

Sight of the day

Man bicycling down the middle of the street with a crutch strapped to the side of his bicycle.

(I considered following him to find out it he was partially lame or if the crutch was in preparation for the injury he was likely to get riding down the middle of the street!)

Eight Polish foods of Christmas

You may be familiar with the Veggie Tales song "The Eight Polish Foods of Christmas." To the repetitive tune of the 12 days of Christmas the vegetable crew sings of various polish foods--pirogi, gwumpkies, kielbasa, etc.--most of which when described seem to be something wrapped around meat.

I got to thinking about this today as I was ordering lunch for us at Tacontento. There are a variety of foods here in Honduras that I enjoy but when considered really boil down to something wrapped in a tortilla. The tortillas vary from flour to corn, thick to thin, and the contents vary from simple beans and cheese to beans-cheese-plantain-scrambled eggs-meat-vegetables. The following are all available and amount to something in a tortilla:

Gringos

Baleadas

Pupusas

Fajitas (with corn tortillas usually)

Taquitos

Flautas, and of course

Tacos

I have yet to be disappointed!

All is well and all will be well and all manner of things shall be well

We did not dare to hope. We feared that we must live with happy but fading memories.

And then she saw them.

There they were, nearly hidden in the semi-gloom of the parking garage. But no shadow could truly cast a pall over their resplendent beauty. No patina of use could mar their majestic glory. And no lone, forlorn pilgrim but a veritable phalanx of lucent color and form.

The world so recently tipped and spinning precariously contrary to its axis is now set aright. For we have found them.

Super La Colonia has car carts.

NOT sufferin' for Jesus

For purposes of humor I have often used the expression "sufferin' for Jesus" to describe a less than difficult ministry assignment, like say, beach evangelism in Waikiki. (Although given how I feel about beaches that WOULD involve some suffering!) I just want to make clear that we do not feel that we are suffering here at all.

We have this...

And this...

Which we bought here...

Which is basically this...

We have one of these...

And last night I watched these guys...

Thanks to...

Which, of course, means we must have one of these...

And thanks to...

and

We have email, can blog, and can even watch stuff here...

Is our life here different?

Sure.

Are some things that we are used to that are difficult to find here?

Yes.

But are we suffering?

Not a chance.

Out "my" back door

When we find our own place I think the thing I will miss the most about our temporary housing are the views out the back of the property.

A view of Tegucigalpa

Across the valley

Village across the valley (Bonus: with storm moving in)

Almost close enough to see the pot o' gold!