Going Bananas

One of the small surprises that we have enjoyed since coming to Honduras are the bananas. Now bananas are fairly consistently available in the States so we have long been banana consumers. But the bananas here are better. I know that you're probably thinking: "A banana is a banana. How much better could it really be?" Well, I wouldn't say that they are wildly better but we have both commented that the fresh banana flavor of Honduran bananas is more intense than the bananas we're used to. They don't taste different than what we're used to, just more so.

I've been thinking about this because it is a pretty good description of how life has felt of late, not different, just more intense. In ministry there has been an increase in the number and depth of discipleship/counselling opportunities. We are becoming more keenly aware of the regular, ongoing needs of the congregation, needs that deserve greater attention. From dabbling in Spanish, Debbie has begun working more intently on making progress in the language. Parenting could fall in this category as well.

This intensification is not unwelcome (please note double negative). It is a part of life, and indeed, a sign of greater kingdom potential. But it has certainly made us more aware of our need for a vibrant personal prayer life and the blessing of prayer partners elsewhere.

Thank you for how you partner with us.

In the news...

If you see Honduras in the news in the US or Europe it is probably not a good thing. The last week has been particularly traumatic for the country.

First, on Tuesday night a fire claimed the lives of over 300 prisoners at a prison in Comayagua, a city about 60 northwest of Tegucigalpa. It will likely be some time (if ever) before the truth of the matter comes to light.

Then today, another fire broke out in an open-air market in Comayagüela, a sister-city to Tegucigalpa. Several of the ministries represented in the church are located not far from where this fire took place and minister in this area. Currently, reports indicate that there were no fatalities but that upwards of 500 merchants' stalls were destroyed. Many people rely on this market for both their livelihoods and their goods. A photo gallery of this fire can be seen here. The images of thick, black smoke rising over the city are sobering.

To my knowledge, neither of these fires have impacted congregation members directly. I know of one member who has a stall at a market but in a different location. However, many of the ministries in the country will be seeking to offer relief to those in special need at this time.

Pray with us for the peace of Honduras.

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.

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.

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!

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.

The week behind, the week ahead

We have been here as a family for one week. We spent most of this week just catching our breath after a busy final week in the states. We also have been adjusting to the home where we are staying for the first few weeks and to our new home--Honduras.

Ellyn is adjusting insofar as a three year old has to adjust. Both of her first two Sundays she found and made friends with adult women in the church more readily than we expected. She still plays quite shy with many people like Efrain the church guard though she talks about him when we're at home. At home she loves the trampoline and a large dollhouse to which she has access and has a love-hate relationship with the German Shepherd that lives here. She also likes when we take the "bumpy way" home (which we always do because it's the only way but she sometimes sleeps through it. The last quarter mile or so to the house where we are staying is a rather rutted dirt road.)

Debbie is also adjusting and as you can imagine her adjustment is a bit more complex than Ellyn's. We made a first major shopping trip to a grocery store, La Colonia, and all emerged unscathed and with food. She also attended the women's Bible study on Tuesday and got to meet several women from the church and other ministries. This Tuesday they will have a luncheon to provide more time for people to get to know her. Today, Sunday, she drove in the city for the first time. Sunday is the best day to drive as the traffic is much less crazy. Debbie is also adjusting to life in someone else's home, kitchen, laundry room, etc. The house is more than adequate for our needs and we are grateful for it but also look forward to finding a place of our own and making it home.

Stephen did not have the week he expected to have. This was primarily because two days of it were spent cleaning the church after flooding. We were very grateful for those church members who worked with us to get the water out and sweep and mop up all the silt and grime the water brought with it. Sunday School started this week as well. We are doing a study on Respectable Sins which will be loosely based off Jerry Bridges' book of the same title. Stephen will preach one more sermon from psalms before beginning a short series from the book of Haggai.

So much for the week behind. The week ahead poses new challenges--known and unknown. We soon need to make a vehicle purchase (though we received today the offer of another loaner that gives us a cushion on that) and we would also like to start looking at housing not knowing when we might be able to get in to a place. There are also issues like health insurance, residency, and bank accounts to attend to. These are necessary hurdles that can be time consuming but we believe that the bureaucrat's heart is in the hand of the Lord so we are confident that the hurdles will be crossed.

We invite you to thank God with us for:

1) Health in these early days

2) The generosity and warmth of the congregation

And to pray with us for:

1) Wisdom in the search for a car and home

2) Patience and persistence with the paperwork issues

3) Power and authority in preaching

4) A growing love for the congregation