Life Lately, According to Pictures

it's almost independence day!

church at JEC

celebrating national kid's day at JEC with special guests

Less than one month until our 5k Fiesta Run/Walk!
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all the kids from the public school came over to play soccer and swim last week 

Angel and me

Honduras is trying hard to make it to Brazil 2014

Loving On Your Enemies

Today started pretty great. I started by reading my Jesus Calling and reading some of God's word.

Then from there it seemed as everything went downhill.

Let me backtrack by explaining my past week. Clearly by now (2 years at Jovenes this month) everyone knows how in love with this place I am. Incase I haven't vocally claimed this before, I am incredibly blessed by this job and, in some ways, would be perfectly content staying forever. These boys have changed my life. They have changed the way I see the world, and they have especially changed the way I see myself.

While all of this is positive, the devil finds other ways to bring me down. For starters I have found it extremely difficult to trust people in Honduras. Because of the "looking out for number 1" attitude a lot of people have here, the art of lying comes naturally or is taught at a very young age. Sometimes its coworkers or friends I've met outside of JEC, but today it's mechanics.

I cannot find a trustworthy mechanic. 

For the past year and a half I've had a vehicle here. This is one of those things that, for me, is necessary. I need a car to be able to grocery shop, run errands for JEC, and to be able to get home/to work each day. So since arriving last Monday, my car has been in trouble. Who knows how long it was working poorly, because I left my car in great condition when I returned home for a wedding. I had just purchased brand new tires (because of a really amazing donor) and had some needed work done. Therefore you can imagine the disappointment when you've been gone for 3 weeks, and your car is returned to you worse than when you left.

This is one of those things we are taught (maybe just in the South?) - when you borrow something, you return it in the condition it was given to you or BETTER.

I won't go into detail, but my car has been in the shop for over a week. Twice its come back from the shop, I've tried to use it, and I've ended up breaking down on the side of the road (including Friday night having to be rescued at 8:30 by my boss and his family all in their p.j.'s).

This is frustrating. 

It's even more frustrating because I am a single, naive gringa who doesn't know too much about cars. In the past year I've learned way more than I ever thought, but people keep cheating me over and over ... and over again.

I apologize if this seems like a way to whine. That's not my intention. My intention was simply to ask for prayer. While this may not seem like a big deal to you, this is one thing my mind cannot wrap around.

How is it that people, knowing I am here to voluntarily help the children of Honduras, continue to cheat me? How is that okay in their head?

I think this, more than anything, is what really disappoints me. It makes me feel defeated - like I want to just throw my hands up and be done with it.

I think about how we are taught only to surround ourselves with good people. People who make us better. As christians, we are taught to only surround ourselves with people who encourage us to be better followers of Jesus.

In Nashville I constantly felt like I was surrounded but such an incredible group of people. But here I am being tested. Every single minute of every single day.

As much as I hate to admit it, I am frequently saying to myself "SO WHAT'S THE POINT" if everyone keeps taking advantage of me? Why do I continue living here in a culture that I find so difficult to live in in many ways, yet so easily in others.

Then my heart lurches.
Then I think of the boys. 

I can't imagine leaving them. I can't imagine not seeing their faces each day. I just can't.

But I know God is doing His work here. I am sure He is here.

And sometimes I just need reminding this is HIS work and HIS plan... not mine. I have to trust that with or without me, God won't forget about these boys.

So please pray for me today. I am selfishly asking for your prayers and encouragement. I feel broken and am needing God more than ever today. It is one of those days when you just need the comfort of home in many ways.

I am however reminded of a verse I read this morning in Galations 5:6

"...the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love"

This is what is driving me today. Continuing to love on these boys and love others, even when they do wrong by me over and over again. Because in the long run, I know I do the same thing to Jesus, right?

Back At It Again

jumping into the pool with the boys on July 4th

So after an insanely busy (yet blessed) summer at Jovenes en Camino, things are finally starting to slow down. We had over 25 summer groups who passed through during the months of June and July, we opened our first ever gift shop for business, and had four pretty amazing interns who served as well.

groups brought LOTS of little caesar's 

One of my main jobs is being in charge of planning group projects and visits for all the incoming summer guests. I start planning on the JEC calendar as early as January for groups in spring break then again the summer months. Our first summer groups started coming in late May and we currently have our last one of the summer here on campus today. They will be here until Sunday.

rocking our OLIMPIA jerseys

I can never put into words what an enormous blessing it is to have visitors come back time and time again to see these boys grow. It means the world to them, therefore it means the world to me.

My friend Lindy (another bridesmaid) at the wedding

After one of our largest (and most sponsor-filled) groups left, I rushed home for my best friend's wedding. Sarah Catherine and I met in Honduras, she got engaged in Honduras with all the JEC boys, and I could honestly say our friendship is so strong because our hearts swell at the thought of the people here. As her maid of honor, it was hard not being able to be by her side through all the planning, showers, and other wedding festivities - which made it all the more special to spend the week before her wedding with her. It was so beautiful, and I'm so grateful for her and Richy (her new hubby).

Sarah Catherine Thetford Teixiera

I also was so blessed to spend some much needed time with my family on my mom's side this past weekend. We gathered at my grandparents' farm to have a fish fry (which if you knew my grandparents you would know this was oh-so-fitting) and visit with each other. It was so sweet to reminisce of our loved ones and precious memories.

my mom with our new baby cousin, Gradi Kate

As of yesterday I am back at JEC just in time for classes for the bilingual boys. Five will start there tomorrow, and Nelson had registration yesterday at his new high school in Tegucigalpa. Please pray for them as they start the new school year. Pray for their teachers (who will need patience) and for us here at JEC as we encourage them to start (and finish) strong.

Nelson and me (he's starting high school tomorrow!)

I will return in October to Nashville for our first ever Fiesta 5k to benefit and raise awareness about Jovenes. Please consider joining us in Franklin, TN on October 12th at 8AM to support the boys! All information can be found on the JEC website. If you are not able to make the trek to Nashville - please share our information and tell all your friends! It's going to be a great day. 

Humbling

This is a short entry, no pictures (sorry ahead of time), but definitely worth reading. 

These afternoons I try to grab some internet (on a lucky day) and finish some e-mailing, updating, etc. Today our accountant, with whom I share an office, ran out to do a quick errand. While she was gone I received a visit from a sweet lady who worked just for today at JEC. She was covering for one of the cooks who had to run to the doctor last minute. 

Martha, who I would guess is about mid 30's, rode the first bus out of her town (more than an hour away) to arrive at Jovenes at 5 AM to work in the kitchen. 

The cooks here (we have three on staff at all times) get here early enough to prepare breakfast to serve at 6 AM. Lunch is served for the older boys at 11, then for everyone else at 12:30. After cleaning up for everyone and cooking a huge lunch (our most important meal of the day in Honduras) for 80ish people, they prepare dinner and send it to the houses ready to serve that night. This is normally around 2 in the afternoon.

All of that is just to say how not easy their days are.

This afternoon I had to take on the duty of paying Martha. So after seeing (and living it myself) the job the cooks do daily, my jaw HIT THE FLOOR when our director told me how much to pay her - $10. 

She woke up at the crack of dawn, worked over a hot stove, cleaned on her hands and knees, and served 80+ people two meals... and all she earned was $10!!!!

I have literally made double that in one hour babysitting before. 

The saddest part is that Martha couldn’t even sign the receipt saying we had paid her for her services that day, because she never had never learned to write.

Talk about a humbling experience. 

Especially as I was sitting in the office typing away on my Macbook, using internet, and e-mailing sponsors. 

And Martha never even learned to write. 

Can you even imagine not being able to sign your own name???

And she’s one of many in Honduras who never had anyone to teach them to read/write. 

So what do I take from this seriously humbling experience? 

Five main things.

One. God has been so extremely good to me.

Two. I need to thank Jesus more each day for my parents and the sacrifices they made for my education.

Three. Be grateful. Always.

Four. I am more thankful now than ever the boys at Jovenes en Camino are in school, learning, and have dedicated houseparents who pray for their academic success. 

Five. Humility is the most attractive quality a person can have. 

So to all those with kids who might read this, thank you for believing in your children enough to teach them to read and write.

And although it seems Martha’s parents never taught her those things, someone/something along the way taught her about humility - a trait, in my opinion, more precious than being able to read and write. 

Celebrating America in Honduras (again)

I deemed Poppy "American", but technically she's not

Even though I may not be on American soil, that didn’t seem to stop our summer interns or me. Yesterday I spent the morning “off” (sleeping in... until 7 AM), cleaning my house, washing some clothes, etc. The interns filled up a ton of water balloons, all of which were destroyed in a matter of seconds. They walked over and we ate a very patriotic lunch of blue cheese burgers, baked beans, and lays potato chips. We then split an entire pack of double stuffed oreos (a rare find here) between the 5 of us while watching old episodes of Friends (thanks to my mejor amiga, Lindy). 

Justin, one of our interns, showing his patriotism

After lunch we headed over to JEC to set up for our afternoon fiesta by the pool. We set up the karaoke machine, American flag, and swam for about 2 hours (which during it poured twice) with all the boys. We shared popcicles, played games, and froze a little (it’s winter here - which means about 75 degrees). 

After we had showered and ate dinner, we put on a movie in the pink house (Monsters University), shared big pieces of watermelon, and then ended the night with fireworks. While they were probably the poorest showing I’ve ever had on the 4th where fireworks are concerned, the boys still loved it. We even saved some for just another night when we’re bored! I’m not sure who was sleepier at the end of the day - the boys or the interns! 

Cristian Ochoa doing a back flip

This week has been nice with only one visit on Monday afternoon from a group who just stopped by for a few hours to play. Therefore we’ve been catching up on summer work with the Allison bilingual boys, watching lots of movies, and took a trip to Tegus on Tuesday to restock for food and souvenirs for our tienda shop. 

Our new JEC "tienda"

Our new tienda shop has been a huge success. After selling souvenirs out of plastic bins in the office for the past two years I’ve been here, we’ve officially opened shop in our new store (“tienda” in spanish). In just one week we’ve made an incredible profit - selling everything from can drinks and gatorades to Honduran soccer jerseys and bracelets the boys make from yarn. We have many new products and all the profits go to a new education account where we can help pay for college for future boys, school uniforms and shoes, and school supplies. 

Our first benefiter was the one and only, Jony Mendez, who was in need of a new pair of tennis shoes. It was the obvious choice since Jony works so hard and asks for so little. I’d say it was the best $16 the tienda will spend. 

Jony & his shoe's someone donated in Christmas 2011

On another note, JEC has announced two really exciting things coming up for us! I had already mentioned to everyone about the countdown to our 10th anniversary in February of 2014, but we are officially announcing the date to our annual JEC Fiesta 5k to benefit Jovenes. It will be at Battle Ground Academy this year on October 12th. Because of a sweet family friend, I’ll be able to fly home and join everyone for this awesome fundraiser in the fall and renew by visitor’s VISA. 

Starting yesterday we announced a fundraiser for the year to raise “$100,000 in 100 days”. This started on our country’s independence day and will end on the day of the race. We realize this is a hefty goal, but we know so many people believe in the mission of Jovenes and will help us reach this goal by October 12th. So donate, forward the email, and talk about it. You never know who will help out, and just sharing it on Facebook, email or Twitter can be a huge game changer. So feel free to copy the following, save the image, and send it out! Thank you for your support. It means so much to the Jovenes family. 

To our Jovenes en Camino Family and Friends, 

Jovenes en Camino is thriving with 55 boys ages five to nineteen, plus 25 staff members!  Our 10^th Anniversary is February 26, 2014.  This is your children’s home and we thank you for your support.  We just graduated our first boy from the Alison Bilingual School near campus.  He has been accepted into a very prestigious bilingual school in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras.  Our first nineteen year old wants to go to a University in Tegucigalpa and is researching his options.  All the boys are trying their hardest in school.  On campus, our boys are learning trades that will serve them for years to come.  We have seven healthy cows that are self-sufficient and producing enough milk daily for all the boys.  Our staff is one of the best in the country of Honduras.  They are doing an amazing job at being the Christian example our boys need.  We have been blessed by God with an infrastructure valued at $1.1 million.  God is good and working at Jovenes en Camino! We are ready for the next step.  

We increased our yearly operating budget this year by $100,000 to pay our staff the amount they deserved after over 5 years of being underpaid.  The cost of food continues to go up, necessary maintenance to our facilities is ongoing, school costs…the list goes on and on as it takes a lot to raise 55 boys. On July 4^th, we will begin an exciting campaign called $100,000 IN 100 DAYS.  Our goal is to reach our annual operating budget of $350,000 by October 12^th.  That is the day set for our annual Jovenes Fiesta 5K Family Run at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, Tennessee.  We want to be able to announce on that day that we reached our $100,000 goal and even exceeded it.  You can help us do that. To kick it off, our staff and boys at Jovenes have collected $550 to make the first deposit to this campaign.  They understand the importance of all of us working together to reach this goal.  What can you do?  MAKE A DONATION!  Go to www.jovenesencamino.org and click on Donate Now.  Send this information to others you know – family, friends, churches, businesses, foundations, etc.  

Let’s work together to continue to see Jovenes en Camino thrive!  Every penny is important to the lives of the boys at Jovenes.

Nelson

Nelson at "El cajon"

Nelson just graduated sixth grade this past Saturday, and this is a big deal here in Honduras. Usually this means the boys head on to high school (which starts in 7th grade here), so Nelson was feeling mixed emotions about graduating and leaving his elementary school. The same class has been together for years, so they’re all best friends. Next year many will split up and go to several different private schools in the capital, so they all were really soaking up these last few days. We had a luncheon in honor of them where they each received a personalized award and their certificate of graduation from ABSS. 

6th grade graduating class at the dam

Two Saturdays ago I woke up at 4 AM to go pack up my car and pick up Nelson to get on a bus by 5:30 AM to head out for his class trip. We left Zamorano around 5:45 and headed northwest in Honduras first to El Cajon, one of Honduras’ biggest dams. We received a private tour which included an area by the river where there were natural hot water baths- from hot water that came from the mountains. Next we headed to Olla Grande where they have a huge zoo with many impressive animals. Of course the kids love this, because in Honduras (at least in Tegucigalpa) the zoos are pretty weak-sauce. But the zoo we visited really compared with some of the zoos I’ve visited in the US. They had private pools, restaurants, gift shops, blow up games, roller coasters (for kids), etc. We had lunch and stayed here until around 6ish. 

First time seeing an ostrich

That night we made the long trek to Pulhapanzak. This place is a hidden treasure in Honduras. LOOK.IT.UP. They have private cabañas where we stayed - air conditioner included - and I had 8 people in my cabin... 4 kids and 4 adults. Either way we were exhausted so we slept well. 

our cabins overlooked this gorgeous scenery (Pulhapanzak)

The next morning we woke up and after breakfast had the opportunity to choose activities to do on their campsite. They offer zip lines (OVER THE WATERFALL) and a group tour where you hike down to the actual waterfall and hike underneath to the hidden caves. 

Before zip-lining!

Both of these were relatively affordable, so as soon as Nelson showed me he was brave enough, we bought our tickets and got our harnesses on. Most of his class (each student was accompanied by one parent figure) did the zip line together, which was so, so fun! The final one was directly out of the forrest and over the impressive waterfall. Everyone felt like we were flying! 

waterfall at Pulhapanzak

After everyone finished we met back up for our hike. This was literally the most adventurous/brave/impressive thing I’ve ever done. We hiked (about 20 of us) over extremely slippery rocks (also very large) all while the water splashed in our faces. Once we reached the first cave (to the bottom left of the waterfall) we were told that the hardest part was yet to come. We broke off into two groups and all linked hands. Walking sideways with our backs facing outward, we crouched, inclined our heads, and were told only to breath through our mouths. 

 Nelson's 6th grade teacher zip-lining over the waterfall

This was really scary, and you had to completely trust the person who went to your right who was technically leading you by pulling on your hand. You felt like you were blind and hunched at the waist with the weight of the waterfall on your back. The caves behind the waterfalls weren’t really that impressive, but in the end I think everyone was so proud of themselves for completing the task. I was proud of myself as a 24 year old doing this, so Nelson being half my age really impressed me. 

the whole group before heading out 

We had a great weekend, and I’m so glad I was able to spend some quality time with him. On Monday I headed to Tegus with the interns and our director to officially enroll Nelson. He’s going to attend one of the most prestigious schools in all of Honduras, and  this is such an honor to be accepted. We are currently fundraising for Nelson’s education fund, so if you’d like to see how you can help, please email me! 

DCIS's newest wildcat!

After seeing his school for the first time, I could easily see Nelson was overwhelmed. It’s ironic I lived a story quite similar to his current situation (with some obvious exceptions) - moving to a completely different city, school, house, and not knowing what to expect. I absolutely feel God has placed me here to help encourage Nelson during this time of transition.  

we celebrated with ice cream after officially being enrolled

Because this is a big accomplishment not just for Nelson, but also for JEC, we recognize that with this great opportunity comes great responsibility. Please pray for him as he starts this new age of his life.

End of the School Year (& Everything That Goes With It)!

I am so sorry for my EXTREME lack of blogging, but we’ve had horrible internet issues (leave it to Honduras to tell you your internet is working fine but you can’t even open your email) and it’s been a crazy month of June! 

Casa Verde (photo by my friend, Lindy)

We’ve already had at least 7 groups coming through to visit. These groups do an array of things - whether bringing lunch to the boys, piñatas and candy, pouring cement and doing manual labor, etc. Everything these groups do help us in many ways, and the boys absolutely love having so many visitors (and the attention, too!).

Fredy Cruz & Gary, the cat in casa rosada

This week the executive director stateside for JEC brought a group and have been working on certain projects here and in the area. These include buying and packing food baskets for all our employees (rice, beans, butter, milk, etc), pouring a concrete floor in one of our employee’s houses, and painting our new shop to sell our souvenirs. 

Today the group is having a VBS at the public school where all our elementary school boys attend, and tomorrow they’ll be heading out. My youth group from Harpeth Hills (Brentwood, TN) arrived to Tegucigalpa yesterday and are making their way to JEC on Thursday. I’m obviously elated for personal reasons to be able to spend time with my past youth ministers and relive how my love for Honduras began in the first place. 

back when I visited JEC with my youth group

Last week was literally insane - so many groups, visits, meetings, graduations, etc etc. Antony graduated kindergarten, so I acted as his guardian and walked him down the isle with his cap and gown (Honduran tradition). His class sang and performed a song/dance in english, had a slideshow of baby pics, and then each received a diploma and a small gift. We had taken his class trip a few weekends ago to a private club in Valle de Angeles (abt 2 hrs from Zamorano), went swimming, played and had a meal together. 

Antony on the morning of his kindergarten graduation

I will write another blog about Nelson later, since he graduated 6th grade last week - meaning he's heading to high school here in Honduras! We took a weekend trip with his entire class, and it was absolutely amazing. More details to come.

We've had plenty of reasons to use our projector for soccer games, movies, etc. The first Friday all four interns were here at JEC we built a fire and taught the boys to roast marshmellows. We've had movie nights with the boys in each house, popping popcorn and watching our fair share of bootleg movies. 

campfires, popcorn, marshmallows, etc

I also had the opportunity to go to the stadium for the big Honduras vs. Costa Rica game. This was the only one in Tegucigalpa (which is only about an hour away from Zamorano), so I went with several of my friends who teach in the local bilingual school. We all wore our jerseys, painted our faces, and had a blast. Luckily Honduras WON, and we even had front row seats.

Last night Honduras played the USA in Utah, so we of course had to project that game on the big screen and make popcorn. Our interns wore their american flag tshirts while all the Hondurans talked trash all day. Unfortunately for the boys, USA won scoring the game's only goal. I walked around telling the boys "I'm so sorry", and of course they all couldn't help but smile after all the smack they had talked the last week or two.