Hello

Hello All,
My name is Sarah, and I am 20 years old. I am starting this blog as a means of sharing the adventures of my life--however small or insignificant--with anyone willing to listen. As I'm sure the above post indicates, one of those more important adventures for me is Honduras. I suppose that's a continuing thread of plot for my life as I plan to move there after I graduate from Shepherd University next year. I have been to Honduras three times since I was 17, and I knew from the very first time that I was there that it was home. I included the below long piece that I wrote for my Advanced Composition class at Shepherd this past semester because I think it serves as an accurate introduction to who I am and what is the most important to me. I wrote it as a feeble attempt to explain to the numerous people who ask, "What's the big deal about Honduras? Why is that place so important to you?" I never knew how to answer that question; it's not a short answer by any means. But, delving into my experiences this past summer was cathartic and answered that question concretely (at least for me). My affiliations with Honduras started through Alvin and Nellie Anderson and their non-profit ministry called Manos Extendidas. (Extended Hands) The piece below gives a bit of an overview of some of the realms of ministry with which they are involved. To find out more for yourself (including how to sponsor one of those kids at the feeding centers), you can go to http://www.mehonduras.org/.


Now, I am fast approaching a completely new adventure, and I am both excited and trying not to be anxious. I fly out tomorrow from Pittsburgh to go to Mexico for a month of Spanish language school in Cuernavaca. I will leave from there on June 12 to go back to Honduras to work with a new organization called the Global Volunteer Network. (http://www.globalvolunteernetwork.org/) I will be teaching English as a Second Language to children ages 5-12 in one of the state schools of La Esperanza . A rural area, La Esperanza, is roughly three and a half hours from where I was this past summer in Tegucigalpa, the capital. I will be in Honduras until August 11, and I will have a little less than three weeks to visit with some of my friends in Tegucigalpa as well.

I just finished my junior year of college, and I haven't even been home a week. This week has been a flurry of packing and planning, to-do lists and last-minute details. It's daunting this time around just because this trip is less planned than the last. My plans for the summer weren't finalized until April, but God has provided every step of the way in every aspect possible--including financially. I look forward to the new challenges of this summer and especially to the independence that will come from traveling on my own throughout various places in Honduras and Mexico, but I can also see how this will be a time of divine stretching and learning further dependency on God. So many elements of this trip are going to have to be God-orchestrated, but I welcome His presence in all things. Meanwhile, I would greatly appreciate your prayers. I will do my best to update this blog and keep you updated as to what new wonders God is showing me. Feel free to leave me any questions you may have. Although I will miss seeing many people over the next few months, I wish all of you an adventurous summer no matter where you may be. Life on God's terms is never boring.

Until next time,
Sarah