Hello All,
I thought on this rainy evening surrounded by peace and jazz music that I would update you on how things are.

As far as new news from Honduras, all I can relay is what I hear from the various people that I talk to. Roy tells me that Alvin has been in Nicaragua for the past little bit although he's not really aware of the reason he's there. Everything seems to be going as usual there. The girls are still in school, and Roy still takes them. Roy still goes to help Julio and Bessy on a regular basis. As of September 1, a volunteer named Haley has been living at the Eagle's Nest. She had lived and worked there before (prior to my time there this summer). I'm not sure how long she will be staying this time. Tía Sally has been in the US since July, and she was set to come back this month. However, a passport mishap resulted in a later arrival date back to Honduras, so I believe she won't be getting back until the beginning of October now. Mamí Sara has been holding the fort down nicely, I'm sure, and I hear from her from time to time. I relish her phone calls and smile each time I hear, "Cómo está, mi hija?" There is also a couple that will be moving to Honduras following language school in Guatemala. As of right now, Chad and Trina Baron are in Guatemala and are adjusting along with their young son to live in the midst of learning. If you'd like to read more about how they are doing or their plans for working in Honduras, you can go to www.chadandtrinabaron.com

Meanwhile, Roy and I are undergoing an adventure of our own--trying to find a way that he can come visit me either for Christmas or in May for my graduation. The current plan is for Christmas provided that he can obtain a visa in time. You would not believe the process that he is going to have to undergo just to come visit. Those of us in the US take for granted how easy it is for us to simply travel nearly anywhere we like at the drop of a hat. All it mainly requires is a passport and obtaining a visa upon entry. It is wildly difficult for someone to come to the US if he or she is from a Third World country because he or she carries the burden of proving that he or she will return to their home country and not stay in the US. Hondurans first have to obtain a passport which costs $75. Next, they have to call the US embassy to retrieve a PIN number, which costs $13. During that call, they must set up an interview at the consulate. The interview costs $150, and there is a chance that they won't receive a visa at all--meaning all of that money is wasted. There is no way that the average Honduran could afford to travel to the US. It would takes months and months of saving money (provided that there was even a steady job from which to obtain money). Roy is just now beginning the passport stage. Getting a passport is the easy part--it only takes two days in Honduras! Next, he'll have to set up the interview. Generally, they will give Hondurans nearly a month to obtain all the papers and such that they will need to make their case for a visa. This can include a letter of invitation from me, a letter of financial sponsorship, identification of various kinds, and any kind of proof that they have ties to Honduras and will return--proof of ownership of possessions or a home or business, proof of employment, strong family obligations, etc. They will also check the average monthly balance of Roy's bank account to decide if he can afford this trip (thus, the need for a letter of financial sponsorship). Essentially, one 2-3 minute interview with a total stranger will determine whether or not he gets a visa. (I find that these sorts of scenarios are becoming a basic trend for our lives--only mine was a 20 minute interview on the phone rather than in person.) At any rate, we'd appreciate your prayers about this matter. The fact that Roy is willing to come (despite the fact that he doesn't speak much English) and share in my life the way that I have somewhat shared in his is a huge deal to me.

I almost feel as if this year the year caught between two worlds. On the one hand, I have very few people here in the US who completely understand my draw to Honduras (I don't know that anyone but God understand the depths of my reasons for going), and on the other, there is no one in Honduras that completely understands what my life has been in the US for the past 21 years. Thus, I think it would help me immensely to have Roy come and see and be that person who knows my past life as much as he's involved in my present. But, it is all in God's hands. Only His will.

Thinking about Roy coming is both incredibly exciting and mildly terrifying to me. The US is wildly different from Honduras. So many simple things are going to be completely new for Roy--being able to drink from the tap, hearing English all the time, and even just the landscape. He wants very much to see snow (which is why we're shooting for December). I find myself thinking about the smallest things in my life from his perspective. This can be quite clarifying and scary. We live in such luxury in this country that it's sickening, and it would have to be overwhelming for someone who has never experienced our sense of "normalcy." I worry about how my environment betrays my own selfishness (as much as it depicts the injustice of the world). I didn't do anything to be born in great wealth (compared to the rest of the world) in the US any more than Roy did anything to be born in Honduras. There's a part of me that worries that he'll judge me (even though I know in my heart that he is one of the most merciful people I know) based on the way that I live here in comparison to the way that I live in Honduras. This realization only amplifies the truth of how much God should judge me (and all of us in the US, really) for how we live while many in the rest of the world suffer, but instead, He readily offers grace, compassion, and mercy. I don't understand it.

Anyway, life here is going well. I paint and run and pray and tutor and read and cook and clean and do all the normal things that I do. I have started field work for my education class, and I am working with a high school Spanish teacher. Thus far, I like the experience. I have to teach three times and be observed, and I look forward to the opportunity to teach. My attached tutoring is going very well, and I enjoy working with my kids. Today, as part of a community service program with one of my scholarships, I went to Shepherdstown Elementary School to work with an afterschool program. I almost naturally gravitate towards the kids that are the worst-behaved, the handfuls. I love them so much! I worked with two precious boys this afternoon who are so intelligent (although they're always in trouble) and who brightened my afternoon with their unbridled dancing in the rain and unleashed antics. Being around them warmed my heart and freed my own spirit. If only we would learn to act as children. . .

I spent this past weekend at home again. I watched Samuel's and Naomi's soccer games and just enjoyed time spent with my family. I do so love being at home. It is difficult to make the four hour drive home only to have to turn around and go back again, but I am grateful for the time that I do have there.

Meanwhile, I have started reading Heidi Baker's book Compelled by Love, and it is both simple and amazing. I highly recommend it.

I hope that you are enjoying this blessed Monday and feeling His warmth and love.

Sarah