Today is Honduras' 197th Independence Day. The band near our house has been practicing all day, every day for the past two months for the one time in the year that they play--the Independence Day parades. I, meanwhile, am home avoiding the traffic, nursing a chest cough, and writing this update. September is a good month for anniversaries so it seems since my 7th anniversary of living in Honduras happened on September 3. This month so far has been another one spent largely at home due to vehicle issues. But, we have had some enjoyable community and have continued with our small group on Saturdays.
School Days
The Honduran public school year is different than the US school year. While students in the US are gearing up to start a new year, students in Honduras are just starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel for their extended break from November to February. With that said, I've already begun thinking about next school year--who are the new students we are going to be supporting in their studies, the future for the students we're supporting this year, and how we can better what we do in this area as a non-profit. Because we're a small organization, in the past, we handpicked (with God's guidance) the students that we were going to support in their studies. But, last year, for the first time, we had students seeking us out, and as most things in Honduras, at the very last minute.
Previously, I didn't really see our helping with educational endeavors like a scholarship but more so as supplying a basic need. I believe that education, especially through high school, is a basic need. But, not all Hondurans see that as being the case just because the economy of education can be very limiting here. With that said, it has been surprising how little some of our students have valued the opportunities we've presented to them. Many of our students have been excellent--so diligent and with stellar grades and model students we receive great comments about from their teachers. In fact, the batch of students we're working with now are great and responsible. But a fair share have also dropped out in the middle of the year, pitched fits whenever we've asked them to take a little more responsibility for their own futures, and failed to pass their school year. Some of those situations can be attributed to genuine extenuating circumstances, but some can only be attributed to a poor personal choice on the part of the student. As we disciple the young people around us, I'm seeing more of a need to present our help as a scholarship. We have found that people tend to value more what costs them something even if it's just in effort or time.
My college education was made possible by scholarships, but as a recipient of those scholarships, I had certain requirements to fulfill--maintaining a certain grade point average, monthly meetings, community service hours, etc. The opportunities I received were things I that had to work to maintain, and even today, the way they've served my life are so valuable. Scholarships here in Honduras, from what I've observed, are basically just hand outs of actual cash in some cases, from the Honduran government, and in other cases, are a free ride to a private university. They are somewhat merit-based in terms of grades, but they don't seem to be quite like scholarships in the US. So, we may have some paradigms to work with. But, after talking with the director of a similar ministry, I've decided to implement a formal application process.
One of the things that we've recognized in our youth over the years is that a lot of them never get much in the way of guidance for their futures. They may believe that studying is important. They may want to go to college even. But there seems to be somewhat of a disconnect between who they are and what they like, what major they pick, and how they can use their education for their future sustenance. Many of them pick a major because their neighbor studied that or because someone told them to. The graduation rate of the only public university is abysmal--and most of the people I've talked to attribute that to the fact that people blindly pick a major then later regret it, but don't have the time and money to do something different. I've talked to kids who say they want to be engineers but hate math. Kids who know what they want to major in but have no idea how they can use that practically to have employment later. And the list goes on. So, definitely a new part of our scholarship process requirements will be required guidance counseling. Beyond that requirement, I'm still praying about and feeling out what other changes and aspects we need to incorporate to improve how we serve our students.
So far, we have registered one of our current students in beauty classes from another non-profit ministry that she'll start right after graduating from high school. The hope is that perhaps her vocational classes can aid in her having some employment for when she studies in university. Employment is another giant need for the population we work with, but that's a whole other topic for another time.
Some members of our Saturday small group
Small Group Update
This month our small group has been going very well, and we've had a few new people show up and some consistency in those who used to be new but are now just one of the crowd alongside us. This month, we've been focused on the topic of prophecy. I make the lessons for each week, but I use a variety of books that I've learned from as points of reference. For this particular series, I have been using Kris Vallotton's Basic Training for the Prophetic Ministry and School of the Prophets as well as Shawn Bolz's Translating God. The past couple of weeks, we've talked about how to hear God's voice, the ways that God speaks to us, and the difference between prophets in the Old Testament and prophets in the New Testament. I've been encouraged by the level of participation from the kids that come, and we'll continue this series for a while longer. Something else that we do as a group is pray for missionaries in other parts of the world and learn about those countries and cultures. Many of our kids have taken an interest in this aspect of our group and readily take initiative in our prayer time.
In the mean time, as a non-profit, we're planning to have an event to raise some funds. Normally, I take on all of the costs--both administrative and missions-related--from the donations received from generous donors from the US. But, again, in the interest of teaching our kids some ownership and responsibility, we've decided to start making an effort in fund-raising as a group. The goal of this is two-fold--raising some additional funds beyond what I receive and fostering community among us. Few things spark real camaraderie like serving together. So, in the month of October, we're planning on having a soccer tournament. Soccer is very popular here and is often and effective ministry tool. Teams will pay to enter the tournament, and we'll set aside a large block of time to have the tourney and championship. We'll also be selling food to waiting teams and spectators. So far, I've been blessed by the enthusiasm of our group and how they want to serve.
Playing the Waiting Game
As of August, Raúl's immigrant visa application was fully accepted for processing. Now, we're just waiting for them to issue us his interview date. We would appreciate your prayers in advance--that we would effectively gather all of the supporting paperwork necessary, with nothing lacking, and that God would calm Raúl's nerves. After being rejected for two tourist visas, he struggles with feeling like they're just looking for some reason to say no. Of course, the immigrant visa process based on marriage is very different from a tourist visa, but he feels very intimidated. The previous interviews haven't been good experiences, and he feels nervous. And, unfortunately, I'm not allowed to be at his interview. As a US citizen and someone who pays taxes and abides by the law, I want to enjoy the liberty of having my husband visit my nation and partake of my culture and meet the rest of my family. But, the process is nerve-wracking.
Vehicle Woes
Our vehicle situation has continued to be a source of stress, and at the same time, a true revelation of my lack of faith, I do believe. As of right now, although we have received some amazing, generous donations from some lovely people, we can't afford an SUV. We have, however, been on the lookout for a car that's more economical to drive in the mean time while we continue saving. But, we haven't been able to sell or trade in or anything with our existing vehicle because it's been constantly in and out of the shop. It's a used car, and as it is with any used car, there are always things to fix. I worry about getting sucked into the unending cycle of "just one more thing to fix," but we are truly trying to be conscientious about selling the car in as best condition as we can manage to ensure the safety and use of the next owner. Your prayers in this regard are truly appreciated. We have been presented the opportunity to collaborate with another similar ministry in contributing to leading another small group with some at-risk youth, much like we do now with our own group. It's something that we are interested in, but as the other ministry is located on the outskirts of the city, we have to have a reliable car to be able to do it. Our goal is to sell/trade-in this car by the end of October. After October, we will be getting into school graduation expenses, Christmas expenses, etc., and financially, it will be much more difficult to better our vehicle situation.
Health Prayers
As many of you all know, last year, I was hospitalized with a nasty case of mono, and my immune system took a real hit. Since then, I've made a lot of efforts to eat healthier, exercise regularly, get plenty of sleep, drink more water, etc. But, my immune system still seems like it hasn't recovered. I am constantly getting sick with every little virus going around, and what gives my husband a day of the sniffles has me down for the count for a week. When I lived in the US, I was not a sickly person. In my four years of college, I had one short case of bronchitis and the flu once. I hate being so delicate in terms of health, and while these constant, little illnesses aren't serious, they do drain my energy pretty often.
As with vehicle concerns and visa waiting, I feel like much of what I'm going through right now is a nudge to return to the basics of faith. Weekly Bible study for English speakers and missionaries has started up again, and we've been doing a short study on suffering. And, as we've covered this topic and the ways that we start to believe lies about God's goodness, God's presence, and God's wisdom in the midst of suffering, I find myself realizing that I have a lot of lingering struggles with those lies because of previous seasons of suffering. I don't consider the struggles of today to be real suffering, but I do feel like I've developed a defensive barrier around my heart in some cases, just waiting for the next painful, disappointing thing to happen. And, I mistakenly feel like I'm on my own in the midst of the needs and storms of life. I wasn't like this before. But, seven years of real betrayals and hard losses have contributed to that. So, if you take the time to join me in prayer for my immune system and health, it would also be appropriate to pray for the health of my heart, that God would help me to return to a place of childlike trust and faith. He has always been faithful. He's never given me a reason to doubt. And, while I know that with my head, I want to return to feeling that in my heart.
As this year continues forward, I'm pondering the impact that each individual has on others, and the beauty of a life well-lived in service and in loving others. So many of you serve us in your prayers. So many of you love us with your generosity. So many of you impact us just by believing in us and the small things that we do out of love for our Father. I can't thank you enough.
Sarah
