One of the things I've always liked about January is the sense of getting down to business. There is such a contrast between the extravagance and lounging of the Christmas season and the freshness and energy of January. I loved the time of year when classes would change because it meant new engagement for my mind, crisp white pages of new notebooks, and a new challenge ahead. January is still like that for me. I am always challenging myself, and just as a creature of habit, a lot of those new challenges start in January. But, aside from that, life in January here also just kind of demands a faster pace and navigating obligations and new experiences.
The Honduran school year starts in February for most high schools and in January for a lot of the colleges. So, this season is when you'll see school supplies front and center in every store and students clamoring around getting registered. Last year, we devised a new application process to treat our "educational help" as more of a scholarship, giving a bit more gravitas and ownership to our students as well as a bit more sense of responsibility. Perhaps, then, I shouldn't be surprised that we only had two applicants--two of whom we sponsored last year. There is still time, and we may have some last-minute stragglers seeking help. We'll see. So far. Brayan will continue to be sponsored in his music education. He's been a faithful student with excellent progress. And, we now have Estefanny not only registered but already in her second week of classes at a private university. Given the cost of private university, we're actually spending just as much if not more on our educational sponsorship than what we did last year. I am excited for Stef and am proud of how she is pursuing her goals.
In the mean time, another way that we are seeking to educationally aid our students from small group is by starting a new English class at level one. I'll be honest--I don't love teaching level one English. It's a speed bump for many interested in learning a new language. That initial introduction to something that feels so foreign really requires perseverance But once a student gets through my level one, usually they've found a good rhythm to continue learning. So far, our two sponsored students, Raúl, and five of our small group members are part of the class. They show a lot of promise.
So, that makes three English classes I am teaching--my level 5 class and I had to take a break when my transportation situation was iffy. Now, we're picking back up again. And, my level 2 class continues to do well.
January is also the season where we file reports for our non-profit with the Honduran government. It's not that extensive of a project, but it does require some time just compiling information and meeting with the accountant who will do our formal financial reports. We will celebrate our fifth anniversary as a non-profit this month! This is also the season when I start getting my US tax information compiled to work with the accountant in the US to get things filed and squared away. Like I said, this is a get-up-and-go season.
Amidst those tasks, I've also started a new personal goal for myself. I have joined Hope*Writers, an online community that provides support, education, and healthy encouragement toward writing endeavors. I have been blogging for a long time on this site as a place to update on missions in Honduras and just overall information about my life. Last year, I started a new blog because I wanted to transition myself into less newsletter-style writing and more lifestyle writing on a much more regular basis. So, the fruit of that goal was benchchats.blogspot.com if you've never visited there. And I try to write on that page on a weekly basis about much broader, more personal, and also some more lighthearted topics. Here, I continue to write on a monthly basis with general updates about life and ministry in Honduras.
I love to write. I wanted to be a writer from a very young age, and while the concept of publishing a book someday is both intriguing and scary overwhelming, I do want to steward this interest well within my current season. So, for right now, that looks like joining Hope*Writers, developing a more consistent writing habit, and educating myself on what a career as a writer is actually all about. So far, I'm enjoying the way that this is shaping my life and habits in some new ways.
As for our small group, after being socially saturated in December, it was clear to me that I needed to take a hiatus for a bit to take a step back, seek God, and catch my bearings as to whether or not we should continue in the same format or need to alter things to better go in the direction of God's leading. So, for the month of January, while we still see a lot of our small group members often, we aren't having small group. During this break, so far, I feel like God is giving me small clues as to what real community means and looks like and is fostered. My desire in starting a small group was to develop deep community--a place where we all can share and contribute and be vulnerable. We started out with people we were close enough to, that, I believe, that would have been possible. But things shifted. A lot of those people stopped coming because of personal situations, and a lot of new people we didn't know that well, especially teenagers, started coming. If nothing else, it has helped me to remember and acknowledge that what we set out to create wasn't created, but that something else entirely (and still good and important) has been created. I think we have set a positive framework of community, but this year, I'd like to still try to facilitate deeper relationship among our members. That is easier said than done in a country where people just generally don't trust each other emotionally. But, I am started to feel like the first step is in putting more of a focus on topics related to emotional and relational maturity, healing from old wounds, and how to be more of a genuine person with Jesus as our example. That's quite an endeavor, and it won't go anywhere without God's divine leading. So, we appreciate your prayers in that!
But, in terms of my own sense of community, I am happy that Ladies' Bible Study has started back up again, and I can once again see some brave, amazing, compassionate ladies on a regular basis.
This month, Raúl and I are also looking at plane tickets and starting to plan our trip to the States for the spring/summer. If you're interested in seeing us or visiting us while we're in, please let me know at sarah.crickenberger@gmail.com! We really want to make the most of our trip in prioritizing connecting with people.
My January is off to a good start even as I'm still leaving room in the margins to ponder where God is leading us, what ministry needs to look like for us, and how I can best serve Jesus here in Honduras. As always, we want to be open to your prayers, your words of encouragement, or even whatever it is from God that you may want to share with us.
Much love,
Sarah
