Friday, October 14, 2011

Subbing, New Friends, & A Car

AFE

A little update on the happenings of the Lewis adventure since our last posting.  Today marks the end of 3 months of living in Honduras, and it feels like home.  The most recent news is that we have been searching for a car since we arrived here in Tegus, and we finally found one on Wednesday, took it to our mechanic who said that everything checked out and bought it on Thursday!  Praise God!  We are the new owners of a 2001 Mitsubishi Montera!   

This last week, Ryan subbed for computer and sociology classes at AFE for another volunteer who was in the states.  He did an awesome job learning the ropes of the classroom all while speaking Spanish. 
Computer Lab


















I spent the week recovering from a lower back muscle spasm, and I am so grateful for all the prayers these last 2 weeks.  I am getting better every day and hoping to be 100% by next week.  There are these 2 little girls who have been coming to me every day during recess to see if I can play with them, and I keep having to disappoint them by saying that todavia me duele la espalda, my back still hurts.  I can’t wait to be able to go on the playground with them.  They both gave me coloring pages that they colored, I think to help me get better – they are the sweetest.    
Lindsay and me

We have made two new friends, JJ and Lindsay, who are both professional videographers making a documentary of the students at AFE, focusing on the graduating seniors.  They are hoping this film will bring in scholarship money to send more students to the university.  JJ and Lindsay will be here until December after graduation to capture the story of 3 graduating seniors: Rene, Gabi, and Marilyn.   

The students are getting close to start the final push before their final exams which begin the week of October 31.  Keep all the students of AFE in your prayers during this time, especially for our 9 graduates who will be the very first graduating class from this school. 

Saturday, October 1, 2011

2nd week at AFE

          We are finishing our 2nd week here in Tegucigalpa getting plugged in to AFE and settling into our new apartment.  We spent the first week observing classes at AFE as much as we could.  This last week, there was a North American team from Oregon *Hope Teams International* building two homes for two families who live and work in the trash dump.  Ryan and I helped out on a few different days with these projects, and had a great time working hard and being translators for the North American team.  Yesterday, I got to be a part of the house dedications.  It was emotional for the team and for the families who have been blessed with the gift of a home.  It was so amazing to hear the responses from the families...their new home was an answer from God saying that He has not forgotten them.  It was a moment that I don't want to ever forget. To read more about this family's transition from the garbage dump into their new home, visit AFE's blog: www.afehonduras.blogspot.com

           As far as us getting settled in, there is never a short supply of things needing to be fixed and we are getting to know some of the handymen around town.  It has been a great way for us to practice our Spanish and get to know our neighbors.  Ryan has befriended a great handyman named Carlos and as I write this, they are both working on a few parts of the house together. 

          We are learning the ropes at AFE and living in Linda Miller very quickly and we are so thankful for all the other volunteers who have been so gracious to us during this time of settling in.  The Makenzacks (Hollie and Adam) and The Gibsons (Greg, Nancy, Kaitlyn, and Trevor) have taken us on multiple errands on multiple days…without which, we would feel stranded.  The Diaz’ (Rey, Elise, and Elijah) let us borrow their house for the first week of us being in Tegucigalpa while we waited for our house to be completed.  Of course, a huge thanks to Jeony and Jessy who have been so patient with us as we settle in.  

Hollie and Elise wrote a really thoughtful blog about Ryan and me on AFE's blog: www.afehonduras.blogspot.com

Honduras

Honduras
We attended language school in Copan Ruinas. Tegucigalpa is where we are serving as teachers at AFE.