Nueva Suyapa

This weekend I went to Nueva Suyapa. I was only there for 24 hours, but it was really interesting. I spent the night with another Calvin student in the home of a family in Nueva Suyapa. This family lives in a VERY small house--one room, but divided into 2 with sheets. 10 people live here. Suyapa and Jorge have 6 kids: Carla, Vanessa, Darwin, Kevin, David, and Genesis; ages 6-23. Carla's husband made some bad choices and left her and went to the US, so Carla is living with her parents again, along with her two kids: Axel (4) and Jo Anna (1). Nueva Suyapa only gets water once every 15 days. The don't have tanks to store the water, either. They need to collect it in empty pop bottles. Imagine this. They have 10 people to bathe and to wash clothes for (the bathroom is an outhouse, so they don't need water for the toilet). It's hard to believe. This family runs their own business making sandals. They have over 20 designs and are very popular. They are so kind and hospitable. It was weird to share a very small room with 11 other people, but it was a great stay. This is something else that just makes me think about justice and life and different cultures. But I have talked on and on about that already.... so I'm just going to let it lie for now.

Enrique's Journey

In high school, I read the book "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario and went to hear her speak at the January Series. This book is about kids immigrating to the US from Central/South America. It's really dangerous. They ride on top of trains. They don't have access to much food or water. There are gangs and thieves. The trains were what really got me. I can't explain how it makes me feel. It's just heartbreaking. They can't sleep because they will fall off. They go through super cold areas and through areas so hot they can see the heat on the tops of the metal train cars. They have to run and jump onto the trains.

Yesterday, I was sitting on my porch with my host mom. A guy came up to our porch and asked for money... basically he was going door to door begging. He couldn't hear or speak very well, but he told us that he had tried to go to the US and had fallen off a train and his arm had been severely hurt. He still had his hand, but he couldn't do very much, I guess. He was probably in his late twenties or early thirties. But there are KIDS doing this too. Then my host mom told me about her niece who tried to get to the US, but had fallen off the train and lost her leg--mid-thigh and down. She had to come back to Honduras. She was 19.

I need to think on this more. I think I'll be doing one of my final essays on this topic. It's so interesting and heartbreaking and unbelievable. I just don't know what to do with it. Reading a book made me think, but I could put it out of my mind for the most part. But meeting people? They're real.

Adventures in Nicaragua

We climbed a volcano! Like, a LIVE volcano! We went to Masaya volcano. It was so cool. It was super hard to breathe because of the smoke, but it was beautiful and amazing.

We went in a cave at the volcano national park too! I actually don't like caves at all. Also, every other time I have gone in a cave, I have been with Caleb. My brother and I have always bonded in caves because of our mutual dislike of them. Our flashlights didn't really work either, so that was fun. ha. But it was fine. Just a cave. Not as cool as some of the other caves I've been in though.

Injustice (Thoughts from Nicaragua)

Why is the world so unfair? Why do I have so much while others have so little? Why do I get 120 cordobas for lunch and another 120 for dinner when kids like Mikey have to sell chicle all day and then give all the money to his mom.

I met Mikey at lunch today. He's 9 years old. He sells chicle from 7a-7p everyday. Phanie bought him lunch. I saw him again before dinner and bought him some water. My dinner was 65 cordobas. How can I think to spend my money on souvenirs when Mikey probably doesn't make that much in a week? Why am I so blessed? And it's hard to enjoy my own life and these blessings. It's hard not to feel guilty. But what can I do?

2 months and BUSY

Hello!
So sorry for the lack of blogging. We have a lot of homework right now, but I really do have fun things to say--like our trip to Nicaragua! I have passed the halfway point. I now have fewer than 2 months in Honduras. I hope to update this for real sometime this week. I can just barely keep up on the schoolwork and life in Honduras, so blogging has not been high on my list of things to do. Lo siento.

Bendigas,
jessica

what keeps running through my mind...

This is my prayer in the desert
And all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger in me
My God is a God who provides


And this is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved
Of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flames


And I will bring praise
I will bring praise
No weapon forged against me shall remain

I will rejoice
I will declare
God is my victory and He is here


And this is my prayer in the battle
And triumph is still on it's way
I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand


All of my life
In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship


This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've recieved I will sow

Valle de Angeles

I went on another adventure today! Actually, I’ve already been on this adventure, but this time I didn’t go to Valle with 14 other people, just 2. So it was more exciting. It was more difficult and took more independence. It was fun. We did our Christmas shopping  A group of other college students were at the same shop as us at one point and a couple of them were from by the Alabama/Florida state line. The others were from Tegucigalpa. We kept talking in Spanish, because it’s hard to know how to respond when people talk to us in English. Do we respond in English or Spanish? Do they know a lot of English? The guys from Alabama/Florida kept talking in English, but the girls from Tegus talked in Spanish. The told us that our Spanish was really good. That was really encouraging to hear because I had done most of the talking for us. Of course that got me thinking. I started to reflect on my Spanish. I think that it has improved a lot, but I think that possibly the most significant change is in my confidence in myself. I’m not so afraid of not knowing the words or the conjugations anymore. Now I just talk.

Roman

There is a gentleman who is at our house a lot. His name is Roman. He can’t hear and he can’t talk. My mami just said that he was a “vecino” (neighbor). He is the most helpful person and is so kind and friendly. He will do any favor for you. He uses sign language. I don’t know sign language, but my family, especially my mami, talks with him all the time. And he just comes and goes at our house. He’s basically part of the family. Today was his birthday. We had him over for cena (dinner). And we had a birthday cake and ice cream. I guess that everyone forgets that it’s his birthday on October 1, even though he is always helping everyone. And people don’t call him by name; they just say “el mudo” or the mute guy. That makes me a little angry, but more, it just makes me sad. I think he and I might have a lot in common here. Watching him at dinner, he couldn’t really participate in the conversation. I mean, if questions were directed to him, then he would, but we didn’t talk in sign language. Mami was pretty good at including him, but it was just hard because 1) we don’t know sign language, or at least I don’t, and 2) we’re not used to talking like that. So he just ate with his thoughts and joined the conversation when addressed. I feel like that a lot. I just can’t keep up with the conversation. I do understand the majority of what goes on. I really do. It’s by dinner time (any time between 7:30 and 9:30 or later) that I just can’t comprehend anything else. It’s all just noise by then. So I zone out while I eat and the conversation goes on around me. I’ll join in when addressed and my mami does a good job at pausing the conversation to ask if I understand, but I think Roman and I are in similar situations. Only he didn’t choose to be in his. Thank you, God, for putting someone in my life that shows me how to live a joyful life even if I don’t always understand what’s going on.