Arrival

Guess what, I'm HERE! IN HONDURAS :D

(First of all let me say that now that I'm in Honduras, Blogspot has decided everything should be in Spanish, haha. Good job, internet.)

The last 20 hours or so have been quite a ride. As usual, I packed at the very last minute. So last minute that I was worried I'd miss my flight because we ended up leaving late and hitting traffic. Good news is, I didn't miss my flight and I made it here safely. :)

From the moment Maddie dropped me off in Tampa, it was a very crazy day. Little things kept going wrong or making me frustrated. Unexpected charges at check-in, mistake during security, spilling food on my shirt, reading flight times wrong, etc. It was nuts! I was so glad when I stepped out of customs and saw Matt (Footsteps intern) waiting for us. I was finally in Honduras and all was right with the world!

Since then I have been bouncing off the walls! Jennifer McClellan was laughing at me because she wasn't surprised I was my typical self all happy, smiley, and bubbly, and SO EXCITED to be in Honduras. I'm so predictable. ;)

I was just so excited to be here last night and I didn't want to sit around. The first team was so grateful for hot showers and relaxation that they were all hiding in their rooms for a while and they didn't even know I had arrived. It was driving me nuts that we were in Honduras and the only thing I could do was sit still in my hotel room. That didn't last long though, I went on a mission to find Marcie and eventually did. 

It was weird because I have been to this hotel before, and the last time I was here it was our last night in Honduras and we were all soaking up every last moment together and having fun. This time it was my first night here (and a few others') and everyone else's last night, so they were just exhausted from being here for six weeks and the long debriefing weekend at the lake, so they couldn't quite share in my overwhelming excitement.

We ended up all meeting in the lobby to hear Jheny, the orphanage director, tell us the kids' stories. The first team didn't hear them until this week and they suggested that Jheny tell us at the beginning of our trip so that we could better pray for and serve these kids while we are here. It was so hard to hear what these kids have gone through. These children that I know and love, and those I've only seen smiling pictures of, have been abused, abandoned, hungry, taken advantage of... the list just goes on and on... We see these happy, smiling faces and we think they must be doing great, but they smile because they finally have a happy sanctuary to run to. They have found people who love them, care about them, feed them, hug them. Some of them don't know how to respond to that kind of attention yet, but I'm excited to help them learn. :)
These children need to know that God's love is unfailing, unlike people here on Earth. And although their parents may let them down, their Heavenly Father never will.

On the way to Tampa, Maddie made a comment that really stuck with me. She said "growing up did you ever expect your little sister to be driving you to the airport to go to another country?!" And I told her no... My life is far from what I had grow up expecting it to be. I knew I wanted to be happy, go to college, have nice friends, eventually have a family, become a teacher, etc., but it wasn't until high school that I really started investigating traveling abroad, and it wasn't until coming to Olivet that I started fully trusting in God with all aspects of my life. And now look! I'm sitting in a dark hotel room in San Pedro Sula because I'm so excited to be in Honduras that I can't sleep! :)

My grandma has asked me kind of the same question lately. "Did you ever dream that you'd be doing all this? Going to two countries this summer?" It's crazy, I know, but it's perfect. It's what I prayed for. It's what I've wanted for my life for just the last couple years as I have grown to trust God with my future and give myself to serve Him.

(For a reminder why I'm here, read my first two blogs from January - one and two)

So here I am. In San Pedro Sula. Sitting in bed at Metrotel with the lights off because Shelby and Lanae are still sleeping. I am so not a morning person, or even a get-up-a-single-second-before-my-alarm-goes-off kind of person, but instead of getting up at 8:50 like I planned, I woke up at 6:00. Then I tried to sleep and woke up again at 7:15... I've pretty much been up since then trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I'm in Honduras again. It's weird because I'm in limbo again, like the Panama airport. I'm not at home, but I'm not in Santa Barbara either... I'm in this transition phase, preparing my heart and mind for what I'm about to do. 

This is going to be quite the adventure, but I am so ready!

Here I am

Lord, send me

All of my life

I make an offering

More updates to come! Pray for me and my team as we leave San Pedro and take a three-hour ride in the back of a pick-up truck to Santa Barbara and FINALLY see the kids! :)

¡Hasta luego!