Adam's Here!!!

My little, big brother arrived on Sunday! We spent Sunday and Monday together at the school, meeting some of the kids and my friends here. He's spent the last 3 days in the city working with our friend Aben Claros. High School evangelism, house visits and teaching English have filled the last few days for him... as well as trying to remember as much Spanish as he can! It's been fun having him here to experience what my life's been like the past year. We hope to do some hiking, scuba diving, hitting the town, going to the market... and whatever else comes up along the way!

Please pray that these last few weeks here will be a blessing and we can live each day to the fullest!
God Bless!

A week together!

What a blessing it was last week to have Jared come to Honduras! It was so great to have him meet the wonderful people here, see the school, and meet some of the students... places and people that have made such an impact on my life the past 9 months! It means so much to me that Jared was able to share in my experience here, even if it was so brief.
Jared came in at midnight on Friday night... and then had a 45 minute delay! But, after so much anticipation, he was here! And an exciting week began!


My friend Laura and her boyfriend David came with to pick Jared up at the airport and then spend the weekend with us. Jared's first day here we went to the beach in Tela. The weather was beautiful and the hammocks were perfect. We spent a lot of the day in the water and the waves, and then went to town to get baleadas and ice cream for dinner.
I love him!

We went to Pulapansak, a beautiful waterfall, on our way back to Tegucigalpa on Sunday. We loved going under and behind the powerful force of the water coming down! We were able to do a little clif jumping into the river too! On our way back, we stopped at a Tilapia restaurant on the shores of Lago Yajoa. Fresh fish dropped into the deep frier and plopped on the plate. It was really tasty!



After spending Sunday and Monday at the school and meeting the students, Jared and I headed out to Copan for the rest of the week. We were able to relax and do some excursions. The best part was sharing the experience. Instead of telling each other what happened that day, we were able to spend the days together.

The first morning there we went on a 3 hour horseback ride, up the mountains to see a Chorti village and a small ruin. Then we headed back down along the Copan River, soaking our feet and legs because of our long legs and the short horses!


We stopped at a coffee plantation... Jared ended up buying some unroasted coffee and roasted it when he got home. It turned out great!



In the afternoon we went to the hot springs! Super hot water poured out of the rock and was channeled into a series of pools. One of them had a "Mineral Mud Bath" that we tried out.



Our second day there we went to the Copan Ruins. It was incredible to see the structures that had been built so long ago! It rained a bit on us in the morning, but we enjoyed walking around the ruins.

Overall, it was such a fantastic trip. Copan is so beautiful! We hit up several coffee shops, restaurants, and found a beautiful place to watch the sunset the final night. We are more excited than ever to get married, and praying for patience, knowing that this time of waiting is preparing us for when the time finally comes! The last day Jared was here marked 99 days until the wedding!

Of course it was sad to say good-bye, but unlike before, the Lord has blessed me with an internal peace. He is filling me from within, and I am resting in the arms of my heavenly father. It's crazy to think that I've already been here 9 months and there's only one more to go! Whereas the beginning portion of the year marked numerous 'firsts,' this last period will mark the 'lasts.' Honduras and Academia Los Pinares holds a special place in my heart and I hope to make the most of the little time that is left.

With Joy in Christ.

Hello, Good-bye.

My dad, mom and Lance have been here and left again. We had an amazing time and it went super fast. What a blessing it was to see them! We did so much in the short time they were here! Here's a few snapshots of the week! Check out previous blogs to see pictures of La Tigra and when we served a meal at the city dump.

The Stadium Market! Dad had fun comparing prices of meat to prices in the states, and we bought a ton of fresh fruits and veggies for the week!




On Sunday after church we took a trip to Valle de Angeles for a little tourist shopping. We of course had to get an Expresso Americano while we were there!





Monday morning, before going to the dump, we visited The Rock school in Los Pinos. They've continued doing improvements and it was great to see the kids again!






We spent some time at the school too. Mom helped me teach on Tuesday while the guys went with Aben Claros to build a latrine. We all met up at my volleyball game that afternoon. My girls played great and won the game!




And of course... we love food! The top picture is from La Cumbre and the bottom one is from Asados El Gordo. Both super delicious!

Family

It has been wonderful to have my family come and visit! They arrived on Thursday and we've been making the most of every moment since! Thursday night after taking a walk up the mountain behind the school, we grilled out and had a feast with my roommate Janice. Friday was a half day of school and then Parent-Teacher conferences. It was a relaxing day filled with meeting people, swimming in Kolmodin's pool, and of course, wedding planning! Yesterday, was a big day! We started out early and went to the stadium market. After dropping off our groceries we headed up the La Tigra to hike to the waterfall. It was a beautiful day for hiking! We were all tired by the end, but loved it!






On the way back we stopped at the blackberry farm to pick a couple of containers and buy some jam.

For dinner, we went out to eat with the Kolmodins and Janice to El Patio, a steakhouse in the city. Everyone ordered the "Senor Conquistador" and left with full stomachs after a great day!

Mom's visit!

It was such a blessing to have mom here last week to visit! She walked through my days with me, going to class, eating Honduran food at the cafeteria for lunch, and then watching at basketball practice. We ate dinner with the West Michigan teachers, my apartment, and my care group three different nights. On Friday night we went to one of the best restaurants in Tegucigalpa called La Cumbre. It is on the side of a mountain overlooking Tegucigalpa, and we went on a gorgeous night! The view was fantastic, the food delicious, and the company amazing. :)


Saturday was full of experiencing Honduran life. We got up early and left for the market at 6:30. I love the market and was so glad that mom was able to experience it! We shopped around, got some fresh fruits and veggies, and then tried some pupusas and baleadas, traditional Honduran food made with tortillas, beans and cheese. In the afternoon we went across town to Los Pinos where I've taught the last couple of Saturdays. We did some more teaching English through games and music. We had more people there than last week, and also saw some improvement. It was so encouraging to see what they'd learned being put into practice.


Sunday we went to church and then got dropped off at Picacho on the way up. There's a huge statue of Christ that looks over the city there. Unfortunately we got rained on, so we ate our lunch under a Mayan Ruin replica and waited it out a bit. It was a slower day. We made pumpkin spice Lattes and did a LOT of wedding planning! It was so great to have someone to talk wedding with all week! We got so much done and talked about! If only I was getting married in 10 days rather than 10 months!





Monday was the real adventure. I had the day off, so mom and I went with four other teachers to La Tigra, a national forest. We hiked through the jungle to a beautiful waterfall! I didn't really know what to expect and therefore couldn't really prepare mom for what we were getting ourselves into... the jungle. I felt like I was in the Jungle Book the whole time! The first part of the hike was the easiest along a well kept path and then we headed deeper into the brush on a much narrower path. It was steep and muddy. (Our shoes were covered by the end.) But the 2 hours to the waterfall was well worth it! The water was falling over the edge of a cliff way above and cascading down the rock face. Susan and I took off our shoes and stuck our feet in the freezing water! It felt so good and it was so crystal clear! We ate some lunch and then headed 2 hours back to the car. On the way back to Pinares, we stopped at a gorgeous vineyard to get some jam and mora berries (giant blackberries). At night, we had some pizza with my care group and just relaxed.

Overall, what a great week! It was so amazing to have a visitor! There's some things that you just can't explain or describe about life in Honduras.

I love you mom! So glad you could come!!!