Saturday, May 22, 2010

Rich people and horses.


I didn't really have plans for this Saturday, so when I heard that two of my students would be in the same horseback riding competition, I decided to see if I could go and watch. I got a ride from the lovely Nicole's family, which was the only way I would have been able to get all the way out to the location.
The ride out was an event in itself. This particular student is German, but was born in the States and grew up here in Honduras. In the car ride, the languages flying through their SUV alternated between Spanish, English, and German. Spanish seems to be the language of choice among the kids, and even the mom most of the time. I wonder how a family decides what language to speak to one another in such a situation...?


















So, when I thought about attending this event I guess I should have researched a little better the kinds of people who attend and participate in equestrian events. Let's just say they're not the kind who wear jean capris, layered tank tops, and flip flops. [more and more, I am realizing how much I stand out here due to my sloppy American style. Little did I know that here--in a third-world country--is where I would feel my most frumpy and under-dressed. The women here, even those without lots of money, never seem to leave the house without heels, a perfect pedicure, crisp clothes, and straight-from-the-salon hair. It's a lot to live up to. It makes me constantly wonder what my Honduran guy sees in me considering his other options!]

So, there I was, little old frumpy me in my Floridian casual-wear, already feeling out of place, when it is brought to my attention that the president's wife has just arrived. (This is the new president by the way, Pepe Lobo, not the interim prez who visited my classroom). Her kids were competing, too. You should have seen the security! There was an armed guy in a blue shirt everywhere you turned. There were camera men from TV stations and photographer's too. There were the snobbiest looking, plastic-surgerized ladies at every table.

And then there was me in my ripped jean capris. Oh golly.
















Here is a picture of Nicole riding amid the gorgeous Honduran landscape!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Today I was confused and thought it was May 18th (I blame it on end-of-the-year-itis) and so I read the May 18th entry in Oswald Chambers' "My Utmost for His Highest" (which I love, by the way). And I loved it so I'm reproducing it here for you. Probably against copyright. Please forgive me.



CAREFUL UNREASONABLENESS


"Behold the fowls of the air." . . . "Consider the lilies of the field." Matthew 6:26, 28

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they simply are! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars and the moon - all these are, and what a ministration they exert. So often we mar God's designed influence through us by our self-conscious effort to be consistent and useful. Jesus says that there is only one way to develop spiritually, and that is by concentration on God. "Do not bother about being of use to others; believe on Me" - pay attention to the Source, and out of you will flow rivers of living water. We cannot get at the springs of our natural life by common sense, and Jesus is teaching that growth in spiritual life does not depend on our watching it, but on concentration on our Father in heaven. Our heavenly Father knows the circumstances we are in, and if we keep concentrated on Him we will grow spiritually as the lilies.

The people who influence us most are not those who buttonhole us and talk to us, but those who live their lives like the stars in heaven and the lilies in the field, perfectly simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mould us.

If you want to be of use to God, get rightly related to Jesus Christ and He will make you of use unconsciously every minute you live.

Monday, May 10, 2010

It's countdown time here at Pinares. Me, I'm not big on counting down. It makes the end goal seem much farther down the road than I think a countdown is intended for. Plus, even though lately I come home exhausted from trying to control 22 students who are tired and hot and overworked, I'm not ready to let them go yet. Half of the time I feel like I have completely failed them as a teacher and I need more time to just catch them up! The other half of the time I just love them so much that I don't want to let them go yet. I wish everyone could meet them. They are funny and precious and curious about God and the world and just plain cute.

If you didn't notice, I haven't really posted any pictures lately. That's because my camera was stolen over spring break. But, thanks to my generous Uncle Brian, I now have his free hand-me-down. So, in honor of now having a camera, here is a tiny visual update (I don't have much... the camera just got here!)

Daniel and I went to a remarkably American-esque mini-golf establishment here in Tegus. It was his first time playing!






































This is his, I'm losing and I don't like it Face.