We have officially been living in our new home, Honduras, for a week now. This past week has been full of ups and downs. Beginning with the scariest step of faith Sean and I have ever taken.When we arrived at the Chicago airport in the wee hours of the morning, we were actually probably too tired to be as nervous as we should have been. However, the realization quickly came that this was the day we were leaving our families, our home, our friends, our church, our language... all to create a new home in a new place where everything is foreign to us and nothing resembles our home. That first day was a blur full of emotion, excitement, anxiety, fears, and at last peace that we are exactly where God wants us to be.
Since then we have spent our days getting everything situated here and have realized that even the simplest task can be very difficult. Buying a car this week has involved 4 trips to another city about 40 minutes away, 4 visits with a lawyer, 3 trips to the DEI (some type of government office), and about 8 hours of just waiting around. We've also learned that the streets have no names, they change from two-way to one-way without any signs saying so, and are full of people, cars, trucks, taxis, motorcycles, bicycles, and stray dogs. Mom, don't worry Sean is driving very carefully and slowly as I brace for my dear life in the passenger seat.
However, this week has been full of blessings some very small but significant and some that we have become absolutely dependent on. One of the first was the grocery store. Expecting a typical Latin American supermarket, I anticipated and prepared myself for a life absent of my favorite foods. This may seem very silly, but if you have ever been away from the US for a long period of time, you know what I mean. Something about familiar food is so comforting. It fills your body and soul with the tastes and smells of something familiar. When I saw peanut butter sitting on the shelf of the grocery store, I just about died. In Costa Rica, I had to travel 40 minutes to get to a store that sold peanut butter! Such a small blessing, but significant in that it brought me right back to home.
I cannot give you an accurate update without telling you what a blessing the Pastor Arturo and his wife Ruth have been for us. They have given us every spare second they have, which trust me is precious time as they are the two busiest people I have ever met. They have been with us helping us every step of the way. Driving us to all these meetings, stores and offices, teaching us about the language, culture, and city, and cooking delicious meals for us each day. They have been the biggest blessing here for us. Wit
hout them, we would be completely lost. I am constantly grateful to God for their loving presence in our lives here and inspired by them as they do it all as servants of Christ without any regard for their own time, rest, or priorities.
From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. -John 1:16
We are very blessed here as we follow in the path God has prepared for us. We are grateful every day to be on this adventure, and we look forward to building our home, lives and ministry here.
