FAQ: About my life

I decided to put some answers to common questions I've received about my life/teaching in Honduras all in one convenient place.
Post any additional questions you have in the Comments section, and I'll make sure to answer them.

So..are you done with school?
I finished my undergraduate studies at Westmont College in May 2009. I graduated a year early with a degree in Liberal Studies (a.k.a. Elementary Education), and went on to earn my teaching credential and Masters of Education in a rigorous 13-month Teacher Education program at UC Santa Barbara. I will present my Master's thesis in June/July 2011.

Where are you teaching?
I will be teaching 4th grade at International School Tegucigalpa starting in late August. See earlier blog entry for more details about the school: School Site. I will have approximately 20-25 students, who are mainly middle class Hondurans. I will be teaching in English.

How did you hear about International School Tegucigalpa?
Two of my friends (also Westmont alums) taught there and told me how much they loved it. I was seriously considering the possibility of teaching overseas and had a strong desire to learn Spanish, so I applied to schools in Panama and Honduras. I filled out the IST application and had an interview with them within a week--in Santa Barbara! I got the job, prayed about it, and signed the contract.

How long will you be in Honduras?
My contract is for 2 years. I will be back in the states for Christmases and summers.

Do you speak Spanish?
I can get by in a basic conversation. Currently, I am listening to Spanish Radio, reading the Bible in Spanish, and talking with my grandpa and mom in order to improve.
I'm hoping to become fluent by the end of my 2 years teaching in Honduras.

Have you ever been to Honduras? Do you know anyone there?
My mom and I traveled down to Tegucigalpa for four days in early June. I had a chance to experience the school, see the teacher's houses and explore a little bit of the city. It was wonderful to meet some of the IST staff and one of my friends from Westmont will also be teaching there next year.

In 21 days..

In just 21 days, I will be flying out of Sacramento, on my way to Tegucigalpa, Honduras to teach.

Summer has been a wonderful breather from a hectic year of grad. school at UCSB.

It's been filled with fun family memories and new friendships, spending time in a town I've spent time in briefly, but which I now call home. I have been encouraged and equipped, and I am so grateful for those who loaned me teaching supplies/tips and for all who promised their prayer.

Thank you!

As I scan the array of things that still need to be packed, I am reminded that in Christ I have everything I need.

2 Cor. 12:9

"But God said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'"

2 Peter 1:3-4a

^"3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises.."

Inspiration for the Journey

A missionary friend spoke in church this past Sunday, and I was moved to tears. Not necessarily for the sexually abused girls he and the IJM team rescue from brothels in India (although this would have been the proper thing to get teary-eyed about), but I cried because the miracles this missionary described could have only been God-orchestrated.

Two lessons I learned from the speaker:
1) With God the impossible is possible. Prayer is our strongest weapon.
2) God not only loves us, to the extent that He came into the dark world we live in and rescued us from bondage to sin, but He daily works in our lives, changing and transforming us through the experiences that He puts in our path. How often do we notice this?
3) Sometimes God leads us through "the valley of the shadow of death" (Ps. 23), and we question "Why did you lead us this way?" Yet, what the "sheep" don't know is that what's on the other side of the valley is well-worth the shadows.

1 Corinthians 4:17-18
"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Micah Project

Having heard so much about the Micah Project from other IST teachers, I was excited to finally be going to see it on Friday!

The school chaplain, his spiritual son (a graduate of IST, now in his 3rd year of CC studying Turismo), my mom, and I all piled into the chaplain's car to head to Micah around 4pm. The chaplain told us the story behind Micah Project on the way there
(to learn more go to: http://www.micahcentral.org/).
I learned how boys who were once living on the streets, oftentimes addicted to drugs or glue, are invited to live in a rehab. group home where they are clothed, fed, educated, and loved unconditionally. Currently, 18 boys live at the Micah house, and older ones live in the Timothy house down the street, which focuses on cultivating spiritual/community leaders.

On Fridays, the Micah Project has a soccer outreach for the street kids. They play an intense game of court soccer ("object of the game: stay alive"--ha!) or watch/talk with the volunteers on the bleachers, then hear a mini-devotional. There is prayer and a warm meal following the devotional.
It rained most of the time we were there, and I watched as wild pigs picked through the soggy trash surrounding the play area. Some of the kids lived here.

I talked with one 16-year old, and the stories he told were intense. Going to Micah reminded me of a mix between my experiences with Westmont ministries: with Juvenile Hall, with Potter's Clay (Mexico VBS) and with Bread of Life (a homeless ministry). Although, at Micah, all of the conversations had were in Spanish.

Near the end of the game, I was introduced to a graduate of the Micah House who had returned to help out with the ministry. This student is a true testimony of God's transforming power and His work through Micah Project; the student is a passionate believer of Jesus Christ and wants to study at Wheaton College to become a counselor so he can really help the street kids of Honduras. Wow!

Afterwards, we went with a Wheaton College graduate (who now works for Micah) to the actual Micah house. We got a tour of the place, and I saw that the kids had a library, computer room, and clean beds. It is a beautiful sight to see how much these kids are loved and hear about how they have started going to church and given up drugs altogether.

Altogether, I have seen that there are many opportunities to get involved in ministry, outside of school. Also, I have seen that there are many sides/areas to Tegucigalpa, and that even in the midst of poverty or hopelessness, God is already at work in powerful, life-altering ways!

So, once I get established in my classroom and get used to living in Honduras, I can start looking into the possibilities for ministry; although I have to be careful not to over-commit and neglect my primary responsibilities which are at the school. I look forward to getting to know my students next year and to teaching, discipling, and above all loving them as Christ does.

1 John 4:12

No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

World Cup 2010

Friday, June 11, 2010

Today, the FIFA World Cup 2010 began. Here in Honduras, the World Cup is a big deal, and an even bigger deal because their team qualified for the tournament. I bought a Honduran futbol jersey in Valle de Angeles and wore it today to the mall and to Micah Project. Everyone else was wearing their blue/white jerseys too! At the Micah outreach, people thought I was Honduran..until I hesitated on some Spanish words.

We did watch about 10 minutes of the Mexico v. South Africa game at breakfast; the dining staff would yell across the hotel courtyard the score of the game to other staff members. The game really drew people together. Very fun!

Also the World Cup Song ("Waving Flag") is stuck in my head. It is played frequently in the shopping centers. Here are some lines from the Spanish version that they play here:

Give me freedom Give me fire
Cuando sea mas viejo, sere mas fuerte
Ellos me llamaran libertad, al igual que un bandera ondulante

Y luego volveran
Y luego volveran
Y luego volveran
Y luego...

-It's so catchy. Here's a link, if you want to hear/watch it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBvE6tLZFoI

Valle de Angeles

Thursday, June 10, 2010

It is truly incredible how God has orchestrated our plans this trip!
We had talked briefly with teachers/the school chaplain about taking a day trip to Valle de Angeles, but did not have any plans solidified yet.
Lo and behold, we get a call this morning from the school chaplain saying that there is an IST teacher who wants to be our guide for the day. What a blessing!

Valle de Angeles is a small town about 45 minutes outside of Tegucigalpa; it is known for its colonial architecture and local artisans. The taxi driver had to follow very windy roads around the mountains in order to get to Valle, and we saw a gorgeous view of the valley and countryside of Honduras. We passed casitas selling pottery, lush greenhouses, and tiny turismo cars chugging their way up the hill.

During the drive and our walk around the town, we were blessed to get to know the IST Bible teacher, also our guide for the afternoon. She told me about how Christ had radically transformed her life and the lives of her family members, how she had come to live with missionaries, and how God was there during the hardest time of her life.

We had fun admiring the intricately carved wood, elaborate basket designs, clay pots, and much more! It was the perfect time to come, because it was quiet with not that many tourists. Each shop we walked into was playing Christian music, and I recognized many of the songs from Newsboys to Hillsong.

We had lunch at El Anafre ("portable cooker"), enjoying typical Honduran cuisine and even an anafre appetizer. An anafre is a clay pot with cheese and refried beans melted together on top of a clay plate with burning charcoal; it is typically served with warm tortilla chips to dip in. Delicioso! It was like a Honduran fondue.

We shopped around, and then quickly headed back to Tegu., because an emergency had happened at the school and our teacher-friend had to return right away. We spent the rest of the afternoon at the Mall (Las Cascadas) and finally found the grocery store. We walked into a store called Hiper which had neatly organized aisles of groceries, clothes, and household products, and I could swear we were in a Wal-Mart. Sure enough, when we got to the counter, I saw a tag on the cash register that had the "Wal-Mart" logo. Figures that there's even a Wal-Mart in Honduras. We also went to the "Starbucks" of Honduras, which is called "Espresso Americano," although it sells Honduran coffee. This coffee chain is everywhere, and it is very inexpensive (25 Lempiras for Granita de Cafe-about $1.30). I may start liking coffee after all.

On Friday morning, we spent time at different mall (El Metro), closer to IST and less expensive than Las Cascadas. El Metro is probably where I'll be shopping next year. Through these trips, I've been realizing that I won't have to worry about bringing a lot of stuff down to Honduras, because you can get almost anything here in the city. I am grateful to know this before I start packing this summer!

Graduacion 2010

Watching as proud graduates of the International School escorted their parents down the aisle of the church, made me get teary-eyed knowing this was a huge accomplishment for them. Honduran schools typically do not have a 12th grade, and so IST is unique, not only for emphasizing Christ-centered education but also for high academic standing. Honduran graduations (especially IST's) are a big deal; students, parents, and staff go out and buy formal dresses or suits just for the occasion.

Words of affirmation were spoken honoring each graduate and the processional music was played at least 50 times to accompany the graduates' walk down the aisle. The teacher next to me started humming along with the music after awhile, and the other teachers in my row turned to glare at her. It was pretty funny.

The whole ceremony included many parts, including: special songs (also a beautiful rendition of the Honduran national anthem), inspiring speeches in both English and Spanish, and awards of excellency. The event was almost entirely in Spanish, with the exception of a few student speeches and the dedication of ceremony, and graduation lasted a little over 3 hours. My favorite part of the graduation, besides hearing students talk about their faith and learning, was the dedication of ceremony. Each year, the seniors dedicate the graduation ceremony to a teacher/administrator at IST. This year, they honored the middle school principal. After the long introduction naming the principal's care and involvement in the students' lives, she stood up to share a few words for the graduates. She spoke with passion, and I was so blessed and inspired by her message of hope and encouragement.

After the graduation, the teachers all piled onto a busito and headed to the Humaya Inn for a farewell celebration for the staff who are leaving. By this time, it was around 10pm, and everyone was exhausted from sitting through the graduation ceremony. Nevertheless, we had a good time sharing an elegant 3-course meal on the terrace of the hotel and listening to the AMAZING jazz pianist who had a repertoire of 100+ songs and even took requests. What a special send-off for the teachers!

Looking out at the lights of the houses on the hills of Tegucigalpa, I was reminded of the passage in Matthew, where Jesus says to his disciples, " ¹⁴You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house." (Matt. 5:14-15)

I am so grateful to have been given the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ and to have the privilege of serving Him in Tegucigalpa next year. So, I pray that God would use me as a "light" and give me boldness in sharing Christ with the students at IST and with my neighbors and community of Tegu.; for the opportunities are endless and with Christ all things are possible. I also pray that the students and IST community would be "lights" for Christ to their families, city, nation, and world; that they may come to know the hope and abundant life that is only found in Jesus Christ our Lord.