Jason's cabin has been on the market for almost 3 years now and though many have been interested, no one has made a reasonable offer. Most people want it for a vacation home, but with the economy those people just can't finance it right now.
So we've decided to offer the cabin for rent. We haven't decided on a monthly rate yet, but it needs to be close to our mortgage payment. We'll definitely negotiate though; we really want someone living in the cabin.
Here's all the information you would ever want about our unique cabin:
http://cordwoodcabin.shutterfly.com/
If you could imagine yourself living here, please let us know! Thank you! :)
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Transforming the Guest Bedroom into a Study
Our house is too small. Actually it's a great size for us and 3 cats, however, all our furniture seems too big for the space we have.
We have a guest room which had a Queen sized bed, vanity, cedar chest, night stand and a small wire shelving unit (small baker's rack) in it. It was all really squished in there and the room wasn't being used. Maybe (MAYBE) once a year someone would stay overnight in there. I decided I wanted to move some furniture around and make it into a study/sitting room. It would be a cat-free area where my allergic friends could hang out. And the sunshine in there is just wonderful all day - it's on the south-east corner of the house.
So we took the queen sized bed and put it down in the basement - in storage. We moved an old antique table (my grandmother's dining room table with leaves that fold down), a wood bookshelf, and a lazy boy in there. I then bought queen sized futon from Craig's list and stuffed it in there. I wanted a queen sized bed in there so that my taller family would have plenty of leg room on the bed. (My feet hang off the end of a full sized bed, and my mom & brother, who live out of town, are both taller than me.)
However, we've come upon a glitch. Turns out the queen sized futon is wider than the queen sized bed - giving us even less room than what we had before when the bed is pulled out. So in order to use that as a sleeping room, we'd have to move the lazy boy into the living room and probably get rid of my grandmother's table and the cedar chest all together.
So I'm stuck. Keep the queen sized futon and just move furniture around when friends stay overnight? Or sell the futon on craigslist (we'll get at least what we paid for it) and buy a smaller full-sized futon that will fit with more furniture. I'd rather have queen sized, since all our sheets are queen sized, but that room just seems to be too small for a queen sized anything. However, we won't be in this house forever and then will I regret not keeping the queen sized futon? Also, what if we end up having a baby, that futon will have to go elsewhere. The finished attic is huge and would accommodate a queen sized futon very well.
Btw, taking it to the cabin isn't really an option. If we ever find a truck big enough we'll take the queen sized bed downstairs out to the cabin and hope that one doesn't get stolen too. I'd also like to take my grandmother's dining room table out to the cabin, but I really don't want to risk having that one stolen like most of the furniture that we left there a year ago.
So what do you think? Live for now and get rid of the queen sized futon and get a full-sized one? Or make do with what we have and keep the queen sized futon - and just move most of the furniture in there into storage?
Edit - we have a queen sized hide-a-bed in the living room. I forgot to mention this.
We have a guest room which had a Queen sized bed, vanity, cedar chest, night stand and a small wire shelving unit (small baker's rack) in it. It was all really squished in there and the room wasn't being used. Maybe (MAYBE) once a year someone would stay overnight in there. I decided I wanted to move some furniture around and make it into a study/sitting room. It would be a cat-free area where my allergic friends could hang out. And the sunshine in there is just wonderful all day - it's on the south-east corner of the house.
So we took the queen sized bed and put it down in the basement - in storage. We moved an old antique table (my grandmother's dining room table with leaves that fold down), a wood bookshelf, and a lazy boy in there. I then bought queen sized futon from Craig's list and stuffed it in there. I wanted a queen sized bed in there so that my taller family would have plenty of leg room on the bed. (My feet hang off the end of a full sized bed, and my mom & brother, who live out of town, are both taller than me.)
However, we've come upon a glitch. Turns out the queen sized futon is wider than the queen sized bed - giving us even less room than what we had before when the bed is pulled out. So in order to use that as a sleeping room, we'd have to move the lazy boy into the living room and probably get rid of my grandmother's table and the cedar chest all together.
So I'm stuck. Keep the queen sized futon and just move furniture around when friends stay overnight? Or sell the futon on craigslist (we'll get at least what we paid for it) and buy a smaller full-sized futon that will fit with more furniture. I'd rather have queen sized, since all our sheets are queen sized, but that room just seems to be too small for a queen sized anything. However, we won't be in this house forever and then will I regret not keeping the queen sized futon? Also, what if we end up having a baby, that futon will have to go elsewhere. The finished attic is huge and would accommodate a queen sized futon very well.
Btw, taking it to the cabin isn't really an option. If we ever find a truck big enough we'll take the queen sized bed downstairs out to the cabin and hope that one doesn't get stolen too. I'd also like to take my grandmother's dining room table out to the cabin, but I really don't want to risk having that one stolen like most of the furniture that we left there a year ago.
So what do you think? Live for now and get rid of the queen sized futon and get a full-sized one? Or make do with what we have and keep the queen sized futon - and just move most of the furniture in there into storage?
Edit - we have a queen sized hide-a-bed in the living room. I forgot to mention this.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Memories from Honduras
There are a few moments from our week in Honduras that keep going over and over in my mind. I thought I'd put them here to hold on them - and to share them with you.
First, every person's mission trip experience is different. Each of us have stories about what touched us and what we thought of the trip. Even if we were all in the same spot seeing the same thing, we all have different stories about how God spoke to us in that experience. (I'm saying this because I've heard people say "were you on the same trip with _________??? They didn't mention that at all!")
Second, when you've gone multiple times, you start to expect certain things. However this year some of the things I was assuming to be a certain way turned out completely different - in an incredibly wonderful way. I love it when that happens, it's like you're experiencing your first time there again.
The first night was probably my worst night in Honduras, ever. I was dehydrated and with a thunderstorm coming in, I ended up with a horrible headache. The four of us ladies from the Vineyard shared a small room the Casa de Esther that night. I had stayed in that house before, but it was hot and muggy that night and we were in a small room with 2 beds and a bunk bed. Due to drinking so much water, I asked if someone else could take the top bunk. (With me being the youngest of the 4, I figured I'd get voted to be up there.) Gratefully Joyanna offered to be on the top bunk and I took the lower bunk near the window. Kathy and Darleen were across from us. Kathy had brought a small fan which we put in front of the window so thankfully we had a little bit of air flow.
After getting up three times I checked my clock and it was only 2am. My head felt like it was going to explode and I struggled to not start crying. Crying would make my sinuses worse which would just feed the headache. My Tylenol was in the bottom of my empty water bottle, with my other prescription bottles on top. The problem was that the 2 prescription bottles had gotten wedged in the water bottle.
(Please don't ask why I put them in there. It was taking up space in my bag and it was empty. I couldn't find anything else small, so I put all my pill bottles in there. Never again.)
All the shaking and shuffling of bottles wouldn't release any of them. And there was my Tylenol stuck at the bottom. Once again I was fighting back tears. About the time I was considering taking the bottle outside and bashing it with a rock, Kathy woke up. (I'm sure it was all the pills being shaken but she said it wasn't.)
I explained the situation to Kathy and she gave it a try. After much shaking and poking she got no further than I had. Unfortunately I think we woke up Darleen and Joyanna about then. (We were starting to giggle a bit about the stupid water bottle.)
I thankfully had a brain storm and took the top off the one bottle that wasn't child proof. I was then able to pull that bottle out and get the others out. Success!! By then Darleen and Joyanna were up and we were all chatting.
They suggested I turn around so that my feet were by the window and my head closer to the door. They were right, this helped with the air flow. I had also (thankfully) bought a travel pillow in the airport and using this I could elevate my head, which helps when I have a headache. Also, the donut shape of the pillow helped relieve the ache in the back of my head.
Then the best part, we all started giggling about silly stuff. I was afraid we woke up the girls in the next room but they swear we didn't. Around 2:30 am we finally got settled down and I was able to fall asleep. Really asleep. I woke up 4 hours later feeling rested, and without a headache. I was so grateful for those wise, wonderful, silly women. Laughter with girl friends definitely relieves stress and helps change your mood. Thank you Kathy, Joyanna, and Darleen. Love you so much!
These kids in the village, Valle de Angeles, just grabbed my heart. There was something about them that will stay with me for a long time. When I left I realized I may not see them again and it just broke my heart. I continue to pray for them and hope to see them again someday.
First, every person's mission trip experience is different. Each of us have stories about what touched us and what we thought of the trip. Even if we were all in the same spot seeing the same thing, we all have different stories about how God spoke to us in that experience. (I'm saying this because I've heard people say "were you on the same trip with _________??? They didn't mention that at all!")
Second, when you've gone multiple times, you start to expect certain things. However this year some of the things I was assuming to be a certain way turned out completely different - in an incredibly wonderful way. I love it when that happens, it's like you're experiencing your first time there again.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
(photo courtesy of Darleen)
After getting up three times I checked my clock and it was only 2am. My head felt like it was going to explode and I struggled to not start crying. Crying would make my sinuses worse which would just feed the headache. My Tylenol was in the bottom of my empty water bottle, with my other prescription bottles on top. The problem was that the 2 prescription bottles had gotten wedged in the water bottle.
(Please don't ask why I put them in there. It was taking up space in my bag and it was empty. I couldn't find anything else small, so I put all my pill bottles in there. Never again.)
All the shaking and shuffling of bottles wouldn't release any of them. And there was my Tylenol stuck at the bottom. Once again I was fighting back tears. About the time I was considering taking the bottle outside and bashing it with a rock, Kathy woke up. (I'm sure it was all the pills being shaken but she said it wasn't.)
I explained the situation to Kathy and she gave it a try. After much shaking and poking she got no further than I had. Unfortunately I think we woke up Darleen and Joyanna about then. (We were starting to giggle a bit about the stupid water bottle.)
I thankfully had a brain storm and took the top off the one bottle that wasn't child proof. I was then able to pull that bottle out and get the others out. Success!! By then Darleen and Joyanna were up and we were all chatting.
They suggested I turn around so that my feet were by the window and my head closer to the door. They were right, this helped with the air flow. I had also (thankfully) bought a travel pillow in the airport and using this I could elevate my head, which helps when I have a headache. Also, the donut shape of the pillow helped relieve the ache in the back of my head.
Then the best part, we all started giggling about silly stuff. I was afraid we woke up the girls in the next room but they swear we didn't. Around 2:30 am we finally got settled down and I was able to fall asleep. Really asleep. I woke up 4 hours later feeling rested, and without a headache. I was so grateful for those wise, wonderful, silly women. Laughter with girl friends definitely relieves stress and helps change your mood. Thank you Kathy, Joyanna, and Darleen. Love you so much!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I had no idea that taking a camera on a mission trip would be an outreach tool. There's always a group of kids that hang around our work site and watch us. They love having their picture taken and then looking at the photo. This would probably go on for hours if I didn't quickly tire of it. I just worry about all those little fingers all over my camera, sometimes yanking it back and forth, putting finger prints on the lens. So I've learned when to call it quits before they start getting too grabby.
One day on the work site I was taking pictures of the kids (and they were trying to be gangster, too funny). One of the kids, Kaylie Paola, asked if she could take a picture of me. I had my camera on a lanyard around my neck, so I let her turn the camera around at me and snap my picture.
You can see Kaylie (and my camera) in the reflection of my sunglasses. :) I'm also making that face because she's pulling on the lanyard which is around my neck... you understand.
Later her cousin, Alexander, asked to take some pictures with my camera, and I let him. Kaylie unclicked the lanyard (which made my heart stop for a moment), I put the strap around Alexander's wrist, and he took off to take pictures. The pictures were great and will be the subject of another blog post. :)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Thursday night was the fiesta! We made 700 meals and then showed the Jesus film (in Spanish). There were some challenges which included starting late (Honduran time), the electricity in the village going out several times, the DVD skipping, and a storm threatening to hit at the end of the movie. However, we made it to the end of the movie and prayed for people when it was over.
There were a lot of children who came up for prayer. The interpreter asked what they needed prayer for and they just smiled and stood there. I think they were just curious as to what was going on, so I started praying for some of the girls that were standing near me. I prayed for a few of the other kids and then they started asking for their photos to be taken. (At this time I was carrying the church's video camera and my little camera was around my neck. I just screamed "CAMERA GIRL.")
After taking a couple of pictures of the kids, they started saying "con usted, con usted." With me? This surprised me at first, the kids have never asked for ME to be in the pictures with them. So I sat down on a step and had the kids gather in around me and tried to take a few pictures by holding my camera out.
These kids in the village, Valle de Angeles, just grabbed my heart. There was something about them that will stay with me for a long time. When I left I realized I may not see them again and it just broke my heart. I continue to pray for them and hope to see them again someday.
Allie, me, Natalie, and Jason
Ruth, me and Allie (photo taken by Natalie)
Look how those girls were hanging on me. Miss them.
By the way, these last three girls (who stuck around until we left) were the first few girls that I prayed for. I hope to see them again. Someday. :)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next day we drove to San Pedro Sula and had lunch at Power Chicken. We do this every year. The meal is served family style and we get to try several different kinds of meat and sides with flan for dessert. What doesn't getting eaten gets divided up into to-go containers, which we give away. We drive to a part of the city where the glue boys hang out (they huff glue) and then hand the meals out through a window in the van. The food is usually gone pretty quick and then we head to the Bed & Breakfast for the night.
This time it was different. When we found some of the glue boys they were pouring water over one of them that seemed to have paint all over him. We were confused at first as to what was going on. We weren't sure if they were helping him or making it worse. Jason pointed out some painters nearby that must have thrown the paint on the guy. His friends were trying to help him by pouring water over his head and helping him get the paint out of his eyes.
When they saw that we had food they ran to the van and took the containers. They then ran back to the one with paint all over him and set their food down and continued to help him. This was like a shock through my heart.
Normally they devour the food after only taking a couple of steps away from the van. Sometimes they follow us begging for more food. This time though, their friend was more important than their hunger. I guess you don't have much else when you live on the streets.
There was something about that that just spoke to me. That showed me how different my world is from theirs. Here I'm thinking "look how much love we're showing you by giving you a styrofoam container with food in it." And yet greater love was shown by the friends trying to help each other. I enter their world for just a moment and then I'm gone, forgotten. I can make such a bigger impact on the world I live in on a daily basis - the people I have contact with each day. And yet it seems so much harder to do this at home with the people you know than it is to go on a mission trip.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The last memory that I want to share was our last morning in Honduras at El Meson Bed & Breakfast in San Pedro Sula. The couples got to stay together, so we asked if we could have the bigger bed. (The other couple aren't quite as big as us... so they agreed.) The room we ended up in had a king sized bed and a gorgeous tiled bathroom.
I got my first hot shower that week and finished getting ready with some David Crowder Band playing in the background. I could hear the ladies on the other side of the wall making our breakfast. They keep the windows in the bathrooms open, so you have to keep the door to the bedroom (with the A/C) shut. The rain was falling (the beginning of Hurricane Alex) and it was cool and humid in the bathroom. It's a moment in time that I want to hold onto for awhile. I guess that's what I think it would be like to live down there.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Thoughts after 5 days in Honduras.
First, I just posted this on facebook, and I thought I'd repeat it here. To set the tone or something.
"Day 5 in Honduras, day 5 of cold showers. It's an elusive thing here at the hotel and I've given up hoping it's my turn. It's like pool water and feels good after being out in the sun and humidity, so it's not so bad. However, if I see another spider crawl across my bed, I'm going to lose it. (Yes, I have another weird spider bite.)"
I'll live. I just really got eaten up by... somethings the last few days. I'm thinking they're probably fire ants, not mosquitoes. And spiders are also a possibility. I have a weird bite on the back of my arm that is all bubbly. It's crusted over at the moment and sorta looks like poison ivy - which I've never had. We're thinking it might be an allergic reactions to something - maybe even a plant.
It was a rough start at the beginning of the trip. I wasn't feeling so great before we left and my doctor told me to just take it easy and get lots of water. We landed in San Pedro Sula around 1pm on Saturday and the headache hit not too long after. I may have been dehydrated, but with our travels it wasn't going to get any better.
We made it to the Heart to Honduras compound in Canchias right before dinner and we were really the only ones there. Right before we were going to head to the cabins and call it a night, the rain started - and didn't stop for quite awhile! Some of us went outside and saw a few large frogs jumping at the bugs that were flying around under the awning. The medium sized one was about the side of a softball. If it wasn't raining on me, I would have loved to have gotten video of that. Amazing!
The rain made the night very humid and our little room that the 4 of us were in was stuffy. We had the window open but the air wasn't really moving. Thankfully Kathy brought a small fan and offered to share it with us. I didn't fall asleep easily and by 2am I thought my head was going to explode. I was horribly hot and my head hurt so bad - I was almost in tears. I woke Kathy up trying to get some Tylenol and then our talking woke Joyanna and Darleen up. We started goofing around and I ended up laughing so hard. Around 2:30 I fell asleep and slept so soundly the rest of the night. It's amazing what friends and laughing can do for you.
The next day, Sunday, we made our way to Comayagua and went to church that night. The children sang a song for us and passed out postcards that had flowers or hats made out of construction papers. We loved them! Pastor Roberto skipped the sermon, and we ended up going to an er at a local hospital to give out tamales and hot coffee.
In the past month, both Pastor Roberto and another church member, Carmen, have had to go to the er. Sitting there and waiting, they noticed so many hungry and hurting people. They started taking oatmeal to the people waiting and praying for them. So on Sunday we joined them while they served tamales and coffee to the people waiting. Several people asked for prayer, but most of the people just smiled and looked really surprised. The best part is that we were helping them with an outreach. It just really felt like a win.
Sunday was a long day, so Monday was a short day. We worked on the house until 3pm, then headed back to the hotel to relax. We went to the square in Comayagua that evening, but unfortunately the fountain wasn't on. We did go to Baskin Robbins afterwards - always a treat. :)
Tuesday was another long day. We worked on the house until 2pm or so, then loaded as many people as possible into our van and went to a neighboring village where we'll do the fiesta tomorrow night. It started to downpour as we arrived in the village, so we had to wait awhile for it to stop. Then we split up into groups and walked around the village handing out bottles of water and fliers about the fiesta. The village is quite large, which took us awhile to get all the way around. We didn't end up getting back to the hotel until 5:30, which is when we eat dinner. So showers came after dinner - then off to church!
I loved the church service last night. First we did testimonies and (after 5 years, finally) I shared mine. (That's another blog I believe.) It wasn't as nerve-wracking as I thought it would be. It really just felt like talking to family. Then Darleen shared her testimony and two ladies from the church shared theirs. There was a common theme to our 4 testimonies - healing, from the inside out. Very appropriate since Gregg was sharing the Vineyard 5-step prayer model that evening.
However, before Gregg spoke, the church members asked us to come up one by one and draw a name out of a basket. When Pastor Roberto called the name, they came up with a gift for us. It was so much fun and we felt so loved on! I ended up with a beautiful pot, which was just perfect since I wanted to buy one this year. Jason got a pad of paper and a pen in a wood holder. I really wish I would have gotten pictures of everyone with their gifts - they were just perfect for each person who got the gifts.
After Gregg shared the 5-step prayer model, people came up for prayer and we got to pray for them. It was really just a great time of praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ. It was hard to leave last night and I just wanted to hug everyone!
Today we finished the house and have some free time this afternoon and evening. We're planning on just hanging out and maybe playing some card games. It hasn't been a difficult trip, but it has been quite hot and humid out and shade hasn't always been easy to find. (And I sorta missed the back of my right arm while putting on sun block, so it's stinging a bit right now.) I'm thankful for some time to reflect on the week so far.
Btw, Jason, Gregg, Joyanna, and several ladies went grocery shopping for the fiesta tomorrow and they haven't come back yet. Dinner is in about an hour, hope they come back soon. (Not that Jason will miss out on a cold shower or anything.)
Tomorrow we'll be preparing food all day for the fiesta tomorrow night. I'm not sure how many they're expecting, but I would assume at least 500, maybe 700? We'll hand out the food and cups of water, and then show the Jesus film, en Espanol (in Spanish). We're starting earlier this time, so hopefully we'll make it to Pizza Hut tomorrow before it closes and get some dinner. (We'd rather give out the food we prepare than eat it ourselves.)
Friday we say goodbye to Comayagua and head to San Pedro Sula where we fly out Saturday morning. Hopefully along our drive to San Pedro, we'll get a chance to meet our Compassion International child. :)
"Day 5 in Honduras, day 5 of cold showers. It's an elusive thing here at the hotel and I've given up hoping it's my turn. It's like pool water and feels good after being out in the sun and humidity, so it's not so bad. However, if I see another spider crawl across my bed, I'm going to lose it. (Yes, I have another weird spider bite.)"
I'll live. I just really got eaten up by... somethings the last few days. I'm thinking they're probably fire ants, not mosquitoes. And spiders are also a possibility. I have a weird bite on the back of my arm that is all bubbly. It's crusted over at the moment and sorta looks like poison ivy - which I've never had. We're thinking it might be an allergic reactions to something - maybe even a plant.
It was a rough start at the beginning of the trip. I wasn't feeling so great before we left and my doctor told me to just take it easy and get lots of water. We landed in San Pedro Sula around 1pm on Saturday and the headache hit not too long after. I may have been dehydrated, but with our travels it wasn't going to get any better.
We made it to the Heart to Honduras compound in Canchias right before dinner and we were really the only ones there. Right before we were going to head to the cabins and call it a night, the rain started - and didn't stop for quite awhile! Some of us went outside and saw a few large frogs jumping at the bugs that were flying around under the awning. The medium sized one was about the side of a softball. If it wasn't raining on me, I would have loved to have gotten video of that. Amazing!
The rain made the night very humid and our little room that the 4 of us were in was stuffy. We had the window open but the air wasn't really moving. Thankfully Kathy brought a small fan and offered to share it with us. I didn't fall asleep easily and by 2am I thought my head was going to explode. I was horribly hot and my head hurt so bad - I was almost in tears. I woke Kathy up trying to get some Tylenol and then our talking woke Joyanna and Darleen up. We started goofing around and I ended up laughing so hard. Around 2:30 I fell asleep and slept so soundly the rest of the night. It's amazing what friends and laughing can do for you.
The next day, Sunday, we made our way to Comayagua and went to church that night. The children sang a song for us and passed out postcards that had flowers or hats made out of construction papers. We loved them! Pastor Roberto skipped the sermon, and we ended up going to an er at a local hospital to give out tamales and hot coffee.
In the past month, both Pastor Roberto and another church member, Carmen, have had to go to the er. Sitting there and waiting, they noticed so many hungry and hurting people. They started taking oatmeal to the people waiting and praying for them. So on Sunday we joined them while they served tamales and coffee to the people waiting. Several people asked for prayer, but most of the people just smiled and looked really surprised. The best part is that we were helping them with an outreach. It just really felt like a win.
Sunday was a long day, so Monday was a short day. We worked on the house until 3pm, then headed back to the hotel to relax. We went to the square in Comayagua that evening, but unfortunately the fountain wasn't on. We did go to Baskin Robbins afterwards - always a treat. :)
Tuesday was another long day. We worked on the house until 2pm or so, then loaded as many people as possible into our van and went to a neighboring village where we'll do the fiesta tomorrow night. It started to downpour as we arrived in the village, so we had to wait awhile for it to stop. Then we split up into groups and walked around the village handing out bottles of water and fliers about the fiesta. The village is quite large, which took us awhile to get all the way around. We didn't end up getting back to the hotel until 5:30, which is when we eat dinner. So showers came after dinner - then off to church!
I loved the church service last night. First we did testimonies and (after 5 years, finally) I shared mine. (That's another blog I believe.) It wasn't as nerve-wracking as I thought it would be. It really just felt like talking to family. Then Darleen shared her testimony and two ladies from the church shared theirs. There was a common theme to our 4 testimonies - healing, from the inside out. Very appropriate since Gregg was sharing the Vineyard 5-step prayer model that evening.
However, before Gregg spoke, the church members asked us to come up one by one and draw a name out of a basket. When Pastor Roberto called the name, they came up with a gift for us. It was so much fun and we felt so loved on! I ended up with a beautiful pot, which was just perfect since I wanted to buy one this year. Jason got a pad of paper and a pen in a wood holder. I really wish I would have gotten pictures of everyone with their gifts - they were just perfect for each person who got the gifts.
After Gregg shared the 5-step prayer model, people came up for prayer and we got to pray for them. It was really just a great time of praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ. It was hard to leave last night and I just wanted to hug everyone!
Today we finished the house and have some free time this afternoon and evening. We're planning on just hanging out and maybe playing some card games. It hasn't been a difficult trip, but it has been quite hot and humid out and shade hasn't always been easy to find. (And I sorta missed the back of my right arm while putting on sun block, so it's stinging a bit right now.) I'm thankful for some time to reflect on the week so far.
Btw, Jason, Gregg, Joyanna, and several ladies went grocery shopping for the fiesta tomorrow and they haven't come back yet. Dinner is in about an hour, hope they come back soon. (Not that Jason will miss out on a cold shower or anything.)
Tomorrow we'll be preparing food all day for the fiesta tomorrow night. I'm not sure how many they're expecting, but I would assume at least 500, maybe 700? We'll hand out the food and cups of water, and then show the Jesus film, en Espanol (in Spanish). We're starting earlier this time, so hopefully we'll make it to Pizza Hut tomorrow before it closes and get some dinner. (We'd rather give out the food we prepare than eat it ourselves.)
Friday we say goodbye to Comayagua and head to San Pedro Sula where we fly out Saturday morning. Hopefully along our drive to San Pedro, we'll get a chance to meet our Compassion International child. :)
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Ready for another great adventure!
We've only gotten together a couple of times, but we've had a lot of fun each time. I think this is going to be a great group to spend a week with! We have high expectations of God doing great things and we share the excitement. :)
Please be praying for us as we build a house and reach out to the people in the area. We've done so much in our village that we're now helping our sister church reach out to the communities around them. It's been so awesome to see the church and the community grow - and to become part of the church family in El Quebracho, Honduras.
Here's some pictures from July 2008 when we built a house for a family that was about to go homeless. I believe the pictures are self-explanatory, so I'll limit the comments under the pictures.
"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
Joshua 24:15b
Pastor Roberto and the family that lives in the house.
Please pray for Jason and I as we go on our next great adventure. We've had some additional challenges come up recently that will make the trip a little more difficult. We believe that God has gotten us to this point and He'll get us through! Please pray for strength and wisdom for us - for all of us going on this trip.
Thank you! Dios le bendiga! :)
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Horribly emotional day - a recap
I'm not sure why I want to remember this day, but for some reason I'm compelled to blog about it.
This morning I got up and got ready to go back to Cincinnati for another week. It's hard to leave when there's so many things I'd rather do in the evening than work late, but I offered to do this and I need to complete things. So I took 71 South instead of 75 to make life a little easier, but the drive seemed longer than ever.
I got to work and the piles of boxes to go through have grown and there's a stack on my desk. There's a few things that annoy me about my job and they were staring me down this morning. So I feel like I was on edge as soon as the day started.
At lunch I called 5/3 bank to check on some unauthorized charges on my card and although they froze my card months ago, they didn't resolve anything like they said they would. They also told me that there were quite a few more attempts to charge on my card. Ugh. So I get online to look at this myself and I see something that looks like a check against my account. They had my name, my address and my account number! I was so upset, I printed out the check and marched down to the nearest branch.
I presented the check to the teller/customer service manager and asked her how this could happen. She looked at it and brought up my account. While I was explaining to her about my identity being stolen and confused about how they got my account info, she starts smiling at me. It was a deposit slip, not a check. I didn't recognize the hand writing because a teller filled it out for me. I had completely forgotten about going into the branch to make a payment instead of doing it online.
So I headed back to work feeling incredibly relieved and stupid. I suddenly appreciated the piles of work waiting for me - I needed to work on something that would feel normal and build my confidence back up.
A few hours later I get a phone call from my mom. I was happy to hear from her and was really looking forward to camping with them in North Carolina this weekend. My mom and step-dad are volunteering at the Pisgah National Park this summer. They're not working this weekend, so we thought it would be a great time to go down and visit them and hang out with them at their RV. The plan was to bring our tent and stay on their site - which is away from the camping area. However, Mom called to break the news that no guests in tents are allowed. (Seriously?!?)
So Jason and I frantically started searching for campgrounds in the area. Everything was booked! We started wondering if we should postpone our camping trip and just stay home this weekend. I called Mom back to find out the areas around them and we found a few other places that might work, but they're a little further away. We still don't have a reservation yet, so it's really up in the air on what we'll end up doing.
Then my cell phone rings and it's the vet. Kinzie has lost weight and she just isn't herself. We took her to the vet yesterday and the diagnosis wasn't good. She got some blood work to try to figure out what's going on. The vet called with bad news. All her levels were real low, and with a galloping heartbeat and tumors, she thinks it's cancer. We discussed all our options but bottom line, there's not much we can do. We have the option of doing x-rays to figure out if it really is cancer, then putting her through chemo, but she's 14 and we could spend all the money to help her and it might not do any good.
We've decided to just do everything possible to make her comfortable while she's still with us. We're changing her food to one that is better for the kidneys and liver, and also doing twice weekly subcu injections (which we'll do at home). The increased fluids should help her heart and her other organs function better. As far as we can tell, she's not in pain - she's still running around the house and keeping the other 2 cats in line. The vet said the cat she saw yesterday doesn't match the tests she was looking at today and then she called Kinzie a tough kitty. She's a fighter and she hasn't given up yet. We'll keep trying to help her as long as she keeps fighting, but we're not sure how much longer that will be.
And then after dealing with all this, I check my emails and find that the pastor of our village in Honduras was sent to the hospital with really bad kidney stones and stayed overnight. In the US this would be easy enough to treat, but down there it's really questionable the kind of care he'll get. So we're praying and trusting that he'll be taken care of and that he'll be able to go home soon. Please also be praying for Pastor Roberto, Olga and their sons.
So now I'm sitting here watching Dancing with the Stars and waiting to see who wins. It's really is a nice little escape while life swirls around me and teases me with situations out of my control. I just have to sit and wait and see what happens. My mantra this year has definitely been "seek peace and pursue it." (Psalm 34:14)
Good night, thank you.
This morning I got up and got ready to go back to Cincinnati for another week. It's hard to leave when there's so many things I'd rather do in the evening than work late, but I offered to do this and I need to complete things. So I took 71 South instead of 75 to make life a little easier, but the drive seemed longer than ever.
I got to work and the piles of boxes to go through have grown and there's a stack on my desk. There's a few things that annoy me about my job and they were staring me down this morning. So I feel like I was on edge as soon as the day started.
At lunch I called 5/3 bank to check on some unauthorized charges on my card and although they froze my card months ago, they didn't resolve anything like they said they would. They also told me that there were quite a few more attempts to charge on my card. Ugh. So I get online to look at this myself and I see something that looks like a check against my account. They had my name, my address and my account number! I was so upset, I printed out the check and marched down to the nearest branch.
I presented the check to the teller/customer service manager and asked her how this could happen. She looked at it and brought up my account. While I was explaining to her about my identity being stolen and confused about how they got my account info, she starts smiling at me. It was a deposit slip, not a check. I didn't recognize the hand writing because a teller filled it out for me. I had completely forgotten about going into the branch to make a payment instead of doing it online.
So I headed back to work feeling incredibly relieved and stupid. I suddenly appreciated the piles of work waiting for me - I needed to work on something that would feel normal and build my confidence back up.
A few hours later I get a phone call from my mom. I was happy to hear from her and was really looking forward to camping with them in North Carolina this weekend. My mom and step-dad are volunteering at the Pisgah National Park this summer. They're not working this weekend, so we thought it would be a great time to go down and visit them and hang out with them at their RV. The plan was to bring our tent and stay on their site - which is away from the camping area. However, Mom called to break the news that no guests in tents are allowed. (Seriously?!?)
So Jason and I frantically started searching for campgrounds in the area. Everything was booked! We started wondering if we should postpone our camping trip and just stay home this weekend. I called Mom back to find out the areas around them and we found a few other places that might work, but they're a little further away. We still don't have a reservation yet, so it's really up in the air on what we'll end up doing.
Then my cell phone rings and it's the vet. Kinzie has lost weight and she just isn't herself. We took her to the vet yesterday and the diagnosis wasn't good. She got some blood work to try to figure out what's going on. The vet called with bad news. All her levels were real low, and with a galloping heartbeat and tumors, she thinks it's cancer. We discussed all our options but bottom line, there's not much we can do. We have the option of doing x-rays to figure out if it really is cancer, then putting her through chemo, but she's 14 and we could spend all the money to help her and it might not do any good.
We've decided to just do everything possible to make her comfortable while she's still with us. We're changing her food to one that is better for the kidneys and liver, and also doing twice weekly subcu injections (which we'll do at home). The increased fluids should help her heart and her other organs function better. As far as we can tell, she's not in pain - she's still running around the house and keeping the other 2 cats in line. The vet said the cat she saw yesterday doesn't match the tests she was looking at today and then she called Kinzie a tough kitty. She's a fighter and she hasn't given up yet. We'll keep trying to help her as long as she keeps fighting, but we're not sure how much longer that will be.
And then after dealing with all this, I check my emails and find that the pastor of our village in Honduras was sent to the hospital with really bad kidney stones and stayed overnight. In the US this would be easy enough to treat, but down there it's really questionable the kind of care he'll get. So we're praying and trusting that he'll be taken care of and that he'll be able to go home soon. Please also be praying for Pastor Roberto, Olga and their sons.
So now I'm sitting here watching Dancing with the Stars and waiting to see who wins. It's really is a nice little escape while life swirls around me and teases me with situations out of my control. I just have to sit and wait and see what happens. My mantra this year has definitely been "seek peace and pursue it." (Psalm 34:14)
Good night, thank you.
Monday, May 3, 2010
We're Going to Honduras - and Looking for a Miracle!
A few weeks ago Jason and I started talking about going to Honduras with the construction team in June. We did a lot of praying and considering and we finally decided that we're going to try to go.The last time we were both in Honduras together, we built a house similar to the one that will be built in June.
We each need to raise $1,600 to be part of the team. (This covers airfare, hotel, meals and trip supplies.) When we went in 2008 we had to raise $2,000 each and we did it - with time to spare! However, this year we have less time (7 weeks), Jason is unemployed, and I don't think Obama is going to give us each $600 stimulus money like Bush did two years ago. (Ha.) We're feeling a bit overwhelmed but we are creative and we know the money will be there when we need it.
First, WHY are we going? Our church has a sister church in El Quebracho Honduras. We started the relationship with the village down there back in 2005 and have sent medical and construction teams down there each year.
I have been there four times now and have built relationships with the people down there. I don't speak much Spanish and they speak little English, but through translators, dictionaries, and a lot of pointing and waving arms around, we've shared our lives with each other. The pastor and his wife first prayed that I would find a good husband. They were very happy to meet Jason, and for the past year they've been praying that we would be blessed with children. And of course we've been praying for them - through the storms, earthquakes, and political unrest.
It thrills my heart to go and see their smiling faces and hear them say our names as we get off the bus. I never thought that one person could go and touch lives so far away. I've been so blessed to be able to go back several times and stay in touch with my brothers and sisters in Honduras.
The WHY is because I have one more opportunity to go. (I do believe God will answer our prayers about having children soon.) Because we've already built a house down there and having experience will hopefully help. Because we can't stop thinking about it, we just have to go. Because we have faith that God will provide and we can't wait to see how he pulls this off. :)
WHEN are we going? Saturday, June 19th through Saturday, June 26th. (Yes, we'll be in Honduras over our mothers' birthday - June 25th.) We leave in 7 weeks! Our deposits are due this weekend - $400 each.
WHERE are we going? We fly into San Pedro Sula in the northern part of Honduras. We then travel south to the to Heart to Honduras compound in Canchias. The first night we stay at the compound (bunk beds and cold, refreshing showers). The following day we travel down the Transcontinental Highway to Comayagua where we stay the rest of the week at the Hotel Santa Maria. Each day we'll take a 20 minute drive to El Quebracho where we'll do construction during the day and services or outreaches in the evening. The day before we leave we'll travel back to San Pedro Sula.
HOW are we going to afford this? We decided this year we were going to work for our mission trip money. (We believe this was God directed.) If you would like to help us work for our mission trip money, please let us know! Here's the list:
Decorated Cakes for all occasions - buttercream or fondant - prices start at $50.
Lasagna Dinner for 4 (plus leftovers), including bread and salad - $50.
Clowning/Ballooning - half an hour to two hours, starting at $50.
Tutoring/Instruction - Math, Basic Computer Skills, Word, Excel, getting started with Facebook and/or blogging.
Photography by Darrin Ballman - the friend of ours who did our engagement and wedding photography is offering several specials and donating the money to our trip. (w00t!!!)
We have other ideas, but we're still putting them together. If you have any ideas, let us know. Please let us know if you're interested in any of the above services. (Contact information below...)
Please pray for us while we raise support for our trip. Thank you!!
Jason - 937-623-3964, jasonj.parsons@gmail.com
Cyndi - 937-272-0622, cdp7227@gmail.com
We each need to raise $1,600 to be part of the team. (This covers airfare, hotel, meals and trip supplies.) When we went in 2008 we had to raise $2,000 each and we did it - with time to spare! However, this year we have less time (7 weeks), Jason is unemployed, and I don't think Obama is going to give us each $600 stimulus money like Bush did two years ago. (Ha.) We're feeling a bit overwhelmed but we are creative and we know the money will be there when we need it.
First, WHY are we going? Our church has a sister church in El Quebracho Honduras. We started the relationship with the village down there back in 2005 and have sent medical and construction teams down there each year.
I have been there four times now and have built relationships with the people down there. I don't speak much Spanish and they speak little English, but through translators, dictionaries, and a lot of pointing and waving arms around, we've shared our lives with each other. The pastor and his wife first prayed that I would find a good husband. They were very happy to meet Jason, and for the past year they've been praying that we would be blessed with children. And of course we've been praying for them - through the storms, earthquakes, and political unrest.
It thrills my heart to go and see their smiling faces and hear them say our names as we get off the bus. I never thought that one person could go and touch lives so far away. I've been so blessed to be able to go back several times and stay in touch with my brothers and sisters in Honduras.
The WHY is because I have one more opportunity to go. (I do believe God will answer our prayers about having children soon.) Because we've already built a house down there and having experience will hopefully help. Because we can't stop thinking about it, we just have to go. Because we have faith that God will provide and we can't wait to see how he pulls this off. :)
WHEN are we going? Saturday, June 19th through Saturday, June 26th. (Yes, we'll be in Honduras over our mothers' birthday - June 25th.) We leave in 7 weeks! Our deposits are due this weekend - $400 each.
WHERE are we going? We fly into San Pedro Sula in the northern part of Honduras. We then travel south to the to Heart to Honduras compound in Canchias. The first night we stay at the compound (bunk beds and cold, refreshing showers). The following day we travel down the Transcontinental Highway to Comayagua where we stay the rest of the week at the Hotel Santa Maria. Each day we'll take a 20 minute drive to El Quebracho where we'll do construction during the day and services or outreaches in the evening. The day before we leave we'll travel back to San Pedro Sula.
HOW are we going to afford this? We decided this year we were going to work for our mission trip money. (We believe this was God directed.) If you would like to help us work for our mission trip money, please let us know! Here's the list:
Lasagna Dinner for 4 (plus leftovers), including bread and salad - $50.
Clowning/Ballooning - half an hour to two hours, starting at $50.
Tutoring/Instruction - Math, Basic Computer Skills, Word, Excel, getting started with Facebook and/or blogging.
Yard and House Work - mowing & trimming grass, trimming bushes, other miscellaneous work.
Photography by Darrin Ballman - the friend of ours who did our engagement and wedding photography is offering several specials and donating the money to our trip. (w00t!!!)
We have other ideas, but we're still putting them together. If you have any ideas, let us know. Please let us know if you're interested in any of the above services. (Contact information below...)
Please pray for us while we raise support for our trip. Thank you!!
Jason - 937-623-3964, jasonj.parsons@gmail.com
Cyndi - 937-272-0622, cdp7227@gmail.com
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Honduras on my mind...
This is actually a blog that I've been thinking about for a couple of years. I finally got all my pictures in one place (on this computer) so I can finally show you what's been on my mind - the changes I've seen over the past 4 years.
First a recap of my past 4 trips to Honduras. The first time I went (June 2006) was the 2nd time our church sent a team to El Quebracho, the village our church helping. We helped with leveling the dirt so the cement floor could be poured. We also assisted with putting the beams of the roof up (which was amazing). At that time there was no electricity in the village and the only water was from a well at the entrance of the village (off the transcontinental highway).
The second time I went (June 2007) we had a large group and we were able to have a medical team, an education team (for vacation Bible school), a plumbing team (to put a well in at the church), and a painting team (to paint the church - this was my team). This time when we came into the village there were TV's and radio's playing and they had lights - they had electricity!
The third time I went (August 2008), Jason joined me and our team built a house for a family that was about to become homeless. (Heart to Honduras and the pastor of the church decide on who gets the house.) Looking over the pictures from the previous two trips I saw many pictures of the family - cooking meals for us, helping with construction, and also praying for us. The church, along with many families in the village along with Pastor Roberto, had running water - for their bathrooms and kitchens.
Last year was my fourth time going (November 2009) and we put screens on windows and doors of many houses in the village. The best part of the trip was getting to know the people of the church better. It was like they were part of our mission team, helping us accomplish the greater goal - showing God's love to the people of Honduras.
So I wanted to share some pictures of the progress of our sister church and the people of El Quebracho...
Here's the bathroom/pila in 2006.
First a recap of my past 4 trips to Honduras. The first time I went (June 2006) was the 2nd time our church sent a team to El Quebracho, the village our church helping. We helped with leveling the dirt so the cement floor could be poured. We also assisted with putting the beams of the roof up (which was amazing). At that time there was no electricity in the village and the only water was from a well at the entrance of the village (off the transcontinental highway).
(Our team in June 2006)
The second time I went (June 2007) we had a large group and we were able to have a medical team, an education team (for vacation Bible school), a plumbing team (to put a well in at the church), and a painting team (to paint the church - this was my team). This time when we came into the village there were TV's and radio's playing and they had lights - they had electricity!
(Our team in June 2007)
The third time I went (August 2008), Jason joined me and our team built a house for a family that was about to become homeless. (Heart to Honduras and the pastor of the church decide on who gets the house.) Looking over the pictures from the previous two trips I saw many pictures of the family - cooking meals for us, helping with construction, and also praying for us. The church, along with many families in the village along with Pastor Roberto, had running water - for their bathrooms and kitchens.
(Our team in August 2008)
Last year was my fourth time going (November 2009) and we put screens on windows and doors of many houses in the village. The best part of the trip was getting to know the people of the church better. It was like they were part of our mission team, helping us accomplish the greater goal - showing God's love to the people of Honduras.
(Our team in November 2009)
So I wanted to share some pictures of the progress of our sister church and the people of El Quebracho...
This is where the church was meeting in 2005.
When the church outgrew their building,
they started meeting under this tree in 2006.
Our church helped buy the land and the supplies for the new building.
This was what the church looked like June 2006.
Here's the completed building in June 2007.
This is what the church looked like a week later - June 2007.
Our next visit was in August 2008 - they added landscaping.
Here's the front of the church - November 2009.
They added the name of the church above the door,
but then added the awning which covers the sign.
Another way to show progress - Pastor Roberto's and Olga's house:
(In 2005 they had curtains instead of doors.)
Then they got a well in 2009 and running water...
The bathroom was redone to be larger and
the pila was replaced with a washing machine!!
This is the same corner as 2 pictures above.
(The pila was moved to the backyard.)
Here's the doorway to the kitchen in 2006.
(I believe the stove ran on a generator.)
Here's the pass-through to the kitchen in 2006.
The sink is below the window.
Here's the same pass-through in 2007.
The stove was moved closer to the sink,
a refridgerator was sitting where the stove used to be.
Here's the sink and stove in 2009.
See the stainless steel sink with a faucet?
Here's the fridge (with magnets!) and the cupboard has moved.
Last I have you show you how the family has changed over the past 4 years...
2006
2007
2008
2009
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