not-so daily life

So, our church back in Hays was a little too into "services"... (sorry guys, but you are), at points we would find ourselves at church more than 7 hours a week, just to stay involved. We are glad we got into such a church rut and now we miss it. So much in fact, we are thinking of going to a church service every Saturday night and then do our continual church searches on Sunday mornings. The plus to this is that it would give Jude a stable "church home," they have English translator - headphone things for us, and it would give us a temporary "church family" while allowing us to explore more of what is offered here. The down side... it is a pretty nasty routine with 2 kids. We'll see if it happens.. but this little video gives a funny little glimpse into some daily life stuff.. foods, bathtubs, buses, kids... no matter what day of the week:


Oh, and by the way a 90 year old woman with a walker made this exact journey with us... plus 2 more bus rides.... now that's dedication.


Here are some more -real to daily life photos:

Jude, with his two favorite neighbors:



My two favorite men leading the way to our friends' house at the beach... and the women across the street are carrying fish home from the beach. I will be able to balance those things before I leave.... maybe


Here are my thoughts:

We aren't in Kansas anymore boys.
Beachfront cow pasture.
Maybe their beef is so tough because their cows have never seen a real pasture.
Do you see all that garbage? Do they eat all that garbage?
Cow poop... sand... I think they are probably pretty hard to separate.... nice beach



Lucy, looking as happy as could be at the beach... oh and some great news... I found no-sugar baby food after a two week search... so don't send any my way... it is actually really cheap at this one store.. I'm assuming because no one else buys it!
Notice... she is into the sand.... (uuurrr... cow pasture?)

Save the world: Buy more underwear

Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it."
Haggai 1:5-6

The first day we were here, while walking to the grocery store, still reeling from Burger King's with armed guards, golf courses lined with tin shacks, and an overall juxtaposition of hopelessness and beauty that makes no sense, my sister-in-law informed me that, “Right now the Honduras economy is getting worse.”

In short, this because American's are buying fewer underwear. That's right, the economic crisis is literally hitting us in the rear and we have cut back on an “essential” purchase, such as underwear. This hurts Honduras because - our underwear is all made in factories here. Fruit of the loom, Hanes, Polo, Ralph Lauren, etc. etc. Because if you bought American-made underwear with products grown, wove, and sown in the U.S., by people making an American wage they would cost you over $25 a pair. So our underwear is made here, right along side the fruit we eat, and yes, even the military uniforms that the U.S. wears. Honduras is so much closer to you than you think, and the way we each live out our worldview matters more than we want to believe.

If we continue along the materialistic path that we have been following for the past 3 generations the only hand you and your children have in saving the world is to buy more underwear. In the global economy the roll of Americans is to buy stuff. If we do not keep up our buying then the other people around the world can't do their buying... and then all 'progress' will stop and there will not be a Starbucks on every corner around the world and there will no longer be clientèle who can afford $4 a cup coffee. We must buy. Therefore our government must give us a boost, a stimulus, a big -ol- chunk of imaginary cash and get the world back on buying track. I know nothing about economics, which is really bad because it is becoming ever more evident that, “money makes the world go round” - but I think our current economic situation is nothing more than a result of our collective sin nature. We'll run with greed as long as we can get away with it.

Our global society seems to have very little to do with creating and sustaining – nurturing or honoring. Quality workmanship is not for the masses, and health is only for those with wealth. Here, where people really can't afford to buy new things every few weeks, planned obsolescence has reached obscene heights, and common sense has been wiped out through advertising. “Buy this cheap thing NOW to last 2 weeks because you can never afford what you really need for life.” That makes sense. “Buy these 100 calorie over priced Oreos and diet coke to help you loose weight instead of growing and eating a tomato.” It makes perfect sense. Keep the poor always wanting more and the rich in fear of letting it go, and those of us in the middle convinced that all we want is “opportunities for our children.” This is how the world must turn.

But what if it isn't? What is we find out that no matter how much underwear we buy we will never make enough jobs to supply jobs for all the world's poor? And what if we discover that no matter how much good coffee we drink we won't find happiness? What if our children grow up to be the best little shoppers in the world and feel completely empty? What if we find out that money only makes the world spin out of control, and that we need Someone greater to show us how to correctly spin it, and how to really save it? What if this whole thing falls all to bits and we have to look for a new way to live in this planet and with each other? Maybe then we will be on a road to living for the Global Creator instead of the global economy... I hope so, because I hate to think that maybe the chief end of my children is to buy more underwear.

P.S. I know a large portion of ya'll are going to disagree with my underlying presuppositions and conclusion ... so if you want to put your two cents in... that would be great!

Eternal tourists

Today, when dressing for church, I was struck with how hideous our "church" clothes are. We wear the same ones every week - which is not a problem since we are still going to a different church every week (which is a GREAT and EXHAUSTING experience). But anyway, our clothes are nice "light weight Kansas summer clothes"... which apparently the "in" style for this type of clothing is giant floral. Which isn't bad for 3 only months a year - or on one person - but combined and without fail, we look like Hawaii threw up on my camera. To add to this retched tourist look, the church we went to today happened to be near the largest Ceiba tree in town (the kind of tree the town was named after). So we HAD to go... and here we are six weeks into our life here - the eternal tourists. (Marilyn - please tell Layton I thought of him and his awesome Halloween costume last year... he would fit right in with us!)



And yesterday we did some more touring of the little beach town of Tela ... it was a great day - a fun way to practice Spanish and spend the holiday together ... and at least my kids make cute tourists!



PS: I have way more interesting and important things to write about than our wardrobe but that requires thought and time, neither of which do I have. Because my 7 mo. old baby has decided she is done napping in the last three days so my brain is fried from hearing her screams and my homework is piled high.... if she naps - you might have something interesting to read next week!

The worst best ideas ever

Good bad idea #1. Don't be afraid to try new things
Jarod and I have always thought that it is important to not 'freak out' about every little thing that could happen when you travel. Therefore we try new foods. This is a good idea. Last week, somewhere along the way we picked up the NASTIEST bug - that – to make a long story short – sent us both to the Dr. where we got some HEAVY medication. The good news is – it worked wonders. So, after 5 days of almost unbearable illness – meet the highlights of my trip to Roatan – Antibiotics and a toilet that could handle toilet paper!!! (Don't worry, the humor in my new found love for antibiotics is not lost on me!)





Good bad idea #2. Have my parents come to visit and take us on a tropical island vacation
As you can tell by the pictures this was a very good idea. Minus the fact that they don't speak Spanish on Roatan so we have probably undone a month's worth of work in a week, and it is going to be impossibly hard for Jude (and us) to adjust to life without the spoilage .... and that my poor grandmother fell and broke another hip while they were here so my Aunt and Uncle are struggling through that alone!








Good bad idea #3. Allow Jarod and Dad to have an underwater camera. Pictures of coral anyone? Please visit our flicker account. It is SO NOT my fault.





Good bad idea #4. Buy our close friends a giant pinata for their wedding.
I still say it is a good idea... even though NO ONE can figure out how to get it back to Kansas.

The day I never saw coming

So rumors have been afloat since months before I came here, that one could procure a maid for under $10 day. But what would I, an x-housekeeper - daughter of my mother - learned to scrub toilets at the age of 4, need to know about that? So the information went in one ear and out the other. Until last week, when swamped with wet clothes, infesting ants, and the impending visit of my mother my wonderful neighbor said, “I'll bring my maid over – she's great!” So, I decided that I'd give it a whirl . TOGETHER, she and I would scrub down every inch of this house with bleach and my mother would never be so proud. Then I went and got food poisoning and laid on the couch while I watched another woman scrub down every inch of my house.

My mother is going to die. It was humiliating... and I also fear more addicting than the lottery … or even gelato. She was faster than I, more thorough than I, and was wearing a mini-skirt that didn't even get dirty! She's the sweetest lady, we chatted a bit, she helped me with a bit of “household” spanish, and then after scouring my toilets she begged to come back. I told her thanks, but I think I can handle it from now on ... but I could definitely handle her coming back too. Oh what a day... what a glorious day...

I think that since I have perviously told you about the little horrors of Honduras I am going to make it my goal to now make you all green with envy... and we'll start with this: Today I had a maid and fresh mangos.

Oh yeah, and food poisoning. What a weird little wonderful life.

Next week there will be pictures... I promise

First love and food born illness

At 17 no one really knows who they are or what they need. You change hairstyles and colors as often as you change underwear... or maybe that was just me. But anyway, at 17 there is one thing I knew about myself. I would ALWAYS need someone to take care of me when I start puking. I was at a friend's house one time when both she and I, as well as her little sister, started puking. We lined up on a fold out couch in front of a TV with individual puke buckets in hand. Their mother dutifully and with much sympathy changed out the buckets about ever 15 minutes. But on one of my MANY trips to the bathroom I saw their mother puking silently and privately as. I knew I could never do that. EVER.
My mom was on puke patrol in our house. No matter how wonderful and compassionate my father is, once dinner starts come back up – he is out the door – leaving mom to hold my hair – because I have NEVER been a graceful puker. But what I lack in grace I make up in quantity... if some people have iron stomaches, mine must be made out of silver leafing.
So, at 17 when I came down with food poisoning in the front seat of a car on interstate and the driver graciously maneuvered the car and held all my hair back while gently consoling me, I asked him to marry me. True story.
And yesterday it proved to be a VERY good idea. As Lucy and I both came down with a nasty form of inevitable food poisoning, Jarod was hand washing puky sheets and caring for everyone without a single complaint. I couldn't help but think, “Man, I was one smart 17 year old!” and, “I wonder if when I said, 'I always want you to be there to hold my hair back when I puke,' he assumed I would always have the 'beautiful long' hair he so loves?” Sorry man.
I have also spent a lot of time in bed, not only thanking God for my awesome husband, but praying for those of you with chronic illness and those of you who care for loved ones who will not be fully recovered in 48 hrs. So I guess everything has a silver lining... even the most thinly lined of stomachs.