Cangrejal B+

Well after a 5.7 earthquake that crumbled some concrete in our bathroom I am feeling really ready to move. Yesterday, we took one load of our things the 1 hr and 15 minutes up to Casa Esperanza. The drive was about 30 minutes shorter than I was expecting and the house was about twice as furnished as I expected. They now have a monkey for a pet, we met 4 more great people that we will be working with and received another tour of the gardens and greenhouse, so all in all it was a very exciting and informative day. We are still doing chorus coughing around the house - otherwise I'd say our life was A material... but as I hear those coughs inch toward Dru and Jude's lungs I want to petition a bit of pray... especially considering the upcoming climate change. (It will be cooler though!)
Anyway, we are off to pick up final necessities, attempt to PDF the world wide web, say goodbye to a few friends, and close up this house. I don't know when I'll write again but I am sure Jarod will check the email anytime he gets down this way. Hope you all have a great summer... and don't forget to write.

If you want to check out more about the area and some of the people we will be getting to know you could visit:
http://www.cangrejal.com/
www.hhim.us/
http://ierschool.org/school.htm

Oh and here are some photos of our last outing with our friends the McCanns .... seems like we are always leaving something wonderful.... but that must mean there is more wonderful things to come.






And again we are working with: Jason and Sarah Furrow at www.givehope2kids.org

It was a C or maybe a C-

So during this week of over 300 earthquakes here in Honduras, Lucy got a virus, gave it to everyone else in the house, and then proceeded to develop pneumonia. Now, after days of little to no sleep, everyone in the house catching what Dru has dubbed "The Lu Flu," over 10 hours, 3 Dr.'s visits, 3 antibiotic injections, countless nebulizer treatments, an x-ray, and a blood test later (all for under $50), and a considerable slowing down of our packing and organization to move to "Casa de Esperanza" we are all finally in recovery. Yesterday we began shopping for basic household supplies and a month worth of groceries (A five hour event at over a dozen different stores), and today is our last day of language school. Anyway, we really struggled this week on a lot of levels, but now that we are feeling better and getting some sleep it is amazing how much nicer the world (and our own family members seem) :). So we are at least back to a B. Thanks for the prayers and well wishes.

The Clinic where we took Lu is called Medicentro - and I am calling our room "Medicentro dos" because it has been filled with weds and sickness for the last week - and due to it being air-conditioned to 86 degrees... there are usually at least a couple of us lying around on the king sized bed.

(When I remember this - our 9th home... this is what I will remember)

It has been rumored to me that these hammocks are also usually occupied by at least one person. But when I asked Chrissy why I never got lay in them she said it was because I was "type A" and didn't know how to lay down. I think it is because I am a mom - and we just don't get to. (i have a feeling we are both a little right.


Here is Dru and Lu checking out the x-ray.... too bad I don't scrap book... because that should definitely go somewhere special....


Which brings me to the difficulty of packing. We have been here long enough to accumulate random stuff... like X-rays and outgrown baby items but not long enough to have things that every household might need... say, like a trash can... what to buy, what to pack, what to get rid of.... that is the task for today.... and maybe for tomorrow. Not sure when we are moving because the people who are coming to help us move don't have a phone, so they can't tell us the plan... we have to just wait until they show up and be ready.

How annoying. Sure am glad I'm not those people. Oh wait.. I'm going to be.


On a random note:

Last week before things went so down hill - Dru helped in a skit at a kid's club... he made a great silent Samuel... and now with 3 days of Spanish class under his belt he can go buy us milk!


We have been making fresh squeezed orange juice from lovely green oranges


And we had a missionary fellowship at our house which filled it with songs of praise, sounds of kids laughing, and extra sweat for several hours



And our sweet potatoes that put in 3 weeks ago are almost 4 ft. long - which makes me all the more excited to garden in Honduras and all the more sure I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO DO THIS!!!

The day there was no tsunami - B

So there was this earthquake... 7.1; I'm sure you've heard. But since there was no tsunami it has effected our life less than a little fever that has been floating around our house. Amazing... a 5 degree body change in a 20 lb girl means more to me that a huge rumble of the earth and oceans. Also... it causes way more of a decrease in my hours of sleep than a little shaking. Babies... oh and husbands with a fever aren't much better I guess. Anyway, that's what is going on with us, and as far as the rest of the country goes... it doesn't seem to be a major catastrophe – especially considering their track record with hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters.

Before the fever and tremor strike

Vagabond values – B

We are now a random family of six in a single cab truck that works only semi-consistently. We are in the full swing of language school that somehow only 'swings' about ½ as fast as desired. We just came out of a week of 'Carnival' -which fitting to it's name allowed us 3 various opportunities to view how Hondurans spoil their 'carne' – with too much fried food, beer, and dancing... and as usual around here – any extra event brings extra garbage and noise.

The 3 boys each have their own machete. We all lay on our bed together at night and watch movies with Spanish subtitles and we snack on anything we can get our hands on. Lucy spent one night in a cardboard box and Dru was out learning to juggle until 4:30 in the morning one night when it was too noisy to sleep. And right now the kids are 'swimming' in a 3 ft. plastic tub. And I am beginning to think we are becoming more Honduran by the moment.

I am easily frustrated while in school because I feel like we aren't 'doing' anything, and sometimes I question what we are 'becoming.' But the kids are laughing and right now Jude is singing in Spanish, Jarod is showing a considerable amount more patience with car trouble than he ever did in the states, and Dru has done more dishes and laundry in the past week than in his whole life combined. So... maybe we are learning... to be patient … to be gracious... to live together in the back of a truck... and speak broken Spanish... wow... what values we are imparting to our children.

Please pray that my attitude will improve and that the car will be like a $10 – 1 hr. fix. Thanx.

Ready for our carnival adventure:


On a river adventure:


My Machete men:

House allegories - A

I love that my blog is about 'housewifery' because I feel all the freedom in the world to talk about boring things like scrubbing my floor. I spent today, our 3rd day in our new home, scrubbing the floors (which is something that a higher class mother would have gotten around to … oohh in like the 1st 30 seconds after discovering the filth.) We knew the house previously, so nothing, including the reliably unreliable apt. manager, came as a surprise but down on ones hand and knees, face to face with termites, cockroaches and mold... one beings to pontificate a bit much about the situation at hand (warning – pontificating can be done without internet... just not 'posting' – meaning you'll probably get a lot of these long rants in the coming months.) And this is what I thought:


Prov. 12:15 The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.
Prov 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

First, this house was built by North Americans. People who didn't know the climate, the bugs, or the fungi. They 'knew' what they wanted; what they liked – wood, windows, and air conditioners. The ever present stench of mold is a good reminder that humility is a good thing. They could have asked around, gotten advice, settled for 'different' and avoided a lot of trouble. We could all do the same, as we enter this world.... we have never been here before - but my children are proof that from day 1 we “know” what we want. They, and I, would do well to ask for some advice from someone who has been around awhile, or maybe even from the Creator – because the climate of life is a force to be reckoned with... even more than fungi.

Second, delayed maintenance is not maintenance at all – it is destruction. Things like termites and rot can not be 'dealt with tomorrow.' Or you get things like this:




It ain't pretty. We've all got relationship issues, personal struggles, or major crouching character flaws that we try to ignore until the damage is so apparent it is unrepairable. Like my house... there are so many things in my life that would have been easier to take care of yesterday.

So, that's it. Those are my thoughts from 5 hrs. of cleaning while the boys were off exploring the city. Things are good here - pretty much back to normal. We even found a truck – which is amazing! (and right now the boys are macheteing an area to park it in) Our house has been full of friends since we got back and our avocado seed even sprouted while we were gone and I think Dru and are going to start some sweet potatoes today. We have internet now – for a month – so we'll be in touch.







P.S. This is the photo of the day - Jude loves the fact that the bathroom has hole where the door-handle to bathroom is suppose to be - right at his eye level so he can make sure that 'that is really where Dru is' - if he hasn't seen him in a few minutes. (Welcome to a family with a 4 year old) (STAGED PHOTO)

Life grading system

People have brought it to my attention that my sarcasm is often difficult to interpret over the internet and through thousands of miles of culture and climate change. Therefore, until I have mastered the art of satire, I have decided to create a life grading system by which you can all judge our current life standing. You can use it to guide your prayer life for us, jealousy level, or worry level – whichever you so choose. The second benefit of this is that once the grading criteria has been established it will be super easy for Jarod to update you all via facebook or blog whenever he gets to internet access (which will be more frequently than I do... and we all know how helpful he will be in keeping in contact through lengthy personal letters.) So here is the grading criteria:

A+ = Perfect health, Jarod and I feeling as though we are in a perpetual honeymoon, perfectly obedient God-fearing children, complete spiritual and social transformation of the community in which we live, millions of dollars, a ministry so successful that Oprah can't help but interview us every few weeks – and the UN keeps asking for our advice on how to facilitate world peace. Just back from a spa vacation and 3 hour full body massage and we aren't even daily missing our loved ones we can't communicate with. And we have discovered that the large bugs and scorpions in our house actually cure cancer and make wonderful crib mates for babies!

Oh wait.... I think I got carried away.

A+ = Healthy, happy, obviously productive, easily learning, building strong deep relationships
B+ = Minor illnesses that that are easily and cheaply treated, semi-exhausted, content and full of faith that God is working even when we can't see it, children who are learning important life lessons but aren't always happy about it, parents who are learning Spanish and important life lessons with an attitude that is a positive influence on those around them, open to relationships even if they are hard to build
C+ = Some ongoing annoying illnesses that are really cutting into life, some real struggles and bad attitudes on the part of us or the children, some ongoing conflicts with friends and neighbors, frustrations with language and ministry, some financial tension and looming uncertainty but we still know we are learning and growing through it all and are trusting that God is conforming us to His image and using us in spite of ourselves. (Hint: now would be a good time to start praying more.)
D+ = Chronic illnesses, obvious dangers (like war or something) major financial difficulties, ongoing discontent, no signs of progress in our personal lives or in the lives of those around us, sever breeches in our family relationships.
F = Either someone died, we are getting a divorce, or we have stopped believing that we are loved and used by a Divine Creator. (Hint: Now would be a good time for an intervention ... but don't blame Honduras – F's happen all the time: Everywhere – they just let us know how much grace we REALLY need.)

So that's it... fret no more. And if you are a really lazy friend who refuses to be faithful in one way communication just drop me a weekly grade for your life as well!

The Plan

It has arrived. Do to none of my stress and sleepless nights, because, "Who by worrying can add a single hair to their heads?" (Matthew 6) Not I, but I try.

We have 2 homes scheduled for our next six months in honduras. We have a month of school planned followed by 5 months working the jungle with Jason and Sarah Furrow of Give Hope 2 Kids. So next Sunday the Tippy Family + our friend Dru Stopes will leave for Wichita where we will board a plane at 5:30 a.m. on Monday and arrive in La Ceiba at 11:00 p.m. Thanks to our amazing friends the McCanns, we have a home and after a week of settling in, showing Dru around and hopefully purchasing a vehicle, we will begin Spanish study once again (We are pretty sure our teacher is gonna beat us for all we have forgotten.)
Then off to Urraco it is, to spend 5 months immersed in jungle village life and to help establish a mostly self-sustaining orphanage that is in the start up phase. We know it will be a learning experience for us; working first hand in the language and culture, as well as learning different construction, irrigation, agricultural, and parenting principles. We hope we will bring not only our willing hands to serve this project but we are looking so forward to being able to be in on the ground level of establishing a home environment for over 80 children that is built on Biblical principles of love for our Creator, Savior, and Sustainer, and love for the world in which we are placed.
And of course, by my nature I focus on the future instead of focusing on the amazing moments that have surrounded our life here for the last 6 weeks. I do not take these for granted: Who could?

The 4 stooges after the wedding


The pinata finally meeting it's intended end. It did not disappoint.


In life you only need one friend like this. And they were a great help setting up for the wedding photo shoot.


"Jude's" park revisited


DRU. Are we ready for this?


Inside an inflatable playground at the AWANA picnic


Jude and Laurel playing "swords" in Iowa.


Lucy with Kristi


Our niece Maysyn


Maysyn being freaked out by her cousin and uncle


Grammee's reading chair



Grandma beads and the "blind" glasses


Grandpa Tom with Lucy in my old gnome hat