First I must apologize to all for my lack of blog entries lately. Life in Honduras has been interesting to say the least, so I'll do my best to fill you in on the past two weeks.... After spending the week at Manuelito with the kids, I went back into Tegucigalpa. I spent the weekend hanging out with a few students from El Sembrador farm school as well as with Sarah and Alyssa, another VIA who was in Teguc for the weekend. I was able to spend some time at Amor y Vida church where Project Manuelito has its transition home. I got to meet the kids who are just starting the program and they were just as lovable as the kids out in Talanga. When Monday came around, I was prepared to head up to Villa Gracia for the week long pastors conference. Then life in Honduras happened. Mel Zelaya, the ex president came back into the country, which caused more than a little political tension. In order to keep everyone safe from protests, the government put a curfew on the city. Because of this I was stuck in the guest house in Teguc for three days. Finally on Thursday the curfew was lifted during the day, so I went to the last full day of the pastors conference and was able to interview several of the pastors. On Friday I went back to the conference for the last few sessions and spent the rest of the day preparing to head out to El Sembrador farm school.
I have now been at El Sembrador for a week and have been loving every minute of my time here. El Sembrador is and educational and vocational farm school for teenage boys. Many of the boys come from broken families and rough backgrounds, so this school provides a safe, Christian environment for the boys to gain an education as well as a vocation. There are about 100 boys here currently and they all live on the farm. During the day they work in their vocation which consists of woodworking, woodcarving or industrial mechanics. In the afternoons the boys attend classes and in the evening they have free time to play sports and hang out with one another. There is always some type of activity going on during the evenings, so there is never really a dull moment.
Since I've been here, I've really been able to engage in this ministry in a few different ways. I've been helping one of the missionaries teach English class to 7th and 8th graders, which has been a great opportunity for me to use my Spanish in a more formal setting. The only problem is when I make a mistake, its in front of a room full of teenage boys...not the best situation. I've definitely been stretched in the area of speaking Spanish since I've been here, but I've been really glad for the opportunity. Although I am not anywhere close to being fluent, I feel that I have a much better understanding of the language now that I'm getting the chance to use it on a consistent basis.
In addition to helping with English classes, I have been able to help out with odd jobs like organizing the library and baking cakes for the boys birthday party. I'm also in the process of helping out with the sponsorship program as well as the yearbook. The boys only have one more month left here before their graduation on November 8, so there have been many areas where the ministry needs assistance. The big project that I'm taking on is interviewing each of the boys in order to send one final letter home to their sponsors, letting them know how their year went and how they were challenged in their faith. It's been really great to feel connected to this ministry and to get involved on more than one level.
The one thing I love the most about being on the farm is the sense of community that exists. It almost feels like I'm living in a different world out here, but I love the fact that everyone is together in the same place. There are four missionary couples who work with El Sembrador and all of their houses are on the farm. It's so nice to just be able to walk out of my apartment door and be at a missionaries house in less than two minutes. Everyone here is friendly and welcoming, so I felt comfortable as soon as I arrived. I really appreciate the ministry out here and I'm thankful for the chance to be involved, even if it is only for a short time.
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