Thanks so much for all of the prayers and emails I received about Hurricane Felix. The hurricane hit pretty hard on the north coast and in Nicaragua, but there wasn't much damage here. We got out of school at 11am on Tuesday as a precaution for the hurricane and to allow the Honduran teachers to get back to the city before it started raining too much. We also didn't have any school on Wednesday. All we really got from the hurricane was several hours of light rain and some wind. Some areas north of here had a lot of flooding, mudslides, etc. You can continue to be praying for them.
Everything here is still going really well! I love all the people I'm working with and the kids here at the ranch. I'm learning a lot from all of them everyday. Thanks for your continued prayers for patience and health as well. Things that I mentioned before about needing patience with a particular student especially have improved a lot. Some days are still challenging, but I love every day with him. Almost everyone at the ranch is feeling better, so that is also an answer to prayer. There is still at least one person with a lingering cough, but besides that people are feeling better.
Some new things from the last couple of weeks:
1. I worked in the nursery at my church on Sunday. It was fun to be with the kids (ages 1-1st grade), but i missed being in the service. I think I'm scheduled to work in there again sometime in October.
2. I've volunteered to help with managing the souvenirs that we sell at the ranch. We grow coffee and moras (blackberries) here on our property. We sell the coffee, blackberry jellies and jams, cookbooks, vanilla, and shirts. My job is to inventory all we have (there's been no record really of how much we've produced) and make sure things are stocked and presentable in Casa Grande. Casa Grande (or "The big house") is where construction brigades stay when they are here and medical brigades come and have lunch while they are at the ranch on Wednesday afternoons. There is a little corner set up with all the souvenirs that are for sell.
3. Yesterday was my roommate's birthday! We went over to some of the other teacher's house to have cake and watch a movie.
4. Yesterday we had a ministry wide event for everyone involved with WGO. It was to introduce the new teachers and other missionaries to the rest of the ministry. About half...or maybe more of the ministry is here at Rancho Ebenezer, where the kids, school, etc, are. The rest of the ministry is in El hatillo at the mission house, on a different mountain, where all the construction brigades come through and most of the administrative work is done. It was good to meet a lot of the people I'd heard of, but never met before. We had a time of worship together, the CEO/president spoke, and we played some fun games that were only slightly hindered by the rain.
I've enjoyed getting a little more involved in things here. It has allowed me to get to know some more people that I wouldn't otherwise interact with a lot. Teaching is still my top priority since that is what I'm here to do, but there's lots of other time to do these other things as well.
It's funny how it's rained harder and for longer periods of time the last few days than it did for the hurricane. It shows how God answers prayers! With the threat of the hurricane and everything, I was reminded of Psalm 29 which talks about the glory and splendor of God. You should read it sometime.
One more thing...at the church I've been going to, I've had the privilege of meeting a couple of ladies that used to work with my great aunt, Kathleen Ray, with CAM international many years ago. They worked at a school in Siguatepeque which isn't too far from here. When we found out who each other were, it was almost like meeting old family b/c I'd always heard of Aunt Kat's stories about Honduras. Edith, the lady I met at church, had always heard stories about all my relatives. She said that next time CAM has a little get together, she was going to kidnap me and take me to it so she could introduce me to everyone. She had some very nice things to say about Aunt Kat and the work and relationship she had with all the kids that they used to work with.
Lastly, some prayer requests:
1. My uncle, Walter, is having a bypass surgery on Tuesday morning. He suffered a heart attack this past spring and was recently having some more discomfort in his chest. He went to one doctor who had said that it was just acid reflux. Walter decided to get a second opinion, so they did some tests and found out there is some more blockage in his arteries and needs to have a quadruple...or maybe 5 bypasses. They said it's a good thing that he came in when he did, because it could have been a lot worse if he had waited. It's been cool to see how God has protected their family in the past few years.
2. Pray for unity and great relationships to continue to develop among the missionary staff with WGO.
3. Continue to pray for healing in the kids lives, and that they would find a comfort and peace in Christ.
4. Continue to pray for patience and continuous joy and energy while I'm teaching.
As always, thanks for all the prayers and support! I'd love to hear from you!
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