Last Few Weeks in Antigua and the Finca!
Our arrival to the Finca on September 30th! We were welcomed by the whole Finca at the front gates where they were waiting with home-made donuts and Jamaica (hibiscus) juice.
New Update!
Thank you all for your patience with my blog! I had meant to post a second one about my life in Antigua before coming to the Finca but life had other plans. I got Dengue Fever our last couple of days in Antigua and was unable to get out of bed. I cannot thank you enough for your prayers as my body very much needed them, and thank you for your patience. Praise be to God, I am fully recovered and have been enjoying this Finca life for the past week! I had started my new blog post in Antigua prior to getting sick so please enjoy that below! Then, I will share a bit more about Finca.
Volcán Pacaya
We were blessed to not only hike one volcano in our time here, but two! On September 14, we escaped the city for a good part of the day to hike this volcano. It was much more chill than our hike to the summit of Volcano Acatenango because Pacaya is active so we could not get very close. Because of the heat of the volcano we were able to roast marshmallows on the hot rocks and make s’mores. Something I never would’ve imagined doing in my life!
A Heart Made to be Stretched
These past few weeks I have grown spritually in a few ways but the most prominent way is the gentle stretching of my heart. Every day brings a new encounter that stretches me in a different way. Every Tuesday and Thursday we have been so blessed to volunteer at an organization called “Nuestros Ahijados” or “Our Godchildren”. Here, they have an after-school program where the children are able to come and play and get maybe the only reliable meal of their day. The part of the organization that spoke directly to my heart was “Casa Jackson”. Within this realm of the organization is a nursery for malnourished babies ranging from a few months up to 3 years. There are babies that are older than 18 months and have yet to crawl or walk. Most of them are very small and it is heartbreaking. A fellow student at our language school told us about the organization and when he told us, I began to cry and my heart felt so heavy. I was nervous to go as I had no idea what we would encounter. When we arrived later that day, I went straight to the nursery, and Teddy and Theresa spent time with the older children. When I first stepped into the nursery I was welcomed by laughter and babies playing and crawling all about. When I saw this truly joy-filled sight, I knew the Lord had called me to this nursery, yes for the babies, but also for me. It is a place full of so much love as every volunteer and nurse loves these babes so well. The location of the organization is within a beautifully lush garden. My favorite activity to do with the babes is taking them on walks around the garden and praying with them. Leaving the babies every day is the hardest part but I know the Lord is not calling me to stay there forever.
My Finca Life!
The Lord continues to amaze me every day. Every morning I walk out my front door into a view of this beautiful ocean and I cannot believe where He has placed me. I am not sure when it will all feel real but for now, I am awaiting the awakening of this fever dream. This week we have begun orientation and there is information overload! The first thing was learning all the kids’ names and nearly 4o people on staff which I am still working on. Every day of orientation has looked a little different from presentations on how to be a missionary or the different jobs we will have here to town tours and meeting the people nearby.
Here is the outside of our missionary house where I enjoy swingin’, chattin’, readin’, sippin’, prayin’, or really anything as you can’t beat the view pictured above. This week the kids don’t have school because of a holiday here in Honduras called “Semana Morazanica” so we have had a lot of time to play when we’re not in orientation activities. So far this week my favorite moment was a beach day with all the kiddos. Amidst tossing kids into the waves, being jumped on, and uncontrollably laughing, I had a moment of disbelief that this sweet joy is my job and life for the next 2 years. Every soul here loves so incredibly well that it’s as if you can hear the Lord’s heart beating in moments of silence within these gates. From security guards doing their nightly rounds and coming into the missionary house for a smoothie or a kid sprinting up to you out of nowhere for a hug, there is a beaming smile everywhere I look.
Lord, You are as Sweet as Honey
After one short week here, I have realized I am being reminded of how to play well. Within orientation, Nate (the director of missionaries who has been here for 3 years) continuously reminds us to love the person in front of us. It is easy to become distracted with all of the things I want to get done in the day but this reminder is grounding. “To love” was my whole reason to saying yes to this mission in the first place so I ask Jesus to constantly remind me to only see the soul placed in front of me.
These are all the updates I have for now! I cannot thank you enough for your prayers and support. I could not do this mission without you! Please don’t hesitate to email or text me with any questions or blog prompts it just might take a bit for me to respond. Until next time, Dios los bendiga!
