A month filled with uncertainty, and hard moments, but certainly loads of joy. Parties were celebrated, team getaways were held, and even a surprise evacuation was held as well! Hurricane Sara hit Central America hard, praise be to God we are all safe and well. However, just an hour or so from us was devastating destruction. Please pray for the people who were greatly affected by the storm.

Evacuation

We evacuated the Finca on Thursday, November 14th, and didn’t come back until November 25th. We thought we were only going to be gone for 3-4 days at most but the weather had other plans. Another tropical storm came in a few days after the hurricane so we just stayed in the evacuation house rather than evacuating twice. All of the Finca including 19 kids, 4 missionaries, and 4 tias all stayed in a house 20 minutes away in Trujillo. With all of the rain, the roads are often broken as they are made of dirt and the rivers fill so there is no way into town. So we evacuated primarily because if anything emergent happened, the hospital was accesible. The first day in the house was pure chaos and so we learned pretty quickly how crucial a schedule is for young kiddos! We began incorporating a schedule that revolved around our meal times that consisted of chores, a walk or beach time if the weather allowed, quiet time, prayer, and a movie or 2 if the kids were lucky ;). This helped greatly but it was also an extremely exhausting environment as there was absolutely no time nor space to take a moment to myself. Every morning I was woken up either by a pillow to the face, tickling, or someone climbing on my bed - this is what you get when you sleep in a room full of young boys! It was a blessing to be able to live with the kids in this way because at the Finca we all have our own spaces and so it was a beautiful way to bond. That being said I hope we never have to evacuate again :) I quickly realized the necessity for alone time and my own home. Coming back from the evacuation, I had a brand new appreciation for all the things we have at the Finca from big to even the smallest of things such as hand soap. Being evacuated, I had probably my hardest day since being gone and doubted my ability to continue in this mission. There was no way to fill my cup and I have never felt so completely spent after realizing we weren’t returning soon. I simply had nothing left to give and so when I woke up every day and was somehow able to put one foot in front of the other, there was no other explanation than Jesus. I didn’t realize until halfway through the week but the prayer “Footprints in the Sand” was framed on the wall in our little living room there. This is how it goes:

One night I had a dream…

I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord, and
Across the sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; One belonged to me, and the other to the Lord. When the last scene of my life flashed before us, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that many times along the path of my life, There was only one set of footprints.

I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest
and saddest times in my life
This really bothered me, and I questioned the Lord about it.
“Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
You would walk with me all the way;
But I have noticed that during the
most troublesome times in my life,
There is only one set of footprints.
I don’t understand why in times when I
needed you the most, you should leave me.

The Lord replied, “My precious, precious
child. I love you, and I would never,
never leave you during your times of
trial and suffering.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you.

He carried me when I could serve no more. It has humbled me greatly in my mission that everything I give has always been His. This life, everything I have, and everything I do, it has always been His hands working. I praise the Lord for this time of doubt, anger, and sorrow because, with every crucifixion, there is always a resurrection.

The Resurrection

The resurrection the Lord gifted me was bringing me back to the roots of when He called me to this mission. I wrote about why I said “yes” in my first blog post and if you haven’t read it, it stems from my first-ever mission trip to Comayagua Honduras in May 2022. This past week from December 2 to December 6, the missionaries took the 8 oldest kids to Comayagua as a reward for the end of the year of PAVI. PAVI is the after-school program, beginning at the age of 12, where the kids learn useful tools they will need when they leave the Finca. There is a wide range of what they learn stemming from maintenance to cooking and selling food in town to sending an email. It was an 11.5-hour car ride to Comayagua and worth every second. It was a great opportunity for the kids to see that there is more to their country than what lies inside the walls of the Finca. As for myself, it was incredible to go back to the place where I felt the Lord so near. The first night we arrived we went to Central Park to explore the nightlife and enjoy the Christmas festivities. Here, is also the Cathedral where I felt His call so clearly. When we arrived the Cathedral was locked but I knew we were going in the morning and I could hardly contain my joy. Just being outside the Cathedral and walking around Central Park brought back everything I had felt when I first came. I was overflowing with joy and contentment. The next morning we were able to enter the church and I wasted no time in going to Marian Chapel. I knelt in the exact same spot I did in 2022 (front and center, right at our Lady’s feet) to give thanks to the Lord for His abundance, but this time with my kiddos sitting on either side of me. I cannot adequately describe everything I was feeling but it was almost like a little girl blindly trusting her Father and then coming back and hearing him say “Oh my child, for this is what I had prepared for you.” Truly, my own resurrection. I am learning that life is full of crucifixions and resurrections and thank you Jesus for the gift to be able to recognize this one.