partying

We spend our evenings trying to get to know the students better.  It's a very small amount of time because they have study hall until 7:15, and then their curfew is 8:30 (9 on Saturdays). 
We're not allowed to have cards in Honduras because it's considered gambling.  The Christian culture of Honduras is very conservative, compared to the states.  We are allowed to have Uno though, and we have spent many hours of our time here playing Uno with the boys.  It's a good way to connect, but we have gotten just a little bit sick of Uno. 
So Friday, we went on a quest for a basketball!  The students would much rather play soccer, but we would definitely not be able to hold our own against them on the soccer field.  We found a student with a basketball, and we started to play.  Before we knew it, half the school was watching the game.  I was a little worried that I would bring my team down, since I haven't played basketball since I was like 11.  In the first game, I got two points(out of three), including the winning point!  I'm a lot more proud of that than I should be, but it was super fun and a lot of exercise. 

Okay, so this is a little different.  It looks like I might be a teacher, like a real first grade teacher in the school in Catacamas that two of Leslie's children go to.  I definitely don't feel equipped, but I'm completely willing to do whatever.  We'll see how it goes. 

Pray for me as I try to figure out what I'm going to do next.

Love,
Shelbs

beautiful little things

I'm in that beautiful, strange place - the one where you don't know much of anything about the future.  There are so many possibilities, but, at the same time, it can be hard not knowing.  

Honduras is great, but I'm not here for long.  I'm not sure how much these five weeks will change the world, but I know that for me it's a time of enjoying the little things.

Students laughing at me trying to speak Spanish.

Miscommunications that result in hilarious jokes.

Riding in the back of a truck.

Seeing the stars.

Seeing the mountains.

Eating ice cream.

Trying new things (even food!).

Meeting wonderful people who love Jesus.

Catching a glimpse of someone else's heart.

Watching cartoons in Spanish.

Kids who are goofy and make the same jokes over and over.  (There's a banana on your head!)

Sunburn jokes from people who know nothing of being sunburnt.

8th grade boys who will never think that we're cool.

Those are just a few.  Now, here are a few pictures for your enjoyment.

we often take siestas throughout the day

from our travel day.  don't we look fabulous?

Thanks for reading my blog!  Next, go read my best friend's blog!  She wrote a good one this week.  =]

Jessica's blog

Honduras

We've only been here a few days, but it feels like it's been a lifetime.  Starting Monday, I will be helping with the boy's English classes!  I'm pretty darn excited.  We've been doing useful things in the office, but I think that I thrive when I actually get to interact with a lot of people.
Honduras is a lot different from Haiti.  I wish I could think about Honduras without comparing every little thing to Haiti, but I guess my brain doesn't work that way.  Let me tell you a little bit about what Honduras has been like for me:
Early Mornings.  We wake up at like 5 or 6 each morning because it gets pitch black by about 6:30.
Immersion.  When I went to Haiti, I lived with more white people than Haitians.  Here, I live with more Hondurans than white people.  In addition, we (Jessica, Leah - the other intern - and I) eat lunches and dinners with the students.  (When I was in the airport, some things were repeated in English, but a lot of things weren't.  I would not have survived without Jessica.)
Spanish.  I feel like most Haitians don't expect you to speak Kreyol, but it seems like most Hondurans are surprised when I tell them I don't speak a lot of Spanish.  I think learning Kreyol pushed all the Spanish outside of my head, but it's coming back slowly.
Restful.  We work in spurts.  We kind of half-work all day.  We have lots of breaks, but our work is never really done.  Plus, it's a lot of work to meet lots of new people and not speak the language.  But I think we get plenty of rest.
Happy.  It's a good time.  Honduras doesn't feel like home, but I'm happy to be here.

Pray for Enoch's daughter.  (Enoch works here at El Sembrador.)  The day we got here she broke her femur, and she's still in the hospital.

Adios!

Shelby

a whirlwind

Wow, this past week has been crazy.
I said goodbye for now to the best people I've ever known.
I took my last finals ever (and my only 4.0 semester in college)!
I saw my immediate family, as well as my Grandma and some other lovely family members.
I got in a slight car accident.  (Jessica and I may have driven into a ditch, but no biggie.)
I graduated from college.
I drove to Maryland.
I celebrated a ton.
And, after three flights, including a stop in El Salvador, I am in HONDURAS!
Yay!
I crossed a lot of things off of the bucket list this week, not the least of which is traveling to a foreign country with my best friend.

Needless to say, there are a lot of emotions I am identifying with right now.  The prevailing one is happiness, but there's a lot going on.  I am so glad to be here in Honduras, but I also really miss Haiti.  There are lots of things I could say, but I'll leave it simple for now.

I'm looking forward to all that God is going to teach me in these five weeks, and I can't wait to share it with you!  In the mean time, pray for me while I figure out what's after this beautiful time.

Love you!  And thanks again for all of the support!

I'll leave you with a picture from Saturday.