Mentor - Mentee - Future Mentees

First of all, I can't take credit for noticing what is going on in this picture. Jason, the intern/long-term volunteer from St. Andrew's University in Scotland is the one who brought it all to my attention.

This is a picture of Melissa, one of our youth, at the most recent pilot program, a sports camp. She is right in the thick of it, doing her job. She is with the kids. She is participating. She is having a good time doing it. What's even cooler than seeing a youth caught doing her job well is catching her mentor watching her off in the distance with a pleased look on her face. If you look closely, Rachel, the Youth Director for UPH, is in the background, watching the action. It is a perfect progression of what the UPH program hopes to be. Adults pouring into youth, equipping them to then pour into children so that we may become a community from which servant leaders step forth.

God is up to big things here in Copan. I'm blessed to be a part of it.

El Pequeñito Fer

There's something about two big brown eyes set in a young smiling pudgy face that my heart can't resist. Little Fernando participated in our third pilot program last week. He darts around the room with energy like a firecracker and is actually too young to have participated in our program. Don't let his miniature size fool you though--he catches on to games and activities sometimes faster than the older kids and fearlessly runs and plays with all the campers twice his size.

He's in Kindergarten and our programs are for children in 1st through 6th grades. However, he was signed up on the same form as his older sister and slipped through my lines of defense with his toothless grin and the excited twinkle in his eyes. Once I realized that we had a stow-away in our camp, it was too late to tell him to leave because he was already part of the camp family. So, I decided it was only appropriate to give him a special name--after all, he was a special addition to the camp. From the beginning, he was known as "El Pequeñito Fer".

I thoroughly enjoyed watching him soak up every activity with wonder and excitement. There's something special about the youngest children who participate in these pilot programs. I look at them and see them as the first set of kids who could possibly go completely through school while simultaneously going through our programs. I think about how the trajectory of their lives will change from the extra love, attention, and support.

On the last day of camp, it occurred to me that perhaps El Pequeñito Fer didn't like being called pequeñito (small). Maybe he wanted to be called big or strong, perhaps El Gran Fer. I stooped down as he was punching out holes in his craft and asked him about it. He looked up at me, obviously confused by the question. He was El Pequeñito Fer, why would he want to be anything else?

"I'm a STAR!"

One of the first rules of classroom management is that you should save your "loud voice. At camp, when we want to get the kid's attention, it does no good to yell. Instead of yelling, one of the leaders or I will stand up front and put our finger on our nose. The children know that once they see a leader with their finger on their nose that they need to stop what they're doing, face front, and not be the last one to do it. The last child to be quiet and have his finger on his nose has to come up front, face his classmates, and do a star jump (crouch down and then jump up and explode, yelling, "I'm a STAR!").

Most of the children in latin america are what we call penosos or bashful and for this reason, a star jump is enough motivation to get the children to quiet quickly when they see a leader with his finger on his nose. However, this week, there was a group of children who enjoyed coming up front to do the star jumps. Some would wait and purposely be the last to put their finger on their nose and others would come up front to do the star jump even if they weren't the last.

The last day of Pilot II, I think the youth leaders felt they needed a better task for the last child with his finger on his nose and they started making them do push-ups! I had been on the side taking care of something and walked over and saw little Manuel doing push-ups along side Alexis, one of the leaders for the week. This continued for the rest of the day and was actually very effective.

Loving Copan, one kid at a time.

Rigo had been giving us trouble since the first day of our pilot program. He had stuck out immediately as one of the young boys who was going to need extra attention and discipline.

After having sent him home for behavior problems on the second day of camp, he came back as the team was cleaning at the end of the day and the children had been dismissed. He reluctantly stood in the doorway of the church, first watching the youth sweep and mop, and then decided to help. The LiderJovenes, glad for the help, mopped happily alongside him.

As one leader, Aura, noticed him helping, she went and moved his name on the discipline chart from “Sent Home” to “You’re Doing Great!”, a change from the absolute bottom to the top. After cleaning, Rigo started walking away from the church. Aura gathered the LiderJovenes together to yell their thanks to him. He turned around with a smile and waved.

The other LiderJovenes dispersed and Aura remained in the doorway, watching Rigo walk away. He had a notable spring in his step that had not been there earlier, especially after being sent home. Aura turned to me with a concerned look on her face and shared, “You know? I don’t think Rigo has known much love in his life. I really think that’s what he needs more than anything else.” She paused a moment, set her jaw as if she were making a promise to show him love, and turned on her heels to gather her bag to go.

I was amazed at the sensitivity and insight that Aura showed in that moment. I was touched by her concern and care for a boy most would dismiss as disruptive and frustrating. I was impressed by her maturity and dedication to the children and community after only two days with them.

Having pilot programs is exciting as a sign of growth and stability in UrbanPromise Honduras. It’s encouraging because it means we’re moving forward. Having pilot programs is exciting because it gives us an opportunity to extend our reach into different communities and get to know the Rigos, learn of their needs, and show them much needed love, even if only a week at a time.

Independence!

Today is Honduran Independence Day. September 15th, 1821, Honduras, along with the rest of Central America, gained their independence from Spain. Subsequently, they became part of the Mexican empire for 17 years before becoming their own republic.

In Copan Ruinas, it is celebrated annually with all the school children parading through the center park with HUGE drums and marching bands. Some are dressed up in typical garb, some are in typical marching band outfits, some are simply in their school uniforms marching with their classes. The whole town comes out to see the parade. For weeks before Independence Day, drums and xylophones can be heard nightly at least until ten o'clock as the groups from the different schools perfect their beats.

For me, one of the most exciting parts of the parade is recognizing the children as they march. I found out today that it isn't Honduran custom to yell out to children and wave as they pass. In fact, we were slightly being jeered at by those standing around us. I decided not to care what the locals thought and clapped and cheered for all the kids I knew, snapping shots and making a scene like my mother did for us as children.

The picture here is of Brayan, one of the kids from Camp Hope. He's in 4th grade at Amigos, a private Christian school in town, and takes a LOT of pride in his drumming. For the past few weeks his attendance at camp has been inconsistent mostly because he's been practicing his drumming and going to team practices every afternoon. He goes all out. He's got a great sense of rhythm and as he drums you can tell that he loves it. His mother, naturally, is very proud of him as well.

Two months [to the day!]

Many apologies my dear friends who apparently DO read my blog. Suffice it to say that the past two months have been a whirlwind of summer camp, interns, short-term teams, wrap-ups, vacations, and now, shifting gears and taking off with AfterSchool Program Pilots. OH and a whole lot of wedding planning peppered in between it all. There really is no way to cover up the whole summer in one blog, so I won't. I'll focus on one part: Camp Peace.

UPH put on two bilingual vacation camps this summer, Camp Peace and Camp Joy. Camp Joy has been running since 2009 and this is the first time Camp Peace has run. I was responsible for setting up the details for both camps prior to July and directing Camp Peace once our interns and the other director, Jimmy, got here.

I had a team of 5 college-aged interns and 6 bilingual high schoolers to ran all the classes and were really the hands and feet of camp. And my job was to manage this 12-person team. Being a director is a very different experience than being a teacher or intern at a camp, mostly because I wasn't in one place consistently and I had a lot of administrative stuff to think about versus the day-to-day planning that the interns did. I learned a lot and was stretched as a leader in these two months. Being a good servant leader is not just about getting everyone to do their job and making sure people know what to do, but rather drawing the leadership out of people, seeing potential in people before they even see it and helping them realize that potential. I know this now, but that doesn't mean I'm great at it. Haha. It just means that I know part of what needs to be refined in me as a leader now. :)

It was a great summer at Camp Peace. Our team gelled really well and the kids of Camp Peace had a blast. I love my interns and miss them a lot. I love the kids of Camp Peace and miss them a lot.

BUT NOW I get to look ahead and start a new site... long-term relationships, long-term growth, long-term commitment... If I can become so attached to a group of people after only four weeks, just imagine how it will be after years!

interns

Last Wednesday evening, the summer interns for UPH arrived in Copan Ruinas. With all the planning and preparing that has been done, it never fully sunk into me the task that was before me as it pertains to these interns.

Wednesday night, we all met for dinner and ate baleadas while we exchanged pleasantries and tried to start getting to know the people who would be with us for the next 6 weeks. As far as my conversations went, no really deep topics were hit and I didn't learn great amounts of information about anyone. I just tried to learn their names as best I could.

As I walked home from dinner, as I went to bed, and as I walked into work the next morning, Rick and Tammie Romano continually came to mind. Seeing the interns, their wide, expectant eyes, unknowing what experiences lay before them this summer, I was reminded of my intern experience in Mexico. As I thought more and more about how Rick and Tammie poured into us as interns, challenged and corrected us, I realized that God was now handing me an opportunity to be used as they were. I recognize that God gets the glory for all change and growth in me in my time as an intern, but I also recognize that God used two very useful tools in the form of the Romanos. My heart is humbled and elated at the same time, knowing that God has awesome blessings, growth, challenges and joys in store for these interns, and realizing that I get to be a part of that process!

For all intents and purposes, I am the interns' "boss" in so far as their experience pertains to camp. As I looked at them, I realized that God was not giving me an opportunity to have authority over people, but to walk along with them and be used by him as he stretches and molds them more into his image this summer.

The word stewardship keeps coming to mind as I think about what lies ahead. Stewardship of blessings, stewardship of skills, stewardship of gifts, stewardship of what has been entrusted to me. My prayer is to be a good, wise steward of this task that God has entrusted to me. I don't take this lightly--there are people's lives and God's plans involved.

Please be praying for me as I step into this new role (really starting tomorrow). Pray that I would lead with the heart and mind of Christ and that I would be willing to be molded and stretched along with the team of interns assigned to me.

happy birthday doña maría

carla (on the right) and her family live across the street from our office. carla is a "host mom" for students who come to copan to study spanish and also runs an informal catering business out of her house (two weeks ago i went with her to serve meals to a WorldVision group who was doing a training here -- reminded me of serving food to the groups with Tomasa in Mexico). almost every volunteer who has come through copan to work with UPH has stayed or eaten at carla's house. she has a mothering spirit and loves having people in her house like a revolving door. she teases and jokes and just plain has a good time when people are around.

doña maría (on the left), carla's mom, turned 64 today. she lives with carla and is an opinionated, hard-core catholic, hard-working, wonderful woman who speaks VERY quickly. just about all the gringos i've talked to say that they never understand her. for some reason, she's taken a liking to me. she gives me hugs and kisses when i see her and calls me chula and preciosa (both very nice things). today she turned 64 and she is sporting a new dress that her son sent her from the US. I must say, she looks pretty sassy!

both of these woman make my days here happy. they show me love and i am thankful that God placed them right across the street from the office so that i get to see them almost every day. it's nice to have these lovely women around.

animalito

The rainy season has commenced. in rainy season, the frogs and toads of Copan and the surrounding area come out to play. Because EVERYTHING is wet after it rains, they can go virtually anywhere and be safe. Unfortunately, though, they have a tendency to get themselves into places when it's wet, the places dry, and then they have no way of getting back to water.

Last night, we got back to the office after 8 from a youth event. It had rained cats and dogs earlier. I walked into the front room to turn on the lights for a friend. I switched the light on and turned around, greeted by this little frog staring at me from on top of Rachel's travel mug. He was so still that I couldn't figure out if he was plastic and a practical joke. BUT, a friend decided to try to TOUCH him and wound up jumping off the cup and onto the wall. He wound up on the screen of another friend's camera... which is how this picture came to be.

All in all... it was interesting and something I had never seen before! OH... and we got him back outside to safety. Fear not.

cafe yat b'alam

on a semi-regular basis, the electricity in Copan Ruinas goes. sometimes it's due to rain and storms, sometimes it's due to scheduled maintenance, sometimes no one has any clue as to why we don't have electricity for days at a time. today is one of those days.

days that i work, this causes a bit of a hardship, so most of the staff packs up and comes to yat b'alam. here, they have a generator (so we can plug in our computers and their router works, so there's internet capabilities) and just as important, their internet company has a generator (which means they are able to transmit the internet here... to the router here... to my computer here...). it's amazing how many things need to come together in order for internet to work. so many things that we take advantage of in the US.

the cafe is "open air", as most places are here in Copan. there's a nice balcony/patio area that's right on the street and a VERY friendly staff who I think I am beginning to regard as friends. :)

the UPH team has off this week and everyone (except me) went home to the states or canada. in all honesty, i have mixed feelings about being here "on vacation" by myself, but i'm hoping to take full advantage of the time to get settled in my new apartment and relax before the craziness of summer and bilingual camp descends upon me.

this afternoon i'm heading out to a "free garage sale" as the bilingual school teachers are heading out after their year of service. they leave behind all the things they either don't want, don't need, or just plain can't fit in their suitcases... us UPH-ers get to pick through for things we need. this comes at an especially convenient time for me since i'm just setting up shop. i'm sad to see my new friends depart, but i'm VERY thankful for their generosity!

[currently reading] Utopia, Thomas More

One of the blessings about being in a small town with few options for social night life is that I catch up on reading I've been meaning to do for years. I picked this book up from a second-hand book store, or maybe even a rummage sale years ago and I've carted it around with me from place to place, promising myself I would read it. I have a secret love for it borne out of my love for the movie EverAfter (Drew Barymore quotes this book and my interest was sparked). So yesterday, after the usual Saturday cleaning, I cozied up with Utopia on my couch, enjoying a nice cross breeze between the front screen door and back door.

Now that I'm an adult and read for pleasure and not because my Hon. English III teacher is telling me to, I took the liberty and risk of reading the introduction. I'm not an introduction kind of person. In high school, when it was our assignment to read it, I never did because I thought it was a waste of time. I'm also the type to not read instructions before putting things together. If it looks easy enough, I just start piecing (I'm a hands-on learner).

This is what I've learned: READ THE INTRODUCTIONS! Although it was a good 30 pages, I enjoyed every moment of it. It included historical background and theory on the book. It explained the nomenclature and satire behind a great portion of More's work. It delved into what other books came to be that are similar to this, books that I would have never guessed to be a part of the same genre, books that I now also want to read. My understanding and appreciation for the actual book itself has been heightened exponentially because of the background information the introduction afforded me.

It's a wonder to me that I'm just now figuring this out. I am deeply sorry Ms. Gellar-Clark (Hon English III teacher) for not participating in that portion of the reading and lesson. I would have been a far better student had I read the introductions.

The funny thing is that I know I am the kind of person that likes background. When listening to sermons, I greatly appreciate it when the preacher puts the story or biblical passage in CONTEXT. Context adds volumes to understanding and analysis. Why should these books be any different?

Thank you Paul Turner (author of intro and translator of text from LATIN). I am a smarter person for having read your introduction. You are quite an intelligent human being.

pila [PEE-lah]

Here in Honduras, I have three options when it comes to laundry: 1) take it to the laundry lady [she weighs it and charges by the pound], 2) let it stay dirty [not the best smelling option], or 3) wash it myself by hand in the pila.

When I was here last year, I looked at the pila, recognizing it because we had one on our back porch in Mexico, but I had NO idea how to use it, nor did I know what it's called. Thankfully, Rachel, one of my co-workers, had lived in Ecuador for a number of years before coming here, so she knew quite well how to use a pila and graciously taught me.

Coming back to Honduras 3 weeks ago, I was planning on washing my own clothes. So far, my Saturday mornings consist of washing all the clothes I can fit on my two little clothes-lines on my back porch. Normally, all the clothes from the week don't fit, so I wind up having to wash Saturday night or Sunday morning as well, once the first round dries.

I've had a few adventures with my pila, even in the short time I've been using it. The first week, as I was getting used to the whole routine again, I wound up splashing water all over my back neighbors. The next week, as I was filling the basin, about a thousand small ants came pouring out of one of the corners. I'm guessing the basin hadn't been filled for a LONG time and the ants had happily set up their colony within the concrete. I wasn't sure whether to be disgusted at the sheer number of ants, or simply amazed. Either way, it was memorable.

getting cozy

i've hit the two-week mark, and yet it feels like i've been here forever [in a good, comfortable way]. i know where to shop, i know the names of the store owners. people know me on the street, and we greet each other as we pass.

i've been working on getting information, curriculum, and registration together for the two bilingual camps for UPH. youth come in and say hello, start conversations, ask questions. children stop by to visit after school before they head home for lunch. they give us bone-crushing hugs, and it's great.

my desk has my fingerprints all over it. i've made it mine. i gaze up at pictures of family, friends, and fiancée. i have it organized in a way that makes me comfortable. i'm getting cozy.

there have been quite a few days, while "taking care of business" that i stop short and think "this is my job. i'm working right now." and then i am exceedingly grateful that i get to do this. PRAISE GOD! He has blessed me immeasurably more than i deserve.

contrast

There's a big difference between life in Copan Ruinas, Honduras and life in Philadelphia, PA. I've been trying to mentally prepare myself for a while, but adjustments are never without their challenges.

Here, instead of battling with landlords about moldy bathrooms, the whole town battles with day-long power outages after storms so the electrical company can fix the lines (apparently this happens once a week). Instead of learning local highways and street names, here I'm learning the locations and main points of reference to be able to follow people's directions to a new place. In Philly, your water gets turned off when your landlord decides not to pay the bill, here, the water comes and goes without warning, having nothing to do with whether or not you paid, but more the whims of those in charge of the water. The contrast is stark, but anticipated, which makes it easier.

I've hit the ground running with the UPH team and will be working on a pretty steep learning curve as I prepare for two bilingual camps set to run in July. I'm excited to be here and the team of UPH staff and volunteers is a great, God-seeking, people-loving group. They know what it is to work, live, and play in community, not being perfect, but working things out in love. I know that being a part of this group will force me to grow in a million areas.

In an effort to keep posts consistent and short, I will give you more details about life and work in Copan Ruinas another week. :)

mom's surprise :)

On Friday night, we surprised my mom with a party for her 60th birthday. Anyone who knows my mother, knows that she looks AMAZING for 60, and therefore I have no qualms about openly sharing her age. [I hope she feels the same!]

We children had been planning this event since January of this year and felt quite proud that she had NO idea that we had planned it. We told her on Friday when she got home from school that she wasn't going to be working at Sal & Joe's and that "we kids wanted to do something special for her". The look of shock on her face told us that it all came as a complete surprise. There has been so much going on lately with family parties, Kristianna's return to the US and my upcoming [tomorrow!] departure, that she was way to preoccupied with all that to even begin to suspect anything was up.

It was a lovely evening of eating, songs (written for my mom), laughter, reminiscing, and making new memories with family and friends. My mom is pretty awesome. I'm really glad we were able to pull this off for her.

comprometida

This week's photo was easy. :) Fausto and I got engaged on Friday night down at Ocean City, New Jersey on the 18th St beach. It was wonderful. We got to spend the whole day Saturday celebrating and hanging out on the beach and the boardwalk. It was really nice to spend time just the two of us and then get to celebrate with family on Sunday! The "Best wishes!" and "Congratulations" have been pouring in and we're both really excited for this next step.

A lot of people have asked me, after congratulating me, if I'm still going to Honduras since I'm engaged now.... the answer is a resounding YES! Fausto and I are hoping to get married within the next year and a half, at which point he will come down to Honduras and we'll spend our first married years there.

That's the plan now. We were just talking about James 4:13-15

¹³ Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” ¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

We're working on logistics of the imminent long-distance relationship. Our hope and plan is to be together soon in Honduras and we ask for your prayers and God's blessing on these plans. We both feel called to serve the people in Honduras and we pray that God would grant us these desires of our hearts.

beg/borrow/steal

There are a lot of people out there who are doing "a photo a day" blogs and they do it for a large variety of reasons: some artistic, some documentary, some just for fun. My friend, Jimmy Hayes, is doing a photo-a-day blog while living in NYC and it's pretty cool.

Borrowing/stealing from Jimmy, I've decided that a photo-a-week would help me keep up the blogging and keep people updated on my life abroad and here in the states.

Last night I got to spend some over-due time with Kara McClure (affectionately known as K'Mc). We went and listened to Handel's Messiah at 10th Pres in Philly and it was extremely moving.

Afterward, we met up with Fausto for some eats. Fausto had previously introduced me to vietnamese food, specifically Pho. [If you're not a vegetarian and haven't eaten it, run to the nearest vietnamese restaurant].

Fausto and I have since become slightly addicted to pho and bubble tea smoothies. Avocado is actually the best. So while looking for a place to sit and chat last night (after getting my last Pat's cheesesteak in Philly), we wound up at the Pho Café on 11th & Washington. A great ending to a wonderful evening.

countdown

The past month has been a whirlwind of preparations, packing, goodbyes, questions, meetings, and emotions. I've moved out of my house in Philly [i miss my jklmn girls] and I'm back in Moorestown with Ma Burris. I end work at Center City Crime Victim Services in a week and then it will be time to really finish packing, and perhaps even sending off some stuff via USPS.

I sold my car on Monday and then rode my bike to a doctor's appointment yesterday. Baby steps. :)

I don't have much time to update on small details right now, BUT suffice it to say that fundraising for UPH is going to be my main concern starting next week (once I'm not working full time). So in light of that -- here's a link to a UPH fact-sheet that you may find interesting as you [possibly] think or pray through supporting the ministry monthly.

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A chance to do something

Did you know that Honduras is the second poorest country in Central America with over half the population living below the poverty line? Honduras also has the lowest graduation rate for students in secondary schools in Latin America and only 2% of youth will graduate from university. While this paints a bleak picture, I’m excited to share with you an opportunity to do something--an opportunity to infuse the lives and futures of Honduran students with hope.

Personally, I’ve felt a burden to act since my first experiences in Latin America, 9 years ago. As time has progressed, I have become more aware of the connection between lack of education, community development and poverty. In addition to awareness, my understanding of how to respond has developed as well.

Six years ago, while on a mission trip to Reynosa, Mexico, I stayed at a mission where young girls came after school for help with school work. The girls came diligently every day and were supported in their studies and their faith. When I saw how the Christian community in Reynosa came alongside those students, I knew that was the direction God was taking me. I knew that I was being called to respond to seemingly hopeless circumstances by investing in children and youth in Latin America to equip them academically, socially, and spiritually for life’s challenges.

In May of 2009, Urban Promise Honduras initiated full-time work in Copan Ruinas, using the Urban Promise model and holistic approach of implementing After School Programs, Summer Programs, and Leadership Development in under-resourced communities. In September 2009, I traveled to Copan Ruinas and served as a volunteer with UPH in their first After School Program, Camp Hope. While serving with UPH, I witnessed an effective response to poverty and apparent hopelessness. I saw and experienced first-hand the restorative power that comes from empowering children and youth to take hold of life, learn responsibility, discipline, and values of the Christian faith.

Urban Promise Honduras has grown and developed since 2009, and is now taking steps to launch a second After School Program site in another neighborhood of Copan Ruinas. This especially is exciting for me because it has opened up a long-term position on the Urban Promise Honduras team to serve as Director of this new After School Program, starting this May. As I write this letter to you, my mind is bouncing in a million directions, dreaming of the possibilities, opportunities and hopes to come for and through this new Program.

I want to invite you to pray through how you could respond to what God is doing through this ministry. I would like you to consider partnering and supporting this new After School Program and the ministry of Urban Promise Honduras. I’m responding by going down to serve. How could God be calling you to respond?

If you'd like more information about UrbanPromise Honduras, click here for their website and click here for information on how to donate.