Time

Currently the time here is 9:45pm, back home it is 10:45pm.

This whole time I've been in Honduras, I've been counting how many days we've been here and how many days are remaining. When I counted and realized that we only have 14 more Sundays to go, I got really sad.
We have to leave this country one day - And it seems to be coming fast.
We've spent 6 weeks learning Spanish, 7 weeks living with a local family, 7 weeks trying to understand a new culture and 7 weeks together.
There's a reason that we're here and the time is right!

When we feel discouraged, or just aren't understanding what's going on around us in the moment, it's encouraging to know that God has us here for a time like this.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He has made everything beautiful in it's time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

We are in Honduras, serving an amazing God. He knew exactly what we need, when we needed it. It's been an incredible time. I need to remind myself not to worry about how many days we've been here and how many days are left, and enjoy the time that I have here.

This past week we've been volunteering at a childrens home for 6 hours a day. We have been starting the day out with activities that get the kids communicating and working together. Kristen spends a lot of time drawing with them, they seem to enjoy colouring. Brynne has been playing sports and has been playing the guitar and singing with the kids. Today Katlyn spent time teaching the kids how to make origami frogs (they really enjoyed that). I have brought out my camera, and have enjoyed the fact that "laughter has no language".

-Nikki

P.S - I'm loving my time in Honduras.

Prayer Requests:
- Pray for Kristen as she has been having some health issues.
- Pray for our team and our directors as we travel to the Copan Ruins this week for a cultural experience.
- Pray that we will continue to learn the language and the culture and that the people here will be open to teaching us more about Honduras.
- Pray that we will make connections with the people here.

Thank-You so much!
Bendiciones

Things to Know Before Coming to Honduras

1. I think there are rules for the roads, but I'm not entirely sure...
2. Toilet paper is a rare commodity; hard to come by and hard to dispose of.
3. From the tortillas to the ladies, everything here is "rico."
4. Contrary to the American views on "leaving the nest," it's perfectly acceptable to be married, have kids and still live under your parents' roof.
5. Although the streets are covered in trash the shoes are spotless.
6. "Estoy llena." Just learn it.
7. In the States everyone wants to be an individual, but here it's expected to fit in by wearing brand name clothing and footware.
8. Beans, beans the musical fruit the more you eat the more you get diarrhea or constipation.
9. Turning heads is understatement, we've stopped men in their tracks, earned wedding proposals, and received enough obnoxiously loud blown kisses to last us a lifetime. We aren't sure if it is because we are Gringas or just because we're female, but we are guessing it's a mix of the two.
10. I see breasts everyday and twice on Sunday. Breast feeding in public is a norm and it seems to only turn the heads of foreigners. Oh, and public urination too.

Observations from Brynne and Katlyn.

Rain or Shine

And so we hit the wall. This past weekend the girls and I hit a pretty big low. The struggles with the language, the culture, fitting in, missing family, and health issues all seemed to compound into an ugly burden. We all faced different things, but we all faced something. Even Jim and Sonia (our directors) had their struggles: Jim was bed ridden with fever. It was a rough weekend. But, thanks to God and prayer, we have come out of our slum, our spirits lifted. Today is even Brynne’s nineteenth birthday. What a blessing. J

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By Saturday I was burnt up and burnt out. I wanted to curl up in a whole and die for a while, the introvert in me begging for a recharge. I rallied what was left of my resilience and crawled out of bed for church the next morning surly and mean. I thankfully managed to grab a pen on my way out. I’m glad I did. The sermon was on burdens…God has a sense of humor.

Much of the sermon came from Psalms, was relatively understandable, and easy to follow. And then came Psalm 55: 6-7 “Oh, that I had wings like a dove; then I would fly away and rest! I would fly away to the quiet of the wilderness.” Here was what I felt all of us were feeling. What a plea! To be able to fly away is what we were all starting to long for. Of course, the pastor didn’t stop there, he also read us verse 16, “But I will call on God, and the LORD will rescue me.” And so the LORD had spoken.

If we call on Him, He will answer. He will rescue us. We were desiring wings to fly away, but if we wait we will soar. Isaiah 40:31 “But those that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they will raise on wings like eagles; the will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.” Who wants wings of doves when we’re promised those of eagles?! We can soar! Things are not always going to be easy, but the LORD promises to be our restoration, to be there to help us and guide us, to give us strength.

With that I was lifted from the doom and gloom of burden and was once more reminded the joy of what it is to serve. My sisters each had their own moments that weekend where God spoke in to their lives, and so we started the new week exhausted, but no longer ugly. We made it over the wall. For that I’m little bit proud of us and you should be too. There was a moment we just sat there and wallowed, banging our heads against our proverbial wall without getting anywhere, but we all got up and started climbing. We all let God give us a boost.

He is humbling us, of that I am sure. With each new trial we are learning from him. We are learning to depend on him. We really can’t do this on our own, and I’m kind of glad about that. I don’t think I’d want to do it alone. This way I have three fabulous sisters as my confidants and friends, and we all have a Father that loves us unconditionally to lead the way.

Though the clouds may be stormy and the road perilous, tomorrow is a new day, and, if we’re lucky it will be sunny. If not, the LORD will be there to lead us on, and I’m sure at least one of us remembered an umbrella. ;)

Kris

Prayer Requests:

Though we are back on the ascent, our health is not.

Please pray for Brynne and the stomach ache and fever she has been fighting. She is improving rapidly, but we’d like to keep it that way. J

Jim has also been ill with what looked like Denghi’s. His symptoms are subsiding, thankfully. Pray they do not return and his fever subsides.

Kris’s back is not enjoying the hills here and has slipped out of place. Please pray for her relief and pain management.

Also, please pray for the direction  of our directors. They have a lot on their plate trying to organize ministry for us. Pray for strength and guidance.

As always, please pray for safety and protection, and that we may be used by the LORD to do his work.

Thank you all for your continued support and dedication.

With Love,

The STEP Team

Out With the Old, In With the New

Wow, another year has passed. As we ring in the new, I can't help but think about the old. All of the life lived, the people met, the friends and family left behind. I see their faces dance across my memory and maybe I miss them a little bit. There is a whole other life out there I could be living. Proverbs 16:9 "We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps." The Lord had something better in store for me, and for the girls. Slowly it is being revealed to us the more we follow Him.

Luke 9:23 "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me."

The girls and I were given Spiritual Gifts tests before we got here, and all of us have Voluntary Poverty, among others, in common. I don't think we knew what that meant before coming here. Sure, we're all willing to live with less, willing to do without when necessary (here we have to) but poverty is more complicated than the absence of money and possessions. Poverty is not solely the lack of material things, it can also be the absence of family and friends, cultural comfort, and, sometimes, the ability to communicate. It is a deficiency. We gave up lives that had all of these things for lives that are deficient in all of them. We all chose to deny one possible future for ourselves. That's not always easy. In return, though, we are getting a life that is anything but deficient in the workings of God. It is only by his providence and protection that we make it through each day. It's looking more and more like we got the better trade off.

 "...[D]eny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me." What does that look like? I think we're finding out.

John 12:24 "unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies it remains alone; but if it does, it produces much grain ."

Not only must we deny ourselves, we must die to ourselves. That doesn't sound exactly appealing. BUT, when we do, we are promised to grow and produce much fruit. We are also promised a new life:

Mathew 10:39 "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it."

We are here, living an adventure, because, let's face it, that's what it is, an adventure for Christ. As we give up the old year, let us also give up our old ways, our old habits, and our old lives. Let's open our hearts to the new and wonderful promises of Christ Jesus. When we give up the old, He gives us new! If this past month has been a glimpse of a new life for all of us, then we're sure in for it. It isn't going to be easy, but, man, is it going to be beautiful.

As always, we are here to serve Christ, but first let us follow him. Here's to finding new life in Him in the new year.

Bendiciones (Blessings),

Kris

Here's a review of our time here in pictures:

We arrived! (I just happened to arrive a day later...)

 

We spent some time learning the lay of the land with the Bridges

 

Saw the local landmarks: Picacho (above) and Basilica de Suyapa (below)

 

 

Then we celebrated Christmas...

 

And we've even befriended the locals:

 

 

Happy New Year!