If you missed Day 1 click here.
Today we got to meet the people of the Village "La Germania 1" which we will be working in all week. The community is largely, if not completely, comprised of coffee farmers who rely on coffee as their means of income. They are a community who very rarely will leave their village (which is only 40 minutes from the heart of the city of Siguatepeque where we are staying). For many of them they will grow up in the mountains and live their for their entire lives. They completely live off of the land. They lack running water, as well as electricity, which for us almost seemed like an impossibility. Primitive may be an understatement. But more about these beautiful and incredible people below.
We woke up early (6am local time/5am Pacific time) and ate breakfast at a cafè that is located inside a local grocery store then quickly loaded into our van with our trusty driver Herman. We swung by Ebenzer church to pick up 3 college aged locals who would be leading the VBS within the village. They all spoke broken english which was extremly beneficial, and strangely enough one of the girls actually lived in Vallejo for a year and had visited Napa (small world I guess!?). She spoke english very well and you could hardly tell she had an accent. As we drove through the dirt roads weaving our way through the mountains I had the opportunity to slow down and again reflect on the beauty of this place, while at the same time wondering what the village was going to be like. I think we all had a nervous/excited energy running through us as we awaited the unexpected. When we pulled up to the school building we piled out of the van and entered the building to find 55 honduran kids ranging in age from 3 years - 12 years old all sitting in desks in a room that is maybe 15 ft x 30 ft. Immediately there was an uncertainty in the air. We found out later that we were the first mission team to visit the village. Dave Day and the some others from Grower's First have visited in the past but never an entire group. And you could tell they were taking time to figure out what these Gringo's were all about. It is entirely possible that I am twice as big as anyone they have ever seen! At least that is what I gathered from the stares and giggles the niños gave me while looking my way. The ice slowly broke and we became more comfortable as well as the villagers. The 3 we brought from Ebenzer church lead the entire group in 3 songs and then a bible story. I was impressed with the respect and attentiveness the children showed. They sat quietly and expressed an interest in what was being shared. We were beginning to see that the Honduran culture is that of respect, kindness, and politeness. Following the story we separated into two groups, younger kids and older kids. We then led them through another bible story in a workbook that we gringos were able to stumble our way through. For most of the children their education was vastly deficient. Many of the older kids were having difficulty writing letters and reading basic sentences. It is the little things we so quickly take for granted. Things like, paper & pencils, or having a whiteboard or chalkboard for a teacher to use. Their lack of education seemed to be a direct result of a lack of resources. They simply do not have facilities or supplies to teach at an adequate level. As Americans, I don't think we can even begin to understand the difference in lifestyle. We truly are world's apart, and not necessarily in a good or bad way, just a different way.
After the Bible study we went down to the soccer field to play some games with the group. We taught them a few games like, "elbow tag" and "Simon Says". For the most part they had a shy and "deer in the headlights" look on their face as the gringos ran around. Slowly they warmed up to the idea of joining us and we began to laugh and enjoy ourselves. Regardless of culture, country, or beliefs, laughter is universal. Laughter and smiles go a long way to bridging the gap of such a great divide. I found that we were caught between incomprehensible differences and yet a deep human connection. It is fascinating how God connects us all. We come from distincly different worlds and yet at our core we are all humans, created in the image of God. We all laugh and smile, we cry and feel pain. We all walk, and breathe, and hug, and run. We are indescribably different yet, unbelievably similar. I think God likes that. I think he designed it that way on purpose. I imagine he looks across creation and sees the diversity he created and smiles, because all of us, in our most basic form are the same, humans created in the image of God. There is an odd comfort is looking at people from other nations and knowing we are connected, whether we like it or not we are all connected. Maybe Paul said it best, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:38) I can't help but think how different the world could be if we focused more on our similarities rather than our differences. It is my prayer that God begins to soften my heart in this area. To become someone who connects more with our universal humanness than our national differences.
Continued prayers for rest are appreciated, our days are filled with tiring activities and we want to be able to serve God to the fullest. Thanks for all the support back home, it is much appreciated! Hopefully in the next few days I'll be able to upload some pictures so you can also see this incredibly beautiful country!