Happy In Honduras

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The Medical Missions Team headed back to the States on Tuesday. It was great to spend the past week with them, meeting new people and reconnecting with "old friends". 😊

Last week I helped translate with the medical team, going up to the remote mountain villages several days and spending a couple at the medical clinic here in La Joya. For me, it's sometimes a daunting task to translate, especially when it comes to medical/heath issues (a lot of this stuff I don't know in English, yet along in Spanish!). But as always, God's good in giving understanding, and by the last couple days I was really enjoying the role I had in helping both the medic and the patient!

I also got to see "my kids" again! The children from the La Joya area are SO SO SO special to me! 😊 I got to play "pato pato gonzo" (duck, duck, goose), give some piggy-back rides, and share lots of hugs and smiles! These kids make me SO happy! And it's such a blessing to see them over and over again each time I come back!

Sunday morning was the team's last day in La Joya and we went to a nearby church for morning service. A couple from the group, two Honduran friends and I did a musical special. We sang in Spanish and English and I absolutely loved it! I love to sing and am excited each time I learn new songs in Spanish! 😊

God has been convicting me and teaching me a lot during the past week. It surprises me how easily I just ENJOY and LIVE life here in Honduras. It's as if everything is a grand adventure and I'm not caught up in the worries and trivial things that plague me in the States. And I'm sure so much of it has to do with what I'm actually doing. Serving and missions just make me feel ALIVE! And being surrounded by people with the same passion for ministry is such a blessing! And life is usually a mixture of valley and mountain-top experiences ... the beauty comes in having God's joy and peace through every situation.

I've really been touched by seeing the lives and poverty of so many here in Honduras. It's convicting to say the least. And I've been challenged to make choices not based on my personal pleasure, but rather based on God's purposes. That one thought has the potential to radically change my life forever and I pray will be my heart's anthem for years to come.

After saying good-bye to the team on Tuesday, I traveled by bus to the hometown of my friends Daniela and Joel. I had visited Guiamaca last summer and absolutely loved it! So I was eager to go back. I got to see their families again and went to the evening church service. After the service, two of the music leaders were singing and playing together, so Joel and I stuck around for a while to sing with them. I think that's one of my favorite memories from the last few days! Just us four, sitting in the front of the church, singing out hearts out to God!

I'm back in La Joya now and will be here until Monday, staying with the three missionary kids while their parents take a trip back to Copan Ruinas. I love being with this family and am glad it worked out to let Clifton and Jane get away for a few days. 😊

The weather is lovely! It gets pretty chilly at night (Tuesday night in Guiamaca it got down to 50 F), but when the sun comes out during the day it's really perfect! It's transitioning to summer, so it's slowly getting warmer and warmer. The kids are starting to enjoy the hotter weather by playing in the rivers and streams! I'm trying to take advantage of the sun and get as much tan as possible before I leave on Tuesday! 😊

Lots of love to all! Abriela

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