Beggin' for MJ

Its Sunday night, I am relaxing before the week starts and I hear the all to familiar call. "Harry!" "Hey Harry!" Paul and Jarbie are only supposed to come by on Mondays and Wednesdays now so that we can work on English, watch cartoons and eat pancakes. But here they are at 8pm on a Sunday night (thats late when you have to get up at 6am). I go outside and they are waving a DVD in the air through the bars of our gate. "Harry, can we watch it, can we watch it!" Come to find out the boys have begged for and saved enough money to buy "This is it" the Michael Jackson movie that came out like 2 days after he died. MJ lives up to his king status here in Honduras. Many things have shocked me here like the love of the people for Garth Brooks, the taxi's that have removed all the seat belts and door handles and the obsession with Bojangles. But nothing fascinates me like the way they cherish MJ, thriller and Billy Jean are like a life line that runs through Central America. Maybe this is true for the rest of the world and my eyes are just beginning to be opened to it. Regardless, Paul and Jarbie were about to pee in their pants with excitement. I felt like the grinch on Christmas but I couldn't let them start to watch their hard earned DVD on Sunday night. I wasn't ready to be moved by the music. We made a few PBJ's and I sent them on their way promising that we would watch part of it when they come over next to work on English. Incentives are great for productivity.

Doors

So a about a month ago now God made it clear that He intended for me to stay here another year. I was nervous, kinda stressed, and a confused about what to expect so I asked God to open some doors and give me some answers. God continued to tell me "one day at a time."
So some awesome things have happened since then. I got connected with a guy on the other end of the island who runs basketball, soccer and baseball leagues. Church just seems to be more fulfilling and is beginning to feel like home. Two great friends are interviewing to come work at the school next year. I got connected and am beginning to work with an organization that is infiltrating human trafficking on the island and is building vocational training centers here to train the locals for working in the resorts. Paul and Jarbie read a whole Dr. Seuse book last night, haha, huge progress from not knowing the alphabet 2 months ago. Good stuff happening!
The year is starting to wind down though, one more month of classes, then exams, then home for the summer. I am trying to figure out a way to make some money this summer that pays well, has no commitment and complete flexibility, haha let me know if you know of anything. I can mow your lawn, paint you house, pull weeds, change your oil, just give me a holler. The kids are getting antsy about the end of the year and the days are getting hotter. It was 97 on Tuesday with humidity that makes charleston seem like a dessert. We had to cancel classes for the day and cram the kids into our three air conditioned rooms. In this heat PE was a bad choice, but I am making it work. We got some wood this week to make ping pong tables. The plan is to set them up in the shade which will give us all a little break. I will keep ya'll updated on how things work out with our rigged up tables. Thanks for reading, I will update again soon! Have a beautiful day

La Isla

So I went back to the states for Spring break last week and had a great time with people I love. The time flew by and I drove all over the Carolina's but the time was blessed. Everywhere I stopped and most of the time in the car was quality. I had dinner with a few friends, had a solid time at the 1 dollar theatre, threw rocks with my nephew, went to Golden Coral with my Grandma, and spent good time with the rest of my friends and family on the coast. So while I was driving and making all these stops God revealed something to me that I wasn't expecting. Here Goes:


About 2 months ago I started having a feeling that God wanted me to keep an open mind about coming back here next year. I brushed it off and tried to ignore it because I know that I want to come back to the States. My time here is awesome and God is allowing me to be a part of some great stuff but I miss my friends and family. Anyway I didn't think much of it, I thought maybe God just wanted my obedience, to keep an open mind but I didn't actually believe he wanted to keep me here against my will. So a couple weeks after I got this feeling, I talked with my friend John who encouraged me to think about staying another year also. He was making the point that one year just kinda lays the ground work and if I stay another year, God will be able to build on what has already begun. I agreed with what he was saying but I still wasn't ready to receive it. Spring break came around and I was headed stateside to see a lot of ya’ll and maybe get some clarity on what I am supposed to do next year. The week was a blur of goodness so I will just hit a few points here. I am told by my good friend Kendall that she feels like I will be in Honduras another year, then I go to Charleston and met up with Doug (an older friend who has become a mentor to me over the past two years) who immediately began to tell me the importance of staying in Honduras for at least another year. Keep in mind that I hadn't talked to Doug about this at all, but this isn't the first time God has used him to speak into my life. That night I hung out with a few of the fellas, smoked some cigars and really got encouraged in what God was trying to reveal to me as I talked and prayed with my buddy Chris. 5 hours later, I woke up ate some breakfast and drove up to Myrtle Beach. On the drive I called an old friend who I did not get to see while I was in Charleston. I gave her a brief summary of what I do here in Honduras and told her that I now thought I may be here another year. She asked if she could pray for me and began to ask God to fill me with love for kids with no parental guidance. Again God was speaking clearly to me about the kids he has brought into my life here in Honduras. All this woman knew is that I love the Lord and teach PE here. It was very encouraging to have God repeatedly speak his will into my life through so many different people. I accepted Gods call to stay here for another year and I continue to be excited about what he is doing on this island. He is giving me a vision for the rest of this year and next. I see a solid Younglife style youth group being established that leads this community into fellowship and service. I see tutoring and mentoring the street kids in our community. I see more organized sports teams that allow our students some structure and discipline. I see Gods powerful spirit invading this island.

Recent highlights:
- More relationships being established with kids on the island who lack any supervision or guidance
- -Paul (13) and Jarbie (12yr) are coming over 3 times a week. We usually make pancakes and work on learning to read for about an hour. They now both know the alphabet and can read some basic words.
- I found out there is a baseball league on the other end of the island
- I am enjoying teaching more than usual
- Our first youth worship and movie night is this Friday

Jesus

"I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" -1 Corinthians 2: 2

Most religions seem to portray God as having the same or similar characteristics that I believe he has. In Sikhism they see him in all creation when spiritually awakened. I would venture to say that God can capture anyone’s heart and captivate them with his creation. When this awakening takes place, that person will grasp and run with whatever belief system is close by. If I had grown up in India and was awakened to God’s majesty in the Himalayas rather than the Rockies, I may be running full speed in the direction of Nirvana rather than the cross. I was taken back by the beauty and vastness of Gods creation while he gripped my heart in Colorado and has continued to do so through the beauty surrounding me each day. I would have been running toward a dead end in India but I would have been blind to any other option because of Buddhism, Hinduism, or Sikhisms close proximity. Who is to say I can’t approach a Sikh or a Buddhist, allow him to keep his religion and his “God” or “Buddah” but offer him further enlightenment with the knowledge and revelation of salvation through Jesus, who most religions already acknowledge as a great teacher. God is God, but without Jesus, it can’t become personal. This would allow them to truly see with the “inward eye,” to have a connection with the God who has captivated them. These religions teach and enforce a standard of living and expectations to reach an inward place of achievement. What Jesus teaches is that the goal is not something we achieve within our own capabilities but something we achieve by connection with the creation and creative power around us. The only way to do this is to accept the help from the creator. The help is Jesus, he is our path, the bridge between us and God. The goal is unity between Gods will and our own, living in that unity is the challenge. Accept the gift, receive the spirit and serve with God. They already believe in the life if Jesus, but they need to know the rest of the story. He died, rose and sent his spirit. Once they know Jesus, God will handle the rest, through his word, through his body and through his spirit. We must connect Gods people with the creator that has captivated them.

I want the Bara.

"Hey teacher, buy me some food." 'What' "will you buy me something?" 'What do you want' "some zambos and a fresco." This was one of my first interaction with Jarbie and Paul. Paul is 12 and in the third grade in the public schools and Jarbie is 11 and in 4th grade. They are black islander kids who live about a mile from me and can be seen anytime at Bojangles or the grocery store. They eat every meal by begging and spend all of their free time fishing, fighting or walking around town. These kids have families and "homes" but no parental guidance, supervision, or upbringing. The other teachers and myself have been able to build relationships with them just through our interactions around town. I talked to Paul months ago about going fishing sometime and helping him learn to read. After a week or so I shrugged off the idea because nothing seemed to be coming of it and two nights ago was reminded that words stick and what I shrugged off, Paul didn't. "Hey teacher, whats up man (wresting ensues)." 'hey man, how is school, are you making good notes?' "yeah" 'How about the reading, how is that coming?' "Spanish is ok but English is too hard" 'How would you feel about letting me help you learn to read English?' "Ok, we never went fishing" 'your right, I still want to do that' "Ok first we fish in the morning then learn to read at night." At 9:30 yesterday morning Paul showed up at the apartment with two of his other buddies, Jarbie and Keko. We proceeded to go "catch em' big Bara"(Baracuda). We took a taxi into town, bought some fishing line and some shrimp on the street. We then took a bus to the west end of the island, bought some hooks, grabbed some coke bottles from the garbage and I was taught the art of coiling line. There is an art form to wrapping fishing line around a bottle and baiting the hook to catch em' big fish. We fished off a dock underneath a restaurant for about 2 hours. The boys caught tons of fish but it wasn't an art that I was able to master. I caught one fish that was about 3 inches long, but I did catch something which is better than usual. The boys didn't catch a Bara but they did catch a big long nose gar and a huge Jack. Both of these fish were immediately carried upstairs to the kitchen of the restaurant. 'What did the cook say?' "Thank you, they let us fish here if we bring them the big ones and sometimes they let us eat here; not outside, inside the restaurant." After our time fishing, we went for a swim, me in my khaki shorts and three black boys in tighty whities, haha it was good stuff. I got to tell Jarbie the story of Jesus and pray with him while the other boys were swimming. It was an awesome opportunity that the Lord definitely set up. He opened up to me and shared a lot of things that an 11 year old boy should never have weighing on his life. It was a great afternoon and I think the boys are planning to come over one day this week and let me help them with their homework. We will see, one step at a time. "we fish first"

Sports, Guitar, Jesus and a bum knee

We have officially begun playing American Football. The day after the superbowl, all PE classes began step one of learning to use a football which is "Don't kick it!" I had to explain that a football is not round like a soccer ball, therefore it does not roll properly when kicked to another student. Regardless of what I say the students still insist on trying to dribble it in the air with their feet and knees. After a week or so of doing drills we are now playing flag football and the students seem to really enjoy it when they understand what's going on (Thanks Matt for the flag belts your church donated). We also recieved 10 brand new footballs a week ago. I called my mom in the states to see if she could buy a couple footballs and send them down to us and she ended up sending 10 free ones. She went to the PE teacher at her school to ask her if she could help deflate some balls to send me and the PE teacher gave her footballs that someone had brought and given to their school for free. God is really loving sports these days. I love the ways he has blessed me and this school. Its a beautiful thing. In other news I have begun to seriously learn guitar finally. My dad bought me a guitar five years ago and it has been played by me maybe twice a year until now. I feel like its finally time for me to learn to play to worship God and lead others into that as well. So keep that in your prayers if you would along with my bum knee. I decided to start training for another marathon about a month ago and within one week, I couldn't walk without 4 Ibprofens. I messed up my knee somehow and its driving me crazy because I can't run like I would like to. I don't know whats going on with it any prayer for healing and patience is needed.
Life on the island has been very good. Some other teachers and I have begun going to an orphanage on the weekends and hanging out with the kids who live there. There are 21 kids total and one woman who lives at the home with them. As you would imagine, they don't have much supervision and definitely do not recieve the attention that is needed. The kids are a little rough around the edges but great and very open to us being there. I am going hiking and possibly iguana hunting with a few of the older boys this weekend. Should be an adventure.

Bling Blau

Here are a few snapshots of life on the island over the past months. Enjoy. I will write again soon, but I'm out of words today.


A nice swim to the cay's


Just a walk on the beach, a friend called this the "Honduran babysitter"


Daddy-o


Taking a walk through town on Saturday I was able to hang out with Christian. He was with his friend building a boat to wade out and go fishing. They were stuffing coke bottles into the cracks of this pallet to make it float and using a stick to push themselves out into the water. It was quite amusing but looked fun so a few minutes later I found myself in the water with them. Haha, I love the ingenuity of kids.


Mi amigos y yo having a day off


I love you too momma