Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Well friends, I just have to say it. FAIL!  It has been about a month and half and I have not posted anything on here.  This just proves that even when living in a part of this country with a much slower pace, much less commercialism, no holiday parties and no shopping to do, you can still have an extremely crazy holiday season!  But I am here now, so let´s go!  During my time at the Finca thus far, this is something I am learning a lot.  I can´t dwell on a mistake I made or something that didn´t happen.  All we can do is be present in that moment, realize where we are now and then move forward from there. 

I am currently sitting in Trujillo at an internet café. I feel like I am here all the time’ not necessarily here using the internet but here in town.  In comparison to most of the other missionaries, I am here the most.  In addition to our travel in for mass, I have to come in a bit more because of my job and need to go to the bank or to the internet.  I am getting used to the drives in- around 20 to 30 minutes depending on the driver and just how much worse the roads have gotten since the last trip.  They continually get worse and it is quite the adventure to drive in them.  I have had a couple driving lessons since being here since I have never driven a manual car before.  I drove all the way into Trujillo on Tuesday!  It went really well even though it was only my second time to drive! I seem to have gotten the hang of it pretty quickly. Not only do we have to learn how to drive manual but you also have to learn about how to avoid the potholes, not fishtail the car when you are sliding in the mud, not bounce your passengers too much, to honk in friendly ways (used a lot here), how to pass the goats/pigs/cows/horses you come across in the road and much more. Like I said- quite an adventure.  Not sure when I will be made an official Finca driver but we are really in need of them right now since most of the middie class is on vacation in the States.

This week has been a bit of a breather for all of us.  Since Thanksgiving, it has been pretty non-stop at the Farm with winter school and PAVI and for me, loads of accounting.  We even stopped all of the formal activities a week before Christmas to begin the 2 week vacation but preparations for the 24th and celebrations for Advent kept us all quite busy!  I was working on two "obras". One was a traditional nativity scene with our younger kids (age 4 to 12) from winter school.  Making costumes, helping kids learn their lines, directing bodies and teaching them bilingual songs. We had our hands full for sure.  It kind of was a disaster but I think mostly in a cute way.  Most of the kids had a ball and watching our Angel Gabriel, a boy named Rony, do his lines was just so sweet. At the end, we all sang this little light of mine, referring to the light that Jesus brought to us.  It was a big hit as they sang in English and in Spanish.  With the older kids, we worked on a 10 minute little play about a nativity set that has been terrorized by some kids and Jesus replaced with Santa Claus and Rudolph.  It had a great message and even a rap/song/chant thing at the end.  Seeing how the kids progressed though the practices, got over their peina, and then shined on the stage was really wonderful!  Of course, we did have some of the kids who were holding their lines and just saying them straight faced but most were really into it!  I was soo proud of them!  Working with Betsy, another missionary, was such a good way to learn more about working with our kids and how to handle the attitudes we face.  She is also my roommate and I am learning a lot from her!

In addition to our two plays, Christmas eve included mass, large community dinner (complete with the pig named Wilber we slaughtered and I helped cook!), a dance number (led by my amazing missionary sister Allison), a visit from Santa complete with presents for every child, a prayer and fireworks on the campo, and a short dance.  Mass wasn´t until 7 pm and everything else was after that. Needless to say, no one was in bed before 1:30, even our littlest ones.  I had spent most of the day working on the pig with our house five padres and the boys who live there.  I really like hanging out with them because it reminds me so much of hanging out with Bennett and Eddie and a bunch of their friends.  Because I am so used to hunger brothers, they don´t intimidate me while some other missionaries struggle a bit at that house.  In my class, I am the only oldest child (besides two who are only children) and the only one without a sister. I definitely get the boy thing which makes it fun for me!

A funny thing that happened that night was when one of our Franciscan sisters, Sor Cristiam almost lit my whole arm on fire.  We had bought sparklers for the kids and I was helping hand them out.  I had a bunch in my left hand and was getting people to light them one by one to give them to the kids. I had about twenty when all of a sudden, Sor decides to light all of them at one time with her sparkler!!  They all went up in smoke and suddenly there is not just sparkling but a full blown fire than I am holding in my hand.  Stunned for a moment, I eventually drop the whole pile and just yell, Sor, sor! ¿¿Por que, por que?? (Why, why?).  She just starts laughing hysterically and I joined right in with her. It was quite an event.  

Next topic- big news!! I am officially a Honduran resident!!  I have my temporary card while the other one is being printed (we´ll get them in a month).  Getting these things completed was more than an exercise in patience.  Basically, a combination of a terrible lawyer who unfortunately doesn´t really do what he says he will and gives us the wrong info coupled with a Honduran bureaucratic system that is INSANE to navigate and super slow made for a big headache.  We had to take two unexpected trips to Ceiba, both taking longer than anticipated.  It also meant sitting for 4 hours in the migration office waiting for the system to come back on after a power outage, spending a ton of time on the phone with our lawyer, running around Ceiba getting photocopies, praying non stop Hail Marys that the bank won´t close before I get to the front of the line to pay, and many other “adventures”.  Some positive notes: spending time with the kids and missionaries in Phase II on our first trip, staying with the Satterlee family in Ceiba to enjoy their wonderful company and hot showers on the second trip, realizing I can hold whole conversations in Spanish with a Honduran lawyer over the phone!, spending quality time with a good part of my missionary community… Let´s just hope that going to pick up our official cards with just require showing up but let´s just say I am planning on something major happening just to be ready if it does. 

 

In more fun news, my parents are officially coming in about 6 weeks!  I am just so excited to see them and introduce them to the Finca which is now my home.  I am sure after the trip they will be quite excited to share with some of you all what this place is like!  If you are interested in sending anything down to the Farm but would like to skip the shipping, feel free to drop it off to them and they will be bringing down an extra bag, if necessary, with donations.  This could include things like school supplies (glue sticks, construction paper, stickers, tape, coloring books, etc.), books in Spanish, clothes or shoes in pretty good condition, etc. Remember that I will be a special ed teacher by that point and will always welcome fun little things to use in my little classroom.  Let me know if you have any questions about anything!

Also, a note about my communication moving forward- we as a missionary community are looking to be even more intentional with our use of technology and internet.  I will seek to send out a little something once a month but I really can´t guarantee anything.  I will be in a bit more communication with my parents and a bit on email but letters are always good!  I always promise a response, but it just might be a little while depending on my crazy schedule and when the next visitors are going back to the States to mail things. I just wanted to say thank you all for your patience and love even when we are not able to communicate often.  

Finally, I just want to end with another huge thank you to each of you for all of the different ways that you support me through prayer, donations, messages, emails, letters, etc. Knowing that some people just think of me and the Finca once in a while is a comfort because hopefully those thoughts become a quick prayer.  If anyone is looking for a saint to look to for devotion, I suggest Saint Therese! I just read a little book all about her intercession and she just keeps coming up in my life.  She is a really beautiful saint with a very simple message.  She is the patroness of missions and of my house down here so check her out!!

Please send me your prayer intentions if you can!!  

I love you all and miss you greatly!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!!

Con amor en Cristo,

Erin Lucia

Still around... I promise!!

Hello family and friends!

Well, my goal was to write a blog post every two weeks.  I missed last week- sorry about that!!  Some of you know that I am not the biggest writer and it takes a lot of motivation to take the time to sit down and write.  As you might have noticed with some of my other blogs, however, once I sit down to start writing and something really takes off, I can write quite a bit.  Next week’s blog will be a fun one to write because I will be sharing all about Thanksgiving!  We have been prepping for a while and it is going to be a crazy day since over 80 people will be in our house.

Things here are going really well. We are currently in the middle of “vacation” here.  I put that in quite because vacation just means a different type of busyness. School ended two weeks ago with a beautiful graduation ceremony for our 6^th graders.  Honduran law only requires school through 6^th grade so it is a big deal. We also had a wonderful celebration of our 9^th graders. Our colegio (middle school) is 7^th through 9^th and then our Finca kids have the opportunity to move to La Ceiba and attend high school in our Phase II program.  A week and a half ago we had a send off for 3 of our kids and the new Phase II encarcados (leaders).  This means that our Phase II program will be 5 Finca kids and the two leaders, as the oldies Erin and Alicia will be moving back to the Finca to pend their final days with us. Dalilia was also part of the program but just graduated from High school and will going to university on a scholarship!!  It was so exciting to hear about this.  We won’t have another high school graduation until two years from now, when I am an “oldie” here. It will certainly be an epic weekend as all five current Phase II kids will be graduated since some are in three year vocational programs but the new kids will only be doing 2 year university prep programs!

Anyway, back to “vacation”.  During this time, we have a lot going on.  If you have turned twelve or started 6^th grade, you can participate in PAVI, which is a work program around the farm where you can earn small amounts of money- mostly to save for their time in Phase II and also to spend on treats, special clothes or an extra time to watch a movie, etc. They do a variety fo different things including maintenance work, tutoring in the neighborhood, working with winter school, cooking, etc. All of our kids under 12 or those who were not deemed ready for PAVI go to winter school.  Every morning for 3 hours, myself and the other 3 new teachers do a variety of activities with this group of crazy kids.  I say crazy because sometimes (honestly, most of the time), it is crazy.  Some people fondly refer to it as Finca hazing.  We are all adjusting to our roles as the authorities and learning more and more each day.  It is pretty exhausting but a lot of times really fun.  Sara and Kevin (who will both be in the colegio) can up with most of the day to day activities and schedule.  Allison is a rockstar when it comes to filling extra time or just working with the kids in general.  On Thursday of this week, she came up with these impromptu obras (skits) to do with the kid at the beginning of the day.  They were hysterical and a huge hit.  I have taken on the role of the leader of the littlest children (2 who were just in Pre K and 4 who were just in Kinder).  They can sometimes be a handful but I am learning how to bet work with them. 

In addition to PAVI and Winter School, we also have winter activities which are geared mostly for the older kids.  We do things like art, sports, exercise, book club, bible study, etc. Betsy (my room mate who is soo fun!) and I are doing a theater class.  We meet every Monday afternoon and our first meeting was soo fun.  Last year, it seems like they took a while to get into it but both Betsy and I totally put ourselves out there and looked like idiots this year. And it worked- the kids get pretty into it, everyone had a great time doing the funny warm ups, practice with emotions and diction and some improve games.  Some of our kids are some serious hams and I think we are going to have a ball together, as long as our older kids don’t become “to cool for school”.   We will soon start on obras for the oldies, who will be leaving in about 2 weeks and then we will do a Christmas play!  I loved it and can’t wait for Monday! 

Every afternoon and all day Friday, I spend in accounting.  I am now officially the “contadora” for the Farm and things are going well!  I really like this work and feel ready for the responsibility that comes with it.  I feel blessed that God gave me work that I am relatively comfortable with to go with the craziness of the many other things that are outside my comfort zone.

I have also had my first official meeting with the Personnel committee.  We will be responsible for picking all of our summer volunteers (there are usually 2-3) and all of the new missionaries for the next year.  This was just a brief introductory meeting but we already have some application reading and decisions to make about some other personnel thing.  I really am excited about this small job and work with a great committee of people.

For beginning this typing session with absolutely no clue of what to write, I’d say that was a lot of information and sharing!  I hoped you enjoyed it. Can’t wait to write next week and share our Thanksgiving stories.  I pray for all of you who will be doing a lot of traveling this week and visiting with family.

To my family, I wish I could be there to celebrate with you all but please know I am thinking about you and being well taken care of here!!  I can’t believe it is already Thanksgiving- where is this time going!!

Also, my wonderful grandfather will be celebrating his birthday this week. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIBBER!!! I miss you and love you!!

All my love to everyone,

Erin Lucia

P.S. Theresa, a past Finca volunteer and my AMAZING Finca-assigned prayer partner, was the only one to comment with the food that I cooked.  10 points to her even though yes, she does speak Spanish and knows about Farm life

A day in my life, which is anything but typical

Hello everyone!!
I am doing well, just wet most of the time as rainy season has arrived.  Currently sporting the awesome heavy duty rain boots I just purchased in town.  I miss home a lot but feel as though this is home now too, which I think is a good thing! I am busy busy with accounting work and work at the school. Sometimes, it gets a bit crazy.  For example, here was my day yesterday (Fridays are not a day I work at the school).

5:20 Wake up to the sound of chickens and my alarm, snooze it until 5:30 when I get up and get mostly ready for the day

5:45 Sleepily lead a prayer in the sala (living room) for a small group of missionaries

6:00 Head over to the chapel for a morning communion service (all in Spanish)

6:40 Eat breakfast with the 20 other people I live with and finish getting my things together for the day

7:00 Headed over to the office to start pay day... worked on preparing more checks and getting things ready

7:30 Workers from all over the Finca (including security, our house parents, and maintenance) came over to the office.  Rachel (the current accountant- I become official in mid November) signed everything and I gave them out one by one.  It is quite a process of receipt signing, money efectivo, etc. 

8:15 We leave the Finca with Rachel's two boys, a Sor (Franciscan sister who lives and works at the Farm), several neighbors and other Finca people in tow.  We head to town for errands- paying the gasoline bill for october, stopping by the bank to figure out exchange rate changes at the bank from august until now, picking up and paying for vegetables, trying to pick up mail (there was none because Trujillo hasn't had mail delivered all week!  O the mail system of Honduras!), running various errands for some fellow missionaries, etc.

10:40 We begin to head back to the Finca in the busito (big car that we drive back on forth on the dirt routes to town- about 20-25 minute ride)

11 Take Ruben (Rachel's youngest son who is 2) on a walk because his mom was feeling terrible, find Jacob (Ruben's dad and our missionary coordinator) at the maintenance shed with another of their sons and drop off Ruben.

11:30 Go back to the office and try to get all of the receipts put into the system and work on some cuentas until lunch

12:45 Head to the house and eat a wonderful lunch of eggs, rice, beans, vegetables. (note: I have to conjugate these back into English in my head because I am getting so used to the Spanish names)

1:30 Head back to the office to finish up some of the work from the morning getting our safe, computer files and office back to being organized

2:30 Attend a continued orientation talk given by the social work team about how we raise our kids here at the Farm.  Practiced the spanish phrases we might need if a situation should arise.

4:00 Realize that I am on to cook dinner and we only have 2 hours.  Okay, here cooking is much more time consuming because we deal with a fogon (which is basically a wood stove that is outside of our house).  2 hours can be plenty of time, or not enough time.  Both Nely and I had kind of forgotten we were scheduled to cook so we hadn't planned and didn't put out a pana in the bodega so our ration of pollo (chicken) was not put out to thaw.  Okay, explanation-  in our house, we only keep our weekly ration of foods not refrigerated.  There is only one refigerator for the entire farm community.  Each house has a box and we keep some queso and other small things in there. There is a big freezer and then thats it!  A trip to the Bodega involves finding the key (sometimes it is not on its hook), walking 2 minutes through the Farm, saying hi to House 5 (oldest boys) who are usually out and about, dodge a soccer ball, open up the bodega, get everything out, balance all the stuff you need and head back to cook.  Nely and I were saved by a bunch of ANGELS who came and helped with all of the work needed for our dinner of baleadas (tortillas de arena con huevos, frijoles, queso, y vegetales) y una ensalada con remolaches, lechuga, tomates y vinegre.  Ten points to the person who comments with all of the right ingredients in english!   Also note: Nely is from Nicaragua and speaks less English than I speak Spanish so everything we did was in Spanish. An adventure to be sure. 

6:30 Finally call "A comer" to signal its time to eat (yes late but still okay)!  Gather the troops together to pray and eat.  Have glorious tortillas- just a great meal in general because so many hands and love went into it.

7:15 Finish all of the clean up of the kitchen and take a shower!!  There was water and fabulous water pressure so it was a great thing after such a long day.  Reminder to those who forget: this was a cold shower on a cold night.  That is not a complaint just a reminder of how crazy it is that a freezing shower on a cold night can still be wonderful!!!

7:45 Come out to the Sala to hang out for a little bit.  I just started reading the Narnia series (I have never read them all the way through!) but didn't realize that Sara was also doing this.  I read a bit faster than her so I caught up and gently encouraged her to finish the last ten pages she had of the next book.  I am trying to read the next two by Monday so I can pass her and she doesn't have to rush.  Thus far, I have read 10 books since arriving at the farm (I'll finish number 11 tonight).  It is my favorite thing to do here in my down time.  That and play Settler's of Catan.  Look up this board game- it is fantastic.

8:30 Get in bed and read a few pages of The Dawn Treader before turning off the light and falling into a wonderful sleep!!

Okay, well- there you go.  This is just quick snapshot of a day here.  I didn't have much action with our kids except during dinner when a bunch of them were among the angels who helped us!  Every day is a bit different here but I hope this helped you see a little of what I do here when I am Erin the accountant.  Note:  I also become Erin the check writer, mail man, organizer, cook, babysitter, reader, game player, housekeeper.  It is really a blessing of a life that we have here.   

Love you all so much!!!

Erin Lucia

P.S. I didn't even hear about the hurricane until after it didn't hit us.  We are all safe and sound but praying for those who are struggling, including those in our surrounding area who struggle quite a bit during the rainy season!
P.P.S. I am currently sitting at TBay using the internet and one of the workers just came in with a pajaro (parrot) that was mimicking him saying "Hola!"  Hahaha... o the things I see and hear in Honduras. 

I have a job!!

Well, I have two fun things to share. 

First off, I have officially been given a job.  We have been going through the discernment process, as I mentioned in my last blog and I officially have a job now!!  I will be serving as the Special Education Teacher and the accountant.  These are both jobs that are 2/3 jobs so, needless to say, I will be quite busy.  However, I think I will do better to have a stricter schedule and really be productive during my time here.  It will be a great thing to balance the concrete of accounting and our budget and the somewhat spontaneous nature of special ed which will consist of a lot of one on one work with kids who have some learning disabilities.  Everyone hear is also given specific small jobs.  I will be the Saturday morning swim coach and a member of the Personnel committee, who reads through all of the new missionary applications and selects both the full time and summer missionaries.  I am sooo excited about all of my jobs and feel so blessed.  Every missionary also serves in various other roles including but not limited to cook, babysitter, tutor, mentor, catechist, housekeeper, etc.  It is a beautiful and simple life at the Farm but simplicity does not mean a lack of work to be done.  Don’t worry- we have a lot of fun too! Last night we ventured down to TBay, a hotel down the beach where we get to use the internet!.  We had a great night of crazy games and fun community bonding to celebrate the jobs that we, the newbies, have received!!

I also have a fun little story about my morning yesterday.  Well folks, I helped to cut down a tree and chop it up into firewood- with a chain saw and machetes.  Okay, so I only tried the chainsaw once and kind of failed at it but totally got the hang of how to use a machete!!  It was so fun and very rewarding work, seeing as there was a tree there before and now there is not.  Don’t worry, we don’t just chop down any old tree to use for our stove firewood.  This one was leaning very dangerously, had several dead branches and we only cut it off at a certain place hopeful that it will grow straighter.  The team consisted of other first year missionaries David, Sara, Kevin and I.  We were led by Raul, a former Finca missionary from two years ago who has been back at the Finca for a few months assisting in small projects and helping us through orientation.  Learning to use a machete for a little intimidating but I eventually got pretty into it and have the blister and sore muscles to show for it!

Pax y Bien de Honduras,

Erin Lucia

P.S. I am using another recently acquired skill (or, well, a skill that is still being developed).  I have had the great privilege to cut two people’s hair since I have arrived. Erin Marina and Raul both got trims!  Super fun :)

Life at the Farm...

Well, I have now been living here at the Finca for 5 days now.  Wow, it has been quite the week here.  A bit overwhelming at times but so blessed in many ways.  I don’t have much time with internet but here is a quick snapshot about what I have experienced here:

I live literally 50 feet from the ocean- I can currently here the waves from here in my room.

We eat a ton of rices and beans and all of our meals are shared among the 23 people that live in my house.

I wash my clothes in a pila- which is like a huge sink that we fill with water and then fill up bowls and pour out the water onto our clothes. We also use a pila for our kitchen sink, with which we wash our plates after ever single meal.

I made muffins using a fogon, which is basically a huge clay oven with an adjoining cook top that uses fire wood.  We use this to cook at every meal  except breakfast when we are allowed to use the stove in our house.

We can’t put toilet paper in the toilet and have to burn all of our trash. 

Showers are cold but so nice- although the line of girls is quite long since there at 18 of us and one shower, one sink and one toilet.

I really like my roommates Betsy and Mary Kate (two for now but only 1 after mid November since MK is moving to Ceiba to work with the adolescent program for her second year as a missionary). 

I have decorated the room and they were right- a bed, a couple of shelves and little else.  I am so lucky that I brought things to organize- hooks over our window shutters were such a blessing!!  Being organized is one of my trademarks here- word seems to be getting around that I really like it.  J 

There are a ton of bugs- just flicked an ant off my arm as I sit here in my bed and type (I like to type things up on my computer and then when I can get internet, I just send them!).  

There are also a ton of chickens and roosters and turkeys.  Every single one of them likes to begin making ridiculous amounts of noise starting at around 4 am, every day.  Since I get up around 5:20 it’s not terrible but still, that hour is quite important!!

As for how jobs are going here, it looks like the 6 jobs available for the group of us are:

2 social workers

Colegio (Middle School) Math

Colegio Science

Kinder/1^st Grade

Special Ed/Accountant

Please pray for us as we shadow and figure out in the next two weeks where we will be spending the next year!

That is all for now!

Much love to all at home,

Erin Lucia

Photo Post!

Here are some photos of the last couple of weeks that I wasn’t able to include in the previous posts!  

First, we have our group picture from the retreat. We are standing with the sisters from the convent where we had the retreat.  Here is a run down of everyone in the photo-

Back Row (L-R): David (1^st year missionary from the Bay Area, CA), Raul (former missionary back to help us with orientation), Felicia (she is slightly blocked and in purple.  She was a missionary at the Finca when it first opened in Honduras 15 years ago and now serves on the board.), Sara (1^st year missionary from Nashville), Erin Marina (1^st year missionary from upstate New York), Kevin (1^st year missionary from Memphis), ME, Allison (1^st year missionary from Chicago suburbs)

Front Row (L-R): Ashley (1^st year missionary and nurse extraordinaire from New England), Erin Patricia (3^rd year missionary currently serving as a house mom in La Ceiba in our Phase II program), 3 sisters from the convent, Zulena (one of the founders of our project and seriously one of the most amazing women I have ever met!!), Ysmary (our amazing director at the Finca)

Not Pictured: Jacob (2^nd year missionary and the volunteer coordinator)

My amazing birthday presents from my parents and host parents!! 
(see birthday posts for details)

 Celebrating my birthday with my whole house!

A destroyed Buzz Lightyear Pinata for Erin, David and I 
from the awesome other missionaries!!

School children in the extravagant Independence day parade in Parque Central here in Antigua.  

 This is a picture from our awesome trip up to Pacaya, a volcano about 1 hour away from Antigua.  This is one of the other volcanoes that we could see on our way up.

A group photo with all of the climbers (minus our guide)!!  That is the peak behind us.

  We didn’t go all the way up to the top but stopped about ¾ of the way up at a plateau.

Close to the top there are a ton of hot saunas because of the molten lava beneath the surface. We got to get in a couple!

 Some of the saunas were so hot that we could roast marshmellows!  FYI, the marshmellows in Guatemala are colored- pink, blue, yellow.  It is quite ridiculous.

Well, I hope you enjoyed looking at some fun photos from the past little while!

Much love to all,

Erin Lucia 

God Is...

Well, I wanted to write another blog post to share a little peek into what we have been talking about within our community. Felicia, who was one of the first missionaries of the Farm when is moved to its Honduran location, gave the missionaries a prayer book with a weekly reflection.  Today we met at my house and talked about seeing God in the people around us.  I wanted to share some of the places where I have seen Him…

… He is in the eyes of my new little Guatemalan brother named Kenneth as he knocks on my door and peaks into my room with a bright smile. “Cartas?” I have taught him several American card games and he can’t get enough.  He asks to play constantly and hearing his laughter when he gets a pair in Go Fish is wonderful.

… He is in the hands of an older indigenous woman wearing the vivid colors of traditional Maya dress. She is kneeling in the church with a posture of fervent prayer. She pats the head of her grandson who has run around the church and over to her looking for some love.

… He is in the face of a young teenager running through the streets of Antigua with his friends. He is blowing a whistle and following banners and a torch, celebrating his country’s independence from Spain so many years ago.  It begins to rain, as is the norm in the afternoons, and that only excites the group more, bringing out smiles and a lot of laughter.

… He is in the words of my new sister Allison.  She stopped by to see me twice while I was not feeling well yesterday. Her encouraging words and generous spirit warmed my heart and were yet one more reminder of the blessing of this new family the Lord has called me to.

… He is in the laughter of the guys I live with while we sit at the dinner table and attempt to speak Spanish with our host parents.  The little ways they remind me of my brothers at home are such a blessing.

… He is in the hard work of Ana Rosa, my Spanish teacher. She wakes up every morning at 3:30 to work in her parents’ bakery, spends four hours with me in the morning and goes back to working for them in the afternoon and evenings. She never seems tired and always has a positive attitude.  Her interest in my life and the ways she adapts based on my needs are true gifts!

… He is also in the friendly spirit of the other international students at La Union.  Sharing and talking with new friends… having a 15-minute conversation about the culture and food in Iceland- ever had horse before?  God is allowing us all to grow and learn so much more about the world.

… He is also in the grateful smile of a Guatemalan mom who took her children to play in the park. She has just watched her kids pounce on the candy from a Buzz Lightyear piñata that Ashley, Allison, Kevin and Sara bought for Erin, David and I. Sharing that moment with a bunch of children and watching their smiles and their moms smile made the piñata just that more special.

… He is in the 10-minute long video message from a dear friend from the States. Seeing the daughter of Christ she truly embodies reminds me of our journey at Elon and how much the Lord worked in the lives of all of my friends there.

I could go on and on about all of the places where God is.  He continues to show up and promises to keep doing so as long as we keep looking for Him.  Go check on Danielle Rose’s song God is.  She is amazing and the lyrics of this song are fantastic.

Much love to everyone at home!  

- Erin Lucia

My Birthday!

Well, I was more than blessed yesterday on my birthday. Seriously, I felt the love. I woke up in the morning to greetings of happy birthday from everyone in the house. At school, my missionary family, who had a wonderful card and notes, greeted me first.  Kevin is awesome at origami and he created a St. Crane-sis of Assisi. He (St. Cransis) was brown and Kevin drew a habit on him. It was fantastic. My teacher also brought me a gift! She gave me a beautiful rosary since we talk about God so much in class. Seriously, Ana Rosa is wonderful. I have really loved getting to know her.

Home for lunch, some reading, and laundry (hand washed and dried out on a line!). I went back to the school to meet up with some of my friends and they took me out for ice cream! Saritas is a franchise here and I had this awesome mango and cream cone.  I think that fruit ice creams here in Central America are much better than the States!  We walked around for a bit and eventually split up to go home for a Skype date I made with the lovely Tracy Schell.

I was very fortunate to have been able to Skype with a lot of people this week- email me if you want to set up a time!!  Seeing so many wonderful people that I love on and around my birthday was so great. 

Anyway, when I got home, there were even more surprises waiting for me.  I seriously think that I have the best parents in the world.  First off, they have let their daughter move very far away to a remote part of Central America for 2 ½ years.  Not only did they let me go but did so with so much support and love.   The first time I talked to them about wanting to be a missionary, one of the very first things my parents did was pray over me saying that while it would be very hard and that they would miss me a lot, they knew I belonged more to the Lord than to them and that they had complete trust in His will for my life.  Wow, it brings tears to my eyes to write it down- not to mention the wreck I was almost a year and a half ago.   

The second reason why I think they are so amazing is that they found a florist here in Guatemala and surprised me with roses, chocolate and wine. Seriously?!  It was amazing! Even though I have not physically been with them for the last 5 of my birthdays (because of college and now this one), they have always made me feel so special and continue to surprise me.  Anyone who reads this and then is able to see them, please give them a huge hug from me. I am expecting them to get bombarded, so please don’t forget!!

My host parents also had a surprise for me. They bought a wonderful cake for our entire house to share after dinner. It was so sweet and their hugs and love were priceless.  There are now 12ish people living in our house, plus visitors all the time.  A very large group came to sang Happy Birthday (in two languages!) and have cake.

After dinner, I was able to spend some time in the Perpetual Adoration Chapel that is 2 minutes from my house.  It is such a blessing to have that so close and accessable!  Afterwards, I met up with Sara, Kevin and David (the other missionaries were not feeling well and two of them are still sick- please pray for them!!!).  We went to this fun bar, had a beer and enjoyed an acoustic guitarist.  Sara and Kevin are both from Tennessee and literally couldn’t get enough.  It was such a great way to end a fantastic day!

Again, thank you so much to everyone who sent emails, posted on FB, or sent me anything.  Grandy and Bibber, I loved my card!!   You all have been such instruments for the Lord to show His love for me.

Until another post, Erin Lucia

P.S. My four new “host brothers” moved in and all 5 of us are now sharing the bathroom. My dad commented that my posts have been soo positive and that I should share something that is a little difficult too. Well, this is one but it is preparing me for life at the Farm where all of the girls will share.  

A Typical Day

So I thought it’d be fun to take you all on a virtual tour of my life here at La Union language school and then back to my house! Let’s go!

      This is the entrance to my language school.  It has a great set up with lots of individual tables. Each student is paired with a teacher and we each sit and learn at different paces. A lot of the teachers have different styles. Some of the other missionaries in my group didn’t mesh well with their teachers and needed to change but mine is great!! I have been so blessed. Ana Rosa is really fun to talk to and we have a great balance of book work, practicing verbal skills, games and just having conversations. Today, I also told the story of Little Red Riding Hood. It was ridiculous but such a great way to practice my spanish. It’s been a while since I heard the story so I definitely had to make some things up which made it even funnier.  My language skills are improving every day!

Okay, now I have to head home from language to have lunch at my house! 

Here is my front door.  I live at #45 and you basically walk in to the garage.

     Through the garage is this courtyard- which is beautiful!!! All of the rest of the rooms are off the courtyard. My room (you’ll see it in a second!) is off to the back.  There is a living room and dining room and kitchen. My host parents live in a really big master bedroom in the front right corner of the house, off the living room with their private bathroom.  And now…

      Here is my room! As you can see, I have moved in and made it my own with pictures, books, and other things to remind me of home. These pictures were taken while I was packing for the retreat so please excuse the stuff on the bed.

I also have a bathroom that is pretty much just for me.

Warm water for showers (!!!!!!) and plenty of space- its perfect.

This is my host family. Elder and Marina live in the house and have been hosting students for 8 or 9 years, since he retired. I have absolutely loved getting to know them and practicing my Spanish, especially with Elder. They have three children and 3 grandchildren. They are all precious! Kenneth is 5, Steven is 3 and Joanna is 7 months.  None of them live here but visit all the time!  4 of their nieces also live here during the week. They study and work in Antigua during the week, and return home on the weekends. There is another girl from the States who arrived on Saturday. She works for Google and took her vacation time to come study and teach computer skills for 10 days. Tomorrow, 4 guys from Michigan are also coming. They will be here for the entire fall semester. Basically, it will be a very full house when everyone gets here! Lots of fun!

A typical day for me starts by waking up at 7 to eat breakfast and get to school by 8. School from 8 to 12 Daily mass is at noon and at a church less than a minute from the school. Lunch at home and back to the school or a café called Y Tu Pina Tambien, to meet up with my fellow missionaries. It is totally a café for gringos (foreigners) but it has free wi-fi and great couches.  The afternoons are always different (Today, I went to 4 different travel agencies with Allison and Ashley looking into prices for some traveling our group will be doing). Home for dinner, homework, reading, internet use and bed.

Alrighty, I hope you enjoyed our little tour and a look into my life here. Sorry that this is so long! I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.

Love always,

Erin Lucia

Update from Antigua, Guatemala

I am currently sitting in my new room at my host family’s house.  I arrived here in Guatemala on Tuesday evening, landing at 8:30, followed by a 45-minute care ride to Antigua.  My host family has welcomed me with open arms and they have a wonderful home.  My host parents are in their late 50s- Elder and Marina.  Also living at the house are several of their nieces who study in Antigua during the week and return to their families on the weekends. There is wireless Internet at the house (sometimes) and I have a cozy room, which is just perfect for me!

I have spent the last two mornings at language school in one-on-one classes for 4 hours each morning.  So much is coming back to me since my last official Spanish classes in high school.  My time spent with my Aunt Marianne in a couple of lessons definitely helped train my ear and get me back until the swing of things a bit (thank you!!!).  My host family speaks no English so it has been an adventure in communication but a great one so far.

This weekend, I am heading out on a retreat with the other first year volunteers from the Farm. I am so excited to spend time getting to know everyone and growing closer to the Lord.  Yesterday, when I met everyone (except Allison- she comes today!!), I received yet one more confirmation that this is where I am supposed to be.  I have already been encouraged by and felt so much love from my new brothers and sisters in Christ.  I am so grateful.

I will definitely post more next week about the retreat and about Antigua but I think it is time to head back over the school, meet up with the other volunteers to figure out what fun things we are going to do this afternoon!!  Also, pictures to come of my house and room.

Don’t forget to send me your prayer intentions!!

Much love to all,

Erin Lucia

P.S.  Erin Marina picked out this new name for me. I was going to go by Erin Lacey at the Farm but Lacey sounds too much like Lazy and I was getting funny looks.  I love this new nickname!

Learn More About FOC!

Make sure to visit www.farmofthechild.org to find out more information on this wonderful organization and to meet some of the people I will be working with.  Also, check out photos on the site and the fantastic videos below!

Farm of the Child: Part 1


Farm of the Child: Part 2


Farm of the Child: Part 3

Welcome to My Blog!

Dear Family and Friends, 

      As many of you know, this fall, I will be joining a group of international volunteers at Farm of the Child (FOC) in Trujillo, Honduras.  My term of service will last 27 months, beginning with a month of language school in Guatemala and a move to the Farm on October 1, 2011. 

       I would like to invite you to please join me in this new mission!  There are two primary ways you can help support this organization and my own ability to serve.  First and foremost, I ask for your prayers… for the work being done at the Farm and for the children, house parents, local employees, Franciscan sisters and the other international volunteers.  If you are led to be a prayer partner, please email me!

       Additionally, I am in need of financial support to make this mission possible. I need to raise $10,000 to cover the expenses of travel, medical expenses and insurance, language school in Guatemala, and preparation costs and supplies.  If you are able to donate, thank you so much and please see the side bar with info about how to do so.  

       Please enjoy this blog as we share in this mission.  Feel free to post comments, pray requests or words of encouragement that I can pass along to my community.  As always, you can email me at erininhonduras@gmail.com

Love always,  Erin Lacey

P.S. I will be going by Erin Lacey because there are two other Erins there! :)