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