A Typical Day from Karen's Perspective
Dear family and friends,
Unfortunately, I’m not as talented a writer as my husband, and my day is not nearly as interesting as his. What follows is how I spend most days here in Puerto Lempira.
A typical day always begins with noise. Either the roosters crowing, the dogs barking, the people walking by our home talking, or a small planes taking off, are usually what awaken me each morning. It’s so nice to not hear an alarm clock, and even nicer to not have to get up and RUSH.
First thing, I make our bed. This entails straightening out a sheet and then tucking the mosquito net back under our air mattress. Ed is usually already at the table listening to Jon Courson teach through the bible. I pump some potable water from our 5-gallon jug and light the stove to make instant coffee. Then I spend as long as I like reading the Word of God. I’m reading through the bible systematically in six different books simultaneously. I’m currently in Genesis 39, Joshua 18, Psalm 90, Jeremiah 16, John 3, and will start 1 Thessalonians, having just finished Colossians. Each day a read the next chapter or more if I’m in the middle of a theme. This is one of the best times of the day. The only downside is that people here are early risers, and many a time, we’ve had visitors while still in our pajamas.
I put away last night’s dishes, get water ready in two buckets for washing and rinsing breakfast dishes, sweep through the house and do some other light house cleaning.
Next, it’s time to take a bucket shower or get dressed. We’ve become indulgent, and now heat a saucepan of cistern water for every two buckets of unheated water. This makes the water temperature perfect for bathing. Once dressed, I survey our food needs for the day and make a list.
If it’s sunny, I do Ed’s and my laundry by hand, outside the back door by the cistern. I found it’s easier to do a few things about every other day. Only so much fits on the clothesline and if it rains we have to find room to drape items all around the house. The girls do their own laundry. The sheets and towels we take to a woman who has a machine and pay her to do them.
Rarely a day goes by that I don’t walk into the market area of town to buy something we need. I can only carry so much from the shops to our house. Often I go to Gabrelino’s store for pantry items and paper products. Even though it’s further away from our home than other stores selling the same things, gringos are allowed behind the counter to pick out their merchandise. Chow’s, where I go to buy cheese (resembling a funky kind of feta cheese), ground beef and canned juice, is one of the most popular stores in town. There is always a crowd waiting inside and sitting outside of the store. Next, I see where I can get some fresh vegetables and/or fruit. If a boat hasn’t been in to the pier recently, it’s often slim pickings. I don’t always relish this daily ritual. I must speak Spanish and if the shopkeeper asks me anything out of the ordinary, I’m often lost. Also, even though we’ve been here for three months, we still draw a lot of attention from onlookers. At times it’s uncomfortable, but not unbearable. There is definitely continual low level of stress living in a place where you are always the foreigner.
Before when I left the house, I used to bring my backpack complete with hand sanitizer, water bottle, sunblock, glasses and sunglasses, toilet paper, SPF 15 chapstick, I.D., a list, and some “limps” (short for “lempiras”, the local currency). Now, I shove my list and “limps” in a pocket, whip on my sunglasses, and go. The minimalist lifestyle here is contagious.
If Ed and I head out together, I usually meet up with him after shopping at the Internet café. We send e-mails we’ve written the day before at home, downloading them from a portable hard disc. Next we down load any e-mails we’ve received onto the disc to read later at home. We do this to keep the cost down. Many times due to bad weather, the signal is lost or the power is cut off. It can be frustrating, but we’re so thankful to have this way to connect with the outside world.
Ed and I often are back by lunchtime. By now the girls are in the thick of their school day (if we have power- we had none today until 6:30 pm). Usually they have questions about their schoolwork or quizzes and tests and need help. As the designated home school teacher, I grade all their work and then record them on their respective progress reports that are to be sent in at the end of each quarter. I spend most of my time helping them study for tests and quizzes. Between the three of them, they take these exams almost daily.
When the girls no longer need me, and if I didn’t do it earlier in the day, I spend some time in prayer. It’s glorious to be able to take as much time as you want to seek the Living God and make intercession without having in the back of your head what you need to do imminently.
Sometimes I study Spanish in the afternoon, or if it’s a Tuesday or Thursday I like to join Ed as he conducts a bible study with the high school students. We use to go the Christian elementary school and help out a few days a week, but they are closed for vacation now. The schools open again in mid-Feb. On Mondays, a Cuban anesthesiologist named Sara and I, planned to meet in order to swap language skills. She’s been sick. Now she’s on call at the hospital, so we haven’t gotten together as of late. She is a Christian and we met at church. She misses her family terribly. Her stint here is for one year. She’s then able to return to Cuba for a couple months, but must return here again for an additional year. I’m not sure if she had any choice or not in coming here. It turns out the small Cuban medical group here is told not to divulge the true nature of life in Cuba to Americans. They are told we may be spies and there could be possible negative consequence for their families at home. They eagerly bemoan the misery of life in Cuba to native Hondurans though.
Chaela has developed a relationship with a poorly nourished puppy. Each day I walk her to where it lives and she feeds it chicken skin and cooked entrails. Bethany has piano practice with the worship team at church on Thursdays and Saturdays. We walk the girls everywhere. They still feel uncomfortable here. Their light hair and blue
eyes really make them stand out.
I always try to take a nap. We all seem to be more tired here. I asked Ed if it’s due to a lack of adrenaline because of low stress lifestyle. It could be the hot, humid climate. Maybe it’s a combination of both.
Dinner usually takes an hour to prepare. It’s becoming more difficult to be creative with the available ingredients. We are beginning to tire of the limited food selection. If I ask what everyone wants for dinner, they all say, “I don’t care”. When we go to Florida next week-look out! Chaela and Gabrielle are planning how to eat their way through the holidays. Chaela asked for broccoli and my homemade macaroni and cheese for Christmas. Gabrielle wants to eat mass quantities of yogurt and a wide variety of fresh fruits daily. All I want for Christmas is to go to the Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream. I’ve only been there once with our dear friends the Ottmans and long to go again. A grilled vegetable pizza sounds wonderful too.
After dinner and dishes, it’s often time for more schoolwork, leisure reading or typing e-mails. Sometimes we just stay at the table and talk for hours. On Monday nights Ed goes to a men’s bible study at church and leaves before dinnertime. The girls and I usually have pancakes and eggs or something equally not fussy. I love spending so much time with our daughters. On Wednesday nights we have a church meeting. We meet Sunday mornings too. On Friday and/or Saturday nights we try to borrow a DVD movie from our friends the Grigg’s. A favorite so far is the movie Harvey, with Jimmy Stewart. We laughed out loud throughout. We watch almost all the bonus material available on the DVD’s as well. We soak in every ounce of the limited entertainment when we have access to it. I like to watch the movies while displaying the Spanish subtitles. Then it doesn’t feel like a total waste of time. Sometimes we have to watch them with English subtitles because of the noise level around our house. I think the biggest threat to our health here is to our hearing. I’m not kidding.
Now that the Engle’s are in the States, we are dispensing the milk and formula recommended by the hospital doctors to the malnourished children and their families. They come at all times of the day. So far, so good, even with my limited knowledge of the Spanish language. Thankfully, Spanish is also the Miskito Indian’s second language. According to Ed, not many speak Spanish terribly well. That’s comforting.
For the most part, I’m still enjoying our time here. My role here is one of supporter and helper to my husband and my children. I’m thankful Ed can get right in there and be effective in the Lord. I can offer prayer support, and make our home a sanctuary for us to dwell, in the presence of the Lord, in peace. Not being fluent in the language is a definite disadvantage. When I’m out and about, any written sign or music or conversations around me are only vaguely understood. My understanding is constantly in a haze and I never quite know for sure, with any clarity, what is going on or being said around me. It’s hard to explain. I hope when we visit the States I can remember how to be thoroughly engaged in my surroundings again. To some extent, it seems like it will be overwhelming to be able to make sense of things instantly and precisely again. I’m out of practice.
I thank the Lord for allowing us to be here and learn things we could ever know or understand otherwise. I pray He can use it for His glory and to further His Kingdom.
Hallelujah!
In Christ Jesus,
Karen
Unfortunately, I’m not as talented a writer as my husband, and my day is not nearly as interesting as his. What follows is how I spend most days here in Puerto Lempira.
A typical day always begins with noise. Either the roosters crowing, the dogs barking, the people walking by our home talking, or a small planes taking off, are usually what awaken me each morning. It’s so nice to not hear an alarm clock, and even nicer to not have to get up and RUSH.
First thing, I make our bed. This entails straightening out a sheet and then tucking the mosquito net back under our air mattress. Ed is usually already at the table listening to Jon Courson teach through the bible. I pump some potable water from our 5-gallon jug and light the stove to make instant coffee. Then I spend as long as I like reading the Word of God. I’m reading through the bible systematically in six different books simultaneously. I’m currently in Genesis 39, Joshua 18, Psalm 90, Jeremiah 16, John 3, and will start 1 Thessalonians, having just finished Colossians. Each day a read the next chapter or more if I’m in the middle of a theme. This is one of the best times of the day. The only downside is that people here are early risers, and many a time, we’ve had visitors while still in our pajamas.
I put away last night’s dishes, get water ready in two buckets for washing and rinsing breakfast dishes, sweep through the house and do some other light house cleaning.
Next, it’s time to take a bucket shower or get dressed. We’ve become indulgent, and now heat a saucepan of cistern water for every two buckets of unheated water. This makes the water temperature perfect for bathing. Once dressed, I survey our food needs for the day and make a list.
If it’s sunny, I do Ed’s and my laundry by hand, outside the back door by the cistern. I found it’s easier to do a few things about every other day. Only so much fits on the clothesline and if it rains we have to find room to drape items all around the house. The girls do their own laundry. The sheets and towels we take to a woman who has a machine and pay her to do them.
Rarely a day goes by that I don’t walk into the market area of town to buy something we need. I can only carry so much from the shops to our house. Often I go to Gabrelino’s store for pantry items and paper products. Even though it’s further away from our home than other stores selling the same things, gringos are allowed behind the counter to pick out their merchandise. Chow’s, where I go to buy cheese (resembling a funky kind of feta cheese), ground beef and canned juice, is one of the most popular stores in town. There is always a crowd waiting inside and sitting outside of the store. Next, I see where I can get some fresh vegetables and/or fruit. If a boat hasn’t been in to the pier recently, it’s often slim pickings. I don’t always relish this daily ritual. I must speak Spanish and if the shopkeeper asks me anything out of the ordinary, I’m often lost. Also, even though we’ve been here for three months, we still draw a lot of attention from onlookers. At times it’s uncomfortable, but not unbearable. There is definitely continual low level of stress living in a place where you are always the foreigner.
Before when I left the house, I used to bring my backpack complete with hand sanitizer, water bottle, sunblock, glasses and sunglasses, toilet paper, SPF 15 chapstick, I.D., a list, and some “limps” (short for “lempiras”, the local currency). Now, I shove my list and “limps” in a pocket, whip on my sunglasses, and go. The minimalist lifestyle here is contagious.
If Ed and I head out together, I usually meet up with him after shopping at the Internet café. We send e-mails we’ve written the day before at home, downloading them from a portable hard disc. Next we down load any e-mails we’ve received onto the disc to read later at home. We do this to keep the cost down. Many times due to bad weather, the signal is lost or the power is cut off. It can be frustrating, but we’re so thankful to have this way to connect with the outside world.
Ed and I often are back by lunchtime. By now the girls are in the thick of their school day (if we have power- we had none today until 6:30 pm). Usually they have questions about their schoolwork or quizzes and tests and need help. As the designated home school teacher, I grade all their work and then record them on their respective progress reports that are to be sent in at the end of each quarter. I spend most of my time helping them study for tests and quizzes. Between the three of them, they take these exams almost daily.
When the girls no longer need me, and if I didn’t do it earlier in the day, I spend some time in prayer. It’s glorious to be able to take as much time as you want to seek the Living God and make intercession without having in the back of your head what you need to do imminently.
Sometimes I study Spanish in the afternoon, or if it’s a Tuesday or Thursday I like to join Ed as he conducts a bible study with the high school students. We use to go the Christian elementary school and help out a few days a week, but they are closed for vacation now. The schools open again in mid-Feb. On Mondays, a Cuban anesthesiologist named Sara and I, planned to meet in order to swap language skills. She’s been sick. Now she’s on call at the hospital, so we haven’t gotten together as of late. She is a Christian and we met at church. She misses her family terribly. Her stint here is for one year. She’s then able to return to Cuba for a couple months, but must return here again for an additional year. I’m not sure if she had any choice or not in coming here. It turns out the small Cuban medical group here is told not to divulge the true nature of life in Cuba to Americans. They are told we may be spies and there could be possible negative consequence for their families at home. They eagerly bemoan the misery of life in Cuba to native Hondurans though.
Chaela has developed a relationship with a poorly nourished puppy. Each day I walk her to where it lives and she feeds it chicken skin and cooked entrails. Bethany has piano practice with the worship team at church on Thursdays and Saturdays. We walk the girls everywhere. They still feel uncomfortable here. Their light hair and blue
eyes really make them stand out.
I always try to take a nap. We all seem to be more tired here. I asked Ed if it’s due to a lack of adrenaline because of low stress lifestyle. It could be the hot, humid climate. Maybe it’s a combination of both.
Dinner usually takes an hour to prepare. It’s becoming more difficult to be creative with the available ingredients. We are beginning to tire of the limited food selection. If I ask what everyone wants for dinner, they all say, “I don’t care”. When we go to Florida next week-look out! Chaela and Gabrielle are planning how to eat their way through the holidays. Chaela asked for broccoli and my homemade macaroni and cheese for Christmas. Gabrielle wants to eat mass quantities of yogurt and a wide variety of fresh fruits daily. All I want for Christmas is to go to the Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream. I’ve only been there once with our dear friends the Ottmans and long to go again. A grilled vegetable pizza sounds wonderful too.
After dinner and dishes, it’s often time for more schoolwork, leisure reading or typing e-mails. Sometimes we just stay at the table and talk for hours. On Monday nights Ed goes to a men’s bible study at church and leaves before dinnertime. The girls and I usually have pancakes and eggs or something equally not fussy. I love spending so much time with our daughters. On Wednesday nights we have a church meeting. We meet Sunday mornings too. On Friday and/or Saturday nights we try to borrow a DVD movie from our friends the Grigg’s. A favorite so far is the movie Harvey, with Jimmy Stewart. We laughed out loud throughout. We watch almost all the bonus material available on the DVD’s as well. We soak in every ounce of the limited entertainment when we have access to it. I like to watch the movies while displaying the Spanish subtitles. Then it doesn’t feel like a total waste of time. Sometimes we have to watch them with English subtitles because of the noise level around our house. I think the biggest threat to our health here is to our hearing. I’m not kidding.
Now that the Engle’s are in the States, we are dispensing the milk and formula recommended by the hospital doctors to the malnourished children and their families. They come at all times of the day. So far, so good, even with my limited knowledge of the Spanish language. Thankfully, Spanish is also the Miskito Indian’s second language. According to Ed, not many speak Spanish terribly well. That’s comforting.
For the most part, I’m still enjoying our time here. My role here is one of supporter and helper to my husband and my children. I’m thankful Ed can get right in there and be effective in the Lord. I can offer prayer support, and make our home a sanctuary for us to dwell, in the presence of the Lord, in peace. Not being fluent in the language is a definite disadvantage. When I’m out and about, any written sign or music or conversations around me are only vaguely understood. My understanding is constantly in a haze and I never quite know for sure, with any clarity, what is going on or being said around me. It’s hard to explain. I hope when we visit the States I can remember how to be thoroughly engaged in my surroundings again. To some extent, it seems like it will be overwhelming to be able to make sense of things instantly and precisely again. I’m out of practice.
I thank the Lord for allowing us to be here and learn things we could ever know or understand otherwise. I pray He can use it for His glory and to further His Kingdom.
Hallelujah!
In Christ Jesus,
Karen
posted by Eric Stephens at 17:09
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