Rising Temperatures, Humidity, and a Faithful Prisoner

All continues to be well with us, thanks be to God! The temperatures are rising as well as the humidity. Soon we will be dripping with sweat when just sitting, and when we exert ourselves (like walking) the sweat just pours off our chins in great drops. I may think about adopting the Miskito women’s custom of carrying a hand towel over one shoulder to have a read mop for the rivulets of sweat that run down the face and neck.

The traditional Miskito women I see in town are usually barefoot and always wear a skirt with a short sleeved, mismatched shirt. Their beautiful black long hair is most often worn up. If they were to wear it loose, it would fall down their back in ringlets. Their skin is a lovely dark brown and their facial features are not unlike our Native American’s. They are on the stout side, by American standards, but exude a strength that leads me to believe they are mostly composed of muscle mass. They are no stranger to hard physical labor. The Miskito mothers carry their babies on their backs using a bed sheet. One end of the sheet comes over one shoulder; the other end comes around her waist, on the opposite side, and then tied together in the front. This gives the baby a comfortable sling to travel in. Babies are nursed whenever and wherever the need arises, without a moments notice.

When Katrina was in Syracuse last month she told the couple staying at our home that the Miskito women have a saying they instruct their children with- “You should obey me because I bled for you”. Katrina adds to that thought-- how much more should we obey the Lord Jesus, who bled and died for us? Amen.

The wear and tear on our bodies is much different than what we are accustomed to in upstate N.Y. We’ve stayed clear of chapped lips and almost all the upper respiratory ailments that usually come with the winter months. Here our feet are under attack. Gabrielle’s toenails are peeling and two of mine have fallen off. I think a fungus is the culprit. The beginnings of new nails can be seen underneath, but they’re not quite the same in appearance as the originals. The good news is that there is absolutely no discomfort associated with it. It’s just a slightly unnerving phenomenon. Our feet also look permanently soiled. Two of the girl’s feet are peeling on their soles and heals. Our skin has acquired more freckles and moles than ever before. We even have anti-freckles; white dots where there is no skin pigment at all. Intestinal problems are much more common. Ed, by far, has the most sensitive digestive system of the family followed by Gabrielle and then Chaela. Bethany has only suffered a couple bouts of stomach problems, eating something that didn’t quite agree with her. Everyone in the family has experienced increased light-headedness in this climate. If you’re crouched down and stand up quickly it’s not unusual to see stars and have to hold on to something for fear of toppling. All of our hair is very dry. It seems as if our skin is more prone to scarring too. Besides that we feel great!

We were invited to lunch on the island of Yahsu where Paula and James (American missionaries) live. Their home is gorgeous! When we figure out how to get the next round of photos onto this website you all can see it. Ed and Chaela swam and we enjoyed a wonderful day of good food (rice and beans of course) and fellowship. Paula is a R.N. and James can fix or build anything. They were sent here to refurbish a vacant house, a bunkhouse, and a couple other structures on the island so as to be able to host short and long-term mission groups.

A young woman (Juana) from the church we attend came to our home last Saturday morning in tears. She had just come from the hospital and was told nothing could be done for her here and that she needed to get to La Ceiba as soon as possible. We had helped her in another situation so she rode her bike to our house, knowing without help, she could never afford passage to La Ceiba. We got a written prognosis from her doctor at the hospital stating she had glaucoma and was in danger of blindness if not treated soon. We prayed with her and she was on her way on Tuesday to get treatment. We haven’t heard anything yet. Her eye looked terrible!

This week, March 21-25, is called Santa Semana or Holy Week. Very few people are at work and most of the country heads for the beach. The bank closed on Saturday, the 19th . A sign showed up in the bank window announcing it won’t reopen until the 28th! Thankfully we were able to borrow a little money for food from a friend until we can make a withdrawal. Ed never likes to have very much cash in the house or on our persons (just in case). The unusual thing is that the Hondurans celebrate and vacation until Friday and then Saturday and Sunday they go back to their regular schedule. They don’t celebrate Easter, just Palm Sunday through Good Friday. Thank God, Jesus did indeed rise from the dead!

Roger Engle (Katrina is still in the States) was sick last week and thought he might have malaria again. Ed and I went to visit him to see how he was doing. Two days prior I had asked him what I could get for him and all he wanted was Gatorade. There’s only one place in town that has carried it in the past. Of course they were out of it. As we approached the house we ran into Margarita on her bike, she said they had just chased a drunken thief out of their house! She was out looking for the culprit. Ricardo had come into the house and grabbed the intruder. As he did the thief dropped the items he had grabbed and fled, leaving his shirt still in Ricardo’s hand. It turns out everyone knows who this young man is. Roger was going to report the incident to the COBRAS.

Over the weekend the Roger and children made the move to the House of Hope. He asked Ed to hire another taxi to help with transporting things so they could complete the move all in one day. At the end of the day, as the taxi pick-up truck was backing up, a little girl jumped up on the tail gate, lost her balance, and fell. The truck stopped abruptly and the girl was underneath the truck. She received a scratch on her shoulder but seemed to be other wise fine. The child’s mother came to the scene yelling at her daughter for not listening to her and for not staying away from the vehicles. We found out later that the family had pressed charges and the taxi driver was being detained and his pick-up truck impounded. Because Ed was an eyewitness he had to go to the Fiscalia (police station) to give a statement. The rule of thumb here is that you are guilty until proven innocent.

On a lighter note, one sees many strange slogans and sayings on t-shirts in English and obviously the wearer has no idea what it says. Our associate pastor preached two Wednesday ago wearing a white t-shirt that read, “I hate funk and hip-hop”. Another boy I saw on the street had a red t-shirt on that said TOMMY across the front and GIRL across his back. Most of the clothing here is vintage Rescue Mission, thrift store-type wear shipped here from the U.S.

A couple unusual sights I’ve noticed more than once, are similar to what Ed and I saw on our 2001 trip to Vietnam. Men urinate in public if necessity prevails upon them, albeit, discreetly. Also, bicycles are loaded with everything imaginable. I’ve seen rebar (it’s about 20 feet long) being carried on a bike, full propane tanks balanced on the handles, even babies held on mother’s knee bobbing up and down as she peddles. It’s incredible. Often two people are aboard, one steering the other peddling.

Chaela has a new nickname given to her by her beloved older sister Gabrielle. Chaela has grown quite a few inches since we’ve arrived in Honduras and is all arms and legs. Her athletic skills don’t quite mesh yet with her new elongated frame. For physical education the girls often go outside and hit the volleyball to each other. Gabrielle designated her the “startled stork” after one such class. It fits her perfectly!

One of the prisoners that’s been very faithful to attend the daily bible study and asks many thoughtful questions asked Ed today if he could speak with him privately. He braced himself waiting for the request for money or something that requires it. It turns out he just wanted him to go and visit his wife and share the gospel with her. Please pray for us. Every soul is precious in the eyes of the Lord.

Please write us about what is happening in your lives!

God bless you all abundantly with His grace and peace,

Karen and family