Goodbye Honduras.......For Now!

This will be my final blog post, and a conclusion of our stay in Honduras.

Chaunte and I boarded our plane headed for home on August 3rd , both of us with a heavy sadness weighing on our hearts. We knew that this time the return trip was meant to be, but we were reluctant to leave nevertheless. We had plenty of time on the return trip to reflect on our stay, especially with a four hour layover in Atlanta. It was during this time of reflection that God began lifting some of the sadness, and replaced it with a feeling of utmost blessedness. I realized somewhere between San Pedro Sula, and Charlotte NC, that God had blessed us with an absolutely amazing opportunity, and that thanks to Him, we had grabbed hold, and gone along for the ride. The experience we had is one we will never forget, and one that I believe has changed our entire outlook on life.

So just what happened to the Durand sisters while they stayed in Honduras……

Our days at the Casa Grande started early, and by early I mean the girls were up at 5:30 preparing tortillas, and ready to eat breakfast at 7:00 (by which time Chaunte and I were only beginning to stir) The girls found it highly amusing to watch us prepare our meals throughout the day, most of which I’m sure were just barely edible (excuse me if I’m not Rachel Ray). I wanted to learn the art of making baleadas almost immediately, so at lunch time Gabbi (Missionaries Allen and Michelle’s eight year old daughter) and I would help the girls with their cooking. The result was usually hysterical giggles on the part of the girls, and a rather embarrassed me with baleada dough stuck in my hair. Gabbi was quite a bit better at this than I was, so I left the cooking to her and the girls. Rixy, one of the young mothers, did manage to teach me how to make fried plantains, so I wasn’t completely useless in the kitchen!
Communication was a little rough at first, but our Spanish improved, and we were able to hold short conversations with the girls in no time, even though admittedly body language was a huge part of these conversations! Through the time spent with the girls, we slowly started building profiles for each of them. We discovered their likes, and dislikes, their good points, and their bad ones. Each girl is unique in her own way. Carmen is extremely sweet natured and affectionate, whereas Antonia is more tough, and lively. Karla strongly dislikes chocolate, and loves to talk one on one. Keyla loves being in the middle of things, and has a flair for fashion. Rosa prefers to stay to one side, and likes free time for herself. Rixy and Lorena are two jokesters, and they loved teasing us. Evelyn has a love for art and music, and is very conscious of her appearance. Reinitta has a great sense of rhythm, and loves to run around and play. Reina is a very even tempered and good-natured person, and has a smile that lights up her entire face. Merlina is quite and shy, and prefers listening to speaking. It was such a joy to be able to get to know each one of these precious girls.

Most of our days were filled with laughter and joy, but conflict, like it always does, would arise occasionally. These periods of conflict within the home, were perfect opportunities for the missionaries, and us to show the girls how to deal with it in a way that was biblical and pleasing to God. The girls would get irritated with one another, not surprising considering these are eleven teenage girls all living under the same roof, or with their children, and sometimes they would say really hurtful things to one another. I remember one night, staying up with a girl that was harboring bitterness and un-forgiveness towards another girl, and she refused to let that anger go. Penny Compton (the missionary, and one of the founders of open door ministries) and I was up with her for probably a good hour or two, trying to explain the importance of “letting it go” We quoted scripture to her, prayed with her, and loved on her. It took a long while, and we could see her struggle, but she finally approached the girl she had been arguing with, and was able to make amends. She went to bed that night with peace in her heart and a bit of the bitterness in her life gone. It was really hard to see the struggle, but the result was a much happier girl, and one who had made the right decision for herself.

Chaunte and I enjoyed going out and about in Tocoa a great deal. I would buy fruit from the local fruit and vegetable stands, and our trips to Dispensa (a Honduran supermarket) were always interesting! The stores there are usually jam-packed with people, and no AC. So grocery shopping was usually a very sweaty and tiring experience! Driving in Honduras can be summed up in one word: scary. There are no rules, no speed limits, no real space for maneuvering, and a whole lot of cars out at the same time. Surprisingly there are very few accidents, my philosophy being, everybody drives like lunatics, therefore they all expect everyone to drive like lunatics, and this somehow makes them concentrate more when they’re driving. Maybe this theory is a bit far fetched. It could be that Hondurans in general just have amazingly fast reflexes. Whatever it is, it seems to work for them! I took a taxi once with Michelle, and that was actually quite fun. The driver didn’t speak English, we hardly spoke Spanish, but we ended up where we needed to end up anyway!

Chaunte and I can’t speak of Honduras, without mentioning some of the amazing food we had there. Their Mangoes and Pineapples are simply the best, as well as any of the food you would buy at the local shops and restaurants. One place in particular, sold these amazing milkshakes called “coco locos”. They were very sweet, and milky, and I feel a bit of an indulgence, Chaunte however, had no scruples about downing a whole milkshake in one sitting. My favorite treat on a hot day (which was everyday) was a frozen coffee drink at Espresso Americano. Not strictly typical of Honduras, but yummy nevertheless!

Each outing taking us outside the Gates of Hope, were instant reminders of how blessed we are here in the States. Honduras is a country stricken with poverty, and Tocoa is definitely no exception. Most homes are little mud huts, put together with clay, sticks, and whatever other materials could be used. We would often times would see children running around naked. Disease and malnutrition are pretty much the norm. At times like these it was hard not to feel useless, and small, after all what was I really doing to impact Honduras? But that’s just it. It’s not about what I was doing, or Chaunte, or any of the mission teams, for that matter. It was all about God. HE is the one that orchestrates our lives, and He is the one that uses us. We are just tools, and if I ever had the mentality, of; “oh look at what I’ve done” I was very quickly reminded, that it wasn’t about me at all.

The main message I’m trying to get across, is that everything we are, everything we do, and have done, is because of God. We live by the Spirit, through the Son, to the Father. If the Holy Spirit hadn’t convicted us to stay, we wouldn’t have. If it wasn’t for the incredible example of servant hood that Jesus has set for us, we wouldn’t have known how to serve, and if we didn’t have someone to live for, someone to take our lives to, well it would pretty much be pointless, right? I want to encourage each of you to tune into what the Holy Spirit is trying to say. Sometimes a person needs a big jolt, like visiting a third world country to wake them out of their complacency, but other times all it takes is a few minutes of quiet time to listen to what God is saying to you.

I want to thank each and every one of you for reading our blog. We can’t tell you how much your comments, and prayers meant to us. I have one final request to make of all of you. Please continue to lift Honduras up in your prayers. Just because Chaunte and I are home safely, shouldn’t have to mean that Honduras gets “dropped” all of a sudden. The need hasn’t changed, and our hunger for serving there hasn’t been satisfied, on the contrary, it has increased. Keep the Tedders in your prayers. They are staying in Honduras until September 15th. Pray for the Compton family, as they return to and from Honduras on a regular basis.

We love and appreciate all of you so much!

Dios Le Bendiga (God Bless!)

Leandrie.