Tuesday, November 27, 2012

The Muppets Made Me Cry

Even though I am quite mature, age-wise, I still love the muppets.  They are so funny.  As I was lounging around this morning, The Muppets were on Good Morning America.  I was laughing out loud and saying, "they still make me laugh."

But they made me cry, too.  Last week was a good Thanksgiving week.  But, I was sad frequently, too.  I was missing my son, Ryan, who lives in Heaven.  There were a lot of little things that brought him to my mind and my heart.  Those things caused me to tear up.  More than once. 

It was that way with The Muppets this morning.  When Ryan was a little guy of about two or three, he loved the muppets.  Remembering how he liked them and we laughed together, made me cry. 

I will always have days like this.  I am thankful for those memories.

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Carla

Carla is  eleven years old.  We have been talking about her and her family since August.  Her mother had AIDS, which we got from being gang-raped.  The man we thought was her dad has has AIDS.  This turns out to be her stepdad.  Her dad died several years ago.  We built a house for Carla's family as a dying wish for the mother.  She wanted a nicer place for her children.  Carla's mother, Vitalina, died in October.

The stepdad is too sick to work.  Several other people have moved into the house since Carla's mother died.  Most of these people are male.  Eleven year old Carla was trying to cook and clean and do laundry for all these people.  We feared what else might happen with a house full of men.

Carla has come out here to visit and stay on two separate occasions.  She is here again.  Only this time is more permanent.  She came for the weekend last weekend.  She had to go back and finish school.  Marc talked to her stepdad about her moving out here.  He was more than for it. Marc went to get her on Friday.  She was ready and waiting.  Everything she owned was packed into her backpack.  That is sad enough.  But no one acted sad.  No one hugged her.  No one said good-bye.  No one acted like it was a big deal for her to leave.  But she is already talking about doing something for Christmas for her brothers.

She came bouncing in here as if she was Tigger.  We took her to Chili's after church.  And then shopping.  She is not sure she likes that American food.  Yet.  She will learn. 

This is a lot of change to absorb.  For all of us.  Prayers appreciated.

Terri

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving At Casa

Thanksgiving is not a holiday anywhere in Honduras except Casa de Esperanza..  We like to do Thanksgiving for ourselves, but the kids, and the staff, have sure learned to love and enjoy this American holiday.

Last week when I went to buy the Thanksgiving groceries, the kids knew why I was going to town.  When I got home, I honked the horn so someone could open the gate.  Nicole was down here in my house.  She said she heard the kids scream with excitement.  They lined up at the car and helped unload.

Usually, the kids are out of school by now, but not so this year.  Karen and I really wanted to include them in the preparations as we always have.  It made for a late evening before things were done.  I took the onions and celery and cheese into the kitchen about 2:00 yesterday.  These are tasks I do not like about Thanksgiving, but the kids were so happy to be included.



Then there was the potato peeling crew.

Haley helped with the pumpkin pies.

I let four different kids help with the cornbread for dressing.  I could have done this much faster and with much less mess, but the joy it brought the kids was worth the extra time and mess.  I usually let the older ones make the cornbread.  This year I chose some of the younger ones.  Katy came first.  She was so excited and had so much fun.  She made her cornbread and sat in the floor and watched it cook.
Jose was next.  I always make the kids wash their hands first.  Jose washed his, but he was so dirty everywhere else.  I just hoped the dirt didn't fall into the cornbread.  He had fun, too.  When his cornbread finished, he thought the two pans of baked cornbread were beautiful.  He was so proud of himself. 

Nohemy was next.  She loved every minute.  And licked the beaters clean.  Of raw cornbread.  Yuck.
It got so late that Sisi came down in her pajamas to make cornbread.

Some of the kids were in Karen's apartment making banana pudding and chocolate no bake cookies.

Again, today it was weird not having the kids around while we cooked.  The first turkey was not quite thawed and I had to surgically remove the frozen neck.  As soon as school got out, there were kids wanting to help in any way they could.

We had over 60 people here for lunch.  Most of our employees were here, even the ones that were not on duty.  The Honduras Hope employees were here.  The group from MTSU, other missionaries, and friends were also here.  We enjoyed an huge spread and wonderful fellowship.





It was a fun day, a wonderful way to celebrate my favorite holiday.  But, now it is time for bed.  I am more done than the turkey was.









Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Boxes

Many Saturday mornings as of late, I have spent cleaning, organizing and sorting in the store and the stockroom.  This is very therapeutic for me.  This past Saturday as I cleaned, organized, sorted and condensed, a lot of empty boxes become available.  Most of them were ripped and not good to really hold and carry stuff.  I broke some of them down, and the others I left inside the dorm.

Yesterday there was so school post election day.  I pulled the boxes out of the dorm.  We would have thought Christmas had arrived early.  The kids squealed with delight.  My personal thought was it would be a good diversion for at least 10 minutes.

The boxes kept the kids occupied most of the day.  I saw Karen picking up a few pieces at the end of the day, but for the most part the boxes were intact. All the kids enjoyed the boxes.









Monday, November 19, 2012

Election Day

Yesterday was election day in Honduras.  It was the primaries.  The candidates will now campaign for one year.  That may seem like a long time, but I heard on the news Saturday about someone thinking about running for US president in 2016.  With that in mind, one year isn't so long.

There was a festive attitude yesterday, though many people took this privilege quite seriously.  Church attendance was definitely down as many people were at the polls.  At the polling places, there were crowds of people as there were at campaign headquarters.  There were campaign headquarters for both major parties every mile or so.  Everyone had red or blue flags flying, indicating their preference of candidates.  At places like Larach and PriceSmart, places that are normally are extremely busy on Sunday, there were few cars in the parking lot and the lines inside were short.  There is a dry law on election day.  No alcohol can be sold or consumed.  I know stores were enforcing not selling alcohol.  I am not sure how well the no consumption part was being enforced.  Last night, when I went to Ojojona, there was still people congregated  in the streets. 

In the past, there have been disturbances and riots after the elections, even the primaries.  So, just in case, school was canceled today.  I am not in Tegucigalpa, but I think all is calm today.  The kids are happy there is no school, but fussing because they still have to study for finals.

While yesterday was serious for many and festive for others, today is just another work day in Honduras.

Terri

Friday, November 16, 2012

Blogging

There was a time in my life, when I wrote about everything.  I had journals and I filled them.  I rejoiced. I vented.  I wrote everything in my journals.  Some of the pages were tear-stained.  Some probably had chocolate dripped on them.  Once a journal was full, it was tossed aside, rarely to ever be looked at again. 

And, then my son was killed in a tragic car accident.  I had never felt such raw emotion.  But, I could not journal it.  I thought I had lost my ability to write.  Six or seven years later, I began to write a little again.  It was very rough and I could not edit it after I wrote something.  I would shut down.  I longed to write and write well.

After Marc and Nicole first came to Honduras, they both started blogs.  I enjoyed reading them, especially while Nicole was in Europe.  Both Marc and Nicole encouraged me to start a blog.  I boldly proclaimed, "I am not about to share my thoughts for the whole world to read."  Not that I thought the whole world was interested, but anything I wrote in a blog would be there for the whole world to read, if they chose to do so.

When we decided to move to Honduras, I decided I would start a blog, mostly so that my mother would know what we were doing.  But there were the people that send money each month that needed to keep up with as well.  Marc wanted to name my blog  Santa Ana View.  I did not want my blog named.  Terriltindall was sufficient for me.

Today, is my 1000th blog.  That is hard for me to believe.  From the person that was not about to share her thoughts for the whole world to read.   This week alone, I have shared some pretty personal thoughts and emotions. 

This blog has become therapy to me.  It doesn't matter who reads it or who doesn't. 

Thank you for reading.  Thank you for encouraging me.  Thank you for sharing your comments.  I hope we continue to share the journey through this blog for a long time.

Terri

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Moses Moments

Most people think that just because I am a missionary, I have given everything to God.  But, I am very very human and there are still (and probably always will be) some things I want to hang onto, things of which I want control. 

Maybe God (or someone) is asking me to give more than I want to give.  Right this minute, I am fighting that.  And maybe even rebelling.  I am so like Moses in the desert when Moses said, "who am I that I should go?"  Who am I that I should be asked to give more than I am already giving.  Surely, God, you can find someone better than me.  I am not sure God is listening to me.  Am I listening to Him?

My Aaron already knows how some past Moses moments turned into a burning bush experience.  I guess we will have to wait and see and pray to find out if these Moses moments turn into another burning bush experience.

Hidden Laundry

After raising three kids, I thought I had seen and heard everything.  But, I continue to discover I have not heard and seen everything.

The Casa kids all have chores.  Most of the time, a chore never lasts more than one week and then it is given to someone else.  Some of the kids do their chores and never complain.  Some grumble once in a while and some some complain about every chore and don't want to do them.  Ever.  And, then some are just plain lazy.

Fernando is one of the lazy ones.  He will do anything or go to any lengths to get out of a chore.  Sometimes, the chore would have taken less time and effort than what he went through to get out of it.  Everyone knows this and watches him closely.  He has been caught hiding the wet laundry because he did not want to hang it on the line.  I don't know how this was discovered or by whom, but yesterday a whole suitcase of wet laundry was found.  And, it wasn't yesterday's laundry.  It had been in the suitcase long enough that it had molded and mildewed.  Oh, the joys of raising children.

My children never had to hang the laundry on the line so I can't say that mine would have never hidden the wet laundry.  One of mine pooped in a plastic bag and hid it.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Passport Renewal

This morning I went to the US Embassy to renew my passport.  That was a painless experience.  Rare is the occasion that I say that since moving to Honduras.  I have had this appointment scheduled for two weeks.  In that time, I have often found myself reflecting on the last 10 years.

Ten years ago, I was preparing to come to Honduras for the first time, thus, the need to get a passport.  I had no desire to leave the USA.  For any reason.  Not to go on vacation in Europe and certainly not to go on a mission trip to a third world country.  Marc and Nicole had already been to Honduras two times.  They wanted me to join them, but did not nag or push me.  I am quite sure they prayed me into it, but they did give me my space.  More than anything Marc and Nicole said or did, it was the words of my good friend, Cynthia White, that pushed me over the edge to make the decision to go.

Even with passport in hand and bags packed, any reason would have been good enough to stay home.  I liked living in my comfortable world.  No one told me about the landing in Tegucigalpa.  Marc tried to control everything I heard. He knew I might back out. 

Don't get me wrong, I am glad we are here and I love what I do, but had I known when I applied for that first passport that I would be living in Honduras when it was time to renew, you better believe I would have never boarded that plane in Atlanta. 

I remember the 2nd or 3rd day when my heart was broken.  We were in Los Pinos and I saw a house made out of sticks and garbage bags.  I knew I would be back and back again.  But, I still had no plans to live here. 

I serve an amazing God that can mold this heart into one that is truly thankful that I get to be here and that I get to be a part of these kids' lives. 

And, I have learned, or I hope I have learned, never say never.  When I do, God certainly has a way of humbling me.   I don't think I will even think on where I might be the next time I renew the passport..

Sunday, November 11, 2012

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

The kids always start getting excited about Christmas about December 26.  But, we still take the tree down a few days after Christmas.  And, it usually gets to go back up around the first of November.  This year for the first time, there is a tree in both houses.

In my eyes, one tree is prettier than the other tree.  Some of the kids have never had a Christmas tree.  To the kids and the adults in both houses, their tree is the most beautiful Christmas tree in the world.  And, I guess that is what really matters, that is beautiful to the kids. 

Terri

Friday, November 9, 2012

Bus Strike

Yesterday, Matt, Nicole, Haley and Emma Kate arrived back in Honduras.  I was really happy and really thankful.  I went to the airport to meet them.  After loading the mountain of luggage in my car and eating at Popeye's, we went to Wal-Mart.   Matt and Nicole needed to buy groceries.  When the car was packed as full as it could be, we started to Baxter because that is where Matt and Nicole's car was. 

I was busy talking and missed my turn when we left Wal-Mart and I had to double around to get back to the road on which I needed to be.  That was the first of many missteps, but that is another story.  As we get closer to Baxter, the traffic begins to slow and finally came to a complete halt.   Of course, my first thought was an accident.  We inched along and we began to see buses everywhere.

 Yay me!  I had found myself right in the middle of a bus strike.  All other vehicles were being forced to make a u-turn.  I could see the gates of Baxter, but we were not allowed to go any further.  It was 3:00 in the afternoon.  I guess the buses were really going to mess up the afternoon commute. 
I made a u-turn and we came home.  We will get the car another day.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Another Teenager

Each year a child or two has their thirteenth birthday.  Monday, Antonio (aka Fito) turned 13.  I think that makes 5 teenagers.  Considering the ages of the other children, we don't expect the raging hormones to settle down for years.

Happy 13th birthday, Antonio.  We are certainly proud of the young man he is becoming.


Tuesday, November 6, 2012

October Newsletter

                                                          
CASA De ESPERANZA
Making a difference, one child at a time
P.O. Box 9222
Columbus, MS 39705
cdehonduras.org/casa.acklenavenue.com


Amigos de Casa,

Even here in Honduras, we are being inundated with political ads concerning the upcoming U.S. elections. I, personally, will be glad when it is over. Honduras is also preparing for elections on November 18. This election is the primary. After this election, the candidates will campaign for one year. We are happy to say, so far, this election period is very calm compared to four years ago. We pray this remains the case. I guess after the primaries are over, anything could happen.

October is a month of anniversaries. Five of the children, Cindy, Maryuri, Fernando, Katy, and Reina have been at Casa for six years. For Katy and Maryuri that is most of their lives. They probably don't remember anything but living at Casa. For the other three, they have lived here well over half of their lives. These kids have come a long, long way from those days six years ago.

Prayers for these children right now include: Fernando is in teleton. Pray that he progresses as he should. It has been suggested by the school that Katy needs to be in Teleton, possibly needing help for ADHD. We are seeking a second opinion from a pediatrician before we pursue this. Reina is also in Teleton. We are constantly evaluating her education needs. We need prayers that we make the best decision for her.




 Maryuri

 Fernando

 Reina

 Katy

Cindy

Six years later

Maryuri also is in Teleton. It has been advised that she needs to see a psychiatrist. The first appointment is scheduled later this month. Prayers are needed as we seek the proper treatment for her. Cindy is so defiant and rebellious. She cares about nothing. We are trying to decide, and praying over that decision, whether or not she needs a psychologist or what.
 
Another important anniversary that occurred in October is that Karen has been here seven years. Karen is a vital, important part of this ministry. She is mommy to these kids. The love and passion she has for these kids shows in everything she does. The children and the staff are blessed because she is here.  I am blessed to call her co-worker and friend.


Rosy has finished fourth grade. We will soon be receiving her grades. We are not sure when the other children are finishing. They have completed third partial exams. Grades were better for the elementary kids this time. Nohemy had one red note and no one else had any. I wish we could say the same for Pamela and Brayan.

Pamela is no longer working with Mirian. She is now working in the cafe. The other girls are taking turns helping with the babies. The ones that get to do this, think it is wonderful.

Josue and Olman continue to be sick frequently. We are quite concerned about Josue's development, or lack thereof. He, too, will soon be seeing the pediatrician for a thorough check up.

We have built two outdoor stoves, one for each house. More cooking is being done out there and we are already seeing a decrease in the amount of propane being used. While school is out, the kids will be taught how to make tortillas. The boys are having to gather and chop wood. So far, this is still fun.



As this season of thanksgiving is upon us, we are thankful that this home has been making a difference in the lives of these children for over six years. We are thankful for the opportunity we have to serve here and we are thankful for each one of you that pray for us and the children, support Casa financially and encourage us. If you have not yet decided where to give your year end donation, please prayerfully consider Casa de Esperanza.

Please feel free to share this newsletter with anyone you think is interested. If you have questions or concerns, please email me at terriltindall@yahoo.com

Sincerely,



Terri Tindall


Monday, November 5, 2012

Yay For Josue

The twins will be one year old this month.  Olman is sitting and crawling and progressing as he should be.  Josue is not.  We are very concerned about this.  We have a neurologist appointment later in the month.  He also will be seeing a pediatrician for a thorough check up. 

Over the weekend, my friend Kim was here.  In her other life, before she became a missionary and opened a children's home, she was a physical therapist.  Saturday evening she spent some time with Josue and told Mirian some things she should be doing daily with Josue.  Mirian listened intently.

The milk came this morning.  I left my desk to pay the milkman.  As I was walking back to the house, ( I so easily get distracted) I walked into Mirian's house.  She put a blanket on the floor as Kim had suggested.  I got in the floor and started moving Josue's arms and legs as Kim had.  I helped him roll over onto his stomach.  Josue then raised up on all fours.  We were cheering.  Then he began his to crawl.  It was giant, slow motions, but he crawled.  Mirian said it was the first time.  We called Reina in from the kitchen to watch.  We all cheered and clapped.

Yay for Josue!

Terri

Sunday, November 4, 2012

A Little Child Shall Lead Them

Some mornings taking twenty one children to church is exhausting, no matter how many adults there are trying to control them.  Others aren't so bad.  Fortunately, this morning was one of those that was not so bad.  Since I was not spending all my time making them be quiet or sit down or turn around,  I got to observe them.

They are so sweet when they are singing.  Most of them sing loudly, on key or off key, it matters not.  And they are wearing great big smiles.  They are praising our Father with everything have. 

Wouldn't it be nice if we, as adults, still praised the Father with everything we have?

Terri