Nothing Is Wasted

Hi again!

We started school on Wednesday! However, when I say “started”, I mean we had a welcome ceremony and the kids played games and did different activities all day, which was real only a half day. I wasn't sure how I felt about this setup at first, but looking back, I'm glad we did it that way. It gave me a chance to meet my kids outside of the classroom and see what they are like around each other. I also got to see who my “troublemakers” would be. I'm not too worried about them causing any real trouble, though. The worst thing any kid does is talk too much and goof off. I'll take that any day over being rude to other classmates and picking fights with them.

I'm really excited to finally have my own class, mainly because during student teaching, you don't usually get to start the year with the kids. When they're yours, you get to have them from beginning to end. =)

I've always been hard on myself about classroom discipline, mostly because I've never felt like I am very good at it. Yesterday was the first day of classes, and it was a lot of ups and downs. I felt good about my 9^th grade class in the morning, and also with my spunky little 7^th graders, but as the day went on, I started feeling like I should just pack up and go home. In order to understand what my day looks like, you should know how the high school classes work. Instead of the teachers each having their own room and the kids going from class to class, the students each have their own classroom in which the teachers travel to to teach. You see, our school isn't very big, I believe around 80 kids total in the high school side. My 7^th grade class is 25 and my 8^th and 9^th graders are around 15 each, give or take a couple (we don't have finalized class lists yet).

The thing I really like about this, however, is that I can have each grade two and sometimes three times a day, just not all together. I thought this was terrible at first, but now I see its' benefits. My 7^th graders are really great...in the morning. After lunch all you can do is pray they take a little away from the lesson. So, I now know that when planning, I want to do the more important teaching in the morning, so they have a better chance of soaking in the material. The bad thing, though, is that I may never actually get used to this schedule since it changes every parcial (their term for quarter).

All in all, I know my biggest struggle will be dealing with behavior issues, but I also have learned from the past to give myself some grace, especially since I am known to take it personally when I mess up once and think it's the end of the world. That's what I love about teaching, it, like many other jobs, allows you to start fresh the next day and improve from the day before. I just need to stay positive, no matter how bad the situation is. For example, yesterday I was supposed to be teaching an 8^th grade class at 12:30 because of a new schedule change they made. The only problem was they didn't tell ME about the change. I went in unprepared because I forgot my materials at the teacher house in a rush to get to class. The class could tell I wasn't ready, and while they helped come up with a good game for us to play, I feel like it took away some of my authority figure. Today more than made up for it, though, because we played a great game of getting to know each other. In short, there was a lot of running to each others' desks so we didn't have to be stuck in the middle telling all about ourselves. I think the kids got a lot out of it with seeing how I am, and that's what was most important.

I am really looking forward to getting to share Jesus with them in class. Not only that, but I hope to share my story with them, too. God has never let me forget how beautiful of a story He is writing in my life. I mean, this time a couple years ago I was suffering from a life-threatening blood disorder. And now I'm in Honduras for a whole year!!?? The ONLY way that could ever happen is by God Himself. I've been really encouraged this past week with the words from the book of James. My best friend Debra shared these words with me during my student teaching and I am so thankful to still have them to look back on now. In the Message version, the beginning of James 1 goes like this: “Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.” Pretty great, right? Before school started, I just felt very lost and like I had no business being here. I didn't see my purpose yet because I wasn't teaching yet. I really wanted to go home. That, my friends, would have been a shame. If I had, I never would have gotten to see why God placed me here. Actually, I still don't fully know why, but it's becoming a little clearer each day.

I am beyond grateful for my past, because it has led me to my future, to my “right now”. I would never have wanted to miss this! All the bumps and bruises along the way (literally) were worth it for me to be here now. It's going to be a hard year. But it's also going to be full of God. I'm so glad I get to share it with you, too! Maybe you needed to hear those words from James today, too. If there's something really difficult you're dealing with, keep pushing through it. From plenty of past experience, I know God will not let it go to waste. 

Getting Settled In

I've now been here for five full days and still loving it! I don't really know where to begin, so I'll start with my favorite thing: food. Honduras is known for these little gems called baleadas (ba-lee-a-da). They're basically a tortilla with mushed red beans, eggs, mantequila (sorry Spanish speakers, I have no clue how to spell that, but it's their version of sour cream), and cheese. First off, Honduran cheese is NOT like the cheese we're used to in the States. It's *super* salty. I've learned to get my baleadas withOUT cheese, and man is it heavenly! Seriously, I know I won't be leaving here for a while, but I'm already sad thinking about not being able to have these whenever I want! That's one great thing about the food here, it's so cheap!!

I went with a couple of my roommates and the other teachers to get dinner and then see a movie, and it only cost $4.50 all together! The average size of a baleada here is, well, rather large, so it's plenty to fill you up. We went to see Monsters University afterwards. Granted, it was in Spanish so I couldn't understand 99% of it, but it was still really cute!

We started orientation on Monday and have enjoyed getting to know each other on the staff this year and doing a lot of group bonding activities. It has been much appreciated and definitely helping me feel more at ease with this huge life transition. As I type this, it is raining, once again. I usually do not enjoy the rain in the States, but I love it here. It just reminds me of how God cleanses us and renews our spirits. Another thing that happens here a lot is barking dogs. All. The. Time. Especially right when I am trying to go to sleep at night. I like it, though, because it reminds me of my dog, Bella. But, seriously, it's sad that most dogs here just live off the streets, so they don't have an owner telling them to be quiet or to come inside. They do, however, make a really great alarm clock in the morning!

I've been more amazed than ever with the way technology works these days. I've been able to talk to all of my friends and family back home almost as if we were still in the same country. It's the little things that make my days here easier. It also helps that all the girls I live with have been through the exact same thing as me before and know how to encourage me. They also don't mind if I just burst into tears on the spot. It's going to be a really, really good year, of that much I am sure. I love the staff here and how Christ-focused we all are. It makes this transition SO much better.

School starts next Wednesday, and if you are praying for me, that is what you could pray for, and not just me, but all of us teachers here. It is going to be stressful, and difficult to let go of our own expectations and respect the Honduran culture, but, it'll be great! Other than that, there isn't much new happening here. In fact, in many ways, it's like I'm still at home! I still eat peanut butter sandwiches, watch North American cable from time to time (we're not sure how we got that, but alas, we have it. What are ya gonna do?) , and I'm still on the internet a LOT in my downtime. We have extremely reliable internet here at the house, and for that I am thankful.

Oh, and for those wondering about my backpack? My boss's parents went looking for it and nothing had turned up. There was a chance it could still be there, but they wouldn't say over the phone. The only way I could find out was if I went to the airport (two hours away) myself and then there was still the chance that it wasn't even there. My only chance to go was during the first day of orientation, so I decided to let it go. It got me thinking why I came here. It wasn't so I could have all my stuff here with me. It was to serve Jesus by serving these kids and this school as a whole. I couldn't really do that if I missed orientation. God is good, though, as I still ended up with all the necessities in all of my other bags. Yes, I;m sad about losing it, but life goes on and I forgave myself for losing sight of it. I'm looking forward to starting this school year and really diving in to the Honduran lifestyle!!

Thank you for your prayers and all of your support. It is so comforting to know I have so many people back home who love and care about me so much. Ready for the Lord to stretch my faith in unthinkable ways this year!!!

Hello From Honduras!!

Hello From Honduras!!

Well, I made it finally! I had a lot of issues as soon as we were ready to board to Dallas from Springfield, they said there were maintenance issues and we had a 2 hour wait. I literally just started bawling right there on the spot. But the lucky thing was I got to go back out and sit with my sweet friends who came and my mom and dad.

It ended up taking off only an hour late, so as soon as we landed in Dallas, I booked it for my terminal and as I was checking to make sure it was the right flight, I hear "final boarding call for flight 640!" Talk about a close call! I had a little more time when we touched down in Miami, but not much after walking all over the place. The list of flights said my flight was at terminal J2, funny thing was, the map DIDN'T HAVE A J2!

But I finally found signs pointing me toward it so I kept following them until they pointed to a check in, except that was obviously NOT where I was supposed to be! Let me preface that I was/ have been an emotional wreck all week leading up to this. So it should not surprise you that I again broke down in the middle of this airport, which isn't signed very well at all, and all I wanted to do was scream for someone who could understand English!! It was rough.

However, then some guys did help me and I made it through security check and found my flight. I also had a hard day because all I'd had to eat was half of a cheese stick at like, 5:30 in the morning! I didn't eat again until 3! Thankfully I had a little time before leaving for the Honduras flight. I grabbed a granola bar and got on the plane. All the plane rides themselves were fine, but getting to them is possibly one of the worst things ever. But, when you're alone, it forces you to just deal with it. So, I did!

I got off and met Lauren, another English teacher, and Doris, one of the librarians, as well as James, another new English teacher. We got to the school around 7:15 (which feels like midnight here because it gets pitch dark at 6:30 every night!) and had pizza from the local grocery store. It seriously tasted just like American, only the Hondurans use better sauce, I think! =) I got to meet all the other English teachers and some of the Hondurans as well. It feels so good to really be here and meet everyone, even though it's still scary when I think about how far away I really am! But, that is to be expected, and luckily, I have three girls I live with who all have their homesick moments, so it's really okay.

So, a terrible thing I discovered AFTER we were in Siguatepeque (the town I now live in, eek!) was that I somehow FORGOT my backpack at the airport. The airport is two hours away from Sigua (what everyone calls this town, you know, because it has such a long name), so we tried calling and didn't get any answer, but will try again today and see what happens. I have all my really important things, but it stinks, my camera, my ipod, my favorite Bible, letters from friends, and just daily essentials were all in there.) If you could be praying about that, it would be great. =)

I would attach pictures with this, buuuut, like I said, my camera is gone, at least for the moment. What I really wanted to end on today, though, is this: I've always thought when I get into sticky situations that I was so lucky to have someone there to help me. Much like today, with not knowing where to go in the airports and not knowing what to do when my very first flight was delayed. I always tend to think how incapable I am, but that's because I AM. I 'm not supposed to be able to do everything without needing help, none of us are. It wasn't luck that found me when I needed guidance getting to my next destination, it was God. I love how He shows up in so many random people just for me, even if they may never know it! God places each person in our path for a reason, so I really want to remember that, especially with my time In Honduras. It like the English Program Director, Siliva, says "It's not a coincidence we are here." I'm so glad she thinks that, because it's been a motto of mine ever since I first found out about this school.

Today, we're getting a tour of Sigua and going to the market, and also hopefully getting cell phones we can use in Honduras. Oh yeah, speaking of phones, that was also in my backpack. Even if I do get it back, which I really hope I do, I won't be using it to call anyone on, and I will only be texting very minimally. So if you want/need to reach me, use Facebook or twitter or my email (brennab2989@yahoo.com). For those of you wanting to know how to send packages/letters to me, I will post that in my next blog. It's only 6:10 here and I didn't get much sleep to begin with, so I'm going to try to rest some more before my first full day here!

Love you all and thank you so much for the prayers and support you're given me. It makes it harder to be so far away because of how wonderful my community of friends and family are, but it's still wonderful.

Until next time,
-Brenna B.